Reading a Loved Book for a School Assignment

There is nothing that can compare to the joy one feels when they realize they get to read a book they have not only already read, but also love, in school. Unfortunately, that happiness comes crashing down after realizing that your classmates do not share your love, and how difficult it is to stop fangirling and start annotating. Well, I might be exaggerating a little, but still, it sucks to have to take a book you just want to relax with, and have to spend the whole time thinking about its deeper meaning! This is also weird for me, because I actually enjoy thinking about the deeper meaning in books, and I love writing English papers (I know, I might actually be crazy). Currently, I am reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (one of my favorite books of all time) for a school project and I can't help but notice how different my reading habits are. I look forward to reading it, but my annotating is essentially pointing out irony and sarcasm and then writing LOL next to every other line. I mean, I can't help it! That book is just so dang funny! I think it is interesting how we want to think about some books and others, we just want to entertain us. Luckily, absolutely nothing could ruin Jane Austen for me, and I am actually enjoying my project, but I can't help but wonder why we don't want to think academically about the books we love the most. Maybe it is because we are all too busy fantasizing about Mr. Darcy! Happy Reading! -Becca 

Books to Read When You Are Super Busy

Being busy is great until you realize that you have no time to read. And even when you do have time to read, you don't want to start a new book, only to have to put it back down. For me, throughout the school year is usually when I reread books because that way I am easily able to put it down. I also have some books that I just always read when I am busy because they calm me down. I hope that my recommendations help all of you busy people out and for those of you who aren't busy (I hate you) then these are just great books in general!

1. Basically My Only Reason To Live

Ah The Selection. What can I say, I really freaking love this book. Just glancing at the cover will calm me down. The other day, I was talking with one my friends in English class who loves this book and the feeling of just needing to reread The Selection crashed over me. I have this little ritual where I read books before bed and I usually rotate between easy, comforting rereads. So for about two weeks I read The Selection before bed every night and it was amazing. The Selection fits on so many of my book recommendation lists and I feel like I am cheating you guys out of new recommendations. Oh well, no one has complained yet, so I am just going to keep on including it. Back on topic, The Selection is great for when you are busy because while you will get sucked in, it is also very easy to put down and pick back up again. Also, it isn't scary or action pack, so you can easily fit in small portions of reading it before bed and in between work or classes. I would however recommend getting a hard cover copy because my soft cover is totally destroyed from reading it so many times! 

Fun Fact:
This is one of the first pictures I ever
took of books!

The Selection by Kiera Cass
My rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Other Posts Related To This Book: They Say the Sequel is Never as Good as the First 
Similar Books: Shatter Me (a girl with crazy powers fights against a crazy government and somehow finds the time to fall in love) Matched (Girl matched with her true love fights against yet another crazy government. Click here for spoiler free review!  )
Spoiler Free Review:
Kiera Cass brings a whole new story full of romance and fierce competition set in a dystopian world that readers won't be able to get enough of in The Selection. America is happy with her meager life as a five. She has her family, her music, and her secret boyfriend Aspen, who it seems might pop the question soon. So when an application for the selection shows up on her doorstep, there is no way she is going to jeopardize her happiness for the tiny chance of becoming the uptight Prince Maxon's plaything and the Princess of her country. When a course of events causes her to sign up, America is astonished to find she has been selected. Upon arriving at the castle, America has her heart set on going home, but the palace and the people in it, are not what she expects and she soon finds comfort in the arms of the last person she would have ever thought to look to. The Selection is one of my all time favorite books. I love the world that Kiera Cass has built and the characters she has brought to life. America Singer may be one of my least favorite characters in all the books I have read, but I love her for it! The romance in this book is so agonizing, as what is very obvious to the readers takes its time to appear to America. The plot in this book is very well done and works really well throughout the whole series. The character development is just so fantastic as we get growth from both major and minor characters that feels realistic and relatable. While the world is a little confusing at first, it is well explained and all questions are answered. An added bonus to Kiera Cass's writing is the witty humor she weaves throughout her stories! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and science fiction!

