Love is Not Selfish

Do you know which people I admire most? The ones who want something so badly, but who have the self control to keep themselves from doing it. Respect for others and for themselves. And I think that is one thing the world today would do best to remember - at the end of the day, the world does not just comprise of you and your significant other. Just because you want to do something or feel passionately about something does not make it right to follow through on it. You may very well wish to have an affair, or elope, or hurt someone who has wronged you, but that does not make it all right to do. The people who want something and who know they could have it if they tried, but who realize it is not the right thing to do and don't do it are the people I would trust with anything.

I have four different examples from movies and books on this subject. The only thing I must warn you about is that the whole rest of the post is basically spoilers. So just beware. I'll write it again, just in case you skim this paragraph.

*Spoiler Alert*

via Pinterest

I can't tell you how much I love the last scene of Roman Holiday. Princess Anne and Joe Bradley both know they could forsake their duties and obligations in the name of love, but choose to stay in the places where they are needed. Mr. Bradley has everything that he needs to get back on his feet right in his hands, and he chooses to sacrifice that in order to do the honorable thing and respect the life of another. The last thing the princess wants to do is continue training as the heir to the throne, but she knows that is her role in life and accepts it. They could very well have run off with each other, but it would have been an act of selfishness, and they know it wouldn't have been right.

via Pinterest

In Downton Abbey, John Bates has obstacle after obstacle in trying to get a divorce from his unfaithful wife. His new love, Anna Smith, tells him several times that she would gladly become his mistress if he wanted her to. He says, “I know you, Anna Smith, and I love you, and that is not the right path for you. It won’t be long now.”

via Pinterest

Jane Eyre doesn't know Mr. Rochester has a living wife when she falls in love with him. They are literally standing at the altar, only a few words away from becoming husband and wife, when she learns the truth. He begs her to stay with him, and she could easily have done so; but she follows her conscience and leaves his house, putting the temptation behind her, although her heart is breaking and she has absolutely nowhere to go. Eventually, everything works out for them, and I'm sure they were both glad they waited.

via Pinterest

In The Golden Thread, Uli von der Flue, a Swiss mercenary, falls in love with the girl Juanita, who is accompanying him on his journey. You would think that he would have low morals as he is a mercenary, but instead of taking advantage of her or even letting her know that he is in love with her, he gets her safely to where she needs to go and makes his own way home. She also loves him and can't understand why they can't get married. It turns out that he has a wife back home, and believes he must remain faithful to her, even though she married someone else when she thought he'd died. When she passes away, Uli is able to go back to Juanita with a clear conscience.







I like having examples of these things, because it is a testament to the good parts of human nature. Even though we have to fight against that part of us that says to only think about ourselves, it is still a fight we can win. It can be extremely hard at the time, but when you look back on it later in life, I know you'll be glad that the decision you made was not sinful and selfish.

What do you guys think? Can you think of more examples from literature or movies/shows? Or even history? Have you read/watched the books and shows from my list? Which is your favorite?

- Maddie

The Importance of Friendship

Hey, guys! How is life? I have been super busy and doing exciting things since I last wrote. And by exciting I mean I SPENT TWO WEEKS IN EUROPE WITH MY BEST FRIENDS FOR EASTER BREAK! I still can't quite believe it. It had been a dream of mine to visit Europe, especially with my friends, and I can't get over the fact that I've actually set foot there. I mean like, my body was actually walking around in London. Oh, and don't freak out, but my best friend and I went walking around London on my last day and we went to this market area and it was cool and stuff. And then I watched season 4 of Sherlock a few weeks after I got home, and I noticed that they shot a scene in the same marketplace that we visited! Yeah, I was pretty psyched!

Ahhh, England, I miss you. I miss the tube and the pubs and how still the nights were because not a shop was open. I miss the coffee shops and the parks and galleries and the walks. I miss how everything seemed so sophisticated and when I came back home I realized how rough and rugged home seemed. I miss the accents that made me feel like I was stepping into any audio book ever made or a gothic romance novel. And of course, I miss my friends. The ones I've known for almost half my life, and the new friends I made while I was there. I miss that I can never go back to those moments, but it's okay because I'm happy that I was able to experience them.

