From Love Letters to the Dead (book review here)

We lie all the time. We lie everyday. We lie to make ourselves feel better, we lie to spare other people's feelings, we lie to avoid the truths that we're scared might hurt. Sometimes lies do help but it's important to know that the truth isn't something that should be or even can be avoided.

You need to be true to who you are and who you want to become. So don't lie about who you are just because it makes other people happy. Don't lie to yourself about it either you'll just end up miserable and old and drinking away your feelings. So accept your own truth, accept who you are as you are, as scary as it might be. Because at then end of the day just by accepting the truth you'll be happy, and your happiness is beautiful. Like the quote says accepting your truths, the scary ones, the bad ones, the happy ones, the good ones, it just makes you, you. It makes you youer than yesterday. And you're awesome so why not try and be more you.

Don't lie about how you feel. If you like someone and their worth the risk, then tell them. If you're sad, if you feel like your world is falling apart, if you're lonely, or angry, or frustrated, or happy, then talk about it. Sometimes feeling things and being left with your thoughts can be toxic. If you need to talk to someone don't lie and say you're fine. There are people you can talk to, you're friends, you're family, maybe a teacher, hell you can talk to me if you want to. Sometimes speaking the truth about what you feel is enough to make you feel lighter because you're not a slave to it anymore.

The truth is always hard to face. But life isn't easy. But telling the truth, accepting it, it can be that little light that helps guide you to where you want to go. If you're dying to be a singer, a writer, a producer, or just a better you, hold on to that truth because it's bright and beautiful and you should trust in it because it can take you places.

If You Liked Perks of Being a Wallflower You'll like These Ten Books

I love The Perks of Being a Wallflower, it's one of my favorite books of all time. For today's TTT, in case the title didn't give it away, I'm going to be listing ten books that I think are perfect for coming of of post PBW depression. If you liked the Perks of Being a Wallflower, you'll like ten Contemporary YA books. 

10. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowel. This is so much more than just a love story. It's a tragic tale of two outsiders trying to belong somewhere, and that somewhere just happened to be together. It's an amazing book and will tug at your heart strings.

9. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman. I LOVE this book so much. When I first read it I was literally a pool of tears. My emotions where everywhere. The sequal is good too, and definitely dragged me back down into the sadness the first book brought. This one does isn't nearly as dark as The Perks 

8. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. At first I wasn't a big fan of the book. But the more I got into it, the more I saw the main character, Samantha, develop the more the story sunk it's sad paws on me. By the end of it I can safely say I was crying and frustrated (in a good way)

7.Crash and Burn by Micheal Haasan. This book is freakin amazing. It's real and raw and sad and gritty. It's not a book you'd read to find a happy ending, But it's oh so good. 

6. The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. Equal parts tragic and funny. I love Sutter. He's just one of those characters you can't help but want to help, be their friend, and be there for them. The story is amazing. I definitely recommend it, but I will warn you, the ending is so not what you'd want. Here's my Review

5. After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick. This is book two in a series but I feel like you could read both books seperatly and admire and love both of them. The first is called Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. This book is amazing. It's funny and it focuses on healing and moving forward. Yet this book still managed to break my heart.

4. It's Kind Of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. This book killed me. I'm a ghost now. It's such an amazing and sad and sometimes funny and crazy and my fangirl emotions are overwhelming me right now. It's a book that everyone should read.

3. The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. I had to read this in 9th grade. This book really stuck with me the same way The Perks did. It's a story that everyone should read. It's really good and worth tearing up and crying over.

3.5 Rules by Cynthia Lord. I love this book so much. There aren't many books like this one.  I remember when I read it, I fell in love with it because I could relate so much to the main character, 

2. Love Letters to The Dead by Ava Dellaira. Its hauntingly beautiful. The book itself is simple and the writing isn't anything special, but I think it makes the story line and the actual words stand out so much more. It's simply sad I guess. Here's my book review. 

