TBR's are the bane of every reader's existence. And, in some people's case, there are some books that you haven't read that everyone else has. So, I compiled a list of books that I haven't read, while the rest of the world has.

       Okay, so maybe I haven't read all of Cassie Clare's books, but to be fair, I have read the first three of The Mortal Instruments, and I really enjoyed them. I just haven't gotten around to buying the rest of the series, since I have to go on Amazon to track down the old paperback covers to match the three I already have. So, it's not like I have never read them. I just haven't finished them. Yet.

       I know, I know, you guys are probably freaking out, but I have my reasons. I was actually wanting to read these books when my friend who had read them wanted me to watch the movie. She eventually got me to watch it before I read the book. (Even though I haven't read the books, the movies were fantastic, by the way. I'm a big fan.) When I went to read the books, I couldn't get into them, since almost the entirety of the books were essentially spoiled from cover to cover. But, I do take from this a learning experience to never, ever, watch the movie before reading the book. So it ending up serving me well in the long run.

       These books have piqued my interest for a while now, and I do have the first three books of the series on my TBR shelf in my room. I really shouldn't have any excuses. But I do, and it's this: I ordered these books from a Scholastic book order. Now, if you have never gotten books from a school book order you won't know this, but the paperbacks are like half the size of normal YA paperbacks. They remind me of those adult romance paperbacks that are the size of a hand. (Which I still don't understand. Why do adults need tiny books???) But, they are little, and have "Scholastic Book" printed really big on the cover. It just irritates me every time I look at them. 

       I really have no reasoning behind this one. Emma Watson and Logan Lerman are in the movie, and I love them both. This book just never comes to mind when I'm book shopping...

(Note from future Ashton: I have since read Perks and loved it. Link on the left in the title for the review.)

       Originally, when I saw this book, I thought it was a horror fiction novel. I thought it was a YA version of Stephen King, and I didn't want any part of that. At all. None. But, when I went to go see Me Before You in theaters, this was one of the trailers. As soon as the trailer was over, I realized my entire life was a lie and needed to read this book. Now. 

       The only reason I have for not reading this book is spoilers. My friend was explaining that there were waves that aliens were sending to Earth to destroy it, and the whole book is leading up to finding out what the fifth wave is, then she proceeds to tell me what it is. Grrrr...

       I actually haven't read Shatter Me because it is on my iPad, and I'm saving it for when I finish my book on a trip or something, and I need more reading material. You can never be too safe!

       I have been told by more people than I can count to read this book. I just haven't been able to make myself pick it up because I'm not a big historical fiction person. It just never seems appealing to me. But maybe if we cover WWII in history class in the next couple of years, I will want to pick it up. Until then...

       I actually have this book and started reading it a while ago. I couldn't differentiate between what was fantasized about the situation, and what was actually happening. After about 75 pages, I just couldn't get into it. But maybe I'll pick it up again in the future, and give it another go.

       I really loved Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, and have heard amazing things about The Darkest Minds, so I am very interested about reading this series. No huge reasons why I haven't started it yet.

       Every once in a while, I'll stop by my local library and find a select number of books separated from the rest in the young adult section. They are the Abraham Lincoln award nominees. For a while, I figured that every library in the country had this same little section of books as well. After a bit of research, I found out that the Abe Lincoln award is an Illinois thing, and that every state has their own book awards.
​       I decided to compile a list of all the states and their YA book awards, and post them for all to enjoy!
(*Note: These are all the awards I found to be strictly in the young adult genre. I am fully aware that there are more awards that feature young adult novels, but decided to leave these out for the purpose of this post.)

Arkansas...........................
Colorado............................
Florida................................
Georga...............................
Illinois.................................
Indiana..............................
Iowa....................................
Iowa....................................
Louisiana...........................
New Hampshire............
New Hampshire............
New Jersey.....................
North Carolina...............
Ohio.....................................
Rhode Island..................
South Carolina...............
South Dakota..................
Texas...................................
Vermont.............................
Washington......................
Wyoming...........................

       Andie had it all planned out. 
       When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.
       Important internship? Check.
       Amazing friends? Check.
       Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).
       But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.
       Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected. 
       And where’s the fun in that?

