Favorite Books of 2014 and 2015 Reading Resolutions!

2014 was an awesome year for me. So much happened and I'm so excited to see what this next year brings! During this year I read more than I ever have, and rediscovered a love for reading that I always knew I had, but had pushed aside for some reason. So here's to all the amazing books I read this year, and all the ones to come!

(In no order, because it was hard enough for me to pick favorites in the first place)

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr- I don't really have words for this book, besides I think it's now my favorite book of all time. It was beautiful. Read it. Check out my review to see what it's about! 

S by Doug Dorst and JJ Abrams- I honestly can't remember if I read this book in 2013 or 2014, but I'm going to say it was 2014 because I just love talking about it. This book was such a creative, wonderful monument to the book world. If you're skeptical about reading this book because you think its just a gimmick, worry no more! I've never read anything like it, and the experience like no other!  

Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas- I started this series this year, and I can't wait for it to continue. It's the best Young Adult Fantasy series I've ever read! I really was hooked from the very first page. It's so well written, and come on, how could you not love a book about a super awesome assassin chick? (That may or may no be how I describe this series to anyone who asks about it because I don't know how to explain it without giving anything away...)

Eragon Series by Chuck Paolini- If you love Lord of the Rings, you'll love this series. Dragons, Elves, Dwarves, what else could you need? It's definitely the most in depth young adult series I've ever read. SO GOOD.

Lunar Chronicles Series by Marissa Meyer- This series is one of my favorites. It the coolest fairytale retellings I've ever read! I'm so excited for the next book! 

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys- Oy vey. This one has to be the saddest book I've ever read. But it was so good, I really think more people need to read it. I'm going to do a review soon, but I don't want to say too much about it! It's really best to read this one without knowing too much about it. 

The Help by Kathryn Stockett- I think everyone should read this at somepoint. It's right up ther ewith To Kill a Mockingbird to me! It's a very important historical fiction book that provides a very good look at our country's past.

Dune by Frank Herbert- It's been called the best science fiction book of all time, and after you read this you'll see why.It's very in depth, kind of like LotR is, so it's not a very fast read, but it's so worth it!

This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Earl- And lastly, the life and words of Esther Earl. The girl that inspired the Fault in Our Stars, this is her diary that her parents published after she passed away. It was truly moving, and Esther was an amazing, wonderful girl. I have a review on this on too!

And now it's time for my reading resolutions! Lets see... This year I'm going to try and read 50 books. Hopefully more! And I'm also going to finish It, by Stephen King. Because I've been working ion that one for waaaay too long. 

And that's it! These are some of my favorite books that I read this year. I can't wait to see what my favorites will be next year!

We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist

Josh Sundquist, an amputee cancer survivor, paralympic ski racer,and motivational speaker, has terrible luck with girls. Ever since middle school, Josh has tried, and failed, to get a girlfriend. As an adult, when he still hasn't struck gold and had a relationship, he wonders if all his failed attempts have something in common that he can fix and finally get the girl. So he conducts a scientific investigation, wherein he tracks down every girl from his past he was interested in, and asks them simply, what went wrong? This books is a funny, and "embarrassingly true story" of Josh recounting all his attempts to be a ladies man, and his quest to find out what exactly, he's missing.

Let me just say that I've been a fan of Josh Sundquist for years. From first discovering him on YouTube and reading his other book Just Don't Fall, when I heard he was coming out with this I knew I'd have to read it. And then when I got approved on Netgalley to read this as an ARC I was so excited! I love Josh's sense of humor, and knew this one was going to be good. It's filled with dry humor, cringingly awkward moments, and hilarious encounters that I just loved. The entire books is divided up in to sections that each focus on a different girl. They have the background, hypothesis, and investigation, in which Josh meets up with the girls from his past to find out what went wrong. All this leads up to one special girl, Ashley Samsonite, whom he is currently engaged to. I loved the self searching that Josh did throughout the course of this "investigation" and knew it would turn out to be a happy ending because he proposed to Ashley a few months before this book came out. My only complaint is that after reading the whole book, with the background and investigation for each girl, I had really hoped that we'd get to see more of him and Ashley together, but she only got four pages at the very end. They were a totally adorable four pages, but it left me wanting so much more. However, if you read this book and feel the same way at the end, this YouTube video on his channel will all but erase that feeling for you. In it he tells the completely adorable way he proposed to Ashley, and of course, she said yes!