2. I Really Shouldn't Have to Remind you About This Book

Um yeah. Harry Potter rocks. Enough said. Just kidding, I could never be that brief about books! Harry Potter is great for when you are busy because most of us already know the story, so we can pick it up or put it down as needed. Also, there is a crap ton of Harry Potter fanfiction, so once you finish reading it, just hit up the fanfiction and continue the story. The only issue with Harry Potter is if I read it before bed it gives me really weird dreams, but that might just be me!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating:❤❤❤❤❤
Other Posts Related to this Book: Middle Grade Must Reads
Similar Books: Umm the rest of the series?
Spoiler Free Review:
If you haven't heard about Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling yet then you must be living under a rock! Harry Potter is miserable living at his Aunt and Uncle's house, where they treat him like a second class citizen. All he wishes is for his parents to have never died in the car crash that left him an orphan with a horrible lightning shaped scar. When unexplained things start to happen around Harry and a bunch of very resilient owls carrying letters arrive, Harry learns that he, and his family, are not quite as normal they seem. Harry is not only a wizard, but an extremely famous one at that, and before he knows it, he is being shipped off to Hogwarts, the magical boarding school for wizards. But when trouble starts to brew at Hogwarts, Harry must rely on his newly made friends to help him save the whole magical world. I love this book, which places me in the majority of readers! Harry Potter was a large part in starting the YA movement and genre, which is something I am extremely grateful for! The best part of these books is of course, the interesting plotline and the fantastic world that has been built. The writing itself is not difficult to read and the idea of good versus evil is nothing new, but the way the books are written is so entertaining that it makes you want to place it in the genius category. Perfect for readers of all ages, but I would recommend starting it when you are younger so you can be the same age as Harry. I never got that experience, but people who did said it made the books even better!

3. Everyone who hated this book now spend their time hating 50 Shades of Grey

It is amazing to me how many people hate Twilight without having ever read it. I really enjoyed Twilight just because it was very entertaining. Sometimes, we need a light read that is enjoyable, not complicated, and has a little bit of everything. For this reason Twilight, and the whole series, is great to read for when you are busy. You could easily pick it up, and put it back down, and just read it for 15 minutes a day. It is a great book for reading right before bed because the chapters tend to have nice ending points that work in around 15 to 20 minutes of reading. If you are a first time reader of Twilight, chances are you think you already know everything about the book due to spoilers, and I can tell you, it is a pleasant surprise to read it and find there are things the haters have left out. If you are a constant rereader, like myself, it is so easy to just pick this up and read it for a short while and then put it down and pick it up a month later. And if you find yourself hating it, then stop reading it and pick up one of the many other books on this list!

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
My rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Similar Books: Vampire Academy (Hot vampires and badass women fight the evil vampires) Bloodlines (Hot alchemists and badass women fight the evil vampires and other assorted evil beings. Click here for my spoiler free review!) 
Spoiler Free Review:
Love, hate, blood, vampires, hot people, a tiny, rainy town in Washington, and a perpetual klutz, what more could you want in a romance novel? Bella Swan has elected to leave her sunny home in Arizona for the rain and cold of Forks, Washington, to live with her father. The transition is just as horrible as she had imagined, made even worse by the mean, frightening, and stunningly beautiful Edward Cullen. As much as she tries to avoid him, Bella is drawn to Edward and his secrets-secrets that might just kill her. Lets face it, this book is not profound and it is not going to teach you anything. People like to scream how worthless it is at the top of their lungs. Well guess what? Twilight is not supposed to be profound, it is supposed to be entertaining. And oh boy is it entertaining! I first read Twilight in 7th grade and I could not put it down. I am being literal, I was in a play at the time and I would say my lines and sit on stage reading, which drove my teacher nuts! The plot is engaging and while slightly predictable (especially if you don't live under rock and have heard what happens), it doesn't make it any less interesting. The writing itself is not bad actually and the descriptive imagery is great. If you like vampires and you want something fun, pick this up!

4. And You Thought I Wouldn't have a Cassandra Clare Book on this List?

Honestly you can substitute any book in the Mortal Instruments series on this list. While I usually try and read them all in one sitting, I have found it is pretty easy to read them in small increments whenever you need a pick me up. I also love to put on the audiobook version of City of Glass or any of the Infernal Devices books while I am cleaning, because all of the fighting and action makes me appreciate the fact that all I have to do is clean instead of fight demons!

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
My rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Other Posts Related to this Book: Jace the Perpetual Damsel in distress , Spoiler Free Reviews for the Whole Mortal Instruments Series!
Similar Books: Other Cassandra Clare books! (and yes, you should read them all!)
Spoiler Free Review:
Readers will be whisked away into a new world of good vs evil in City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. 15 year old Clary Fray has had as typical of a life as you can ask for. Her overprotective mother makes her life difficult and her best friend Simon makes it easier. Then all in one fatefull night; she witnesses a murder she can't explain, her mother goes missing and she is thrown into the world of Shadowhunters, the mysterious guardians of humans from demons. With the help of an inscrutable and gorgeous shadowhunter named Jace and his gaggle of friends, Clary starts the adventure of a lifetime that will uncover all kinds of things about her past. Cassandra Clare takes old mythology to a new level in this book, creating a very interesting read. The characters in this book have great dimension and connections that keep readers intrigued and guessing for the whole novel. The plot of this novel and the foreshadowing into the past is so wonderfully confusing that it makes for such an amazing read. One of the best things about Cassandra Clare's writing is the easy going humor that so many fantasy and romance novels are lacking. I would say that Cassandra Clare is my favorite author of all time and the Mortal Instruments series is so fantastic! I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! If you find that City of Bones is a little slow, stick with it! The books get much, much better as they progress. Happy reading.