Summer Grass

     I have recently come to the conclusion that the Literaturistic blog has run its course and I have decided to start a new blog where I can express myself more freely than I can with the Literaturistic blog. I want to move away from literature based posts and write more about  revelations, art, philosophy, film, politics, and life in general. Thank you all so much for your support of the Literaturistic blog!

"I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass." Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

   I have recently come to the conclusion that the Literaturistic blog has run its course and I have decided to start a new blog where I can express myself more freely than I can with the Literaturistic blog. I want to move away from literature based posts and write more about  revelations, art, philosophy, film, politics, and life in general. Thank you all so much for your support of the Literaturistic blog and if you would like to continue reading what I have to say, feel free to check out my blog Summer Grass. Thank you.

"I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass." Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

The Fault In Our Stars

      I came home from work to see John Green's new book waiting for me! I can't wait to read it!

The Hobbit Trailer

    For years I have read this book over and over and will probably read it a hundred more times in my lifetime and now it is finally being made into a movie and it's going to be the most amazing movie ever. Here it is, The Hobbit trailer:

Quotes From Writers About Writing

"I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose."
Stephen King


"An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an  idea at all."
Oscar Wilde

"You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."
Mark Twain


"Stories may well be lies, but they are good lies that say true things, and which can sometimes pay the rent."
Neil Gaiman


"Almost anyone can be an author; the business is to collect money and fame from this state of being."
A. A. Milne


"We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master."
Ernest Hemingway

Set Images of The Great Gatsby

Here are some pictures from the set of Baz Luhrmann‘s The Great Gatsby. Are you as excited as I am? And how do you feel about the casting choices? Feel free to share your opinions by commenting on this post!

Lisbeth Salander Drawing

      I'm so excited about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo! Check out this amazing new drawing of Rooney Mara's transformation into Lisbeth Salander that was done on an iPad by a guy named Kyle Lambert. So literaturistic!

Anonymous

    As you probably already know, I am a huge Shakespeare fan so when I heard about the movie Anonymous, I was immediately intrigued. If you haven't heard of it, it's basically about a guy who supposedly wrote the plays of Shakespeare but could not put his name to them because he was an earl and apparently earls didn't write back then. While it may or may not be true, it's a very clever story. If you are at all interested in Shakespeare, I strongly suggest that you see this movie seeing that it is incredibly intriguing and literaturistic.

NaNoWriMo

     Well, NaNoWriMo began last Tuesday and I just reached 10,000 words! I've been writing 2,000 words every day since NaNoWriMo began and I will continue to write until the 30th. What about you? Are you doing NaNoWriMo? How far along are you? Don't forget to add me to your writing buddies!

The Fault In Our Stars Cover

    Here it is, the cover of John Green's new book The Fault In Our Stars. I don't know about you but I'm crazy about it. It's so simple and fun and different than all of the other covers of his other books. Underneath the official cover of the book are a few covers that John Green fans made. I chose a few of my favorites and hoped you would tell me which ones you like the best! And what do you think about the official cover? Is it everything you hoped for?

Official Cover:

Fan Made Covers:

Movies Based on Books

     I love books. I love movies. I love movies based on books. Here are some awesome movies that are based on books. Which ones are you most looking forward to?

 

 The Rum Diary

October 28, 2011

 

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

December 21, 2011

 

 Hugo based on "The Invention of Hugo Cabret"

 November 23, 2011

The Hunger Games 

March 23, 2012

 

Les Miserables

2012

World War Z

2012

 

