September Reads

So apparently I only like to write at the end of the month now & just give a list of what all I read... whoops. It's not that I don't want to write more about the books it's just I'm too busy reading them to write about them! Maybe this month will be better. It is starting to get cooler outside & I am SOOO excited about it. Anyways, here are the books I read in September. 

1. Princess on the Brink by Meg Cabot
2. Princess Mia by Meg Cabot
3. Princess Forever by Meg Cabot
4. Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot
5. Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer
6. Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling
7. Loving Ellie by Lindsey Brookes
8. Speak Now: or Forever Hold Your Peace by Becky Monson
9. Georgia on My Mind by Marie Force
10. Loving Mr. Daniels by Brittainy Cherry (technically I read this yesterday which is in October, but whatever, I am including it on this list. 

I finally finished the princess diaries series and it was good. I won't lie, I was able to predict EVERYTHING that happened in the last book, but that didn't make me enjoy it any less. It was a great ending, Meg Cabot basically gave you exactly what you wanted. This was nice considering most authors I read prefer to completely crush your spirit and kill all your favorite people (I'm looking at you Veronica Roth). 

Between the Lines was recommended to me. It was good, but not my most favorite, mainly because the ending left me with a lot of questions. I loved Why Not Me because I LOVE Mindy Kaling. 

Books 7, 8, & 9 were all little rom-com books and I enjoyed each of them. I think the order of liking them goes 8, 7, 9, but they were all good.

Loving Mr. Daniels was really good and kind of reminded me of a cross between some of my other favorite books.

According to Goodreads, I am 12 books behind schedule on my reading goal for the year. I have read 63 books so far, meaning I have 37 more to go. I am not overly worried because I still have three whole months to go & I have about 2 weeks off for Christmas, so if it gets kind of dicey I can just go into power read mode at the end of the year.

Hello September...

FALL is finally here! I am so happy! Don't get me wrong, as a kid summer was my favorite season. No school, swimming all the time, girl scout camp, etc. But now in the real world summer is not as much fun. Turns out you can't take off to go swimming or for ice cream or any other fun thing summer makes you think of. So for the past couple of years fall has steadily creeped up to being my favorite season. What makes it so great you ask?

1. SOUPS
2. Holidays (Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, My Birthday, Christmas)
3. Colder weather leading into SNOW
4. Hoodies
5. Scarves

Really I could go on & on. I am also super pumped this year because I have finished my masters degree & gotten the first week of school where I work out of the way so things can slowly start calming down for me. This weekend marks the first fall holiday: Labor Day. I am excited because Sean & I along with my sister & her family are going to visit my dad in Texas for the long weekend. This is exciting for multiple reasons (I love spending time with my family, I love mini vacations, etc.) BUT also because I get to go to my favorite book store ever: Half-Price Books! It has been years and years since I have got to visit one so I am hoping I haven't hyped it up too much in my head, but I am hoping to come away with a bunch of books!

Speaking of books, I guess I could get to the actual reasoning behind this blog and say what I've been reading lately. To recap for July & August here is what I've been reading:

1. The Selection by Kiera Cass
2. The Elite by Kiera Cass
3. The One by Kiera Cass
4. The Heir by Kiera Cass
5. Return to You by Samantha Chase
6. Pierced by Sydney Landon
7. Fractured by Sydney Landon
8. Mended by Sydney Landon
9. Kissing Frogs by Rich Amooi
10. Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot
11. Princess in Love by Meg Cabot
12. Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot
13. Princess in Pink by Meg Cabot 
14. Princess in Training by Meg Cabot
15. Party Princess by Meg Cabot 

So basically I have been really into series' lately. I LOVED the Selection series by Kiera Cass. The bad part about it is it's still going on so now I have to wait on the next book to come out. I hate waiting. The Princess Diaries books make me so happy. I read the first two books when I was 12 because my mom got them for me for my birthday. I know I have read the majority of them over the years but I recently decided I wanted to reread them and start at the beginning. I am on book 8 now and I think I'm starting to come on ones I haven't read before. This one is more hazy than others so I'm thinking it was probably the last one I read when I was younger. That makes me happy cause I have three more in the series after this one and its more fun when you don't know what is going to happen. 

