2016 Reading Challenge Update: February Part 1

With the help of Chinese New Year holiday, I started my month-long reading at full speed! 😀 😀 😀

Here are the six (yes, six!) beautiful novels that I have read since February 1 ! ❤

7th – A book translated to English – Norwegian Wood by by Haruki Murakami

What is it about: Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before.  Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable.  As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman.

What I Love: Subtly sexual, poignantly moving, a bit saddening.

What I Don’t Love Much: The end was a bit predictable.

Wise Words: 

“Death exists not as the opposite but as part of life.”

“If you only read the books that everyone else is readin, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”

“By living our lives, we nurture death.”

“No truth can cure the sadness we feel from losing a loved one. No truth, no sincerity, no strength, no kindness, can cure that sorrow.“

Rating:     (Good read!)

–

8th – A book set in your home state – Ang mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan by Bob Ong

What is it about: A haunting story about religion and broken homes. Bob Ong, a Filipino writer, told an eclectic story through a journal of a teenage boy.

What I Love: I love a book that can give me goosies, and this one surely did it!

What I Don’t Love Much: I am not a fan of the format. And maybe I expected too much because Bob Ong is a well-acclaimed novelist here in the Philippines.

Rating:     (Good read!)

–

9th – A book of poetry – Love & Misadventures by Lang Leav

What is it about: Beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully conceived, Love and Misadventure will take you on a rollercoaster ride through an ill-fated love affair- from the initial butterflies to the soaring heights- through to the devastating plunge. Lang Leav has an unnerving ability to see inside the hearts and minds of her readers. Her talent for translating complex emotions with astonishing simplicity has won her a cult following of devoted fans from all over the world.

What I Love: EVERYTHING! Everything about this book is GREAT! The illustrations, the poem, the flash fictions. *smiling sigh*

What I Don’t Love Much: NOTHING!

Beautiful Words: The whole book is actually a collection of beautiful wise words. I could put them all here! 😀 But my favorite is this one:

Rating:      (GREAT READ!)

–

10th – A book that’s guaranteed to bring you joy – One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

What is it about: With two jobs and two children, Jess Thomas does her best day after day. But it’s hard on your own. And sometimes you take risks you shouldn’t. Because you have to . . .

Jess’s gifted, quirky daughter Tanzie is brilliant with numbers, but without a helping hand she’ll never get the chance to shine. And Nicky, Jess’s teenage stepson, can’t fight the bullies alone.

Sometimes Jess feels like they’re sinking . . .

Into their lives comes Ed Nicholls, a man whose life is in chaos, and who is running from a deeply uncertain future. But he has time on his hands. He knows what it’s like to be lonely. And he wants to help…

What I Love: It made me smile, chuckle and almost laugh, and it also made me cry, and almost weep.

Tinge with life’s complexities and miseries like bullying and a lying husband, Jojo Moyes have written such a beautiful book that is raw in emotion.

What I Don’t Love Much: Actually, nothing. This book is great. But it will not get five hearts because Me Before You is still better. 🙂

Wise Words:

“The choices you make now will determine the rest of your life.”

“Because even if the whole world was throwing rocks at you, if you still had your mother or father at your back, you’d be okay.”

“When you work hard to get somewhere, it’s quite nice to show people where you belong.”

Rating:      (Good read, definitely!)

–

11th – A book that is published in 2016 – Never Never: Part Three(Never Never, #3) by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

What is it about: Together, Silas Nash and Charlize Wynwood must look deeper into the past to find out who they were and who they want to be. With time ticking down, the couple are in a race to find the answers they need before they lose everything. Can they regain what they once had? And will it restore who they once were?

What I Love: The romantic toe-curler lines. Yes, they brought back the high school in me! 😀

What I Don’t Love Much: My Goodreads review is…

Impressed, that was me after Never, Never Part 1. A bit impressed, a bit confused, that was me after I read Never, Never Part 2. Not impressed, so confused, that was me after I read Never Never Part 3. That was it? Really? That was it? *sigh*

so there…

Cheesy Words: 

“Texts get deleted and conversations fade, but I swear I’ll have every single letter you’ve written for me  until the day I die.”

Rating:   (Good yet a bit disappointing.)

–

12th – A sequel – Lullabies by Lang Leav

What is it about:  A sequel to the hugely popular, best-selling Love & Misadventure, Lullabies continues to explore the intricacies of love and loss.

Set to a musical theme, love’s poetic journey in this new, original collection begins with a Duet and travels through Interlude and Finale with an Encore popular piece from the best-selling Love & Misadventure. Lang Leav’s evocative poetry speaks to the soul of anyone who is on this journey.

What I Love: EVERYTHING! Yes! 😀 This might be more painful but this is still awesome. The poems, the ironies, the stories do tug the heartstrings!

What I Don’t Love Much: NOTHING!

Beautiful Words: Among the many gorgeous poems and lines, this is my favorite. ❤

Rating:      (GREAT READ!)

—

©2016 Rosemawrites@A Reading Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Photo credit: Pop Sugar and Goodreads

Story Summary: Goodreads