For this month’s rad reading, I read We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. This book is about the very wealthy Sinclair family who live and own a private island off the coast of Massachusetts. Every summer, all of their families come down to the island and stay in the four large houses throughout the island. They play tennis, ride boats, stay on the beach, and have a very privileged summer that seems like all anyone could ever dream of. Although they may seem like a beautiful, perfect family, the secrets that lie beneath aren’t very pretty.

What I love most about this book is the plot twists and mysteries that are hidden within it. It is very ominous and mysterious and I love it so much. Cadence, the main character who is often referred to as Cady, suffered from a major injury that happened two summers ago. She was found unconscious in the water and suffered from hypothermia. A lot of this book is about discovering what happened to her, and what happened in her family leading up to that. I would 10/10 definitely would recommend this book if you like mystery books.

Mirren was my favorite character because she was just such a wonderful, kind person. One of her character traits was wise. On page 242 the book states, “‘Be a little kinder than you have to, Cady, and things will be alright.’” This quote shows that she cares about her cousin, Cadence, and wants to make sure that she lives a happy life and is offering her advice to her. This is a great characteristic that Mirren has because once you read this story, you will know that Cadence is going through a rough time at this point in the book and Mirren wants to guide her in any way she can.

My favorite quote from the book is “I love you in spite of your grief. Even though you are crazy.” (page 238) This quote is really important to this book because a lot of the people in this not-so-perfect family are a little crazy in some way, but they all still love each other in the end. For example all of the Aunties had a lot of problems – one of them was really stressed out and could never fall asleep, and some others got really angry and had issues with drinking. They fought over possessions and money, but in the end they were brought back together because they realized that that was not the most important thing that mattered.

This is a quote from We Were Liars that I thought was really pretty along with an image to represent it.

Hello again, reader! For week 4 of my 20% nail art project I learned how to do nail design. This is something that seemed interesting to me and I had watched other people do it at the nail salons and it seemed cool – with all of the flowy, intricate designs that ranged from little teddy bears to polka dots! I decided to start off with a simpler approach, with just a couple of little flowers on the thumb and middle finger. This is very tricky to do to yourself, so I used my mom to help me practice! Unlike last week, I had many successes. Some of the things that went well was choosing a color scheme and using precise lines to draw the flowers. For my colors, I used a really pretty light blue color with yellow and pink flowers. The colors contrasted really well together and looked really nice in the end. To make the flower design on the nail, I used a wooden toothpick to paint the flowers onto the nail. This was very hard! Luckily, I was able to figure out the right technique to not make them look deformed and blobby. Something that i should work on is being more aware of where my fingers are when they are painting. I kept resting my hand on the other nails, making some of them looking a little smudged. Other than that I did really well! Next week, I am going to start displaying my nail work on my trifold! Here is the picture of what the nails looked like when I finished them.

Hello again, reader! For week three of my 20% nail art project I learned how to do gel nails. This is something that I had never tried before because I never knew how to do it, so I am trying it today! Since this takes a long time to do, I watched videos and tutorials on how to do it so that I have enough background knowledge to be able to do it successfully at home. Some success that I had when I did this is absolutely nothing! This was an absolute disaster in every way possible. The nails wouldn’t stick, they were breaking, the polish was all bumpy, and they were misshapen. They were nothing at all like how I wanted them to look. Something that i should work on is my precision and my following of instructions. Part of the reason they didn’t work out is because I did not let them come for long enough, resulting in bendy nails that were hard to work with. Next week, I am going to learn about drawing and making designs on my nails. Wish me luck! 😅 Here is the picture of what the nails looked like when I finished them on Friday.

My favorite room in my home is my bedroom! This is my favorite for numerous reasons. First of all, I love the design and layout my room. My room is on the second story of my house, and it has a big arch window with yellow floral curtains. In the corner, I have a white bean bag chair and a light pink rug. My bed has a sage green comforter and a knitted, round white pillow. On my wall I have paintings of seashells and the ocean, along with some posters of my favorite music artist, Taylor Swift.

