2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2016
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Ecem's 250+ books in 2016 - Challenge Completed with 275 books^^
*Let's Turn Pages Challenge: 21,052 /20,000 --- Challenge Completed*Popsugar Reading Challenge: 22/32
*Reading Challengers Challenge: 6/ 26
*Around the World in Books Challenge - 10/16
Wintersmith (Discworld, #35) by Terry PratchettI first came across "Wintersmith"s plot while checking on other books in Goodreads. The winter's soul - Wintersmith - falls in love with a trainee witch? Well, I 'had' to read it. Then I realized this is the third book of Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett. So I started from the first book, it was great, the second was even greater. But this one - the one I had my eye on from the beginnig - was the best in the series so far.
It is a hilarious (I laughed so hard many times in the middle of the night while I was reading it that I had to cover my mouth not to wake other people), honest (because it says, "Wake up, you are not living in a story, even if you are a witch, no magic can help you, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do with your own hands, that's the point of magic) and warm (coz these series always remind me the books which I lost myself in when I was a kid) book. I adore Terry Pratchett's writing style and the way of thinking. The way he saw the world was out of the box, and sometimes makes you think that how could you not see the elephant in front of your nose and could look beyond only.
Looking forward to read the last two books of the series. ^^
Mini Reviews for Buffy The Vampire Slayer's 8th Season:Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home (Season 8, #1) by Joss Whedon
It's a pretty good come back, but I have to say there are some inconsistencies with the show.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future for You (Season 8, #2) by Joss Whedon
Totally digging Faith in this one. :)
#108. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Haruhi Suzumiya, #1) by Nagaru Tanigawa (light novel)The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Review
Years ago, I watched The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya's (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu) anime series and movie twice. I loved the story and characters (especially Kyon is my favorite, Nagato comes second after him) so I bought the light novels to read more about this world. Yet, I've never really gotten around them, till recently I mentioned them to a friend. That made me pick up the first novel and dive into Haruhi's world after all these years. And God, I missed that world.
This is a very interesting story about a high school girl, Haruhi Suzumiya. She is not an ordinary girl and not satisfied with the boring world she is living in. When our narrator, Kyon first hears her introducing herself in front of the class, she makes clear that she has nothing to do with ordinary humans, and you can only become friends with her if you are an alien, a time-traveller or an esper. Even though Kyon is not one of those things and stays under the radar of Haruhi, he can't help himself but talk to this beautiful, moody and a bit crazy girl. Little does he know that this conversation attempts will bring the weight of the world upon his shoulders, since the melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - though she is oblivious of it - has the power of wiping out the world we all know.
There are really good parts in the novel that catch you off guard and you can't anticipate what will happen next. I really enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down, and sometimes couldn't help but feel for Haruhi and understand her constant and desperate search. It is one of the most original stories I've read so far, not to mention its Japanese author Nagaru Tanigawa won the grand prize at the eight annual Sneaker Awards with his this light novel. Looking forward to read the rest of the series. (One down, ten to go!) ^^
#108. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Haruhi Suzumiya, #1) by Nagaru Tanigawa (light novel)#109. The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya (Haruhi Suzumiya, #2) by Nagaru Tanigawa
#110. Dubliners by James Joyce
#111. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
#112. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
#113. The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter
#114. The Story of A Fierce Bad Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
#115. The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter
#116. The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse by Beatrix Potter
#117. The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse by Beatrix Potter
#118. Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes by Beatrix Potter
#118. Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes by Beatrix Potter :With this one, now I've read everything written by Beatrix Potter, I think. I've been meaning to read her stories since I was a kid, and I'm glad I could do it, even if it was years later. ^^
