Category: Personal

anything that isn’t school or work related, I will share them here! 🙂

Why I’m keeping my to-be-read list short, and my Goodreads book challenge update.

Note: This post is a tongue-in-cheek explanation why I don’t have a long to-be-read list. I see a lot of people on my Goodreads feed have a to-be-read list as long as their arm. While I can only look in envy, I know that I cannot read over 20 books in one year. I don’t even know if I can complete my Goodreads reading challenge of 15 books. But we shall try. So, let’s get into it!

Recently, I have visited Goodreads, and a lot of my friends have joined the 2022 reading challenge. They have listed as much as 75 books for their to be read challenge. Holy guacamole. It made me yearn for the days when I was still able to read as many books in a year. Fast forward to this year–it is already a treat when I don’t read a journal article!

Also, I want to “curate” the books I read, which I split into two categories: books that I enjoy reading, and books that I can learn from. So far this year, I have read seven books out of fifteen that I truly enjoyed. And speaking of books, I have pruned my Goodreads 2022 bookstack. I have taken out four books–the first two I have to take out because I have stupidly deleted them from my Kindle library (and they’re pretty pricey books I have used as references for my term paper–sob!). Hopefully I can buy them again one day!

The next two, I’ve had difficulty connecting with the story. Don’t want to waste time on books I can’t connect with.

So, what have I read lately, and what am I reading lately? I am happy to share the three of them.

Recently read:

Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier-

“Last night, I dreamed I went to Manderley.” For people who have already read the book, this first line in the book would be very familiar. The line draws people in, invites them to get immersed in that haunting story. I wanted to read it ever since I saw it mentioned in one of my well-loved books. Reading the book introduced me to the sinister Mrs. Danvers, the dastardly Jack Favell, the second Mrs. de Winter whose first name is never mentioned, the distant and enigmatic Maxim, and the titular Rebecca, who in her death still has the ability to unnerve people.

Stories from Suffragette City, edited by M.J. Rose and Fiona Davis

While I loved the storylines, some parts of the short stories jarred me a bit. I felt that the writing style wasn’t true to the era or time period they were writing about. Maybe I am being unreasonable on this score. All the same, the stories are very delightful and insightful.

It also gives a nice thrill while reading about real people mentioned in the book, like Alva Belmont, aka. Consuelo Vanderbilt’s mother.

Currently reading:

The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville, by Claire Mulley

So far, so good. I’ve only got as far as Christine’s childhood, and a colourful one it is! I’ve yet to read more of the book.

Will keep everyone posted.

Since it is late at night right now, I am off to sleep. Stay safe and healthy, everyone! 🙂

11/07/2022
My 2022 to-be-read bookstack

Happy new year! Hope you are all well and safe–although this is easier said than done. COVID cases are surging again, and nearly every one I know are either positive or manifesting symptoms. #fuckyouomicron

I’m praying for everyone to get better or feel better soon–COVID is not something to be sneezed at (no pun intended).

Speaking of the new year, what better opportunity to do something different? Like taking on a new hobby, starting a new fitness regime, eat a different food category?

This year though, I’ve decided to get back into reading. So I’ve joined the Goodreads 2022 reading challenge. I’ve listed only 15 books for this year–because let’s start small, and yeah, I’ll explain further in another post. For now though, here are eight of the fifteen books I plan to read this year. (more…)

15/01/2022
I’ve read four of the books Audrey Hope from the Gossip Girl reboot read…
..and here’s what I think so far.

Who doesn’t like messy teen drama? I’m guilty of liking it. But I’m also guilty of liking characters from messy teen dramas who stand out. And how does this character stand out? By being a bookworm with tough, dismissive exterior, hiding a loving, caring heart underneath. I could go on why I love her, but this isn’t what this blog post is about.

Audrey reads books that have very diverse themes–from affairs, women’s lives, essays about music, culture, literature, art, and even poetry. Her reading list (yes, she has one!) is pretty extensive, but I have read four so far. I will be sharing my (short) takeaways/reviews, and I hope it’ll encourage you to read them, too!
1. Ornament and Silence: Essays on Women’s Lives, from Virginia Woolf to Germaine Greer
  Kennedy Fraser, 1996, Knopf
  
  From writers, artists’ wives, feminists, and even naturalists, Kennedy Fraser wrote about various women. My favourite essay is the one on Miriam Rothschild Lane. She was so passionate about nature and butterflies. Not only she was a passionate naturalist, but she was also a lively hostess as well. My takeaway from Fraser’s book is that these women may have had different experiences, but it is the experiences they’ve had, the lives they have led, that made them strong and interesting women (I applaud Penny Scott for choosing herself after putting up with her husband for so long–but don’t do this until you have carefully thought things through and have a backup plan–remember Penny lived in a different time; different mores, different standards, so there.).
2. The Days of Abandonment
  Elena Ferrante; Ann Goldstein, 2005, Europa Editions
  
  Boy, did Olga unravel. This book narrates Olga’s struggle, epiphany, and change after her husband left her for a much younger woman. Denial, anger, acceptance and transformation was the entire theme of this short novel. I loved how human Olga was during the novel. She was not afraid to feel anger, she even acted on it (I do not, however, recommend doing what she did, you’ll be basically committing a crime).My takeaway? Don’t be ashamed about how you feel. However, acting based on your feelings isn’t always the best course to take–assaulting your ex-husband’s lover, no matter how tempting it is is not going to do you any favours.
3. Her Body and Other Parties
  Carmen Maria Machado, Graywolf Press, 2017
  
  I have to be honest, I have had mixed feelings about this book. The short stories were a mixture of science fiction, horror and fantasy, and other genres I couldn’t name. For me, it felt cold and clinical; a disjointed mess of thoughts, words, and phrases. The story that struck me most was The Husband Stitch. It fascinated yet exasperated me. The heroine kept saying no, and while I wanted to shake her by the shoulders, tell her to get over herself and let her husband untie the green ribbon, I also understood why she kept saying no. My takeaway: Her husband has the patience of a saint. Yet I also respect her for saying no. Is the book worth your money? No, but that’s just me.
4. The White Album
  Joan Didion; Farrar, Straus, and Giroux; 1979
  
  Yes, I cheated a bit here, as I’m not yet done reading the book. I’ve heard of Didion long before I read the show; a friend has recommended her books, but as I was pretty much overwhelmed with choices, I didn’t know where to start. Also, I started reading this book long before Didion’s death made headlines.
  
  Didion’s essays were like steady streams of thought–if Machado’s short stories were a disjointed mess, Didion still had a way of drifting from one subtopic to another yet managing to marry that topic to the main point, if that makes sense. I don’t have a takeaway from this book yet. but all I can say is that this won’t be the last Didion book I’ll ever read. Mark my words, there will be more.
03/01/2022