How-To: Blackout Poetry

    If you've ever tried to write a poem, you know how hard it is. You have to come up with the right words, sometimes the correct number of syllables, stanzas, words per stanza, words that rhyme, etc. Now I'm not saying that poetry is bad. It's not. It's just a lot of work. However, I recently discovered this thing called blackout poetry and it is SO FUN! Because I enjoyed it so much, I'm putting up a tutorial on here.

Materials Needed:

• An old book or newspaper or magazine. Really anything that has words on it that you aren't using anymore. You should NOT use a book that was expensive, or that you're planning on using again. I'd recommend going to your local library or used bookstore and picking up one of those 25 cent paperbacks so you don't have to feel guilty about vandalizing a book. I'm using a book that was falling apart anyway, and that I have a double copy of. 
• A pencil (this is optional)
• A black marker or Sharpie. You can also use paint, which I'm not really sure how that works, but you could experiment with it. I'm using a calligraphy marker, because I happen to have one, but if you have a Sharpie laying around you can use that instead (be forewarned that Sharpies bleed through pages).
• That is literally it!

Step 1: Find a page in your book/newspaper/magazine.

    It can be a scene that you like, or just a random page. Make sure that you don't go right into blacking things out, because if you make a mistake and start blacking things out that you didn't mean to, you have ruined your poem (sorry to be harsh, but it's true!).

Step 2: Underline the words you want to use with a pencil

    It isn't completely necessary to do this, but I think that it's really helpful because then you know which words you want to save. 

    This part is probably the hardest part of the entire process, because you can't just add words you want to use. Your poem can make no sense ("remember that here we laugh at gophers") or be really metaphorical ("they had stopped blizzards to keep the fire going") (and yes, both examples are mine). A tip that I found useful is to black out some of the word but not all. For example, if you needed the word "is" and there is not an "is" where you need it to be but there is a "this," black out the "th" part and your problem is solved.

Step 4: Black out the unwanted words!

    This is the fun part! It can feel a little weird at first, because you are literally scribbling with a Sharpie all over a book, but it's all in the name of art. 

    Try different patterns: you can highlight the words you don't want, you can cover the whole page, you can draw designs on the page, you name it! I'm going to show a couple examples but since I have no drawing skills I will use one or two off of the Internet.

Step 5: Erase any pencil marks.
    This is important because it just makes your poem look nicer.

You're done!

Other examples:

https://www.lynnereeder.com/uploads/1/0/8/4/108411141/p71_orig.png

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/474x/96/66/cb/9666cb41984565e62dff526577acbe57.jpg

Have you ever tried blackout poetry? How did it turn out? Let me know in the comments!

Satellite Review

Satellite

Author: Nick Lake

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Synopsis:

   Leo and his two friends, Orion and Libra, were born and raised on a space station. Once they turn sixteen, they are allowed to go back to Earth. But life on Earth is not what they have been imagining, and readers will begin to wonder if it would have been better for these three to stay in space.

My thoughts:

    First of all, sorry for the abnormally short synopsis. I feel like that's really all I can provide without giving away spoilers! Anyway, this book was okay. I'd read it again, but I feel like it could have been a lot better. For example, I thought that the book would actually be about space, instead of about this kid who spends most of his time moping about being on Earth instead of space. The plotline was also a bit confusing to follow, and there were some things that seemed really important early on and then everyone completely forgot about them without resolving the issue (Santiago, anyone?).

    However, I did wonder if the way that Leo, Orion, and Libra's bodies react to being on Earth for the first time is what would actually happen if you were born and raised in space and if so, how the author was able to figure this out. 

    Overall, this book was pretty average. I'd recommend it to teens, although as always, younger or older people could read it too.

    My rating: 3/5 stars.

    P.S. I've decided that I'm going to post once a week instead of never, because as anyone who runs a blog knows, it is pretty hard to consistently find new and interesting topics to post about.

Sophia's War Review

Sophia's War

Author: Avi

Publisher: Beach Lane Books

Synopsis:

    It is 1776, and Sophia Calderwood and her parents are returning to New York City after the British have occupied it and burned half of it to the ground. Sophia hopes to get news of her brother William, who is serving in the Continental Army. Before she can, however, a British officer by the name of John André is ordered to move into their home. Sophia, although only twelve, develops an infatuation with André. 

    Around this same time, Sophia discovers that her brother has been captured by the British and is being held on the Good Intent, a ship where many American soldiers that have been captured by the British are being kept. Conditions are not good. Smallpox runs rampant, thousands die, there are little blankets, food, and water. Sophia vows to avenge the men in those ships. 

    Four years later, in 1780, she gets the chance. A man by the name of Robert Townsend comes to her and asks Sophia if she'll work for him as an American spy. She'll be a servant in the house of a British general and collect information that will help the Americans win the war. Sophia agrees, and begins work right away. 

