Nadia's Favorite Books of 2015!!!

     Yet another year has come to a close, and I have read over 150 books this year- my Goodreads goal. (Yes, I'm on Goodreads, go check it out). Anyway, as I already mentioned, I've read over 150 books this year. Some of them were fantastic, others...not so much. But this list is dedicated to my favorite books that I read in 2015. The list is in no real order because I loved a lot of this books in different ways, and this list isn't a Top Ten or Top Five because who knows how many books will end up here.

1: Stolen by Lucy Christopher: This book kind of came out of nowhere. I've been wanting to read it for awhile, but I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of it because the plot really freaked me out. All of that being said, I LOVED this book. I fell in love with the characters, the plot, and the writing. My only complaint is that the story felt unfinished, and left me wanting a bigger sense of closure.

                                                         



2: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers: This book was earning SO much hype earlier this year, that I had to read it to find out what the big deal was, and I totally got it. This book was not over-hyped, and although the rest of the series left something to be desired, this book can exist entirely by itself, and I love this installment.

                                                               



3: Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli: Stargirl is one of my favorite books, and when I saw that there was a sequel, it was a very happy day for me. This book made me cry, but it also made feel happy in some twisted way. This isn't really a feel-good book, but I walked away feeling satisfied with how things turned out.

                                                                 



4: If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin: I was not okay after reading this book. It was one of the saddest books that I have ever read, and I even found it sadder than if I Stay by sad book extraordinaire Gayle Forman. The characters in this book made me feel things I wasn't ready to feel, and I was very upset by the ending of this book. Yes, I know it had to end that way, but that doesn't mean that I'm happy with it.

                                                                  



5: Panic by Lauren Oliver: I have tried to make myself read her Delirium series to no avail, so I decided to give this little standalone a shot. It was everything that I had been expecting and so much more. I got to read the writing style that I so loved without any of the other things that I didn't  love so much. I could relate to some of the characters, and I grew very attached.

                                                                   



6: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid: Take a super cute contemporary female, and mash her with some superhero and that is what this book's protagonist is like. She's super sweet and kind, but she also has some hidden depths that I wasn't expecting. This book deserves a lot more popularity than it has gotten in the past, in my opinion.

                                                                   



7: My Heart and Other Blackholes by Jasmine Warga: Again, I had been expecting the hype machine to take this one way out of its ballpark, but this book deserved every second of fame that it got and so much more. The way that it handled some of the heavy issues that it did was stellar, and I could relate to the characters in some painful ways.

                                                                  



8: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven: Another excellent product of the hype machine, and a real, raw look at mental health issues and all their ups and downs. Be prepared to sob grossly because this book stomps on your heart.

                                                                     



9: The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp: A real, painful look at alcoholism and the effects of when things spiral out of control. Include a lot of relatable characters, and some truly sad moments. Yes, I cried.

                                                                     



10: An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: An amazing dystopian, creepy kind of book with gorgeous writing, painful moments, and truly major plot twists.

                                                                     

11: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas: This book needs no explanation. This is one of my favorite series, and it's getting kind of close to wrapping up. Basically, think kick butt assassin and truly amazing writing. There is no flaw with the entire series, but this is book four.

                                                          




     This year was a great year for books, and 2016 already has a stellar line-up. I can't wait to see what next year has in store for everyone.

     Happy New Year's everyone!!!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

 Title: Eleanor and Park

 Author: Rainbow Rowell

 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

 Date Published: February 26, 2013

Genre: Contemporary

Pages: 336





                                                                       Summary:

     Bono met his wife in high school, Park says.

     So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers.
     I'm not kidding, he says.
     You should be, she says, we're 16.
     What about Romeo and Juliet?
     Shallow, confused, then dead.
     I love you, Park says.
     Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers.
     I'm not kidding, he says.
     You should be.

     Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits-smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your own first love-and just how hard it pulled you under.

