I’m not even going to say all those things about how the year flew by, because I feel like that’s been every year since high school…

Also, looking back, it’s been a pretty long year! It lasted twelve whole months and I’m glad to say I’m happy with the (I admit, few) goals I accomplished.

And continuing with the looking-back thing, I put together a list of my favorite books I read this year so I could share it and recommend you guys only the best of the best.

There are some movies, anime and series too, because I watched so many cool things this year! Hopefully you will find a new favorite for 2018.

Books

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. Even after a rough start (the introduction was the particular kind of boring that only classic books can achieve), I was surprised at how much I ended up liking this book.

It had everything a gothic novel should have: horror, romance, tortured souls and dark secrets. Plus, it had mostly a creepy and mysterious atmosphere which I was not expecting since the movies/plays tend to romanticize the opera ghost a lot. Best book surprise of 2017 for sure. (Complete review here).

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. This one was another big surprise! I picked it up out of curiosity since the protagonist is an introvert with social anxiety (#relatable), but I was not ready to relate to the point of actually crying. Eliza is, in my opinion, a realistic portrayal of the struggles that come with being an introvert trying to have a normal life and family relationship.

I did not like the romantic interest, though. But let’s not focus on that. This book is about a girl dealing with her inner monsters and that is done beautifully. (Complete review here).

The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story by Marie Kondō. Believe it or not, I do think this book can be life-changing. It’s not necessarily the most insightful read – especially because I read the illustrated version – but it struck a chord in me.

It reminded me that I cling to material objects a bit too much (book hoarder struggles, am I right?) and that sometimes my need of collecting fandom stuff can lead to gratuitous consumption.

Whoa, I wasn’t planning on getting so serious. Anyway, I hope you add this manga to your TBR! You can get it at the library if you don’t want to buy it (Complete review here).

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. This book should not be on this list since I actually read it last year. But the official publication date was January 2017 and I just HAD to talk about it again! It is a story inspired by Russian folklore that takes place in a medieval village where magical things happen.

What kind of magical things, you ask?

Well, there are invisible household demons, evil shadows and girls that communicate with horses. It also has a charming and beautiful prose that incorporates bits of Russian vocabulary. (Complete review here).

Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece by Stephen Fry. I’m cheating again because I still haven’t finished this one. But I’ve been enjoying it a lot and I already decided it’s in my Top 5 favorite books! As the title suggests, it’s a retelling of Greek myths, but with the funny narration of Stephen Fry.

It stars with the beginning of life and goes through all the titans, gods and demigods and their adventures.

The audiobook version is especially fun because most interactions between the gods include witty lines of dialogue and the author makes great voices for every character.

Movies & Series

Anime

Little Witch Academia was definitely my favorite anime I watched this year. It’s a fun and charming story about a young witch attending school. The first season is mostly about getting to know the characters and the magical world of witches, but the second season gets even better since it adds a main villain and a stronger hero story.

I would recommend this series even to people who isn’t THAT into anime. If you liked Cardcaptor Sakura as a kid, you would probably enjoy Little Witch Academia.

In second place there’s a tie between:

Mob Psycho 100, about a kid with strong psychic powers that he uses to repel evil spirits. The fun part is that the protagonist, Mob, just wants to have a normal, calm life. But trouble always finds him and he has to grow as a person in order to control his powers and save the day.

and

One-Punch Man. This one is a short series about Saitama, an overpowered superhero that ALWAYS defeats his enemies with just one punch (hence the title). Saitama trains so hard that he’s the most powerful person in the world, and suddenly gets bored because of the lack of challenges. I really liked this series because it showed heroes as real people with normal lives. Saitama even gets mad when villains attack the same day he was planning on buying groceries… because, how rude! 

Series

My favorite Korean Drama I watched this year was the famous Pinocchio. I had heard a lot about it and didn’t want to start it with high expectations and get disappointed… but it honestly was really good! It tells the story of a girl with Pinocchio syndrome, which means she gets uncontrollable hiccups when she tells lies. She plans to use this syndrome to her advantage and decides to become a news reporter, but soon discovers that there’s a lot of lying in the news. There’s also a co-protagonist that becomes a reporter to clear his family’s name, which was involved in a news scandal that ended in tragedy.

There’s so much fun drama in this series!

I also enjoyed Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, a series inspired by the Douglas Adams books. The series is about Dirk Gently, this holistic detective who has no idea what’s his trying to investigate, until he suddenly gets hunches that lead him to actual clues. It’s so silly!

There’s also Elijah Wood’s character, he’s there against his will but keeps getting in trouble because of Dirk and I love his mortified expressions.

Another series I enjoyed this year were Supergirl, Strong Girl Bong-soon and Hello, My Twenties! (the last two were K-drama recommendations on Netflix).

