I rarely post wrap ups anymore because I don’t really have the time to read as many books as much as I used to. But during the start of the month, I decided to get ambitious with the books I am going to read (here’s my post about it).
I’ve read 5 books out of the 6 I included on my list to read this month and though I failed to finish that one book, I’m still happy that I got to read a lot this month. I’ve also reviewed them on my blog, so I’ll include the links to those as well.
The Choice was a carry-over from the past month and I finished it during the first week of March. I’ve also read a short story and some comic books that aren’t part of the list of titles I wanted to read this month.
Rating: ★★★★★ First Read: May 2014
Re-read: March 2017
It was my first time re-reading a novel, to be honest. I’ve always wanted to do so before, but I just didn’t have the extra time given that I’m always exhausted when I get home from work and the weekends almost always feels like it’s too short.
With Love Letters to the Dead, since I’ve only read it through an e-copy version back in 2014 when it was first released, I was really eager to re-read it. It’s really one of my most favorite contemporary novels, and I’m so happy that I finally got my own copy of the physical book.
This book was just so beautifully written, it makes my heart ache in a good way. There are books that you like, but there are books that you can relate to and love and cherish and will keep touching your heart.
When I first read this book three years ago, I didn’t even know where to begin with, so I ended up not writing a review at all, in fear of not giving the book its justice. Right now, I still don’t know where to start or what to say.
Ava Dellaira brings us a story of Laurel
— a girl who just wants to find and pick herself up after her sister’s death. Her life has been full of tragedy, but her hope and love for a lot of things keeps her going most of the time.
“I think a lot of people want to be someone, but we are scared that if we try, we won’t be as good as everyone imagines we could be.”
Her letters to renowned dead people was really interesting and lovely and the way she talks to them through her letters really kept me turning the page. I can also totally relate to her when it comes to not telling the people I love what I really feel towards something. It has always been like that for a lot of people, I guess, because it’s really hard opening up your thoughts, your pasts and your problems to people and her reason was just the same as mine. I am always afraid that if they knew, they would leave.
“You can be noble and brave and beautiful and still find yourself falling.”
Each of Laurel’s letter revealed pieces of what really happened that night when May died and also a part of her personal story
— how broken she feels deep inside, how her family ended up the way it did, and I also liked that in each of her letters, we’ve seen how the her friends grew throughout the book.
I also liked her relationship with Sky. It wasn’t perfect, just like every love story, but it was beautiful and heartbreaking and lovely all at the same time.
“When we are in love, we are both completely in danger and completely saved.”
I literally have moments when reading the book that I felt like it was dragging because it is such a page-turner. One of my favorites in this book were the poems Laurel shares from her English classes because I am also a big fan of poems and Elizabeth Bishop.
Love Letters to the Dead sucked me straight from the first page until the end. It is a beautifully written book that is deeply moving
— it gives its readers hope and is filled with realizations about life. I recommend this to readers who loved Perks of Being A Wall Flower and The Fault In Our Stars and mostly to anyone who’s looking for something that will change their perspective about life and love.
“Truth is beautiful, no matter what the truth is. Even if it’s scary or bad. It is beauty simply because it’s true. And truth is bright. Truth makes you more you.”
There are just some books that will give your life a huge impact and The Little Prince is one of them. This is a children’s book and I feel quite ashamed that I haven’t read it before, but as the saying goes, ‘better late than never.’ I’m just glad that I finally got to read this very deep and poignant classic!
This classic tale reminds each and everyone of its readers of how innocent and fragile we once were and how everything has changed now that we’re older. Its intended readers are children, but I actually think that it’s secretly for us, the adults.
“All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it.”
There are parts of the book that I felt abashed for the Little Prince pointed out a lot of truth in his observations about the grown-ups. I know deep down that we are the odd adults he is talking about. Growing up, we forgot the little things that are really the ones that mattered the most.
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
The Little Prince is the story of each and everyone of us when we were kids. How our imagination, fragility, curiosity and our innocence kept us going. And now that we are grown-ups, the Little Prince is reminding us that we shall not forget what we once were and to keep it dear to ourselves, because those moments were priceless.
“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”
So, when you see that star, think of the Little Prince. Think of your childhood and think of yourself because we all little princes and princesses deep within.
I was browsing through the shelves of my local bookstore with my brother while we were waiting for our mom to get done with the grocery and I came across this book. The cover actually made it hard not to notice and the synopsis at the back of the book seemed really interesting.
This is actually the first book of Luis Katigbak that I’ve ever read. I mentioned in Twitter that I have only read a handful of local authors and that I find it hard to find local novels these days that aren’t fanfics of local celebrities, so having to find books like this, the feel to buy and read it is intense for me.
Dear Distance hasn’t let me down. Upon diving into the stories, I feel like I was a kid of the 70s and the 80s. It’s hard not to feel like I am one with the characters when someone writes so well.
“In the end, distances and surfaces are all we can ever be sure of, and this is no sad thing. In a world that has accelerated almost beyond recognition, it may be the only comforting thought of which I am still capable.”
