Books, Geneaology, ETC

I usually like to comment on books when I've read three, but I feel like I need to make a "post" now... just 'cause! So, I've read two books. The one I finished yesterday was, Richmond Tales, by Summer Brenner, and the one I finished the day before that was called, The Thirteenth Tale, by Dianne Setterfield.The Thirteeth Tale was fairly interesting. My Gramma said it was hard to get into, but I remember thinking while reading a line (that I don't remember right now, and am too lazy to go back to my Gramma's and find the book and...and even to want to go through the book and remember what caught me when I was reading the first couple chapters of this book), that I liked this book. Though the book is about a girl writing down a famous author's life story, it becomes more than that. The girl becomes the story, in a way-- she dreams what she's writing about at some point. I was so sure that I knew who the author was (there were twins involved in this story), but then! (DUN DUN DUNNN! LAST MINUTE PLOT TWIST!) There's a step sister! And, from what I gather, this famous author is the twins step sister. Now, that's the most inconvenient plot twist ever, but it's a good one. I liked this book a lot...and I might have to read it again, so I can clarify some things, but not now... I'm READING (and ruined the book for you... if you wanted to read it)!!
Richmond Tales was something my Gramma recommended. She, being a life time resident of this fine city (ahahaha), wanted me to read this book written for 4th and 5th graders, so I could learn about my own city. It was interesting, I suppose...and it was waaaaaay better than learning about Richmond from dozens of almanacs and old moldy books from my Gramma's bookshelf....which I just happened to look at two days before, when I was bored of reading The Thirteenth Tale. Not the almanac (I don't think she has any... not sure what those books are, really. I think they're more just records; histories of Contra Costa County, histories of Richmond...even transcripts of interviews of my great grandmother and my great uncle, who were also long time citizens), but the family stuff that was in there. The Lexons, the Wanderers, the Nystroms... that's just my Gramma's family... then there's my Grandpa's and my whole other side of the family. xD If I really get into genealogy, I'd have to dig real deeply into strange archives...and for this other side of mine, it'll be real hard because apparently, this culture had no sense to keep records of anyone. -___- Nothing. I wish I could just take a DNA test and find out who my ancestors are, then I could just research those people, instead of having to track everything from just one relative, or one tiny little clue; that being a census record, random book, or ship manifest, some other very distant relative, or some stranger that contacts you wanting info on someone in your family who was "famous" back in their day. I like learning about my family, but right now, it's a pretty one-sided experience because it has been just my Gramma looking all these things up, and the stuff I've seen is just her side of her family. I'd really like to learn more about all these people-- my ancestors from England, Finland, Germany... The Philippines, China, and Spain. It all started with the family crest that's been on that wall for who knows how long...

College starts in exactly 26 days for me. I get to go on BART all by myself (without being able to look forward to meeting a certain someone), then college's shuttle, then walk around the campus like a chicken with its head cut off looking for the building and (mainly) the classroom my class(es) would be in. I mean, really, do these campuses have to be so huge? They're really trying to get everyone to get some type of exercise, aren't they? But yes, I am extremely anxious to learn how my commute will be like to college because I've never taken public transportation to school before. I've lived so close I've never had to leave an hour before class started. AHAHA, I've had it eaaaaaaaaaasyyyyyyyy... Everyone tells me I'll be fine, but I can't help but worry that something will go wrong... who knows what, but I have always feared being late. Rush, rush, rush, is me...at least with school... and getting to places on time... getting certain things done... yeah. I've been reading (and other things...but the reading is the only stuff you people care about) to keep myself slightly sane before college, and have already started another book called The Almost Moon, by Alice Sebold. I'm on Chapter Three...