Last Year, I did the reading challenge again over at Goodreads.  As you know I love reading but setting a goal kind of makes me more conscious of carving out time to actually read.

I set a goal of  75 books for 2013 but unfortunately I didn't finish it. I still read a lot but being crazy busy last year made it a bit more difficult. I ended the year with 53.   Nevertheless, I am still proud.

My Top 5 Reads last year

1. Eleanor and Park 
2. The Book Thief
3. Hopeless
4. The Triple Agent
5. Tiger Lily

Eleanor and Park

Friday, I planned on getting to work early but I started reading Eleanor & Park and lost all care for time until I finished.  I love everything about this book - especially the part where Park loved music and Eleanor not being the perfect leading girl. :)


Best Parts of the book:

• Park and his mix tapes
• All the holding hands they did
• Whispering during their way to school
•  Eleanor's curly red hair

This is a snapshot of my favorite part of the book.

The Fault in our Stars

Last Monday I started reading John Green's newest book, The Fault in our stars.  It was so good; I couldn't put it down for the life of me until I am done.  I love everything about it.  I especially love the characters and the amazing timing where I fall in love with each of them as the book progress.

I find so much of my current self in Hazel.  I love the fact that she'd rather stay at home and read books or watch a marathon of reality tv than go out.  Sure she's sick and I am not - but still, staying home wins for me.  Augustus is incredibly wonderful and generous and ultimately likable for all the right reason.  Now, Isaac is a delightful surprise.  He is a secondary character but whenever he pops in the page, I am always certain I will love him.

I know it is still pretty early in the year, but this book could easily be one of my favorites this year.


♥  In the darkest days, the Lord puts the best people in your life.


♥  There is no shortage of fault to be found in our stars.


♥  You don't get to choose if your get hurt in this world, but your do have some say in who hurts you.

50. Fixing Delilah

And my 2011 50 Book Challenge is ovah!  This is the last book to complete it. :)

Fixing Delilah is a novel by Sarah Ockler about a girl trying to piece together her past in trying to move on to better future.  I love that the story revolves around the Hannigan girls and how they find themselves challenged when it comes to talking about their feelings and the things that happened to their families.  My favorite character of course is Patrick. I got really giddy when I read the love story between Patrick and Delilah. ♥


♥  It‘s complicated. I think when bad things happen—whether someone dies or people argue or split up—you get to a point where it‘s just too hard to go back. There‘s so much lost. So many versions of the truth. So many versions of how things might‘ve turned out differently. We all long for what could have been. For some people, it‘s just easier to move forward and try to forget.

49. An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines is another book by John Green.  I saw this book before but only started reading last week.  It is pretty interesting how the plot was written, about one boy falling in love with different girls with the same name! :)  I actually have no favorite character in this book but I kind of wish Lindsey's middle name is Katherine too. 


♥ What's the point in being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?

48. Bossypants

I enjoy reading memoirs and Tina Fey's book is no exception! I love how I get Tina in the entire book. I can imagine her saying those words. And it is really funny!

Here is my favorite part:

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.  May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it's the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach's eye, not the Beauty.  When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.  Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called "Hell Drop," "Tower of Torture" or "The Death Spiral Rock 'N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith," and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.



Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.  What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf-course design? I'm asking You because if I knew, I'd be doing it, Youdammit.  May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.  Grant her a Rough Patch from 12 to17. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short--a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day--And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.



O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.  And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it. And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 a.m., all-at-once exhausted, bored and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.  "My mother did this for me once," she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby's neck. "My mother did this for me." And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I'll know because I peeped it with Your God eyes.






Amen.

47. Keeping the Moon

This is the first novel by Sarah Dessen that I've read.  It took me less than a month to finish this as I was I only read it if I'm in the mood. :)

This book is about knowing who and what you are.  About finding love - love for self and love from others.


♥ Being brave and self-confident doesn't necessarily start inside... It starts with the rest of the world, and it leads back to you.

46. Genesis

Genesis is a science fiction novel by Bernard Beckett. I started reading this at 5a in the morning and by 2p I am finished. I find myself reading this kind of books lately and totally enjoying it. The lead character in this story is Anaximander, a history student that is new candidate for The Academy. I loved how articulate she is and how sure of her strengths.


♥ A society that fears knowledge is a society that fears itself.

♥ In the end, living is defined by dying.

45. Nineteen Minutes

Another book by Jodi Picoult, this took just a couple of days to finish. By now, I am pretty much familiar by how she writes. This story is a bit like Columbine in the sense that the lead character started shooting his classmates at school after a lifetime of being bullied. It is pretty easy to read and wasn't too heavy to deal with given the heart of the story. I didn't like most of the character in this book, especially Josie because I felt she is too wishy washy.

♥ Happiness is what you choose to remember.

44. How to be good

How to be good by Nick Hornby is basically about a woman’s struggle to keep herself together despite the things that are happening in and around her. I love how Katie isn’t perfect and has quite a lot of questions and reservations about her husband’s way of being “good”.

I can totally relate to Katie. The way she would question her intentions, not fairly sure if she should do the right thing. It is so human.

♥ So now what? What happens when words fail us?

43. Second Glance

I read another book by Jodi Picoult. This wasn’t my favorite definitely, but this is one of the most interesting of her books. This talked about love, ghosts and eugenics.

