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Jen’s description about her love of books:

 

     I love books from libraries, with the dog eared pages that make you wonder how another patron could have possibly left Elizabeth Bennet in the midst of a conversation with none other than Mr. Darcy. I love books from used bookstores that, despite a stain from a cup of coffee here and there, have stories beyond the typed words their pages offer up, of the journey they once took with a reader and how they came to part with the original recipient. At the same time, I love brand new books, with their fresh smell and the crack of the binding as you reach the abrupt twist in the plot. I love opening the box with Amazon’s knowing smile, freshly arrived at the dorm’s mail room or my own front door. My affection for the printed word is no new flame. As a toddler I would spread out all my books, demanding the nearest adult read them all to me. Or, when that didn’t work, would flip through the pages and make up my own stories to match the illustrations. I’m not quite sure how this started, as neither of my parents are exactly bibliophiles, but so it goes.

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Jen went to meet one of her favorite authors, John Green and his brother Hank. Jen wrote:

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     At the time, Hank was wearing a clever shirt that read, “My muggle friends just don’t understand.” As for myself, my shirt had “Muggle” loudly displayed on the front, so I apologized for my apparent ignorance.

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Jen wrote about her New Year’s Resolutions for 2014:

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      I would love to be that person who commits herself to a rigorous exercise program and diet, but then again I would like to be best friends with Jennifer Lawrence so we’ll see. Then there are the goals I think of as “cleansing” or “perfecting.” You know, those goals you strive for in order to become that one friend you have who seems to have their life together in such perfection that you almost want to hate them, but can’t because she’s so freaking nice. I want to read 50 novels next year—and not just bargain romantic comedies I picked up in the used section, but hard cover, 1,000 page classics that will make others notice when I reference them. I want to do yoga every week and find that inner peace people tell me is real, but which I have yet to find. I want to volunteer at a local food pantry, animal shelter, elementary school—really I’d just like to solve all the world’s problems.