Among The Lost (In Dante’s Wake) by Seth Steinzor | Poetic Book Tours

Synopsis from Goodreads: Among the Lost, set in the modern American rust belt, is a meditation drawn from Dante’s Purgatorio. To Dante, Purgatory was the mountain where souls not damned went after death to cleanse themselves of sin in preparation for entering Paradise. What, Steinzor asks, are we preparing ourselves for, having lost the fear of hell and the hope of heaven, in the course of our daily urban existence? And whatever that is, how do we go about preparing for it?

Publisher: Fomite Press

Date Published: November 2016

Date Read: January 2017

Source: Poetic Book Tours

 

REVIEW

 

As part of Poetic Book Tours I was asked by Serena if I would be willing to join in reading and reviewing Among The Lost, I have always been a fan of Dante’s Circles of Hell, and after learning that Among The Lost is inspired by Dante’s Purgatorio, I knew then I have to be a part of this Book Tour or I will probably regret it. Seth Steinzor’s poetry is rich and on point. Often times there’s no beating around the bush, he writes what needs to be said, with such gusto and precision that you can help but pause and ponder on the truth it was revealing. And the truth was, our existence had been tainted with mostly horrible and unimaginable things. The book was divided into different Canto, where our narrator encounters different scenario and different people with varied dilemma or varied traits. It was heavily political and realistic at the same time, which at times hard to get into but once you get the hang of it, it will be something you truly appreciate. Among the Lost used modern setting to juxtapose those of ancient times, which was truly remarkable. Seth Steinzor “modernized” a classic many of us loved. He concoct his poetry into something relevant and timely, something one could identify with.

I have not read the first book, so I had no way of comparing them. This poetry book may not be for everyone, at times I get confused on certain references, thus making it hard for me to completely grasp what was being conveyed. In the same vein I could not fully recommend this one to those people who are just beginning to appreciate poetry as this one may not be as engaging, but then it is something worth a try, especially to the ones who wanted to read more in depth portrayal of government and the society. But one thing I have to say – Seth Steinzor’s writing style is truly magnificent. He had a way with words that made the book more appealing and it was a bonus that this book was told in story form following the journey of the narrator from one specific stage or path onto another.

I specifically liked this excerpt from his poem Canto VI: In the Clouds

Telling you of this brings it back to me as

if I were standing there! – and after

not too many heartbeats thinking this:

The sight of these two mammals enjoying so

fully the little they have in common should shame you to

weeping, America! How hard can it

be to care for one another? Your rich

begrudge your poor their mite. Your poor

begrudge each other. The ones in the middle fear

the ones below them, bend the knee to the

 

moneyed, and keep an eye on their neigbors. The space a

dollar takes is more than you would

spare the creatures around you. You’re free with this:

you shit your nest and everywhere else. You

stomp around the world with an anxious smile and a

big knife, taking whatever you

want, and whoever gets in your way had better

look to god for help. You wonder

why they hate you, who cried your name with longing…

About the Author:

Seth Steinzor protested the Vietnam War during his high school years near Buffalo, New York, and his years at Middlebury College, advocated Native American causes after law school, and has made a career as a civil rights attorney, criminal prosecutor, and welfare attorney for the State of Vermont. Throughout he has written poetry. In early 1980s Boston he edited a small literary journal. His first, highly praised book, To Join the Lost, was published in 2010.

Available on Amazon.

Rating: 

 

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Perfect Strangers by Dani Atkins: Book Review

 Hannah Truman is twenty-seven years old. She is an ordinary girl with an extraordinary memory. One thing she certainly can’t forget is her boyfriend William’s betrayal, which was why she fled to Canada to stay with her sister.

Now, on her way home to England, Hannah finds herself in a queue behind Logan Carter at the airport terminal. He’s checking into Business Class on her flight and although their paths keep crossing, fate prevents them meeting. An almost shared cup of coffee never takes place when Logan is suddenly called away.

But once in the air the unthinkable happens: the plane needs to make an emergency landing. Hannah is alone and terrified, until suddenly Logan slips into the seat beside her.

In the days that follow, Hannah and Logan must call upon all their resources to survive in the frozen landscape, growing ever closer as hopes of a rescue begin to fade …

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Date of Publication: December 15, 2016

Date Read: January 2017

Setting: Canada

Didn’t see that ending coming!

