January 2015 TBR!

Hey there, readers and writers of the Internet!

So, I haven't been on here in basically, well, forever. But I'm back now. And it's a goal of mine to keep up book/writing blogging. I must!

Now, this post is all about 2015, you could say. I have a couple reading goals that I want to establish first.

1. Read 40 books.
2. Read 4 books over 500 pages.
3. Read 2 classics.
4. Re-read 3 books.
5. Read 1 play.
6. Read at least 2 trilogies.
7. Read at least 2 series.
8. Complete as many challenges pulled from the Reading Challenge 2015 (in pulling them from a jar)                  link to challenge: http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-Challenge-2015-36071458 


Now on to my January TBR (or for those of you who are new here, To Be Read)!

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
3. (a book that was became a movie (also a rereading of my favourite book!)) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Well, that's all from me today! What are your reading goals for 2015? What are you reading this month?

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Series: N/A
Page Count: 288
Review: 88/100, 4.5/5 Stars
Notes: Review may have spoilers.

NON SPOILER: If you have not read this book, I cannot recommend it enough. Honestly, it is so fantastic. Read it first then come back. Don't even read a summary or the blurb on the back, because that makes the book so much better. All you need to know about it is that it's about a girl who gets amnesia. Read this book :) 

This book had so many amazing aspects to it that I don't even know where to start.

The plot was beautiful. It flowed so nicely and always had something coming at you. There weren't any filler chapters that you had to trudge through, nor any dull scenes. The romantic interests were super neat. The way that Zevin was able to weave together the pasts (or the non-pasts) of Naomi and James in the way that both of their's were so untouchable was amazing.

Not many people could write this book, but Gabrielle Zevin did a beautiful job.

All of Naomi's interests were thorough, and her confusion about them after her losing her memory was heartbreaking and powerful.

I loved her relationship with Will and how much he knew about her and cared for her. It's the kind of friendship anyone would want.

I don't have any bad things to say about this book, but if I had to give some harder criticism, I would say that the relationship / fight going on with her mother could've been developed better. Especially when (SPOILER:  when she got her memory back,: SPOILER))  she could've dug deeper to find out more about why she didn't like her anymore.

Overall, this book was a fast-paced, beautiful read. (How many times will I be saying beautiful in this review?) I read it in two sittings (almost two and a half hours of reading total). It's the perfect book to read by the beach or out on the porch--even if summer is basically over. There aren't too many heavily emotional parts of the book, but some parts are a little sad and sometimes heavy, but that can be expected in every book.

I recommend this book to teenagers and to adults and to everyone. It's a really good book about finding yourself and knowing who you are and pushing through hard times.

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

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Series: N/A
Page Count: 236
Review: 90/100, 4.5/5 Stars


This book was so cute.

Of course, there were the problems that it was so horribly unrealistic that the fact that it was written and worked was cute and amazing in its own way. My initial thoughts about this book going in were that I wasn't going to like it because it takes place over 24 hours and they fall in love unrealistically, blah blah blah. I was definitely in for a surprise.

Goodreads synopsis:
"Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it."

This book made me smile so much. I read it on my Kobo on an airplane (how ironic), and highlighted so many quotes from it. I could not get enough of the random lines of dialogue or inner monologue that just made so much sense. They were the kind of passages that stick with you for when you need them most. 

I really liked this book because it was totally not what you expected. When I jumped in I thought it would be a cutesy love story solely revolving Hadley and Oliver and nothing else, and everything would just be fake and not like love. 

It so wasn't like that. 

This story touched on so much more. Smith got in depth in to the relationship between Hadley and her father, really giving a good understanding of how important certain people are in our lives and how we need to learn to forgive and forget. 

Though it was set over that 24-hour-period, there was no way it was rushed. Smith managed to take it at a normal pace, and it was so fantastic that it felt like weeks long instead of 24 hours. I really liked that about the writing. There was always time for everything. Aside from the occasional flashback we could have done without, the story flowed quite smoothly. 

I LOVED that it was not instalove too. Jennifer E. Smith handled it greatly in making the two fall in love slowly (I guess quickly), but surely. This entire book made me smile. And laugh and cry and all the emotions. I could not get enough of it. I have to pick up another book by Jennifer ASAP. 

This book gets a solid 4.5 Stars for having witty and real characters, lines that made me smile, meaningful scenes, and an amazing twist towards the end. I got through this book so fast. I loved it so much. 

It's a short read (perfect for slightly longer flights ;) to London perhaps??). You will fly through it. 

I recommend this story to the world. Honestly, it could not be any more perfect. 

**

Happy reading everyone!

~Sarah

Story Love

Hey everybody! Sorry I was gone for those couple days -- I went on a bit of a road trip and just got back today. Didn't read much (sadly), which is why there was a lack in reviews (or review) in these last couple days. I'll hopefully have one up very soon. Or at least this weekend. (I have another road trip tomorrow.)
Now, let's jump in to the topic of this blog.
Story love. The loving of the story.
For some writers, when they hear that (or see it), they most likely think of a story that they've written, come up with, or are in the midst of writing, that they absolutely love. I know that's the case with me.
When I think of story love, I think of my characters, their relationships together, their dialogue, their background stories, the plot of the story -- just everything. I think of the story that, once I get on a roll writing it, I never want to stop.
I had a moment of story love today. I was doing a NaNoWriMo word sprint that was 30 minutes long, and I wrote 1K words. I was also at a part in my story where the two main characters are starting to get to know each other and slowly fall in love, and all that jazz.
Anyways.
I love, love love love loved writing this scene between the two characters (Ember and Axel). It's the beginning of their relationship / friendship and all, and it's just cutesy and intimate and innocent and open and I love it. Of course, I wrote it in half an hour so it will all need to be reworked, but that's beside the point.
After writing this scene, I was on a sort of fictional high. I had this huge grin on my face, because, well --
I LOVE MY STORY!
I never really realized it before. I'm always thinking, yeah I'll get my words in for NaNoWriMo and all, but the story isn't good so I'll just drop it after. Maybe I'll rework it and try to rewrite it all another time. But now I'm realizing, I. Love. My. Story. And I wouldn't change the way it is for the world. Sure, it's terrible right now. But I am going to finish it, ignore my inner editor and any negative thoughts, and power through the story. I am determined to finish it and see how it goes. If I hate it, so be it. It's good practice.
And my unconditional story love will push me through it (even when I really hate my story).
My questions for you: Do you believe story love helps? Do you trust your story love to get you through your story? What story do you love the most--could be one that belongs to you or not?


<3 Sarah