With summer almost upon us and school winding down, we will soon be faced with a lot of free time. Whether on a plane, car, boat, or train, traveling lends itself to the perfect time to crack open a new book. Below I've included 5 of my favorite books from the past year, all of them varying in genre and length. Enjoy!
The first book on my list is my absolute favorite. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a memoir of her crazy childhood, chalk full of experience and life lessons, as well as inspiration. Even though it's a memoir, it reads like a novel, and I promise you that a couple pages in you'll forget that it's a true story.
Second only to The Fault in Our Stars, The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder (yes i's her real name) is one of my favorite books that revolves around the main character having cancer. The main character is the perfect mix of wit, sarcasm, and cynicism, all of which make you love her even more.
Changing it up from the YA genre, I included Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer. If you liked Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, then you'll easily enjoy this book. The cover art alone is enough to buy it.
You may know B.J. Novak from playing the favorite temp Ryan, but in this book of short stories Novak shows that his true strength is writing. The stories vary from 5 liners to page turners, almost all of which are funny.
While this book isn't one of my absolute favorites, I included it because it will be soon coming to a screen near you (with Dylan O'Brien playing the lead. Yum). The story is compelling enough that it's easy to get through, although not interesting enough to continue the series.
For every muggle living in the human world, the unveiling of Universal Orlando Studios’ The World of Harry Potter back in 2010 gave the chance to explore a world only seen in books and movies. This expansion of the Islands of Adventure theme park truly did JK Rowling’s Harry Potter justice, and since then, people have flooded into Orlando, Florida to experience the park first hand. Tourists were able to savor the taste of a cold, icy, butterbeer and discover what lied behind every corner in the Hogwarts castle. No one expected that Universal Orlando Studios would be able to out do themselves, but this summer, a completely new and magical world will take over the hearts of all Harry Potter loving fans. This expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter can be found at Universal Studios, which neighbors Islands of Adventure. Fans will be able to walk around a full scale street replica of London just before entering the King’s Cross Station. They then can ride the Hogwarts Express which serves as a connecting path between the park in Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. While on this famous train, tourists can expect the same realistic experience as Harry, Ron, and Hermione on their way to Hogwarts. The train gets off at Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, found in Islands of Adventure. Back in Universal Studios, however, a secret entrance to Diagon Alley can be found in the Leaky Cauldron, a wizards only pub mention in JK Rowling's books. From there, tourists can enter the well known stores of Diagon Alley, buy their very own wand at Ollivander's, and even visit Gringotts Bank, where an out of this world ride, “Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts”, awaits. Fans can then find themselves up to no good when entering Knockturn Alley, infamous for housing dark wizards and selling dark objects. This enchanting new world opens at Universal Orlando Studios in Orlando, Florida this summer!
Different cities have different trends. These trends may or may not include a new type of outfit, a music style, etc. Well, ladies and gentlemen, one very large trend that has consumed the city of Miami is the act of buying a new, sporty, beautiful Jeep. These shiny mobile treasures come in almost every color a person could want, and trust me, everyone wants one. I can remember back to 7th grade and how I had so badly wished my first car would be a Jeep. As I entered high school, however, I felt as though they were "too mainstream" and therefor wished my first car would be an Audi (yeah keep dreaming 15 year old me). Since then, I have been a couple of Jeeps. I've cruised around, blasted the music from my friends' cars, sat in shotgun once in while, and I can say that though Jeeps are pretty mainstream, I can see why everyone loves them so much! They are a) pretty affordable, if you buy it at the right place, b) extremely stylish, and c) able to be driven on any type of road without feeling too much discomfort. So in conclusion, I just wanted to share my final opinion on the matter of Jeeps. Who cares if every high school boy and girl in Miami owns one? They're so worth breaking my "non mainstream" rule!
