Get To Know Me Tag!

Good Morning everyone! I've been reading since I woke up, which was around six, and after I while I always need a little break from it. Currently I'm reading The Catcher in the Rye. I've read it once before, in fact, it was only a few months ago. It's one of my favorite books. It's very satirical, which I always love in a book. I'm almost finished with it, so soon i'll have to write a review on it. Back on topic, I decided it would be fun to do the "Get To Know Me" tag, which is a little questionnaire composed of 21 personal questions. I'll try to answer them to the fullest, and I hope anyone reading enjoys! Thank you,
-Ashley.

1. Are you named after anyone?

In a sense, we're all named after our fathers, considering we take their last names. But, no, I am not named after anyone. For a while when I was younger I thought my middle name (Lynne), was in honor of my mother's favorite uncle, but once I asked her about it she said she just liked the name and it didn't have anything to do with my uncle.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Personally, i'm not much of a crier. It's not that i'm insensitive, in fact, i'm a very sensitive person. It's just that my parents have taught me not to cry, and it's sort of stuck with me. I have had many days where I have felt shitty, but in all honesty, I can't remember the last time I've cried. (On a side note, I don't have an issue with crying, I think it's a good thing to do as long as it's in moderation.)

3. Do you have kids?

No, I do not have kids. I am only 17 (basically 18 though), and I do not plan on having children for quite a long time.

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself?

I don't really know what to say for this question. I guess it would depend on the type of person I was. But if I was a person that had the same interests as my actual self, then perhaps, theoretically speaking, I would become of a friend of myself. It just depends on whether this "other me" is willing to put up with my awkwardness.

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Yes! I don't use it rudely, but it's my main sense of humor. I can say things quite seriously, when in all reality they're total bull shit. I just like to joke around with people, but people who don't know me very well tend to not understand my humor. In fact, one of my good friends told me he thought I was very weird at first, but then after knowing me for about a year or so, he told me I have a brilliant sense of humor.

6. Will you ever bungee-jump?

Only if I got paid... A LOT of money. In all honesty, I'm flipping terrified of heights. And I HATE amusement parks, they're just so terrifying. I don't even have fun, I just am a source of amusement and laughter to my friends because of how loudly I scream. Which in all honesty, is worth it to me because I love to make people happy and laugh :). I say "In all honesty" way too much...

7. What's your favorite cereal?

This one is a tough one! Personally I LOVE cereal, but oddly enough, I never eat a bowl with milk. I always just have a glass of soy milk on the side. I just hate the texture of the two together. But i'd have to say my favorite cereal is either Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon, or plain old Cheerios. Nom, I'm getting hungry of just thinking about it :p.

8. What's the first thing you notice about people?

The first thing I notice about people about people is their faces, voice, and smile. But I try to notice more of what's on the inside first, then the outside. It's more important to me.

9. What is your eye color? 

My eye color is brown. Boring, I know right? My dad has blue eyes, and my mom has deep hazel, my older sister has beautiful light hazel eyes, my older brother has blue... and of course, I the youngest am left with poop brown eyes.

10. Scary movies or happy endings?

This one is hard, because I love Scary movies, but not on a deep level. For me, I watch scary movies to just get a laugh out of them because of how ridiculous some situations can be. On the other hand, I'm not too fond of happy endings. I feel like most of them are forced in movies, and don't make sense. They all just seem so "fairy-tale" like. But when they are portrayed realistically, I love them. But to be honest, i'm not a huge fan of movies in the first place.

11. Favorite smells?

I love vanilla, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, fresh baked bread, strawberries, and fresh ripe peaches.

12. Summer or winter?

Winter! I don't hate summer, I just don't love it. Ironically, my birthday is June 8th. But my favorite article of clothing to wear is a nice sweater, which is a no go in the summer. My only complaint about winter is that in Minnesota, (where I live) it lasts WAY too long. Plus, everyone is about ready to blow a casket when it's snowing and below 0 (Fahrenheit) in March...

13. Computer or television?

Definitely computer, I've just always preferred it. There's so much more you can get out of computers, such as blogging :p. However, I do love sitting in front of the TV and watching my favorite sitcom, or more so, a documentary.

