Month: May 2019

#WWWWednesday: 22 May 2019

Dini @ dinipandareads2 Comments

Is it really only Wednesday? It feels a little like it should be Friday already, but this is probably the side effect of having my holiday end on Monday, instead of at the weekend. It’s only been a day since I’ve come back to the office and the struggle is really real, y’all. All I wanna do is go back to that poolside bed and get sunbaked with a book in one hand and an iced coffee in the other. It’s times like these I really question why I don’t read for a living? Lol.

But before I drift off into my dream world, it’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

Since last week, I managed to finish reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, The Bride Test by Helen Hoang and Some Choose Darkness (e-ARC) by Charlie Donlea. I haven’t written my reviews for any of these yet, but hope to post one for Little Fires tomorrow (probably). I thoroughly enjoyed these reads though and they all received a 4/4.5 star rating from me! Little Fires Everywhere has been hyped a lot since last year and I was honestly scared to read it, but I’m so glad that my decision to take part in #APICelebrAsian / the #AsianReadathon pushed me to finally open it because I was impressed! I can’t wait to read more of her books and I’m so excited Little Fires is being made into a movie! The Bride Test was a fast, fun and super sexy read that I finished poolside while on holiday. Hoang won me over with The Kiss Quotient and she has done it again with The Bride Test! I loved the characters and the inclusiveness with characters on the spectrum. I loved the family relationships and the exploration of Asian (Vietnamese) culture and society. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a heart-fluttering feel-good read! My first finished ARC of the month, Some Choose Darkness was also my first Charlie Donlea read and it had me wondering how I hadn’t heard of him before because I loved it! While not entirely unpredictable, it still kept me on my toes and was fast-paced enough that I never felt bored. I devoured this and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! My full review for this will also (hopefully) be coming soon!

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading Final Girls by Riley Sager. I have heard so much about his books on bookstagram over the last few months that I couldn’t resist buying this when I came across it at the bookstore last week. I started it by the pool last week, but put it down because of my buddy reads, but now that those are out of the way, I’m back on it! Because of my hectic schedule and staycation, as well as my inability to really plan reads, I’m still also reading The Wedding Planner (Whisper Woods #3) by Eve Devon and How to Find Love in A Bookshop by Veronica Henry. The pub date for The Wedding Planner has already come and gone (03 May), but I just can’t seem to get into the story. It’s honestly too confusing jumping in without knowing the backstory between the characters and pairings. I’m feeling iffy about this, but I’m going to speed read and push through because you know I hate to DNF! As for the bookshop, there’s definitely no rush and I’m going to take my time reading it and perhaps using it as a palate cleanser between the thrillers I’ll be reading!

What will you read next?

So. Many. ARCs. Ohmygoodness, I just crept onto NetGalley on my lunch break today and there are so many ARCs that I need to get to reading. Why is my ass so lazy and disorganized? Seriously. I send myself into a tailspin every single time I go on the site to check what books need to be read. But literally 90% of the books waiting for me are being/have been published in May! Here are some of the ones I have to read because the pub dates have already passed or are coming up quick: The Vanishing Season by Dotch Hutchinson (21 May), The Women by S.E. Lynes (HAPPY PUBDAY! 22 May), and I Spy The Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong (25 May). Welp. Why do I do this to myself again?

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these? If you’ve done a WWW Wednesday post today, leave your link in the comments below 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Books That Are Off Limits

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

I took a short holiday over the last week and I still kind of feel like I’m stepping out of a fog and back into a world where everything is slightly blurred around the edges. I didn’t realize how much I wanted (or needed!) a break until my recent staycation at a very quiet location surrounded by rice fields. The place itself was so aesthetically pleasing, and being able to laze in bed in the mornings, and by the pool in the afternoons, was the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation. That did mean spending less time on social media and falling off completely with blogging, but sometimes we all just need to disconnect, right? Now I’m back and even before the holiday ended I was already feeling pre-post-holiday-blues, and I’ve been hitting struggle town real hard today while at work. But I’m doing my best to get back on track with everything I’ve missed; hopefully it won’t take me ages to get back into my routine! So without further ado…

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Books That Are Off Limits. I don’t have a lot of people in my life who love to read (and the ones that do aren’t anywhere near me so it doesn’t really matter)! Most of the books on my shelf right now are newer books that I’ve collected since coming back to Indonesia six years ago because moving every few years meant my parents gave away the majority of my things, books included. Maybe the books on my list aren’t some of the oldest or most well loved, but they are definitely some of the most beautiful books I own!

