32) The Perks of Being a Wallflower-Stephen Chbosky

"But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them."

Ah, my yearly reading of this absolutely beautiful book. I've read this every year since I was in the eighth grade (14) and it's still just as wonderful and just as meaningful now at 22. Sure, it's always something different that I can relate to, but the fact that I can find something to connect with each time I read it is extraordinary.

Through his letters to an unknown person, strange and troubled "Charlie" takes us through his first year of high school after his friend Michael has killed himself. Alone and wondering what high school will be like, Charlie strikes gold when he befriends Sam and Patrick. It is through the two of them that he is introduced to the world in a new way. Love, relationships, drugs, alcohol and everything else about growing up. With his new group of friends helping him discover who he is, his English teacher, Bill, helps him to figure out just how intelligent and special he really is. 

It has all the makings of the perfect coming of age story. While many aspects of the story are foreign concepts to us (you'll have to read it in order to understand my meaning), there is something that we can all read and say, "Yeah, that's exactly how I felt when that happened to me." You can be 14 or 24 and this will be just as much of an enjoyable read. And if you're one who bases how good a book is on how quotable it is, then you need to head out and pick up a copy of this gem. It was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to one for the quote under the heading. There's that many to choose from.

Besides, if you haven't read it yet (where have you been?), get a head start on everyone else and read it before the movie comes out next summer. Oh, Logan Lerman. How I can't wait to swoon over you (regardless of how bizarre, yet honest the character is).

31) An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: A Memoir-Elizabeth McKracken

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't buy this simply for the title. I mean, come on. With a title like that, I just had to buy the book regardless of what it was about. Sometimes, you just have to buy a book based on a ridiculous cover or an elaborate title. Sometimes, they turn out to be really fantastic books. After my massive memoir kick last year, I opted to not read one for a little while. I'm glad that this was the first one I read this year. While also simultaneously being wildly depressed over the subject matter.

She makes it abundantly clear that a baby dies in this book, but one is also born. She takes you along for the ride of her first pregnancy while living and writing just outside of Bergerac, France. Recounting the moments before, during and after learning she had a stillborn child are hard to read. A pain like that is, I'm sure, unbearable and eloquently translated onto the page in an effort to make you understand just how hard it is. Between discussing the loss of her first child and dealing with the world in the aftermath, she details the joy and anxiety over her second pregnancy. 

It's written in a completely honest way that it's almost scary. It's serious when it needs to be and humorous at just the right moments. Not to say that this is a situation to take lightly, because it's not. I'm just saying that when it's dark, you need to make a joke here and there to remember that you're still alive despite the devastation. It's an incredible read but should be kept on the pile for a rainy day, not the summer heat. 

30) Bridges of Madison County-Robert James Waller

Yes, I read this. Yes, this is generally assumed as a book for older women looking for a great romance. Yes, they made a movie of this with Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood. I always wanted to read this, but never got around to buying it. When the library was selling books and this hardcover was only a dollar, I simply couldn't help myself. 

This book tells the story of National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid and farm wife Francesca Johnson in rural Iowa. Robert drives from his home in Washington in his beat up pick-up for an assignment on the bridges of Madison County in Iowa. After scouting the locations of most of the bridges, he pulls into the first driveway he sees and asks for directions to the last bridge. This is the first time he sees Francesca Johnson. She gives him directions and offers him a cool drink on that hot day which leads to asking him to stay for dinner. What happens in the next week, the next year, the next few decades that shapes the rest of both of their lives.

What I liked best was that in the beginning of the book, you read a letter from the author stating that Francesca's children came to him and relayed the story of their mother's love for a man she only knew a week. You go this whole book assuming that this had really happened, but it turns out that it was merely a work of fiction. How fun is that? It's nice to pretend like stories like this are real. Call me a silly girl, but sometimes, you just need to read books like that to take away from all the negativity going on in the world. It's a quick read that's really enjoyable.

29) Sterling's Gold: Wit and Wisdom of an Ad Man-Roger Sterling

Any fan of Mad Men knows that Roger Sterling spent most of season four quietly writing his memoir. Like anyone else, I was really hoping that AMC would take it to the next level and actually go ahead and publish the damn thing so we could all feel really cool telling people we read it. No? Just me? Whatever. The point is, they at least did it. Somewhat.

