Summer Goals Revisted

In the middle of June I wrote this post in which I talked about all the goals I had for summer but had yet to put a dent in. I looked back to see if I had actually accomplished any of them and it turns out I did well at almost all of them!

Goal 1. Read...a lot!

Yay for me! I did really well at this all thanks to that nice vacation in California! I ended up reading about nine books, eight of which were read in less than three and a half weeks! Here is my recap of the books I read this summer, no spoilers, I promise!

Goal 2. Work out consistently

Well, this one is a so-so. My roommate and I got really motivated at one point and we worked out almost every day! Then once I got to California I probably stayed motivated for another twoish weeks. But then it all went downhill and I have yet to get back into it.

Goal 3. Blog Good

I did quite well in the month of August, with a record high of 12 posts for the month! But getting back into it has been a struggle since I have gotten back and started school. Usually the school year helps me get into a routine though, so hopefully you will be hearing more from me!

Goal 4. Learn how to play guitar

This one is a definite success! I wouldn't say I'm amazing or anything, but I know quite a few chords and have quite a few songs under my belt, including Pumped Up Kicks, Radioactive, I Won't Give Up, and We Can't Stop.

Goal 5. Decorate my room

This one is a successish. I actually just organized my bookshelf and desk this last week, and then finally got around to putting up my pictures! Well, some of them...haha. I still have my quote boards and "All You Need is Love" painting that Dillon got me, but I need command strips for them and the Safeway right by me didn't have them. Also an ish because school had started by the time I did these things so I can't technically say it was a summer goal completed.

Overall, not too shabby! Hopefully you all were able to accomplish your summer goals, if you had them!

Summer Reads

Summer is always my favorite time to get engrossed in a good book and read my heart out. I have always loved reading, but it can be a little hard to do during the busy school year. When I decided to come to California for three and a half weeks, I was most excited about being able to catch up on reading all the books I've had sitting on my shelf.

So here are the books I managed to squeeze into my reading list this summer!

Don't worry, there are no spoilers, and I linked to the book's synopses so you're not completely bored.

Clockwork Princess

Synopsis. This book is the third (and, unfortunately, final) book in Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series. It is in the same world as her series The Mortal Instruments, in which the first book is about to become a movie. Trust me, you want to pick up Clare's books. They are based in an interesting and enthralling world filled with Shadowhunters, demons, vampires, warlocks, and more. Trust me, this ain't no Twilight. This series is beautifully written and hooks you from the very beginning. 

I give this book a definite 5/5! A must-read and also a book I would read over again.

Into the Wild

Synopsis. This is a non-fiction book but trust me, that doesn't mean that it's boring. I watched the movie quite a few years ago with some high school friends and absolutely loved it. When I got to California my grandma was in the middle of reading it and let me read it once she was finished. It talks mainly about Chris McCandless's journey but also adds some stories about others who chose to embrace the wild, including the author's own experience. I thought that would bother me at first, but the whole book enthralled me. Ever since seeing the movie years ago I have always wanted to live in Alaska for at least a year (but definitely not in the sole company of mother nature). That movie, plus The Proposal, hahah. But reading this book made that desire even deeper!

I give this book a 4/5! Definitely a good read, but not my usual genre and probably not one I would pick up for a second go-around.

The Maze Runner

Synopsis. This is a book in my favorite genre. A book set in a dystopian future where the government has gone ape-shit crazy and kids are forced to suffer in their wrath. I honestly can't say much about this book without giving stuff away. Here are some key words though: memory loss, kids, maze, runners, tears, monsters, death, surprise, love, determination, revenge. Woah, I bet you're just absolutely intrigued and are already running out the door to buy the book! I must admit though, this book is downright depressing. And since this is just the first of three in the series, I got absolutely no closure from it. Reading the sneak peak of the next book only made me more upset, but it definitely makes me want to go out and buy the last two of the series!

This book gets a 4.5/5! It is the type of book that pulls you in but leaves you without answers, but that just makes you want to read them all!