Movies

My favorite movie I watched this year wasn’t a debut at all. I watched Rear Window (1954) for the first time. Yeah, long due, especially for a supposedly Hitchcock fan.

But it was so good I had to mention it. It’s about a guy with a broken leg that starts spying on the neighbors because he doesn’t have anything else to do. Until one day he notices the disappearance of his neighbor’s wife, and he gets a strong feeling that she was murdered.

The best part of the movie though, is that everything takes place in the broken-leg-guy’s apartment, and we see everything from the window just like he does. I also loved that he and his girlfriend (James Stewart and Grace Kelly) spend most of the movie discussing his crazy theories and the dialogues are so realistic. It was just like watching a normal couple (through a window!)

Also, this was the year of Disney’s Coco! I watched it twice in theaters and struggled so much to hold my tears. It was a beautiful movie about family and art. It also made a great effort in portraying Mexican families in a realistic way, from the customs, traditions, mannerisms, wardrobe and even the small details like food and piñata designs.

I feel like I’m biased because I’m Mexican and that made me have a strong connection with the characters and setting, but I’m pretty sure it’s an objectively good movie that anyone can enjoy.

And just to not leave these out (even though EVERYONE watched them too) I’ll give a big honorable mention to Star Wars The Last Jedi and Wonder Woman. Also the live-action Beauty and the Beast since it provided my most-listened soundtrack of 2017.

Videogames

This year I wasn’t in the mood for videogames for some reason.

I got a Nintendo Switch and played Mario Kart, Tetris and Snipperclips on it. But I didn’t finish any big games.

I started Breath of the Wild but, even though I love Zelda games, felt tired in less than 10 hours. I think I wasn’t ready for an open world game with SO MANY things to do.

Next year I’ll pick it up again because I do want to know the story.

Also played a lot of Hearthstone and improved my rank a little! If you’re a fan of card games like Magic and Yugioh, I would recommend checking this one out. It’s available for free on computers, phones and tablets and it’s a great way to pass 10-15 minutes in a match.

Did you read/watch any gems this year?? Spill the beans!

The post 2017 Wrap-Up | A year of books, movies and other fun stuff appeared first on Pretty Geekery.

I’ll be sharing some snippets from the fiesta on my Instagram stories. Come check them out if you want to see some delicious homemade dishes!

Also, here are some fun things to make your weekend even more awesome:

They’re making a REAL A History of Magic documentary, Hermione would love it!

Speaking of magic, did you know that the Kindle edition of The Philosopher’s Stone is actually magical?

Also, Pepi already convinced me to watch Atypical this weekend.

(And I would love to eat pretty pink popcorn while Netflix & Chilling…)

Watch this if you love Disney Princesses.

I need this clutch!

The coziest, most adorable thing I saw this week.

The post Weekly Round-up! appeared first on Pretty Geekery.

I’ve officially survived the hottest week of the year in my city (as far as I know). If I stay really quiet I can already start to hear Halloween music in the distance! Aah, I think I can also smell the pumpkin spice.

How have you guys been doing??

Here are some fun things to make your Friday even more awesome:

The Magic School Bus is back! Will you board it?

They say that the protagonists die at the end of this new book…

Have you heard of PINK VELVET DONUTS? They sound like heaven to me.

Here are some clues if you want to discover who committed that murder in the Orient Express.

Cori and Korrina from Owlcrate answered the Harry Potter tag. That looked fun!

Oh, here’s a useful table on the time it takes to fall in love.

Running into the weekend like…

Happy weekend!

The post Weekly Round-up! appeared first on Pretty Geekery.

To celebrate it, here are some fun links to click on:

Today we’ve been invited to visit Hogwarts via Pottermore! This free online experience let’s you explore the castle and find some hidden pieces of trivia. How cool is that??

If you’re having Game of Thrones withdrawal you might like this behind the scenes (or maybe this one will make you recover from your withdrawal).

Oh, and if you want to win a subscription to the Uppercase book box, you just need to rack your brain.

This is the cutest croissant!

If you still want more fun, check this list of fun webcomics

Bye! Happy Weekend!

The post WEEKLY ROUND-UP appeared first on Pretty Geekery.

What did I do? Oh, just made a list of my favorite webcomics, and the ones I’ve been meaning to read, and spent some hours going through their websites. So, if you guys would rather spend your Monday doing something fun instead of chores, you came to the right place !

Below I compiled a list of my favorite webcomics and some other comics I recently discovered. All of them available for free on the Internet so you can enjoy them for at least a couple of Mondays (just like I did).

Sarah’s Scribbles

Sarah Andersen’s comics are the most relatable thing on the Internet! Especially if you’re an artist, an introvert or an adult that likes to laugh at yourself. She posts new comics regularly to her website and also has an Instagram account.

