The Liebster Award!

Hey lovelies! I was recently nominated by Emma @Emma's Bookery for this award. I'm super pumped! Let's get straight into it...

Here are the rules:

1. Post 11 facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions created by the person who nominated you, then create your own set for the people who you are going to nominate!

3. Choose 11 people (that have under 200 followers) to nominate and link them to your post.

4. Let the people you nominated know they've been tagged. No tag backs!

11 facts: 

• My favorite color is blue: turquoise, navy blue, baby blue, anything.
• I love oreos and chocolate chip cookieeesss. 
• Beauty staple: Winged eyeliner. <3
• I have read each of the Harry Potters 15-20 times.
• My favorite solo singer is Taylor Swift or Kelly Clarkson.
• My favorite band is Queen (RIP Freddie Mercury) .
• Food is my holy grail. Rarely do I find foods I don't like. Except for grapefruit.
• When I'm not reading, I'm usually watching Anna Akana, Superwoman, or Michelle Phan on Youtube. 
• I love the movie The Help.
• Favorite actress: Emma Watson beats EVERYBODY. 
• After book blogs, I love to watch/ read anything beauty/fashion related.

On to the questions:

1. What made you start blogging?

It's hard to say. I was reading so many books and was finding myself wanting to share more of my thoughts on books with others. I have discovered so many amazing people, and blogging is awesome. I'm so glad I did it. 

2. What blogs do you check daily?

I wouldn't say daily, per se, but I do have blogs I check very often. All the blogs on my blog list which are:

Cover to Cover

The Broke and the Bookish

Jenn Renee Read

Bewitched Bookworms

And...

Paperback Princess

Ooh also of course Michelle Phan's website, although I don't know if that's a "blog".
Michelle Phan

3.What are your top five favorite books?

Agh that's so hard...If all the Harry Potter books would count as one, all of them. But even in there, Goblet of Fire is my absolute favorite. Also, Everybody sees the Ants by A.S. King, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart , Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, and Champion by Marie Lu. 

4. If you could travel to anywhere in the world right now, where 

would you go?

Paris, or Switzerland. I need to go to Paris again and really explore all the little bits of it and I've always wanted to see the Alps and pretend I was Heidi. 

5.What is the one wish you would like to be granted?

I would love to be able to travel to anywhere I would like to go without having to pay the immense bills. I want to explore and experience the world for itself and I would love to do so without any restraints. 

- What is your favourite quote?

Don't make me do thissss. Pleaseee. Since I can't choose an all time favorite, I'll just choose one from the most recent book I've read, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. 

“I can tell you get it -- you're different. And I know how hard being different can be. But I also know how powerful a weapon being different can be. How the world needs such weapons. Gandhi was different. All great people are. And unique people such as you and me need to seek out other unique people who understand -- so we don't get too lonely and end up where you did tonight.”

7.Favourite childhood hero?

Hmmm...my childhood hero was probably the Beatles or ABBA or some weird band like that. My dad is super into music and he gave me a whole music-ation when I was younger. Ooh.. random question, who's your favorite Beatles member? Personally...I like George Harrison :) 

8.What are you most excited for in 2015?

I'm actually going to go to New York this summer, which I am SO excited about. I am also super pumped about reading all these new books, blogging more, and meeting new blogging people! 

9.Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

Well I would hope that I'm still blogging, and I would always be reading. I would probably be in college (I'm aiming for Stanford, but we'll see how THAT goes), hopefully have a really awesome boyfriend, and it would be really cool if I could have published a book or something by that time.

10.Do you enjoy summer or winter more and why?

SUMMERRR. Winter is way too cold and gloomy and you can't really do things, but in summer I always travel and can really enjoy my leisure time. Ooh I also get to read a lot. And watch movies. Fun things. 

11. If you could go back in time when and why would you go there?

I would probably go back to this past summer, when we went to Europe. It was absolutely amazing. I would love to go there again and experience it again with a bit of prior knowledge. I think that would make me take it in even more and enjoy myself even more than I did. 

