Image Credit: My Tiny Obsessions

Yay! A tag that I was actually tagged in! Woohoo!

I’m so sorry this post is so incredibly late. But, better late than never?

I was tagged by Not-so-modern girl. Please check out her blog – She’s awesome!

This tag was originally created by Jill at Rant and Rave About Books!

Here’s the link to the original post where I was tagged:

• The Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag

The Rules

• Choose 5 books.
• Randomly set up your books in order.
• Flip to a random page in the book and write the first two names you see.
• Then, put the names in the categories listed below in the order you saw them (don’t peek!! )
• Cry about how screwed you are!
• Tag some more people to join in the fun!

My Books

1. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead
2. The Whistler, John Grisham
3. Go Set A Watchman, Harper Lee
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling
5. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

The first person to die …

Cora from The Underground Railroad. No, crap, that’s a huge bummer! She’s the central character in her book, and she’s incredibly brave and smart!

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The first person you trip up to escape the zombies …

Michael from The Underground Railroad. I’m sure it was an accident! Now I feel bad.

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The person that trips you to get away from the zombies … 

Lacy from The Whistler. This actually makes sense. She’s the central character in her book, and I can totally see her doing this! As an investigator with the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct (BJC), she’s super smart, and willing to do anything to save herself.

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The team idiot …

Michael from The Whistler. He’s the boss in his book, which naturally comes with some idiotic characteristics.

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The brains of the group …

Atticus from Go Set A Watchman. This – This I agree with! He’s a lawyer, and a pretty good one. I like this!

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The team medic …

Calpurnia from Go Set A Watchman. Another one I’m honestly okay with. She’s a strong woman and helped take care of Atticus’s children after their mother died. So, I know she dealt with many an injury while helping raise Jem and Scout. My confidence is building!

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The weapons expert …

Harry from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. YES! This is awesome. He is a wizard, and, come on, he helped form and train Dumbledore’s Army. I’m very happy about this. He can use his wand to do almost anything.

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The team brawler …

Hagrid from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Another excellent choice. The man is a beast, and very intimidating! I know that he wouldn’t want to hurt anyone intentionally, but I know that he won’t back down, either.

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The first to turn into a zombie …

Gatsby from The Great Gatsby. I’m not really sad about this. Gatsby’s story ends up very sad in his book, so we’d might as well get it over with early on.

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The team leader …

Daisy from The Great Gatsby. This is possibly the worst. Ever. Daisy is so self-absorbed and flirty. I would glad pick ANYONE ELSE. If her character existed in modern times, she’d be making duck faces and taking selfies most of the time, and always worried about her makeup. She’d be totally distracted! Not awesome if you’re tasked to be team leader. Sigh.

Well, I don’t have a totally terrible team. I think we’d make out okay, although I’m pretty sure Daisy would become a zombie right after Gatsby, and the rest of us would have to fend for ourselves. Regardless, I think we’d end up surviving.

This was really fun! I liked this challenge!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Tiana @ The Book Raven

Tiana is an awesome blogger! Most of you know that I love books, so I was immediately drawn to her blog. Please check out The Book Raven!

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Here’s the original link to the tag:

• Dreamy Book Covers Tag

The Rules:

1. Thank the lovely person who tagged you, spread the love!

2. Mention Tiana @ The Book Raven as the (insert adjective here) creator of this book tag!

3. Use the original tag image in your post. (However, feel free to add whatever other graphics your heart desires!)

4. At least tag one fellow blogger for this tag. Even if you’re like me sometimes and feel a bit lazy

5. List the rules.

The Tag:

“No Ideas But in Things” A book cover that perfectly expresses the novel inside it

Image Credit: Veronica Roth – blogger

I realize a lot of people have a love/hate relationship with this series, but I was drawn to the cover of Divergent almost immediately! To me, the cover captures mystery, intrigue, fire, and adventure – All key components of this first book!

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“Dark and Lovely” A book cover that is so creepalicious you just want to eat it up

Image Credit: Amazon

I remember the first time I saw several of Anderson’s books lined up on the local library shelf. This one gave me instant shivers. It took me a while to actually read it, but it’s an impressive fictional account of the late 1700s and the fight against disease.

