Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Reading for a Cause

I am so excited that the Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon is here yet again. It's probably one of my favorite things from the book community. I love the fact that we get to dedicate a whole day to reading, but I especially love how it gives us readers a chance to interact with fellow book lovers.

This time around, I, along with four others (Melissa, Roberta, Jennifer, and Rikke) decided to read for a cause. Together we started a fundraising campaign for Pencils of Promise, a global organization that focuses on providing quality education for all. Their proceeds go directly into building schools in communities, supporting and training teachers, and providing a safe and sanitary place for education.

I ask you now if you are participating in the readathon to donate any amount that you can because every little bit counts.

Click here to learn more about the campaign 

We also of course are very excited that we have extra "perks" to offer those who donate to the cause. Thanks to our generous sponsors like Out of Print, among others, we are able to host mini giveaways for very cool bookish items. We will make announcements regarding the giveaways later, but in the meantime, enjoy the readathon and please support an organization that could potentially help provide a much-needed quality education for those that do not get the same privilege that we get everyday.

Man Booker Prize Shortlist

The Man Booker Prize is an annual literary award that is given to the year's best original fictional novel, and just this month, the shortlist was officially announced. I was so excited to see that A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara was one of the finalists because so far this year, it's one of my favorite reads.

Aside from the heartwrenching novel by Yanagihara, the others nominated are:

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota
Satin Island by Tom McCarthy

Because of I really loved A Little Life and am rooting for it to win, I wanted to also give the others a chance. I mean, if the book is shortlisted, it probably means it's worth a read, right? So I picked up and am currently reading A Brief History of Seven Killings. This imaginative novel has a plot that is difficult to explain, but it takes true events and twists them to create various perspectives.

If you've read any of these books, let me know what you thought of them!

Reading Two Books At Once: Currently Reading

I'm reading two books at once. Or at least trying to. It's not the easiest, but I just want to read both so much that I am making an attempt. I borrowed Norwegian Wood from the ebook library and also have Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.

I have to admit I am more engaged with Norwegian Wood; there's something gripping about Murakami's writing, which is good because this is my first Murakami. And while I am liking Blood Meridian, maybe I have to be in a certain mood for something as dark as McCarthy's style?

Anyway, do you read multiple books at once? Or are you like me who find it almost impossible to do so?

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee *no spoilers*

instagram

The initial thought I had when I read the first few chapters was how much I missed Harper Lee's writing. Her prose is just as beautiful, just as poetic, and just as eloquent as I remembered. She has a way of creating imagery and of putting meaningful messages without trying hard to do so. I also found it incredibly difficult to put it down and yet, I made a decision to take my time with it because I didn't want it to be over so soon. Overall, it was a real treat just being able to devour her words again. 

As I started getting through the book a bit more, like I just mentioned, I found myself in love with the writing. Then I asked myself, "Would I like these characters and story, as well as their developments, if this was not written by Harper Lee? If it was not a sequel of To Kill A Mockingbird? Would I still be invested or would I think 'eeehh it's alright?'"

I am saying this because I think my favorite part of this novel was because it's connected to To Kill A Mockingbird. This brought me back to the settings and characters of the story that I loved. It almost felt like a grand reunion of childhood friends after years of not seeing or hearing from each other. I'd ask myself too; "am I still friends with these people in this reunion or are we united by the memories of our friendship so long ago? Other than that, what else do we have in common?" Comparing it to a reunion made me think about how I love the connection, but if I didn't know anything about its background, I wonder if I would still like the book as much as I do.

That being said, the biggest strength of this book is how it's driven by such well-written characters. They are still realistic and believable, and I loved that this book offered a more complex view of them. In my opinion, they have become more multifaceted in my eyes, and it proved many things to me. First, it really showed how innocent children can be when growing up. As kids, we were protected from many things, and as we got older, we discovered more things about life. It's an inevitable part of maturity and of growing up. Go Set A Watchman did a great job exploring this. 

It also did a great job showing how nobody and nothing can be just black or white. There are gray areas, there are middle grounds, and also common grounds. No one is just a bad person or a good person; everyone has a light and dark side. Ultimately, as people, we are just trying our best to survive everyday despite our flaws and life's challenges. 

This book also showed that there is something to learn and discover everyday, and we must open our minds more. While boldness is an admirable characteristic, we must  not assume we are in the right all the time because the truth is, we're not. What we can do is always hear both sides of every person involved or every story, learn from our mistakes, learn from others, and just try to be better people in our society more and more each day.

