Day 13-Your 5 Favorite Books and Why

Man it is very hard to make decisions!! I am trying my best, here goes (in no particular order):

1. The Catcher in the Rye-JD Salinger

I read this book in high school and then re-read it recently and realized how much I loved this book. This books really describes the difficulty of realizing that you are becoming an adult. Everything changes when you no longer view the world with the wonder that kids do and this book shows that it really isnt easy to handle and the truth is that it really fucks with our head.

2. The Notebook-Nicholas Sparks

I saw the movie first and when I found out there was a book, I knew I had to read it. I am not one to be a sucker for love stories, but I loved this one. The book was better than the movie and it is just a beautiful story over all. It shows that true love does last, no matter what happens and its nice to have that hope sometimes.

3.Looking For Alaska-John Greene

A friend recommended this book and it quicklybecame a favorite. It is another book about growing up and seeing things through different eyes. Going through adult situtations, making adult decisions all while trying to hold on to your childhood. Some of us cant handle adulthood, and some of us have been adults our whole lives.

4. The Five People You Meet in Heaven-Mitch Albom

This book made me realize that everyone is connected in some way. All of our actions affect other people. We might think that we have nothing to do with the person sitting next to us, but we have some sort of impact on everyone at some point in time. I realized that the world is much more than just me and my family, New York, my job, my friends, etc. Knowing this is both scary and amazing at the same time.

5. Twilight Series-Stephenie Meyer

Technically this could count as 4 books, but I'll count it as one VERY VERY long book since it is a series. I usually dont read anything fantasy or anything romance but I saw the first movie and was very interested in the books. I guess that deep down, we all like a good love story. The vampires make it interesting and the passion and love demonstrated between Edward and Bella is admirable. Everyone has an Edward and that is good to know

Day 15-A Fanfic

Well, I am embarrassed to admit that I do read fanfic once in a while. I'll chalk it up to being bored and just wanting to read ANYTHING that crosses my path. The way I stumbled upon fanfic was during the peak of my obession with Twilight. I had just finished reading the series and felt like I couldnt get enough of the books and wanted more, so I went on the author's website and she had links to other websites that had Twilight info and discussion boards.

Being bored, slightly obsessed and curious, I checked it out. Thats when I saw Twilight fanfic and having no idea what it was I clicked. This is when I discovered that people write their own stories using characters from the Twilight series. I also saw the people do it for Harry Potter and other books and even TV shows like The Office,etc.

So I just admitted my deepest darkest secret, but Im not ashamed because some stories are actually pretty good. They are like books, but they use the same names as the Twilight characters. One of the fanfics I would recommend is Wide Awake. Apparently, its very popular in the fanfic world and it is literally like reading a novel. The characters have completely different personalities and backgrounds, and the story kept me on my toes. I also love how each chapter is named after a cookie :)

I know whoever is reading this must be laughing, but I have no shame!!!

If you have time, check out Wide Awake

Day 14-A Non Fictional Book

So I was violently ill this weekend and missed a day, so my cycle is ruined, but I'll get over it. Non-fiction......its not something I read often. I dont have anything against it, I just dont find myself looking for non-fictional books.

So it was pretty easy for me to pick a book to share for this post. The book is "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. They made a movie for it several years ago called Capote and after I saw the movie, I felt like I HAD to read the book .

Its about a murder that happened many years ago. These two men randomly select a house and murder the entire family (its been a while since I read the book so the details might be incorrect or very general.) Truman Capote is a writer that is so fascinated by this murder and he is determined to find out why these men committed this crime. So he interviews them in jail and goes into their past. He does an extensive amount of research and recreates the entire day of the murder, in great detail, just by what he digs up and gets from the criminals. It is just fascinating how Capote gets so involved in this investigation, it basically becomes his life. Capote so eclectic and his personality is captivating. Also, the criminals and the way their minds work is mind boggling.

This book is definitely an interesting read and the movie was great, so I recommend both.

Day 13- A Fictional Book

I wasn't too sure what this post is supposed to mean so I will just post the fictional book that I have scheduled to begin reading soon. Its "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks. It was recently made into a movie, with Miley Cyrus, which is the sole reason why I refused to watch the movie, so I decided to read the book instead.

I really like Nicholas Sparks' books because they have a Southern innocence to them. They depict a Southern life that I would like to live someday. I don't know what it is about his books, but they are so emotional and they usually capture all my attention. They all have a similar pattern that I've caught onto and you would think that they are predictable, and to a certain extent they are, but they always surprise me. There is always a nice twist that I could not predict nor expect.

So I am very excited about reading "The Last Song" since I was very interested in the movie. I made Victor go to the library and rent it for me. I haven't rented a library book in YEARS. If I like it enough, Ill buy it.

