A Sea of Ink

So, I've discovered French rock opera. Sounds like a lot of chaos, doesn't it? You'd be correct in that assumption. However, the French can wrangle that chaos and turn it into something beautiful like no other. We think Hamilton is original? I love Lin-Manuel Miranda and his work [kind of on an obsessive level, actually] but, man, are we Americans behind the times. The French have been doing jamming history musicals [ les comédies musicales ] for years! For example: "Mozart, L'Opéra Rock." I watched the entire 2010 production on YouTube (with English subtitles) and the music and costuming are both FABULOUS. [Plus: it's already helping me improve my French!] The production first premiered in 2009 in Paris. With music by Dove Attia, Jean-Pierre Pilot, Olivier Schultheis, William Rousseau, Nicolas Luciani, Rodrigue Janois, and Françoise Castello, lyrics by Vincent Baguian and Patrice Guirao, and a book by Dove Attia and François Chouquet, the musical is...

I'm officially out of school for the summer! When the weather gets warmer and the days get longer and suddenly there's more time to read, I love to pull out a fun YA contemporary novel. Here are some of my favorites: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson: The ultimate summertime book, I read this every year. It will make you want to go out and make the most of your life, take risks, and have adventures. A perfect high school novel. Matson is the queen of summer fiction! If you like Since You've Been Gone , check out her other novels, such as  Second Chance Summer. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen: Another high school chick lit read, about a girl who moves almost every summer with her dad and creates a new image of herself in each new town. Perfect for anyone who's thought of reinventing his/herself. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: Not exactly set in the summer, but a fun summer read all the same, Cath is a fanfic-writing socially-anxious twin whose tw...

*SPOILER-FREE!* I definitely binge-watched this series way back in January or February, but haven't been ready to really review until now. THIS SHOW IS SO GOOD!!! From a book-to-screen standpoint, a remake-of-a-movie standpoint, and even just looking at it as a stand-alone series, THIS SHOW IS GREAT. One of the greatest flaws in the production of the 2004 film based on the Lemony Snicket books was the attempt to make the story realistic. The plot is not meant to be taken seriously. Although the point of the series is that it is "unfortunate," in the books it is done in such a way that it is still entertaining. Snicket is a quirky, fourth-wall-breaking author, and the problem with the movie was that it was dark, and serious, and tried to be Gothic and sad. The TV series adaptation, however, captured perfectly the feeling of the books. Where the movie neglected the character of the narrator, omitting the numerous vocabulary lessons and quirky foreshadowing which i...

Planning a trip to the City of Lights? Or just wanting to get an idea of what Paris feels like? Either way, here are my favorite books to read about that romantic capitol of fashion, film, and love: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer  by Katie Alender History, romance, thrills, ghosts...when a class trip to France coincides with a mysterious serial killing spree, anything can happen! Revolution  by Jennifer Donnelly Struggling in the aftermath of her little brother's death and her mother's consequential mental breakdown, Andi is an angry, troubled teenager. When her father drags her to Paris with him for winter break, she doesn't expect to stumble upon a hidden diary dating back to the 1700s French Revolution. Can this long-dead girl's story help her overcome her own sadness? Anna and the French Kiss  by Stephanie Perkins The ultimate fictional guide to Paris! Anna is a high school senior shipped off to fancy boarding school in...you guessed it-- Paris! Isla and...

On May 5, 1865 in Pennsylvania, a girl named Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born. She would become known, however, by a different name: Nellie Bly, a pen name which would soon be plastered across the front pages of newspapers from sea to shining sea. Cochran got her start in 1880 with an angry letter to the editor of The Pittsburgh Dispatch , arguing against traditional gender roles on the behalf of unmarried women in her society. She was daring, she was fierce, she was ambitious, and she was full of fire. Her passionate letter resulted in employment at the paper and Elizabeth's transformation into the reporter Nellie Bly. Nellie's first work was an article entitled "The Girl Puzzle," and then she was assigned to investigate the plight of girls working in factories. After this series of investigative articles, she was pushed to write for the "women's pages." Bly rejected this and instead undertook a six month foreign correspondence job, living in Mexico ...

Today marks the 88th anniversary of the birth of Audrey Hepburn, on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. She passed away on January 20, 1993. Audrey Hepburn to me is a beacon of inspirational light. She was not just a movie star: she lived through World War II, fighting the Nazis with the Dutch Resistance by carrying messages and putting on secret dance concerts in order to raise funds, and came close to starvation prior to liberation by the Allies. She gave up stardom in order to be the best mother she could; she put her family and other first, before her own agenda. She dedicated her final years to UNICEF, traveling to struggling countries such as Somalia to raise awareness of starving children's plight. She used the fame she was blessed with to do good and change her world. She was not traditionally beautiful, never thought she was attractive, and created a whole new genre of fashion for unconventional beauties. She remained humble while in the public eye, maintained a polite att...

4 stars. So, I love Russia, and that is primarily why I picked up this book in the first place. I am very happy to report that I did not come away disappointed. The fairytale was so well carried out--weirdness and all--and the writing style was absolutely phenomenal.   Books for younger audiences can still have layers of meaning, they can still be beautifully crafted works of art. Literature need not be dumbed down for teenagers--and it shouldn't be, or else kids will never want to branch out into the classics. This was a wonderful, delightful read, and I enjoyed it immensely because it was so unique in a world of special snowflakes and trashy romance novels. Porter wrote some art and made it available to the public. It felt like a Russian fairytale rather than simply the retelling of one. *find me on Goodreads @ goodreads.com/hattiejean*