Letters to Electra - Estoy Aburrido

1/04/15

Dear Electra,

Happy April Fools' Day! It's also my friend's birthday, but I can't be bothered to greet him. It's quite odd that the pupil at my school didn't mention this 'vivacious' day.

Lent is almost finished! I searched on Google for the end of Lent and it said that it finishes tomorrow. It was challenging for me to give up 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and chocolate since every rehearsal I attend of my school's musical provides chocolate-themed treats; on the other hand my female friend from Spanish class is a huge fanatic of the 'Buffyverse'.

I feel contrite for skipping the 'Marian's 2015 Reads Book Review' of this week. I promise to release it next week. Spoiler alert: The following three book reviews are from the 'Tempe Brennan' series.

 I don't have much happening in my life right now except that the first school term of the year is ending this week. This term has been a productive beginning to 2015. Cheers to the holidays and a successful term one!


With sincere affection,

- M ★

Letters to Electra - 'Cause I'm a Primadonna Girl

27/3/15

Dear Electra,

Yesterday was horrifying because of one irrational event:
I LOST MY MOTHER'S STUD EARRING!
Here's the full story: I was frantically revising for my maths test until I decided to take my earrings off. I took them off one by one until I examined an earring and noticed that the stud grew crooked. I tried to adjust it but accidentally dropped them onto my robe. I grew very busy and eventually focused on my homework until it was time to eat dinner.
I came back into my room after dinner and felt my robe for the missing earring. I couldn't feel it.
I looked frantically on my bed -  no earring.
I went to my desk - no earring.
I began to scream at every sound I could hear including my dad and my sister's voices. Oh, gosh. I felt like I was wasting my time looking for an item instead of being productive.
After thirty minutes of only searching in my bedroom, I expanded my horizons. I headed to the dining table and finally found the earring! By then it was time to stop homework and prepare for nighttime rest.

The boys in my maths class cluster asked me about some personal sentiments. First, they started off by talking about who they would mate within the class (you don't know how nervous I felt about this) and regular male matters. Second, they asked me when I would lose my virginity (this was the moment I wanted to say, "I beg your pardon?" and smash their faces). I replied with, "I haven't decided yet. I plan to have no husband."
"Who would you lose it to in this class?" They ask.
"No one!"
The conversation goes downhill maturity-wise.

Music was lovely. Charisma played 'Primadonna' by Queen Marina and I sang along. Some people noticed like Gwen, Sammi and Anna. Jayden, Mary and Regina weren't present to experience our quintessential talent.

With sincere affection,

- M ★

Marian's 2015 Reads: 'Life in Outer Space' by Melissa Keil

Title: 'Life in Outer Space'
Author: Melissa Keil
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont
Published: 2013
Pages: 305

Let's have a rest from the 'Bones' series and review a high-school-themed novel.

This novel follows Sam Kinnison, a 16 (going on 17)-year-old geek who meets a girl named Camila Carter, an Australian who has come back from England with her journalist father. This book is set over the course of a year. Sam reckons that Camila is a beautiful girl who would disrupt him from his geeky world, so he tries to ignore her only to find out that Camila is somehow attached to him. I have to be honest about the fact that the ending is very predictable - typical high-school life.

My favourite character is Sam. I can relate to his vocation of staying single and rather have a deep passion for maintaining healthy grades and movies (well, for me it's 'Bones'). We also share the characteristics of awkward behaviour and staying strong but careless when facing situations of derision.

What I enjoyed most about this book is the message we also learned in physics: like-poles repel, but opposite poles attract. I liked the fact that before these two fell for each other, there was a friendship story. If you know me personally you'll assume that I do not believe in 'love at first sight' and that I believe in learning the other individual's personality before jumping to conclusions.

I think that this book shares the same plot as 'Geek Charming', a movie I watched when I had an obsession with Disney movies. A movie geek finds this fashionable girl and eventually sparks up a connection with each other.

Nevertheless, I recommend this book to teenagers who struggle to fit in socially at school (like me). That is unless you don't mind underage drinking and a mild level of profanity.

- M ★

Letters to Electra - Introducing Willow Pape

18/03/15

Dear Electra,

Finally, a letter that has been written and released on its due date!
In other words, 'Baboushka' (Samantha E.) had her third day at school today. She really is enjoying living in NZ and seems to always be happy while she's here. It really feels unrealistic to have a long-distance relationship come to an end and have your best friend come back home.

I forgot to introduce you to my group of friends, Electra. Here is the name of our group/band and the members of it:

~~ Willow Pape ~~ 

(yes, it's named after the mean character from the Kim Kardashian game.)

(no, I did not come up with it.)

• Baboushka (Sammi E.)
• Felicia (Marian)
• Bonquiqui (Mary)
• Shanaenae (Jayden)
• LeQuanda (Gwen)
• LaFonda (Regina)
• Shaniqua (Charisma)

So. If I ever mention those names again in my later letters, you can check this list again.

I have the most polite best friends ever. Whenever Gwen and I start a fight (mainly caused by me) she's the one who always checks on me. Do you know anyone else who does that? I don't! It's such an anomaly and a blessing to have a friend who has the strength to confront an intolerable companion. I know that I could never be like that unless forced.

Speaking of Gwen, the two of us stalked her 'pegasus' after school today. We were walking on the field and see my past crush. She asks me why I suddenly gave up liking him. I reply with. "I don't believe in love. I've experienced divorces and deaths with my eyes. I'm sick of it." I also forgot to say that I want to become focused on things other than the opposite gender.

