Top 14 of 2014

     I read a multitude of incredible books this year but the following stood out from the crowd!! Without further a do, here are my top 14 books of 2014! 

1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

3. Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

4. Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen

5. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

6. The Darkest Minds and Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

7. Looking for Alaska by John Green

8. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

9. Anna and the French Kiss Trilogy by Stephanie Perkins

10. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

11. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

12. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

13. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

14. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

p.s. I realize that I cheated and counted some series as one entity, but what is a reader to do?

Game of Thrones: Books vs HBO Show

    War; Tyranny; Lies; Slaughter.  This is Game of Thrones and as Cersei once said, "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die."  Between the war, the looming presence of Winter, and the constant threat of what lies beyond the wall, death is always just around the corner for the characters we love. The question is which portrays it better, books or television?
    My first instinct would be to say the books because that was how George R.R. Martin originally created the story.  A Song of Ice and Fire is currently a five book series with two or three more due to come out. There are 5705 pages between the five published books which shows the amount of detail in these novels.  This allows for a rich plot and well developed characters, yet sometimes it is overwhelming and time consuming to read.
   It is much easier to sit down and watch an episode of TV than read its equivalent in the books.  The show also makes it easier to keep track of all of the characters and different story lines.  When reading the novels, it is easy to dismiss a name and thus miss a plot point or have to flip back to try and remember who the character is.  However, when watching the show, you can recognize a face even if you do not know the person's name.  The overall entertainment value is higher because you are watching the action happen versus imagining it. Unfortunately, the show leaves out some details that enhance and deepen the plot in the book series.
    In conclusion, the books and the TV show both have their pros and cons.  It all really comes down to personal preference.  If I had to pick one I would probably go with the television show due to the entertainment value and ease of watching.  Whether you prefer the TV show or the books all fans want to know the same thing. Who will end up on the iron throne?  We will just have to wait and see.

Quote-Worthy Quotes: Looking for Alaska

      Hello there! I'm sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Finals were crazy and now I am taking summer school but I will do my best to posts as much as I can.  I have decided to remove my Amazon wishlist from this blog because of the controversy that is being expressed on booktube.  Finally, I would appreciate it if you would check out my friend Serena's book blog http://perpetualreader-blogger.tumblr.com because she is wonderful so go give her some love! This is a collection of some of my favorite quotes from Looking for Alaska by John Green.

“Thomas Edison's last words were 'It's very beautiful over there'. I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful.”

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.”

“Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.”

“People, I thought, wanted security. They couldn't bear the idea of death being a big black nothing, couldn't bear the thought of their loved ones not existing, and couldn't even imagine themselves not existing. I finally decided that people believed in an afterlife because they couldn't bear not to.”

“I know so many last words. But I will never know hers.”

Top Five Wednesday!

  I have decided to participate in this week's top five Wednesday!  The topic this week is the top five characters you wish you were more like. I hope you enjoy!

5. Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451
Montag questions everything and does not just accept that things are the way they are.  He searches for the truth and for ways to make things better.  His perseverance, determination, and wonder lead him to have a whole new outlook of life.

4.Sherlock Holmes from the Sherlock Holmes series
I would not want to be as knowledgable as Sherlock but I think it would be interesting to just have a taste of it.  His intelligence is unmatched and his mind is incredibly fascinating.

3.Isabelle Lightwood from the Mortal Instruments series
Isabelle is the most kick-ass girl I have ever read about.  She kills demons while wearing designer heels.  You cannot get much cooler than that.  I admire how she sustains her femininity while doing such unconventional things.

2. Jem Carstairs from the Infernal Devices series
Jem is just so kind hearted and genuinely caring towards other people. He always wants everyone to be happy and does not want others to worry about him.  He also is quite talented musically.  I aspire to be as good of a person as he is.

1. William Herondale from the Infernal Devices series
Will has made so many sacrifices in his life for other people.  He had to shut himself off from the world because he believed he could not let people love him.  However, he was fiercely devoted to the people he loved and would do anything for them. I hope one day to be as well-read and selfless as him.

City of Heavenly Fire Crackpot Theories

      Tomorrow is the release of the final installment of The Mortal Instruments series, City of Heavenly Fire!  I thought I would share some of my top theories for this book. These theories do not belong to me and I give all credit to the people that thought of them.  WARNING: This will contain spoilers for all of Cassandra Clare's books including the Infernal Devices.

Six named characters who will die: Sebastian, Isabelle, Magnus or Alec, Jordan, Maureen, Raphael

First theory: The heavenly fire inside of Jace will somehow burn the last of the drug addiction out of Brother Zachariah, turning him back into Jem.

Second theory: Magnus will either die saving Alec, or vice versa.

Third theory:  Isabelle is the child of Maryse and Valentine.

      I am excited to see if any of these theories actually happen in the book!  Make sure to pick up City of Heavenly Fire tomorrow, May 27!

Bout of Books read-a-thon

I will be participating in the Bout of Books read-a-thon this week!  It is a fun way to get a lot of reading done and I hope some of you will join me!  All of the information plus the link to the website is down below.  Happy reading!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Book Recommendations

        Hey everyone! I have read many books in various genres lately and I thought I would tell you about some of my favorites!
         My favorite dystopian novel I have read this year is The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken.  In this world, a huge disease has killed the majority of kids ages 8-14 and the ones that are left have acquired mysterious and dangerous powers that they do not know how to control.  These children are sent to government rehabilitation camps where the most threatening ones are killed and the rest are used for manual labor.  We follow the story of one of these children, Ruby, and her journey after escaping one of the camps.  I did not see the ending coming and I highly recommend this to any dystopian lovers.
        My favorite classic of this year so far has been Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  It is about a future where literature is outlawed due to it's outdated and controversial material.  The firemen devote themselves to discovering people who are hiding books and burning every last page. One fireman, Guy Montag, starts to question the book burnings and suddenly his whole life gets flipped upside down.  The character development in this book was amazing and I really enjoyed the stream of consciousness writing style.  It is a very short book but the writing is very dense and poetic.  I recommend this to anyone who enjoys books that make you think.
       Finally, my favorite contemporary recently has been Looking For Alaska by John Green.  This book is about a boy named Miles who decides to go to a boarding school for his junior year of high school.  It describes the relationships he has with people and the effects that those relationships have on him.  This novel was full of surprising plot twists and left me heartbroken.  I recommend this to anyone who likes tragedies, or just want a good story.
      I hope you found this helpful and feel inspired to read these brilliant novels!  Have a wonderful week!