tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56627676047546246642024-03-25T07:58:10.169-06:00Musings of an Arthritic ArtistA blog about the Arts, told from the perspective of a teenage girl with autoimmune diseaseLexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-48861262622461056082023-04-18T06:00:00.001-06:002024-02-26T17:16:48.718-07:00Blog Tour: Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest<h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today is my book tour stop for Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">This is NOT a review for this book. My review for this book is located on my Goodreads, and the review will be linked in this post.</span></h4><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">This post is merely focused on the creative content I was tasked with doing when I was approved for this tour. And that creative content is a playlist! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the post!</span></h4><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652633771i/60759255.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="529" height="640" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652633771i/60759255.jpg" width="423" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I am honored to be hosting a spot on the Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest Blog Tour hosted by </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.hearourvoices.me/" target="_blank">Hear Our Voices Book Tours</a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">. Check out my post below!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px;">About The Book:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652633771i/60759255.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="529" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652633771i/60759255.jpg" width="132" /></span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px;">Title:</span></b></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Where You See Yourself</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">A</b><b style="font-size: 12pt;">uthor: </b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Claire</span><b style="font-size: 12pt;"> </b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Forrest</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><a name="_Hlk127534155"></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px;">Pub. Date:</span></b></span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> May 2, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px;"><b>Publisher: </b>Scholastic Inc</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px;">Formats:</span></b></span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Hardcover, eBook<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px;">Pages:</span></b></span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> 320<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px;">Find it:</span></b></span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60759255-where-you-see-yourself"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127527129;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk124508398;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk101957556;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk127534155;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.66px; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Goodreads</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></p><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Where You See Yourself combines an unforgettable coming-of-age tale, a swoon-worthy romance, and much-needed disability representation in this story about a girl who's determined to follow her dreams.<br /><br />By the time Effie Galanos starts her senior year, it feels like she’s already been thinking about college applications for an eternity—after all, finding a college that will be the perfect fit and be accessible enough for Effie to navigate in her wheelchair presents a ton of considerations that her friends don’t have to worry about.<br /><br />What Effie hasn’t told anyone is that she already knows exactly what school she has her heart set on: a college in NYC with a major in Mass Media & Society that will set her up perfectly for her dream job in digital media. She’s never been to New York, but paging through the brochure, she can picture the person she’ll be there, far from the Minneapolis neighborhood where she's lived her entire life. When she finds out that Wilder (her longtime crush) is applying there too, it seems like one more sign from the universe that it’s the right place for her.<br /><br />But it turns out that the universe is full of surprises. As Effie navigates her way through a year of admissions visits, senior class traditions, internal and external ableism, and a lot of firsts--and lasts--she starts to learn that sometimes growing up means being open to a world of possibilities you never even dreamed of. And maybe being more than just friends with Wilder is one of those dreams...</span></i><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><o:p>--------------------------------------------------------------</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I posted my review on my Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5396313410" target="_blank">here (opens in new window)</a>. Here I'm posting my creative content for my blog, which is in the form of a playlist 🙂 I chose 15 songs, the playlist is just under an hour duration.</span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><o:p>Some of these songs are on this list because they are directly mentioned in this book. Others are there because they reminded me of Effie, the main character. And others are there because they reminded me of certain scenes and plot points in the novel. </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/2z9PfTL4xDFeEPxrNx3d9W?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>Playlist Song Listing:</b><br /><br />Empire State Of Mind - JAY-Z, Alicia Keys<br /><br />Welcome To New York - Taylor Swift<br /><br />I Knew You Were Trouble. - Taylor Swift<br /><br />Into You - Ariana Grande<br /><br />Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) - Beyonce<br /><br />California Girls - The Beach Boys<br /><br />Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day<br /><br />(I've Had) The Time Of My Life - Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes<br /><br />Firework - Katy Perry<br /><br />Brave - Sara Bareilles<br /><br />Scars To Your Beautiful - Alessia Cara<br /><br />Fight Song - Rachel Platten<br /><br />Last Night - Morgan Wallen<br /><br />Everything's Gonna Be Alright - David Lee Murphy, Kenny Chesney<br /><br />Somewhere Only We Know - Keane</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-2c0934e6-7fff-8226-35fe-b1a8cf78fb4e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About the Author:</span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-2c0934e6-7fff-8226-35fe-b1a8cf78fb4e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Claire Forrest is a novelist and essayist who holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where You See Yourself</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is based on her lived experience as a wheelchair user who has cerebral palsy. As an undergraduate at Grinnell College, she was a consultant for the Disability Services and Admissions offices, working directly to address the concerns of incoming college students with disabilities and their families. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She lives in Minneapolis, where when she’s not writing, she spends her time swimming an</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">d planning where to travel next. Find out more about her on Instagram and Twitter at @claire4est.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it!</span></h1><h1 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /> </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">See you Thursday, </span></h1><h1 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Lexi K🖌</span></h1>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-86995846565182489882022-12-08T06:00:00.050-07:002023-12-10T21:58:30.879-07:00Book Review: El Paso by Sam Moussavi (spoiler filled review)<h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for <i>El Paso </i>by Sam Moussavi, which I finished reading at the end of November. </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">This review will have spoilers. This isn't a very common book, so I figured it was fine for me to have a spoiler filled review.</span></h4><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the review!</span></h4><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546395216i/32279281.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546395216i/32279281.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">El Paso </i>is a YA novel that follows Armando Salguera, a junior at El Dorado High School in El Paso, Texas. His dream is to become an NFL tight end. This book is part of the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Texas Fridays </i>series by Sam Moussavi that is a 6 book series with various standalone novels that take place in various Texas cities. The cities Moussavi has written about for this series are El Paso, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Odessa.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The synopsis is as follows:</span></div></div><div><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"Armando Salguera is a tight end at El Dorado High School in El Paso, Texas, and is aming to make his NFL dream come true. At the beginning of his junior season, things are going according to plan as Armando wows his coaches and teammates with his dominating play. But Armando's NFL dream is threatened when--after 15 years of silence--his estranged father, Oswaldo, sends word that he will be coming across the border, back into Armando's life. Could this mean that Armando's dreams of making the pros are over?"</span></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I saw this book at my local library, and because El Paso is my hometown, I was actually really excited to see how it was portrayed. I was disappointed, though I can't say I expected the portrayal of El Paso to be accurate. As someone who grew up in El Paso, this book gets the community almost entirely wrong.</span></p></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">First thing I noticed: Armando is unbelievably tall, especially for an El Paso Mexican kid. 6'5 is <i>incredibly</i> tall. It is incredibly rare to come across an El Pasoan kid who is <i>that </i>tall. 6'3 I could believe. 6'5 not so much. I looked at the football rosters of many of the 6A schools in El Paso. The tallest kid I found is 6'3. </span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Fallacy number one is this: Armando's girlfriend, Anna de la Puente has a 4.5 GPA. In El Paso, there is nothing higher than a 4.0 GPA. I was homeschooled, and even I know that. Also, it's said that Anna is in El Dorado's Model UN club. There's one problem with that. El Dorado doesn't have a Model UN club. Only one school in El Paso has a Model UN club, and I can guarantee it wouldn't be a school like El Dorado. That school is Coronado High School, which is on the complete other side of town. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">For this next fallacy, let me educate every non-El Pasoan reading this review. El Dorado doesn't have a football stadium. Very few SISD (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Socorro Independent School District</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">) schools have football stadiums. They play at the SAC (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Student Activities Complex</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">). At the SAC we have home games for Eastlake, El Dorado, and Pebble Hills High School. We also hold band competitions there, such as our initial UIL competitions.</span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">There is a section toward the end of the book that states that "El Dorado's stands were packed for the first game of the season against crosstown rival, Eastlake High School". El Dorado doesn't have a football stadium that is used for games. They have a practice field. But they don't have a football stadium that they use for football games. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">For another, Eastlake and El Dorado are not "crosstown". The schools are literally 16 minutes away. Like, I don't know how small the author thinks El Paso is, but that's not crosstown. They are both on the Eastside of El Paso. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">For those who are unfamiliar with the city, we have the Northeast, Westside, Eastside, Central, and Downtown sides of town. You have other small areas too, like the Upper Valley and Lower Valley. 16 minutes is not "crosstown". Canutillo High School and Horizon High School are the farthest schools from each other in El Paso that I can think of. Those schools are 41 minutes away from each other. <i>that's </i>crosstown. Not a simple 16 minute drive. That's practically a hop, skip, and a jump away. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Traveling from Pebble Hills High School in the Far Eastside to Franklin High School on the Westside is 39 minutes away. </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">That's </i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">crosstown. Sorry, but 16 minutes is positively close. It's far depending on what time it is and what side of town you're on (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">what'll kill you is the traffic, particularly if you're on the Eastside, not the minutes</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">). But it isn't crosstown. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I'll show you all a map.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVUTcZHpC3nkr0aIztUfJj9wfTTKq0N4DIjT_bvrj9LtkYbXiR5SnES0crxQHl_V6Vm-mOYtc-1Hk6kXkugboS6SOJ_rH1Slu-KzGoovnbaVahLyhr_ki67Kh4VSnuKGfMzit9gSj3PTj2t-utypyY-5NBw-fXC_drYqvyu2T6dwBT62AqlrJ_d4/s1319/eldorado.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1319" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVUTcZHpC3nkr0aIztUfJj9wfTTKq0N4DIjT_bvrj9LtkYbXiR5SnES0crxQHl_V6Vm-mOYtc-1Hk6kXkugboS6SOJ_rH1Slu-KzGoovnbaVahLyhr_ki67Kh4VSnuKGfMzit9gSj3PTj2t-utypyY-5NBw-fXC_drYqvyu2T6dwBT62AqlrJ_d4/w400-h235/eldorado.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">El Paso Proper</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The red lines indicate everywhere that is El Paso proper. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg832HW0I99FdcPCCvBWbueoqefZIdmMlsW9KRxsplM8gSxIQWt0CjTk8-aD3LxJXj0UTi1jQsKReVer8TTm3ktSKhgeato2hrgzGTVOyj54LADXQcoJlGq-I8KG5_FHKJTNknfwoTTlr5Iy_2t-toDSWr7JF0Me12JZQY3DjbHPylIutLMaHJF6ow/s1319/Inkedeldorado.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1319" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg832HW0I99FdcPCCvBWbueoqefZIdmMlsW9KRxsplM8gSxIQWt0CjTk8-aD3LxJXj0UTi1jQsKReVer8TTm3ktSKhgeato2hrgzGTVOyj54LADXQcoJlGq-I8KG5_FHKJTNknfwoTTlr5Iy_2t-toDSWr7JF0Me12JZQY3DjbHPylIutLMaHJF6ow/w400-h235/Inkedeldorado.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">El Paso Proper</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The red dot indicates more or less where El Dorado High School is located. The purple dot indicates more or less where Eastlake High School is located. The yellow is the boundary line of El Paso proper. When there's still all that much city left, El Dorado and Eastlake are not "crosstown". </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgey9ueBRNvIOg-bLIt-d_2eVpe7H-bWb_ccYqTaZ-cjJVUof9vmyjQRJ46BcUEgGAldFbKYJutA73v5oev82M5FhUCjBB1b1nPjxLUHYMiet1JEtuZx2PmvVz48MWdrGoHnLcICCeXNOrhiT318BpgBS6A2XnKG9chgiFeasSUvSrPxtRa5e-3iaM/s1108/Inkedeastlake.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1108" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgey9ueBRNvIOg-bLIt-d_2eVpe7H-bWb_ccYqTaZ-cjJVUof9vmyjQRJ46BcUEgGAldFbKYJutA73v5oev82M5FhUCjBB1b1nPjxLUHYMiet1JEtuZx2PmvVz48MWdrGoHnLcICCeXNOrhiT318BpgBS6A2XnKG9chgiFeasSUvSrPxtRa5e-3iaM/w400-h249/Inkedeastlake.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">El Paso Metro</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Red indicates more or less everything that counts as El Paso, Texas, metropolitan wise (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I mistakenly didn't circle San Elizario and Clint</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">). Baby blue indicates where El Dorado High School and Eastlake High School are located, distance wise. I'm sorry, but that's not "crosstown". Those two schools are literally on the same side of town.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">El Paso is the 6th-largest city in Texas, and the 2nd-largest city in the Southwestern United States. The city is also the 23rd largest in the country. But yes, Eastlake and El Dorado are "crosstown". We have like 29 high schools in the city and Eastlake and El Dorado are crosstown? No.<br /></span><div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Also, this book literally shows no other side of El Paso except the Eastside. Which border did Oswald come through? There's multiple gates. Did he come through the downtown gate? Another one? There's 5. Which one was it? Some details were left out that, in my opinion, should've been there.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4D7XARhPOlldg8CcuSNrZfXFJhc2tMCiPbuAKnvM_vc5XgxIeeuDQteU_7HqDb5kpfaPi0GA9yUwdhIPYrEB84u3LCPXFb7EvM3CYe14GhJCQHQTsDc6o5OBskGQWjFZzeWdMLgMnIT6W6Rs5AQfumrqlmnMNyMJbGxSrgAH3M_VkE6b7r3XP0ag/s1319/Inkedeldorado1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1319" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4D7XARhPOlldg8CcuSNrZfXFJhc2tMCiPbuAKnvM_vc5XgxIeeuDQteU_7HqDb5kpfaPi0GA9yUwdhIPYrEB84u3LCPXFb7EvM3CYe14GhJCQHQTsDc6o5OBskGQWjFZzeWdMLgMnIT6W6Rs5AQfumrqlmnMNyMJbGxSrgAH3M_VkE6b7r3XP0ag/w400-h235/Inkedeldorado1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br />The green circle on this map indicates all this book showed of El Paso. This is literally it. Armando didn't travel to anywhere else except this side of El Paso. I know he's in school. I know there's little time to show other sides of El Paso in a 200 page book. But there was not a single mention of any other part of town. Not even Downtown. There was no mention of UTEP or any of our community colleges. <br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I saw a review on Goodreads that mentions that this book gives some perspective on what it's like living in a town like El Paso. No, it does not. I could tell when I read the 1st page that the author wasn't from El Paso and has likely never been to El Paso in his life, and also had done very little research on El Paso.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> <br />This is not a good representation of my hometown. My hometown is all about community. Almost everything we do is about the community. And there was very little community.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br />Also the focus on Mexicans and everything was a bit bizarre. I understand El Paso is a minority-majority city that is full of Hispanics, particularly of the Mexican heritage variety. However, because it is a predominantly Mexican-American city, why were Mexicans and Hispanics mentioned so much? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br />There was a part where Armando and his mother attended church on Sunday. The cathedral part was all wrong. I'm going to say it straight up. It was wrong. It was supposed to be a Catholic church. I know that for a fact. And it was wrong.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> <br />For one, Catholics don't have sermons. That's a Protestant thing. Catholics have homilies. There is a difference. For another, the part where it says that the congregation said that all colors and all denominations were welcome, that wouldn't happen. I have never heard that in an El Paso cathedral, and I've been to dozens of services. I've never heard it, not even once. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Why? Because skin color doesn't really matter to most El Pasoans. You have Black people, White people, and Hispanic people. El Paso is a minority-majority city full of Hispanics who have Mexican heritage. It's full of a bunch of Mexican-Americans. The whole "all colors and denominations are welcome" sounds like a white Protestant church located in a city up North or down South, not an El Paso cathedral that predominantly has Hispanics of Mexican descent.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><h4 style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><h4 style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4 style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Until next time, </span></h4><h4 style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4 style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></span></div></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-22309976302329692792022-08-11T06:00:00.027-06:002022-10-13T00:13:14.432-06:00How to Write a Death Scene<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be going over my tips to writing a death scene. </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">There are spoilers for Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, Frozen, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Titan's Curse, and City of Glass, which I use as examples.</span></h4><div><br /></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Without further ado, let's get into the post! </span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKrFwtMR2EtjlHL2KyupRmoOVKMH1d3E0lF1BZf3s5VOKWNHasxzCwpwByNDYVGF8esy6sJXAR-Mu2HXiaPrMTos4a_EiVnPMDaH80bqZbLujMBFv6RCxMlHqUGlThnm1-GPN0_zPRz3RVrEsQmcHffA57M2ICWmmMULitph0OzwzV9mgZXfjHQg/s489/Webp.net-resizeimage%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="489" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKrFwtMR2EtjlHL2KyupRmoOVKMH1d3E0lF1BZf3s5VOKWNHasxzCwpwByNDYVGF8esy6sJXAR-Mu2HXiaPrMTos4a_EiVnPMDaH80bqZbLujMBFv6RCxMlHqUGlThnm1-GPN0_zPRz3RVrEsQmcHffA57M2ICWmmMULitph0OzwzV9mgZXfjHQg/w400-h225/Webp.net-resizeimage%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Today I'm going to be talking about how to write a death scene. I'm predominantly talking about novels, though this applies to any form of writing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I want to preface this by saying that I am not a professional nor published author (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>despite the fact that I have published two short stories onto my blog</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">). However, in my semi-structured 5-6 years of writing (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I have written for longer than that, but I started my first novel at 13-14</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">) I have researched and have found some tips that are incredibly helpful.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">1. Figure Out the Tone</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The tone of the scene is largely what's going to shape how your readers are going to feel about the death itself. If it's your villain's death scene, maybe the characters are relieved. Write your tone that way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If you're killing off a child, then you're likely going to want it to seem sad, sudden, and tragic. So write your tone accordingly. Tone is set with word choice. The type of words you use are incredibly important when writing tone in any scene, but death scenes in particular.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If the tone of the scene isn't written as you intended, you may get a reaction from readers--and maybe even yourself--that you didn't intend to get.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">2. Make the Readers Care</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In order for the death to mean something, the readers have to care about the character you're killing off. Sometimes this is direct, in that the audience cares about the character because they're likeable. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Other times this is indirect, a situation where the audience cares about the killed-off character because one of the protagonists cares. In indirect situations though, the reader must first care about the protagonist. After that, they'll usually proceed to care about the character you've killed off.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This is a tip especially true for the characters in your story that are good. If the reader doesn't care about your character, they aren't going to care about that character's death. They're likely going to feel cheated.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This is where character development comes in. Show their personality. Show their interests, likes, and dislikes. Show their relationships with other characters. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Make them feel like a person who has their own goals and desires. Make them three-dimensional. Make them feel like real people. This will usually make readers care about that character. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">And, make sure your character is either relatable or somewhat likeable. If your character isn't likeable, the reader may feel relieved or happy that that specific character died.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">So make sure that if you have a character who is somewhat of an anti-hero, they have redeeming qualities.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">3. Leave a Goal of Theirs Unfinished</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">There's nothing that saddens readers more than a character they like dying before they complete their goal. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This goal could be large, or it could be small. Sometimes the smaller the goal, the more sad it is. But that isn't true in all cases. Sometimes the goal can be huge, and it's just as sad. Most of the time though small goals are the most effective at accomplishing this. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This goal could be something as simple as seeing the ocean, or it could be as large as saving the world. It's really up to you and what your story is about.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">4. Make Their Death Count</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Nothing cheapens a death more than a resurrection scene. In some cases this works, but in most cases it doesn't, and it only succeeds in cheapening the character's death. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This is especially true in cases where the main character watches that character die. Sometimes you can get away with it if the character 'died' off page and is presumed to be dead. These are the few instances where a character's 'death' may be 'erased.'</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">However those are very particular instances. We're talking about death scenes though, as in deaths that happen on page. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The only instance where this works is when there's a 'cure' introduced sometime before the death. However, if this isn't written well, it can feel very cheap. </span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">5. Don't Get Melodramatic or Rely on Cliches</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I'm sure we've all read a death scene where the character who's dying gives a speech before they die, and is able to tell the character everything they need to know despite the fact that they're bleeding out. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Yeah, I wouldn't recommend doing that. It makes the death feel inauthentic. This drawn out speech death scene is likely not going to make your readers cry (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>if that's what you're aiming for</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">). It's going to make them roll their eyes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I highly recommend not making your death scene cliche or melodramatic.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Now, there are some types of writing where melodramatic death scenes recurrently appear. That would be writing such as plays.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">However, when writing a novel that isn't intended to be a satire or play, you want to strive for realism. Unless of course you're purposely making your novel melodramatic. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Most deaths aren't dramatic. That isn't to say that the character that is dying can't say anything, they most certainly can. This happens in real life. But in real life, people don't give half an hour speeches as they're dying. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If you are trying to write an authentic, emotional death scene, avoid melodrama. There are instances where deaths are portrayed as melodramatic for humorous purposes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">For example, let's take <b><i>Thor: Ragnarok</i></b>. There's a scene in <b><i>Thor: The Dark World</i></b> where Loki dies. However, Loki is also a trickster who can use illusion magic, so sometimes when he dies, he doesn't actually die.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This is the case in <b><i>Thor: The Dark World</i></b>. When Thor returns to Asgard in <i><b>Thor: Ragnarok</b></i>, he stumbles across Asgardians putting on a performance that reenacts Loki's death in <b><i>Thor: The Dark World</i></b>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Odin is sitting by, watching, quoting and overall enjoying himself. We soon find out that Odin is actually Loki, and Loki put on this production as an homage to himself. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This reenacted death scene is melodramatic. But it's supposed to be. It fits into Loki's personality in that he's an arrogant person who always thinks he's some sort of hero. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">So this melodramatic reenactment serves to show Loki's personality and be humorous. This scene is supposed to be funny.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">However, this is intentional. If you're writing a death scene, and you aren't trying to be melodramatic, sometimes you can accidentally fall into melodramatic territory.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Also keep in mind that this performance wasn't Loki's actual death scene in <b><i>Thor: The Dark World</i></b>. His death in that scene was way less dramatic. </span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">6. Show How It Affects the Other Characters</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This is especially true if the character was someone close to the protagonist. Grief can be such a useful tool in fiction. It can change some of the way characters react in the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Make sure the grief makes sense with the character though. The loss of an acquaintance isn't going to affect your character as much as the death of a sibling. You want to make sure the character's reaction is realistic. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Remember that different people go through grief differently, and some people take longer than others, so make sure you know how you want to deal with grief in your character.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Showing how a character's death affects other characters usually makes scenes even more emotional. I've learned that this is the key to making my sister cry about a fictional death. She doesn't usually cry when the character themself dies. She cries because of how other characters react. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In <b><i>Frozen</i></b>, my sister didn't cry when Anna 'died.' She cried at Elsa's reaction to Anna 'dying.' In <b><i>Avengers: Endgame</i></b>, while she liked Iron Man, she didn't cry when Iron Man died. She cried at how Peter Parker and Pepper reacted. She cried when Morgan was shown the video from Stark. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">These reactions, when done well, are going to create an emotional impact, and sometimes this emotional impact is worse/better when it comes to a character's reaction. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">An example from my own adventures reading. In <b><i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</i></b>, I didn't cry because Fred died. I cried because of the reactions of the Weasley family. On its own, death in fiction means almost nothing. In most stories, death is going to happen. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In fiction, death is common. It's even common in real life as much as we'd rather deny it. On its own, the death doesn't have much of an impact. But, rather, it's the remaining living characters (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>in real life, the people who are living</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">) that'll really make that death mean something. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">That isn't to say that death is meaningless. It isn't. But in fiction, that death has to mean something. It has to impact the characters, sometimes even the plot. It has to help move the story. It can't just be a stagnant piece of information that happened. You don't want a character's death to be forgettable and have done nothing.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">7. Make Their Death Unpredictably Predictable</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This may seem confusing at first. I'm going to get there. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">What I mean is that the character's death shouldn't come out of left field, but it shouldn't be completely predictable either. This is where foreshadowing comes in handy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">There are cliches with this though. Unless your reader is young and hasn't caught on to a lot of death cliches in books, I wouldn't foreshadow in a predictable way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">A predictable way would be the main character promising another character something. This usually doesn't end well and results in a death of some kind.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I have two examples of this. One is <b><i>The Titan's Curse</i></b> (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>book 3 in <i>Percy Jackson and the Olympians</i></b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">) by Rick Riordan. This book introduces Nico and Bianca Di Angelo, two siblings who are revealed at the end of the book to be children of Hades. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Sometimes promises are made to a character, and if the reader has seen it before, then they know that character is going to die.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Percy promises Nico that he will watch out for Bianca and make sure nothing will happen to her. What happens? Percy can't keep this promise, Bianca dies, and Nico gets mad at Percy at the end of the book.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This same thing happened in <b><i>City of Glass</i></b>. Not long before Max Lightwood dies, Clary teaches him how to read his Naruto manga, then promises to take him to Forbidden Planet, a comic book store located in New York City. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This promise isn't fulfilled either. This is a cliche used sometime before a character dies. Something is promised to the character that dies, or a character who's related/friends with the character who dies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If a reader knows this cliche, then this is one way to make a character's death predictable. Instead, I'd recommend trying subtle ways of foreshadowing a character's death, something that makes sense but something that can't easily be predicted.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Things like death symbols are more obvious as well. Things like crows and that sort of thing. These types of symbols can be overused. There are other animals that symbolize death as well as plants and types of weather.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Those are my tips for writing death scenes! I hope you enjoyed this post!</span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />Until next time,</span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />Lexi K🖌</span></h4>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-83814197423982004322022-08-09T06:00:00.078-06:002022-10-13T00:20:07.056-06:00How to Write a Disabled Character/Character with a Disability <h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be going over my tips to writing a disabled character/character with a disability. </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">I have read and seen a lot of disabled characters in media. Some are good, some are bad. These are tips for writing disabled characters from an actual disabled person.</span></h4><div><br /></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Without further ado, let's get into the post! </span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXDU-MmfLRnKn_qsmQk6_d-frm6s-In7_489eTsMKxEvHqaGPH45UkXWPnsBT5nJ7QcgTgMUPHRA2qDw3CBgi6gamh1diE4MAlvk8-blhvRK-ZW44Da75218le3vM1Y32DlAzwPeKtvPmTIMg80Wxfo1yKekhEZ1_Xwpo-tMjS9JDR3EmuQcpAHc/s489/Webp.net-resizeimage%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="489" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXDU-MmfLRnKn_qsmQk6_d-frm6s-In7_489eTsMKxEvHqaGPH45UkXWPnsBT5nJ7QcgTgMUPHRA2qDw3CBgi6gamh1diE4MAlvk8-blhvRK-ZW44Da75218le3vM1Y32DlAzwPeKtvPmTIMg80Wxfo1yKekhEZ1_Xwpo-tMjS9JDR3EmuQcpAHc/w400-h225/Webp.net-resizeimage%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">These tips can apply to pretty much any disability, however I will mostly be explaining using terminology and medical conditions I am intimately familiar with. </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">1. Don't Gloss Over Their Disability</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If you want to write a disabled character, make sure that their disability isn't glossed over, especially if they are a super important character to the plot. If they are a main character or a main side character or a family member of a main character, don't just gloss over it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This doesn't mean that you should focus on it, on the contrary, don't do that either. It should generally be clear what the character's disability is and how it affects them, however it shouldn't take up the majority of your story if that isn't what it's about. </span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">2. Don't 'Cure' Their Disability</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">There are numerous types of media out there that cure characters who have disabilities. This is considered a big mistake in the disabled community. It may seem completely innocent. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">However, this is generally a bad thing. Especially don't have the character be cured and then have them talk about how they are 'whole' now. This is offensive and dehumanizing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">A disabled person is a person. They are a whole person despite their disability. Most disabled people don't wish to be cured. And the vast majority of disabilities aren't cured.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">For this one, let's use cancer as an example. While doctors will say that someone's cancer has been 'cured,' there technically is no cure for cancer. Cancers are treatable with medications and other measures, and remission can even be reached, which is a period where either cancer cells are not detectable or where very few are detectable. