For your reading pleasure

The magic of reading is once you find a really gripping book, hours can pass by without you even realising. I was lucky enough to read three such books this past month - Yes Please!, Catcher in the Rye and Mornings in Jenin. I don't usually read one genre of books (as this short booklist reveals), my main concern is that it's not a slow read. I thought I would provide my short review of these three books that kept me entertained over December (or rather for a few days at a time in short bursts).

Yes Please! by Amy Poehler

I am one of those people who are fascinated by the lives and stories of other people so this kind of book was right up my alley. It's a mixture of Amy's wisdom and life experiences all wrapped up in her humour. It's filled with so many take-home lessons such as the one below. 

And it's only made me regret not starting to watch Parks & Recreation sooner!

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

This coming-of-age novel doesn't have much of a plot to it but again, the lessons one can learn from the main character, Holden Caulfield are truly valuable - as you can see I'm about both entertainment & learning!

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa 

Never before have I cried buckets of tears after reading a book, I cried for the fictitious family in the novel, I cried for all the different kinds of losses in both this novel and reality, I cried for humanity. The story centres the Palestine-Israel conflict from its beginnings to the current day. It is a well-written book about such a large part of human history about which I had been ashamedly fairly ignorant. This single blog post does not quite do the mastery of this book justice. Below is one review of the book that encapsulates some my feelings towards this book: 

'In a note to readers, Susan Abulhawa writes, “I have always believed in the power of literature to reach the heart, stir the mind, and remind us all of our common humanity.  And I have always admired writers who chose storytelling as a way to tear down the barriers between peoples.  It is for this reason that I chose to write Mornings in Jenin.” Well, she has certainly accomplished the stirring of the heart, reminding us of our common humanity, and tearing down barriers in this novel. This book is a masterpiece.'  

C'est une citation.

I came across this quote whilst reading a book based on real events called Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. I found it quite thought-provoking and thought to share it. 

The Fault in Our Stars.

I read the book The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene last year, recommended by Hannah, whilst on exchange. It was one of the most heart-wrenching books that I have read. It's a boy-meet-girl story except both of these teenagers have a type of cancer and they meet at a cancer support group.

One of my favourite youtubers Troye Sivan recently wrote a song about this book. It's beautifully sung and is as poignant as the book so I couldn't not share it with you. Enjoy! xo

The Fault In Our Stars - Troye Sivan by Troye Sivan

We Are The Potter Generation.♥

It has been one year since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in cinemas and I felt it would be the appropriate time to do my first Harry Potter post. It's one of those stories where you can pick up any one of the books and begin to read from any place, over and over again without getting bored. It's a story for all ages. I found a few cute Harry Potter-related photos on weheartit.com and I always save those funny Harry Potter pictures when people make it their BBM display pictures. I dug up two of my photos from my London trip last year where we visited one of the Harry Potter film sites. Hope you enjoy them.

Still waiting on that.

"Weasley is our King."

 The funny pictures..

Harry Potter Sites in London.

Look familiar? Think Philosopher's Stone when Mcgonagall welcomes the first years? Got it?

 In the words of J.K. Rowling.. 

Sohini out x