Guest Post: The Paperback Princess: Five Friday: Five Bookish Quotes to Bring You Up When You're Feeling Down

Hello everyone! I'm Emily from The Paperback Princess, and thanks to Becca for allowing me to guest post as part of her Five Friday Feature! Today, I'm going to be talking about five bookish quotes to bring you up when you're feeling down:

1. "we accept the love we think we deserve"- Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

This quote will always stick with me because it is a perfect example of giving yourself self-love, as well as letting love into your life. If you need support in anyway, please read this book!

2. "stay gold, ponyboy"- S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders

This beloved classic tells a story of fitting in, and this quote represents just that. The main character, Ponyboy explains that nothing ever stays golden and great, but his friend Johnny tells him that no matter what, he can stay gold. This quote to me shows that no matter where you come from, you can be special.

3. "happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light"- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I would be insane not to include a Harry Potter quote! In this midst of all distress, the amazing Albus Dumbledore reminds us that to find happiness, we must find it in ourselves to help turn on the light.

4. "Eleanor was right, she never looked good. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look good, it was supposed to make you feel something"- Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor and Park

This quote is the definition of why Rainbow's books are so beautiful. She doesn't create traditional, perfect characters, she creates characters with REAL problems. This quote can give me, and so many people the confidence to be themselves and worry about what's on the inside too. Please read Eleanor and Park, it will change your life.

5. "if you don't imagine, nothing ever happens at all"- John Green, Paper Towns

Lastly but certainly not least, we have a beautiful quote from an even more beautiful book. If someone ever tells you to stop imagining and come back to reality, then this quote is here. I think that this defines us as bookworms and writers as well, if we don't imagine, then the world is not possible.

Thanks so much to Becca for featuring me! If you would like to follow me on any of my social media, here are my links:

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Emily @ Paperback Princess

What We're Reading Wednesday

I was really excited to find this at the Book Swap I went to recently, as I had just added it to my wishlist. So far it's really intriguing, and dark and twisty.

 

These are the two cozy mysteries I have going on my Kindle right now. I just started And Then There Were Nuns, but I've been wanting to read it for a while, with the title being a play on one of my all-time favorite books. 

I'm still reading Breach of Crust, just taking a little break from it now and then. I'm about a third of the way through now, and it continues to be well-written and fun (which is what keeps me reading), but there is still not enough mystery happening.

This is the perfect before-bed read, cozy, nothing scary or untoward...I've been so tired lately I haven't been able to stay up to read much before bed, but I'm still really enjoying this book.

The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth

True Crime

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

The true story of "The Midnight Assassin", as he was nicknamed by members of the press, is the tale of America's first serial killer.

This is not a killer who has been written about like Jack the Ripper or H.H. Holmes (though he has been suspected of being both those infamous murderers as well), but is one who carved his own trail of terror through Austin, Texas, and was never caught. This is an unsolved crime, one even many descendants of the victims themselves had never heard of.

Hollandsworth expertly brings this untold true crime tale to today's readers, with impeccable research and an excellent writing style. I highly recommend this book for readers of true crime. It's the kind of book where I read an ereader ARC of it, and have added the hardback to my wishlist. I want it as an addition to my true crime book collection.

Five Friday: Five Good Books That Start With F

Everything Tana French writes is brilliant, and this is no exception. This entry in the Dublin Squad Murders picks up the thread of a supporting character from a previous book, and the disappearance of the woman he loved two decades ago.

This, to me, is Waters' finest book. It has one of the most shocking twists in any book I've ever read, on top of being brilliantly written.

This is one of my all-time favorite Agatha Christie books, and one I've re read many times.

My dad and I used to read these books together (he would read them out loud to me), and they still have a very fond place in our hearts.

This is probably my all-time favorite graphic novel, a take on a possible solution to the Jack the Ripper mystery.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

I love the unreliable narrator trend. Books such as The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, Turn of Mind, and Luckiest Girl Alive are some of my all-time favorite reads, and take up a large section of my bookshelves.

In a Dark, Dark Wood is a welcome addition to this group.

Lenora is our narrator here. She lives a solitary life, for reasons we are not yet privy to, but this careful existence is shaken when she receives an invitation to a bachelorette party for her former best friend. Lenora almost declines, but eventually decides to go, to see the woman she has not spoken to for over a decade. We don't know why they haven't spoken, or what exactly it was that caused Lenora to shut everyone from her past out.

But we, the readers, do know the future repercussions of her choice to say yes-or at least, some of them. The bachelorette party is told in flashbacks, as Lenora lies in a hospital bed, under police guard. The flashbacks occur as Lenora begins to recover her memory, memories lost to an accident she cannot remember.

Ware does a fantastic job of making the readers identify with Lenora, and be completely caught up in her story. We learn what really happened as Lenora does. We know what she knows. We feel the claustrophobic tension of "the Glass House", where the party occurs and where secrets and blood are spilled.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Ware's next book, and I am even more excited to start it now. Ware is a welcome addition to the psychological thriller genre.

What We're Reading Wednesday

Still working my way through this one. And again, it's not that it's bad, it's just not great. There's been some more development in the mystery, which has helped keep my interest, but there's still an uneven balance of magic and mystery. With it saying that this is a mystery on the cover, I really do want more mystery inside the cover.

This is my Kindle read. I could not be more excited to have gotten an ARC of this book! It just came out April 5, so I am a little behind, but work has kept me really busy and really tired. This is being touted as one of the next big true crime books, and for good reason. It is really well-written, and covers a crime that has rarely (if ever) been written about in book form. 

This is now my before-bed book, which has been perfect, as it is charming, soothing, and beautifully written.

This book is so good! It's got so many things I like going for it (even besides really good writing)-cabin in the woods, isolated group of people, flashbacks, secrets, mystery-definitely cannot wait to have more time to read this!

What are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books to Read If You're a True Crime Reader

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the wonderful The Broke and The Bookish.

These are considered two of the classics in this genre, and for good reason. They not only tell the tale of the crime itself, and its aftermath, but the culture, society, and politics surrounding the era in which the crime occurred. 

This is a brilliant book that looks at many notorious crimes through the light of statistical analysis. I am not a math fan by any means, but this book is absolutely fascinating, and is written in an easily accessible narrative style that flows like fiction.

This is definitely a modern classic, and an exemplary example of how to perfectly blend history and crime.

This is one of my all-time favorite true crime books. It is so well-written, and tells its story so well.

This is a newer entry in the true crime genre. The author has clearly done extensive research and presents all aspects and angles of Manson's life, from childhood to jail.

I remember this being one of the first true crime books I ever read. I borrowed my parents' copy, and now have a copy of my very own (which reminds me I'm due for a re read of this soon). To me, it's akin to a modern day In Cold Blood, with the author being so personally immersed in the setting and with the people.

This case has always fascinated me-the psychology, the fact that it takes place in my hometown, the trial, the scandal-I even did a research project on it in high school that turned into a paper in college.

This is one of the most difficult books I've ever read, but also one of the most important. It covers the Columbine shooting in such heartbreaking detail, debunking the prevalent media myths, and getting at the painful truth.

Sherlock Holmes fans plus solving super mysterious unsolved crimes is a guaranteed win, especially when the book is really well-written.


And a bonus!