Inside Kimmy's Mind

As I mentioned before, I’ve been spending time with my friends lately. Helps keep my mind off of things. My friends and I celebrated a belated Xmas together. Even though we haven’t spent very much time together they still know me very well. Look at some of the goodies I received. The trooper goblet!!! And the Socks!!! Gah! It’s all fantastic.

After having a bit of lunch and exchanging gifts we went around Rice Village for a bit. Stopped by Half Price, and then off to Urban Outfitters. We then made our way out of the village and stopped by Cactus music where I splurged and finally bought my favorite Tennis Vinyl – Cape Dory. Love their music! Bought it as an early Valentine’s gift to myself. After browsing through records for a while we went and had some bubble tea and then ended the night wondering around Target. We spent the entire day together, which was nice. 🙂

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Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty w. Moore

• Cover: As usual, the cover of a book is the first thing that sparks my interest. And this one has a very interesting style. The simplistic yet exciting. Of course the title also grabbed my attention. Not that you have have to be interested in writing in order to enjoy this book, I just think sharing the same experiences expressed in the book help you appreciate it more. So, yes, this is probably more geared towards writers or people that at least enjoy writing a bit more than your average joe.
• Voice: The author is hilarious in in his stories and advice. Definitely the type of style I would like to write in.
• Style: Since this is an advice column for writers, this book does one of my favorite things. It introduces each question on an envelope and even has the questions typed up as if by typewriter. There are even illustrations that might pertain to said question. One in mind is the question that bout cocktail napkins. Moore answered it by writing on cocktail napkins. I enjoy that style. Makes it seem more hands on when a book does things like this. When they print maps and letters, it’s my bread and butter in the book world.

I was very excited to receive my copy and might even hand it off to another writer friend of mine. I have many that would find this book very interesting.

Thanks for reading

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

  For my second book, I chose Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel. This was something that caught my attention right away, the title had this positive message without the cover giving away too much of what was in store once cracking the spine. I’m a huge fan of positive books with doodles in them, however, I’m not sure this particular book is for me. I personally, would probably prefer if this book was only self-help rather than a hands-on type of self-help. I know it acts as a reminder of the fact that you cannot just take another person’s experience and call it your own or have it work the same way for you. Life doesn’t work like that.This guide does it’s best to create a way to brainstorm, a way to relearn certain things like not feeling guilty for rambling or doodling on the corner of each page.There are prompts throughout the book that sort of make it feel like school.

They give you a “time limit” but I feel like it’s the book giving the reader permission to allow time for things in general and not just for this tiny prompt. The purpose of this book is to give you an insight and perhaps look at things differently. An outside of the box/comfort zone insight.

Now don’t get me wrong, this book has a lovely idea behind it and I plan on giving it more time before I write it off as “not for me”. But at the moment I’m still on the fence about it. Not due to lack of interesting topics, because the interactive part is fun, but perhaps my mood is just not in the right place for this particular book even though I’m in the need of some positive energy and this book has plenty of that. I just need to make the time for it and to remember just to play sometimes.

Thanks for reading and commenting

* I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Totally missed the rest of the BLOG-TEMBER challenge. Sadly, school and life just got in the way. However, it gave me today’s topic! What’s on my to-read list?!

But first! In other book related news, I’ve recently signed up for Blogging for Books, which if you haven’t heard of it before and you enjoy reading and writing then take a look over HERE!

During Labor Day weekend, Half Price had a 20% off of everything sale! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity and while I was out with a friend we decided to pop in for a bit. I managed to find several books I wanted but only walked out with three. I had to pace myself.

The books I walked away with:

•  Milkrun by Sarah Mlynowski (Currently Reading)
• The Ticket That Exploded by William Burroughs
• Lunar Savings Time by Alex Epstein

And then, I was given money for my birthday and went into Target, just buzzing around the dollar spot and art supplies when I wandered over to the books. Now, I don’t normally buy books from Target, but oh, I am very glad I did. Everyone should embrace a some YA books. I don’t judge your choice of genre, but I know some in the Creative Writing Department at UH sort of look down upon YA and Fantasy. But we should embrace these books, especially when they are well written and the plot is just well constructed and thought out. Anywho, I walked away with these lovely books:

• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (also no a movie-have yet to see it)
• A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
• FanGirl by Rainbow Rowell (Bought this for the roomie, but I hope to read it as well)

Now, these are all the books I currently own and plan on reading, following is a list of books I have yet to get but have mentally, verbally and have written down on many lists. Here is yet another one.

• Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
• Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
• Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel
• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

There were several other books, that I have written down somewhere…but so far these are the ones that have made it to the current list. And aside from books, I wanted to share my newest notebook as well. Not like I need another one, but for me you can never have too many and this one is R2D2! They had several covers to choose from, but I just had to walk away with R2. My only issue with having so many is deciding what to fill each one with and wanting to use the latest one as soon as I get it. I know, those are some serious issues.

That’s all I have for this entry, let me know what’s on your to-read list. I’m definitely adding more to mine, speaking of….I’m off to read, maybe even knit!

Thanks for reading and commenting

The Time Garden by Daria Song

I’m excited to share a review with you today.

I’m sure most of you are aware of the recent trend that are…”adult” coloring books. I’m not a fan of this term, being creative should be acceptable for all ages. Not all of us can express ourselves creatively, and these coloring books can give you a project without needing a time frame or an end product. You’re free to color and take your time, like you did when you were younger.

The Time Garden is a beautiful coloring book, on my version there is a beautifully drawn tree which is featured more throughout the book. The dust jacket has gold foiling on the title and so do some of the leaves that sprinkle the front of the book. Moving on to the inside, the actual cover has a field of stars surrounding a little girl,her face hidden. This page is also featured later on in the book, so you can have the thrill of coloring this page.

One thing I feel that sets this book apart from a few of the other coloring books out in the market is that there is a story that is connected to it.  A story that makes me think- Nutcracker meets Alice in Wonderland yet at the same time maintaining it’s own story. 

The pages are a nice weight, I’m using a mixture of color pencil and my Staedtler Triplus fine-liner to color in the pages. If you press too hard or go over an already colored section too many times with the fine-liner there may be bleeding on the other side. But you shouldn’t run into that problem, too often. The only reason I ran into it was because I didn’t like my color choice and went over it with another color. I have yet to try using watercolor, but since the paper isn’t  a certain type of texture, I wouldn’t recommend using that medium.  But ultimately it’s up to you. I don’t want to ruin the book by showing you each page, so at the bottom is a teaser flip through of it’s pages.

I also wanted to share what’s written on the back of the book, if this plus the gorgeous illustrations doesn’t make you fall in love with this book then I don’t know what will.

The Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock-inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by Korean artist Daria Song. Journey through the doors of the clock into its inky innerworkings to discover a magical land of clock gears, rooftops, starry skies, and giant flying owls-all ready for you to customize with whatever colors you can dream up. 

Cuckoo…cuckoo…cuckoo…

When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll wonder, was it all a dream?

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I’ve enjoyed coloring in this book, and it’s been a nice way to clear my head and just spend a little time daydreaming. I think we often forget to take some time for ourselves. I chose this book for my first review because I wanted something crafty and fun. Keep your eyes open for the next one, let me know in the comments if you enjoy this or other coloring books. But it’s quite alright if you don’t.

Thanks for reading and commenting

I’ve been stuck in front of my computer finishing up a presentation for class. Due to all the work I needed to get done,  I didn’t get to spend the weekend with the Boyfriend. But I did last and the weekend beforehand. He was supposed to meet my parents then, but the weather prevented it from happening. This was the second attempt and I’m not sure when we will  be able to reschedule. But since we didn’t go to my parent’s house, we decided to go out to lunch, made a trip to Half Price, and then grabbed some ice cream for dessert. :9

We went to a different Half Price thinking they’d have more of a selection. They did!!! I’m super excited about my discoveries, plus I’m excited to share them on the blog.

• Slog’s Dad by David Almond- The reason I purchased this one, it’s illustrated by Dave McKean!!! I love his art style, he’s magic personified. The story itself is magical yet dark and uplifting, the story and artwork just mesh so well together that I just absolutely love it. I always thought that Gaiman would be the only person I wanted paired with McKean’s art.  But boy was I wrong, McKean makes any story come to life, Almond has another book with McKean’s illustrations so I’ll be on the look out for that too. Along with McKean’s art books.

