It's the 2018 Reading Challenge!

Jan. 02. 2018

Happy 2018!! It's a new year and the season to make resolutions and promises to ourselves (that we most likely won’t keep after the first month! 😉) While we're making resolutions, why don't we add one more to our list -- to read a certain number or types of books this year?

If you've never read a certain genre before, perhaps this is the year to try something new and read a different genre, - maybe a mystery or sci-fi book, a religious or historical romance... something different from your norm.

Maybe you’re someone who reads a few books in a year, or you’re one who can barely finish one… whatever your past reading habits may have been, why don’t you consider committing to reading 1 book a month for the year 2018? It’s certainly doable, and I'm about to get on that commitment wagon!

I'm committing to reading 12 books this year (excluding books I accept for review), and will include books in genres I normally wouldn't read.

Okay, okay, more like 10 books, if I'm being honest. I’ll admit it can be a tad challenging trying to keep up with a reading list when you've got hundreds of review requests to consider and books waiting to be read. I've got a few books in my To Read list that I'd love to jump on though, so this is my opportunity to make it happen. I used to be able to read at least 5-6 books a month; now I'm ready to get back on that reading treadmill and work my way through this challenge.

Why don't you join me in my run? Let's do this together in 2018 -- roughly 1 book a month, minimum of 10 for the whole year. I’ll gladly share with you my list of 10 books I've chosen to read (in no particular order), and I promise to give a brief 200-word review after completing each. Of course, you don't have to read from my list if you don’t want to; feel free to insert your choice of books for your own challenge.

Here's to a fruitful and healthy reading life in 2018!

1. Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman (Fantasy)
2. Tomorrow Died Yesterday, by Chiemeka Garricks (Literary Fiction)
3. Rich Woman, by Kim Kiyosaki (Self Help, Non-Fiction)
4. The Silent Wife, by Kerry Fisher (Mystery)
5. Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng (Literary Fiction)
6. Diary of A Young Girl, by Anne Frank (History, Non-Fiction)
7. Vision, by Tom King & Gabriel Walta (Graphic Literature, Fiction)
8. Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold, by Ellen O'Connell (Historical Romance)
9. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, by John Locke (Philosophy, Non-Fiction)
10. Becoming Naomi Leon, by Pam Munoz Ryan (Y/A)

Swap list below -- if, for any reason, I'm unable to finish any of the books above. You should create a 'swap' list too!

1. How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie (Self Help, Non-Fiction)
2. Where'd You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple (Literary Fiction)
3. A Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity, by Lee Strobel (Christian Nonfiction)
4. The One I Trust, by L.N. Cronk (Christian Fiction)
5. Vanishing Girls, by Lauren Oliver (General Fiction)
6. Dear Ijeawele, Or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Literary Nonfiction)

Book Review - Everything The Heart Wants

Book Summary:
Writer Halley Brennan couldn't dream up a better love story than her own. Married for eleven years, she and her husband, Adam, are still living their happily ever after. They both know what they want—and don’t want—for their life together. And that includes being child-free. But when one of them has a change of heart about wanting a baby, it brings their marriage and life plans into harsher focus.

Devastated that this bombshell might destroy their relationship, Halley finds comfort in her closest friends: Nina, who’s finally pregnant after years of trying; her sister, Charlotte, an overwhelmed mother of three; and Marian, a successful businesswoman who regrets letting go of her one true love.

Now, with their guidance and support, Halley begins a painful journey of self-discovery. As she searches her heart to make a life-changing decision for both herself and Adam, she realizes that someone is bound to get hurt. Will their perfect love be too great a sacrifice for everything her heart wants?

******

Everything the Heart Wants by Savannah Page is a story about identity, being totally true to yourself, and just being downright brave. Halley, the narrator and main character, is quite the strong and resilient character even in her moments of weakness, to put it mildly. Be prepared to feel a roller coaster of emotions tumble through you as you go on this emotional journey with Halley. You might even get upset and take a break for a few hours or days as you try to wrap your head around some things, and understand some decisions made. It was difficult to accept the decisions Halley made were real and final, even though deep down I knew she was right. I thought she was being selfish (perhaps a part of me still thinks so), and that frustrated me to no end.

This is a ‘real-talk’ book about being true to yourself in every sense of the word. Would you be willing to sacrifice love so you can stand by what you want out of life? Or do you sacrifice what you stand for in order to have -- and keep -- love? What do you do when you can't have what/who you love and also stand by your heart's true desire?

These are obviously tough questions we women face at some point in our lives, maybe not in the exact circumstance as Halley and Adam, but in other situations as well. How far would you go (in spite of what you stand to lose) to stay true to yourself? They were tough questions I struggled to answer along with Halley, and although my answers at the end were different from Halley's, I respected her decision very much, and I know it took a lot of brevity and courage to take that leap. To the women who are brave enough to stand for what they truly want and take those tough leaps, they're true heroes and I applaud them for their courage.

Savannah Page is a great writer, and I'd no doubt read other books by her. I feel privileged to have read this one!