Here are my 11 questions: 
1. Who is your favorite book character of all time?
2. Do you have a favorite author? If so, who?
3. Why do you blog?
4. What blogs do you check daily/very often?
5. What are some of your favorite hobbies? 
6. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
7. Who is the book character you would most like to be?
8. What are a few of your favorite songs?
9. What is something you find unique about yourself?
10. Your favorite movie, and why?
11. Where would you like to travel in the future?

My Nominees (let's see if I can get it to 11):
Claire @Cover to Cover
Emily @Paperback Princess
Stefanie @The Bookie Looker
Erica @Books4ev
Jillian @Jillian's Books
Sheri @Tangled Up in Books
Nobody@The Story Goes
Anastasia @Cuddle Reads
Veronika @Reading is Dreaming With Open Eyes
Well...I tried...

Anyone else who would like to is welcome!

All the Truth That's In Me Review

Title: All the Truth That's In Me
Author: Julie Berry 
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Genre: Historical Fiction , Mystery

Blurb: (from goodreads) Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn't know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.  

Me: Such an amazing book, with an enthralling mystery and a great protagonist. 

The Ups: Oh this book was so great. So great. First of all, I'd like to point out that it is supposedly a "historical-fiction" and while that is absolutely true, it didn't feel hard to read or weirdly disconnected. The language and the tone made it extremely easy to see straight into Judith's mind, and to really get sucked into the story. I loved the setting and how I could picture everything, and I think it fit so well with the story.

The character development was phenomenal. Judith went through such immense changes throughout the book, and she was very easy to connect to. Her love for Lucas seemed pure and innocent and a bit afraid but never annoying, and her difficulty to speak up really touched my heart as well. The fact that she found a way to change something and become her own person was really beautiful. 

That being said, the other characters didn't fall behind, either. Darrel was my personal favorite because I felt that he truly loved his sister and could understand her but often had the oblivious, naive thoughts of a teenage boy. I absolutely adored Maria, who seemed like a wonderful person with a true heart. Lucas, Goody Pruett, Judith's mother, all of them contributed immensely and I loved them all. 

I absolutely adored the writing, The mystery was great, and although it didn't bring a huge shock, it felt like everything really came together at the end. I loved how it was written to Lucas, and even though that made me a bit doubtful at the beginning, it got very interesting and just kept getting better.

The Downs: I think that at certain parts of the book it was a tad bit slow, and I would have liked to see a bit more action and maybe have the ending come a bit faster in the book, but overall, the book came to me at a great time and told me a wonderful story. 

Overall: Such an original, meaningful story that truly stood out to me. 

Rating: 5 kisses! 

Top Ten Books I'd Love to Read With My Book Club

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish where we post 10 of our favorite things in each category.

Top Ten Books I'd Love to Read With my Book Club

1.Shiver

I actually do have a book club I like to go to, and we just read this book last month. I thought it was really interesting though, because I didn't really like the book, but lots of other people did and it was just a very interesting book to talk about. 

2. Throne of Glass

I just love this book. And there come times when I just want to rant about my obsession with Chaol and how freaking awesome Celaena is and I would love to do that with my book club. 

3. The Giver

I am one of the only people I know who didn't find this book enjoyable, or at least inspirational. I think that often times when I talk a book over with my club it makes me look at it differently and want to read it again, and I'm interested in what people have to say about this one. 

4. We Were Liars

Let's be real here, We Were Liars was probably the best twist/ending I've read this year. Only problem is I can't discuss it with people who haven't gotten there yet. I would love to read this with my book club and then just rant about the ending.

5. Legend

I just adore this series. There is so much to learn from them, and I feel like there are lots of deeper meanings in the book I have yet to really discuss. I would also love the excuse to read the book again...