The Great Gatsby

2011

NaNoWriMo 2011

     It's almost November which means that NaNoWriMo is about to begin! If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, it's an event that begins November 1st and ends November 30th. In these thirty days, participants will try to write 50,000 word novel.
     You probably think this sounds crazy and you're right: it is crazy. But while it is crazy, it is also extremely rewarding. The wonderful thing about this event is that it gives you a realistic goal that you can accomplish if you do it correctly.
     I know that 50,000 words sounds like a lot but if you just write roughly 1700 words a day, you'll have it finished in exactly thirty days. And don't forget, your novel isn't supposed to be perfect, in fact, it's going to be downright awful, but it isn't about writing a perfect novel in 30 days--that's not the point. The point is to get something down. And if you're anything like me, getting anything down on paper is an extremely difficult task.
       This will be my third year doing NaNoWriMo and I've won each attempt and I plan to win this year as well because once I set a goal for myself, I stick with it. You can too, you just have to give it your all.
      So if you're a writer, I encourage you to at least try NaNoWriMo this year. You can check out the website by clicking here. My username is lyssafaith so once you sign up, don't forget to add me as a friend! Good luck!

Literaturistic Discounts

       Sewing is fun. You should definitely try it sometime. If you've never check out my Etsy shop before, you definitely should. I mostly sell iPod and iPhone cases but I also have magnets and cosmetics bags. The reason why they're so awesome is because they're so delightfully geeky. I have everything from Harry Potter iPod cases to iPhone shaped cosmetics bags.
       Because I love all of my followers so much, I'm going to give 10% any item to anyone who follows Literaturistic Blog! Also, if you post a link to Literaturistic Blog or my Etsy shop on your blog or website, you get 15% off! To get 10% off, follow my blog and send me a message saying you would like the coupon code. I will send you the code right away. To get 15%, send me a link to your blog so that I can verify that you posted a link to my blog or my Etsy shop and I will send you the code. As always, you get free shipping as long as you live in the US! To visit my shop, click here.

Doctor Who

      So the Doctor Who Season Finale was last night and if you've never watched Doctor Who before, here's everything you need to know about it. 

Star Wars Blu-Ray

     If you know me at all, you'd know that I am a Star Wars fanatic. I've been a huge fan of the movies ever since I was a kid and I've read dozens of Star Wars books, seen the movies a hundred times each, and even owned a Jedi cloak which, unfortunately, doesn't fit me anymore. So when I heard about the new changes to the Star Wars Blu-Ray, I was outraged. George Lucas already did enough damage to the movies when the DVDs were released and now he changed them even more.

     Some of the changes don't make a big difference but, still, it's not the same. For instance, the part when Obi-Wan saves Luke from the sand people: click here

     Jabba has a ridiculous new door: click here

    Wicket the Ewok blinks because in the original movie he was a puppet and therefore, he couldn't blink. So, of course, that had to be changed (at least George Lucas thought so): click here

   And then there's the worst one of all. Instead of Darth Vader silently picking up the Emperor and throwing him into the Death Star's reactor shaft before he killed Luke, he's yelling "NOOOO!" You might remember this "NOOOO!" because it's from the Revenge of the Sith after he was turned into Darth Vader which is just plain stupid. Some people like the new version better because it makes more sense to them but true Star Wars fans will always favor the original because instead it's silent, mysterious, and, well, original. So as far as the Blu-Rays go, I think I'll just stick with the VHS tapes, thanks.

My Artwork

   I just finished this painting and it is currently hanging up in my room beside my bookshelf. It's nothing special but I think it captures my essence completely. Which book in my painting do you like the best?

Hunger Games Trailer

Here it is! The first official trailer for The Hunger Games movie. Let me know what you think!

Writing on the Walls

   About a year ago, I painted a few of my favorite quotes on my wall but now I've decided to completely cover my bedroom walls with my favorite quotations. I have seven quotes so far and I need a lot more. Comment on this post and tell me your favorite quotations but they have to be from either a book or a poem. Maybe yours will end up on my wall. :) Here are the ones I've already written on my walls:

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

"We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."--Alice in Wonderland

"When I look at my room, I see a girl who loves books."--Looking for Alaska

"To sleep perchance to dream."--Hamlet

"Fashion is what one wears oneself, what is unfashionable is what other people wear."--An Ideal Husband

"If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, 

a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer... 
if you're a pretender, come sit by my fire 
for we have some flax-golden tales to spin 
come in, come in." --Shel Silverstein


"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream." -Edgar Allan Poe

Awesome T-Shirts (That I Want Very Badly)

     One of my favorite websites in the whole world is redbubble.com which is an awesome site with awesome stuff. Here are a few t-shirts from the site that I absolutely adore and wished that I owned. Which one do you like the best?