Perfect Strangers is another book that surprised me. There was this sense of foreboding but you couldn’t quite point your finger to it exactly. It was addictive. I flipped through this book in a shorter span of time than what I had anticipated. I’m not really a fast reader so breezing through this book was a surprise. Perfect Strangers is a story of survival. Hannah and Logan had to survive the biting cold of the mountain and all the trials they had to endure while in the wilderness.

Dani Atkins way with words was truly captivating. She was able to paint the book in such vivid light. The setting really came to life the way she described them. Perfect Strangers is an unconventional story. You think you got everything figured out but then a 360 degree turn of events and then bam! You’re left revisiting all that transpired in the book – silently blaming yourself why you didn’t see it coming. Asking yourself if you missed any foreshadowing, any clue on what’s about to go down. It was the kind of book that will wow you without preamble. It was clever, and that’s an understatement. Perfect Strangers is a book that would take you awhile to forget. I was still thinking about it to this day. That’s how amazed I was. Goosebumps and all.

Hannah Truman’s character was a little tiring to read, her mind always drifted to her ex-boyfriend’s betrayal. She would revisit bits and pieces of what happened every chance she gets, which was a little annoying but she was able to redeem herself that last few chapters of the book. She was stronger than what she gives herself credit for. And we have Logan Carter, this enigma of a guy. Logan’s character was not the brooding type, he was kind and caring, and made everything bearable for both of them. However, he was mysterious, which added to the the multitudes of reasons to continue on with the book. You want to know his character completely and how will everything conclude for the both of them. The love story was also a slow burn, a plus for me since you know how I loathe instalove.

Perfect Strangers though a short read, definitely packed a punch. It was unconventional and surprising! I definitely recommend it!

“That’s the trouble with bodies … they have an annoying little habit of giving away far too many secrets.”

― Dani Atkins, Perfect Strangers

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara: Book Review

Synopsis from Goodreads: When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.

Publisher: Doubleday

Date Published: March 10, 2015

Date Read: November 2016

No. of Pages: 720 pages

Setting: New York

REVIEW

 

A Little Life is a slow burn. It would consume you bit by bit until it becomes part of you. Until it inhabits your soul.

After much contemplation and deliberation on what would be the most eloquent and convincing words to put in this review, still I came up short. Well for starters, I honestly don’t think I can give this book the justice it deserves. But because I have a social responsibility (yes I do believe book bloggers/reviewers have a moral obligation/ social responsibility) to at least convince even a single soul to read this book, then I would have to do with whatever my mind could grasp and deliver in this review, however vague or however too all over the place it may sound. Just bear with me on this one.

A Little Life will change you. I would have to start with that warning, or wisdom whichever way you want to look at it. It will change your perspective, may it be for the better or otherwise, it is all up to you on how you will take it. A Little Life isn’t for everyone, not for the faint-hearted, not for the impatient ones, not for the squeamish, not for the weak. I guess before diving into this book you have to prepare yourself and I don’t mean it in a shallow way. Prepare yourself to get hurt. Prepare yourself to shed tears and I mean lots of it. Prepare yourself to die a little inside, repeatedly. Prepare yourself to be shaken to the core. Prepare yourself to feel immense sadness. And even then, yes even with all the preparations you took, the precautionary measures you’ve set, you’re never ready for the inevitable impact. It will be something that will haunt you in your lifetime, I guarantee that. A Little Life needs your undivided attention, it needs your time and your whole heart. You don’t rush it, it is that kind of book you savour. I finished reading it in a month. I’m not a fast reader, on a monthly average I could do 5-7 books, and that’s not really a lot considering the work I have and other commitments, but I managed to finish this in a month which I can say as a pretty decent pace. I could have rushed it if I wanted to, but I have learned that this is the kind of book you don’t rush finishing. It is something you relish. You have to feel for the characters, you have to know them well, the ins and out of their lives just like how you treat a real friend. Because for a moment while you are immersed in their story, they are real too. You’ll appreciate how layered the story was and how rich the words used by the author. It was carefully crafted, the words were deliberately used to make a statement, to transcend outside the confines of the pages. It was lyrical as it is raw. There were too many wisdom from each page, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve ran out of tabs to use. And those are not just mere words jumbled to make a sentence, it was the affirmation of the life we are living, or the lives we never thought possible, or the lives we wish we had. It was all encompassing. Its beauty lies in the complexities and how all the lives of the characters intertwine making a beautiful tapestry.

