Thursday, December 26, 2013

Best Books of 2013- My Top Ten Reads

Wow, I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by. There've been sooooo many awesome books that I read from January until the end of this year. So many books that've touched my heart or stayed with me in some way. It was hard to choose just ten because I have a lot of favorites. But I've narrowed down my top ten faves of the year. In no particular order....






I read Find You in the Dark and damn did I devour that baby. It was such an addicting story. Ever since that book, I became obsessed with Clayton Reed and Maggie Mae Young. So when this book came out, I was allllll over this shit! Their story was so emotional and tragic and heartbreaking. They became one of my top favorite YA couples EVER! And they'll always remain at the top! Loved this book so damn much! But really, I loved this series as a whole with the same intensity. This is a MUST READ!













This book was amazing! I read it so quickly, like a day or two. I devoured this story. I loved and hated Jared. I loved Tate. I couldn't stand her best friend. I really just wanted Tate to toss her ass out. She was alot more forgiving than I would've been for the shit she put her through. But then that's just why I loved Tate so much. She saw past everyone's flaws, which is why she gave Jared another chance. I couldn't help but hate him for what he did to her, but I also couldn't help but love him. I'm such a sucker for assholes, can't help myself. LOL It's definitely a MUST READ in my book!





I'll admit, I was a little worried going into this book. I'd seen sooooo many reviews for it, and they were ALL positive. But why was I so worried then? Because, I'm not really a Dystopian fan. I just can't really get into some of them. Now The Hunger Games and Matched I loved. But other than that, not really. But wow, I was so surprised by how much I loved this book AND its sequel. SO amazing! The plot is unique and fascinating and just pretty damn awesome. I loved Perry and Aria to pieces. Both coming from different worlds, yet meeting and fighting to survive in the realms. It was pretty amazing. I loved seeing their relationship blossom as they depended on each other so much. They were beautiful characters that even in the sequel I was still in love with them, rooting for them the whole way through. And of course, add Roar to the mix. Ahhhhhh, so fantastic! If you like Dystopian, be sure to add this series to your list. You won't regret it! I'm impatiently waiting for the final installment, yet I don't want it to end either.





Well hell. I don't have a clue as to describe my love for this gem. I know so many that've read it and loved it like me. Most people I know have read it. But there are some that haven't yet experienced this tragically beautiful love story, and it's a travesty. This book tore my heart out and by the end, I was inconsolable. August Waters is a must-meet in my opinion. If you haven't met him, you're missing out. This story will stick with you for a long time. I can't say much without wanting to spoil it and then fall to my knees in sobs just thinking about it. As sad as it is, it's also inspiring and just amazing. I highly recommend it.







Holy shit! Noah fucking Shaw. Ummmmm, yeah. That explains it all. Or it should. Maybe not to those that haven't met this sexy SOB. Hot damn! When I first picked this up, or actually when I one-clicked this bitch, I started it right away, not meaning to. I just wanted to read the first chapter, maybe. And then I was gonna read more later. Nah, I wound up finishing half the damn book in a matter of hours. I was sucked in from the prologue. Wow. That book was both terrifying and addicting. But I loved every second of it. Every. Minute. Mara and Noah are an amazing pair and I devoured their whirlwind, chaotic relationship. But not only their relationship, the path they were led on, through the creepy ghostly encounters and the nightmares and the strange happenings. Yeah, as creepy as hell as it was, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Even looking around me being the scaredy cat that I am, I didn't care. I kept on reading, like a fiend. But oh so good it was. Ahhhhh, Noah Noah Noah. I freaking love you so much you sexy beast! Don't miss out on him! It's a crime against humanity. Truly.