The Originals

Synopsis. This is again not in my favorite genre, but I loved it all the same. From reading the side flap of the book, I was expecting something quite different than what I got, but that just made it all the more interesting. The book is written from the perspective of Lizzie Best, who is the third "triplet" to Betsey and Ella Best. Even though they are three girls, they live one life. It is a very easy read; I finished it within 24 hours. It does not quite hook you in a way where you just have to read the next chapter because you're dying to find out what happens, but I found myself unable to put it down all the same. It combines romance, coming-of-age, and science all into one, and makes for an interesting and heart-warming story.

This book gets a 4/5! It was an easy and enjoyable book but not in my favorite genre and not one I would be dying to read again later.

Matched

Synopsis. And here we go, back to a dystopian future. I think I expected a lot more from this book than I got. My sister recommended it to me and she really loved it, so I was expecting something spectacular. So here's the deal: I love the story line, the characters, and the world they live in. All of that was well written. However, I feel it was a very slow and kind of boring book. Nothing really happened. You could say it was more like "real life" (however much a dystopian future based book can be) in that nothing too incredibly exciting happens.

I give this book a 3.5/5. Despite the fact that it's in the genre I like, it just didn't quite catch my attention and pull me into it as other books have.

Crossed

Synopsis. Yes, this is the second book to Matched, which I just reviewed. Despite the first book not being my favorite, I had already packed Crossed for my trip to California and decided to read it anyway. And I am seriously so happy that I did! This book was much more thrilling, which is what I felt was lacking in the first. A lot more happened and I found myself not wanting to put it down. So if you decided to read the first but were a little disappointed, I encourage you to read the second! And luckily there is a third book that I will be starting soon!                                                                                                                                                            This book gets a 4.5/5. A definite improvement from the first book of the series!

The Mystic City

Synopsis. I wasn't expecting much from this book. While my sister gave it to me, it wasn't a book she was greatly praising, so I figured it would just be a filler book. However, I was incredibly impressed by it. I went through a lot of emotions while reading this book, which I think it a good indicator of a good book. It made me angry, sad, happy, and in love. It has a sort of Romeo and Juliette feel to it, but mixed with magic. It holds within it an intriguing world and a beautiful love story - but not one you would really expect. It has a lot of twists and turns and you will not be bored!!

I give this book a 5/5! Another great book that adds all the elements I enjoy.

Now You See Her

Synopsis. I left this book for last because I already knew it wasn't in the genre I loved, however I don't know why I waited! I have read one other James Patterson book and I had the same feeling of it not being my favorite, but I ended up loving it, so I don't know why I doubted this book! It has short chapters, which is something I like (for some odd reason) but TONS of twists! I would have never expected half of the things to happen that did. If you're into mystery with a splash of murder (or maybe a lot) then this book is definitely for you!                                                                                                                                                                                        This book is getting a 4/5 from me! Suspenseful and dramatic, not in my genre, but totally worth the read.

Okay, that's it I promise!! Just in case you didn't realize it though...I read all 8 of these books while I was in California...that's 8 books in less than three and a half weeks! It was heaven, I tell ya.

California Livin'

If you read this post then you know that I am staying with my grandparents in California right now. Even though I am here to help them out I have been enjoying this time between work and school. It has been really nice to talk with my grandparents - about how they grew up, about how they met, my mom's childhood, and even my early childhood. Even though I'm "on duty" 24-7, I have gotten a lot of time to relax by reading and tanning by the pool. I have been here for a week and I have gotten into a routine...one that I definitely can't complain about!

.*I was outside reading and my grandpa came out and asked me if I could "stand a margarita." Why yes grandpa, yes I can.

8:00am - Wake up time! Even though my grandma usually gets up before this time, it's around now that she makes coffee and wants breakfast. So Emily to the rescue! ;) Mainly she just needs someone to carry over her coffee to the table, and then help getting all the things she needs for breakfast.

10:00am - By this time we are all either sitting in the living room reading our books or I am out in the backyard tending to the garden. On Sunday I spent a good two hours or so outside watering all the plants. She has tomato plants, citrus trees, and flowers galore!

Although this is a tiring feat, I am loving it. It definitely helps that I'm able to do all this outside work in 70 degree weather instead of 100. I'm thinking that I want a lot of flowers blooming in my future home...and might even make it my semester project to plant some flowers in my college home!

