Bookworm

Well the title of this post is a little misleading.  I used to consider myself more of a bookworm, but I have found I've really gotten away from reading.  I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to finish Gone Girl - although I have finally finished it!  I am trying to get back into reading more, so today's Let Your Blog Shine prompt of "Make a list of your favorite books" seemed like a good topic!  I figure if start talking about some of my favorite books it just might fuel my fire for reading again!  So without further ado, here are some of my favorite books.
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume.  I'm pretty sure I've talked about my love of this book on the blog before.  I don't know what it is about it, it's pure fluff for the most part.  It's the Judy we all grew up loving as we were coming of age, but it's definitely intended for an adult audience.  I read this book for the first time the summer I was 17 - which is an age that explored in depth for the characters in the book during one section.  I have just always loved this book's ability to whisk you away and make you feel like you're right there on Martha's Vineyard with these girls every year.  It makes you feel all the feels, look at your own relationships and while the ending is sad, it's somehow always been satisfying.  This is one of those summer beach reads that I read just about every year.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.  I love pretty much anything Jodi writes, but this was the book that introduced me to her, which is no surprise since I think it is probably her most popular to date. I loved the idea of having the narrative switch in each chapter to a different character, I had never really encountered that form of storytelling before and it really helps you understand each person so much more.  It almost makes you emphasize with even the least likeable characters even more.  I loved that this book also had twists and turns and the ending still gets me right in the feels every time (side note, the movie totally ruined it for me.  I hate the movie's ending - the rest of it was so well done, but the ending.  Boo hiss!) After I finished this book I knew I'd want to read just about anything else she writes or has written and with the exception of only a book or two, she's rarely let me down and while her format is pretty predictable at this point, I find her books still find ways to surprise or shock me by the end.
The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins.  Ok I'll just say this and you can all point daggers at me.  I never got into Harry Potter.  I did finally watch the movies, but the books were just not my thing.  I also never got Twilight or pretty much any other young adult series that eventually came to the big screen - but then the Hunger Games caught my attention.  I don't know what is about it - the concept is so horrific and barbaric when you truly think about it - a desolate world sends teens to fight to the death?  There's just something about the way these books are written that hooked me in from the first line.  And then when the movies started coming out, I was nervous that I would be disappointed after loving the books so much - but at least in my opinion, the movies were done very well and have only made me love this series even more.  So, no hate on those who love Harry or pick Team Edward or Team Jacob or whatever, but I'm all about the Hunger Games.  May the odds be ever in your favor.
Where The Heart Is by Billie Letts. I promise I don't only love books that became movies!  I read this book after the movie came out, my copy even has a picture of Natalie Portman on it, but I didn't even bother seeing the movie until a couple of years ago and I read this book while I was still in college. Anyway, this is a book that I have always loved, the characters are quirky and the story itself is heartfelt and yet intriguing.  It's another go to summer read for me when I just want to read something familiar and I don't want to think too hard.
My Point...and I Do Have One by Ellen DeGeneres.  This is her first book, written well before she had her talk show or anything and it's not a memoir.  It's just pure fun.  It is a lot of her standup material written in book format, but it has never failed to make me laugh.  If I need a quick pick me up I go to this book.  It's hilarious and a very fast read.
I also love reading autobiographies and real life stories and I'll just list a few here that I think are worth a read: Tough Shit by Kevin Smith Yes Please by Amy Poehler Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox High on Arrival by Mackensie Phillips Born Standing Up by Steve Martin Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank The Girls Guide to Homelessness by Brianna Karp Two Kisses for Maddy by Matt Logelin The Wisdom of Big Bird and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch by Carroll Spinney Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones
And finally, a few of my favorite children's books that I'm looking forward to sharing with Ollie or in some cases already have: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff Curious George by Margaret and H.A. Rey
So there you have it!  A look into my literary world.  Now that I've finished reading Gone Girl I have moved back into the Divergent series and am trying my hand at reading Insurgent again.  After that I think I might look for some more chick-lit as that seems to be my favorite genre for the most part, but there are many other books I have wanted to read so I might have to just make a list and head over to my library!
What are some of your favorite books?