As someone who relies on corrective lenses and glasses and just recently broke her glasses, that title is hilarious. I doubt I will be getting any reading this year unless it is for school, but I will still be setting a challenge for myself. As someone who overthinks and stresses over menial things, writing out tasks and goals will force me to accomplish them. I will be setting my 2020 reading challenge to 3 books. The following list includes books I want to read in 2020, but might not necessarily get to. They're my options.
MUSIC MONDAYS
I spend a lot of time on public transportation or waiting for my next class. While I'm on the subway or doing my homework, I like to play music. This year, I discovered new artists and songs. I also got to know certain artists more.
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
Pocket Books | February 1, 1999
The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky follows observant “wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
A #1 New York Times best seller for more than a year, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2000) and Best Book for Reluctant Readers (2000), and with millions of copies in print, this novel for teen readers (or “wallflowers” of more-advanced age) will make you laugh, cry, and perhaps feel nostalgic for those moments when you, too, tiptoed onto the dance floor of life.
2019 WRAP UP
Hello! It has been a long time since I have posted on this blog. College, which I loathe, is kicking my butt! Hopefully, the second semester is better, but I'm not expecting much. I have done a lot of reading this year, most of it for academia, not for pleasure. College has stolen my love for reading. The next time I have to read about rap in China, microaggressions towards Asians, the ethics of humor, Hume, Kant, or Aristotle will be too soon.
A READING EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER
The Strange Library
by Haruki Murakami & Chip Kidd (Illustrator)
Knopf | 2014
Opening the flaps on this unique little book, readers will find themselves immersed in the strange world of best-selling Haruki Murakami's wild imagination. The story of a lonely boy, a mysterious girl, and a tormented sheep man plotting their escape from a nightmarish library, the book is like nothing else Murakami has written. Designed by Chip Kidd and fully illustrated, in full color, throughout, this small format, 96 page volume is a treat for book lovers of all ages.
MY ROYAL COURT BOOK TAG
Hello readers. It has been a while since I published something, thank college and work. I decided to browse on Twitter after I dragged myself from Animal Crossing. Writing this post is a better alternative to writing the conclusion to the first of two English essays due this week, help! Thanks, @alysinbookland for tagging me. Sorry for being sassy in this post.
SOUL EATER MANGA REVIEW
CRUEL BEAUTY REREAD | WILL IT REMAIN ONE OF MY FAVORITES?
Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe #1)
by Rosamund Hodge
Balzar & Bray | January 28, 2014
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
AUDIOBOOK BINGE
I mentioned in a previous post that I have a Scribd 30-day free subscription, totally recommend it if you haven't used it already. Because of this subscription, I was was able to prune my TBR and give audiobooks another try. In my Call Me By Your Name review, I mentioned my abhorrence towards audiobooks and the book. I think I had a poor experience because the book was not my cup of tea, and because of the narrator, sorry Armie... The narrators of my recent audiobooks do voices, which made distinguishing the characters easy. Though, I still had an active listening/reading problem. I made a hasty conclusion about audiobooks after one bad experience, which was my mistake: audiobooks are great, especially on public transportation!
MY BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
I love it when people ask me for a book recommendation; I love getting to know what genres they like, remembering books I've read they might enjoy, and hearing that they enjoyed the book, it warms my cockles - I could have easily said heart, but this word sounds funnier. This is not a definitive list, and it is short because I only wrote about books I had a lot to say about - I can vividly recall my opinions about the book.
(KIND OF) TORTURE DOWN TEEN ROMANCE LANE
The Dark Calling (The Arcana Chronicles #5)
by Kresley Cole
Valkyrie Press | February 13, 2018
In a world teetering on the edge...
When Evie received life-changing—and possibly game-changing—news, she has trouble believing it. Why doesn't she feel any different? Is it possible someone she trusts might be lying?
With enemies at every turn...
Tensions seethe inside the castle of lost time as Evie starts to doubt her own sanity. Answers can be found outside their stronghold, but will Death help her find them—or prevent her from learning the truth about her future and Jack's possible survival?
Darkness beckons.