All in all, I really loved this book. It was cute, funny, and definitely worth reading. I love Josh and Ashley and wish them all the best on this new leg of their journey! Get it? Leg? I feel like Josh would appreciate that. I give this book 4 noodles!

Gift Guide for Book Lovers!

It's that time of year, and if you're anything like me the only thing you can think of for your Christmas list is books, books, and more books. Well, if you're looking for a little variety this year, here are some awesomely nerdy but still somewhat book related that any bibliophile would love!

Artfolds Foldable Book

You've probably all seen those awesome books on pinterest and such where the paged are folded to make out a word and look generally awesome, but have no idea how to do it. Well look no further! Barnes and Noble sells a diy version of these where you buy the book and every page is marked where you should fold and it turns into a word! These are made in some of our favorite classics like Jane Eyre, Ann of Green Gables, and others, and come in several different words.

Harry Potter Special Edition US Paperbacks

Any Potterhead will love these beautiful new covers for our favorite books. I can't wait to get my hands on them, I love the new look! And who cares if that means I'll have three different sets of the HP books? The more the merrier!

P.S.-They're half off on Barnes and Noble's website!

Hobbit Inspired Door Necklace

With the last Hobbit movie just around the corner, this little LoTR inspired locket will be great for all the hobbits you know. A daily reminder that adventure is just on the other side of the door! 

Ideal bookshelf art print

These awesome art prints create your "ideal bookshelf" so you can hang up a beautiful picture of some of your favorite books! There's a ton of premade sets to choose from, or you can make your own special request! I'm in love with the style of these, and would so love to have one of my own!

Custom Book Scarf

This scarf is amazing. It's an infinity scarf printed with passages from your favorite books. I think it looks amazing! There are tons of options for what to get printed on it, and I think any book lover that happens to go out in public every once in a while (rather than just stay in bed reading for all eternity) would love this!!

Litographs

Of course I couldn't do a bookish gift guide without mentioning Litographs, an awesome website that sells posters, shirts, and bags with art prints made of every word from the book they're depicting! This one is an Agatha Christie one, and I just thought it looked awesome. But this site has SO many options to choose from, and they all look amazing! 

So if there are any book worms on your list this year, or you're still just wondering what to ask for, I hope you've found this guide useful! Happy holidays everyone!

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Marie-Laure and Werner Pfennig live in two very different worlds.
     Sightless Marie knows has known only the streets of Paris her entire life. Having memorized her way around by a model of the city that her father built for her, it is a huge shock to her when her and her father are forced to relocate to the tiny town of Saint Malo during the German occupation of Paris. They go to live with her great uncle who hasn't stepped out his front door in 20 years. Trapped in a strange house in a new place during some of the most brutal years in history, Marie-Laure lives with a unquenchable curiosity that just might save her life.
     In a children's home in a small mining town in Germany, Werner grows up with his little sister in the years before the second world war. One day he discovers an old radio, seemingly broken, that draws them in. Werner has always had an inventive mind, however, so when he fixes the device, he discovers he has a strong talent for working with wires and electricity that gets him a spot in an ominous military academy and enrolled in the Hitler Youth.
     Beginning in the early years of their childhoods and following them into adulthood, All the Light We Cannot See follows Marie-Laure and Werner as the path of the war changes them in ways they never imagined. Taking place over ten years, and told in different timelines, this story seamlessly tells the story of two young people whose lives changed course forever during those fateful years. Werner and Marie-Laure live two different lives during the same time until the day they meet, when their worlds collide.

Let me start off by saying that I have been waiting to read this book for SO LONG. The plot immediately intrigued me, and I ran to my library some three months ago to check it out. When I looked it up in the system however, I was very sad to see that there were about 30 people in front of me that had it on hold. I waited for what felt like forever, and when I finally got the email last week that said it was MY turn to read the book, I was stoked. And, ladies and gentleman, this book did not disappoint.
  This book is adult historical fiction, and unlike anything I had ever read. The writing was absolutely beautiful, and left nothing to be desired. The author did an amazing job with going back and forth between the two timelines, and the two characters. The story goes back and forth between 1934 and 1944 until they catch up to each other, and it was so well done that you really feel the passage of time in the pages.
  Folks, I'm even going to go out on a limb here and say that I might have a new all time favorite book. Seriously. I loved every minute of reading this. I can't fully describe the experience, you'll just have to go read it for yourself. 5 noodles!

