Favorite Classic Book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger I knew which book I was picking for this one right off the bat. I don’t normally enjoy classics too much, which is one of the reasons I decided not to become an English teacher. For most classics, I appreciated them and what they did for the literary world. I’m just not one to read them for pleasure or really want to sit down with one. Of course, this book is the exception to all rules. It’s a timeless story. Holden Caulfield is one of the most interesting and unique characters I’ve ever encountered. Required reading, people!!

A Book You Thought You Wouldn’t Like But Ended Up Loving Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill I’m not normally one to read non-fiction, but this book was an option for my book club that I ended up reading. I’ve always been fascinated by cult-like religions and Scientology; I never would have thought to pick up a book about it though. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it as much as I did. I found that I couldn’t stop reading it! I kept waiting and waiting for her to finally realize what was going on and make her escape. It was fascinating to learn about the religion and all of the insane stuff they believe. I’d recommend this one to any person who has been curious about this odd religion and how they trap their followers for life (as best they can).

Most Overrated Book We Were Liars by E. Lockhart I’m sorry that I complain about this book so much. I wonder if reading this book instead of listening to the audiobook would have helped me, but I really don’t think so. I genuinely don’t understand what people saw in this book. I liked learning about a rich family and their problems (kind of), but not enough to make up for the rest of this book. No character development, slow-moving plot, and annoying writing style = no go for me. Sorry, folks. I would be interested to hear what you liked about it, if you’re in the majority that did.

A Book That Makes You Happy Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Despite the fact that I just finished this book a few days ago, this is the first one that came to mind when I thought of books that made me happy. I smiled like a lunatic at the sheer cuteness that happened on every page of this book. It was a fairly standard young adult romance with some predictable pieces, but it was exactly what I expected – in the best way possible. When I saw people doing the #IslaIsComing readalong, I decided to join in because so many bloggers were raving about how adorable the series is. This book should be the poster child for all young adult authors.

Worst Film Adaptation Of A Book My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult Oh goodness. Both the book and movie versions made me cry like a crazy person. However, I was definitely not okay with the film adaptation of this at all. Throughout the movie, I picked up on little changes here and there that diverted from the book’s plot. Granted, I had read the book years earlier and didn’t remember too much, but I still could tell it was different. The biggest issue of all was the effing ENDING! What was that?? How can you make a movie based on a book and give it a completely different ending?! I don’t want to spoil anything here, in case you haven’t read it or seen it, but seriously that was ridiculous. Here’s the Wikipedia page that lists the changes (including the major ending change – so beware of spoilers!) Even Jodi Picoult was adamant that they not change the ending, but it was done anyways. How do directors/producers/writers get away with that?! If someone was making a movie of my book, I’d be on set every day hooting and hollering and ensuring the plot stayed intact.

Your Favorite Series Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard I already used Harry Potter, so here’s a (very different) close second. I’ve been reading these since the year they started coming out – long before the show was even thought of. She was first only going to write 8, I believe, then decided to have 16 in the actual series plus two bonus books (a prequel and one covering their winter vacation). Whenever a new PLL book was released, I would read it immediately and finish within two days. I’m currently anxiously awaiting the final book, Vicious, which will come out in December of this year. People say the books have gone downhill since about halfway through the series, but I have been intrigued and engaged the entire time. If you like the show, I would definitely recommend reading these. The plot of the series is VERY different from the show, so you won’t get the two easily confused.