A mysterious, sinister power begins to affect the Arcana in its path. Forced out into the wasteland alone, Evie must depend on unexpected allies. But as a battle with Richter looms, can her new alliance defeat the Dark Calling before hell reigns on earth?
TORTURE DOWN TEEN ROMANCE LANE IV
Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles #1)
by Kresley Cole
Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers | August 19, 2014
She could save the world--or destroy it.
Sixteen-year-old Evangeline "Evie" Greene leads a charmed life--until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, killing everyone she loves, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future--and they're still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.
But she can't do either alone.
With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can't totally trust Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?
Who can Evie trust?
As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it's not always clear who is on which side...
XOXO, GOSSIP GIRL
I missed out on a lot of teenage shows because I was preoccupied watching Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows. I remember my sister kicking me out of the living room so she could watch The Vampire Diaries, which is one of my least favorite shows. Anyway, Gossip Girl is my newest obsession, and my sister gave me flack for being late to the bandwagon. The speed at which I finished all six seasons is terrifying and awe-inducing (this show took over my life.)
YET TO BE MAJORLY DISAPPOINTED
Echo North
by Joanna Ruth Meyer
Page Street Publishing Co. | January 15, 2019
Echo Alkaev's safe and carefully structured world falls apart when her father leaves for the city and mysteriously disappears. Believing he is lost forever, Echo is shocked to find him half-frozen in the winter forest six months later, guarded by a strange talking wolf—the same creature who attacked her as a child. The wolf presents Echo with an ultimatum: If she lives with him for one year, he will ensure her father makes it home safely. But there is more to the wolf than Echo realizes.
In his enchanted house beneath a mountain, each room must be sewn together to keep the home from unraveling, and something new and dark and strange lies behind every door. When centuries-old secrets unfold, Echo discovers a magical library full of books-turned-mirrors, and a young man named Hal who is trapped inside of them. As the year ticks by, the rooms begin to disappear, and Echo must solve the mystery of the wolf's enchantment before her time is up, otherwise Echo, the wolf, and Hal will be lost forever.
LIFE UPDATES
Hello, ma dudes. After all those reviews, I needed to write and upload a discussion post. In a couple of days, I will be graduating! I've been ambivalent toward my school during the four years I was there, but now I'm dreading leaving and going to college. Speaking of college, I got into a Chinese program, and I have to complete 10 lessons before the summer courses... yeah, that's right, summer school-plus, it's not accredited. Chinese is hard: a lot of words to remember, my handwriting is terrible, the characters are difficult to write, etc. I've been taking notes and making Quizlet flashcards to help me remember words.
TORTURE DOWN TEEN ROMANCE LANE III
The Pledge
by Kimberly Derting
Margaret K. McElderry | November 15, 2011In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.
Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.
TORTURE DOWN TEEN ROMANCE LANE II
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY
Predictions before watching:
1) I'll probably hate Luther, Allison, and Vanya in the show because I hated them in the series.
2) I'll probably love Klaus because he was my favorite character in the series. Plus, Robert Sheehan!
3) I don't think I'll like it much until the end of the series.
3) I don't think I'll like it much until the end of the series.
TORTURE DOWN TEEN ROMANCE LANE I
MUSIC MONDAYS
After that K-pop filled Music Monday, I needed to listen to music with non-Korean lyrics. I cleared my Youtube watch history, and it recommended weird music, which I am thankful for because I found some gems, but also scarred...
SUMMER BIRD BLUE
Summer Bird Blue
by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Simon Pulse | September 11, 2018
Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea.
Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the “boys next door”—a teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesn’t take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years ago—Rumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.
GRAB A TISSUE BOX BECAUSE YOU'RE ABOUT TO CRY
I've watched my fair share of animes that made me cry in my life: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Ano Hana, You Lie in April, Grave of Fireflies, Your Name (not sure about the last one but we'll include it anyway.) Unlike Hotarubi no Mori e, they took more time for me to become invested; it took several episodes or extra minutes for those to tell a story, to develop the plot, and for me to fall in love with the characters. In less than an hour, Hotarubi no Mori e does all that. It had me laughing, uwu-ing, and crying in that timeframe. It delivered so much in so little time, and I'm left hungry for more!