Slump?

I have a confession. I think I've been in a reading slump of sorts lately. It seems like the last few books I've picked up just haven't been doing it for me, and I've found myself not wanting to read as much. However, I think my addiction to Gilmore Girls has a lot to do with that... I have been doing little more than watching that show these last few weeks, and I've loved it! I've become pretty obsessed with it. Sadly though, I have finished all seven seasons so now it's back to to the real world.
I SO wish that this show was based off a book series. How perfect would that be?! I would be all over that. I'll admit to having sobbed like a baby in that finale though. I've just been so hooked that whenever I picked up a book recently it was only because I felt bad about how little I was reading, like my books missed me or something. But in the true Rory spirit, I'll get back to my regularly scheduled self, which means a lot more books and a lot less TV. Now that I'm finished the show though, I hope to crack open a lot more amazing books to review for you guys! Hopefully I'll get back into the habit of loving a book so much that I want to review it on here immediately, so more posts soon! Here's to hoping that I'll get out of this rut of choosing the wrong book soon!

October Recap!

Aaaand October has come and gone! The weather in Texas has finally started to cool off, and I'm loving it! It's finally starting to feel like fall, which means Christmas is just right around the corner! I've been counting down the days since summer, people. I get a little bit excited if you couldn't tell! But I'm all for snuggling up in some fuzzy socks and pajamas all day with a book and a hot cup of tea! Anywho, today's post is going to be a recap of this last month (and a little of the one before it because is forgot to do one!) and I'm goingto try and do it a bit differently!

Last month:

I read waaaay less last month than I usually do. Reading was kind of put on the back burner for a while...But hold on, I can explain myself, I promise! See, Netflix added a very addicting show to their instant view this month. Some of you probably already know what I'm talking about. It's Gilmore Girls, friends. I began watching at the beginning of the month, and let me tell you, I'm obsessed. I'm already halfway through season 5 and it's just so stinking good! I can't stop watching. So naturally, this led to many binge watching Gilmore Girls filled days, and my huge TBR pile was pushed aside. But I have no regrets! 

I read:
Someday, Someday Maybe By Lauren Graham
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
Sold by Patricia McCormick
The Empress Chronicles by Suzy Vitello

I plan to read:
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys

Books I bought:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hossenini
Eon by Alison Goodman
So B. It by Sarah Weeks

I posted:
BLOG TOUR: The Empress Chronicles
Series Review: Shatter Me Trilogy
The Kiss of Deception
The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge
The Book Spew

I'm Looking forward to this month:
Finishing all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls, duh!
Finally moving into our new house!
Mockingjay comes out in theaters!!
THANKSGIVING

So how was your month? Read or do anything exciting? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

BLOG TOUR: The Empress Chronicles

Hello everyone! Today I have the privilege of participating in a blog tour with a bunch of other bloggers, for a really cool book that came out recently, The Empress Chronicles, by Suzy Vitello. Without further ado, here we go!

     Liz was sent to live with her father and his new hippie girlfriend on their tiny farm. Her mom was hoping it would help her. In other words, this is Liz's worst nightmare. She has severe OCD. The thought of all the germs running rampant on that farm petrifies her. Liz has to learn to cope though, so she doesn't have a repeat of the painful incident that sent her there in the first place...
     150 years earlier, duchess Sisi of Austria is having her own problems. The Emperor is supposed to marry her older sister. And Sisi has fallen hopelessly for the mysterious Count S. When the cunning and deceptive Lola Montez gets involved, everything goes wrong. The thing Sisi really needs id a do over, but that's impossible right?
     When present day Liz find an old diary, and an ancient locket, these two characters will meet in a seemingly impossible way. 150 years ago, these two items held a curious sort of magic. Could it still be alive today? Liz's life-and therefore Sisi's- changes forever when she discovers that she has the power to rewrite history... And maybe give the young Empress a second chance, to get away.