14. What's the furthest you've ever been away from home?

The furthest I've ever been away from home is probably a little into Wisconsin. It's quite boring, I know, but I love traveling, and currently I have the biggest wanderlust. I would love to visit all the states one day, Spain,  India, Germany, and Japan.

15.  Do you have any special talents?

None that I can think of on the top of my head. I'm quite good at drawing, and when I played clarinet, I was also very good at that. However, those are not innate abilities of mine, and in order to get "good" I had to practice a whole lot. The only talent I am proud to say I have is my ability to have empathy with anyone, no matter the situation they are in.

16. Where were you born? 

The same place I have lived all my life, Minnesota.

17. What are your hobbies?

Studying Spanish & Japanese, blogging, doodling, listening to music, reading, watching television, surfing the internet, going on walks, playing video games and drinking tea! :)

18. Do you have any pets?

Sadly... no. :(. I really wish I had a cat. Growing up, I had this cat named Oreal, and she passed away last year. She was a good friend of mine. Whenever I am able, I am going to adopt a new cat to be my companion animal! :)

19. Favorite movie?

I'm not a much of a movie person, but by far my favorite movie is The Lord of the Rings. I could honestly watch that 2 times in a row and not get bored. I only wish I owned the extended editions.

20. Do you have any siblings?

Yes, I have two older siblings. The eldest of us three, is my sister Katlynne. (Her name is pronounced "Caitlin.")  She is 21-years old. Growing up we we're not exactly close. But now that we're older we actually have a good relationship. Then, the middle child, is Nathaniel. We call him Tate, as equally we do Nathaniel. I am more closer to him then my sister, but personally, I love and like both equally. He's a great friend of mine, and we have a lot in common. Growing up, we were always close. We just have this problem of fighting about the most ridiculous and stupid shit that doesn't even matter.

21. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Well, I'm going to college to major in Communications Art & Literature teaching, and then also Spanish. I would love being a teacher so very much. My hopes for the future is simply to learn how to love and accept myself, and to always keep my chin up in the face of darkness.

So... That's it for my little tag. I hope any of you reading this found it interesting. That's just a little about me. If anyone has any questions just ask! Though I doubt anyone will read this :p. This blog is more of just something for me to do.
Thank you!
-Ashley ♥

Summer Reading List

Good evening to any of those who are reading this blog! My name is Ashley, and i'm 18 years-old. I have a passion for reading, and I have loved it for many years now. This year was my senior year, and thus my final year of high school. I graduated a few days ago, but alas, I am left with not much to do this summer. So I decided it would be fun to start a blog. This blog will consist of random things, however; currently I plan to have this blog's main focus be books. I decided I'm going to have a little fun, and attempt to read 50 books over this summer. (Perhaps even more if I feel like it!) So down below I have created a list of books I plan on reading, and some I will be re-reading. The order of the list will not be the order I read the books, but we'll see how things go! After I read a book I plan on writing a review on it, and for series after I read the entire series I will write a review on the whole series. Thank you for reading, for any who did.
-Ashley

List:

1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings
3. A Storm of Swords
4. A Feast for Crows
5. A Dance with Dragons
6. The Fellowship of The Ring
7. The Two Towers
8. The Return of the King
9. Fahrenheit 451
10. Catcher In the Rye
11. A Mad Desire to Dance
12. Looking For Alaska
13. The Faults In Our Stars
14. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
15. Norwegian Wood
16. After Dark
17. Les Miserables
18. The Shining
19. The Great Gatsby.
20. The Sound and The Fury
21. As I Lay Dying
22. Of Mice and Men
23. The Grapes of Wrath
24. A Tale of Two Cities
25. The Lightning Thief
26. The Sea of Monsters
27. The Titan's Curse
28. The Battle of the Labyrinth
29. The Last Olympian
30. Wuthering Heights
31. Through The Looking Glass
32. The Book Thief
33. The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.
34. Paper Towns
35. Kafka On The Shore
36. The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
37. Invisible Man
38. The Old Man and The Sea
39. The Trial
40. The Ice Queen
41. Moby Dick
42. Anna Karenina
43. The Blade Itself
44. Before They Are Hanged
45. Last Argument of Kings
46. The Name of The Wind
47. The Wise Man's Fear
48. John Dies At The End
49. House of Leaves
50. Winter Girls