• The Unruly Alphabet by Aaron McKinney – I saw this book first, and I thought it had a McKean-esque feel to it. It’s has that grittiness to it and can be slightly disturbing in the best way possible. I know, I’m weird. But the cover immediately made me pick it up and read it and even after reading it I just had to buy it. It’s images are of the alphabet with weird personalities and alliteration. I’m fascinated by it and by McKinney, it must be  McK thing. XD

• Alien Isolation: Nostromo  Edition- I didn’t get this third item at Half Price, but I wanted to just add it in this entry. The last time  Kat and I did go home, was during Easter weekend and we found this at Hastings and couldn’t resist. I’ve been wanting to play this game since I saw the trailer. When Colonial Marines fell flat, even though I really enjoyed shooting Aliens, I was was really excited to see that there would be a new game. It’s definitely intense. Plus, I like the idea that Ripley’s daughter also faces a Xenomorph. Because of school, I haven’t been able to indulge in gaming. But I will soon once the semester is  over, what I have been able to play of the game has been difficult. I’ve screamed several times. That tense feeling you get when you’re excited and scared at the same time, it’s great.

I came home today after work to find someone parked in my spot. -.- I’m tired of this happening, I pay an extra 15 bucks a month to have a reserved parking spot in my complex. I’m not paying for someone else to park in my spot! I told myself that the next time someone parked in it, I would have them towed. With that being said, I called to have them towed. Kat and I went out to get something to eat and they said they would call but they never called me. Once we got home, the truck was gone but I have no way of knowing if it was towed or if they just left. Now I just keep looking over my shoulder, I just don’t want the punk to do do anything to my car. -.- For once I would just like to be a badass and not worry about what may happen, just be confident in my decision.

 That’s all for now….thanks for reading and commenting.

Kat and I went to Half Price Books last week where I found this comic illustrated by Matthew Forsythe. I had several books in my hands that I had planned on buying, but after I found this one I put the others down. I’ve been looking to illustrators a lot lately, they are again very inspiring and I really wish I could express myself creatively through illustrating.

Doesn’t mean I won’t attempt it. >.< I’ve been doodling a lot for fun, but I find myself getting frustrated when a picture doesn’t come out as well as I had hoped. The photo is from the comic mentioned above, how adorable is the art style? The artist is a one of the head illustrators that works on Adventure Time. Here’s the synopsis according to the cover of the book:

After eating everything in sight, Voguchi is sent to the market where a chance encounter introduces her to Jinchalo-a mischievous shape shifter. He sets our hungry heroine on a strange adventure into the sky, leaving her home far behind.

A little girl who eats everything?! Totally made for me. Speaking of which, my place is definitely in need of some groceries. -.- I keep putting it off, I’ve been eating cream cheese on graham crackers for dinner. Hopefully on my trip to the Kroger’s I don’t have to deal with a shape shifter. 😛 The ending sort of confuses me, so if you’ve seen it, I’d love to hear your interpretation of the ending. There are no actual words so the entire book is made up of pictures and your interpretation.  Moving on to Anya’s Ghost. Vera Brosgol is wonderful, she worked on Coraline and Paranorman, I can definitely see similar art styles there.  This and her comic, “What were you raised by, wolves?” is a bit darker. Anya’s Ghost is about a Russian immigrant who is trying to fit in her American high school, she’s bullied a bit and tends to see life in a negative way. And one day, on her way home from school she falls down a hole where she isn’t alone. Frannerd recommended this novel in her vlog a couple weeks ago, and it seemed interesting so I had to go and pick myself up a copy. I’m glad I did. I’m really loving this limited color pallet, along with watercolor. I want to start buying more Copic Sketch markers, they give off a watercolor effect. But they’re pretty pricy so it might take a while for me to get a decent collection. Plus I want to be able to use them correctly and I don’t think I know how to at this point. Also, I’ve been loving these illustrated notebooks from Scout Books. This post totally turned into things I’m currently loving.

I haven’t been keeping up with my disposable camera challenge, but the month isn’t over yet so I will make sure to try and get some nice pictures. I’m excited not knowing how they’re gonna turn out. Thinking back, that’s what I loved about it when I used them on class field trips back in the day. XD Of course, we would always wait years until we got them developed. I don’t intend to wait that long with this one. Let me know if you’re attempting the challenge.  That’s all for now, until next time…

Thanks for reading and commenting.

