So I would first like to apologize about not updating for over a month, but in my defense it's been quite a month. Thanksgiving + moving out + my birthday + being sick = not a single blog post in ages!

SO! Book updates! I have been listening to The Help by Kathryn Stockett on audiobook during my commute to work for the past few weeks and it is blowing my mind that A) I haven't read it yet and B) it's so incredible on audiobook! I am recommending the audiobook to everyone and ANYONE. It's amazing. 

Reasons why it is amazing:

1) The narrators are very good. The woman who does Minnie's part is the woman from the movie, Octavia Spencer. The others are very good too. 

2) I laugh out loud.

3) I talk out loud when I get angry at unfolding events.

4) The writing makes me truly care about the characters and what happens to them.

5) THIS IS KATHRYN STOCKETT'S FIRST NOVEL. Can we talk about how incredible that is? 

All in all, if you haven't read/listened to this book you need to immediately. It will make you laugh, cry, and feel sick with how racist people used to be. (I know people still are, too and that makes me even angrier, quite frankly). Get this book at your local library/bookstore STAT!

 I am also reading The Restaurant at the End of the Universe as my roommate has the whole series in his bedroom, so I snatched it up and have been devouring it. If you've read the first one, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you will not be disappointed with the next book whatsoever. It's snappy and funny and keeps me guessing because who knows what pleasures/craziness the universe will bring next? No one can tell - except Douglas Adams.

I haven't started The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle quite yet, but I am very excited to give it a go tonight. It's a thriller which is not normally my speed, but it is also a young adult dystopian tale, which always gets me going. The main (and Amish) character Katie is about to go on her Rumspringa, but the town discusses turmoil in the world outside their town. The outside world is a dystopian one and the adults in the town forbid everyone from leaving and coming in. It sounds spooky and wonderful and I will let you know how it goes.

In an unrelated note, the last thing I want to share with all of you is this. Mister Rogers has always been the voice of calm and reason in my childhood, but reading this from Mental Floss (my favorite website as I am a knowledge junkie) makes me feel wonderful. It rings with truth in light of recent and tragic events. 

All we can do is try to be better in life and look up to those who truly deserve it: your parents, your teachers, your friends, and your heroes in the stories you read.

Post-Apocalyptic Reads!

Right now, post-apocalyptic books and TV series are super popular. Who doesn't like a good survive-off-the-land TV show or book? I LOVE The Walking Dead.  I cannot wait for Season three in October! Anyways... here are two of my favorite post-apocalyptic books:

If you haven't read The Road you really should - and immediately.  It's raw and emotional and will leave you wanting to read it again. The story follows a man and his son as they travel amidst the burnt landscape, trying to remain unseen. It's not a very long book, so you should read it twice. 

On a lighter note, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is another post-apocalyptic (post-Earth, actually) book. This book is full of humor, wit, and aliens of all sorts. Arthur Dent wakes up one morning to find that his house is about to be knocked down so the city can build a new bypass. As he's protesting, his friend Ford Prefect drags him away to the pub and then proceeds to tell him that he is leaving Earth because it's about to be destroyed to make way for an interstellar highway. 

And that's just the first few pages. If you're looking for a humorous read that's full of weirdness and surprises, this one's for you. There are several books that follow, too, so if you like it, you can read the series! 

The movie is also great, with Zooey Deschanel, Martin Freeman and Mos Def!

In my reading news, I'm STILL reading A Song of Fire and Ice, A Dance With Dragons.  I'm taking it slow since I know that it's the last one there will be for a while. It's so insanely wonderful, though. Things are getting crazy in Westeros and in Meereen, I'll just say that.

The other day I read this book, Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould. It was interesting, but all in all, a very light read. Once every few books, I let myself have a guilty-pleasure book. This month, this was it. A young adult novel about a young woman, Laura, who is ordered by her father to marry a man, so the family can be wealthy again. With the death of her dear sister looming over her, Laura's distraught - so when she is contacted by a secret society of Venetian ladies, how can she resist joining for the price of one secret?

A fascinating (yet fluffy) read. I'd call it a beach read if summer wasn't practically over.