My Top Three: Best & Worst of 2014

2014 is almost over and I thought that I should summarize it by listing the best and worst of my reading experience this year. This is not about books released in 2014, but about book that I have read in 2014. My goal for this year, as seen on Goodreads, was to read 50 books. I didn't really believe that I would actually achieve it, but I did and I even surpassed it, with a total of 65 books read in 2014! 

I read stand-alones and series, romances and dystopias, good and bad books. I had favorite heroes and heroines and also least favorite ones. Overall, I am very pleased with my readings of 2014, the books I read I feel like they have enriched me. I laughed and I cried with them, I got happy, angry and sad. My goal for 2015 is to read at least as much as I have this year. I have other objectives and goals as well for the year that follows, and I wish that with time and a little bit of effort I will achieve them, but more details will come next year.

With that being said, I will also let you know that this is the last post that I will write this year. I would like to wish you all Happy Holidays, a new year at least as good as 2014 and if your 2014 sucked, I wish that your 2015 will be far better! For the remaining of the holiday season, may you all be safe and happy beside your loved ones. Happy New Year!

My Top Three: To-Read Dystopia Series

My last "My Top Three" post consisted of books that I have on my to read list and, since I have plenty of them, I can make several posts about it. The last time, it was a post about my top three to-read romances. Today, I have a new post for you and that is my top three to-read dystopias, only that this time I'm not talking about standalones, but about series.

As you may already know, if you've been following me for a while, my favorite genre is young-adult and my favorite subgenre is dystopia. Because of that, you can imagine that my to-read list consists of a lot of dystopian books. And I am very pretentious when it comes to this genre - I always have very high expectations from dystopias. Anyway, here are my top three, or in other words the ones that I am most curious about or are at the top of my list, to-read dystopia series.

1. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer 

1. Cinder

2. Scarlet

3. Cress

2. Matched by Ally Condie

1. Matched

2. Crossed

3. Reached

3. Delirium by Lauren Oliver

1. Delirium

2. Pandemonium

3. Requiem

My Top Three: To-Read Romance Novels

I have so many ideas for posts under the "My Top Three" category that I can't write just yet, because I am saving them for a better moment. For example, I can't exactly make a Top Three Favorite Books of 2014 (hint, hint) because I might come across a favorite book throughout the next two months. Does that make sense? I hope so.

However, there are other types of posts I can write before the end of this awesome year. While I was browsing through my to-read list on Goodreads, I came across so many books that I've been meaning to read for so long but still haven't gotten across to it. So, I had an interesting idea and that is how I came to write this post.

Here are the top three romance novels I have on my to-read list:

Ruin (Ruin # 1) by Rachel Van Dyken 

"I'm not your typical girl. I've been running away from the memories that haunt me for so long that depression has become my only comfort. I was content in the darkness...until Wes Michals offered to be my light.

I didn't know that time wasn't my ally -- that every second that ticked past was one step closer to the end of something that was beginning to mean the end of myself. He tried to warn me. He promised me all he was able to offer--each moment as it came--but it would never be enough.

Sometimes when you think it's the end, it's only the beginning. Wes thought he could save me, but in giving me everything, he ruined me. Because after one kiss, one touch, I couldn't--I wouldn't ever be the same.

And from that moment on, his heartbeat became my own." 

              My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick 

""One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.
As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?
A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another."

More Than This (More #1) by Jay McLean

"*Mikayla*In one night my fairytale ended. Or it may have begun. This is my story of friendship and love, heartbreak and desire, and the strength to show weakness.
*Jake*One night I met a girl. A sad and broken girl, but one more beautiful than any other. She laughed through her sadness, while I loved through her heartbreak.
*This is our story of a maybe ever after.*
He was right. It made no difference whether it was 6 months or 6 years. I couldn’t undo what had been done. I couldn’t change the future.I couldn’t even predict it. It was one night.One night when everything changed.It was so much more than just the betrayal.It was the Tragedy. The Deaths. The Murders.But it was also that feeling.The feeling of falling."

So these are my Top Three to-read romances and as soon as I get a chance to read them, I will. However, there are still many other books that are at the top of my to-read list and most of those books are dystopias, which I will always prefer over any other kind of book. But! More books on my top to-read list mean most My Top Three posts, so expect many other this kind of posts because there's still a lot to come! 

My Top 3: Films I Liked Better Than The Books

A while ago, I made a similar post listing my top 3 best and worst book to film adaptations. Today, I thought that I should make a post regarding those YA movies that I personally liked better than the book they were based on. It's really rare that this happens to me, but sometimes it does and I would like to share with you my own preferences.

There are still a few YA movies that I haven't been able to see yet or read the books they were based on, but there is always time. The YA genre is becoming more popular with movie producers and surely, within the next few years, we will be able to watch many more YA books come to life on the big screen. But until then, here are my top 3 films I preferred over the book they were based on:

The Films:

I Am Number Four (2011)

The Giver (2014)

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)

The Books:

I Am Number Four (2010)

The Giver (2006)

City of Bones (2007)

And here they are. Keep in mind that these are my personal likes/dislikes and I am not trying to influence you in any way, but simply share with you what movies I found more enjoyable than the books. If you want to, feel free to let me know what you thought of these movies/books or leave a comment saying what were your preferences. Until next time!

My Top 3: Best & Worst Book to Movie Adaptations

Hey, guys! In the past few years, the YA genre seems to have grown more and more, not only with hundreds of books published every year but also with movie adaptations of the most successful ones. So, franchises such like Harry Potter, Twilight or The Hunger Games have been so popular and so well received that movie producers started getting more interested in bringing those stories to the big screens - and they did! 

Now, every year, there are more YA books turned to movies and whether the critics love them or not, the fan bases of the books are always excited to see the stories they loved so much come to life in cinemas. However, some movie adaptations are amazing while others are not. Some movies stick closely to the books while others tend to tell a very different stories. I decided to make my top three best and worst movie adaptations - these are the ones I liked and the ones I didn't, so if any of you liked a movie that I did not, that's alright. I'm not looking to change your minds, I'm simply listing my likes and dislikes.

Top Three: Best Book to Movie Adaptations

1. The Fault in Our Stars

2. Divergent

3. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Top Three: Worst Book to Movie Adaptations

1. Beautiful Creatures

2. Ender's Game

3. Vampire Academy

And that's all, at least for now. I'm sure these will change once there will be more YA adaptations made, but at the moment, these are the ones that I liked and disliked most. Anyway, these are my preferences. If you guys have read the books or seen the movies, you can go ahead and let me know what you thought of them. Also, if you have different likes and dislikes, feel free to share them with me via comments!