Mia, thank you for going into a pub and ordering chips and ice cream with me. Thank you for spending two hours on the first step of our hiking directions because something nobody can accuse us of is having too little determination. Thank you for navigating way better than I could, even though it must have been stressful. Thank you for talking out our feelings with each other without getting into fights. Thank you for waking up at 4 in the morning and literally running through the airport with me so that I could make my plane. Thank you for being the best friend I could ever hope for.

Ellie, thank you for cutting my hair, and for always asking if I was okay. Thank you for  being a holy woman of God and for understanding. Thank you for being my eyes when I literally couldn't see. ;)

via Pinterest

I watched the last season of Sherlock after my trip and, my word, it left me with so many feels. You can see all throughout the show how Sherlock goes from being an arrogant, selfish person with no friends, to having friends but still being selfish, to learning how people work and interact with each other and trying to emulate them. And then finally in the last season, we see how much Sherlock really cares. He is willing to put himself in harm’s way to help the people he loves. Even some of his gestures that would seem rude, are his way of showing care. For example, he tells John and Lestrade that he’s going to take a cab on his own and that they’ll have to catch another one. When they ask him why, he says, “Because I need to think, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

via Pinterest

I think a lot of this show is focused on human behavior. No matter how much we may think we are different, we all need relatively the same things. People who try to function on their own, quite frankly, cannot. We fall apart on our own. As much as we want people to think we don’t care that much about them, we do.

I've found that I need people. I don't know how dry and starving I am until I go a long time without conversation and then finally have one again. With someone who really cares about what I'm saying, who doesn't give the impression that I'm talking too much or bothering them. But the time is never enough, and I'm always afraid that if I ask for more, I will be asking them for too much. That it will ruin the good that we had and I will give the impression that I'm clingy. Or that I will find out that they don't care about me as much as I do about them. I think that's one of my biggest fears. Finding out that the attachment or bond I have with someone isn't as strong as I think it is. I'm afraid to move away, to trade the good I have now for something better because it's still a good that I will lose. I don't want people to think that they aren't important to me. But I'm scared that if we move apart they won't think of me at all. My greatest fear is forgetting people and memories, and people forgetting me.

We all need to be needed. We need other people, and we need them to need us. There is no human in history who has ever functioned well without having someone who could understand them, or who they could relate to. It's impossible for us to live isolated lives. But that's what we spend most of our lives saying - "I don't need help." Essentially, we push away what we need. We damage ourselves. That's why you should take all the help you can get and give all the help you can give.

via Pinterest

We’re never going to make it through this life alone. Even Jesus had friends. He had over 12. He didn’t do his ministry on his own. That’s why good Christian fellowship is so important. Have friends who inspire you, who push you, but who will also be there to listen in the times when you fail, or who buy chips and ice cream in a pub with you, or who ask if you're okay, or who make sure you never miss your prayer time. I'm telling you, those kind of people are the best you could hope for.

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- Maddie

Thoughts of Love //Conclusion

And so, it comes to an end. This is the final post in this series. Reading it now, this one is kinda-not-really about love. I guess it's more of what I've noticed about life recently... Or really, what I've come to appreciate and love about some of the realities of life. If you want to read the other parts, here is Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. So, here goes:

i guess i'm realizing that some things only i know.
and there are things that only someone else knows.
and there are secret worlds inside of us.
and when we're on our own, we are still completely different from the person we are when we are with our families or our friends or our coworkers.
and it scares me.
there are things that no one will ever know about each other.
we might think that people know it, or it doesn't occur to us that they don't,
because we've lived with ourselves always.
but people might not ever know that i have a crush on so-and-so.
or that i look up practically everything i don't know the meaning of.
or that i've written stories that no one will ever see.

we're all so complex.
and if that's what i know about me that no one else does,
what's inside everyone else?
should we share everything?
or should we keep some little things to ourselves forever and ever
and let the secrets die with us?

we are truly fearfully and wonderfully made.
i'm thankful for this life.


Thank you so much for reading, everyone, and for having patience with me! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments! Also, I will have a review of last year posted soon, so stay tuned. :)

- Maddie

Thoughts of Love // Part One

So, here goes another apology:

I'm so sorry that I never stick to my schedule, even when I say I'm going to. You guys don't deserve that.

I'm also going to say right now that there are times when I simply cannot write. The words won't come out, or if they do, they don't come out how I want them to, and I would rather you have nothing to read than say something that I really want to say in words that don't describe exactly what I really mean. I don't want to have to say, "You know a few weeks ago when I mentioned such-and-such? Okay, now I've thought of a better way to explain it."