So that's what I've been up to lately. Hopefully I can start posting more frequently again soon. :)

2 Months Gone

Oh my goodness. Let's just take a moment to realize that I have not posted on this blog in TWO months. As if that is not bad enough that is about how long it has been since I have read as well. Sadness all around. At last check I had gotten down to only being 3 books behind schedule according to goodreads, I am now 14 books behind. More sadness. 

The good news is I actually read a ton of books in May and just never had time to post them. I got promoted at work in June, hence the disappearance from the blog & reading. BUT I am finally starting to feel like I can breathe again. I still probably won't be able to read much until August because I am in my FINAL semester (summer term so it is only 5 weeks) of graduate school! In less than a month I will have my Master's degree and will be done with school FOREVER (maybe)!

So now that all that is out there, here are all the books I read in May and one that I read in June!

1.  Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
2. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
3. Specials by Scott Westerfeld
4. Looking for Alaska by John Green
5. Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas
6. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
7. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
8. I Was Here by Gayle Forman
9. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
10. The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

Man. Those were some good books. I got to read a lot by some of my favorite authors (Sarah Dessen, Gayle Forman, and John Green). So far I think Looking for Alaska is my favorite John Green novel. 

I have the Selection by Kiera Cass checked out from the library and I am so pumped because I have had a hold on it since March or April. I have heard a lot of good things about the series so I am hoping to really like it. See y'all next month probably! :) 

Finally Friday

I don't know about y'all, but this week has seemed like the longest week everrr. But at least it is finally Friday! May just started but so far I have read 4 books so I am pretty happy about that. ALSO Goodreads says I am only 3 books behind on my year book goal so I'm extremely happy about that. I realized that I haven't been keeping up with my other book goals (the list one) very well so I'm going to sum up what ones I have finished & what ones I still have left. 

2015 Reading Goals

1. A book with more than 500 pages.
2. A classic romance.
3. A book that became a movie. Paper Towns by John Green
4. A book published this year. Velvet Kisses by Addison Moore
5. A book with a number in the title. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas
6. A book written by someone under 30.
7. A book with nonhuman characters.
8. A funny book. Yes please by Amy Poehler
9. A book by a female author. Stubborn Love by Wendy Owens
10. A mystery or thriller.
11. A book with a one-word title.
12. A book of short stories. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare
13. A book set in a different country. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
14. A nonfiction book.
15. A popular author’s first book. Looking for Alaska by John Green
16. A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet. Shelter by Harlan Coben
17. A book a friend recommended. The Dive from Clausen’s Pier by Ann Packer
18. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book.
19. A book based on a true story.
20. A book at the bottom of your to-read list.
21. A book your mom loves.
22. A book that scares you.
23. A book more than 100 years old.
24. A book based entirely on its cover.
25. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t.
26. A memoir.
27. A book you can finish in a day. Specials by Scott Westerfeld
28. A book with antonyms in the title.
29. A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit. Just One Day by Gayle Forman 
30. A book that came out the year you were born.
31. A book with bad reviews.
32. A trilogy. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
33. A book from your childhood. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
34. A book with a love triangle. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
35. A book set in the future. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
36. A book set in high school. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
37. A book with a color in the title.
38. A book that made you cry.
39. A book with magic.
40. A graphic novel.
41. A book by an author you’ve never read before. 3:AM Kisses By Addison Moore
42. A book you own but have never read.
43. A book that takes place in your hometown.
44. A book that was originally written in a different language.
45. A book set during Christmas.
46. A book written by an author with your same initials.
47. A play.
48. A banned book.
49. A book based on or turned into a TV show.
50. A book you started but never finished. 

So I've still got a ways to go but I'm not too worried. If I can survive this summer I'm hoping for a lot of reading time come fall.  Happy Friday, y'all! 

