When I was younger, many of my peers shared my love of reading. At my elementary school, our teachers mandated that we all be reading a book at all times, but I like to think that most people would have read anyways. We all lived off of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, with the occasional Septimus Heap book thrown in, and books dominated much of our conversations. Reading was not something exceptional or out of the ordinary, it was something that we all did, something that most of us liked and quite a few of us loved.

In middle school, I gradually began to witness my peers’ interests shift away from reading and towards other pursuits. Almost everyone got phones, and most of us got smart phones, these became the new source of entertainment. Reading was fast becoming something outside of the norm, an interest relegated to nerds and teachers’ pets. It was no longer cool to express a love of reading, much less a love of books. Teachers still assigned reading, but most students never actually read the books we were assigned. I, as someone who devoured books by the dozen, felt both alienated and perplexed by my peers’ behavior. Middle school was a time where my reading horizons practically exploded; I read classics, fantasy, science-fiction, historical fiction, mysteries, horror, and contemporary fiction; everything I could get my hands on. I was discovering new favorite authors such as Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Jonathan Stroud and new favorite books such as The Book Thief, Watership Down, and Sorcery and Cecelia. Aside from providing me with hours of entertainment, all of this reading affected me as a person, and I really do think that it has made all the difference for me.

Books have taught me so much- new facts and tidbits, truths about human nature, appreciation for writing craft. However, I think the most important thing that reading gives me is the ability to appreciate and sympathize with people I will never meet and places I will never visit. When I pick up a book, I am instantly transported, able to experience events that I will never see take place and live ten lives in just the span of a few pages. I am firmly convicted that reading has made me a more tolerant, sympathetic person. This is the reason why I believe that reading is so important, and why I am disheartened by the lack of interest that most people my age show in it.

I am not knocking other mediums, such as movies or TV shows, that people always seem to be comparing to books. TV can be just as rewarding as books can, and, in some cases, can provide things that books cannot. However, I do think that the ideal ratio of time spent watching TV to time spent reading should be at the very least equal (for me it will always be heavily tipped in the favor of books; they will forever be my true love), because watching TV is a passive activity, while reading is an active activity. By this I mean that reading engages your brain, encouraging you to form connections and visualize scenery. TV, on the other hand, does all of the work for you. And I will forever insist that no media gives us the same capacity for empathy that books do, because only books allow us to so closely and deeply experience the emotions felt by someone else without actually being the person. And as phones go, while I admit that smart phones have many awesome features that can be great methods of communications or forms of entertainment, I feel that they can definitely foster a technology addiction and can result in hours of wasted time. I freely admit that I sometimes feel like I've spent too much time on my phone, but I do everything I can to keep myself from becoming addicted to it, because I want to make sure that I am consuming media that will truly positively impact me.

I also want to mention the point of vocabulary. Not only has reading given me my love of the written word and writing in general, it has given me my love for words themselves, and has encouraged me to cultivate a large, varied vocabulary. Whenever someone asks me where I heard of a word that I have used, nine out of ten times the answer is that I read it in a book.

So when I say that I wish more of my peers read, it stems not a desire to be able to discuss books with them (okay, fine that’s definitely part of it, but not all of it), but from my personal experiences with the positive impact reading has had on my life, and in the hopes that reading might have the same impact on them.

This post originally appeared on my personal blog, Nerdy and Wordy.

Because yesterday marked the start of the first week of the new year, this week's TOE bloggers and I decided that our blogging theme for this week would be 2017. After some consideration, I decided that I wanted to do a new year's resolutions post of sorts. Unfortunately, I personally always struggled to keep my new year's resolutions. However, I do usually do a pretty good job of sticking to lists of actions to complete when I make them for myself. So I thought about writing a post where, instead of listing the things I wanted to be in 2017, I would list the things that I wanted to do. Here are 17 things I want to do in 2017:

I have been blogging for a little over two years now, and have become far more comfortable and confident about sharing my writing in that time period than I ever thought I would be. However, my favorite thing about blogging is not being able to share my writing, although I do really love that. My favorite thing about blogging is interacting with other bloggers. 

