amare. vivere. legere.

dauntliss: School and Anxiety: a perpetual state of panic. I am...

Sun, 10 Jun 2018 00:00:19 -0400

School and Anxiety: a perpetual state of panic.

I am someone who gets really bad test anxiety. I get it so bad that some nights before exams I cannot sleep. I have had to learn how to cope and how to deal with it, especially when what triggers my anxiety the most is something completely unavoidable —school.

Here are a few helpful resources and tips I have picked up in my years as a student. (Fair warning, this is kind of lengthy.)

Keep reading

News and Updates (Please Read)

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 18:33:13 -0400

dauntliss:

Hey everyone so I know it’s been a while since I have been on here regularly. Sorry about that. I’m doing a lot of work in college and sometimes I just don’t have time to be on here but, I am making time. So that being said I am going to start making this blog a bit more content centered for myself, and for you. I’m still going to be re-blogging but I want to write more about my life and college and balancing everything. So I want some help from you. What is anything you want to know about studying? I can’t promise I have the answers, but right now I’m double majoring in Management and Exercise Science and I’m a sophomore so I have a few things I can share. Right now I’m Pre-PA/Pre-MPH (I can’t make up my mind) so anything about undergrad medical studies or how to study certain subjects I might can help with. So anything you want to know about me, or my path just ask! I’m going to be writing a few posts in the coming weeks about how I got to where I am today and I hope that you will find those enjoyable.

So once again, send me any and all questions you have and I’ll consolidate them into a single post. Also, don’t be afraid to ask on anon or request a private reply I’m always okay with that.

Hope you all are having an amazing week and as always thank you for all your love and support.

♥ Emalee

dauntliss: Happy New Year everyone! May 2018 be a great year for...

Mon, 01 Jan 2018 01:01:21 -0500

dauntliss:

Happy New Year everyone! May 2018 be a great year for you all! Here are my resolutions for the new year.

Write a thousand words everyday

Finish my novel (I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe in laziness.)

Read better books

Create more

Learn five new skills (One of them has to be cooking ;D)

Be more open, with others and myself

Gain weight (goal is 10 lbs.)

Be outside more

Paint more

Read at least 20 full length novels cover to cover

Write more reviews

See my friends more often

Travel more - see things I have never seen before

(Maybe) find ~~love~~ companionship

Stop staring at life through a screen so much

Read all the Outlander books (God, I’m addicted)

Read all the Game of Thrones books (also addicted)

Start doing more for myself, because I want to do them.

Those are my resolutions for this year. Hopefully I can keep them all! Let’s be honest though the day will come when I won’t be ale to keep every. single. one.

What are your resolutions for 2018?

Monthly Newsletter time! Holy cow is it already almost...

Sun, 29 Oct 2017 22:25:19 -0400

Monthly Newsletter time! Holy cow is it already almost November?!

November 2017:

Nanowrimo 17’— sneak peek at my novel I’m working on with a special look at my planning an notes.
My TBR for November— books I plan on reading this month, reviewing and a special glimpse of my upcoming blog series.

Well, I cannot believe we are here near the end of 2017. I can’t think about 2018 being just around the corner or I will get nostalgic. Nonetheless this is a huge month for me. For the last two years I have participated in an annual writing competition known as NaNoWriMo (and I’ve won it both years). If you are not familiar with NaNo, it is a month (Novemeber) where people all over the world plan to write a novel– more specifically 50,000 words—over the course of 30 days. It averages to about 1,660 words per day and is a ton of fun!

This year for Nanowrimo I am starting a huge undertaking by completing my fantasy novel that has been brewing in the depths of my mind since I was 15. Right now the project remains untitled for all intents and purposes, but hopefully I will be able to share the name with you all soon.

The book follows a gifted Magi—who are mortal descendants of the Fae— named Alice Ancora. Alice is a healer, and an heir to the Magi counsel. When a war brings conflict to her home she loses her betrothed and finds herself in command of an entire army. With help from a Fae prince form a foreign continent, her second-in-command, and magic she bravely assumes her new title. But in these troubling times, Alice has far more to learn about herself and her past then she can even know.

I’m very excited to dive into work on this project. Already I have over 25 pages of notes on characters and the plot. I hope to get the project finished sometime in December (by finishing I plan on surpassing well beyond 50k) and doing edits during January (Because I have the month off!!!!). After my edits I would love to begin the work to get the book published, but I will just have to see how well this next 30 days goes.

Here is just a minuscule portion of my planning. I obviously do not care much about proofreading my notes, as seen by all those ugly red squiggles.

I will keep you all updated throughout the month, providing quotes and snippets from my writing and let you know what my WC is.

