Top 5 Wednesdays: Books Of The Year

I know I haven't been very consistent in the All The Books Of 2015 challenge, I am sorry ;_; But on a side note, I'm now doing the top 5 Wednesday for today, and that is.... The top 5 books of the year.

Note that these are my favourite books that I read in 2015, not necessarily published this year :)

Okay, where to begin.

You see at the bottom there is the book that I keep keep keep mentioning: The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows Of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton. It's been months since I read it in January I think, and I still cannot forget its characters, settings, everything about it. I'm in love.

And then we have All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, a book which I had low expectations of but which surprised me. Its imperfections, not-so-happy ending, flawed characters; these are what make this book perfect.

Next, Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas; randomly picked this up at the bookstore, randomly picked this up when I didn't know what to read next. I practically flew through it because it was impossible to put down, and even after I finished I was feeling so creeped out by it. A little review here :)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer; the first book of the Lunar Chronicles. This was a fantastic start to the series, getting to know the world and watching the main character progress from a mere mechanic to a badass (in my opinion) Also, Cinder is bae.

And last but not least, The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer, the first book of the Land Of Stories. Also, I loved the way our typical fairytale characters were portrayed in this one. A few flaws here and there, which my middle grade-self wouldn't have paid much attention to so I am closing one eye. Full review here :)

Most of these books have made it to this list because of one simple reason: I didn't have high expectations of them. I jumped into them not knowing much, and was pleasantly blown away. That's how I managed to narrow it down to just 5 :)

That's it for today, until next time!

The Land Of Stories #1: The Wishing Spell / Chris Colfer

The Land Of Stories #1: The Wishing Spell

/ Chris Colfer

I know my photos aren't quality. I'm just not as good a photographer as a reader :p 

So I picked this up randomly at work many months ago, because I was just scouring around the "Intermediate Readers" section. Never got around to reading it properly, and then it got popular and many kids were actually looking for it til all the books 1 to 4 were sold out.

Land of Stories revolves around a pair of twins, Alex & Conner Bailey who grew up loving fairytales, thanks to the stories their grandmother and father were always telling them, be it before bedtime or when they're upset and need some advice.

On their twelfth birthday, which was really miserable for them due to circumstances, their grandmother gifted them her favourite fairytale book called The Land Of Stories. Of course magical things happen, right?

This book didn't have many amazing reviews, and in fact there were a number of negative ones, but honestly, I really enjoyed it! I'm really surprised myself, because I hadn't thought I would love it soooo much. I practically flew through it.

 I loved the way everything was woven around together, how everyone and everything were connected. I enjoyed seeing the way some known characters from stories that I know appeared. I loved the fairytale world and all the characters, how they were made and played around with by the author.

I loved Alex to be honest, even though to others she would have seemed annoying. I loved the way she was fangirling over all the fairytale characters whom she was meeting in the flesh. Wouldn't we all know how she felt? ;)

Sure there were quite a few flaws here and there, but this is a middle grade book, and I as a child would not have noticed these tiny holes so I just closed an eye. And that is how I loved this book so much.

Unfortunately for me most Popular bookstores didn't have books 2 & 3 anymore so I had to go Kinokuniya instead. That's just how much I really wanted to continue on with this series :-)

The Disreputable History Of Frankie Landau-Banks / E. Lockhart

featuring my very ripped jeans. 

First of all, books in boarding school are always my cup of tea. They're always really adorable, funny, and light without too much feels which is what I may need once in a while :p

In my opinion, this was really cute. I loved following our main character, Frankie, around. This was perfect as a second-person point of view for me, because I get the feeling that if it had been Frankie's thoughts (aka first person) she may have been an annoying character haha.

I loved all the characters and not just Frankie; the boys, known as the dogs, were actually really funny in their annoying ways. I loved the secret that they were in on, and how Frankie tried so hard to know what it was, as if her life depended on it.

Maybe other readers would think it annoying that she was so nosy, but in fact I loved her for it because if I were in her shoes I would have felt so curious too!

Overall a fantastic book with great writing, but I knocked off 1 star out of 5 stars only because it was just a fun read, but not one that would exactly stay with me for a long time :) Would recommend this one to secondary school girls though, for some reason!

Popular: childhood vs adulthood

I didn't stick to the All The Books Of 2015 challenge, I am so sorry )":

On a brighter note, I'm here because I feel like writing about something :-) Initially wrote in my personal blog, but ditched that draft and came in here instead. It isn't 100% related to books, but it's about my job, which is in a bookstore, so that's close enough right?

So I've been a loyal employee of Popular for nearly 9 months now; 3 as a part-timer and the rest as a full-timer, and it's a lot to me. In fact, it's the longest I've stayed in a job. My first full-time one too.

But that's nothing compared to the time I've been a loyal customer of Popular. For as long as I remember, I am always buying things from Popular. Be it stationery, assessment books or just storybooks, it's always the same place; we don't even need to mention any name. Mention "buy things for school", and it's a straight go to Popular.

Of course I stopped buying assessment books when I left secondary school, but even in my poly life I was faithfully buying my stationery from here. Don't need to talk about books because of course I'm definitely still buying them now ;)

I cannot for the life of me remember the very first time I got a membership card. I've been a member here for all my life: the other time when I was at Bookfest 2015, one of the promoters came up to me and asked if I have a membership. I told her straight that I've had one since very young; not that it matters because I have a staff pass now anyway :p

That aside, I'd wanted to blog about the differences of being a customer and Retail Assistant in this company. Childhood and adulthood. So let's just get into it before I start gushing about my love for Popular again.

childhood: hanging out in the children's books section, asking my mom if I could buy thisthisthis.

adulthood: hanging out in the Multimedia section, telling customers why they should buy thisthisthis. 

childhood: not giving a single shit about ink cartridges.

adulthood: knows by heart which ink cartridge models do we or do we not carry :-)

childhood: hearing the closing music, and knowing it's the end of my life because AW MAN POPULAR IS CLOSING AND I HAVE TO GO HOME )-:

adulthood: hearing the closing music, and knowing it's the end of the day and AH YES POPULAR IS CLOSING AND I CAN GO HOME (-:

childhood: the woman named Hooi Peng is the cashier.

adulthood: the woman named Hooi Peng is my colleague.

True story there. I met her on my second day of work back in April, and instantly recognised her as the cashier whom I was always going to at the Whitesands outlet. 

childhood: hearing the paging system and wondering what the hell is that.

adulthood: hearing the paging system and wishing pleasedon'tcallmepleasedon'tcallme.

childhood: membership card is fucking important. 

adulthood: staff pass is fucking important. 

And the Popular lanyard. 

