Why Is This Popular?

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Book Review: Marked: A House of Night Novel (House of Night Novels)
by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast (WARNING: SPOILERS)

I really disliked this book. First, what (little) was good:

The plot actually had potential. It reminded me of Vampire Academy, in that the book follows a 16-year old, Zoey, at a school for vampyres and the vampyres are good and use magic. The religious dichotomy represented by Zoey’s step-dad and the school could have been interesting if it hadn’t been so black and white. Zoey’s step-dad represents some sort of conservative Christianity whereas the school and vampyres represent a pagen religion, with about five overly descriptive circle castings. Similarly, the friends Zoey makes at her school could have been really interesting and likeable if they’d been developed at all. Every time one of her friends is described the author includes tht he is gay, because that is his only defining characteristic. Her roommate, who seemed way more likeable, is a country bumpkin, who does nothing outside of this role, and Zoey continually describes her as being like a puppy/dog. They could be better developed in later books, but I’m not sure. Finally, all the students get cats as familiars. The idea of that just makes me happy.

So, now all the bad:

Mostly the bad is the writing. The author constantly throws in unnecessary and already dated pop culture references and brand names. It was obnoxious. The book is written in first person and Zoey’s thoughts often seem very immature. One part that particularly annoyed me was when she thought/used the word “poopie” and “boobies.” That makes me thing of an 8-year old, not a sixteen-year old. Zoey is not a great protagonist. She has a case of being too speshul and acting like a narcissist. Despite the fact she has only just been marked as a vampyre, she’s already craving blood and using advanced magic. Anyone who disagrees with her is automatically bad. She gets mad at her human friends for not calling her, but then when they visit her at the school she just gets mad at them again, because her best-friend has a crush on her -ex-boyfriend, both of whom she thinks of as stupid and annoying.

Throughout the book there are moments when the author lectures through Zoey. Being gay is okay. Oral sex is for stupid girls. Pot will kill you. This might not be terrible if it had been done subtly, but it was about as subtle as an anvil to the head. One of the early scenes in the book is the antagonist, Aphrodite (the new vampyres get to pick their names. They pick stupid names.), trying to force oral sex on her ex-boy friend. The scene is incredibly rape-like, but this is never commented on. Of course, Zoey and the antagonist’s ex are totally in love (from eye contact, not even a conversation) and Zoey must overthrow Aphrodite and take her place. Like Zoey’s friends, Aphrodite and her ex are not well developed. They’re stereotypical and boring.

The worst aspect of the book was the CONSTANT slut-shaming. The main character refers to Aphrodite as a ho and slut for everything: wearing a dress, talking, dancing, etc. She also slut-shames her human best-friend for wearing a low cut top and even herself(!) for kissing a boy. Yeah, kissing is SO slutty???

I didn’t read reviews of this book beforehand, but if I had I would have seen these problems and avoided it. The reason I picked this book is that it has over 100,000 ratings on goodreads and 4/5 stars. Most books have closer to 30,000 and Holly Black who is my favorite YA author yet has only 17,000 reviews. I don’t know how this book sucked so many people in, but it’s a shame.

Hey, High School Boys ;)

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Book Review: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1) by Richelle Mead (WARNING: SPOILERS)

I’ve read Richelle Mead’s adult series Succubus Blues and thought it was enjoyable. I wasn’t going to read her YA series Vampire Academy, because the name Vampire Academy is terrible, but I read some comments and reviews that indicated everyone loved the series and it’s really good.

I’m torn on the book, but leaning toward dislike. The protagonist is 17 year old Rose who is a 1/2 human 1/2 vampire guardian (dhampire) for her best friend and moroi (good) vampire Liss. The book starts off good, lots of action and a super close female friendship. Rose and Liss have been runaways for 2 years, so Rose could protect Liss’ secret that she can magically heal others, but are captured and taken back to their special school. Then the book sort of shifts focus and the bulk of it is just girls being catty and spreading rumors. It’s written in an action-y interesting way, but it seems so detached from the actual plot, like a book that’s 3/4ths filler. This is problematic, because their school rival is rather pitiable. Liss’ brother took advantage of her and then Liss steals her boyfriend and tells the school her parents are poor. Which is another problem with the book. There are moroi royalty, like Liss, the characters almost criticize the system, but not quite.