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“Sugary Sweet” A cute cover that is so fluffy you want to give it a hug

Image Credit: Crawford Writing Blog

This one was hard for me. There was a book cover that I could picture in my head, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the title, or even the author! Yeesh. Fangirl is one of those books that I haven’t read yet, but I’ve heard many good things. This will be on my next TBR!

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“The Simple Aesthetic” A book cover that stuns with the most minimalistic of design

Image Credit: Metropolitan Musings

I can’t really write a post about a book tag without mentioning The Great Gatsby. This cover blew me away.

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“Cover Envy” A book cover you wish you had on your shelves, but don’t yet

Image Credit: Super Space Chick

The first time I saw this cover on a book blog (I can’t remember which one) – I fell in love. It pulled me in from the start. I didn’t even know what the book was about – I just knew that I wanted it. This cover is spellbinding. Now that I’ve heard amazing reviews about Caraval from several book bloggers, I definitely want to get my own copy!

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“Traveling Abroad” A beautiful book cover featuring a country outside of your own

Image Credit: Paste Magazine

I’ve loved Paris and France for a long time. This cover showcases a classic novel, and a country that’s seen its fair share of triumph and turmoil.

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“The Color Wheel” A cover that showcases one of your favorite colors

Image Credit: Adazing

 Purple has been one of my favorite colors, since elementary school. I love Sarah Dessen’s books, too.

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“Switching Gears” A cover change you absolutely adore

Image Credit: The Booklist Reader

While always attracted to Judy Blume’s books, I’m happy they’ve updated the cover for Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. It’s more modern and fresh-looking. It’s a good way to grab the attention of readers today, since Blume’s books are still highly relevant and entertaining, years after being published.

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“Oldie but Goodie” A favorite cover of your favorite classic

Image Credit: Victorian Paris

I was assigned to read Madame Bovary in high school. It was a challenging read, but it’s stuck with me all these years. I love this cover – The woman just has this intrigue about her in this pose.

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“And the Winner is…” Which book cover mentioned above is your favorite?

Image Credit: Super Space Chick

Caraval wins, hands down. I’m going to look for this on Amazon this week!

I Tag: 

• Panic At The Bookstore
• Devouring Books and Lattes
• YA and Wine
• Kayla @ Kdrewthebookworm

I loved this tag!

As I get older, I find that I’m judging books more and more by their covers, but it’s hard to pick just one cover sometimes!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: YouTube

I found this tag on Thrice Read – They found it on Pirate Lady Pages!

Primer – Pick a book that left a lasting impression on you.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

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Concealer – Pick a character you wish didn’t exist.

I don’t have a good answer for this one – I think most characters, if written well, should exist!

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Foundation – A favourite first book in a series.

Divergent by Veronica Roth.

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Powder – Pick your favourite last book in a series.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

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Eyebrows – Pick a book you think everyone should read.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

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Eye Shadow – Pick a book with your favourite colours on the front.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth – I love the combination of greens, blues, and a bit of yellow.

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Eyeliner – Pick a dark and mysterious book.

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews.

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Mascara – Pick a long book.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.

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Blush – Pick a book with a cringe-worthy romance.

Amazing Grace by Danielle Steel.

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Highlighter – Pick a book that brightens your day.

I can’t pick just one. For this, I’ll pick anything with the American Girl historical characters. They give me such nostalgia!

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Lipstick – Your favourite book kiss.

The first kiss between Allie and Noah in The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. It makes me melt – Every. Single. Time.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: iStock

The ladies over at Thrice Read did it again! Another fantastic book tag!

Here’s the link to their post:

• School Subjects Book Tag

Math- A book that left your head spinning in circles.

Allegiant. It was such a frustrating book!

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English – A book you think has beautiful written expression.

The Great Gatsby.

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Physics – Your favorite scientifically minded character from a book or film.

Dr. Victor Frankenstein.

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Chemistry – Your favorite literary couple?

Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.

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Biology – Your favorite book/series/film character.

Harry Potter.

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French – Your favorite foreign book/film/program.

The Millennium Trilogy – Specifically, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

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Art – Have you ever judged a book by its cover, even if you weren’t meant to?!

Oh, yes. I’ve found that I’ve judged covers more as I’ve gotten older.

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History – The last historical book you read.

The War That Saved My Life – I highly recommend this one!