Which glows in the dark by the way. 

childhood: arranging the books neatly when they are in a mess but I can't, because my mom will ask me to hurry up :-(

adulthood: wanting to arrange the books neatly when they are in a mess but I can't, because we don't like the English Department HOD and don't want to help her :-(

childhood: the old Whitesands Popular was my favourite place ever. (besides the library though)

adulthood: the current Whitesands Popular was partially set up by me before its reopening :-) go to the Multimedia section, I'm the one who set up the bars and the hooks :-) :-) :-) 

childhood: am the daughter of a very troublesome customer who is asking the staff so many unnecessary things. 

adulthood: am the staff. 

Bottom line: I have so many memories in Popular even before I started to work here. But it's so interesting to see how I've changed my perspective of it after working with the company.

Even though it's kind of bittersweet because my first anniversary of working in Popular will be around the same time that the people I'd entered polytechnic with will be graduating; it's still a blessing to be where I am.

I have goals to work my way up to HOD and then Store Manager haha, maybe be the first ever Malay SM? ^_^

Til next time.

A kiss for my beloved department, Multimedia. 

Taken & edited by one of my lovely colleagues of course. 

10/12: Best standalone

10th December: Best Standalone

Okay, so I had a hard time choosing because I read a lot of contemporary, which almost always comes as a standalone. Not complaining though, because I love books that comes on its own.

These are just some of my favourites: (R-L)

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
I loved Violet so much. I related to how she felt, how she couldn't continue writing anymore after the loss of a loved one. Also this book wasn't 100% cute and butterflies, and while everyone who read it got mad because the characters' problems went unsolved, I thought it was perfect; it's realistic, because in reality people wouldn't notice anything wrong with you either. This book's flaws was what made it perfect. Just like a real human.

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
If you've had social problems, difficulty fitting in, the main character's shoes are just perfect for your feet. This book, the protagonist, everything she did to try to fit in; we've all been there before. We all have something we do that gives us another identity; and lastly, we all have love for music in one way or another.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
This was unexpected. I went into it without expecting much, maybe because this book was kinda underrated. But I flew through it, it tugged at my heartstrings, despite the fact that the main character was the bully of the story. Also, if you loved Life Is Strange (the game) some of the characters kinda mirror one another in my opinion :p

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas 
I've talked about this book a few days ago, which you can read here.
READ THE BOOK.

and last but definitely not least, tucked away in the corner there,

The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Yes yes, I've mentioned this book so many times. But I'm writing about it now because it was the best standalone novel! I'm possibly still having a hangover from this book. A 12-months long hangover. Yep.

Til tomorrow hopefully :)

9/12: Books that made you happy

9th December: Books That Made You Happy

THESE TWO BITCHES. 

So there I was, minding my own business in the office at work, during the time my Multi HOD and English Dept colleague were having their break; when I saw the Invoice with ALL 3 BOOKS IN THE STARBOUND TRILOGY.

Like how I always react when I see new stocks of books that I want to read, I go all OH! OMG! and picked them up and got all excited. There was only 1 copy each for These Broken Stars and This Shattered World. Of course, I decided to keep them aside so I could buy them on Friday. After showing them off to my colleagues and announcing it of course.

I kept them in the office actually, right by my Multi returns, held by a rubber band and with a piece of paper on it, containing my name and contact number. Just like all the reserved items ;)

About half an hour to closing time, I saw my previous colleagues, my Multi HOD and English colleague, bringing these books to the cashier counter. I looked at them and they just told me: "We'll put at the cashier counter okay? Don't worry your name is still on it!" so of course I trusted them.

And then........ after closing, when we were all sitting in the office waiting to go home, my English colleague took out These Broken Stars. With a receipt on it. I was hella confused, and asked her: "Why did you buy it......? There was only one copy......." and she went: "Because I want to read it!"

And then......... My Multi HOD took out Their Fractured Light, also with a receipt on it. She said: "I also buy! Because I also want to read it!" and I just stared at them like O.O

And THEN.............. THEY FREAKING BOUGHT THE BOOKS FOR ME.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am the luckiest person ever to be blessed with amazing colleagues.
They are not even colleagues, not even friends, but like family to me. I freaking love them.
I WAS NOT EXPECTING IT AT ALL.

And those, my friends, are the last 2 books that made me abso-fucking-lutely happy.

6/12: Newest fictional girlfriends

6th December: Newest Fictional Girlfriends

Alright, so it's actually Newest Fictional Boyfriends, but to me, boys in books aren't really that perfect. In fact, I detest a few of the fictional boys that every other girl on Bookstagram and Booktube love so much. *cough*Noah Shaw*cough* 

So here are my newest fictional girlfriends obtained this year :p

1. Celia Bowen.
I'd been smitten with her before, when I first read The Night Circus three years ago. But after a reread, I remembered what was so amazing about her! I love her calm demeanour, her silent-but-strong personality, the mystery around her. The part where she auditioned just blew my mind; she must have been so beautiful *_*

2. Sarabeth Lewis.
One of the main characters in The End Of The World As We Know It; Sarabeth was another quiet character with her strength hidden under the surface. She was almost always overshadowed by the popular girl, Teena, and yet she didn't really care. And that's just what's so cool about her, how she didn't care about her place.

3. Cinder.
I freaking love this girl!!! Scarlet and Cress didn't have that light like Cinder did, or maybe I'm just biased, or maybe it's just because I've spent time with Cinder the most :p Also, she is always the most good-looking in any Lunar Chronicles fanart. Coincidence?

4. Theresa Gray (Tessa).
Okay, so I read The Infernal Devices last year, not 2015, but I'm gonna bring her up because she was my first ever fictional lover. Not Will, not Jem, but Tessa. Maybe I have a thing for the strong-silent type of girls. Who likes to read books.

And bonus........ An actual fictional boyfriend. The only male character I have gotten smitten with.

5. Isaac Masterson, from Drop.
The one and only perfect fictional guy ever. Alright, so yes he is the quiet type as well, with just a few close friends. Always the one being overshadowed by another person; in this case, his very obnoxious and popular brother. What he did for Carla's birthday was really unexpected and sweet, and I actually melted a little reading about it. He is so underrated and perfect *_*

Til tomorrow!

5/12: Books with beautiful covers

5th December: Books With Beautiful Covers

Aren't they beautiful *_* Yes, there are only 2 because they are really the only beautiful (on the outside) books I read this year. Or maybe my cover standards are just too high, heh.

Drop, by Katie Everson.
The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, by Leslye Walton.

If you read one of my previous posts, you would know the story of my meeting with Drop.

I will never forget it; walking randomly into Kinokuniya Jem, casually looking at the Young Adults section, when I see this cover looking down at me.

While all the other books only had their spines out, this book showed off its cover. It must have been fate. What's more, butterflies on the cover is always an auto-buy for me. THIS BOOK WAS 100% A COVER BUY, I AM SO SORRY. No regrets.

And then we have The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. An absolutely photogenic book who shares that same beauty on its inside too.

