work library has it. Trying to get it downloaded onto a device I can read it on. So much aggravation.

I have it on my phone, now. W00t! If I can get it on my Kindle I will be a very happy person for about 5 minutes, until something else comes along to annoy me. Fingers crossed. I wanted the Fire specifically to be able to take advantage of the extensive work elibrary.

Now I've run into problems getting the sundry devices onto the Wifi network. Sigh. It's not a big problem, just a little niggling one that's going to drag this whole thing out for the entire day.

Not to name names, but the app for reading this on my phone was not convenient.

But the essays, they are intriguing. But also, collectively a little clueless. So many contrast New England culture against [place where the author is now] which is utterly unlike Star's Hollow, for good and ill. Seriously? I realize that Connecticut is the Land of WASPs, the place where Pilgrims get all the attention, but seriously, the lack of history re the entire rest of the nation was off-puttingly White-minded and just wrong. No one should ever again get a book chapter out of ignoring 1) millennia of First Nations, 2) five hundred years of Norse, and English, and Irish exploration and settlement, mostly for the cod 3) French settlement in Acadia 3) more than two hundred years of Spanish exploration and colonization. Seriously, Plymouth wasn't even the first permanent English colony in what is now the USA during the 17th century: there were already three in Virginia.

Generally I love a pop culture essay. I enjoy someone taking a tv show seriously, seeing what it says about society, family, religion, adulthood. Of course, there are problems: backstory is incomplete, sometimes contradictory, often open to interpretation, and that's when these essays get really good. Because there is no objective reality, everyone ends up writing not about the show, but about themselves. It's a Rorschach test. Humans are social animals, and it desire to examine the related between us is just as strong when we're talking about imaginary people. In real life a person rarely has to choose between two romantic prospects, but as a mental exercise it makes us consider what is most important: do we prefer similar backgrounds, or shared passions? Charm or loving actions? What do we need to be content?

So, here I am, nothing like Lorelei, except I do live in a charming old small town, and I like junk food and old movies and coffee, and books examining what this all means.

Library copy

So basically I sticked to my tbr, but I didn't read as much as I would have hoped to and I have to blame The Scarlet Letter for that.. that one took me way to long to read damn. Anyways, here's my wrap-up:

- New World Rising by (New World Trilogy #1) Jennifer Wilson 4.5/5 ★

- Vicious by V.E. Schwab 5/5 ★ review

- The Robber Bridegroom by Brothers Grimm 3/5 ★ review

-The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 2/5 ★ review

- New World Ashes by (New World Trilogy #2) Jennifer Wilson 4.5/5 ★ review series

- City Of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare 3.5/5 ★

I also did a Q&A with Jennifer Wilson, so if you would like to check it out: click here. In my last ''Currently reading-blogpost'' I did a discussion about finding your favorite genres and why I don't like fantasy books that much anymore. If you would like to check that one out as well: click here.

When it comes to tv shows: I've watched quite a few! Fall is the season where new episodes are being released, so I've watched: Nashville (S04E02 - S04E06), The Big Bang Theory (S09E02 - S09E06), Expeditie Robinson (S16E05 - S16E09) and America's Next Top Model (S22E09-S22E12).

These are the shows that I've also watched:

- New Girl S01E21 - S02E10

- Suits S03E04-S03E06

I'm not going to watch those two shows any further.

I've also watched these two shows and they have become one of my favorites:

- Oprhan Black S03E01 - S03E10 (so I've watched all the episodes now, sad me)

- Orange Is The New Black S01E01 - S03E08.

Both of these shows are so good and addicted damn! I cannot believe I haven't watched those earlier.

I also rewatched some episodes of Gilmore Girls season 4 and a Halloween movie: Trick 'r Treat (2007). I can rewatch them every year!

What is your favorite read/show of the month?

Jennifer Wilson is the author of the New World Trilogy, whose books I've recently read (review: click here) and she is so sweet as well! I asked her if she would like to answer some questions for me, so I could share her answers here as well! There are no spoilers so no worries. The questions:

1. How did you come up with the story? What books inspired you to write this series?
''I have always had a bit of an overactive imagination. My mind tends to wander and being a very visual person, I generally get these flashes of scenes¬—a girl on a rooftop, an action-packed fight sequence or an impassioned kiss. From there, my mind melds around these moments and a basic plot begins to develop. As the plot matures, so do my characters. I tend to have a really loose technique when it comes to writing. I always have an idea of where my story is going, but often the journey getting there is just as unexpected for me as it is for my readers. I jot notes on everything and anything within reach when inspiration strikes, old receipts, paper bags, or on my hand. I find these moments of epiphany are where some of my best ideas originate—not forced but inspired.

New World: Rising was born out of an epiphany moment for Phoenix. I could see this girl racing on rooftops, hiding in the shadows, being kind of a badass. The opening scene in the first book is the moment Phoenix was born in my mind, a dark shadowed figure standing on the ledge of a building as her hair whipped around her face in the wind, the city below her in ruin. The world just spiraled out from there, shaping around her.

I am sure this is cliché, but Harry Potter inspired me to write. Not because of the fame or money, but this was the first series I fell in love with and because of how many lives J.K. Rowling touched with her books. To reach that many people and inspire them to dream and read… that is a true gift. So obviously, J.K. Rowling’s books are at the top of that list, but there are many other authors I look up to: J.R.R. Tolkien, Rick Yancey, Dan Brown, Suzanne Collins, Cassandra Clare and Diana Gabaldon, to name a few. Alexandra Bracken and Marie Lu are also recently added to my author crush list—I love that they too write about strong female leads, who are imperfect and vulnerable at times.''