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">However, cancer can only ever reach remission. Even if someone is 'cured' of their cancer, there's still a chance it could 'come back,' even after the initial 5 years where doctors say it's more likely to come back. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">But there is no cure for cancer. Disabilities are not ever completely cured. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Now, this is a somewhat split topic. The majority of the disabled community hates media where a disabled character is cured, however this varies sometimes depending on how new someone's disability is. Meaning, people with newly acquired disabilities sometimes wish that they could be cured, whilst people who have lived with a disability for most, if not all, of their lives, they would actually dread being cured. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">You'll never 100% please every member of a group, but there are things you can do to make it less harmful. A lot of newly disabled people, and sometimes even people who have been disabled for a while, struggle with internalized ableism. This means that they have some issues coming to terms with accepting their disability. They may believe what society says about disabled people.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">They may believe that their disability makes them inferior to others. So before you decide which route you want to take with your character, decide this: how new is your character's disability? If they have lived with their disability their whole life, don't have them think about a cure. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If your character's disability is new, they may think about a cure, and might even wish for one (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">this still doesn't excuse curing a character of their disability</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">). Someone who has lived with their disability for a long time will find ways to do the things they can't do. They'll find ways to live their lives. If you have a character who was born without a right hand, don't have them struggle to do certain day-to-day tasks when they are a teenager. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If your character has lived with their disability for most of their life, and you want to explain how they do certain things, this will require some out of the box thinking. Most disabled people are pretty creative.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">3. Don't Rely on Disability Stereotypes</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">What I mean by this is, don't rely on stereotypes for your disabled character(s). These are what I call 'stock' disabled characters. These are characters that have a certain disability, but are just as stereotypical as any other character with the same disability.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This includes things like the autistic character that loves trains, the disabled evil villain who is evil because they're disabled, the disabled character with powers that they have because of their disability, the character who is pitied or viewed as helpless because of their disability, and the disabled character who is the butt of the joke, to name a few.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Now, there's no problem having a villain who is disabled. However, it's always best to have a character with a disability who is also good.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">4. Don't Use Disability as a Plot Device</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">So, I think I need to clarify something with this. This doesn't mean that disability can't be part of your plot. It absolutely can. However, when using disability as a predominant plot, tread carefully and lightly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Make sure that your character's disability isn't their entire personality. It can affect the decisions they make and aspects of their personality, but don't have their disability be their sole trait.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Disability is a part of my identity, and it has shaped aspects of my personality. But I have other interests and other personality traits besides my disability.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">5. Research</h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Research is key to creating realistic and accurate representation of people with disabilities. Research the disability your character is going to have. Watch YouTube videos about that disability. Find blogs written by people with that disability.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">You may think it's hard to find people who have disabilities, but they're actually really easy to find if you look in the right places.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-81157819872309593812022-07-19T06:00:00.014-06:002022-07-22T19:49:40.830-06:00Dear J.K. Rowling: A Question About Disabled People at Hogwarts<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be talking about <i>Harry Potter </i>and disability.</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">In general, I'm a fan of this series. However, from a disability perspective I do have some questions. There will be spoilers for this series, so if you haven't read it, I'd recommend reading it then coming back here unless you don't care about spoilers.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br />Without further ado, let's get into the post! </span></h4><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ20bOccTVUUt7RD8wU7yDCubWeKfIgSo1wBAj9olJ449_mIc-ctMqs4wB1z8FXfQQT11mbfN8jr5HWuiW7mbjf7k4bq8fJweZ4j1zQfmJLowO0Rk-SLOn8YGiJ0NrhZnB3NpiTYzVlORT28UF3x6xcLCm1ZPPNBJHpkS-DEn1zQlUqZ9c8iespGE/s489/Webp.net-resizeimage%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="489" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ20bOccTVUUt7RD8wU7yDCubWeKfIgSo1wBAj9olJ449_mIc-ctMqs4wB1z8FXfQQT11mbfN8jr5HWuiW7mbjf7k4bq8fJweZ4j1zQfmJLowO0Rk-SLOn8YGiJ0NrhZnB3NpiTYzVlORT28UF3x6xcLCm1ZPPNBJHpkS-DEn1zQlUqZ9c8iespGE/w400-h225/Webp.net-resizeimage%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">So, I love the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Harry Potter </i>series, however the other day I was thinking about disabled characters in movie adaptations of books and randomly thought of this series. It made me wonder a few things about the school.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>Question 1:</b> Why does every disabled character in Harry Potter die? Examples: Mad Eye Moody, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and--arguably--Albus Dumbledore. I understand that all their deaths had a purpose and moved the plot forward. In no way am I saying that this information makes J.K. Rowling ableist. However, it is something I thought about.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>Question 2:</b> Why is Hogwarts so inaccessible? Based off descriptions of the school and the way it's shown in the movie, Hogwarts has stairwells galore. They have revolving staircases, which are--for more than one reason--not wheelchair accessible. There are seemingly no ramps whatsoever. </span></p><p><b style="font-family: trebuchet;">Question 3:</b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Is the Wizarding World just ableist? Okay, just hear me out. To illustrate my points, I will be using an article from the Wizarding World website that details J.K. Rowling's thoughts on disabled wizards (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'll link it here: <a href="https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/illness-and-disability" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Illness and Disability - Wizarding World (opens in new window)</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">). To quote this article,</span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"I decided that, broadly speaking, wizards would have the power to correct or override ‘mundane’ nature, but not ‘magical’ nature. Therefore, a wizard could catch anything a Muggle might catch, but he could cure all of it; he would also comfortably survive a scorpion sting that might kill a Muggle, whereas he might die if bitten by a Venomous Tentacula. Similarly, bones broken in non-magical accidents such as falls or fist fights can be mended by magic, but the consequences of curses or backfiring magic could be serious, permanent or life-threatening."</span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Based off this knowledge, it would seem as if the Wizarding World is, at least partially, ableist. While many people would love to be cured of disability, there are many others who wouldn't and are happy just being themselves. Personally, I wouldn't change anything about my life. I wouldn't cure myself because the life I have has made me who I am. My disability has taught me so many things in my life that I wouldn't want to erase it. I've had these issues since I was a baby. It's the only life I've known. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">So to know that wizards can just cure anything that's of a 'mundane' nature is kind of disheartening. At least in my opinion.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>One last question I have:</b> Do disabled students have a place at Hogwarts? Or would their 'Muggle' disabilities automatically be cured upon arrival at Hogwarts? And what about wheelchair-users who are witches and wizards? What about witches and wizards who have wheelchairs due to magical maladies? What about students who use them due to magical maladies? Hogwarts doesn't seemingly accommodate them. Are they just left at St. Mungo's for them to be taken care of there? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">There are a lot of questions I have, and a lot of questions that won't be answered.</span></p><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">That's it for this post! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-3218574740108475632022-03-24T06:00:00.050-06:002022-03-24T09:02:34.282-06:00Book Review: Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan (spoiler filled review)<h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for <i>Daughter of the Deep </i>by Rick Riordan, which I finished reading earlier this week. </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">This review will be partly spoiler free, however there will be a spoiler section toward the end of this review.</span></h4><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the review!</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622742517l/57094644.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="539" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622742517l/57094644.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Daughter of the Deep </i>is a Middle Grade/YA novel that follows Ana Dakkar, a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy (HP for short). This book is inspired by <i style="font-weight: bold;">20,000 Leagues Under the Sea </i>by Jules Verne. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I loved every single character in this book. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This story is told from 1st person point-of-view from Ana's perspective. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This book has a pretty diverse cast. Ana, the protagonist, is of Indian descent and follows Hinduism. Gemini Twain, prefect of House Shark, is a Black Mormon. One of Ana's best friends, Nelinha da Silva, is Brazilian. Ana's other best friend, Ester Harding, is autistic, has an anxiety disorder, and has an emotional support dog named Top. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">💥🔥<b>SPOILER ALERT</b>🔥💥</span><br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Anything below this is a spoiler<br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">You have been warned</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I absolutely loved the characters in this story, particularly Ana, Gemini, and Franklin. Gemini was probably my second favorite character after Ana. I loved the way Ana's and Gemini's friendship formed and developed from the beginning of the novel to the end of it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I also loved the character descriptions. I tend to have a hard time imagining characters and imagining scenes, so the description of Gemini looking like Miles Morales really helped, seeing as I know what Miles Morales looks like.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">____</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">_______________________________________________</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I hated the ending. It was bad and tragic, and I didn't like it. I know that in real life, many children with medical conditions die. I know that. I just didn't like how it happened randomly. There was buildup, but at the same time, there wasn't. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">✔</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">👍</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;"><b>SPOILERS OVER</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">👍</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">✔</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Overall, I loved <i style="font-weight: bold;">Daughter of the Deep</i>. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars on my Goodreads. It was fantastic, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves Rick Riordan books or books with aquatic/marine themes. I loved these characters, and I loved the plot. This is definitely the best book I've read so far this year.</span></div><div><br /></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Until next time, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-3502167966749837372022-03-22T06:00:00.040-06:002022-03-22T06:00:00.210-06:00Book Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs<h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for <i>A Princess of Mars </i>by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which I read last year.</span></h4><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the review!</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388694479l/10445084.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388694479l/10445084.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">A Princess of Mars </i>is the first book in the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Barsoom/Mars/John Carter of Mars </i>series. Edgar Rice Burroughs is a classic author, also having written <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tarzan of the Apes</i>, which I have not read this. <i style="font-weight: bold;">A Princess of Mars </i>follows John Carter, a Civil War veteran from Virginia who ends up on Barsoom/Mars. </span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This book is a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction. It was originally published in a pulp magazine in July 1912, so this book is now over 100 years ago. I was quite surprised that this book is told in first-person POV by John Carter himself. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I was also not expecting this book to go by so fast. My sister had checked this book out from our local library right before the pandemic hit. She didn't get to read it, but I did. I thought it was going to take longer than it did, but I read it in one day, taking a total of about 17 hours reading it (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">though I did have to take breaks during those 17 hours to eat, so it was probably closer to 14 hours</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">). It was a very quick read.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It was enjoyable. John Carter's voice was interesting. I don't really care much for the damsel in distress trope (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">as I've mentioned before</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">), which was included here. This book also had insta-love/insta-lust vibes, which I didn't too much care for either, but other than that, it was interesting.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The romance was a subplot and didn't take over the whole novel, which I appreciate since I expected a science fantasy novel. That was (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">for the most part</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">) what I got.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Overall, I rated this book 4 out or 5 stars on Goodreads. As far as classics go, it wasn't my favorite. However, it was a nice quick read, and it was an enjoyable sci-fi novel.</span><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-41619256031243810072022-03-17T06:00:00.009-06:002022-10-28T15:45:37.588-06:00Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (spoilers for Throne of Glass)<h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for <i>Crown of Midnight </i>by Sarah J. Maas, the second book in the <i>Throne of Glass </i>series.</span></h4><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the review!</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391580481l/17167166.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391580481l/17167166.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I'm going to be honest: I don't remember this book that much. I read it in November 2020. That was a relatively long time ago, but I remember books that I've read before this one. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Because I don't remember this book much, I am going to use the Goodreads summary for this book:</span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b></b></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>""A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.<br />It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."</b><br />From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.<br />Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.<br />Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for."</span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I can't say I'm the hugest fan of this series. I don't like Celeana all that much, and Dorian and Chaol are just okay. There isn't anything particularly interesting/spectacular about them. Dorian is a prince who likes an assassin. Chaol is a member of the king's guard who also likes said assassin, creating a love triangle of sorts (that I know is virtually nonexistent in future books as I started <i style="font-weight: bold;">Heir of Fire </i>immediately after finishing this one).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I don't know. This book just isn't that spectacular. It wasn't that memorable, I know that for sure because I would've remembered it more if it was.</span></p><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Until next time, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4><p><br /></p>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-61032563452209944672022-03-15T06:00:00.083-06:002022-03-15T06:00:00.190-06:00My Least Favorite Fantasy Tropes in Fiction/Media<div><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Today I'm going to be talking about my least favorite fantasy tropes in fiction/media. This is the first post with my new banner as well. These tropes aren't going to be in any particular order. </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the post!