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I made the mistake of lending out my well-loved copy of A Little Life to a friend last year and although I trusted her to take good care of my book, it did come back in a condition that I wasn’t pleased with. I won’t be lending this book out to anyone again, even though I’m planning to get the hardcover to add to my collection.

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab (Collector’s Edition). There’s no way this one is going anywhere but my shelves. This collector’s edition is beautiful and even I’m reluctant to touch and read it because it’s so lovely!

A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V.E. Schwab (Collector’s Edition). Basically the same as above. These are the first collector’s editions that I’ve purchased and they’ll be staying right where they are 🙂

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab. This hardback is the UK version and I’m in love with the white cover. When I bought it they only had two copies and there were already some imperfections that I noticed on the sleeves, so I chose the less obviously damaged of the two. It was that or not buy it and I knew I couldn’t leave the store without it!

Finale (Caraval #3) by Stephanie Garber (OwlCrate Special Edition). Caraval is one of my favorite series and when OwlCrate announced they’d be doing this special edition box, I set my alarm at 3:30am on a Monday morning to place my order. I’m so excited for this one to finally get in, and when it does, it isn’t going anywhere!

Owlcrate Signed Editions. I’ve been subscribed to OwlCrate for six months now and all the signed special cover editions are absolutely gorgeous. The books from this years’ boxes have been especially incredible and I wouldn’t want anyone borrowing them.

Persuasion by Jane Austen (Canterbury Classics Flexibound). I have a beautiful edition of this Austen and it’s my all time favorite alongside Pride & Prejudice. Even though I think Austen should be read by all, they won’t be reading this copy of mine!

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. Simply for the fact that this hardcover is simply too gorgeous to share. Sorry, not sorry! The jacket itself is beautiful, but the naked cover is one of my favorites that I’ve seen and I’m not risking anyone borrowing it!

The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (Barnes & Noble Edition). I recently got this one from my best friend for my birthday on Sunday and it’s an absolutely gorgeous edition with silver sprayed edges and a dazzling cover. I haven’t even opened it to read myself but with how beautiful this one is, no one else is allowed to touch it unless they do it in front of me at home!

All the Books by Christina Lauren. They’re not special editions or signed books but this is more to do with the steamy romance in the books. My friends and family all have this idea in their head that I don’t dabble in romance, when in fact, I “dabble” a lot. The steaminess in some of these books would definitely (probably) shock them! 😅

Do you have any books that you won’t allow others to borrow? If you’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday post for today’s prompt, leave your link in the comments below 🙂

#WWWWednesday: 15 May 2019

Dini @ dinipandareads5 Comments

Hey book friends! Hope everyone has been having a great week so far. My bestie has arrived from Brisbane today to spend a few days with me for my birthday this Sunday, so I don’t know if I’ll have much time to make more posts this week, but since Wednesdays are usually shorter posts, and the night is almost over, I thought I’d take a quick break from our catch up to write something. I’m so happy my bestie is here, she makes everything so much better and for the last few hours we’ve been reminiscing about our Melbourne days and catching up on all the latest face-to-face.

Anyway, without further ado, it’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

Most recently I finished an ARC that I had been “reading” for weeks, an upcoming poetry book and a popular contemporary fiction that I didn’t want to put down. Friends, I’ve finally finished Little Darlings by Melanie Golding. I think I really psyched myself out of reading this one for fear that it’d be too scary for my easily frightened imagination, but I ended up enjoying it well enough. You can read my review here. I read an ARC of a poetry collection called Between You and These Bones by F.D. Soul, which was published yesterday (14 May), and although I didn’t fully connect with it as much as I hoped I would, there were still some beautiful pieces that I really enjoyed. You can read my review here. Lastly, I stayed up late last night to finish Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I’m still thinking over my review, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I haven’t read Ng’s debut so I didn’t really have an idea of what her writing would be like, but I can definitely understand why this book was so hyped! Definitely worth checking out. My review will be coming up (hopefully) soon so keep an eye out for that!

What are you currently reading?