*Pages read so far: 22,780*Books read so far: 118
*Let's Turn Pages Challenge: 22,780 /20,000 --- Challenge Completed
*Popsugar Reading Challenge: 25/32
*Reading Challengers Challenge: 7/ 26
*Around the World in Books Challenge - 10/16
#119. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1) by L. Frank Baum#120. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
#121. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
#122. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, #1) by Ransom Riggs
#123. A Wind in the Door (Time Quintet, #2) by Madeleine L'Engle
#124. Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2) by Marissa Meyer
*Pages read so far: 25,157*Books read so far: 124
*Popsugar Reading Challenge: 27/32
*Reading Challengers Challenge: 8/ 26
*Around the World in Books Challenge - 10/16
#125. Ballet Shoes (Shoes, #1) by Noel Streatfeild#126. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
#127. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
#128. A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Time Quintet, #3) by Madeleine L'Engle
#129. The Classic FM Hall of Fame: The Greatest Classical Music of All Time by Darren Henley
#130. Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3) by Marissa Meyer
#131. Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5) by Marissa Meyer
#132. Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) by Marissa Meyer
#133. Hollow City (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, #2) by Ransom Riggs
#134. Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth
#135. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
#136. I Shall Wear Midnight (Discworld, #38) by Terry Pratchett
Pages read so far: 29,823*Books read so far: 136
*Popsugar Reading Challenge: 30/32
*Reading Challengers Challenge: 14/ 26
*Around the World in Books Challenge - 10/16
#137. The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1; Rincewind #1) by Terry Pratchett#138. OZ by Adam Fawer
#139. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
#140. Oddly Normal #1 by Otis Frampton
#141. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett
#142. Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn
#143. Seven Japanese Tales by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
#144. Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle, #1) by Diana Wynne Jones
#145. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
#146. Çizgili Tişört by Ersin Karabulut
*Pages read so far: 32,323*Books read so far: 146
*Popsugar Reading Challenge: 30/32
*Reading Challengers Challenge: 15/ 26
*Around the World in Books Challenge - 11/16
#137. The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1; Rincewind #1) by Terry Pratchett Review Well... This was a bit weird. So many different things happened in so little time and sometimes it was hard to follow. The characters start in one place and find themselves in a totally different place at the end that one may find really weird. Still though, I love Pratchett's world and writing style, it can make you stop time to time and realize a different way to see things and I love that, since they are like tiny illuminations. Also, may I say Rincewind reminded me a falling, Balrog fighting, "Fly you fools!" Gandalf at the end?^^ Let's see what happens next in the second book.
#138. OZ by Adam Fawer Review 2.5 Stars.
It's really interesting that Adam Fawer wrote this book only for his Turkish readers, with the encouragements of his Turkish friend. The Improbable was one of the books that affected me the most when I was in high school, so I was very excited when I heard he wrote a third book after all these years. This is a retelling of The Wizard of Oz story, with much more blood and violence and a bit weird other things (there is a junkie Dorothy for example) but it's totally not what I expected. I love retellings of the old stories, but this book wasn't a prominent one among many others. For one thing, the general language is always a bit sarcastic so I couldn't take any danger the characters faced seriously and it prevented me to lose myself in the book, and put a reality glass between me and the story.
There isn't a published original version of the book in English for now, but I can say the Turkish translator Algan Sezgintüredi did a really great job that his translation made me feel it was written in Turkish in the first place sometimes. Even the puns he translated weren't slightly out of place. Also it was nice to see from the song choices that the author also like The Beatles.
Yet, I couldn't like this book as much as I wanted. I guess I was waiting a darker story that'll make me say "wow" (coz The Improbable made me say "wow" at the end) but the ending was really like a teenage drama (like the character Iris said in the book) and wrapped up so quickly and so conveniently (not the mention Dorothy's change of heart in the last minute when it comes to the big issues like "boys") that it didn't leave a good taste in my palate, to be honest. So, it was OK, I guess, yet I believe Fawer could've written a much much better story with a material like The Wizard of Oz.
