SO MUCH EXCITEMENT.

I don't know if you've ever run around your house screaming, but I certainly have. Because guess what?

The sequel to Princess Academy just came out.

*SQUEEEEE!*

I made a meme. Idk why, but they just seem to be able to convey my emotions better... and my facial expression.

Do you wanna see it in all of its glory? Of course you do! Here's a picture:

Miri is so grown up... and pretty... and that is totally a miri flower in her hair.

Pardon the fangirling, but Princess Academy was my FAVORITE book as a girl. I read it a trillion times. I tried to quarry-speak like Miri. I fell head over heels in love over my first literary crush, Peder (who smelled like bread and had a name based off of "Peter" before it was cool). It was one of those books that seemed so real to me. I never dreamed Shannon Hale would write a sequel. 



Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting... until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she "should "help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city. Picking up where "Princess Academy "left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.

New crush? Who could ever in a million years replace Peder!? Miri, darling: HE SMELLS LIKE BREAD AND CUTS STUFF OUT OF LINDER. MARRY HIM NOWWWW. I should probably be more worried about these "frightening plans", but alas... Speaking of must-have books, check out my To Read list. The following have been bumped up in terms of priority. Sorry, The Scarlet Pimpernel. It's nothing personal.

My good friend Marlene has been singing this books praises for some time now. I've been meaning to pick up a copy ever since I got hooked on the blog of the lovely Heather Dixon, called Story Monster. The night I discovered her blog, I stayed up til midnight reading old posts. She's hysterical and adorable and I can hardly wait to read this book.

Rick Riordan follows a format: realistic characters, loads of wit, plenty of plot twists, and a whole ton of randomness. I'm currently reading The Serpent's Shadow from The Kane Chronicles, his series based on Egyptian mythology. As awesome as Carter and Sadie Kane and the gang are, nothing can compare with my besties Percy Jackson and Annabeth. When the Percy Jackson series ended, I was brokenhearted. Then he wrote The Heroes of Olympus series, which was like P.J. meets a whole cast of new, awesome characters. So addictive. The cliff-hanger endings are terrible. I stayed up til the early morning hours, forced to read in the bathroom (my sister could no longer stand my reading light), and finished The Son of Neptune. MAJOR CLIFF-HANGER. I've waited a year for this book, and I'm blimey well gonna read it before my friend Kate can spoil it all... I give Jason, Frank, Piper, Leo, blahblahlbah EVERYONE permission to die, except for Percy and Annabeth. End rant.

Writing Update: College essays. I don't want to talk about it. Too painful. Another day.

What are you reading? Any sequels you're excited for? Recognize any of the titles above? The comments await you. *deep bow*