The Wedding Planner (Whisper Woods #3) by Eve Devon. This is an ARC that was actually published yesterday too (14 May) — I’m so behind on my NetGalley reads because I’ve been feeling a little bit “slumpish” recently. I didn’t realize that this was actually the third book in a series, so to be honest I’m feeling a little bit lost with all the character and pairing mentions, but it seems to be a cute read so far. I hope that it won’t take me long to read! I’m also reading How to Find Love in A Bookshop by Veronica Henry. I recently looked through the books I’ve read and rated but didn’t write a review for and this is one of the ones I came across. I love books about books, especially when there’s romance involved, so I immediately felt the need to pick this up for a reread. It’s almost like reading it ‘new’ because my memory is notoriously bad, but some things are coming back to me as I read. Let me just say that I’ve already cried three times reading the first few chapters. I’m amazed at how this book has me so emotional so quickly!

What will you read next?

I’m hoping to also pick up The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine over my short little holiday. I’ve been told it’s a really good fast paced thriller and since I’ll be lounging by the pool/beach over the next few days, I thought it’d be the perfect book to start reading! It definitely sounds juicy, so I’m looking forward to it!

What are you currently reading? Have you written a WWW Wednesday post too? Leave your link in the comments below 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Books to Movies/Shows!

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

Thanks to the crappy internet at my apartment tonight, I basically finished writing up my post but the page got stuck “auto saving” the draft for 30+ minutes. I thought I copied all my content before pressing refresh, but turns out… I didn’t and so I lost my post. 😭 I’m hella frustrated, I’m so bleeding knackered and my brain is honestly chugging along at 50% right now. I wanted to forget about posting tonight but I thought screw it, I’m just gonna keep it short. Sorry for the crappy post and the whingeing just now. 🙈 It’s been a long day and clearly, it’s not ending my way, but tomorrow will be a better day. Right?!

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday post today. This meme was created by The Broke and the Bookish and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in 2018. Today’s prompt is: Page to Screen Freebie. Surprisingly, or maybe not, I haven’t watched that many movies/shows that were originally books that I have read or vice versa. Since this is a freebie, I’m going to just compile a favorites list off the top of my head of the books that were made into movies/shows that I may or may not have watched… and whose books I may or may not have read. Are you just as confused as I am with how I’ve decided to answer this prompt? I have a tendency to complicate my own life… But without further ado, here’s my list:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The Keira Knightley version is my absolute fave! And omg the smiles in this scene… How do I not swoon and love them?!

A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Any explanation necessary? It’s one of my all time favorites. I’ve only read four of the books because I binged them and absolutely exhausted my quota of brutal killings, war, politics, and weird sex. But the show will live on forever as one of my favorites!

The Magicians by Lev Grossman. The book was such a slog for me but the show is absolutely amazing! Would definitely recommend if you like freaky magical worlds, good vs evil battles and often dark magic.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Freaking loved this book but haven’t seen the show (not for any particular reason). The trailers and snippets I’ve seen have all been super cool, I just haven’t got around to it yet.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. One of my all time favorite books but I haven’t seen the show yet. Again, not for any particular reason!

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Unfortunately, I did not love this book. Maybe it was because I watched the movie first and there was so much action and dialogue, that when I picked up the book I was just so disappointed. It was a slog 😦 Sorry, fans!

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. The series is one of my all time favorite movies to watch when I’m feeling lazy, need to switch off my brain and just want to absorb comfort. I haven’t read the books because of how I felt about The Hobbit, but one day I definitely will!

Coraline by Neil Gaiman. This movie is so creepy and fantastic and so utterly Gaiman. I actually hadn’t discovered Gaiman when I watched the animation for the first time, but when I found out it was by him, I wasn’t the least surprised.

The Green Mile by Stephen King. This movie is amazing and was so heartbreaking at the end that it made me ugly cry in public. I actually didn’t know this was based off a King novel though. Fun fact: Did you know King originally published this book as a series of weekly chapbooks published in magazines and only later compiled it into a novel? I thought that was a cool fact 🙂

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman. I’m still reading this book right now but I’m so freaking excited for the show. A few weeks back Gaiman shared the TV poster for it and it looked crazy good! It comes out 31 May! Who’s gonna be watching with me?!