April Reads

Thanks to all my romance novels this month I am only 5 books behind schedule on my yearly goal now. Woot woot, take that Goodreads! I read three different romance series this month adding up to 12 books so that was nice. In addition to a few other one other book. I do think I will switch back to YA for a bit. I have two YA books checked out from the library currently. Uglies and Looking for Alaska so I will start with them. Here is a complete list of books I read this month & my thoughts on them:

1. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (reread)
2. Call Me Cat by Karpov Kinrade
3. Leave Me Love by Karpov Kinrade
4. Tell Me True by Karpov Kinrade
5. Stubborn Love by Wendy Owens
6. Only in Dreams by Wendy Owens
7. The Luckiest by Wendy Owens
8. 3:AM Kisses by Addison Moore
9. Winter Kisses by Addison Moore
10. Sugar Kisses by Addison Moore
11. Whiskey Kisses by Addison Moore
12. Rock Candy Kisses by Addison Moore
13. Velvet Kisses by Addison Moore

Whew. That's a lot of books for one month. All the rom-com books were super easy reads. I was reading about one a day on the days I would read. I think my favorite series was the one by Wendy Owens. I really like how all of the ones by Addison Moore are about college students. 

The Princess Diaries is a reread from my childhood. I go the first couple for my 12th birthday and I remember laying on the floor by the fireplace reading them. There is a new one out, Royal Wedding... So I would like to reread the whole series (especially cause I can't remember where I stopped in the series) and finish with it.

Oops.

 

I just realized April is almost over & I haven't posted once. Whoops. In my defense I have been reading a ton. Lately on the days I have been reading I've been reading about a book a day. That is because my friend Mistie has recommended all these romance novels. Before this month I think I'd maybe read like one... maybe. I just never cared for them. I couldn't relate. They were all about older men with fancy jobs who rescue the young woman and it just wasn't for me. However, these ones Mistie showed me are all about college students so its much easier to relate. It's like a little Rom-Com packed into a book. I think the thing I dislike the most is how the authors feel like they have to tie everything up with a perfect little bow. I mean yeah its sweet, but not exactly all that realistic. It is OKAY if the girl doesn't get EVERYTHING. She got a lot of things, she doesn't need the pony, and the jet, and the pool too (clearly an exaggeration but ya know).

Anyways, I know this wasn't an actual post really. More of just me rambling, but whatever, you read it. If I don't post before, I will post at the end of the month with all the books I have been reading & will say which ones were my favorite and which were just okay. 

March Reads

Wow! How has another month came & gone? Time goes so fast lately I swear. I did a little better on books this month, but I still need to start reading more if I want to reach my goal of 100 books this year. The books I read this month were:

1. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
2. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
3. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
4. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
5. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
6. Paper Towns by John Green 

1-3 Was a series and I really enjoyed it, but it took me longer than I expected. I loved the characters, but when compared to The Mortal Instruments, another series by Clare it just wasn't as exciting.

I did a blog on number 4. Again, did not care for it.

I loved number 5 because it is a continuation from the show Veronica Mars, which is one of my all time favorite TV shows. Reading it was basically just like watching it in my head. I could picture all the actors perfectly and it was written exactly like the show. If you have never seen Veronica Mars I highly recommend the show (it has three seasons, junior year of high school, senior year, and freshman year in college), the movie (it takes place ten years following the last season of the show), and now the books (this one takes place about a month or so after the movie ended).

I like John Green's style of writing and wanted to read number 6 before the movie came out this summer. I liked it and am going to try to read some more of his books. Let me add that to my ever growing list of books to read. 

According to Goodreads I am still 10 books behind schedule. Neat.  

Book Review: Never Let Me Go

Title: Never Let Me Go

Author: Kazuo Ishiguro

Page Length: 288

Summary from Goodreads: As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were. Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life, and for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special--and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I will be honest, this book left me pretty blank. Normally I feel really happy/sad/or angry when I finish a book. I felt nothing after this one. It was almost like I hadn't even read it. And then I found out it is a movie with Kiera Knightly. What!? I don't understand. I can think of a million books that are better to be turned into a movie. But whatever. This will contain spoilers because if you haven't already read it I don't think you should and therefore I will let you know why. However, if you want to read this book (why???), don't read this review. 

Here's what I liked about the book:

1. I liked Kathy and Tommy a lot. I HATED Ruth. Ugh that girl. Too bad I didn't read this before I did my characters I hate post. She definitely would have made it on to that list. That being said I enjoyed reading these characters. 

That's it. I don't think I really enjoyed much else. 

Here's what I didn't like about the book:

1. You're literally confused for the first half of the book on what's even happening. Then you start to clue in and find stuff out but you can't even be surprised. And then it ends. Nothing happens. Well, nothing super interesting or important. 

2. I couldn't even tell when the book was set. 1970s? 2070s? Sometime not in the 70s of any millennium? I vote 1970s but it was still weird. Maybe it was harder to relate to because I'm not from England? I don't know. 

