Category Archives: books

the hiding place by corrie ten boom

November 2, 2015 Emily 6 Comments

Wow wow wow wow. This book just blew me away.

I’ve been wanting to read it for quite a while now, and I was super excited to see it on the list of books for required school reading in my home school curriculum. Once I started it, I was hooked! Corrie ten Boom’s real-life story of working with the underground in Holland during the Nazi Occupation in WWII, and surviving a Nazi prison camp, is incredible.

Chapter after chapter; story after story; I just kept thinking “There’s no way this woman’s faith could be any stronger. There’s no way God could provide any more that he already has.” It was so inspiring and really made me think about my own faith and the things God can still do today through Corrie’s story!

The first few chapters walked through Corrie’s life leading up to the Holocaust. Her childhood, her family, the man she fell in love and why she never married. I loved reading about her simple, faithful life in the home above the hundred-year-old watch shop.

Once I reached the parts where Corrie and her family hid Jews in their home, I couldn’t put the book down. Miracle after miracle, I was amazed! The fleas that infested the barracks Corrie and her sister Betsie were in – keeping the soldiers away so that they could read and share with other women the Bible they kept hidden. The oil that helped Betsie’s and other women’s coughs that never ran out until Corrie was able to get her hands on another bottle of vitamins. I loved it.

This is most definitely one of my new favorite books. Five stars!!

have you read the hiding place? do you want to?

books, discussions, lists, miscellaneous 'bookish' things

bookish pet peeves // part two

May 27, 2015 Emily 20 Comments

Last week, I talked about my bookish pet peeves concerning the physical parts of a book. You know, the book jacket, cover, fingerprints on Kindle sort of thing? So this week, I’ll be talking about my pet peeves in plots, characters, etc. I’ve got a lot. Even though it’s rare a day I give a book a rating beneath three stars, I can still be pretty tough.

1) Insta-love
This isn’t just my bookish pet peeve. I’ve seen pretty much every single book blogger mention insta-love as an issue in books. I see this going on a lot in cliche romance… I’ve read one Sarah Dessen book, and the amount of insta-love that went down was overwhelming. I love romance in books – you know, the FLUFF. The ooh-ah-awwww moments and kisses and weddings. But “Hey-you’re-cute-this-is-crazy-but-call-me-maybe” stuff doesn’t cut it with me.

2) Whiny characters
I’m talking about you, Eadlyn Schreave. Look, I don’t even like myself when I’m in a whiny, ungrateful mood. I stay clear of anyone who throws a tantrum when they don’t get their way. So why would I want to spend 200-400+ pages with a whiny person?! I give grace if the characters’ parents dropped dead or something. Or even if I’m reading YA, because teenagers are hormonal people and I understand! But really. Uh-uh.

3) Characters dying out of the blue
They’re there, they’re gone. WHAT HAPPENED.

(The Family Tree series by Ann M. Martin – OMG, IT KILLED ME WITH THIS PROBLEM. Pun intended.)

4) Overly-quirky characters
This might sound a little strange, but let me explain. It’s important to have unique characters. Right now, I’m reading Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli, and they’re so different! They’re really cool. Diverse characters and books are great. But sometimes, characters are really quirky. Take The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet, for instance.

Not only does its title alone tell you it’s got some quirky characters, the book is really… fascinating! Don’t get me wrong, it was a fantastic book, but honestly? I thought the characters were a little over-the-top.

7) Predictable plots
As much as I love The Princess Spy and The Captive Maiden, Melanie Dickerson’s books are usually pretty predictable. They’re not the only ones, but they’re the ones I’m gonna pick on today. I mean, really, though, does ANYONE like this??

6) Abrupt endings
They bother me so bad! I’ve been waiting to see the ending, and the book is good, and then… well. That’s the end. Huh.

Well that’s it bye!

hahahahaha! You didn’t think I could simply END a blog post like that, did you?! Those are all the bookish pet peeves I can think of for today. I’m sure I’m missing some, so let me know if you anything to add!

books, miscellaneous 'bookish' things

my bookshelf tour!

March 7, 2015 Emily 13 Comments

I promised this last week, but unfortunately didn’t get to it… so finally, I present to you… my bookshelf!