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Geography – A literary destination you would really like to visit (real or fictional).

Definitely Hogwarts!

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Drama – a book you think has a lot of over-dramatic hype

The Twilight series. I tried to read them, but I didn’t get a lot out of any of them.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Power of Positivity

The lovely ladies of Thrice Read did another awesome book tag!

Here’s the link to their post:

• The Birthstones Book Tag

They found it on Spines & Covers, another blog I love!

January (Garnet): Associate with warding off negative forces and dark energies – Name a book with the darkest/evilest character you can think of.

So far, I think Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks had one of the most evil characters – Kevin. Erin worked so hard to escape from him. Kevin reminded me so much of my abusive ex-boyfriend – It nearly made me sick.

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February (Amethyst): Purple is associated with royalty – Name a book with regal qualities … You can base this off of characters, or choose the king of all books.

I loved The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot!

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March (Aquamarine): Washed out – Name a ‘wishy washy’ character, a character who is not strong or a follower.

Darienne from Flight #116 Is Down! by Caroline B. Cooney – She made me so mad!

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April (Diamond): A diamond in the rough – Name a book that you loved but is not well known.

Chosen Ones (Lost Souls) by Tiffany Truitt. Tiffany is one of my sorority sisters, and I’ve loved every book she’s published!

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May (Emerald): Said to balance energy – Name two characters who balance each other well.

This one was hard! But, my first instinct was Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne from The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins.

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June (Pearl): Associated with loyalty – Name a character who is loyal to the end.

Silas Marner from Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe by George Eliot.

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July (Ruby): Blood red – Name a book that made your blood boil, one that made you angry.

This one was also hard – Several books have made me angry! But, the first one I thought of that brought instant rage was Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States by Sister Helen Prejean. It was eye-opening to read her story and see her thoughts develop about the death penalty.

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August (Peridot): Pale green (It pales in comparison to other gems) – Name a supporting character who you like better than the main character.

Susan Pevensie, from C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia!

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September (Sapphire): Blue like the ocean which is calming – Name a book that had a calming effect on you.

The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin.

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October (Opal): Iridescent – Name an iridescent book, this can be a book with a beautiful cover (Shiny? Lots of color?) Or you can base it off of a character (Quirky? Colorful?)

Margo Roth Spiegelman from Paper Towns by John Green.

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November (Topaz): Associated with resilience – Name a book with a character who rises to the top in a time of adversity.

Katniss Everdeen.

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December (Blue Zircon / Turquoise): Associated with friendship – Name a book with a friendship you want to be a part of.

I’m naming two book series here – (1) All the girls (Kristy, Mary Anne, Stacey, Claudia, Dawn, Mallory, Jessi, Abby, Logan, and Shannon) from The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin, and (2) Nancy, Bess, and George from the Nancy Drew mysteries.

This was such a fun, different, and challenging tag!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Kayla @ KDREWTHEBOOKWORM

I found this tag on Thrice Read!

Here’s the link to their post:

• I Dare You Book Tag

They found it on Marie’s Library. The original creator is Lena.

The Rules:

• You must be honest.
• You can’t not answer a question.
• You have to tag at least four people.

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Ready?

Here we go!

Which book has been on your shelves the longest?

Since my book collection is still divided between our house and my parents’ house, I was racking my brain for a while to answer this question. The one that came to mind the quickest was Airport by Arthur Haley.

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What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next?

Currently reading: Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy.

Last read: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just Us Girls: 101 Stories about Friendship for Women of All Ages by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Amy Newmark (Book review coming soon!)

Next read: The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

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What book did everyone like, but you hated?

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce.

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What book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t.

Argh, I hate this question too. At the moment, I want to motivate myself to read Gone With The Wind, but it’s so daggone big!

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Which book are you saving for retirement?

Ha! Gone With The Wind is creeping on to that list, as well as all of Hemingway’s works.

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Last page: read it first or wait till the end?

Wait until the end!

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Acknowledgements : waste of paper and ink or interesting aside?

Definitely not a waste of ink. I think they’re fascinating.

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Which book character would you switch places with?

Another hard question. I don’t think anyone’s asked me this one. I consider myself adventurous, so I’d like to switch places with Nancy Drew! That’s the only character that I could think of that I truly admire and who doesn’t get killed!