#147. The Matisse Stories by A.S. Byatt#148. Kağıttan Kediler by Selçuk Demirel
#149. The Double-Bass by Patrick Süskind
#150. Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman
#151. Orange 1 (オレンジ, #1) by Ichigo Takano#152. Orange 2 (オレンジ, #1) by Ichigo Takano
#153. Orange 3 (オレンジ, #1) by Ichigo Takano
#154. Orange 4 (オレンジ, #1) by Ichigo Takano
#155. Orange 5 (オレンジ, #1) by Ichigo Takano
#156. ひるなかの流星 1 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 1] (Daytime Shooting Star, #1) by Mika Yamamori#157. ひるなかの流星 2 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 2] (Daytime Shooting Star, #2) by Mika Yamamori
#158. ひるなかの流星 3 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 3] (Daytime Shooting Star, #3) by Mika Yamamori
#159. ひるなかの流星 4 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 4] (Daytime Shooting Star, #4) by Mika Yamamori
#160. ひるなかの流星 5 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 5] (Daytime Shooting Star, #5) by Mika Yamamori
#161. ひるなかの流星 6 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 6] (Daytime Shooting Star, #6) by Mika Yamamori
#162. ひるなかの流星 7 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 7] (Daytime Shooting Star, #7) by Mika Yamamori
#163. ひるなかの流星 8 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 8] (Daytime Shooting Star, #8) by Mika Yamamori
#164. ひるなかの流星 9 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 9] (Daytime Shooting Star, #9) by Mika Yamamori
#165. ひるなかの流星 10 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 10] (Daytime Shooting Star, #10) by Mika Yamamori
#166. ひるなかの流星 11 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 11] (Daytime Shooting Star, #11) by Mika Yamamori
#167. ひるなかの流星 12 [Hirunaka no Ryuusei 12] (Daytime Shooting Star, #12) by Mika Yamamori
#168. A Love Story In Moist Rainy Days by Mika Yamamori
#169. 暁のヨナ 1 [Akatsuki no Yona 1] by Mizuho Kusanagi#170. 暁のヨナ 2 [Akatsuki no Yona 2] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#171. 暁のヨナ 3 [Akatsuki no Yona 3] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#172. 暁のヨナ 4 [Akatsuki no Yona 4] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#173. 暁のヨナ 5 [Akatsuki no Yona 5] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#174. 暁のヨナ 6 [Akatsuki no Yona 6] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#175. 暁のヨナ 7 [Akatsuki no Yona 7] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#176. 暁のヨナ 8 [Akatsuki no Yona 8] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#177. 暁のヨナ 9 [Akatsuki no Yona 9] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#178. 暁のヨナ 10 [Akatsuki no Yona 10] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#179. 暁のヨナ 11 [Akatsuki no Yona 11] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#180. 暁のヨナ 12 [Akatsuki no Yona 12] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#181. 暁のヨナ 13 [Akatsuki no Yona 13] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#182. 暁のヨナ 14 [Akatsuki no Yona 14] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#183. 暁のヨナ 15 [Akatsuki no Yona 15] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#184. 暁のヨナ 16 [Akatsuki no Yona 16] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#185. 暁のヨナ 17 [Akatsuki no Yona 17] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#186. 暁のヨナ 18 [Akatsuki no Yona 18] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#187. 暁のヨナ 19 [Akatsuki no Yona 19] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#188. 暁のヨナ 20 [Akatsuki no Yona 20] by Mizuho Kusanagi
*Pages read so far: 40,168*Books read so far: 188
*Popsugar Reading Challenge: 30/32
*Reading Challengers Challenge: 15/ 26
*Around the World in Books Challenge - 12/16
Mini Reviews for Akatsuki no Yona Manga Series by Mizuho Kusanagi:暁のヨナ 16 [Akatsuki no Yona 16] :
Hak, you are so damn amazing. So damn amazing.
暁のヨナ 17 [Akatsuki no Yona 17] :
I wanna hug Zeno too! How magnificent is he? God, it was so hard to see him like that, I wanna join that group hug in the end too.
暁のヨナ 18 [Akatsuki no Yona 18] :
First generation. Zeno is amazing. Still love current four dragons more than the originals.
暁のヨナ 20 [Akatsuki no Yona 20] :
It's a really great story. I hope the next volumes and the second season of the anime will be published/aired soon.
Since I am very close to complete my reading challenge (188/200) and we are still in July, I've decided to set my goal higher, so I'm changing it to 250+ books in 2016.