</span></h4></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH3SHVY8lj-p3rCd7t8Rswkvdls9m6F1Mm-YAAgdxt-bOnMrW8czd6fv1eecNwDUvXfVky8Es5ji8aLQo1RPvMdTexwtFxUTQdlZn_EadbKgYn4yPjWIG2rZuHCS6cRymojav1l9-chtl8gV0Lanp56mszoLU66kHa9uzmPO5TTPxCY8veqTPtuKA=s489" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH3SHVY8lj-p3rCd7t8Rswkvdls9m6F1Mm-YAAgdxt-bOnMrW8czd6fv1eecNwDUvXfVky8Es5ji8aLQo1RPvMdTexwtFxUTQdlZn_EadbKgYn4yPjWIG2rZuHCS6cRymojav1l9-chtl8gV0Lanp56mszoLU66kHa9uzmPO5TTPxCY8veqTPtuKA=s16000" /></a></div><div><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span>1. </span>Tolkien-inspired Worlds</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Technically speaking, I have nothing against Tolkien, and I will confess I have never read one of his works completely through. However, Tolkien-esque worlds constantly pop up in epic fantasy novels, and I'm honestly tired of it. I'm not saying Tolkien wasn't a good author, but aren't there other fantasy authors and ideas to get inspiration from? Last I checked, Tolkien didn't have the epic fantasy monopoly.</span></p><h4><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;">2. The one magical item that will either save or destroy the world</span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Why is it always one specific magical item? And why has the villain never thought of retrieving this item until the exact moment the hero intends to? This is just another fantasy trope that will never make sense to me.</span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">3. The Chosen One</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">To clarify: not all chosen ones. There are some I genuinely find entertaining. But that's usually only when the chosen one trope is subverted or used uniquely. The problem with the chosen one is it's predictable. You know who's likely not going to be hurt much or die because they're the one who's supposed to save the world. Now, I don't like when characters die. I'd rather all of my favorites live. However, I'd rather be pleasantly surprised instead of just finding out a character is 'the chosen one' and not being surprised when they live. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I haven't read a lot of books with this trope, but there have been a couple that I just don't care for. My two favorites of this trope though are Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. There was that part in Harry Potter where it seemed as if another character might've been the chosen one (if you've read the books, you know what I'm talking about), which was honestly interesting and if I hadn't seen the movies already, I might've even believed it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Percy Jackson has so much intrigue and unknowns due to prophecies having double meanings that it doesn't ever feel like Percy ever has 100% plot armor when it comes to him being a chosen one, which is one reason why him being a chosen one doesn't bother me.</span></p><!--more--><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">4. The damsel in distress</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I hate this trope so much. I'm not saying it isn't attractive and a little romantic to imagine a fairy tale life where the girl is rescued by the guy, but it's annoying when that is the girl's entire plot. I don't mind a book where the guy rescues the girl if there's more to the girl and she doesn't seem like she can't rescue herself. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This also applies to books where the guy is the damsel instead of the girl. I don't know. For me, even gender-bending can't fix this trope, because it's just such a power imbalance, which isn't even a healthy thing in relationships, so just keep this away from me unless it's done well and has a valid reason (which it usually doesn't)/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Sometimes this can be pulled off in a unique way, but in most instances is annoying. I prefer when both characters switch off rescuing each other. A perfect example would be Percy and Annabeth from the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Camp Half-Blood Chronicles </i>by Rick Riordan. Percy has saved Annabeth's life before, but she's also saved his, and, let's face it: they'd both be dead if they didn't have each other. To me, that's way more cute and romantic than a one-sided damsel in distress situation.</span></p><!--more--><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">5. Mentors</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The most annoying thing about mentors is that, 9 times out of 10, they die. Either that or the characters think they're dead when they're not. Mentors are always predictable. They'll (conveniently) die when the protagonist needs to complete their quest independently. It ceases to surprise me anymore. I read books with mentors in them and a sign automatically appears in my head that reads: 'Okay, they're going to die. But when?' </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It's not the most fun thing in the world. I don't like to be able to easily predict the books I read. It isn't fun, and it kind of ruins the reading experience for me. I like being surprised. I understand that the mentor is a classic trope, but at this point, unless I read a mentor that I can't predict, I'm sick of this trope.<br /></span></p><!--more--><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">6. The newbie who suddenly knows everything/The Mary Sue/The Gary Stu</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I hate this. This has to be one of my least favorite tropes in the entire world. It's so annoying. These are the protagonists who learn the truth about what/who they are without knowing anything previously and are suddenly able to do everything as good as people who have been in that world for 20+ years. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">A great example of this is Clary Fray from <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Mortal Instruments </i>series by Cassandra Clare. How is it that she can fight/kill demons just as well as Jace, Isabelle, and Alec when they've been training as Shadowhunters since they were children. Clary is also pretty much perfect and has few flaws, which makes her very dull.</span></p></div><div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">So there you go! Those are my least favorite fantasy tropes in fiction/media. I will do my favorite tropes for this next week.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></span></div></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-43562495646411089442022-03-03T06:00:00.014-07:002022-03-17T22:15:00.488-06:00Milestone 3: One Year of MoaA<h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today is going to be a special post. Today is the day right after Musings' 1 year anniversary. I can't believe I've already been blogging for a year. It doesn't feel like it's been that long. </span></h4><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">For this post, I'm going to reminiscing on day one. It's hard to believe that it's already been 5 months since I officially started this blog. </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the post!</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdJ2QrutaqcraJRexG5crNsCWWOZxMhOGITs-LTMYG7At89j-uuLA5oBpsEZEQtZIyucpsv329EC2DNteBSYsCBwqJGwK0fgU764ndFITnnoyHID55oWfgy44neIA7F24ceFlYa9tdqXkEDjuguopYusddjKfUKb-c_C3pHoSa8UN7TsIGxRZ7ib4=s1554" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1554" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdJ2QrutaqcraJRexG5crNsCWWOZxMhOGITs-LTMYG7At89j-uuLA5oBpsEZEQtZIyucpsv329EC2DNteBSYsCBwqJGwK0fgU764ndFITnnoyHID55oWfgy44neIA7F24ceFlYa9tdqXkEDjuguopYusddjKfUKb-c_C3pHoSa8UN7TsIGxRZ7ib4=w400-h275" width="400" /></a></div><p>It's crazy how a year can just come and go. I originally did not know what to do for this post, but I have now decided. I'm the kind of person who gets bored very easily, so--for my one year anniversary--I have decided to reveal a new blog banner I created using Canva. This is going to be the image that appears at the top of every post that isn't a book or movie review. </p><p>I think this one fully encompasses with this blog is all about. This blog is about various things. Writing, reading, dance, art, and photography. Autoimmune disease and arthritis. This blog isn't one size fits all. This is my space, full of my interests and whatever I feel like posting week to week. </p><p>So, without further ado, here's what my new blog banner looks like:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjk0zihL3EgqgquSSCJJEqW_zQGPuPFkx6F92_itUFRALvLJp89IL-8jquPWW01vozwxWUg0CbMLkdkQBNlAnnE-HGrzdapfCXnkkGS-WYGQPjWV5uV8b1vV-mR6aA8ZJ38IhdlFFCj6QLIW9JSQrNwvEmKWoC_m1f9qPA5wvUtCj4S42hoS-by9M=s489" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjk0zihL3EgqgquSSCJJEqW_zQGPuPFkx6F92_itUFRALvLJp89IL-8jquPWW01vozwxWUg0CbMLkdkQBNlAnnE-HGrzdapfCXnkkGS-WYGQPjWV5uV8b1vV-mR6aA8ZJ38IhdlFFCj6QLIW9JSQrNwvEmKWoC_m1f9qPA5wvUtCj4S42hoS-by9M=s16000" /></a></div><p>This banner has all of my interests as well as my blog's description/tagline. I really love this banner. I love my original banner, but I've been craving one more elaborate. One that fits me more, and I really love this one. It has all of my interests. </p><p><br /></p><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Until next time, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-78734204814456232142022-03-01T06:00:00.013-07:002022-03-02T00:19:39.578-07:00Book Review: Fifteen by Beverly Cleary<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of <i>Fifteen </i>by Beverly Cleary.</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">This review is spoiler free.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">With that aside, let's get into the review!</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328330781l/6609188.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328330781l/6609188.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b><i>Fifteen </i></b>is about a plain girl named Jane Purdy. This is a YA first love romance novel that was written in the 1950s. Jane meets Stan Crandall, a horse meat delivery boy.</span></div><div><i><p> <span style="font-family: trebuchet;">________________________________________</span></p></i></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This story was so cute. I read this back in January 2019, when I was actually 15 myself. I had been reading a different book (a Love Inspired romance), but my mother wanted me to read something about characters who were around my age instead of in their 20s so I could relate to them more. My mom and I found this one, and my mother suggested I read <span style="font-weight: bold;"><i>Fifteen</i>. </span>I have a feeling she suggested I read it because it's by Beverly Cleary, one of my mother's favorite childhood authors.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This was my first full dive into YA contemporary romance, and while it isn't 2000s-2020s contemporary, it is quite obvious that this would've been considered contemporary at the time if the genre had been completely around. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">While there were a few things that dated this book (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">rotary phones, drive-ins [I miss going to those], and small diners [few exist like the ones that did in old photos I've seen from the 50s-60s]</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">), it was largely relatable, even for me, a homeschooled girl who has never dated in her life. I did, after all, have a major crush on a boy I was friends with during my brief voyage to 1st grade public school around my middle school age, despite not seeing him often, nor actually going to the same school he did. Because of that, I could definitely relate to some of the feelings Jane experienced.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This book was a very quick read for me. I started and finished it in the same day. The plot and writing were so engaging to me that I finished it very quickly. I remember reading this on my Amazon Fire 7 tablet in the front yard of my old house. I finished reading it that night while lying in bed. I remember sitting on the sidewalk of my old house the next day, still thinking about the book, and how much I had a crush on Stan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It was a fun time. It was a simple time, that was a very enjoyable experience. I love this romance. I love Jane, and I love Stan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">________________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Overall, I really enjoyed <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fifteen</span>, and I'd definitely re-read it. It's a nice clean, first love romance that has nothing suggestive. It was a perfect read for me at the time, and it's a book I genuinely love. It's been three years since I read this book, and I still love it. I'd definitely recommend it, but it's definitely not for everyone. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This book is very old-fashioned, but that's one of the things I found so charming about it. I do realize though, that not everyone likes old-fashioned romance and societal romantic norms.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads when I read it because I just enjoyed it that much. It was definitely worth my time.</span></p><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">See you Thusday, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></span></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-41634309189354102892022-02-22T06:00:00.043-07:002022-02-22T06:00:00.206-07:00Book Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of <i>Fantastic Mr. Fox </i>by Roald Dahl.</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">This review will predominantly be spoiler-free, however, there will be a minor spoiler section.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">With that aside, let's get into the review!</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418592461l/773689.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418592461l/773689.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Fantastic Mr. Fox </i>is a children's/middle grade novel about three villains who wish to kill a fox and that same fox trying to escape harm. The story in of itself is very simplistic in nature. </span></div><div><i><p> <span style="font-family: trebuchet;">________________________________________</span></p></i></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This is the second Roald Dahl book I've read, and it's the first I've read in about a decade. My last exploration into Roald Dahl's literature was Matilda in the summer of 2013, when I was the mere age of 10. I loved that book. I have to say that I didn't like this one nearly as much, but it was still fun. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The writing was simplistic, but it was enjoyable and it got the job done so I don't feel as if I can complain too much, especially since this is a book written for children. However, as far as classic children's authors go, I much prefer E.B. White's writing and storytelling to Mr. Dahl's.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Let's get into the spoiler-esque elements.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">________________________________________</span></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">💥🔥<b>SPOILER ALERT</b>🔥💥</span><br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Anything below this is a spoiler<br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">You have been warned</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><p><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Honestly, I have a feeling that I would've abhorred this book as a child. I've always been incredibly empathetic, and the main focus of this book is three men who try to kill a fox. That is the entire plot. It's about a fox trying to avoid being killed. There are more adult-ish themes (<b>cigar smoking and </b></span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">gun use</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">) in this book, though that is largely a product of its time.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I also think I would've hated the part where Boggis, Bunce, and Bean shoot off his tail, and I have a feeling that I likely would've cried or put the book down, fearing the violence in it. </span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">✔</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">👍</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;"><b>SPOILERS OVER</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">👍</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">✔</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Overall, this book was enjoyable. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it wasn't the worst. It was a quick read that didn't bore be. This book would've probably taken me a lot longer as a child, so I'm glad I read it at an older age. I rate <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fantastic Mr. Fox </i>3.5 out of 5 stars.</span></p><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></span></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-40270767981695197142022-02-15T06:00:00.304-07:002022-06-11T00:33:27.107-06:00Short Story Show-and-Tell #2: Nèas Agàpis (Young Love)<h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! First off, I'd like to wish all of my readers a happy Valentine's Day! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Today's post is going to be another Short Story Show-and-Tell, a <i>Musings </i>feature where I share a short story I've written. This is the second one I've done. </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">This story is shorter than my first one. </span></h4><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><h4 style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">For those who haven't read my first Short Story Show-and-Tell story, it's linked here: <a href="https://musingsofanarthriticartist.blogspot.com/2021/06/short-story-show-and-tell-1-despondence.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Despondence, or A Presage of Hope (opens in new window)</span></a>.</span></h4><div><br /></div></span></div><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">I wrote this short story in November 2021, so it's fairly recent. In honor of Valentine's Day, a day celebrating love, I've decided to share a story titled '</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Nèas Agàpis,' which is Greek for 'Young Love' (Nèas Agàpis is the anglicized form; in Greek it's actually <span style="font-family: inherit;">νέας αγάπης</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">). </i></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">I'm not going to get into the details of this story until the end of the post after I've shared it with you because I don't want to spoil anyone for what happens. </span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">With the introduction aside, sit back, relax, and enjoy my story! </span></h4><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeV2J-86yzzHE6U-eYKrfbzinEzOJIkh4sRRr8hJI-wOMMftCkXr4PJooAx2OVjdkk1cavBvSfedGSScLoneTBtxYVzCNZ84TPA6d4siwOu-U1ZPyqNWENFlBA4X6iHsdrtZ8sbuCeavjs01xvB9cmCd_VBWHXVkAPRC2AjtIC_a9CHw3v9Rb6olI=s1554" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1554" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeV2J-86yzzHE6U-eYKrfbzinEzOJIkh4sRRr8hJI-wOMMftCkXr4PJooAx2OVjdkk1cavBvSfedGSScLoneTBtxYVzCNZ84TPA6d4siwOu-U1ZPyqNWENFlBA4X6iHsdrtZ8sbuCeavjs01xvB9cmCd_VBWHXVkAPRC2AjtIC_a9CHw3v9Rb6olI=w400-h275" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King, Alexandria. <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>. 2021.</td></tr></tbody></table><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Nèas Agàpis (Young Love)</span></h1><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">by Alexandria K (2021 [18 years old])</span></h3><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I was born the youngest of three daughters. When people began to worship me instead of the goddess of beauty, I was whisked away by a westward wind. I suppose the gods had a hand in it. Perhaps I've angered them, though it isn't like I encouraged anyone to worship me; they did that of their own volition.