What an amazing journey this series was. I loved each book so much, but I think Iron Queen was the best of them all. I was took on such an intense and crazy ride with this book. So much action and romance and humor with all the characters. I truly love how Kagawa writes. Her world is one I'd love to live in. Puck and Ash are amazing. I love them both but I especially loved how Ash opened up more with Meghan. He was always my choice for her. Puck is awesome but he, to me, was perfect as the comedic relief for them. I did feel bad for him though. I know he really loved her too and that sucked to see him sad knowing he lost her to Ash. But I really felt it was meant that way. I loved Grim the elusive cat. He's so awesome and funny and just a great asset to the story. I truly loved his quirks and sarcasm. I just loved him period. Really, the whole series is one of my top YA series EVER. I love Ash, Meghan, Puck, Grim, the Wolf. Everything about this series was amazing and perfect and I wanna read it all over again. If you haven't read The Iron Fey series, YOU MUST! Ash is a MUST meet bad boy hero! *sigh*



Oh boy! I read this in March of this year-actually I read the whole series in March. I devoured the first two Infernal Devices books in a few days. I didn't plan on reading it at all. They compete with The Mortal Instruments for my favorite series of ALL-TIME and I was afraid it would surpass TMI. Boy was I right. While I loved TMI, I LOVED TID more. It's basically the same world, just in the Victorian era. And I gotta say, AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! This series took me through so many emotions; I was laughing, swooning, crying, laughing, crying, and then sobbing. This book took me through all that TEN TIMES OVER. I was a mess by the end of this book. Clockwork Princess was an outstanding end to a fantastic series. Yeah, it hurt in so many places. I still can't get over certain parts and how it really ended. I could've done without the Epilogue. I wish I hadn't read that, but up until that point, I devoured this baby. I loved it so hard, lost so much sleep but it was worth it. I highly recommend this series! HIGHLY RECOMMEND. I still miss Will. He's still my top book boyfriend.




I loved Shatter Me. I saw a lot of reviews for those that didn't like the writing style. I found it to be pretty unique. When I started it, I was intrigued. I loved the slashing of lines and words. I'd never read a book like it. The plot was interesting and the characters really came to life for me. I loved Adam. He was a sweet guy and his love for Juliette was just right. Juliette was a great heroine. I felt for her and everything she went through. But she was strong and genuine and really grew up by the end of the book. Warner was an ass. I couldn't stand him. I really couldn't. I wanted him out of the picture. He got on my everlovin nerves. I felt Adam was the right choice for her, despite all the Warner lovers. I still stand by Adam. And when Ignite Me comes out next year, I hope to God Juliette ends up with him or I'll be pissed. Anyway, I recommend this series if you can overlook the slashes and repetitiveness.


Goddess by Josephine Angelini is the last book in the Starcrossed trilogy. I have to say, holy hell! I LOVED THIS! I was a fan of Starcrossed since I first read it two years ago. Hello? It's Greek Mythology with some hot gods in it. Lucas Delos. Ahhhh, I love that boy. He's such an amazing character. He's been my favorite since book 1 but in Goddess he really shines through. You see his emotions and how torn he is with dealing with Orion being interested in Helen. That's Lucas's love, not his. I was so irritated with Dreamless. I disliked that book, mainly because of the love triangle introduced. But in Goddess, it's not as bad. I start to like Orion by the end. I loved all the characters; Helen, Hector, Jason, Ari, Cassie, Noel, Castor, Kate, Jerry, Andy, Claire....the whole cast of characters are just wonderful. They each brought out something special to this story and the mythology. Angelini did an amazing job of weaving it all together. I highly recommend this series. That ending was awesome! The big battle against the Gods was badass! They all stuck together and showed those Gods who's boss. I miss this series, but with them all on my shelf, I know I can revisit them any time.




I loved this book! I loved Daniel and Lis. I loved how realistic this story was. I love the fact that I can relate to it in a way. I've experienced similar situation as Daniel and my heart broke for him. It's really tough being Daniel Colton. He's got a secret, but I'm not sharing since it'll spoil the story. But I'll just say, I enjoyed this book a lot. I read it and couldn't put it down. And when I had to, I was still thinking of this book and Daniel. My heart broke for him a bunch. But by the end, I was crying tears of happiness and love. It was beautiful! I know a lot of people quit reading it halfway through, but I think there's plenty that'll enjoy this book. It's definitely a favorite. Also, if you haven't read Berrick's The Education of Sebastian series, that's another I recommend.






