Writing in/Annotating Books

Hello everyone!

Today I wanted to talk about my thoughts on annotating books. Usually I am one of those people who wants to keep my books in good condition. I like seeing them sitting on my shelf and looking brand new when I flip through them. I hate when people dog-ear the pages or wrinkle a page somehow. Bending the spine never bothered me that much though, I don't know why.
However, since the Paper Towns movie is coming out soon, I decided that I wanted to re-read this book. And since I knew this was a book that I loved reading the first time, I decided that I wanted to go through and annotate it. I decided it would be fun to highlight my favorite quotes and write down the random thoughts that I have while I'm reading it.
I feel like there are certain times and places to write in books. Obviously annotating is required by many teachers or professors, which makes us associate annotating with a negative experience in most cases. But it is true that taking notes and annotating makes us think more about what we are reading. It also takes longer than simply reading the text, but it's possible to get more out of a story that way.
I feel like there are certain books that I would never write in. Maybe they are a first edition of the book, or perhaps signed by the author. Maybe it has some sort of sentimental value that makes you not want to write in in. But I also like the idea that Ariel Bissett brought up in her video when she talked about this subject. I like the idea that if someone borrows my book, they are reading my version of the book. With all my thoughts spelled out for them in black and white. I also like that if it is a book that I know I love and will reread in the future I can see the thoughts that I had in the past about the book and easily flip through to find my favorite quotes and paragraphs. And I think I might start doing this more in the future.
So what do you think? Do you like to keep your books in perfect condition or do you like to personalize your collection? Let me know in the comments, and I will have another post up soon.

<3 Rebecca

Top Ten Books On My TBR For Summer 2015

Top Ten Tuesday was created by: The Broke and the Bookish

Here are the top ten books on my tbr list for this summer:

1. Paper Towns by John Green - I loved this book the first time I read it and I want to reread this one to refresh my memory before the movie comes out.
2. Kalahari by Jessica Khory - I loved her first two books and I can't wait to see how this one is
3. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld - Scott Westerfeld is one of my favorite authors, so of course I can't wait to read this.
4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - Because I still haven't read this and I NEED to.
5. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Claire - I'm hoping I can read the trilogy before I go back to school in the fall
6. Silence And...
7. Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick- I really want to finish the Hush Hush series soon
8. Tidal And...
9. Elegy by Amanda Hocking - Another series I really want to finish this summer
10. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler - Looks like a fun read, and it has pictures

Book Review: Four by Veronica Roth

Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth

Readers first encountered Tobias Eaton as "Four" in Divergent. His voice is an integral part of Allegiant. Readers will find more of this charismatic character's backstory told from his own perspective in Four: A Divergent Collection. When read together, these long narrative pieces illuminate the defining moments in Tobias Eaton's life. The first three pieces in this volume--"The Transfer," "The Initiate," and "The Son"--follow Tobias's transfer from Abnegation to Dauntless, his Dauntless initiation, and the first clues that a foul plan is brewing in the leadership of two factions. The fourth story, "The Traitor," runs parallel with the events of Divergent, giving readers a glimpse into the decisions of loyalty--and love--that Tobias makes in the weeks after he meets Tris Prior. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19501684-four

I rate this book...

3 out of 5 stars

What I thought...

*No Spoilers*

If you loved the Divergent series I highly recommend that you read this book. It is not as adventurous as the series itself, but it is still interesting if you like Four's point of view or if you like Four in general. The book is split into four different short stories, The Transfer, The Initiate, The Son, and The Traitor. These stories were interesting because it gives a better idea of Four's life and describes some of the things that Tris learned about Four. The book also includes three scenes from Divergent that are told from Four's perspective instead of Tris's,  "First Jumper - Tris!", "Careful, Tris.", and "You Look Good, Tris." I think these scenes were my favorite part of the book because it was more interesting for me to see Four's point of view of things I recognized from the series.
Honestly, I didn't find this book as enjoyable as the rest of the series, but it was still a fun read. I also prefer longer novels to short stories, which may be why I didn't rate this higher.