No other book can pull off the feather look anymore. Magonia couldn't. And I just Googled books with feathers on the covers and Ava Lavender still stands out, is the one and only, the original, the most beautiful of all *.*

4/12: Biggest surprise

4th December: Biggest Surprise

I literally just finished this last night, and I have 4 words: OH. MY F*CKING. GOD.

Dangerous Girls, by Abigail Haas.

I randomly got this book from Times about 3 months back, without even reading its summary. Sometimes leaping into a book is the best way to go through it :p Okay, maybe not sometimes but always. It always works for me.

We start off with a 911 call, girls screaming over the phone.
(This made me search for disturbing 911 calls on Youtube and I regret it so much)

Our protagonist, Anna; her best friend, Elise; and a few other close friends were on vacation on an island Aruba, when it all goes horribly wrong with the discovery of Elise's brutally murdered body.

That's all I wanna say, because really! It's best to read it without knowing a single thing! Trust me. I flew through it, reading 80 pages in an hour the night I picked it up.

BUT. At the end of it, I was genuinely freaked out, and I kept feeling someone was gonna come for me. It was that creepy for me ;_;

I can't say much without ruining the experience for you if you are planning to read it.
If you are not planning to, please do so, you will have no regrets. It's mysterious, gripping, and will leave you hangover.

I am hangover now, because I've been desperately reading spoilery reviews and discussion blog posts because I need to know more!

That is all for now.

3/12: New favourite authors

3rd December: New favourite authors

Alright, so honestly I don't play favourites with authors, because most of the time I grab a book based towards its genre. The only time I pay attention to author's name is when there's controversy around them, or they're unlikeable as a person, or they just don't like cats.

So for this post, my definition of new favourite authors shall be: the ones whose books I only started reading this year, but have now become my auto-buy authors!

First off, we have the one from my favourite genre, Contemporary: Gayle Forman.
I've read 3 of her books this year, and bought the remaining ones after that, so I now have her full collection.

Back when the movie came out, I refused to read the book because it was another one of those cliche books that girls who "read" would buy. But I went to watch it at the cinema, and really liked it, and couldn't help going straight from Bishan's Golden Village to Orchard's Kinokuniya to buy the boxset :p

And then I Was Here came out, which I also got the exact day it was released. This rarely happens. I never anticipate a book's release, and even remembering its release date is a big deal for me.

That day, I remember so clearly being upset at my other half, and I'd gone to the Kino outlet at Jem for some retail therapy and that was where I purchased it.

Secondly, an author whose books is in a genre that I was surprised to know I liked last year, Science Fiction, only this time it's mixed with fairytales: Marissa Meyer, mastermind behind The Lunar Chronicles.

I first got to know the series early last year when I was just new to Booktube, but never got around to it. I remember my best friend from secondary school asking me over to her house to choose from the books she was gonna give away. She had Cinder and Scarlet, both of which were her own collection and not part of the donate pile (":

I only got to buying the books this year; I'd gotten the first 2 in February and then Cress and Fairest some months after. I always procrastinated reading them, until August when I picked Cinder up. I was so surprised at myself for flying through it!

Now I got to know that Marissa Meyer is writing an Alice in Wonderland retelling, which I am really looking forward to reading. In the meantime, I am still waiting for any of the local bookstores to have Winter, the final book, in the edition that matches with my current series haisss.

And there you have it!
What a nice feeling, to be typing away like this. I hope you missed it, because I do.

No pictures tonight, because I stayed back an extra hour at work after closing, and I'm exhausted. Good thing it's my off day tomorrow. Night!

2/12: Shortest book read

My mistake, but this isn't the December Book Challenge. I mean, in a way it is, but its hashtag is #AllTheBooksOf2015, so that shall be my labels for all these December posts too :) I am gonna do my best to write in a post everyday this month!

2nd December: Shortest Book Read

When You Reach Me, coming in at 195 pages!

This is a middle grade by Rebecca Stead, centering around a 6th grade girl who knows her New York City neighbourhood like the back of her hand, the places to go and the people to avoid.

I found this book at Popular's July Expo sale, the award on the cover being what attracted me to it. Also, middle grade. No random romance or sex scenes. Hah.

Despite being short, even with short chapters and big text, the story was well delivered. The writing did a good job of transporting me into this world, and I flew through it so easily.

This book was a little mind-blowing, taking me for a ride and at the same time it felt like a stroll too, around this little neighbourhood with all these memorable characters. Read it without knowing much about it, that is the best ;)

Took me a while to think of which book I read was the shortest, but there you have it! Until tomorrow.

1/12: First read of the year

It is the first of December! The church bell that rings every first day of the month went off about an hour ago. It's been a while since I heard it, because I've been working so much.

I decided to jump back into this writing thing again. I saw Malaysia on my blog stats, and my other half admitted it was him, and when he said "I just missed your writing" I thought it was a really sad thing to hear.

However I am not going back to my personal blog. Maybe not yet, maybe not ever, but who knows? Meanwhile, I am going to try writing as much as I did back then, and I shall start by doing the December Book Challenge here :)

1st December: First Read Of The Year

Maybe Someday! 
This was my first Colleen Hoover book. I bought it on my 19th birthday back in September last year and only got to read it on New Year's Day :p

Booktube has been raving about CoHo and her books since forever, and that was precisely why I picked it up. That, and because I'd wanted to try New Adult: books that have characters aged 18 to mid 20's, that cater to an audience of this age range too.

It was a new thing for me, as I usually read Young Adult, books set in high school, books with characters 17 or below. I am 20, and sometimes I thought the protagonists were too immature for me, despite just 3 years difference.

I really liked Maybe Someday, even though it is a book about music and I am not musically talented in any way. The romance wasn't sudden or random, if you know me and how much I hate books that have such.

There's also a soundtrack that goes with this book; the lyrics in it are lyrics of actual songs, which you could listen to while reading. If that doesn't make this book so unique and memorable I'm not sure what does :p

Also, tears.
This book gave me tears.

After reading this I bought all 3 books in her Slammed series, alas I did not like the first one as much as Maybe Someday. Maybe because Slammed came before Maybe Someday so her writing wasn't as good as the latter yet??? Who knows.

I followed Colleen Hoover on Instagram, and one day she was telling us 20 facts about herself or something, and she declared how much she hates cats. This is pathetic but I decided to just not read her books anymore after that eek.

There's been Ugly Love, Confess, November 9, and maybe a part of me wants to read them but sometimes the author as a person really affects my reading. Yes, this is really pathetic. But I'm not sure, maybe I'll try again with her newer books someday, but I won't exactly read them all :)

And there you have it! The very first book I read in 2015.

All this typing felt really good. I am looking forward to the next 30 days of this book challenge already :)

November book haul of ragrets

I may have gone a little overboard with the book-buying this month.
Okay, maybe a lot overboard. Still, no regrets!

