Awkwordly Emma

December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas to the Book Characters

Well, it's Christmas Day, and since I'm probably opening presents right about now, I decided to gift books to some of my favorite characters!

To Emma Hawthorne from The Mother-Daughter Book Club...

Emma loves classics and she loves to write.

The Help is sort of a modern-day classic, and hopefully Emma hasn't read it yet!

In Fifteenth Summer, the main character, Chelsea, realizes she's a writer toward the very end of the book, and I think Emma could relate to that. Plus, I think the other Emma likes a good romance.

To Hazel Grace Lancaster from The Fault in Our Stars...

Hazel likes ambiguous endings (The Imperial Affliction, anyone?).

Just One Day and Just One Year have a pretty open end (since JOY only continues a couple moments after JOD). I think Hazel will relate to the theme of lost love and these books should give her hope.

To Cammie Morgan from Gallagher Girls...

Cammie's gone through a lot, but she's also very smart. I think she needs a non-fluffy book that doesn't make light of the reader's intelligence.

Going Vintage is a good choice for Cammie. It's a bit fluffy, but I think it's more serious than it appears on first glance.

Bonus book:

Cammie would definitely enjoy a book about serial killers, and I bet she'd be smart enough to figure out the killer way before it's revealed. Plus, Jennifer Lynn Barnes is BFFs with Ally Carter.

To Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games...

I think Katniss is ready for a read that doesn't require too much deep thought, but she also wants a book with strong female leads. That's why I'm giving her...

Penny Lane is no push-over, and I could definitely see Katniss appreciating the themes of friendship in The Lonely Hearts Club.

To Ismae from Grave Mercy...

Ismae doesn't strike me as the type of girl who would love a romance, so she definitely needs a book or series that doesn't focus on love.

I really didn't notice much romance in this book. The plot depended more on Eva's love for her brother and her character-growth and the Testing.

To Bennett and Anna from Time Between Us...

Bennett and Anna do have somewhat similar taste. They both love to travel, so...

Rose Under Fire would take Bennett and Anna to a women's concentration camp in Nazi Germany, and Parallel is about a form of science that's a bit similar to Bennett's time travel.

Bonus book just for Anna:

I think Anna would enjoy the trip into the future that The Lunar Chronicles would give her.

To America Singer from The Selection...

America loves music, so I chose two selections (pun unintentional) that incorporate characters who share the same love, but in very different areas.

America would appreciate that Rose composes music in Cinders & Sapphires, and I think she'd relate to the scandal and political intrigue. I also think America would be fascinated by DJing and how music fits into Elise's story in This Song Will Save Your Life.

To Sloane Devon Jacobs from Being Sloane Jacobs...

Sloane D. loves, loves, loves hockey. So I decided to find a book series where another character had the same interest.

If book worlds could cross, I definitely think Sloane D. and Cassidy Sloane (another connection...) would be BFFs. Sloane D. needs the whole The Mother-Daughter Book Club series.

To Rin from Forest Born...

Rin starts off as a shy, withdrawn, scared girl. She matures wonderfully and starts to find her place. I think good choices for her would be...

The main characters of Margot and North of Beautiful start off like Rin but grow stronger, so I think she could definitely relate to them.

Then Heist Society is a grand example of a strong female lead that Rin would certainly like to learn from.

Do you agree with my choices? Are there any characters you'd love to gift books to?

2013 End-of-the-Year Book Survey

Hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner.

I read a lot, a lot, a lot of new books in 2013, probably more new books than I've ever read before. This is thanks in part to joining the book blogger community. A whole new world has been opened up, and I've found tons of new favorites (blogs and books).

1. Best Book I Read in 2013

Oh, gosh, gonna have to break this down by genre.

Contemporary- either Just One Day or This Song Will Save Your Life. Or Going Vintage. Or Fifteenth Summer. Or United We Spy. Or Perfect Scoundrels. Maybe The Naturals. Oh, gosh, I can't forget The Fault In Our Stars or Time Between Us. Clearly, I'm bad at making decisions and I also like contemporary fiction.

