Sunday News #5

Sunday Post and Sunday Salon are blog news memes hosted at Caffeinated Reviewer and Reader Buzz, respectively. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, and showcase books and other things.
Feeling

I’m feeling happy and excited for a few reasons. Reason #1: remember the math test I talked about last week? My math teacher gives points for showing our work on our tests. He saw that I knew what I was doing. He also noticed that I made stupid mistakes when I put the answer down. Instead of giving me zero points so I’d get 75% on my test, he only took points off on the last part. My final score was a 91.7%.

Reason #2: my computer programming teacher was bombarded by most of the class complaining about the same things I complained about. That’s why he didn’t get back to me and I’m glad it wasn’t just me. He gave us more time. He also helped us figure out the auto grader. Hopefully, it won’t be as pedantic for future projects. I still have some reservations about the auto grader and at least I now know my teacher’s reasonable and willing to help me out if I need it.

Reason #3: check out what I watched this week.

Blogging

I continue to be amazed by this awesome community each week. I love that we all come from different walks of life and get to know each other through our posts and comments on each other’s blogs. I’m really glad I decided to resurrect my blog at the beginning of the year. Everyone has been so nice and the camaraderie has helped my extroverted self navigate being more isolated than normal thanks to omicron.

This week on the blog:

Reading

I read BROKEN (IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY) by Jenny Lawson. I’ll be posting my review this week sometime. I’m starting ROCK PAPER SCISSORS by Alice Feeney today. So far so good at trying to get to my mound of library books before they’re due. 3 down and 3 to go.

Listening

This week, I’ve been listening to something kind of fun, at least fun for me. My favorite classical song is “Für Elise” because it’s basically my name–Jennifer Elyse–just not Germanized. It was also the first classical song I learned to play on the piano. Anyway, I came across this version of “Für Elise” when I was listening to another one of my favorite songs by The Piano Guys. I’ll have to share that song next week, maybe. What do you think of this version of “Für Elise”?

Watching

This week I had the fantastic experience of watching my cousin, Andrew Blaser, perform in the Winter Olympics. He was on the US Skeleton team. I’ve been following his progress on Facebook and Instagram for years and I was so excited when I found out he made the US team. It was so awesome to watch you do your thing, Andy! Go, Team USA!

(P.S. “Blaser” is pronounced BLAH-zer not BLAY-zer like the announcers have been incorrectly saying during the coverage.)

Loving

I’m loving Hulu so much right now because THEY’RE BRINGING BACK FUTURAMA! Hulu said Futurama’s one of the most watched shows on their network. Damn straight! We fans know what we love and we were never going to give up our campaign to bring it back. Again. #goodnewseveryone

P.S. If John DiMaggio doesn’t return as Bender, then this whole section will turn to HATING.

Wanting

Now that I know Futurama’s coming back, I want to know if John DiMaggio’s returning. There are some actors that Futurama can return without, John DiMaggio isn’t one of them. Futurama must return with Billy West, John DiMaggio, Katey Sagal, Maurice LaMarche, Phil LaMarr, Lauren Tom, and Tress McNeille. Everyone else is extra.

Needing

I need to spend more time on my DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) homework during the week. I love DBT and what I’ve learned from it in the last ten months. It has helped me learn to navigate some tough emotional situations. I’ve learned to act opposite of my emotional urges (including suicidal ideation). Because of this, sometimes I don’t feel depressed anymore. The problem is I feel like I’m regressing a little and I don’t know why. I don’t know if it’s because I’m feeling overwhelmed by everything–school, therapy, home life, blog, reading, etc. Or, if it’s just that I’m having trouble balancing some of my values (activities that help me build a life worth living). I guess another thing I need to do is talk to Doug, my therapist about it. Good thing I like him.

How was your week? Anything exciting happen?

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Book vs. Movie: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Book vs. Movie is a feature here at JenniElyse. I do a side-by-side comparison of the book and adaptation. Afterward, I reveal which I like better.

As I said in my review of TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE, I really liked Lara Jean and her sisters. I liked LJ and Kitty the most. I loved how feisty Kitty was. Margot got on my nerves a little bit, but I still respected her for how she took it upon herself to take care of her younger sisters and even Dr. Covey since the death of her mom.

