TGIF: This is Personal

On this first Friday of August (AUGUST!) Ginger at GReadsBooks has asked: 

Which books have affected you on a personal level and lingered in your mind long after you closed the pages?

Well. You see. I'm the kind of person who really delves into books. Meaning, I have a tendency to over-involve myself with the characters. I get so involved that I feel like I KNOW them, and, sometimes, I find myself adopting their attitudes and/or speech patterns. I know. It's weird. But I never said I was normal. 


But, what this all means is that there are a lot of characters or entire books that have really resonated with me while I was reading. But the ones that have STAYED with me? They're a whole different breed. 

1. Mansfield Park—Jane Austen
As much as I love Pride and Prejudice, it was Mansfield Park that really made me an Austenite. It's in this book that Austen's grasp on not only gentility and society shine, but her knowledge of politics and social commentary comes through as well. I guess it can be argued that all of her works have an element of politics in them, but this one REALLY does. And it's the one I point Austen critics to when they admit they've never read it. And Fanny Price is an incredible heroine—strong and smart and steady, even when she doesn't feel like she is. In fact, when people ask the always fun hypothetical question "If you could be a literary character, who would you be?" I often say Fanny Price. <3

2. Georgia Nicholson series—Louise Rennison
This series shows up on basically every list I make, but it's because it means so much to me. If you've read the books, then you're probably thinking, "Bethany . . . what?" And I know. These books are goofy and silly and so stylized in dialogue that some people may be put off by them. But you know what? I lurve them to the point that I have incorporated a lot of the words Georgia uses into my everyday vocabulary. (e.g., Mariachi-a-go-go. I only refer to Mariachi music as Mariachi-a-go-go music now.) Anyway. I just have a really special place in my heart for these books about a super goofy British girl. I started reading these when I was still in high school, a place where I was really confused about who I was as a person, and Georgia was the first character to make my super goofy ass feel as if it's ok to be super goofy. So, BIG HUGS for Georgia and the hilarious Ms. Louise Rennison.

3. If I Stay and Where She Went—Gayle Forman 
These two books, man. They are intense. And though I only read them for the first time earlier this year, probably everyone I know has heard me talk about these books. When people come to me for book recommendations, these two ALWAYS come up, no matter the age/gender/interests of the person who is asking.   They are just incredible. The story is arresting and the writing is so vivid that it's hard to not get personally involved in these books and completely swept up in the story of Adam and Mia.

4. Harry Potter—J.K. Rowling 
I'd be remiss not to add these to this list. I'm not gonna say much, because other people before me have waxed poetic about these books in much more sophisticated ways than I ever could. But. Well. Y'all know. These books are just special. They leave a mark (ha!) on everyone who reads them and Ms. Rowling deserves every damn royalty penny. 

5. Looking for Alaska—John Green
This is another book that shows up on almost every stinkin' list I make about books, but really, this one is important to me. My sister introduced me to the Green brothers' vlogs back in . . . Lord, 2008. From then on, I've been hooked. But, when I realized John is an author, I dashed out to get Looking for Alaska. I had no idea it was a YA novel. I had no idea what it was about. I just knew that I found John to be a very intriguing, funny, intelligent man and that I wanted to read his book. It did not disappoint me. In fact, I think I'll credit Looking for Alaska as the book that got me back into reading YA. I was so impressed with the style and tone he uses in his writing that I was like, "I have GOT to start reading YA again, if this is what YA books are like now." And thus began my reintroduction to the YA genre. And now I have a this here bloggy blog. 

TGIF: Perfect Pairs

 OMG it's July. We are officially half way through 2011. Is anyone else weirded out by that?

ANYWAY. It's July. It's summer. And what could possibly be better than sunshine and weekends at the beach and cute open toed shoes? Why, a little summer romance!

This week the fabulous Ginger at GReads! has asked:

Who are your favorite book couples?*

Alright, in no particular order, heeeeere we go.


Adam & Mia (If I Stay/Where She Went)
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Magnus & Alec (The Mortal Instruments)
They're just so adorable.