Dystopian- Divergent trilogy, without a doubt. The Testing was good, too.

Historical fiction- Margot, Cinders & Sapphires, and Grave Mercy

Fantasy/sci-fi- Scarlet.

2. Book I Was Excited About But Didn't End Up Loving

Starstruck by Rachel Shukert
Kingdom Keepers series by Ridley Pearson
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

3. Most Surprising Read

I'd have to say This Song Will Save Your Life or Just One Day. I thought I'd probably like them, but I LOVED them.

4. Book I Recommended Most

Hmm...well, based on my Top Ten Tuesday lists, I'd probably say The Lunar Chronicles or anything by Ally Carter.

5. Best Series I Discovered in 2013

Without a doubt, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. (I'm still getting over the fact that I didn't get a Cress ARC. February is too far away.)

6. Favorite Author I Discovered in 2013

Hmm... probably Elizabeth Eulberg or Marissa Meyer. I'm basing this on their books and Twitter interactions, and they are all-around nice ladies with good books.

7. Best Book out of My Comfort Zone

Cinder, probably. I'm not a sci-fi fan, so the fact that I loved it so much was surprising.

8. Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Read

United We Spy by Ally Carter

9. Book That I'm Most Likely to Reread

Um... most of them? Unless I absolutely hated a book, it's likely I'll check it out of the library again or buy it. When I buy a book, I'll reread it time and time again.

10. Favorite Book Cover

I'm leaning towards Going Vintage. I just love the whimsy of it. Plus, it's fun to read in a '50s-style malt shop...

11. Most Memorable Character

Oh, gravy. There are so many! Scarlet and Carswell Thorne, Mallory, Tris, Hazel and Augustus, Allyson...

12. Most Beautifully-Written Book

I'd have to say Just One Day.

13. Book That Had the Greatest Impact on Me

The Fault In Our Stars

14. Book I Can't Believe I Waited Until 2013 to Read

Divergent. It took me ages to read it, even after Kelly recommended it 5 dozen times and I checked it out of the library 7 times.

15. Favorite Quote From a Book

I have a lot, but the one that sticks with me the most, that I have written down, is...

16. Shortest and Longest Books I Read

Shortest is OCD, the Dude, and Me (234 pages)

Longest is The House of Hades (597 pages)

17. Book That Had a Scene That Sent Me Reeling, and I Was Dying to Talk to Someone About It

Allegiant (let's be honest: everyone's going to say this book, right?)

18. Favorite Relationship (Romantic or Otherwise)

Romantic- Zach and Cammie from United We Spy

Friendship- Cinder and Iko from Cinder/Scarlet

Familial- Hazel and her parents from The Fault In Our Stars

19. Favorite Book From an Author I've Previously Read

United We Spy

20. Best Book I Read Based on Recommendation Alone

I'd say probably Grave Mercy. I mean, I read the Goodreads synopsis, but other than that, it was basically Shae who got me to read it.

21. Genre I Read the Most From

I'm not going to count, but it has to be contemporary.

22. Newest Fictional Crush

Well I don't exactly have fictional crushes...maybe Augustus Waters (The Fault In Our Stars)?

23. Best 2013 Debut

Probably Prep School Confidential.

24. Most Vivid Book World

Divergent (It didn't hurt that I've gone to Chicago more times than I can count...)

25. Most Fun Book to Read

Fifteenth Summer

26. Books That Made Me Cry

Allegiant and The Fault In Our Stars

27. Book I Read That I Think Got Overlooked

The Naturals, definitely. I didn't see a lot of people in the blogger community getting excited for it.

1. New Favorite Book Blog

...Just one? Well, I absolutely adore Blue Sky Bookshelf and Shae Has Left the Room. I basically just started following book blogs this year. The Broke and the Bookish is awesome, too.

2. Favorite Review I Wrote

I'm going to say the review I did for Allegiant, just because I'm still proud of the rant I had before the review.

