Looking Forward and Looking Back 2015

Well, 2015 did not exactly go as planned.

My Goodreads goal was left out of reach. I took a couple unexplained of blogging breaks. There were weeks without comments, tweets, or any other sign that I was actually alive. Twitter intimidated me. Comments went unanswered. Some posts were written just for the sake of having a post. I did not have all of the time that I wanted. 

But Crazy for YA is still here, and that is more than I could ever ask for. 

There are good and bad aspects of every year. All in all, 2015 was a pretty good reading year. If you look at my favorite books of 2015, you will see quite a few amazing ones there. Mathematically, I posted at least once a week (or some equivalent of that). I made a dozen great blogging friends. We hosted our first readathon and successfully completed our first yearly blogging challenge. 

Let's discuss how the year went.

Crazy for YA Awards | Our Favorite Books of 2015

Nothing is scarier than a new year. 365 more days (or in this case 366 days) to fill. New resolutions, new people, and new things to stress about. 

But, today we are focusing on the happy and the exciting, a flashback on our favorite books of 2015. (And yes, you heard correctly, I said our. Max has so kindly agreed to join in this celebration!)

So, welcome to the first ever Crazy for YA Awards!

Classic Conversations | The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Disclaimer- These are just my thoughts on a classic novel. They are not intended as a study guide for an English test that you forgot to study for. My opinions may vary from other people's, even yours. Please respect my opinions as I will respect yours. 

Also, this is a discussion of the entire novel, which includes the ending. Basically, there will be spoilers about everything. Read at your own risk.

The Scarlet Letter is one of the classic classics. Almost every high school (or even college) student has (or should have) read it at some point in their English career. It is a story that teachers frequently use as examples and is the topic of a plethora of essays.

It is idolized in the literary world due to its blatant symbolism, dominant themes of religion and hypocrisy, and its revelations about human nature. 

Students know it better as the book that is way to obsessed with a stupid red letter. 

But, that is the magic of this book. The scarlet letter is so much more than a piece of fabric. In order to fully understand and appreciate the novel, you have to look past the superficial appearance of the novel and dive a little bit deeper, which I know is daunting. But with a little bit of guidance, this book could become one of your favorites.

Review | The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Secret History
By Donna Tartt
Published in September, 1992
559 Pages
Adult, Thriller, Fiction

Five college students commit murder. They mercilessly kill one of their supposedly best friends. Someone that they used to trust, laugh with, share secrets with, and treat as their own family. But all of that changed over the semester. 
These seemingly ordinary students privately study the Classics with their eccentric teacher. They talk about the philosophies and ideals of Greek and Roman culture, and constantly regret that they cannot live there. Richard, a dream-struck boy from California, falls into their group without the knowledge of the true intentions behind their studies. He must navigate through the new world of college temptations, Greek translations, secrets hidden from him, and the puzzle of who he can trust. But as they learn more about classic culture, they go to extreme measures to replicate the customs of the time. And people get hurt. Murdered actually. 

Blogger Positivity Campaign | Wrap Up

This is a wonderful campaign created and run by the amazing Jillian at Jillian's Books. The goal of this campaign is to spread the positivity in our community since we have all seemed to be in a collective slump. Feel free to join in however you can to spread the love in the book blogging community!

I absolutely adored this campaign and I truly believed that it accomplished its goal. I will continue to feel the warm fuzzy feeling in my heart from all of the love this campaign has brought to my blog for a long time.

I hope that you can say the same thing too, and if not, I hope this recap can change your mind!

Blogger Positivity Campaign | Bloggers that I Would Like to Thank

This is a wonderful campaign created and run by the amazing Jillian at Jillian's Books. The goal of this campaign is to spread the positivity in our community since we have all seemed to be in a collective slump. Feel free to join in however you can to spread the love in the book blogging community!

Today I get to talk about some of the bloggers who have inspired me, welcomed me to the community, and who I am very proud to call my friends.