I adored the movie. I liked the actors in the movie, especially the ones who played Lara Jean, Kitty, Dr. Covey, and Peter. I thought they all did a phenomenal job with their parts. I liked the chemistry between the actors and I don’t just mean Lara Jean and her “boys.” I mostly mean the Covey family. I like that we got to know Dr. Covey more in the movie and that he’s the one who talked about her mom not Margot.

I liked the two main guys in the book and how Lara Jean interacted with them. I hated the love triangle aspect of the story as it’s my least favorite trope. I’d hands down rather deal with instalove than a love triangle. I thought the movie put less emphasis on the love triangle aspect of the story. Of course, both boys were still there, but Lara Jean spent more time with one than the other, which made the romance that much more awesome.

Even though I didn’t like the love triangle in the book, I enjoyed the actual story. I thought it was fun to read the chaos from all the events that happened. I was excited for the typical YA rom-com happy ending, but I didn’t get it because the book doesn’t end and it’s so f*cking frustrating! What I loved most about the movie is that it didn’t follow in the book’s footsteps and ended in a very satisfactory way. The ending left the story open enough to entice the watcher to the second movie. And, if I don’t watch the second movie, it’s okay because the first movie works well as a stand-alone.

Verdict

I bet you know the verdict before I even say it. The movie’s different from the book, but the spirit of the story’s still the same. Most of the time, books are way better than their movies, but in this instance, I have no hesitation in saying that I think the movie’s better than the book.

Have you read TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE? Have you seen the Netflix movie? Which one do you think is better?

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Top Ten Tuesday #4

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Books with the Best Kisses

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is a freebie, preferably something to do with love. If you know me IRL, then you know I’m all about the kissing. The more kissing the better. Perfect topic for this week! Here are my top ten books with the best kisses in them:

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

I know I said the more kissing the better and normally that’s true. EDENBROOKE, however, has my favorite kiss in all of bookdom:

“He crossed the room to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. In three steps, he had me backed up against a bookcase. Before I could do more than catch my breath, he took my face in his hands and kissed me.

“I had never really been kissed before. But I did not need experience to know that Philip’s kiss was, in a word, devastating. His lips were firm and insistent, gentle and caressing. His fingers threaded in my hair, holding my head exactly how he wanted it while he kissed me one way, then another, until I trembled in his arms.”

It keeps going, but you get the idea. Julianne Donaldson knows what she’s doing when it comes to writing swoony romance. Why is this my favorite? I love the imagery of Philip crossing the room and backing Marianne up against a bookcase. And, if I put Tom Hiddleston in the place of Philip, it makes it that much better. (If you don’t like Tom Hiddleston, insert your favorite Brit in his place.)

What about you? Which books with the best kisses would be on your list?

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Review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved BeforeTitle: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1
Genre(s): Contemporary, Romance, YA
Pages: 368
Source: Library
For: Book Club
Rating:
Sexual Content: 1 Flames

Add to Goodreads

There's content in this book that may be triggering to some readers. I've tried to include the possible triggers in this book at end of my review.
Goodreads Synopsis

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. One for every boy she's ever loved. The letters are for her eyes only. Until the day they are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

My Thoughts

I’ve wanted to read TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE ever since it became a huge phenomenon because of the Netflix movie. Yet, I’m only just reading it now because it’s my IRL book club’s book for February. (I’m excited that I can finally watch the Netflix movie at least! Woot woot!) There are minor spoilers in this review.

I really liked Lara Jean and her sisters. I also really liked the interaction between Lara Jean and the two main guys, the boy next door and Mister Cocky-Handsome-Everyone-Loves-Me. What I didn’t like is that two main guys meant that there was a love triangle. I despise love triangles. They’re my least favorite YA trope. They’re the main reason I don’t read as much YA romance anymore.

Love is scary: it changes; it can go away. That’s part of the risk.

Even though TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE had a love triangle, I decided to be optimistic. I even told myself, maybe Lara Jean will end up with the boy I want her to. Of course, all kinds of chaos ensued and it was a lot of fun to read and witness. I actually really enjoyed the story, but the ending, or non-ending I should say, almost ruined it all for me!

