Top threeYA summer reads recommended by me.

With summer break just around the corner, you may be wondering what you should be doing as the boredom sets in. My answer: Reading These Books! These are my top three young adult fiction books for this summer. Hope you enjoy!

Paper Towns by John Green

Quentin "Q" has been in love with his impossibly gorgeous, mysterious, and un-touchable next door neighbor, Margo Roth Speigleman, for years. When she goes missing after a night of pranking, Q is left with shattered dreams of ever being with her. But Margo has left clues, and Quentin embarks on an adventure to find the enigmatic girl who left them.
 I was unable to put this book down when I got it. A truely funny and enchanting realistic fiction novel written by possibly my favorite author of young adult literature ever.


 
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Illustrated by Ellen Forney

Being the only indian kid at an all white school couldn't be that hard. Right? Well for Junior it's no easy walk in the park. Not only are kids at his new school making fun of him for being different, but everyone on the rez are calling him a traitor. Talk about outsider. However, Junior's not giving up, and he's ready to take on his new school if it kills him.
Laugh out loud funny mixed with touching depth, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is extremely well written. It's got great illustrations too!

Zombie VS Unicorns

The age old question will finally be answered. Which are better, Zombies or Unicorns?!?! With stories from authors such as Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Meg Cabot, and many others, how could you not want to sink your teeth into this awesome book. Edited by the lovely ladies Holly Black ( Team Unicorn) and Justine Larbalestier (Team Zombie).



Funny and Blunt. Welcome to the Vlogosphere!

I've started watching a vlog that was recently put out by my good friend Gavynn (not her real name). Like most beginner vlogs, GOOTWIG is a bit rough around the edges at times, but I can't stop watching it. She is truely a funny person (not in a bad way) and I'm always excited for a new video. So, do yourself a favour and check out her youtube channel. It's awesome!

We live in a pretty messed up world. You can't go any where without hearing of the terrible and distructive things we've done to ourselves and others. It's all just one big screwed up mess.
Last night I watched home videos with my family. We watched one that was taken of me minutes after I was born. It was kinda hard to believe that wrinkly blob of crying flesh was myself; so new and fresh and innocent, so different from who I am today. As we watched videos from easter when my cousin wasn't in jail and my aunt and uncle weren't divorced, I felt happy and sad and a little confused. I watched my sister when she was three and so full of energy and joy.
Watching that giggling baby on the TV screen was almost eye opening. After all, weren't we all smiling babies at one point in our lives? Haven't we all felt pain and hope and sometimes love? Aren't we all just people. We let the petty differences cloud our minds and before long we're not just people. We're enemies. We ask ourselves how we could ever understand the thoughts of a person across an ocean, and maybe it's because we don't even try to listen. It's hard to make this connection. Somtimes the people at my own school seem so different from myself that it's hard for me to realize that we're practically the same. We are human and It may take an alien invasion from outerspace or a simple handshake for us to realize this, but until we do nothing will ever change.
Babies are great. They don't let race or religion or traditions get in the way of smiling at someone. I used to wonder why anyone would want to bring a child into this screwed up world we live in. Now I believe it's to make this screwed up world a little better.

Beat the artist block this summer with The Sketchbook Project!!!

Looking for a fun and easy boredom buster? (I can't believe I just said that) Well the Art House Co-op has just the thing for you!!! The Sketchbook Project has been running for quite a few years now and has helped cultivate the idea of bringing art to the masses. It's basically a concert tour for sketchbooks! Go over to the arthousecoop.com right now and get started. It's only twenty five dollars which is pretty cheap considering how many awesome places your sketchbook will be traveling including: Brooklyn, NY/ Boston, MA/ Chicago, IL/ Austin, TX/ San Francisco, CA/ Toronto, Canada, and a whole lot more! I had a great time last year and I hope to see  you all participate this year. Happy Sketching!

The Art of Cole Madama Dulworth

There are a few people in my life that are so full of creativity that they can inspire you no matter what's going on in your life. One of these persons is my good friend Cole Madame Dulworth. Whether he is taking beautiful photographs or painting lovely water colours, he is always making my day a little brighter.

Check out his blog at: http://coledulworth.blogspot.com/

Weather Mood Swings in Texas

I don't know if you've ever had the "wonderful" chance of visiting Texas, but if you have, you are probobly familiar with how weird the weather is here. Yesterday it was hot and sunny. The tempurature was at about ninety degrees, but today it's gone down to sixty-five. Mother Nature must be having some serious mood swings or something.
Yesterday I went to Austin. It was very nice. There are lots of cyclers there which makes up for the fact that there are a lot of homeless people walking around. Maybe I'll live there one day.
Besides my adventure at the state capital, nothing really exciting has been happening in my life lately. I'm going rock climbing today which should be enjoyable for other people because I'm not very athletic with the exception of playing Badminton.
I should really start putting pictures on this page because it's starting to look a little bland.
Have a lovely day and beware of ravenous french men inhabiting your closet.

Zombie Janitors and Lemons: An Introduction of Epic Proportions

I've never been very good about Introductions. I feel quite awkward and out of place making them, but if there were ever a time to make one, it seems to me that this would be a very good time. So, lets begin, shall we?
My name is Alex and I live in an impossibly small town that you have never heard of and will hopefully be fortunate enough never to visit. The only advantage to this is that I live on a lake that enables me to partake in all sorts of interesting activities. The disadvantage: I'm surrounded by rednecks. *shudder* I go to a school where Art is not an option and P.E. consists of twenty students walking around the gymnasium every tuesday and thursday.
Yes. I know what you are thinking. "How did I get lucky enough to find such a captivating and enriching blog?" But trust me things get better. Just wait till I tell you about the zombies! Just kidding. Besides my school's janitors, there are no zombies where I live... yet.
I guess I should say some stuff about myself. Umm... I like art, traveling, music, world domination, rainbows, the typical teen stuff.
And finally, the purpose of this blog! Drum roll please!............. I have honestly no idea.
Well, I suppose that wraps about everything up for my introduction. Have a nice day, and remember kids: when life gives you lemons, throw em' at your neighbor's cat.