6. If I Stay

Again, a very controversial book. Personally, I didn't like it, but some people did, and others did not. I think that it would really cool to talk about this one and the entire concept of it, and would also make a great movie/book night :)

7. Everybody Sees the Ants

One of the best books with magic realism incorporated into it and I would love to talk about that and all the hidden concepts of the book. I also just love Lucky Linderman.

8. The Mother-Daughter Book Club series

Such childhood memories! But the girls grow up, and the characters never get old. After reading this series I wanted to create my own mother-daughter book club, but now I think it would just be great to read with a bunch of people, because you really get to know the characters. 

9. The Truth about Forever/Keeping the Moon

I love Sarah Dessen, and these are my two favorite books of hers. The characters are simply beautiful and I love her tone of writing. I think both of these, and any of her books really, would be great to read with some girlfriends. :)

10. Steelheart

Another book I can't seem to stop talking about. This one and its sequel, Firefight, both are absolutely AMAZING. Such a great fantasy/sci-fi, and something I can really geek out about. 

What are some of your books you'd read with your book club?

Firefight (Reckoners #2) Review

Title: Firefight
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi 

Spoilers in white. Highlight to read!

Blurb: (from goodreads) From the #1 "New York Times" bestselling author of Words of Radiance coauthor of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn Trilogy, Brandon Sanderson presents the second book in the Reckoners series: Firefight, the sequel to the #1 bestseller Steelheart.

They told David it was impossible--that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand. (spoiler)

Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs. 

Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight. And he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

Me: Steelheart boggled my mind. Firefight broke my heart and blew my mind and killed me repeatedly. 

The Ups: Such a fast-paced read. And I lovvveedd ittt. 

Brandon Sanderson can weave a story. I think that even though Steelheart and Firefight seem like any other sci-fi/fantasy books that have been out on the market lately, they're not. They have a certain quality to them that makes them seem incredibly fresh and new, and there is nothing boring about them. At all. 

At first I got a bit pissed that the actual release date wasn't what it said at the back of the book, but now I can forgive it. If it took a little more time to make this super amazing book, cool with me. 

So much that didn't get explained in the first book was revealed and thoroughly explained in Firefight. It didn't reveal too much, however, and now I'm left biting my nails until the spring of 2016, when Calamity comes out. (spoiler)It explained more of how Epics came to be, and how their weaknesses relate to their fears. Also, it revealed that Calamity was actually an EPIC (I kind of peed in my pants there) and that it was possible to take powers, give powers, and choose who would become an Epic. 

David, as usual, was a wonderful protagonist. I love him. So much. Any other character might seem annoying and a bit too heroic and "good" for my taste, but David is idiotic sometimes, crazy sometimes, bad sometimes, brave sometimes, and awkward all the time. His horrible similes and metaphors literally made me crack up every two seconds. He seems so real and feels like someone who would be my best friend. 

All the other characters too, like Val and Exel and Mizzy; I developed a real connection to all of them. I seriously am amazed with the character development of this book. I also really liked all the new Epics in this book, and was fascinated with each of them, and their names: Obliteration, Regalia, Sourcefield...LOVE IT

I literally could not put this book down. I became completely immersed in it, and made all my friends jealous because I got to read it right after it was released...

The Downs: I think that the only possible down might be that I would liked to see a bit more of Megan in this book. She does come out a lot but I feel like her character wasn't as strong as it was in Firefight.

Overall: Amazing. It just keeps on getting better. By Calamity, my head may explode. 

Rating: 5 kisses! 

Talkin About...Harry Potter

Harry Potter

Everyone has some kind of knowledge/experience with Harry Potter. Whether that be your life depends on it, you threw it at a wall, or you want to marry Fred Weasley, you still know about it. 

Personally, Harry Potter is a necessity. It is a book god. Nothing I have ever found will ever live up to it. Sometimes I do wonder whether or not the actual writing is what makes it so phenomenal, or if it just came to me at the right time. I think I always knew that I'd loved books, but after Harry Potter, I kind of found out how it could become a life.