New York as its setting added to the beauty of the book. How it was able to paint the city in such simple yet captivating light. The beauty of New York was not really the focus of the book, but it definitely set the mood of the entire story. There was a sense of tranquility and feeling of warmth that the book was trying to convey, while masking something so profound and larger than life. I could not quite fully explain it but the book had this pull on you, that once you started reading it wherever you maybe you’ll always go back to the story. It is as if it is summoning you to come back to it. The story will ricochet in your head every chance it gets. It is really something one could not easily forget. 

The characters are well thought-out, they are flawed yet had redeeming qualities you couldn’t miss. They have the power to make you feel as though you know them personally, they speak to you in a level of understanding that you didn’t even know is possible. I loved how the author was able to put history into different characters making them unique and truly realistic. It was complex and at the same time rich and colorful. A Little Life will show you two sides of a coin – the cruelty of human and the goodness in their hearts. And though it might not be something you are accustomed to reading, much like in my experience, it will give you the sense of realization that indeed life has many facets and faces and the beauty of it is coming to the conclusion that wherever it might lead us there’s always something to learn from it, one should just find the silver lining of it all.

Jude’s story had me bawling, there was this heavy weight on my chest that I just couldn’t lift off. His story was disturbing and yet I was so drawn to it that I had to know what happened in the end. Reading his story was an emotional torture  at best. And I didn’t know I had that strength to read through that. It was not only Jude’s story that struck me to my core. As I’ve said all these characters have rich history, they are beautiful in their own right. I loved Willem’s story as well and I think I cried for Willem just as much as I cried for Jude. And don’t get me started with Harold, that last part had me crying silent tears, my heart is breaking for him too!

You have to have the proper mindset before delving into the depths of this book. It has sensitive topics that are shocking to the conscience but at the same time needs to be addressed.It truly turned me into a different person. It felt like I had to look at the world in a maturer way, seeing the details with new eyes. There was something melancholic and page after page you will feel a sense of foreboding, something one could not simply ignore. Every torment, every tear shed, every emotional distress, they were all worth it and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

RATING: 

 

“Why wasn’t friendship as good as a relationship? Why wasn’t it even better? It was two people who remained together, day after day, bound not by sex or physical attraction or money or children or property, but only by the shared agreement to keep going, the mutual dedication to a union that could never be codified.”
― Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life

 

A Sudden Crush by Camilla Isley: Book Review

 

From Goodreads: Joanna Price is a city girl with the perfect life. She loves her job as a book editor, she just married Liam, high profile bestselling author and the man of her dreams, and she’s headed to the Caribbean to enjoy two weeks of paradise for her luxurious honeymoon.

Connor Duffield is a gruff, grumpy rancher from the Midwest. He is a country boy who has a no-nonsense approach to life, more scars than he’d like to admit, and he hates city girls.

So it’s just a misfortune they have to sit next to each other for a six hour plane ride. Even more so when their flight is caught in the perfect storm and Joanna wakes up stranded on a desert island with Connor, the very man she hoped she would never have to see again.

Why are they alone on this forsaken island? What happened to Joanna’s husband?

When her dream honeymoon turns into a hilarious tropical nightmare, Joanna’s first thought is survival. However, she and Connor will quickly discover just how boring paradise can be. As the days turn to weeks, and then months, this mismatched pair will have to learn how to coexist and how to resist the sparkles of an attraction they weren’t prepared to feel.

When they are finally rescued will Joanna’s marriage be saved as well, or will the life she knew and loved be in ruins?

 

Publisher: Pink Bloom Press

Date Published: February 4, 2016

Date Read: December 2016

No. of Pages: 240 

Setting: Island, Chicago

Get your copy here: Amazon and Book Depository

 

 

Light and fun read!

Sudden Crush is just the book you need when you’re stuck in an island (pun very much intended). It was an easy read that will get you hooked from very first page down to the last. If you loved The Hating Game by Sally Thorne you’ll definitely enjoy this one as well. It had the perfect amount of drama, romance and depth. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you’ve been with me long enough, or have noticed my taste in books, you very well know by now that love-hate relationships is one of my favorite book tropes. Oh goodness I live for these kind of books.

Sudden Crush is highly addictive, you can’t just put it down. The banters of the two characters – Connor and Joanna, oh my god! They are so cute I want to hug them both. Joanna is such a fun character to read, she was witty and relentless, a trait I really admire in women in books. And you have to give it to her to successfully make a friend out of a monkey – Manny. It was so cute! Connor on the other hand is a brooding male protagonist. He rarely talks but when he does it was serious and no beating around the bush – truly has a no-nonsense approach to everything. They are the complete opposite of each other, but reading them is such pure delight. It’s like you’re just waiting for them to finally fall in love with each other so you can finally move on with your life and be happy. But that comes a little later in the book. You have to patiently wait for everything to unfold, but I promise it will be rewarding.

