A Sea of Ink

What are the greatest books you've ever read? Not good, not favorite...but great. What are the books that are truly masterpieces? I have read many, many books so far in my short life. Hundreds and hundreds. Of those hundreds--perhaps a thousand?--only a few are worthy in my eyes of the adjective "great," in the true sense of the word. Many will disagree with my list, and that makes total sense--for, truly, what forms our opinions and reactions to books but our own, personal experiences? Thus far in my life, I have settled on these ten novels--some old, some more contemporary; some more complex than others--as the greatest I have yet read, in no particular order. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry* To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Les ...

In  World  War II France, two sisters weather the war, and defy the Nazis, in different ways. A lot of  ways . Like, an unrealistic amount of ways, maybe? ~ This was so emotional and I loved the themes and questions which lay beneath the events and characters. What an incredible story. I def liked All the Light We Cannot See more, because (besides the fact that ATLWCS was FAR better as far as the artistic prose; The Nightingale ’s writing style was nothing special) I had issues with Isabelle’s character, especially in the first half. She was so extreme so soon, without much insight to make her a believable, solid character. I needed more. She was 2D to me almost up until the very end. At first, she seemed so unrealistic that I was having trouble reading about her at all.  Like, I’m the same age as Isabelle and I know I have more sense than her. And also it was REALLY cliché and a tad unrealistic at a lot of times—like, no way all the stuff that happened to ...

Save the Date, by Morgan Matson. Charlie's sister is getting married. She is so excited for all of her siblings to be together all in one place--their home. And then chaos ensues. Matson, as always, has written another group of amazing characters into being. Unique, individual (each sibling was their own, different person), fun, super witty—the characters are what drive her books. They feel so real, forming a strong foundation for each book. The plot of this book in particular was a let down for me. Most of the book was focused solely on every single thing going wrong at the main character’s wedding. EVERY. Single. Thing. To the point of ridiculous unbelievability. Some of the mishaps made sense, and that they would trigger additional mishaps also made sense. But others...nope. Totally unrealistic. To the point that I considered not finishing at all. The family themes and underlying issues going on within the Grant family universe were the best parts of the book. The side n...

FIVE FANTASTIC STARS. The tale of two teenagers ( blind Marie-Laure of Nazi-occupied France, and German Werner, a radio technology  prodigy )  trying to make it through the chaos of World War II. "So many windows are dark. It's as if the city has become a library of books in an unknown language, the houses great shelves of illegible volumes, the lamps all extinguished... But there is a machine in the attic at work again. A spark in the night." ~~~ I don’t know what I could ever write that could ever do justice to the masterpiece that is this book. So raw, so honest, so beautiful and real. I’ve never experienced war, but I felt that this book was very realistic (and  unapologetic)  in its portrayal of wartime and its effects on people and their lives. This book dares to emphasize the fact that, no, you don’t know what happens to everyone in the end. Not everything is resolved. Closure is not something life owes you; closure does not always exist.   E...

It's National Book Lovers Day!!! and y'all know that I'm one of them. What better way to celebrate than by sharing a couple of titles from my [very long] list of favorite books with all of you?! (Ordered alphabetically by author's last name.) As you can see, I tend to enjoy historical and fantasy. Enjoy! The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo The Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo River of Time series by Lisa T. Bergren The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Entwined by Heather Dixon Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Scarlet series by A. C. Gaughen The Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy  by Jessica Day George Ruby Red trilogy by Kerstin Gier Cotillion by Georgette Heyer Les Misérables by Victor Hugo The Agency series by Y. S. Lee Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer The Nigh...

5 stars. Yet... I am currently in the process of re-reading, and the same thing is bothering me as was the first time. I love everything about the book--it feels like it was literally written for me--but there is one thing I can't get past: I have trouble believing that Jo can actually be that naive. She is an unusually worldly girl for her time; the author stresses how extraordinarily un-ignorant, how aware, she is. She keeps muckraker journalists' books under her bed, sneaks out of school to interview mill workers, but still has no idea about the gritty parts of her city (even though her far more proper friends know everything about it), and she is so quick to trust. I don't understand how fanciful, imaginative Jo can be so unknowing, especially about the journalistic process. She's obviously done deep research. However, I forgive it. Still 5 stars, although Jo's dubious naivety is the only thing holding this novel back from being completely believable, mel...

