Beautiful People #7: Susan

Look at me, doing the March BP so close to the wire. It's almost April! *cheers*

Today you get to meet Susan, from my untitled paranormal novel. I am working on Susan. She's just the shell of a character as yet.

(Sorry if the formatting is off on this post, or if the font is super tiny. Blogger insists that it won't cooperate with me today. Blame Google.)


 

1. What is their secret desire?

For her husband, Jon, to be alive again. For her heart to be whole again. For her mind to be sure and confident again. But she knows that's not possible. 

2. What is the best and brightest moment they experience during the story?

 I... don't know this yet. Susan has a lot of depression ahead of her.

But it probably involves her baby. Good things for Susan in this story usually involve her baby.

(The baby also has no name yet. But it's a girl.)

3. What are the emotional places your characters are afraid to go to?

That moment when she finally realized her husband had died and was gone forever. (Five days after he had actually died.)

4. Is there a place/city/room where they will never go? Why?

The Art Institute of Chicago, because she and Jon used to wander around there for hours, when they still lived in Chicago (they had a membership). Actually, she'll go there, but never the impressionist wing. Monet's Haystacks make her break down.

5. If they were permanently leaving town, what would they easily throw out? What would they refuse to part with? (Why?)

Anything that reminds her of Jon would get saved, because she can't bear to let any memory of his go. Also, obviously, all the important baby stuff would have to come with - for practicality's sake.

Susan would easily throw out all her baby's chew toys. They're kind of mangled. And gross.

6. What do they want (consciously and tangibly)?

Susan wants her baby to grow up happily and healthily. She also wants Jon back. I think I've said that a few times? It's kind of a big deal.

7. On the other hand: what do they need (on the emotional, subconscious level)?

Susan needs release. She needs hope. And she needs to know that she is needed and loved - by her child and by her neighbors.

8. If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

She really hates her ears. But oh well.

She also would change herself to become a better mother. (But isn't that what all moms think?)

She'd change herself to be more happy. Perky. Normal.

Which is tough. She doesn't exactly know what she wants. Susan has a lot of sorting through to do.

9. What is the most humiliating event of their life?

Not sure about this either. Probably something to do with her parents and her early 20's.

10. What things do they turn to when they need a bit of hope?

Her baby. She is the most physical manifestation of Susan's love for Jon, and reminds Susan that she has to keep going because - baby. 


Would you have guessed that this paranormal novel started out as kind of a comedic idea? I never knew that there would be depressed mothers and such. Gosh. (I mean, seriously. Dead husband PLUS post natal depression. That's a lot to deal with.)

Did you write a Beautiful People post? Link it to me in the comments!

~Sophia

Bookshelf Tour! (and Sophia makes a fool of herself on camera)

Today I have something special.

Today marks the first time that my voice and me speaking are available for all the internet to see.

In other words, I have finally made a vlog.

*cheers*

This first video is a bookshelf tour, which is why it's kinda long. As I say in the video, I'm planning to do this once a month, and I PROMISE they're not all going to be over ten minutes. They're also not all going to be this rambly and awkward and badly edited, since I'm told that practice makes perfect.

Seriously, pardon all my rookie vlogging mistakes. I tried my best. :-)

And now... enjoy meeting some of my precious babies!




How do you organize your books? Do you have your own shelves? 

AND: give me suggestions on what else to vlog about! I need ideas!

~Sophia

Top Ten Tuesday: Childhood Books

Well would you look at that! I'm not dead. I'm not even disappeared into some far-reaching corner of the earth. 

I'm just very, very bogged down with school, that's all.

But it's Spring Break now, so I'm back! I actually wasn't planning to do this week's Top Ten Tuesday - I've been planning Something Else Exciting to come tomorrow or Thursday - but after I saw Cait's TTT post, I was filled with such nostalgia that I just HAD to write my own.

Today's topic is: Top Ten Childhood Books that I would Love To Revisit. And gosh, I have plenty.

I was homeschooled until I started college last fall, so books were basically my food for all of my childhood. We didn't even have required reading because my parents knew that I would rather sit in a corner reading the library pile than going outside to play. When I DID go outside, I'd climb up in the tree and read up there. I got into very little trouble. (Having a reader for a child is very convenient. You don't have to find ways to keep them occupied.)

Anyway, let's begin!

1. The Chronicles of Narnia

I still remember my mother reading these to us while sitting on a blanket in our backyard. I ADORED these books (and still do). They have my heart forever.

2. The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh

This is what my father was reading to me when I was three, and he slowly started to fall asleep. He misread a word. I corrected him, and he freaked. Thus, Sophia was proclaimed a reader.

These stories have so much Truth and Goodness in them. Everyone, no matter what their age, should read them.

3. The Magic Tree House Books

Oh, these were my LIFE. Until I was about thirteen, I was committed to reading each and every one. My favorites were the Merlin Missions (these were in hardcover so they were special), especially the Venice Carnivale one (#33) and the Camelot one (#29). But I got most from the library, so I only own two or three. And today, I could only find one:

4. Anything Henry Winterfeld

I used to own all his books: Castaways in Lilliput, Trouble in Timpetill, Detectives in Togas, and Mystery of the Roman Ransom. (These last two are a duology.) But today I could only find Castaways! I think the other three have been lent out to various children in the neighborhood. Whoops. 

But these are super good - Detectives in Togas is possibly my favorite, though I also really liked Trouble in Timpetill. Actually, never mind. I can't pick a favorite.

5. Anything Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl is the greatest - right, or left?*

He is, as my copy of James proclaims: The World's Most Scrumdiddlyumptious Storyteller. 

*You earn five points if you understood the reference.

