Top 7 Reads in 2014

June is officially here, and I don't know about you but I love June. This month brings afternoons at the pool, reading in the hammock, drinking an abundance of sweet tea, and my top 7 reads in 2014!

Since June marks the half way point of the year being over, what better way to kick it off with with a top 7 list?! In no particular order, here they are.

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

2. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

3. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

4. The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu (These books were so good, I couldn't choose just one)

5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

6. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

7. Divergent by Veronica Roth

There are so many great books out there that I need to read. Some books I want to read soon that I predict will be on my top 14 of 2014 are Eleanor and Park, Looking for Alaska, and Rebel Belle. Let me know some of your favorite books of the year have been!

XoXo,
Hope

Bachelorette Bracket

Have you all thought of making/filling out a Bachelor or Bachelorette bracket? If not, I highly encourage you to fill one out for Andi's season. Last season of the Bachelor, some of my co-workers and I had an office bracket for the show. It was a lot of fun to have a reason to root for contestants that you wouldn't normal cheer on. The bracket allowed for some friendly competition along with great Tuesday morning conversations in the office.

The participation in my work place has doubled from last season. I am ecstatic!

Here is my bracket.

Jimmy Kimmel also gave his predictions about Andi's final four men. You can check that out here :
http://www.wetpaint.com/the-bachelorette/articles/2014-05-20-jimmy-kimmel-picks-josh-murray-1

For those of you who want to participate, here is the blank bracket. Week 1 names are the guys Andi chose on Monday for the premiere. Copy those on your bracket, and fill out the rest based on who you think is staying or going. Good Luck and let me know who you think the winner will be!

XoXo,

Hope

The Bachelorette Premiere Review

Andi is hands down the most adorable bachelorette ABC has ever had. With that said, here is what I learned while watching the Bachelorette premiere.

1. Long Hair, Andi cares. There was no #LongHairDontCare in this ep!

2. A way to Andi's heart (and mine, let's be honest) is a plate full of cookies and a glass of cold milk.

3. Blue suits and brown shoes were all the style rage.

I think this is going to be a fantastic season. Let me know what your favorite part of the premiere was and what you learned from tonight's episode. 

Xoxo,
Hope

Most Anticipated 2014 Fall Shows

When I don't have my head buried in a book, I love relaxing on the couch watching an entertaining TV show. I recently watched ABC, NBC, and CBS fall show line up trailers. I must say, I am excited to see some of these! Let's not waste anymore time. Here are my most anticipated 2014 Fall shows.

ABC
1. The Whispers - Earth has been invaded by non other than Aliens. The Aliens target the imagination and innocence of our young children to carry out their deadly missions. Now I know this show may sound a little wonky, but before you judge you should watch the trailer here: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-whispers . Also, Revenge fans should be excited. (Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched the Revenge Season 3 Finale, don't read on. Go straight to number 2.)
Barry Sloane's character may have been killed of of Revenge, but he is back in this creepy and suspenseful show.

2. How To Get Away With Murder- Viola Davis stars as a master minded professor who's teaching her students to put what they've learned in the classroom to real life. She show's creator is no other than Shonda Rhimes you also created one of my favorite shows Scandal. Check out the suspenseful and legal driven trailer here : http://abc.go.com/shows/how-to-get-away-with-murder

3. Secrets and Lies - Attention fans of Ryan Phillippe, you may want to check out his new role as a good samaritan turned murder suspect. A ruthless detective won't be satisfied until she finds the truth and decodes all the lies and secrets that live in the town.  Check out the trailer here: http://abc.go.com/shows/secrets-and-lies

NBC
4. A-Z- Now this show is not suspenseful, creepy, or legally driven like the ones you've read about above. This one is about love. A-Z follows Andrew and Zelda after meeting his work place (a match making company) when Zelda is called in for an interview. Is Zelda the girl in a shimmery silver dress that Andrew had laid eyes on years back? Check out the trailer to see if them crossing paths was fate or coincidence! http://www.nbc.com/a-to-z

CBS
5. Stalker- Now that we got our warm and fuzzies out of the way, let's get back to a creepy and suspenseful show! For viewers wanting a little excitement, creepiness, and suspenseful thriller, this may be the show for you. Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott star in this new show trying to track down stalkers who pose a threat to the community. There is a slight twist. Maggie Q's character is a bit of a stalker herself. Does that make her good at her job or just plain trouble? Why don't you take a look for yourself and tell me what you think : http://www.cbs.com/shows/stalker

Well friends, those are my five shows i'm most excited to see this fall. Tell me below what shows you are looking forward to! Until next time.

XoXo,

Hope

The Rescue Book Review

Mr. Sparks,

You've done it again! Most of you are probably familiar with Nicholas Sparks books. If you're not familiar with his literary work, I'll just say his books will make you feel a range of emotions.

I just finished The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks and boy was it good! I had just come off of reading The Wedding by Sparks as well, so I was hoping that this book would be just as good.

