Get Your Summer Reading Sorted

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As we approach summer, it’s the perfect time to find some good books to read during the hot months. After all, with vacation season approaching, it gives us plenty of time to do some reading. In fact, there is nothing better than relaxing on your sunbed in the hot sun with a good book in your hand. But what books should make the pile for your holiday reads? I’ve compiled a few which you will love to read this summer. Therefore, here are some good novels which will get your summer reading sorted!

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

It appears that all everyone seems to be talking about at the moment is the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. In fact, you will find online a wealth of articles with people giving their opinion on the series. After all, it’s definitely brought a tough subject to people’s minds as the series focuses on character Hannah Baker’s reasons for committing suicide. And the controversial series has been a surprising success. In fact, it’s been one of the most tweeted about programs of the year so far. And it might not come to anybody’s surprise that producer Selena Gomez revealed that there will definitely be a second series! However, if you are missing the series, and want to go back to where it all began, you should look at reading the original 13 Reasons Why novel by Jay Asher. After all, books are often a lot more thought provoking than TV shows. And if you are in the mood for a cry fest, it’s one book that should be on your radar. Of course, the book is hard going and intense. But it will definitely get you hooked from the start as it goes through the 13 reasons why she felt it was her only option and the people who let her down. If you haven’t seen the series, you still might want to consider reading the book which goes through tough topics. Just make sure you have plenty of tissues on the sunbed next to you while you read the book!

The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick

Author Amanda Quick came to the forefront after releasing best seller ‘Till Death Do Us Part. And now she’s back with a great summer read which is rising high on the charts for the summer. In fact, you will find her new novel The Girl Who Knew Too Much on the bestseller chart in a lot of the major stores. You can even get an online copy by getting some Barnes and Noble coupons which will make it a cheaper purchase. And if historical romance is your thing, it’s definitely a book which should be on your radar this summer! The new novel is set in the 1930’s and is full of glamor and scandal. In fact, it focuses on the Burning Cove Hotel where a famous actress is killed. And reporter Irene tries to find out the truth of what happened, alongside the owner of the hotel Oliver. The story progresses with the two revealing some very dark secrets which bring them closer together. It’s definitely a book which will have you hooked till the very end. And will transport you back to the 30’s while you are lying on your sunbed!

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

Known for her Shopaholic series (and film which starred Isla Fisher), British author Sophie Kinsella has been coming back with best seller after best seller ever since. And the author doesn’t seem to be slowing down with another great book which should be added to your summer pile. My Not So Perfect Life is a great chick lit novel which will keep you occupied in the summer sun. The story focuses on Katie Brenner who is living in London and working for an advertising company. To keep pretenses up, she pretends to have the perfect life on Instagram (don’t we all). But in reality, she is stuck in a small flat and having to endure a long commute every day to a job with an awful boss. The story takes a twist when she has to return home and starts to help her family set up a glamping business. It’s a great story with many twists and turns along the way. And there is a nice romance side of the story too that will keep you hooked to the very end! There are also parts of the book which will see you laughing out loud, so be prepared for the funny looks from other beach goers!

And remember to get a good pair of sunnies. That way, you can keep reading even when the weather is scorching!

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Highlights From #SDCC15

From July 9-12 I was at 2015 San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), which was my first time ever attending this mecca of sorts for geeks and nerds (and my first time ever in California). It was a whirlwind trip that had a lot of great highlights for me.

First off, the weather in San Diego was beautiful for the weekend I was there. The sun was out, it wasn't too hot, and overall it was just a great setting to be able to explore and experience the area. I did a lot of walking over the few days I was there, which wore me out a bit and gave me a solid sunburn towards the end of the trip.

On the first day of the trip (Thursday), I walked to the convention center to check in and just walked around the show floor and other off-site events to see everything and get a lay of the land. I eventually made my way to the San Diego Central Library for the panel I was helping to cover. This was definitely a huge highlight and it was what enabled me to come out in the first place so I'm really happy I was able to sit in and take a bunch of photos of the session.