First of all: you just should. Don't even think twice about it. Just start reading. The Night Circus is basically my favorite contemporary novel of all time. Which is saying a lot, considering my favorite book list is 72 items long.  Reasons why you should pick it up: It is a standalone, no series commitment required. It's got magic. It's got both a boy main character and a girl main character, and they share the limelight pretty equally. The prose is, like, F. Scott Fitzgerald-level gorgeous. My writing style is the descriptive kind, and so is Erin Morgenstern's. It's about the circus of your wildest dreams. It is a fantastic, beautiful, provocative circus. Literally the circus of dreams. Nothing is explained in simple terms. There is a level of analysis required if you want to understand how the pieces of the story fit. Every time I read it, I realize something new. It is profound. There are moments of witty banter, moments of tragedy, and moments of...

So...I'm a bit of a sucker for a good re-imagining of a classic story. Here are a few of my top picks: The  Scarlet series by A. C. Gaughen [Robin Hood...and Maid Marian *wink*] The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer [Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White] The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson* [Sleeping Beauty] *And this author has a whole slew of lovely fairytale retellings set in medieval times with a Christian-centered spin! The  Princesses of Westfalin series by Jessica Day George [The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood] Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine* [Cinderella] *Levine is another very successful fairytale re-teller. The  Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan [Greek mythology exported to modern day] The Grimm Legacy series by Polly Shulman [Grimm Brothers, H. G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, and other literary masters' artifacts stored in a modern-day repository...yes!] Bella at Midnight by Dian...

I'm officially out of school for the summer! When the weather gets warmer and the days get longer and suddenly there's more time to read, I love to pull out a fun YA contemporary novel. Here are some of my favorites: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson: The ultimate summertime book, I read this every year. It will make you want to go out and make the most of your life, take risks, and have adventures. A perfect high school novel. Matson is the queen of summer fiction! If you like Since You've Been Gone , check out her other novels, such as  Second Chance Summer. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen: Another high school chick lit read, about a girl who moves almost every summer with her dad and creates a new image of herself in each new town. Perfect for anyone who's thought of reinventing his/herself. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: Not exactly set in the summer, but a fun summer read all the same, Cath is a fanfic-writing socially-anxious twin whose tw...

*SPOILER-FREE!* I definitely binge-watched this series way back in January or February, but haven't been ready to really review until now. THIS SHOW IS SO GOOD!!! From a book-to-screen standpoint, a remake-of-a-movie standpoint, and even just looking at it as a stand-alone series, THIS SHOW IS GREAT. One of the greatest flaws in the production of the 2004 film based on the Lemony Snicket books was the attempt to make the story realistic. The plot is not meant to be taken seriously. Although the point of the series is that it is "unfortunate," in the books it is done in such a way that it is still entertaining. Snicket is a quirky, fourth-wall-breaking author, and the problem with the movie was that it was dark, and serious, and tried to be Gothic and sad. The TV series adaptation, however, captured perfectly the feeling of the books. Where the movie neglected the character of the narrator, omitting the numerous vocabulary lessons and quirky foreshadowing which i...

Planning a trip to the City of Lights? Or just wanting to get an idea of what Paris feels like? Either way, here are my favorite books to read about that romantic capitol of fashion, film, and love: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer  by Katie Alender History, romance, thrills, ghosts...when a class trip to France coincides with a mysterious serial killing spree, anything can happen! Revolution  by Jennifer Donnelly Struggling in the aftermath of her little brother's death and her mother's consequential mental breakdown, Andi is an angry, troubled teenager. When her father drags her to Paris with him for winter break, she doesn't expect to stumble upon a hidden diary dating back to the 1700s French Revolution. Can this long-dead girl's story help her overcome her own sadness? Anna and the French Kiss  by Stephanie Perkins The ultimate fictional guide to Paris! Anna is a high school senior shipped off to fancy boarding school in...you guessed it-- Paris! Isla and...

4 stars. So, I love Russia, and that is primarily why I picked up this book in the first place. I am very happy to report that I did not come away disappointed. The fairytale was so well carried out--weirdness and all--and the writing style was absolutely phenomenal.   Books for younger audiences can still have layers of meaning, they can still be beautifully crafted works of art. Literature need not be dumbed down for teenagers--and it shouldn't be, or else kids will never want to branch out into the classics. This was a wonderful, delightful read, and I enjoyed it immensely because it was so unique in a world of special snowflakes and trashy romance novels. Porter wrote some art and made it available to the public. It felt like a Russian fairytale rather than simply the retelling of one. *find me on Goodreads @ goodreads.com/hattiejean*