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Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?

The American Girl books defined my childhood. I have read and re-read them, and I hope to have them all in my personal library someday. I remember reading Felicity’s stories aloud to my dad, imagining her life in Colonial Williamsburg. Molly’s stories from 1944 have always been my favorite.

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Name a book that you acquired in an interesting way.

I love finding books at thrift stores! There’s a local one called the Book Owl that I absolutely love. Before my wedding last year, I randomly walked in one night after work and I found a near-mint copy of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

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Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?

Not that I can remember. I love recommending books, but I don’t think I’ve ever given away a book to someone.

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Which book has been with you the most places?

The Great Gatsby. I re-read it every single year!

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Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad two years later?

• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
• The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare

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What is the strangest item you’ve found in a book?

It may not be strange, but I’ve found lots of address labels of the previous owners, usually in the upper left corner of the inside cover. It’s fascinating! I own books that have been owned by people in Virginia, North Carolina, Connecticut, and New York.

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Used or brand new?

Either or. I don’t normally buy brand new unless I have a gift card. I was able to buy four brand new books from Barnes & Noble on Friday with a gift card from my parents, and then I went to the Best Thrift store after lunch and found three used books for $5.00.

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Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?

Not yet. Funny story – I happened to pick up The Da Vinci Code in paperback on Friday!

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Have you ever seen a movie you liked more than the book?

Nope.

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A book that should have NEVER been published

Fifty Shades of Grey.

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Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks excluded?

Absolutely.

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Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?

Melissa Beebe, Lane, Amber.

I Tag:

• Forest City Bookworm
• B.G. at Getting Through Anxiety
• Miss Talkaholic
• BeaFree
• booksandbakes1

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: azquotes.com

At the beginning of October, I was tagged by the great man at The Green Onion Blog! Thank you so much for the nomination!

I love his posts – They’re so nerdy, and geeky, and awesome! Please check him out!

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Here’s the link to the original post:

• Peculiar Children Book Tag

Ready?

Here we go!

Abandoned House – A book you once abandoned but then gave another chance and ended up enjoying

Image Credit: amazon.com

The Vacationers by Emma Straub.

This was relatively recent. My “Aunt” Lucy let me borrow this book in 2015, but I could not settle down and get it into it, which bothered me. But, I decided to set it aside, and I’m glad I did. I picked it up again earlier this year, and now Straub is one of my favorite writers. I can’t wait to read more from her.

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Vintage Photographs – A book you would have loved to have seen illustrations in

Image Credit: amazon.com

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.

This was the first true book review that I ever wrote. It’s one of those stories that immerses you in the time period. In this case, it’s the 1920s and it’s the novelization of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley.

As I was reading, I was imagining Paris, the Alps, and other fascinating scenes. The words were very vivid, but I found myself wanting a few illustrations here and there.

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Loop – A series you wouldn’t mind reading on loop; Back to back to back

Image Credit: amazon.com

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

Hands down. I know certain people have given it flack, but I have a few friends who I know will agree with me. I own the entire series, and most recently, I read The Cursed Child in August.

Next up (Eventually) – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages.

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Peculiar Children – A character’s ability that you desire to have for yourself

Any of Wonder Woman’s powers.

She’s always been an inspiration to me. I haven’t read many comic books, but I have seen the TV adaptations (Lynda Carter was awesome, and still gorgeous to this day), and most recently, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice earlier this year.

Gal Gadot is just awesome in my eyes, and I absolutely cannot wait for Wonder Woman in 2017!

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Miss Peregrine – Your favorite character that is a leader

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Andrew “Ender” Wiggin from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

I remember dreading this book when I found it had been assigned for my summer reading going into 9th grade. Ugh, science fiction?! Yuck!

Boy, was I wrong. I could put the book down! Ender is transformed into a bonafide leader, and it’s impressive. Because of my love of this book, I eventually want to read the rest of the series.

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Jacob – Your favorite story where a regular kid discovers an extraordinary world

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Skeeter Phelan from The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

This is one of my favorite books. Plus, I thought the movie adaptation was very well-done, Emma Stone was a good choice to play Skeeter. Although not really a “kid” in the book, Skeeter quickly finds herself immersed in the world of “the help” – The black maids in her Mississippi community in 1963.