Secondly, it is so cozy!! There is this really silky grey blanket on my bed that I have had since I was nine, and I love it so much! Every night, I cozy up in it no matter how hot it is outside. Also, I recently got a really soft bean bag chair that I now do my homework in everyday.

Finally, my room is my favorite place to be is because I can get time alone without anyone else bothering me! Of course I love my friends and family but I am still a bit of an introvert, so I need to be by myself from time to time so that I don’t get too mad! My room is a perfect space to relax and enjoy the quiet. I have a bathroom next to it and everything I need to stay relaxed and content from my clothes and makeup to my books and computer!
I

am so lucky to have a space of my own to relax and unwind. Where is your favorite room?

Hello again, reader! For week two of my 20% nail art project I learned how to apply glue-on nails. This is something that I had never tried before because I had always just done the press-on nails because they seemed easier, even though the glue-on ones are of much higher quality and last longer (up to two weeks with the brand I used.) Some success that I had when I did this is getting the nails straight and properly aligned. I was able to get them to match perfectly with the shape and width of my nail. However, I did not succeed when it came to putting on the right amount of glue. On some of the nails I put on way too much glue, so when I applied the fake nail some glue oozed out from underneath resulting in a gluey outer seam. To fix this, next time I should try to use a thinner layer of glue so that they would still hold while not oozing outside of the nail. Next week, I am going to watch videos on how to do gel nails, and hen do them at home after school since it would take too long to do in class! This is a very important skill to know how to do when doing nails, and I can’t wait to learn it! Here is the picture of what the nails looked like when I finished them on Friday!

Over spring break, I went skiing with my dad’s family in Lake Tahoe! The weather was perfect for me- it was warm every day, there was fresh snow on the ground, and there was a slight breeze aloft in the trees. I have only skied four times in my life before, but I picked it up extremely fast! I had recently done my first double black diamond, which is the hardest ski trail that the resorts have. On my third day of this trip, my dad asked me if I would like to add another double black diamond to my list of things I have skied. I said, “Sure, why not! What’s the worst that could happen?”

Little did I know… this would be a very scary experience!

As I started down the trail with my dad and my aunt, Tara, I noticed that there were a lot of sharp rocks, sticks, and unmarked objects jutting out haphazardly from where the snow had melted away. My dad told me to keep my speed so I could get enough air to jump over the logs. I timidly followed his lead, and I got the hang of it! My confidence was boosted as I glided smoothly across the steep, icy snow. I began to pick up more and more speed, and then, something daunting became visible in my view. After the jump that I was pointed to go on, there was a 15 foot cliff!

Closer and closer I came to the jump. I made a half-hearted effort to slow down, but I knew it was far too late. I came flying off the jump, and l could only think of one thing to do- which is to slide off the cliff like a penguin! Down I slid, over snow laden rocks and past frosty trees! I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, I had landed on my butt with a thump. Luckily, I was ok and it was a soft landing. What I learned is that I should always be careful!

Hello, my name is Simone Beck, and for my 20% project I am learning how to do nail art. This week I am planning to accomplish learning how to do a French manicure. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it is a nail design with a pale pink base polish with a solid white tip. I couldn’t find my white nail polish for the tip, so I used light blue instead. Something that I successfully accomplished is doing my left hand. I am very much a righty, so it was very easy to do my left hand. But, when it came to doing the other side, I had a much greater struggle. The tip that I did on my right nail got a little squished and the line wasn’t straight. Something that I can learn from this and help me adjust to the coming weeks is to practice doing things with my left hand to improve my coordination and control. What I will be working on next week is learning to apply nails with glue. I have only used press on nails before so this is something new I would like to try.

Here is the end result from last week!

I would like to invite so many people over for dinner, but these are my top three. I would like to invite Taylor Swift, my Aunt Molly, and my new baby cousin, Birdie.

