JULY 2016

Hiiya!

July has gone by so quickly! As of the first of August I finally have a break from school as well from work. The last couple of weeks I worked a lot of hours at my job. I am really looking forward to August. I am going to Crete, will be doing loads of fun things with friends, it's my birthday month and there is a big music festival I will be visiting at the end of the month.

Here's what I have been up to in July reading-wise:

Books I read:
More Than This by Patrick Ness 5/5
The Unmoving Sky by K.L. Hallam 3/5 (e-book)
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande 4/5
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 3/5
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 3/5
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng 5/5
Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes 4/5
Life of Pi by Yann Martel 2/5
Er ist wieder da by Timur Vermes 3/5 (lent)
Vector by Simon de Waal 4/5
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Lelsye Walton 4/5

Favourite book of the month:
My favourite books of the month are 'More Than This' and 'Everything I Never Told You'. I really can't pick a favourite from these two. They were both amazing and unique in their own way. I would definitely recommend them!

Least favourite book of the month:
My least favourite book to read this month is without a doubt 'Life of Pi'. It took me so long to pick this up and when I finally did, it was as disappointing as I thought it would be. It just wasn't put away for me.

What have you been up to this past month? 

BOOK DISCUSSION | MID-YEAR READING STATISTICS

Hello!

Since we are over the half of this year, I decided to see how I'm doing with my reading so far this year.

I have read 49 books so far, this means I am seven books ahead of my goal to read 75 books by the end of this year. Nine of those books I gave a 5-star rating. Fifteen I gave a 4-star rating, nineteen a 3-star rating, four a 2-star rating and two a 1-star rating.

I have read 15,297 pages so far. The longest book I read this year was 'Illuminae' this book is 599 pages. The oldest book I read so far this year was Peter Pan which was published in 1911.

I have read books that are set in America, Mexico, Ireland, England, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Germany, Italy, India, Singapore and Australia. I still want to branch out a bit more in this.

I have completed 32 challenges from the 'Around The World in 52 Books' challenge including: a book set in the past (more than 100 years ago), a book set in a different continent and a book with a beautiful cover.

Since I hadn't set any personal goals at the beginning of this year, I can't tell you anything about that. Since I have, set mid-year goals I will talk them through at the end of the year. This was it for now, thanks for reading!

I hope you have a lovely day!

BOOK REVIEW | ER IST WIEDER DA BY TIMUR VERMES

Title: Daar is hij weer (Er ist wieder da)
Author: Timur Vermes
First published: 2012
Language: Dutch (translated from German)
Pages: 320
Rating: 3/5

It's summer 2011 and Hitler awakens on a abandoned field in Berlin, Germany. There is no war, no party and no Eva. Hitler walks through this version of Berlin, which for him is unknown. Soon people begin to recognize him, as a imitator, finding him very funny. Hitler starts to be a happening, he goes viral on YouTube, and people begin to listen. But Hitler has another programme with even greater ambition – to set the country he finds a shambles back to rights.

I borrowed this book from my father, someone who likes to read books about World War II and most things involving it. When I decided to read it, I asked him what he thought about it and he thought it was quite a disappointing read.

I also did not like it as much as I hoped. I expected that Hitler, waking up in 2011, would discover social media. I really thought that he was going to use the internet to make himself 'big' again. This did not happen.

The characters were also quite week in my opinion. Especially Hitler, he was very obedient and sometimes he tried to be mean, but in my eyes he was just a softy.

Although the story was really original, the story wasn't executed the way I wish it had been.

BOOK REVIEW | LIFE OF PI BY YANN MARTEL

Title: Life of Pi
Author: Yann Martel
First published: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 460
Rating: 2/5

"Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, a Tamil boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker."

I bought this book when the movie came out in 2012. A very impulsive buy because I never wanted to read it. Now the fruitmachine finally told me it was time to read this book and as I expected it did not live up to my expectations.

The book is divided in three parts, part one I found especially very boring. Part two got more exciting but as we got further in to part two it went a little boring as well. I really liked part three, but this was only around 30ish pages short. 

I think that for me it got so boring that Pi was on the lifeboat for 227 days. If it was a lot shorter I think it would have been way more exciting, now it just felt like it had to be very comprehensive. 

I know a lot of people absolutely adore this book but it was not put away for me, unfortunately. 

