Top Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Hey, everyone! This week I'm once again participating in Top Ten Tuesday! This week's top ten was top ten inspiring quotes from books.  I love so many quotes, but I had some difficulty locating all of them. In the end I decided to include just these seven. A few of them are about love, a few of them are about life. I hope you enjoy them! Let me know how you like them =)

1. “You can't live your life for other people. You've got to do what's right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.” 

― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

2. “Love is needing someone. Love is putting up with someone's bad qualities because they somehow complete you.” 

― Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby

3. “I no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I was beginning to believe that a very few times in your life, if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because he was perfect, or because you were, but because your combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together.” 

― Lisa Kleypas, Blue-Eyed Devil

4. “Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it.” 

― Veronica Roth, Divergent

5. “Sometimes, Ms. Lane," he said, "one must break with one's past to embrace one's future. It is never an easy thing to do. It is one of the distinguishing characteristics between survivors and victims. Letting go of what was, to survive what is.” 

― Karen Marie Moning, Darkfever

6. "Hope strengthens, fear kills."

― Karen Marie Moning, Fever Series

7. “Many times in life I've regretted the things I've said without thinking. But I've never regretted the things I said nearly as much as the words I left unspoken.” 

― Lisa Kleypas, Sugar Daddy

The Past Two Years

A little over two years ago I started this blog in order to create a space I could talk about my love of reading. I'm disappointed with myself for only keeping it up for a few months. I loved spending more time focusing on the books I was reading, and by following other blogs I discovered amazing novels I might never have discovered.

Two years ago I was finishing classes at my towns local community college, and unsure where life was taking me. I was majorly unprepared for my future, and that terrified me. I hadn't decided on what university I wanted to transfer to, and I wasn't even sure if I would be offered the scholarships I needed. Now I look back at that time and realize how big of an opportunity it was to grow as a person.

Since starting this blog, I studied abroad in Costa Rica, moved to Chicago, transferred to DePaul University, joined a sorority (AOII), held a leadership position, spent a summer backpacking through Europe with my best friend, and a few months ago started a pretty great relationship. I also changed my major to English, with a concentration in Creative Writing. It was a decision I really struggled with. I always wanted to write, but I didn't have the guts to pursue it. After taking a class titled Introduction to Reading and Writing Fiction, however, I knew I had to try.

It ended up being incredibly easy. It didn't lengthen my time in school at all, and when I told my friends and family I was met with an incredible amount of support. More than one person even told me they were surprised I hadn't done so before.

So, fully-committed, I'm back. I can't wait to immerse myself in the writing community again. While I'll still be reviewing books, there will be some changes. I'm going to talk more about my life, and hopefully even share my writing on here.

Thank you for your time and support by being here!

- Elaine

Back in the U.S.

Hey, Everyone!

So, I did it. I went to Costa Rica for five weeks. It was amazing and wonderful and a million other glorious adjectives. It was also packed with things to do, which is why I had neglected this site while I was there. But I'm looking forward to posting reviews again! Love you guys.

Elaine

Top 10 Tuesday - Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I couldn't make up my mind on ten of one or the other, so I decided to split it and do five of each. So to start, here are five books I thought I'd like less than I did...

  

1. Goddess of the Night, By: Lynne Ewing
There's a very special place in my heart for this book. Goddess of the Night was the book that got me into reading in the first place. I was one of those people that was like "You're reading? For FUN?" Then my mom grounded me for something in the 7th grade, and to pass the time I borrowed this book from my sister and loved it. I've been reading like crazy ever since.

2. I Do, By: Elizabeth Chandler
I loved I Do. It looks corny, but it was totally awesome. Jane and Adam are still one of my favorite fictional couples. If you haven't read Elizabeth Chandler, I recommend you do so now.

3. Divergent, By: Veronica Roth
After the success of The Hunger Games, I wasn't at all surprised when a bunch of post-apocalyptic books, movies, and TV shows came out. It's the same thing that happened with Twilight and vampires. I expected to like Divergent, but I actually LOVED it. It's smart, unique, and exciting. I loved the characters, and I loved the sequel, Insurgent. It's also set in Chicago, so big points from me there. 