There it is, in all its glory! It’s probably my favorite part of my room. (Right next to my bed. Quite literally, in fact. Ha!) On the very top of my bookshelf, I’ve got my four American Girl dolls, who sit up there watching me blog, write, read, and sleep 24/7. They live the life up there. But I couldn’t get them in the picture, so just imagine them. 😉

On the first shelf way up there, I keep all my tall books that won’t sit anywhere else, binders, journals, and all my bibles and devotionals. And also magazines, how-to books, my writing tips books (is that what they’re called? I don’t know, I can’t think of a better term for them), and just some random books.

The second shelf down is my favorites shelf! These are the books I’ve read again and again and again, and most of them have tear stains and dog-eared pages! You can see a list of all my favorites on this post here. All of the books on my favorites shelf are on the list. I have quite a few books by Ann M. Martin, Heather Vogel Frederick, and Rachel Coker.

On the third shelf down (the top shelf in the picture right above), I have all of my historical fiction and classics. I have some historical fiction books on the shelf beneath it, and on my favorites shelf, as well, but because they’re either a) one of my favorites or b) a love story/Christian fiction historical and they fit into another category. A couple I really love are Countdown by Deborah Wiles, The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, and The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine. Of course, books like Anne of Green Gables and Little Women and Pride & Prejudice are givens on my classics shelf. If you notice in the picture, on the far left of the top shelf, I’ve got quite a few books that spines look the same! That’s because I’m trying to collect all of my classics in the Barnes & Noble classics! 🙂

On the fourth shelf down (the second shelf in the picture above), are my contemporary Middle Grade books and my Christian/Historical/Romance Fiction – those being books like Melanie Dickerson’s medieval times/fairy-tale type books, Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James, and A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner. Then on the left are my contemporary MG’s. You may recognize a couple of them – Destiny Rewritten, The Gossip File, Stargirl, and a book review I keep meaning to write – The Other Half of my Heart by Sundee T. Frazier. =)

The last two shelves are really just random miscellaneous that either won’t fit on the other shelves or just didn’t have a place on the shelf for it. To the left of the basket are books I haven’t read or I need to take into a used bookstore (in exchange for different books!) because I started them and they weren’t my cup of tea. I also have some notebooks that I use for writing inspiration or I’ve filled in the past few years, and then a couple of devotionals I couldn’t fit on the top shelf. To the right of the top shelf in the picture above, I have some Babysitter’s Club books (I went through an obsession with those a couple summers back!), and then on the bottom my grand collection of American Girl books and the Mandie series and Holly’s Heart books. Oh, and if you’re wondering, in the basket is some electronic stuff – headphones, chargers, etc. 😉

So that’s my bookshelf! A few of my books are in my sister’s bedroom on her bookshelf, but those are all of my books! How do you organize your books? Do you have any of the same books as me? 🙂

books

stacking the shelves & catching up

December 29, 2014 Emily 15 Comments

Hey, everyone!

I’m SO sorry I haven’t posted in so long. I think that’s been the longest I went without posting. (Or maybe not… I’m really sorry!)

Since it’s been so long, I decided to make this post a stacking the shelves/catch-up/2015 goals/other stuff and who-knows-what post. I’ve gotten a few books recently; mostly historical fiction (I’ve been binge-reading a lot of those lately, haha!) The one I was most excited for was The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson…

Isn’t it beautiful?! I think I might cry… I started reading Melanie’s fairy tale retellings about a year and a half ago. My mom ordered the first three (there were only three out then), when we went vacationing in Florida, and I read all three by the beach! I’ve been wanting The Princess Spy since it came out and a few months ago and freaked out because there was only one copy at the Christian Family Book Store! 🙂 Of course, I bought it.

I now have the whole series!

I also bought two books on my Kindle thanks to my favorite blog, Books for Christian Girls. Visit Lindsey over there, and get lots of great recommendations weekly. Her reviews include how much spiritual or sexual content was in the book, and rates it by age. (For example, for one book she might rate it two stars for preteens and three for older teens, etc.)

I got A Bride’s Dilemma in Friendship, Tennessee for $2 on my Kindle!

And A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California for the same price!

My grandma also bought me Keep Smiling Through by Ann Rinaldi for Christmas, which I’m very excited to read!!!

I also got this “Keep Calm and Write On” picture frame my aunt got for me!

Don’t you just love it?! It’s on my desk now in front of me. =)

As for my biggest gifts, I got a COMPUTER!!! Well, a laptop. I got a Chromebook, and it’s amazing!!!

