Leen's Lovable Lads

Today I decided to do a post on my favorite male characters in books. I am super guilty of falling for fictional dudes... why can't they be that perfect in real life?? This is by no means all of my favorites, nor did I list them in any particular order. 

1. Tobias/Four from Divergent. Not only did I love him in the books, but helloooo have you seen Theo James. They did a great job casting him. What I loved about Tobias was that he was always looking out for Tris & taught her how to fight so that then they could fight and be bad a's together. 

2. Peeta from The Hunger Games. Sweet, sweet Peeta. Finally the good guy wins. I will admit when I read the first book I loved Gale & thought they should be together but I quickly changed my mind and became team Peeta. Which is surprising because normally I stick with my first choice.

3. Jace from The Mortal Instruments. Jace can irritate me to no end when he's being stubborn in the books, but towards the end of the series he begins to open up more & let Clary in and I loved that. I loved that he finally opened up to love completely.

4. Alec from The Mortal Instruments. Oh sweet Alec. Alec is such a protector of the things he loves and I think that is a very admirable trait to have. Alec also gets super funny towards the end of the series & you realize he's probably been funny all along but used to keep it all inside.

5. Adam from If I Stay. Like I said in my book review of If I Stay, I love Adam. He is such a good guy. I really enjoyed being able to read from his point of view in Where She Went. His feelings and emotions were very real & easy to relate to.

6. Jaime from Lock and Key. Jaime was the main characters brother-in-law & he was such a great guy! Had never met her before and let her into his home & was able to change her life so much. Obviously, her sister helped a lot too, but that is expected. She is blood family. I think another reason I liked Jaime is because he reminded me of my own brother-in-law who has been so wonderful to me over the years.

7. Alex from Delirium. Poor Alex. He's got a rough life in this trilogy but I am happy with the way things turned out for him. At times it was hard reading about him cause I hated some of the things he had to endure. I really can't say more without going into spoilers, but I was team Alex in this series. 

8. Adam from Six Months Later. I need to do a review on this book cause it was pretty crazy, but in a good way. What I loved about Adam was he starts out as the "bad guy" & you shouldn't want Chloe to be with him, but you do anyways. It shows that you can't always judge someone just on their outer exterior, aka don't judge a book by it's cover ;)

9. Snape from Harry Potter. Probably one of the best characters EVER. You have no idea what side of the field he's playing for. Is he team Voldy or team Dumbledore? Good or Evil? Hates Harry or Loves Harry? & I also love that you don't actually get to find out till the very end. 

10. Nick from Gone Girl. Sad, pathetic Nick. Poor guy had no idea he was marrying the devil. There were times when reading the book where I HATED Nick. & then I would realize it was mind games & he was a victim and I actually felt very bad for him. If you have not read this book, I strongly suggest you do! It was amazing & insane all wrapped up into one. 

Most of the books listed have turned into movies by now. I highly recommend reading the books first! & if you've already seen the movies, I still recommend the books because all the extra details are wonderful. Anyways, Happy Friday y'all!

Top 10 Books/Series I Want to Reread

So recently I came across the blog What a Nerd Girl Says & it is AWESOME. She has a ton of posts about all different things. Mostly book related, but also about tv shows, movies, etc. Have I mentioned I love it? Because I do. So one thing I noticed she does is a Tuesday Top 10. There is not much I like more than making lists, so I have decided to partake! 

This week I am doing Top 10 books/series I want to reread. There are multiple reasons I want to reread these books. Some are because the movies are coming out soon & I want to be sure to remember all the good details. Others are books I read as a kid that have stuck with me & I want to read them again & revert back to my childhood. Sadly, a few are books I have read semi-recently & just read too fast. I know how the books went but I tend to skip details because I want to know the whole story as fast as possible. I am guilty of being a day reader... meaning I am proud of the fact that I read whole books in a day, but then realize I went so fast I don't remember all the wonderful details that go into making it the whole story it is. 

After that lengthy intro, here is my Top 10 in no particular order.

1. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. I adored this series. My mom got me the first two of the series for my 12th or 13th birthday. After that, I was hooked! Could not stop reading them. It has been yearsss since I last read them, but I think I would still love them.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Such a wonderful series! I want to reread this series for the obvious, Mockingjay Part 1 hitting theaters soon! This puts me on a bit of a deadline, so it will need to be the first thing I reread. 

