It was our birthday, last month, on May 18th, and we got a lot of books! Here’s our haul, including the books we received and the books we gave ourselves (because who doesn’t do that?)
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T5W: Favourite Series Ending
This week, we discuss how we feel about our favourite series coming to an end, and what made them all so perfect, because there’s nothing we love more than a good happily ever after!
If you haven’t finished these series yet, then we suggest not reading the explanations as they are pretty spoiler ridden!
1. City of Heavenly Fire
This series pretty much ended happily for everyone didn’t it? Clary and Jace finally getting to be together, Simon and Isabelle finally admitted they were more than just casual friends and of course Jocelyn and Luke making their vows…the only bad thing about this book was how it completely ruined the end of ‘The Infernal Devices’ series. It should have had a spoiler warning!
2. Anna and the French Kiss
We chose ‘Anna’ because, even though we liked ‘Isla and the Happily Ever After’ the least of the companion series, the happily ever after than Anna and Etienne get is the most beautiful thing ever. I need a short story of their wedding and their family and them just growing old together, please.
3. Champion
Although slightly bittersweet, I love a good ambiguous ending every now and again! Day and June went through such a hard time in this trilogy, and even though I may have wanted them to have the perfect ending where they’re definitely together forever and ever, I thought it was a perfect and completely realistic ending after everything that had taken place.
4. Requiem
A controversial choice is always good to throw into the mix. The Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver ended slightly ambiguously. Did Lena end up with Alex or Julian? Would everything be OK in the end or not? Was the society better with or without love? I think that’s what made the ending so successful – I had questions. In hindsight, Requiem ended differently to any other girl vs government book, and that is what makes it a favourite!
5. The Illusionists
The ending to the ‘Fearsome Dreamer’ duology completely threw me for a loop. I can’t believe how it ended! There were so many twists and turns in the plot (not to mention the space-time continuum) it was like the whole world had been turned upside down! ‘The Illusionists’ makes it to the list for pure originality and being completely unexpected *applause for Laure Eve*
T5W: Most Frustrating Characters
This week, we discuss the characters that make us want to jump inside books and shake their shoulders! There are quite a few (unfortunately) so let’s get to it!
1. Tris Prior
Tris, overall, is an excellent character. She’s strong, she’s determined and she’s practically capable of anything. But, there’s one thing she’s not capable of: communication! Actually talking things out with Tobias is her downfall. They’re so willing to sacrifice themselves for each other, which is endearing, but frustrating when they won’t tell each other what’s going on!
2. Prince Kai
It seemed like the lovely prince was the only one out of the loop in The Lunar Chronicles. Scarlet knew about Cinder. Cress knew about Cinder, Levana knew about Cinder…everyone on Earth and the moon knew her identity. Having to read Kai’s chapters in the books was frustrating because I just wanted to dive into the council room and catch him up on all the action. Thank goodness he’s part of the team at the end of ‘Cress’, otherwise I don’t know how I would have coped.
3. Sydney Sage
Don’t get me wrong I love Sydney! She’s intelligent and sticks to her morals no matter what other people tell her. She’s also really good at evaluating right from wrong, but how she handles the Adrian situation had me ripping my hair out! I know you come from a background that pretty much hates vampires, but you shouldn’t care about that if you love one! Sometimes she just needed to listen to her heart instead of her head.
4. America Singer
Girl’s got two really sweet guys wanting to be her boyfriend/husband/prince. She spends most of the books in regretful turmoil over each, and struggles to come to a conclusion until the final book. America needed to accept her fate much sooner, and to stop comparing herself to the other contestants for Maxon’s heart! He was looking at her all along!
5. Wells Jaha/ Ruby / Juliette
All three of these characters are classified as juvenile delinquents. All three of these characters share the same weakness: they’ll classify themselves as monsters. Whether it’s because they’re keeping a secret or hiding their powers, Wells from ‘The 100’, Ruby from ‘The Darkest Minds’ and Juliette from ‘Shatter Me’ all have what I like to call ‘The Monster Complex’. If they only realised the potential they held, I would be much less frustrated with them. Embrace the power, guys. Please.