Hello Ecem.I am really impressed!
I had completed my first goal and augmented it, but I will never achieve 250!
Well done
Annie
Do you read in Japanese too?Is Japanese a language you translate?
Thank you so much Annie :) Annie wrote: "Do you read in Japanese too?
Is Japanese a language you translate?"
No, actually I can't read in Japanese well yet, but I'm planning to improve my reading ability in Japanese soon (need to learn more kanji :)). On the other hand, I can do interpreting in Japanese a little bit, since my Japanese listening and speaking skills are much ahead than my reading and writing skills (which is weird coz usually it would be the opposite). These manga series were translated in English, so I read them in English, not in Japanese. :)
#189. Strobe Edge, Vol. 1 by Io Sakisaka#190. Strobe Edge, Vol. 2 by Io Sakisaka
#191. Strobe Edge, Vol. 3 by Io Sakisaka
#192. Strobe Edge, Vol. 4 by Io Sakisaka
#193. Strobe Edge, Vol. 5 by Io Sakisaka
#194. Strobe Edge, Vol. 6 by Io Sakisaka
#195. Strobe Edge, Vol. 7 by Io Sakisaka
#196. Strobe Edge, Vol. 8 by Io Sakisaka
#197. Strobe Edge, Vol. 9 by Io Sakisaka
#198. Strobe Edge, Vol. 10 by Io Sakisaka
#199. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho#200.となりの怪物くん 1 [Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun 1] by Robico
Mini Review for Strobe Edge: Loved "Ao Haru Ride" by the same manga artist Io Sakisaka more than this one in story-wise but this one was a sweet story too ^^
Review for Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho I've been wanting to read "Veronika Decides to Die" since I was 13 years old, because the title of it caught my attention so badly at the time. Yet I didn't pick it up to read till now (27 years old), maybe just because I thought for 14 years that it may turn out so depressive with the death thoughts and whatsoever, and I already had a lot on my plate. Then couple of weeks ago, I saw its movie's DVD on a shelf in a media store, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as Veronika (who doesn't love Buffy??^^), and on its cover there was this nice picture of Gellar, wearing a white gown, looking away, lost in thought that really made me wanna learn why Veronika decides to die, so I started reading the book at last.
This was again one of the books that I predicted the ending of the story just from the beginning (not that it was so obvious, but I thought it would be the better ending from the author's perspective and I was right). It is a beautiful story of how a young woman who wants to die changes the lives of three other people committed in a psychiatric hospital alongside with her. Also a story that raises much awareness about the issues like how are we living, how are we dying, what are we living for, what are we dying for, do we waste our lives away in the ways we are living, are we incapable of being happy so that the increasing level of our happiness also raises unhappiness in our hearts? Do we really wanna die or do we dare to live on?
Even though I felt it like the story was a bit short and the themes could be discussed in it for much longer and maybe better, Paulo Coelho did a good job to reveal these themes in his simple but beautiful story. Oh, also it is not a depressive book either, for all I know, it raises hope in its readers rather than depression. Looking forward to watch the movie soon too.
Review for となりの怪物くん 1 [Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun 1] by Robico It kinda a bit bothered me that the title "Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun" was translated into English as "My Neighbour is a Strange Classmate" because it is totally, umm, wrong. The word "Tonari" both means "neighbour" and "someone next to you", in this story's case, Haru is sitting next to Shizuku in the classroom. Also "Kaibutsu" means "Monster" and "-kun" is an honorific expression that is used for boys usually, so the translation of the title should be "Monster-kun in the Next Seat", which is totally different from the title that makes us think Haru and Shizuku are both classmates and living in houses next to or near each other.
Sorry if my nerdy nature leaked a bit in here, but as someone who watched the anime years ago, I know the nature of the story, and I believe that the title ("Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun") is conveying that nature truly when it is translated correctly. Other than this, I really love the relationship between Haru and Shizuku, Haru even became one of my favourite anime characters of all time. ^^
*Pages read so far: 42,513*Books read so far: 200
*Popsugar Reading Challenge: 30/32
*Reading Challengers Challenge: 15/ 26
*Around the World in Books Challenge - 13/16
With Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun Volume 1 by Robico, I have reached my reading challenge goal from before and read 200 books. It is kinda amazing that I could actually do it, because I never thought I could read that much in a year, let alone I still half year in front of me. I actually wonder for how far I can go from here, so let's see.