6. Anything Elizabeth George Speare

I've read Witch of Blackbird Pond (it's the only one I own), and fell in love with Nat. I also read Calico Captive and Sign of the Beaver, which were great. But my favorite will always be The Bronze Bow. Always.

7. Anything Frances Hodgson Burnett

Sara Crewe (A Little Princess) is my BFF, Dickon (The Secret Garden) is my bro, and if anyone talks crap about Cedric Errol (Little Lord Fauntleroy), I will find you. 

But seriously. Why do so many people make fun of Little Lord Fauntleroy? Stop it.

8. Anything Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island was kind of forced to become a part of my life, since my sister was OBSESSED with it when she was younger. She had a HUGE crush on - and wanted to become - Jim Hawkins. Simultaneously. She dressed up as him for Halloween once. I would post a picture but she might kill me.

9. Anything Astrid Lindgren

Oh the beauty and innocence of Astrid Lindgren. Everyone's heard of Pippi Longstocking, but I personally prefer Happy Times in Noisy Village or the Emil books over Pippi any-day. And who wouldn't want to be Ronia, from Ronia, the Robber's Daughter? I read that book three times over.

10. Anything E. Nesbit

I've read so much E. Nesbit, I've lost count. She is absolutely a children's lit genius. Edward Eager deserves mention here too, because he's an E. Nesbit follower.

BECAUSE I HATE RULES

11. Anything Lloyd Alexander

Do you want some excellent fantasy? Lloyd is the man. Not only does he write Welsh and traditional Western fantasy, he also explores other world cultures, which is AWESOME. Right, or left?

Also, did you know I was about to write a letter to him when he died in 2007? It was a tragic moment in my life, because apparently he kept up the most awesome correspondences with his fans. :-(

Some Honorable Mentions:

And wait! What about the Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes and and and...

Gosh. I'm already to twenty.

What are your favorite childhood books that you'd like to reread?
Do you have fond memories of any on my list?

~Sophia

Top Ten Tuesday: FAVES

As always, hosted by the lovelies at The Broke and the Bookish!

Today's topic is UTTER FAVORITES. From the last three years. I will interpret that time span rather loosely because this is my blog and I make my own rules. 

Let's roll!

(Covers link to Goodreads)
(Also, these are not in any particular order. I don't like ranking things.)

1. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

 

2. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

This is technically three books but who cares. Remember what I said about me making my own rules?

3. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

I read this a bunch of years ago, but then I reread it in Summer 2013, so it counts.

4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Another reread.



5. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
And another one.



6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak



7. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
This one's been around four or five years since I read it, but on the list it goes! It's too superb to overlook.



8. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

 

9. Persuasion, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
 I really like all of Jane Austen's books - well, Edmund from Mansfield Park and I are not exactly on the best of terms with each other - but Persuasion, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility are my top three.

       

 10. The Adventures of Winnie The Pooh by A. A. Milne
Though I may not have entirely reread it, I've definitely cracked it open a few times to siphon out some wisdom during moments of scholarly despair.






 Now it's your turn! Tell me what your favorite books are! Do any of them overlap?

~Sophia

February // The Month of Chiberia

Febuary's been an interesting month. It's been busy. It's been stressful. But it's also been full of birthdays!

Well... not anymore. It WAS on February 5th.

And why did I decide to call this February "The Month of Chiberia"? Because that is what Chicago is right now. Siberia. January was a cold month too, but I EXPECT January to be cold. But February? And piercingly, skin numbingly, painfully COLD? Come on.

This is how I dress every day for school:



But seriously. My aunt got me thermal leggings for my birthday because she UNDERSTANDS winter in Chicago.

This winter has been really dragging out. My birthday is generally greeted by the dirt-slush of old snow under foot, but this year it decided to add to that with below zero temperatures (and that's in Fahrenheit, so somewhere around -20 in Celsius). I am SO SO SO ready for spring.

I did a lot of school, that's what happened. I got my first D on an exam, as well as dropped my first class ever, and also had a huge meltdown in my father's lap about my lack of motivation. I am glad I still live with my parents.

But! I also had a birthday! I am now nineteen years old, and one year away from not-teenage-ness. Which is mildly frightening.

My parents, two friends, and I went to a French restaurant in the area and ate a lot of deliciousness. I also got wonderful bookish gifts, but you'll see those below in this month's book haul. :-)

This month was also my mother's birthday - on Valentine's day, actually - so my sister and I went out with my parents for dinner. I really like Valentine's Day in our household, because it's really about love of all sorts, not just romantic love. I've always grown up with it that way because of my mother's birthday, and even though I've never had an official "date" on Valentine's Day, I'm never just moping around at home either. It's pretty nice!

This month, Lent started, and for Lent, I gave up mobile social media (excluding Instagram because it's new for me). I usually only check social media on my phone, so my addiction to that has really decreased. I don't know what will happen once Easter passes and I re-download the apps, but we shall see. :-P

Not a big haul this month.

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by a variety of people, including Lemony Snicket, Linda Sue Park, Kate DiCamillo, and Stephen King. 
AND I got it for $1 at my university's book sale! I haven't read it yet but it is extraordinarily intriguing.

Echo  by Pam Munoz Ryan. I just put up a review of this book and it was quite, quite magical. (Thank you Scholastic!)

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. My friends Lauren and Agata got me this book for my birthday and I am super excited to read it!

And, most importantly - The Mug of Awesome from my father for my birthday. Isn't it pretty? Here's how it looks filled with blueberry tea:

 

Beautiful People #6: Arietta and Lucas  

- Or, since the lovely Skylar provided me with a ship name, LARI! :-)

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Problems
We suffer so much for our passion, my fellow bibliophiles, don't we?


How was your Febuary? Was it as cold as mine? (I'm guessing that if you're in the Midwest or North West US, it probably was.) 


~Sophia