BOOK DISCUSSION | PICKING YOUR NEXT READ

Hi!

Since I am the reader that I am, I always have a pile of books that are 'To Be Read' in my room. This pile is most of the times around fifteen books. I buy some, then I read some, then I buy some etcetera.  Since there are loads of book on this pile it is hard for me to pick my next read.

I have some books that I already own for a longer time on my TBR, but since I also order new releases, and new books, it is hard to pick. That is why I decided that I wouldn't decide what I would read next, I would let a 'name picker' do it.

I decided to do this, because if I wouldn't, I would never pick up a book like 'Life of Pi', which has been on my TBR for four years. Recently it was picked by the 'name picker' or fruitmachine as it is called on the interwebs, and so I finally read it.

I think a fruitmachine is a very fun way to pick your next read. This way there is a possibility that you also have to read the books that aren't as high on your TBR as others. Unless you cheat of course.


I am very curious how you pick your next read? Do you just pick whatever flows your boat, do you let other people choose for you or?.. Let me know!

BOOK REVIEW | QUEEN OF HEARTS BY COLLEEN OAKES

Title: Queen of Hearts
Author: Colleen Oakes
First published: 2014
Language: English
Pages: 306
Rating: 4/5

"As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life. When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe."

Although I never read 'Alice in Wonderland' I was really interested in this re-telling and it did not disappoint. I flew through this book, it was such a light and easy read!

First of all, the world building. The world building in this book was absolutely amazing, it was so descriptive, you could imagine every chair, every corner, every detail of dresses and uniforms.  This is something I highly appreciate in a book!

The romance came quite early in this book and I though 'oh no', because it was your standard young adult romance. Luckily it almost didn't come back anywhere else in the book, and when it did it wasn't soppy lovey dovey. 

I really liked most of the characters but the main character Dinah, will have to grow on me in the following books. She is very youngish, but then again she is only sixteen. I think that her character will develop with the series.

I am really curious for the next book 'Blood of Wonderland', which will be published in January 2017.

BOOK REVIEW | EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU BY CELESTE NG

Title: Everything I Never Told You
Author: Celeste Ng
First published: 2014
Language: English
Pages: 292
Rating: 5/5

"Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet. So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos."

I went into this book almost completely blind, I knew it was historical fiction and that it was a mystery, and that was about it. When I started reading this book I was from page 1 in awe of the writing style of Celeste Ng, the character development was absolutely amazing.

Throughout the whole book you read through the perspective from Lydia, her parents, her older brother and her younger sister. It is really interesting to see what was on their minds and how they cope with the situation.

This book is set in the 1970's and it is also really interesting how this book deals with gender and race equality. This book was absolutely wonderful and I would highly recommend!

TOP 5 WEDNESDAY | MOST RECENT ADDITIONS TO YOUR WISHLIST

Hi everybody!

This weeks Top 5 Wednesday I'll discuss the most recent additions to my wishlist. Click here for my entire wishlist.

I discovered this book through YouTube and thought the synopsis sounded really interesting. 

"Kyle Henry has a new name, a new school, and a new life--one without the shadow of the Bonebreaker hanging over him. It's been a year since his serial killer father's execution, and it finally looks like things are turning around for Kyle. Until he recognizes the girl sitting in the back row in homeroom. Naomi Steadman is immediately intrigued by Killdeer Academy's newcomer. She does not know he is the son of the man who murdered her mother. What she does know is she and Kyle have a connection with each other--and a spark that Kyle continues to back away from. Soon after Kyle's arrival, the death count on campus starts to rise. Someone is set on finishing what the Bonebreaker started, and murdering ghosts from the past may be the only thing that can stop the spree."

Next on my wishlist are the Everyman's: pocket poems. I love poetry and I really want to read more poetry and I recently discovered these editions and basically added all that I could find to my wishlist. 

Including: Poems of the Sea, Marriage Poems, Indian Love Poems, Irish Poems, Garden Poems, The Great Cat: Poems About Cats, Friendship Poems, Dog Poems, Three Hundred Tang Poems, Poems of the Dead and Undead, War Poems, Scottish Poems, Zen Poems, Arabic Poems, Jazz Poems, Love Poems, Chinese Erotic Poems, Leonard Cohen: Poems and Songs and Poems of Mourning.

Next is another book 'series' that I want to collect. The Penguin: Great Food books. 