I started blogging with the intention of being a book blogger. I have always loved books and reading, and have always been very annoying err I mean vocal about it. I spent so much time ranting and raving about books to friends and family that eventually they got fed up with me recognized my passion for reading and suggested that I get a Goodreads to share my book reviews online. So I created an account and ended up developing a slight obsession with Goodreads that lasted for about a year. 

While on Goodreads, I noticed that many members also ran book blogs, and decided that I wanted to give blogging a try. So I created my own blog and started writing reviews. You can still find those reviews, though I would rather you didn't. They can be pretty cringe-worthy at times. After a while, I became sort of bored with just blogging about books and decided that there was a whole wealth of other subjects that mattered to me and that I wanted to write about- everything from music to art to comic book movies to feminism. 

So I changed my blog's url to something that wasn't book-specific and began churning out new posts. Initially my blog was something that I just shared with friends, family, and members of my book club. However, as time went on, I began to really want to share my blog with a larger audience on the internet. So I got a Twitter to promote my blog, which I think is one of the best blogging-related decisions I have ever made. 

Twitter is such a great way to share your blog with a wider audience and meet wonderful people who share your interests. Through it I have been able to interact with both fellow bloggers and authors of books I have read. While social media does definitely have some downsides, I will never cease to be impressed by the way it can create new connections and relationships. I have met so many other amazing bloggers via Twitter, and am inspired by their kindness on and their awesome blogs to be a better, more communicative blogger. 

When I first started blogging, I admit that I wasn't thinking at all about the relationships that I might form with other bloggers, but now that is one of the things that I value most about blogging. I am sort the sort of person who keeps to themselves and is very sensitive about sharing their writing with others. I don't think that a year ago I would have ever guessed that I would taking part in a group blog with thirteen other girls who all live on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean. Things like becoming a member of Through Our Eyes have given me amazing opportunities to write creatively and share my writing with new audiences, but I never would have had these opportunities if I hadn't taken steps to promote my blog and get to know other bloggers. 

So, for anyone out there who loves writing and is considering starting a blog or who is already blogging but hasn't really communicated with other blogging community yet, I encourage you to be brave and put your writing out there for other bloggers to read. It can take a lot of courage, but I have found that it usually worth it in the end. The blogging community is full of kind, encouraging people who share your love for writing and who will encourage or support you. And that, for me, is worth all of the follows and likes in the world. 

Dear Christmas,

Hi there, Minerva here! I love the Young Adult fiction genre, and probably read more of it than I do any other genre. I know that YA has its fair share of detractors, but I firmly believe that the some of fiction's most entertaining and unique stories are being told within the genre. As someone who is always reading and much of the time is reading YA fiction, I frequently find myself coming across awesome YA books and wondering why don't I know anyone that has read this? Most people can rattle off the titles of bestsellers such as Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, etc., but won't able to come up with much of anything else. I am not saying that these blockbuster books aren't good, but I am saying that their are a lot of other YA series out there that are just as deserving of the same kind of recognition. Here are three YA series that I think are highly underrated and would highly recommend to anyone in search of a good  YA read (or really, just plain read, as I think these books are mature and complexly-written enough to appeal to readers of all ages). I have reviewed several of these books on my blog or my Goodreads, and have placed links to my reviews below each description if you are interested in the series and want to know more about it.

1.) Lockwood and Co series by Jonathan Stroud
 I absolutely love this series (which has four books so far and will most likely be concluding next year) to pieces and am always trying to convince friends and family to give it a try. Lockwood and Co is set an alternate London that is plagued by hundreds of hundreds of lethal ghosts know collectively as the Problem. No one has any idea how or why the Problem started, and adults cannot even see the ghosts that haunt them. Only a handful of children can see the ghosts, and are called upon to stop hauntings. The series revolves around Lucy Carlyle, a field agent at Lockwood and Co, the smallest physic detection agency in London, as well the only one to function entirely without adult supervision. Lucy, along with the bookish, wise-cracking George Cubbins and the mysterious, charismatic (and 100% swoon-worthy) Anthony Lockwood must investigate the ghosts of murders and crimes long past, all while trying not to become murder victims themselves. Lockwood and Co is a perfect balance of mystery, adventure, and genuinely-frightening horror; with some of Stroud's signature caustic humor occasionally thrown in to lighten the mood. It also has a wonderful cast of complex, flawed characters; including Lockwood and Co themselves, who have one of my favorite friend/team-dynamics in YA fiction.  

