In Defense of Noah Czerny

For as long as I can remember, side characters have always annoyed me. They have always just fell flat in comparison to the main characters that were driving the story. I never wanted to hear about what our main character's best friend was doing at that very moment or what the love interest did before they became relevant in the story. This is probably really sallow of me because it left with such a face value reading experience.

I felt this way until recently. I found my opinion completely changing after reading The Raven Boys for the first time.

I know that I've said this a million times, but I will literally sit through the worst plotted book in the entire world in order to spend more time with characters that I love. I'm not saying that The Raven Cycle isn't a well plotted book. It was just an example. When I read The Raven Cycle, I became consumed by the characters.

Every. Last. One.

This included Noah Czenry. I so quickly fell in love with him in a way that no character, period, had ever stolen my heart. I honestly felt myself falling in love with all of his one liners as I read each one. I couldn't get enough of him and when I read over the final scene of The Raven Boys my heart sank in panic.

I read a confession on an anonymous Twitter account about how Noah was basically irrelevant and pointless in The Raven Cycle, and I truly have to disagree. I am bias, and I do admit to having more love for him than most other fictional characters that I care about. However, I have good reasoning behind that.

Here is my defense for why Noah Czenry is just as relevant and amazing as every other character in this beautiful series.

Noah puts a smile on my face in the happiest and saddest moments.

Noah makes me laugh at his bluntness.

Noah makes me appreciate life.

Noah gives me hope in the world.

Noah makes me feel important.

Noah makes me fearless.

Noah makes me think that maybe, just maybe, we have something to offer to the world with our goodness.

I know because he is not always around in the Raven Cycle, he is easily forgotten or brushed to the side, but If you really look at Noah and think about what his character faces you can see my points. Noah may be a side character and he may also be some people's least favorite and he also doesn't get a lot of time, but I will say that Noah is important.

I couldn't see this series without him because without Noah, where would we look for our will to never back down and to live?

Who is a side character that you want to defend?

Book Buying on a Budget

If you are anything like me, you are a broke college kid on a serious budget in every department. I don't have a ton of money to spend on books, and how some people can buy so many new releases is beyond me. I have trouble spending money at most of the places I do shop at. Seeing any amount of money being taken out of my account breaks my heart.

As the kind person I am, I will be sharing with you some of my favorite places to buy books for fairly cheap.

I also want to add that this post is strictly for book buying on a budget. I know there are other ways to read books for free through the library and other readers. Please keep that in mind while reading.

Online:

Book Outlet

*sighs* one of my favorite websites in the entire world. This website is probably my guiltiest pleasure because so much of my money has been spent on this one site.

Overall, I love the quality of these books. The only time I have ever had damage done to my books when they were not a scratch and dent copy has been if they were damaged when being shipped to me, which is what happened to my copy of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.

I dislike how the shipping works on the site, but other than that, you can't really complain when getting a popular hardcover for $3.99.

Thrift Books

This is a shopping site that I highly recommend! I used this website to purchase some of my Harry Potter books, and if you are interested in making fun of baby me I will have you know that I did an unboxing of getting 3/7 books in the series from this site.

The only problems I've ever had with the site is that one of my books arrived without a dust jacket, but really it was my fault for not paying close enough attention to what I was ordering.

Amazon

Cheap books can be found on Amazon because of how discounted their books tend to be and also because of Amazon Marketplace. I have bought books for as cheap as $4 each. I know that there is some negative stigma around buying from amazon, but I think if you are on a budget and want to support authors, then this is the best way to do both.

In-Store:

Half Price Books

*coughs* *clears throat* *announces through megaphone* "My favorite store ever!"

I'm actually in love with Half Price Books, and I really am not ashamed in the slightest bit. I know that I say it all the time, but this store is my literal addiction. So many of my books have came from this store, and I just recently discovered it.

I bought my signed copy of The Raven Boys at this store, and I believe that is part of the reason I have such an attachment to it. I also love that I can sell the books that I no longer want back and get cash for them.

I will say that these are second hand books, but you can find a ton of great condition books in the store if that is something that matters to you. I've found basically brand new books in my local store, and no one in my area reads or thinks that taking care of books should be a priority.

Discount Selections

One of my personal favorite discount selections is from Books-A-Million. I have always adored the store because of how large their discount selection was! I have bought so many of my books from the discount selection of BAM, like Ugly Love and Confess by Colleen Hoover.

I also have found some really amazing books at my local independent bookstore's discount selection. I've bought a ton of books from it as well, but one of my favorites was A Dairy of a Haunting. It was something that I wouldn't normally go for, but I ended up really liking.

Second Hand Shops

This is kind of like what I was talking about with half-price, only with second hand shops I mean places like Goodwill or other thrift stores. My best friend bought all 7 books in the chronicles of Narnia for $7.

