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!