If you're a fan of the show, I definitely suggest owning this. Sadly, it's not his story, but it's full of some of the best Roger Sterling quotes from the series. I repeat, this is a compilation of quotes, not his memoir. So many times I've watched an episode and wanted to high five the writers for coming up with such genius lines. He dedicates sections to dealing with clients, dealing with women, dealing with coworkers and how to properly live life. Not only does it include quotes, but it has some really fantastic photos from episodes as well. I liked sitting there reading it and going, "I TOTALLY REMEMBER HIM SAYING THAT. THAT WAS THE EPISODE WHERE..." I felt pretty awesome about that. Again, that might just be me, but that's not what we're talking about, is it?

As that's really all there is to say about this short little literary gem, I shall leave you now with one of Roger Sterling's shining moments. Isn't he a charmer?

Look, I want to tell you something because your very dear to me and I hope you understand it comes from the bottom of my damaged, damaged heart. You are the finest piece of ass I ever had and I don't care who knows it. I am so glad I got to roam those hillsides.

(Sidenote: Buying this book had nothing to do with my massive crush on John Slattery. Okay, maybe it did.)

28) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-JK Rowling

Ah, here we are. We have finally reached the end, the finale, the conclusion we've all been waiting for (and reading up to over thousands of pages and millions of words). I remember getting this at midnight and having to run to my car so as to avoid the possibility of someone screaming out what happened. I stocked up on cupcakes and energy drinks to stay up and plow through it. It turns out I needed neither as this book was more amazing than I really think anyone had anticipated. Yes, it was going to be amazing, but it was far beyond my expectations.

Snape delivers news to Voldy that Harry is to be moved earlier than expected. He kills the Muggle Studies teacher, a guard shows up at Privet Drive and the "Seven Potters" are on their way. The Death Eaters are in hot pursuit, Harry's wand does some fancy work against Voldy, they end up at the Burrow with Mad-Eye dead, Mundungus gone and George without one ear. The wedding of Bill & Fleur approaches, Scrimgeour relays the last will and testament of Dumby to the trio and BOOM. The ministry falls, the minister lays slain and the Death Eaters attack the wedding. Next thing you know, the trio finds themselves on the run. After a run in with two enemies, they apparate to Number 12 Grimmauld Place and the hunt for the Horcuxes begins. They realize that they threw away one of the horcruxes when cleaning the house and ask Kreacher if he kept it. He recounts the story of Regulus, Voldy and the locket and tell them Mundungus took the locket. He's sent off to find him, he tells them that he sold it to Umbridge and a plan is hatched to attack the ministry. After a disastrous encounter at the ministry, they get the locket and escape, only to have Yaxley see where they were apparating to. They now begin to camp in woods, fields and areas where they can be concealed with more than just the protective charms Hermione uses. When they can't figure out how to destroy the locket, they take turns wearing it which leads to problems and unease among the trio. Conversations repeat themselves and the lack of news and interaction of and with the outside world takes its toll. In a fit of rage, Ron leaves. After a few weeks, Harry and Hermione visit Godric's Hollow where disaster strikes once more. Finally, Ron returns at just the right moment and helps Harry destroy the locket. Soon after, Hermione suggests a trip to see Xenophilius Lovegood. They discover the meaning of Dumby's gift to her and learn of the Deathly Hallows. Harry soon realizes Voldy has set off in search of the Elder Wand. More time passes and without thinking, Harry says Voldy's name and the trio is caught by snatchers. They realize they might have Harry Potter and take them to Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix sees the sword, tortures Hermione and Dobby helps Luna, Dean, Mr.Ollivander, Griphook, Harry, Ron and Hermione escape. Once at Shell Cottage, Harry hatches a plan to break into the Lestrange's vault. The trio and Griphook use the hair found on Hermione's clothes to disguise herself as Bellatrix. The break-in goes awry, but they find another horcrux. They narrowly escape on the half-blind dragon guarding the deepest vaults and Harry sees that Voldy knows they're on the hunt for horcruxes. 

It's time to head back to Hogwarts.