3. The School Story by Andrew Clements. I really don't remember when I first read this book. I was probably in elementary school, maybeee in middle. What I loved about it was it was the story of a young girl who wrote a novel and was trying to get it published. It was a very personal story & she had a BFF who absolutely 100% believed it needed to be read. At the time when I read this, I desperately wanted to grow up to be an author & this book inspired me tremendously. As I got older my dreams changed, but I still love this book.

4. Anything & Everything by Lurlene McDaniel. This is not an actual book, rather I really do mean any & all of her books. My older sister read her books first & eventually showed them to me. These books are so sad! Someone dies in almost every single one. Usually from cancer. Or some other horrible disease. & it is always kids or teenagers! So as a kid, you read these & are like omg that could be me. These books are probably the reasoning behind my for thinking I would die before I was 16. However, sadness aside, they are very good books and each story line would hook you in. 

5. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. I read these books in high school before the tv show came out. I can't remember exactly how far into the series I got, but it was pretty far & I enjoyed them. Then, when I was in college the show came out. I will be the first to admit I am a book snob. I have gotten better over the years, but I used to be super uppity about my books becoming tv shows or movies. I would refuse to see them (at first) & rant about how terrible they would end up being. However, I now watch & LOVE PLL the tv show. I would like to reread the series to see how much ended up being changed and things like that.

6. Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements. Without even trying or meaning to, two of Clement's books wound up on the list. Apparently, I really liked him as a child. This book was really interesting to young Colleen. It is the story of a young boy who wakes up one day invisible. Sounds awesome right? Until you have to convince your parents you haven't run away, you are actually right in front of them. & then not being able to tell anyone? Talk about torture. Over the years this book has stuck with me & I really want to read it soon & see if it still hooks me.

7. The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling. Oh how I love this series. It might be my absolute favorite. I loveee watching the movies & try to have a Harry Potter marathon at least once a year. But back to being a book snob, the books are a MILLION times better than the movies. There are just sooo many more details & even a ton of different characters you never get to know if you only watch the movies. I haven't read these books in years & definitely need to break them out soon!

8. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This was a great book. However, this falls into the category of "it was so wonderful I had to speed read & finish it in a day." So I know overall it was super wonderful, but now I want to go back & really focus in on the details that make up the wonderfulness. Side note, this book is also sad so if you are thinking of reading it for the first time, just be aware. 

9. The Shadow Children by Margaret Haddix. This is another series I loved growing up. I think I read it primarily in middle school & I don't think I ever finished all the books (there are 7). In this series, it is illegal for families to have more than two children. If you have a third child it has to die, or like in this series, the children have to stay hidden. Being the third child in my family I was fascinated with this concept. I know towards the end of my reading these it looked like a revolution might be coming so I would like to finish and see if all these kids ever get to come out of hiding. 

10. The Girl With the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts. Last on the list, but definitely not last to me. This is probably the first book I remember reading that made me think, "Woah! I am so happy to be a reader!" This is taken from a summary of the book, "Katie Welker is used to being alone. She would much rather read a book than deal with other people." Helloooo, that is still how I feel. This book made me realize it is okay to want to read all the time, & who cares if people thing you are weird. Also, spoiler alert! Katie has silver eyes which gives her telekinetic powers. Yes please, where do I sign up?

So there you have my Top 10 books/series to reread. Most are from my childhood but I feel confident I will still love them today. These books helped shaped my reading identity & I LOVE that I still love to read even in the crazy, chaotic life I lead now. 

Book Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

released: 2009

pages: 210

series: If I Stay Book 1

Summary taken from goodreads:

Just listen, Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel.

I open my eyes wide now.
I sit up as much as I can.
And I listen.

Stay, he says.

Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?

Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.

If I Stay is a heart achingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.

My thoughts:
If I Stay is told in first person point of view. The narrator is Mia & she is in a coma. While in her coma she has an out of body experience where she can see everything that happens. She sees the scene of the accident, the first hospital she is taken to, the helicopter ride to the second hospital, & finally the second hospital she is taken to. While at the second hospital she is able to see when her family & friends arrive to see her.

The book is told half in the present, primarily the day of the crash, as well as in flashbacks. Through the flashbacks you are able to get a glimpse of Mia & the life she had before the accident.