3. What is a carer?! Someone who sits with people when they die? From what I could tell they have no medical training. There are nurses and doctors mentioned and they are not them. 

Basically. You're cloned off someone, typically a low person in society. Prostitutes and drug addicts seem to be the norm. You're created to die. You get to live a little. Take care of other people while they're dying. And then you get to die. What!? No. This is dumb. The moral if you will of the story is that they're created to cure the world of major diseases like cancer and heart disease. And this is important. Also, you see some dynamics of people not wanting to deal with the fact that they were basically playing God and creating people willy nilly to then kill. In theory the use of clones like that could be an interesting read, but to me this book did not deliver.  I was disappointed about this book for 2 reasons. 1. I had seen other people who had read this book and really liked it, so I assumed I would too. LIE. 2. The summary has the words special and gift to describe them. I thought they would have like cool superpowers or something. SPOILER, they don't. 

Maybe I'm being too harsh. I mean I didn't necessarily hate the book. But it will definitely leave my memory soon and it will be like I didn't even read it. My advice: Skip it. Read something else. Something better. 

Tuesday Top 10: Characters I Hated

So a month ago I said I was going to do a post over characters I hated. & then I never did. Whoops. So here it is. I tried to pick characters I really despised and could actually put into words why. It was a little harder than I thought it would be. Mainly because I have a terrible memory for remembering all the books I've read and my brain tends to only let me think about recent ones. 

1. Sebastian/Jonathan from Mortal Instruments. I mean he was just plain awful. Always making trouble/trying to kill everyone. If he is your favorite person we need to look into some underlying issues you may have. 

2. Valentine from Mortal Instruments. Again, trouble, trouble, trouble. I basically compare him to Hitler in my mind. He wanted a supreme race. Was willing to do just about anything to make it happen. All around bad dude. 

3. Percy from Harry Potter. You don't abandon your family! Period. 

4. Voldemort from Harry Potter. I mean you can't have a characters you hate list and NOT put him on it. He's on it for Hedwig and Dobby alone. 

5. Umbridge from Harry Potter. Okay I truly hated this woman. She was the worst. Who makes you carve into your skin?! Psychos, that's who.

6. Rita Skeeter from Harry Potter. Ugh. Lies, lies everywhere. Constantly trying to instigate. Ain't nobody got time for you Rita. 

7.  Lilly from the Princess Diaries. One of the worst best friends ever. She was terrible to Mia. A best friend that only brings negativity to your life is not a best friend you need. 

8. President Snow from Hunger Games. What is with all these old men trying to ruin young girl's lives? Oh, plot. Look, the man constantly poisoned himself to avoid suspicion as he poisoned all his enemies. That is one sick individual.

9. Cindy from The Women's Murder Club series. Cindy is just plain dumb. Always putting herself in bad situations without thinking. Whenever I get to her parts in the book I usually have to take a break because I get so annoyed.

10. Nate from Infernal Devices. WHAT A TERRIBLE BROTHER. He deserved what he got. 

So there are a few of the people who get my blood boiling. I know there are more but this is what I have for now. Now I must go look at pictures of butterflies and rainbows to get out of the terrible mood thinking of all these people put me in! Happy St. Patrick's Day, y'all! 

February Reads

I did not read as much as I would have preferred this month, but I did still read a few books. Goodreads still likes to taunt me with how behind I am though. So the books I read this month are:

1. Shelter by Harlan Coben

2. Just One Day by Gayle Forman

3. Just One Year by Gayle Forman

4. Just One Night by Gayle Forman

5 . Yes Please by Amy Poehler

This list horribly depresses me. Books 2-4 were all read in the span of like 4 days. So it's sad to see that for the remaining 20+ days of January I only read two other books! TERRIBLE! 

However, I have been pretty busy with work and school. Also, my husband and I recently started watching American Horror Story, so we've been watching that a lot in the evenings when I used to read. 

In other news, we had two snow days this week! I love snow days. We did nothing but binge watch TV. It was wonderful. What wasn't wonderful is I got my days all confused and forgot about a semi big homework assignment I had. Snow 1. Colleen 0. 