So, that's why I haven't been posting lately. I'm not going to promise that there will be a post every Tuesday, but I'm also not going to say that I won't have a post schedule at all. So, let's just say that when I do post, it will be on Tuesdays, whether that be 3 Tuesdays in a row or 5 Tuesdays apart.

Now, Thoughts of Love // Part One

At first, I was going to combine a bunch of different thoughts about love all together in this post, but I think I'm going to make them into three or maybe more separate parts to be posted over the next few weeks; sometimes it's easier to process things in small bits instead of all at once. So here is part one. It wasn't meant to be a poem when I first wrote it: writing in short sentences on different lines helps me to process and write down my thoughts better. But then I realized that more of the lines rhymed than I'd thought, so it is practically a poem. :)

You don't always have to be the best.

It's not a competition to see

Who can show 

Who likes whom the most profoundly.

Is this love?

I think so.

I think it's being willing to do

Anything for the one you love,

And also being willing for them to do

Anything for you.

Love is me letting you be you

And you letting me be me

And neither of us feeling like we have to

Repay or outdo the other in 

Giving gifts or energy.

Have a great week, everyone! Thank you for reading. :)

- Maddie

Music Love // September 2016

Hello, lovelies!

Happy Fall, first of all! This is an exciting time of the year. There is actually a chill in the air, which just started on Sunday. I can finally start wearing boots and flannels and sipping hot drinks!

Today, I'm going to share some music that I've recently been loving. I won't say much about it. I'll just let it speak for itself :) Tell me what you think!

- Maddie

Coffee Shop Chats - The Third

Yay! I was hoping that Tessa would post another of these. I love these chats! They're so fun. Click the link to see the rules for this link-up!

What I did this week

You won't believe it - I went on a mini road trip by myself! Wednesday was my day off of work, and I had heard that there was adoration outside in the evening around half an hour outside of the city I used to live in. The city was about 1 hr and 1/2 away, and I'd never driven anywhere that far on my own before, so I was nervous, but I made it with the help of my GPS and a phone call to my dad (but, really, guys, my dad is awesome). I arrived in the city in the afternoon around dinner time and was able to see my new baby cousin who is the most adorable little munchkin ever. I had dinner with my grandma, and stopped in at a bookstore before heading out to the church. I met a friend, and we sat together. Adoration was amazing. I was overwhelmed with the beauty of it - adoring our Savior out under the stars. I was able to go to confession, and it was a very peaceful time. I'm really glad I was able to go, even though it was so far away.

Also, that morning, I started spiritual direction with my priest friend who is pastor of the churches on the Reservation where my family is. The first session went well, and I'm excited for this new way to grow closer to God.

Food I've enjoyed made

Guys, I'm really bad in the kitchen, okay? I have been eating super simple things lately, because I don't want to waste food by cooking things that will turn out badly. So mostly sandwiches and cereal - I'm serious. Anyway, the other night I decided to try to make spaghetti. Let's say it wasn't a masterpiece. I think I cooked the noodles too long and the meat I tried to use for the sauce turned out to taste sour. I didn't want to get sick, so I threw the whole thing out and ate candy for dinner. That's a completely healthy alternative, what are you talking about? Ahem.

Drinks I've enjoyed

On the plus side, I found a really easy recipe for coffee vanilla milkshakes, and I've been loving those. *Goes to make one so I can take a picture for you to see* 

You're welcome

Music I've enjoyed

I've been noticing lately that my taste in music has changed a little. Or maybe I'm just discovering more music than I knew about before. Either way, I've been enjoying some music my aunt introduced me to, including Switchfoot, and Jack Johnson. Also, one of the only popular songs that I like right now is Hello by Adele. All the feels.