My wishlist includes: The Chef at War, Love in a Dish and Other Pieces, Recipes and Lessons From a Delicious Cooking Revolution, The Well-Kept Kitchen, The Pleasures of The Table, A Little Dinner Before The Play and A Dissertation Upon Roast Pig & Other Essays.

More to be added.

Next we have: The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I have seen this book going around for a while now but I never really read what it was about. Now I finally know, and I really want to read it!

"Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an élite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and for ever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill.."

And last but certainly not least 'The Leaving' by Tara Altebrando. I'm really, really curious about this one because the synopsis sounds so freaking cool! 

"Eleven years ago, six five-year-olds went missing without a trace. After all this time, the people left behind have moved on, or tried to. Until today. Now five of those kids are back. They're sixteen, and they are ...fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mother she barely recognises, and doesn't really know who she's supposed to be, either. But she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, but they can't recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max. He doesn't come back and everyone wants answers. Addictive and unforgettable, The Leaving seethes with rich characters, tense storytelling and high stakes."

BOOK REVIEW | ILLUMINAE BY AMIE KAUFMAN AND JAY KRISTOFF

Title: Illuminae
Authors: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 
Published: 2015
Language: English
Pages: 599
Rating: 3/5

"The year is 2575 and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other after their break-up —are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit. But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on."

I was so excited to read this book and had the highest expectations ever for it, but I was quite disappointed. The way this story was told through different documents was one thing that really appealed to me, but didn't turn out great. I really couldn't get hang of the story because of the documents.

Because of the fact that this story is told through documents, and chat messages etcetera, I also felt like I couldn't connect to the main characters (or any character for that matter). The romance in this book was also too cheesy and lame for my personal taste, I did not like it!

Another thing that annoyed me through almost the whole entire book was the fact that the swear words were marked black. When you put this much swearwords in a book, don't cover them up! A thing I did really like were Kady's diary entries. 

The story overall is really good, but the way this is told just wasn't put away for me. I am very curious on how the story will continue and I will be reading 'Gemina' when it comes out. Who knows I might like that one a lot better!

MID-YEAR READING CHALLENGES 2016

When I started picking up reading at the end of last year again, I wasn't as serious and addicted to it as now. I had only one goal; to read 50 books (which I had done before so I knew it wasn't that much of a challenge). Now that we are halfway through 2016 I want to set my self some specific reading challenges for the rest of 2016, starting today.

CLASSICS
I want to read 5 more classics this year. I feel like I am really lacking on my knowledge of classics and I really want to read and appreciate them.

HISTORICAL FICTION
I also want to read 5 historical fictions. I want to find out more about this genre because I really think that this could be a favourite genre of my. I never experienced a lot with genres beside contemporary and light-fantasy but I think that this has real potential to be one of my favourite genres.

DUTCH FICTION
I want to read 2 Dutch books. I only choose two books because for one, Dutch books are twice or triple the price of the English books I read, and second, I only can think of two that I really want to read. For 2017 I might take this challenge to a higher level and set an higher goal, but for now, two books it is.

TRANSLATED FICTION
I want to read 7 translated fictions. I want to get to know a wider variation of authors, stories, settings etcetera.

POETRY
I want to read 5 books of poetry. I used to write my own poetry, but I almost never ever have read poetry. Actually, I only read two books of poetry. Five books of poetry might be a bit to high but I see how far I can come.


Do you have any mid-year reading challenges? 

BOOK REVIEW | BRAVE NEW WORLD BY ALDOUS HUXLEY

Title: Brave New World
Author: Aldous Huxley
Published: 1931
Language: English
Pages: 229
Rating: 3/5

"Far in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone harbouring an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress..."

I was really excited to read this, especially since a acquaintance recommended it to me. He was really praising it, talking about how it set him to think about our ideologies etcetera. The book started of and it really grabbed me but as it went on it let me go. The story got a little bit boring in my personal opinion, it was really slow-paced. 

I also had a bit of a problem with Huxley's writing style. At one point in the book I was really enjoying it, he mentioned some beautiful quotes like: “Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.”. But at other points I was just confused because of the way he switched from one character to another. 

My rating is definitely based on how much I enjoyed reading this book. Than again, now I think about it. Was this book designed to be a enjoyable? This book made me feel annoyed, disgusted and made me really think about 'a perfect world/society'. Is it possible for a world where everybody is happy and living for each other to be wrong?

