Update: First Year College Student Ramble

Hello everyone! I thought I would make an update post about what I've been up to and why there haven't been as many posts as I would like going up lately.

This September, I started my first year of college. I will not tell you where I am going, I will just say that it is in New England, so you know what type of weather we get here... unpredictable. One day it will be cold and rainy, the next it will be 80 degrees Fahrenheit. We are expecting a cold winter with lots of snow this year (still not sure if I'm excited about that or not).

The past few weeks I have been extremely busy with my school work and adjusting to living in a dorm setting. I am an only child and have never shared a room (besides on overnight school trips) before. I'm lucky to have gotten a great roommate that I get along with so well and there are a ton of great girls in my hall that I've become friends with. I am loving it here so far, I feel like I am pretty well adjusted at this point and will hopefully get back on schedule with this blog. I do have some posts planned such as my September favorites and a book review of Four by Veronica Roth.

I realize that college is not for everyone, it is a huge decision and takes up a lot of time, but I have decided to go to college to further my education.Most of my friends back home are not going to college, and that's totally fine for them. It's just not what I wanted for me. It was difficult to decide to leave my family and move to a different state. I knew I would be 2 hours away from my friends, family, pets, and home. But I truly believe that this was the best decision I have ever made. I can't remember a time when I was happier with what I was doing than I am now. I think that this is a very hard thing to find and that I'm lucky to have found a place that prepares me for the career I want and lets me do what I love. I knew that if I stayed in my hometown, I wasn't going to be able to accomplish all the things I want to do. I am so glad I chose this school.

I plan on majoring in Environmental Science because (as cheesy as it sounds) I want to make a difference in the world, even if it is only a small one. My school is pretty small and has a lot of hands on classes, so for my major we go outside for many of the classes (even my English class!) to learn about the campus lands and the environment in general. My professors are fantastic. I feel like I have learned so much just in the past 3 weeks and I can't wait to learn more!

If you are not sure about whether or not you want to go to college, I encourage you to do your research. Look up different schools and know what you are looking for. Do you want a large campus? Small one? Is there a certain sport you want to play? Certain clubs you would like to be involved with? Do you have a specific major you are considering? Do you want to commute? Or live on campus? Do you want to go to a state school? These are just some of the things I had to ask myself when choosing which colleges to apply to. I know these things helped me choose the right college for me.

I feel like a big reason that many people don't go to college is because of the price. I'm telling you that if you want to go really badly, that there is a way. My family is in an extremely difficult financial situation right now, but I was able to follow my dreams and go to my dream school. Apply for scholarships, it helps if you know what major you are planning on doing because many scholarships are tailored towards a specific major. Apply for grants. Apply for financial aid. See if your school offers federal work study, so that you can work on campus and have it go towards your tuition. I encourage you to do these things before you consider getting a loan. If you do all these things college becomes much more affordable (not free unfortunately, unless you are extremely lucky, but the cost will be significantly less than it would have originally been).

I hope this ramble post was helpful, or at least a little bit entertaining. I will talk to you in my next post.

<3 Rebecca

August Favorites

Hello everyone! This month I decided to start something I haven't done before, but I've seen a lot of. At the end of each month I'm going to share some of the things I've been loving in that month with all of you. This includes books, beauty, music, and anything else I find that I really like. So here are my August favorites!

Books:
The Watersong Series by Amanda Hocking. This is a perfect read for the summertime.

Music:
I've been loving Troye Sivan's EP TRXYE. I've especially been loving the song "Happy Little Pill".
I've also been loving Taylor Swift's newest song "Shake It Off".

Beauty:
Lately I've been loving the Honey Sweetheart triple moisture body cream from Bath and Body Works. I'm not sure if this sent is still available, but they have lots of different ones to choose from if it isn't and I'm sure everyone could find one that they like. It is really moisturizing which I needed because my skin would get really dry after swimming in the pool.
I've also been using the EOS lip balm in the sent/flavor Strawberry Sorbet.

Hair:
I've been liking the Tea Tree Tingle shampoo and conditioner from Trader Joe's. It smells very minty and makes my hair feel soft.

Fashion:
I love this shirt from Aeropostale's Bethany Mota line. It is a minty greenish color and says "Made In The 90's" on it.

Random:
I have been burning my Marshmallow Fireside candle from Bath and Body Works a lot this month. It smells just like marshmallows and it kind of has a smokey sent as if you are sitting near a fire.

Top Ten Books I Really Want To Read But Don't Own Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is top ten books I really want to read but don't own yet. This was hard to choose because there are so many, but here they are:

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
2. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
3. Girl Online by Zoe Sugg (This one doesn't come out until November, but I really want to read it!)
4. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
5. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
6. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jessi Andrews
7. The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle
8. Rhymes With Witches by Lauren Myracle
9. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
10. The Giver by Lois Lowry 

Bout of Books 11 Updates

Monday

Books completed: None
Currently reading: Wake by Amanda Hocking
Number of Pages Read Today: 84
Total Number of Pages Read: 84
Thoughts/other updates for the day: Today was very chaotic! I'm surprised I got as much reading done as I did. I'm enjoying the book so far and am excited to continue it. 