THIS WAS SO FREAKING ADORABLE
Eliza and Her Monsters
by Francesca Zappia
Greenwillow Books | May 30, 2017
Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.
In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.
Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.
But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.
THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CREEPY?
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by Shirley Jackson
September 21, 1962
Merricat Blackwood lives on the family estate with her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian. Not long ago there were seven Blackwoods—until a fatal dose of arsenic found its way into the sugar bowl one terrible night. Acquitted of the murders, Constance has returned home, where Merricat protects her from the curiosity and hostility of the villagers. Their days pass in happy isolation until cousin Charles appears. Only Merricat can see the danger, and she must act swiftly to keep Constance from his grasp.
A BOOK REVIEW OF THE MOVIE
Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
Bloomsbury | August 4, 2002
The day after they moved in, Coraline went exploring...
In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close.
The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.
Only it's different.
At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.
Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.
CHOSEN CHAMPION COVER REVEAL
by Elise Kova
May 1, 2019 | Silver Wing Press
A princess on the run, with enemies on all sides...
Vi Solaris is on the eve of getting everything she’s ever wanted—her family, her home, her throne—and to save the world she’s going to have to give it all up.
The Empire sees her as their Crown Princess, returning at long last. But Vi only sees visions of fate guiding her to the world’s gruesome end. Across the sea is a man who holds the keys to deciphering her premonitions and thwarting the ancient evil ravaging their world. But to get to him, Vi will have to contend with enemies of the crown, romance she didn’t expect, sorcerer pirates, and a betrayal she never saw coming.
She will learn the hard way that some evils never die... They only bide their time...
Preorder on Amazon
If you have a nook or kobo, you can purchase through Amazon, email Elise a proof of purchase, Elise.Kova.Author@gmail.com, and then she'll send a personalized "read anywhere" link!
MY READING RESOLUTIONS UPDATE
After blazing through my 12-book reading challenge, I have slowed down. In my reading resolutions post, I sought to read 11-12 titles that have been sitting idly on my TBR. I am pleased to say that I have read 10/12 books in four months, 9 of which were included in the list; I have also written reviews for some titles, so keep an eye out! Whenever I make reading resolutions, I don't keep to it—no one does, so I don't feel guilty about it. I'm feeling really proud of myself, and I want to toot my own horn.
Side story: my friend's AB Calc teacher made a packet and included a picture of LOG Lady. He said her name is Ellen, like ln (natural logarithm,) which made my blood boil. Apparently, no one my age has watched Twin Peaks...
THE FAVORITE BOOK OF 2019?!
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Harcourt | 1982
Set in the deep American South between the wars, it is the tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Raped repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', she has two children taken away from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker - a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually, Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.
QUICK MUSIC MONDAY
When I find a new song I like, I listen to it until I hate it. Here are some songs I've been obsessing over. Most songs are Pop or R&B. They're all in Korean... so if you don't like Korean music, this ain't for you.
CRUEL PRINCE CAN LIKE, GET IT
The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1)
by Holly Black
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
January 2, 2018
Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
CELEBRATE VALENTINE'S RIGHT
by Alexandre Dumas Fils
D. Appleton & Co.
One of the greatest love stories of all time, this novel has fascinated generations of readers. Dumas's subtle and moving portrait of a woman in love is based on his own love affair with one of the most desirable courtesans in Paris.
Minor and Short Spoiler At The End
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Wes Anderson
November 13, 2009
November 13, 2009
After 12 years of bucolic bliss, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) breaks a promise to his wife (Meryl Streep) and raids the farms of their human neighbors, Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Giving in to his animal instincts endangers not only his marriage but also the lives of his family and their animal friends. When the farmers force Mr. Fox and company deep underground, he has to resort to his natural craftiness to rise above the opposition.
THESE BOOKS HAVE GOT TO GO | READING RESOLUTIONS
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY | MCR'S GERARD WAY?!
The Umbrella Academy
by Gerard Way & Gabriel Bá
Dave Stewart (Colourist), Nate Piekos (Letterer), Tony Ong (Designer)
Dark Horse Comics | October 17, 2007
Dave Stewart (Colourist), Nate Piekos (Letterer), Tony Ong (Designer)
Dark Horse Comics | October 17, 2007
In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world."
These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.