Ranked: The Hunger Games

Hey guys, welcome back!  As I was looking around the shelves in my room I realized that the vast majority of my books are part of a larger series.  While standalone novels are amazing, there's just something that I love about a good series.  Maybe it's being able to spend more time in that particular fictional world, maybe it's because I get to see the characters continue to grow and change, or maybe I just don't even realize what I love about them so much!  Whatever the case may be, I thought it might be fun to go through my favourite series and rank the books from favourite to least favourite!  So, the last Friday of every month will now be dedicated to 'Ranked' where you'll get to see what some of my favourites are!  The topic for our first week is The Hunger Games!

#3. Mockingjay
Sadly, the third installment of this series is my least favourite of the three.  I loved that we finally got to see full-scale rebellions against the Capital and, obviously, that the Capital got taken down.  Unfortunately, other parts of the book weren't quite as interesting to me.  While it makes sense to the story at the time, the fact that Katniss isn't involved in much fighting for the first part of the book does make it a bit slow.  It wasn't until her group started fighting their way through the Capital that I really started flipping those pages fast, desperate to find out how it would end.  And, hijacked Peeta just makes me sad (enough said!).


#2. The Hunger Games
Ah, the book that started it all!  As much as I love the original, this first installment doesn't get the number one spot.  I loved the idea of the book (as horrifying as it it) and loved the characters.  It was a great introduction to the series but, like many first installments of book series, was lacking the feeling of 'something bigger'.  While we get a glimpse of that at the end of the book, for most of it Katniss was just like any other contestant in the game.  And while her story was interesting, it became far more interesting as the series progressed.




#1. Catching Fire
Ever since I read it, this has been my favourite book in the series.  While I adored the first one (obviously!) it's in this second installment that Katniss's story becomes part of something larger.  We get to see the consequences of her actions and 'rebelling against the Capital' from the first book and we also get introduced to more instances of fighting against the capital (District 8 anyone?).  On top of that, we get introduced to a ton of new characters including my all-time favourite: Finnick.  I also think that the games themselves were more interesting; I loved the clock idea and that each hour there was something else that was waiting to get the tributes.  It was much more interesting to me than Katniss just running around a forest.


Do you agree / disagree?  Why?  Let me know in the comments below!

Series I Want to Re-Read This Summer

Summertime is a great time to re-read some old favourite books.  As I do every summer, I want to take the time to read some of my old favourties again.  Looking through my shelves, I noticed so many series that I want to read again.  So, the following are the series that I hope to finish re-reading by the end of the summer.

1. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - 0/6 Done

This is one of my favourite book series of all time and, unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to read it again in ages.  I'm really hoping to re-read this series this summer because I've seriously missed this world and these characters.


2. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead - 0/6 Done

As much as I love the original Vampire Academy series, I actually love this spin-off series even more!  It has a greater focus on Adrian and Eddie - two of my favourite characters from these two series.  And, I relate to Sydney more than I do Rose which makes me even more invested in her story.


3. Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong - 3/3 Done

I originally read this series around the same time I first started Vampire Academy and I've always loved it.  I love all the main characters of the series - particularly Derek and Chloe - and re-reading the series was just as fun as always!


4. Darkness Rising by Kelley Armstrong - 3/3 Done

As I spin-off of the Darkest Powers trilogy, I've always loved Darkness Rising as well.  Though I don't think it's as strong as the original trilogy, it's still a lot of fun to read.  And, it's great to have the characters from the original trilogy show up again and have their storyline wrapped up.


5. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket - 2/13 Done

Such a fun children's series to re-read!  I remember reading this series when I was younger and absolutely loving it.  Unfortunately, I read them over a long period of time and would never quite remember what happened in the previous book.  And even now, I can't remember what happened throughout the books.  I'm really looking forward to re-reading the rest of them and experiencing the story again.  The only bad thing I have to say is that, for the first two books anyway, the writing is more childish than I remember or what I'd prefer to be reading.  That being said, it is to be expected from a children's series and it doesn't really negatively impact the reading experience.


6. Phantom Stallion by Terri Farley - 3/24 Done

Growing up, this was one of my favourite book series of all time.  The first few books in the series have been read so many times that they're almost falling apart in my hands as I read them.  I haven't read these books since the final one was published in 2006!  I've only re-read the first three so far, but I still love them after all this time.  Though definitely a series for kids, I can't help enjoying them as much as I did when I was younger.  I'm looking forward to reading through the rest of them soon!