The Awkward Yeti

This is a gag-a-day comic by Nick Seluk that follows the daily life of a blue Yeti (and his internal organs!). My favorite characters from these comics are the Heart and Brain, they always make me smile while also being relatable. He also posts regularly on his website and Instagram account.

Pusheen

I think everyone knows Pusheen. She’s a lovely cat. Her’s a website with a bunch of super cute Pusheen illustrations.

Owlturd Comix

The author Shenanigansen posts fun short comics about everyday life and the life of an artist. I discovered them because Sarah Andersen once said that Owlturd was her favorite webcomic! Here’s the website and Instagram page.

Hark, a vagrant!

This website might be one of my favorite places on the Internet. Kate Beaton draws really fun comic strips about history, literature, scientists and fat ponies. The website is not being updated because Kate is currently working on a graphic novel (I can’t wait to read it!) But if you’re new to Hark, a Vagrant, you have a LOT of awesome comics waiting for you. (Like those cute comic strips featuring a tiny version of Hermione).

Hyperbole and a Half

Allie Brosh, the author of Hyperbole and Half, hasn’t updated her website since 2013, but I still visit it to re-read old posts because they’re that good. She writes stories based on her real life and illustrates them with super simple but fun drawings. One of my favorite illustrations comes from the Adventures in Depression post, in which she talks about some ways she deals with depression.

xkcd

These comic strips by Randall Munroe are literally stick figures and text, but they’re still awesome! They have various themes, like “romance, sarcasm, math, and language”. Every time I read one of these I learn something, laugh or both. Here’s the website (updates Monday, Wednesday and Friday).

I hope you guys found new reading material to enjoy your Mondays even more

Let me know if you have other webcomic recommendations! I would love to check them out!

The post MY FAVORITE WEBCOMICS appeared first on Pretty Geekery.

I hope you are ready to take a rest from everything serious and maybe also take a power cat nap.

Here are some fun things I saw on the Internet this week:

You can now deal with shady merchants from Essos because Duolingo added a High Valyrian course!

Did you read The Valiant, by Lesley Livingston? Because they’re making a T.V. series! (Just added it to my TBR)

I need this scarf in my life.

Also, I’m (figuratively) literally this cat.

Spooky book recommendations from Owlcrate. (Can it be Halloween already?)

Twirling Pages turned 3 years old! Go sing Happy Birthday and enter the giveaway

The post WEEKLY ROUND-UP! appeared first on Pretty Geekery.

So, I got a new agenda and I’m loving it! It’s the Ban.do 17 month agenda and it’s super cute

(I guess that explains the illustration I made this week! Haha).

Did you watch episode 4 of Game of Thrones last Sunday? Because they shared a behind the scenes on filming a certain awesome battle…

This is the cutest collection of illustrated classic books!

A cat loves eating ice.

Just in case you missed this animated short film!

By the way, I need this t-shirt.

Also, Superspacechick posted another News & Stuff!

Have a great weekend!

The post WEEKLY ROUND-UP! appeared first on Pretty Geekery.

Also since there were so many cool things on the Internet this week, I thought it would be fun to make a round-up sharing some of my favorite things!

So here they are! Hopefully your weekend will be as comfy as this one!!

Cool things on the Internet this week

Did you watch the Booktube-A-Thon this week? It’s been fun watching all the prompts and vlogs! It’s still going on, by the way.

They just announced that Lana Condor will play Lara Jean in the new To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before movie!

We also got a spooky trailer for the movie IT (did you read that book? I don’t know what’s more scary, the clown or the 1116 pages).

And speaking of trailers, I can’t stop watching this one. Stranger Things 2 looks SO COOL. Also, that song at the end!!

Pure writing inspiration (and questions answered) from the gal at Paper Fury.

Please, if you like anime and haven’t watched Little Witch Academia, GO WATCH IT! IT’S ON NETFLIX!

And! The undeniable (and extremely cute) proof that cats always land on their feet.

Have a great weekend!

The post Weekly Round-Up! appeared first on Pretty Geekery.

Little Witch Academia tells the story of Akko, a 16 year old witch studying at a magical school. The thing is, she’s a really immature, impatient and inexperienced witch. She also loves magic and studies hard to improve at school and be like the hero who inspired this career selection. (Watch the trailer here)

I didn’t expect to fall in love with this series, but I couldn’t stop watching it! It’s so cute and it makes me so happy that I want to share it with everyone

So here are 5 reasons I loved this series and think everyone should watch it!

Image Credit: © 2017 TRIGGER. Borrowed from tv.littlewitchacademia.jp

1. It takes place in a magical boarding school. So if you’re a Harry Potter fan you probably love the idea as much as I do. 