I hadn't bought a single book in the month of October, unless you count We All Looked Up, which was a belated birthday present from one of my secondary school best friends. I guess that makes my November purchases acceptable? :p

A closer look at the books, and where I got them...

The Book Fair at @ Big Box Jurong East
I didn't even get to spend much time here because I was with my other half and he kept rushing me (": It was also pretty late by the time we got there anyway.

1. Bird Box / Josh Malerman (the first book I caught when I walked in)
2. The Bees / Laline Paull (a Dystopian novel about bees.)
3. Even In Paradise / Chelsea Phillpot
4. The Ocean At The End Of The Lane / Neil Gaiman
Total bill: SGD30.00 

Binge book-buying at Kinokuniya @ Bugis
Got half day off from work, so I decided to go Kino for a while..... and ended up being in there for 1.5 hours. Hah.

5. The Storied Life Of AJ Fikry / Gabrielle Zevin
6. Horrorstor / Grady Zendrix
7. Sophie's World / Jostein Gaarder
8. How To Make A Friend / Fleur Smithwick
Total bill: SGD68.00

MPH Bookfair @ Expo
I was extremely lucky to have known about this bookfair. Exactly the night before its last day, I randomly Googled book fairs in November and this one showed up! Just nice, I had that Sunday off too!

9. Carrie / Stephen King
10. I've Got Your Number / Sophie Kinsella
11. Can You Keep A Secret? / Sophie Kinsella (I have never read Sophie Kinsella before, but I heard they were light and funny and I'm in the mood for that ^_^)
12. The Call Of The Wild / Jack London
13. Assault With A Deadly Glue Gun / Lois Winston
14. The Body In The Library / Agatha Christie
15. The Bookseller / Cynthia Swanson
Total bill: SGD36.00

Retail therapeutic trip to Times @ Tampines
Kind of last minute, and had gone there with the intention of getting certain books, but left with completely different ones, hah. Also spent close to 2 hours in the store (":

16. One Last Thing Before I Go / Jonathan Tropper
17. Invisible Monsters / Chuck Palahniuk
18. Only Ever Yours / Louis O'Neill
Total bill: SGD55.00

And then another trip to Times 2 days later, with my mom this time. 

19. Illuminae / Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
20. The Next Together / Lauren James
Total bill: SGD33.00

Not to forget, a book I bought at work, Popular @ One Km.
None other than....

21. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland &Through the Looking-Glass / Lewis Caroll (150th Anniversary Edition)
Total bill: SGD11.00 

I spent approximately SGD233 on books this month :""")
No Ragrets.

No Wrap-up this month because the amount of books I bought is way more impressive than that of books I read hahahais.

Goodnight :)

Books that would make great films/anime

I'm currently reading the Night Circus for the second time, and of course falling in love with it for the second time... especially a certain character. *cough*Celia Bowen*cough* 

Aside from that, I do agree with the Bookstagrammers that say this book would make a great movie. Yet at the same time.... I think it would make a better anime series. And then I started thinking of...

BOOKS THAT WOULD MAKE A GREAT 

FILM/ANIME SERIES

1. Night Circus / Erin Morgenstern

Night Circus is about, as you can see in the title. a circus that comes out only at night. Black and white striped tents filled with equally mysterious and good-looking illusionists, contortionists, magicians... 

A film adaptation of this book would be so pleasing for the eyes and mind. To be honest, any book set in the 1800's would make a good film. I can just imagine the hairstyles and the costumes; the mannerisms and the way the characters would speak. Also, the Murray twins always come into my head as anime characters somehow, so an anime series is my second thought :3 

2. The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender / Leslye Walton

This one has beautiful writing and has so much potential to be a beautiful film, if given the right cast and made properly. BUT, being one of my favourite books of 2015, at the same time I do not want it to be made into a movie in case it gets ruined.

I stole this picture from my Instagram. Sorry. I don't have the books with me as they were borrowed :p

3. The Archived & The Unbound / Victoria Schwab

This series is, in one sentence, about the dead being kept in the Archive like books in a library, and a girl whose job as a Keeper is to make sure they stay locked. The whole time I was reading this duology this year, I thought of it as an anime series. Not sure why, but a good anime to me always consists of a mysterious otherworldly vibe. With ghosts. Yes.

4. The Lunar Chronicles / Marissa Meyer

When I was explaining the premise of this book series to one of my friends, he commented that it would be nice as an anime. Yes, he is correct. A mix of fairytales and Science fiction. Hmm.... if that doesn't sound like a good anime series I don't know what does. (Also Cinder would be so attractive as an anime character sigh)

5. The Mortal Instruments / Cassandra Clare

Surprise, surprise. Nope, I did't finish the series, and nope I didn't even enjoy the first 3 books that I got to read. But, it would make a really attractive and action-packed anime, one that would have my attention from start to finish. Also has the potential to be one of those long-running animes that everyone seems to watch and love, especially if there's the Infernal Devices trilogy added to the mix (; 

6. the Legend trilogy / Marie Lu

The only Dystopian series on the list. I wouldn't exactly say this would make a good movie franchise, because Hollywood might just ruin the series if you know what I mean... However it makes a nice anime series. It gave me the Code Geass and Gundam Seed vibes somehow, even though these books have no mecha involved. All that hoo-ha about war and the Republic, etc. And of course, the resemblance in my mind between June and Cagalli Yula Athha from Gundam Seed. 

OK, I'm tired, goodnight. 

Girls who "read" starter pack

In every part of the world, there are the real people, and the ones who are not. Any Booknerd can tell who is or who isn't really a Booknerd, despite it being a happy thing to see another person reading too...

But unfortunately there exists people in this community who are in it only for a while, only in this, thinking it's a trend, not feeling what we true Booknerds really go through )":

It isn't Top 5 Wednesday, but these are my top 5 books you can find on a "trend-reader" 's table. (Table because, they won't even have a bookcase or bookshelf.)

(if you are a true Booknerd but have these books anyway: as long as you have a decent bookcase and read a W I D E variety of other books, and not just for trend, then you know you're true)

1. Any book by a Youtuber.

*Omg Zoella's new book is so good, she's so pretty and so talented she can write too*

*I've been a huge fan of Connor Franta I'm so happy to get his book it's such an inspiration*

2. Any movie tie-in or books that have been turned into movies which are currently hot.

Most common is The Fault In Our Stars (very very very common); Paper Towns (very common); If I Stay (very common); City Of Bones; Fifty Shades Of Grey: usually being the movie cover with the movie actors on it. Usually something with cheesy romance or a hot dude. 

3. Any book that is currently on 20% discount at Popular bookstores, usually on the front tables.

Sorry to say, I love my job, but most girls who "read" get their books from the most commonly found bookstore, Popular. They don't venture far, they don't pay attention much to Young Adults and only see through Fiction, or the discount books at the front tables.

