BOOK | WHAT I'VE READ

When was the last time I wrote a post about books? I hardly remember! I've read some books, more than 13 books last year and 5 books this year so far (I wanted to read more but I worked on my thesis so basically had no social life or me-time). 

So, I want to share some of my favourite dystopian books I've read. Hopefully, this post gives you inspiration on what to read next! 

BOOK | EVERY LAST WORD

I finished this book within a day - no, actually less than 20 hours. None ever recommended this book, I'm glad this book found me. It was on my iBooks for so long, only God knew when I downloaded it. As long as I can recall, I love the cover. The idea of simplicity and purity, yet seems to reach out for you as it can actually speaks its story. Maybe this was why I had it for so long. I don't know. 

So, I read it sometime around 11 p.m.-ish, scrolled down to find something to read before go to bed and I just picked it up randomly. In few pages, this book already pulled me in. Like, really made me wondering what's going on here?

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone is a book about Samantha McAllister, a popular girl at her school who is actually hiding her OCD and intrusive thoughts. She looks very normal with driving cool car, doing makeup, a swim athlete, but also mastering at acting and keeping secrets from her best friends. Not everything we see is the truth, right?

The story about mental illness, how to cope with that, how it affected our personal life, how people react to it, there are so many books about that and I've read that. But honestly, I've never read a book about mental illness this honest, raw and beautifully written before - not about OCD, at least. Correct me if I'm wrong. 

Every Last Word teaches me about how to outshine my own darkness. 

BOOK: CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?

Sophie Kinsella once again get me! 

This book is so funny, memorable, and very fun to read! It took me 2 hours - more or less - to finally come to the last page. I want to know how the ending is but at the same time, I don't want this book ended! This is so funny, I laugh out loud through most of this book! Another Sophie's best books for me! 

BOOKSHELF: A WORK IN PROGRESS

I don't usually read memoir or biographies/autobiographies but the day when I knew Connor Franta wrote a book, I feel the urge to buy and read his work. Not because he is one of my favourite YouTubers, but it is because I admire his creativity and the way he sees the world (now I sound like I know him really well) so I thought his writing will be something different. 

Unfortunately, his book wasn't available in any book stores at the city where I lived in when it came out. This happened so many times before, I get used to the delay. So I decided to wait for another month and then another years. I saw so many good reviews about this book, even it became #1 best seller at New York Times for 14 weeks (I'm not sure but he talked about this in his video) and that's something. 

I finally bought it online. The online book store that I trusted and it's from Singapore, so practically, I bought it import. It took 2 weeks until I got the beautiful paperback in my hand. Once I got it, I read it for 2 hours non-stop. 

BOOKSHELF: THE 5TH WAVE

The 5th Wave is an AWESOME sci-fi read!  

I’ve always been interested in aliens, and who isn’t? It’s scary to imagine contact with other another species, especially one that might be inimical. There are million theories about what will happen and what they’ll want. But, I think that if there are aliens out there, Rick Yancey’s vision may not be so far from the truth. Everything is logical and explained, which makes it all the more terrifying!

I wish I read this book SOONER! 

The plot is brilliant! Perfectly paced and really smart. It alternates between suspense, action and character development. You never know what’s going to happen next and are continually blown away by each new expansion. It gets inside your head in a paranoia inducing way. Reading the 5th Wave is a little like watching a lion chase it’s prey. You want to look and you don’t. You want to keep reading because you are hooked but don’t because you’re afraid something bad will happen to a character you like.

GONE GIRL: BOOK & MOVIE

I must admit that I read the book 2 or 3 months before the movie released. When I know there'll be a new movie adapted from a novel and people been crazy about this book since 2 years ago, I feel the need to read it first the watch the movie later. So, here's my thoughts about both of book and movie :)

BOOK REVIEW: IF I STAY

I haven't watch the movie because it's not coming to my country yet. duh

I wish I could give this more than 5 stars. It is amazing. I have never been so moved by a book before. I sobbed like a baby 

There are two kinds of books, those that you finish reading and leave you with fleeting memories of the attractive hero, the silly heroine, and the overall storyline, or perhaps all you noted was the glaring plot holes, inconsistencies, ridiculousness or flat characters. At any rate, it’s a book that you read, either like or dislike, but no sooner than you have turned the last page, it is out of sight and out of mind. Then there is the other kind of book that will touch your heart, or awaken a lingering memory or a potential fear that will haunt your mind so that even long after you’ve fallen asleep, your unconscious self is still wading through the details. Your dreams will be fitful and when you finally awaken, you will find yourself tangled up in sheets with puffy, swollen eyes from tears that you shed when you weren’t even aware enough to know you were crying. 

If I Stay is the second one

You may have noticed that YA books are flooded, or in this case wrecked, with parental death, but this one takes a tiring theme and gives it a psychological twist, or two. For me, the most interesting part was not the issues central to the themes of life and death, but the characters' varied and enthusiastic love of music. Give this one to music lovers be it punk or orchestral, and young musicians.