Hey guys! Laila here!
I know, I know, it's been a while. I swear I've been meaning to write a blog post for a long time, but then I went into a reading slump (it happens to the best of us, okay? Don't judge me) and then I went on vacation and then I had A LOT of work to do (Word to the wise: If you ever think it would be a good idea to take 2 subjects in the summer while going to volleyball practice five day a week, don't.) so I never really got the chance. But, I had a a bit of free time today (Well, not really. I should actually be studying for a test tomorrow, but you guys are more important) so I thought I'd come out of my hole and whip something up for you.
So I'm gonna be doing... THE TAYLOR SWIFT BOOK TAG! Now, if there's anything I love as much as books, it's Taylor Swift. Ask anyone who's ever met me and they'll tell you how obsessed I am with her. So when I found out about this brilliant tag that was created by The Book Life (you can check out her original video here) I knew I had to do it even though no one tagged me (again.)
Song #1: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
"For ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ pick a book (or book series) that you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with."
My choice is:
The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner
The Maze Runner was a magnificent book. It was action-packed, clever and had lots of awesome characters. Its sequel, The Scorch Trials, was the same thing. So I had very high expectations for the final book in the trilogy, The Death Cure, but like I said before in the
Book Sacrifice tag, it was a huge let-down. I kind of liked The Kill Order, which is the prequel to the trilogy, but unfortunately, the damage that The Death Cure had done was irreparable.
Song #2: Red:
" For ‘Red’ pick a book with a RED cover."
The Elite by Kiera Cass
Just look at the pretty cover! I could literally keep staring at this cover, and the covers of the other two books in the series, forever. The Elite is the second book in The Selection trilogy by Kiera Cass and is actually my least favorite book in the series. America (Yep, that's the protagonist's name) had been pretty annoying in The Selection, but she took it to a whole other level in The Elite. Plus, I was pretty sick of love triangles. But I couldn't put down any of these books and I quite enjoyed this series. So even if The Selection isn't anything special, it's still worth checking out.
Song #3: The Best Day
"For ‘The Best Day’ pick a book that makes you feel nostalgic"
My choice is:
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickets
I read this series in the 7th or 8th grade and I absolutely adored it. It's hilarious and depressing at the same time and I just couldn't get enough it. I read all 13 books in the series and loved everything about them (except the ending which was so freaking frustrating!)
Song #4: Love Story
"For ‘Love Story’ pick a book with forbidden love"
My choice is:
Helen and Lucas from the Starcrossed trilogy by Josephine Angelini
Helen and Lucas are just adorable. Unfortunately, they're also starcrossed lovers (hence the title) so every time they find a way to be together, something new pops up and keeps them apart. The romance in this series really is addicting and the story is about Greek mythology, which is the best thing ever. This is seriously one of my favorite series of all time and if you haven't read it yet, go read it at once OR ELSE! (Just kidding... no I'm not)
Song #5: I Knew You Were Trouble
"For ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ pick a book with a bad character you couldn’t help but love."
My choice is: If you haven't read Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan or seen the movie
S
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Luke Castellan from Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
I knew Luke was going to be a villain from before I read the book because I had seen the er... not-so-great Lightning Thief movie first (I think that's the only part they got right) and I loved him anyway. He's such a great character it's impossible to not like him. And if you still don't love him by the end of The Lat Olympian then you're either heartless or you're lying.
Song #6: Innocent
"For ‘Innocent’ (written b/c of Kanye West!) pick a book that someone ruined the ending for."
My choice is:
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Curse you internet! I was still a newbie to twitter when I was reading The Hunger Games trilogy and I didn't know that people on twitter have no problem spoiling an entire series in just 140 characters. I was so excited about these books I followed tons of tribute accounts and one scroll through my timeline made me find out about the two major deaths that happen in Mockingjay. That didn't make them any easier, though, and I still cried like a baby.
Song #7: Everything Has Changed
"For ‘Everything has changed’ pick a character from a book who goes through extensive character development."
My choice is:
Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
There really is no better way to see a character develop that by seeing them as they actually grow up. Liesel has a remarkable, if somewhat tragic childhood and I loved getting to see how that helped shaped her character. I enjoyed seeing how the people around her, like her adoptive father Hans, Max, the Jew that hid in her basement, or the mayor's depressed wife, Ilsa Hermann, helped shape her personality and her perspective on life. And I especially loved how how we got to see her learn to read just a few words, and then start to read full books, until she even started writing a book herself!
