Adventures of Andrea

Well, this is becoming a bit of a book blog, but I'm okay with that. There's a book blogger group called Top 5 Wednesday, where you can write or vlog about different prompt that the group gives. I thought this week's prompt was especially great, because it's the week of Thanksgiving.

I absolutely love this time of year, and I think Thanksgiving is such an important day. While it shouldn't the only day we reflect on what we are thankful for, I think it's still important to have a day on which to do that.

This year, I'm thankful for my friends and family for being endlessly loving and supporting. And also I'm thankful for books.

Top 5 Books I'm Thankful For: 

1. Harry Potter. This list wouldn't be complete without these books! Harry Potter was basically what made me love books and reading. That's really all I can say, because I love these books so much.

2. To Kill A Mockingbird. I recently read the "sequel" of this, and I was so disappointed. I didn't read this book until college, and I still loved it so much. Despite the crappy sequel, it's such a fun, sweet book that teaches great lessons.

3. Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps. This is a book I use as reference all the time. It has advice for basically every situation you can think of. And it's funny, not preachy at all.

4. I Am the Messenger. This book is by the same author who wrote The Book Thief, but I think I actually like this book more. It's about a guy who is kind of just floating through life and he learns how the smallest thing can change someone's life. It's so sweet, and heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time.

5. Landline. To be honest, I forgot about this book until I checked my Goodreads favorites. I've read all of Rainbow Rowell's books, and all are so good. You get wrapped up so easily in the plot, and the characters are so well-written as well.

What are you thankful for this year? Or what are you reading? :)

I think most people who know me know that I read a crap ton. I think I've read about 150 books this year, and people always ask me for recommendations so I thought I would give my top 5 books of 2015 (so far!) Hopefully you will find something good for read, and it will be fun for me to narrow down my favorite books. :)

1. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

This book is the fourth in a series, but I always recommend this series to anyone who asks. The first book is called "Throne of Glass" and if you like fantasy, you need to read this book. While I think the series is considered YA, it really does have more adult themes. There's romance for those who want it, but it doesn't overpower the plot at all. I also like the fact that the protagonist is a woman who isn't stuck in a love triangle (which happens in a lot of YA books). It is a longer read, but there are so many twists and turns and mysteries in this series; and it's just really good. Probably my favorite unfinished series at the moment.

2. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

I got this book in my monthly OwlCrate box (a book subscription service) and I'm really happy I did. The book is about Willowdean, a self-proclaimed fat girl, and a beauty pageant she enters. There's a lot more to it then that, but the book is about love and acceptance. I feel like this is really current right now, since there are so many self-love campaigns, and this book goes right along with that. It's also hilarious; and again the romance in the novel doesn't overpower the plot, which is a must for me. I also love books where the protagonist and a female best friend are actually friends and don't just sit around and talk about boys, and you definitely get that with this novel. This is a stand-alone book, and a pretty quick read, so I recommend it!

3. Big Little Lies by Liana Moriarty

While this wasn't a new release for 2015, it was so talked about last summer that I had to check it out. The book is also about how the little lies we tell can actually cause some major damage. The book tells the perspective from a few different characters, and you really feel immersed into the lives of the women telling their stories. It's got lots of plot twists; and while the writing isn't the best, the characters make up for it. If you like mysteries, check this one out.

4. The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Another fantasy series; and actually one that I think is similar to Queen of Shadows. This is the second book in the series and a movie is rumored to be coming out with Emma Watson as the star. You might have seen some interviews with this author (I think there was one with Buzzfeed) about how her main character is not meant to be pretty or beautiful. This shocked some people I guess, because the character is still able to find romance and power. There's still a lot of mystery in this series, and if you don't mind waiting for the next books to come out, I'd recommend checking it out now.

5. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Last, but not least! This book honestly might be my favorite this year. I immediately made my mom read it, and whenever I make her read a book, that means I like it a lot. While the romance in the book was annoying at times, I'm a huge sucker for history in books. This novel is all about alternate universes and traveling within them. Without giving any spoilers, part of the book takes place in a Romanov-like Russia, where the Romanovs were never taken out of power. I absolutely loved the history and the twists in this book, and I can't wait for the next one to come out next year.

I could probably give lots more books, but I hope this gives you a few ideas on what book to pick up next!

I'm the kind of person that wants to do everything now. 

The saying, take it a day at a time, is really hard for me. I look to the future a lot, even when I was a kid. I thought being a grown up looked so cool, and I had so many plans for the future.

I recently learned that I can't do everything now; sometimes it's just not possible. I think with being out of school and not having a set schedule has set me into kind of a tail spin. The thoughts and questions run through my head like crazy, and there's so many things I want to try. Should I go to grad school? What for? Would I like that? What if I don't? I want to travel. Where should I go? Can I plan a vacation for this amount of money? Do I like my job? How long will I stay there? Should I buy a house, apartment, townhouse, car?????

Needless to say, it can be a bit stressful. Something happened recently that made me step back and go okay. I can't do some things right at this moment. I can live in the moment,  I can make plans, but I can't do everything I want to do right this second. And that's okay. I'm young; I need to save some stuff for the rest of my life.

It's for my brain to shift into this thinking though. I really do have to repeat the phrase, take it one day at a time, to myself. There's so many things I want to do, but I need to learn that there's plenty of time to do them all, I just have to be patient. :)