4. John freaking Green.

*Officially a John Green fan*

*John Green's books always get me and are on point*

*doesn't realise that the personalities of his characters have the same template*

*sometimes* 5. Non-fiction books about the author's traumatic story

*Sub-titles like "The story of a girl who self-harmed"*

*I can relate to this book so much, it's making me cry*

*bonus* 6. These authors:

Jodi Picoult | Mitch Albom | Nicholas Sparks | Sarah Dessen (rarely) | Lang Leav

Not saying their books are bad, just what people who only read once in a blue moon would pick up.

There may be more but I'm done. I got my 'research' from Instagram, HAH.
This was part rant, part truth. Thank you for listening.

Top 5 Wednesdays: Books I Did Not Finish

It's seldom I do not finish a book. Even if a book is really boring I always manage to pull myself through no matter how long it takes. So if I DNF (Did Not Finish) a book, that means I've given up on it, or the series, or the author...

5. Follow Me Down / Tanya Byrne

If you've read one of my previous posts about my weekend reads, you'd know how I was struggling with this one. Well, I completely gave up on it, halfway through. I just wasn't interested anymore.

4. Allegiant / Veronica Roth

Okay, so the first one was great, but the second one was just meh. And then I got to the third book and I just didn't want to bother anymore. It didn't help that I got spoiled for it everywhere I go!

3. Vivian Versus America / Katie Coyle

This is the sequel to Vivian Versus the Apocalypse, which I actually really enjoyed. But Vivian Versus America was just too boring... Did not understand a single shit at all. 

2. An Abundance of Katherines / John Green

Nope, just nope. I have no idea how I got through his other books, namely The Fault in Our Stars and Looking For Alaska. I can't be the only one who thinks all his characters are almost always the exact same. Don't understand why his books are enjoyed so much. (just my opinion)

1. City of Glass / Cassandra Clare

As if City of Ashes wasn't bad enough... This. Was. So. BORING. Even with all the action, sorry to say. Not sure if it's just me, but I feel like the first 3 books have been repetitive; same confusion the characters face, same scouring everywhere looking for a particular character, same truth-revealing that shocks our characters, same confrontation of the bad guy, same final battle... I made it through the book itself, but then I saw there was still 30 more pages of Prologue, and that was when I just threw it aside. NOPE.

And that's it for today, and I'm sorry again for not posting any pictures! I'm so used to having a words-ful blog, and I'm sick and not in the mood anyways )":

I just finished The End Of The World As We Know It by Iva-Marie Palmer, and it was like those violent-comedy kind of movies. Actually enjoyed it, and it was fun, but not exactly blown away. Maybe more in my November Wrap-Up?

And I have no idea which book to read next.

October 2015 Wrap-up

I read a total of 6 books this month. I know, I could have done better, but I was just too busy with work as usual. Don't say I didn't try, because I've spent half my lunch and dinner breaks reading!

Let's start from the top...

We Were Liars / E. Lockhart ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ (reread)
In one sentence: Read this book without knowing a single thing about it.

This was my favourite book of last year (": After rereading it, I understand my 2014 self now, because it still hits me the same way it did the first time I read it. Despite what everyone who's read it says, I never saw it coming and that's why it left an impact on me.

Love Fortunes & Other Disasters / Kimberly Karalius ⋆⋆⋆⋆

In one sentence: A town that is literally obsessed with love. 

I've done a full review for this, which you can read here.

Fire & Flood / Victoria Scott ⋆⋆ (reread) 

In one sentence: A deadly race with the grand prize of a Cure that can be remedy to any illness, with only the help of companions called Pandoras.

RANT COMING. The first time I read it, I enjoyed it but after a reread I caught many things that I did not like, and things that did not make sense. The writing was really cheesy, no joke, which of course made the main character unlikeable since it was first person. And the names were kinda terrible. Harper? Ransom and Levi? Jaxon with an X??? GUY???

I did not see any reason why the Triggers made such a big deal of Tella and her fox, which I honestly thought weren't all that great. The part where she chopped off her hair suddenly? It seemed so fake to me, just the author trying too hard to make the main character look like a 'badass'. It didn't work.

And the goddamn romance, what the hell? Did I miss the part where Guy saw what's so amazing about Tella??? I'll say this clearly: Tella freaking sucks. She's really lousy and weak and the whole book just makes me think that the author imagined herself into Tella, just delusional and thinking she's a badass heroine or something. 

AND THE REVELATION AT THE END DID NOT MAKE SENSE. Will not rant it here in case I spoil it for potential readers. But honestly now I'm really not sure if I wanna continue with the sequel or not.

Night Film / Marisha Pessl ⋆⋆⋆⋆

In one sentence: The daughter of a horror filmmaker is found dead, speculated as suicide, which journalist Scott Mcgrath doubts and seeks the truth like his life depends on it.

Full review also done, which can be read here :)

Survive the Night / Danielle Vega ⋆⋆

In one sentence: Casey is fresh out of rehab and is dragged to an underground rave where she finds her friend's body, mutilated and being fed on by rats.

This is a YA horror, which is actually sort of 'rare' for now. This book had a slow start, which left me wondering where the hell is the gore??? When the gore came, though, I was just stumped. That's it??? I was really expecting more.

The characters were obviously not well-made, what you'd call 'cookie-cutter characters' and it was full of horror tropes which I'm still not sure whether I appreciate or not. Unlike Night Film, that so-did-it-really-happen? ending just didn't work for this book.

The Sky Is Everywhere / Jandy Nelson ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
In one sentence: This is a book about a girl who knows she should be mourning her sister's death instead of falling in love.

So I gave this book 5 stars only because the love triangle got to me... Shall not elaborate on that and go too deep into my personal life, heh, but I loved everything about this one. I loved the intimacy between Lennie and her Gram and uncle Big, as well as Toby and Joe. Maybe I am biased because I love contemporary but at times I felt Lennie's life mirroring that of mine, past and present.

She lives with her grandmother and uncle, which reminded me of my years from 2012 to 2014. She was caught between someone who understood her pain, and someone who made her forget it. She is hopelessly in love even after a terrible loss... Like I am now. 

All these books mentioned above can be found at Popular (:

20 things that make you a true Booknerd

1. You update your Goodreads more than your Instagram.

2. The times you update your Instagram though, it's almost always pictures of books instead of yourself. 

3. Or, pictures of yourself with books.

4. You call your books your babies.

5. You call your bookcase your husband. 

6. When was the last time you bought clothes or things other than books???

7. You cry when a character dies or when you found out what really happened.

8. Songs can remind you of a particular book, and make you feel all the feels whenever you listen to it.

9. You buy more books even though you already have so many at home waiting to be read.

10. You see nothing wrong with having 50 unread books on your shelves. In fact, you think it's an okay amount because some people have more than 200 unread books on theirs. (yes, this is reality)

11. Everytime you finish a book, you spend a few hours on a hangover. 

12. And then you spend another few hours staring at your shelves wondering which book to read next.

13. You can hold 20 books in your arms but can't carry a baby for shit.

14. You can easily identify book genres and tell the difference between Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy, and Paranormal, and you are proud because the rest of the idiots in society don't. 

