Why We Really Need Diverse Books

Almost 4 years ago, I wrote a post on how I wanted to see books that had teens struggling with chronic illness. It is a part of my story and I obviously want to read more close to mine or different. I have taken the advice of some of the people and began to write these books.

I am just one of the many stories in the world. We each experience life in such a different way. We all have different childhoods. We each think about school in a different way. Some of use are Caucasian, African American, Asian, Hispanic, mixed-race, or a completely different one that I am missing. Some of us were born female or male and some have a different gender identity then what they were  born with or don't have one. There are also variances in sexual preferences and many more aspects of a person. These all matter, because people matter.

Since studying English in a formal university setting, I have learned that the cannon is created by the books that are written. We are able to see aspects of Greek culture, because of the Plays and Epics that they left behind. The same goes to Beowulf and many more pieces of work. They show us a piece of history. Hopefully we can leave the same for our ancestors, but like those Greek plays, many marginalized groups are being left out. I think that it is important to represent everyone well. If they are unable to do this, we are failing them, not as just readers, but also as writers. People need to be able to find ourselves and the people that we love in the pages of books. 

A Reflection on Reading and Coping

I have been open about the fact that I have been struggling with being sick, since before this blog was ever created. Part of the reason that I started this blog is that I needed not only an outlet talk to, but I had to transition from being whole to being cracked with an illness that was out of my control. Since I woke up in the most intense pain of my life, it has been over seven year and I can't remember what it was like to be pain free or healthy.
Reading helped me a lot, because I made decisions at sixteen that some people will never have to make. It made the darkness that cloaked me into a tiny ethereal aspect of my life. The reason that this post if being written is the If I Stay trailer came out and I can remember that time that I picked up that book. I was so afraid. I dropped out of high school in October 2008, because my migraines and pain were too much. Most of my body was stressed, which caused more pain to come. I was also starting the year long process of Physical Therapy to learn how to walk again.
I remember begging my mom to take me to Barnes and Noble to get Willow and If I Stay and both were not there. Luckily we went to the Liberty Bay Books and they had it. I devoured it in one sitting and Mia's pain took me away from the reality that I was facing. It allowed me to think about how I was isolating myself, because of the pain that I thought that I earned for not being a better person. Books have a power to bring me back to the moment of reading on the old fake leather couch that my mom gave away ages ago. I remember the tears as I turned the pages and how I slowly fell in love with Adam from Mia's point of view.
Now I don't think about the pain, but the words that I read and the places that they took me. Reading still helps me cope, even though the pain has become more of a dull reminder that I'm imperfect and I don't always feel as strong physically as I am mentally, but I am. This is just a long post to remind me that books stick with me and so that I can post the trailer.

Let me know what you think of the trailer in the comments, if you can type through the tears.

I am participating in...

Hey everyone!
For the next week, I will be participating in Booktube-A-Thon. It is hosted by Ariel Bissett and  Raeleen from Padfootandprongs07. It last from July 15th to the 21st. There are a few challenges, which are:
1) read an average of 300 pages a day
2) read a book with over 500 pages
3) re-read one book
4) finish a series/trilogy
5) read a book that's been on your shelf forever
6) listen to an audiobook
7) read a classic


Here is the video that I made:
The Possible Books are:
Twelfth Night by Willian Shakespeare
Violet in Private by Melissa Walker
The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkins
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Altered by Gennifer Albin
Horde by Ann Aguirre
This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schnieder

Anyways, is anyone else participating?
I hope to get some reading done! I'll let you know how it goes on Monday.
Best wishes, Sarah!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Best/Worst Movies

So I went a bit overboard on this list, so there are 12 best and 8 worst. I really enjoy movies and books, so I thought of a lot of them. I tried to add a few trailers and it didn't work out sadly.
Best:
1. The Harry Potter Series (2001-2011)
This series is what should happen when they make a series of film. I grew up on this series and loved it. Daniel, Rupert, and Emma will forever by my Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
2. The Hobbit/ Lord of The Rings Trilogy (2001-Forthcoming)
Peter Jackson makes J.R.R. Tolkien's books into such a remarkable world. I loved it so much.
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Stephen Chbosky made his novel into such a great movie and it embodied the spirit of the book. I am slightly obsessed with Logan Lerman, so this only causes me to love it more as he portrays Charlie. Ezra Miller, Emma Watson, and Mae Whitman co-star and I love them too. 
4. The Great Gatsby (2013)
Baz Luhrmann makes over the top and colorful movies that are full of energy. Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan star. It captured the book so well. I also adore the soundtrack so much.
5. Wuthering Heights (2011)
This is the first adaption directed by a woman and I think that she captures the book so well. James Howson and Kaya Scodelario are amazing is this film.

6. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
This movie is just amazing and such a classic. Gregory Peck is just stunning.
7. Never Let Me Go (2010)
I adore this movie and this book so much. It has Kiera Knightly, Carey Mulligan, and Andrew Garfield starring.
 8. The Hunger Games (2012)
I love this book and found the movie to be really well made. Plus it has Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawerance with a lot more of amazing cast.

9. Atonement (2007)
I adore this movie, which I know a lot of people don't like. I felt it was truthful to the plot and the cast is amazing
.
  10. Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging (2008)
This movie is so funny, which is how the books are. I love Georgia.
11. Now is Good (2012)
It is a bit different than the book, but I really enjoyed it. The soundtrack is perfect.
12. Gone With the Wind (1939)
This movie is as epic the book and just as long
 
Worst:
1.The Golden Compass (2007)
This movie makes me so angry when I think about it. I love the series and book, but it was majorly screwed up in the plot.
2. The Twilight Saga (2008-2012)
These movies are just so bad.
3. The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
I loved this book, but not this movie.
4. Flowers in the Attic (1987)
It is the type of bad that you watch for laughs.
5. The Great Gatsby (1975)
It is not bad, but not as good as it should be.
6. War of the Worlds (2005)
It doesn't even follow the book at all and it is so bad.
7.  Gulliver's Travels (1996)
It is just so bad.
8. Stephen King’s The Shining (1997)
Why did they even remake this movie? The first one was perfect.

Books, Pages and A lot of Math (for me)

I was on Goodreads and decided to break down the page counts to see how much time I approximately spent reading per year.I read about 40-100 pages an hour, so I used that to get a range for how many weeks per year are spent on just reading.

I also wanted to look at page length to see how I am averaging in general.  I have only been keeping track of my reading since 2008, so I began there with the data.

In 2008, I read 103,909, which equate to between 6.1 to 15.4 weeks spent on reading. I also averaged 284.7 pages per book.

In 2009, I read 65,795 pages, which equates to between 3.9 to 9.8 weeks spent on reading. I averaged 300.4 pages per book.

In 2010, I read 47,091 pages which equates to between  2.8 to 7 weeks spent on reading. I averaged 303.8 pages.

In 2011, I read 39,540 pages which equates to between 2.3 to  5.8 weeks spent on reading. I averaged 326.77 pages per book.

In 2012, I read 43,713 pages, which equates to 2.6 to  6.5 week spent on reading. I averaged 408.5 pages per book.

So far in 2013, I have read 17,011 pages, which equates to 1.01 to 2.5 weeks.  I have averaged 340.2 pages per book so far. About 40% of the year is over, so my estimated total at this rate would be around 2.5 to 6.25 weeks. This means I am in between the pace for 2011 and 2012, which seems logical, since 2011 is when I began college.

Anyways, this is a very random post, but I found it really interesting. 

Top Ten Tuesday

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly event hosted at The Broke and Bookish.

This week’s topic:

Top 10 Books We’d Quickly Save If Our House Was Going To Be Abducted By Aliens (or any other natural disaster…)

1. My engraved bible: I was given this book after I was baptized and even though my fate isn't as strong as it used to be. I remember getting presented it when I was thirteen and feeling a magical connection to it. Every time, I open it, it reminds me of Bible School and Church Camp that made up the first fourteen years of my life.
2. My hardback copies of the Harry Potter: I have read these books several times and the story means the world to me. There is also the fact that this set of books are the books that I read the story from the first time and I would be so sad to love those memories.
3. Before I Die by Jenny Downham: This book has a lot of personal significance and means a lot to me. I would be so sad to lose the very different memories that surround this book.
4. All of my John Green Books: I really love these books and they are all signed. I love the connection that I have formed to the characters and the plot inside of the story.
5. My Dr. Suess books: There were some of the first books that I was able to read by myself. My siblings shared this with me and it is a type of bond that I don't want to forget.
6. Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler (All  of the copies): I have an arc and a finished copy. My name appears in both of them, which means a lot to me. I would feel so depressed if these were to disappear, because the finished copy is signed and it means a lot to me.
7.  The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen: I adore Sarah Dessen and would want at least one of her books. This copy is also signed and a gift from a great friend of mine. I would feel horrid if I lost it.
8. Feed by MT Anderson: This was the first of many books that I earned from my library for reading twenty hours over the summer. I love the story and it also has a few letters written on the flap by mom, when she thought that I was going to die. That obviously means the world to me.
9. My Scott Westerfeld books: The books are all signed and have memories implanted in them. Like cutting in a signing line, because you have crutches again. They are also funny and smart books that would distract me.
10. My photo albums: These pictures span twenty years of bad haircuts, poor fashion choices, and friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime. I would be so depressed to have my memorable moments disappear. 
I would probably shove my bookshelf of signed book out of my room, because this doesn't even cover half of the books that mean a lot to me.

