Book Review: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

“We’re constantly changing facts, rewriting history to make things easier, to make them fit in with our preferred version of events,” – S.J. Watson, Before I Go to Sleep.

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29th – Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ (Good read, definitely!)

What is it about: As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I’m still a child, thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me…

Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love–all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.

Welcome to Christine’s life.

What I Love: It kept me guessing until the end. It’s one engrossing read.

What I Don’t Love Much: There are parts that are a bit boring.

Wise Words: We’re constantly changing facts, rewriting history to make things easier, to make them fit in with our preferred version of events. We do it automatically. We invent memories. Without thinking. If we tell ourselves something happened often enough we start to believe it, and then we can actually remember it.

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

Photo and Story Summary: Goodreads and Unsplash

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I have read over 50 books already! And I would like to share what I think about them with you! ❤

Doing so made me nostalgic because this is where A Reading Writer has started—a book blog. Before I discovered I can actually write. 😉

Please let me know your thoughts if you have read some of the books I’ll be reviewing soon.

Thank you! 🙂

Best Read Books of 2015

Out of 48 books read last year, only eleven (11) were given five stars. And they are…

Mystery/Thrillers

The Pelican Brief  by John Grisham

With twists and turns I have never predicted, this book made me an automatic fan of John Grisham.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

A book I have written a full-length review is surely a special one. I just love the melancholic and creepy story told by a unique storyteller.

Defending Jacob by William Landay

Insanely creepy yet touches realistic emotions of a family. The ending will surely give you goosies!

1st to Die (Women’s Murder Club, #1)  by James Patterson

I’ve been a Patterson fan and this book surely did not disappoint. With red herrings all over the place, he’ll surprise you with a twist you didn’t see coming.

Contemporary Fiction

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

I am not actually a  fan of medical drama novels but this one really moved me. Lisa Genova was able to tell the horrors of Alzheimer’s disease with candor, braveness and emotional softness. It’s just exquisitely done, definitely moving.

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

If you think this is a typical infidelity/love affair novel, think again. Liane Moriarty’s well-told story about a broken marriage without the usual cheating issues will make you a fan.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

The ending of this Jodi Picoult masterpiece still lingers on me a year after I finished it. As my 100th read book and with its special story about motherhood and elephants, this is indeed one of the best novels that I have read last year.

Young Adult

Every Day (Every Day, #1) by David Levithan

The unique premise and the subtle complexity of the characters will really grip you and make you read this mysterious yet heartwarming novel in one seating. David Levithan is surely an author worth reading.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Its cover will pique your interest but it is the rawness of the story inside that will give you a major book hangover. It took me two days to brush off the roller coaster of emotions that Jennifer Niven has given me. P.S. Get tissues once you reach the last chapters.

Historical/Adult Fiction

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

A book worthy of its Pulitzer Prize award. A novel written in eloquent prose poetic paragraphs equipped with vivid imagery and breathtaking metaphors. Every readers should brave the more than 500-pages, because this is a novel truly worth reading.

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

I am definitely a Mitch Albom fan, but that is not the sole reason why this book gained five stars. It’s how the simple words were written in such a gorgeous way. It’s how every paragraph breathes the story. It’s how the end of each chapters that’ll make you gasp with surprise or melancholy. This book is great, really great.

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

Photo credit: Favim and Goodreads

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What are the best books that you’ve read last year?

What book in this list piqued your interest?

I would love to know!

❤

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2015 Reading Challenge Super Update

Six more books, one more month! 

It was October 21 when I last posted an update on the PopSugar 2015 Reading Challenge that I participated into! What a shame right? (facepalm)

A bigger shame is that after more than a month, I was only able to read five (05) books only! Like, seriously! 😐 One final blow is that Goodreads said I am one book behind. Argh! >_<

Nonetheless, excuse my rants because now I am still happy to post about the reading challenge and the five great books that I’ve read! Here they are…

A book more than 100 years old (40th) – Alice in Wonderland (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, #1) by by Lewis Carroll

Thoughts: I’ve watched a lot of Alice in Wonderland-inspired cartoons, TV shows and even a film based on it so I am really familiar with the story. On the other hand, I still found this book an entertaining novel to read. I am still not a fan of classics, though.