 

4. Breathing Underwater, By: Alex Flinn
Breathing Underwater was assigned reading in my freshman English class, so of course I expected to dislike it. Not because I think all the books they assigned were bad (but a lot of them were), but because I hate being told when to read a book. It's so hard for me to get into a book that way. Also, the book is about abusive relationships. I thought that would make me hate the abusive characters, but it didn't. They were written so well I couldn't.

5. Double Standards, By: Judith McNaught
My cousin lent me this book on a camping trip, and started my love of romance novels. It was a huge change from any of the other books I had read. Double Standards isn't my favorite romance novel, but it did start me on Judith McNaught's books. That makes it pretty special to me. 

And here are five books I thought I'd like more than I did...

  

6. Crescendo By: Becca Fitzpatrick.
I really thought I would love this book, especially after Hush, Hush. I thought Hush, Hush was pretty great, and was extremely excited to read the following books in the series. Sadly, I went from really liking Nora and really liking Patch to really disliking Nora and REALLY liking Patch. She was such a smart character in the first book, but she finished the series off making me really wonder why Patch and all the other characters thought so highly of her. I mean, she did some pretty dumb things.

7. First Grave on the Right, By: Darynda Jones (Click Here for my Review)
I was reeeaaaalllly looking forward to reading this book, and I hated how disappointed I was. It picked up later in the series, so I'm still glad I read it. But as a stand alone book, I was very disappointed. 

8. Breathe, By: Abbi Glines
My friend recommended this to me, and this was the only book she recommended to me that I didn't like. The writing was just so stiff. I mean, I don't think there were more than five contractions in the whole thing. But the cover is still crazy beautiful.

 

9. Somebody to Love, By: Kristan Higgins

I didn't dislike this book, I just thought I would like it a lot more because I really like The Best Man.   It's probably pretty stupid, but I couldn't get past the age thing. Stupid, right? Parker was five years older than James, and that just made me uncomfortable. Especially since James acted childish sometimes. It would have been cute if the book was about a few 18 or 20 year old kids. A 30 year old guy and 35 year old woman with a five year old kid? Eh. Not into it.

10. Ginger Bread, By: Rachel Cohn

I don't remember a lot about this book since I read it so long ago, but I remember really disliking it. I was surprised about that, because I really enjoyed POP Princess. This book just didn't do it for me.

Shut Out

Shut Out By: Kody Keplinger
Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling...
Do you ever get annoyed when you read multiple books by the same author, and discover the main characters are always the same? I do. But, thankfully, that was not the case with Shut Out. I recently finished The DUFF, and liked it so much I started Shut Out right away. The two novels are set in the same town, but you don't need to read one to enjoy the other. There was no mention of Bianca and Wesley (which I would have liked), and Lissa, Cash, and Randy were nothing like them. There are similarities between Lissa and Bianca, like a little OCD and living with their dads, but besides that I think they had different voices. Cash and Wesley were not mirrored, with the only difference being their name. Randy wasn't the stereotypical bad boyfriend making you incapable of understanding why Lissa was with him. I'm not saying I liked the guy, but I could understand why they were together. Like The DUFF, Shut Out had the whole "overcoming labels" theme. The book was mainly about sex, or lack thereof, and explored many of the girls take on it. I thought this was especially interesting. A lot of this book felt like a conversation I would have with my best friend.  So, give it a read! And let me know how you like it :-]