Let's take a big leap and write about academic life. It seems like I can manage my academic life and social life correctly because I don't seem to be struggling in either. I feel blessed and simultaneously busy.

 

With sincere affection,

- M ★

Marian's 2015 Reads: '206 Bones' by Kathy Reichs

Picture via www.readings.com.au

Title: '206 Bones'
Author: Kathy Reichs
Publisher: William Heinemann London
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 374


Yes, another Kathy Reichs book to replace my fixation for the TV show. It seems like an odd sequence to read, from a 2011 book to a 2009 book. 

This novel begins with the protagonist, Dr. Temperance Brennan, stuck in a dark, cold tunnel - a captivating way to attract your readers. But before being placed there, Brennan and Lieutenant Andrew Ryan were in the process of investigating an elderly heiress' corpse, which Brennan was accused of mishandling the autopsy (she's a forensic anthropologist, not a pathologist!). In the middle of the novel, three more women are murdered and Brennan receives mysterious phone calls and threats. She suspects that those threats must be coming from her irritated neighbor or her ambitious pathologist rival, but the terrorist turns out to be unexpected.

I wouldn't consider this novel to be one of the best crime novels out there since Dr. Reich's way of taking Brennan's captivity story back and forth from different chapters is confusing, since I enjoy a book which stays in one continuous chronological structure.

Personally again, I do not recommend this book for first-time readers of Dr. Reichs, but for people who have read about four or five books from the Tempe Brennan series, since there are parts of the Brennan-Ryan love story.

- M ★

Letters to Electra - Novel Update, School Life and Reunions

11/3/15

Dear Electra,

Lent is extremely difficult when you have decided to give up chocolate, meat and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Trust me - I am in the process, and it is tough.

Today was an extremely cheerful day: I had an easy R.E test, had my science test grade increase and my friends & I had an odd but stunning time together. Luckily, the R.E test was open-notes and I finished in less than an hour.

Remember Samantha E., my primary school best friend? She has finally enrolled at my school and I am awaiting her arrival next week! Gwen, 'Shaniqua' and 'Pricilla' have all met her before, Regina has seen her, and 'Bonquiqui' has never met Sam before. I'm excited to come up with a terrible nickname for her. Better get ready, Sam.

The process of writing my novel has been difficult since I am constantly having cases of Writer's Block and have no time for writing, with the school musical and my studies.

With sincere affection,

- M ★

Marian's 2015 Reads - 'Flash and Bones' by Kathy Reichs

Picture via moviesinthebuff.com

Title: 'Flash and Bones'
Author: Kathy Reichs
Publisher: BCA
Publication Date: 2011 (this edition)
Pages: 271

'Flash and Bones' is a book which follows Temperance Brennan as she solves what happened to a body in an asphalt-filled barrel. A man, who happens to be a NASCAR crew member, reports to Brennan suspecting that the body might be his missing sister's or his missing sister's boyfriend. Is it really the NASCAR crew member's speculation, or is he wrong?

What I enjoyed most reading this book was when they got closer to the murderer, of course. The murderer actually revealed itself. What a crazy thing to do.
I also enjoyed the ending; it was clear and closed the book up perfectly.

I recommend this novel to people who are willing to expand their knowledge in either NASCAR or crime investigations. Before I bought this book, all I knew was that this would be my first taste of Kathy Reichs' work. I didn't anticipate that I would end up reading her other books in the 'Temperance Brennan' series.

- M ★

Letters to Electra - The Fascinating Behaviour of The Human Male

3/3/15

Dear Electra,

There is something perplexing about the behaviour of the boys in my class. In my maths class I sit in a cluster of desks with three other males, and as I try my best to avoid their crude humour they somehow have a way of pulling me into their baffling conversations and drift me off from the maths exercises. 

"Who do you like, dude? Tell me, or I will KILL you." An example of the ridiculous points they say. 

What in the universe did I do to sit near them? Did the planets realign to tell my maths teacher that I deserve this? Queries, queries.

Another habit they have is straightening my stationary. Look, I am a perfectionist, but I wouldn't care about the alignment of my pens and books.

On Monday, I came out to my friends with the fact that I have started being a vegetarian again. 

"You're a vegan? What the heck?"

"Vegans are very different from vegetarians. Vegetarians do not eat meat, but some still consume fish, dairy or eggs, which I still eat," I explain.

"So, if you're not vegan, do you still eat cake?"

"Of course! Have you tried vegan cake before?"
"No, but I bet it tastes disgusting," my friends surmise.

Such supportive friends I have, don't you agree? 

I have started a new novel by Kathy Reichs titled 'Fatal Voyage.' The copy I have is the most immense novel size I have read in my life. It looks like a medium encyclopaedia but with 365+ pages. Some of you might take a glance at me reading it at school/some other public place and say, "Wow, Marian wasn't lying," which I am not.

I have never thought to be as busy as I am right now. Tomorrow I have a science test, a rehearsal for the school musical and I have more homework to complete. As I write this letter to you I am in my dim bedroom with my laptop being the only light source and a fan blowing gently towards my face. 

I am starting a series of book reviews on this blog called 'Marian's 2015 Reads,' which I write reviews on the books I have finished recently. The first review will be published during the weekend. Watch out for it!

To conclude this letter, what's been up, Electra? Is that what this generation of youth would say? 

With sincere affection,

- M ★