Best Dressed- The Hunger Games

Hello! This is just a small meme I'm planning on doing on my blog every Saturday! It is where I find books from different countries or compare paper back to hard back and judge who is best dressed. Hope you enjoy! Also, keep in mind that I find these covers through goodreads so I apologize if they're incorrect.

   

Greece Edition                                                     Denmark Edition 

 

United Kingdom Edition                                        Germany Edition 

Thoughts

Since I live in the United States, I decided to leave that one out. (also ignore my really bad blogging skills). I love the background on the Greece Edition. I think the texture looks amazing; however, I feel like the title kind of takes away from the cover itself. I think the Denmark Edition is interesting. It's a super scary cover for some reason to me. Maybe it's because of the girls expression. I don't like how the symbol is really tiny and hard to see. I also am not a fan of the blue tint to the whole cover. I love the simplicity of the United Kingdom Edition. I really like how the symbol stands out because it's a huge thing in the whole trilogy. I just don't like how Suzanne Collins's name is so tiny. I love all of the colors in the Germany Edition. I love how her green eye goes with the leaves and how the leaves have blood on them. However, every time I see this, all I can think is the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. I also wish the symbol of the mockingjay was a key point on the cover.

Winner! 

If I were in a bookstore, I think I would pick up the Germany Edition first because the colors really stand out, but I doubt I would pick up the book because of the plot (Im not a huge fan of THG). If I seen the UK edition, I might think about keeping the book just so I could have the cover on my shelf. So the winner is...for me, I'm going to have to go with the United Kingdom Edition. I just love the simpleness but yet it's still very powerful. I love how the colors seem really neutral then BAM yellow and gold.

So how about you? What cover do you think is the most best dressed?

Feature Follow- What would I do for an ARC!?

Hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee

Feature and Follow Friday is a meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read, that gives bloggers the opportunity to meet other bloggers, and gain followers.There is a new question every week. This weeks question  is:

Craziest thing you'd be willing to do for an ARC you are dying to read?

I honestly feel awkward asking for ARC's and I never end up reading them before they come out. The craziest thing I would probably do is just enter into giveaways and tweet a lot. I know, I'm so boring! However, maybe if I really wanted to read it, I would try and see if it's on netgalley and stalk the book to see if it will come out a day early at say target or something. 

What would you do? 

Whoa, you still exist?

If you're reading this, then hello you beautiful person!! 

It has been so long since I have actually read and finished a book. It has been so long since I've filmed a video or posted a blog post. It all started back in July. It was just the ending of the bout of books readathon and I was still wanting to read book after book after book. Then I wanted to read The Game of Thrones because so many people were and still are in love with it. So I started reading. I then started to get bored so I decided to read another book as well. 

I then started to read It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. It was an okay read, but I still found myself becoming bored with it; thus, I started book 3, Alientated by Melissa Landers. Again, the book wasn't fabulous. I mean it wasn't bad but it didn't capture my attention either so I started with yet another book, My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick and again the same problem was occurring. I became to the point where I was completely stressed and unhappy because I was reading so many books and none of them could capture even the slightly attention to want more.

After I did finally finish 3 books (I never finished GoT), I ended up going to Canada and I just was not in a book anything mood. I didn't want to read, I didn't want to blog, I didn't want to film. After Canada, I was practically thrown into school and after I started school, I have been way too busy to do anything but homework. I don't even have time to study! Even if I do have time to study, I can't study when I have too much on my mind. I'm suppose to read two 300 page books but I'm seriously too stressed and busy that I can't read them. I have no motivation to read them. 

I've also been getting really upset and depressed for the past month. I've just been so unhappy with how my life is going. I'm upset with my grades even if they are in the B range. I don't have my dogs to cheer me up because I'm going to school 35 minutes from home. I'm reallllllly bad at making friends so I have made zero friends; I've been at school for 3 months. And I feel like I've lost one of my best friends so everything lately has just sucked. 

And since I don't have friends here and I don't have my dogs and because I've been very down, I have been watching the Harry Potter films again which made me want to reread the whole series again. I have currently reread the first two books and I'm on book 3, but I stopped reading it in October because that's when the sadness started. 

So, I just wanted to write this in case anyone was wondering where I've been. I honestly miss books so freaking much. They're my happy place and I can't read when I'm stressed. That being said, I have decided to possibly take a year off from school. I just want to find out who I am because I have no clue. School isn't something I like doing. I don't like being told when I need to learn and what I need to study. I don't like being told I need to have a job to survive. Also, I have a very strong fear of death and dying. It gives me really bad anxiety, and I am constantly worrying that I'm going to die before I can do everything I want to do in life. 

I want to be able to experience every little thing that I love before I settle down. Maybe by taking this year off it will give me some insight on what I want to do as a career and what I don't want to do. I want to be able to save money and travel and see things and experience new foods. Plus, I'll be able to get a lot of reading done :D

So if you are reading this, just know that you can be whomever you want to be, you can do whatever you set your mind to. If something in your life is making you unhappy, then change it. Don't let life control you. Don't let people control your life. You control it because remember, you only live once so make it a good one. 

Love, me. 