What are some of your favorite adaptations? Have you watched/read any of these titles? If you’ve answered today’s TTT, leave your link in the comments below! 🙂

ARC Review: Between You and These Bones by F.D. Soul

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Goodreads: Between You and these Bones
Publish Date: 14 May 2019
Genre: Poetry
Rating: ★★½☆☆☆

First of all, this cover and the title are simply beautiful. They are what made me pick up this collection in the first place because this is my first encounter with F.D. Soul, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book.

I wanted so much to love this poetry collection but I didn’t connect with the majority of the work. I’m not a heavy reader of poetry, I dabble here and there, so I don’t know if that was the cause of most of the words flying over my head. I did connect to some of them though; there were poems or certain lines in poems that would jump out at me and make me think “wow, this is so beautiful” and then I’d wish that I felt that way about the whole collection. Most of the ones that I connected with related to their experience of discovering love, finding home, and dealing with dark moments and fighting “that battle” (mental health, depression). I wished there was more that I connected to! The illustrations were beautiful and although there weren’t that many, I thought they illustrated the poems they were made for so well. While reading I was thinking that I could see these illustrations being made into tattoos because they’re not unlike ones I’ve already seen inked on skin. I could totally see myself getting one!

I don’t doubt that there will be many people out there who love these poems and feel connected to many of them. For me, this was a nice introduction to F.D. Soul’s work, and although I didn’t connect with many of them, I would still be curious to see what else they’ve made. I’ll definitely be checking out their social sites (@featherdownsoul).

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this free copy in exchange for an honest review. Are you a big fan of poetry? This collection comes out 14 May 2019, so be on the lookout if you’re curious!

Bookish Thoughts: Book Reviewers

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

Earlier today, I read a post about reviewers written by Ally @Ally Writes Things and it had me reflecting on my own thoughts about the subject. I really enjoyed Ally’s discussion post from last week about different types of reviewers. In it, she identified seven types of reviewers, and I think I’m a mix between two: ‘The Friendly Reviewer’ and ‘Easy to Please’. It’s funny how accurate these descriptions are for the different reviewer types. Check out her post to see if you can identify what type of reviewer you are!

Friendly + Easy to please Reviewer:

  • Is easily distracted by good writing
  • Only notices major issues when they’re pointed out by other reviews
  • “I thought the plot was boring and the characters were just okay, but I loved the writing. Four and a half stars.”
  • Will drag your favourite book if they didn’t like it, but will do it nicely
  • Honestly, even when they hate a book, it will be worded in the nicest way possible
  • Will still probably rate that book 2 stars
  • If they love a book, it’s just 600 words of them gushing non-stop about everything

This post actually brought back to mind something that I’ve questioned myself about over the last few weeks, and maybe it speaks to my insecurities as a somewhat new reviewer and blogger with little to no literary background other than my passion and love for reading. But sometimes I question whether I can call myself a “book reviewer” because I feel like about 80% of the time I’m only reflecting on how the book made me feel and what it made me think. Of course I do talk about the writing style, structure, pacing etc., but I don’t know much about the literary terms that are used to ‘critique’ books, so I tend to focus on what I do know.

The reason I thought of this is because I read someone comment that they also do the same thing (talk about how a book made them think/feel), but because of that they don’t consider themselves a book reviewer. That really got me thinking: does this make me any less of a book reviewer? I’ve only “recently” (read: one year) started to write reviews and one of the reasons I got this blog was to work on how I read and reflect on books. Maybe I’m biased (lol) but I don’t think it does because when you’re writing a review for a book you just finished, some of the elements you consider are how you felt connected to the storyline and the characters, whether that be emotionally, mentally or otherwise. Right?

What are your thoughts on this? Am I just letting my insecure thoughts consume me or have you ever wondered the same? Also, what type of reviewer are you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [05]

Dini @ dinipandareads4 Comments

It’s the end of another weekend and I’m kind of boggled at how it’s already almost the middle of the month? How does this keep happening? 😂 We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This Sunday morning I woke up and immediately started reading my new book: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I’ve had this book on my shelf for quite a while and for reasons unknown I just haven’t picked it up until now. I think maybe all the hype around it is what put me off reading it right away, which is normally the case for me with overhyped books. I get FOMO but then question whether I’ll love it as much as everyone else. Definite first world bookworm problems! 😂 This will also be my first book for the #AsianReadathon, which I’m excited to participate in because as an Asian, I’m very embarrassed to admit that I don’t read very many Asian authors… Not on purpose though, I just don’t consciously diversify my reads, but I’m working on changing this from this month onward! Although I just started this book after midnight, I’m already about 30% through. I can feel the tension building up between the characters and I can just imagine how it’ll all explode. I have a feeling I’ll be wanting to read this well into the night tonight, and I can already see why everyone raves about this book. I have a feeling I’ll love it too!