In case you don’t know who Taylor Swift is (which is pretty impossible by now!) she is an American songwriter and singer who is one of the most influential pop artists of all time. I would like to invite her over to dinner because I absolutely love her music so much! She is my favorite musician by far because she has an amazing voice and writes incredible, powerful music. She also believes that girls can do anything that they put their minds to even though you have to overcome obstacles a lot of time. I look up to her and it would be a dream to meet her.

Secondly, I would like to invite my Aunt Molly over for dinner. I would like to invite her over for dinner because I have not seen her in a very long time! I really miss her and I would really love to see her. She is really nice and funny and I would be so grateful to finally get to visit her after almost two months of not seeing her. She has recently had her new baby and has been really busy!

Finally, I would like to invite my new baby cousin over for dinner. She is so cute, but I have only seen pictures of her and I would love to see baby Birdie in real life! I really love babies because they are so adorable and lovable. It would be so exciting to meet her, and this dinner party would be a perfect time! Who would you like to invite over for dinner?

For this month’s rad reading, I read Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. This book is about a girl named Samantha in high school who has OCD. This is a secret who she has hidden from everyone at her school, including her best friends (the popular girls.) Every day, she tries to layer up all her problems behind perfectly applied makeup and fashionable outfits so that she can maintain the delicate friendship that she has with them. But one day, she meets this quirky, unfashionable, funny girl who shows her a hidden place called Poets Corner below the theater. It is a secret poetry club that meets in the old janitor’s closet twice a week where everyone reads poetry and has lunch together. There is one boy, AJ, who she is particularly fond of, but he is awfully cold to her for some reason that she will eventually figure out.

This is a great book about love, sadness, dealing with your emotions, and discovering your true friends. There are so many different things that I didn’t know before reading this book about what people who have OCD struggle with in their everyday life. I learned how it’s so hard to control obsessions and anxiety that people with this disorder have over certain things. In the book that I just read, the main character Sam has this obsession over the number three. She doesn’t feel safe or content until certain things that she does are done in patterns of three. For example, she won’t get out of her car until the odometer is at a three, or if the elevator number is pressed three times.

Caroline was my favorite character because she was a great friend, but also didn’t care what other people thought of her. One of her character traits was reliable. On page 233 the book states, “‘Can you keep a secret?’ I ask her. Caroline rolls her eyes. ‘Of course I can.’” This quote shows that she is reliable because she is a loyal friend that won’t share her friend’s private information. This is a great characteristic that Caroline has because it is good to have someone to talk to who won’t share what they hear from you.

My favorite quote from the book is “No. It’s not perfect. But it’s me.” (page 352) I really liked this quote because sometimes the things that we like best about ourselves aren’t always the things that are viewed as good or perfect, but sometimes that is what we like the most. A lot of people try to hide these things to fit in better with everyone else, but you can feel happier when you let this free. This is what Caroline taught Sam with her funny outfits and practical hiking boots. You shouldn’t have to care what others think, because your true friends will like you no matter what. 🤍

For my dream job, I would like to be a makeup designer for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour!

I would want to do this for many reasons. First of all, I would be able to travel the world for free! Taylor Swift tours the world because everyone just about everywhere loves her beautiful music and thinks that she is an amazing artist! I would get to travel anywhere from Tokyo, Japan to Italy!

Second of all, I would do something that I love to do everyday. I really like makeup because it is really cool and is a way to express how you feel. It can exaggerate certain emotions that you feel and can get people to act a certain way. If that isn’t enough, get to do it on Taylor Swift who is my favorite artist of all time!

Finally, I would have the privilege to hang out with Taylor every single day! I have always loved her so much from a very young age and she inspires me everyday to be a good person and to help others. Her music shows so much emotion and the struggles that she has had as a female artist, a person, and as a musician. I feel I could learn so much from her experiences and I really like her so much!