To Read Or Not To Read...

Hello, wonderful people!

I need help.

Every reader has those books that have been patiently waiting in their TBR lists for a couple of months, or in my case, around a year.  My problem is that I get so conflicted over the differing comments and reviews and I can't decide whether or not to read the book because I obviously don't want to waste money on a book I think I'll end up hating.
So, this is where I need help!
I'm going to list the books I'm not sure are worth reading below, and if you all can comment and tell me whether they're a go or a no-go, I would really, really appreciate it!!

~ Thanks, everyone!

Should Teens Be Forced To Read "Classics" In School?

♥ I know this is a very controversial topic, so just know that these are my opinions!

As a senior in high school, I've read Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Crime and Punishment, and many more classics.  I've listened to my classmates go on so many tangents whenever we're to read these old books for a paper or a project.  I know that classics have set the base for so many of the modern stories we love today (YA!), but I feel like they're not relevant to modern society.  I'm a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice and I adore the movie, but do most teenagers enjoy reading it?  Truthfully, not many do.  And while I think that's a crying shame, there's nothing we can do about it because most teenagers are so used to reading books with Twilight or Hunger Games-esque dialogue and narration.  Many classics are told with narration that sometimes puts even me to sleep.

I know that teachers love to make their students read classics because it helps them to gain insight on all of the different writing styles throughout history.  But is it really beneficial to the students if they don't give a crap about what they're reading?  And what if they don't understand the contextual meanings, the symbolic meanings?  Those are both integral parts of classics, and if they don't understand it, well, here comes a bad test grade.

I - as you all probably know - love, love, love modern YA, so much that I've sworn to always read the genre no matter how old I get.  Dedication, right?  I asked my friends if given the choice between a classic and a modern YA book, which they would pick.
More than 75% picked modern YA.
Now, what does that tell you?  Students should be allowed to read books that have all of the literary double-meanings that classics have.  I don't think classics should be completely taken off the grid, just the ones that are too complex and whose context include nothing more than incessant stream-of-consciousness (I'm talking to you, As The Sun Also Rises!) because, frankly, those types of books put me to sleep faster than a Pre-Cal lecture.

~ What is your opinion on the topic?

A Passionate Selection Series Rant

So, let me just say that I absolutely cannot stand The Bachelor, so it could be implied that I would absolutely hate The Selection since it has a Bachelor theme running through it.  Surprisingly, I didn't hate The Selection.  Heck, I liked it enough that I picked up the second book, The Elite.  Now that's where my passion-fueled rant is coming from.

AMERICA, YOU CANNOT SUCK FACE WITH ONE GUY AND THEN SUCK FACE WITH ANOTHER GUY THAT YOU'RE "TOTALLY OVER."  IT JUST DOESN'T - AND WON'T - WORK.  Seriously!  America's like the guy on Sister Wives when he can't decide which of his wives he wants to have a child with!  Messed up.  It was all good with Maxon and then BAM.  Here comes Mr. Past Lover.

Don't even get me started with America's incessant crying!  

America: Oh, Maxon!  I can't decide between you and Aspen because I'm horribly indecisive, and therefore am incapable of making a decision because I CAN'T STOP WALLOWING IN MY SELF-PITY.  I'm seriously so full of myself that it's really THE ONLY THING I can think about!

That's basically the gist of the middle part of The Elite.  So damn irritating.

Oh, and when America finally makes a decision on who she wants to be with and something tragic happens BECAUSE OF HER to that person, she doesn't get him.  Serves you right, bitch!  Goodness, I have to calm down and remind myself that this is a fictional story.  But then the ending had to come along and make everything happy and jovial.  NO.  OH MY GOSH, NO.  America needs to become a hermit cat lady because that would make me very, very happy.

~ Does anyone agree with me, or am I that awkward 1%?

My Endless Tower of Books

Hey, guys!

So, I think I have a problem.  Every time I get a book haul, I tell myself 'I will not get anymore books until I have read every single book in this pile!'
Yeah, right.  That state of mind lasts for about a week.

Whenever I go to B&N or BAM, it's like all the new arrivals in the YA section are taunting me with their gorgeously appealing covers.... and my resolution quickly dissipates.
Take, for example, the current state of disarray of my bookshelf.

Even though I have yet to read the books on my bookshelf, I just ordered 7 books on Amazon.  I know, I'm so undisciplined!  But I feel like so many other book bloggers also do this... so, I'm not alone.

Someday, I'm going to get through all of the TBR books in my house and it will be a w e s o m e!