I refused to read Harry Potter until the summer of 4th grade, As the absolute idiot I was in elementary school, I didn't want to go with the flow so I just absolutely restrained myself from even touching a book in the series. One of the best decisions of my life, probably, was to finally groan and moan and start to read The Sorcerer's Stone. 

Well did I shut up after that. I finished the entire series in a span of about a week and a half, and I remember finishing the last one in the car on a road trip and after closing the cover thinking for about 30 minutes, "Holy cow what am I going to do with my life." And then I remembered that there were still the movies and I felt a bit better.

After watching all the movies, Harry Potter kind of became my life. In 5th grade my birthday party was Harry Potter themed, which was pretty awesome because I planned everything and we had a Quidditch water balloon fight, made Polyjuice Potion and Chocolate Frogs, and drank Butterbeer. Best birthday party to date.

I have now read each book about 15-20 times, and have watched all of the movies at least 3 times, watching The Sorcerer's Stone and Goblet of Fire at least 10. I am pretty obsessed. I'm sure many of us can relate to desperately waiting the summer we turned eleven for hopes of a Hogwarts letter.

But I have heard a lot of different things since I started talking to people about it. Lots of people still refuse to read the books because it's too "mainstream" and others say that they started the first book and gave up by page 5. As much as I can't understand these human beings, I would really like to know your opinion on Harry Potter and the relation it has to you. 

So...what are your thoughts? 

Top Ten Book Boyfriends I'd Like to Have

This week is a freebie, so of course, I become a crazy fangirl and choose to do...

Top Ten Book Boyfriends I'd Like to Have

This fan art is amazing by the way :) 

Side note: I totally didn't know Bridget was going to do this as well. Awesome coincidence! 

1. Park from Eleanor and Park

He's perfect. She's perfect. They're perfect. Park would be a super awesome boyfriend, even though I can only see him with Eleanor. 

2. Chaol from Throne of Glass

Favorite picture/scene of Celaena and Chaol...I love him. So much. 

3. Wes from The Truth About Forever

Not too bad...not too bad at all. My first Sarah Dessen crush and such a good one. 

4. Fred Weasley from Harry Potter

I love Fred so much. He's hilarious and witty and passionate...I cried so hard in the last book. 

5. Adam from If I Stay

I think Jamie Blackley was perfect. He portrayed Adam so well, and I totally fell for him :)  

6. Conrad from The Summer Series

Holy moly that smile. As much as I would love Zac Efron to be Conrad Fisher, I think looks wise...

He works a bit better. Love the books, love the characters.

7. Gat from We Were Liars

I feel like if I ever met Gat in real life, we would become best friends. He is wonderfully unique, and I think he would be great to have a conversation with. 

8. Levi from Fangirl

Again, I can only see him with Cath, but Levi and Cath are just too great to handle. He is so caring and funny and patient and AGHHH. 

9. Aelyx from Alienated

I think the person on the cover is perfect for Aelyx. He's exactly how I imagined him. Aelyx is adorable without knowing it. He's super awkward and weird, but when he loves someone, he loves them. 

10. Anden from Champion

As much as everyone loves Day, I have a special place in my heart for Anden. His struggles trying to lead his country is admirable and in his heart, he truly cares. 

That's a wrap! I can't wait to see what other people have done with this FREEBIE! 

Talkin' About...Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 

Yay! Another free Monday is upon us. Personally I take that as a call to sleep in, read, and drink hot chocolate while also watching the occasional Youtube video.

But I got to thinking that although I will fully and absolutely indulge in my freedom, I should probably take into consideration why we have this holiday in the first place.

Martin Luther King was the leader of the civil rights movement, the face of racial equality. In reality, it is because of him that I'm even sitting here in the U.S.

Now I'm not here to give my entire personal history or MLK's. But I think that us, in the book world, need to thank Martin Luther King and other civil rights fighters for many reasons.