**contains spoilers**   5 stars. Based on storyline alone, I wouldn't rate this book higher than a 3, possibly a 3.5. However, this was the most emotional book I have ever read. The story was heartbreaking and beautiful and magnificent. I bawled.   I have never shed more than maybe two tears for any other book ( Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare, to be specific), but for Maybe One Day , I couldn't stop sobbing. (Though one contributing factor to the waterworks could have probably been the fact that I was listening to the song "Wildest Dreams" by Taylor Swift during the climax of the book. I remember bawling through the chorus. "Say you'll remember me...") I don't usually read books about cancer, but I picked this one up because the main characters were ex-ballerinas. I wasn't a fan of the frequent cursing in this book, and the [small amount of] romance felt somewhat unnecessary, but the emotions felt by the characters throughout the s...

Obviously, I wasn't able to read every book published last year, but I did read a large [two-digit] number of them. Below are listed my top 6 releases of 201 6 . Enjoy, and happy reading! 1. Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare (5 stars) 2. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (5 stars) 3. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (5 stars) 4.  Salt to the Sea  by Ruta Sepetys (4 stars) 5.  Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter (4 stars) 6.  Crooked Kingdom  by Leigh Bardugo (4 stars) My rating criteria includes, among other things, plot, characters, maturity of writing style...and, of course, how much I never wanted to put the book down. *find me on Goodreads @ goodreads.com/hattiejean*

**contains spoilers**   4 stars. This book, for me, was hard to rate. I absolutely loved the first chapter; I was hooked right from the beginning. The writing style was absolutely fabulous. It was super twisty. The way the author would repeat words or use a carefully placed metaphor painted a beautiful picture of the plot.   I also was really intrigued by the setting of the girls' prison. It was so sad that, even though (most of) the girls there had done terrible things, they were treated so terribly. It was heartbreaking to hear the thoughts and know the feelings of some of the "inmates." I was surprised to find in this book ghosts and people who could see the future. I picked up this book because the blurb said one of the characters was a ballet dancer. However, the paranormal-ness fit right in and I loved that almost spooky aspect of the novel. Unfortunately, about halfway through, I became somewhat disenchanted with the book.   Vee at first was, to me, a v...

Shoes and Stereotypes: How Feminism Has Reorganized the Twelve Dancing Princesses “There was once upon a time a King who had twelve daughters, each one more beautiful than the other” (Grimm 596). Drugging those who endeavored to help them, lying to their king father and holding their own desires above the good of others, the princesses of the Grimm brothers’ “The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces” took the role of antagonists in the original story. However, in more recent retellings of the beloved narrative, the princesses are given virtues of bravery, compassion, and fierce integrity, along with noble motivations for their previously negative actions. The twelve princesses of the Grimms’ story have evolved from the villains of their tale into the heroines we know today due to the change over time in the expectations placed upon women in the real world. In the Grimm brothers’ original story “The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces,” the twelve princesses are selfish, cruel,...

            Preceding the publication of The Great Gatsby , F. Scott Fitzgerald debated a number of different titles for his novel. One of these was the tentative title “Gold-Hatted Gatsby.” This alludes to the epigraph from Thomas Park D’Invilliers which is printed on the title page of the book, which begins with “then wear the golden hat, if that will move her” (Fitzgerald 1). Though the title of the novel did not end up being “Gold-Hatted Gatsby,” it is still clear through the diction and the actions of the characters in The Great Gatsby that the epigraph plays a large role in describing the beliefs and motives of Jay Gatsby in relation to Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby wears a “golden hat” by building up ridiculous wealth, he “bounces high” for Daisy by going beyond the expectations of society with the intent to impress her, and he devotes his life to making Daisy desire to “have” him as much as he desires to “have” her. As his father says of Gatsby on the d...

An inescapable trait of mankind is the fact that all humans are naturally peppered with the blemishes of greed, ambition, and self-interest. A common occurrence in humanity is the incident of a person giving in to the temptation of greed, letting themselves slowly spiral out of control with desire, and eventually finding themselves in a place of negativity and regret. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as an epitome of the darker side of human nature in order to demonstrate a common psychological cycle of self-interest through her actions of greed and ambition, followed by consequences of sorrow. A common theme in human history is that of greed. One is never satisfied with what he has, and this oftentimes means that a person will do anything to get what he wants. Lady Macbeth is a prime example of the consuming influence of greed. Even at her first entrance, she is wishing to be something else. Make me a man, she says, and “unsex me here” ...