The game of chess has never seem interesting to me. My grandparents had a wooden chess set on an end table while I was young. I always played with the pieces but never learned the game. I was more into imagining the queen and the king had lives.
This show made me wish I knew more about the game.
The show is about Beth Harmon, an orphaned girl. After her mother dies, she is sent to live at an orphanage. In the orphanage she develops an addiction to tranquilizers and meets Shaibel, who is the first person to teach her chess. After several years, she is adopted by a couple. While the couple’s marital problems cause them to split, Beth involves herself in chess tournaments. She goes on to be world renowned and struggles with her addiction throughout the whole series.
To say the least, this show is a masterpiece. I dont think anyone could have made the game of chess as interesting as Scott Frank (Director) and Anya Taylor-Joy (Beth Harmon) did in this show.
I loved the show from the moment I put it on. The darker undertones of the scenes really held me enchanted. I binged watched the show and almost finished the whole thing in a day. |The show is only 7 episodes long, perfect for a rainy day or a COVID safe weekend.
Please watch it.
It will change your understanding of chess and life.
I cant say much more for fear of spoiling the series. Just go check it out for yourself.
“It’s 2011 in America, the Iraq War is coming to a close, and the Occupy Wall Street movement has been gaining steam. And at twenty-one years of age, Billy Chute is sitting in the breakdown lane on the side of the highway in his ’98 Altima with his drugs in the cooler on the passenger seat floor, in the midst of escaping yet another stale reality. Still high on an opioid and amphetamine kick, his new escape crystallizes in a journal entry: Find dad. And those few simple words seal Billy’s fate- what started as another of his impulsive flights becomes a mission, and it terrifies him, for his father is like wildfire, burning all in its path, yet confronting his traumatic past may be Billy’s only sustainable way forward.
A propulsive story with profound insights about freedom and imprisonment, motion and stasis, chance and destiny, The Escapist delves deeply into the internal and external calamities that shape this special human life and mind. Mental health, family conflict and abuse, drug addiction, and sexuality are intricately woven together in a turbulent pre-Trump America in this dynamic and layered narrative of violence and hope.” -Publisher
Review:
I recieved this book off of NetGalley and shall be giving it an honest review.
Now when I say, I do not know how to feel about this book, I mean I REALLY do not know how to feel about this book.
The thing about this book is that it was not the most well-put-together book, but I honestly could not put it down. I devoured this book.
I am honestly disappointed that I finished the book. Or I am disappointed in how it ended, I am honestly not sure.
I could not stop reading it. There were such vivid, eye-opening details in the book. Every single thing about drug use and the violence was described so deep and hauntingly, it entranced me. I was so pulled in by the description of his drug use, family issues, etc., that I almost could completely ignore the huge plot disappointments.
The plot was absolutely wack. It was like a Catcher in the Rye, but completely high on drugs. It was super chaotic which I thought paired nicely with the book until the end. The ending left me in a huge ball of confusion. I understood everything but there was a certain part with Billy’s sidekick that I felt completely unnecessary. I liked the book until they began bringing back certain people. It was utter chaos. And I like chaos in some aspects. This was not one of them.
Billy was a great character except he had the voice of a 35-year-old heroin addict when he was about 20 years old popping pills daily. Sometimes when people mentioned that he was “too young” it took me by surprise. I feel as though for him to have been a better character, he needed that extra feel of being young and stupid. But, all I got from him was being old and f*cked (pardon my French).
All the negative stuff aside, I did enjoy this book. Yes, it did have its downs but, I will have to say that once I picked it up, I could not set it down. I think the book would have been a lot better with a different ending and a whole chunk of it taken out, but what can I do?
Anyways, thank you for reading. I appreciate it. I hope you guys all check out this book when it comes out in January!
The Friday 56 is where every Friday you turn to page 56 in a book or 56% on your e-reader and then post a line or lines that intrigue you. It is hosted by Freda’s Voice.
The book I have chosen is The Nix by Nathan Hill
And the line is:
“‘It’s true,’ says Samuel, ‘You’re not very smart, and you’re not a very good person either'”
This book is really good. I have not finished it yet but it was one of the book I picked up on my trip to New York.
When Billy, a troubled young man, comes to private eye Cormoran Strike’s office to ask for his help investigating a crime he thinks he witnessed as a child, Strike is left deeply unsettled. While Billy is obviously mentally distressed, and cannot remember many concrete details, there is something sincere about him and his story. But before Strike can question him further, Billy bolts from his office in a panic.
