Book Review! - Paper Towns ✭✭✭☆☆

     I spent my night on Tuesday reading. I haven't read like I read on Tuesday in a very long time, and it felt wonderful!

     I decided to read Paper Towns by John Green because the movie adaptation is coming out, and I wanted to make sure I read the book before I saw the movie. It's almost a requirement for myself. Anyway, I picked the book up off of the pile of books that I've collected in my room (They've been separated from the 100 or so books on the bookshelf in the living room.) around 7 pm. I read the final page at just before midnight. Like I said, I haven't read like that in a long time because school has been in the way, and there's enough to read for that.

     Now, I want to start off by saying that I think this book deserves more from me, and I think that I owe it to the story to read it more deeply than I did this first time around. Because I love literature, I understand that the superficial read that I gave this book does not do this book justice. As I was reading, I noticed that there was so much going on beneath the surface of the story of this boy that was obsessed with the girl that lived next door. But because I had the thirst for superficial consumption, I did not take my time to piece together the story beneath the story. And I want to acknowledge that that will affect my review of the book. However, that does not mean that, if and when I reread this book with the time it deserves, I will necessarily change my review. Hopefully, the summary doesn't contain too much spoilerage...

Some Quick Updates

Since I did abandon this blog for over a year, I figured it was only fair to do an update.

After I graduated from Roosevelt University in May of 2014, I said goodbye to Chicago to move back home to Louisiana. I didn't, and still don't, know how long I would be away from Chicago, but it remains my favorite place I've ever lived. From June until August, I worked as a temporary receptionist. I worked 40 hour weeks, and I learned that that is NOT the kind of job for me. I spent a lot of time during the summer with Rachel Kat* and Heather, especially while Ashley was in Japan for the month of June!

In August, I started graduate school in Monroe. I moved in with my DZ best friend, Jacie. Best roommate situation I've had since I lived with Ashley. And actually, let's be honest, I fight with Jacie far less than I did with Ashley. In October, I got a graduate assistantship at school and began working for two professors. That's were I got to know Rachel Beth. She and I work for the same professors. We had a class together, and I told her that I was going to apply for the open position. She told me that I'd be working with her, so we started hanging out. We were fast friends; close quarters cause you to get to know one another quickly, and luckily, we clicked! Also, in October, a tornado kind of blew through campus while we were in class. So that was fun.

The spring was far less interesting. We did end up with five snow days because of a couple snow and ice storms. There were some unfortunate falling out of friends things that happened, but I believe it's for the best. I, also, got my first B in grad school. I was not pleased. This summer hasn't been super interesting either. I am working two retail jobs until school starts.

Speaking of school, there are 31 days until it starts. I find myself saying I can't wait. I was never cut out for this summer thing. I think I thrive on deadlines and tasks, and summer just isn't productive enough for me. The fall is going to be a crazy time. On top of being a GA and a student, I'll be running an experiment-y thing and applying to PhD programs. So, that ought to prove interesting.

Now, that's out of the way. :)

<3 Amber Marie

* - I, now, have to differentiate between Rachels in my life because apparently I have a messenger bag full of them...don't ask...

I'm back! And it has been a while...

     So I have decided to revamp my blog after abandoning it for over a year. I don't want to make any promises about keeping it updated, but I would really like to.

     I am trying to set up some order in my life so that I have time for the things I want to do, as well as the things that I have to do. One thing that I think will help me is having time to write about what's going on in my life. And this time I don't want it to be the mundane, mindless recitation of that day's activities. I want it to be something deeper and more meaningful for myself. One of the things that held me back before was my desire to keep up a facade for those that see my blog. I still wasn't comfortable with myself and my viewpoints to put them out there for those that I thought didn't know how I felt. I have come to realize that my friends aren't blind. I didn't have to explicitly say things; my actions were noticed. I say all of that to say, I will talk probably talk about controversial topics. This is a part of me being real. I have been struggling with things, and I think that I am at a place in my life where I can talk about things that we may not see eye-to-eye on, and my friends will respect where I'm coming from, as I do the same. And my hope is that there will be growth and understanding that comes out of this.

     I know that I have had one or two pretty deep posts on here before, but there have been a couple that I've typed up and published in the middle of the night only to take them down before anyone read them. And there have been a couple that I typed up only to delete before posting. I don't want to do that anymore. Granted there are things that are better kept for the diary beside my bed, I want to put myself out there (maybe only for one person, *coughs* Heather...) and maybe create a dialogue. And I'm not saying that every single post will be controversial. I want to get in to the habit of reading my Bible. I have the desire to read it for myself, so that I might receive my own convictions and not those that another has decided for me. I'll be up front right now, I have been in what I have been calling a 'crisis of faith.' I am at a point in my life where I feel the need to question everything I've been taught in church because, at some point, I just started regurgitating what I was hearing without understanding what I was talking about. And that scared me.

     So, that's what you have to look forward to: potentially controversial topics, my Bible readings, and my 'crisis of faith.' I plan on a redesign of my blog as soon as this is published, and I've already updated my profile and picture.

<3 Amber Marie