Top Ten Tuesday

I decided to participate in the "Top Ten Tuesday" feature hosted by The Broke and Bookish. I like making list and such. This week's topic is topic is TBR Pile in the fall. This is in no order and just went with what came first, since my mind is very indecisive.
10. Every You, Every Me by David Levithan: Two of my best friends love anything David and it sounded really interesting, when he talked it about at a signing.
9. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: This books sounds amazing and I kind of love this cover.
8. Shatter Me by Tahreh Mafi: This book also sounds amazing and I have only hear great things about it.
7. The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare: I really enjoy Cassie's book and found the first book of this series to be awesome.
6. As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott: I love Elizabeth Scott and have enjoyed her books a lot. This one sounds so amazing.
5. How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr: I love Sara Zarr's books too and it sounds really epic.
4. Shut Out by Kody Keplinger: I really liked Kody's first book and it sound amazing. There is also a lot of buzz going on for it and I want to read it like now.
3. The Pledge by Kimberly Derting: This book sound really great and there has only been good buzz so far. Derting's first two books were amazing too. Can I just read this now?
2. Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey: I have heard amazing things about this book and really want to read it.
1. Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz: I have been reading this series for several years and can't wait to read this book. I loved these books.

In My Mailbox (Week of August 7th)

For Review:

Between by Jessica Warman

Return to Exile by E.J. Patton

Dark Parties by Sara Grant

In My Mailbox (Week of June 26th)

Bought:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Gifted:
Nook Touch and case.

Ebooks(From Galley Grab or Netgalley):
Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
Past Perfect by Leila Sales
Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitiz
Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst
Spellbound by Cara Lynn Schultz
Legacy by Cayla Kluver

For review:
And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlina Tibensky
Away by Teri Hall
Stay With Me by Paul Griffin
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

In My Mailbox (Week of June 19th)

For Review:

Wolf Storm by Dee Garretson

The Babsitter Murders by Janet Ruth Young (Teen Book Scene)

Bought:

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

In My Mailbox (Week of June 5th)

Bought:
Pretend You Love Me & She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not by Julie Anne Peters.
Neverwhere & Stardust by Neil Gaiman
You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

Given to by Secret Garden Books:
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

For Review:
Legend by Marie Lu
Crush Control by Jennifer Jabaley & Swag
All That You Desire by Kirsten Miller
Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

Won from Hilary Wagner:
I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer
Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner
The Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zinc
The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker
Breakaway by Andrea Montalbano
Time Riders by by Alex Scarrow
Monkey See, Monkey Do by Erin Soderberg
Strings Attached by Judy Blundell
The Kissing Game by Aidan Chambers
The Deadlies by Kathryn Lasky

In My Mailbox (Week of May 29th)

For Review:

Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess
Lauded by critics and authors for her heartbreakingly real heroines, Laura Wiess brings readers another devastating tale of betrayal and redemption rich with the raw emotion that made Such a Pretty Girl a classic.
How can you make someone love you when they won’t?
And what if that person happens to be your mother?
Sayre Bellavia grew up knowing she was a mistake: unplanned and unwanted. At five months shy of eighteen, she’s become an expert in loneliness, heartache, and neglect. Her whole life she’s been cursed, used, and left behind. Swallowed a thousand tears and ignored a thousand deliberate cruelties. Sayre’s stuck by her mother through hell, tried to help her, be near her, be important to her even as her mother slipped away into a violent haze of addiction, destroying the only chance Sayre ever had for a real family.
Now her mother is lying in a hospital bed, near death, ravaged by her own destructive behavior. And as Sayre fights her way to her mother’s bedside, she is terrified but determined to get the answer to a question no one should ever have to ask: Did my mother ever really love me? And what will Sayre do if the answer is yes?
I adored her other books. So excited to read this one.

Bought:

Luna by Julie Anne Peters

For years, Regan's brother Liam has been nursing a secret. By day, he is Liam, a passably typical boy of his age; at night, he transforms himself into Luna, his true, female self. Regan loves and supports her brother and she keeps his Liam/Luna secret. Things change, though, when Luna decides to emerge from her cocoon. She begins dressing like a girl in public; first at the mall; then at school; then at home. Regan worries that her brother's transgender identity is threatening her own slippery hold on normalcy. This serious, powerful teen novel was a National Book Award finalist for Young People's Literature.

