monthly guest post; ivana

A massive thank you to Ivana of Bookish Teens for supplying The Blog Hermit's monthly blog post!

Books You Have To Read Before You Die

(Amy, thank you so much for asking me to do a guest post. This is such an honor!)

Hello. I'm a book blogger, Ivana, from BookishTeens, and this is my monthly guest post on The Blog Hermit.

Here are some books that I think every teenager should read.

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Summary: Charlie isn't the biggest geek in school, but he is by no means popular. Shy, intelligent, yet socially awkward: he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run away from it.

Why you should read it: The story's protagonist is such an extraordinary person. He tells his story through letters to a complete stranger, and discovers secrets and traumas of his life. A lot of young adults can find themselves in this book because of how sad and messed-up Charlie is.

Favorite quote: "I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be." - Charlie

2. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Summary: When a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters appears at Hazel Grace Lancaster's cancer support group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Why you should read it: This is such a sad but incredible story. Everyone should read it to understand how little time we've actually got.

Favorite quote: "I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." - Hazel Grace Lancaster

3. Paper Towns by John Green

Summary: Quentin "Q" Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving his adventurous neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life, he follows.

Why you should read it: I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves adventures, which is pretty much every teenager. Margo Roth Spiegelman is a mysterious love interest of Q, and you'll never know what to expect from her.

Favorite quote: "She loved mysteries so much that she became one." - Quentin "Q" Jacobsen

4. Looking for Alaska by John Green

Summary: Miles "Pudge" Halter's life is one big nonevent, so he heads off to Culver Creek Boarding School. His life immediately becomes the opposite of safe, because down the hall, there is Alaska Young.

Why you should read it: If you believe things can last forever, you need to read this book. This story taught me everything can disappear in a matter of seconds.

Favorite quote: "If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane." - Miles "Pudge" Halter

5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Summary: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box, containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

Why you should read it: I genuinely think it's very important for every teen to read this book, because most of us don't know what's going on in a suicidal person's head.

Favorite quote: "You can't go back to how things were. How you thought theywere. All you really have is now." - Hannah Baker

6. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Sallinger

Summary: Holden Caulfield tells the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life - just after he's been expelled from prep school and right before he got into a  mental hospital.

Why you should read it: This story is a classic, and you should read just so you can have your own opinion about it. I personally hated it, because the protagonist isan annoying liar, but I am still so glad I've read it. What amazes me the most is that the story itself doesn't have a plot, yet it is somehow still interesting.

Favorite quote: "What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though." - Holden Caulfield

7. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Summary: Harry lives an unhappy life with his aunt and uncle, but it's all about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger - he is invited to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed.

Why you should read it: Do I even need to give a reason? Every living person should read it. We all lack of magic in our lives and this book is just what we need.

Favorite quote: "To the well-organized mind, death is nothing but the next great adventure." - Albus Dumbledore

8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Summary: Katniss Everdeen enters a terrifying reality TV show, where twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed.

Why you should read it: If you're looking for a story with a strong, independent, intelligent female protagonist, you've come to the right place.

Favorite quote: "I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun.” - Katniss Everdeen

9. Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

Summary: When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy take their first steps into the world behind the magic wardrobe, little do they realize what adventures they are about to unfold. 

Why you should read it: Such a classic story, everyone should read it at least once in their lifetime. Parts of the story are connected so wisely that you won't understand it all unless you read all the books!

Favorite quote: "The trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed.” - Edmund Pevensie

10. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

Summary: Summers span decades, winters can last a lifetime, and the struggle for the Iron Throne has just begun. But in a world full of royals, warriors and knights, everyone hides a dark secret.

Why you should read it: This book will either be the best thing or the worst thing you've ever read, there is no in between. You should take a shot to see if you like it; if you do, you'll be hooked!

Favorite quote: "When you play a game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” - Cersei Lannister 

That's it from me. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it. Once again - thank you so much, Amy! It was a pleasure to post here.

Happy reading!

Ivana @ BookishTeens