Top 5 "Stuff You" Books

In honor of Thanksgiving I'm going to do a blog post about my top 5 "stuff you" books. The ones that make you feel full and satisfied.

1. So you guys have probably figured out that I love fluffy chick books but honestly there is one that fills me up to the brim with happiness every single time I read it.  Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle. First off this book has 3 amazing writers that worked together to create magic. Second, the names in this book are little treats themselves. Jubilee, Stewart, Jeb, The Duke, and Teagan are all names that add a quirky and interesting side to the story. Thirdly and Lastly, not only is there 1 love story but 3. This book will no doubt leave you full from all the fluffy, holiday love stories jam packed into this book.

2. I also love thrillers/mystery books. One of my favorites is Pivot Point by Kasie West. This book is a 'stuff you" book because it's a fresh breath of air. It fills you up with wonder and excitement. The main character in the book, Addie, has a special power in which she can see how a decision impacts her future. The book follows the two choices that she can make and how that path would play out. Both include love interests, danger and a mystery with her best friend. This book not only will fill you up but will keep you invested in it until the last page. Which incidentally is where I rushed out and bought the second book in the series...

The professional? author John Green

3. Going back into the great author John Green's books comes An Abundance of Katherines. *Sighs lovingly* Colin, the greatest main character ever to be written is the star of this book. A child prodigy that hasn't achieved anything great with his intelligence goes on a road trip to find opportunists and to run away from his ill-fated romances with not one but 18 separate Katherines. Along the way there is injuries, comedy and an amazing love interest: Lindsey. This book stuffs you with laughs and amazement as you read the text.

4.This next book is a little weird I have to admit but I love it too much to care. The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar is a wonderful love story between Margo and a genie, yes a genie, Oliver. I love this book so much because while it's not realistic the romance that is in this book is unforgettable. It may be lacking cancer but it makes up for it with actual magic. Margo describes the feeling of magic as "More like the heat that you felt on your tongue after eating something spicy," (67). That elemen of magic makes the book so special. Reading this book I couldn't help but fawn over the clever ways that Oliver impressed and wooed Margo. This book filled me with the oh-so-dangerous faith in a perfect relationship.

5. I saved the best for last. I think this may be cheating but I created the rules of this prompt so I'm gonna put it in anyway. The Naturals series is by far the best books out of all of these. The series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is so thrilling that I almost died waiting the 9 months it took for the second book to be released. Cassie, the main character is just so relate-able and the detail the book is written with made me feel like I was in it. There was no disappointment with this series and the thing it stuffed me with was suspense (the best thing)
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Killer Instinct

So I recently finished Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This book is my one true love. The writing the characters, the fact that its a sequel to the best book ever (The Naturals) all make me want to read it again and again and again. But alas, I can't I need to move on to other books. However, I still didn't want to let it go, so, the fangirl that I am, I naturally started thinking about what it would be like if it was a movie. This blog post is just my random thoughts on who I would cast to be the main characters.

Cassie:
Cassie is the main character of the series: A red-headed, fiery teen from a broke family. She is a natural, a teenager recruited to the FBI because she has a natural ability. She is a profiler, she's independent and strong. But wildly empathetic. Who else would I have play her than Emma Stone? She would kill this roll. Emma Stone is one of my favorite actresses and she would totally pull off the character. Not only did her role in The Amazing Spider man 2 solidify this for me (because she managed to be strong and stubborn and an amazing Gwen) but I think that she would add an interesting dimension to the love triangle that runs through the series.

Lia:
 Lia is a lie detector. She was one of the first recruits to the Naturals program. I don't' know much about her, she's allusive, defensive and protective Dean. But she's afraid of letting people in, of letting them know who she really is. She changes her outfits every day, not letting anyone see her style but maintains her non-nonchalant, wicked, and sarcastic personality. I would cast Vanessa Marano as Lia. In Switched At Birth she plays Bay, a unruly and rebellious teen. I think that adding her into the mix would be interesting to how Lia was adapted. Would she turn her into more of a softy or add venom to her bite? Who knows, but one thing I do know is that Vanessa would be the perfect choice.