And then this happened:

She wanted me to do some trimming of this plant so I went out with the little garden trimmers I had used before and she told me where to cut. While I was behind the bush she disappeared and came back with these ginormous clippers. You have to admit it's quite comical...my grandma in a leg brace with her walker, but using these clippers to cut her plants out front. That's what I call dedication!

12:00pm - Lunch time! We usually just have a sandwich and chips and depending on the weather we'll go outside to eat. Nothing too fancy, but it's just another nice time we get to chat.

2:00pm - It is around this time that I suit up and head for the pool. Before my aunt left she made sure I knew how to set up the rafts so that I could lay out and read in the pool. It is glorious. But because I have #whitegirlprobs I try to only stay out for about 30 minutes. I'm trying to just get a darker shade of white, not tomato red here. ;) So it's about an hour total tanning the back and front and getting my read on.

*I'm proud of myself because it only took me three tries to get this picture. But then my grandpa came out and asked me if I wanted him to take my picture and now I'm embarrassed.*

5:00pm - Dinner time! Can you tell I get excited about the times when food is involved??? 5 o' clock is a little early for me to be eating dinner, but what the grandparents want, the grandparents get! I don't do anything too fancy. My aunt said for dinner it's "meat, vegetable, salad." I can handle that! Grandma likes to feel helpful so she'll make the salad as I prepare the rest. Grandpa likes to have a glass of wine every evening with dinner and when he offers a glass to me, I only slightly hesitate. ;)

7:00pm - By this time we are all seated in our comfy chairs in the living room watching the news. I have to say, I never knew the news could be quite so interesting! We watch the 5 o' clock news; local and world news! After that we watch jeopardy. At first we were watching kid's week which was grand because I could at least answer some of the questions! Or is it question some of the answers... But then we got into the grown up stuff, and the only answer question I knew was "What is Doctor Who?" Figures. Then we'll either watch more TV, play a game, or read until bed time.

10:00pm - This is my "me" time when at least grandma is in bed and I hit the weights! Okay, not really. They have a bike that I have been riding for a few miles every night and then I do a tone it up work out. It may not be much, but it makes me feel good!

12:00am - Sleep..........and then repeat!

I could honestly see myself being a caregiver. 18 more days of this!!

That Time I (Left You in Suspense)

I know you have been waiting all week to see my next post about the cruise, but unfortunately you're going to have to wait one more week before you find out the next fun adventure!

Summer has me pretty messed up schedule-wise.

I seriously love summer, but it's hard for me to find the energy to do anything...even blog.

(Because honestly blogging can be pretty time-consuming!)

Especially after a 7+ hour work day, I just like to come home and snuggle in bed with my teddy bear and watch some Netflix. (Currently I'm rewatching Pretty Little Liars.) I always aspire to accomplish so much in the summer, but laziness takes hold of me, plus the summer heat of Arizona is honestly energy-sucking. 

Here are some of my summer goals that I have yet to accomplish (or even come close to accomplishing):

1. Read...a lot!

I'm currently only on my first official "summer book" which is honestly just pathetic. I need to hop off Netflix and dive into my books! I'm reading Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi, which is the sequel to Shatter Me. If you haven't read these books yet DO IT!

2. Work out consistently

I'm pretty sure I have done a grand total of...zero workouts this summer. Unless you count the Harry Potter work out I attempted to do with my sister, but the video was loading too slow and I had more important plans that weekend (like turning 21).

3. Blog Good

I am sure you have already noticed my lack of good blogging. My goal has been to make at least one more blog post in the current month than the previous month. So far so good, but in order to keep it up I'll have to blog every day for the next five days...probably not going to happen. :/

4. Learn how to play guitar

Okay so this one is actually going a little better than the rest! I had my sister teach me a few chords this past weekend and so I can now kind of play What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction. There are a couple other songs I have attempted but they require a capo and I don't have one quite yet. But my roommate called me a rockstar the other day...so success!

5. Decorate my room

I recently (like a month ago) switched rooms and I still haven't gotten around to putting up all my pictures and making sure everything is organized. I'm not the kind of person who can't handle a little clutter so this one might take all summer, even though I don't even have that much stuff to organize.

So do you get the picture?

Summer = Lazy Emily

But I am really hoping I'm not the only one!

Send me good vibes and hopefully I can gain some motivation to actually put a dent in these goals!

Alex @ Let Life Be Like Music//Just Because