15. You easily know the difference between Middle Grade, Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult, and are proud because the rest of the idiots in society don't too.

16. You don't even have a favourite author because all the books are so good anyway.

17. You can spend hours in a bookstore. Literally hours and not get bored at all. (As long as you are alone, because if you go with someone they'll drag you out.)

18. You know people who 'cry' over The Fault In Our Stars are just fakes who don't even read books at all. (I gave away my copy of TFIOS because I just hate that book so much)

19. You actually spend more time with books than with your other half. (I guess it isn't his fault since he's in camp, but it doesn't change the fact that he actually legit feels threatened by my books)

20. You were called a Bookworm in your childhood; now you are part of the society that calls themselves Booknerds. 

Ending off this post with a picture of me looking lovingly at bae.

the Unpopular Opinions book tag

Yes. I am doing this despite the fact that I am still invisible to the book lovers community (":
This was a tag made a few months ago, I'm just doing it because why not......

A popular book or series that you didn't like

THE MARA DYER TRILOGY. I have to caps this because I just DON'T UNDERSTAND THE HYPE AROUND NOAH SHAW AT ALL. He's just a creepy weirdo and I just don't get the romance between him and Mara Dyer.

A popular book or series that everyone else seems to hate but you love

We Were Liars. Yes, I love this. And yes, many people say they don't like it at all, they saw that coming, blah blah blah whatever, I love it.

A love triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with or an OTP that you don't like

I didn't really like Day and June from the Legend series being together. I much prefer Day and Tess, considering how they've been there for each other way before he met June. And also, I dislike romances that I just don't get at all. 

A popular book genre that you hardly reach for

Fantasy. It just isn't my thing. I can read ten contemporary novels straight in like 20 days, and still fall into a really bad reading slump if I touch a fantasy. Sorry to say.

A popular or beloved character that you do not like

Uh...... Noah freaking Shaw.

A popular author that you can't seem to get into

I'm not very picky about authors... I usually see more into the genre than the author, if that makes sense. 

A popular book trope that you're tired of seeing (examples "lost princess", corrupt ruler, love triangles, etc)

I hate seeing "The next Gone Girl" or "The next Hunger Games" on books because most of the time they're not similar at all.  

A popular series that you have no interest in reading.

Don't hate me for this, but........ Harry Potter. I have good reasons: they're best read while growing up; it's fantasy, which is a genre I don't usually enjoy; the fandom always shamelessly puts spoilers up everywhere on social media, which just kills the desire of reading it. 

The saying goes "The book is always better than the movie", but what movie or TV show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?

I have a few answers to this: The Giver, If I Stay, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. But that's because I read the books after I watched the movies. It's better to watch the movie first and enjoy it as it is, and then pick up the book and love it even more, instead of loving the book wholeheartedly and then being disappointed by and hating the movie despite all the effort put into making it. 

No pictures for today because I am tired, as usual :) I haven't bought a single book this month, and I think that's a good thing! 

Night Film / Marisha Pessl

This is the story of horror film director Stanislas Cordova, who hasn't been seen in public for forty years or so. 

He is the mastermind behind 15 incredible horror films, which had been filmed in his very own estate, whose actors and actresses disappear to the remotest corners of the world after filming. Shown only in creepy secret underground screenings, the films are so disturbing that while some people lose their minds after watching them, the rest dedicate all their lives into the theories of these films.

When his daughter Ashley Cordova is found dead in a warehouse, it is speculated to be suicide, but journalist Scott McGrath doesn't think so and for some reason needs to know the truth as if his life depends on it. 

That's it for plot... because some books are better enjoyed if you jump into them without knowing much.

Night Film is a psychological thriller with photographs and articles, and there's also an app with extra content, though you don't miss out on the actual story even if you don't download it. (I didn't.)

First of all, this book is about 600 pages long. Thrillers aren't really my thing, they stopped being interesting after my excessive adult thriller phase about five years ago. Yet, I flew through this book, because it was just impossible to put down.

The plot wasn't rushed, but it wasn't draggy either. I enjoyed the bits where the characters would tell their own tales, because I thought they were interesting, and the articles in it helped me to understand the plot better too.

I wasn't exaggerating when I said this book really creeped me out. The writing was so good that I kept feeling afraid to even turn the page, even when I was reading in broad daylight. It would make a really good movie; I could just imagine the jumpscares and me closing my eyes the entire time!

To make a long story short, this is the kind of book where you would enjoy the journey more than the destination. The things that Scott unearths will mess with your mind like it did mine, make you go WTF???

As for the characters, the three musketeers who journey together aren't the most loveable or relatable, but I didn't exactly hate them. In fact I loved Nora for how passionate she seemed during the whole investigation, and she was so cute, believing everything she was told.

I didn't really like the ending but at the same time I think it's perfect, because it left me confused as to what was real, and that actually fits the plot of this book... You'll get it if you read it.

Now I am wishing Cordova's films are real, just to see how it would affect the people in this real world, how grotesque it could get and whether lives would change after viewing them. Even if they are real, I would not dare watch them at all.

Ps am I the only one who thinks Ashley Cordova looks like Cara Delevigne somehow???

Sovereign. Deadly. Perfect. 

A to Z Bookish Survey!

This is so nostalgic. I loved doing these kinds of surveys back when I was in Sec 1, which was.... freaking shit, eight years ago. Am I old already???

Found this survey on Books, Biscuits & Tea :)

Author you’ve read the most books from: 
If you count all the way from my childhood, it's no doubt Enid Blyton hehe. If not, it's actually Cassandra Clare, considering how I've read the Infernal Devices trilogy and the first three books from the Mortal Instruments.

Best sequel ever: 
My definition of 'sequel' is usually 'the second book', and that is no doubt Catching Fire, book two in the Hunger Games trilogy. It was just too darn good, and I flew through it in one day.

Currently reading:
Trying Night Film by Marisha Pessl again. Just fell into the peer pressure because almost all of Bookstagram and Goodreads are reading creepy books for this Halloween.

Drink of choice while reading: 
I usually don't drink or eat while reading, and vice versa. But at work, I love to buy chocolate milk tea from Gongcha to drink whilst eating my book ;)

E-reader or physical book: 
Definitely physical books. Not like I've ever tried E-books, but I can guarantee it's just not the same.

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school:
I was a loser in secondary school (maybe still am) and my standards were kind of low, heh. I would have dated anybody that reeked of sweet talk and desperation.