Harry Potter A-Z Alphabet

Nerd Girls: Set Phasers to Stunning

Doctor Who Quotes

Monty Python Quotes 

Cunning and Ambition

First Day of School

      So today is my first day of school! I can hardly believe it but it's my third year at college and after this semester, I'll finally have my AA. I'm taking Developmental Psychology, Statistics (meh), and Speech so my days won't be as long as they have been in the past but I'm extremely overtired so this is going to be a long day. This semester is going to be awesome but at the end of the day I'm going to be like:

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Pictures

    If you haven't read the best selling books by Stieg Larsson, you're seriously missing out. I love The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and I can't wait to see the movie (although the Swedish version is really awesome too but you just can't beat Daniel Craig and David Fincher).  If you haven't already seen the trailer for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo you can check it out by clicking here. Here are some pictures from the upcoming movie that comes out on December 21!

My To-Read List

     Even though I go back to school in two weeks, I still plan to do a lot of reading because I love reading more than almost anything. I've added a few books to my To-Read list for this semester and three of them are listed below. Which books are on your To-Read list? Which books do you think I should add to my list? 

I love love love Chuck Palahniuk and I've read almost all of his books but this is one
that I haven't read that I really look forward to reading because it's one 
of his more popular books. I think Rant will always be my favorite though.

I read the first book from this series a few weeks ago and though I found it a bit silly,
I'd really like to read the next book in the series so I can find out
 what happens. I admit it, I'm hooked.

I'm reading The Game of Thrones in A Song of Ice and Fire series right now and I cannot
wait to keep reading these books. The writing is so unique and rhythmic that
it's incredibly addicting and engaging.

Congratulations!

    Congratulations to Jessie for winning a signed copy of The Monstrumologist and to Thomas who won second prize. Thanks to everyone who entered and don't forget, you'll have another chance to win a super awesome prize once my blog reaches 200 followers! And if you won, don't forget to do a crazy dance. :)

Last Day to Enter!

   If you haven't entered the One Hundred Follower Giveaway yet, click here because today is the last day to enter! The winners will be announced tomorrow so don't forget to check and see if you've won! Good luck!

The Hobbit Pictures

         Finally! Pictures from the production of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey! I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about this movie. The Hobbit was always my favorite Lord of the Rings book and I can't wait to see the movie. Are you a big Lord of the Rings fan? What are your feelings about the new movie?

The Hunger Games Movie

    I just finished reading The Hunger Games a couple of weeks ago and you can check out my review on it by clicking the tab labeled 'Book Reviews.' Anyway, the movie based on the bestselling book is currently in production and a few photos have just been released and I'm going to share them with you because you all are awesome. Are you a fan of the books? Are you excited about the movie? And don't forget to enter the One Hundred Follower Giveaway and you could win a signed copy of The Monstrumologist. Click here to enter. 

One Hundred Follower Giveaway

     I've reached one hundred followers! To celebrate, I will be giving away some awesome stuff to some awesome people. To enter the giveaway, answer the questions below to below.The grand prize is an autographed copy of The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. There is also a secret prize for one other lucky person. There will be two winners in all.

     Your name will be added an extra time if you put a banner or link to my blog on your website, blog, or Facebook. You can find some banners under the tab labeled 'Buttons.' You must paste the link below so it can be verified. Good luck! 