This story doesn’t feel like a wannabe Harry Potter though. The protagonist is not an orphan who had a terrible childhood until the day she learned magic existed. Akko always knew witches existed and spent her early years practicing riding a broom (without much success). At 16 she is finally able to attend Luna Nova, a prestigious witch school, and study magical subjects like astronomy, numerology and magic linguistics (without much success).

2. It’s a short and light-hearted series.

I’m not saying you should do it (though I think you should), but it’s super easy to binge-watch this series since the plot is so simple and the episodes run for about 26 minutes (so you could totally watch the 13 episodes from the first season in one sitting – if you bring food).

Image Credit: © 2017 TRIGGER. Borrowed from tv.littlewitchacademia.jp

Little Witch Academia reminds me of Cardcaptor Sakura because of the short, fun adventures they have every time. This series is not about plot twists or cliffhangers (though it has some), it’s about spending time with the characters and enjoying the ride.

3. The characters are awesome.

The three main witches are really likeable while being all so different from each other. I think this works because they have their own personalities rather than just filling a certain archetype. There are also secondary characters that are well developed (so much that one of those is my favorite witch in the series), and it’s really enjoyable watching their interactions and adventures because I care about them.

I also loved that the protagonists, though flawed, are kind-hearted witches. So after solving the problem of the day most episodes end in an uplifting tone (that makes me really happy).

4. It has a book series that is literally Twilight.

Okay, there’s this series of books written by a witch called Night Fall. Night Fall is about a girl and a vampire, Belle and Edgar, and they meet each other when the girl accidentally travels to the middle ages (I know this rings a couple of bells!). Anyway, these books are only mentioned a couple of times in the series, but I just had to bring them up! I couldn’t stop laughing when one of the protagonists talked about it the first time. Also there’s an episode dedicated to these books and every book fan should watch it. (Episode 4, Season 1 “Night Fall”).

Image Credit: © 2017 TRIGGER. Borrowed from tv.littlewitchacademia.jp

5. There’s not a big, bad villain. 

There’s not a Voldemort terrorizing the school, there’s not even a Draco Malfoy in Little Witch Academia. Sure, there is an occasional bully and a teacher that clearly has favorite students, but the big antagonists throughout the series are the protagonists faults and insecurities. Most episodes pose a dilemma or a problem (sometimes Akko is to blame) and by the end the characters will always solve it and learn something from it.

The post 5 reasons why you should watch Little Witch Academia appeared first on Pretty Geekery.

Each month they send a box full of household and beauty goodies inspired by Stars Hollow or Girlmore Girls’ characters.

Here’s my Stars Hollow Monthly March 2017 unboxing which included:

An exclusive 18″ x 18″ throw pillow cover with the quote “What she tackles, she conquers” said by Richard Gilmore on the show. I think it’s a cute design and like that they chose an uplifting quote  Value: $14.99 (according to the info card)

An exclusive stemless wineglass set. One glass has the quote “Only prostitutes have two glasses of wine at lunch!” by Richard Gilmore. And another with Emily’s answer “Well, then buy me a boa and drive me to Reno because I’m open for business!“. I would love to bring this set out when I have guests. Value: $19.99 (according to the info card)

A coffee lip scrub and lip balm duo by Black Tie Market. These products contain real ground coffee beans and smell delicious! I like the taste of the lip balm and can’t wait to try the sugar scrub. I tried exfoliating my lips with sugar before and it’s awesome because it really works and it also tastes delicious  Value: $15.99 (according to the info card)

And a fridge magnet with the quote “I would rather be at Luke’s”. It’s so cute that it’s shaped like a coffee mug!  Value: FREE

Finally, I wanted to include the info card because it’s so pretty and I love the fake “advertisements” for Kim’s Antiques and Hewes Bros (both places exist inside the show).

I think this box was really fun to open. The quotes from the show immediately remind me of certain episodes and make me smile. I also like that the items are useful and fun at the same time, because I love adding a bit of nerdy to my house. On the other hand, I think this box is missing something related to Lorelai or Rory. We got the coffee flavored lip balm/scrub, and they’re great, but I think they could improve with a Gilmore Girls themed packaging, or a Lorelai quote about coffee (she has hundreds!).

Overall, I think this box was really fun and would be a great gift for a Gilmore Girls fan.

The Stars Hollow box is $34.90 with FREE shipping in the US. You can use my discount code prettygeekery to get 10% off your first box

According to the info card included, the value of the box was $50.97. Considering the lip balm/scrub duo and the pillow cover, I think the box is worth the price. I’m not too sure about the wine glass set because I’ve seen cheaper ones, but they’re fun so the price doesn’t bother me.

I received this box from Litcube in exchange for an unboxing. All opinions are my own

Which one was your favorite item? I think mine was the pillow cover Either that one or the coffee flavored lip balm.

What did you think about this box?

The post Stars Hollow Monthly March 2017 Unboxing appeared first on Pretty Geekery.