Trying to get to the bottom of Billy’s story, Strike and Robin Ellacott-once his assistant, now a partner in the agency-set off on a twisting trail that leads them through the backstreets of London, into a secretive inner sanctum within Parliament, and to a beautiful but sinister manor house deep in the countryside.
And during this labyrinthine investigation, Strike’s own life is far from straightforward: his newfound fame as a private eye means he can no longer operate behind the scenes as he once did. Plus, his relationship with his former assistant is more fraught than it ever has been-Robin is now invaluable to Strike in the business, but their personal relationship is much, much trickier than that. -Goodreads
Sorry, the Comoran Strike series just always gets me SUPER excited. I waited three years for this book and I loved it so much.
I will have to say that it took me a year to read. I have been slacking on my reading all year. I feel really bad about it but this is not the post for that.
This is the post to talk about this amazing book. My review is a whole year late from when it really mattered but here we go, my complete and truthful opinion of this book.
So lets get into the meat of this. Great book, very exciting and riveting but the book was sooooo long. And yes long books are great and she is very good at writing good books but I think there was some filler in here that was unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. Lots of it made sense at the time but once the end conclsion came around, a lot of things that I read earlier did not make any sense. But, I will have to say that it took me a whole ass year to read this book, so when considering that, it could have not made sense to me because of the extremely long time it took me to read this.
But the character developments are really good in this. The best part about this whole book was the e***** of R**** and M****** m*******. It was the beginning of the story and the ultimate b****** of the two is opening the series up for a fifth book (even though i wish they would have progressed my wishes of S**** and R**** getting t****** in this book). But that is probably just me because I am a hopeless romantic.
Strike is one of my favorite literary characters. I love that he tries hard to help Robin grow and become a better detective. I also love to see the growth (and lack thereof) with him in relationships. His relationship with his girlfriend in the beginning is so terrible and he knows it which I love and hate. I have mixed feelings. I like the way the story is narrated. I like being able to see Strike and not just hear his thoughts. He is always so sassy but also he is really good at hiding his facial expressions when he finds a clue or something.
I loved this book so much. I was completly engulfed throughout the pages. It was just really hard to pick up once I put it down. I just really love J.K Rowling/Robert Galbraith
Thank you guys so much for reading! Let me know what you thought about the book down in the comments.
Published Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 355
“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.” -Goodreads
Review:
Dear Peter,
Hi you do not know me but I love you. I have now read the book and seen the movie and I am your soulmate. Will you marry me?
-Kat
Okay, that was my letter. Short but to the point, right?
Alrighty then craziness aside, how freaking adorable was this story. I mean first lets start with the look of the book. Cute and appealing. Great model for the front. (Yes I judge books by their cover very throughly)
Then Lara Jean was such a role model. I need to start dressing, acting, and eating like her. I really wanna try those Korean smoothies she is always talking about so if anyone knows where to get them, slide that info! Lara is such a clever character and I love the diversity of the book. I love the way her culture is brought out into the book and is expressed in the movie (also this review will be about both he review and the movie) which made me happy. She is the perfect person. I just wish she had been less stubborn because so much less drama would have happened, and oh wait, I love drama so why would I care? Haha, I don’t. I do thought think she should have been less stubborn because my poor Peter bear wanted her so desperately but she was so in her head that she just did not get it.
Now onto Peter. He is likes the world’s favorite idiot. Like he really did not handle everything perfectly but his hair was gorgeous while doing it. He should have let Get go the minute she dumped him and realized who his true love was, (ME) Lara Jean! But instead he creates a fake relationship so he can have basically both the girls. But alas that is such a dumb jock move. It is a good thing he was a dream boat or I would not have understood why Lara Jean put up with that from him.
I think Kitty is my spirit animal. She was so spritely and I loved her sass. She did a bad thing by sending out those private letter but in the end it all worked out just fine.
I did not really like Margot at all. She just kind of seemed so matter-of-fact and followed her mother’s rules way too seriously. Now, Josh and her were never meant to be and that is clear to see y his confusion on his feelings with Lara Jean but she shouldn’t have just dumped him. What Lara Jean finds out about them later in the novel does not constitute a reason for her to break up with him. Even though her mother did ask her not to go to college with a boyfriend. It just seems cruel to have broken Josh’s heart, then be able to escape to Scotland while he is stuck living next to Margot’s family.
