The Secret History is Amazing and You Should Read It

Donna Tartt's The Secret History is a beloved classic and a tale of dark academia, secrets, and murder. To be perfectly honest, a hundred pages into this book had me convinced I hated it. I found the characters to be strange, the pacing to be slow, and the writing to go off on one too many tangents. So how did I end up loving it by the end?

Popular Books I'll Never Read

There have always been popular books or series that people go through a craze of reading. But with the modern age and today's internet and social media platforms, it becomes much easier to see which novels are the current trend. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, even Fifty Shades of Gray have made made their way not only onto the book scene, but into even the most book-hating people's shelves. These books tend to rise and fall in popularity over the years like any trend. Some of them catch my fancy and I end up picking them up. However, there are some popular books that I just know I will never read. 

Fictional Worlds I Want to Visit

Sometimes I read a book so vibrant and rich that I am transported to another world entirely. The words pop off the page and pull you in so deep that when you finally manage to drag your eyes away from the page, you are shocked to find yourself in your bedroom or on the train. Some fictional worlds stick with you more than others and I would give my heart to be able to visit them. However, there are some books that I love dearly but would never wish to be transported into, whether that's due to a tyrannical society or a doomed fate. But others resonate with your heart so much so that you feel like you belong there. Do you every feel like fiction is more of a home than reality? 

Review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

I almost exclusively read fantasy books nowadays. Fantasy is my favorite genre and between school and work, I don't have much time to read so I naturally tend to only read my favorites. But occasionally I feel like picking up something a bit different and nothing it more out-there for me than a contemporary novel. However, Little Fires Everywhere surprised me in the best way and I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. 

Autumn Reading List

Ah, Autumn. Every year I look forward to the weather cooling, the leaves transforming into vibrant jewels on the tree branches, and the return of pumpkin picking and hot chocolate. Picture this: it's a crisp fall day and you're sitting on your front porch with a good book and a glass of apple cider. You're reading something creepy, like horror or mystery, because it is nearly Halloween. Doesn't that sound like a perfect afternoon? I don't know how much time I'll have to read during this season since I am going back to school (I'll be a college sophomore), but I always try to pick up a few books in my limited free time. 

My Favorite Horror Movies: Celebrating Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the thirteenth, so I figured I would stay in theme and share some of my favorite horror movies. In case you don't know, horror is one of my favorite genres and I have watched so many scary movies that I am practically desensitized. One thing I have learned is that finding decent horror movies is not an easy feat. While bad horror has its place (I enjoy watching them for a good laugh), I obviously want to consume some good content, too. So without further ado, here are some of the best horror films to watch this Friday the thirteenth. 

Books that Made Me Cry

Listen, I'm not a crier. I don't cry when I watch sad movies, stub my toe, or when celebrities die. But I love sad stories because they make me feel things. So I had to find some book that would make me shed a tear eventually, right? There are but a few, but here they are. If you want a good cry, maybe give these ones a read. And don't worry, there won't be any spoilers. 

A New England Road Trip

In case you didn't know, New England includes the states: Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. I have found that most people have no idea what New England is, but to me it is a well-known fact. My mother grew up in Massachusetts, so every summer of my life we have made the drive up to the Northeast to visit family. I love this region of the U.S. and look forward to visiting every year. To me, New England feels familiar and comfortable, like a warm hug (although it certainly isn't a warm region weather-wise). I spent about a week exploring Maine and Massachusetts this year, so I thought I would share my adventures with you. 

Book Characters I Would Name My Hypothetical Children After

Books would be nothing without their characters. The protagonists whose stories we follow and the villains that incite a plot are central to any novel. I don't love every fictional person (ahem, Aelin), but some I adore so much that I would name my *extremely* hypothetical children after. Or maybe just my cat.

Three Reasons to read Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe has taken the book world by storm in the year since its release. Everywhere I turn I see it advertised on Instagram, blogs, and placed on must-read shelves in bookstores. This is another beautiful Greek myth retelling focusing on the sorceress Circe from the Odyssey. If you are in the mood for a spellbinding story or you want to read another series featuring the Greek gods, you should pick this one up.

Books I Want to Reread

When I was a kid, I would reread my favorite books religiously. I can't count how many times I read Harry Potter or the Magic Treehouse books. But as I got older, I stopped rereading. It wasn't intentional, yet I found myself having read only new-to-me books for years. This was not so surprising considering that I had been reading less books in general due to schoolwork and life in general. I wanted to ingest stories I had never experienced before with my limited time, not books where I knew every twist and turn. But I miss rereading books. Returning to a beloved story or world is like visiting an old friend. So here are some books/series that I would like to revisit.

Is The Cruel Prince Worth the Hype?