<br /> I don't remember how long the journey took, though I do remember ascending into the clouds. I arrived at the home of a man. A man whom I now call my husband. A man who gives me everything I could ever ask for, except one thing: I'm not allowed to see him.<br /> In the amount of time we've grown closer, I've tried to convince him numerous times.<br /> "Please?" I used to ask. "Just one look? One peek?"<br /> "I'm sorry," my husband always replies. "That's the only thing I cannot give you."<br /> "Why?"<br /> "I can't tell you." He always sounds heartbroken when he says this, as if the mere sight of him will make me leave.<br /> I've given up asking. I don't bother anymore. Even though I can never see him, I trust him. If he wanted to hurt me, he would've already. No. He loves me, of that I'm sure. It doesn't matter if I'm not permitted to gaze upon him. I've seen his heart, and that's good enough for me.<br /> The morning my sisters come, I'm surprised. They walk into the house, and I observe them; the way they gape at the lofty ceiling, the way their eyes widen. The three of us sit in the sitting room. As I sit and relax, I force myself to not scoff at their shocked behavior. My sisters aren't the only people who think I live in an impoverished shack. I love my sisters, but they anger me sometimes.<br /> "How's your marriage going?" Azelia asks. "Is he still not allowing you to see him?"<br /> I shake my head. "He's still secretive about his appearance. As always."<br /> Azelia hands me a dagger. I run my finger across the blade, not thinking about its sharpness until it's too late. There's a sharp sting in my finger. I set the blade down, pressing the hand I just injured to my leg, refusing to wince in pain. I don't want my sisters to laugh at my stupidity.<br /> "What is this for?" I ask, picking the blade up with my other hand. I examine it. Its hilt is white and adorned with small pearls.<br /> "Stabbing your husband," Azelia replies, nonchalant and condescending, as if I'm the most idiotic person in existence. I'm really glad I didn't mention that I cut my finger.<br /> I stare at the blade. "I don't know." Something about this feels off to me, and I don't think it's just because it'd be a betrayal of the highest degree.<br /> "Father says he's a dragon-like monster," Cosima says.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> "We don't know that," I answer. "He treats me well."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> "Why else would he forbid you from looking at him?" Cosima's eyes are full of sympathy. "He's using you, sister. He's manipulating you. What husband doesn't allow you to gaze upon his face?"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> I don't answer. Truthfully, I don't know what to say. I've never really thought much about it. Sure, it confused and saddened me for the first few months, but I've grown used to it. So what if he doesn't let me see him? Maybe he's self-conscious. Perhaps he's deformed and believes I wouldn't love him anymore if I saw him. Not that it would matter to me if he was visibly the ugliest man in the world. Inside, he's the most beautiful man I've ever met.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> "Stab him tonight," Azelia continues.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> "I'm pregnant with our child," I say. "Why would I do such a horrible thing?"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> "Just think about it," Cosima says. "We're just trying to look out for you. We're trying to protect you."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> My sisters leave an hour later, and I've never been more grateful for the silence. I retreat to my room. It's empty. Typically, Erastes doesn't come home until after midnight. By that time, I'm usually asleep. Instead, I lie awake in my bed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> I don't know how long I lie there, though I know it's been many hours. Erastes comes into my room. He often does to make sure I'm okay. Just before he leaves, I call for him.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> "Why am I not allowed to see you, Erastes?" I ask.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> He sighs. "We've been over this," he says.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> I sit up, staring at his shadowed form. I can't make out any details. I can't even tell if he has limbs. "And yet, you never give a valid explanation."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> "You cannot see me." Erastes's voice is firm.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> My husband departs the room, leaving me alone in the dark. I glance to the left at my bedside table, which hides the dagger my sisters gave me. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I don't listen to them. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> I won't stab my husband tonight.</span></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-7a358e1e-7fff-3804-b030-77d8cb1b728c"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><hr /><p></p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It's been a few days since my sisters came. I've been grappling with their words since. I'm alone in mine and Erastes's house, with only the West Wind nearby. The fetus inside my stomach kicks me. My child must be getting larger. I smile at the thought.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> The dagger is still hidden in my room. I've become increasingly curious about who my husband is. My stomach feels tight, though I'm sure it's not because of the baby growing inside me. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Once night falls, I lie down early. I stay awake all night. Surely my husband must be asleep by now. I decide to carry out the plan my sisters devised. I cannot stand wondering any longer. I must know if my husband is a monster or not. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> When I walk into my husband's room, it's dark. The dagger I received is clasped firmly in my right hand, an oil lamp in my left. I hide my hands behind my back even though I don't think Erastes is awake. I carefully, slowly draw back the curtains around the bed, nearly dropping the dagger when I see the face of my husband, illuminated by lamplight.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> His face is as perfect as a sculpture, his skin seemingly as smooth as marble. He's naked, and he isn't dragon-like at all. Minus his snow white wings, he looks just like me. He looks peaceful in his sleep. Unfortunately, that peacefulness doesn't last long.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> I'm so caught off-guard by the beauty of him that I don't notice the quiver he has beside his bed. My arm grazes one of the arrows, and I recoil, grabbing my arm. There's a small line of blood trickling down my arm from the arrow scratching across. I accidentally bump into the nightstand while trying to move away from the quiver. In my panic, the lamp in my hand tilts, spilling hot oil. The oil spills onto Erastes's bare chest.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> His eyes open abruptly. His eyes meet mine, his widening. They dart to the dagger I'm still holding. Realization dawns on him.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> "How could you?" he asks, voice full of disbelief. "After everything we've been through, I thought you were the one person I could trust. I can't believe you." He stares at me, his eyes full of shock, anger, and a hidden sadness. "You betrayed my trust, Psykhi," he says.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> "I'm sorry," I tell him. "My sisters, they--" I cut myself off. I can't fully blame my sisters for this. This final choice was my own, not theirs.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> My husband's tone is full of disappointment. "I trusted you," he repeats. "I loved you. I provided you shelter. I provided you food. I gave you everything you wanted, and this is how you repay me? By betraying my trust? By doing the one thing I asked you not to?" He glances at the dagger in my hand. "By killing me?"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> I shake my head. "I wasn't going to--" I cut myself off again. Lies won't help anyone. I have to take responsibility. I sigh. "I was going to stab you," I admit. "I was going to kill you." <i>But only if you were a monster</i>, are the words I don't say.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> My husband's shoulders sink.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> I stare at Erastes as he flies away, and that's when the truth fully dawns on me. My husband is Eros, the god of love. I call out after him, but he's gone.</span></div><div><h1 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">© Alexandria K. 2021</span></span></h1><div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">__________________________________________________</span></span></span></div></div><div><div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">So that's my story. Now that we've reached the end of it, this story is my retelling of the Eros (</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Cupid</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">) and Psyche myth from Greek mythology.</span><span> </span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I couldn't find anything online about Psyche's sisters, so I named them Azelia and Cosima myself. Technically, the name Azelia is of Hebrew origin, however it was influence by a Greek word (</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>azelos</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">), meaning 'not jealous.' I thought the name sounded pretty, and it also served as irony, as Psyche's sisters are incredibly jealous of her in the original myth. Cosima is a Greek name meaning 'order' and 'beauty'. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of the Greek gods/goddesses have epithets, but I couldn't find anything for Eros. I didn't want to give away his name automatically as, one, this story is from Psyche's POV, so it wouldn't make sense, and two, I didn't want to give away the twist to those who may be unfamiliar with the myth. Therefore, the name Eros gives Psyche in my version is Erastes, which is a Greek name that means 'beloved,' which I thought was very fitting. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In this story I also elected to use Psykhi's Greek spelling instead of the more common Psyche, as I prefer the Greek (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>anglicized Greek</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">) spelling. As for the language, I am aware it is modern and informal. This was intentional. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I included some Greek mythological symbolism in this story. In the original myth, Aphrodite gets jealous of Psykhi and sends her son, Eros, to shoot Psykhi with an arrow that'll make her fall in love with something hideous. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This plan backfires when Eros scratches himself with an arrow intended to make any living thing fall in love with the first thing it sees. Eros falls in love with Psykhi, disobeying his mother's orders. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In my story, the dagger Psykhi gets from her sisters has some of Aphrodite's symbols on the hilt, white and pearls. This is intended to be Aphrodite's plan to show her son that Psykhi isn't trustworthy. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I don't think this happens in the original myth, but it was an element I decided to add because I wanted to add my own spin to it. After all, half the fun of writing a retelling is to add your own elements into the story. That's what makes it different. That and the writing style.</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><h4 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! I intend to share more of my writing later, but for now:</span></span></h4><h4 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h4><h4 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday, </span></span></h4><h4 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h4><h4 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></span></h4></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-11933442456647595242022-02-10T06:00:00.013-07:002022-02-15T11:10:27.820-07:00Another Milestone: 100th Post<h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today is going to be a special post. Today marks the day my hundredth post goes up. I can't believe it's already been this long. </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the post!</span></h4><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSBRa2HK8mXU3ujMzjYnk0a0MOHbY9CGyebJ2t5D7fcIIj-IvYyW4U-nacKiOAx1_2I9lkUmbmJ25ChGl1_12A4hknCBzZSmzfCkuCc0dnmVAEhu13zobWMZ6Q3_uwoEOMKAkJrppEqKF4jfEbUIG5ewTPW0YptzKYWJk-BwW_sWxfN8tLkewfjT0=s1554" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1554" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSBRa2HK8mXU3ujMzjYnk0a0MOHbY9CGyebJ2t5D7fcIIj-IvYyW4U-nacKiOAx1_2I9lkUmbmJ25ChGl1_12A4hknCBzZSmzfCkuCc0dnmVAEhu13zobWMZ6Q3_uwoEOMKAkJrppEqKF4jfEbUIG5ewTPW0YptzKYWJk-BwW_sWxfN8tLkewfjT0=w400-h275" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King, Alexandria. <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>. 2021.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I can't believe it's already been this long. I can't believe we're already on post #100. It feels like just yesterday when I was talking about my 50th post. I'm not going to be doing many more posts like this. I have one more planned but other than that, I don't intend to do a lit of posts like this. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I don't know why, but writing posts like this makes me feel as if I am bragging. That and I just don't know what to write in these milestone posts. I reached this milestone quicker than I thought I would. I first started my blog in March 2021. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It's been 11 months, and I'm already here. I honestly thought the 100th post milestone would take longer, solely because I didn't think I'd be able to keep up with my two posts a week schedule. Keeping the schedule going smoothly has been rocky sometimes, but it's worth it. So for this post, I'm going to be talking about how blogging has changed my life/helped me.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Blogging has helped me keep deadlines. It's taught me time management. Between writing a novel, doing school, and just living life, I have to find some way to fit in blogging. I either write my posts early in the morning before my mother wakes up, in the evenings after school, or on a weekend. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Blogging has taught me how to do online networking. Some of my posts got views because my sister shared them on her Facebook, but others got views just from me sharing my posts on my Goodreads. I'm honestly quite surprised some of my posts have as many views as they do. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">For example, my Father's Day Appreciation Post did better than both my Mother's Day Appreciation Post and Sister's Day Appreciation Post combined. About 5 times better. My Father's Day post is my second viewed blog post after my introduction post. I don't even know how.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Blogging has allowed me to practice my writing. It's also given me a platform to share my story with anyone who's interested and who wants to listen. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I have more posts I intend to write. I don't intend to stop blogging after this mark. I am a blogger now, and I honestly love it, so I hope my readers will stick around for more reviews, personal stories, and an overall enjoyable time.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><h4 style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></span></h4><h4 style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h4><h4 style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Until next time,</span></span></h4><h4 style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /><b>Lexi K🖌</b></span></h4></span></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-51520175538966636972022-02-08T06:00:00.055-07:002022-02-23T01:25:58.806-07:00Book Review: Angie and Me by Rebecca C. Jones<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of <i>Angie and Me </i>by Rebecca C. Jones.</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">This review will predominantly be spoiler-free, however, there will be a spoiler section toward the end of this post.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">With that aside, let's get into the review!</span></h4><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441583044l/2643819._SX318_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441583044l/2643819._SX318_.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><p>This book is a middle grade novel. It follows 12 year old Jenna, who ends up staying at a children’s hospital while being treated for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. While there she meets another girl, Angie, who has a rare blood disorder (it’s never specified what it’s called). </p><p>I read this because the main girl has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I wanted to see if I related to it. </p><p>As far as relatability, there wasn’t a lot. Only partially. At least in my case. I related to the pain Jenna felt, but everything else, not really.</p><p>Jenna is told to use a walker. I’ve never used a walker. She was given a wheelchair to use. I’ve only used a wheelchair once, and I hated the looks of other people, so I refused one, instead using other mobility options. I’ve also never had splints like the ones Jenna had. I do have braces, but I’ve never had to stay at a hospital for treatment.</p><p>Truthfully, while this book’s protagonist is Jenna, this book truthfully seems to be about Angie, the girl Jenna meets at the hospital. </p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">💥🔥<b>SPOILER ALERT</b>🔥💥</span><br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Anything below this is a spoiler<br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">You have been warned</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I hated the ending. It was bad and tragic, and I didn't like it. I know that in real life, many children with medical conditions die. I know that. I just didn't like how it happened randomly. There was buildup, but at the same time, there wasn't. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">✔</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">👍</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;"><b>SPOILERS OVER</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">👍</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">✔</span></div><p><br /></p><p>Overall, I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t perfect. I hated the ending, and I know that I would’ve hated it even more if I had read this book as a child.</p><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>That's it for this review! </span>I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-32402267220844265762022-02-03T06:00:00.017-07:002022-02-07T09:14:00.531-07:00Book Review: Missing by R.L. Stine<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of Missing<i> </i>by R.L. Stine.</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">This review will predominantly be spoiler-free, however, there will be a spoiler section toward the end of this post.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">With that aside, let's get into the review!</span></h4><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404222886l/176576.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="207" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404222886l/176576.