3. Best Discussion on My Blog

Does RBWL count? It was on Twitter, but I had a blog post about it that sparked some discussion, too.

4. Most Thought-Provoking Review/Discussion On Someone Else's Blog

Probably this one: Hi, Shae!

5. Best Event You Participated In

Easily RBWL (Reader/Blogger WishList) on Twitter. I wasn't even planning to, since I didn't think I'd have time, but that was an amazing day! I have a notebook full of ideas to prove it.

6. Best Moment of My Book Life in 2013

Going to Ally Carter's signing for United We Spy. She's just so amazing in so many ways. (I fangirled over her in this post.)

7. Most Popular Post on My Blog

As of writing this post, it was my interview with Heather Vogel Frederick.

8. Post I Wish Got a Little More Love

Probably my review of Relic. Really, I think a lot of my reviews could've used some more attention.

9. Best Bookish Discovery

Goodreads, without a doubt.

10. Completion of Any Reading Goals/Challenges

I didn't set any, but if I had, I probably would've said to read more new books, which I've certainly achieved.

1. A Book I Plan to Get to in 2014

I hope to finally read The Lord of the Rings. I keep meaning to, but there are other shorter books I need to read first.

2. Most-Anticipated Book of 2014 (Non-Debut)

Cress! I have a lot, but that one consistently tops my list.

3. Most-Anticipated Debuts of 2014

Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman, Amy Zhang's book, which now has a title and release date (!!!; it's titled Falling into Place), and Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

4. Most-Anticipated Series Enders

The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus)

The One (The Selection)

5. Something I Hope to Accomplish In My Reading or Blogging in 2014

I'd love to make it to BEA, but I'm not sure that'll happen. I'd love to gain more followers and recognition. I don't need to have 1,000 followers, but 100 would be nice. I'd also love to interview some more authors.

December 24, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish Santa Would Bring

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope y'all have a great day tomorrow, get the gifts you hope for, have fun with family, and eat yummy food.

So...books I wish Santa would bring... I'm going to go off my book wishlists that I gave my parents and grandparents, since they're technically Santa. ;)

1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Our local indie bookseller had a few signed copies, and I dropped repeated hints that I wanted it, so we'll see if it's under the tree for me tomorrow.

2. Relic by Heather Terrell

I had an ARC of this book, but I want an actual hardcover copy to go on my bookshelf.

3. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

This was one of my favorite reads of 2013, and I neeeeeeddddd it. So if no one gets it for me, hopefully I'll have a giftcard to go buy books.

4. The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

"All I need is this book..."

5. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

I'm still completing my collection of Gallagher Girls books, and since I have the first two (and book six), this one is next on my list, even though it's probably my least favorite of the series.

6. Golden by Jessi Kirby

I promise I don't want this book solely for its beautiful cover.

7. Margot by Jillian Cantor

One of the best historical fiction novels I've ever read. I love the whole "what-if" set-up.

8. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

It's one of the books I read and liked a lot, so of course I want it.

9. The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

It's become a "thing" that every year since The Son of Neptune, my mom has gotten me the latest book in the Heroes of Olympus series for Christmas. Will that tradition continue this year? I hope so!

I thought about putting Cress as book ten, since I really wish Santa would bring it for me. But I'm trying to be realistic here. So I'll go for another book on one of my wishlists.

10. Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray

I'm still a Shakespeare/Hamlet geek. I still want this book, no matter how much I dislike its cover. (Seriously, what self-respecting girl wears a skirt that short?)

December 22, 2013

Rewind & Review #1

Hosted by Shae Has Left the Room.

So this week, not only did I post my first Waiting on Wednesday, but now I'm going to do my first Rewind and Review!

Books I Received

ARC of All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Thanks to Sarah at Simply Reading for my lovely Secret Santa gift, including these three books! She also gave me an Eiffel Tower cookie, candy, bookmarks, and a Hunger Games timepiece.