I am a sucker for Christian self-help books. I had seen and heard of this book for a long while before I decided that it was high time that I read it. And I am sure glad that I did! Not only was it a read full of humor and interesting stories, but it was incredibly raw; I haven't read an author who is so unashamedly honest in her truth-tellings as Rachel Hollis in a long while. I felt like I was having a heart-to-heart with her in every chapter, on every page. Her incredible enthusiasm to share her hardships to help other women through the tough parts of life is truly inspiring. Each chapter starts with a lie, such as "I Don't Know How To Be A Mom," "I'm Not Good Enough," and "There's Only One Right Way To Be." Subsequently, she hits those lies right out of the ballpark into oblivion where they belong. Her gift of words and speaking truth is powerful, and I admire how she decided to utilize her already established fanbase to write a book addressing concepts that bog women down all over the world. All in all, this book is for all women in all walks of life, from searching teens to long-time mothers. It is a book full of hard truth that will inspire you to become a better version of yourself -- the version of yourself that you are meant to be.

Some of my favorite underlinings as I read this book:

"Sometimes choosing to walk away, even if it means breaking your own heart, can be the greatest act of self-love you have access to."

"Every day is a chance to start over."

"... you are worthy of not letting your past dictate your future."

"That is what it boils down to: faith. The belief that your life will unfold as it was meant to, even when it unfolds into something painful and difficult to navigate."

"Turns out, the most beautiful things in my life were never on my to-do list."

"God has perfect timing, and it's highly possible that by not being where you thought you should be, you will end up exactly where you're meant to go."

I am all for fantasy novels; I think I could truly say that they are my favorite genre to read. I enjoyed this fantastical book in many ways, if not solely for the amazing sense of nostalgia that it offers its readers on every page. In essence, this story brings to life the dream of every book lover: to be able to jump inside of the pages of a story. The novel's main character, Amy Lennox, learns of her phenomenal ability and sets off jumping into the book world. But things are not as utopian within this world as could be expected: the core ideas of stories such as Alice and Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, and The Wizard of Oz have been stolen by an unidentifiable thief for unknown reasons. It is up to Amy and her book-jumping companion, Will Macalister, to right the wrongs within this literary realm before chaos reigns. To reiterate, I so enjoyed the element of nostalgia that Amy and Will's endeavors inside of timeless stories brought. More than ever, I wish I had their ability to roam around with characters I've dreamed of meeting in worlds beyond my imagination.

Some of my favorite quotes from The Book Jumper:

"It was full of whispered words, the lure of stories waiting to be read, a rustle of promise that hung in the air. How many adventures were hidden here in paper and ink, how many great love stories, how many epic battles?"

"His lips tasted of words. Of hundreds, thousands, millions of words and the stories hidden inside them. And they tasted of salt, like the sea below us."

"Clotheswise I'd packed only what was strictly necessary. The way I saw it, it was better to take one less cardigan than have to do without one of my favorite books."

 Jane Austen is perhaps most well-known for her work Pride and Prejudice. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this classic tale of a quite spoiled English girl and her many fancies and "woes." From timid Mr. Woodhouse, to gallant Frank Churchill, to fast-talking Miss Bates, to demure Jane Fairfax, the many characters within this book add to the irony and amusement shaped throughout this tale. The true irony is packed in the classic case of best friend turned lover -- a lover not fully realized until it is almost too late. Readers follow Miss Emma Woodhouse through her (quite disastrous) attempts to matchmake in the idle town of Hartfield. Her flirtations with a certain Mr. Churchill and eventual realization of the ultimate match that has been standing in front of her all of the while only build upon the sense of amusement that Emma's saucy countenance brings. All in all, this novel was very entertaining and I enjoyed it much more than I expected to. Jane Austen is truly a master of subtle comedy, prose, and romance; Emma is no exception. 

Some of my favorite quotes from Emma:

"I may have lost my heart, but not my self-control."

"I always deserve the best treatment, because I never put up with any other."

"If things are going untowardly one month, they are sure to mend the next." (I really like this one because it reminds me that our lives are broken up into seasons, and that some seasons are more turbulent than others, but that the sun is always bound to shine again at some point or another.)

"A woman is not to marry a man merely because she is asked, or because he is attached to her, and can write a tolerable letter."

A story reminiscent of The Greatest Showman and Alice in Wonderland, this novel was quite a spellbinder. I have to admit that it certainly is not my favorite novel and dragged a bit at times. To focus on the negative first: there is a major lack of character development; I didn't really connect with any of the characters at all. There was a sense that the plot line was going to increase in action and interest, but it never really did. I kept waiting for it to get more interesting, and while it did in some areas, it remained kind of dry on the whole. There are also a lot of different time jumps in different places between different characters that began to get not only slightly annoying but confusing. But to focus more on positives, this author is highly gifted in her prose and use of description, adjectives, and metaphors. Every line is beautifully written and her settings can be vividly imagined by an reader. I also enjoyed the late 19th century setting and feel of the novel, what with description of high-society and dress. Overall, I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was certainly an interesting if not fully-developed story.

I've never really been one to lean towards non-fiction works in comparison to fictional novels. When this work was recommended to me by my U.S. History teacher my junior year of high school, I thought about trying it. And not until a little over a year later have I actually tried it -- and I am very glad that I did. This work written by Erik Larson centers around the World Columbian Exposition of 1893, America's (and the world's) first and most magnificent fair. But within the spectacle of lights, exhibits, and overall wonder, a prowling serial killer was claiming victims unbeknownst to the general public. This novel works to shed light on the information found on this notorious killer as well as the detailings of the process of the fair's inception and duration. Overall, this non-fiction work is written in a manner of great and grand storytelling, when in fact it is an incredibly well-researched account of true history set in Chicago's Jackson Park. For anyone craving for history to come to life in vivid description and validity, this Larson creation is for you.

Some of my favorite quotes within the various quotes of research for this literary work:

"It was so easy to disappear, so easy to deny knowledge, so very easy in the smoke and din to mask that something dark had taken root. This was Chicago, on the eve of the greatest fair in history."

"His weakness was his belief that evil had boundaries."

"Chicago has disappointed her enemies and astonished the world."

"Leaves hung in the stillness like hands of the newly dead."

The concept of this book had me intrigued as soon as I read the back cover. As the title reveals, this book entertains the idea of appointed people known as 'scythes' to be administers of death in a future free from the clutches of mortality. Main characters Rowan and Citra find themselves wrapped up in the responsibilities of an apprenticeship to one day become these givers of death -- a responsibility that they are initially repulsed by. But, shockingly enough, a repulsion of the position is the first requirement to qualify. All that to say, this story follows these two young apprentices in their endeavors to compete for one available spot in the realm of scythes, known as the Scythedom. Along the way, political corruption, internal turmoil, and forbidden love all spiral to make a thoroughly interesting and well-written story of life pitted against death. There is also a newly released sequel following the events that wrap up this novel.

Some of my favorite quotes from this novel:

​"Hope in the shadow of fear is the world's most powerful motivator."

"I think all young women are cursed with a streak of unrelenting foolishness, and all young men are cursed with a streak of absolute stupidity."

"Without the threat of suffering, we can't experience true joy."

"Human nature is both predictable and mysterious; prone to great and sudden advances, yet still mired in despicable self-interest."

"Death makes the whole world kin. Rowan wondered if a world without death would then make everyone stranger."