The plot of the story was cute. There was not any huge action except for the big fallout near the end. Basically, the story just consisted of Peter and Lara Jean fighting then making up. Fighting then making up. Over and over again in this “fake” relationship. And Lara Jean being very stupid about many things.
But I loved the ridiculousness of this book and it went really well. I loved the movie to. I loved the cinematography. I thought both were really good. I cannot wait to read the next one!
Thanks for reading!
-Kat
P.S I hope you guys liked my A1 gif usage. I wanted to include some very nice moments of Peter and Lara Jean.
“I decided to talk to women about their vaginas, to do vagina interviews, which became vagina monologues…At first women were reluctant to talk. They were a little shy. But once they got going, you couldn’t stop them. Women secretly love to talk about their vaginas. They get very excited, mainly because no one’s ever asked them before.” -Goodreads
Review:
A book of feminism and glory.
I loved the vagina talk. It was very empowering and the friend I read it with agreed with me.
It is an important book. It is important to hear these women’s stories and to understand the depths of the women’s body.
I wish I could go see this performed. It would be quite entertaining to see.
I am reading this growing up in a non-“down there” era but still with some struggles with people embracing the word and I think this book does well to try and make vagina not seem like such a “nasty”word.
I thought the stories were really nice and sort of inspiring. They mostly discussed how they viewed their vaginas and others and showed people journey through vagina discovery.
This blog is really short and I am sorry about that but I do not have much to say. The book is short which means a short blog. Especially one where I believe everyone should read it and see the amazing stories. I don’t want to give away anything to much. I want people to experience the book for themselves.
Anyways, thank you for reading. Let me know down below if you have read it an your opinions on it.
Authors: Stephanie Perkins, Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link , Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White
Published October 14th 2014 by St. Martin’s Griffen
Genre: Young Adult, Christmas
Pages: 321
“If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year’s there’s something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.” -Goodreads
Review:
Okay guys, so this little story set is just 12 little sweet stories about love in the wintertime. And if you have been here long, you know how much I love love stories.
This was beautiful. I usually am not a big fan of short stories because of the inability to create a long story line and have great development. I also get very sad when books are over so short stories make the sadness come sooner.
But these blew me out of the water. I have yet to read it’s other half about summer love but I plan on getting to it one day.
Anyways I am going to do a short little review of each one of these short stories. Here we go:
Midnights by Rainbow Rowell:
Huge Rainbow fan. She will never let me down. This was by far the sweetest and most romantic story in the book. I loved it so much and thought Mags and Noah were so cute. I love seeing things progress over time. Set the bar really high for the rest.
The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link:
I honestly don’t remember much about this one, only that it wasn’t fantastic. I’m sure it was good but coming right after Rainbow Rowell can sure be hard for an author.
Angels in the Snow by Matt De La Pena:
The book severely improved with this touching little story of Shy and Haley in a snowstorm. I loved it a lot and really want more. I also loved the Hispanic influences in the story. I think diversity is fantastic and glad we got some of that in here.
Polaris is Where You’ll Find Me by Jenny Han:
It was good. That’s all I can say. It wasn’t wowing and it wasn’t bad. Right in the middle at good. The story had a good premise but it was kind of short (maybe because it is a short story) and predictable. It was also very straight to the point.
It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins:
This story was pretty good. A little predictable and cliche but I dig that stuff. Also I really relate to Marigold a lot. She buys a Christmas tree just to talk to a boy. I do that sometimes.
Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan:
This was SUPER short and SUPER boring. I love Levithan but this was kind of lackluster and not all to romantic. Just kinda of there. I wish it had more scenes and more character development.
Krampuslauf by Holly Black:
Okay here we go. This has some fantasy in it which I love, love, love but all in all it was pretty predictable and nothing really happened that I wasn’t expecting. There wasn’t much like description wise but the story was still there. It was really cliche and basically the end was very obvious from the beginning.
What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman:
Honestly I do not remember this one very much. I read this during my break so this has completely slipped my mind.
I did some digging and this is a story about a Jewish girl who feels like an outsider in a Christian town who meets a black guy who feels like an outsider as well. I remember it more clearly and I really just found it dull. It didn’t focus on love, mostly just the racial and religious stereotypes. I expected more romance.