This book is a historical fiction/magical realism/coming of age book. And somehow, the author managed to make it all work! The history buffs will be pleasantly surprised to see just how historically accurate this book is (I know I was!). Having known next to nothing about Empress Sisi before reading this book, I did some research when I finished and discovered that most of the details, except for the magic part of course, were totally correct! This made me very happy. Liz and Sisi are both very similar, in that they both had some of the same issues. Sisi was known for being exceptionally thin, and pretty much anorexic. And Liz, couldn't stand the thought of the germs that could be in her food, so she struggled with that as well. I thought Liz's OCD/annorexia provided a very interesting character, that we don't often see, especially in YA. And usually, with books that have dual point of views, it can be hard to tell one voice from the other. But I'm happy to say that this book didn't have this problem at all! Liz and Sisi's voices were always easy to distinguish, and each had their own tone, which I loved. This book was very well written, and very well researched, which are two thumbs up for me! I really liked this book, and plan on buying my own copy soon! 4 out of 5 noodles, and I cant wait for the rest of the series!

Series Review: Shatter Me Trilogy

Juliette has a deadly touch. Anyone that comes in contact with her lethal skin dies. Juliette has never known the loving embrace of another human being, or the basic feeling of human contact. The last time she mistakenly touched someone resulted in her being thrown in a cell and shunted from insane asylum to insane asylum. But the new government that has ruined the dying world has taken an interest in Juliette's unique situation. And she's not so sure she want's to be their weapon.

Beware: RANT AHEAD
So, I just recently finished this trilogy. I didn't read the books in a very timely succession, so I don't remember much about the first book. I do remember that I really liked it and I finished it in a day though! However, the series did not follow through. At all. The second book was alright, and the third book was just... awful. And I feel bad saying that because I really love the author! But the main character, Juliette, was one of the most whiny, annoying, unlikable characters I've ever read. She spent the entire trilogy wallowing in the biggest pool of self pity I've ever seen. She even said at one point that "I never stopped to consider that someone could have it worse than me." I mean COME ON! The Earth is almost literally falling apart and she's been safe in a cell while the entire world starves and dies from diseases and harsh climates, etc. I was okay with it the first book, the second book I was annpyed, and the third book I barely even made it through. If I weren't so interested in seeing how one of the supporting characters ended up, I wouldn't even have bothered. She's supposed to be this warrior, but she didn't grow a spine until the last hundred pages! I'm not going to get into any spoilers here, but the third book was probably one of the worst I've read this year. I honestly just flipped through the last 10 chapters to get the gist of what was going on because I just wanted to be done with it! UGH. I wanted so badly to like this trilogy, but I just can't. And it's not just Juliette that's wrong with these books. I could go on and on, but I can't really mention anything else I didn't like without giving away spoilers. Which, in spite of how much I didn't like this trilogy, I still don't want to do in case there are any of you out there who are still reading or want to read this. I will say though, the writing in these books was beautiful. Tahereh Mafi has a very unique way with words! That's partly why I feel s bad about not liking these! However, I would give this series probably... 3 noodles overall. And that's probably generous.

Review: The Kiss of Decption

Princess Lia is being faced with a fate that so many before her have had to succumb to, an arranged marriage forged to try and make peace with a neighboring country. But Lia has never been one to just sit down and take it. So she does the unthinkable- She runs away on her wedding day. Now marked as a traitor to her kingdom, her enraged father sends an assassin after her to make her pay.  And what of the prince? Well, he's intrigued by the girl who had the guts to do what he's been itching to do all this time, so he goes after her too. Lia, the Prince, and the Assassin have hopelessly entwined themselves in an ever growing web of mystery and lies, where no one is who-or what- they say they are.

    Before you go running away, thinking that this book sounds exactly like every other cheesy arranged marriage/runaway bride/unsuspecting lover story out there, let me stop you! This book has a very interesting twist that completely sets it apart from all the others.
    You already know that our story follows the runaway princess Lia, the prince, and the Aassissin. BUT, what you don't know, is that throughout the book, you don't know who the assassin is, and who the prince is. EEEP! I know, exciting right? Lia unsuspectingly interacts with them through the book, but you don't find out until the very end who's out to kill her, and who wants to marry her. We get 5 point of views throughout the story line: Lia, the prince, the assassin, and then the two people that each guy tells her they are. I know it all sounds very confusing, but trust me, it works.
   I have to admit, when I first heard about this book, I didn't know how the writer was going to pull it off, but let me tell you-she definitely did. The story was really well written, and kept me guessing until the very end! And I'll just say that my suspicions were completely wrong. It just made it more fun! I really liked this book, the only problem I have is that it's the first in a series so I don't know how the author will think up another way to make this story unique, but I'll definitely continue on with it when the second one comes out! 4 noodles!