T5W: Books I’d Save In A Fire
For any book-lover, this is the worst case scenario! It’s like asking a mother to chose between the children: its impossible to pick the ones you love the most. I think it would almost be easier to answer the opposite question, as I definitely know which books I’d leave for kindling. But, there are definitely some books on my shelves that I couldn’t imagine leaving behind:
1. The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
This is by far my favourite of ‘The Heroes of Olympus’ series – where the gang are all together for the first time! (And who wouldn’t love the moment when Annabeth and Percy are reunited? They’re just precious.) Although ‘The House of Hades’ is beautiful, I don’t think I could live through the cliffhanger a second time. That’s why Annabeth’s solo quest is my first save!
2. Love, Lies and Lemon Pies by Katy Cannon
This is my favourite contemporary – I could re-read it multiple times and never get bored. There’s something about this book that takes me back to my days of reading solely Cathy Cassidy books, whilst equally giving me the same feeling that ‘Anna and the French Kiss’ left me with. I hadn’t read a book that dealt with family orientated issues in a long time, so this one was a real stand out for me.
3. Cress by Marissa Meyer
I’d save cutie ‘Cress’ for the same reason as ‘The Mark of Athena’. I love when teams come together, but I also love a good fake-boyfriend plot. I really think that the ‘Lunar Chronicles’ has everything you could possibly want from a series: romance, adventure, threat and more romance.
4. Paper Towns by John Green
My favourite of his works. It’s been a while since I read ‘Paper Towns’ and I definitely think a re-read is necessary before the movie is released. This book really sparked my love of road-trips and fuelled my love of a good mystery.
5. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
No doubt the best of the companion series, Miss Perkins knows how to put a good romance together. I wish there was less confusion between Anna and Etienne and Etienne’s insignificant girlfriend (I didn’t like her so much I’ve forgotten her name.) However, Anna really sparked my interest in contemporary books, so it would be a crime to leave her behind.
It might be surprising that ‘Inkheart’ didn’t make this list, but I do have four copies. One of them is bound to escape the flames. (I only hope it’s one of the English editions!) Plus, Bee’s got a copy of ‘Fangirl’, so we’d be set on that front.
T5W: Friendship Groups
There’s nothing better than reading a book where the protagonist is surrounded by a great group of friends – friends that support them in whatever they do but also challenge them to do things they wouldn’t be able to do alone. Here are our top five picks for friendship groups we’d love to be a part of!
1. Emily, Frank, Dawn and Collins from ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’
What was brilliant about this friendship was that it only really culminated over the summer. As readers, we got to experience Emily discovering new friends, whilst still surviving Sloane’s absence. This book is the perfect example of friendship – if everyone is willing to skinny-dip, then you know you’re friends for life!
2. Cammie, Bex, Liz and Macy from ‘The Gallagher Girls’
All four friends bring something distinctly different to this group; Bex has her beauty, Liz has her brains and Macy has her daring personality (not to mention her father’s money!) Again, if someone is willing to bug the house of the guy you like, there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for you!
3. Harry, Ron and Hermione from ‘Harry Potter’
There’s no way this golden trio couldn’t be mentioned! I loved watching their friendship grow as the series progressed and how supportive Ron and Hermione were of Harry, even when he was being a little bit of a douche-canoe. They’re consistent dedication to helping each other, and the rest of the magical universe for that matter, should be admired.
4. Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank and Hazel from ‘Heroes of Olympus’
Why I loved ‘Mark of Athena’ the most out of the whole series was the friendship and teamwork that arose from the seven halfbloods living in the Argo II. Each character could easily mix with any of the other six. Although, if I was to join this group, I might end up feeling like the ninth wheel (as Leo is already spoken for.) Rick really seems to care about his characters finding love. Aww!
5. Cinder, Iko, Scarlett, Wolf, Cress and Thorne from ‘The Lunar Chronicles’
Again, a similar problem would arise from being part of this friendship group – everyone’s part of a couple! (Don’t tell me Cress and Thorne aren’t a proper thing yet. Just wait for ‘Winter’ and I know they WILL be!) What’s special about this group is the diversity, in both gender, age and ability…..and the degree to which they can be classified as human, of course. Cress is a cutie, Scarlett is kick-ass and I bet Thorne would be able to keep everyone entertained, even if the world is being crippled by disease.