#201. Shunkin Shō by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki#202. The Tattooer by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
#203. The Gourmet Club by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
#204. Fablehaven (Fablehaven, #1) by Brandon Mull
#205. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
#206. A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1) by Deborah Harkness
#207. The Light Fantastic (Discworld, #2; Rincewind #2) by Terry Pratchett
#208. Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches #1) by Terry Pratchett
#209. Solanin, #1 by Inio Asano
#210. Solanin, #2 by Inio Asano
#211. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two (Harry Potter, #8) by J.K. Rowling
#212. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
#213. Castle in the Air (Howl's Moving Castle, #2) by Diana Wynne Jones
#214. One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, #1) by Janet Evanovich
#215. Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2) by Deborah Harkness
Review of A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1) by Deborah Harkness This was a long, detailed book, and I kinda loved all those details about tea, yoga, food, wine, alchemy and biology. Also, I always loved witches and vampires, so even though I kinda feared that the relationship between Diana and Matthew would turn into a total cliché, it didn't turn to one of those teenage vampire-mortal love relationships, it was more serious than that and it felt good like as it is. I also liked that Diana could totally take care of herself (otherwise I keep yelling at weak female characters). Should I say it made me wanna go to yoga, drink tea and eat exquisite food? Oh also, I think it made me notice that I kinda fancy having an academic career, which would include me working in an Oxford library all day. ^^
It's a long book and Deborah Harkness builds your way slowly to the deeper parts of the story. It's like being a frog in a boiling water, you don't realize how the book draws you much further and deeper while reading, till you laugh at a joke of one of the characters and realize you've already became good friends with them.
This book kinda includes everything I needed in my current mood, and I loved reading it - which is a bit surprising, since I kept looking at it in the bookstore and postponed buying it for months. Yet I'm glad that I read it now, coz this was the perfect time for me to read it, I believe. Needless to say that I already ordered the 2nd and the 3rd book and expect them to be delivered by tomorrow. Hope they'll only get better and better.
Review of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two (Harry Potter, #8) by J.K. Rowling I first met Harry when I was at the same age with him when he was accepted to Hogwarts - 11 years old. I went into a bookstore and there he was, inside that book pile that was properly shaped for the customers. I took the book from that pile and read the back cover, saying it was about an orphan boy who discovers that he is a wizard. It was interesting, yet the book costed all my savings - which, at the time, I could go to cinema two and a half times with that kind of money, not the mention going to cinema was a big luxury for an eleven-year-old. Yet, I couldn't let it go and spent all my money on the Philosopher's Stone, walked back to my house, sat on the chair on the balcony and held the book tightly in my hands, praying for it to be a real good book that would worth my all savings. I opened the cover, there it was, the first line:
"Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."
Thus it began. I didn't move anywhere from that chair, till I read the last sentence:
"I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."
I closed the book, took a deep breath, got up, ran to my mother and begged for some allowance to buy the second book. And bought and read the second book the very next day.
Ten years later, the last Harry Potter movie Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released and my journey with Harry came to an end, since it was the last thing that was released about Harry Potter. Now I was 21, grew up with Harry all along, learning a lot alongside him, trying to deal with my troubles like him and it was a decade long, hell of a journey. I cannot put into words that how he and these books affected my childhood. Whenever I was really sad or sick, or just wanted to run away from the horrible situations, he was there for me. With no exaggeration at all, I read the first two books for 15 times, third for 10, fourth for 6, fifth for 5, sixth and seventh for three times. I read the last book twice in two consecutive days, coz I borrowed it from a friend and I wasn't ready to part from it after just one reading. I'd like to say that I was 18 at this point, yet Harry and his world still got a hold on me.