Reflecting Back On My First Year Of College

Hello everyone!

It has been a long time since I have posted a ramblely post. I was so busy at the end of my first year of college between final projects, exams, and saying goodbye to friends and my boyfriend. Seeing how my first year of college is officially over, I thought it would be the perfect time to reflect back on my college experience so far. This is more of a post for me, a personal post if you will, so that I can get my thoughts down somewhere.

I can honestly say that going to college was the best decision that I have ever made. I chose a college that I love with fantastic professors who really connect and help their students. I have chosen a major that I truly love and am passionate about. I have met so many new friends that I think will continue to be a huge part of my life and I have begun my first real relationship. I worked hard on my schoolwork and made the deans honors list. I also did a lot of fun things too. I became involved with things I never thought I would do. I joined clubs and even represent one in the student government.

And even though it doesn't feel like I have changed much, when I look back on all of that, I am definitely not the shy, uncertain girl who walked onto campus that first day. I am more confident, more certain about where my life is headed and where I want it to go.

<3 Rebecca

Summer 2015 Bucket List

Like everyone else, I am super excited that summer is almost here! So this year I decided to make a list of everything that I wanted to do over the summer. Here is my summer bucket list:

• Find a job (preferably one that I like/enjoy that doesn't give me anxiety attacks) 
• Go to the beach at least once
• Read a book outside
• Unplug for one full day (no TV, internet, electronic devices, etc...)
• Make smoothies
• Make milkshakes
• Drink a root beer float
• Watch fireworks
• Go swimming as much as possible
• Roast marshmallows and make s'mores
• Get an ice cream cone
• See a movie with friends
• Have a sleepover
• Watch a sunrise
• Watch a sunset
• Tie dye
• Go on a date with dad
• Try something new
• Catch fireflies

Let me know what you want to do this summer in the comments below :)

Things People Do That Annoy Me

So I'm a bit annoyed with my roommate at the moment, so I've decided to make a list of all the things that annoy me to let of some steam instead of freaking out and yelling at her and perhaps causing a bigger issue than it actually is. The majority of these are inspired by dealing with her lately, but they are really things that just annoy me in general no matter who it is that does it.

• When somebody says what before you have finished your sentence
• Being interrupted in general
• When people can't remember things that you've told them multiple times
• Screaming when you are talking (in person, on the phone, all the time, etc...)
• Slamming draws/doors when I'm sleeping or trying to sleep
• Blasting music so loud that I could hear every word from across the room
• When people obsess over things and only talk about that one thing...all the time
• When people refuse to admit they are wrong about something
• The sound when someone gets a text message (Just keep your phone on vibrate or silent!)
• People complaining about something and never doing anything about it

Do any of these things annoy you too? Or am I just weird? lol. Let me know in the comments. Perhaps I will make a sequel to this that is just random things that bother me. 

Top Ten Books I Classify As ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS from the past 5 years

I'm sure that all of you have heard of these books but here are the books that I've read in the past five years that I would classify as all time favorite books:

1. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green - This is my favorite book of ALL TIME, not just the past five years. I find the characters and the story in general extremely relateable and I just love it.
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth - This was such a great book... the rest of the series isn't as great, but this first one is definitely one of my favs.
3. The Host by Stephanie Meyer - I like this way better than I liked the Twilight saga, if you didn't like Twilight I encourage you to give this one a try. It is soooo good. The movie sucked, but the book is fantastic.
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Another one that I'm sure everyone has heard of. If you haven't picked this up yet... go get it.
5. Matched by Ally Condie - Again, loved this first book, the rest of the series wasn't so great. But this first one really stands out as one of my favorites.
6. Origin by Jessica Khoury - This was the first book by this author and I absolutely loved the story.
7. Wings by Aprilynne Pike - A great fun fairy read. This series kept getting better and better as you read on.
8. Girl Online by Zoe Sugg - I loved this one because again it is something that is extremely relateable, especially for me since I get panic attacks just like the character in the book.
9. Paper Towns by John Green 
10. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - Another first in a series, this one does get better and better as you continue reading. And the spin-off series is fantastic as well.