The Hunger Games

I was told by numerous people that I should read The Hunger Games series. I might be one of the last people to read this book and that is mainly because I did not have much interest in the series. I knew nothing about the story and the title and cover did not intrigue me at all (yes, I was judging this book by its cover). When I actually heard the plot I decided to pick up a copy of the book. I finished the book in only 4 days; needless to say, I could not put this book down. I was one of the most original books I have read since Harry Potter! It amazes me when authors create an entirely new world for their characters to live in. Most stories have been told over and over again in different time periods or with a different setting; and if the reader is lucky the story might have an unexpected twist. Original stories are hard to come by with the amount of books that are published on a daily basis.

This book makes you question your abilities and the way you would react to this type of savage situation. We live in such a civilized world that we do not have the need to adapt or worry about how we will sustain our life. We all have instincts that will help us in critical situations, but we do not have the need to rely on these instincts. This book talks about a world that is much different from ours. A world where you need to worry about how you will find your next meal and that tests your will to survive. This book is exciting and different from other stories, I suggest that everyone read it! This book completely surprised me and I am excited to read the rest of the series.

<3

The Happiness Project! =)

I started reading The Happiness Project about a week ago. So far I have only read the prologue, but it is about a woman, Gretchen Rubin, who decided that she wanted to find more happiness in her life. She emphasizes that you do not need to be depressed to want to be a happier person. Everyone should want to maximize the joy they have in their life. Her book is about her process, and she says that every happiness project will be different. She challenges you to think about how you can be happier and to do your own project as you read about her experience. 

She wrote down "12 commandments" that she felt she wanted to work on about herself. Her plan was to do this project for a year and every month she would add another commandment to her daily life; and by the end of the year she would be able to balance all 12 of her commandments at once. I have decided to create my own happiness project. I started by creating my own 12 commandments. Here is the first on my list!

1) Be Rachel - I am going to focus on myself and make the time to do things that make me happy. Surround myself with people that I enjoy spending time with. I want to work on being happy with myself and being more confident. I want to be honest and true to myself at all times. I will take this time to work on bad habits. Most importantly, I want to fully embrace my originality.

In the book, she gives herself an entire month for each of the commandments. I do not want to put a specific timeline on this project. I think I will know when I feel ready to add another commandment. My project begins now! I will start by reading until I fall asleep!

<3