This book sound really interesting.

Keeping you a Secret by Julie Anne Peters

As she begins a very tough last semester of high school, Holland finds herself puzzled about her future and intrigued by a transfer student who wants to start a lesbigay club at school.
Peters is coming to Seattle next week. I really liked this book when I read it.

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace

Tonight was so much worse than anything before it. Tonight he didn't stop after the first slap.
At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved — and needed. Ann can't recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor's rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything — and everyone — in its path.
This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.
I have already read this book and it was epic.

My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher
Vanessa is wise beyond her years. She's never really fit in at school, where all the kids act and dress the same. She's an artist who expresses her talent in the wacky colors she dyes her hair, her makeup and clothes. She's working on her biggest art project, and counting the days until she's grown up and can really start living. That adult world seems closer when Vanessa gets her dream job at the art supply store, Palette, where she worships the couple who runs it, Oscar and Maye. And she's drawn to a mysterious guy named James, who leads her into new, sometimes risky situations. Is she ready for this world, or not
Really excited for this book. I loved her last books.

In My Mailbox (Week of May 22nd)

For Review:
Who What Wear by Olivia Bennet
Populazzi by Elise Allen
Luminous by by Dawn Metcalf
The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
The Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
Deadly Cool by Gemma Holiday
Don't Breathe A Word by Holly Cupala
My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Possess by Gretchen McNeil
Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
Frost by Marianna Baer

Bought:
The Last Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
Spells and Illusions by Aprillynne Pike
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Bumped by Megan McCaffery
Die For Me by April Plum

In My Mailbox (Week of May 15th)

Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray
Meet Ophelia: a blonde, beautiful high-school senior and long-time girlfriend of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. Her life is dominated not only by her boyfriend's fame and his overbearing family, but also by the paparazzi who hound them wherever they go. As the devastatingly handsome Hamlet spirals into madness after the mysterious death of his father, the King, Ophelia rides out his crazy roller coaster life, and lives to tell about it. In live television interviews, of course.
Passion, romance, drama, humor, and tragedy intertwine in this compulsively readable debut novel, told by a strong-willed, modern-day Ophelia.
I love the play of Hamlet and Ophelia is one of my favorite characters, So, I am really excited to read this one.

In My Mailbox (Week of May 8th)

For review:
Secrets by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur
So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev
The Apothecary by Malie Meloy
Gift from Bailey at IB Book Blogging:
Lots of Swag
Abandon by Meg Cabot
Bought:
Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin

Catching Up Readathon

I decided to do the Catch Up Readathon, because I am 3 books behind for my goal of 200 books this year. I want to read about ten books this weekend and since this started yesterday, I think it is definitely possible. This Readathon is hosted by Kristin at Bookworming in the 21st Century, and you can join right now.

My Progress:

1. Paradise by Jill S. Alexander (Read)

2. Enclave by Ann Aguirre (Currently Reading)

In My Mailbox (Week of March 20th)

For Review:
White Cat by Holly Black
Red Glove by Holly Black
My Life, The Theater, and Other Tragedies by Allen Zandoff
Family by Micol Ostow
A & L Do Summer by Jan Blazanin
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
Carmen by Walter Dean Myers
Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt and Other Things that I Learned in Southern Belle Hell by Crickett Rumley
Stay by Deb Caletti
Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt
Given by Peace, Love, and Teen Fiction:
Through The Night by Lynette E. Theisen
Bought:
Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
The Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda
Dark Goddess by Sarwat Chadda

In My Mailbox (Week of March 6th)

Bought:
The Iron Thorn by Catlin Kittredge
Bloody Valentine by Melissa De La Cruz
Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Molton
The Keys to the Repository by Melissa De La Cruz

For Review:
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
Unnatural by Michael Griffo
Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
Shadow Walker by Brent Hartinger
Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith
Love Ya Like a Sister by Tom Kelper

In My Mailbox (Week of February 27th)

Bought:
The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
For Review:
The Jane Austen Handbook by Margaret C. Sullivan
Women Know Everything by Karen Weeks
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Betrayal by Lee Nichols
Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams
Teen Book Scene Tour:
Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer

In My Mailbox (Week of April 18th)

Books I got this week:
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Nice and Mean by Jessica Leader
The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson
One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
Shade by Jeri Ready Smith
The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells
Shadow Boxing by Sherie Posesorski
Summer of Fire by Karen Bass
Fishtailing by Wendy Phillips
The Clearing by Heather Davis(This is for Erica, since she was plotting ways to steal it when I got it. So I got it when I went to a Heather Davis's signing. I also got some swag, which is at my mommy's house.)