What actually bothered me more was the love interest aspect. Rose develops a crush on her 24 year old teacher, Demitri, who clearly returns her attraction. Now, considering this is a vampire book I suppose the age difference could be way worse, but seriously. what. the. fuck. I’m 24 and I cannot imagine developing a crush on a 17 year old high school boy. It’s weird and creepy. I think the author makes it worse by continually referencing Rose’s curves. Just because she has boobs doesn’t mean she’s mature or looks old enough in the face. I had boobs at 13…and braces and acne. So, yeah. It also just plays right into the done to death older guy, younger innocent girl and of course Rose is a virgin, despite being the “wild” one. *rolls eyes* It doesn’t help that Dimitri seems to have very little personality beyond older, tough, mentor.

This is a super minor thing, but the book starts in Portland, Or and then toward the end Rose is wearing a University of Oregon sweatshirt. U of O is in Eugene. I’m not saying her and Liss couldn’t have gone there, but it didn’t seem like it within the context of the book. Rose should have had a PSU sweater.

The best part of the book was definitely Liss and Rose’s friendship. It was nice seeing a pair of friends represented that would do anything for each other. Although, this was ruined when they got in a fight over…something. I think Rose telling the school Liss was cutting herself. So, maybe not such good friends after all.

The writing was solid. The world Mead created is interesting. She made up a lot of changes to vampire lore. It’s a fast an easy read, like most YA stuff. There are five other books in the series, so those might address some of the problems I had, but I probably won’t read them to find out.

Girls, Girls, Girls

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I’m pretty over all the hype over the new HBO show Girls, so I apologize in advance for contributing to the over-saturation.

It’s telling how unique Girls is in the continued coverage and hype of the show. It’s new. It’s different. And, for the most part, I think it’s good. The show explores the hard transition from college student to adult. My sister and I have longed complained about the lack of shows for that age range. It seems like there’s a leap from high school (maybe occasionally college) to an established late twenties/early thirties, with little media representation and exploration of what happens in between.

I watched Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture and wasn’t overly impressed. Before Girls even premiered I’d read multiple articles either claiming it would be the best thing ever or highlighting its faults. I almost didn’t bother watching it, but my sister said I should try it, so I did.

A lot of people have criticized the show for being too privileged and Lena’s character, Hannah not being likeable because her parents financially support her at 24. While I can certainly understand that complaint I think it’s made in a way that implies her character is lazy and not a good person. In the show Hannah was working an unpaid internship for a year after having graduated. She thought the internship would turn into a paying position. It’s not like she was partying it up all over the place.

I like that the show chronicles a group of women in their early twenties struggling with jobs and guys.

I like that Lena Dunham looks more average than most actresses on TV.

I don’t like the lack of diversity in casting.

I don’t like the title. When do girls become women? 40?

I don’t like that three of the four girls seem to want borderline abusive manly men. What’s wrong with a guy who asks what you want? Absolutely nothing.

That’s all I have for now. Maybe I’ll update as more episodes come out.

Book>Movie: The Hunger Games

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I feel like “the book is better than the movie” could be a nerd saying, sort of like hipsters and “you probably haven’t heard of them.” It’s true though. The book is usually better than the movie and The Hunger Games was no exception. I really like the books. They’re entertaining; fast-paced and full of action. Katniss is a great protagonist. She’s strong and self-sufficient and despite being in a love triangle, she doesn’t really care about boys. In fact, in the books she comes across as fairly cold and manipulative in her treatment toward Peeta. The movie was just okay, though.

The Good:

Casting-I liked the casting for Rue and Effie Trinket. Haymitch, Thresh, Prim, and the other tributes were all fine.

Costumes-I liked that they didn’t overly sex Jennifer Lawrence. I think a lot of people were concerned about that when she was first cast, but her outfits weren’t so sexualized. I liked the crazy hair and make-up of the Capitol, too.

Not in the books-I liked the things that were added that weren’t in the books, like the focus on Seneca Crane, Haymitch getting sponsors, and the gamemaker’s room.

The Bad:

Casting-Jennifer Lawrence is lovely, but she wasn’t how I pictured Katniss and I had a hard time believing her to be tough. I was pretty meh about Josh Hutcherson as Peeta too. I thought they did a fairly good job making his hair blonde, but why did he have that weird drawl? Am I the only one who was annoyed by that? No one else from District Twelve talked that way.

Costumes-The CGI flames on Katniss’ red dress for the interview and just the dress on its own. It’s like this ugly prom dress.

Prim-She was barely in the movie and when she was she was crying and just in general freaking out, she may have had good reason to be, but it was annoying.