If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. Writing about it here makes me want to re-read it soon!

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Emma – A fierce and fiery character

Image Credit: The Hunger Games Wikia

Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

Katniss, to me, is the premier definition of fierce and fiery. At least, in terms of modern young adult (YA) literature.

This is by far my favorite recent trilogy. I will be re-reading it shortly, as part of my 2016 Reading Challenge!

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Millard – A book that seems to be invisible but needs to be read by more people

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser.

I first stumbled upon this book in the Chesapeake Central Library when I was senior in high school. I was researching F. Scott Fitzgerald at the time for a critical English paper, so I didn’t check it out at that time.

However, I found myself researching it online and became more intrigued. Shortly after graduation, I remembered this book and checked it out. It was a fascinating tale.

Dreiser is a good writer who excelled for his time, at the turn of the 20th century. Writing about this makes me want to read it again!

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Olive – A book that you bought that floated to the top of your TBR

Image Credit: amazon.com

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne.

This is the most recent book I bought, and I immediately wanted to start reading it, even before I got out of Barnes & Noble!

Judging that I flew through the edition within 48 hours, it didn’t stay on my TBR for very long!

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Hugh – A book that stung and caused a lot of feelings

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I finally read this book, but it hit me hard. No spoilers, but it reaffirmed how precious life is and how anyone in your life can be taken away in an instant.

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Enoch – (NO SPOILERS) A book character that you would bring back to life

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

I won’t spoil anything, but I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that most of you know what I’m talking about here.

I cried buckets of tears.

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Bronwyn – A physically strong character

Image Credit: DeviantArt

Gamora from Strange Tales and Guardians of the Galaxy.

She’s aggressive, strong, and feisty. I loved her character in the Guardians of the Galaxy film, and I’m so excited for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in May!

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Hollowgasts – A book you read that felt like an experiment gone wrong

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Allegiant from the Divergent trilogy.

I really, really wanted to like this one. I loved Divergent and Insurgent, but as I mentioned in my book review of the trilogy, I couldn’t wrap my head around the back-and-forth of the different perspectives.

This was such a fun tag! It took me a long time to get this published – I wanted to publish it right after I was tagged, but life got in the way. It’s hard to believe 15 days went by between posts!

What do you think? I’d love to hear your responses!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: B.G., Getting Through Anxiety

I was tagged to participate by the lovely B.G. of Getting Through Anxiety!

Here’s the link to the original post:

• “Which Do You Prefer?” Book Tag!

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Ready?

Here we go!

Image Credit: pinterest.com

I found this fun tag from the fabulous ladies of Thrice Read!

Here’s the link to the original post:

• Days of the Week Tag

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Ready?

Here we go!

Murder Monday: Favorite murder/crime book:

This one was really hard to pick. I love a lot of murder and crime books, but I went with my gut instinct – The Pelican Brief by John Grisham. I love the book, and the movie adaptation is so suspenseful!

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Tickle Tuesday: A book that made you laugh out loud:

The Vacationers by Emma Straub. I love her writing style, and I want more! I can’t wait to pick up Modern Lovers at some point.

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Weepy Wednesday: A book that made you weepy/cry:

Most of you know that I love Nicholas Sparks, but for this one, I pick John Green’s Looking for Alaska. It was the first book we needed to read for my Young Adult Literature class in the spring of 2011. It made me bawl!

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Thinking Thursday: A book that made you really think/reevaluate the world/your life:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I originally didn’t want to read it, but I’m glad I did. Most of Green’s novels have made me reconsider my perspective on life.

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Fantasy Friday: Favorite fantasy book/series:

Harry Potter. This is the only fantasy book / series that I have truly stuck with and become a huge fan. I was slow to get started, but Rowling’s writing took hold and swept me up faster than a Nimbus Firebolt!

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Sigh Saturday: A book you just could not get into or finish:

Breaking Dawn. I struggled through most of the Twilight series (I was basically forced to watch the first two movies), and by the time I got around to reading this one, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I bought all four books, but I ended up donating them to the local library because I didn’t want to read them ever again.

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Summer Sunday: A book you love to read in the summer or makes you think of summer:

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. After months of waiting, I finally got a copy from the library and I read it cover to cover within a few hours while my parents drove home from a trip to Florida.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