The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge

Netflix recently added Gilmore Girls to the instant view, which I have gladly taken advantage of. I'm currently halfway through the second season, and let me just say, I'm obsessed! Rory and Laurelai's antics and relationship is absolutely adorable. And Rory being the genius she is, is shown reading 300 some books in the 7 seasons. Someone out there has compiled a sort of challenge to see how many of the books she's read that you've also read, and to eventually complete the list! Here I have all the books on the list, let me know how many you've read!
(the ones in bold are the ones I've read already!) I've read 22 so far, and I don't really intend on reading all of these, but it's still pretty neat!

 1984 by George Orwell
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Archidamian War by Donald Kagan
The Art of Fiction by Henry James
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Babe by Dick King-Smith
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 

The Book Spew

I don't think it's any secret that I like books. If we 're having a conversation involving books, or I happen to be in a book store with you, you will firsthand witness what can only be called the Book Spew. You've just entered into a one-way road to Carley's brain, where-surprise!-I think about books. Once you get me started, it's really hard to get me to stop. I will incessantly ramble about what I'm reading at the time, or what I want to read next, or what I read yesterday... You get the picture. And if we're in the bookstore or the library, you'll be hearing -

"Oh that book is good."

"That book is really good." 

"Oh you definitely need to read that." 

"Don't even look at that one. It was horrible."

"Oh I cried like a baby  during that one!"

You see what I mean? I'll be your walking library, with so many recommendations, you'll probably pick up a book and start reading just to get me to stop. So I say this as a warning, unless you actually want to hear it, be prepared to get books spewed all over you if you're within close proximity to me;)

Bargain Book Haul!

    Over the past couple weeks, I have found myself frequenting local thrift stores and garage sales, but what I always keep my eyes out for more than anything else is books. Books at these kind of places are usually placed anywhere from a quarter to a dollar- you really cant beat that! So whenever I find them, I pick up every single one that looks interesting, because I can't feel bad about buying a book that only cost me twenty-five cents! 

    I also got to go to a local library book sale, which was huge, and amazing! I was probably one of the only people there under the age of 50, but it made me really happy because I hope I still get as excited as those older people did over books when I get to be that age!
    Here is the cumulative list of the books I've gotten dirt cheap recently, adding to my ever growing To-Be-Read list!

The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
White Oleander by Janet Finch
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
Wonder by R J Palacio
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee


What are your bargain  book experiences? What are some of your favorite places to buy them? Let me know in the comments!

Top 10 Tuesday: Authors I Need to Read More Of

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish, where a new topic is chosen each week and everyone can make a post about it! This week's topic is Top 10 Authors I Need to Read More Of. I've got quite the list of these, and some of them are pretty surprising!

(Once again, in no order)

Tahereh Mafi- This is the author of the very hyped Shatter Me trilogy, of which I'm sad to say I've only read the first book! I loved it though, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next two!

Douglas Adams- This guy wrote The Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy. This book was hilarious, and I have all the rest of the books, I just haven't gotten around to them yet!

JRR Tolkien- We all know Tolkien. And I've only read The Hobbit! I know, its shameful. I need to delve deeper in to the lord of the rings universe, there's so much more out there!

William Shakespeare- I've read a couple plays by Shakespeare, but not nearly as many as I'd like. I think I've read Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth Night. I've still got a long way to go, and I plan on having them all read someday!

Jane Austen- This one is probably the most shameful of them all. I've only read half of Pride and Prejudice. That's it. That is the full extent of my Jane Austen experience. I really need to just buckle down, and commit to the Austen world. I just got distracted...

Bronte Sisters- Of the Bronte sisters, I've only read Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre. Both really good! But there's a ton more out there that I need to read. The Bronte Sisters are very interesting and dark people, and I can't wait to read more from them!

SE Hinton- The Outsiders is one of my favorite books of all time. And I know next to nothing about the rest of SE Hinton's books, but if the outsiders was that good, I figure the rest of her books are worth a shot!

JK Rowling- The Harry Potter series are my favorite books. They pretty much top anything. But since then, Jo has come out with 3 non Harry books, and I want to give them a try, if only to see what her other writing is like!

Johnathan Safran Foer- this is the author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, of of my favorite books. He also wrote one called Everything is Illuminated, that's on the top of my TBR list!

