The reading craze still continues, friends! In February, I read another four books. I’m way ahead of my 2017 Reading Challenge on Goodreads. I even edited it; I changed my goal from reading 12 books this year to reading 20 books. I’m halfway there & super excited. The last time I read this crazily was in 2012, I guess? I don’t know. I may have never even read 12 books in a year. So, let’s do this!
These are the four books I read last month:
I received this book a few months ago for the Travelling Novel Challenge. The pace is very slow that I eventually stopped reading after page 20-ish. I like Shirley Jackon’s short story, The Lottery, that I read for a class in college, but reading her longer writing is kind of painful for me (maybe I’m just dumb haha). She took her time to describe everything in such minute details while the main plot itself is actually quite brief. I also found it hard for me to imagine the time and place setting; is it in America or England, 1800s or 1900s? (Again, maybe I’m just dumb.) I also failed to identify the climax. The novel seems to just end right there. Overall, this novel isn’t for me.
I really like Rachel Cohn & David Levithan’s another collaboration, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and I also like its movie adaptation (starring Michael Cera & Kat Dennings, so I had been wanting to read Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares for years. The imported books shops in my city never have it in stock, so when I found out that a translated version of this book has been released, I bought it immediately. Just like Nick & Norah’s, Dash & Lily’s is a simple & sweet story about girl meets boy in a silly setting. Lily is bored during the holidays & his brother suggests that she leaves a journal in a bookshop. The journal, filled with clues & dares, is found by Dash, who decides to take the dare. The journal goes back and forth between the two of them & when they finally meet… nope, they don’t instantly fall in love with each other. Haha! Go read it. You’re gonna like it 😉
I first found out about this novel when I watched its movie adaptation. I read several pages of the ebook (which I pirated… oops!) The story is about a teenage boy who has depression and suicidal thoughts. When he almost jumps off a bridge, he decides that he needs help & then he checks himself in to a mental ward in a hospital. Since I liked it, I decided to order a printed copy. Right after I ordered this book, I found out that the author, Ned Vizzini, committed suicide a few years ago. It broke my heart. And it certainly made the book have deeper meaning and more authentic. Mental health is something that people in my country don’t really pay attention to; even I used to think that people who commit suicide is stupid. I was very, very wrong. More people should read this book to open their mind.
(Technically, I finished this book just a few minutes after midnight on March 1, but… whatever!) I didn’t really know about Terry Pratchett, but I’ve read Neil Gaiman’s Coraline in junior high & really liked it. Good Omens was one of the book that I started reading for a readalong with the NovelTea Book Club, but I didn’t finish it & completely forgot about it. I finally got around to continue reading it last month. It’s very funny! It’s a story about the several days before what is supposed to be the armageddon, but because of some errors made by both the ‘good’ & ‘evil’ the armageddon plan becomes hilariously flawed. The story relies heavily with Christian versions of the apocalypse, but I’m quite familiar with Christian myths (I like myths from different religions and beliefs; they’re fun readings). If you’re not, the book might be a bit confusing, but the footnotes help (or not? :p) & you can just find everything else in Wikipedia.
It’s halfway through March & I’ve already read two books. I’m on my third one right now, but I have this project with a deadline around the corner, so I may read less this month. It makes me sad. I guess I’ve become an addict at this point!
Hi, I’m Dara, and I’m a book addict.