I like choosing to read the next book in a series because I want to, not because I have to. I understand series have cliffhangers; I’ve just never read one quite like this and in the first book. At this point, I’m not sure I’m going to continue the series. I’ll probably just see if I can get what I need from the Netflix movie(s).

I’ve been trying to decide if I want to rate TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE 3 or 4 stars. I’m settling on 3.5 stars. (I find myself giving out more half-star ratings.)

Have you read TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE? If so, what did you think?

Trigger Warning

There is a trigger warning for loss of a parent.

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Sunday News #4

Sunday Post and Sunday Salon are blog news memes hosted at Caffeinated Reviewer and Reader Buzz, respectively. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, and showcase books and other things.
Feeling

I’m feeling mad at myself. I took my first test in my math class this semester and I made stupid mistakes. Stupid mistakes. I only got a 75% when I should’ve gotten a 100%. Thankfully, our lowest test score is dropped. Hopefully, I don’t botch up any more tests.

I’m also feeling discouraged because I can’t seem to figure out the auto grader in my computer programming class. I got a 30 out of 80 on my first project even though my code does exactly what the specs ask for. I’m not sure what to do since my teacher hasn’t returned any of my messages.

Blogging

I really enjoy being a part of the community. Visiting everyone’s blog and having visitors come to mine is one of the best things, especially in this pandemic reality. It helps my extrovert self feel like I’m hanging out with friends.

Reading

Because I’ve been catching up on homework this week, I haven’t read a lot. I did finally start reading TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE by Jenny Han on Wednesday evening and finished it last night.

I have so many books out from the library right now! I hope I can get to them all. I have TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE, BROKEN by Jenny Lawson, ROCK PAPER SCISSORS by Alice Feeney, and THE SOUND OF STARS and KINDRED by Alechia Dow checked out. They all came available at once.

Listening

This week, my song choice is a little different than past weeks. My therapist and I both like System of a Down. Most people are shocked when they find out I like them. They think I’m Miss Goody-Two-Shoes and wouldn’t like that type of music, which isn’t accurate at all, especially as I age. I know their music isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like it, that’s okay. To each their own.

My therapist went to a System of a Down concert in L.A. on Friday. It made me think about my favorite song, “Chop Suey!” The reason I like this song is it’s in the minor key. I music in the minor key. I mean really love it. It speaks to my soul unlike anything else in this world, except maybe a cat’s purr. I also really love Serj Tankian’s harmony. It’s amazing.

Watching

Corey and I started watching The Afterparty on AppleTV+. It’s awesome. My favorite episode so far is three. I loved all the songs sung by Ben Schwartz. If you have an AppleTV, I highly recommend this show. It’s really funny and has an all-star cast.

Loving

I love our new vet. Our old vet closed up shop without telling anyone. We have an 18-year-old cat on prescription food. We found out that our old vet was closed for good when we needed to buy Dax’s food. Fortunately, we found a new vet thanks to our neighbor and got Dax sorted out.

Corey took our 5-year-old tuxedo cat in a couple of days ago because she has been sick with a sinus infection. They gave her a shot of antibiotics so we didn’t have to try to force a pill down her throat. She’s acting so much more like herself again–playful, cuddly, and purry.

I’m really happy both of our cats are taken care of and doing well.

Wanting

I want a new winter coat. It’s freezing in my neck of the woods right now and I hate my coat. It’s one of those puffer coats that make you look like the Michelin Man if the coat is white.

Even though it keeps me warm, I hate how it feels because it’s really cheap and made from cheap material. I have to wear a long-sleeved shirt with it so the coat doesn’t touch my skin directly. It’s also not very comfortable to wear besides how the material feels. When I’m wearing it, I feel like the younger brother on The Christmas Story after his mom puts him in his winter gear.

Needing

I need my hair to grow faster. I got my monthly trim back into shape as I have short hair. The problem is that the person who cut my hair messed it up really bad. I keep telling myself it doesn’t look as bad as I feel like it does and it’ll grow back. I also like wearing hats so I have that option until it grows back.

How was your week? Anything exciting happen?

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