Live More Than One Life

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games series, by Suzanne Collins, has become a national phenomenon.  And like all phenomenons, there is bound to be some controversy. In case you don't know anything about this series, it is about a futuristic country that includes the capitol and thirteen districts. There was a time when the districts rebelled against the capitol and to prove their power the capitol initiated something known as The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games requires two children, a boy and a girl, from each district to be put in an arena and fight to the death. The last child standing wins fame, fortune, and best yet- extra food for their district for that year.  One guess what the controversy is over... You got it. The kids killing kids part. And of course that is absolutely awful! But to me, that is kind of the point. It should shock you. It should make you stop and think. It should make you question your government instead of following along like a mindless robot. And I think the biggest lesson of all, is that kids should NOT hurt one another. It has been said that these books model our society- and I must admit, I agree. How many violent games are there? How many gangs involve too many kids? And remember how we are in the middle of a national bullying crisis? Violence has become socially acceptable in our society and I feel like these books kind of draw us out on that. These books teach, inspire, make you laugh, make you cry, and make you skip meals because you literally cannot put them down. Suzanne Collins is an amazing author and she deserves credit where credit is due. The movie is indeed incredible, but nothing beats the books. So read it and decide for yourself. And I would love to hear your opinion on this series!

“Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when it's morning again, they'll wash away
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.” 

Book Hangover

I experience this ALL the time!

The Shadow Children

Today I finished the seventh book of an amazing series called The Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. These series are set in the future after the country has experienced a major drought and famine with thousands of people starving to death. The government decided to pass a law that limits parents to have only two children. Luke however, is unfortunate enough to have two older brothers, making him a third child. It is illegal for him to be alive- so he has to stay in hiding for his entire life. If anyone sees Luke, both him and his family can be shot to death on the spot. Luke's whole life he has been living in fear of being discovered- until he meets another third child that is determined to do something about it. Third children are referred to as 'shadow children' because they aren't supposed to exist. This series is about these children's struggle for freedom.

These books are not very long and are definitely page turners making them fast, fun reads. I honestly couldn't  put them down and when I finished one of them I rushed to buy the next one. My husband was definitely ready for the Barnes and Noble charges that went on my Nook to stop, but I couldn't NOT finish the series. The were just too good. Read them, you won't be disappointed!

The Shadow Children Series in Order:
1. Among the Hidden
2. Among the Imposters
3. Among the Betrayed
4. Among the Barons
5. Among the Brave
6. Among the Enemy
7. Among the Free

The Beauty of Literature

Happiness

A Potter Generation

This blog of mine would feel pretty empty without a tribute to Harry Potter somewhere. We are the Harry Potter generation after all. No one else, past or present, can say that they grew up with Harry. The first book came out when I was ten years old, the last, when I was twenty. I was 14 when the first movie came out and 24 when the last movie hit theaters. These books and movies were one of the strongest influences in my world, at the time of my life when I was discovering who I was, while I was learning to leave my childhood behind and become an adult. Just like Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I really did grow up with them, and somehow, they became my friends too. Unlike some book fads that have gone around where everyone was jumping on the bandwagon left and right, Harry Potter is actually GOOD literature. J.K. Rowling is a genius! All of her twists and turns, and being able to connect the last book to the first one is incredible. You know she didn't just sit down and write the first book without thinking about how the rest of the series were going to turn out. I think she knew, or sort of knew, how it was all going to end by the first books publication. She is an amazing author that captivated not only audiences of all ages, but all over the world as well. Harry Potter has been published in over 200 countries and has been translated in over 65 languages! These books really are universally loved and cherished, and if you haven't read them yet, then now is the time to start. I promise you that you will get so much more out of the books than you ever can from the movies. Don't get me wrong, I love the movies, but the books are just so much more.... magical. 

"Whether you come back by the page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." -J.K. Rowling-

WE ARE THE HARRY POTTER GENERATION.

we defended the stone,

we found the chamber,

we freed the prisoner,

we were chosen by the goblet,

we fought alongside the order,

we learned from the prince,

we mastered the hallows.

WE OWE IT ALL TO J.K. ROWLING ♥ 

C.D. Quote

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.
-Charles Dickens-

Fire of the Covenant

If you read the first post of this blog you'll remember that I mentioned this book. Seeing as this book helped me out during one of the lowest points of my life, I think it deserves to be the first book recommendation of this blog. "Fire of the Covenant" by Gerald N. Lund is about the three LDS handcart companies in 1856 that  made their way across the wilderness to their new homes in Utah. This book illustrates not only the struggles, heartache, and trials that these brave pioneers had to face, but it also contains spirituality, the bond of families, and even includes a little romance in the mix. I fell in love with these characters and felt like I was right there along side of them pulling that dratted handcart across the prairie. It will make you laugh and cry, increase your spirituality, and make you VERY grateful for what you have. Don't let the size intimidate you- it's worth it. I promise.

Hello!

Welcome to my new blog! I have decided to start this blog because I wanted to have a place that is all about the book nerd in me. This blog will be my virtual Beauty and the Beast library- the library that I think the book nerd in all of us dreams of having one day. This blog will be filled with book recommendations, favorite quotes from authors, and everything book nerdy related. I already have so many post ideas that I don't even know where to begin! I guess the best place to begin is the beginning right? So here is my beginning..... 

It is my belief that my love affair for books began with my parents. I remember when I was little they would take me and my sister to the library and we would fill our arms full of as many books as we could carry. At night we would lay in bed while one of our parents would read to us. One of the best times was during Christmas. In the month of December my dad would bring out his collection of Christmas picture books and read them to us- it was always one of my favorite Christmas traditions. The love affair grew in Kindergarten when I unraveled the mysteries of letters and words for myself. Books opened up new worlds to me and I couldn't tear myself away from them. The first book I really remember falling in love with was The B.F.G. when my third grade teacher read it to our class. My favorite part of elementary was being able to go to the library and pick out books and hearing stories from our librarian, and sometimes if you were good you got to read in one of the bean bags. Then in Jr. High reading became a homework assignment and you had to read so many pages each term. I remember other kids complaining about having to read so much, but I was the kid that would have enough pages read for the entire year by the end of the first term. Then came the day where my parents had to ground me from reading because if I opened a book my other homework would get neglected. That's when my summers turned into major read-a-thons for me. When I was in high school things got pretty bad for me and I ended up going to a psychologist because of some suicidal thoughts that I had been having. After talking to me for a bit, my psychologist reached up on his shelf and took down a book and told me to read it. It was a church book called 'Fire of the Covenant', about the Mormon pioneers. This book saved my life in the most literal sense. I wish I could explain why exactly this book had such an impact on me, I have no idea. I think it's just because I knew that if the pioneers could go on, then so could I. Books can relate to you like no other family member or friend can. They can teach, comfort, inspire, and inform. So from Dr. Seuss to Harry Potter, books have been a constant companion and friend of mine. I love books. 

"A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend." 

-Author Unknown-