Rating: 💖 💖 (It’s okay. It might work for you.)

A book that came out the year you were born (41st) – The Pelican Brief by John Grisham

Thoughts: Just when I thought I’ve the best whodunit and crime authors, I stumbled upon a John Grisham novel that was first published in 1992. After I started reading it at around 9 in the evening and it kept me awake until around 3 in the morning the next day, (it’s a 400-page book), I can definitely assure you that this book is insanely great! I missed crime mysteries that can keep me awake until the next morning and I found it!

Rating: 💖 💖 💖 💖 💖 (a MUST read!)

A (classic) romance (42nd) – See Me by Nicholas Sparks 

Thoughts: To those who’ve been following my blog for a while now, you know how I love Nicholas Sparks and how excited I was when I learned that a new novel will be out before 2015 ends.

It was released. I’ve read it. But this is the first time that I am posting about it. And I know it is unusual for a fan like me (who is actually one of the thousands who voted for the winning cover!).

Well, to tell you honestly, I was a bit disappointed with this novel. Not because it is horrible, it is not! It’s just that there are probably better novels from him that I’ve read before. Maybe I set the bar too high and this book was not able to achieve it.

I still love Sparks, though!

Rating: 💖 💖 💖 (You MAY read it!)

A book at the bottom of your to-read list (43rd) – The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

Thoughts: Of course! You know how I am not excited about this novel from my so loved author (excited is an understatement)! I’ve already shared the Top Ten Quotes that I Loved from this awesome book, too!

And did you know that Mitch himself shared my post on his facebook page!

This is one of the glorious moments of my fangirling! 😀

So where are we now? Hmm… my thoughts! This is a great book, not just because Mitch is Mitch and I love Mitch. It’s the story, it’s the words, it’s the content that make this novel special.

If you loved how the prose poetry style of Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See and Mitch’s signature insightful and moving life lessons, read this, NOW! 😉

Rating: 💖 💖 💖 💖 💖 (Please oh, please READ this!)

A book based on a true story (44th) – Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Thoughts: I have heard about the movie version of this book before I stumbled upon this novel. It has its great moments, but there are honestly some dull ones that made me skip some pages. (Sorry, I know it’s a sin.)

Rating: 💖 💖 (You MAY read it. It might work for you.)

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There you go!

What have you been reading lately?

Do you have a reading challenge? How was it?

I would love to hear them!

🙂

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©2015 Rosemawrites@A Reading Writer. All Rights Reserved.

2015 Reading Challenge: A book you we’re supposed to read in school (39th)

“What do we call visible light? We call it color. But the electromagnetic spectrum runs to zero in one direction and infinity in the other, so really, children, mathematically, all of light is invisible.” ― Anthony Doerr

After almost two weeks of reading at night, I can now finally post an update for the PopSugar 2015 Reading Challenge. This book required a lot of time and effort. But once you’re done, you can definitely say that it is worth it.

Disclaimer: I am not a student anymore, but I think my former school libraries and my English teachers now suggest reading this book. 🙂

A book you we’re supposed to read in school (39th) – All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

Thoughts:

This book has intimidated me for quite sometime now. But after a few book friends told me to please try it, I took a leap of courage and read!

530 pages are, for me, tedious but this book is just… phenomenal.

I promise to write my review as soon as possible!

(fingers crossed)

🙂

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2015 Reading Challenge Update: A book you own but have never read (38th)

“Everything’s a risk. Not doing anything is a risk. It’s up to you.” – Nicola Yoon

A book you own but have never read (38th) – Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

– Goodreads

Finally!!!

