I'm making up my own Wednesday topic today, as this is something I'd like to talk about! Here are some of my favourite book titles (in no particular order): Looking for Alaska - John GreenThe title 'looking for Alaska' makes me think about a trip of some sort to go find the state Alaska, but the Alaska from the title is actually a girl's name, which I think is a nice little trick to confuse, but also attract readers. I'll Give You the Sun - Jandy NelsonThis is another title I like because it's not what it seems at first glance. It sounds pretentious to 'give someone the sun', but when you read the book it suddenly makes sense and it's pretentious, but actually meaningful! Fortunately, the Milk - Neil GaimanFrom reading the title of this book, you wouldn't have a clue what it's about. Then when you read the back cover, it actually turns out to be about milk! I love this title because it makes me think it's going to be one of those clever titles like mentioned above, but nope. It's really about milk. The Hate U Give - Angie ThomasThis title is technically taken from a song, but it fits the book so well that I'll excuse it. Before you read this book, the title doesn't really mean much yet but it still fits the synopsis. After you've read it, this title suddenly means everything. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Jesse AndrewsThis title is catchy and makes the book sound both casual and dramatic at the same time. Which is exactly what it is, so I think it's brilliant how the author took the vibe from the book and portrayed it accurately with the title. That's my Top 5 favourite titles! What are your favourite book titles? Let me know!
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I am one of those people who will go on a hunt to find the prettiest cover for the book I want to buy, because only that one is good enough. I usually don't like the movie version of the cover as it has the characters from the movie on it and I don't want to spoil what they look like before I've read the book and imagined them myself. Book covers are very important in my choosing-a-book process, so here are some of my favourite book covers: Eliza and Her Monsters - Francesca ZappiaThis cover has pretty colours, a nice faded out effect on the background, pretty drawings combined with the real picture and the paint on the hands; all pretty things put together in a gorgeous cover. I love it! Me & Earl & the Dying Girl - Jesse AndrewsColourful!! I like that all the shapes and figures seem to be dangling from ropes, like they are little paper shapes. I think this cover is just so cute. See You in the Cosmos - Jack ChengI haven't read this book, but every time I'm at the bookstore it just draws me to it. The picture here doesn't do the beautiful blues on this cover justice. It's even prettier in real life and I could look at it for hours. On the Spectrum - Jennifer GoldI think at this point you've probably figured out that I LOVE PRETTY COLOURS!! On the Spectrum has the prettiest pastel colours that look like they're made with watercolour paint, and that combined with the simple drawings of buildings in Paris makes this cover one of my faves. (The book is officially coming out on September 12 and the story is as good as the cover, so I'd really recommend it!!) I'll Give You the Sun - Jandy NelsonI love the colour explosion on this cover. It goes perfectly with the title as well, as the colours look like rays of sunshine. This is another cover that's even prettier in real life, as the colours just seem to pop that bit more than in the picture. That's my Top 5 favourite book covers (in no particular order)!! Let me know what your favourite book covers are and why!
I've been a book blogger since early this year, so many of my favourite books I read before I joined! Here is my Top 5 Favourites from before I started blogging! Geek Girl series - Holly SmaleI met the Geek Girl series while on a quest for books about modelling, as I was very interested in it at the time. Geek Girl was a title I'd seen at shops and the library before, but I thought it'd be pretentious and annoying so I never picked it up, but when I finally did I ended up loving it! I'm still so sad the series is over now! I'd definitely recommend this to anyone, because it's sweet and funny, and altogether a lovely read. Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13621089-geek-girl?ac=1&from_search=true CHERUB series - Robert MuchamoreThe CHERUB series was my first YA love, starting when I was about 10, I think. It's got loads of books, so it kept me occupied for years, and I'm still not through it right now. For the main series I'm missing one book, as I have the first five in Dutch, but the second book isn't available in Dutch anymore anywhere, and it would mess up my aesthetic on my shelves to get a different edition. I haven't read any of the spin-off series, but if they make it to my library I definitely will! Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/1166131.The_Recruit?ac=1&from_search=true The Hunger Games series - Suzanne CollinsThe Hunger Games series was introduced to me by a teacher when I was 13. She was my Dutch teacher and read a chapter from the first book to the class, and I fell in love. I read all the books, and when the movies started coming out I went to each one with that teacher and a few classmates. The Hunger Games series is still very dear for me, partially because of those good memories. Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/2767052-the-hunger-games?ac=1&from_search=true The Fault in Our Stars - John GreenIn 2012 I started getting into Youtubers, and one of the channels I loved most was the Vlogbrothers channel. I learnt about John Green that way, and of course he spoke about his books, so I got curious and read them. I really loved the Fault in Our Stars! By now, I've come to think that his books are a bit pretentious at times, but they still hold a special place in my heart. Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/11870085-the-fault-in-our-stars?ac=1&from_search=true The Neptune Conspiracy series - Polly HolyokeBefore I started Book blogging, I used to just go to a bookshop and buy whatever seemed interesting, without caring about whether it was popular or not. I have to admit that my reading choices are more geared towards reading what is popular these days. The Neptune Conspiracy is one that I bought by just reading the back and deciding it was interesting. It never made me regret that decision, as it's great! It's a new take on dystopias, taking place underwater! Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/22701805-the-neptune-conspiracy?from_search=true What books did you read before you started getting into Book blogging? Let me know! I am a reasonably sport-y person. I run once or twice a week and do some exercises sometimes. During the school year I also go to the gym at least once a week and get in a bodyfit class or something like that. But still, there's plenty of characters whose fitness routines I wish I could muster, especially because they're usually a lot of fighting practise which is so cool. NineThe Lorien Legacies series - Pittacus Lore Nine from the Lorien Legacies has an entire gym and training hall in his Chicago penthouse and he's in amazing shape. He's an excellent fighter, he's fast, strong, motivated, and can run 60k in one go (aliens, man). I wish I even had half his skills, strength and stamina. JamesCHERUB series - Robert Muchamore Everyone at CHERUB is super in shape, as they are trained to be the best agents they can be. They have a dojo, training halls and running tracks. The agents can all run 20k with military equipment on their backs. G O A L S. ThomasThe Maze Runner series - James Dashner Thomas and Minho can run all day in the mazes. Think that speaks for itself. Although I do not wish to have their 'routine', specifically, as I don't wish I would be spending every day of my life running around a maze. I just want the stamina ;) To summarise: I mostly wish I could fight and run faster and longer. Which character's fitness routine do you wish you could have? Let me know!
I've talked about series that got better as they went on, but there's also series that were best in the middle! Usually I think the first or last book of a series is the best, so this will probably be short list though. CHERUB series - Robert MuchamoreThe CHERUB series is more of a collection of separate adventures with the same characters, so I think the middle books are best because that's when the introductions are over and things really get going. Also, you have gotten to know the characters and gotten attached to them. The Selection series - Kiera CassThis is technically a bit of a cop-out, as this series consists of a trilogy with two epilogue-y books. I really loved The One, which is the third book in the series so the last of the trilogy. As expected, a short post. What series do you think I missed in this post? Let me know!
It is often said that a series started out great but went downhill as it went on. There are, however, also series that only got better with each book! The Maze Runner series - James DashnerI liked the first book in the series a lot too, but the action only turned up as the books went on, so I think this is a good example of a series that got better as it went on! The Lorien Legacies - Pittacus LoreThis series started out as fun scifi, but as the books went on it became a bit of a cult thing, where you had to have read all the other books to understand who all the characters were and all the references to past events. I think many readers dropped out before the seventh book, so by the end it was a true cult read and I love those! The GONE series - Michael GrantThe GONE series is one of my favourites in general, and this is also one that becomes a bit of a cult thing, with lots of characters and lots of events to remember. The series also got more thrilling as it went on, and the last two books were incredible!! The Hunger Games series - Suzanne CollinsDon't get me wrong: the first book of the Hunger Games series is absolutely iconic and amazing, but although I wasn't a fan of the second book, Mockingjay blew me away!! I loved it so much and I think although Catching Fire wasn't that great in my opinion, I still think Mockingjay was good enough to have this series make it onto this list! Those were some book series I think got better as they went on! Which ones do you think should be on this list? Let me know!
I will be honest: this Wednesday's topic was 'Books not set in the Western World', but I could not find any that I've read. I'll definitely get on this though, so I might do that blog post in the near future when I've done some reading on them. Therefore, a topic from a different month that I think is interesting! Boy Meets Boy - David LevithanOne of my favourite books of all time! The setting is so so awesome, as it is a town where everything goes! No one cares what your gender and sexuality are. This book is every single 'boy+girl love story' ever, except it's with two boys. Refreshing and adorable. Carry On - Rainbow RowellAnother one of my favourite books. The long-awaited companion novel to Fangirl. I loved reading this, as it is a fun Harry Potter-esque book but with LGBT romance. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green & David LevithanI wasn't too impressed by this book, but it was fairly nice. John Green and David Levithan are two of my favourite authors, so I would've hoped for a better book coming from the two of them together. This is still an enjoyable read about an out-and-proud musical-writer and a troubled kid finding each other. I'll Give You the Sun - Jandy NelsonA cute coming-of-age story held up by the fact that First Loves are a bit more complicated when one of the participants is not out to the world. The book does not revolve around the romantic plot, but it is a nice touch that reminds society that there's more to gay people than just the fact that they are gay, as LGBT characters in TV shows often have just the fact that they are gay as their storyline. Writing this list made me realise that my LGBT reads are very limited and I should read more diversely. These LGBT books are pretty much just about gay boys and I need to read some more about girls and trans kids! Let me know if you have any recommendations for more LGBT reads!
