Too Many Books...? Never.

     As I moved back into school on Friday I realized I needed to send home some things that I don't currently need in my room that would become a nuisance when packing to move out at the end of the semester. Besides clothes that I don't really wear, I basically sent home bags upon bags of books. I've gotten the opportunity to collect so many books between classes and library sales and whatnot that a whole shelf in my closet was so overly cluttered. My bedroom at home has only two shelves in it, so the floors are scattered with lopsided towers of novels and plays. Now, some people might think to donate their books when they had that many, or maybe they would move them into another room to put on separate bookshelves, but not me. I will not rest until I have my own home with my fantasy bookshelves/library. I can't be the only book lover that dreams up their own personal, beautiful, majestic library in their home. I just stalk websites with pictures of such libraries like it's my job, and I figured I would share some fabulous pictures with you all.

     Now, if I could just own a library, or live in one, I totally would. But a home library like this is the nest best thing. I want to have all of the books I have collected my whole life so that my whole family would be able to enjoy the books at all ages. It's a total dork fantasy of mine, but one I think about every time I add another book to the piles. I really hope I am able to make reading time before bed almost every night this semester so I can enjoy a few books for fun since I was unfortunately unable to read ANY last semester. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is next and then hopefully the books following it in the Mortal Instruments series as well as the books coming out this year that have been on my "To Read" list for almost a year now! 

     If you have any other cool pictures you've found of amazing home libraries feel free to share! If you have a question about any books or anything, let me know! Hope you enjoyed!

                                        Sincerely, 

                    Spenser Lee & Simply Lovely Lit

The Selection by Kiera Cass REVIEW

The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: 2012


     I am sitting down to write this review minutes after putting down this book having finished reading it. I have so many emotions about this story right now, but all I think is "why do I have to wait three long months to finish this story that I got so wrapped up in!?" I started this book two weeks ago, and put it down until this past Wednesday, and since then I couldn't put it down. It is now 2:30 am, but I need to get all my thoughts out now since I am so pleased with the story and already on edge to find out what happens next. 

     So, as always, we start by looking over the cover. This one gets the seal of approval from me. Both the sleeve and hard covers are pretty to me. The image of our leading lady, or at least a model that resembles her physically, is posed on the cover in a stunning ball gown surrounded by mirrors capturing all of her different angles. It captures the eye, and may even help to sell the book, as Cass mentions in her "Acknowledgments" section in the back of the book. The hard cover of the book is a light blue with silver crown imprinted on it. It's simple, but I prefer when a book's hard cover has a small emblem that is representative of the story printed on it versus a plain cover of a solid color and not much else going on. 

     But enough with aesthetics, lets get to the even better part: the plot and story itself. At first I wasn't completely captured by the book, but, let me tell you, it didn't take very long for me to get hooked. By the time I was a few chapters in I wondered about what was going to happen next and had a pure desire to keep on reading. For me, the story was a imaginative way to envision the future, a story that allowed me to relate to the main character (who is a young girl fighting for her individuality while dealing with realistic teenage-girl-things), a touching romance (that isn't even completed in the first book!! cliff hanger warning!), a more behind-the-scenes experience to a show like The Bachelor, and a book that even offered me a few Hunger Games-esque elements that kept me very satisfied. I may be rambling, but I feel like this book had so much to offer that I always seem to enjoy while reading. And, even though I am a teeny bit frustrated that I can't just continue reading about America Singer and The Selection, I am satisfied with the fact that The Elite (Book #2) is coming out in April, 2013, so I don't have to wait too long like I have had to in the past while waiting for sequels. 

     Instead of raving about my own connections to the book and the specific things I love, let me give you a short plot summary if you have no idea what the book is about. The story takes place in the future, in the country of Illéa, which stands in place of the United States of America. Society in this time and place is divided into a very strict caste system that categorizes people by wealth and occupation. Our leading lady, America Singer, appropriately named, is a Five which makes her an artist/musician. As a way to give commoners hope and the chance of drastically improving their family's caste, the royal family holds a Selection for the future princesses of Illéa, by having girls from all over the country enter a competition to win the affection of the prince who is approaching an age to be married at. In the book, a Selection is about to take place and America is eligible. If she chooses to enter and gets selected, that could be hope and happiness for her already-struggling family. But, this choice could also mean the loss of the live she genuinely dreams of for herself. I'll go no further in describing this book right now though, to make sure I don't include any spoilers. 

     Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I fell in love with the characters and the world they live in, I fell in love with the plot, and I cannot wait to read The Elite and find out what happens next. Kiera Cass did a fabulous job with this book, in my opinion, and I encourage everybody to go buy this book or take it out at their local library. I certainly think it is worth the read, and I most definitely think it will be worth waiting for the sequel to come out. But I can't be certain until April! It's already set to be pre-ordered in my Barnes & Noble cart. 

     Bottom line: this book is a great read and extremely captivating, and I highly recommend giving it a shot. If you have any specific questions or a question about something I didn't address in this post, feel free to ask and I'll be sure to get back to you! If you've been wondering about this book or if you've been searching for a new book to read, I hope this helped!



                                  Sincerely, 

                Spenser Lee & Simply Lovely Lit

My "To Read" List

      A new year means new books! There are quite a few books that should be coming out in 2013 that I am so looking forward to buying and reading. In the same fashion as my last post, I am going to just tell you guys which books I am personally looking at just in case you see any titles or authors you have any interest in.
      The first book I plan to read in 2013 is The Selection  by Kiera Cass. I bought this book a while ago and never got around to reading it, so I plan to finish it soon. The next book I bought and plan to read is City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I had been meaning to start reading the Mortal Instruments series since I have already read the books in the Infernal Devices series that have been published. But, since the movie version of City of Bones is meant to come out this summer, I want to be sure I've read the book first so I can see the movie after I have already established my own concept of the story.
      I keep a bookmark that is really just an index card with books written on it. Every time I finish a book that has a sequel, or other books in the series that are yet to be published, I write it down so I can have a running list and not forget. This is what my list looks like so far:

1. The Kill Order by James Dashner (which came out in August, I'm just waiting to purchase it until I finish the other two books I mentioned)
2. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (the third book in the Infernal Devices series, which was said to be expected in March of this year)
3. Divergent #3 (Untitled) by Veronica Roth (I cannot wait to find out the title of the third book and when to be expecting it for sure, although for now it is said to be expected in the fall)
4. Requiem by Lauren Oliver (the third book in the Delirium series, which is supposed to be published in March of this year as well)
5. Tempest #3 by Tracy Deebs (the third book in the Tempest series, that I am unsure about enjoying, but I feel that I need to finish the plot for my own curiosity - it's supposedly coming out this summer)
6. Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (the next book in the His Fair Assassin series, expected to come out on April 2)
7. Of Triton by Anna Banks (the sequel of Of Poseidon, which I just read, which is said to hit stores on May 28)


     So that'd my "To Read" list, and I hope that you found a few books you may want to add to your own "To Read" list, too! If you had questions about publications dates I hope I was able to clear some of that up for you! If you have any questions remaining, feel free to ask!


                             Sincerely,

                Spenser Lee & Simply Lovely Lit

Beloved Books of 2012

      So, last year I had plenty of time, it seemed, to be reading a book every day. When one was finished, I already had one in my room waiting for me to pick up next. Then school started and I experienced my first semester of college. I was busier than I thought I would be, I was less of a loner than I thought I would be, and I definitely went to bed & woke up later than I thought I would. With all of those things working together, I didn't have even a fraction of the reading time I had available in the beginning of the year. But, I read every day for the majority of 2012, and I discovered and enjoyed many books. Hopefully in 2013 I will be able to make more time for leisure reading at school, but this semester I may have much more work to do. Regardless, I will make the effort and post reviews as often as I can to keep the promise of writing in this blog to myself. But, anyway, the point of this post is to share with you the books I did have the pleasure of reading in 2012 (I kept a list in one of my notebooks). Here they are: 

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
4. Legend by Marie Lu
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth
6. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
7. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
8. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
9. The Death Cure by James Dashner
10. Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner
11. Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
12. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
13. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
14. Insurgent by Veronica Roth 
15. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
16. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
17. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
18. Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs
19. Tigerlily by Jodi Lynn Anderson 
20. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

     Since I know how busy I will most likely be, my goal is to read just as much as I did last year instead of more, because I was reading a lot. But, if I can read more, then I will definitely be happy and make it a yearly challenge. I started this blog around the time I read Grave Mercy, so I had already passed the point in time where all of these books were fresh in my mind enough for me to feel like I could give an optimal review. But, I hope to re-open some of them to remind myself of the details so I can review some. If one of these books sounds interesting to you, or you want my honest opinion of it, I'd be more than happy to specifically review that book next. 


     I hope that if you were searching for a book to read next that this list helped you find a few to take out at the library or buy for your own collection! If you have any specific questions let me know! 