#FRIDAYREADS

On this sunny day I'm starting 'Illuminae' by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

TOO MUCH INFORMATION: BOOK TAG

Hi there! Today it is time for another tag. This time: TMI!

What fictional character has the best style?

I really don’t have an answer for this question. I almost never, ever read books where clothes are described. Sometimes they do, but that just to point out, what horrible clothing the character is wearing because of some situation.

Your book girlfriend/boyfriend/ fictional crush?

Either Jace Herondale or Jin from ‘Rebel of the Sands’.

Ever loved a character but than started hating them?

I don’t recall so, no.

Biggest/Longest book on your shelf?

‘The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe’ by surprise, surprise Edgar Allan Poe.

Heaviest book on your shelf?

Either ‘The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe’ or my massive ‘The Complete Fairytales of The Brothers Grimm’.

Do you have any book posters?

Nope!

Do you have any book themed jewellery?

No…

Book OTP?

Honestly, I never really ship people. I don’t really care and I don’t have OTP’s…

Favourite book series?

Harry Potter obviously.

Favourite Book-to-movie soundtrack?

The Harry Potter soundtrack hihi.

A book story you miss/ wish would continue?

I got this awful feeling that I’m not done yet, with mentioning Harry Potter.

Favourite stand-alone?

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt.

Since when did you read books?

I think I started reading around the age of 6 or 7. I always went to the library and I basically read every Dutch children’s book that was available in my local library.

Which Hogwarts house are you in?

Slytherin!

Quality you look for in a book?

A nice writing style, fun characters, emotions.

Favourite book quote

“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.” – Jack Kerouac, On The Road: The Original Scroll.

Favourite author?

Oh I’m really not sure about this one. I think J.K. Rowling and Patrick Ness.

Favourite book cover?

Nope, this question, I really can’t answer.

Action or Romance?

Action. I love a good romance but action is where my love truly lies.

Where do you go when a sad moment happens?

I just stay where I am, and keep on reading. One book only ever made me cry because it was that sad but that was at the ending so I cried a little and then I continued on with live.

How long do you need to finish a book?

That of course depends on the book, but I read +- 90 to 100 pages per hour.

How long is your mourning period?

That depends on the character and at what stage in the book it happened.

Least favourite Book?

It’s a tie between ‘Eat My Heart Out’ by Zoe Pilger of ‘How To Build A Girl’ by Caitlin Moran.

Turn on in a character?

Being adventurous.

Turn off in a character?

Disrespect.

Reason I started blogging?

I really don’t have anyone to really ramble to about books, and I want to get my thoughts about books of my mind so I thought why not put it on the interwebs. Besides that I also find it fun to keep this blog as a little archive for what I have read, and what I thought about it.

Name a scary book?

I don’t do scary books.

Last book that made you cry?

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt.

Last book that you gave 5 stars?

‘More Than This’ by Patrick Ness.

Any favourite book titles?

- Day of Tears by Julius Lester

- The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

- More Than This by Patrick Ness

- Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

- Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Last book you read?

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande.

Book you’re currently reading?

I’m currently reading ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley.

Last book adaptation you watched?T

Love, Rosie.

A book character you always wanted to talk to?

Hermione, because she is freaking bad-ass and smart and sassy and great.

An author you always wanted to talk to?

Probably Patrick Ness because he is just so creative and he knows just how to use the right words and I just want to listen to him talking about whatever!

Favourite Book snack?

I don’t eat and read.

Book world you want to live in?

The Wizarding World in Harry Potter. Hogwarts baby!

Book world you DON’T want to live in?

Panem from The Hunger Games. I donut want to die.

Last time you smelled a book?

40 minutes ago.

Weird insults used in books?

I don’t really know, I don’t think I ever really notice them.

Favourite romance book?

Billy and Me by Giovanni Fletcher.

Do you write?

This blog.

Favourite magical item?

A wand, or an invisibility cloak.

Your Quidditch position?

Probably a seeker.

Name a song you connect to a book

Pretty much every song by Mumford & Sons. I always used to listen to their music while reading, now I prefer reading in silence.

Favourite book related chat up line?

Do you mind if I… slyther-in?

Have you ever used it?

Nopey.

Favorite book fandom?

I think… Harry Potter!

How many books do you own?

Around 140 I thought but I’m not sure.

Who do you tag?

EVERYBODY