They apparate into Hogsmeade, almost get caught by awaiting death eaters and are thankfully saved by Abenforth Dumbledore. They tell him they need to find a way into the school, so Abenforth tells the portrait of a lovely young girl that she knows what to do. She returns, her portrait swings open and a beaten Neville appears. He aids them in returning to the castle and Harry asks if anyone knows of anything of Ravenclaw's that might be of value. Luna takes him to the Ravenclaw common room to see what the diadem looks like, but a Carrow is waiting to press her dark mark to call Voldy to the school. McGonnagal sees Harry, alerts the heads of houses, epically battles Snape and begins to evacuate while simultaneously protecting the school. 

The battle begins.

A battle of epic proportions. A wizard battle only JK Rowling could dream up. There's witches, wizards, giants, unnecessarily large spiders, dementors, werewolves and ghosts going hard. Bits of the castle crash and crumble. People are lying dead or cursed left and right. Harry finally finds Ron and Hermione, having just destroyed the cup, and enter the room of requirement in search of the battered bust with the tiara that guards Harry's potions book from the year before. Another Horcrux. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle head them off and one of the idiot goons sets off fiendfyre, almost killing them all. The diadem is vanquished. A bit more fighting, the absolute worst demise (in my book), Snape meets his end and Voldy stops the fight and gives Harry one hour to hand himself over. Harry views Snape's memories, realizes what he is and heads toward the forest. 

Personally, the next sequence in the book was the hardest for me to read. I remember reading that chapter and just losing it once he turned the Resurrection Stone. Not because I knew that Harry was going to meet his end. That was a fact that we all more or less knew was bound to happen (he was always a silly little martyr). No, it was how incredibly emotional it was when he turned it thrice in his hands and those four important characters presented themselves to him as his own personal guard. I read that and thought to myself, "Poor Daniel Radcliffe. It was hard enough to read this scene. Imagine having to act that out. That's terrible." Now I wonder whether it was a closed set and if it was, who he talked to or what he did after. If it was open to anyone, who showed up to watch that and how did it make them feel? I know that that's silly, but it is what it is. Okay, back to the story.

He ends up in a sort of limbo after being struck with the killing curse (good lord, this post is getting long!) and decides to go back thus killing the horcrux. He's carried back by Hagrid, Neville proves himself worthy of being placed in Gryffindor and Harry escapes. The battle rages once more and Harry does all he can to further protect those he loves. (Sidenote-did anyone else smile a little when he started listing those he loved off and named Luna? It was just so perfect.) Molly Weasley gives the best line in the entire story, slays Bellatrix and it's now come down to Harry and Voldy. After the shock of his being alive subsides, they circle each other and Harry reigns victorious.

Celebrations. Happiness. 19 Years Later. Harry and Ginny. Ron and Hermione. All their kids. Draco and his little family. It's off to Hogwarts for the new generation of students. His scar didn't hurt and "All was well."

I loved that this book was so incredibly labyrinthine. She was pulling small details that we all overlooked from all of the previous six chapters of the story. The deluminator, the basilisk venom, saving Pettigrew's life, using Harry's blood, the mirror, the tiara guarding his book. It was all important. She didn't just give us a book that tied up loose ends. She gave us a book that was a stand alone, edge of your seat masterpiece. I hardly say things like that, but then again, we hardly find writers as talented as JK Rowling.

I frankly loved the way both parts of this book were adapted. The first one perfectly encapsulated the loneliness they found themselves in and the problems they faced by continually having to move their location. They were always in danger no matter what they did. I also feel that part one was WITHOUT A DOUBT, Emma Watson's finest acting to date. No one could match her in that movie. Granted, everyone was absolutely fantastic, but homegirl owned it and made it hers. What I enjoyed most about the first one was Scabior. They made him a much more important character and I was, in an odd way, extremely attracted to him. I thought that was a fantastic change. For the second movie, I thought they did an amazing job with showing the urgency in finishing the job and the intense panic that was running through everyone. The battle was huge and crazy and amazing. Of all of the movies, my personal favorite change was Neville admitting that he loved Luna. I wanted them to be together and wish she would have written that into the story. I was a little upset at the end when they weren't, but they were in the movie and that's what matters.

There will never be anything like Harry Potter for my generation. It's been with us for over a decade and seen us through elementary school, middle school, high school and into our college years. Kudos to JK Rowling. Good luck to the three young stars turned fine adult actors. Goodbye to the boy wizard.

27) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince-JK Rowling

I just had the longest post imaginable written about this book and then my computer decided it didn't want to save it. Shame on you, mac. Shame on you. Anyway, I guess I'll just go ahead and do what I did with the previous post and will continue to do the same with the final book as well.

Harry's sixth year starts with Dumbledore asking his assistance in bringing back Horace Slughorn to teach at Hogwarts once again. (Of course, Harry has no idea that that's not all that Dumby is wanting Slughorn back for.) When they achieve their goal, Harry heads to the Burrow where Dumby says to relay the information he has learned (and will be learning) to Ron and Hermione, and soon it's off to Diagon Alley to see Fred & George's new shop. They see Draco Malfoy skulk off down Knockturn Alley and, of course, follow him. They see him threaten Burke and ask him to keep something safe as he is mending the other one. Having not much to go on, they find their way back and soon find themselves back on the Hogwarts Express. Harry sneaks into Draco's carriage, hears some less than helpful information, is found out, Tonks finds him under his invisibility cloak and he soon learns of the extensive security measures placed around the school. He and Ron are told to take up Potions again which leads him to the battered book of the Half-Blood Prince's. Soon after, his lessons begin with Dumbledore and instead of learning extensive magic, he's learning vital information that will help in the destruction of the Dark Lord. Months pass and after winning the coveted bottle of Felix Felicis in potions, Harry is forced to take the invitation to Slughorn's Christmas party. As many girls are hot on his case, Hermione recommends finding someone fast and he asks Luna. When he finds she's well occupied, he sneaks off after Draco and Snape and learns of the unbreakable vow between Snape and Narcissa. He voices his concerns at the Burrow on Christmas, but both Lupin and Mr.Weasley suggest it's nothing and tell him to move on. Back at school, Harry finds that Slughorn has tampered with an important memory regarding Horcruxes, a term that Harry knows nothing about. But Draco is still nagging at his mind. He sets Kreacher and Dobby on the case and learns he's in the Room of Requirement. Dumby suggests that it's nothing and that the memory is much more important. When he tells his friends he's had no luck, they suggest taking Felix. He heads down to Hagrid's hut after taking it, bumps into Slughorn and by the end of the night has the proper memory. Dumby explains that Voldy succeeded in making as many as six (whoops, seven!) horcruxes, yet they have already destroyed two while he's already on the hunt for the next. He almost kills Draco, hides his potion book under a battered bust topped with a rusty tiara in the room of requirement, learns that Snape is the one who overheard the prophecy and relayed the information to Voldy and then they're off towards the cave hiding the horcrux. It's in this cave, in my opinion, that one of the darkest sequences thus far in the series takes place. Now that the locket is in their possession, it's back to Hogwarts where they find the Dark Mark cast high above the Astronomy tower. Dumby asks him to fetch Snape, but Harry doesn't get far as the fight between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters is going full blast. Draco disarms Dumby, Snape kills Dumby and Harry chases after them as they flee. The fight continues and most of the Death Eaters are gone before Harry can get to them. Despite admitting his feelings for Ginny, he breaks up with her and tells Ron and Hermione that he's off to finish Voldemort and will let them know where he is when he can. Hermione reminds him of how stupid he is, that they've had plenty of time to back out and they're aware of the danger they're in by going with him. As Ron puts it, "We're with you whatever happens."

This is not only my favorite book of the second half, but this is also the first book in the series to make me shed a few tears. What's worse is that it's only the last page and a half that makes me tear up. That seems like some sort of joke, but the friendship between the three of them is just so...well, for lack of a better word, magical. Anywho, what makes this my favorite of the second half is that it's virtually all plot. There's very little action. Unless, of course, you consider the action to be entirely hormonal then yes, it's action packed. But I think that's what makes this book so wonderful. It's the precursor to the grand finale, the battle between good and evil, the WWII of the wizarding world. Without any of this crucial information, a good portion of the seventh one wouldn't make any sort of sense or would seem entirely boring. I also really like it for the amount of hilarity pulsating within the walls of Hogwarts. It's usually just a good joke or one-liner here or there, but this one was full of humor. I love that.