Most of the books I read when I was little were Dutch books, so I will try to find some that are originally English, or have been translated. As opposed to many of you, probably, I did not read Harry Potter as a kid, as my mum is very religious and didn't want me reading them, so I didn't read them until I was 13/14! The Outsiders of Uskoken Castle - Kurt HeldThis was my favourite book ever when I was younger. I got it one year for Sinterklaas (Dutch Santa), and I started reading it while the presents were still being passed out. I completely lost interest in everything that wasn't this book for the rest of the night. It's been one of my all-time favourite books ever since and I still like to reread it from time to time. The Bed and Breakfast Star - Jacqueline WilsonI was already an avid reader when I was a child, so people used to just give me random books for my birthdays and Christmas and such. This is one of those books I didn't specifically ask for, but someone picked it out for me. I loved this book! I reread it so many times and I still remember the story very well even though I haven't read it in at least 8 years. Puppy Patrol series - Jenny DaleI have always loved dogs, so when I was younger I used to love books about dogs. Puppy Patrol by Jenny Dale was one of my favourite series! What books did you love when you were a kid? Let me know!
This Wednesday's topic is quite hard, as I don't think I've read many books without romantic plots! I will also include books with barely any romance, as I'm afraid this list would be very short otherwise... The Book Thief - Markus ZusakThe Book Thief is about a young girl in the second world war, so there's no romantic subplot as the main character is simply too young. It is a beautiful read though and there is a theme of love; it's just not romantic love. The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1) - James DashnerThe first book in the series does not have a romantic plot, as there are only boys who are apparently all heterosexual. The later books do have a romantic subplot, but this first one doesn't! Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) - J.K. RowlingThis series involves plenty of romance later on, but this first book has none! I'm not entirely sure when the romance begins exactly, but I think the second book is romance-free as well. Me & Earl & the Dying Girl - Jesse AndrewsNo romantic plot! Greg loves Rachel a lot, but they never have any romantic encounters and it is unclear whether he is even in love with her or just infatuated. The Fashion Committee - Susan JubyOne of the main characters, Charlie Dean, has no romantic subplot at all, but she does deal with other kind of love, such as for her father, who is a recovering drug addict, and her father's new girlfriend, who is also a recovering drug addict and is dealing with an abuse ex boyfriend on the side. The other main character, John, does have some sort of a romantic subplot and has a girlfriend, but it is complicated. The romantic plot is not important because it is a romance, is all I can say about it without spoiling it! Okay, I'm kind of proud I managed to get five! It's surprisingly hard to think of YA books without a romantic plot... Do you know any more? Let me know!
I am very easily annoyed with characters, so this will be a short list. If a character gives me a reason to dislike them I will grab it. While compiling this list I thought of plenty of unlikeable characters so I think I might actually do a post on that at some point in the future and that one will be much longer than this one! JAMES ADAMSCHERUB series - Robert Muchamore This is a hard one for me to admit, seeing as CHERUB is my favourite series, but James Adams is a horrible kid. He is everything I would look down upon and more: violent, always getting in trouble, obsessed with girls and sex, etc. But for some reason I still like him. I can't really explain why. Maybe it's because I know his reasoning for the way he behaves so it's easier to excuse it. Maybe it's his love for his sister and his friends. I just don't know. ZOEUnder the Ketchup Clouds - Annabel Pitcher I've read plenty of complaints about Zoe because she dates two boys at the same time and she only talks about herself in her letters, but I really liked her. I could imagine doing the things she did, because she wasn't stringing two boys on on purpose, but she genuinely was just lost. Also, with her secret, how could you expect her to be able to think about anything else but that? I just wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay and give her a hug throughout the whole book. A very short post today, because, as I said, there's more unlikeable characters that I disliked than that I liked. Look forward to my post about all the characters I dislike! ;) Let me know what you think about popular unlikeable characters!
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AuthorHi! I'm Marcella. As you might have guessed, I quite like YA books.. Archives
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