Fancy

It's gotten to that point in Summer where I constantly miss layers and straightening my hair. Alas, I still have a month to go of some serious heat and thunderstorms. Looks like I just have to embrace the frizz and lack of sweaters.

 tank top: Forever 21 shorts: H&M

bracelet and midi ring: H&M eye ring: Urban Outfitters 

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell Review

I feel like every summer I read a book that really sticks with me and gives me a strong urge to tell everyone about it. It's not like the books I read every other time of the year aren't amazing (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series was phenomenal! I'm so sad I finished it), but there's just something about July that makes me want to do a book review so here we go.
I first heard about Eleanor & Park on tumblr and after a quick look at the description on amazon it was added to my reading list. I picked it up in Barnes and Noble and got the Exclusive Collector's Edition because they were both the same price so why not.  When I opened it up to start it I was so thankful I got this version because the illustrations are beautiful.

I was rather nervous to start reading the book. I haven't read a young adult book in a couple of years, much less a romance novel, and I really didn't want to be disappointed. Rowell's popular book at the moment Fangirl has been highly discussed recently and had heard good things about it from the internet and my friends. Despite this, I was still apprehensive. It is really hard to depict a true teenager and even harder a fangirl/boy. There's just too many stereotypes thrown around that people rely on. Thankfully my nerves were not needed. 

The story follows the two main characters, Eleanor and Park, and how their relationship develops. I could summarize, but I'm just going to focus on why I liked this book so much. First off, the characterization of Eleanor and Park is very well done.The inconsistencies and overdramatic elements of being a teenager are just right. You see these in both of them as well as their own elements that make up their personality. Though you a rooting for them you are still able to see their faults and the mistakes each of them make in handling the events in the book. I also loved the progression of their relationship. It was much slower than other young adult books I've read *cough* Twilight *cough* and the rise and falls of their relationship were always there. The atmosphere was never blissfully perfect. All of these parts worked well together to make the story very believable and realistic. 

And, as if all of what was previously mentioned was not enough, Rowell delightfully tosses in references to comic books and 80's music and movies which easily got me fangirling as I was reading. 

All in all, a fantastic book that is now one I will force everyone around me to read.

If you want to see a few of my favorite quotes from my book they will be posted on my Tumblr. 

Happy reading!

My nail polish is OPI's "A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find" 

Parent Approved

From a young age my parents instilled in me a love for classic 80's movies. They were the movies that they watched when they were teenagers, and the ones I was sometimes forced to watch as a kid. Despite the required viewing, I love them so much that I now force my friends to watch them. It's important to enlighten those who are ignorant to the awesomeness. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw this tee in Forever21. My venture into wearing men's graphic tee has been super successful. Though I have a more petite frame my torso is long and my shoulders are broad and mens tees accommodate this easily. That makes for a shirt I love that is also parent approved. 

 tee: Forever21 Men's shorts and bag: H&M sandals: Francesca Collection 

Flower Power

Hello! We are well in to shorts season which is a return to the age old problem I also have with jeans: they fit my thighs and butt but leave a gaping hole in the back. With my lack of success in buying some new shorts that actually fit I decided to DIY some old jeans I had lying around that sorta fit. I found this Buzzfeed article through Pinterest which has a lot of great ways to make and decorate some cutoffs. I chose to cut a high low hem. To decorate I stitched my old numbers from cheerleading onto the back pocket and used a box cutter to create more fraying and holes. (If you want to add some nerd related patches I'd check out Etsy. There are a ton that are great and cheap) I like how they came out. I hope to do some more DIY projects this summer. 

tank top: Urban Outfitters belt: Gap boots: Palladium nail polish: Butter London in Goss 

listening to: Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz 

for the record, I was staring at a web that had two spiders nearby so my face is totally justified

short necklace: Forever21 long: H&M 

With Flowers in your Hair

A couple of months ago I was reading Othello and wanted to do a post that was Shakespeare themed. A look that's a little more romantic and light basically. I don't discuss Shakespeare in my life often mostly because I'm pretty awful at reading it. The sentences are too long for me and I tend to lose the subject easily, but the only way to get better is to keep to trying. That isn't too hard in this case because though I lack skills to properly read it, I'm quite interested in the stories of the plays. 

More recently, I finally bought a copy of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. I had watched it once before my first year in high school and fell in love. I tend to love Luhrmann's films because though it can seem like a big crazy mess, I feel he has a firm understanding of the content and how he wants the viewer to react to the film. I looked towards what Juliet wore in the film for some inspiration and found it very innocent. She's almost always decked out in something white and very simple. I kept the outfit simple with just light shorts and a tee shirt with a few romantic details. And of course I had to add in my favorite quote from Othello (It's so sweet!) 

I hope your week is very Shakespearean (minus the deaths).

top: H&M shorts and headband: Forever21 bra: Victoria's Secret