Anna & Etienne St. Clair (Anna and the French Kiss)
They met in Paris. At a boarding school. That's basically my fantasy life. 

Georgia & Dave the Laugh (Georgia Nicholson series)
Dave the Laugh might be the perfect YA boy. I know that's a really big, hyperbolic-sounding thing to say, but I mean it. He's British. He's funny. He's sexy. He's adorable. He's confusing. He's perfect. :)

Elizabeth & Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)
Duh.

So there you have my very, very abridged list of my favorite book couples. Let me know your faves in comments, and have an explosively wonderful Fourth of July weekend! (Yay America!)

*This is a very short list. If I listed them all, we'd be here forever. And I assume you have OTHER things to do than listen to me prattle on about literary couples I love, so I made the executive decision to keep this short and sweet. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Withering Tights

Title: Withering Tights
Author: Louise Rennison
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 288
Release Date: July 1, 2011


Wow. This is it. This is me growing up. On my own, going to Performing Arts College. This is good-bye, Tallulah, you long, gangly thing, and hellooooo, Lullah, star of stage.
Tallulah Casey is ready to find her inner artist. And some new mates. And maybe a boy or two or three.
The ticket to achieving these lofty goals? Enrolling in a summer performing arts program, of course. She's bound for the wilds of Yorkshire Dales—eerily similar to the windswept moors of Wuthering Heights. Tallulah expects new friends, less parental interference, and lots of drama. Acting? Tights? Moors? Check, check, check.
What she doesn't expect is feeling like a tiny bat's barging around in her mouth when she has her first snog.--Goodreads

Oh my giddy God, it's a new Louise Rennison book.

I love her. It's no secret that her Georgia Nicholson series is one of my favorites of all time.

I still miss it terribly.

But now Miss Rennison is writing NEW THINGS. *squeals*

And it comes out soony, soony, soon, soon. And it sounds GREAT. And I am EXCITED.
 
[That said, if you are a blogger/publishing friend who has a copy that you either a) want to loan me, or b) want to send me to review, I would appreciate it mucho, and would probably name a stuffed animal after you.]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Beach Reads

 Sooooo. I'm a weird girl in that I don't really like the beach. I mean, I'll go. But I don't want to spend an entire week or month or, really, an entire day at the beach. I think this partially has to do with the fact that I am very fair skinned, and therefore the sun and I don't really like each other, and partially with the fact that I hate sea creatures. Like. HATE them. I also didn't grow up anywhere near the beach, so maybe that factors in too.

However, I do understand the appeal of the beach. Warm sun, nice sea breeze, ogling good looking men (or women!) in almost no clothes . . . there are a lot of things much, much worse than that, right? Despite my weird distaste for beaches, there are some books I've read where I've thought, "You know, this would be a fun book to read on a beach." Most (okay, all) of these books fall into the adult chick-lit category.

The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Back when I was about 15 and decided to make the leap from YA to adult fiction, (also, the leap from Seveteen mag to Cosmo...I thought I was sooo grown up.) this was the book I jumped off with. It's a pretty good little read, and super duper different than the God awful movie adaptation. It's light, breezy, funny, and fun! However, if you've ever considered being an au pair, it might make you think twice about it . . .

Anything by Candace Bushnell

Say what you will about Ms. Bushnell, but I like her books. She crafts female characters that are interesting women with varying ideas about love, sex, career, and just life in general, and knows how to write a delicious bedroom scene. And let's be honest--when you're on vacation, you want to read something a least a little bit titillating.

The Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

These books are just cute. And waaaaaay better than the movie. (I think this is a theme...)

Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger

So, Weisberger is the lady who wrote The Devil Wears Prada, which I also read and very much enjoyed. However, I liked Everyone Worth Knowing MORE. Mostly because of her uncles. When you read it, you'll know what I mean. :)

The Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison

Alright, I can't help myself! I'm throwing in some YA! I effing LURVE these books. I would read them ANYWHERE. Including the beach.

Even though I'm not a big beach fan, it looks like I might actually find myself on quite a few beaches this summer! So I would LOOOOVE to have your suggestions for great beach reads I should check out, in comments!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.