       The Unexpected Everything (95%) is the book I have been waiting for ever since reading Since You've Been Gone a little over a year ago, and loving it. And TUE exceeded my expectations. By a lot. After I finished it, I immediately wanted to start it all over, it was that good.
       One of the main things that made this book spectacular is Andie and her group of friends. The four girls (and their boyfriends, at times) are something that every girl dreams of having, and are definitely friendship goals. They go through everything together, which, for me, is such an awesome thing. I've never been in a friend group that has been as close as these girls have been for years.
       Another great aspect of this book is Clark. CLARK! Everything about him screams, "Hey, look! I'm everything you've ever wanted in a boyfriend. Marry me!" His character is so deep, and the entire time we are getting to know him, Matson is just pealing back layer after layer. He really evolves with Andie throughout the story.
       Lastly, but certainly not least, is the fact that Andie is a dog walker. I WANT TO BE A DOG WALKER! As soon as she got that job, her summer was already better than mine could ever be. Just thought that you, as a reader of my blog, should know that I want to be a dog walker. Really badly. So, if you know a guy, let me know. ;) (Just kidding. I don't have time for a job. But I still want to be one.)
       Anyways, I really loved this book, and I recommend you read it before summer is over. (I also recommend you read it on the beach. It seams like a good beach book. But I didn't read it on a beach, so don't quote me on that. And not everyone can just "go to the beach". So it's really not a big deal.)

       Aristotle and Dante (88%) was a book I have actually been putting off reading for a long time. I bought it a while ago, and just never had much interest in reading it. I had heard a few good things, but nothing that made me feel any urgency to read it.
       With that being said, I absolutely adored this book! I loved the fact that the plot didn't revolve around things happening to the characters, especially Ari, but Ari and Dante figuring out who they are as people. Ari is constantly observing things about himself that he hadn't realized were a part of him, which was a very relate-able thing, coming from a high school girl. Every once in a while, I will find something that I didn't even care to learn about, and will end up loving. I think that is what really makes a coming-of-age story beautiful.
       I also loved that Ari is constantly thinking about his brother, who is a piece of their family that he didn't really get to enjoy and love. This whole plotline in the book is a really deep and emotional one for Ari, and it still ends up bringing the people he loves even closer to him.
       Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had a perfect combination of love, coming-of-age, and quirk to make it its own novel. It really stands out in my mind as something extraordinary.

       "Inertia" (87%) is the story of Matthew's former best friend, Claire. She has gotten news that Matt has been in an accident, and in the future world where they live, when someone has very low survival odds in the hospital, they get a Last Visitation, where the victim can choose people to relive their memories of each other together. Matt chooses Claire to have a visitation with, and this story follows them through their memories together.
       I really enjoyed this story, as it was perfect for Roth's writing style. She writes futuristic societies in a certain way that makes them plausible, and something I could see happening. Claire and Matt's story was also very unique in the fact that they had been best friends for a long time, and it was interesting to see that relationship as it formed throughout the memories.

       "Love is the Last Resort" (86%) is, in its own words, not a love story. It's about two people who insisted that love was only for fools. Lena had worked summers at the Hotel de Arte Spa and Resort almost every summer she could remember. She knew every guest there, and was happy with that. Arlo, on the other hand, was accustomed to change. He had been to a new school every year for the last three years, moving around with mom and each of her new boyfriends. Neither were looking for love, but did have a little fun trying to set up some of the other guests.
       Before I start, I will let you in on something. I L-O-V-E Jon Skovron's writing style. The way he lays the words on the page is unlike anything I have read up until this point. It's hard to explain without reading it, and I definitely recommend it. My favorite part, though, is in the end, he had a little surprise that blew my mind. 