Hopefully March will be a much better reading month! I am currently 8 books behind (ugh) so I am going to need to read a ton if I have any hope of ever getting caught up! Tonight I am going to see Miranda Lambert in concert with two friends from work & I am super pumped! Happy Friday, y'all! 

Top 10 Best Friends

Today's Tuesday Top 10 is devoted to my 10 favorite fictional best friends. Best friends are the best. I have about 5ish best friends split between a few towns and I would be lost without each of them. 

1. Simon from The Mortal Instruments. Sweet, sweet Simon. True, he started out in love with Clary, but hey, it happens. I am super excited about reading more about Simon in Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy, which comes out today! (Also, let me do a side note here about if you have not read The Mortal Instruments yet, DO IT. Easily surpassed all my old favorite series to become number one.)

2. Hermione and Ron from Harry Potter. I combined them because their group had three and I definitely wasn't going to try and say who was the better friend (although clearly it's Hermione). Harry definitely would not have survived (literally) without his best friends and that's how I feel about my friends! Sure I'm not out there fighting to finally rid the earth of the world's worst villain, but hey, to each their own. 

3. Dee from Just One Day. Oh how I loved Dee. Dee was exactly what Allyson needed when she went to college (& as you learn from Dee's mother, she was exactly what he needed as well). They built an unlikely friendship and I think those are the best kinds. I have one friend who when I met her I was like NOPE. And now my life would be terrible without her. Just goes to show you can't always judge outer appearances. 

4. Gale from The Hunger Games. Poor Gale. Another man in love with his best friend. I won't lie, at the beginning I was rooting for Gale. They understood each other. But as time went on, I realized how much better Gale was at just being Katniss' friend. That being said I still love Gale. He was a good friend to Katniss, even if he might have wished things could have been a little different.

5. Alec from The Mortal Instruments. LOL see above. But all things aside, Alec was a great friend to Jace and his sister Isabelle. Their group dynamic was neat, they all supported each other and really cared about one another. 

6. Claire from the Women's Murder Club series. Claire is easily my favorite character of this series. She has a good head on her shoulders and she is still hilarious. If I was to pick a cast for this book I would definitely want Maya Rudolph to play her. 

7. Ema and Spoon from Shelter. I am just getting into this series but I love Ema. She is hardcore & doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. She is quick on her feet, which Mickey definitely needs. I foresee them getting into lots of trouble together. The other member of their group is Spoon. Spoon is sweet and often overlooked by others because he is odd, but he has proved himself valuable to Mickey and Ema. 

8. Isaac from The Fault in Our Stars. I loved Isaac. When Isaac's girlfriend dumps him because he will be blind he has a meltdown. Literally. And that's realistic! Who wouldn't freak out. One of my favorite parts of the book is when he, Gus, and Hazel go and throw eggs at her car. Isaac may be blind, but who cares, her car deserved to be egged. 

9. Kim from If I Stay. Kim was a great best friend. I really enjoyed getting to "see" what she was up to in Where She Went. Through everything her and Mia remained close, which is a true friendship. 

10. Last, but not least, Eleanor & Park from, you guessed it, Eleanor & Park. I loved watching their friendship grow and eventually turn into something more. Neither had ever had such a great friend before. They were there for each other through even the hardest of times. 

So there you have it. 10 of my favorite fictional best friends. I would take any of them to be in my circle of friends! Sometimes I have a hard time making these lists cause my brain refuses to remember books I read over a month ago and tries to stay with only current books. Today's was hard too because instead of remembering all the people I liked in books, I could only think of all the characters I hated. So that will be next weeks Tuesday Top 10! Stay tuned :) 

Snow Days

Let's be honest, snow days are the best. Or as they should be called in Arkansas, ice days. There is nothing more I enjoy than laying on my couch with my five (yes I am crazy) animals all snuggled up & reading a good book. & that is exactly how I plan on spending my day, once I finish the homework I put off of course. 

Currently, I am reading about 5 different books. Seriously. Why? Because I am crazy. The books I am reading are:

1. Yes Please 

2. Pride & Prejudice

3. Cinder

4. Wintergirls 

Okay, so it's actually only four books. Sue me. I am hoping to finish Yes Please today because it is a library book & expires in like two days. Last week or maybe the week before, I seriously can't keep up with time anymore, I read a really great series by Gayle Forman, author of If I Stay. The first book was called Just One Day, the second was called Just One Year, & the third (which was basically a glorified epilogue) was called Just One Night. 