This post may be 3 weeks too late but as I listen to the beats of house music this afternoon the thought dawns on me, "why have I not written about my Ultra experience?!" If you haven't heard of the Ultra Music Festival, sorry to break it to you, but you may have been living under a rock your whole life. Ultra is the world's premier electronic music festival...period. Having grown up and living in Miami my whole life, I was exposed to Ultra in the seventh grade. I remember like it was yesterday. I was walking out of the American Airlines Arena after a Heat game and all I saw was an immense amount of people dressed in neon colors. I turn to my friend and said, "umm what are these people doing here?" and he replied, "I don't know. I think they may be here for some festival, it's called Ultra, it's like a giant party." At that time, I could never imagine myself going to this giant party with neon people of all different backgrounds. Boy was I wrong. Ultra revisited me on my 15th birthday, it happened to be the same day. That night I watched the live stream and instantly fell in love with dance music. From that moment on, I knew I needed to attend. It took my parents some warming up but I finally convinced them to let me go two years later. At first it was a one day deal. But as time passed it turned into two days and finally, the week before the weekend I've been waiting for since my 15th birthday, I got the OK to attend all three days. March 28th came and after a late start and a very long line (mob would be a better word), I stepped foot into the Ultra grounds and immediately felt the love in the air. There is nothing quite like it, dancing with your friends (and strangers who will become your friends) in the crowd to the music of the absolute best DJs in the world. To put mildly, it was simply amazing. I was a little intimidated by the negative stories at first. The drugs, horror stories about lack of water in the main stage crowd, fist fights that could breakout within seconds. But my experience was far from those stories. I was not injected with a mystery chemical, I did not faint in the crowd, and I DEFINITELY did not make out with a tree. I just went with the flow, got myself close to the stage, and enjoyed the music with my friends. Even now, three weeks later, I find myself going into my camera roll looking at the pictures and watching those videos from one of the best weekends of my life. And everytime I do I'm automatically in a better mood and feel a little bit of the energy I felt those three days. It's very true what they say about Ultra. The experience can't be explained, you just have to experience it for yourself. I can try to tell you what it feels like when the bass is so hard you can't breathe or talk, you can just dance. Or I can try to tell you what it feels like to see the amazing DJs who make the music you love. But I wouldn't do it justice. And once you experience the energy and the love that IS the Ultra Music Festival, you'll have a new respect and passion for electronic music that you have never had before
The Ultra "Vortex"
Ultranauts representing their countries
Dillion Francis playing at the Worldwide Stage
A friend I made at Ultra, or better known as "raft guy"
Located in the heart of the Miami Art District, Wynwood Walls is filled to the brim with colorful brushstrokes that emphasize the colorful and creative aesthetic of the area. The Miami Art District is known for their chic restaurants and of course artsy vibe.
In some situations, my inner creeper truly comes out. I decided it would be fun to take pictures of people in New York City, people I have never met, and give them fake or "stereotypical" back stories based on what they look like. I enjoyed doing this a little too much...scroll over the picture to see the captions!
After spending three days trekking around the Columbia campus, it's safe to say that I now know my way around. While I don't claim to be an expert, I finally got the hang of how to get around campus without being late to class.
The campus itself is complex, with tall brick buildings and forbidding architecture. Each subject has it's own building, which seems to be pretty standard in colleges. It's only one building though, while other colleges have while series of buildings. Though some buildings are old brick, and a few of the newer ones are completely glass.
The vibe given off is old, regal money. The type where you would be afraid to walk on the grass or touch anything for fear of irreparably damaging a piece of history. Presidents, leaders, idols, all walked these paths, which is overwhelming when you think about it.
But along with the pretentious vibe, there's an energy about the campus that draws you to it. It makes you want to be apart of it, to be a part of the legacy. To follow in the footsteps of those leaders, those politicians, those idols. I've fallen in love with the campus against my own will.
However, the love affair will be short lived when I look at tuition prices again.
Picture of Milly Shapiro as Matilda and the "Matilda" cast from nytimes.com
After the monstrosity that was "Cinderella" on Broadway, I was hesitant to watch "Matilda" at a different theater whose name escapes me. My class and I walked into a fairly small theater to find our seats at the very top row (which were still not too far away from the stage). The show started only to hear British accents and right away my friend Vivian and I were holding on to our seats hoping this play would not be completely terrible. After a short singing and dancing number, I could say I was hooked. The small girl who played Matilda, Ripley Sobo, automatically won my heart. Her small yet impactful voice merged with the whimsical and well written script had me crying one minute and laughing the next. Miss Trunchbull's character, though unexpected, was geniously casted and played by a man, Ben Thompson. Mr. and Mrs.Wormwood's characters were brought to life by Lesli Margherita and Matt Harrington. The two on the stage shared the perfect amount of chemistry and brought a large amount of laughter into the audience. Now, the children in this production of "Matilda" were something else. Both their amazing dancing and singing skills were displayed during their roles in the majority of the play. I am telling you, these kids each demanded the stage, and when put together, they made the most impressive child cast I have ever seen. They say music really determines whether or not a movie or play has the power to control the watcher's emotions. Well, the music in "Matilda" was phenomenal and achieved just that. In each musical scene, the orchestra was able to set the mood perfectly, whether it be through heart racing pieces or sad, emotional ones. At curtain call, I feel as thought they got the loudest claps from the audience! The totality of the play owned a very fun and whimsical feel to it. The lights were so compelling as well as the special effects throughout the production. The sets were detailed enough so the audience could tell where they were. Surround sound and spots in the theater where cast members would appear during the plot aided the production in making the audience feel as though they were really in the play. I bet you're thinking, "how could 'Matilda' the play possibly be so exciting and suspenseful?" Well, the people at Broadway smartly changed up the story in a subtle yet noticeable way. They added small parts to Roald Dahl's Classic children's novel. In conclusion, watching this play made it seem as though I was watching history in the making. I personally think "Matilda" is a classic, and the best play Broadway has put on since "Annie."