Not in the books-The greater focus on the love triangle aspect and, especially, Cato’s speech at the end. It was unnecessary and preach-y.

The CGI Mutts-Ugh. Those things looked so stupid. I was picturing like a big wolf.

Less Character Development-I know things had to be taken out and condensed, but I felt like a lot of the best parts of the book weren’t in the movie. I think it was also done in a way that made Katniss seem softer and Peeta seem less awesome.

I find it sad how much attention the books and movie have gotten for appealing to males (despite having a female protagonist) and having a female protagonist that isn’t hyper-sexualized. It’s just sad that this is so much of a rarity and that people still feel like boys can’t relate to girls.

Is Your Muffin Buttered?

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It’s a week of baking muffins for me. First carrot banana and then pumpkin. I used fairly healthy ingredients. They could be more healthy, but they could also be less. When I bake I like to just throw in whatever I find in the kitchen and eyeball my measurements. I forced myself to measure this week, so I could share. I also did a rough calorie calculation of my first batch of muffins. The pumpkin muffins are vegan, but the carrot ones could be easily made vegan by switching eggs for egg-replacer and butter for oil. Likewise, the egg-replacer in the pumpkin muffins could be replaced with eggs. They’re your muffins do whatever you want. :)

Carrot Muffins (yields 16):

1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup shredded coconut
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup pineapple
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tbs butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded carrot

Mix dry ingredients.

In separate bowl, mix wet ingredients.

Mix dry and wet ingredients together.

Scoop batter into greased muffin tins.

Pre-heat oven to 325°F and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

These turned out pretty well. I thought they could have used a little more carrot and spices. My mom liked them as they are though. They’re about 130 calories each.

Pumpkin Muffins (yield 12):

1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup water
1 tbs energy egg-replacer
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp nutmeg
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves

Mix dry ingredients.

Mix wet ingredients in a different bowl.

Mix wet and dry ingredients.

Scoop into a greased muffin tin.

Bake at 325°F for approximately 20 minutes.

I liked these more. They taste sort of like gingersnap cookies, which is a little weird since there isn’t ginger in them. Putting ginger in them would probably be nice. I think they would be even better with walnuts and chocolate chips. But the again, what isn’t better with chocolate chips?

Cookie Monster!

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I am a cookie monster.

I had a HUGE homemade chocolate chip cookie craving this weekend. I glanced through some “best chocolate chip cookie” recipes and made a batch.

Adding flour to butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla.

I'm not going to lie, I ate a fair amount of the dough.

Is it just me or is the dough just as good as the final product?

A big pile of chocolate chip cookies. Yes!

Recipe (adapted from various internet recipes):

1 cup (2 sticks) room temp. butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

1 package chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar beat in eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat until well incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake for approximately 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

These cookies were really tasty. I think using more brown sugar than white gave them a deeper flavor. I wouldn’t say they were the best though. They needed chocolate chunks instead of chips, real vanilla, and to be a little chewier. I guess I’ll just have to try again. ;)

Thousands of Words

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If a picture is worth a thousand words then I was rather prolific today.

Internet grass is always greener.

Whenever I want to use my camera the battery is about to die. I only had about ten minutes of photo taking opportunities.

Who broke my heart?

Walking around with the intent to take photos certainly increases my awareness of my surroundings. There are lots of splashes of color and bits of nature I wasn’t noticing in the park.

Reflections

My camera is still old and poor quality. One day I will be able to afford a new one. Maybe.

Rain drops keep falling...

Going outside for a quick walk is really nice. The fresh air revives me.

Ducks!

Ducks are cute.

This looks like part of a horror movie.

Picture heavy blogs, yay or nay?

GCB: Full of Stereotypes and Underdeveloped Characters, But Not All Bad

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GCB (previously Good Christian Bitches/Belles) recently began airing on ABC. It’s an hour long comedy/drama which is my favorite type of show, so I decided to watch the first two episodes. It seems like a Southern version of Desperate Housewives. Following are some things I liked and didn’t like about the show, so far. *Warning Spoilers*

My favorite aspect of the show is the focus on mother/daughter relationships, primarily the protagonist, Amanda, and her mom, the grandmother-Gigi, but also Amanda and her daughter, Laura. Gigi is controlling and old fashioned, but also genuinely wants her daughter to succeed and be happy. In the second episode Amanda realizes she is trying to control Laura, just like Gigi tried to control her. Something that is probably common in a lot of mother/daughter relationships.