I loved this series. It took me about a day on each of the main books. I checked the first out of the library and then could not wait on the second two and ended up buying them. I plan on doing a review on the whole series so I won't go into too much detail here but basically it follows the story of two teenagers who meet in Europe & spend one day together. It then follows their lives after that day and chronicles the changes that day made to them. So stay tuned for the review! Hopefully it won't take me weeks to get around to. 

If you are also on a snow/ice day I hope it is super duper relaxing & awesome for you. If you are at work/school, I'm sorry. Here's to a good week, y'all! 

Tuesday Top 10

I've decided to make today's Top 10 all about the top 10 books I am excited to read in the coming days, weeks, & months. I have all of these already, just need to find the time to get them all done!

1. Just One Day by Gayle Forman 
2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer 
3. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer 
4. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare 
5. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 
6. You Know Where to Find Me by Rachel Cohn 
7. Vanished Book 1 & 2 by Meg Cabot 
8. Beautiful Girl by Lida James
9. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
10. Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern

Slowly, I will get on all of these and maybe goodreads will start being more positive towards me.

This weekend was a busy one for us because we had family visit & we had a Superbowl party. Today's fun picture is a picture of my cat who was so GLAD when the house finally cleared out. (She is not such a fan of new people).

Meme Monday

As I previously mentioned, this is a busy time for me at work. Leaving me tired and stressed pretty much 24/7. Because of this my blogging has taken a hit & my reading is slow, but still getting done. I've decided to post today how my reading goals are coming and also to share some of my favorite reading memes from pinterest!

Currently I have read 4 books out of 100 for the year. Or as goodreads likes to tell me, I am 4 books behind schedule. Thanks for the encouragement goodreads! 

These are the numbers I have crossed off my reading goals list:

12.      A book of short stories. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

16.      A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet. Shelter by Harlan Coben 

17.     A book a friend recommended. The Dive from Clausen’s Pier

36.      A book set in high school. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

And now, as promised, here are some of my favorite reading related memes.

On that note, I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday & week :) 

Detour from the Usual: V-Day Edition

So I have this problem. Every single holiday I tell my husband not to get me a gift. Birthdays, Valentine's Day, Christmas, etc. And I always say this so I don't come off as materialistic or demanding. When really, I am both. I want the gift. So then when the day comes around & I am gift less, I am pissed. And sad. And don't understand why he would do such a thing. It doesn't help that I (and probably every other girl in the world) compare my life to romantic comedies/ the books I read. Writers get it. They make these men just wonderfully fantastic leaving the real men poor schmucks in life. 

We have worked through this "issue" & I now just say, "Hey! Get me something!" & all is right with the world. But for those who have this issue or for guys who have no idea what to get their ladies, here is my list of gifts that I think would be nice to get on a holiday, or any day really. Because sometimes you just want a present to feel nice. 

1. Flowers- I get it, not every girl likes flowers. They're wasteful. They don't have a purpose. And depending on the flower (or holiday) can be pretty expensive. BUT. They're pretty! Especially getting just because flowers can turn a crappy day into a wonderful day. 

2. Jewelry- cliche, I know. But I am also not talking super expensive jewelry. Just a small token to show you care, plus it's something she can wear daily & see it and be reminded of it. Sometimes we need to be reminded that our significant others are not terrible all the time. Only some of the time. 

3. A small personalized item- If your girl likes to read, get her a book. If she likes fashion & makeup, surprise her with the latest Vogue & a sephora gift card.  Show her that you pay attention to what she likes. 

I realize this entire article seems superficial, materialistic, vain, etc. & if you think that I'm really not sure why you're still reading. But I'm telling you I don't want it to come off that way. Showing the person you love how much you care with gifts does not have to be a bad thing. Now if that's the only way you show them, well that's none of my business. But I think a small gift every now and then or on a holiday is a nice token of affection!

And I agree 100% that ladies should buy gifts for their men. I LOVE buying for my husband. He is one of my best friends and I love knowing that he is going to enjoy whatever I get him. 

So as we approach on Valentine's Day let us remember, it's not the amount you spend on the gift but the amount of thought that goes into the gift that counts. Tis the (Valentine) season, & all that jazz.