After that panel, I crashed back at my room since I had to wake up early that day for my long flight from Boston. On Friday, I did more exploring, got tickets for a session, popped in for a panel, and then played the new Star Wars Battlefront game on the PlayStation 4. The Nerd HQ was demoing the game and it was incredible! I would contemplate getting a system to play this game it was that good. Then I went to the Nerdist Conival to see of their speakers (mainly Felicia Day). Both the Conival and Nerd HQ were free to anyone to come in, no SDCC badge was required. They both a lot of fun activities and it was nice that they were there as accessible options for fans to enjoy.

My favorite session that I got to go to was the Nerdist Podcast Network Podcast Jam (an unwieldy title to be sure) that featured Jonah Ray, Matt Mira, Pete Holmes, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily Gordon, and Sandra Daugherty. There was also a kid who does a podcast apparently on the network (The Mutant Season) that I had no idea who he was but it was sort of neat to hear from a young person and the impact doing a podcast has had on him. I had never seen all these people in person, much less all at the same time. It was hilarious! They provided some neat insights as well from their collective years podcasting. As a fan of the medium and an avid podcaster myself, it was definitely a major highlight of the whole con for me.

Saturday was spent checking out a local beach and dipping my feet in the Pacific Ocean (a life goal for me). I came back to SDCC later in the day to check out Adam Savage from MythBusters do a Q&A session as well as a session from the folks at Nerd for a Living about doing just that; how to get into nerdy creative fields like costume design, movie makeup and effects, comic writing/illustrating, etc. I have appreciated the work they do for a little while now so it was cool to be able to check this panel out.

After all that, I packed up and got to bed so I could head out the next morning for my flight back to the East Coast. It was an awesome trip and experience that I did not expect to have so soon in my life. I'll try to capture more of my in depth thoughts in a future post, but I just wanted to share some of the cool highlights from the trip with you all. If you haven't gone before, I hope you get the opportunity to do so at some point. It's an amazing experience to behold, and will definitely be memorable for you for your own awesomely geeky reasons.

Thanks for stopping by!

Reflections on Turning 25 & Getting My Master's

This past week, I hit some pretty big life milestones; I turned 25 years old and I obtained my Master's degree after two years of hard work. It has been a whirlwind few weeks with the end of the semester and I just got back from a very relaxing vacation away with the lovely lady you see above. As I get back to reality, I find myself wanting to reflect on everything and how I feel at this important point in my life. First, the degree (since that happened first). I've been a student for 19 years straight, that's twelve years of school to get my high school diploma, five years of undergraduate study to get my bachelor's, and two years of study to get my master's. This is the first time in a long time I don't have to register for classes, worry about paying tuition, or having the structure of school controlling my life. While I'm still going into higher education and will have the academic year hovering over my life for the foreseeable future, it won't be as a student (not unless I get my doctorate at some point in the far future). I had a brief moment over the week of closing ceremonies and convocations where I felt a sense of relief. It came from knowing that these degrees I've obtained and mainly my master's, something I never would have thought years ago I would achieve, is mine and can never be taken away from me. That accomplishment, after years of hard work was very satisfying. I'm not a boisterous person and this was my own personal celebration that happened in my head as I sat down after walking across the stage at graduation this past week.

A few days after graduation, I turned 25. I had been joking for months that this is perfectly timed to have a big quarter life crisis, with such big life moments happening all at once. Thankfully I feel affirmed in my path and excited for the future, so this is not the case. I tend to be more mature than some of the others my age so this birthday was actually welcomed, as I feel like my actual age is catching up with my beliefs, habits, and perspectives. I'm excited to be older and continuing to learn from life's experiences. I feel like I've learned a lot and grown so much within just the past few years being on-campus at both Delaware and Rutgers, so I can't wait for what is to come.

My life is still taking shape as I look for a job and the next chapter of my life. I know that I don't know everything about anything. There is plenty still that I want to do in this world, and I look forward to the horizon optimistically at what the next 25 years have in store.

EDIT: Check out the story of my job search to read about the recent, epic conclusion!

Thanks for stopping by, and have an amazing day!