Chapter Two: A Look Back

It's not the end my friends, it's just a new chapter.

Here I've compiled some interesting information about what I've read this summer including my favorite characters and books, and everything from how many main characters died to the total number of love interests!

The Books
(grouped by genera and series)

YA Fiction
Infernal Devices Series
     -Clockwork Angel
     -Clockwork Prince
Mortal Instruments Series
     -City of Glass
     -City of Fallen Angels
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
-Fang
-Evermore
-Radiance
-The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Dystopian Science Fiction
The Hunger Games Trilogy
     -The Hunger Games
     -Catching Fire
     -Mockingjay
Matched Series
     -Matched
     -Crossed
-Divergent


Fairytale Retellings 
-Beauty
-A Kiss in Time
-The Goose Girl
-Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy
     -The Looking Glass Wars
     -Seeing Redd


Historical Fiction
-A Northern Light
-The Help


Teen Life Fiction
-Paper Towns
-Deadline

Mystery
-First to Die

Some Interesting Facts


Longest Book = Harry Potter 7
Shortest Book = The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (It wasn't short enough)
Total # of Books = 26
It was my first time reading 20 of them
I reread 6
I borrowed 19 books from the Library
I never read two of them
I didn't have a library card until July, before that I had been using my Mom's (Thanks mom!)
I didn't collect any fines! (Yay!)
There was a full out war spoken of and seen in 10 of the 26 books
66 Main Characters died! (So this one was interesting, the count would have been MUCH higher, but I didn't count all of the tributes from Hunger Games and Catching Fire, I only counted the REALLY important deaths in that series. In other series, Main Character means they have a name and are referred to often.) That's almost three per book!
3 of the books were written by a man, 23 by women.
9 of the book's main characters were male, 17 were female.
There are 24 romantic interests in 20 books or series (so all the Mortal Instruments books and such were counted as one here) No main character was without at least one love interest.
4 of the books made me cry


Favorite Characters


So, I tried to use a formula to determine who the best characters were. I factored in things like how funny they were, and how brave. (The formula looked like this - F(2)+B(3)+R+C(2)+S/1+A See I learned something in Math) With this tool, I came up with this order for the list.
1. Peeta (Hunger Games)
2. Katniss (Hunger Games)
3. Jem (Infernal Devices)
4. Harry (Potter) and Skeeter (The Help) Tied
6. Simon (Mortal Instruments)
7. Iris (Ugly Stepsister) and Minnie (The Help) Tied
9. Will (Infernal Devices)

Well, my formula did a pretty good job, because it came close to my REAL list:

1. Jem (Infernal Devices) - The perfect gentleman, and a fierce fighter. I just want to be his best friend.
2. Katniss (Hunger Games) - Tough as nails and deadly smart. I wish I was her sometimes.
3. Peeta (Hunger Games) - He's really vulnerable, which makes him stand out in such horrific circumstances.
4. Skeeter (The Help) - One of the most relatable characters. She's every woman who's ever felt held down and fought to escape the circumstances of her life.
5. Iris (Ugly Stepsister) - Also super relatable. I love the way she looks at the world around her.
6. Harry (Potter) - Who can deny the greatness of the Boy Who Lived? He's definitely a Gryffindor.
7. Simon (Mortal Instruments) - Really just a teenaged boy. Nice in a series about people who are anything but. He rated second of all characters for brave acts, and they're usually for others.
8. Minnie (The Help) - I want to hang out with her and just let her talk. She that sarcastic friend we all have and love.
9. Will (Invernal Devices) - I love the witty funny things he says. But that's about it. Everything else he does annoys me to death. That shows you how witty he is to make this list regardless.

And now, the moment you've all be waiting for...


Favorite Books
(countdown style)

To qualify here, the book has to be something I had not read before this summer. So Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and others are out of the running for this.


6. Matched - By Ally Condie
 This book is here because of the poetry. Ally Condie has such a poetic way of writing. It's also on this list because of the amazing character progression. I could see the world becoming this one day. It's a scary thought, being forced to do "right".


5. First to Die - By James Patterson
I love murder mysteries. And one written by James Patterson about women who solve cases together? It was super entertaining. One thing with Patterson is that you can never guess the end. Even if you know who the killer is, chances are you don't know half the story.

4. Divergent - By Veronica Roth
What's better than a book you don't want to put down? A book you can't put down. I just wanted to keep reading. I always wanted to know what was next. I enjoyed the mix of characters and the ever present danger Tris was in. I REALLY appreciated that the book didn't end on a cliff hanger in the middle of an important moment.

3. The Help - By Kathryn Stockett
The world fell in love with this book over the summer, at least that's what it felt like. And it was rightly deserved. The story is just so full of moments that make you want to stand and cheer or cry or laugh, all with the characters. The message of the book is touching as well. It's not a high action book like I've been reading a lot of in this page count, but it certainly holds it's ground.


2. A Northern Light - By Jennifer Donnelly
Even now I don't know what it is about this book. Maybe it's that it's so applicable in my life right now. As I'm coming of age and I'm realizing what this world is about, I know it's going to take courage, and that is what this book is about for me. We accept things that should be questioned all the time. We "go with the flow" when it's not what we want. A Northern Light tied several genres into one, and did it very successfully. There's only one reason it's not number one...

1. Clockwork Prince - By Cassandra Clare
And that reason is fan girl giggles. Will and Jem. Basically Sherlock and Watson. (If they were teenagers and killed demons for a living.) Even though I couldn't really stand Tessa in this book, Will and Jem made up for it. Ok, Jem made up for it. It's a fast paced roller coaster ride. And while I could have used just a tad more fighting adventure, this book was almost everything I need for my perfect book. This is another book I just couldn't put down. And when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. I believe this is Clare's best work by far.

Well... What now? The answer is in the sign off.

Read On,

Jamie