Now I'm 27, and there is an 8th book, a play. Bought it on sight and read it overnight of course. The main characters of this book/play are Albus and Scorpius, sons of Harry and Draco. Although this was mostly the story of these young men, my heart was always with Harry throughout the book. Even though Harry was 41 and had three kids, and I am 27 and have no kids, I could relate with Harry better than anybody in the book. The sufferings he had made me mad, and I even found myself wishing that there wouldn't be an eighth book at all! Coz the seventh book finishes where we can see and feel that everything is going great and peaceful for Harry at last, and in this book, he again suffers for the things he doesn't deserve to suffer for. Not to mention that I couldn't like Albus at all, even though I really tried to relate to him. Instead, I really loved Scorpius and of course Draco, in this book. I already never could hate Draco in the first 7 books, and had symphaty for him, and in this book, I couldn't help loving him. And isn't Scorpius resembles a male Hermione Granger?? Gotta love the kid, after all.^^
Maybe because it's a play, the book doesn't have the same intensity and depth like the first 7 books. It was hard for me to lose myself in it, like I always did with the other books, mostly thinking how will they manage to perform the scenes with magic on the stage and all. I'd like to see some of them actually, it surely must be a very big production. Also, not gonna give it away much in here but, playing with time and causing the changes thing felt a bit of a weak plot in my opinion, yes there were maybe shocking things (view spoiler) yet it felt like a weak echo of the first seven books. Hence my 4 stars.
But of course, the book also felt like I was meeting with my oldest friends after many years. (view spoiler) Like I was sitting and having coffee with Harry, catching up, talking about how our lives have been, kid troubles, childhood troubles, work troubles, feeling guilt about the lost and gone, yet still managing to find reasons to keep us go on and smile our troubles away, even though life is life, and there will always be troubles to face, and we still are growing up, learning along the way.
#216. Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino#217. The Trial by Franz Kafka
#218. The House of Silk (Sherlock Holmes #1) by Anthony Horowitz
#219. Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris
#220. Nemesis (Harry Hole, #4) by Jo Nesbø
#221. The Surgeon (Rizzoli & Isles, #1) by Tess Gerritsen
#222. 暁のヨナ 21 [Akatsuki no Yona 21] by Mizuho Kusanagi
#223. The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt
Mini Review of The House of Silk (Sherlock Holmes #1) by Anthony Horowitz Got better than I expected, I didn't see it coming. Yet made me wanna read the originals once more.
Mini Review of Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris Again, a sweet and inspiring book from Joanne Harris. Since I really like Lansquenet-sous-Tannes setting, even without Vianne, I enjoyed this book. And yes, there was some magic in it too. It made me wanna taste different wines, grow my own vegetables and start to write some stories again.
Mini Review of The Surgeon (Rizzoli & Isles, #1) by Tess Gerritsen It did creep me out, especially since I read it late night hours. Made me check my thief alarm system and look over my shoulder while checking the other rooms :D So, I found it very good, I guess, yet didn't find any similarities compare to the tv series, other than Rizzoli, and her appearence. Will I keep reading the series? Why not, I'm trying out the genre and Gerritsen is one of the good ones.
Review of The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt 3.5 Stars.
I liked reading this one, it reminded me Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Yet, Foer's book was much better and made much more sense than this one. The Last Samurai starts off in a great way, I especially liked the Japanese parts, since I learn Japanese and all, yet the second part of the book has many ramblings that doesn't make any sense sometimes. It's like it could be a great book, yet it lost something along the way and became more of a mediocre book.
However, I won't deny that this book had some influence on me - like it made me wanna learn more languages and look into some cultures - which made my MA choice more solid. It also encourages one to study, if you study on something enough, there is nothing you can't do. And even if our hero Ludo is a genius, it makes you think like it's never too late to start doing something.
All and all, it was maybe a bit tough but nice reading, since it has so many things in it. And it'll definitely make you wanna watch "Seven Samurai" by Akira Kurosawa.