    But once Sophia begins her spying, she realizes that there are plans to capture West Point, an American fort that, if lost, could cost the Americans the war. There is an American traitor and a British officer that have plans to meet and during this meeting, the American traitor will tell the British officer the weaknesses of the American fort. What's more, the identity of the traitor to the Americans is so shocking that no one would believe Sophia if she told them.

    So Sophia sets out to stop this meeting from happening. She is alone, because who would believe a fifteen-year-old girl with no evidence? 

    What happens next will change the course of American history.

My thoughts:

    I had read this book a couple of years ago, but forgot how good it was until I reread it! Sophia is a relatable character, and the way the story is told is very unique. I also learned a lot about the British occupation of New York and the prison ships that the Continental soldiers were kept on. 

    This book is a page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to know what happened next (even though because it was historical fiction I already knew how events were eventually going to play out). 

    One thing that I didn't like was how the phrasing of the book seemed a little bit formal, but not so much that it was boring. It seemed like if there was a younger reader reading this book, they might stop reading because of that, but other than that, I really enjoyed this book.

    This book is middle grade, although I highly recommend it for all ages!

    Rating: 5 out of 5 stars! 

How to Explain What Shipping Is

    Happy New Year, everyone! Here's the first post of 2018:

    I think everyone can agree how awkward it is when you mention shipping, OTPs, broTPs, or noTPs and someone goes, "Wait, what? What are you talking about?" You look around, hoping someone will save you, before finally saying something like, "Uh, nothing. Fangirl stuff." (And then they ask what a fangirl is, and you sigh over how hopeless this person is). So this post is going to cover all of these things, with a definition and how to explain to someone what these terms mean. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, this post will help you get a better understanding!

Shipping: According to Wikipedia, shipping in terms of a fandom (I will cover that later too, I promise) is "the desire by fans for two or more people, either real-life people or fictional characters (in film, literature, television etc.) to be in a relationship, romantic or otherwise." 
   How to explain this to someone: wanting a couple to be together.

OTP: This stands for "one true pairing" and basically means the ship that you ship the most. I happen to have multiple OTPs, and you can change your OTP all the time (for example, my OTP used to be Chaol and Celaena from Throne of Glass but something happened to change my views).
    How to explain this to someone: The ship you ship the most.

BroTP: This is kind of like shipping, except for instead of wanting characters to be romantically involved with each other, you want them to be friends (although the term "ship" can also be used in place of broTP).
    How to explain this to someone: What I wrote above ↑

NoTP: This is the opposite of shipping: you do not want these characters to be together, either romantically or otherwise. For example, one of my noTPs is Feyre and Tamlin from A Court of Thorns and Roses or Hermione and Malfoy from Harry Potter.
    How to explain this to someone: When you don't want characters to be together.

Fangirl or fanboy: A fan of a book series, TV show, celebrity, band, etc. 
    How to explain this to someone: What I wrote above ↑

Fandom: According to Oxford Dictionaries, a fandom is "the fans of a particular person, team, fictional series, etc, regarded collectively as a community or subculture."
    How to explain this to someone: a group of fans all interested in the same thing. For example, the Harry Potter fandom is comprised of Harry Potter fans.

Fanfiction: According to the online dictionary, fanfiction is "fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, movie, etc."
    How to explain this to someone: when someone takes the characters from a TV show, movie, book, etc, that they did not create and writes a story with those characters.

Canon: What actually happens in the TV series, movie, book, etc. The author has confirmed that it has happened.
        How to explain this to someone: What I wrote above ↑

    I hope you enjoyed my definitions and explanations of these terms. If you think I was wrong or if you have something you think I should have included, please add a comment telling me what you think!

R.I.P. It Or Ship It Book Tag

    For my next post, I decided to do a book tag. I was browsing a list and saw one called the R.I.P. It Or Ship It book tag. Basically, you just get a bunch of character names (they don't have to be from the same book or series) and put the names in a cup or hat or whatever works for you. Then, you draw two names and share if you ship it (wanting characters to be together) or not (hence the R.I.P. part of the tag). So without farther ado, here it is:

