Reading, Writing, and Me

What If It's Us  by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (448 pages) Overview: Ben and Arthur meet at the post office during a flashmob. Well, Arthur followed Ben into the post office because he thought he was and, and, just as they started talking, in true form with Arthur's New York fantasy, a flash mob erupted. When the boys and split up, Arthur loses his chance at connecting with Ben, but when he can't stop thinking about him, he explores ways to reconnect even in a city of a million empty faces like New York. Even if they can find each other, with Arthur going back to Georgia at the end of the summer, will it even be worth it? Overall: 4/5 Characters: 4.5 I'm not sure what to say about the characters. I liked them enough, but I didn't feel any real attachment to any of them. I liked the cast of friends, but they all lacked a certain weight that would give them a stronger sense of reality. My favorite relationship in the book was the friendship between Dylan an

On Saturday night, I had the privilege of seeing Taylor Swift preform for the second time in my life. When the 1989 tour came through Houston, I was in sixth grade and just starting to get really into Taylor Swift. I liked her music, but I was far from knowing every word to every song on every album. Seeing the concert, though, made me a die-hard Swiftie, and, now, as an eleventh grader, I know every lyric to every song, including the bonus tracks off 1989 which came in handy when she pulled out "Wonderland" as the secret song. Always my concert buddy, my dad and I filed into the stadium close to six, an hour before Charlie XCX, the first opener, would take the stage. I'll admit, my paranoia about lines and parking was unfounded, but I didn't mind having a little extra time to scope out the venue and soak in the whole Taylor experience. I spent my extra time walking around the venue, scoping out the barricade and the B stages, talking to the many security guards p

Saints and Misfits  by S.K. Ali (325 pages) Overview: Jana is at the top of her class and active in her Mosque despite having to deal with her parent's divorce and her brother moving back home from her college. She's managing to deal with everything by leaning on her friends for support until one day her friend Fizz's cousin who is held in high praises at the Mosque, tries to rape her. Luckily, Jana gets away from Forooq, but she's left stunned silent and living in fear. Jana must find a way to speak out before her angry feelings consume her life. Overall: 3.5 Characters: 4 I liked Jana and her friend Tats. They had a great, genuine relationship, and they used coming from different backgrounds to their advantage. Even when they fought, the reader gets a sense that they'll always care for each other. I also liked her brother Mohamed and his fiancee who Jana nicknames "Saint Sara." They help to enrich Jana's world. Unfortunately, a few of the char