Favorite Character: 
Obviously Mia would be most people's favorite character. She is who the reader knows the most about & you are able to hear & relate to her thoughts and emotions. However, my favorite character is her boyfriend, Adam.

Adam is in a band and had a big gig the night of Mia's accident. She is not even sure if he will show up to the hospital. Not because he doesn't care or wouldn't want to miss the gig, but because she is not sure who would contact him. However, her best friend Kim tracks Adam down to give him the bad news. What I loved about that is that is something I would wonder about. If I was to have accident, who would let the people I love most know?

Adam rushes to the hospital and then spends forever trying to get to see Mia in the ICU. When he is finally able to see her he asks her to come back, to stay. That it wouldn't matter if they were no longer together, so long as she was somewhere in the world & not gone forever. I loved that. For Adam to make such a huge sacrifice. Yes, he didn't know she could hear him but it didn't matter, he meant it.

Negatives:
-The book is very short. To me the longer the book the better. I read this book in a day, along with doing other things.
-The book is sad. That is a given, I mean the main character is in a coma, what else would you expect?

Positives:
-Mia was an easy character to fall into.
-The love story between Adam & Mia is so sweet. They are young, but you really pull for them to stay together.

Want to know what happens next in Mia & Adam’s lives? Read Where She Went by Gayle Forman (review to come eventually). It is set 3 years in the future, and this time is from Adam’s perspective. 

10 of My Favorite Authors

Today, I decided to share my favorite authors. The order is not reflective of who I like more because that would be wayyy too difficult. I also am not including authors who write series, I will include them in a later post. So, lets begin!

1. Mary Higgins Clark. Clark write suspense fiction books. I have read just about all of her books and I love them! I am always on the edge of my seat trying to guess who the bad guy is. 

2. Sarah Dessen. Dessen is a YA author who writes primarily teen romantic comedies. The main character is almost always (if not always) a teenage girl typically new to town and the struggles she encounters. The characters are always super easy to relate to.

3. Laurie Halse Anderson. Anderson is also a YA author but her books are more dark & twisty than Dessen's. Her books tend to have a central theme of depression, eating disorders, rapes, etc. These are not books you want to read if you need a happy book.

4. James Patterson. I just recently started reading Patterson & I love his series the Woman's Murder Club (I know, I know, I said I wasn't including series authors, so sue me ;)). Patterson is also a suspense writer.

5. Nicholas Sparks. Oh how I love to read a book by Sparks. His characters are so realistic & his stories are easy to fall into. His books can have sad features, in fact I tend to cry every time I read one, but they are happy too. 

6. Gillian Flynn. Oh my goodness! Her books are crazy good. They are super suspenseful & always have me on the edge of my seat! Also, some of the characters are seriously INSANE. Flynn is definitely one of the best authors I have ever read.

7. Gayle Forman. Forman wrote the If I Stay series which I loved, but she has also written several other books. She has a unique voice and her characters really come to life. She writes YA fiction and I can't wait to read more of her books.

8. Harlan Coben. Coben is another suspense writer. What I love about his books is there are always several different main characters and in the end all of their stories end up connected in ways you never would have expected. 

9. Sue Grafton. So sorry, this is another series writer. But I wanted to include her because I have listed just about all my other favorite suspense writers. Grafton writes the alphabet series. I love the main character & I love that there are so many books in the series, it's like the fun never ends!

10. John Grisham. Grisham's books tend to have a legal perspective, centering around lawyers, judges, juries, or fugitives. They are serious and take a lot of focus (for me at least). Usually after I finish one I need a light easy book to read next. They are very interesting though & I tend to learn a lot while I read them.

So there you have ten of my favorite authors. You probably gathered I tend to read either YA books or suspense books. I also love humor books, some of my favorite comedians (Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, & Chelsea Handler to name a few) have books & I LOVE reading them. They are hilarious. One of these days I will do a post over my favorite series/trilogies. Thanks for reading :)  

Would you rather... Book Edition

Today, I found a Would You Rather survey for books! Seeing as I am still getting used to blogging I decided to post it & my answers. This will also help anyone who does not personally know me get a sense of the types of books I enjoy reading and will end up reviewing. Here goes :)

Would you rather...

1. Read only trilogies or a series OR stand-alone books?
Easy Peasy. While I love stand alone books I pick series. I get so emotionally invested into books. I am always so mad when they end. The longer the series the better!