Reviews:
Book One- The Screaming Staircase
Book Two- The Whispering Skull
Book Three- The Hollow Boy
Book Four- The Creeping Shadow


2.) Seraphina Duology by Rachel Hartman
Seraphina is the only series I have on this list which is already concluded as of right now, and I suggest you go read Seraphina and its sequel, Shadow Scale. It would definitely be worth your time. Dragons have always been a popular element of many high fantasy stories, one that in my opinion, can sometimes be cliched or over-used, but Rachel Hartman puts an entirely new spin on them in beautifully written, wonderfully multi-layered Seraphina books. Seraphina takes place in the fictional kingdom of Gorredd, a land inhabited by two groups: ordinary humans and dragons with the ability to fold themselves into human shapes known as Saar. The books revolve around the titular Seraphina, a girl who is half-dragon and half-human, as she struggles to find love and acceptance in a world that considers her very existence a crime, all while maintaining the fragile peace between humans and dragons. Seraphina has much of the magic, intrigue, and adventure that you would except from your typical YA fantasy, but it is also full of gorgeous prose and philosophical musings on gender, love, and identity. The world building is very three-dimensional and complex without ever being too much, and Hartman, unlike so many fantasy authors (and YA authors in general), does not solely populate her realm with straight, white, cisgender inhabitants. 

Reviews
Seraphina
Shadow Scale


3.) The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
The Queen's Thief is not your typical YA series, and I can see why it would be a hard-sell to a lot of teens. Most of the main characters are actually in their early twenties and the series, while it does have its fair-share of action, is usually moves at a much slower place than what you would expect from a Young Adult novel. However, I still insist that the series is something a lot of people would love if they gave it a try. I would love to give a summary of The Queen's Thief's premise, but the series is just full of brilliant plot twists and character turns and I don't want to give away any, so I'll just give you a list of reasons why you should read it: 1.)Very unique and well-developed Grecian-inspired-but-updated-to-the-era-of-the-Byzantine Empire setting 2.) Deeply flawed yet compelling characters 3.) Court intrigue to beat all court intrigue 4.) Plot twists that will sweep the rug out from underneath you and send you reeling 5.) A romance that you will never in million years see coming but will still make you swoon in spite of it all.

Have you read any of these series? Do any of them sound interesting to you? What are the YA series that you think deserve more love? Feel free to let me know in the comments section below, I'd love to hear from you!

-Minerva

I love London a lot but since I have become a bit older (within the last couple of years), I have become very aware that I don't really enjoy busy situations. I don't go up to London a lot so when I go up it is both a treat and a bit scary, but I love it anyway. Back to what I was saying, I went up for the day on Saturday (15th October). I had been looking forward to it for a very long time, so it had been planned in my head for a while. We parked in the Imperial College car park and walked to the Royal Albert Hall, as I had never seen it in the light. It was exactly as amazing as I had imagined, and opposite, the Royal College of Music, a dream I have had since a young age. It was amazing to be able to see it in its glory and it was just as beautiful and majestic as I had seen before.



By this point, we were all a bit hungry, so we walked up and down Brompton Road for quite a while, before finding a pub in a secluded corner of the road, which was actually very nice.



After that, we decided to head to Harrods, which we then wandered around in for about 2 and a half hours. We went through all the floors, fashion, Disney, toys, books, technology and beauty. All very expensive and all very exquisite.