I also got an Instax Mini 8 from my grandparents! (A Polaroid-style camera.) And it’s PINK! Isn’t it gorgeous?

So what did you guys get for Christmas? I’d love to hear from you!

books

’bout this blogger tag

December 12, 2014 Emily 15 Comments

Cait just switched blog names from Notebook Sisters to Paper Fury! In celebration of the new name, she’s hosting a tag for all! Hip, hip, hooray!

#1: Why did you start blogging? GOOD QUESTION. Well, I’d had a blog since I was eight, where I blogged about what I ate for lunch… my cat… school… I mostly used my blog for my friends and family, and I think some of my mom’s friends read my posts. Anyway, I followed a bajillion blogs. (I still do.) One day, I stumbled upon a BOOK BLOG! I was ecstatic. Soon, I found this whole community of book bloggers that I followed, and a year or two later, I asked my dad (he’s a web designer! what a plus, right?!), to help me design a book blog. And… voila!

#2: What’s the story behind your blog’s name? Originally, I was brainstorming names for a book store. (I want to own a book store one day and was bored, so… yeah.) Among the others, ‘For the Bookish’ stood out the most. When I was setting up my blog, I thought For the Bookish would be the perfect name for a book blog for bookish people just like me! =)

#3: How many designs have you been through since you started blogging? (Pictures! We demand pictures!) I’ve only been blogging since April, but two, really. The first one looked like this:

Remember that theme? It was so long ago… 😛

And the second one looks like this!

There was another theme I made that lasted for about a day… it was similar to the current theme I have now, but very simplistic. The header had a drawing of a cat and a stack of books, which I loved, but I really liked the first original theme better. I definitely like the current theme I have now, though!

#4: Have you ever switched blog platforms? What made you move? If you haven’t ever changed…why? Nope! I’ve always had WordPress, and I’ll always will. That first blog I told you about? I used WordPress! I began that blog when I was eight, so that’s… five years of WP! I’m very familiar with it and love it!

#5: How long does it take you to write a post? What’s your postly process like? Usually about 30 minutes. Reviews take me ten or fifteen, mostly because as I read a book, I write down quotes and things I like or dislike, so when I write a review, all I have to do is convert the list into paragraphs, and gather images and GIFs and such. When I’m writing other posts, I type it up, delete some things, add some things, edit, and add images, and then I publish or safe the draft to post some other time. (Like I’m doing with this one!)

#6: Have you ever been super nervous about a post? Why?! What was it? No… never have. Not really. I’ve considered posting some of my writings and short stories, but that does get me antsy… I’ve kind of avoided doing that, but when I finally get up the courage to share something with you all, I probably will be a bit nervous.

#7: Do you have a blogging schedule? When I’m on a blogging roll (I’ve been known to not post for a week or more… oops), I post every other day, and type up posts on the in between days. Or when I’m feeling inspired, I write up a bunch of posts in one day and then post them sporadically when I don’t feel like blogging.

#8: Do you tell people In-Real-Life about your blog? Their reactions? Uhh… well, not really. I mean, I do, and I certainly don’t mind people “In-Real-Life” looking at my blog… I don’t know. I’m not exactly the most talkative (ahem. I mean, to people I don’t know well), person, nor do I brag or talk about myself a lot, so it doesn’t really come up. (Though my family does tell their friends about my blog, which is cool.) I

#9: Top ten blogs you read/comment on the most! Go! Go! In no particular order: Bookish Serendipity, Butterflies of the Imagination, The Measure of a Book, Christ is Write, Rachel Coker, Books for Christian Girls, A Splash of Ink, Paper Fury, Go Teen Writers, and Inside Out Magazine.

#10: If you could change/improve things about your blog, what would they be? Hmm… I’m going to turn this question into “If you could change/improve yourself as a blogger” if that’s okay! And I would probably comment on other blogs more. Blog more frequently. Join in more tags and linkies. Read more! Tons of things. I’m not the perfect blogger, but I enjoy blogging and love connecting with other bloggers! =)

That’s it for the tag! Be sure to go and visit Cait at her new location, Paper Fury.

Until next time,

books

coming back from vacation is like taking down the christmas tree

November 22, 2014 Emily 12 Comments

My vacation is over. Please, a moment of silence for my grief.

