Disney Princess Book Tag

YEs, this is a picture of a book about DIsney Princess. I know. I'm cool.

Or basically, a book tag that was MADE for me.

If you don't know, I love Disney. I don't care what the haters say, it's awesome and I adore it and I want to work for the company one day. Because who wouldn't want to be a part of making the world a happier place?

But I digress. This is a tag about books and relating them to the princesses (and in a POSITIVE way, thank you creator of this tag Of Stacks and Cups). I accept this challenge.

Snow White - Name your favorite classic.

I LOVE classics so all my favorite books are classics. But since my favorite book of all time is The Great Gatsby, I'm going with that.

Cinderella - Name a book that kept you reading well past your bedtime.

At first I thought this would have to be a book I read as a kid because sleep is far too important to young adult me. But then I remembered I stayed up until 1 a.m. to finish What this River Keeps a couple weeks ago....

Still, I'm going with Harry Potter because I stayed up way past my bedtime to read every. single. one. of those books. YOU JUST CAN'T STOP.

Aurora - Name your favorite classic romance.

Pride and Prejudice. Don't hate, it's genius. I own multiple copies and I'm always on the hunt for more beautiful covers.

Ariel - Name a book that's about making sacrifices.

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. PLOT TWIST- it's about human kind needing to make sacrifices in how we live and how we view the world. It's mind blowing. Thought provoking. Unusual. And involves a talking animal--that's Disney like, right? (Wrong, OMG don't read this thinking it's like Disney).

Belle - Name a book with a smart and independent female character.

Oh my goodness, where do I begin. Hermione.  Elizabeth Bennet. Jo March (and her sisters, they never get enough credit). 

In the interest in choosing something a little less famous, I'm going with Taylor Greer from The Bean Trees. She leaves home and adopts a child all in two (or three?) days and is determined to make it. She might make mistakes, but she's smart in her own, unique way.

Jasmine - Name a book with a character who challenged the social conventions of his or her world.

I hesitantly pick Things Fall Apart, which, while a favorite, has a character too complicated for me to say he truly challenges social conventions. He more like.... makes the reader question them. But hey, it made me question them, and I think that's the true sign of a successful book.

Pocahontas - Name a book whose ending was a roller coaster of emotions.

Gone Girl, because my goodness that was crazy. I went from relieved to panicked to confused to anxious to miserable all in the last couple chapters. And when I finished I wasn't quite sure what just happened to me.

Mulan - Name a book with a kick-ass female character.

I don't read violent books, so I don't really have an answer for this one (not one different than the Belle question anyway). So I'm going to name a book with a kick-ass female author (ooo plot twist). J.K. Rowling, this one goes out to you....

Tiana - Name a book featuring a hardworking, self-made character.

This is a hard one, because I think people are constantly influenced and helped by the people around them, rather they realize it or not. It's never as straightforward as Tiana's story. But...oh, I know! Mr. Hosokawa from Bel Canto. He's a very powerful man who his position through his own hard work and ambition. And opera.

Rapunzel - Name a book that features an artist.

I'm going to cheat a little bit here and go with someone who isn't really featured, just present: Ambrose Pike from Elizabeth Gilbert's (yes, Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert) The Signature of All Things. It's long and different and talks a lot about moss...but so worth a read if you don't mind slow Victorian-type novels.

Merida - Name a book that features a mother-daughter relationship.

There are not enough books that tackle this, in my opinion--at least that I've come across. The Help features a mother-daughter relationship, as does Pride and Prejudice, The Signature of All Things, Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, Boy, Snow, Bird... but they're not exactly positive relationships.

Which I guess Merida doesn't have either, but in the end it all works out.

Still, I can't think of one to recommend. Please, PLEASE, suggest something in the comments below!

Anna and Elsa - Name a book that features a great relationship between siblings.

One about me and MY sister! Just joking. But seriously C, it would be a great book.

I'm going to have to go with Little Women for this one. Those sisters would do anything for each other, even if it's in their own special ways. They have realistic relationships with each other, something we can all relate to and, if we're lucky, achieve.