1. Looking for Alaska by John Green. I love John Green. I love TFIOS. I love Looking For Alaska too. It's gritty and raw like The Perks, but has hope sprinkle here and there. It's sad and tragic and funny even. This book is on point. Here's my playlist for the book. 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Christmas Gift Guide: Books

As a book blogger i'm bound to have books that are perfect for people you're shopping for! Enjoy the list :)

YA contemporary Reads (for further book ideas here are my top ten favorites)

• Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira (book review here)
• If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
• Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (pretty much anything by Rainbow Rowell)
• The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp ( Book Review here)
• Say What You Will by Cammie Mcgovern 
• The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider 
• The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
• Crash and Burn by Micheal Hassan
• The List by Siohban Vivian

YA Dystopian

• Divergent by Veronica Roth
• The 100 Kass Morgan (book review here)
• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• Uglies by Scott Westerfield 
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer (book review here)
• Champian by Mary Lu

YA Fiction

• Sinner by Maggie Steifvater 
• The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkins
• Liar by Justine Larbalestier
• The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
• Die For Me by Amy Plum
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass
• The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

Mixtape Monday

Love Letters to the Dead Playlist

1.All Apologies by Nirvana
2.Big Bad World by Kodaline
3.The Hardest Part by Coldplay
4.Manhattan by Sara Bareilles
5.The Scientist by Coldplay
6.Nothing Like You And I by The Perishers
7.Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
8.Sweet Nothing by Calvin Harris Ft Florence Welsh
9.Wonderwall by Oasis
10.Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin
11.Somebody To You by The Vamps
12.Crazy/ You Drive Me Crazy by Glee
13.Teenage Dream Blaine Anderson
14.Between The Bars by Elliot Smith
15.Oblivion by Bastille
16.Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland
17.Home by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes
18.Way Back When by Kodaline
19.Laughter Lines by Bastille
20.Uncharted by Sara Bareilles
Here's my book review for this AMAZING book!

Love Letter's to the Dead Book Review :)

                                                         
 Release Date: April 1st 2014

Book: Love Letters to the Dead

Author: Ava Dellaira

Genre: YA

Source: Barnes and Noble

The Basics: It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path. (from goodreads)


Rating: 4/5

My Musings:

    When I went to the LA book festival this past April I went to go see Stephen Chbosky in a panel. Chbosky was interviewing Ava over this new book. After Ava read the description and a few pages from the book I was hooked. I had to know how this story began and ended.  As the panel went on I couldn’t think of a reason to not buy this book. And so I did.

    The story is sad and dark, and it’s told though letters. I love this aspect of the book, I feel like it was a perfect way to tell Laurel’s story. She writes to Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, River Phoenix, John Keats (one of my favorite poets), and countless others. She relates to each one of the people she writes to. Whether it’s though shared pain, family problems, or even love and it’s through these letters that she begins to grow as a person and move forward and away from her grief. Each letter helps her understand her sister, May, better as well as the decisions she made, but most importantly she’s able to learn to see herself without May.

     I also loved the side story lines with her friends Hannah and Natalie. I loved how the author made Hannah and Natalie a couple. I really like this aspect of the story .The only thing I have to say about them is that it was heartbreaking to read but beautiful to see grow.

     I think Laurel put her sister up on a shiny pedestal where nothing and no one could touch her. I can relate because in a lot of ways that’s how I see my own older siblings. I just felt like she never let herself see her sister the way she was away from Laurel. May liked to party and she liked boys that were bad for her and she was terribly lost.  Laurel throughout the book refuses to acknowledge May as nothing short of perfect. While I understood Laurel’s P.O.V. I wished she could have accepted May’s faults sooner in the book.

     The writing style was short and concise with a magical metaphor here and there.  Laurel’s narrative was simple and straight forward. There was no reading between the lines or looking for multiple meaning because every word Laurel said was exactly what she meant.  Some people might find this to be annoying or boring, but I actually liked it because it was written the way a 15 year old girl would write things not some fancy author who knows how to use big words. The simple language helps Laurel be more real because she talks like one.

Ok now for the romance. *waggles eyebrows*. Alrighty then. I love Sky I do. I think he’s sweet, kind, and the type of boyfriend I would LOVE to have.  The only problem I had with the romance was the way it developed. At first it seemed like it would take the whole books for them to get together, but then things sped up and fell together sort of cheesiliy. But then again it’s high school, so some cheese is permitted. 

     I really enjoyed reading this book. I shed a few tears, laughed along with Laurel and fell in love with each of the characters. This book is definitely worth reading and fangirling over.  I promise you it’s a beautiful story 
Favorite Quotes: 

“I think a lot of people want to be someone, but we are scared that if we try, we won't be as good as everyone imagines we could be.” 

“And maybe what growing up really means is knowing that you don't have to be just a character, going whichever way the story says. It's knowing you could be the author instead.” 

“You can be noble and brave and beautiful and still find yourself falling.”

“If beauty is truth, and truth is beauty, they are defined by each other, so how do we know the meaning of either?” 

“You taught them that people love you for what they want to see in you, not for what you are.” 

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