Quarterly Rewind, Spring 2014 – Much Ado About “Game Of Thrones,” College, And Being Queer

Good afternoon, everyone! I know you’re probably used to early-morning posts from me, considering that the last seven (at least) were scheduled to publish at that time. Well, two days ago I returned from an eight-day-long trip and I’m still a little bit tired, so I didn’t finish this post until just a few minutes ago.

Anyway. This post covers the time from March twenty-third through June twentieth. Previous quarterly rewinds can be found here.

P.S. Happy first day of summer!

Image From This Spring

Taken in March at my house

Favorite Quote From A Book I Read This Spring

 “For the first time, Cupid’s gaze seemed sympathetic. ‘Oh, I wouldn’t say Love always makes you happy.’ His voice sounded smaller, much more human. ‘Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you’ve faced it now. That’s the only way to conquer me.'”

– The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Yes, this is from the Nico scene. Sure, I like it for that reason, but it’s also just a beautiful quote and I think it’s very true. Furthermore, love is a big theme in The House of Hades – there’s Nico’s feelings for Percy, obviously, but also Percy and Annabeth helping each other through Tartarus out of love. And Leo with Calypso. And Hazel with Frank. Oh, and Hazel and Nico being adorable siblings together!

This Spring In One Word

Eventful.

Most Popular Review This Spring

That would be Sidekicked by John David Anderson… which is weird because it was a very negative review, earning only two and a half stars out of five!

Top Two Books I Read This Spring

1. Chris Wooding’s Malice (and its sequel Havoc) both delighted and terrified me. It’s part graphic novel, part regular prose story – and it’s about a horrifying world that exists inside a comic book. YOU NEED TO READ IT.
2. Malinda Lo’s Adaptation (and its sequel Inheritance) was EXTRAORDINARY. Science fiction! Aliens! Queer characters who aren’t gay or lesbian! Adorable love stories! I adored both books so so so so so much and YOU NEED TO READ THESE BOOKS TOO.

Two Things I’m Looking Forward To This Summer

1. GEEK MODE, ACTIVATED. Honestly, I’m super-excited for Doctor Who‘s eighth series and the film adaptations of The Giver and The Maze Runner.
2. My senior year of high school begins in August. I can’t believe it. It seems like just the other day I was starting my freshman year! I can’t wait to begin applying to colleges!

Three New Obsessions This Spring

1. Last year I started reading George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series when its TV adaptation, Game of Thrones, was in the middle of season three… so I would’ve seen major spoilers. Well, this spring I was all caught up and ready to watch season four! IT WAS GREAT! I was in awe often. I cried often.
2. I began Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant series at Orphu’s urging and I cannot wait to get my hands on the third book. They’re so funny and clever and wonderful!
3. Maleficent! I have a soft spot for fantasy films, OK? Especially if the main character kicks butt, is gorgeous, and is also possibly queer.

Most Popular Five Blog Posts Overall This Spring

1. Writing We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’re Readers! – Teens Can Write, Too! May 2014 Blog Chain meant a lot to me, and it seems to have meant a lot to you as well. I did deal with some rude people but overall, commenters agreed with my points.
2. First Reactions To The Giver Film Trailer was so much fun to write because I let off my frustration about the film’s potential shortcomings! A lot of people agreed with me on that topic, too.
3. Pride 2014: Should You Write Only What You Know? was a freaking huge post and I enjoyed writing such a thinky, analyze-y essay.
4. Summer 2014 Bucket List detailed my plans for the next few months.
5. In Ten Books To Read If You Watch Doctor Who, I talked about books that remind me of my favorite zany science fiction TV show.

Five Posts I Loved On Other Blogs This Spring

1. In Game Of Thrones: The Mountain Versus The Viper Review, Matt talked about the eighth episode of the fourth season. He reviewed the entire season this spring and I loved all his posts – but especially the first, second, and eighth episodes.
2. Artgirl listed 22 Ways To Ask Someone To Dance With You and I actually did try #1, #10, and #13 at the dance held on the last day of my D.C. trip. (More on that below.)
3. Over at Notebook Sisters, Cait listed her Top Ten Books With Fabulously Squishy Friendships and I agreed with all the friendships… that I knew of.
4. Miriam Joy discussed one author’s impact on her life in Traveling Through Time With Maggie Stiefvater.
5. As usual, Charley R made me laugh – this time in Things I Find On My Walks. I particularly liked the bit about the beer called Doom.

Five Things That Happened This Spring

1. I did college visits for Indiana University and the University of Iowa. I also took the SAT for the  third time – I’m still waiting for that test’s scores. I also took the ACT for the first and only time. I won’t be taking it again because I don’t need to – I scored a thirty-two out of thirty-six!
2. I read thirty-seven books this quarter, which is two more than I read last quarter.
3. I worked as a poll clerk in the May sixth election (I also worked in the 2012 election) and I VOTED FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEE!
4. I applied for the position of youth columnist for the newspaper. I don’t know yet if I’ve been selected but I’m really really excited and hope that I am! It would be a great thing to list on college applications, considering that I plan to double major in journalism and creative writing.
5. I traveled to Washington, D.C. for the third time! I don’t want to say too much about that here because that’s a topic for future posts, but I had a blast! My group visited a lot of museums and memorials, and I even made a great (read: geeky) friend!

Six Songs That I Listened To Far Too Often This Spring

1. “Beating Heart” (Divergent) – Ellie Goulding

The movie was decent – not terrible, but not amazing either. Well, I don’t really want to talk about the movie. Or the book. I want to talk about this song – it was perfect for the movie. It’s a little hopeful, a little girly, and a little sad all at once.

2. “Girls Chase Boys” – Ingrid Michaelson

One of my favorite blogs, The Place The Universe Forgot, mentions this song a lot so I decided to try it. And I liked it. Despite the title, it’s a very queer song! And it’s also included here because everything else on this list is from a movie and/or is instrumental and I felt that I should balance the types of songs…

3. “Addicted to a Certain Lifestyle” (Sherlock series three) – David Arnold and Michael Price

I finally watched series three! Thank you, Netflix! My favorite is still series two but there were some pretty awesome things from the new stories, like drunk Sherlock, Mary Morstan (omg I have such a crush on her), and THE MUSIC! My favorites are the sad, quiet song listed above and a piece called “Appledore.”

4. “Chaos is a Ladder” (Game of Thrones season three) – Ramin Djawadi

As far as I can tell, the leitmotif (or recurring musical phrase) in this song and others is for both House Baratheon and Petyr Baelish… who are very interconnected anyway, so that’s cool. I love the beauty and power in this song, and I loved when a variation was featured during the Eyrie scenes of “Mockingbird” in season four.

5. “Dream is Collapsing” (Inception) – Hans Zimmer

I’ve been listening to this song for a long time but it was only last week, on the bus ride to D.C., that I finally saw the movie. And WHOA, IT WAS GOOD. The effects were good, the dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream concept was excellent, the lady character played by Ellen Page was cute, the music was out of this world. “Dream is Collapsing” doesn’t sound like much at first but it quickly builds to something gripping and lovely.

6. “Aurora in Faerieland” (Maleficent) – James Newton Howard

James Newton Howard is one of my favorite composers EVER – so I think you can imagine how ecstatic I was to discover at the end of Maleficent that its beautiful score was his work! The vocal parts remind me of his earlier piece, “Healing Katniss,” from The Hunger Games.

What did you enjoy most on my blog this spring? And what have you done during these past few months?