DYRC 19: October: Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia

The theme for October was young adult.  Obviously there's millions of YA books out there, many of them very fun, many of which I have not read.  What I was mainly looking for was something about people (preferably women) of color and a story that was NOT a romance.  I do like romance, but so many YA romances are predictable and super straight.  Anyways, I didn't have anything specific in mind, so I went to the library and grabbed the first thing that really stood out to me -- Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia.

It took me a while to get into this book because it took me a while to get into this book because it took me a while to get to like the main character Gayle.  She's a very obnoxious teenager, and her naivete about certain things is not so much endearing as it is annoying.  She's 14 and has a baby, and when she ends up pregnant again she thinks this is a good thing (and resents her mother for making her have an abortion).  But over the course of the story, I came to understand more why Gayle was the way she was, and eventually I really liked her as a character.  I got really engrossed in the story and I just wanted the best for Gayle and her cousin Cookie.  I ended up crying a lot at the end... I got super invested in the story and the characters.  I'm glad I read it!

This is my Goodreads review.  Insert usual spiel about how you should follow me, lol.

I read this book between October 30th and November 4th.  Almost on track, lol.  🎉

Would I recommend this book? Yes

adventure (ft. a decade plus of love for joe jonas)

I mentioned in my last couple of book posts that I went to see the Jonas Brothers in October.  That whole trip was honestly pretty cool!  I had a lot of stress getting ready for it and even more stress getting home (not really worth getting into... I obviously did make it back lol), but everything in between was great.  I took the Greyhound Bus to Hollywood (a decent trip) and I stayed at Las Palmas Hotel, aka the hotel from the end of Pretty Woman (one of my favorite movies).  It was kind of a coincidence... I was looking for affordable hotels in the area, and that was an option so I kind of had to.  This was the first time I've ever stayed in a hotel by myself!  Truth be told, it wasn't the world's nicest hotel lol, but it was decent and clean, and the bed was comfy.  The show itself was so fucking good... this band means and meant so much to me, and the times that I saw them in concert when I was younger are some of my favorite memories, so when I heard they were reuniting, I was so excited.  I bought the ticket as soon as they went on sale.  But I didn't count on them becoming even better performers... and that hearing their old songs would make me feel so nostalgic and so good.  They had two opening acts, neither of which I really knew anything about (Jordan McGraw and Bebe Rexha) but they were both good too... but I just couldn't wait to see my boys perform.  And it's been ten years, but it was worth the wait.  Here's the setlist they performed (yes, I did make it into a playlist on my iPod lol).  The Hollywood Bowl is a fantastic venue too... they kept saying how it had been a dream of theirs to perform there.  It's huge though, and I wore this dress and boots because I wanted to be cute, so I know if I ever see another show there I should wear practical shoes, lol.

It took me fucking ages to get a lyft back to my hotel (the driver that took me to the venue suggested I'd be better off walking back after the show but not in those shoes and not in that area I literally don't know when it's pitch black out lol), but when I finally got back, I watched youtube videos and ate microwave mac and cheese I packed with me.  It was fun, lol.  In the morning  checked out and went to the Museum of Death, which I had been wanting to see for a while.  It was really close to my hotel too, so it was convenient.  I wandered around in there for a while and it was really cool!  They had a lot of stuff about serial killers and famous celebrity deaths as well as just educational stuff about the history of death and the funeral industry.  There were a few things there that might be hard if you're squeamish (I'm not really, so it wasn't a big deal, but one of the guys that was walking around with his girlfriend just a little bit behind me was freaking out a lot, bless him), but most things weren't that graphic.  After that I went to lunch at Shake Shack... I've constantly heard about how delicious their food is, but we don't have one here so I'd never tried it.  It was really good! I'd definitely eat it again, and I hope they do come to town.  After that I still had a few hours to kill, so I went down to the Chinese Theater to do more sightseeing.  Unfortunately they were closed, so I just ended up kind of wandering down the Walk of Fame and hanging out.  I also grabbed a Halloween donut at Randy's Donuts, a place that is apparently "world famous."  I ducked in because it was really hot out and I saw they had bottled water, but the donut was delicious.

