There's a good chance that I'm sick again, by the time this posts. You should know that I'm writing the entry on the 14th, mainly because I'm trying to outsmart my immune system. You should also know by now that my immune system and I are in a constant battle of the wits. I'm ALWAYS sick during the holidays. I'm just, frankly, always sick. I'm also, very likely, re-watching the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Christmas special for the fifteenth time, while feeling like utter crap.

Today, I feel moderately acceptable. Which is probably in part of the fact that I made homemade soup (vegetable) and had four cups of coffee. Oh, and peanut brittle. I finally had peanut brittle--which is the literal only peanut based food I like. AND IT PUT ME IN A GOOD MOOD, despite my bookish hangover ('sup, Cassandra Clare) and sore throat ('sup, shitty immune system), woo!

I'm getting off track. But, what else is new?

This is my first Christmas where my Dad is unemployed and a lot of the burden of holiday shopping goes onto me. I know my holiday splurges went towards my family and friends. And the rest of my money has gone elsewhere--but, I did manage to treat myself to a few goodies during Black Friday and other little sales here and there.

And set aside some of it for my tradition of going out the weekend before Christmas with my best-friend and some tacky holiday clothing.

(Which is likely where illness #4 of autumn and winter 2018 will come from!)

Babbling again. Sorry!

This is going to be one of those rare moments where I couldn't complete the topic at hand. In all honesty, most of my bookish wish-list won't be available until next year. Usually, I have to add a few titles past the 10-book mark because I'm that excessive.

Because I purchased my presents entirely on my own this year (how very adult of me?) I already know that these will be under my tree. I even wrapped them myself. Thrilling!

The rest of what's under my tree will be beauty related. It honestly doesn't get more on brand than this does it? All that's missing is a ticket to see (insert Broadway in Chicago show) and then it would be the holy trinity of Jessica. Alas, I'm barely scraping by with what I did get for myself and others this year and that is ONLY because everything was on sale.

LET'S GET TO THE BOOK PART.



The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert* 

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.


 
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro* 

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.


Heartless by Marissa Meyer*

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin* 

Everyone thinks seventeen-year-old Noah Shaw has the world on a string.

They’re wrong.

Mara Dyer is the only one he trusts with his secrets and his future.

He shouldn’t.

And both are scared that uncovering the truth about themselves will force them apart.

They’re right.

Now I Rise by Kiersten White 

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost.

• More Archie Comics adaptations. I'd love to see the vintage titles explored in their accurate timeline or modernized, I'm not picky. Riverdale, obviously, has been through its shares of hits and misses. I'd like to see them get back into their groove further--this season has been a lot better than last, but still not as fun as season one. I want to see a revival of their cartoons! A new Sabrina one, too, even though we've had quite a few. I'd kill to see Josie and the Pussycats get a reboot if Riverdale keeps on neglecting them--but the reboot MUST include the talented ladies from Riverdale. I'd love an Afterlife with Archie episode, a Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina cross-over (if done right) and more throwbacks to the 90s sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch. And, not to be excessive, I'd love to see Ginger make a return to the Archie Comics verse. Let me and Sammy (one of my best friends) write and illustrate it! 
• Happiness for all of you. If you've had a rough patch this year, I'm here. Never be afraid to reach out. I'm never opposed to friendships, either.
• For my dad? To find a job that was as well-off as his previous one. Seeing him in such a funk is heartbreaking, especially when I don't have enough money to help him financially in the days to come. For my mom? Less pain--she has had back issues for half of her life so she's in constant pain.
• To see my best friend more often. It's been over a year, due to the fact that she lives a few states over from me. Becca, I miss you, but you already know that. Maybe we'll make it to NYC again. Maybe you'll meet Hope Solo a few more times again.
• Netflix to put up my favourite shows again. I miss Doctor Who, Torchwood and The X-Files. I'd kill for them to acquire Veronica Mars, Boy Meets World, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Shadowhunters, as well. 
• A new microphone to record my original music with and the funds to repair my flute. Music is, and always will be, my center--and with how off-balanced I've felt this year, I'd really love to be able to focus on that once more. 
• Something that makes me feel like I did when I read Harry Potter, or watched The Haunting of Hill House, for the first time. 
• Victoria's Secret and Too Faced to right their wrongs. They're two of my favourite brands and it is very conflicting, seeing some of their actions as of late.  
• Indie writers to thrive. Diverse literature to dominate.