                  Sincerely, 

        Spenser Lee & Simply Lovely Lit 

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers REVIEW

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin Series #1)

Author: Robin LaFevers

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Publication Date: 2012

     Since reading The Hunger Games series in February, I've really been into reading books that star a kick-ass female protagonist who makreaes me wish I could live a few days in her shoes or just escape into the world that she lives in for a little while as a spectator. In this book, Ismae is our leading lady, and she lives in the European country of Brittany in the 1400s. I've always had a thing for the Medieval and Renaissance periods, so when I flipped to the first page of text and saw that the date read "1485" I was really excited to see what historical aspects were incorporated into the story. I love books with a real historical basis, because since it's based on truth I feel like it makes the story that much more significant to me knowing some of these people were living, breathing individuals dealing with decisions and obstacles that I am so enthralled with now in 2012. But anyway, before I get more into the wonderful literary aspects of the book, I want to talk about the esthetics because I am the kind of reader who does judge a book by it's cover.

    The cover of the book is really well done, complete with the quote "Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf?" I love the quote, and the spine of the book has a little wolf image on it which I thought was cool/cute. The actual hard cover is your run-of-the-mill black cover with gold writing on the spine. I tend to like when a symbol of some sort is placed on the front of the hard cover to give it some mystery and prettiness, but it's really not that big of a deal. Past the publication and dedication pages, there is a map of the parts of Europe in which the story takes place, which I always love to see in books so that I can go back and re-trace the character's journey. Past the map is a dramatis personae, which I also loved because I love the theater and plays and there were a few allusions I picked up on that hinted at the theater, and some of the interactions between characters are deceitful and false as if it were "all just a ruse or a play."

   Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of it all. It's a good book. I didn't really feel like it was slow at all in the beginning (which I feel with most books that I read and end up loving), and I finished the book really quickly because I couldn't bring myself to put it down even though it's a huge book and my hands aren't big enough to easily hold it open for hours! The story of Ismae is empowering and touching, and you really can't help but root for her through the whole book. You quickly find yourself thinking about the other characters as she would, and sometimes I even found myself reading some of the things she said out loud (as embarrassing as that is) as if I were reading her lines in a show. You also learn to love Anne, the Duchess, who is actually a real historical figure that had a life just how it is described in the book. Other characters you're introduced to don't really exist historically, but after reading this book it's really hard to believe they didn't. 

   This book has a little of everything. Action (tons of it). Love. True Friendship. Faith. Death. Sorrow. Joy. And, since the book is the first in a trilogy it certainly leaves you wanting more, but the ending is not one of those heart-wrenching cliff hangers that you want to re-read over and over because you can't buy the next book until next  year! If you find yourself reading dystopian books similar to the Hunger Games, there's a good chance you'll like this book, but the books have very different plots, Ismae and Katniss are definitely not comparable, and the time period is in the past - not the future so they can only be so much in common. 

   If you have any specific questions or a question about an aspect I didn't cover, feel free to ask, but my bottom line is: read it. It's worth it! If you've been wondering about this book or searching for a new book, I hope this helped!

                             Sincerely,

                     

                  Spenser Lee & Simply Lovely Lit 

                            

Welcome!

After having the idea of creating a blog exactly like this one for quite a while now, I finally got down to business. For years I've been trying to share my music with people, but I've always been worried about the quality of sound or never had the time to just sit down and film a solid performance that I was happy with. But with my books and literature, I don't have to worry about any of that, and I definitely have the means to share my thoughts and opinions with people without having to worry about camera quality or messing up (although typos will happen). My intention is to review all of the books I read - both the books I love and don't love - but in all honesty it could evolve into anything. I could start bringing poetry I read into the mix, I could throw my own poetry into the mix, I could share music I love here and there or just write about interesting personal experiences. I could do anything really, since it is my own safe haven. But, my intentions are to keep this site literature-based so that I can help and bond with my fellow bookworms and maybe even discover/learn a thing or two myself. I have quite a few books that I can provide reviews for, although I may not have picked the most opportune time to start a site based on my ability to read and complete a large number of books in a timely fashion since school starts in a little under two weeks. But, I'll be the first person to stay in on Friday night to finish my book rather than be at the big party, so I'm sure I'll be able to make the time! Well, it is time for me to wrap this up and go, but to whomever stumbles upon this site, I hope you enjoy. And, if nobody ever stumbles upon this site, then at least I now have a place to put all of my thoughts regarding the books I read and love and then obsess over until I find a new book. Well, Goodnight! :)

-Spenser