7. Breathing by Rebecca Donovan - 0/3 Done

This is one of the most heartbreaking series that I can remember reading.  But, it is so beautiful as well.  I love these characters and have been wanting to re-read this series for some time now.


8. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare - 0/6 Done

This is a series that I used to re-read all the time!  After the last book came out though, I don't think I've gone back to it.  I've seen a lot of other people re-reading this series recently and it's encouraged me to give it a go again as well.  I've really missed this world and the characters, so I'm definitely looking forward to it!


9. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare - 0/3 Done

You can't read The Mortal Instruments without also re-reading this series as well!  I've only actually read this series once (maybe the first book twice) and I can't really remember what happens in it.  Definitely looking forward to re-reading this one because I know it's widely loved!


10. The Maze Runner by James Dashner - 0/3 Done

When I originally read this series, it quickly became one of my favourites.  I haven't read it in awhile though and I've really been missing it.  I also recently realized that there are a lot of negative views toward this series and kind of want to figure out if it's still as good as I remember it to be.


11. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - 0/4 Done

When I originally picked up this book series I really didn't know what to expect.  And, to be honest, I really didn't think I'd enjoy it.  I passed up the chance to buy Cinder for months before I finally decided to give it a shot.  Luckily I did, because this series is absolutely amazing!  But, I blew through it so fast the first time that I don't remember much of what happened.  And, I haven't had the chance to re-read it since.  Until now.  I'm definitely looking forward to reading it again!


How about all of you?  Are you looking forward to re-reading some old favourites this summer?  Let me know in the comments below!

Favourites Friday: Favourite Pets

Hey guys!  I thought it would be fun to have a 'Favourites Friday' once a month to go through my favourite male / female characters, secondary characters, fictional worlds, etc.  We can see how your favourites match with mine and maybe we can both find some new books from each other!  So, the second Friday of each month will now be dedicated to a 'Favourites Friday'!  The topic for this week is favourite fictional pets!

I am a huge animal lover, so it's no surprise that I would adore pretty much any animal that pops up in my favourite books!  To me, adding a pet to a story makes so much sense - even in a complete fantasy world - because so many people love animals and have pets of their own.  Adding a pet to the life of some of our favourite characters can make them seem even more relate-able to us (and they're generally pretty fun to read about too!).  So, here are some of my favourite fictional pets:

• Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, and Crookshanks (Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling)
• Fleetfoot (Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas)
• Daigo and Tova (Age of Legends - Kelley Armstrong)
• Bernie Kosar (Lorien Legacies - Pittacus Lore)
• Nala and Duchess (House of Night - P.C. and Kristin Cast)
• Shendor (Chloe and Levesque - Norah McClintock)
• Blackie/The Phantom/Zanzibar, Ace, Dark Sunshine, Witch, and Blaze (Phantom Stallion - Terri Farley)
• The Direwolves (A Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin)

I feel like I'm probably forgetting some, but I've been through my shelves and haven't come up with any more.  Feel like I'm missing any?  Who are some of your favourite fictional pets?  Let me know in the comments below!

Get To Know Me Questions Tag

Hey guys, I thought a get to know me post would be fun considering you don't really know anything about me!  I found the questions from a few different posts like this and made up some of my own.  So follow along and get to know me!  Even better, fill it out yourself for your own blog or let me know some of your answers in the comments below!

1. When's your birthday?  August 20th

2. How many siblings do you have?  One sister.

3. What did you study in school?  I ended up with a Biology and Medieval Studies double major (which is a really long story) with minors in English and Psychology.

4. Favourite colour?  Red.

5. Favourite song at the moment?  I just discovered Savage by Whethan, Hold My Heart by Lindsey Stirling, and Stay by Zedd & Alessia Cara.  Can't stop listening to the three of them on repeat.

6. Favourite movies?  I always have a hard time answering this question.  I can't choose one, but I've been really into the MCU lately.

7. Favourite TV shows?  I actually watch way too many TV shows.  My all-time favourite is Supernatural.  But I also love Prison Break, Lost, The Walking Dead (and Fear the Walking Dead), Teen Wolf, BBC's Merlin, The Flash, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and so many more!