1. Tamlin from A Court of Thorns and Roses and Snape from Harry Potter  BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! If you've read both books, just... just picture that and... okay, I don't ship it, so it's a R.I.P. it from me.
2. Katharine from Three Dark Crowns and Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses                         You know, actually, I can picture it... kind of. Maybe Feyre from the first book, but not from the second and third ones. So... ship it, I guess? It's better than Feyre and Tamlin, that's for sure! 
3. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter and Maxon from The Selection                                            I can kind of picture it. Maybe it would work out, maybe it wouldn't... so I guess it's undecided.
4. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games and Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter                      Yeah, no. Just, no. I feel like Katniss would murder Luna. It's definitely a R.I.P. it.
5. Harry Potter from, well, Harry Potter and Murtagh from The Inheritance Cycle                           Oh man, Harry would annoy Murtagh SO MUCH. Can you imagine? Definitely a R.I.P. it.
6. America Singer from The Selection and Eragon from The Inheritance Cycle.                                 Nope. America would absolutely detest Eragon. R.I.P. it.
7. Inej from Six of Crows and Celaena from Throne of Glass                                                               Actually, I think it would work out. Yeah. They'd totally bond over knife throwing techniques. I like this way better than Celaena and Dorian. I ship it.
8. Eadlyn Schreave from The Selection and Kai from The Lunar Chronicles.                                     No way would this happen. Eadlyn would hate Kai so much. R.I.P. it.
9. Grace Brisbane from the Shiver trilogy and Kile Woodwork from The Selection                             I ship it. I feel like they'd totally get along. That is, if they were both single. I think that if they were both dating they'd also make great friends.
10. Edward Cullen from Twilight and Cassian from A Court of Thorns and Roses                                *falls on the floor and dies laughing* R.I.P. it. But it would be funny to watch.

YA Books I'm Excited for in 2018!

    2017 may be almost over, but when 2018 begins, there will be a whole plethora of new YA book releases. Here are some of the ones I'm looking forward to the most:

A Court of Frost and Starlight, by Sarah J. Maas
    If you know me (or have been paying attention to this blog at all), you know that I am obsessed with Sarah J. Maas books, especially the ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses) series. The fourth book will be released on May 1st, 2018. I can't wait!!

The seventh Throne of Glass book, also by Sarah J. Maas
    It doesn't have a title yet, but this won't discourage readers from counting down the days until the book is released (sometime in fall 2018). And hope that no one we like dies.

The World of Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas
    Seeing a pattern here? I honestly don't know what it's about, but I'm still excited. This book will be released on May 1st, 2018.

The Fates Divide, by Veronica Roth
    This is the sequel to Carve the Mark, which came out in January 2017. I have no idea what will happen, but I can't wait to find out. This book will be released on April 10th, 2018.

War Storm, by Victoria Aveyard
    This is the fourth book in the Red Queen series, and it's supposed to be released May 15th, 2018. I'm almost afraid to read it because I feel like a bunch of major characters are going to die. 

Legendary, by Stephanie Garber
    This will be the sequel to Caraval, which was released last January. I'm not sure how the story will be continued, since it seemed to have wrapped up pretty well at the end of Caraval, but I liked the first book, so I'm going to read the second. Legendary will be released on May 29th, 2018.

My Plain Jane, by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton
    I read My Lady Jane over the summer and absolutely loved it. My Plain Jane is about Jane Eyre, which I tried to read but ended up abandoning. Maybe reading My Plain Jane will lead to me reading Jane Eyre! This book will be released June 26th, 2018.

Book 3 in the Three Dark Crowns series
    This book is untitled, but I wasn't satisfied with the ending of One Dark Throne and I'm excited to read this book on September 4th, 2018, when it is released!

    I hope you got some suggestions for what to read in 2018 from this post, although all of the books are in a series, so I'd suggest reading the other books first. Feel free to add a comment telling me what books you are excited about in 2018! 

How to Keep Up A Decent Bullet Journal

    First of all, I apologize for not posting for so long. I was just so busy. Since I'm on winter break now, hopefully I can post more often.
    Today's post is going to be about how to start and maintain a decent bullet journal. Depending on what kind of bullet journal you want (minimalist, fancy, aesthetic, etc) this might look a bit different to you, but you can get a general idea. 

Journal consistently
   This is probably the most important thing, because if you get out of the habit you're not going to end up continuing to journal. This has happened to me several times, and I'm hoping that it won't happen again.

Don't compare yours to ones on the Internet. Seriously. Don't do it.
    It will just make you sad and feel like you are awful at bullet journaling even if you really aren't -- you're just not as good as the people on the Internet.
    
It doesn't have to be fancy
    Sure, if you Google 'bullet journal' and click on images, there will be these incredibly fancy pages from bullet journals. However, this does not have to be the same with you. You can literally just have bulleted lists with no doodles, no color. Just a pen and some paper.

Use brush-tip pens
    If you're going to use fancy pens and/or make your bullet journal look like the ones on the Internet, use brush tip pens/markers to write and draw.

Practice
    If you are going to be using calligraphy to write in your bullet journal, you should probably practice before writing in your bullet journal so that it turns out the way you want it to.

    If you have any other tips or suggestions, feel free to add them in the comments!