Movies I've enjoyed

Well, it's mainly been shows. I started watching Downton Abbey a few weeks ago, and I was like, "Oh, this is a cute show. Not much feels crushing going on, but I like it. It's interesting." And then came season 3 and I was like, "WHOA SLOW DOWN, NOW YOU'RE OVERDOING THE WHOLE FEELS THING. I TAKE IT BACK, I DIDN'T MEAN IT, GO BACK TO BEING THE INNOCENT LITTLE SHOW THAT YOU WERE AT THE BEGINNING!" I stopped watching it for almost a week just to recover from the shock and get over a character's death (and I had other things I needed to get done). I started season 4 on Saturday morning, and I cried through pretty much the whole first episode. But of course I'm still going to watch the rest. #nerdprobs

Currently loving

My job. Really, guys. I was so, so nervous before I started here. What if I had only liked the people at the old facility, and don't actually like being an aide wherever I go? I was so worried about the probability of being around younger coworkers than at my last job because I'm socially awkward I thought I worked better around older adults. And then I started work, and right away I loved it. I realized that I really do love being a CNA. I love the many different people I am able to work with - coworkers and residents. I love listening to their stories, and how each person has their own little quirks and preferences. I love being an aide, and I hope I'm able to do this for a long time. I really thank God for this blessing because if I didn't like my job, I don't know how I'd make it through the next at least 8 months.

Currently hoping

That I am able to visit my family for Thanksgiving! I don't think that I'll be able to get Christmas off, since I just started working here, and they'll probably give the holiday to the people who worked it last year. So, Thanksgiving seems like the best option to aim for, because New Years is probably pretty big, too. So please pray that I am able to get off for a good few days around Thanksgiving so that I can go see my family!

Looking forward to

A trip to see my best friends Mia and Ellie and Esther in August! The former two are both getting back from World Youth Day and Ellie is also getting back from SPEC, where she worked as a missionary in England for a year. She's bringing her boyfriend, too, and I am excited to meet him in person. Mia and Ellie are both going back to SPEC towards the end of August, so this will be the last I will see them for a while. *Royal sulk because they're leaving me behind* I am really, really hoping to be able to go and visit them, possibly in February, so please pray that that works out, as well!

Quotes I'm enjoying

To Answer Some Questions

What's on your summer reading list?

Okay, so I stayed up till 4 am on Saturday night to finish To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. Yes. Me. Staying up that late to finish a YA book. You know it must have been good. It was so beautifully written, and it felt so real. The dialogue sounded just like how teens talk now days. I could also relate so much to what Lara Jean was feeling when her sister left for college. In my case, I was the big sister who left, but I still felt her pain at being separated from the person she's spent her entire life with, and also the strain of all of the responsibilities she had to take on when Margot left. This book really spoke to me, because I'm going through a lot of what the characters in the book went through (even though I didn't write love letters that got sent out on accident). So, anyway, my quest for the summer is to be able to find and read the second book P.S. I Still Love You. Honestly, I don't really have anything else I'm planning on reading. I mean, I am going to read more, but I don't have something specific. I'm heading out to the library later to get a library card and I'm gonna look around while I'm there.

How did you celebrate the Fourth of July?

In all honesty, I did nothing to celebrate. I know. I'm a horrible citizen. But at work we had a 4th of July party for all of the residents and staff and their families on the 1st of the month, so that kind of counts.

Convo Starters

Do you have any big plans for this summer?

Is there some special project you're currently working on, or that you've just completed?

What's on your summer reading list?

How did you celebrate the Fourth of July?

Do you write more during the summer or take a break?

What do you drink at Starbucks on hot days?

Do you prefer summer or fall?

- Maddie

She's Complicated...And So Are You

I am such a complicated person.

Half of the time, no one really knows what's going on inside me, and on the surface I can just look like I want to have a good time doing whatever I feel like and I'll get to whatever is important later. Which is true in a way. But it's not all I'm made of.

I'm an introvert.

I will tell you things in writing that I would never say aloud.

I can look like all I'm doing is staring out the window while my cereal gets soggy in front of me, when in actuality I'm thinking about whether our surroundings shape our personalities or our personalities shape the way we see our surroundings. (And you would never know if I was not writing this.)

I can be crying my eyes out after a simple little argument, but that's not the whole reason why. A lot of the time, that one little fight could be all it takes to send me plummeting over the side of the emotional cliff when it's been a rough day (or week or month or few hours), and then it all just bogs down on me and I can't stop until I've cried about it all.

But to tell you the truth...

I don't even always understand me.

The only reason I'm able to tell you this is because I've thought this all out and tried to figure myself out. And I'm beginning to learn when we say, "God knows you the best," we are speaking truth. I don't think I will or can ever fully understand myself. If that's true, I can't expect myself to fully understand everyone else. And I sure as heck can't expect to understand God Himself fully.