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><p></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Missing </i>is the fourth <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fear Street </i>novel. It's a YA mystery horror book. This book follows two characters, Mark and Cara Burroughs. Chapters are told in alternating perspectives, both in first person. The siblings' parents have gone missing. They haven't called or come home. This event kickstarts the entire plot, wherein Cara and Mark try to find out what happened to their parents. Of course, in typical R.L. Stone fashion, Cara and Mark's lives are in danger. It seems as if the cousin who lives with them is also spying on them.</span></div><div><i><p> <span style="font-family: trebuchet;">________________________________________</span></p></i></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I really liked Cara and Mark. This is the first <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fear Street </i>book I've read that follows two siblings. Mostly, it's just a group of friends. I don't have any problems with that, I just like stories with siblings more. I find them to be more relatable. I really liked the relationship between Cara and Mark. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It felt realistic. They annoyed each other on purpose, but they also cared about one another. They weren't constantly fighting, which was nice to see. The two of them tried to work together to find their parents.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">________________________________________</span></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">💥🔥<b>SPOILER ALERT</b>🔥💥</span><br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Anything below this is a spoiler<br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">You have been warned</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Honestly, half of the mystery in this novel could have been solved if Cara's and Mark's parents just communicated with them. The whole thing at the end where they are revealed to be FBI agents and Roger is revealed to not be their cousin but instead be the best agent they had could have been resolved much quicker. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If Mark and Cara had at least known Riger was an FBI agent, then they could've spent less time on Roger and more time on finding their parents. Some of the stuff with Roger just bogged the pacing down a bit, especially once the revelation came at the end.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I was also expecting a bit less mystery thriller and more paranormal-esque horror. With the monkey heads, I was actually expecting more of a <i style="font-weight: bold;">Say Cheese and Die </i>type thing. I expected that the monkey heads were a paranormal thing that had just sucked up their parents. I wasn't expecting a cult and for Mark's and Cara's parents to be members of the FBI. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I was disappointed when Roger died. I was genuinely interested in him and his story. Once the end came around and his identity was revealed, it just made me want him to be alive. He was an interesting character. Why exactly did he live with the Burroughs? Was he there because he and the the Burroughs worked on cases together? Was he there to protect Mark and Cara in case their parents weren't there? It's never explained, and I kind of wish it had been.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">✔</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">👍</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;"><b>SPOILERS OVER</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">👍</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">✔</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Overall, this was a really enjoyable book. Is it perfect? No. Are there things about it that don't make sense? Yes. But in general, I really liked this book and I rate it 4 out of 5 years. Character-wise, I think this is the best <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fear Street </i>novel I've read out of the five I've read thus far. I enjoyed reading about Cara's and Mark's journey to find their parents.</span></p><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Until next time, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></span></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-67913498899314037182022-02-01T06:00:00.062-07:002022-10-28T15:48:00.850-06:00Book Review: Sick Kids In Love by Hannah Moskowitz<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one for <i>Sick Kids In Love </i>by Hannah Moskowitz. </span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">This is a book I read pretty recently, so let's discuss it. There will be spoilers for this book. If you haven't read it and wish to, I'd recommend not reading this review. </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">February (in the United States) is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, while February 2 is Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day, so I thought that this was the perfect time to post this review.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">With that aside, let's get into it!</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559143390l/39897323._SY475_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559143390l/39897323._SY475_.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sick Kids in Love </i>is a YA sick lit novel about Isabel, a 16 year old girl with RA who meets Sasha, a 16 year old boy with Gaucher's disease in a hospital, where she is at for RA infusion treatments. This story isn't a standard sick lit novel. It isn't like <span style="font-weight: bold;"><i>Midnight Sun, Five Feet Apart</i>, </span>or <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Fault in Our Stars. </span>It's a sick lit novel wherein nobody dies. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This isn't a spoiler, especially if you pay attention to the cover. The tagline reads "They don't die in this one," obviously taking a small jab at other sick lit novels wherein death is always imminent. This book also isn't like <i style="font-weight: bold;">Everything, Everything </i>which I already reviewed and expressed my animosity for. Both Sasha and Isabel stay sick throughout the whole novel, but neither of them dies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">One thing I noticed right off the bat in chapter 1 is that Isabel tells Sasha that she is taking DMARD infusions for rheumatoid arthritis that she was diagnosed with at the age of nine. This is a fallacy. Children cannot get RA. RA is an adult disease, meaning 18 and older. Children can get JIA, juvenile idiopathic arthritis. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Fun fact: JIA used to be called JRA (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis), but the terminology was changed because too many people thought that JRA/JIA was just a child version of RA. Nope. False. While RF-factor positive polyarticular JIA is closely linked to RA, the two are distinctly different, despite being treated in similar ways. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Someone with JIA/JRA wouldn't tell a doctor that they have RA when asked about their medical history, because symptoms are different. Instead, it would be referred to as juvenile idiopathic arthritis or juvenile-onset arthritis, not rheumatoid arthritis because they're two distinct diseases. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Yes, once people with JIA become adults, their type of arthritis--depending on the symptoms or severity--will sometimes be 're-diagnosed,' but Isabel wouldn't have been diagnosed with RA at 9. She would've been diagnosed with JIA/JRA, THEN once she becomes an adult MAY be diagnosed with RA. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">There is no way that Isabel actually has RA. She's 16 years, 9 months old, as she tells Sasha in chapter 1. At the end of the book, she's 17. The youngest age where someone can be diagnosed with RA is 18. Children used to be diagnosed with RA a long time ago, however, once the medical community found that JIA/JRA and RA are two separate diagnoses and conditions (despite being related), children started being diagnosed with JIA/JRA. Therefore, because this book is a contemporary romance, and it came out a few years ago and takes place in the modern day, Isabel, wouldn't have been diagnosed as having RA by doctors.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">How was she diagnosed with RA? I'd love to know. Because, in all actuality, Isabel has juvenile idiopathic arthritis. No way does she have rheumatoid arthritis. That's not me being ignorant. That's me doing my research/living with the same disease.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The reason Isabel cannot have RA is because arthritis in children tends to affect growth and development. RA is the development of arthritis in adults that does not lead to joint deformities when it comes to growth. Juvenile arthritis on the other hand is a distinctive condition because arthritis in children can affect growth and joint development because their bodies are still developing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">There are links at the end of this post for anyone who wants any further information on this. It's also included so nobody can call me out for being 'ignorant' and spreading 'misinformation.' I like to cover my bases 😇</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In chapter 4, Isabel mentions the walk home. She mentions getting a taxi, but that her dad will wonder why she used a taxi to go fifteen blocks? I didn't understand this. Her father is a doctor, and Isabel has supposedly had arthritis since she was at least nine. Fifteen blocks is 0.75 miles, which is pretty far. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Honestly, just use the taxi. I know I would, and my parents would understand. What's so wrong with using a taxi? Who cares if most people would just walk? You aren't 'most' people. To most people, you aren't even normal. So just take the taxi, or walk, and just stop talking about it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Character-wise, Sasha was hilarious.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The romance was super sweet. I loved all the illness humor.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">There were many scenes that I liked, but one of my favorites was when Sasha and Isabel were on the subway the day they went to LIC Landing. One of my favorite scenes was when Isabel was having a hard time standing due to joint pain, and Sasha asked a man who was sitting down if Isabel could sit down in his spot. I loved that part. </span></p><p><br /></p><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>That's it for this review! </span>I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Further information: </span></h4><div><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><u>Do Adults Have Juvenile Arthritis?<a href="https://www.insider.com/sia-music-movie-autism-criticism-backlash-response-twitter-2020-11" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;"> (opens in new window)</span></a></u></span></b></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-26167834367965102142022-01-27T06:00:00.016-07:002022-03-05T00:39:12.652-07:00My Favorite Family Tropes in Fiction/Media<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Today I'm going to be talking about my favorite family tropes in fiction. These aren't going to be in any particular order. I'll be giving an example for each one of these.</span></h4><div><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the post!</span></h4></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwMqfexXOGsrDNcme6yRUMvtYfJ0K_cWbNM58EblsoRbVyhlFz5J-v7kTmcf6G822ky0YwQXUY2tRe2jp9oYtpEmD6BHw1D-IqTjFh_ZGo0uQAUUL4bE2s0eIaf9iRcAzWwSC4voPc1REaXcuha6YyE2co0xl5Ax19pWL9DVOADncfhbULm7iu-f4=s1554" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1554" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwMqfexXOGsrDNcme6yRUMvtYfJ0K_cWbNM58EblsoRbVyhlFz5J-v7kTmcf6G822ky0YwQXUY2tRe2jp9oYtpEmD6BHw1D-IqTjFh_ZGo0uQAUUL4bE2s0eIaf9iRcAzWwSC4voPc1REaXcuha6YyE2co0xl5Ax19pWL9DVOADncfhbULm7iu-f4=w400-h275" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King, Alexandria. <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>. 2021.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span>1. Protective Siblings</span></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">My </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></p><h4><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;">2. Villainous Family Members</span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I will be the first to admit that I am a master procrastinator. However, I will also be one of the first to admit that I love doing research. I love learning new things and I'm always curious about the world around me. I love reading about things and finding ways to incorporate that information into a story of some kind, no matter what it is. I find research to be incredibly fun, and it does cause me to lose track of time anytime I get invested in what I'm doing.</span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">3. Parents Who Are Involved in Their Children's Lives</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I've <br /></span></p><!--more--><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">4. </span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I </span></p><!--more--><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">5. </span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">W<br /></span></p><!--more--><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">6. </span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I </span></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">So there you go! Those are my favorite family tropes in fiction.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Until next time, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></span></div></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-56207957832011499552022-01-25T06:00:00.098-07:002022-01-25T06:00:00.203-07:00Book Review: The Perfect Date by R.L. Stine (mostly spoiler free)<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of <i>The Perfect Date </i>by R.L. Stine.</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">This is a book I read finished less than a week ago, so it's pretty fresh in my mind. This review will predominantly be spoiler-free, however, there will be a spoiler section toward the end of this post.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">With that aside, let's get into the review!</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348166104l/656718.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="245" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348166104l/656718.jpg" width="245" /></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Perfect Date </i>is a <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fear Street </i>novel. It's a YA paranormal horror book. It follows Brady Karlin, a senior at Shadyside High School. After the tragic death of his girlfriend in a sledding accident a year before the main events of the novel, he has a new girlfriend named Allie. However, he soon meets a girl named Rosha and proceeds to want to engage in a romantic relationship with her. Accidents keep happening though. Accidents that only happen when Rosha is around. Brady also keeps seeing a girl with a scarred face whom he is terrified of. </span></div><div><i><p> <span style="font-family: trebuchet;">________________________________________</span></p></i></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I found Brady to be extremely unlikable. There wasn't honestly anything redeemable about him, though I know that was R.L. Stine's intention. I didn't like how obsessive Brady was. It was annoying. I'm just glad this story was in third person from Brady's POV and not first person from Brady's POV as I likely would've struggled to get through it even more. I also didn't like how Brady cheated on Allie. He should've just broken up with her before he met up with Rosha. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">My favorite character was Jon, Brady's best friend. He was sensible. I liked the relationship he and Brady had. I also liked how Jon pointed out how wrong Brady was for not breaking up with Allie while seeing another girl. Jon was a nice voice of reason who honestly could've helped out Brady a lot if the guy had just listened to him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">________________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This book was surprisingly dark and gruesome. I've read one other <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fear Street </i>novel before, and it wasn't as gruesome as this one was. It wasn't overly graphic or anything, but the prologue talks about how mangled Sharon's--Brady's bereaved girlfriend--face and body were after her sledding accident. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Once that happened, I knew the story was going to be dark. There were also mentions of limbs breaking off of characters during the climax, which wasn't the most pleasant thing to read if I'm being completely honest. It was dark, gruesome, and grim. It's the exact thing I would've expected in an R.L. Stine book written for teens.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">💥🔥<b>SPOILER ALERT</b>🔥💥</span><br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Anything below this is a spoiler<br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">You have been warned</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Initially the cover confused me, as Rosha was described as having blonde hair and green eyes. The girl on the cover looks nothing like that description. However, at the end, when Rosha is actually revealed to be Sharon, the cover makes a lot more sense. Sharon is described by Brady in the second to last chapter as having light brown hair and blue eyes. Coincidentally enough, that is the exact description of the girl on the cover.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">One thing about this book that I didn't really like was when Jon was killed off. I understand that it had a purpose because Brady couldn't find out before Rosha/Sharon revealed her secret, but I still didn't like it. Jon was one of the only characters I liked, and, like I mentioned previously, he was actually my favorite character. When he died, I was disappointed and kind of annoyed, solely because he was such a good, caring friend to Brady and was just overall a kind person.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">✔</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">👍</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;"><b>SPOILERS OVER</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">👍</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: xx-large;">✔</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Overall, this was a really enjoyable book despite how unlikable Brady was. I didn't see the twist coming, which was interesting. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. It would've been rated higher due to the twists, emotions, and shock I felt, but I hated how unlikable and obsessive Brady was. </span></p><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>That's it for this review! </span>I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-24853184400572016752022-01-20T06:00:00.023-07:002022-01-24T00:24:41.571-07:00My Least Favorite Family Tropes in Fiction/Media<div><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Today I'm going to be talking about my least favorite family tropes in fiction. These aren't going to be in any particular order. </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">I'll be giving an example for each one of these.