(top: burger and fries from the restaurant in the greyhound station in LA, where I had a two hour stop -- surprisingly good food lol; middle: burger, fries, and pumpkin shake from shake shack [DELICIOUS]; bottom: Randy's Donuts Halloween donut)

I had a fun little trip... it was just over 36 hours I was gone, but I packed a pretty good time into it.  I'm enjoying doing things for myself.  Seeing the Jonas Brothers did make me miss my mom more though because we used to go to those concerts together, and obviously she isn't well enough to go now.  The guys did a shout out to the parents that used to drive the kids to their concerts, and they sang her favorite song of their's right after, so that really felt like it was for her.  It was a nice moment.

Here's some of my pics and videos from the trip -- the hotel, the concert, the museum, and the Hollywood site seeing.  (Follow me on Instagram for more incredibly random pics from my life lol)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B35hVzcgRnP/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B36dRLBgnGE/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B37aRlxHU4Y/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B37uQSOAyVB/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3_XUn1AV4b/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B38RU74gxQ6/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Ywi5GgnnN/ 

Merry Misfits Book Club October: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (adapted by Shannon Donnelly)

The theme for October in the Merry Misfits Book Club was a book set in a different country or by an author from a different country.  The Phantom of the Opera is both, taking place in France (Paris, to be exact) and written by a Frenchman named Gaston Leroux and published in 1910 (the first English translation becoming available in 1911).  While I do want to read that original 1911 translation at some point (as well as another translation I've heard comes highly recommended), now wasn't really the time because it's long and I'm busy... and behind in this reading challenge.  So, Great Illustrated Classics to the rescue once again, lmao.

I wanted to read this because I've been super obsessed with the Phantom recently (I even dressed as him for Halloween) so I requested this from the library.  The story obviously is condensed, and since I haven't read the original I can't say how good it is as an adaptation, but it's interesting how contradictory the book is.  It moves slowly, yet it jumps from episode to episode.  It tells when it should show, yet there's a lot of detail.  The art (as with every Great Illustrated Classic I've read) was not great, but the cover is really nice, imo.  It's not a bad way to experience the story, I just don't feel like it's the best.  In fact, I read another kid's version after finishing this one and I liked it a lot better. 

I feel like I don't have a lot to say about this little book.  Even my goodreads review is like one sentence long lol.

I read this book between October 19th and October 21st.  I finished it in a Greyhound Bus station while on my way to see the Jonas Brothers!

Would I recommend this book? Ehh... If you want a young readers' adaptation of The Phantom, pick up the Kate McMullan adaptation I linked above instead.  (Or just... y'know... watch the musical.  It's sooo good.  Like, not High Entertainment, and it's hopelessly 80s, but it's guilty pleasure good... and I feel no guilt.)

DYRC 19 September: Burnin' Up: On Tour With the Jonas Brothers

The theme for September was non-fic.  I'd been tempted to cheat and swap DYRC's September and August themes so the non-fic themes would coincide and I could get away with just one book (y'all know I love to read, but I never have any time to do it, and desperate lack of free time calls for desperate measures) but I ended up not doing that.  Cheating felt like cheating, lol.  So instead I decided to go easy on myself and just read something lighthearted and picture heavy.  So...

Burnin' Up: On Tour With the Jonas Brothers was written at the height of Jonas fever (2008), which was generally a better time in general, lol.  The book is mostly pics, behind the scenes pics from their When You Look Me In The Eyes Tour (the first time I saw them) and the Burnin' Up Tour (which I also attended), but there are lots of passages of the brothers talking about their lives and career and family.  It made me super nostalgic and happy.  This band has meant a lot to me, and I actually finished it up while I was sitting in a hotel after watching them in concert for the first time in TEN YEARS!  This book was the best companion... and I'm glad for once that I ended up behind.

Here's my Goodreads review.

I read this book between October 21st and October 22nd.  Yes, it was a book for September...I'm trying really hard to get caught up!

Would I recommend this book? If you're a Jonas fan, absolutely.  If not, you won't get anything out of it, so probably not.