2. Read a book whose main character is male OR female?
For this one I have to go with female. I usually can't relate as much to male perspectives. I am fixing to start the Maze Runner series by James Dashner though and that is a male perspective so perhaps it will change my point of view. 

3. Shop only at Barnes & Noble (or other actual bookstore) OR Amazon?
I actually do not buy a ton of books. Most of the time I get books from the library (insert Bridesmaids joke... "Help me, I'm poor") But my library has a really cool app where I can read books on my Kindle app through Amazon. So for that reason, I pick Amazon.

4. All books become movies OR tv shows?
This one is hard. Most of my favorite books turn into movies. However, I did read the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard when I was in high school & I love the tv show. Overall, I think movies usually try a little harder to stick with the main story line which is what I want, so they get my vote. 

5. Read 5 pages per day OR read 5 books per week?
5 books per week most definitely. Although, I would have to give up a lot of other stuff. I usually read about 2-3 books a week depending on what else is going on in my life & if I have access to new books.

6. Be a professional book reviewer OR an author?
Growing up I wanted to be an author more than anything. Then I grew up and realized I hate grammar. Getting paid to read books though? Sounds like a dream, sign me up please!

7.  Only read the same 20 books over and over OR get to read a new book every 6 months?
As hard as it would be to only get a new book every 6 months I would have to go with that one. I love rereading books but nothing is better than diving into a brand new book, especially if you had to wait 6 months to get it!

8. Be a librarian OR own a book store?
I would choose librarian. 1. free books & 2. you could help shape someone's whole reading life.

9. Only read your favorite genre OR your favorite author?
I love authors & love when they have multiple books. But, I think I will have to go with genre because what happens if the author died? Then you would only have however many books they wrote in their lifetime. 

10. Only read physical books OR eBooks?
Well like i said above, my library has an app where I can read on my Kindle app. Don't get me wrong, I love having an actual book. But eBooks are easier. I can read anywhere. And in today's generation everyone is on their phone 24/7 when hanging out with people but if I was to break out a book, I would be rude. Therefore, I stealth read on my phone when with friends. 

So that wraps up my Would You Rather survey-book edition! Perhaps you learned something new about me. Or maybe not. Whatevs. I think my next post will be my first review. Leaning towards doing it on If I Stay by Gayle Forman. I read it a few weeks ago & really enjoyed it. I have also read Where She Went by Gayle Forman which is the follow-up novel. Both were super good & I am sad there will not be any more in the series. So stick around, and maybe eventually I'll review a book! 

Where it all began...

So this is my very first blog ever. I've recently gotten into reading other people's blogs, mostly home decorating ones & decided I wanted to give it a try. So here we go, wish me luck!

You know in school how everyone has something they're good at? I was not that kid. I am not sporty. I am not a braniac. I am perfectly average in most things. However, I am an excellent reader. Yes. I am that person who brags about reading. What is worse about that being my identifier is I don't read classics. I read some classics, for example To Kill a Mockingbird & Pride and Prejudice. But that's about it. Hook me up with a good YA series and I am set. 

Recently my husband and I were talking about talents. He is a very talented artist in his spare time. We talked about that for a bit and then it came time to talk about my talent. I of course brought up reading as it is the only thing I have going for myself. He literally laughed out loud at me. Apparently, reading isn't a talent. He did not care how fast I could read or that I tend to read a few books in a week. None of that mattered. So what happened when I asked him to point out my talent? He patted my hand & said I am very nice. That in itself shows how talent less I am because anyone who knows me has never used "nice" to describe me. I am bossy. I am energetic. I am hilarious, sarcastic, anti-social, & driven to name a few, but not nice. This isn't to say I am not nice as a person in general, I am I swear. But to have nice be my talent? I think that is much more sad than saying reading is my talent.

After that conversation I decided that if I was going to continue claiming reading as my talent than I needed to actually share my talent with the world. So that is the primary purpose of this blog; to share my opinions on books I read. I have recently finished The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare and am currently reading The Confession by John Grisham. I love YA fiction, but I also enjoy mystery & suspense. I am a HUGE advocate of always reading the book before seeing the movie version. 

& seeing as I have plenty to do currently, my first book review will have to wait for another day. But if you somehow managed to end up at this blog, please come back if you also enjoy reading/consider it your talent!