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If there are any other Disney-related posts out there, please tell me. I need them in my life :) And does anyone have some good mother/daughter relationship book recommendations? Let me know in the comments!

Leeann

And here I am at 8-years-old FULFILLING my childhood dream of meeting Cinderella. THe line was so worth it. I hope getting to this picture was worth it too.

The Presentation | Intern Diaries #2

The summer internships continue, and a couple weeks ago I met the CEO of Emmis Communications, the company that owns Indianapolis Monthly.

One thing I love about Emmis is how the company cares so much about the audiences of its media. While magazines and radio are typically considered more "traditional" media, this company has managed to make them cool and accessible.

I think that comes from the focus on giving the audience what they want AND need. One of the company's commandments is "Take care of your audiences and your advertisers – think of them and you’ll win." Emmis anticipates what people want before they want it, something increasingly more difficult to do in the Internet age.

So I was excited to try it myself when the Indianapolis Monthly interns teamed up to create "20-things for 20-somethings to do in Indy," a guide to our favorite things for our age group. It was a ton of work, but we really got to know each other and what it takes to create information with a team. Plus, we got to present the finished product to interns in the other Emmis departments and the CEO of the company, Jeff Smulyan, as well as our advisors.

As we showed the process on the screen behind us and talked about all we learned, I realized just how much you can take away from an internship. Sure, I know a ton about the ins-and-outs of a regional magazine. But I also know about working with an art team, the best ways to communicate (both on a team and to the public), and how to work on a deadline. All valuable things I can take no matter where I end up in a year (#thatsterrifying). 

So thanks, IM internship. I may only have four weeks left, but I promise to make the best of them.

So, now I want to know: what valuable things have you learned from an internship or a job?

Leeann

What I Read: Bel Canto

4.5/5 pineapples

This post could easily be titled "the book that made me love reading again" or "how I got over 'Reader's Block.'" I've had a terrible time getting myself to read this summer. After suffering through The Good Lord Bird, I had a distaste for novels.

Or, I thought it was just novels. But Men Explain Things to Me didn't sit well either. Or a play. Or blogs. I barely got myself to read magazines.

But then I picked up Bel Canto, put all of my faith into it, and was completely rewarded.

Bel Canto is a novel about humanity and our inherent connections to each other. Only these things are told through a hostage situation in a small South American country. Yes, there's a love story and yes, the story moves a bit slow in the beginning. But it has to, because before I knew it the plot was tumbling and building on itself, until I realized that the characters had entered a dangerous territory they were trapped in. The slow pace meant I couldn't see it happening.

This is a book that deserves its slow pace. It demands patience, for that it what it's all about. Friendships between enemies don't happen immediately, but out of circumstances that require it. Opera is a huge theme in this book, and while I know very little about it, it's the best way to describe what happens. Every character sings a song in a language no one understands verbally yet everyone can feel internally. And when things go wrong at the climax, we don't need any words to feel the pain of the loss each and every character endures.

Ann Patchett is a master of introducing a whole cast of characters without ever letting them get confusing or lost. They all have a purpose, and I found myself caring about each and every one, not an easy feat. I wanted to watch each one make mistakes, let their guard down, because that is where the music comes from.

I forgive Bel Canto for its flaws, of which the ending is the biggest one. It's not what happened that bugged me, but how it happened. I wish Ann Patchett was more careful, crafting a finale in beautiful language like a song (necessary for a novel about opera). The rest of the book takes it time, time it needs, but then the end rushes to a conclusion we already know. If she had taken a moment to show us the scene, slowed things down, I feel as if it would have been emotionally more impactful.

And let's ignore the epilogue, shall we? It told me things I didn't want to know and didn't tell me things I did. I prefer to think it's not a part of this otherwise excellent book.

So yes, this book loses half a pineapple for the ending, for I felt a little let down after all the emotions leading to that moment. But don't let that tiny half pineapple deter you- I fell back in love with reading (and writing) after this book. This is the kind of art I live to put time into. You should too.

So I'm back, but done making promises. We'll see where my blogging takes me, even if that's nowhere. I'm just thankful for the few of you out there who read my posts no matter how far apart they are. For you, I shall always keep on writing.

Leeann