2. To which character do you relate the most?
''Phoenix, for sure. While a little of myself goes into every character I write, Phoenix holds the largest part of me. She and I think similarly, we are very calculated. While she is colder than I am, there is a comradery I feel between us. She is fiercely realistic about every situation, but also has this can-do attitude that she can take on the world. She is not perfect and at times a little unlikeable, but that’s what makes her so human. She is not your average hero, and I like her even more for that fact.''

3. What is your favorite part about the books and what is your least favorite?
''Great question!
I love seeing Phoenix’s relationship with Mouse and Triven. They both bring out a side of her that is more likeable. She grows and blossoms under their influence, and it was nice to see her experience love for the first time. I also thrive on the action scenes. I nerd-out on action movies, so getting to write these epic fight scenes is heaven for me. It’s like my mind sets on fire and I can visualize the whole thing as it’s happening.

The worst parts for me were the scenes with Maddox in the first book. Even as his creator, he made my skin crawl. Just writing the shower scene made me extremely uncomfortable, but that was the point.''

4. How long did it take you to write the first two books in this series?
''New World: Rising was written in about six months, not including all of the editing. Once the story came into my mind it flowed easily. New World: Ashes took me a little longer, about nine months. It was a challenge to decide where to end that book and how much I wanted to give away. Plus, an entirely new city and cast had to be developed and take on a life of their own. I found the second book more challenging.''

5. How many books are you planning to write in the future? If you're going to write new books: about what (so subject wise) would you like them to be?
''As to not leave my readers hanging, the final book in the New World Series is under way—New World: Inferno is expected out in winter 2016. (I just released the cover this week. Yay!) So that’s at least one more book.

There is also an entirely different series currently collecting digital dust on my hard drive. The first book was completed almost three years ago, but I set it aside to write Phoenix’s story. The book is called The Chosen. It has a much different feel and is based in a supernatural world. The main character, Grace, is a child prodigy whose musical gifts mask more formidable powers bubbling just beneath the surface. Powers others will kill to acquire. I am hoping to complete this series once the N.W.S. is completed.

Aside from those books, I also have a series based on witches in the works, as well a futuristic, semi-syfy series in the mix. There are too many ideas and not enough time!''

Awesome answers right? She also got the news last week that a publisher is going to work with her so there will be new covers (sadly, ha) and these ones will be out of print soon! So if you want to get them: buy them now! If you want to her more about it and keep in touch with her, you can follow her on Twitter (link: click here). 

With what author would you like to have a Q&A/chat with and why?

Goodreads summary:

Since witnessing her parents' murders at the age of eleven, Phoenix's only purpose in life has been to uphold her mother's dying words- to be strong and survive. But surviving outside of The Walls- outside of The Sanctuary- is more like a drawn-out death sentence. A cruel and ruthless city, Tartarus is run by the Tribes whose motto is simple, "Join or die." Refusing to join and determined to live, Phoenix fights to survive in this savage world. Trusting no one, she lives as a rogue, fending only for herself. Then in a moment of rash judgment, she breaks all of her rules to save a child, and in that moment her life is turned upside down. When the rescue mission goes awry, Phoenix is captured by an underground group who claims no allegiance with either the Tribes nor The Sanctuary. She finds herself in the most dangerous game of survival she has ever played. In her captivity, only one person- the handsome and oddly sympathetic Triven- shows Phoenix something she has never before experienced: kindness. While warring with unfamiliar emotions and still skeptical of her captors' motives, Phoenix quickly realizes that these people may just hold the key to her lost memories. But who can she trust, when no one can be trusted? Not even herself.

My opinion:

I absolutely loved this series! It's really fast paced (so don't start it if you actually have to study, haha) and I really need to know what's going to happen next (we need to wait a year for that.. sigh :p). I loved all of the (well some more than others, obviously) and so shocked all the time!

The only two reasons why I can't give this series 5 stars is because 1. The girl falls in love with the instructor (as we have seen in so many dystopians already, so I would have loved to see a turn on that one) and I don't think it's re-readable because that would give away the whole action and shocking parts and those are the two things that made those two books a great and awesome dystopian series.

If you're looking for a new (the second book, New World Ashes just came out this month): go pick it up!

PS. If you want to read this series and still need to buy it in these beautiful covers: do it now while those are still in store (they will be out of print soon!)! Jennifer Wilson has published these books all on her own and now a publisher wants to work with her so they will be making new covers etc. which will be released in January 2016 so be fast if you still want these covers (she will be releasing the third one in this edition as well so they will be matching!)

What is your opinion about these first two books in this trilogy? Are you planning on reading it?

I love making lists and sticking to them, so I thought it would be a fun idea to share that list with you guys! These are the books I'm hoping to have read by the end of the year (and yea that list is order haha!) )oh and I'm currently reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne so that's why that one is not on the list):

1. New World Rising (New World trilogy #2) by Jennifer Wilson
2. City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare
3. Dracula by Bram Stoker
4. Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer (re-read)
5. Scarlett (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer (re-read)
6. Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer (re-read)
7. Fairest (Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer
8. Winter (Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer
9. Half of the Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
10. City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare
11. Little Women and Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott
12. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
13. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
14. A Christmas Carroll by Charles Dickens
15. Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I think that list will be totally managable and I'm hoping to read all of those. There are also books that are on the ''maybe'' list, but yea. I have also some Little Black Classics I would like to get through, but I also leave that option open.

Do you also want to have read some books by the end of the year and if so: which ones?