Saturday 4 January 2014

My (Little) Book History

One of my New Years resolutions is to read more, and that's because I've only read 1 complete novel since leaving high school. :S

I'm a very slow reader and am the type of person who'll read a couple of pages then either forget what was happening to a certain character or just forget what I'd read all together. My mind wanders and doesn't seem to focus long enough to finish many books, hence my lack in "book finishes".
When I was younger I loved it. I was known for being the biggest fan of books all through elementary and middle school, and went through them like there was no tomorrow; But as the school work piled up, textbooks became my new novels, and magazines soon after that.

In high school I did manage to read a couple of books (and I do mean, a couple), and have read that one since then, but they were good'uns! I'm also planning on reading more this year as well, and am working on one at the moment, and it's looking pretty promising ;)




Night by Elie Wiesel
Written by a man who survived being sent to multiple concentration camps with his father during WWII, this book was enlightening to say the very least. I was assigned the novel initially for group study in around Gr. 10, and I remember it being one of the most moving books I have ever read. It is not a light read by any means - I remember crying while reading the last few chapters in bed - but the personal re-telling of Mr. Wiesel's experiences is definitely worth the read and not one you'll soon forget... 

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
I carried this book around with me to every class I went to in Gr. 11. I went to the library, picked a book based off of it's cover art, and was determined to finish a novel. Any novel! I didn't know at the time of reading it that there was going to be a movie made based on it, but I'm glad I didn't as I might have put off finishing it if I knew haha
Personally, for me, the movie was great, but the book was even better! It always seems hard to match a movie to a pre-released book as people usually create their own visuals in their head while they read it, and Life of Pi was great for someone with a creative imagination! If you've seen the movie, I'd still recommend grabbing the book - it's a good one to pick up and put down repeatedly if you've got more on the go too, the small number of characters to follow helps haha! ;)

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
Ahhhh! This book, I just could not put it down!! I knew I wanted to read a book right after school finished last fall, but wanted to kind of narrow down the options to a specific genre since walking into a library can be kind of overwhelming...! I took to Google to find a coming-of-age book - not one for the pre-teen/teenager though, one that I could maybe relate to, and THIS was it! The book follows a group of friends (mainly 3) and their lives as new University-grads, all finding themselves having to face the trials and tribulations that come with entering the real world: from new living arrangements, to keeping in touch with friends (& potential boyfriends), to trying to find work in your field, it does a great job of really capturing a realistic picture of what life often looks and feels like in your early 20's. I've already recommended it to friends, and would recommend it to YOU reading this as well!

Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
Coming off of the Girls in White Dresses book, I found I really liked the comedy and quick witt that it was written with, and wanted to find another. One quick search of autobiographies, and I found this little gem! With Mindy Kaling writing it, you know it's going to be funny, but it was also very self-reflective - In an auto-biography, I know, shocker, but she doesn't just joke around about the little everyday things she experiences, but also the more personal anecdotes that she's gone through, and that's what makes it 100x better! :) Still reading this one, as my sister kind of took it from me and started reading it herself haha but I can tell it's definitely worth finishing!!

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Are you reading any books or have any that you think everyone should at least attempt reading?? I'd love to hear your suggestions! Also, feel free to leave your blog name with it in the comments :)!


ღ CachooJoo


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2 comments:

  1. When I make a resolutions list (haven't made one yet :/) i will need to include reading more too. :)

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    1. Definitely a good one to include! :) I seem to be reading a lot of blogs lately haha but hoping to keep working on that Mindy Kaling one!

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