"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once."-George R.R. Martin

Hello, and welcome to my profile! We're all very pleased to have you here. My name is Vanna. I am a fan of almost all literature, but I especially like fantasy and drama. After taking an advanced English class in high school I was introduced to classic literature. It took two years but now I can actually read one without a headache and appreciate the narrative (as long as I don't have to analyze every word of the text). I love reading, but picking apart a great book in the middle of reading it is why I hated English. Too much thinking...

(Skip the next two paragraphs if you don't want to hear about how much I love classic novels and Shakespeare, as well as my recommendations on a few to read).

I read A Clockwork Orange in my sophomore year and I highly recommend it to anyone who 1) is not bothered by mature topics (ultraviolence, rape, etc.) and 2) either has a lot of patience or is smart enough to look up the Nadsat dictionary online because that diction is like a slap in the face from the very first page. The story is told from the point of view of a teenager who only thinks and speaks in a fictional slang, and he throws around 'Bog' and 'grazhny bratchny' with no explanation. I also read Frankenstein and Dracula, which were actually a lot of fun to read. I personally prefer Dracula because the journal format was easier to get through, where Frankenstein had pages and pages of tedious description-I lost my place a lot.

On top of the classic novels I was exposed to, I also found Shakespeare to be captivating. I think most people think of reading Shakespeare as boring or a waste of time because it's hard to understand and they either never had someone who explained the language properly or were just never interested. I'm fascinated by the language and I considered it a great accomplishment that in my sophomore year of high school I could read a Shakespeare play without annotations or guidance. I really love the jokes and the plots are intricate and dramatic. I really enjoyed The Tragedy of Macbeth and The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark when I read those in school, and in junior year I read The Taming of the Shrew and The Tragedy of King Richard III in my spare time. Both are hilarious, but only the first is a comedy.

I have a dog and four cats because I have a problem with rescuing animals off the street (and in the instance of my newest cat, the pound). My oldest cat is an orange tabby who has gotten very fat over the years and has managed to survive ten years and five moves. Next I have a black and silver tabby who is a much leaner boy-cat and happens to love humans the most out of any of my animals (but has an inexplicable need to bully all the other cats even though my orange one knocks him on his ass in a fight) and his sister, a minuscule gray cat who is so small I'm actually a little worried about her health. My newest arrival is called Holstein because he has the pattern and coloring of a Holstein cow (and the intelligence). My dog, a pug, has been with me for thirteen years. He is my baby.

UPDATE: I recently rescued a German Shepherd from the shelter-WHO IS SPOILED! He beats me up until I give him treats and will howl if he feels I am not paying enough attention to him and, for some inexplicable reason, thinks he is the size of a chihuahua and can be my lap dog.

I watch way too much TV and movies to choose a favorite, but some of the best shows I have seen are Criminal Minds, Castle (even though it is getting a little boring in the later seasons), and Bones. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is probably my three favorite movies of all time, but once again that is really hard. I also like the Harry Potter series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and any classic Disney (mostly the animated films).

For music I listen to almost anything except death metal and rap because it's just too hard for me to get into now. However, "Smokin' In the Boy's Room" and rock songs from that era are pretty much what I was raised on. Recently I've started to listen to classical music because I realized I've never listened to an entire symphony all the way through. While not my favorite kind of music by any stretch, I can definitely see the appeal and I think it's starting to grow on me.

I also began spending a lot more time on Youtube because I found out I'm way behind the curve and there's actually a popular medium growing there, so oops. I really like JSE because I'm very loud and have the same sense of humor as him, but that doesn't usually show up in my writing. I usually go for a more deadpan, bitingly sarcastic approach than over-the-top action. I also like Markiplier, Game Grumps, Muyskerm, and LordMinion777, especially when any of them collaborate. I watch Pewdiepie sometimes, but not often. I don't know why because he seems to be, overall, the same type of youtuber as JSE and Markiplier.

That's it for my bio! Below you will find some favorite or inspirational quotes of mine, some more suggestions for books, movies, and TV shows, as well as a brief description of each and/or a few reasons it made the list.

Quotes:

Right now my favorite quote is posted at the top of my profile. It is by George R.R. Martin, the author of the book series Game of Thrones is based on, and I like it so much because it's true. I've never been out of my country, but I've also been all over the world-to Ireland, Scotland, China. I've been to Middle Earth and Pern, through the Diadem.

"Whether you like it or not, alone is something you'll be quite a lot!"-Dr. Seuss

I chose this quote because it is a Dr. Seuss quote and that's a nostalgia flash I think we all need. I loved him when I was a child-I used to literally hop on pop when my dad read that book to me. However, I also chose it because that's a rare message to find in a child's book, which is true for most of the Dr. Seuss books that are really right. To quote another person,

"when he got it right, he really got it right"-Nostalgia Critic.

"That a person can, just by living, damage another human being beyond repair."-Haruki Murakami

I chose this one because it speaks, to me, from the perspective of a bully (which is a huge issue right now). A lot of people don't even realize how badly they affect someone, which is how so many teen suicides occur.

"Black is not sad. Bright colors are what depresses me. They're so...empty. Black is poetic."-Ann Demeulemeester

I chose this because the quote itself is poetic and abstract. People wear black to funerals-it's the color of mourning, but it's not sad? It makes me think, and maybe it can make you think too.

"People are not born sad; we make them that way."-Nikita Gill

While I don't actually agree with this quote because any healthy baby is born screaming it's head off, but I like the thought and message behind it.

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."-William Shakespeare

I was very tempted to put a quote from Hamlet in here because in that play there are several quotes about depression and mental illness that are a few centuries before their time (the idea of a sick mind is not visited again until Freud), but this is my favorite Shakespeare quote I've ever read. This idea has certainly been repeated many time ("Life's a Song" from "Once More with Feeling", Buffy the Vampire Slayer comes to mind), but this comes at a stressful moment towards the end of Macbeth and the way it is delivered is very striking and memorable to me. I love it.