There were a few changes in the film adaptation that I quite liked and a few that I wish would have been kept in. For instance, the added scene of Bellatrix and Fenrir attacking the Burrow at Christmas was amazing. It really added an element of danger to an already mounting sense of unease. I also liked that Luna was the one to find Harry on the train instead of Tonks because, well, who doesn't love Luna? I wish that they would have kept the fight in between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters. I thought that that sort of chaos would have translated really well to the screen in the hands of David Yates. Ah, well. I enjoyed it all the same.

Good god. I seem to have let my hands get away with me again. It would be so much easier to talk about these books if they weren't so damn good. 

26) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- JK Rowling

All right, kids. After going through the last few posts about the HP series, I realized I MIGHT have gone a bit overboard. Listen, we all know what happens in these books. So, instead of going on a massive summary that essentially tells you the finer details of the stories, I'll just go ahead and write a simple one, say what I like and my thoughts on the book as a whole. Sound good? Awesome.

So, we enter into Harry's fifth year at the prestigious Hogwarts. Voldemort has made his return, but Harry and Dumbledore are accused of creating this monstrous lie in order to gain attention and create unease among the wizarding world. After dementors are sent to Harry, he learns of the resistance known as the Order of the Phoenix. Mr.Weasley accompanies him to his hearing where he's freed of all charges, he heads back to school and the whispers about him start up once again. Dolores Umbridge takes over Defense Against the Dark Arts, refuses to teach them properly and for the first time, Harry is thrust into a much larger role in leadership as he starts to teach what becomes known as Dumbledore's Army. Throughout all of this, the dreams starring Voldemort happen more and more often resulting in Harry seeing Mr.Weasley being attacked. After that, Harry begins to practice Occlumency and manages to completely fail. Of course, Voldy learns of it and uses it to his advantage by placing the idea in Harry's head that he has captured and tortured Sirius to lure him to the Department of Mysteries. Umbridge catches the trio trying to get there, rounds up Luna, Ginny and Neville as well and once they get out of that mess, the group heads to the Ministry where Harry grabs the prophecy, the group fights off a group of Death Eaters and members of the Order come to join the fray. Bellatrix kills Sirius because she's a bitch, Harry chases after her and comes face to face with Voldy. Dumbledore shows up, he and Voldy duel and the Wizarding world finally comes to terms with Voldemort's return. Simple enough, right?

This is always the problem book. I have no problems admitting that. I can rip through the first three books in a week, get through the fourth in a few days and it isn't until I get to this story that I feel like I'm entering boot camp. It's the largest of the series and feels like it's honestly never-ever-ending. It's one of the few books where four hundred pages deep still doesn't feel like an accomplishment. Even when you're almost finished, you realize you STILL have two more books to read to complete the series. Oy-vey.

There's a lot to process with this book. There's so much going on and when you read the book, you realize how much just didn't make it into the movie. Not that that's necessarily a problem, it's just a fact. The movie is meant to be the book in a nutshell and get to the core of the story. If you wanted every detail, the book is where you look to. 

Things I wish would have been in the movie: The St.Mungo's scene with Neville's parents was one of my favorite parts of the book. It gave you a serious look into why Neville feels the way that he does and what pushes him to prove himself. I wish they would have told everyone that Trelawney made the prophecy and that Umbridge was the one who sent the dementors on Harry. It would have been nice if they had shown that Sirius had given Harry the mirror because it seemed sort of out of place when Harry magically has this bit of mirror in Part I. The Department of  Mysteries fight sequence was so elaborate in the book and I wish it would have been in the movie, but it was still wonderful nonetheless. When Voldy smashes the windows? Ugh. My favorite.

The most important aspects of the book and movie are as follows: Luna Lovegood is easily the best character introduced in the later portion of the series. There is no one who brings as much joy in books and movies 5-7 as Luna. It wasn't until this movie where I really thought that Daniel Radcliffe was going to be a really successful actor. I'm not trying to say that he wasn't great in the first four movies because he was. What I'm saying is that the scene where Harry is talking to Sirius in the Black family tree tapestry room is the first time I said, "Wow. Daniel Radcliffe is going to have an amazing career ahead of him. He's going to be an incredible actor." 

I think that's more than enough to go on. Ah, this is incredibly long!