I found eugenics really interesting because I cannot fathom people doing this to other people. It is ugly and wrong, especially if you look at it as the ground work for what the Nazi did then.

♥Love is not a because, it's a no matter what.

♥Heroes didn't leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they didn't wear boots and capes. They bled, and they bruised, and their superpowers were as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else's. And maybe that one act could lead someone to rescue you right back.

♥People work too hard to figure out the meaning of their lives. Why me, why now. The truth is, sometimes things don't happen to you for a reason. Sometimes it's just about being in the right place at the right time for someone else."

42. Room

I started reading this book quite a long time ago, but I was only able to finish it recently. I was so bored in the beginning, it was really dragging. I just wanted to finish it already (not in a good way.) My favorite character is Steppa. The least favorite will be Ma.

♥ In the world I notice persons are nearly always stressed and have no time...I don't know how persons with jobs do the jobs and all the living as well...I guess the time gets spread very thin like butter all over the world, the roads and houses and playgrounds and stores, so there's only a little smear of time on each place, then everyone has to hurry on to the next bit.

41. Water for Elephants

I liked Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I started reading and just couldn’t stop. The lead character, Jacob is my favorite. Both the old and young Jacob.

♥ Keeping up the appearance of having all your marbles is hard work, but important.

♥ Life is the most spectacular show on earth

40. Sing You Home

This is another book by Jodi Picoult. It took me quite a long time to read this, the beginning part was really dragging and I find myself distracted by either the TV or other more exciting books.

I did like the story though. It wasn’t what I expected – granted I didn’t have any expectation when I started reading. I was actually totally clueless what the story what about. I love the ending and how love won.

♥ The music we listen to may not define who we are. But it’s a damn good start.

39. Divergent

I read another dystopian novel, this time by Veronica Roth. I love this book so much; I read it in one go. Definitely in the Young Adults category, it is fairly easy to read. It’s about Beatrice Prior finding a place in the world and finding love too. It is kind of a cliff-hanger.

♥ Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up.

♥ Lies require commitment

♥ A brave man acknowledges the strength of others

38. The Sky is Everywhere

A wonderful novel by Jandy Nelson, this left me wanting for my own Joe. Someone, cute, confident, plays every single musical instrument and came from Paris. :D This book is more than a love story, it talks about finding a reason to stand alone after playing second fiddle for as long as you can remember. For me, it’s about sisterhood, secrets and strength.

Favorite place in the book is the bedroom in the middle of the forest. I wish I have that to run to every time I need out.

"Grief and love are conjoined, you don't get one without the other. All I can do is love her, and love the world, emulate her by living with daring and spirit and joy."

37. Delirium

Delirium by Lauren Oliver is a dystopia novel. I haven’t been reading books from this genre but this novel is a total surprise – good one.

Ultimately, it is a love story between Alex and Lena which I both liked. I couldn’t imagine living without real emotions. Ridding or in this book “curing” people of Love is such a ridiculous idea.

♥ I run for I don't know how long. Hours, maybe, or days. Alex told me to run. So I run. You have to understand. I am no one special. I am just a single girl. I am five feet two inches tall and I am in-between in every way. But i have a secret. You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but i will find a way to resist. And there are many of us out there, more than you think. People who refuse to stop believing. People who refuse to come to earth. People who love in a world without walls, people who love into hate, into refusal, against hope,and without fear. I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.

36. Something Blue

Another book by Emily Griffin, this time Darcy took the lead. I love the setting, London. I love Ethan and how honest and sensitive and amazingly giving he is. Darcy, I don’t care much for. I still root for Rachel, even if she was barely a part of this book. J

♥ Love and friendship. They are what make us who we are, and what can change us, if we let them.

♥ You can only control your own actions. Not other people’s reactions.

35. Cant you speak louder God

I just finished reading this book by Steve Shultz. Two ideas that were impressed in my heart were:

1. God, from when we were born has been speaking to us. You may call it anyway you want, could be intuition, that small voice in our heads - that is God. How can we not hear Him, when He is inside of us? Sometimes, we just have to strain to hear him but He is there.

2. Prophecy. It should be comforting, encouraging and edifying. It should build us up and make us stronger. Sometimes, we think its bad things, what we need to do is to come in faith to God and pray that those bad things won't come to pass.

34. Paper Towns

Paper towns is another novel by John Green, another really good novel at that. The characters are relatable except for Margo Roth Spiegelman. Quentin is my favourite in this book, next Radar then Ben. Ben, I love because he became a total hero in the end. J

I totally picked up something new in this book, that paper towns are faux places placed on maps for copyright purposes. This is such a brilliant idea don’t you think? The book is easy enough to read, and there are funny bits here and there. But it is true what the cover states, it is surprisingly moving. Sometimes I think, I wanna be part of a great adventure like this – except, I am getting too old. Hahaha.

One line that struck me in in this novel is this: It’s so hard to leave - until you leave. And then it is the easiest thing in the world. This is without a doubt the real deal. I felt this way 8 months ago. J

♥ When things break, its not the actual breaking that prevents them from getting back together again. Its because a little piece gets lost - the two remaining ends couldn’t fit together even if they wanted to. The whole shape has changed.