Tuesday

Books completed: None
Currently reading: Wake by Amanda Hocking
Number of Pages Read Today: 120
Total Number of Pages Read: 204
Thoughts/other updates for the day: I did a little better than yesterday. It's been hard to find time for reading these past few days but tomorrow I plan on definitely finishing Wake and starting the next book in the series. :)

Wednesday

Books completed: None
Currently reading: Wake by Amanda Hocking
Number of Pages Read Today: 38
Total Number of Pages Read: 242
Thoughts/other updates for the day:  Didn't get much reading done today because I was visiting with family, but tomorrow I have no plans except to read all day! :)

Thursday

Books completed: Wake by Amanda Hocking
Currently reading: Lullaby by Amanda Hocking
Number of Pages Read Today: 183
Total Number of Pages Read: 425
Thoughts/other updates for the day: I got more reading done than the past few days. 

Friday

Books completed: Wake by Amanda Hocking
Currently reading: Lullaby by Amanda Hocking, Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Number of Pages Read Today: 205
Total Number of Pages Read: 630
Thoughts/other updates for the day: I decided to start reading Bloodlines as well as Lullaby today to take a little break from the story. 

Saturday

Books completed: Wake by Amanda Hocking, Lullaby by Amanda Hocking
Currently reading: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Number of Pages Read Today: 314
Total Number of Pages Read: 944
Thoughts/other updates for the day: It looks like I won't be meeting my goal of 1400 pages total, but I did have fun reading and can't wait to continue! I hope to finish Bloodlines tomorrow and at least start Tidal. 

Sunday

Books completed: Wake by Amanda Hocking, Lullaby by Amanda Hocking, Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Currently reading: Nothing :/
Number of Pages Read Today: 76
Total Number of Pages Read: 1020

Thoughts/other updates for the day: I finished Bloodlines today. I didn't end up meeting my goal of reading 1400 pages total, but that's okay because I read so much more than I do on a normal week and it was a lot of fun. :)

Book Review: Bliss by Lauren Myracle

Bliss by Lauren Myracle

Lauren Myracle brings her keen understanding of teen dynamics to a hypnotic horror story of twisted friendship.

When Bliss’s hippie parents leave the commune and dump her at the home of her aloof grandmother in a tony Atlanta neighborhood, it’s like being set down on an alien planet. The only guide naïve Bliss has to her new environment is what she’s seen on The Andy Griffith Show. But Mayberry is poor preparation for Crestview Academy, an elite school where the tensions of the present and the dark secrets of the past threaten to simmer into violence. Openhearted, naïve Bliss is happy to be friends with anyone. That’s not the way it has ever worked at Crestview, and soon Bliss is at the center of a struggle for power between three girls—two living and one long dead.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3457715-bliss




I rate this book...

3 out of 5 stars

What I thought...

*There are No Spoilers*
This would be a good book to read close to Halloween. It takes place in 1969 to 1970 and is very mysterious. There is one very creepy character that the main character, Bliss, becomes friends with. This character, Sandy, is very strange and unpredictable. She is also obsessed with the girl who died at the school they attend. The book is not broken up into numbered chapters, instead sections are separated by diary entries from Sandy and quotes from the time period it's set in. The end seemed very abrupt to me. It didn't really feel like it ended. I felt like none of the problems were really solved and the main character didn't change very much throughout the book. Racism is also brought up in this book. It is set in a time where African Americans were still not treated as equal and some of the characters have very strong opinions about this. I like that this book has some typical girl drama such as one girl hating the other because she did something to her and so on... but with the twist of this girl who died at the school having a major role in that drama. Overall I liked the book, but I didn't love it.

Bout of Books 11 Goals

Time Devoted to Reading

I will be reading as much as I can each day. I will still be on summer vacation from school and will hopefully have a lot more time to read!

My Goals

• Read an average of 200 pages a day for a total of 1400 pages
• Have fun reading!

Books to Read

I hope to read the four books in the Watersong series by Amanda Hocking: Wake, Lullaby, Tidal, and Elegy.

Updates

I will be posting daily updates throughout the read-a-thon. These updates will include:

Books completed:
Currently reading:
Number of Pages Read Today:
Total Number of Pages Read:
Thoughts/other updates for the day:

I will add a link to my updates post here when I post it.

(for this post I used the Goals Post Template from Bout of Books: Help)

Bout of Books 11

Hello everyone! I am excited to announce that I will once again be participating in the Bout of Books 11 read-a-thon! If you don't know what that is you can read the blurb from the Bout of Books team below:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. 

For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

This will be the third Bout of Books read-a-thon I have participated in and I am ready to get some reading done! Stay tuned for my goals and update posts.