Flea Markets/Yard Sales

Do you remember those Harry Potter books that I mentioned earlier? Well, most of them came from flea markets and yard sales. I found a lot the hardcover books in pretty good conditions for 1-2 dollars a piece.

I could make a list of the books I've bought from Flea Markets and Yard Sales that have become some of my favorite books. I think that these are easily one of the best options when it comes to getting books cheap. This has been a method that has worked for me over the years, and I still always check out the books every time I stop at one.

Where do you buy cheap books?

7 Popular Authors I haven't Read Yet // Discussion

There are a ton of really popular authors that everyone has yet to read right? So I shouldn't feel so guilty about not reading them all right?

I have this issue with reading popular books and authors because I tend to not be a huge fan of them. With this being said, I tend to avoid reading from these authors because I guess I'm both intimidated and uninterested in disappointment, even if I would have enjoyed the author's book.

There are quite a few popular authors I've avoided or simply haven't gotten around to get, but here are a select few I've decided to share. Some of these are popular because of the book community and others are just general popular authors that non book lovers are familiar with.

○ Alexandra Bracken

There are a few reasons I've stayed clear of Alexandra Bracken's books, it's not because I think ill of her as a person. I just have never been really drawn to her books. I'm not a huge fan of dystopia books, so her Darkest Minds trilogy never caught my attention. When she released Passenger I was kind of interested because of the time travel aspect, but my interest in reading that book has decreased dramatically since the waves of reviews praising and ripping it apart have been published.

I am planning on buddy reading this book with a friend of mine, but I'm not sure how much I'm going to enjoy it. I'm really nervous going into one of the most hyped books of 2016.

○ Leigh Bardugo

I've been meaning on picking up Shadow and Bone for the last forever, but I have never gotten a chance to actually do so. I've seen the book on Book Outlet more than once, but I've always been hesitant to put it in my cart. I think I'm just nervous to not enjoy the world Leigh Bardugo has created, but I also am afraid that I'll like it too much.

○ Stephen King

Please just hear me out and don't hate me too much, okay?

I've tried to read Stephen King's books so many times. I've picked up Carrie, Christine, It, and The Green Mile. All of them I read 50 pages of and then put down.

I don't know if it's that I don't like his writing style or if I just don't care enough about the plot or characters to keep going. I like the movies they are based off of, but I can't seem to embed myself in the story.

○ Morgan Rhodes

This is an author that I'm really nervous about reading. She writes high fantasy, and as someone who has noticed they are not too fond of high fantasy, I am very nervous about this author. I want to really love this series and Morgan Rhodes, but I'm so nervous about not enjoying it.

If any of your have read the Fallen Kingdoms series, could you let me know what you liked and disliked? I own the first book and hope that I can get to it soon!

○ Brandon Sanderson

Another high fantasy author that I'm terrified I won't enjoy, but I desperately want to read. Here is my trend. I want to read high fantasy & love it because I also adore the atmosphere for the worlds but there is always something that doesn't connect just right for me to love the book or series.

I want to read Brandon Sanderson when I have finally developed a love for high fantasy, so I can give him a fair chance.

○ Neil Gaiman

One of my first book community friends adores Neil Gaiman, and though I want to read one of his books on her recommendation, I can't seem to figure out where to start.

My boyfriend adores American Gods, but part of me wants to to read Coraline first. If anyone knows what book I should start with, please let me know. Or if you have read either of these, and you just want to tell me which would be a better start, I'd be a very happy girl!

   

○ Patrick Ness

This is another one of those really popular authors that I think that I've wanted to read, simply of because of how popular he is. I have had my eye on A Monster Calls for a little over a year, but I have never actually gotten a copy to read it. It's not at my library, so my only option is to buy it. I'm not quite sure I'm ready to purchase it just yet.

What popular author have you not read yet?

Books I Brought to College With Me // discussion

By the time that you see this post, I have already moved into college and I am celebrating my first week back at college! I know this may seem like a small victory, but this semester I'm balancing a lot of things. Having these blog posts already scheduled are going to help me a ton for the upcoming semester.

Last semester, I had a lot more books with me than I needed to have. I think at one point I had right at 40 books. 40!! How did I even do that? This semester, my goal is to have no more than 15 in my dorm at a time and to only start my semester with 10 books other than my AP Style book.

Anna Dressed in Blood  & Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

I have been dying to get my hands on these books for what seems like forever. I adore creepy books, but I have a problem reading them by myself. I tend to read most of my creepy books with my friend Courtney because it really helps to have someone reading with you. I think of it as the same as watching a creepy movie with someone else.

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

At the time of writing this post, I have just finished my second Colleen Hoover book, and I have been so impressed. I have adored her characters and her writing. I have just fallen in love with her. I want to have read all of the books I currently own by her before I let myself buy more of them, but Hopeless is the only one I have left!