Well there ya go. My Top Ten of 2013. And it wasn't an easy task. I read a bunch of great books this year, so choosing only ten was time-consuming and hardcore thinking for me. I hope you decide to read some of these, if you haven't read them already. I can't wait for the books of 2014 now. It's gonna be an awesome year of releases.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

***Remembering Paul Walker In My Own Way***




Paul Walker has passed away on Saturday, 4 days ago and I'm not over it. I still wanna believe it was all a fucked up dream and someone is gonna laugh in my face and say, "Gotcha you naive little bitch", in which case I'll deck that fucker into next year. But at least I'd smile that it was a joke (as sick as that'd be) and I'd be on my merry little way, excited for the next movie he'll play in. It's real though. He fucking died and I can't stop tearing up every time I think of it. Or watch the news. Or look at all of the facebook posts from everywhere. It's every where and I can't escape it. But damn. Paul Walker. Why him? He was such a young and talented guy. He had so much to live for. He was such a kind and generous man who you never saw on the news for alcoholism or drug abuse. But you saw how much charity he was involved in. How much he loved his daughter and how his face would light up at the mention of Meadow. He had so much planned for them two. And now, he won't get to. She's lost her father. And I can't help but sympathize with her. I know what it's like to lose a parent that young. Well, almost. Still, this is the worst time to lose a parent too.


Look at this face....


His eyes. They always got me. They're so gorgeous and expressive and beautiful and blue. I could get lost in those depths. Some might think I've gone off the deep end, and I feel like I have too. I just can't help but feel crushed, like I've lost a friend. Regardless if I've met him. I've been a Paul fan for 15 years so in a way, I feel like I have known him. And it hurts. I was devastated when I heard Cory Monteith and Heath Ledger died. I loved those two as well. But I think Paul's death affected me much worse because of the way he died. Not to mention, on the day of his death, he was at a charity event. A fucking charity event that HE chose to be a part of. All the good he did for people and yet, he lost his life. It just seems so unfair. I also feel horrible for his friend Roger. He lost his life too and his 8 year old son had to witness that tragedy, which will be branded in his mind for the rest of his life. I can't imagine witnessing something like that. He's gonna need help getting through it. I just pray that he's got enough support to heal his heart.

I love the Fast and the Furious movies. I've been a huge obsessor since day 1. I mean, damn, those movies rocked the house. Every single movie was bad ass and each one was more bad ass than the last. I even loved Tokyo Drift, which I didn't think I would being that Paul and Tyrese weren't in it. But I did. However, I loved the others more. Here's some of my favorite pics of Paul and the gang from the Fast and Furious movies.

















And I could go on and on. I love Paul Walker, as it's too obvious. But really, I just decided to do this blog post for myself so that I have my own favorite pictures and memories of him. I don't expect it to be seen, but if you happen upon it, feel free to share your own thoughts on Paul Walker and what your favorite movie was. I don't normally get all boohoo on celebrities. Although, I cry and pray for the families to get through their losses. But with Paul Walker, I've gone into a deep depression. But luckily I've spoken to a few other close friends that have been just as affected as me so I don't feel so weird. It was just a weird situation as I had an epiphany a few weeks ago about him. I think that's why I'm having a hard time accepting he's really gone. *sigh*


I'll share a few more pictures and memories and be done. 

Another favorite Paul movie: Eight Below. My daughter loves this movie. We watch it once a week. I doubt I'll be able to watch this movie again. Such a shame. 


 

 




She's All That





Joy Ride












Into the Blue






















Other pictures of Paul Walker because he was so God damn sexy. I'm gonna miss his gorgeous smile and amazing hair. And of course his eyes. I'm just gonna miss him. He was such a vibrant and happy soul.









Paul with his dog





I'm done. I can't post anymore pictures. I've already cried alot of tears. Rest. In. Peace. Paul. You'll be greatly missed and always remembered.
















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