Technically speaking, as a sequel of a classic, I feel it is not strong enough to be considered 'complete.' It read more like a scattered draft - a great one at that - but not quite a finished novel. It didn't feel cohesive enough. 

The great thing about books though is that we do not just read them for their literary merit. We read books for different reasons, and for this one, I read it for the experience. It made me feel nostalgic, and it showed me that the best characters to read about (like Atticus and Scout) are the ones who are real, flawed, believable, and true. 

If you are still debating whether or not to read it because you are afraid it will ruin To Kill A Mockingbird, my advice is for you to just push everything aside and read with an open-mind. Read it for what it is, let go of your expectations, and maybe you'd also be able to appreciate it as much as I did too.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 5 stars

I've been warned that Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro was going to be a sad story, and it definitely lived up to that expectation that was set up for me. It was one of those books that will stay with you long after you're done reading it. It was bleak and atmospheric. Personally, it literally haunted me in my dreams and admittedly affected me the day when I finished it.

I felt this way after reading Burial Rites last year too. It haunted me and stayed with me. It must be the atmosphere behind this that makes this book stick. Combine that with Ishiguro's effortless prose and it's especially difficult not to love it. It never seems as if he is trying so hard to write beautifully too, which is always a plus; he just does.

Overall, I do not think it is for everyone, but I do highly recommend this is you want a unique story with creative settings and characters, paired with gorgeous writing. It's a simple and beautiful book. It is honest and unflinching. As my first book by Ishiguro, this has turned me into his fan.

Best Books So Far In 2015

We are a little bit more than halfway through the year already, which is insane to me to be honest. Reading-wise, I'm having quite a great year! I'm on a reading high, and that's the way I like it. I figured I should recognize some of my favorite reads this year so far. Here are the six books I picked.

Add caption

• Ebook from my Kindle: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
  What a heart wrenching book. This one was tough to read, but so worth it. It has some incredibly effective storytelling and effortlessly beautiful prose. It also has some of the more memorable characters I've read in a while.
• The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
  After reading On the Road, I had to read more Kerouac. I really liked this one and it gave me a new sense for adventures.
• On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  Read my review here.
• The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
  Admittedly I've been working on this one for a few months now, but I only finished it in June. If you are a fan of The Bell Jar and you're intrigued and interested by Plath's life, I definitely recommend this one.
• The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
  Read my review here.
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
  Read my review here.

What about you? Tell me your favorite reads so far this year.

Review: The Little Paris Bookshop

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 3.5 stars
I read this book in a day and a half for a reason - it's a quick and fast-paced read. As soon as I received it for review, I couldn't wait and I dove right in. First off, it's a fictional novel set in my dream city destination (someday, I'll go there!) so that part of it attracted me to this. It also centers around this character who owns a floating bookstore on the Seine, where he 'prescribes books for a living,' which to me, sounds like a dream. It also has the tag line that states it's "a love letter to books, meant for anyone who believes in the power of stories." Are you sold yet? Because I was.

Fortunately, it did not disappoint. It was just how I thought it would be: charming. The setting of course, was a huge part that made it like so. It was great to read the lovely descriptions of France and specifically, of Paris. Another thing I really loved was the main character himself. I felt like I was reading about someone I personally knew. He was realistic and believable. All I wanted to do was to ask him for his specific recommendations for me. Of course, the biggest characters for me in this story were the literary aspects. The books, the bookstore, the quotes... it will truly captivate any reader and book lover.

Overall, I thought this book was a delightful read. While it's not automatically going on my 'favorites' pile, it is definitely a novel that will go on my books-about-books list. It is sort of similar to how I feel when I read Mr. Penumbra's Bookstore and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. I didn't 100% love it, but I found it incredibly blissful to read a story surrounding literature and the power of reading.

More about the book
More about the author
FTC Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Penguin Random House for review.

Father's Day: Memorable Fictional Dads

Father's day was already this past Sunday, but I thought since I did a post for Mother's day, I should do it this time around as well. On my Instagram, I posted a photo of books that in my opinion has some of the most memorable and great dads as well as father figures in literature.

Atticus Finch : To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Ned Stark : Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

Oberyn Martell : Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

Mr. Bennett : Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Arthur Weasley : Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Hans Hubermann : The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

not pictured: the father in The Road by Cormac Mccarthy

Who are some of the memorable fictional fathers to you?