Day 4- Your Favorite Book

Well...another difficult favorite to pick. I read a lot. Its one of my most favorite things to do and I've read a lot of good books over the years. I just finished reading a good one, "Looking For Alaska" and Im currently reading "The Catcher in the Rye" again. Im also planning on reading "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks soon. I have sooo many other books to read, I dont know if one of those unread books will be my favorites.

Ugh, this is going to be difficult. I guess for now, Im gonna have to go with the "Twilight Saga". The books are pretty awesome and very entertaining. I was able to read through the series a second time and didnt get bored with it, so that says a lot. I love the fantasy element of it because it allows me to get lost in that world and anything that can distract me and make me fantasize, is worth being my favorite :)

Why Do I Keep Counting?

I decided to make another light post amongst all the dark, deep and serious posts I always make. Since I am in a list making mood, Im gonna make another list. I read Elsie Flannigan's blog (A Beautiful Mess) and she always posts 10 things she loves on Sundays, so Im gonna post 10 things I love today....just for the sake of flattery I guess

10 Things I Love

1. Paris

I want to learn French so badly and I want to visit France sometime early next year. I have a cousin who lives there and told me I am welcome to stay in her huge mansion during my visit. I cant wait. I dont know what it is about this country but it just seems so romantic and it reminds me of an old fashioned movie from the 50's. I absolutely love that era and everything about it

2. Autumn Leaves
My favorite season is fall. I love the colors associated with the fall. Everything brightens up and darkens down at the same time and we see all the beautiful oranges, reds, and browns. I love the weather-not too hot and not too cold. I love how its still light out when its late. I love the crunchy leaves on the ground. I also love that fall is the beginning of hot chocolate, cinnamon, pumpkin, and nutmeg. To me, fall is just so comforting...

3. Bright sunshine peering through white curtains

I cannot explain the affect sunshine has on me. I feel like I need sunshine to survive. There is nothing better than bright sunshine coming in through the windows. I especially love it coming through white curtains. I have long white curtains in my bedroom and sometimes I just lie in bed and revel in the loveliness of the morning. Its so beautiful that I feel like its a small signal from a higher power telling me that life is worth living

4. Books...tons and tons of books

One of my goals in life is to have an at home library. When I buy a house, I am going to use a spare bedroom to make a library. Im gonna install floor to ceiling bookshelves on all the walls and Im gonna buy a comfortable recliner couch and a pretty lamp. By the time this happens, I know my book collection will be immense so Im gonna fill up those shelves and I will color code all my books too. You can bet the room will have long white curtains and I will sit in there and read in the sunshine until the end of time.

5. Beaches at sunset

I am definitely a tropical person. I dont understand people who take vacation in cold places with tons of snow. To me, a vacation is a nice sunny beach and a pina colada with a little umbrella. That being said, one of the things I love the most are beaches at night time. The waves become soothing and just looking at the endless expanse of the horizon allows me to see that this world is a lot bigger than we understand.

6. Purple

My favorite color is black. Sometimes I obsess with another color for a while but I never stray from black. Black is endless, there is no beggining or end. Black is both plain and elegant. You could never go wrong with it. Lately, I have been really into purple...the royal shade. Its very majestic and grand. I am scared of color, which is why I always stick to black, white and gray but purple is close enough to the edge of bland and colorful for me.

7. Red pumps

Ruby red is the only other color, besides purple, that I love. Especially in shoes. I have a pair of ruby red pumps that I have actual feelings for. I love the way a black dress and ruby red pumps looks. To me it says, I am elegant and classy but I have a little wild side to me. Its just so edgy and I love it!

8. Black and White Photography

In black and white, pictures always look timeless, classy, vintage, and nostalgic. I love black and white pics just as much as I love pictures taken in natural sunlight. Taking color out of picture captures the moment more clearly because we focus on the subjects of the picture and are not distracted by colors and lighting. That makes a world of difference to me.

9. Pens

I have a sick pen obession, especially felt tip pens in black ink. I like the fine point ones, like 0.3 thickness. I am very specific about the pens I use, and I collect them. I have tons of pens and I love them all! One day my friend wanted to test me to see if I really remembered each pen I have, so he took my pen cup and took out a random pen and I had to guess which one was missing. Needless to say, I guessed the right one each time. Dont mess with my pens! I will ask you for a pen back if I lend it to you and I am also a klepto so watch your pens around me too

10. Chocolate

I think this one can speak for itself. Chocolate actually has anti-oxidants or something like that, which make a person feel good. There is nothing like the melt in your mouth sweetness of chocolate. Its just as good as sitting in my color coded library in Paris, France during the fall with sunshine peering through my long white curtains while the waves crash on beach outside and I write down notes in my felt tip purple ink pen while wearing my ruby red pumps :)

Post title is same titled song by The Killers