Books are, essentially, another way of finding out more about the world, of  acquiring more knowledge. I think that as a reader, you should read a diverse spectrum of books because it widens your mind and makes you understand other people better. There are so many diverse authors now, of all ethnicities, genders, sexualities, ages, etc. The content of books is also a huge range, and there is much freedom in what we write, and what we read. I feel like the book industry is one that is very open and accepting of differences, and I think we partially have Martin Luther King to thank for that. 

There are so many things that we take for granted, and sometimes we just have to stop and think about the ones who made this possible for us. I hope that all of us in the U.S. will take at least a moment this week to really be grateful of the struggle that others had to endure for us to be where we are today.

Thank you. 

Taylor Swift Book TAG!

Another TAG! I saw this on Katytastic's Youtube channel and thought OMG I have got to do this. (I have loved Taylor literally since her first album and this TAG makes me so excitedddd!) So here we go...

1. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – pick a book or series that you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with.

Okay, Hunger Games, let's have a little chat. The first one was absolutely amazing, and I loved the idea of it. I got super into the series. My love faded a bit when I saw that the entire first half of Catching Fire almost put me to sleep, but after reading Mockingjay, I literally wanted to throw it across the room. Way too much pointless killing and by the end of the series, I just wanted Katniss to die. Horrible, I know, but so true. 

2. Red – pick a book with a RED cover.

I guess I could do Catching Fire again for this one, but here is one I've always wanted to read but haven't gotten to yet.

3. The Best Day – pick a book that makes you feel nostalgic.

Ahh...Anne of Green Gables. Such a beautiful, beautiful book with amazing characters that I remember loving as a child, and still do today. Anne will never grow old. 

4. Love Story – pick a book with forbidden love.
I've always loved June and Day's relationship, and although as the series continues, it doesn't seem like forbidden love, in the first one it definitely is. 

5. I Knew You Were Trouble – pick a book with a bad character you couldn't help but love.

I have always wanted to be a Slytherin, and even though they are horrible, Bellatrix Lestrange and Draco Malfoy have always been my favorite characters in the series. Bellatrix because she's so demented and knows it, and Draco because of the conflicts he has within himself of what he believes in. 

6. Innocent  – pick a book that someone ruined the ending for.

Allegiant's ending was completely spoiled for me, but no worries because I didn't even bother to read it. I heard horrible things about the ending and wasn't that enthusiastic about reading it. 

7. Everything Has Changed – pick a character from a book who goes through extensive character development.

So many books with this that could apply to them. But I think it comes down to a tie between Counting by 7s and Glory O'Brien's History of the Future. Both of the characters change immensely. 

8. You Belong With Me – pick your most anticipated book release.

Well if I had to choose, it would be A.S. King's next book, whatever it may be, because my friends and I are going to be in the acknowledgements! But at the current moment it is a book that was released about 2 weeks ago but I haven't been able to read yet, Firefight. 

9. Forever and Always – pick your favorite book couple.

This is literally impossible. Please don't make me do this. You are evil. If I had to, though, probably Eleanor and Park or Levi and Cath. Rainbow Rowell writes such real romance stories. 

10. Come Back, Be Here – pick the book you would least like to lend out, for fear of missing it too much.

I think that I wouldn't be able to lend out my signed copy of The Summer I Turned Pretty or Everybody Sees The Ants, because I've already made that mistake once, and although it was in fine condition, it just worried me constantly. 

BONUS QUESTIONS (added by Kat)

11. Teardrops On My Guitar – pick a book that made you cry a lot.

I really don't like to cry during books, and it doesn't happen often. I've never really bawled while reading a book. But one that actually made me cry a few times was Champion. It wasn't even that sad, just something about the book was very touching and beautiful. 

12. Shake It Off – pick a book that you love so much, you just shake off the haters.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series is a series I've often gotten laughed at about partially because of the title and partially because of what it's about. No matter, because I still love it anyway. <3 

I'm tagging:

Emily @Paperback Princess

Claire @Cover to Cover

Jillian @Jillian's Books

Veronika @Reading is Dreaming With Open Eyes

And anyone else who wants to!