White Lines by Jennifer Banash

I found this while browsing book outlet one day. I had decided that I wanted to purchase myself some books for my birthday and this one happened to find its way to my cart. I thought the premise of this book sounded really cool, and as many people know, dark contemporary is my favorite stories to read. I am so excited to give this a try.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

This book was actually sent to me by one of the people I have gotten to know through twitter! I was so excited that she sent me this. I've been waiting for the perfect time to get to it, but I think with the Nicola Yoon's new book coming out in a few months, I should get to this one soon! I hope that this is one that I can get to fairly quickly one Saturday.

Seneca Rebel by Rayya Deeb

Seneca Rebel is a book that I was sent for review, but I haven't gotten a chance to read and review yet. I plan on reading this in August if I haven't gotten to it before this post goes up. I am pretty excited to read it. I'm going in and hoping that it will be a quick and fun read.

The Adventures of Dr. McNinja Omnibus by Christopher Hastings

This is a graphic novel that I heard of from a Booktuber that I find myself watching quite often. She said that she loved the story and found it to be absolutely hilarious. I found this book at a flea market while out of state, and I can honestly say it was worth all $5 I spent on it. I've only flipped through a few pages and it already looks beautiful. I'm so glad that I snagged it while I could.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

As well all know, my love for ACOTAR runs so deep that my review was basically me losing control of my fingers on my keyboard. I read the book so quickly and adored it so much that I really want to just bring my copy of it with me to college too, but my limited space takes helps out when my self control can't.

I haven't read this yet, simply because I am not ready to wait a year before I get the next book. That is not okay, and I do not accept this bullcrap.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

If I'm being blunt, I hated Crown of Midnight, but I am interested to see where this series goes. I bought this book from Book Outlet while they were having a sale, and I had just read and loved Throne of Glass.

I want to believe that my money wasn't wasted, and I also hope this will tell me if I will be needing to bring my other hardback copies to Half-Price Books to find a new home.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This book... I started this in July and got half way through it before putting it down. I found the characters to be so flat, and I am not really even following the story. I'm hoping that having a break from it will allow me to finally connect to the story or at least not be bored while reading it.

My friend Sierra at The Nerdgirl Review adores this book, and I really hope that I can enjoy it.

Though this list is only 10 books long, I do have one honorable mention that I will also be bringing along with me. Can you guess what book that is? The AP Style Book! I couldn't function without this book as a college journalist, so this will be making an appearance in my dorm room.

There is a good possibility that I will be bringing along a copy of The Raven King if I don't finish it before I move in. I mean why would I not have some of my raven boys with me to help me through the hard times?

What is one book that you would need with you if you went off to college?

5 Reasons You Should Read Marley & Me by John Grogan

Typically speaking, no one think I would pick this up. It's sad and nonfiction. This is something that I would not normally not try out, but here is a little back story on me as a person. I'm a college journalist, and I also love animals. All animals.

I didn't want to read this at first because it was a sad book about a beautiful dog, and that kind of storyline makes me sad. With some more digging, I found out that the author is a columnist. I was so excited to get to read something from a fellow reporter that I got over the dread that was filling me.

If you are wary about reading Marley & Me because of the sad storyline, here are some things that might change your mind.

1.) Dogs are beautiful creatures, and this novel just shows you how much they love their owners.

Obviously this one is a no brainier right? I don't know why you wouldn't want to read a book that shows you how loyal an animal is.

2.) Its the kind of sad that leaves you feeling refreshed.

We all have those sad reads that we hate to love. For me, it's anything sad. In particular, this book is one of them. It left me feeling like I had a new perspective on life and like I had just lived an amazing adventure. I felt refreshed in the, "I just read the best book ever and it ripped me apart, but it was worth it" kind of way.

3.) John Grogan has a voice.

Not just because he can write, but because when I was reading about the beginning of his life when he first got Marley I could hear him. Not the man writing the book when he was much older, but the young man who was newly married and excited to have a family with his wife.

He shared his voice to the world in such a flawless way that I thought he was writing this day by day as he went through each experience with Marley.

4.) It is a fun and exciting non fiction read.

Regardless of the sadness that surrounds this story, it's very easy to say it is also one of the most fun and exciting books I've ever read. Reading about Marley's adventures at the dog beach or playing with the chickens near their home, never failed to put a smile on my face or cheer me up. This book balances the real life things with the fun parts to never cause the reader to really become bored.

5.) Marley shows the best and worst qualities in a dog.

We all know that regardless of what I preach, not all dogs are the most well behaved. This book really opens your eyes to what really can affect an animal and how certain things can change how they behave.

Marley really shows you his great qualities, but he also opened my eyes to the painful truths about how dogs are kind of like people because we all have our bad days and issues we deal with.