Summertime Serendipity

Summer is a time to take a break. Maybe from school, work, and just life's craziness in general. It's the time for vacations, pool parties, fun with friends, and crazy adventures. But for those average summer days when you don't really have any plans, but don't want to watch Netflix all day like you did the day before, I've made a little list of all the things I like to do on those potentially boring days.

1) Take a walk. Down a sidewalk, your driveway, a city street. You never know who or what you'll run into.

2) Visit somewhere you've never been before. Maybe it's a local bookstore or a park a few towns over, you just might find a new favorite hangout.

3) Paint a picture. That's right, break out the brushes and acrylics, go nuts on a canvas, a piece of paper, or maybe your bed room wall. You might shock yourself with what you create.

4) Tidy up. I know, cleaning, ugh. But it's a productive way to spend a few minutes and you might find those lucky socks you lost your freshman year.

5) Get crafty in the kitchen. Whether it's a new dessert, a summertime cocktail, or just using cookie cutters on your PB&J, it's a fun and yummy way to spice up a routine part of your day.

6) Try something new. That ice cream flavor you always wondered about but never ordered, a TV show everyone raves about, or maybe a new hairstyle like a four-way braid. Breaking out of your comfort zone can be exhilarating and rewarding.

7) Write a poem. I am no poet, that is no secret, but sometimes playing with words can unveil something, and who knows, maybe you are a poet but you just don't know it. (See what I did there)

8) Help somebody. Maybe you have a friend who's moving houses, you see someone struggling with their groceries, or maybe doing something nice for a family member. A little kindness goes a long way.

9) Click shuffle. Spice it up a little, I've found some of my favorite songs by shuffling my Pandora stations. And an impromptu dance party never hurt anyone either.

10) Make a new friend. A name and handshake can do wonders. Introduce yourself to the Starbucks barista, the person behind you at the grocery, or the new neighbors next door. You can never have too many friends, and even if it's just a friendly conversation and a wave goodbye, you could brighten someone else's whole day.


I hope you enjoyed my tips and suggestions. These are things I like to do when I'm having a bum day and need a little action. Have a happy, safe, and fun-filled summer! From my corner of the world to yours.

Lesson in Psychology: Stockholm Syndrome

Let's get psychological In here.

I remember reading Stolen by Lucy Christopher for the first time my freshman year of high school, putting it down after I was finished, and going, WHOA.

Christopher wrote the book as her thesis for graduate school, and graced the literary world with it after being encouraged to publish it.

The book follows Gemma, a teen girl living in Britain, who is kidnapped in the airport while waiting to vacation with her parents, by her mysterious stalker, Ty. Gemma is smuggled to the Australian outback where Ty has a compound-style house set up.

It is clear from the beginning of the book that Ty is and has been obsessed with Gemma for a long period of time, with flashbacks into her life that he is hidden in, as well as his creepily accurate knowledge of her life and mindset. His obsession with her is the obvious reason he kidnapped her, hoping that she would fall in love with him like he loves her, blah blah.

When I first started the book, I fully expected and applauded Gemma's immediate hatred of Ty. She was defensive, rude, paranoid, and terrified of him and all of his things. What I didn't expect out of Gemma, was her slow transition to not only being comfortable with Ty, but being attracted to him. And then I remembered, she's not stupid or weird or crazy, she's being brainwashed. She has Stockholm syndrome.

Stockholm syndrome, in lay man's terms, is basically when someone begins to like and sometimes love their captors, it is a psychological coping mechanism that is unfortunate, but reasonable. Gemma had been around Ty and only Ty for so long, and saw that he took care of her and went out of his way for her, so it was natural when she began to like being around him and missed him when he was gone. It didn't hurt that Ty is described as ruggedly handsome and fit in the book, which any teen girl is probably going to be attracted to.

Gemma has a lot of internal conflict when the story gets to that crossroads of "he kidnapped me, I hate him," and "he cares for me, I like him." And I think that is exactly what Christopher used the story to explore, the line that is blurred in your psyche when human nature overrides logic and morale. She does an outstanding job not only making Gemma's thought process easy to understand and vivid, but she is also able to manipulate the reader's feelings and moral compass. When the reader, a sane third party, begins to have emotions of affection, pity, and lust for a teenaged kidnapper, they begin to wrestle with their heart and their heads, which is how Gemma feels. Christopher's ability to give the reader a taste of how Stockholm syndrome works and affects the mind and body, is spectacular and mind blowing.