This book is the perfect escape from reality – it is the epitome of a work of fiction. It was unrealistic, because come on it doesn’t happen often that a woman and a man is trapped in an island, add the fact that they loathe each other, and yet you’ll be so drawn to it as if it is the only source of your entertainment. Because for a moment, it truly is. Sudden Crush will veer you away from the stress of your every day life, for a fleeting time the lives of Connor and Joanna will be the only thing that mattered. Their story wasn’t rushed or forced, it had the perfect pacing. It had the right amount of drama and twist, enough to keep the reader interested to see what’s about to unfold in the end. And boy that ending was so cute I can’t wipe that silly smile off my face. It was everything nice and then some. This is the perfect pick me-upper after reading a very depressing book! Highly recommend!

 

Nerdy Talks Top 16 Books of 2016

Hey all! I’ve been quite busy the past weeks, and to be completely honest I was in a blogging and bookstagramming slump (yes there is such thing), I blame the holiday season. I know we all had that “moment” when all our creative juices seem to fly out of the window, I was having a serious case of it for quite a while, but hey I am back with a blog post! Of course I wouldn’t let the year pass without sharing with you guys my favourite reads of 2016. 2016 was a great reading year for me, I’ve discovered new favorite authors, enjoyed genres I didn’t know I would enjoy and met amazing “bookish” people. It was a year of saying yes to a whole lot of opportunities and discovering myself in the process. It is true what they say, books become part of who we are. And these books truly made a difference in me!

P.S. I did not include poetry books here since I will be making a separate post about it. You can check Top 16 Poetry Books of 2016 here.

Shall we begin?

1. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

 A Little Life took the cake, this is without an iota of doubt my favorite read of 2016. I have not made a review of it, yes, why you ask? I’m afraid I won’t be able to give it the justice it truly deserves. Imagine yourself inside a house on fire, at first you’ll feel the heat, next moment you’re suffocating from the thick smoke, the next thing you know fire is already enveloping you. Pretty morbid comparison, but that’s how it feels to read A Little Life. It will not immediately hurt you, it will happen in such a gradual manner, an emotional torture, a relentless beating, it was such a slow  burn rendering you helpless and emotionally drained. Not that it was a dragging read, it wasn’t, it’s just that you have to feel all of it to fully appreciate the book. This book needs your undivided attention, it may look like it is a tedious job to finish it, but I tell you it is so rewarding you’ll be thanking yourself forever. After reading A Little Life, I feel like I am a different person, I came out maturer and wiser, dare I say. A Little Life is a book that needs to be read even once in a person’s lifetime. Jude’s story may have been hard to digest and at times too much to bear, but you will just automatically be drawn to him just like the proverbial moth to the flame. As Hanya Yanagihara puts it, “Jude’s character is deeply frustrating to read yet easy to write.” I was also happy to have met this amazing author, definitely a highlight of my 2016.

2. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Just by thinking of this book sends endorphins all over me. I am smiling like a lunatic just by the mention of the name Joshua Templeman. I am so in love with this book, it is already bordering obsession. You can check my full review of the book here.

Sally Thorne reminded me of Sophie Kinsella and Cora Carmack’s writing. She surely knows how to formulate the right words to make a funny, romantic and a total page turner story. I super loved Joshua and Lucy’s banters, and the palpable sexual tension. I loved that it wasn’t just a romantic comedy novel, but also it had depth. Everything was just well played out, it had the perfect amount of drama, romance and fun! I think it is my life mission to shove this book down every person’s throat. I feel sorry for those people who have not read this book yet, I mean guys, what is wrong with you? You’re missing half of your life. Like seriously, go and buy this book now!

3. The Radleys by Matt Haig

The Radleys is a book that completely surprised me. It may have a low rating on Goodreads, but that didn’t stop me from reading this one. The Radleys is my first vampire read, yes you read that right. I was expecting something mediocre and something common, I didn’t expect it to offer something new in the table. But boy, this book surprised me. I may not be a wide vampire book reader, but I know good stuff when I read one, and this book did not disappoint. It was well thought out, the characters are engaging and unique. The back story had me hooked I was flying through the pages and finished it in a day. Matt Haig’s writing style is addictive. He sure as hell gained a fan in me. You can check my full review of the book here

4. The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins

 Prepare to hold your breath the last 50 pages or so.  You are in for some mind blowing, heart racing and gasp inducing ride. This book had the perfect amount of suspense and drama. And though this book is constantly compared to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, this book is different and worthy of anyone’s time. It is beautiful and engaging in its own right, and quite frankly I liked this one more than Gone Girl. 

The Girl on The Train‘s twist is something I did not see coming. It was more like an unexpected smack in the face. Paula Hawkins’ talent on trickery and mind fckery is something you sure wouldn’t want to miss. I have not seen the movie but I heard Emily Blunt did a great job portraying the role of Rachel, I think I will watch that after writing this blog entry. You can check my full review of the book here. 

5. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid is another new favorite author, and it only takes one book by her to convince me. Maybe In Another Life is a good take on the dilemmas of being an adult, on the struggle of being stuck in a limbo, of being lost in your life or confused as to what you wanted to be. Maybe In Another Life is an affirmation that though life may have played cruel jokes on you, you’ll still end up where you should be – and that you’ll find happiness in it, wherever it may be and whoever it be with. Maybe In Another Life is an unconventional style of story telling, it offers alternate endings, it is like reading two books in one. This is one of the main reasons why this book appealed to me so much. So much so that Taylor Jenkins Reid instantly became a favorite author. You can see my full review of the book here. 

6. The Forbidden by Tabitha Suzama

Forbidden is an incest story, yes, you read that right and no I did not ruin it for you, it is included in the blurb. So don’t go hating on me. And while this book talks about a taboo, it is something so gripping and heartbreaking you couldn’t miss the way the author painted it in such a beautiful and haunting light. This book had me bawling at the wee hours of the night,  it is like my heart was barely surviving. That ending shook me to my core, it was bound to have a heart wrenching ending, but boy I was not prepared for it. Tabitha Suzama’s writing style is unflinchingly beautiful, lyrical and too raw. Maya and Logan’s story is something that would stay in my head for a long time, more like forever. I hope everyone would give this book a try. It was a gamble reading this one, but it was worth taking that risk. It challenged me as a reader and as a person, that at least counts for something. You can check the full review of the book here. 

7. Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino

Renee Carlino is yet another new found favorite author of 2016. I have read three books by her: Swear on This Life, Sweet Thing and Before We Were Strangers. Before We Were Strangers is my ultimate favorite so far. This book is my fantasy put into paper. It is  that one book that had me saying “Damn, I wish I wrote that.”. Before We Were Strangers is a story of missed connections, of second chances and forgiveness, of how great love always finds their way back despite the time and distance. The characters are as flawed and as human as they will ever be, I loved how it felt real. I appreciated that it wasn’t forced or just written for the sake of having a story to publish. The one that got away stories always have a special place in my heart. Gahhh it was just so beautiful. You can check my full review of it here. 

8. The Vegetarian by Han Kang

This book will lure you into this pit of calmness and plunge you into this unsettling abyss that will stay in your head for days, yes days. It is a book you won’t easily forget. It will inhabit your mind like a guest who has overstayed their welcome. – An excerpt of my review that you can check out here.

The Vegetarian is another book that left me in such a daze. It was different from all I have read before. This book was a good take on the topic of mental illness. Lyrical and haunting. Han Kang’s writing style is on point yet had that power of plaguing your mind like it was an unresolved mystery. Fans of Haruki Murakami will surely enjoy Han Kang’s book. It gave off the same vibe as that of Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood.

9. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

While historical fiction isn’t my cup of tea, Burial Rites  made me want to try more books under this genre. I thought I would be struggling finishing this one but Hannah Kent’s writing style proved to be something so engaging and enthralling that I couldn’t help but devour the book in a much shorter span of time that what I have anticipated.

Burial Rites is a well researched masterpiece. You will appreciate the author’s hard work and effort in coming up with such brilliant narration of the life of woman accused of murder and her subsequent execution as well as the story that surrounded it. It was written in such a way that was powerful yet gentle. Agnes’ character will simply grow in you, and you’ll develop a sense of empathy. Reading this book will make you think that this isn’t the first book of the author, it was so beautifully written you could very well tell that the author had a long experience writing novels, but no, this book is Hannah Kent’s first novel and it was amazing. Nothing short of perfect to me. Imagine if she has more books under her belt, imagine how much beautiful her books could get. We are in for some huge treat! Hannah Kent sure is an author to watch out for. You can check my full review of the book here. 

10. Kyland by Mia Sheridan

Mia Sheridan has been a household name when it comes to New Adult books. I have heard so many great things about her that it is just natural to read one of her works. And boy I was not disappointed. Now I know why Mia Sheridan is loved by many. Kyland has just solidified that. Kyland is not just a love story, it was so much more! It was about two people who tried to make ends meet despite the struggles they face day in and day out. It was about sacrifices and choosing the happiness of the other over yours. Kyland ripped my heart out, I think I have cried a week’s worth of tears over this book. I had to stop in between chapters since I literally can’t deal with all the pain I was feeling. To say this broke my heart into tiny million pieces would have been the understatement of the year. You can check my full review here. 

11. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

This is now included in my favorite books of all time list! I swear Chuck Palahniuk is a genius for writing such ridiculously good novel. It was so twisted yet so profound at the same time. It is the kind of book that will have you pondering on life and the grandness of it all. It may be considered as something “too masculine” yet I am still enamored by how it was conjured, of how everything unfolded. That twist made my jaw drop! I have not watched the movie so I had zero idea of what’s to go down, and boy that was some serious stuff. It was so good I was left in awe. And while it may be short, it was definitely a book that packed a punch (haha pun intended). You can check my full review of the book here. 

12. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Should I even bother explain why this book made it to my list? This is a no-brainer. But let me state three reasons why I loved this book. First, it tackles something so profound, something larger than life. It was thought-provoking at best. Second, it wasn’t just a love story, it wasn’t just about two people falling helplessly in love with each other – it was unconventional, poignant yet still captivating. And lastly, it will rip your heart out, you’ll cry buckets, o boy yes you will, and as if your heart can’t take anymore beating it will happen all over again. It was the kind of cycle you’ll be willing to participate. And though there are some issues surrounding this book, I still think that it was well played out, it was written in a such a way that you would understand the choices that characters made. You can check my full review of the book here. 

13. Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

Of course this blog entry wouldn’t be complete without this book. Finishing this book is an accomplishment! I think it is already an established fact that I am a huge fan of the TV Series, and because I wanted to understand it more, I have vowed to read all the books, and 2016 was the year I started. I may be taking a really long time to read all the books, but everything is worth it. It wasn’t called a hit for nothing, and I tell you the book is always better. George RR Martin’s writing prowess is quite like no other, how could such a man think of all these convoluted plot lines, only a genius could do that, and George RR Martin sure is one hell of a genius writer!

14. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 

It was about damn time to read this book, and I did just that in 2016. I know I am late in the bandwagon, but still here I am. It is true that the word depressing doesn’t even begin to cover this book. It was a good take on the topic of depression. Esther’s character is relatable in more ways than one. You will feel her underneath your skin, it is as of you are the one experiencing everything that she has been going through. It was a perfect depiction of someone spiraling into the pits of depression, and while it is a sad read, it was also powerful and compelling. You can check my full review here.

15. The Pirate’s Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

The Pirate’s Wish is definitely a great conclusion to this duology by Cassandra Rose Clarke. You can check my full review of Assassin’s Curse here.. While Assassin’s Curse  didn’t quite live up to my expectation, as I had a lot of issues surrounding the characters and the character build up, The Pirate’s Wish definitely made up for it. In the second book, everything became coherent, there was also a huge improvement on the characters. I devoured the pages like it is nobody’s business. I highly enjoyed the world building. Cassandra Rose Clarke is definitely someone to watch out for. Can’t wait to read more of her works. You can check my full review of the book here. 

16. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Last but definitely not the least, It Ends With Us. This book!!! I know not all people loved this book. It was the kind of story that people will either hate so profoundly or love it with all their heart, I am part of the latter. This book is the Colleen Hoover I fell in love with. Colleen Hoover was bold and brave in writing this story. There is something commendable on how the book turned out. When it comes to Colleen Hoover books, always expect the worst, wait for the other shoe to drop – but even then, even when you thought you are prepared for all the emotional beating it will still be a shocking and ultimately heartbreaking revelation. This book needs to be read because this book encapsulated something so precious and powerful you have to share it to the world. Just be warned though, I believe this caters more to adult readers as it talks about sensitive topics. You can check my full review here. 

So there you have it guys! Thank you for sticking around this 2016 and tolerating my sometimes lack of creativity and my incessant fangirling. Here’s to hoping 2017 will be kinder to all of us and to hoping we could take down our TBRs! Haha happy new year and have a blessed year ahead!