       "Good Luck and Farewell" (68%) is the story of Rashida and her cousin, Audrey. Audrey had always been the motherly figure in Rashida's life after her mother passed away. When Rashida finds out Audrey is moving to San Francisco with her girlfriend, Gillian, Rashida is devastated. She doesn't like Gillian at all, and when she meets Gillian's brother, Pierre, she despises them both. That is, until Gillian drinks too much at the going away party, and Rashida has to stay with both siblings at Audrey's apartment.
       This story was just okay for me. I wasn't a big fan of the whole, "We just met and hated each other, but now we're in love," thing that Rashida and Pierre have. I also feel like this story just didn't have a way of connecting to me. Rashida's big issue is that she lost her mother, but since I haven't lost a close family member, I couldn't relate to her feelings.

       "Brand New Attraction" (88%) is a classic Cassie Clare story. Lulu Darke lives with a traveling dark carnival that her father owns. She has never really had a normal life, and that is fine with her. Until, one day, her father goes missing, and her uncle and his stepson, Lucas, come to help out. Lulu and Lucas befriend each other when they are suspicious of her uncle and his plans for her carnival.
       This story is one that I had been looking forward to as I read the other stories, and it had everything that I had hoped for. There was magic, demons, mysterious happenings, love, and even classic Clare humor.

       "A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong" (80%) is a cutesy romance story that just screams it's written by Smith. Annie is a counselor at a day camp for kids, and loves her job. She also loves the fact that she sat behind Griffin in Spanish class. When she goes up to talk to Griffin in the grocery store, she asks him on a date, which he agrees to. They settle on going after she was done at camp, but, she was responsible for looking out for an autistic boy named Noah, who's mom is really late to pick him up. Instead of going to grab a bite to eat, Griffin becomes the first person to get through to Noah.
       I really liked this story. It was summer-y, cute, and fun. It wasn't anything totally new and exciting, but the ideas that Smith presents and the challenges that the characters have to overcome, especially Griffin, are new and unique ones, and definitely need to be explored more often.

       "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things" (92%) is the story of August 4th. Over. And over. And over again. Mark has found that every morning, he wakes to find that it is August 4th all over again. Everything resets, and it's like the previous August 4th never happened. Everyone does exactly the same thing, every day, and nobody seems to notice, except Mark. He doesn't mind the routine, though. After a few weeks of it being August 4th, he meets Margaret, the only other person he knows that is aware that it has been August 4th for weeks. They start hanging out, and come up with an idea to map all the tiny perfect things that they find. From eagles swooping to catch a fish, to skateboarder nailing a perfect trick, they find things that are perfect in their own right.
       I absolutely loved this story. Mark and Margaret are the perfect people to put in this scenario, too. They both have their own troubles to deal with, but they choose to always look for positive thing to make life worthwhile. Grossman did an amazing job writing this story, and I couldn't have asked for more.

       Because I just redid my room a little, I have created a small space for a book nook. So, for some inspiration, I decided to go on Pinterest, and found a ton of awesome rooms! After picking out a few, I thought I would share some of my favorites on here with you.

       "Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail" (88%) is the first of twelve in the anthology. It starts off with the quirky tale of Annalee Saperstein, and why she came to Gracie's hometown of Little Spindle. Little Spindle is the smaller, overshadowed neighbor of Greater Spindle, where the residents of the larger town come and spend their summers.
       When Gracie meets Eli, a boy who comes to Little Spindle every summer, they start to bond over Little Spindle's version of the Loch Ness Monster, called the Idgy Pidgy. When their meet-ups to research the lake monster become more, Gracie visits Annalee for help.
       This story was the perfect way to start off the book. It was cute, quirky, and lovable in every way possible. And the ending. THE ENDING. I won't give it away, but it definitely lets the reader know that these stories aren't going to be your generic contemporary romance. 

       "The End of Love" (82%) follows the story of Flora, the kind of girl who signs up for a summer school Geometry class that she has already passed to get out of the house. She also is taking it unknowingly with her crush that she thought she would never see again, Mimi Park, and Mimi's friends.
       Flora met Mimi when she came to Baker High with her ex-boyfriend after school. Mimi had always been super cool with Flora, but Flora always got nervous around Mimi. When Mimi invites Flora to go camping with her friends, Flora says no. But when her other plans fall through, she decides to go and visit Mimi at the campsite.
       This story is actually the first piece of literature I've read where the love interests are gay, and I loved it. Mimi and Flora are perfect for each other, and LaCour wrote their story beautifully. I also love the reason the story was named "The End of Love". The title was so clever, but you'll have to read it to find out why.