The show isn’t hilarious, but it is amusing. It starts with Amanda’s husband running off with a bunch of stolen money and his girlfriend. His girlfriend begins performing sexual acts and he drives off a cliff and kills them both, which sets the amusing tone of the show. Gigi has some pretty good moments. In the first episode she says she doesn’t have internet because she “doesn’t watch porn.” In the second episode she shows off a closet full of guns that she clearly is ready and able to use.

The show also makes fun of Christian/Southern hypocrisy. The ideas that you should be loving and polite, but underneath there’s is a lot of backstabbing and popularity contests. In the first episode Amanda gets a job at a Hooters like establishment, her neighbor and current mean girl/Queen, Carlene, outs her at church under the guise of being sympathetic/prayer. In retaliation Amanda let’s the church know (also in prayer) that Carlene and her husband own the business. There’s a touching moment in the second episode between Cricket (Carlene’s friend) and her gay husband. His boyfriend ends their relationship and she calls him a fool for doing so. It’s an oddly sweet moment for a husband and wife and also plays into the hypocrisy of presenting one thing, but being another.

Since it’s set in the South there is no shortage of big hair and tacky clothes, which I find amusing.

Amanda in the most tacky outfit so far.

What I predominately dislike about the show is how back stabbing women are portrayed. Yes, Carlene has a good reason to dislike Amanda. In high school Amanda was terrible, especially to Carlene. It’s just disappointing that the show has decided to present that as a standard for female interactions. Amanda, who is supposed to have matured and grown out of her mean girl phase, is quickly sucked back in to a power struggle with Carlene. She tries to take the high road, but only briefly.

The show relies heavily on stereotypes: women are backstabbing jerks, Christian’s are hypocrites, Southern ladies like big hair and gaudy clothing, and the chubby girl eats all. the. time. I find parts of this amusing, but it is definitely overdone. I also think the show could be a little funnier and the characters more developed, but I’ll probably keep watching either way.

Portland: Waffle Window

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A photo of the waffle window taken by somebody else. Today was dark grey and pouring rain, because it's Portland.

Today I went to The Waffle Window for the third time. The Waffle Window is located on 36th and Hawthorne by the Bread and Ink Cafe. As you might guess from the name, it is a window you walk up to and order a waffle from. There is outdoor and indoor (in the cafe) seating. They have a fairly wide selection of sweet and savory waffles, all for around $4, which is awesome because you can get one of each. :)

This is what we ordered. Left- Farm Fusion-mushroom, spinach, roasted pepper, tomato, and marinated chevre. Right- Dream Blossom-orange curd, berries, and whipped cream. Bottom- Luck of the Irish- chocolate mousse with Irish cream, dark chocolate pieces, berries and whipped cream.

Luck of the Irish up close.

The waffles are really good. The waffle itself is sort of chewy, but still light. The toppings are all fresh and well prepared. I was especially impressed with the quality of the raspberries this time of year. The Luck of the Irish and the Dream Blossom were daily specials. The rotating specials makes you want to go everyday until you try all the things. The only reasons I don’t live at The Waffle Window are there could be better non-meat savory options and that Portland has tons of other great places too!

5 Reasons I Would Be An Excellent Housewife

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5) I love cooking and baking.
I have a deep interest in making healthy meals and baking special sweets. If I were a housewife dinner would be full of healthy vegetables and lean protein and dessert would be decadent and freshly baked…and probably chocolate.

4) I want to live on a small farm.
The idea of a big yard for a garden, chickens, and (maybe) goats really appeals to me. I want to spend the time outside caring for the “farm” as well as use the fresh vegetables, eggs, and milk for all sorts of delicious homemade foods. Making my own fancy cheese would give me deep pleasure.

3) Today I got on my hands and knees to scrub the kitchen floor.
Which is just to demonstrate that I don’t mind cleaning and will even put in the extra effort to make things clean. I notice when things are dirty and it bugs me. I also did laundry, and washed windows and dishes, which brings me to…

2) I’m good at multitasking and being self-disciplined.
I could easily manage to care for the animals, cook, and clean on a daily basis. I could have dinner in the oven and the dishes done, change into some nice clothes and meet you at the door with a stiff drink.

1) I want to be a housewife.
I like cooking. Cleaning is satisfying. I want a garden, chickens, and goats. I have tons of things I would like to do, such as blogging, writing, reading, exercise classes, language classes, travel, photography, etc. that I would never be bored by staying at home.