This book stuck with me, I still get chills when I think about it, and I will always be a Lucy Christopher fan solely because the novel was so splendid and evocative. In my Intro to Psychology class in college, I immediately thought of this book when we reached the subject of Stockholm syndrome, and realized just how spot-on Christopher was when describing how Gemma's brain was working, before, during, and after being held captive. Even if psychology isn't your thing, I still strongly suggest this book because it is not only a story of mental and physical tests, but a story that displays life, love, and being a teenager in all its brevity. The rawness of this book is still daunting to me, Christopher never uses useless information or words or scenes, it is simply cut and dry, in and out, begin and end, which I have come to respect and enjoy after reading allusive and boring YA books.

Stolen is definitely one for the ages, a riveting tale of youth, fear, pressure, lust, internal conflict, and danger. I recommend this book to all, though it is a YA novel, I think people of all ages will find this book enticing and rewarding. Go check it out, you won't regret it.

Let's Rave

Okay, so you know after you read an awesome book you feel like you need to scream it from the rooftops and give it to the person next to you on the subway? Yeah, well, I just had a moment like that with this book.

Drumroll please.....

Out of the Easy
By: Ruta Sepetys

Breakdown

This is a YA novel set in 1950's New Orleans, a town with the tagline "the big easy." See what she did there with the title, clever huh? It is the story of a girl named Jo who is struggling with deciding her future, and getting the heck out of Louisiana. She is the daughter of a prostitute who works at a brothel with a Madame that is more of a mother to Jo than her biological mom. Much of the story takes place at or around the brothel, mostly focused on her toxic relationship with mommy dearest and her mobster boy-toy. There are a few love interests, friendships, and as always, life altering decisions and dangerous midnight adventures that almost kill someone, and one night that actually does.

The reader is eased into the story but quickly taken on a wild ride through the lives of good people, bad people, and worse people, along the sidewalks of the French Quarter. Jo is an honest, endearing, and headstrong girl, and a kickass narrator. She is witty, sweet, and knows exactly what she wants, just not how to get it. Jo also finds love, not only romantic love, but family love and friendship. The characters are alive, literally jumping off the page, they also have good qualities as well as bad, making them actual humans, not like a lot of the bull characters that we see in books where everyone is either perfect, evil, or dead.

Much of the story uses the setting as its crutch, which is jazz-age Louisiana, specifically New Orleans, which was a hub of jazz, crime, and glamour. Sepetys does a flawless job making the reader feel like they're walking the streets of the French Quarter right next to Jo, describing everything accurately and eloquently, street signs and all.

The whole daughter-of-a-prostitute thing may seem a little offsetting, especially in a YA novel which are notorious for either too vague or WAY too descriptive sexual content, but this is a classy, yet informative book. There was no part that made me wince, or wonder, or totally grossed me out. Sepetys writes as though the reader is mature, which I think all YA readers appreciate. She doesn't cheat us of any imperative information, or drown us in tacky sexual innuendoes or situations. One of the things I love about this book is that every line was promoting they plot, there was no useless detail or awkward humor, simply beautiful, funny, reliable writing.

It'd been a while since I'd read a book that immediately sucked me in and held me tight, but when I picked this bad boy up, I was hooked. I remember starting this book sitting beside a pool, hot as heck, sipping a virgin Pina Colada, and ending it beside a pool, pitch black and cold outside, with an empty cup and full heart. This story made me so happy and tied up every thread of the story line, it was great. Especially after having just finished a boo-worthy book, this novel gave me the boost I needed and restored my then-fading faith in YA books.

I will always smile when I see this book in Barnes & Noble, recommend it to friends, and think about Jo when I drive through Louisiana. This story will stay near my heart and will touch yours too. I cannot rave enough about Out of the Easy. Put this sucker down on your summer reading list, it's a definite must, and one of my all time favorite YA books.

Seriously though, you should go get it, like, now.