And now let me talk in all caps about how AMAZINGLY AWESOME MY VACATION WAS OMG!!! Seriously, my parents booked another cruise while we were on the ship. (They’ll get a discount and can change pretty much anything – date, stateroom, etc.) The Disney Cruise was amazing. It was my first cruise ever, and OH SWEET DANISH PASTRIES. All the food I ate. I found I am particularly fond of raspberry-filled danish pastries. YUM.

And just look at this food. (Thanks, dad, for the bajillion pictures you must have taken this week!)

This is me at one of the restaurants, The Royal Court.

Here I am with my sister and Goofy!

Breakfast with dad!

Every night, when we came back from dinner, our stateroom host, Maguesh (he’s from India!), left us towel animals to find. One time, I requested a cat, and LOOK. A cat!

The streets of Puerto Rico. Everything was so picturesque!

I found this in one of the shops in San Jaun, Puerto Rico. The lady who was in the shop hand-painted it! I told her I absolutely had to have it, and she told me it always made her happy when someone appreciated her work. I was glad to support an artiste like herself. I know it makes me happy when someone appreciates my writing! =)

Check out this iguana we spotted in San Jaun!

Me and my sister looking out at the water. Look how blue it is!!

My dad woke me up early one morning, around 5AM, to see the sunrise. It was beautiful, and well-worth passing out at 9:30 that night! =)

This gingerbread house behind me and my sister is made of actual gingerbread and frosting and candy! It took a total of 320 hours to make. Every time we passed it, we got a whiff of gingerbread! YUM. (Don’t you love my sister’s dress? Anyone recognize it? =) All day, people kept calling her Princess Anna, and since her name actually is Anna, she kept saying “How does everyone know my name?”)

Here’s our ship (The Fantasy), from Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. Absolutely stunning. I’m glad that we will be seeing it again soon!

Thank you reading this, if you did! I know it’s got nothing to do with books, but I decided to make an exception. =) I had such a BLAST, I can’t help gushing about it. And believe me when I say these pictures are a fraction of a fraction of all the ones we took!

Since I’ve been away for quite a while, I probably won’t be posting for several days or so. I’ll be catching up on schoolwork and hopefully getting new posts written for you all! Until next time!

books

short ramble (because I’m bored & want to gush about books)

November 13, 2014 Emily 2 Comments

Greetings from somewhere in Florida! It’s dark-thirty, and after about seven and a half hours in the car, we’re still about an hour from my aunt’s house. (Sigh.) I’m actually on my phone at the moment, typing this up, but I just wanted to gush about Absolutely Truly (I talked about it in my last post? =)) and my family are all preoccupied at the moment, and I thought, “Well, what is a book blog for?”

I cannot tell you how TRULY (pun intended, if you’ve read Absolutely Truly!), grateful I am for my phone at the moment. Although my battery’s about dead, so I need to hurry this thing up!

Anyway… “Why do you TRULY love your phone, Emily?” You may be asking. (If you’re not, well… Ask anyway.) BECAUSE, I tell you, it allows me to read in the dark of the car with the handy-dandy flashlight its got built into it, and BOY, do I love my book!

Absolutely Truly, by Heather Vog Frederick, is quite possibly the best book in the world, and I’m only at chapter eight or nine. It’s about a girl (whose name is Truly!), who finds a letter in a copy of Charlotte’s Web in her family’s bookstore. And it contains a mystery.

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That is my excitement right now. If that’s how much I love this book, to randomly blog about it with my phone at 20% battery left, IMAGINE the review!

Alrightyy… Well, I’m going to sign off here tonight (or morning, or afternoon, or whatever time of day you’re reading this), to try and get some shut eye before we get to my aunt’s… Or not, since my mom is yelling at the cars in front of her. 😉

Thanks for reading! And tell me: what book do you gush about only eight chapters in? Or what author do you continuously talk about to whoever will listen?

Until next time! … When I blog from the next Highway Anywhere, USA!

blog segments, books, miscellaneous 'bookish' things

sisterhood of the world bloggers award!

November 3, 2014 Emily 2 Comments

Hey everyone! I love doing blogging awards, and recently Samantha from Bookish Serendipity nominated me for the sisterhood of the world bloggers award. I’ve never been nominated for this particular award (I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve been nominated for the Liebster award), so I was eager to participate in this one! =)

So first of all, a HUGE thank you to Samantha for nominating me for the award! I LOVE her blog, so be sure to go and check her out here!

Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.
Put the award logo on your blog.
Answer the ten questions they’ve sent you.
Make up ten new questions for ‘your’ nominees to answer.
Nominate ten people.

The rules are pretty simple, but I like doing these sorts of things because it’s kind of a “get to know you” post, and you can find other bloggers to follow, as well! Here are Samantha’s ten questions for me… they were great ones, too! =)

What is your favourite fandom? Favorite fandom… hmm. Well, I can’t say I really get into “fandoms,” and I’ve never really cared for fandoms when it comes to books. (If you don’t know what a fandom is, by the way, it’s what fans of TV shows, books, etc., refer to themselves – think “kingdom” only “fandom”) But if I had to choose any, I guess I’d say the Mother/Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick. I’ve never grown out of those. (At least, not in the past three years. =))

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would you choose? Paraphrasing from one of my favorite role models, Bethany Hamilton, “I wouldn’t change what happened to me in the past because I wouldn’t be where I am today.” There were several key parts in the past where I acted very selfishly, so I’d probably be like “Hey, girl, snap out of it!” =) But hey, I’m only 13! There’s definitely not much I’d change or that I really, truly regret because I’m still a kid and I’m still learning and growing.

Favourite book quote? OMG! You’re not making me choose one, are you? Surely not. If I had to choose, though…

When life robs you, sometimes you have to rob it back. – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

What is the story behind your blog name? My dream is to open a small bookstore in a quaint downtown shopping area and publish historical/realistic fiction for all ages. (I know, very specific! I’ve even got my college majors picked out! More on that later :P) Anyway, think “You’ve Got Mail,” with the “Shop Around the Corner.” I was coming up with bookstore names. Some of them weren’t very good, and some of them I fell in love with. I just sat there, imagining how I’d decorate my bookstore and where it would be and what kind of authors would be privileged to do a book signing in my bookstore… my favorite name was “For the Bookish.” It was so perfect. Thus, my book blog name.

Top 3 favourite songs? Oh, gosh, there are so many. Lately, I’ve been loving “The Broken Beautiful” by Ellie Holcomb (beautiful song. beautiful music!!), “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift (who hasn’t heard it? I mean really. I hear it all the time in stores and radios and such. =)), and “The Middle of Starting Over” by Sabrina Carpenter. (I love the style of her music! I’m looking forward to seeing more from her!)

What has been your favourite blog post to write? Ooh, tough one! (These are fant-abulous questions, Samantha!) I really love my very first post, in April, and then a recent post I did just a few days ago, “Confession: I am a Notebook Hoarder.” That was a blast, and fun going through all of my journals and such. 😀

If you could live in any time period, what would you choose? WWII! The Revolutionary War! The Renaissance! The 50’s! Ohhh my gosh, there are so many. I’m such a historian, too. History is probably my favorite subject in school, maybe even before English. I’d probably choose to visit the 40’s, because I’m so fascinated with WWII. Or Bible times, when Jesus was here. Yeah, definitely the latter. =)

Favourite Halloween candy? REESE’S. It’s chocolate and peanut butter. Is this a trick question?

Who is your role model? (in life, blogging, etc) I’m switching this to “Who are your role models,” if that’s okay. =) There’s no question here; my mom and dad. They work so hard to take care of my sister and I, and make so many sacrifices for us. I don’t know where I would be without them. (Actually, I do – NOWHERE! Ha. Ha.) <3

If you could go anywhere on holiday, where would you go? Bath, England. It’s where Jane Austen grew up and ever since I read Pies & Prejudice by Heather Vogel Frederick, I’ve been obsessed. My second choice would be NYC – I’ve never been, and I’d love to visit around the holidays – especially to see the 9/11 memorial.

Whew! Those were AWESOME questions. They’re gonna be hard to beat! =) Here are the questions for my nominees…

What inspired you to start a blog?
What blogger(s) do you admire?
Hobbies (besides blogging/reading/writing)? =)
Any pets? (If none, favorite animal!)
What sort of music do you listen to?
Top three favorite authors.
Describe your dream vacation!
If you were stuck on a deserted island with one person, who would you want it to be?
What is your favorite season and why?
What is the most comforting thing to you? (Family, baby blanket, scent, photograph, pet, etc.)

Now, for my nominees! I couldn’t find ten, so I only picked three =)

I nominate Ana @ Butterflies of the Imagination, Rose @ Searching the Clouds, and Sunny @ A Splash of Ink.