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend By: Kody Keplinger
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.  But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
I read this book last night, in one sitting. I have this horrible habit of reading before I go to bed. The reason it's horrible is because I can never actually put a book down when I say I will. It's always, one more chapter! Or ten more minutes! In the case of The Duff, I started it around 2 A.M., and didn't fall asleep until after I finished it around 5. Since I wake up for school around 8, this wasn't a very good plan. But I don't regret it, because this book was awesome. I don't think I've ever read a book containing enemies-with-benefits. Friends-with-benefits, sure. But enemies? No. And it was really good. I was a little afraid I would be kind of disgusted with the relationship, but I wasn't. The sex wasn't the main focus of the book, it wasn't even very detailed. It was just something that happened, and what was important was Bianca's thought process before and after. And their banter? I loved it. Even when they were making fun of each other, which was often, you could tell they got each other. They were totally on the same page humor-wise. "Spanish, huh?" he said, glancing down at the scattered papers as he grabbed them. "Can you say anything interesting?" "El tono de tu voz hace que queria estrangularme." I stood up and waited for him to hand over my papers. "That sounds sexy," he said, getting to his feet and handing me the stack of Spanish work he'd swept together. "What's it mean?" "The sound of your voice makes me want to strangle myself." "Kinky. Bianca and Wesley are both imperfect people, and their flaws made them really likable. I mean, even though they were both kind of jerks, I was still rooting for them. Wesley said some of the stupidest things (like repeatedly calling Bianca 'Duffy'), but he was sincere. He never said anything he didn't mean. And even if what he said sounded harsh, it was honest. He didn't bother with white lies like most people. "He wasn't perfect, or even remotely close, for that matter, but, hey, neither was I. We were both pretty fucked up. Somehow, though, that made everything more exciting. Yeah, it was sick and twisted, but that's reality, right? Escape is impossible, so why not embrace it?" I found Bianca easy to relate to, even though I haven't ever had a enemy (or friend)-with-benefits. I understood how when she's going through a lot of stuff she kept it inside, trying to find a way to deal with it. Some people might have been frustrated that she didn't open up to her friends, but I found her dealing with it on her own very realistic. I mean, how many kids go to school announcing all their problems? Not many that I know. I definitely recommend this book. It's a quick read, and I wish there was a sequel so I could read more of Wesley and Bianca's sarcastic interactions. I want to read more books with interactions like theirs, because that's how people really communicate. Or at least how I do. "Wesley Rush doesn’t chase girls, but I’m chasing you."

ARC Review of As Twilight Falls

As Twilight Falls By: Amanda Ashley
Photographing ghost towns across the American West, Kadie Andrews takes a wrong turn and ends up in Morgan Creek—a spot that isn’t on the map. It’s a quaint little place, but there’s something off about its complacent residents. And when twilight falls, it takes on a truly sinister air… Unable to run or to find any way out, Kadie finds herself a prisoner, hunted for her blood. Still more disturbing, her spirit and beauty have captured the attention of the town’s leader—the mysterious Rylan Saintcrow. When he looks into her eyes, she can see his hunger. When he takes her in his arms, she can feel his power. When he presses his lips against hers, she can taste his need. Saintcrow may be the most powerful creature she’s ever imagined, but Kadie knows in her heart that he is also a man. A man who needs a woman. To want him, desire him, crave him. To be his willing prisoner—for all eternity…
First of all, big thank you to ARCycling for providing the ARC of this book! Before I say anything, I want to tell you I kind of went into this book expecting to dislike it. I love supernatural stories, but I've never gotten into vampire books. I don't know exactly what it is (though I'm pretty sure it's the whole drinking-your-blood thing...gross), but I don't think there's ever been a book about vampires that I've really liked. I read this book knowing it would mean going out of my comfort zone. The majority of this book is told from the POV of Kadie, a 24 year old photographer. She spends the night in Morgan Creek after getting lost, and discovers the next day she's incapable of leaving the town due to an invisible wall blocking the only way out. Personally, I think she handled this very well. I mean, an invisible wall? Being locked in a town? I think I'd freak out. Especially after finding out the few inhabitants of the town are used as blood bags for a coven of vampires. The rest of the book is about Kadie's relationship with the townspeople, but mostly with Rylan Saintcrow, a master vampire and the one in charge of the town. Sadly, I don't think I really liked any of the characters besides Micah, and he wasn't even introduced until the last few chapters. Rylan was a bit boring for a 900 year old vampire. I was hoping for a bit of a bad boy, but he never actually followed through on any of his threats because of his love for Kadie. Before you actually met him, the ladies of the town make him out to be a monster. I was kind of hoping for a strong Alpha male like Barrons from the Fever series. He was actually just really whipped. Kadie frustrated me because of how quickly she forgot she was a human, with a family. A family that included a terminally ill sister. Being locked in Morgan Creek meant she was kept away from her when she was dying. How do you think about anything besides that? How do you fall for the person keeping you away from her?  The reason the vampires kept people locked in the town is because of the vampire hunters. They don't want word getting out about where they are, and this way they didn't have to put themselves in danger when they needed to feed. On multiple occasions Rylan injured/killed hunters, made them forget who they were, and Kadie helped him every time. Is this romantic, because Kadie couldn't stand seeing him hurt? Maybe. But all I could think about was, these people are risking their lives to save humans. I mean, some of these vampires KILL for fun. What the heck, Kadie? This screamed "Stockholm syndrome", to me. Two Stars