Top 5 Wednesday - Books over 500 Pages

   Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Lainey & Mindy. Check out the Goodreads page here!

   This week we are talking about chunky books with more than 500 pages. This is an interesting one because I'm not too sure if I have many of those, at least not in English. The thing with German books, or those translated into German, is that due to the language they are always way longer then the originals so maybe I will have to cheat a little. We'll see! Again, no particular order here.

   #1 The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - 546 Pages
   This book. Just this book! It's awesome but the end. Oh the end it gets me every time. So many feels and tears and just I cannot even. This book has the perfect length and just leaves you wanting the final book, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, asap. If you pick up the books now they are already all out so you can marathon them and won't know the awful suffering of waiting a year for the last book to come out. Lucky you.

   #2 Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead - 588 Pages
   Again, a great final book to a outstanding Vampire series. So many feels, so much action and just so much going on. Perfect.

   #3  Battle Royal by Koushun Takami - 617 Pages
   So violent and so bloody. It's been a while since I last read this one or watched the movie but it was a good one even though I have to admit I did struggle a bit with the names.

   #4 Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - 576 Pages
   What an ending to a phenomenal trilogy. Beautifully crafted and just perfect. I did tear up a little a few times but all in all this was a great read and a perfect ending to The Infernal Devices Trilogy.

   #5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling - 870 Pages
   Longest book shortest movie. Weird. But I think this one was one of my favorite Harry Potter books, close behind Deathly Hallows. But it truly is crazy long. In German it is even longer - 1080 pages in hardcover.

Top 5 Wednesday - Rebellion Groups

   Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Lainey & Mindy. Check out the Goodreads page here!

   This week we are talking about Rebellion groups and honestly this si a really hard one. But, let's try and find 5. As always, these are in no particular order.

   #1 Mockingjay - The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
   To many spoilery spoilers could happen if I explained this one in more detail so let me just tell you one thing: they are awesome. Read the books. Do it. And then watch the movies.

   #2 Real Life vs. Digital School - Awaken Trilogy by Katie Kacvinsky
   In Maddie Freeman's future America everything is done digitally. School, shopping, socializing and even going for a walk or ballroom dancing. No one meets in real life anymore. But, there is a movement which wants real life back and those guys are amazing. This Trilogy totally holds out a mirror to show us just how many things are currently going wrong and how it could possibly end up one day. Amazing.

   #3 Anti-Slating - Slated Trilogy by Teri Terry
   Slating is a process done to teenagers before they turn 16, I believe, when they show criminal behavior. What it does? It erases everything. Your personality, your memories and everything else. Once you are slated it's all gone and you have to learn everything once more. It's horrible. But, luckily there are people out there who stand up against it and the way this story unfolds over the trilogy is absolutely amazing.

   #4 Rebels vs Rose - Hunting Freedom Trilogy by Alice Reeds
   The Rose is the new government which was set up 44 years ago after the world went to hell during war. The Rose provides it all: safety, education and a place for everyone to live and work at. It might all seem nice and dandy but there are other out in the shadows who know that reality is not quite as pretty as it might seem on the outside.

   #5 Dumbledores Army - Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
   The one is probably the most obvious choice on this list because how could I not include this iconic group of students who stood up against that wicked woman, Umbridge, and gave the students of Hogwarts until the last book.

Top 5 Wednesdays - Couples

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Lainey & Mindy. Check out the Goodreads page here!

   This week on Top 5 Wednesday we are talking about our favorite couples, or so called OTPs. For those who might not know it, OTP stands for One True Pairing but let's face it, we all have like a huge list of OTPs. Again, these are in no particular order.

   #1 Mara Dyer & Noah Shaw from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
   I love these two. They are perfect together. Mara is such a twisted character and Noah is so broken himself but together they heal each other. I love the dynamics between these two. How at first Mara almost hates his guts and they tease each other but in the end they fall for each other in just the most beautiful way possible.

   #2 Rose Hathaway & Dimitri Belikov from Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
   Do I need to explain this choice? I mean I think I've talked about these two surely the most often or at least as often as I've talked about Mara and Noah. They are both really strong and distinct characters with minds of their own and just reading about those two, about their relationship and everything is just so funny and heartbreaking and I loved all of it.

   #3 Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
   I must admit, at first I wasn't the biggest fan of Peeta for reasons I cannot remember but as the story continued over the books I started to love Peeta and just the way Katniss and Peeta start to feel for each other and then everything that happens in Mockingjay. It's just perfect, heartbreaking to a point that's unexplainable. These two are amazing and I love them.

   #4 Maddie Freeman & Justin Solvi from Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
   Maddie and Justin, so different yet so amazing together. At first Justin tries to keep their relationship on a mission level, meaning no feeling besides 'we have to because our cause makes us' but once they finally become a thing it's amazing. Especially the way their relationship unfolds, changes and grows over the second book. Just so good. So good.

   #5 Nastya Kashnikov & Josh Bennett from The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
   Here we also have a case of two really broken characters who manage to be the savior of the other one. Nastya is gone through a horrible thing and isn't willing to speak to anyone ever until she meets Josh. At first she just watches him but once they start to become friends and everything starts to unfold it's perfect.

Top 5 Wednesday - Red Covers

   Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Lainey & Mindy. Check out the Goodreads page here!