T5W: Anticipated 2015 Releases
We’ve previously talked about the Top 15 books we want to read this year, and in that list are a couple of new releases, so we thought we’d think of a couple of others that we’re also super excited for!
1. Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins
Rebel Belle made Maddie’s Top 14 of 2014 and hopefully the second book is just as good if not better. Also, she needs some answers for the HUGE cliff-hanger!
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass
A mix of faeries and fairytale retellings. This is basically the perfect read for both of us, I’ll be reading for the faeries and Maddie will be reading for the Beauty and the Beast intertextuality!
3. The Heir by Kiera Cass
After finishing The Selection Series, we’re excited to see what could possibly happen next, although we have a few concerns that The Heir will end up being a gender bend of The Selection, we still hold out hope.
4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Bee is super excited to finish the Shadow and Bone Series, and can’t wait for the next fantastical adventure by the same author. The premise sounds incredible and action packed, so what’s not to love?
5. PS. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Although it’s a known fact that we at Heart Full of Books, are not the biggest Jenny Han fans, and weren’t that impressed by To All The Boys I’ve Love Before, there does seem to be legitimate grounds for a sequel, as the first book felt like a prequel to hopefully something amazing that will happen in this sequel.
Would You Rather (Book Edition)
We already have a post for December 1st and 2nd, so Maddie and I decided to try and do Blogmas! So without further ado I have been tagged in the Would You Rather Tag that has been going around booktube and the blog-o-shere. I was tagged by Diary of a Booklover and I do believe that this tag was created by RayKayBooks on YouTube. (Original video here!) Would you rather…
1) Read only trilogies or stand alone novels?
I love a good stand alone novel, and I think it’s so amazing that an author can create a complete set of characters, perhaps in a new world and make us fall in love with the story over the course of only 300 pages. As much as I like trilogies, more often than not there tends to be the trend of the ‘not-so-great sequel.’ There are quite a few series/trilogies that I definitely would’ve happily left at book one. So stand alones for me!
2) Read only female or only male authors?
I don’t think the gender of the author matters when I pick out books. I am interested in women’s fiction, and would like to study it critically at university, but that won’t stop me from picking out books written by men – it’s important to read a mix of both. I know I’m supposed to come down on one side, and I’ll admit that the majority of the books on my shelf are written by women, so even though this question is super tough, I’ll go with read only female authors because I read to read every single thing that Morgan Matson publishes.
3) Buy books online or in store?
I’m all for supporting book shops, but there aren’t any book stores closest to me, so I find myself buying online more. But that doesn’t stop me from being in bookshops as often as I can, even if I can’t afford to buy anything!
4) Have books made into movies or tv shows?
I don’t actually watch a lot of TV shows, and there is nothing I hate more that something being dragged out for a ridiculously long amount of time, so it really depends whether it’s a stand alone or a series. I’d like to see more book series being made into TV shows (I’m super excited for the TMI TV show, but I am NOT excited for the re-casting) but I live in the UK so even if they did make an AMAZING series adaptation of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, I’d have to wait, like, a million years before it became available for my region.
5) Read five pages a day or five books per week?
I’m off to university next year so five books a week would be great!
6) Be a professional reviewer or author?
AUTHOR. I have my ten year plan set out for how I’m going to get myself into the publishing industry and becoming a best-selling author is stage three. But I don’t think I’ll ever give up reviewing books as a hobby.
7) Read only your top 20 books over and overread only new books?
Here is a list of my Top 20 books. There’s no way I could give them up, but I would chose to only read new books so I could find new favourites, but have Maddie read my favourites to me. There, that’s not cheating.
8) Be a librarian or a bookseller?
A librarian, without a doubt. Unlimited books whenever I want? Yes, please!
9) Only read your favorite genre or all genres except your favorite?
YA is my favourite genre in broad terms, and I don’t have a favourite sub-genre, so I’ll cheat and say I’ll be forever reading YA. Because I will be. It’s stage two of the publishing plan.
10) Read only physical or only ebooks? If I had the money and space I would read only physical books, if I didn’t have unlimited funds or storage then my Kindle – called Roger – will suffice.
Thank you so much to Alma for tagging me! This was a really fun tag, and if you haven’t thought about these questions yet, then you definitely should!
Heart Full of Books 