Glad you gave this book a chance:
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. At first I thought "meh, another suicide book" and I wasn't planning to buy it. Then my mom said she would buy me a book this one day, and I didn't see anything I liked and ended up picking ATBP randomly. My expectations were really nothing, but boy did that book surprise me. I ended up calling it my favourite book of 2015 so far :p

Hidden gem book:
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares. I found this book at a used books store, hiding among other murky paperbacks. It was only $2.90, really yellow but still in readable condition. It really was a hidden gem, because I heard of this book in my childhood and never actually read it. The story was beautiful, the friendship was unbelievable, and all 4 characters were relatable in some way or another. The movie was made in early 2000's, but it was so good, making me laugh out loud at some points and crying at the end.

Important moment in your reading life: 
Seriously, I am forever grateful to that very moment I learnt how to read, and that very moment I discovered a love for books.

Just finished: 
Love Fortunes & Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius! This was so cute. My book review here!

Kinds of books you won’t read:
There are a few genres I really just don't enjoy, the major one being Fantasy, with swords or magic, stuff like that. I don't know, I tried, but it just isn't my thing.

Longest book you’ve read: 
Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe. This one was more than 800 pages, which I took a week to read. It did help that I read it during the time I was suspended from class and had to sit at the office for the time being.

Major book hangover because of:
We Were Liars! I finished it last year at school during my lunch break, and the moment I closed it, I ran to the toilet and bawled my eyes out. And I may or may not still be having that hangover now.

Number of bookcases you own:
I only started seriously collecting books early last year, so I don't really have many bookcases. I just bought my current brown-black tall one last August-ish, but my collection is evergrowing so I may need another one soon!

One book you have read multiple times:
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I have no idea why, I don't remember what made me love this book so much. Knowing my 14-year-old self, it was probably because of the cat on the cover.

Preferred place to read:
I like to read in the library, any National Library here in Singapore. If not, I usually read at my desk in my room or at work during my dinnertime. As much as I love trains I do not enjoy reading on a train or bus ride because I prefer looking out the window instead :p

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:
"Be a little kinder than you have to." from We Were Liars.

Reading regret:
I read mostly Adult Fiction during my secondary school years, which I really regret, because I could have watched how Young Adult fiction evolved had I gone for those instead. Also, I may or may not regret having not grown up on the Harry Potter series, but then again, my younger self just knew it wasn't my kind of thing.

Series you started and need to finish (all books are out in series):
I really need to start and finish on the Heroes of Olympus series! Rick Riordan is killing me with all his other new upcoming series.

Three of your all-time favourite books:
2013: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
2014: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
2015: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (so far)

Unapologetic fangirl for:
I'm not that obsessed with any series, so I guess I'm not a fangirl, sorry!

Very excited for this release more than all the others:
I don't usually anticipate any new releases, I just either buy a not-so-recently-published book, or buy a book just because it was new release. Get what I mean?

Worst bookish habit:
Book-hoarding! Buying so many books at one go despite having so many at home that I need to complete. Then again, any true booknerd would have this problem :p

X marks the spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart. I haven't read this book, but it was a gift from the love of my life for my 20th birthday just last month :)

Your latest book purchase:
I almost bought We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach when I saw it discounted on Popular Online. I asked one of my best friends to buy it for me as I didn't have a credit card, but when I asked for her bank account number so I could transfer her the money, she refused to give it, and to take it as a belated birthday present!

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):
I don't usually read books all night, mainly because I always sleep early :)

That's it for now! This survey was fun. More to come :) Ending this post with books that spell out my name.

Love Fortunes & Other Disasters /Kimberly Karalius

"Love stopped at the town of Grimbaud, weary and limping upon a twisted ankle." 

That is the first sentence of this book, which was what compelled me into buying it.

Love Fortunes and Other Disasters is about a town that is literally obsessed with love. 

We have Zita's famous Love Charms Shop that produces 100% accurate love fortunes which the people of Grimbaud have followed every year. It was a tradition, and just mentioning the possibility that these fortunes might be wrong was absurd.

Fallon Dupree comes from a family where generations have successfully married their high school sweethearts thanks to their fortunes. However the year Fallon goes into high school, she is stunned to receive a fortune telling her that she will never find love.

Fortunately for her she isn't the only one with a bad fortune, and she soon realises a rebellion is stirring. She wants to take control of her own fate, which may or may not be impossible in this town almost possessed by the mysterious Zita and her fortunes.

If I had to describe this book with one word, it'll be cute. It was just really cute how everyone believed in love so much, how the town seemed to run on and get its energy from love.

At first thought, this book may seem like a contemporary novel but it actually leans towards magical realism, considering the magical aspects of it. They have these things called charms, weather charms and confidence charms, little 'spells' to help you with your daily life.

I rarely stumble onto magical realism books but I really enjoyed this one. It was fast-paced, the characters were likeable, and the storyline was neither too depressing nor too cheesy. It was also realistic, the thing with the bachelor and spinster villas, how they were seen by the other happy couples; it's just like in society today where being alone or single is looked down upon.

I really enjoyed the characters' relationships with one another. How Fallon and her best friends were constantly supporting each other; Anais with her insecurity in showing her boyfriend Bear the real side of her, and Nico with his trying to get his crush Martin's attention. They were all so willing to go through great lengths for another.

Fallon and Sebastian had great character and relationship developments. I liked how Fallon had grown up with parents  and an elder brother who were obsessed with clean environments and high quality clothing, and how that changed because of Sebastian. Likewise, I liked seeing Sebastian changing his womaniser ways after the interactions with Fallon.

If you know me, you know I dislike books that have random romance. For me, the romance between these two weren't sudden. You could see how Fallon really detested Bastion at the beginning, but over the course of the book she slowly develops a crush on him and it's just the cutest.

This book deserves 4 stars from me because while I really enjoyed it and liked the characters, it was not completely mind-blowing and I do not exactly relate to Fallon and her friends. There were also some parts that did not make sense especially towards the end but I guess that's just how magical realism is.

Overall if you are looking for a light, cute and unique book, this is one for you to try :)

This is an honest review.
Love Fortunes and Other Disasters is available at Popular bookstores, go get it :)

Quotes From Books: 16/10

I guess lists like these should be a Friday thing? Or maybe it shall depend on my off days. Maybe once a week? Quotes are an easy thing to collect afterall.

This shall be a quick one :)

1. "She could do anything. Solve anything for anyone. Except for herself."

I Was Here, Gayle Forman

2. "I did something brave, then. Or stupid. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."

The Evolution of Mara Dyer, Michelle Hodkin

3. "That's how fear grows. When you keep it locked inside and never let it out, it starts to eat you alive."

Nightmares!, Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

4. "The villain is the hero of her own story. No one thinks they are a bad person."

The Retribution of Mara Dyer, Michelle Hodkin

5. "Finding the truth was like chasing the horizon."

A Sense Of the Infinite, Hilary T. Smith

6. "You are all the colours in one, at full brightness."