Rules:

You must be a US citizen to enter

You must be a follower of Literaturistic Blog to enter

You must be literaturistic to enter :)

If you have a link/banner on your website, post a link to it in the text box below and your name will be entered into the giveaway an extra time

Deadline to enter is August 15

Book Reviews

    In an attempt to make my blog more interesting and awesome, I decided to start writing book reviews again. You can find these book reviews by clicking on the tab labeled 'Book Reviews' and there you will find a list of book titles. Click on a title to read the review I wrote about it. Also, next to each book title, there will be a number of waffles that I assign to each book depending on how much I enjoyed it. Underneath the book titles, you will find a chart that explains the value of the waffles. Keep in mind, I am a very picky reader and, therefore, am very careful about how many waffles I give to each book. I really have to like the book for it to get a high number of waffles. Why waffles, you ask? Because waffles are delicious and how dare you ask such an ignorant question. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Viva Cuba!

    This past week I had the amazing opportunity to go to Cuba and help out at a youth conference in Matanzas. It was an awesome experience and I loved every minute of it. Here are some pictures of the beautiful sights in Cuba. 

Catedral de Habana

Hotel Ambos Mundos, the hotel where Ernest Hemingway often stayed while visiting Cuba

Puente de Bacunayagua, the highest bridge in Cuba

Propaganda

Overlooking the water

A beach in Matanzas

The beach again :)

Announcement!

    I have some awesome, amazing, spectacular news for you! My blog almost has 100 followers and once it reaches 100, I'm going to have a fantastic 100 Follower Celebration Giveaway! If you are a follower of my blog, you can enter to win some fabulous prizes! To help me reach 100 followers, I would love it if you could post banners for my blog on your website/blog. You can find my banners by clicking on the 'Buttons' panel above. You can also post links on your Facebook, Twitter, or website to my blog to help me reach my goal. If you do any of these things, you will get extra entries into the giveaway which will, of course, improve your chances of winning. And the more people who follow this blog, the more chances you will have to win more prizes because for every 100 new followers, I'm going to celebrate with another giveaway! So get all the people to follow my blog as you can!
    Secondly, I will not be updating my blog for the next week because I'll be in Cuba but I'll be sure to update it as soon as I get back!

Hogwarts Houses

   As most of you are already aware, there are four houses at Hogwarts and they are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. If you are a devoted Harry Potter fan, I have no doubt that you already know which house you would be placed in but for those of you who don't know which house you belong in, I have provided descriptions of each house that appear on Harry Potter Wiki and also a link to a website where you can take a quiz that will determine which house you are best suited for.  

Gryffindor is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded by Godric Gryffindor. Its emblematic animal is the lion, and its colours are scarlet and gold.

"You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart"

—The Sorting Hat

Slytherin is one of the four Houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and is traditionally home to students who exhibit such traits as cunning and ambition. Its emblematic animal is the snake and its colours are green and silver.

"Or perhaps in Slytherin,
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means,
To achieve their ends."

—The Sorting Hat

Ravenclaw is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded by Rowena Ravenclaw. Members of this house are characterised by their wit, intelligence, creativity, and wisdom. Its house colours are blue and bronze, and its symbol is the eagle.

"Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind."

—The Sorting Hat

Hufflepuff is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Its founder was the medieval witch Helga Hufflepuff.  Hufflepuff is the most inclusive among the four houses, valuing hard work, patience, friendship and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its members. Its emblematic animal is the badger, and yellow and black are its colours.

"You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,
And unafraid of toil"

—The Sorting Hat

     Here are a few quizzes that you can take to determine which house you belong in. I am most definitely Slytherin. Which house are you in? Let me know which house you're in by posting it in a comment! I love hearing from you!

The sorting hat says that I belong in Slytherin!

Get Sorted Now!

Get Sorted By The Hogwarts Sorting Hat!

Album of the Month--July

   There is good music and there is bad music. This is good music.

1. Amor Fati by Washed Out
2. Kids by Airship
3. Lonely Lullaby by Owl City
4. Wait In The Dark by Memory Tapes
5. This Is Not Harry Potter by Hank Green

Album of the Month
The Good Natured Skeleton EP

This album hasn't been released in the US yet but you can listen to it online and  I strongly recommend that you do so.