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the post!</span></h4></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwMqfexXOGsrDNcme6yRUMvtYfJ0K_cWbNM58EblsoRbVyhlFz5J-v7kTmcf6G822ky0YwQXUY2tRe2jp9oYtpEmD6BHw1D-IqTjFh_ZGo0uQAUUL4bE2s0eIaf9iRcAzWwSC4voPc1REaXcuha6YyE2co0xl5Ax19pWL9DVOADncfhbULm7iu-f4=s1554" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1554" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwMqfexXOGsrDNcme6yRUMvtYfJ0K_cWbNM58EblsoRbVyhlFz5J-v7kTmcf6G822ky0YwQXUY2tRe2jp9oYtpEmD6BHw1D-IqTjFh_ZGo0uQAUUL4bE2s0eIaf9iRcAzWwSC4voPc1REaXcuha6YyE2co0xl5Ax19pWL9DVOADncfhbULm7iu-f4=w400-h275" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King, Alexandria. <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>. 2021.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span>1. </span>Incest</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Why is this even a thing? This one needs a decent amount of explanation. I don't have a problem with books including incest. What I have a problem with is when books romanticize incest. Some cases of incest don't bother me. For example, the myth of Oedipus. That myth serves to ask and answer the question, 'can someone outrun a prophecy/their fate' which is a prevalent recurring theme in Greek mythology. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">However, when it's used as a plot device wherein it's romanticized and both the characters know what they're doing, it's problematic. It also bothers me when other characters aren't weirded out by any of it. All states in the U.S. have laws regarding incest. To romanticize something that is, in most states, completely illegal is wrong, especially when it comes to YA fiction. I have covered this in a book review here on my blog before. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Literary Example</i>: <b><i>The Mortal Instruments</i></b><span><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>by Cassandra Clare</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span><i>Movie Example: </i><b><i>High School Musical </i></b></span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;">2. Dysfunctional Families</span></span></h4><p><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I know that families like this exist in real life. My problem is when it's perceived as normal. Siblings constantly arguing and hitting each other, leaning more toward abuse than sibling rivalry? Not normal and not healthy. Constant hatred and disdain between siblings? Not healthy. Parents constantly berating their children in the name of 'tough love' that borders on abuse? Not healthy. I hate when behavior like this is normalized. </span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Siblings won't get along all the time, but they won't argue all the time either. I should know. I have an older sister. I have also observed other siblings. My father has an older sister, and I've never seen them argue. My mom and her 5 siblings don't argue all the time either (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">being an adult doesn't matter, they're still siblings</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">). My youngest cousins don't even argue 24/7, and they're young boys. </span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">When an entire family is dysfunctional and it's seen as normal, I despise it. It gets on my nerves. Families like that aren't great families to be in. They aren't healthy environments. However, some dysfunctional families just get on my nerves as a whole. You're going to tell me that all of the protagonist's/side character's nuclear family members are toxic people?</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Literary Example</i>: <span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Switched </i>by Amanda Hocking</span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">3. Nonexistent Parents</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I've <br /></span></p><!--more--><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">4. The Bratty Child/Overly Rebellious Teen</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I hate this in almost all cases. Teens will naturally rebel a little when it comes to their parents. Children can be bratty, but children aren't always bratty. My problem comes when the child is bratty and their parents don't tell them anything to make them learn that they shouldn't be acting that way. My problem comes when teens are rebellious when they have pretty good, caring, and loving parents.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Literary Examples</i>: <i><b>Junie B. Jones </b></i>by Barbara Park and <i style="font-weight: bold;">Twilight </i>by Stephenie Meyer</span></p><!--more--><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">5. </span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">W<br /></span></p><!--more--><p></p><h2><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">6. </span></h2><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I </span></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">So there you go! Those are my least favorite family tropes in fiction. I will do my favorite tropes for this next week.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Until next time, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></span></div></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-57715140103901843162022-01-18T06:00:00.041-07:002022-01-18T06:00:00.216-07:00Book Review: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one for <i>The Killing Joke </i>by Alan Moore. </span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">This is a graphic novel I read pretty recently, so let's discuss it. There will be spoilers for this book. If you haven't read it and wish to, I'd recommend not reading this review. </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">With that aside, let's get into it!</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1346331835l/96358.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1346331835l/96358.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This was the first book I read in 2022. I read this in preparation for a future post I want to do later this year. I was very curious about how Batgirl/Barbara Gordon became Oracle, so I read <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Killing Joke</i>, the book where Barbara is paralyzed by the Joker in order to attempt to make Commissioner Jim Gordon go insane.</span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This graphic novel is dark. It's a mature rated graphic novel for a reason. It's very dark and gritty. It's very grim.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Everything with Commissioner Gordon seemed very short and wrapped up in a neat little bow. I didn't like that, if I'm being fully honest. The small plot device with Barbara also left me with many questions.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">How long did it take for someone to find her? Shouldn't she have theoretically died from loss of blood as Joker shot her through her abdomen and back?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The backstory used for Joker in this graphic novel also doesn't fully make sense to me. I have so many questions regarding this. He wants to provide for his pregnant wife because he's a family man. Good and fine. He quits his job as a lab assistant to become a stand-up comedian. What? It's no wonder he failed. There's no hint that Joker had previously been a comedian. It just makes no sense. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Why do the criminals he agrees to work with want to rob a playing card company? What are they going to fully gain from that? There were many things in this story that just didn't make sense to me. Maybe I read it so fast that I didn't grasp some of the motivations behind this, but I don't think so.</span></div><div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I rated <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Killing Joke </i>3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. My main complaint is how short it is. It's only about 40 pages long. Because of the length it was a bit underwhelming if I'm going to be honest. I felt like there was something missing, and it's not just because there's a cliffhanger at the end of this story.</span></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><h4 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday, </span></h4><h4 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><p style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span></p><h4 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-76171295055035455202022-01-13T06:00:00.089-07:002022-06-17T18:48:06.534-06:00Is Disability an 'Adult Issue?'<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I am going to be answering the question, 'is disability an adult issue?'</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Let's get into my thoughts!</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhg5n2DRxtLZ73elxjXFctAjxOSURztedkAzcldo9fwPLzLAnjMibdaPGue3N8DsHUAFK8WIUXbN0qgpDOAx4YfI-1wjKoGRZkdRVqA3hDuM_TL8JIjKDwx6XLVIrxeJqlI1XbXBPCpFOapud4cWlCwicQx1H7ZaGIRHrxX9WAhkw5BoA0j7Z81uCE=s1554" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1554" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhg5n2DRxtLZ73elxjXFctAjxOSURztedkAzcldo9fwPLzLAnjMibdaPGue3N8DsHUAFK8WIUXbN0qgpDOAx4YfI-1wjKoGRZkdRVqA3hDuM_TL8JIjKDwx6XLVIrxeJqlI1XbXBPCpFOapud4cWlCwicQx1H7ZaGIRHrxX9WAhkw5BoA0j7Z81uCE=w400-h275" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King, Alexandria. <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist. </i>2021.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I can't remember where I saw this, but I was on Goodreads one day and I had come across a book that had a disabled character. I can't remember the book now and likely couldn't find it if I tried. There was a review by someone that mentioned that the book dove into a couple 'adult topics,' one of which was disability, and it caused me to pause. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Do people think of disability as an adult issue? It seems so. Most people believe children are carefree individuals who have no worries in the world. At least three million children in the United States live with a disability. That's about 4.3% of the under-18 population. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The harm with thinking that disability is an adult issue is that it ignores the struggles that many children face every day. Struggles that I faced and struggles that I didn't face for whatever reason. I'm going to tell a story. A story from my childhood. A story I only remember because my mom has told it a few times.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">We had been traveling one day to a medical appointment out of town, and we ended up coming across this older man. He seemed to be in a sad mood. My parents started talking to him. Being a child, I didn't follow the conversation that well, so the majority of what I know is from my mother's recollections.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">He saw me and told my parents how it must have been so nice to be a child because children have no care in the world; no worries; no stresses. My parents then told him that we were heading to a medical appointment for me because I had certain issues. After that, the man's mood changed. He seemed.....more hopeful.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Children aren't always carefree. Children still have struggles. They could be as large as disability or as small as a math problem on a test. Children have struggles. If children were always carefree, they wouldn't cry. They wouldn't get upset. They'd just be happy all the time. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I didn't have a carefree childhood. However, just because I didn't have a carefree childhood, doesn't mean that my childhood was bad. On the contrary, I loved my childhood and wouldn't change much about it. It taught me many important lessons. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">When we treat disability like it's an 'adult issue', we ignore the fact that children have disabilities as well. This can lead to a mentality of 'you're too young for [insert medical condition here]'. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Disability knows no age. Disability doesn't discriminate. It doesn't matter your age, your race, your sex, your gender, or your personality. It can affect everyone the same, and children are no different.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Until next time, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></span></div></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-35526112161660799962022-01-11T06:00:00.014-07:002022-10-28T15:48:18.933-06:00Is 'Disabled' a Bad Word? A Disabled Person's Thoughts<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! Today I am going to be voicing my opinion on 'is disabled a bad word?'. I'm not going to spend too much time on this introduction as there is no point. </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Let's get into my thoughts!</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDFHSqO1Y4eEL3yimQudOkVVh3v6LwfKb2-ScElEUKhZquK4yF6kR56sbrVjS6sSr-oB1WormmDFb_EZCOQYFXh9aTGhL8LiGXW0M906DYwX69MC6ItktyRG_DVfY23KpZm--wHuLjibCGU0Kx_qFr7uwMCraPn6aBEWyNqTvXEVaccv8G7I4_bP0=s1554" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1554" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDFHSqO1Y4eEL3yimQudOkVVh3v6LwfKb2-ScElEUKhZquK4yF6kR56sbrVjS6sSr-oB1WormmDFb_EZCOQYFXh9aTGhL8LiGXW0M906DYwX69MC6ItktyRG_DVfY23KpZm--wHuLjibCGU0Kx_qFr7uwMCraPn6aBEWyNqTvXEVaccv8G7I4_bP0=w400-h275" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King, Alexandria. <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>. 2021.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Many people believe that 'disabled' is a dirty, negative word. It isn't. But the question is, why do people think that? The thought that 'disabled' and 'disability' are 'bad' words doesn't make sense to me. I've been randomly thinking about this, and I may have come to a conclusion on why it's seen as a bad word. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">First, let's breakdown and examine the word 'disabled.' 'Dis' is a prefix meaning 'not.' So, when 'disabled' is broken down, it translates to 'not able.' I mentioned this in my post where I discussed the different terms non-disabled people will use to refer to disabled people.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Like I said there, the words 'not able' are vague. They don't give any clue as to why someone is disabled. It's an inclusive term. What does that mean, not able? Not able to do what exactly? Not able to hear? That's a deaf person. Not able to see? That's a blind person. Not able to walk? That's a wheelchair user of some kind, ambulatory or otherwise. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">So why do people think disabled is a bad word? Here's my theory.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It isn't until you see the antonym of disabled that it becomes problematic. What is the antonym? Able-bodied. With this connotation, it can be understood why many people believe disabled to be a bad word. This word implies that disabled people don't have 'able-bodies.' That they don't have capable bodies--that their bodies are inherently flawed and, perhaps, even unusable. This just isn't true. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Disability and being disabled is just a reality for some people. There are some things we can do, but there are other things we can't. That's not me being pessimistic. That's just fact. I can't open cans with pull tabs. That's not me being negative or me 'not trying hard enough.' That's just my reality.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">So, do I believe that 'disabled' is a bad word? No. Not at all. It's a reality I have lived for the past twelve years, and it's a word that best describes some aspects of my life. Substitute words like 'differently-abled' and 'handicapable' don't describe my life, solely because they don't describe how difficult my life has been or how many struggles I've gone though, despite me having a happy life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Those words are patronizing. They were created by non-disabled people to describe disabled people. They were created to replace the 'offensive' disabled. Stating that disabled is a bad and negative word is offensive to me. It conveys that there's something wrong with being disabled--that there is something wrong with my life. There isn't. I love my life, disabled aspects and all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Disabled is not a dirty word, and the sooner people realize that, the better off we'll be.</span></p><h4 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><h4 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday, </span></h4><h4 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><p style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span></p><h4 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-36191845176315792102022-01-06T06:00:00.044-07:002022-01-24T00:02:50.359-07:00Why Frozen and Frozen II Are Fantastic<h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist!</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Today I'm going to be talking about Disney's <i>Frozen </i>and <i>Frozen II</i>, and I'm going to be going into the reasons why I love this movie.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">There will be spoilers for both movies, so if you haven't seen it I wouldn't recommend reading this unless you don't care watching the movie.</span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Let's get into the post!</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/p_frozen_18373_3131259c.jpeg?region=0%2C0%2C540%2C810" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="400" src="https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/p_frozen_18373_3131259c.jpeg?region=0%2C0%2C540%2C810" width="267" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/p_frozen2_19644_4c4b423d.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="400" src="https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/p_frozen2_19644_4c4b423d.jpeg" width="267" /></a></div><p>The <i style="font-weight: bold;">Frozen </i>franchise is my favorite Disney princess franchise, for multiple reasons.</p><p><br /></p><p>When it first came out, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Frozen </i>got a lot of hate, mostly because Let It Go was played everywhere by children. </p><p><br /></p><p>Many people were also claiming that it was the first Disney movie to be about sisters. It isn't. <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lilo and Stitch's </i>plot centered around Nani and Lilo, two sisters. Many were also claiming that it was the first Disney princess movie to not have the plot revolve around a romantic love between two characters, which is also false. Mulan is technically a Disney princess, despite never being born a princess nor marrying into royalty. While she has a love interest, it's not the focus of the film. </p><p>Also, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Brave </i>came out one year before <i style="font-weight: bold;">Frozen </i>did and that movie didn't have a love interest at all as Merida was adamantly against being won. </p><p>Others were also saying that <span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Frozen </i>was the first movie to have a queen, which isn't true either as Kida from <i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlantis: The Lost Empire </i>is a queen. That movie came out in 2001, twelve years before <i style="font-weight: bold;">Frozen</i>.