Jimena is a junior at Lewis University majoring in English with a concentration in Literature and Language. This is her first semester with Jet Fuel Review, and has a passion for creative fiction and is working to pursue a career in publishing and editing. Outside of school, she works part-time as a cashier at Aldi. Her free time is spent watching movies and Netflix shows, and she is currently into reading lots of dystopian novels, her favorites being from Patrick Ness. In addition to being a huge bookworm, she grew up competing in cross country and track, and although she has retired from these two sports, she still enjoys running and participating in road races. She also grew up as a dancer and is part of a Mexican Folkloric group that she has been involved with for 15 years. She hopes to continue to learn and grow her skills by being a part of Jet Fuel Review and is excited about what this semester has in store.
Who are you and what is your role in the Jet Fuel Review?
I’m Jimena Araiza, I’m a Junior at Lewis University pursuing a degree in English with a concentration in Literature and Language. My role in Jet Fuel Review is assistant prose editor, assistant layout editor, as well as a blogger.
What book might we find on your nightstand right now?
Right now you could find The Prophecy of the Heron by Craig W. Stanfill as I’ve been really into dystopian novels lately and have been intrigued by cyberpunk stories. I just started it and am still in the beginning but so far very interesting.
Describe your perfect reading atmosphere.
My perfect reading atmosphere would include dimmed lights with some candles lit, definitely in the evening or night when I’m winding down to go to bed. I personally like playing brown noise in the background to tune out any other noise and also to make a relaxing atmosphere. I also enjoy having a snack while reading so I like to have a bowl of chips with me. I prefer to be in my bedroom when I’m reading but I often like to go and sit outside when the weather is nice too.
If you could “re-make” a poorly written movie that was based on a book, what movie would it be?
I would 100% remake Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. That book, for me personally, was super emotional and gut-wrenching at the end and I just feel like the movie adaptation did not do it justice. There were so many parts that were cut out (which I understand because it’s a film but it all made it seem to be cut up and choppy) many of which I felt were essential to capture the story and the tragic ending. I also feel like Emilia Clarke wasn’t the best fit to portray Lousia. I just feel like she didn’t do the emotional parts justice.
What piece of literature can you reread over and over again?
I could reread The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani over and over. That’s my all time favorite book and it’s one that I recommend to anyone looking for a good read. It’s this beautiful and tragic love story between two Italian immigrants that find themselves over multiple periods of their lives as they navigate assimilating into the United States. I wish I could read this book for the first time again but nonetheless I still get so much enjoyment out of it anytime I reread it.
Give us a quote from your favorite (or any) book/movie.
A quote that I always go back to is “experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes” which is written in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. The only way we grow is by making mistakes and learning from that and I try to carry that with me everywhere I go.
If you were invited to have coffee with any fictional character, who would you most like to meet? Why?
I would probably invite Hermoine Granger. I feel like she is 100% someone that would match my vibe and someone I could just ramble to and also listen to her vent. Plus she reads a lot and one of my favorite topics to talk about is literature and books.
Share your top five favorite pieces of writing (anything included, be it movies, books, etc.).
1. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
2. The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani
3. Interstellar
4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
5. Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway