If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and to begin again.
~Flavia Weedn
Category: Just About Anything
WWW Wednesday 21-Sep-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Currently Reading
Reading Next
How was your reading week?
Quote of the Week
Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.
~Jack Canfield
WWW Wednesday 14-Sep-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Quote of the Week
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
~Steve Jobs
WWW Wednesday 07-Sep-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Currently Reading
Reading Next
Have you read any of these books? What are you reading?
What I Read in August
Hi there, Homo sapiens! September has arrived! Hello, September! August was somehow a busy and moody month for me but before we finally say goodbye to it, let me share the books I’ve read in August…
4.5 Stars
4 Stars
3.5 Stars
3 Stars
Until next time! Stay safe!
Quote of the Week
Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.
~Michelle Obama
WWW Wednesday 31-Aug-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Currently Reading
Reading Next
Have you read any of these books? How was your reading week?
Quote of the Week
If you have wonderful moments, don’t second guess them. Just enjoy them.
~Martin Short
WWW Wednesday 24-Aug-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Currently Reading
Reading Next
How was your reading week?
Quote of the Week
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.
~Martin Luther King Jr.
WWW Wednesday 17-Aug-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Currently Reading
Reading Next
How was your reading week? Any new favorites?
Top 5 Tuesday – Books with Swords
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Books with Swords
What’s on your list?
Quote of the Week
Being happy never goes out of style.
~Lilly Pulitzer
WWW Wednesday 10-Aug-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Currently Reading
Reading Next
How was your reading week?
Top 5 Tuesday – Books with Crowns
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Books with Crowns
What do you have on your list?
Quote of the Week
When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.
~Franklin D. Roosevelt
Spell the Month in Books – AUGUST
Hello there, Homo sapiens! Welcome to another Spell the Month in Books! ! The idea is to spell the month in books using the first letter in the first word of a title and it was originally created by Jana @ Reviews From the Stacks.
Let’s see what I managed to find to spell August in books…
A – Animal Farm
U – Unbroken
G – A Gentleman in Moscow
U – The Unbearable Lightness of Being
S – The Sense of an Ending
T – A Thousand Splendid Suns
What book titles did you use to spell August?
What I Read in July
So July… There’d been a lot going on for me in July but luckily, I still managed to read 13 books.
5 Stars
4.5 Stars
4 Stars
3.5 Stars
3 Stars
That’s it for now! What did you read in July?
WWW Wednesday 03-Aug-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Currently Reading
Reading Next
How was your reading week?
Top 5 Tuesday – Books with Keys
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Books with Keys
Quote of the Week
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.
~Harvey Fierstein
WWW Wednesday 27-Jul-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Currently Reading
Reading Next
How was your reading week?
Top 5 Tuesday – Illustrated Books
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Illustrated Books
These are my five books with visual elements, feel free to share yours in the comments section!
Quote of the Week
The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.
~Barbara Kingsolver
WWW Wednesday 20-Jul-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Currently Reading
Reading Next
What are you reading? Any recommendations?
Top 5 Tuesday – Magic Systems
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Magic Systems
Here are my top five books (or series) with magical systems that will surely captivate any reader and make you wish you’re living in a magical realm!
What’s on your list?
Quote of the Week
Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
~C.S. Lewis
My First Kiss Went A Little Like This
Do you remember your first kiss? Yes, the very first! How nice was it? Or how terrible? Ideally, specially as teenagers, we expect our first kiss to be sweet and romantic! Or hot and wild! Intense! Oh dear! Locking lips with someone we like should send tingles up our spine and leave us feeling incoherent after.
Contrary to the perfect romantic first kisses I’ve either read, watched, imagined or hoped for, mine was a turn-off. Let me walk you down memory lane because my first kiss went a little like this…
My first kiss happened many moons ago, I was fourteen, he was sixteen. His name’s Andrew. He was my ultimate crush then and little did I know that he’s got a crush on me, too. We attended the same high school and we were both athletes. We’ve known each other by face and was only formally introduced to each other in a party after almost a year of smiles and hellos during training/practice or in the corridors.
We were dating for more than a month already when it happened. Since I belong to the science classes, he has to wait for me for about an hour until I finish my last class. After class that day, we went to the small garden just at the back of his classroom so he can help me with my homework. (I remember I suck in Biology and Chemistry then!) Once we’re done, we started walking while holding hands as he led me to his classroom door.
The touch: We were holding hands then he pulled me to him and pushed me gently against the classroom door then placed his left arm around my waist while his right hand caressed my face. (I liked that part!)
The ambiance: I never thought that my first kiss would be in the most romantic place in the world — in school, outside his classroom door! I mean, come on, I’ve imagined a kind of romantic setting, too. But definitely not in school!
The kiss: Well, our noses bumped at first and I was about to laugh but he kissed me right away and the first few tender brushes of his lips against mine was magic, it did really sent tingles up my spine and made all my body cells come to life until…
The tongue situation: Eeeewww! Just eeeewww! Oh boy! Was the tongue even supposed to be there??? It’s just wet! And sloppy! I was shocked! I wanted to punch him in the face!
The aftermath: Absolutely awkward. Confusing. Disappointing. In my mind, I’m trying to figure out what just happened. Funny thing is, I ended up having a very high fever that night and wasn’t able to go to school the next day!
So my first kiss didn’t happen according to plan but well, life isn’t a movie set. But in between homework and practice, the kisses got better, more quality kissing took over for the next two years.
So how was your first kiss? Was is sweet? Or was it terrible? How old were you then? Did it turn out the way you’ve imagined it to be? I’d love to hear, after all, what better time to delurk if not during first-kiss-story sharing time, right?
WWW Wednesday 13-Jul-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Last Summer on State Street is a powerful little gem about family, racism, friendship and more. Lovely debut. 4 stars.
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is a collection of stories, all poignant. It’s the kind of collection I like. It feels that every story is complete on its own and leaves you satisfied reading. 4 stars.
Currently Reading
I’m almost finished with Elena Knows and just started with The Measure.
Reading Next
Next on my list is another book from Mario Escobar, Auschwitz Lullaby and my first from David Ellis, Look Closer.
How was your reading week?
Top 5 Tuesday – Books Set at School
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Books Set at a School
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro – Set in Hailsham which is some sort of a boarding house where students are supported and trained mainly in arts and are exposed very mildly to the outside world and are protected by the “guardians.”
Wonder by R.J. Palacio – This is Auggie’s story starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep and wants nothing but to be treated as an ordinary boy despite his extraordinary face.
Looking for Alaska by John Greene – Pudge heads off to Culver Creek Boarding School where he meets Alaska who steals his heart and launches him to the Great Perhaps.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher – High School is not always easy and here Hannah committed suicide leaving her schoolmates a trail of thirteen reasons why.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – High school is pretty much spending time with friends. And it’s during this time that we spend with our friends that we start to build connections/relationships that matter and hope to last.
Quote of the Week
Your heart is a vast and tender thing; you cannot keep trying to shrink it into what someone else needs. You cannot keep pouring your love into a vessel that cannot contain it. You cannot keep pouring your love into a heart that is closed off to it. It will only leave you empty.
~Bianca Sparacino
Spell the Month in Books – JULY
Hello there, Homo sapiens! Welcome to another Spell the Month in Books! ! The idea is to spell the month in books using the first letter in the first word of a title and it was originally created by Jana @ Reviews From the Stacks.
The books I’m using to spell the month this time are from my Read shelf.
J – Jamilia
U – Unbroken
L – The Lincoln Highway
Y – Young Mungo
What book titles did you use to spell July?
WWW Wednesday 6-Jul-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Currently Reading
Reading Next
I’d be delighted to know what have you been reading this week or what you plan on reading soon, please share!
Top 5 Tuesday – Anticipated Reads for Jul-Sep 2022
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Anticipated Reads for Jul-Sep 2022
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (August 2)
Ithaca by Claire North (September 6)
The Attic Child by Lola Jaye (September 6)
The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman (September 20)
What I Read in June
Welcome to July, Homo sapiens! The first half of the year has come and gone… just like that!
I’ve managed to read 12 books in June and here they are…
5 Stars
4.5 Stars
4 Stars
3 Stars
Have you read any of these books? What did you read in June?
Quote of the Week
The deepest cuts come from those we love the most.
~Mario Escobar, The Teacher of Warsaw
WWW Wednesday 29-Jun-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
I’ve rated all three books 4 stars!
Currently Reading
Almost finished with The Jews and just started with The Teacher of Warsaw.
Reading Next
How was your reading week?
Top 5 Tuesday – Top Books of 2022 (So Far…)
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Top Books of 2022 (So far…)
As of today, I’ve rated seven books as 5-star reads. So it’s not really Top 5 Tuesday today. 🙂 It’s Top 7 Tuesday! 🙂 These seven books are wonderful, fascinating and very interesting in different ways. Highly recommended!
Additionally, these three books below are also worth mentioning. I’ve rated these books 4.5 stars and are also highly recommended.
Have you read any of these books? What are your top reads so far this year?
Quote of the Week
Knowing is better than wondering, waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure—even the worst—beats the hell out of not trying.
~Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy
WWW Wednesday 22-Jun-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
The Merchant of Venice is undoubtedly anti-Semitic, with anti-Jewish stereotypes, persecuting a Jewish villain. The plot is predictable but how we get to the result/end is worth the read. 3 stars.
My Brilliant Life is about Areum, a 16-year-old boy with a body of an 80-year-old man. He looks like an 80-year-old and has illnesses of people of that age. Knowing that he will die soon due to his sickness, accelerated-aging disorder, he decided to write about his parents love story. Achingly good ending. 4 stars.
When the World was Ours is the story of three life-long friends. They were happy together and living peacefully and then the war came. It turned out to be a happy story for one of them but tragic for the other two. It’s not heavy on facts about the WW2 but good enough to give you an idea of what happened during that part of history. Well-written, engaging and an important story. 4 stars.
Currently Reading
I haven’t finished The Jews yet, I think I still have a hundred or so pages more to go but I am learning a lot from it. I am also currently reading Rules of Civility and as with Amor Towles other books, I am also liking this one.
Reading Next
I plan to read Hamlet, another Shakespeare, this coming week and I am excited to read my first Mario Escobar book, The Teacher of Warsaw. I have his other works but haven’t really tried reading them but The Teacher of Warsaw sounds very interesting to me so we’ll see!
How was your reading week?
Top 5 Tuesday – Rainy Day Reads
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Rainy Day Reads
It’s always a treat to cozy up with a good book on rainy days. Rainy day reading is one of the best feelings ever! Don’t you think so, too? Here are five of my top rainy day reads…
Quote of the Week
The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.
~Rick Warren
WWW Wednesday 15-Jun-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Our Last Days in Barcelona – I did not know that there were other books before this since this is my first Chanel Cleeton read… and definitely not the last. It tells the story of the Perez family and this book’s focus is Isabel and her mother, Alicia. I loved the writing, I loved the characters and the story. I will surely read the other books about the other Perez sisters. Historical fiction has always been my favorite genre and this is one example why. 4.5 stars.
North to Paradise – This is the story of a man’s journey from Ghana to Spain. Inspiring and motivating. 4 stars.
This Time Tomorrow – This is a delightful time travelling story that made me miss my dad so much. In the story, it’s Alice’s 40th birthday, she’s drunk and stumbles in the guardhouse just outside his father’s house. When she woke up, she was mysteriously 16 years old again. I loved Leonard, Alice’s father. I liked Sam, her best friend. I didn’t very much like Alice. I liked the mid-90s references. I liked the father-daughter relationship. I liked the talk about time travel. All in all, a good read. 4 stars.
Currently Reading
I’m almost halfway through The Jews and it is very informative. I’m taking my time reading this as I want to understand it fully. It’s truly an interesting book. I have just started with My Brilliant Life and so far, it’s a compelling read.
Reading Next
I randomly chose both books for my next reads so let’s see what stories they have in store for us!
How was your reading week? Any new favorites?
Top 5 Tuesday – Books That Remind You of a Season
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Books That Remind You of a Season
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe would always remind me of winter. As the youngest sibling discovers the door and the world behind the wardrobe and the curse over the land that it will always be winter but no Christmas.
Beach and sharks. Well, wouldn’t that remind you of summer? And what good book could that be other than Peter Benchley’s Jaws, right?
A Christmas Carol is another book that would surely remind everyone of the winter season.
Sweet Bean Paste is set during the cherry blossom season in Tokyo with a doroyaki shop under the tree that blossoms the most.
In The Great Gatsby, summer and fall were used in the plot to symbolize the characters’ situations.
What books remind you of a season?
Quote of the Week
Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
~Mother Teresa
WWW Wednesday 08-Jun-2022
Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam from Taking On A World of Words.
As usual, just answer the three W questions:
What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Recently Finished
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a fun, charming and heart-filled story. Tova takes a cleaning job at a local aquarium after her husband and son died and became friends with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus. Marcellus is old but very witty, a keen observant and senses Tova’s grief and so he becomes a big part of the story. I absolutely love this book. So 5 stars!
The Hacienda was kind of a combination of Rebecca and Mexican Gothic. There were interesting parts of the story like the daily life of the people in the hacienda, the exorcism, the oppression of the Mestizos, however, I didn’t find the story strong enough. I wish it was more creepy, gothic and unpredictable? Plus, it’s a slow read. It was a fine read all in all but not something I’d recommend. 2.5 stars.
Currently Reading
I am currently reading The Jews by Howard Fast and I should say it’s so far, fascinating. Also, I am enjoying Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton and I must say I like her writing style.
Reading Next
Up next on my reading list: My Brilliant Life by Ae-ran Kim and This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. Both first reads from these authors.
How was your reading week? Have you read any of these?
Top 5 Tuesday – Books with a Holiday
Happy Tuesday, Homo sapiens! Welcome to this week’s Top 5 Tuesday!
Top 5 Tuesday was originally hosted by Shanah at Bionic Bookworm and now found its home with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
Books with a Holiday (travel/vacation)
Arthur Less will take you on a trip to several places like India, Berlin and Morocco as he struggles to accept that he is turning 50 while going through a very painful breakup. His adventures and misadventures will let him discover more and more about himself.
The Beach centers on the backpackers and their quest to do something different. An American travels to Southeast Asia when a fellow backpacker commits suicide and leaves him with a map to an ideal destination. I haven’t seen the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio but I’m considering.
The Vacationers is a book that reminds us that it takes more than an trip to escape our worries and problems.
Nine strangers travels to a wellness retreat for various reasons set in a boutique Australian health spa. They are faced with suspicious methods practiced by the staffs on how to “reset” their lives. Nine Perfect Strangers is dark, sometimes funny, suspenseful and mysterious.
Wayward Son is the sequel to Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On. It was a fun book about friendships and relationships and their exciting journeys with stolen vehicles. Truly an adventure as Simon and Baz’s relationship strengthened though no closure or anything decisive happened… yet.
Spell the Month in Books – JUNE
Hello there, Homo sapiens! Welcome to another Spell the Month in Books! ! The idea is to spell the month in books using the first letter in the first word of a title and it was originally created by Jana @ Reviews From the Stacks.
This month, I’m using titles from my TBR shelf. I hope to read these books this month or the next. Let’s get started, shall we?
J – The Jews
U – Unlikely Animals
N – The Netanyahus
E – Empire of Pain
HappymessHappiness 