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire:
The story wasn’t a show stopper and surrounded the Christmas pageant. I found it funny and good but nothing extraordinary.
Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White:
I thought it was sweet and quirky. The characters a little dull. Not much else to say.
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter:
By this point I began getting bored. I had seen some great stories and I just couldn’t get into these ones near the end. This one was alright and was better then few.
The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor:
At this story I thought it twas quite pretty. It was a little magical and a little mysterious. I thought it was sweet and a good end to the twelvelogy of stories.
So that was my review of each. I know that was kind of boring but hey I am still trying to get back into this. I have read new books and new reviews are gonna be coming soon. Just wait for it.
Thank you so much for reading. Let me know which were your favorites and which weren’t in the comments below.
“Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.
The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminaecontinues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.
Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.
When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.
But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.” -Goodreads
Review:
Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman are a power team. They make amazing stories together.
And I mean AMAZING!!!
The story was excellent. I think I liked this one more than the first one. I thought the plot was a bit more exciting. I think that there were some flaws and some fallouts. I think they could have handled certain plot lines better. There two main events going on and it was kind of weird how they handled them. Like they had to handle this one big major thing and then they eventually got to the other thing. And they didn’t give enough coverage to that issue. But the last big issue with (SPOILER!) the creature was kind of just there and then solved. I didn’t like that. (END SPOILER)
But I still really liked the book. I thought it was a great idea. I wish they had handled it a little better. But that doesn’t take away from my ultimate reading experience. It was still a good book. This book just like the last one had HUGE plot twists that really floated my boat all the way to happy town. And you all know how much I love a good twist.
I LOVE the format of the book. It makes it a hard read but it is still super fun and unique. It’s nice that I am not staring at a big block of text for once and seeing the creative sides of the authors shine a bit more.
I loved the new characters introduced. Hanna was a really great character. I think I could relate to her pretty well. She, unlike Kady in the last book, actually seemed like a real teenager. She was just the ditzy girl in love with the hot jock. And then Nik is that bad boy that every girl wants to find who is dangerous but sweet at the same time. I think they were a great team together and did really well to keep the book entertaining. Also they brought in Kady from the first book near the end which was awesome. But I didn’t get a whole lot from her which was sad.
Gemina was fantastic. I don’t have much else to say really except this was fantastic. Also, I don’t want to spoil anything for the people who haven’t read the last book and who hasn’t read this books so I am going to shut up about it. But comment down below your opinions on the book and tell me what you thought about certain parts.
Anyways, thank you for reading. I hope you guys go check this book out. It is a super great read and the hardcover looks great on my shelf.
A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future where anything is possible—if you want it enough.
WELCOME TO MANHATTAN, 2118.
A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. Everyone there wants something…and everyone has something to lose.
LEDA COLE’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched.
ERIS DODD-RADSON’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart.
RYLIN MYERS’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will this new life cost Rylin her old one?
WATT BAKRADI is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy for an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies.
And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is AVERY FULLER, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.
Amid breathtaking advancement and high-tech luxury, five teenagers struggle to find their place at the top of the world. But when you’re this high up, there’s nowhere to go but down….” -Goodreads
My Review:
“Sometimes love and chaos are the same thing.”
Chick-lits are my not-so-guilty-guilty pleasure. I am obsessed with them. I don’t understand how some people don’t like them. I get that they are cheesy and stuff but like this one a lot of them have some twist or suspense that keeps you thrilled the entire way through. These stories and any book with any sort of romance I love. I am a hopeless romantic. I love to swoon. I love to see a chase between the guy and the girl, forbidden loves (like this book), I love to see love triangles, etc.
This book has left my jaw on the floor. Until you read this book you will not understand how amazing it is. I can do it no justice.
Side note: I realize my beginnings to my blogs are always very similar because I never know how to start these so they end up sounding exactly the same.
So to get into this blog, my first major talking point is about the stories exhilarating plot. It starts of super mysterious with its prologue. In the beginning an unnamed girl is falling from the thousandth floor of the building. This creates so much suspense going into the story because you are captivated and the questions who and why ringing through you during the book. The entire book I made guesses as to who and why and let me just say it is completely unexpected. I like these beginnings because it always foreshadows the ending. The rest of the book starts off fairly normal. The characters are just about to go back to school, one is coming back from rehab, another is struggling with he fact that she loves her brother, you know, normal teenager lives.