       "Last Stand at the Cinegore" (90%) was not at all what I was expecting. Kevin and Dani are our two lovebirds here. They both work at the local movie theater, the Cinemore Theater. It was one of the only attractions in Deadwood, Texas, and had been opened in the 1960's by Nicolas Scratshe. He turned the run-down theater into a horror movie place, giving it its nickname, the Cinegore. Kevin, Dani, and Kevin's best friend, Dave, were all at work for the last movie to be screened at the Cinegore before its demolishing the next morning.
       Libba Bray did an excellent job of keeping me on my toes throughout this entire story, and taking it places I would've never expected to go. The comedy mixed with the romance and the fantasy/horror aspects of the story perfectly, and I couldn't have asked for a better account of what happened that night at the Cinegore.

       "Sick Pleasure" (86%) is the the story of I and her friends M, L, and J. They are enjoying their last summer together before they went off to college. Their favorite place to spend their nights parting was Phases, a local teen dance club. There, they danced, hung out, and frequently made fun of a punk boy gang who hung out there as well, called "Sick Pleasure". They even made shirts that read "Healthy Pleasure" in direct response to the gang.
       When one of the members comes over to ask I to dance, her whole world is flipped upside down. A is the punk rock type, mohawk and all. And I falls head over heels for him.
       This story is the perfect definition of a high school summer fling. Block does a superb job capturing all of I's personality and feelings. She is very open and vulnerable, and I (Ashton. Not the girl in the story.) really liked that.

       "In Ninety Minutes, Turn North" (85%) is about Marigold, who is back from her first year of college, and her first year without her ex-boyfriend, North. He broke it off with her before she moved from North Carolina to Atlanta to study animation because he didn't think they could make a long distance relationship work. Marigold and North had been more than boyfriend and girlfriend. They were each other's best friend, even after they broke up.
       That's why Marigold wanted him to move in with her and split their rent. She thought that he could leave his family's Christmas tree farm behind and go to a community college in Atlanta, which was what he had always wanted to do. But, when she finally gets to the state park were North is now working, she panics, and doesn't know how to confront North after so long.
      Stephanie Perkins does an amazing job at writing this story. It is a classic contemporary romance story with cute quirks and neat personality. Marigold and North are a signature Perkins couple, which is always enjoyable.

       "Souvenirs" (81%) follows the story of two boys who work at a local amusement park called Wish-a-World. Matthew works in the souvenir shop, while Kieth is a performer at the park's amphitheater. The two boys are quite opposites. Matthew is a shy, nerdy guy, while Kieth is a flamboyant actor who loves to be around others. When they find out their relationship isn't what they had in mind, they decide on a "breakup day". They are celebrating it like an anniversary of sorts, so that neither is left saddened by their parting.
       "Souvenirs" is set during the last two days of Matt and Kieth's relationship, and Federle does a great job of laying Matthew's feelings on the table, and making you really feel the relationship the boys have.

       If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.
       Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 
       The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.
       Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 
       But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 
       Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?
       The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

       Glass Sword (72%) is a book that I had high expectations for. I really liked Red Queen, and it definitely set my standards higher than I should've let them get, as sequels are almost never as good as the first. When Glass Sword didn't exceed those expectations, a reading slump hit me hard. (This and the fact that I figured out I could binge watch all the Jason Bourne movies for free online.)
       Besides the fact that a reading slump bogged me down, this book was pretty good. There were lots of new elements added to the story, action-packed twists and turns, and amazing new characters.
       Mare really learns to grow up in this part of the story and has to question everything she has once known. Aveyard does a great job of writing a great story while keeping the characters real. Mare isn't concerned about saving the world, she wants to keep her friends and family safe. That's something that keeps me invested in the story.
        All in all, Glass Sword wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be, but it was a really good read. If you have any doubts, I suggest you get your hands on a copy of this book.

       Before you rush to the photo gallery, I would like to thank @runawaypages on Instagram for creating this challenge, and for helping me to improve my bookstagramming. You have provided photo inspiration and an awesome challenge to participate in.