Although this was exciting, I was most looking forward to the evening. My dad was performing in the Royal Albert Hall in the Festival of Male Voice Choirs 2016. It was a big night and one that we had been anticipating for a very long time and it was exactly as amazing as we thought it would be.



The Albert Hall is amazing and I recommend everyone going to see it, inside or out, because it is so beautiful and wonderful and I cannot fault it at all. I am so lucky that I have been able to go there twice, both to see family members perform, and although I have never performed there, maybe one day I will be able to.

Until next time,
Katie xx

Obviously, a 16 year old like me has very little experience in the world and my words won't make that much of a difference, but recently, it has really been bugging me how some people seem to have such unrealistic goals about what love is, what having a partner is and what being in a relationship means. I see numerous posts saying things like 'You touch my boyfriend, you speak to my boyfriend, you even look at my boyfriend and I will hurt you'. NO! What are you doing. Your 'boyfriend' has a life and can and should be able to speak to whoever he wants. Then, for some weird reason, you then think your partner is an idiot for being slightly overprotective because you are talking to a boy. What is that? That is not love. That is hiding someone away from the world because you think that he/she is only yours and no one else's. I just don't understand it.

I love a good series and after Pretty Little Liars finished for a break after season 6B, I decided I would start Orange is The New Black. Not knowing what I was going to be watching, I sat through the first episode. And the second. And the third. I am currently on Season 4 Episode 1. And I love it. Although it is a bit sexy at times, I think there are so many lessons that you can learn from it. Anyway, here are my 4 favourite and 4 least favourite OINTB characters.

Favourites

Red

I think Red has to be one of my favourites because she is so strong. She doesn't let anything get in her way and she focuses herself on her cooking, even when things don't go her way. Also, she is the sassiest Russian ever and I love her attitude to life, inside and outside of prison.

The lesson I learned from her: That nothing should get in the way of your hobbies, even if things get in your way.



Sophia

Sophia is a transgender woman, who is in prison with the rest of the girls. Although born as a man, she is with them and that is what she wants, even though it isn't what some of the rest of the girls want.

The lesson I learned from her: That you should always be yourself, whatever the situation may be.


Taystee

Taystee is so sassy and I love her. During the end of the 3rd series, she kind of turns into the mother of the group of blacks which are all in the prison together and always stick together. She is such a good character and is played so well. Also, she is so funny but also so sensitive when necessary.

The lesson I learned from her: That you can still be sassy and funny, even in the worst of situations. Also, people do look up to you, whatever your position.



O'Neill and Bell

I love these two guards in the series. They are literally my favourite couple and crack me up so much. Their relationship is the best thing ever and they will always be my favourite guards.

The lesson I learned from them: That under pressure, love is always the ruler.



Chang

I cannot even tell you how funny I think Chang is. I hope there is a lot more of her in Season 4 and 5 because I think she should be the main character. She is so blunt and funny and I love her to bits.

The lesson I learned from her: The quietest ones are often the funniest ones.



Flaka

Flaka was not one of my favourite characters in the first season, but now, she is so funny, not always intentionally and for that reason, she is in my favourite 8. Also, I love her eye makeup.

The lesson I learned from her: That the person you dislike, to begin with, isn't always bad.



Nicky

Nicky isn't in a lot of the 3rd series, but she will always be one of my favourites. She is so sweet and although there isn't a particular reason for liking her, you really bond with her from the beginning.

The lesson I learned from her: You can always quit something you like if it isn't good for you



Rosa

Although Rosa sadly leaves us at the end of season 2, but she is one of those bad-ass women you wish you could know. She had cancer and at the end of season 2, she does something which makes me love her even more.

The lesson I learned from her: That you can still be happy and cheerful, even if something is wrong



Do you watch Orange is The New Black? Who are your favourite characters?

Until next time,
Katie xx

This post is written by Anna, who owns the blog A Fabulous Feminist. I hope you enjoy the post and learn a little more about something I have never written about before.

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Due to my GCSEs, I haven't been in school since the 17th June, which is extremely early for a secondary school girl to be out of school, considering that I start college on the 12th September, which is far later than usual.