My favorite from this collection is Sabado, 1995. I don’t know why, but it really made an impact to me.
This is the third book of Lang Leav that I have read and she never fails to pull at my heartstrings. I have always been impressed by poets because poems are really so hard to construct. I have read a few poems Edgar Allan Poe and E. E. Cummings and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and it actually requires a lot of understanding but I loved their poems nevertheless.
In Lang Leav’s books, she has a different and modern take on poems that I adore. I like the way her writing touch people’s hearts and make us feel like we’re not alone. Now, in this fourth collection of poems, Lang Leav has grown absolutely well with her writing. She has improved even more since I first read Love & Misadventure.
I’ve read this book for about an hour, it was just too good that I actually devoured every page, it’s like a medicine for my soul. It covers everything, from love to heartbreak, from being lost to getting found, and really, just about life itself.
…and although life will always find a way to test you, someday you’ll have everything you want. Your ending will be a happy one.
— A Premonition
My favorites are:
Distance
A Premonition
And Then
Predestined Stars
Eros
Stitches And Scars
Remorse
Young Love
It’s been a while since I last read one of Nicholas Sparks’ books. He’s one of my favorite authors, so I’m actually trying to be able to read all of his novels and so far, I have already read 7 out of 20.
In The Choice, I honestly didn’t like how Travis and Gabby fell in love, because it was all too fast and I’m just not fond of the idea that people can fall in love in a span of a few days. I liked Travis’ character though. I find him a great man and I didn’t see his carefree-ness as a negative part of his personality. I liked how he adores kids and that he mostly daydreams of having his own family in Beaufort someday–if only he could find the wife-material woman for him.
Gabby, on the other hand, frustrated me. At some point in the book, I found her a bit annoying. There are other parts, though, that I get why she was acting. The title was really perfect for the whole novel. I really liked how Nicholas Sparks seemed to have thought that part through.
But all in all, I liked the story. Although not as much as I liked his other books, there are still points in this novel that are unique. The ending absolutely made up for my concerns and frustrations with Gabby at the first part of the book.
“How far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?”
I’ve watched the movie right after reading the book, and it wasn’t really that good (for me, at least). Some names and relationships were different from the book and I’m just glad I’ve read the book first.
Hi! It’s March 1st and it’s my birth month! Since it’s been a long time since I last chain-read, I decided to get ambitious and challenge myself to read more books. As much as I hate using “work” as an … Continue reading →
Lately, life has been kind of suffocating. It’s actually crazy how at one point I thought that I finally got my shit together, then life happened and reality hit me straight on the face once again.
It’s been months since I last felt okay and it’s been a struggle since then. And it’s hard knowing that no one can actually help me but myself and I haven’t felt this way before, ever. I badly want to scream and tell the world to stop and hold still for a second because I honestly can’t keep up anymore.
I hate it, I hate this—not knowing what to do and where this is all coming from is very stressful. Suddenly, waking up every morning is the hardest thing to do and I always find myself looking forward to the afternoons when I get to go home and when I finally do get home, I feel exhausted and tired and helpless, not to mention the stress that adds up to it when everyone and everything at home seems to be in such chaos.
I’ve never felt so alone in my life and it’s crazy because I am almost always surrounded by people and the weird part is, on most days, I feel more at peace when I am alone at a coffee shop or at home than I am when I am with other people. Maybe I just got used to it, maybe I’m no longer happy with what’s currently happening in my life since everything has been “just a routine” and I don’t know how, but one thing is for sure, I gotta find my way out of this.
It’s been four years since I’ve read the first book in the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series and I don’t know why it took me that long to finally get a copy of the second book given that I enjoyed the first one! Silly me.
This time around, I still enjoyed it because it was a very light and easy read. I’ve been too busy with a lot of things last year that I didn’t really get to finish a lot of novel books. I got to read a lot of interesting comic books though, so I guess that isn’t a bad thing.
The story still follows the everyday life of Greg Heffley and how he deals with school and everything around him, especially his brother who’s basically a pain in the butt for the most part.
I liked the way the story is light and funny that it will keep you turning the page until the end. Although, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the first one for unknown reasons, I can say that it still was good enough for me.
The past year has finally come to a close and though it has been a very frustrating and challenging year for most of us, I actually still had a great reading year!
So in 2016 I’ve read a total of 52 books of my Goodreads goal of 30! This was actually the first time I’ve ever read more than my goal and I am so happy. I’ve read A LOT of comic books last year since DC Comics launched their Rebirth series and I was just too hyped about it. But aside from that, I’ve also read some novels and poem books. So below are list of the titles I’ve read:
Comics:
Teen Titans #1-3 by Benjamin Percy (DC Comics)
Justice League VS Suicide Squad #1-2 by Joshua Williamson (DC Comics)
So I guess that wraps it all up! I’m certainly looking forward to more reading this 2017 and may all the booknerds out there have another great reading year ahead!
Lenn of Spades ♠ 