08.09.16 *Pages read so far: 49,182
*Books read so far: 223
*Popsugar Reading Challenge: 30/32
*Reading Challengers Challenge: 22/ 26
*Around the World in Books Challenge - 15/16
#224. Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire#225. Swann's Way (In Search of Lost Time, #1) by Marcel Proust
#226. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
#227. Beowulf by Unknown
#228. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
#229. The Shepherd's Crown (Discworld, #41; Tiffany Aching, #5) by Terry Pratchett
#230. Electra by Sophocles
#231. Oedipus Rex (The Theban Plays, #1) by Sophocles
#232. The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey #233. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
#234. Mort (Discworld, #4; Death, #1) by Terry Pratchett
#235. Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1) by Laini Taylor
#236. How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
#237. Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #2) by Laini Taylor
#238. The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
#239. Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus
#240. Medea by Euripides
#241. Oedipus at Colonus (The Theban Plays, #2) by Sophocles
#242. Antigone (The Theban Plays, #3) by Sophocles
Review of The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey This book made me remember lots of things while reading, it's like a mix of "World War Z", "Maze Runner", "Happening" and an anime series called "Parasyte". It surely ended in a way that i totally wasn't expecting, (things took a 180 degree turn in a sudden) and the last scene was super creepy, i guess. It surely leaves an impression, no matter how many other movies and stories it reminds, thus the 4 stars.
Mini Review of Mort (Discworld, #4; Death, #1) by Terry Pratchett This was really good. I love Pratchett more and more with each book.
Review of How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran 3.5 stars.
At first, I honestly didn't like this book, it even came to a point that it felt like it was all cheap chick-lit kinda thing, where everything was exaggerated and all. The underwear part bored me to death even. But as I went on, I started to get used to Moran's style. Moran is the kind of an author that kinda grows under your skin, bit by bit. And when she finally started to write serious things about feminism and started to make her points one by one, I found out that her ideas were similar to mines, I was laughing her clever jokes and references that it felt like not reading a stiff woman writing about feminism, but talking to your next door neighbour about feminisim and gossiping a lil bit on the way. Even though this wasn't something I could do all day or get in the mood for a long run (that's why it took me so long to finish this book, I started reading it on April, and here we are, on October 1st) I kept taking it all in, in small doses, and I can't say I regretted reading it.
I laughed at many of her jokes, but I was particularly delighted to read this part:
"I'm not going to be worshipped by some powerful, loaded, sword-wielding man, who will change my life if I marry him. Because that is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and he doesn't exist."
Yeah, Caitlin, I share your disappoinment and pain about Aragorn. ^^
And she definitely is great to reflect on what she has gone through in her writings. No one with a uterus can resist to feel an empathy with what she felt while giving birth or having an abortion while reading those parts of the book, even if they don't have any experiences about these. She is frigging realistic in every detail, enough to make you say, "Hmmm, I think I'll never give birth in the future, and definitely will stay away from abortion, so... Let's live as nuns love, shall we?"
Like I said, Moran has a tendency to grow under your skin and make you like her. So, I know I again will try to read more of her in the future.
Mini Review of Medea by Euripides The main idea of the story: Fear the fury of the woman you cheated shamelessly. Especially if she is very smart for your own good. This was a very tasteful revenge story.
06.10.16*Pages read so far: 54,699
*Books read so far: 242
*Popsugar Reading Challenge: 31/32
*Reading Challengers Challenge: 26/ 26 - Challenge Completed
*Around the World in Books Challenge - 16/16 - Challenge Completed
#243. Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #3) by Ransom Riggs#244. Ajax by Sophocles
#245. The Massacre At Paris: With The Death Of The Duke Of Guise by Christopher Marlowe
#246. Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
#247. Siege and Storm (The Grisha, #2) by Leigh Bardugo
#248. The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai
#102. The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter
#103. A Hat Full of Sky (Discworld, #32; Tiffany Aching, #2) by Terry Pratchett
#104. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
#105. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home (Season 8, #1) by Joss Whedon
#106. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future for You (Season 8, #2) by Joss Whedon
#107. Wintersmith (Discworld, #35) by Terry Pratchett