days 5, 6, and 7 | hodge-podge!

WELL SNAP.

I failed to update for two whole days! But I have an actual excuse! The Internet connection at home is still a nightmare, and I was out for the whole Monday. By the time I got home I was dying from exhaustion. I seriously wanted to write something, but I was soooooo tired. Ugh.

Anyhoo! Now I am here and I shall write, write, write! Last week I said something stupid about doing illustrations, and I think that'll take a backseat for a while. Obviously I can't do it with this entry. So let's just say by the tenth entry, I'll probably do it, to commemorate me sticking to something for once.

Onwards we go!

Day 5 - A book that makes you happy.

The correct answer to this question is "Books make me happy. Period." But I think I have to give an actual answer to this one.

I'm going to take this question in a more literal sense, as in "a book that made me laugh and made me feel good by the end of it." With that, I think I'll have to go with...

The Pippi Longstocking Series.

Strange choice, I know. But I remember these books being my go-to series as a child, whenever I was horribly bored and needed a pick-me-up. You can't imagine how much I wanted to be Pippi Longstocking! As a child, I really wanted to go on an adventure like Pippi, Annika and Tommy. I wanted to go wild and wreck the town! Of course, I can't really do that unless I want to put myself behind bars, but basically Pippi's adventures allowed me to live vicariously through her as I continued living in a sleepy subdivision.

Day 6 - A book that makes you sad.

To be honest, I wanted to write about Tuesdays with Morrie, as that is the only book wherein I vividly remember crying upon finishing it. Then again, I think I was highly hormonal at that time and thinking about it now, it actually wasn't that sad (and tbh a bit gimmicky). So I shall pick this book instead:

Jerry Spinelli - Stargirl

Stargirl starts of as a whimsical, cute little story about an unusual girl with unusual hobbies, then it proceeded to slowly rip my heart bit by bit. I seriously expected this book to be more lighthearted! That was naive, in retrospect.  I could hope for a happy ending where Stargirl is accepted and loved and everybody just leaves her alone, but that wouldn't be the least bit realistic. The world is cruel and rejectful, and a girl like Stargirl just didn't stand a chance. It made me so incredibly sad, reading the very last chapter where (SPOILER ALERT) Leo receives another porcupine tie after they're all grown up. Is it too much to hope for a reunion for them in the future? In my mind, they do, haha. But that's what made me really sad about this novel: the fact that the world is not going to come close to accepting everyone.

Day 7 - Most underrated book

I can actually think of a lot because I tend to pick up books by obscure authors or unpopular titles, since those are the kind of books that you'd most likely find in secondhand bookstores. But I think I'll pick this one instead:

The Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld

How can anybody not love this series? Steampunk! Royalty! The military! Weapons! Genetically-modified creatures! A runaway prince! A bad-ass heroine! Side-characters who are all awesome!

Of course I loved this book because it had a lot of themes that I look for in a book. The story itself was amazing, the characters were endearing and not douchey, and it takes a great deal of imagination to think of a giant flying whale participating in an all-out gunwar with walking metal spiders. But the fandom is so small! It sucks that so many mediocre paranormal YA romances are garnering huge fanbases and support while an awesome, well-crafted series like Leviathan is ignored.

I am heading a brigade to bring more recognition to this book! The bad-assery of Deryn Sharp must not be ignored!

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Day 08 - Most overrated book
Day 09 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 - Favorite classic book
Day 11 - A book you hated
Day 12 - A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 - Your favorite writer
Day 14 - Favorite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 - Favorite male character
Day 16 - Favorite female character
Day 17 - Favorite quote from your favorite book
Day 18 - A book that disappointed you
Day 19 - Favorite book turned into a movie
Day 20 - Favorite romance book
Day 21 - Favorite book from your childhood
Day 22 - Favorite book you own
Day 23 - A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 - A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 - A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 - The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 - Favorite title
Day 29 - A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 - Your favorite book of all time