Scott Westerfield- this guy is more well known for his Uglies series, but I didn't like that one and don't really plan on finishing it. However, he did write the Leviathan series, an awesome historical fiction/steam punk vs Darwinist/WWI retelling that was so cool, but I've only read the first book! Definitely want to finish those.

So that's it! Let me know in the comments what YOUR top 10 are, I'd love to hear from you!

Top 5 Books I Read This Summer

I didn't really do much besides read and sleep this summer. It was very relaxing! I read a total of 24 books this season, and if you want to see all of them, feel free to check out my June, July, and August wrap up posts! But today I'm going to share with you my top 5 favorite books that I read this summer! It's always difficult picking a top anything, but I managed! Here they are!

 (In no order, because come on, it was already hard enough for me to pick a top 5, you really expect me to pick a most and least favorite after that? Psh!)

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

You Know That Feeling?

  That feeling when you stay up until 3 AM reading a book because you just could not put it down, even though you have to get up in a couple of hours? When the ending is so astonishing you have to go text one of your friends about it even though you know no one in their right mind would be awake, simply because you just have to tell someone about it? It's a wonderful feeling. And when I wake up this morning, exhausted beyond belief, I won't regret a thing. Because I'd rather get that experience of being totally captivated by a book into the late hours of the night than sleep. For now. I'll do plenty of that later on, when my eyes get too old and my mind too tired.
  But for now, I'm going to read. And I'll love every single page.

(If you're wondering what book caused this late night stint, it's none other than Crown of Midnight, by Sarah J Maas!)

August Wrap Up!

I'm pretty proud of the books I read this month, I read a total of 8! And the genres were pretty varied too, from fantasy, to chick-lit, to historical fiction, I think I covered the bases! Without further ado, here they are! (With the ratings I gave them!)

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer- 4.5 Noodles
Eldest by Christopher Paolini-5 Noodles
If I Stay by Gayle Forman-4.5 Noodles
Where She Went by Gayle Forman-5 Noodles
The Help by Kathryn Stockett-5 Noodles
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins-5 Noodles
Just One Day by Gayle Forman-3.5 Noodles
Just One Night by Gayle Forman-3 Noodles
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas-5 Noodles
Started: Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

All that for a total of... 3,281 pages! Whoopie!! Pretty proud of that one.

Throne of Glass

Celaena Sardothien has endured and survived an entire year in Endovier prison camp- a feat most men would never be able to accomplish. But she's not an ordinary girl, She just so happens to be Adarlan's greatest assassin. Then one day she is dragged into an audience with the crown prince of Adarlan, the young Dorian Havilliard, and she assumes that means she's headed straight for the gallows. But then the prince offers her something she never would have guessed- he tells her that the king is organizing a competition where the winner will become his personal Royal Assassin. And the prince wants her, Celaena, to be his champion. His piece in the games. If she wins, she'll be the king's assassin for three years, and then be granted her freedom. But if she loses... she'll be thrown back into wretched Endovier. Even though she hates what the king stands for and what he's done, how can she refuse? She'll do anything to be free. She just has to win.

Holy. Cow.
This book was unlike anything I've ever read! The world building was absolutely amazing. You really get a feel for how awful Endovier was, and how terrible the king is, with his power hungry conquering tendencies. I loved the split point of views in this book, you got to see so much more that you would normally. We get to see pretty much all of the main characters perspectives at some point throughout the book and it really helped move things along! The action was intense throughout the whole book. There really was never a dull moment! And I liked how the main focus wasn't on the events in the competition itself, but rather what was going on around it. I loved how people learned to see Celaena as more than an assassin, and became actual friends to her. I got the feeling that if something happened and she lost the competition, they would do everything they could to make sure she didn't go back to Endovier. I can't wait to read the next book, I think there's going to be some serious changes happening in Adarlan! I was totally gripped the entire time I was reading this, and I'm so glad this is going to be a bigger series! Last I heard, there was going to be 6 books in the series, with the 3rd one about to come out. I'm stoked to be able to enjoy this series for a long time! 5 out of 5 noodles all the way!

If I Stay Movie Review!