I hope all three nominees can participate! Now, I nominate you: answer any ten of the questions in the comments below!

books

new blog theme, nanowrimo, & stacking the shelves

November 1, 2014 Emily 10 Comments

WOW, what a title! So much to talk about! Today is November 1st (well, unless you like in Australia… then it’s the 2nd. That could be confusing), and so many exciting things are happening this month.

#1: NANOWRIMO! It’s here, guys. I’m already 378 words ahead. (Which isn’t a lot, but ever word counts!) Since I’ll be in Florida for ten days out of this month, I lowered my word count to 30k instead of 50k. Which is 30,000 words in 19 days. Which is 1,578 words a day. (I KNOW! SO EXCITING, RIGHT?!)

#2: I’M GOING ON A CRUISE! A Disney cruise. To the East Caribbean. SO MANY FEELS HERE, OKAY??!! It’s going to be so incredible, I just… AHH. I’m so EXCITED I JUST WANT TO TYPE THIS WHOLE POST IN CAPS!!! Of course, I won’t have wifi (and if I do, it will be so slow I probably won’t even bother to check my email), so no posts for a week or so. But I’ll be sure to share my adventure with you all when I get back.

#3: NEW BLOG THEME. It happened today. ‘Cause I was bored. And just look at my new header. It’s flawless. I’m so happy with it.

#4: THANKSGIVING. THE HOLIDAYS. SALES. One thing you should know about me: I’m a shopper. If I go into a store, I feel like I have to have everything in it. Thanksgiving happens this month, which brings the holidays and my absolute FAVORITE word in the whole wide world: sale. Clearance. Especially if it’s something cat-related. I’ll buy anything cat-related. Ask my mom. She rolls her eyes, but THEY’RE CATS. They’re just… perfection. I’m going to end up like the E-harmony cat lady.

I’m also linking up with Tynga’s Reviews for Stacking the Shelves, in which I talk about all the books I’ve accumulated in the past week.

I bought these two novellas in one at B&N this morning since it was only nine dollars and I couldn’t resist! I absolutely LOVELOVELOVE the Selection series by Keira Cass, and I’ve been wanting to read the novellas for a while now. I’m loving it so far!

I’ve also been reading The Secret Garden for school this past week. It’s great!

Annnd I’ve been listening to The Tale of Despereaux on audio. It’s such a SWEET book. When I finish it, I’m going to watch a movie. (I think I watched the movie a long time ago, but I don’t really remember it.)

So what exciting things are happening in November for you all? What books have you been reading?

books, miscellaneous 'bookish' things

reading classics. they make you sound smarter.

October 27, 2014 Emily 5 Comments

“‘Classic.’ A book which people praise, but don’t read.” – Mark Twain

I love reading classics. While most girls in my sixth-grade classes last year toted around huge volumes of Twilight or Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (*shudders*), I toted around my beautiful hard-back copy of Pride & Prejudice, which I read for the umpteenth time sometime in the spring. (Not Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, Vampires, or Werewolves, thank you very much.)

Some of my other dearest friends include Anne of Green Gables (many thanks to my aunt Corrie for buying me the annotated version when I was eight), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (my Grandma got me that one!), Little Women (my Mimi introduced me to that little gem), and Great Expectations (one of my mom’s favorites.)

Now, I’m going to be completely, 100% honest here. I like saying I read classics because it makes me sound smart.

What? Whoever said quoting my favorite Emily Dickinson poem to my English teacher can’t earn you some brownie points?

I’m book-smart. Hence being book-ish. Not smart-ish. Ask my mom, okay? I’m a brunette, but look close and I’ve got some blonde roots! 😀

I’ve read more books than I even know where to begin to count. I wish I had less books taking up space in my room, but I just don’t have the heart to give them up. The thing is, though, I still haven’t met my reading goals yet.

I’ve been slacking off reading, and I’ve been reading the same book for a week. (Whhaaat? EMILY.) SO I’ve decided that in the next year, my goal is to read one-hundred classics.

Here is the list of classics I aim to read in the next year. I’m starting with The Secret Garden, since that’s the one I’ve got to read for school right now. Some of them I’m already read (Pride & Prejudice, Wind in the Willows…) but I’m going to read again. I chose this list because the majority of them I haven’t read, and they’ve been on my TBR for quite a while now.

Do you read any classics? Which ones would you like to read?