The Rescue follows a single mom named Denise and her fateful encounter with a volunteer firefighter named Taylor. At the beginning of the book we know that Denise is trying to beat out the rain storm while driving to the small town she is now living in. When a deer suddenly appears in the middle of the road, she was forced to try and avoid hitting it.

Taylor, one of the volunteer firefighters in the town, happened to find her while looking for downed power lines. He is thrown into an unexpected rescue mission to help the injured single mom, and her son who has disappeared from the car. Through the rest of the book we find out what happens to their relationship post Denise's car accident.

Let's talk about the characters!

Denise is a hard working, loving, and patient single mother. She has put her son first since the day he was born. Her character is very relatable, and you can empathize with her through her struggles. She always keeps her head up, and tries her hardest to make the best out of a not so good situation.

Taylor is a contractor by day and a volunteer firefighter by night. He is a hardworking man who has been down on his luck recently with past relationships and the death of his father. His character isn't afraid to take risks. He is sometimes careless though which did tend to get a little annoying. Taylor is more of the introvert who loves to help rescue people from their own problems.

I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars on my goodreads account. You can check it out here. https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/30265871-hope-ortego

I won't say too much more about the book because I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say this. I was expecting to cry, but I didn't! If you're looking for a Nicholas Sparks book that won't make you ball your eyes out, I think this one is a good pick. I did however tear up with the very last line. Mostly because it was just very touching and heart warming.

Let me know in the comments below what you thought of the book, or what your favorite Nicholas Spark book is!

XoXo,

Hope

Summer Book Bucket List

Hello Friends,

The weather is getting warmer, and my TBR list is getting longer. With that said, here are my top 6 books on my summer reading bucket list!

1. Eleanor & Park - A story of two misfits and one extraordinary love.

Who doesn't love a good love story? I for one do! I also found out today that it has been optioned for a movie. I need to get to reading this book ASAP!

Goodreads rating: 4.22







2. Looking For Alaska- A story of a boy whose life is uneventful until one fateful day he meets Alaska. From that point on his life was anything but uneventful.

With a strong recommendation from a friend, and my love for John Green's writing...this book HAD to be on my summer bucket list!

Goodreads rating: 4.23

 3. Just One Day- A story of how 24 hours can transform your life.

I have heard a lot of good hype about this book. I also loved reading If I Stay but Gayle Forman, so I have no doubt this will be an enjoyable read for me. It will also give me an excuse to read Just One Year. :)

Goodreads rating: 4.09

 4. Where She Went- The follow up book to If I Stay.

I can't gush enough over If I Stay by Gayle Forman. The book had me smiling, laughing, crying, and hoping for more. I was so happy when I found out there was a second book. I am dying  to know what happens to Mia.

Goodreads rating: 4.17

 5. What I Thought Was True- A story of a swoony summertime romance.

I have very high hopes for this book after reading Huntley Fitzpatrick's book My Life Next Door. Also, how can you not want to read about a summertime romance during the summer?!

Goodreads rating: 3.78

6. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer- A story of a girl who wakes up in a hospital bed not knowing how she got there.

Have you ever looked at a book cover and thought, "I need to read that book"? Well, that is what happened when I saw this cover. My thought to read this book was confirmed after reading the description. The book cover alone hooked me, and that's how it ended up on my summer book bucket list.

Goodreads rating: 4.13




Let me know if you've read any of these books, and which one was your favorite!

Until next time,

XOXO Hope

How John Green Gave Me 1,000 Lives

January 29th, 2014 my life changed forever. This was the day that John Green gave me 1,000 lives. 

As a kid, my imagination ran wild while reading books. I was fascinated by the stories of Junie B. Jones, The Boxcar Children, and The Hardy Boys. It wasn't until the fateful day I picked up my first book written by John Green that I truly discovered my love for reading. 

As you may know, John Green is the author of the bestselling book The Fault in our Stars. On a whim, I bought the book not expecting it to impact me in any way. 313 pages later, the book had captivated me. TFIOS was witty, heart warming, romantic, tragic, and filled with optimism. The story of Hazel and Augustus released every single emotion I have ever felt in 313 pages. I was given a gift to put myself in the shoes of these beautiful characters. Plain and simple, John Green is a literary genius. Since reading TFIOS i've been a prodigy child trying to save the Republic (Legend, by Marie Lu), a girl trying to live through my first year of college away from my twin sister while escaping from my troubles writing fan fiction (Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell), i've been stranded in a maze with strangers and my memory wiped clean (The Maze Runner, by James Dashner), felt every emotion of a confused girl in pain and desperation (Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher), fell in love with the boy next door (My Life Next Door, by Huntley Fitzpatrick), and have done and felt so much more! 

Since the day I finished TFIOS, I hope for more opportunities to put myself in other people's shoes. I want to feel those emotions, see fictitious worlds, and simply get lost in a book. I hope my love for reading continues throughout my years. For every time I pick up a book, I get the opportunity to be apart of that characters life. 

And that my friends, is how John Green gave me 1,000 lives.

Xoxo,

Hope