November TBR:

This month I have a fairly simple TBR. I want to finish everything I didn’t last month and then some, so here is what I plan on reading during the month of November:

Alex and Eliza – technically I am just finishing this one.
An Enchantment of Ravens (This is going to be my thanksgiving week read after midterms.)
Twilight
This Night So Dark – The novella in between book 1 and 2 of the Starbound Trilogy
This Shattered World – 2^nd book in the Starbound Trilogy

Hopefully I will have a review of These Broken Stars up within the week (more like Saturday). And I will definitely be posting reviews for the other Starbound novels and An Enchantment of Ravens. Alex and Eliza may get a review, I honestly want to finish it so bad but there is. Not. Enough. Hours. In. the. Day!

What’s your TBR for Novemeber? Let me know in the comments section below!

Title: Tower of DawnAuthor: Sarah J. MaasThe sixth installment...

Mon, 23 Oct 2017 21:45:04 -0400

Title: Tower of Dawn
Author: Sarah J. Maas

The sixth installment of the Throne of Glass series is truly unlike any other Sarah J. Maas book I’ve read (and I’ve read them all.)

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

This book follows Chaol Westfall on his adventure to the Southern Continent after the events that take place in Queen of Shadows. Originally intended to be a novella, this book clicks in at over 600 pages (and oh my god I would not of wanted it any other way).

Like all the previous Throne of Glass novels, this novel is told in third person limited POV. The entirety of the novel takes place on new territory with loads of new characters that will make you fall in love with the Southern Continent. Between the royal family (that Chaol is trying to woo into giving Aelin aid in war) and a healer of the Torre Cesme – who should not be a stranger to anyone who has read the series prequel – the newcomers in this book are going to be veryimportant in the series finale.

That being said, anyone who thinks they can skip out of this one and go on to the next one, I seriously advise you to reconsider. This novel isn’t just about Chaol, and it’s so critical to the future of Aelin and Co. that you’re going to need to read this one. I also don’t think it will disappoint.

This is one of my favorite Throne of Glass novels, they just keep getting better and better and I cannot wait for the next one (I cry when I think about it too much.) I didn’t love this one as much as Empire of Storms, and I will be honest it’s because my heart is literally aching for Rowaelin. However, the longer the book went on the more I kept having to move this book higher up my list of best books of 2017.

From here on out this review is not spoiler free!

“You would be surprised by how closely the healing of physical wounds is tied to the healing of emotional ones.” – Chapter 12

Chaol has a ton of baggage, and I am not talking about the multiple chests of jewels he brought to Antica. I have been anticipating it for a while now, just sort of waiting for him to snap because looking back at it, Chaol has been through A LOT (Like let’s not even count nearly dying and he’s still been through so much.) He’s on his way to becoming a cranky old man whose jaded and sour about everything and then in comes Yrene.

The healer from Innish who Aelin helped on her way to the Red Desert, oh I have never been so happy to see a character come back into the picture in my life! And to make matters even greater, she is awesome – in the badass way a woman who overcomes everything she’s been through and follows her dream and latterly becomes the successor to the healer on high in less than two years. It just makes me really happy seeing such strong female characters.

Together Yrene and Chaol work on fixing his spinal injury, which has plenty of revelations tied to it, and they try to get Chaol back to his normal self. During all of this Yrene helps Chaol not only come to terms with his disability, but also see it as normal. I can’t praise Sarah enough for how well this arc was written for Chaol. It is such an important milestone for Chaol as a character, and a monument in the series itself.

During all that healing there is a ton of tension, aggravation, and then pinning – all of which I absolutely love. Sarah J. Maas has a track record for making characters who can’t stand each other fall in love and I FREAKING LOVE IT. There is nothing better, in my opinion, then when characters who are just irked by the other end up falling for each other.

Not to mention, when Yrene was told by Hafiza she had to heal Chaol as a ‘test’ she genuinely hated the idea. Her development as a character to recognize that Chaol wasn’t a bad person, and actually someone who she could love is phenomenal.

But Yrene isn’t the only strong female character.

I freaking love Nesryn Faliq, like words cannot describe. I won’t lie, when that ship with Chaol started to sink I was like “Wait, I didn’t want this.” – I was wrong, I wanted exactly that. Because Chaol and Yrene ♥ and Nesryn and Sartaq ♥

It was nice seeing Nesryn develop so much in this novel. She has become a huge favorite of mine. Not to mention she is right at home with her furry ruk and ruk riding prince (I’m sorry I had to.)

“Nesryn supposed that was why she liked the queen: there were plans so long in the making that for someone who let the world deem her unchecked and brash, Aelin showed a great deal of restraint in keeping it all hidden.” – Chapter 29

I don’t want to turn the focus of this review on Aelin and how cunning she is but MY GOD.