A dream is a wish your heart makes, or so they say. This famous lyric comes from the beloved Disney movie, "Cinderella." This song, however, is one of the many thing the Broadway production of "Cinderella" changes. Starring Carly Rae Jepsen as Cinderella and Fran Drescher (from the hit T.V. show "The Nanny") as the evil step mother, "Cinderella" is the story of a girl named Ella who works for her step mother and step sisters. The entire play was a morph between the Disney version of "Cinderella" and "Cinderella II." The play goes back and forth between King Topher, or Christopher, and Cinderella, or Ella (Come on Broadway pick one name and like it). I personally did not like the plot of the story (probably because I am a die- hard Disney fan) though it does have surprising twists that the audience does not expect! Even though I love the classic cartoon movie, my unbiased opinion would have to be that the story was too childish and I was expecting Broadway to at least turn the classic version of the story into one with a deeper message. Overall, the plot was some-what childish and (sadly) did not reach my expectations.
Carly Ray Jepsen is a wonderful singer, especially while listening to her songs with the top off of a car on the way to the beach. On a professional stage known for displaying some of the most amazing voices, however, her voice is not exactly ideal. Let's face it, Carly is no actress, and she is barely a singer. She is given the opportunity of a lifetime and I feel as though she did not properly prepare for the role. But Carly, it's not your fault, the people at Broadway should have worried less about getting a well- known singer and should have invested time into the thousands of young girls across the country trying to get on Broadway.
Fran, who is known for her raspy voice, used it to her advantage and played the roll of an annoying and persistant step mother extremely well. Being in the show biz for quite some time now, she used her knowledge of what she is good and bad at and restrained from any singing in the production. Smart move Ms. Fine!
When I look back and think of the totality of the play, I was ultimately won over due only to the special effects and solos by professionally trained actors and singers. Take my advice Broadway, if the show MUST go on, at least replace Carly Rae Jepson.
New York City, to me, is a place filled with opportunity and wonder, but surprisingly, I didn't always feel this way. When I first visited the city back when I was in seventh grade, I did not want to go in the first place. My family and I were going to leave on Christmas day, and being from Miami, Fl, I was not used to weather below maybe 65 degrees. I had to wear 3 layers of clothing to keep myself warm, and my sister and I would have contests testing how long we could resist the cold before wanting to run into a warm room. I was snuck into hidden pathways and rooms in China Town only to discover multiple fake Prada and Chanel Bags. At the end of this trip, I could say I had a good time, but it was not a place I longed to return to. Over time and as I discovered that I wanted to become a journalist, I found myself longing for a place that is different from my warm home town. I wanted to live in a place that is constantly filled with drama and excitement, and that would serve as a canvas free for artistic expression. New York City is that place for me. Manhattan reminds me of the island of Neverland, a magical place from the novel Peter Pan. Large sky scrapers replace the tall, plunging mountains. The city's lights are like stars, guiding everyone's path as they're on their way to do something exciting. The mermaid lagoons and pirate filled oceans serve as the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean. I'd like to think that I'm Peter Pan, and Manhattan is my island. I am free to roam around encountering new and distinct creatures. I have the ability to go on adventures and form memories that never fade. I go back to New York tomorrow with my class to attend classes at Columbia University. I return to not only my home, but my beacon of hope that one day I will become successful, and that one day I will reside with the strongest, smartest, and most creative people in all the country. It gives me strength to believe that one day I will live in the city of champions: the people who know they've made it. I go back to Neverland.