Song #8: You Belong With Me
" For ‘You Belong With Me’ pick your most anticipated book release"
My choice is:
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
In case you couldn't already tell, I am in love with any and everything that has to do with Percy Jackson. Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus are my favorite book series of all time. The highlight of my year is when the latest book in the series comes out. So while it makes me unbelievably sad that my favorite book series is going to end I still can't wait to get my hands on The Blood of Olympus.(Thankfully, there's still the third Percy Jackson/ Kane Chronicles crossover to look forward too.) It actually comes out October 7th, a day before my exams start. Looks like I'm going to fail this semester.
Song #9: Forever and Always
"For ‘Forever and Always’ – Pick your favourite book couple"
My choice is:
Percy and Annabeth from Percy Jackson and the Olympians/ The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
(Shoutout to
Viria and
juliajm15 for drawing beautiful fanart that makes me want to cry.)
Don't tell me you didn't see that one coming. I know this is my third Percy Jackson answer, but how could I resist? Percabeth will forever and always be my OTP. They are just so perfect together it's unbearable (in a good way, of course.) I mean, if the girl saying, "You drool when you sleep," to the guy the first time they meet isn't a sign that they'd be the cutest couple in existence, I don't know what is.
Song #10: Come Back, Be Here
"For ‘Come Back, Be Here’ pick the book you would least like to lend out, for fear of missing it too much."
My choice is:
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling
Of course I'm a sane human being and I love love love all of the Harry Potter books, but Deathly Hallows in particular has a very special place in my heart. It was the first Harry Potter book I read. I bought it right after I saw The Half Blood Prince movie and I couldn't bear to wait for the next movie to come out to know what would happen next. Because I hadn't any of the previous books, I had no idea this book was going to be that mind-blowing. I was amazed by this book and I just had to read the entire series. If I could pick only one book to read for the rest of my life and never get bored, it would be this one. I could never bear to let anyone take this book from me for even a second.
Now these are all the questions from the original tag, but the lovely Katytastic added two bonus questions in her
video, so I'm going to answer them too.
Song #11: Teardrops on My Guitar
"For Teardrops on My Guitar, pick a book that made you cry a lot."
My choice is:
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
If you've read this book then you understand how I feel. Never in my life have I read a book as heart-wrenching as this one. If you love the Divergent series as much as I do, then nothing can prepare you for the heartbreak you'll feel when you read Allegiant. A lot of people didn't like this book, but surprisingly, I did. I understood why what happened had to happen and it made me appreciate this series even more than I already did. I remember that when I read Allegiant I sobbed so hard, my dad kept trying to pull the tablet I was reading the book on out of my hands and he kept telling to take a break. I was so sad, I kept tearing up out of the blue in class for the next few days. I',m still not over this book, and I don't think I ever will be.
Song #13: Shake It Off
"For Shake It Off, pick a book that you love so much, you just shake off the haters."
My choice is:
The Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin
I loved The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer from the first page. The plot was very intriguing and I was confused the entire time, but I didn't even mind. Mara was amazing and Noah was very very dreamy, even though he was a bit of a cliché (dark-haired, blue-eyed, filthy rich and has an English accent. Pretty much the standard love interest in most YA books these days.) The Evolution of Mara Dyer was even better even though it ended in a horrible cliffhanger (Michelle Hodkin, why do you hate me? What did I ever do to you?) The Retribution of Mara Dyer should have come out October 22nd 2013, but its release date was pushed back to NOVEMBER 4TH 2014, so I've been waiting a very long time for this book and my patience is growing thin. Anyway, I was shocked to see these books getting so many bad reviews. I don't get why anyone would hate these books, but I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinions, which is why I'm going to keep enjoying this series and I won't care what people say because the haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate...
Everyone knows 13 is Taylor Swift's lucky number
So I just couldn't resist adding a 13th question.
Song #13: Never Grow Up
"For Never Grow Up, pick a children's book/ book series that you'll never be too old for"
My choice is:
The Nancy Drew (All New) Girl Detective series by Carolyn Keene
I owe Nancy Drew everything. If it hadn't been for this series I don't think I would've loved reading as much as I do now. I remember my mom would go buy me a bunch of Nancy Drew books and I'd finish them all in only a few days. I was addicted to them and I'd feel like the smartest person in the world if I guessed the right culprit before Nancy, Bess, George and Ned solved the case. I have dozens of Nancy Drew books on my shelf and I won't ever even think about parting with them. I read one every once in a while and I fall in love with them all over again. I haven't read any of the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories yet, but I plan to because Nancy Drew will always be my favorite thing in the world.
I hope you enjoyed reading this tag as much as I enjoyed doing it. Go on and do this tag too because trust me, it's a lot of fun. Sorry if this post is a bit too long, but hey, I've been gone for a while, so cut me some slack. I promise I won't go MIA like I did before and I'll try to post more often. Hopefully, there's gonna be lots of reviews coming soon.