A few days ago, I got to go see the movie adaptation of If I Stay, and let me just tell you, it was amazing!! I know what you're all thinking, how did it compare to the book? It stayed true, my friends! I can't help but constantly compare the movie to the book while I'm watching it, and was pleasantly surprised by how close to the book this one was! There were a few differences, but really, nothing major. The acting was wonderful, from everyone! Chloe Grace Moretz did a phenomenal job, she really captured the total devastation that Mia was feeling, I think. And the music was so good! The actor that played Adam, Jamie Blackley, actually sang the songs that were in the movie. And he did it amazingly! It made everything feel so much more real,
and I loved it. Mia's family was so adorable. Her parents were fantastic, and just like I imagined them! And Adam and Mia's relationship dynamic was on point. I felt like they had just walked out of the book! Their bickering and fighting, contrasted with their complete love for each other, somehow just worked. My only complaint was about the crash scene, it wasn't nearly as graphic as it was in the book. But I guess that's understandable. There's only so much you can do! And of course, I cried. A lot. That's kind of what I do in movies... All in all, I think they really hit the nail on the head with this one. If you're looking for a faithful book to movie adaptation, you're in the right place! I honestly think I liked it as much as the book!

Anna and the French Kiss

Anna is shocked when she finds out that her father, a NYT Bestselling Author and all around Bad Dad, is sending her across the ocean to spend her senior year in the City of Lights. She now has to uproot and leave her best friend, the boy she has a major crush on, her mother and her little brother for an entire year. When she finally arrives though, Anna finds it hard to stay miserable in a city like Paris. She quickly finds a new group of friends, among whom is the dreamy, smart, English, and totally swoon worthy Etienne St Claire. But there's a catch. He's got a girlfriend, that graduated from their school the year before. Anna and Etienne become very close friends, and she falls harder than she ever thought possible. But what can she do? He's got a steady girlfriend, and therefore totally unattainable. Right? Paris is a city known for it's romantic whims, and Anna and Etienne just so happen to be in exactly the right place.

Let me just start by saying that all the enormous hype around this book, is completely deserved! I started this book around 9 PM one night, and finished it a matter of hours later. Through the entire thing I was laughing out loud, repeatedly saying "AWWW", and totally swooning over every page. I loved Anna and Etienne, and all their friends. And on top of that, I can't resist anything to do with Paris, so this book was right up my alley! Anna and Etienne go to the School of America in Paris, a real establishment, that I actually dreamed to go to years before reading this! (but of course I could never actually do it) So this book totally did it for me, I got to go to an awesome boarding school in Paris, without even leaving my room! Not to mention the SWOONTASTIC main guy. I mean seriously. He was so sweet! This book was the perfect mushy gushy, adorable, cutesy romance book. The epitome of chick lit! I highly recommend to any girl out there that can't resist an adorable love story, and any and all thing french! 5 out of 5 noodles!

If I Stay & Where She Went by Gayle Forman

I don't want to write too much of a synopsis of these books, because I don't want to give anything away. However, I'll give you a few details!
17 year old Mia is a Cello prodigy. She's so good in fact, that she has an option open her that most musicians only dream of- Julliard. She's torn between her two loves- her love of music, and her love of her family, and her boyfriend- Adam. Does she go to school and pursue her dreams, or say here with her family and her Adam, but lose a once in a lifetime opportunity?
Adam has some choices to face too. His band is just starting to take off. He can either stay in the area and continue playing his music while Mia goes across the country to school, or drop everything and follow her.
Neither wants to make that hard decision.
The something unthinkable happens. A tragedy beyond anything either of them could have imagined, Adam and Mia's lives are thrown into a sharp perspective. Will they ever recover? Suddenly every hour is precious, and not a minute can be taken for granted. Will this new perspective give them the answers they've been looking for? 

I had been hearing about these books for a long time, and had never heard anything bad about them. And what with the movie having just come out, I just couldn't resist. I just had to jump into it! And I have to say- I wasn't disappointed. These books are completely worth the hype! I was floored by the events that occurred in If I Stay, and enthralled with how things turned and were resolved in Where She Went. The concept of If I Stay was something completely new to me. The choices Mia has to make post tragedy (really trying not to give away any spoilers here!) are incredible, and seemingly impossible. Yet she does, and the growth both of these characters experience through it is... exponential.
I loved both of these books so much. I read each one in a single day, completely unable to put them down! I highly recommend these, and I can't wait to see the movie! Who knows, maybe I'll even do a movie review!
I give both of these books 4.5 noodles!