                                                                          Review:

     This is a book that I'm actually terrified to dislike. Everyone and their grandmother has read, and loved, this book. It has been wildly loved and acclaimed by everyone who has read it, and many people love Rainbow Rowell. Now, let me start by saying that I have read Fangirl and I LOVED it! My co-blogger, Ashley, didn't love it as much, but I truly loved it and look forward to reading Attachments and Landline. So I really do like Rainbow Rowell's writing style, and I like her- she seems like a really fun person! All of that being said, I feel like this is that one book of hers that I would like to forget exists. Ya know how we all love Star Wars, but just pretend Jar Jar Binks doesn't exist? Yeah, I'm Jar Jar Binks-ing this book.
     This is a character-driven book. To have a character-driven book be successful, you have to like the characters. And I didn't. I pitied Eleanor and her incredibly difficult situation. I am not going to sit here and claim that Eleanor came from a perfect life, and that her attitude is despicable. Just no. But  what I am going to say is that I feel like she could've used a major attitude adjustment. Hear me out! I feel like if we had walked through an attitude adjustment, I would've liked Eleanor more. I felt bad for her, sure, and I even pitied her. But that didn't make me like her. If she had changed, and if we could've seen that change, I feel like I would've connected more with her, and would've enjoyed her character more.
       That was Eleanor, but Park had his issues too. I actually kind of liked Park, but I feel like his character was set up for something that we never get to see fully developed. When Park starts, um, embracing the more feminine side of the world, his father gets angry, and Park claims that this is who he is and that his father just needs to accept it. Now, in this place, I feel like Rowell set us up for two things. 1: A perfect look at an identity crisis, and watching Park struggle with what gender really means. He doesn't necessarily have to struggle with what his gender is, but he could struggle with gender as a whole. 2: Is what ended up happening- push the whole set up aside for romance to further the cuteness of  this story. I understand that this story isn't supposed to be about gender, but I feel like Park's character could've perfectly segued us into some important discussions.
     Besides that, I got bored with the story pretty quickly. Sneaking around is fun and all, and the stakes are particularly high with Eleanor's situation, but it's cliched. Really cliched. Somehow, this book enveloped a lot of cliches without seeming like a cliche book, and for that, I have to give Rowell major props. Another problem, instalove. Seriously, the entire book was built on some chance encounter on a bus. How cliched is that? BUT the fact that Park helped Eleanor was kind of sweet, and relationship-building.
     Incredibly long review short, I feel like Rainbow Rowell could've taken this book great places, but she didn't. Instead, we're left with some book that, while cute, just falls way flat of its true potential. Pardon me while I Jar Jar Binks this book into oblivion.

                                      

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

 Title: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

 Author: Becky Albertalli

 Publisher: Balzer + Bray

 Date Published: April 7, 2015

 Genre: Contemporary

 Pages: 320

 Age Range: 15+








                                                                         Summary:

     Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.


                                                                            Review:

     Yet again, I am the only person who dislikes this book immensely. I really did not like this book, and I almost left it unfinished. I found it realistic, but very boring and I didn't walk away with some deep, profound message like everyone else seems to have. Instead of loving the writing, I found it very annoying and almost lazy.
     I didn't care about any of the characters in this book. I didn't care if Simon was blackmailed, or if he found love, or if he found acceptance. I honestly just didn't care about anyone. A meteor could've struck the earth, and killed every named character, and I would've laughed. Simon got on my nerves, and I couldn't relate to his angst and struggle in any way, shape, or form. Besides Simon, I found his relationship with Blue creepy, and the fact that Simon thought he was one person, and really liked that person proves that what he had with Blue was all in his mind. All of that aside, I didn't find anything worth the hype that it received.
     The writing was so annoying. I understand that the author was trying to sound like a teen, or whatever, but she achieved nothing but offend me. Seriously, not all teens sound stupid and have annoying speech patterns like Simon and Co. Okay, I'm not really offended, but you catch my drift.
     I've read much better books that deal with a gay person trying to get acceptance and this book was just a collection of annoying writing, many cliches, and terrible characters. This book was a huge let-down and I'm really mad that I spent weeks forcing myself through this book with the hope that it would get better.