But come to find out...

We don't need to fully understand someone, in order to love them.

Of course, yes, we must understand them as best we can. If I gave a random person on the street a hug and called that love, I'd be deceiving myself. Was that person's love language actually touch? Did they even like hugs? Maybe they would have felt love through words of encouragement. Or service. Or quality time. I can't do any random act for anyone and call it love. In order to love someone, you must find out the way they feel loved, not how much love you feel towards them when you are doing it.

But I don't have to figure it all out before I start to show them love. I don't have to completely comprehend the way their mind works before I can tell them, "You're amazing," or before I do their laundry for them.

So now it's your turn.

You are such a complicated person.

You could either be laughing with me one minute of the day when I make a joke at the "right" time, or if I told it at the "wrong" time, you would tell me it offended you. You can get angry, and I don't even know why. Sometimes, I do something that hurts you, and when I apologize, feeling horrible, you say not to worry about it. Sometimes, you'll "forgive me," but I know you really don't. You can eat the weirdest things, like pickles on popcorn and shrimp and peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes, I just don't get what you mean, even when it seems to make complete sense to you. I don't fully understand you. Sometimes, I don't at all. But I love you. And I know you love me.


Do you find it hard to love people, or to feel loved by people? What are some ways that we can all feel loved?

- Maddie

Pan: Mini Reviews in 15 Words

I realize this is sort of a strange post to publish first after a long (by which I mean a long, long, long) blogging break that I never told anyone I was going on. But this is the one I have the most written of, and I really just want to post something for you guys today (it is Tuesday, this time!). Also, I'm really, really sorry about my disappearance! I didn't plan on taking a break, so that's why I didn't give you a heads up. Work just completely took over, and I felt like all I was doing was sleeping and working (which is probably what having a full time job feels like to everyone, but no one was considerate enough to mention it to me, before :P). Anyway, I have this post written for you, and I hope you enjoy it. This image is crappy, but I figured you guys would care more about my topic than spend time hating on the pic. ;)

The other night, I had to stay up until morning so that I could sleep the whole day and wake up for work (Yeah, that job was complicated). I had wanted to see Pan for a while, and I thought I might as well watch it that night. I should have read a Catholic review on it first, because there wasn't a whole minute together of the 15 that I saw of this movie where I wasn't shocked at how anti-Catholic it was. Here are 10 reviews in 15 words that I wrote in honor of the 15 minutes max I could handle watching this movie.

The movie which was the most degrading of my religion that I have ever seen.

The only movie I've ever attempted to review after only having seen 15 minutes of.

I literally said, "What even is this?" 3 times while watching (my sister can testify).

Thought this was going to be awesome; ended up wanting to ask director, "But, why?"

"Peter Pan: The untold story" = true. Because JM Barrie would have been dead by WWII.

Evil nuns selling orphans? Totally goes along with what the book said about Peter's childhood.

"Why I came to the conclusion of "No" After 15 minutes: A review of Pan."

Favorite line, "Can we turn this off?" JK, my sister said it, and I agreed.

How I feel about Pan, "Nopity, nopity, nope." *Tears out hair* *Bangs head on wall*

Why was it necessary to insert hatred towards Catholics in a Peter Pan retelling? #confused


So there you go. Have you seen this movie? If you haven't, based on my reviews, would you watch it? If you have, what are your thoughts on this movie? Did it get better? Can you convince me that I should have stuck it out? Ready, set, comment!

- Maddie

Tag: Books + Chocolate (Basically Pure Awesome)

Why, yes, I did find a tag that involves both Chocolate AND Books! Yeah, "found." No one tagged me. Get over it. ;)

Oh, and before you go all crazy and think, "Hey, Maddie, didn't you do a free post last week? Doesn't that mean that this Tuesday's post should be your Monday's Minutes Challenge entry???" let me answer your question. In response to your query (before you ask it), yes, this is supposed to be the Tuesday where I post my MMC entry. However, a new challenge has not yet been posted, so I am obviously not capable of posting a story for it. :) So now you know what's up. Let's move onward!

Dark Chocolate

a book that covers a dark topic

I'm really not having a hard time with this one. Brave New World all the way. Yeah, this book was... interesting. I was going to read it for school, but then I started it and my mom didn't make me finish it. I think it was a really interesting and thought provoking idea, but I was just uncomfortable with actually reading something like that. Maybe later...