I received a copy of this novel from the Publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

GENRE: Women's fiction/Literary fiction

COARSE LANGUAGE: Low

VIOLENCE: None

SEXUAL CONTENT: Moderate

MATERIAL CONNECTION: Given to me by publisher in exchange for review 

Graphic Literature - Pictures With Words or Words with Pictures?

Courtesy: clipart-library.com

It’s been interesting to see how much graphic novels have taken a turn in the last decade. Not comic books, but graphic novels. Adult graphic books were termed as juvenile trash that supposedly ruined the young minds that read them, either corrupting their minds or making them too reliant on image, thus stagnating their reading abilities.

Despite these criticisms, it seems the genre has greatly evolved, and I have to say I've become a HUGE fan of the graphics. Again, we're not referring to comic books like Archie, Marvel or DC series (although I love these). I’m talking about literature (and everything it embodies) in graphic form.

In some ways, graphic books say a lot more than narratives do. It's one thing to type out the emotion of a character and simply read it. It’s another to visualize that emotion and see it utterly outlined in great and intricate detail by the artist. While a situation is described in a narrative, with graphics you actually get to see this situation and analyze it yourself through the images. Needless to say [and not to undermine the work of narrative authors], a lot of hard work is put in the single production and publication of a graphic novel.

So is graphic literature pictures with words, or words with pictures?

Although both the graphics and words complement each other, I believe this particular genre is picture with words rather than words with pictures. Children’s books are what I call words with pictures (illustrations), because they consist of narrations and illustrations to better describe the words. The illustrations don’t have to be there, but it’s there to help the child with better understanding and comprehension. Graphic literature leans more on the graphics, and the words are simply there to help describe the illustration. 

Can the graphics still bring understanding without words? Yes, they can. Some graphics speak for themselves with no words needed; infact, there are existing adult graphic novels that are simply images with zero words. When an artist is able to successfully portray an intricate story line simply by their graphics alone with little or no words, then they have reached a pretty high level of artistic and aesthetic achievement in the history of graphic books and art in general.

Let me introduce you to a few graphic novels that spiked my interest during my undergrad as an English major, thus planting the love seed in me:

When I read these, my interest immediately skyrocketed and I knew I had to know more, and read more.

So I read some more, and there's been no going back since... 

These are a few lovely books I've had the pleasure to read and I know will open your eyes and mind to one of the most amazing reading experiences you’ll ever encounter. If you appreciate art as much as I do but have never read graphic literature before, try something new today and pick one up; I guarantee you'll come out of this reading experience a different, more enlightened person.

PS: Check out my review of this nonfiction graphic novel - Quiet Girl in A Noisy World: An Introvert's Story.

15 Signs You're a Book Eccentric

September 6, 2017

Ahh, the beautiful world of books. If you’re reading this, then it means you either have some interest in books, or you somehow found yourself on this page and are probably slightly… curious. Either way, whether you’re a new visitor or a regular, come play a little game with me and let’s find out if you embody the traits of a Book Eccentric. If you say Yes to all 15 scenarios below, then you’re most certainly one of us. *Big wink*

You're a Book Eccentric if...

1.    Reading is definitely on your hobby list – or perhaps your only one. You do little else in your spare time. Maybe watch a little TV here and there, maybe hang out now and then, but 85% of your 'play' time is spent with your eyes buried in a book

2.    Your eyes light up when you drive or walk by a bookstore. You have the urge to just pop in quickly and look around, even though you know doing so will make you late for work, or school, or that job interview

3.    While at the bookstore, even if you don’t buy a book, the mere sight and touch and feel of them… is enough to satisfy you. Temporarily. Until your next trip to the bookstore… tomorrow. When you actually buy a book

4.    You make mental notes and correct errors you come across on your social media feeds. Yes, that one friend on Facebook that keeps mis-using ‘you’re’ and ‘your’. Ughh

5.    You have a hard time pinpointing a favorite book – because you've read too many amazing books to decide on one

6.    You’re confused by people who say they don’t read. What’s life like for these people, you wonder

7.    You mourn a favorite character’s death like they were your real-life relative, best friend or spouse

8.    You love love love the scent of a fresh new paperback

9.    Your heart fills up with joy and climactic anticipation just staring at your e-book collection of unread books, or holding newly-purchased print copies in your hands

10. You find way deeper meanings and interpretations to a book’s theme than the author ever intended

11. You most likely majored in English. Or Literature. Or both

12. You laugh or gasp out loud while reading in public. Who cares who’s watching? Something major just happened to your fav character!

13. You try to convert others to become a Book Eccentric like you... you shake your head in disappointment when they look at you like you’re an alien

14. You absolutely cannot and will not watch the movie until you finish the book. Period.

15. You have serious book hangovers that last for days. You’re still reeling over what just happened to Will in Me Before You (by Jojo Moyes), shocked that it really did happen and wondering why he couldn't have somehow worked it out with Louisa whom he’d fallen in love with and who loved him back. Yep, major hangover

Did you affirm to all 15 signs? 13? How about 10? If you said Yes to even 1 of the above signs, then you’re on your way to becoming a Book Eccentric.

That’s right. It’s time to embrace the eccentric in you ;)