   This weeks we are talking about red covers where I have to admit that I don't have read many books which have a red cover. But, let's see what I can find and, as always, these are in no particular order.

   #1 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
   I love this cover. I love the title and I love the book itself. Enough said.

   #2 Fractured by Teri Terry
   Somehow, normally this cover always looked redder then it does on this picture. Oh well. I really like the cover and I like that the covers for this entire trilogy are consistent. The cover fits the book perfectly.

   #3 The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
   This cover is really nice and red. A fun thing is that the spines of the books in this trilogy, when put together, form a clock which is amazing and it's perfect.

   #4 Allegiant by Veronica Roth
   Again, here we have a case of 'in reality this cover is redder'. I really did not enjoy this book but it has a red cover so it counts.

   #5 Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
   I'm not the biggest fan of this cover. I think the white US version (if I remember correctly) is much nicer but that's the one I have. The book was all right and the cover is red so it has the spot.

Top 5 Wednesday - Books you recommend for Halloween

   Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Lainey & Mindy. Check out the Goodreads page here!

   This Wednesday is all about the spooky/scary reads which are perfect for Halloween. By the way, I absolutely love Halloween with all the dressing up as scary or weird figures, the horror movies and all that belongs to it. Well, maybe except for the kids that ring your doorbell and demand candy. I don't like that.

   #1 The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
   This book is not scary in the traditional sense, I think. It's rather the mystery factor that can just creep up on you and make you doubt everything and anything that's happening in the book. It's a fantastic read. I love it. One of my favorite books of all time.

   #2 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad
   This book...Like, THIS BOOK! This one will just creep you out to a point where you will inevitably be scared of turning the lights off for weeks on end because this book is just creepy and scary and just. I cannot even.

   #3 The Nightwalker by Sebastian Fitzek
   Mr. Sebastian Fitzek is like way up on my favorite authors list, probably even on #1, and his books are just so creepy and scary that it would almost be a sin not to mention him and this book. It's takes the reader on a creepy and really scary journey which will stay on your mind even way after you finish reading it.

   #4 Bad Girls don't Die by Katie Alender
   This is a classical scary book designed to be scary. If little kids and creepy dolls freak you out, this is for you.

   #5 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
   Another German author that makes it onto this list. But holy smokes this book is just amazing. What happens in it itself may not be scary in the classical sense, but solely the thought that out there, there might be a murderer who might kill you simply because he wants to collect the way you smell, now THAT is scary if you ask me.

Top 5 Wednesday - Favorite Titles

   Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Lainey & Mindy. Check out the Goodreads page here!

   So this Wednesday is all about our favorite titles and, oh boy, there are some really amazing ones out there. Again, these are in no particular order, simply the five I like most.

   #1 The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
   This title is perfect. Not only does it sounds really beautiful but it also fits the content of the book like no other title could. The book is very slow and beautifully thought out, just like this title. Each time I read it I have this mental image in front of my inner eye of just this peaceful lake at night. Love it!

   #2 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
   I'm sure I'm totally original with this one but it's simply a really beautiful title.

   #3 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
   This title sounds badass, so it's just like the book!

   #4 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
   This title is super long but at the same title really perfect. Sometimes you just cannot sum up the awesomeness of a book with a short title, so you take a long one. Some people might hate it; I utterly love it, just like I love the book and the brilliant cover.

   #5 These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
   Again, this is a case of a perfectly fitting title. These stars are broken, oh just how broken they are.

Top 5 Wednesday - Female Characters

   Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Lainey & Mindy. Check out the Goodreads page here! 

    So this Wednesday is all about female characters. They are in no particular order.

 
   #1 Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)
   I absolutely love Katniss. She is a amazing and strong character. She is special and the journey she goes on, which all started by volunteering in order to save Prim, is just... I'm lacking the words to describe just how much I am a fan of Katniss. 

    #2 Rose Hathaway (Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead)
   I am a huge fan of Rose. She is so sassy, witty and funny. There aren't many female characters like her out there. I had a great time reading the Vampire Academy series thanks to her great narration. 

    #3 Hermione Granger (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling)
   Do I need to explain this one? I don't think so. 

    #4 Maddie Freeman (Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky)
   Maddie will always have a very special place in my heart because Maddie and the Awaken-Trilogy introduced me to the world of dystopian novels which I fell in love with. The development that Maddie undergoes is great and realistic, which you can't say about a lot of character developments in some novels out there. 

    #5 Mara Dyer (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin)
   Mara is amazing and just such a (probably) unreliable character. But, her narration is outstanding and amazing. The journey she takes us on is brilliant and I love each and every page of the Mara Dyer books.

BONUS (shameless plug) BONUS (shameless plug) BONUS (shameless plug) BONUS

   #6 Bexx Kajan (Into the Unknown by Alice Reeds)

   It takes time to warm up to her simply because Bexx was trimmed into believing in herself, even to a point where she seems utterly egocentric, but once you start to see what she is just as vulnorable and human as everybody else you'll like her. She is only getting to know the world as it really is and discovers something that we feel is something basic and normal, but for her is new and foreign - emotions and feelings. And yes, she is my protagonist so it's kind of pre-destined that I like her but I think if you give her a chance you might like her too.