It's Kind of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Novellas/Pre-squeals: No

Series: No

Published by: Hyperions

Genre: Contemporary, Real Life, Mental Illnesses, Young Adult

Pages: 444

Source: Bought, paperback

Rating: ✬✬✬

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Synopsis:
A humorous account of a New York City teenager's battle with depression and his time spent in a psychiatric hospital...

The book was inspired by Vizzini's own brief hospitalization for depression in November 2004.

About:

It's Kind of A Funny Story is about a guy named Craig who is battling depression. It's his journey of dealing with it. As things get worse, Craig ends up in a psychiatric hospital and he soon kinds himself on the road to recovery. 

Thoughts:

I was sadly a little disappointed in It's Kind of A Funny Story. For me, it had an extremely long and slow beginning with Craig explaining why he was depressed and how it exactly happened. I didn't start enjoying the book until maybe 200ish pages when he finally ended up in the hospital. 

I think a reason I didn't enjoy it as much because I couldn't find a connection with Craig. Maybe because I, myself, have never had legitimate depression. I did end up enjoying Craig's character more when he was in the hospital because he became friends with so many wonderful people. Even if they were all struggling with some type of disorder, they were so hard not to love. 

There was one character in the book that Craig helped out and I couldn't help but feel all happy every time his character was in a scene. I also felt like there was a weird insta-love thing, but I guess I can let that slid considering that they're both 15 and their situation. 

 

Overall, I did end up enjoying the book. I really enjoyed the writing style. It seemed really relaxed. The book itself also felt really honest and I think that's why I loved the ending of the book so much. Craig is so honest in how he feels. Even if, again, I don't struggle with depression, I still felt hopeful reading it.  

 

First Line:

"It's so hard to talk when you want to kill yourself."

Short Thoughts:

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Novellas/Pre-squeals: No

Series: Alienated, book 1

Published by: Hyperions

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Pages: 344

Source: Bought, hardback

Rating: ✬✬✬✬

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Synopsis:
Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 
 
Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket. 

 Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking. 

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet

About:

Alienated is essentially about a girl named Cara and her alien foreign exchange student, Aelyx. The people on earth are not taking the news of aliens on their planet very well. So they do the best thing they can do- they protest and things get violent. Cara figures out that the only person she can count on is Aelyx, and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. However, Aelyx has a reason for being on earth and it could possibly have deadly consequences.

Thoughts:

Overall, I did enjoy Alienated. However, There were some problems I had with it. During the beginning of the book, I didn't think the characters had much chemistry between each other. I don't think they really had chemistry until maybe 200 pages into the book and then BOOM they're in love, like whhhhat, where did that come from?

To me, the love came out of no where. Not only that, but after 'falling in love' within the first week, the started talking about forever. I know that's usually how first relationships go, but if you read the book, you may understand what I mean because of a certain scene during the ending. 

I think the book needed a little bit more develop with the characters and a little bit more about the alien plant; however, more development will probably come during the second book. The parents in the book  didn't seem to act like parents. Somethings Cara did, well... I sure wouldn't let my child do it. But then again, I suppose I need to be in that situation. 

I didn't like the ending. I thought it ended with too much information. I'm the type of person that loves a good cliffhanger because it makes me wanting to read the next book. They way this one ended...well...I really don't have any get up to actually read the second because I know what's going to happen and it doesn't make me very happy. 

On a happier note, I did end up enjoying Aelyx's character in the end. I like how he starting to 'come out of his shell' and not be so reserved. I also enjoyed how he started to become more acquainted with the human culture. He also ended up having a great sense of humor. 

Even though I had some problems with this book, it was still a page turner. I really enjoyed the writing style. I really do suggest it if you're super into alien books right now or a sexy man. (;

First Line:

"Winning."

Short Thoughts:

Currently Reading- June 17th, 2014

I am currently reading 3 books too many. I'm the type of person the likes to read only one book at a time, but for some reason I just want to keep starting book after book after book!

1. A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin: I'm actually doing a small challenge with myself while reading GoT. I'm challenging myself to read at least 50 pages of it a week. At that rate, I'll probably finish this book by September 5th! So far I'm doing pretty good. I'm still slightly iffy about this one. Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of epic fantasy. I do, however, really enjoy reading the Stark children's chapters: Arya, Bran. I also love reading Jon's chapters and Thrion's chapters!

2. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini: Because I wanted to read another book while reading GoT, I decided to pick up IKOAFS. Again, I'm not really enjoying this book much either. I like the writing and everything, but I can't connect with the main character on any level. I'm hoping the book picks up after he goes to the mental hospital.

3. Alienated by Melissa Landers: Since I wasn't enjoying GoT or IKOAFS, I decided to pick up a third book. I guess I just wanted something fun to read. This book is fun for the most part, but I'm lacking a connection with the characters and the characters are lacking chemistry with each other. The day I started this book I read about 130 or so pages, but now I just don't want to sit down and read it.

4. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick: Since I couldn't keep my attention on the top three books, I decided to try reading yet anotherrrr book. I thought I might not be into the other books was because I'm in a contemporary mood. So far I'm on page 40. I'm enjoying it, but I'm still feeling disconnected to the characters and the characters seem to be moving SUPER fast.

What is everyone else currently reading? Are you enjoy your book(s)?

Favorite Opening Lines -Part I

Here are some of my favorite opening lines from books, hope you enjoy :D