All The Bright Places, Jennifer Niven

7. "I had once thought that I wanted to get revenge by dying. But getting revenge by living was much sweeter."

This Song Will Save Your Life, Leila Sales

8. "How will I ever soar with the eagles if I'm surrounded by turkeys?"

Please Ignore Vera Dietz, AS King

9. "If you want to live where people are not afraid of mice, you must give up living in palaces."

We Were Liars, E. Lockhart

10. "Do what you are afraid to do."

We Were Liars, E. Lockhart

Thank you for reading, hope these will inspire you in your everyday life :) I have some of these quotes on a post-it up on my mirror where I can see them every morning.

Top 5 Wednesdays: Diversity in Books

This is my first Top 5 Wednesdays post! *clap clap clap clap clap*
The topic for today: favourite diverse characters.

When you see the word 'diverse', what do you think of? The first thing that usually comes to people's minds is race. But I am not going to pick out 5 books with entirely different races other than white. That's just kind of weird.

So instead I'm gonna list 5 things that make a character different from your usual protagonist and give you some examples :) easy enough? No pictures for today because I am so tired from my 3 days of training!

*edit: after writing my first 3 points I realised the title 'favourite diverse characters' doesn't really cut it haha! I'm so sorry to the Top 5 Wednesdays group for not sticking to the title! Will be changing it to 'diversity' instead.*

1. Race/religion
The first thing that comes to people's minds when it comes to diversity. Race i.e. culture/skin colour, more of the physical stuff, and religion i.e. beliefs and more of the internal stuff.

Most of the books that have characters of different races usually focus so intently on that fact, that the entire book becomes all about the problem.

I seldom read books about eg how a Muslim girl lives in the United States, what she puts up with etc even though I am Muslim myself, because somehow it just doesn't interest me to read a whole book whereby her being different religiously is the only plot of the story. Do I make sense?

Instead, I prefer books whereby a character's ethnicity is normal to the people around her, where at no point of the story does anyone touch on a racial/religious issue.

Some examples: To All The Boys I've Loved Before and PS I Still Love You, by Jenny Han. The books aren't about how Lara Jean Song has trouble coping because she is Asian, blah blah blah. Instead they are about a girl and her love life. Simple.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell also has a Korean boy, and while the author does highlight some of the problems at school that he faces, the book still revolves around a bigger love story.

2. Sexuality
Same with the above ^ I respect books that talk about a character's struggle to be accepted by society because of her/his sexuality, but I love it more when a girl's interest in another girl is normal, a boy's in another boy.

Everything Leads To You by Nina Lacour is one example. Emi works in the film industry: you see all the props and furniture in a scene of a movie? It's her job to make sure it all matches the script. Oh, and she has a girlfriend. One that she's gone back to too many times even after all the times she's hurt her.

Oh yes you should read this book because Emi is so cute! She was my second fictional girlfriend after Tessa Gray.

Other examples: Love Fortunes and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius, which I'm currently reading. One of the characters Nico has a crush on this other guy named Martin and his best friend Fallon is trying to help him. Again, this isn't the plot of the book which I love. It's just the side quest.

Also Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, although this one sort of focuses on the sexuality issue in a way?

3. Age
Sometimes I read middle grade fiction, my main reason being because there are no sex scenes or random romance. I get irritated with instalove really easily, because I swear sometimes the 'love' is just too sudden! I personally don't think it takes you only two interactions for you to wanna sacrifice your life for this person. (I'm talking about the Mara Dyer series and Fire and Flood, I can't stand you)

Best way to settle this annoying problem? Read middle grade! Or at least protagonists that are 12 or 13. Most of them focuses on family, like Violet Ink by Rebecca Westcott: a 12-year-old girl has been close to her sister their whole lives, but when she started dating, Izzy feels lost and rejected, distant from her beloved sister.

Or friendship, like The Hidden Summer by Gin Phillips, whereby two 13-year-old best friends sneak off to spend their summers together secretly after their mothers had a fight and told them never to see each other again.

But the best middle grade book I've read so far is Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller. Read it and you shall know. You definitely want to read it. READ IT.

4. Mental illness
Books with mental illness. Yes, they are abundant. Yes, you may feel like they aren't so special anymore. You may feel like you aren't special. But sigh, you are. Especially because you are reading my blog. I love you so much!

Social anxiety: the main character of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Cath, suffers from this.
Depression: Violet suffers this in All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, after her sister's death.
Books about suicide in general, in case you are interested: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga; I Was Here by Gayle Forman.

5. I don't know what to title this point but characters that aren't human
Yes! They are also characters of diversity. If you realised I only touched on contemporary Young Adult novels. (that's my favourite genre anyway so I think it doesn't matter hehe)

Here may be where the fantasy and magical realism fiction come in. You have the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series by Rick Riordan where we have sons and daughters of Greek Gods; The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare, with our beloved shadowhunters and warlocks; even Cinder by Marissa Meyer, with my favourite cyborg Cinder and android Iko!

REMEMBER: DIVERSITY DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN RACE OR RELIGION!

There you have it. Diversity in books. Not just your usual white or straight characters, not that there's anything wrong with any of them. Just in case you want a change :)

p.s. I only mention books which I've read before :) and these books can easily be found at Popular bookstores, if not, Kinokuniya or the library. Read them okay!

Books for those who can't live without music

This post is exactly what the title says. I see no point in dilly-dallying so let's just get right into it: my book recommendations for the people who can't live without music. ***a very quick post as I am tired from work as usual!***

If I Stay / Gayle Forman
Yes yes you've watched the movie. Yes yes you know it's about music. But what's so special about it to me? It's how music was the reason two people were brought together, and also the reason they were almost torn apart. Music was what led Adam to Mia, and music was also the bricks that kept building up between them.

Eleanor & Park / Rainbow Rowell
This isn't exactly revolving around music, but one of the best parts of it was how Park would always let Eleanor listen to new songs and she'd always love it. Their love story started with comic books and music. This book takes place in the 80's, so you see a lot of talk about Walkmans and cassette tapes, which just touches further into the whole music thing.

This Song Will Save Your Life / Leila Sales
Not only will you relate to Elise for how she was never accepted into society no matter how hard she tried, for how she'd always plug in her earpiece and go for walks; but she'll remind you of you, when she finds a love in DJ-ing, in being able to run from her problems with music. You may not be a budding DJ, but if you're an aspiring singer or always on your guitar or piano, then you'll be walking so easily in her shoes.

Maybe Someday / Colleen Hoover
This is a book in the New Adult genre, which is usually meant for those 18 to early-20's of age. What's so special about this book is there's an actual soundtrack for it as well. You see the two characters writing songs together, you see the lyrics printed on the pages, but there's also the real music that was made specially for this book. (and they're really good too!)

I'm so sorry for the rushed post, but I hope you'll pick up these books soon especially if you can't walk 5 steps alone without being plugged into your headphones. Trust me ;)