Holly's Black The Cruel Prince was one of the most popular and controversial books in 2018. The book community on the internet and social media exploded with opinions, rant reviews, and people gushing over the characters. I somehow managed to avoid reading it until now, even with all of the hype. This is one of those books that you either love or hate, but the question is: is The Cruel Prince worth the hype?

5 Books I Hate

As much as we readers love books, we don't always love every book we read. Some books are merely disappointing, while others are downright infuriating. These are five books that inspired that kind of intense dislike in my heart. Also, if one of these books is one of your favorites, that's great! Keep in mind that not everyone will enjoy the same books, and that's okay. Different opinions are great because the world would be incredibly boring if we all thought the same way.

Kingdom of Ash Spoiler Review (It's FINALLY Over)

I finally finished the Throne of Glass series. When the first book was released, it was cool to obsess over the series. Nowadays, it's more "cool" to hate it. I have always fallen awkwardly in the middle: I don't hate it, but I certainly don't love it. I find Sarah J, Maas' books to be enjoyable and digestible but I can't help but notice the glaring flaws and issues with things like plot and representation. This book was no exception and I found it equally entertaining and frustrating. 

Easy Ways to Help the Planet and Be More Eco-Friendly

I was born on Earth Day, so I like to joke that I was meant to care about the environment. But in reality, we should all care about our planet since we, you know, live here. Recent research has discovered that we have about 11 years left to reverse or to prevent the damage to our environments before these effects become permanent. If this doesn't motivate you to make some very simple yet effective life changes, I don't know what would.

5 Beach Reads for Summer 2019

Ah, summertime--the season meant for road trips, popsicles, and afternoons spent laying in the sun at the beach. Personally, I love to swim when I visit the ocean but my second favorite activity is cracking open a good book and reading to my heart's content. It's summer vacation, so it is a basic requirement to spend some time relaxing. Here are the five books I would recommend you take with you on your next visit to the beach.

The Redundancy of A Court of Frost and Starlight

It's no secret that I am a little sick and tired of Sarah J. Maas books in general, but I usually tend to enjoy them because they're entertaining. Even with all the issues I take with her series', they offer an fun read if nothing else. But A Court of Frost and Starlight? Nothing happens. Nothing at all. Like many others, I am beyond frustrated with the absence of any action. 

My Favorite Book Villains

Who doesn't love a good villain? Villains can make or break a story and are often the most iconic characters. Everyone knows Darth Vader and the Wicked Witch of the West. In my opinion, the best villains are ones that are undeniably human. Caricatures of manically-laughing criminals are far less intriguing than ones who show depth and motive. 

Book Review: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Once Upon a River was an impulse buy at the bookstore one day. I spotted it sitting on the shelf and immediately wanted it. Not only is the cover gorgeous, the story inside is a winding, whimsical tale set on the Thames River in the late 1800s. The story centers around the river itself and features a mystery of a girl found dead who mysteriously comes back to life. The ambiance of this book is so beautiful that you will want to sink right into the story yourself.

Summer Reading List

If I'm being honest, Summer is my least favorite season. It's hot, humid, and there are bugs everywhere. But summer vacation is a whole different story. There's time to read and bake, to go to the beach and go hiking (when it's not too hot to venture outside). I used to kill the summer reading program when I was a kid. I survived my first year of university and I am so ready to throw myself into reading (and working). So here are some books that I am incredibly excited to read!

Time Travel and Magic: The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell Review

I enjoyed this book. It has the perfect formula for a book that I would love: time travel, magic, secret societies, and a heist? Count me in! The Last Magician is well written, diverse, and has a vibrant setting. But I just couldn't shake the feeling that it could have been more than what it was. It could have pushed more boundaries, provided more insight, and built up a deeper world. While it was a special book, I don't think that it was especially fantastic.

My Favorite Non-Romantic Books

As we all know, yesterday was Valentine's Day. I think I will always maintain that Valentine's Day is a fake holiday. Yes, I know that technically all holidays are "fake" in the sense that their creation and perpetuation are made up by the human mind, but in my opinion, Valentine's Day is one of the most fake of them all. Hallmark and candy companies conspired to sell heart-shaped chocolates and sappy cards. It's purely marketing. So, against the usual romantic tendencies that spring up around this time of year, I'm here to recommend some of my favorite books that are distinctly non-romantic. 

Reading the Scariest Book: The Haunting of Hill House

According to almost all of history and most reviewers, Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House is one of the scariest novels of all time. Since the recent release of Netflix's miniseries of the same title, this classic horror has been brought back into the limelight. As a horror fan, the book had sat on my to be read list for years. I finally got around to reading it after devouring and loving the show, and I was not disappointed.