Summer Update

Hello, readers! Summer vacation is upon us, and I've been reading/watching movies/hanging out with friends/playing volleyball/working (remember that job interview I mentioned oh-so-long ago? I kind of got it) so I have a slightly good excuse for not updating in a while, right? : P Well, I do have good news to share: My volleyball team was in first place at the end of all the regular games! : D Our team name was Blue Ice, and we seriously kicked butt, if I do say so myself. Walking into the tournament, though, we received a bit of bad news. Our coach got word that 3 of our best players (we have 8 on our team) wouldn't be coming that day. The tournament was the last and most important part of this league! Having 5 players (there are meant to be 6 on the court) meant that there was almost no way that we'd win even a single game in the tournament. I'm proud to say that through sheer determination and teamwork, we got 2nd place : ) It was incredible, I don't know if I've ever been so proud of a team that I've been on in my life! Of course, that's not saying much, since I did a nonteam sport for the majority of my life (gymnastics) but I've been on a few teams since I quit gymnastics, and Blue Ice has been the most inspiring one yet.

Now, why have I not been updating more often if I've been reading so many books and watching so many movies? Well, it's summer vacation, and I'll admit to a bit of laziness when it comes to this blog. I'm sorry if anyone's missed reading me (haha, right). A few things that I've read this summer worth mentioning:
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I'd recommend it to anyone- it's a trilogy, and it's fantastic. The characters are what really kept me reading it, but the plot itself is also fascinating. An excellent fantasy about demons; it's definitely the best book I've read this summer.
Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci. This was not something that I usually read, but I really enjoyed it! It's not a series and it's not fantasy, it's about bioterrorism. Sounds like a downer, or something teens wouldn't like? That's what I thought, but I read it for bookclub and I was pleasantly surprised by how gripping a novel it was.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is a historical fiction book told from the point of view of a slave named Isabel during the Revolutionary War. I really loved it, and I hear there's going to be a sequel, which I will most definitely have to read when it comes out. This is a great historical fiction novel for those who don't usually read historical fiction. It's easy to get sucked into it, the author practically transports you into another world!
If you read and like the book Chains, I've also read Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. I'm warning you, it's not as good as Chains, but it sucks you in all the same (some authors have that power. This is one of them). Do NOT pick up this book lightly. It's no fun read (the polar opposite of My Most Excellent Year, if you've read that review), it's about a girl with severe eating disorders and how she slowly comes to terms with them because her best friend also had severe eating disorders and died because of them. I only read it because of the author and how much I enjoyed Chains.
The Notebook. Most of you have probably already watched this movie, because it's been out for a while and it's extremely popular. This was my favorite thing that I've watched this summer. This is surprising, because it's very chick flicky, and I usually don't really like chick flicks. This is a lovestory set in North Carolina during the 1940's. It's based on a book, so I should probably read the book.... Anyway, the movie is beautiful and powerful, I enjoyed every minute of it. Oh, and Ryan Gosling is extremely gorgeous : ) Just saying.
Titanic. Again, most of you reading this have probably already seen the movie, but I just watched it this summer so I'm going to talk about it a little : ) This movie is centered around two people who fall in love on the Titanic and go through monumental danger together. It's extremely interesting, because it's one thing to know the basic story of how the Titanic sunk, but it's another thing altogether to live through it happening (which is the point of the movie, to try to make you see the sinking of the Titanic in a different light). Oh, and Leonardo DiCaprio is very good looking, if that matters to anyone reading this : P
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I didn't really like this movie. It had little action, it was depressing, and Brad Pitt was old and disgusting looking for about half of the movie. He was only young and gorgeous for a few scenes >.< Yes, I watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I liked it okay, but the book was better. My biggest complaint with the movie was that it left out too many memories that Dumbledore showed Harry in the book. Because they didn't show these crucial memories, I think that anyone who hasn't read the books would have more trouble following the story. *Shrug* Then again, I HAVE read the books, so I can't experience the movie from the point of view of someone who hasn't, so maybe those memories aren't as important to understanding what's going on as I thought. Anyway, I wasn't blown away, but I liked the movie.

So there's a taste of what I've been entertaining myself with this summer : )

~I'm sorry that I don't keep up with this blog as thoroughly as I do during the school year.