Michael: Michael is the resident bad boy. He reads emotions but with a personality like Lia's no one ever really figures him out. He's got a crush on Cassie and is the first guy in the love triangle. He's got a huge rivalry with Dean and doesn't get along with many of the other naturals. However, I couldn't stop loving him and being torn on who should win Cassie's heart.  I would cast Liam Hemsworth as Michael. After watching his amazing rivalry (as Gale) with Peeta in The Hunger Games he would make the perfect Michael. Vindictive, jealous and downright cruel sometimes Michael's a hard man to portray but Hemsworth could pull it off while showing great chemistry with Cassie.

Dean: Dean is the competitor. He wants Cassie and distracts her from Michael even though he doesn't think he can ever be with her. Dean describes being a profiler to Cassie,“Maybe, to do what you and I do, we have to have a little bit of the monster in us.” He truly thinks that he can't be with her because he'll make her a full monster. Dean was the first person recruited into the Naturals program, the son of a serial killer makes a pretty great profiler. It also makes a teen who is so scared of ruining the people around him that he closes himself off. Broken, poisonous and brooding, he's the darkest character there is. But he's so lovable, while you are reading the book you want to fix him, you want to rip him away from his tragic back story and give him a better life. One where he is already with Cassie. That's right, he's the one I rooted for the entire book. Brett Dalton is my one and only choice for this movie that I imagine in my head. The actor who already plays HYDRA Agent Ward from Agents of Shield is the one I think could bring darkness and brooding like it was the easiest thing ever. It would feel natural having him playing Dean and I can see him and Cassie playing out the romance that's almost forbidden while Michael fights his own war for Cassie.

Sloane:
The last of the naturals, Sloane is awkward, alone and hopelessly smart. She's a genius, she knows patterns and statistics like they're common knowledge. She's timid and believes that no one likes her, probably because her family didn't. She's the character I relate with most. Socially awkward girls have to stick together. I would cast Elizabeth Henstridge as Slaone. She is also an actress from Agents of Shield, she plays Gemma, a nerdy, smart and awkward scientist. I think that she would do well as Sloane.



If you were me, who would you cast as these characters?

I Am Malala: Text-to-Society

I am reading I Am Malala which is the story of a girl from Swat Valley, Pakistan. As she grows up, the Taliban, a terrorist group, begin to control and oppress Pakistan, mostly focusing on the end of women's education. Malala's father is the owner of a girls' school and speaks out against the Taliban with Malala soon following in his footsteps. After a few years of rebellion against Taliban ways, they shoot Malala in the head at point-blank range, hoping to silence her, and set an example for others. The memoir follows her life before and after and how she used it (her injury) to further her cause.

    The central idea that Malala passes onto her readers is that education is important. But as you read the novel the idea of education blooms into the idea that education is important but out of reach to millions. This idea is apparent all over the world, and applies to many others besides just  Malala. An article from The Washington Post went into detail about college drop out rates, stating, “For many, the socioeconomic barriers become insurmountable. Only a fraction claim their diploma: The six-year graduation rate is 31 percent”. While many people think that the middle-east is the only one struggling with education, many Americans are struggling with the finances.

Financing problems may not be the same as Taliban officials oppressing education, but it still limits how far people can go in life. Malala stood up for education in Pakistan and Americans are pulling their own weight when it comes to their future. People all over the world suffer from lack of education, whether it be from financial problems or school being forbidden. Malala is just one beacon of hope in the eyes of these people.

Malala is an inspiration to many, at only 17 she has understood the importance of schooling and dreamed it be available to all one day.  Using medians such as a radio show, she urged students to do whatever they have to, in order to earn the education they deserve. Malala even goes as far as to say, “Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow. Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human.” Her protests have already gained many girls all over the world access to education, and she continues pursuing these goals to this very day.

Sources:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7064545.Malala_Yousafzai

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/10/20/why-poor-kids-dont-stay-in-college/