White Chocolate

your favorite light-hearted/humorous read

I think I'm going to have to go with Howl's Moving Castle. You could take almost every quote from the book and it will be funny, okay?

Milk Chocolate

a book with a lot of hype that you're dying to read

Hmmm. Let me think about this. I honestly don't know. I don't usually read popular books:P I know, I know. I'm an uncultured swine. But, truth be told, when I hear that a book is popular, I usually think, "Okay, what does it have in it that would make a lot of kids who usually don't like to read, read it?" And then I come up with a notion of what I believe the book contains in order to attract the modern teen, and when I do, I decide that if my list is correct, I am not going to read said book. Because what I think people believe are some (or all) of the things that YA fiction "needs" nowadays is romance (that doesn't stay pure), language (I mean the naughty kind, and not English or German, or whatever you were ready to sarcastically come up with, thank you very much), and/or teens saving the world (because when you're 16, you totally have the maturity, wit, and wisdom to do that, right? That was an issue that was foremost in your mind when you were that age, wasn't it? No? Oh.) And most of the time, I really would prefer to not read that stuff. Not that I have never enjoyed a single book that contains any or all of those things. I enjoyed The Hunger Games and The Book Thief... and anyone who has read them knows that the first is about teens saving the world, and the second has a lot (like, a lot, a lot) of language on almost every page and one scene that was absolutely unnecessary to the plot (aka something that sort of went along with not so pure relationships.... Not that it went to that great of an extent, but... I'm still including it.) So, I did enjoy those books, but I also felt like they had themes that were worth reading for. And when I read the synopsises (anyone know how to spell this???) of popular books, I just feel like they would be pointless + have junk in them, and that, therefore, I would be wasting my time reading them. Does that make sense?  

Chocolate with a Caramel Center

a book that makes you feel all gooey in the middle while you read it

Can we just appreciate how funny this question is? A book that makes you fell gooey in the middle. I always read books and think, "I just feel really gooey as I'm reading this book. And, what's more, I feel it in my middle." *Sarcasm off* Okay, so I don't know if I should say Downright Dencey or The Golden Thread. Just take both of them. I don't usually like romance in books, but those are hands down my favorite books with love stories. Howl's Moving Castle is also a romance, but I don't feel gooey - plus I've already used it.

Wafer-Free KitKat

a book that has surprised you lately

Oooh, I know! Hamlet and Macbeth! The only Shakespeare I'd read prior to these was A Midsummer Night's Dream, and let's just say it was not one of my favorite books. For one thing, there was no translation into modern English, so I was confused for the majority of the book, and I read it in 8th grade... and not considering those things, it wasn't the greatest story, anyway. So I just brushed Shakespeare off as dumb and bizarre. But I had to read Hamlet and Macbeth this school year, and I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed them. And I own Hamlet now:)

Snickers

a book that you're going nuts about

Basically all the books I've read by Karen Hesse so far: Out of the Dust, Witness, and Safekeeping. Gosh, so good. Also, The Golden Thread, and Moon Over Manifest.

Hot Chocolate with Cream and Marshmallows

a book that you would turn to for a comfort read

I think that the Book of Psalms really gives me peace. I feel so connected with David, and I love how he's so honest with God. It makes me feel like it's okay to just express my true feelings to God. Other than that, my favorite picture book has been Tea with Milk since my mom read it to me and my siblings when I was about nine. I haven't read it in ages, but I would really like to again, and I remember that it has a comforting feel to it.

That was really fun! It gave me a chance to explain why I don't usually read books that have a lot of hype, and which book (books, actually, cause I'm a rule breaker like that) make me feel like a caramel covered in chocolate, and also which ones I'm going ridiculously mad about. Now you also know which books to buy for me on my birthday, based on what category you're planning on picking them from. So, how about you? What's the book (or books, if you're like me) that you can turn to when you need soothing? A book that has surprised you lately? What are some books that you are dying to read? Do you share my opinion on YA fiction? (I'm not saying that all YA is horrible or that I don't like it all, by the way. Because I really do love some that I've found. A lot of times, I just need to be introduced to them. In fact, I would love it if you decided to recommend some YA books for me!) Let me know all your answers in the comments!

-Maddie