8. Favourite books?  The Harry Potter series, obviously.  After that, there are way too many to list.

9. Favourite animal(s)?  Wolves, horses, and tigers.  I also think manatees are adorable.  I really love all animals though . . . except spiders.

10. Do you have any pets?  Two dogs, although only one of them is actually mine.

11. Favourite holiday?  Christmas.

12. Favourite season?  Summer for sure.  I love hot weather.

13. Favourite places to travel?  I've been to Orlando, Florida tons of times (mostly for Disney and Universal Studios).  I was in New York City for a few days and absolutely loved it there too.

14. Favourite sport?  To watch would definitely be hockey.  To actually do myself would be horseback riding or swimming.

15. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?  1. Anywhere in Europe.  I love studying the Middle Ages so living anywhere in the area would be absolutely amazing.  2. New York City.  3. Hawaii or somewhere else really warm.


Want to know anything else?  Post your questions in the comments below!

A Review: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit is a wonderful introduction to Middle Earth, resonating with generations of people.  I re-read it for a class this past term and I loved it once again.  It's a fun and happy story, lacking some of the darkness that later appears in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I will say though that I've always had trouble reading Tolkien's writing.  Oftentimes he focuses, in my opinion anyway, on unnecessary things rather than the story itself.  I find The Hobbit lacks this extensive world building (to an extent) and focuses more on Bilbo's story which is much more enjoyable to me.  (Perhaps because it was written as a children's book it lacks these 'unnecessary' details?)

As always though, the story was a quick and fun read.  I'd recommend it to any age group as it has important themes and messages throughout that anybody can learn from.  If you haven't already, I'd say you should try reading it at least once - just so you know what you've been missing out of!

What did you think of it?  Let me know in the comments below!

Rated: 4/5

Reading Goals & Anticipated Releases

I don't know about you, but for me the new year is always time to set new reading goals. I love being able to use Goodreads (or just keeping track on my own) to know how many books I've finished in a year and which ones they were. Whether your own goal is to read one or one hundred books throughout the year there's no better feeling than once again being able to enter a new world. My own goal for the year is 75 books and you can all watch as I succeed (or fail!) to read them. Here's my reading breakdown for the year.

All of 2017: 75+ books

January: 7+ books

February: 5+ books

March: 5+ books

April: 5+ books

May: 7+ books

June: 7+ books

July: 7+ books

August: 7+ books

September: 7+ books

October: 7+ books

November: 7+ books

December: 7+ books

Hopefully I'll be able to stay on track with the schedule – I've given myself enough wiggle room to allow for some monthly goals not to be met which will probably be helpful for January-April. I have set up rewards for myself though which allow me to buy myself new books if I complete my goals. If you think you'll struggle with your own book goals, find a reward system that works for you to get in all those books you're itching to read!

Most Anticipated Releases of the Year:

Now that I've set my reading goals, here are my ten most anticipated YA releases of 2017. You just know that I'll be rewarding myself by buying some of these throughout the year:

1. Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
2. Missing by Kelley Armstrong
3. King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard
4. Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
5. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
6. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
7. Untitled Throne of Glass #6 by Sarah J. Maas
8. Untitled Falling Kingdoms #6 by Morgan Rhodes
9. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
10. Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

There are so many more but that would take way to long to list. Which books are you most looking forward to this year? And what (if any) book goals have you set for yourself? Let me know in the comments below!

A New Year & New Changes

Happy New Year everybody!

As we start to embark on this new year I'd just like to let you know that there will be some changes coming to the blog.  For those of you who regularly followed my posts you know that their timing was fairly inconsistent.  I initially set out to make new posts every day or almost every day.  Unfortunately, life does get in the way sometimes.  School was extremely busy this past term, leaving little time for anything else, and unfortunately I was not able to post nearly as much as I would've liked.

Since the upcoming term will be the end of my final year, and I'm taking extra courses, I'm likely to be pretty busy again.  So rather than trying - and failing - to post everyday, new posts will be every Sunday, probably between 3:00 and 9:00pm EST (a specific time will be nailed down when I have made enough posts to schedule their uploads in advance).

Thank you to those who have regularly been checking for new posts.  I'm hoping that this new system will allow me to continue uploading reviews for you guys while also allowing me to have plenty of time for my schoolwork.

Have a good week everybody and make sure to check back next Sunday for my next review!  If you have any requests just let me know and I'd be glad to look into doing that for you.  I hope you all have a great year!