</span></p><p>However, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Frozen </i>is the first<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>Disney princess movie released in theaters that shows the undying love between sisters, and it shows that the love between sisters can be just as strong as romantic love, if not more. While <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cinderella III: A Twist in Time </i>had a good ending where Anastasia and Cinderella grew a sisterly bond, that movie often flies under the radar as it was a direct-to-video movie. </p><p>Ariel has sisters, but she doesn't seem remotely close to any of them. Their relationship to Ariel is really only shown in <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning</i>. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I relate greatly to Anna and Elsa's relationship. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! </span></h4><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Until next time, </span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></span></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5662767604754624664.post-3222954994770363482022-01-04T06:00:00.000-07:002023-01-04T01:44:17.911-07:00Best and Worst Books I Read in 2021 (Spoiler Free)<h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome back to <i>Musings of an Arthritic Artist</i>! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Today I'm going to be talking about the best and worst books I read in 2021. I have independent reviews for the majority of these books, which I will link to in case anyone is interested in my more in-depth thoughts.</span></h4><h2><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div></h2><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Without further ado, let's get into the post, beginning with the best books I read. </span></h4><h2 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h2><div><h1>Best</h1><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">These books aren't in any particular order, as I find it difficult to rank books I enjoy. All I include here are synopses and my spoiler-free thoughts.</span></h4></div><div><span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><i>Eliza and Her Monsters </i>b</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">y Francesca Zappia</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"> </span></h2><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476994065l/31931941._SY475_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="475" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476994065l/31931941._SY475_.jpg" width="314" /></a></div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span><i><b>Eliza and Her Monsters</b> </i>is a YA contemporary romance novel. </span>This story follows Eliza Mirk, an eighteen-year-old girl. She's the anonymous webcomic creator of Monstrous Sea. In real life, Eliza is shy, friendless, and has anxiety, but online she is LadyConstellation and has millions of followers and fans. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Her world is changed when a boy named Wallace Warland transfers to her school. Wallace writes fanfiction for Monstrous Sea. The two become friends, but Eliza doesn't tell him that she is LadyConstellation, the creator of the exact web comic he is a fan of. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I really liked this book. It was cute. I also liked the artistic elements that were weaved into the story. They were seamless and made the story more enjoyable. The characters were fantastic and I instantly fell in love with them.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I wrote a review for this a few months ago, if you want to read my complete, spoiler filled thoughts on this book (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">linked here: <a href="https://musingsofanarthriticartist.blogspot.com/2021/10/book-review-eliza-and-her-monsters-by.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Book Review: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia (opens in new window)</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><h2 style="font-weight: normal;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422312376i/9673436.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422312376i/9673436.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="475" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422312376i/9673436.jpg" width="305" /></a></div></i></h2><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></i></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">The Invention of Hugo Cabret </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">by Brian Selznick</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i><b>The Invention of Hugo Cabret</b> </i>is a children's/middle grade novel told in words and drawings. This was technically a re-read for me as I read this book many years ago.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span><div style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This book is about 12-year-old Hugo Cabret, an orphan who lives in a train station in Paris in the 1930s. This is a historical fiction novel. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It has a lot of historical elements sprinkled in (</span><span><b>as it should</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">), and gives a good introductory insight into the history of film and cinema.</span></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This is a novel told in words and pictures. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It's very unique and is the first children's novel/chapter book to receive the Caldecott Medal, an award given annually to the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children." The Caldecott and Newbery medals are considered the most prestigious awards for American children's books. </span></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I love this book. I loved it as a child, and I love it now. It's a fantastic book that mixes two of my favorite things: reading and drawing. Plus, the cover is absolutely stunning for a children's book.</span></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Much like the last one, I wrote an independent review for this book </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">(</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">linked here: <a href="https://musingsofanarthriticartist.blogspot.com/2021/11/book-review-invention-of-hugo-cabret-by.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Book Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (opens in new window)</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div></span></div></span></div><h2><br /></h2><h2><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618531219l/23437156.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="475" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618531219l/23437156.jpg" width="314" /></a></div></span></h2><h2><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><i>Six of Crows </i>by Leigh Bardugo</span></h2><h2><div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: bold;">Six of Crows </i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">is a YA fantasy novel with romance aspects sprinkled in, though it isn't the focal point of the novel. This series is technically the second series in the Grishaverse, the first being the </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: bold;">Grisha</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">/</span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: bold;">Shadow and Bone </i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">trilogy (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">depends on who in the fandom you ask; both are valid search queries, though if you read the <i>Six of Crows </i>cover at the top, it clearly states <i>Grisha Trilogy</i></span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">).</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This story is written in third-person point-of-view following six characters (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">five have a POV in this novel</span></b><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">). These six characters are members of a gang in a world inspired by Amsterdam, Antwerp, Las Vegas, and Old New York (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">New Amsterdam</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">), with one member being a leader. </span></span></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: 400;">The leader of this gang (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the Dregs</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: 400;">) is Kaz Brekker, a 17-year-old boy. Kaz is very well known in Ketterdam, particularly in the place called 'the Barrel,' where he is known by 'Dirtyhands.' </span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: 400;">There are numerous other protagonists, such as Inej Ghafa (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the Wraith</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: 400;">), Jesper Fahey (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the Sharpshooter</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: 400;">), Nina Zenik (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the Heartrender</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: 400;">), and two others who are introduced a few chapters in. This book is very similar to the general idea of </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">Ocean's Eleven</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: normal;">, but as if it was a YA fantasy novel.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: 400;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: 400;">My full review linked here: </span><a href="https://musingsofanarthriticartist.blogspot.com/2021/05/six-of-crows-oceans-eleven-meets-ya.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit;">Six of Crows: Ocean's Eleven Meets YA Fantasy (opens in new window)</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">.</span></span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div></div></h2><h2><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></h2><h2><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552511346l/40580686.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="475" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552511346l/40580686.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;">War Girls </span></i><span style="font-size: x-large;">by Tochi Onyebuchi</span></h2><h2><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>War Girls<span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">is a YA Speculative Fiction novel. It </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">takes place in 2172, but is meant to tell a partial history of the Nigerian Civil War/Biafran War/Nigerian-Biafran War that began in 1967 and ended in 1970. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">I say partial because it is still fiction, and Tochi Onyebuchi took inspiration from other aspects of African history, as mentioned in the Author's Note.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>War Girls </i><span style="font-weight: 400;">is told from the perspectives of two characters. Two "adopted" sisters named Onyii and Ify. This story is told in third-person present tense, so the writing tense is definitely not for everyone. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I checked this book out in 2020 to read during quarantine. Despite checking it out in March 2020, I actually read and finished this book in March 2021, due to my local library being closed.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I really enjoyed this book. It was different as well as intriguing. I also really enjoyed the writing style.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-weight: 400;">Review here: </span><a href="https://musingsofanarthriticartist.blogspot.com/2021/03/speculative-fiction-set-in-africa-war.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit;">Speculative Fiction Set in Africa: War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi (opens in new window)</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">.</span></div></span></div></h2></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559143390l/39897323._SY475_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559143390l/39897323._SY475_.jpg" /></a></div><h2><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><i>Sick Kids In Love </i>by Hannah Moskowitz</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"> </span></h2><div><i style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>Sick Kids in Love</b> </i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">is a YA contemporary romance that was released in 2019. The story is about Isabel Garfinkel and Sasha Sverdlov-Deckler, two Jewish teens who meet at the NYC hospital Isabel's father works at. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Both of these characters have chronic illnesses and fall in love, hence the title. I was excited to read this. I read this one in December, so this read was pretty recent. I was excited for two reasons. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I was excited to read a book with a romance between characters who have medical issues where both live. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">To clarify, this isn't a spoiler. The tagline at the top of the cover reads, "They don't die in this one." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Isabel has rheumatoid arthritis and Sasha has Gaucher's disease. I</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> really like this book, but there were a few things I didn't like about it. I will be posting a spoiler review for this book next month, so look out for that. That's where I will discuss the spoilers, but I'll explain the biggest problem I have with this book: </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Isabel's diagnosis. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">She's 16 (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">17 at the end of the book</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">), and she explains that she was diagnosed with RA at the age of 9. This is impossible. Children cannot be diagnosed with straight up RA. Isabel has JIA, and the fact that she is described as having RA is medically inaccurate. I will explain this point further in my review.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This is one of only two books that I have not reviewed on my blog, but the review will be coming soon, so keep an eye out for that if you are interested. </span></div><div><span><div><br /></div></span></div></div><h1>Worst</h1><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">These books were the worst books I read in 2021, ordered from "best" to worst. Again, these "mini-reviews" are spoiler-free.</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span><h2 style="font-size: xx-large;"><i style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1409093514l/19945169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="275" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1409093514l/19945169.jpg" width="275" /></a></div></span></i></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">My Little Pony: Applejack and the Honest-to-Goodness Switcheroo </span></i><span style="font-size: x-large;">by G.M. Berrow</span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I'm going to preface this by saying that this book was fine. I had no problem with this book, plot, writing, or characters. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">The problem I had was that the blurb on the back of the book gives a detail that doesn't happen until the last couple chapters of the book.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">That was my main complaint. Other than that, this book is fun and enjoyable. I just didn't like that the title and blurb give away something that happens toward the end. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">What this book <i style="font-weight: bold;">really </i>is about is Applejack trying to win an award for Sweet Apple Acres, her family's farm, not whatever the blurb advertises.</span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><h2><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1450515891l/18692431._SY475_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="475" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1450515891l/18692431._SY475_.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><h2><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Everything, Everything </span></i><span style="font-size: x-large;">by Nicola Yoon</span></h2></span></i></h2><div><i style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>Everything, Everything</b> </i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">is a YA contemporary romance novel. I read this book in November. This review is spoiler free, but let me just say this: I hated the ending of this book. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This was a 2.5 star read for me. I wrote a spoiler filled rant review for this book (</span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">linked here: <a href="https://musingsofanarthriticartist.blogspot.com/2021/11/book-review-everything-everything-by.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Rant Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (opens in new window)</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">).</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This story is about Madeline Whittier, an 18-year-old biracial (</span><span><b>half-African American, half-Japanese</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">) girl who lives inside a sterilized home because she has a rare disease called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, or SCID for short. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It is also known as 'bubble boy disease' after the media used it to refer to David Vetter, a young boy who was diagnosed with the condition in the 1970s.</span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Maddy has lived a pretty happy life. She spends a lot of time with her mother and her nurse, Carla. Then, Maddy's life changes drastically once Olly, a new boy next door moves in. They begin to talk through emails and get to know each other. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This book is a romance story about a girl falling in love with the boy next door. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If you are interested in this plot and think it'll be a great book with disability rep, I'd highly recommend reading my review, despite the numerous spoilers included. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If you're interested in this for the romance aspect then I'd recommend it, but if you're interested because you want to read about this illness/disability that Maddie has, then you'll likely be disappointed, as the ending is an offensive letdown.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The romance was cute, but this book was hands down the worst book I read in 2021. The amount of times the second half frustrated me was uncanny as I don't get that frustrated that often. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">To a certain extent, I'd say that I hated the second half of this book more than I hate <i style="font-weight: bold;">Twilight</i>, which is saying a lot, as <i style="font-weight: bold;">Twilight </i>was my book to rank on in 2020.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">So there you go! </span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Those are best and worst books I read in 2021. I intend to do another for 2022, as long as I have at least two books I disliked.</span></h4><h4><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">See you Thursday,</span></h4><h4><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div></h4><h4><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lexi K🖌</span></h4></div>Lexi Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386000379488653874noreply@blogger.com0