So last week was definitely a brighter one, and I’m so glad to have people in my life that make the difficult times more endurable and the fantastic times more well….fantastic. :3

First off, I should warn you that this entry will be filled with lots of pictures…I just want to share them all instead of posting them in more than one entry. >.< I had my interview at the Science Museum on Wednesday, and it went GREAT! The ladies I interviewed with were just wonderful. They gave me stickers to walk around the museum for free, while I was instagraming some dino bones they found me and asked me to fill out a background check information sheet. They said they couldn’t wait and wanted to start the hiring process…however, anything could happen so I don’t want to jinx it just yet. But I’m really excited about working in a museum. After walking around for a bit more I called all my family to tell them how well it went. I know, a bit premature but I was just so excited. Anyway, I headed home to get ready for my night out with Melissa and Kat. We had plans to go out for some tiramisu and then after that to an evening of great music at the House of Blues. Melissa introduced us to the band Merriment and Eisley and invited us to the concert. I’m so glad she did, because it was just wonderful.

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So today was the Houston Indie Book Fest and I couldn’t be more excited. This is my favorite event that happens every April here in Houston, it is the reason I discovered my love for the literary world. Well…for the publishing world.

I had a blast! I worked the CLMP table from 1 to 5, it was so much fun but I came home exhausted. I immediately passed out and didn’t wake up until 10:30. After being surrounded by so much fiction and writers I actually find myself being inspired. So I’ll start writing my story for workshop on Thursday. I just wish the weekend was longer. >.<

I only bought two things, I’ve been planning on buying hard copies of this journal for THE longest time and I finally did today. The First Line has to be one of my favorite literary journals. I keep wanting to submit a story to them but I always miss out on the lines that I want. The line for may is...”I started collecting secrets when I was just six years old.” And submissions are due May 1st. I didn’t even get to really look around the Festival too much because I was already so tired. But I got what I wanted to buy and I had fun manning the table. I’m definitely going to start my story after I post this blog entry. My sister went around and filmed the festival so I plan on making a small video so you can see how awesome it was. Also, I had a surprised visit from my dancing partner, Julian, mentioned in this entry. It was nice catching up with him and he even stayed awhile to help me sell books. You’ll see in the video I post below. It was nice seeing him, it’s been awhile. Anyway, so I’ve just been craving some time to just create something. Be it writing, knitting, sewing, or even filming a vlog about something. There are several vlogs I want to make. Like about products I use, or an outfit of the day, especially this Houston series I desperately want to start. Which would  basically be a vlog where I introduce my favorite shops and restaurants that make me love living in Houston.

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I’ve always had a love for writing and reading, I don’t think I could be who I am if I didn’t. But it wasn’t until I reached the fourth grade that I discovered this fact about myself.

 

So yeah, I own a Nook Color. The weirdos gave it to me, I have been reading a book on it for pleasure and one for class. And let me just say how satisfying it was to push that confirm button and end up with a book before me…it was 2 in the morning. I should admit this now, but I am horribly addicted to online shopping. Thank goodness I don’t have any credit cards or I’d be in serious trouble. I enjoy ordering things online it’s the waiting process that I hate…anyway. So of course the ability to purchase a book in my pajamas and get it within minutes is pretty awesome. Also, I can watch Netflix…that has nothing to do with books or reading but is still is pretty awesome. Not to mention I can carry multiple books with me. This is great for school…minus the part where I can’t sell any books back. But let’s be honest, I’m lucky if I get five bucks back for the novels I buy for lit classes. Some teachers want me to get certain versions of the books so I won’t be able to use the Nook but for the ones I can it will be nice. This does not mean nor will it ever mean that I will stop buying hard copies of books. Nothing could ever stop me from that. Click the books or the, I pledge to read the printed word button on my sidebar. Speaking of books, I have tons of things to read at the moment but last week I picked up the book, The Underachiever’s Diary and I’m loving it so far. Bought it at Half Price for a dollar. Love Half Price. And it’s moments like these that I will always enjoy buying and reading the printed word.

Nook or Kindle? How do you feel about Ereaders, or books for that matter? Also, if you’re in Houston in the month of April then you must come to The Indie Book Fest. If you’re a bookstore owner, self published author or small press owner and are interested in getting a table I can also help you with getting you on the right list, let me know. Just shoot me an email at Kim at mind-speaks dot com.

Thanks for reading.