If you like Gossip Girl you are really gonna like this book. About a month before I read this book I had finally finished Gossip Girl and as I always feel after finishing a TV series or a book or anything I felt sad and had a lull in my reading and Netflix watching activity. So when I started to read this I got very excited about how similar it was. I was overjoyed. I am all about those cheesy chick-lit novels that is full of glamour and everyone secretly hates everyone even if they don’t know it.
Anyways I really loved the way this story went. I really thought the Sci-Fi element of it where people basically just live in this one tower in New York was a very interesting twist to the normal teenage socialite story. The world that McGee built is exciting and I cannot wait to read the next book, Dazzling Heights, and to dive into the world again. The technology this world has is extremely satisfying. The author does well to show you what things look like and how they are used. I have read some books where the technology just has some holes in its function.
The characters were all very basic in these types of stories but they had some nice spins to them. You had Avery who was genetically modified to be perfect and lived with her family on the thousandth floor. Leda was another rich socialite who was addicted to drugs. Eris’s mother cheated on her father and lied about it for eighteen years until her unbiological father found out with a genetic test. Rylin the low life girl who gets a job working for a guy she knew a long time ago near the top floor introducing her to the glam life. And then there is Wyatt who has an illegal gadget in his brain so he knows everyone and everything. The five different perspectives we get in the book help you dive more into the world and learn about their world more efficiently. With people from the lower floors and the higher floors you get a deeper understanding of how this world works. It explores class division and privilege and how different each floor is. Also their is a good deal of diversity which I love to see in books.
I am excited for the sequel. I am ready for a sequel but I feel that the sequel is not needed. I have already pre-ordered the sequel and got an email yesterday that it was coming so I am excited.
Well I hope you enjoyed this blog. Please like and comment if you have read it. I you haven’t tell me if you are going to.
“Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin’s Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas – together in one edition for the first time – Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn’s orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.” -Goodreads
My Review:
Wowie wow wow
So I have to tell everyone reading this something.
In the world there is a blonde woman who writes. She writes amazing stories that bring you into a new world. She is a queen.
I didn’t say her name but two people popped into your mind.
J.K Rowling and Sarah J. Maas
But today we shall talk about the latter.
WHAT THE HECK SARAH?!?!?!?!?! Sarah if you are reading this please just give me your secrets. How did you create such exciting stories. I am just so shocked at how every single book you write, makes my mind just explode. Please give me your secret. PLEASEEEEEEEEE!!!!
So if you don’t know what this book is, it is the prequel to the Throne of Glass series. It is a combination of five novellas that take place before the first book, Throne of Glass. The stories go through some of the allusions Celeana/Aelin alludes to in the series. She never goes into clear details about what happened so it was fantastic to read these short stories and learn more about the events that shaped her. I really liked to see where Celeana came from. Her past was amazing. You learn all these knew things about her that were never totally told in the series. I feel like I am closer to her from reading these.
This is one of those books that are hard to review because everything is a spoiler. So I shall try my best to just give my opinion on the book as a whole. I am not going to talk about each book because one slip might ruin the book for you and I try my hardest to keep this review sit a spoil free review. I hate spoilers unless I ask for them. But reviews are just to make you wanna read the book not tell you about the book.
So here we go…
The way Maas writes is such a unique way. Unique, I mean, by being just so amazing and clear but also a little bit mysterious and exciting. At this point in my life, I don’t know why, I can guess the ending in everything. I am not always right but I just can guess what is gonna happen to everyone just by the way stuff is laid out. I think that is because I read and watch to much TV (no shame). But, in Maas’s stories I can never tell. Everything is so suspenseful and I never expect the next thing.
This story is the same. Everything that happens is only lightly alluded to in the series so when I was reading this I was actually shocked at the events in the book, especially in the first novella because it was never mentioned in the books.
I am so in love with this book. If you have read the other books then please read this book. I wouldn’t read it until after you have read book 3, Heir of Fire. I don’t know I think that is just the best placement for this book.
Okay here is my plug for Sarah.
GO READ HER BOOKS! I love her so much and if you are following my blog that mean you at least like my reviews so you better go read this book. I love her so much. She is my second favorite author (closing in in first) to J.K Rowling.
Okay thank you for reading this blog. I really appreciate you spending the time to read this. If you are new give a follow and a like.
Star Rating: 4.7
Have you read this yet? If so, what did you like about it? If not, are you going to?
Authors: Stephanie Perkins, Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link , Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White