She had already written to Hasar (Who I have neglected to mention up to this point is badass.). She had already planned for so much. But I don’t think anyone planned for Maeve to be the Queen of the Vlag. I had to stop reading after that part because I got a little sick. I have no idea what this means but after the hell she put Rowan through and knowing Aelin is the key, it really makes me worry. I just keep imagining Maeve using Aelin to get rid of the Vlag, which would kill Aelin of course and I cannot accept that.

I don’t think there is enough time for me to go into detail about how much I love Aelin Ashryver Galathynius Whitethorn. Also, I can’t really think about it because then my mind goes back to Empire of Storms and I cry a little bit.

Back to Tower of Dawn.

There was so much tension in the novel, so much suspense. It was not as action packed as some of the other novels (HOF, EOS) but that did not hurt it one bit. This novel made me laugh, cry and left me wanting more.

“He’d almost told the princess that she could keep Hellas’s Horse, but there was something to be said about the prospect of charging down Morath foot soldiers atop a horse named Butterfly.” – Chapter 68

Chaol has a horse named butterfly. ~~Just you know, further proof he isn’t going to become a jaded cranky old man~~ (Thank the gods for Yrene).

I don’t know how I’m going to wait for almost a year for this next book – probably by rereading Empire of Storms and crying. But at least I will have an ACOTAR novella to distract me.

booksandmorefreely: Reblog If you are okay with people messaging you to fan girl over a Sarah J...

Sun, 22 Oct 2017 21:51:28 -0400

booksandmorefreely:

Reblog

If you are okay with people messaging you to fan girl over a Sarah J Maas book

please, any day. You will become my friend and I give my friends cookies.

Never forget that Aelin plays piano, and it made Rowan almost cry. And don’t think about how she may...

Mon, 09 Oct 2017 21:22:36 -0400

Never forget that Aelin plays piano, and it made Rowan almost cry.

And don’t think about how she may never get to play for him again.

Some people are a bit more quirkier than others about their...

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 00:23:01 -0400

Some people are a bit more quirkier than others about their reading habits. Some enjoy reading from the cozy comfort of their bed while others are risky and read in the bathtub. These habits tell a lot about a person’s personality and make each reader unique. Here are some of my reading habits and strangest reading experiences.

Do you have a certain place you read?

Normally I curl up in bed with my lap desk (I love that thing like it is the best thing since sliced bread let me tell you.) and read while I burn some of my favorite candles. I also love to read in my eno hammock – so much so that last winter when I got it for Chrsitmas I curled up on my back porch in it in 30 degree weather and read Tarzan.

Do you use bookmarks?

Yes. I have to. Otherwise I will loose my page or get lost or something and won’t be able to find out where I am. I keep a bookmark jar and I also make my own bookmarks as well.

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after the end of a chapter?

I can usually finish a sentence and stop. I don’t enjoy doing it but if I have to get up and do something I may finish the paragraph I’m on and then I can set it down and pick it back up whenever.

Do you eat or drink while reading?

Yes. If it’s morning or even in the afternoon I will probably have a cup of coffee or hot tea and be reading. Or ice water. But I try to refrain from eating because this one time I was eating BBQ Vienna sausages while reading ACOMAF and I dropped the sausage… that poor book has been through so much.

Do you ever listen to music/watch TV and read?

Music I can do sometimes, it depends. The TV is so distracting that I can’t read at the same time.

Do you read one book at a time or several?

I normally read several but if things are stressful and school is busy I will just read one at a time.

Do you read ahead or skip pages?

God no, do people actually do that? Sometimes I get too excited and have to calm myself down and reread but never do I read ahead.

Do you break the spine or keep it like new?

*sigh* well you see ACOMAF– I try my best to keep my books in pristine shape. But life happens sometimes, and books fall from trees or get vienna sausages spilled on them and it’s okay because all the damage shows how much its been loved.

Do you write in your books?

*dramatically raises eyebrows* I want to, I really do. I have been trying to get myself to annotate the ACOTAR series for months. I have a really old copy of Tarzan I would LOVE to write in. Totally would do it, haven’t gotten the nerve to yet.

What is the strangest place you have ever read?

The dryer. When I was a kid I would – no joke – crawl in the dryer and take a flashlight and read in there. THOSE THINGS ARE SOUNDPROOF. I freaked my mom out the first couple times I did it, and I don’t think I could fit in a dryer to read now, but if possible 10/10 would recommend.
Also, last summer I read ACOWAR in a really old cemetery. That was cool.

Well there you have it! That is some of my reading habits. Most of these questions came from thebibliophilegirluk so go check out her blog. What are some of your reading habits? Feel free to do this tag and let me know what your reading habits are in the comments!