I was able to read this book and yes, I think it is definitely unique and it is a stand out..

But…

I think I have to write a review.

🙂

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2015 Reading Challenge Update: A book with a color in the title (37th)

Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not find God. – Alice Walker

A book with a color in the title (37th) – The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on the life of women of color in the southern United States in the 1930s, addressing numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture.

The novel has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000-2009 at number seventeen because of the sometimes explicit content, particularly in terms of violence.

– Goodreads

Written through letters, this novel tell the sad story of ‘colored’ woman in America.

I am not American but the characters are relatable.

I hope to write a review of this book, soon.

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2015 Reading Challenge Update: A book set in the future (36th)

“Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no need of change.” – H. G. Wells

A book set in the future (36th) – The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

“I’ve had a most amazing time….”

So begins the Time Traveller’s astonishing firsthand account of his journey 800,000 years beyond his own era—and the story that launched H.G. Wells’s successful career and earned him his reputation as the father of science fiction. With a speculative leap that still fires the imagination, Wells sends his brave explorer to face a future burdened with our greatest hopes…and our darkest fears. A pull of the Time Machine’s lever propels him to the age of a slowly dying Earth.  There he discovers two bizarre races—the ethereal Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks—who not only symbolize the duality of human nature, but offer a terrifying portrait of the men of tomorrow as well.

-Goodreads

Sorry. But I don’t like it.

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2015 Reading Challenge Update: A (photo)graphic novel (35th)

“You don’t know me. You know one me, just like I know one you. And you can’t know every me, and I can’t know every you.” – Evan

Here’s another update for my 2015 Reading Challenge!

A graphic novel (35th) –  Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

I am not really fond of graphic novels/comics. I have also a hard time in picking a book that will suit this category.

Until I read this novel. Every You, Every Me is supposedly my book with antonyms (me and you are antonyms right? :))

But when I read David Levithan’s acknowledgement part, I have confirmed that this is indeed a photographic novel. So, voila! (If you have violent reactions that will be fine with me ;))

So there.

I will be writing a review for this awesome novel soon!!!

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2015 Reading Challenge Update: A MEMOIR (34th)

Entertaining yet insightful.

That is the memoir that I have read for my 2015 Reading Challenge.

Here it is:

A Memoir (34th) : On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

This is a book that every writer should read. With no less than Stephen King as this novel’s author, On Writing is full of funny childhood stories and informative tips and advices about writing.

I will not say a lot any more because I will write a review for this great book, soon!

So there.

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BOOK READS: A Review of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Emotionally haunting. Vividly described violence while expressing hope. 

After reading Markus Zusak‘s I Am the Messenger , I was convinced that he is indeed a not-your-ordinary author.

And as I read The Book Thief, I have proven how ‘deep’ he really is.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Published: 2005

Rating: 💖💖💖 (You MAY read it.)

THE STORY:

Liesel Meminger, a nine-year old girl, is surrounded with tragedies. She saw her brother died. Her mother left her in Himmel Street with her new parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann.

Amid the war and the violence during the German Nazi regime, Liesel has become her own kind of criminal. She chose to be a Book Thief.

Little does she know that her love of words will lead her to her life’s greatest despair.

THE BLURB:

It took me more than a month to finish this book. This is not because the story is boring. It is in fact because the story’s depth requires time to fully understand.

Markus Zusak is indeed a one-of-a-kind author with unique techniques in telling his own story. His chosen storyteller in this novel is creepy yet emotionally touching at the same time.

I can’t also help but admire how he used silence to highlight the violence surrounding Liesel.

Though this story is full of sense and contains strong emotions, I still give this book 3 hearts rating because I think it is a bit too long.

Nonetheless, The Book Thief is still a story worth reading.

THE WISE WORDS:

People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends. 

People have defining moments, I suppose, especially when they’re children.

THE WRAP:

A dark story told by a creepy storyteller. A novel not short of depthness, worth and hope.

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