What are you currently reading?

For the first time in a long time I’m not actually mad that the weekend is practically over because my bestie is coming up from Brisbane on Wednesday next week and we’re going to spend six days in a gorgeous villa to work on our tans by the pool/beach, to read all the books, to eat/drink all the food and cocktails, and to celebrate my birthday 🥳 I’M SO FREAKING EXCITED!! That said, there’s a good chance I might go MIA on the blogosphere next week because I’m not sure how much energy I will have after lying in the sun all day? Jokes! Sort of… I’m hoping to schedule some posts for the week tomorrow evening, but I’m pretty bad at that, so we’ll see how it goes. For now, just in case you missed it, here are the posts I’ve made this week:

Review: Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
Friday Favorites: Books That Were Recommended to You
Birthday Month Book Haul #1
#WWWWednesday: 08 May
Top Ten Tuesday: Characters That Remind Me of Myself
Review: All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

How are your May reads coming along? Are you participating in the#AsianReadathon too? Hope you’re all having a great weekend 🙂

ARC Review: Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

Goodreads: Little Darlings
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publish date: 30 April 2019
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Supernatural Thriller
Rating: ★★★½

“Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, and Aimee Molloy’s The Perfect Mother.

Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things. A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley—to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies. Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.

Oh wow, this one really took me ages to read! I think I kind of psyched myself out of reading it because it’s a supernatural thriller and the supernatural isn’t really my jam. I had no clue when I read the blurb that it would have these elements, I honestly thought it would be about a woman who was suffering from postpartum depression or something along those lines. I don’t really see this as a thriller but perhaps more of folk tale inspired slow burn mystery. That said, I don’t think my apprehension to read this affected how I felt about the story. I didn’t dislike it, but it did fill me with a lot of anxiety, though I enjoyed the uncertainty of not knowing what was real and what wasn’t.

The story is told in alternating perspectives between Lauren and Detective Sergeant Joanna Harper. Harper’s POV was pretty much standard police procedure and detective work, although there was a lot of personal conflict with her character. She felt pity for Lauren but also understood her situation as a mother, which led her to taking the leap and believing something that should’ve been completely ridiculous. Ultimately though it was for the wrong reasons and only added to make the situation worse.

Lauren’s anguish, depression and loneliness was palpable throughout the book. It left me feeling anxious about what would happen next, and sad for her character and what she was going through. My least favorite character in this novel was her husband, Patrick, who was honestly such a weak and spineless man; I wanted to push him off a cliff with how patronizing and selfish he was! To be honest though, since we only saw his character through Lauren’s eyes, I wasn’t sure whether he was really like that or if it what we saw was clouded by Lauren’s depression and mania.

Perhaps the reason why I didn’t absolutely love this story was because I don’t have children, and at this point in my life, I’m leaning towards not having any of my own. This story is fully about a mother’s love for her children and her willingness to do just about anything to get them back, and I couldn’t really connect with that anguish and desperation. While I’m not saying that it’s necessary to have children to understand the intensity of this novel and Lauren’s character, I think it definitely helps to connect with it.

I thought this was a fairly well-paced mystery, although certain parts in the middle really slowed it down for me and got boring. I liked how every chapter began with excerpts from various folk tales–it definitely added to the creepy supernatural vibe of the story. I will also admit that this was a lot less creepy than I thought, although many things to do with babies and the supernatural kind of freak me out in general 🙂 There ended up being quite a lot of elements in this story and at first I was wondering how Golding would tie it all together, especially when a new one was introduced so late in the book; but while the climax was slightly unrealistic, this was inspired by a folk tale so it fit with the overall story arc. One thing I will say is that this novel kept me guessing throughout and although I knew none of it could be real, I still couldn’t help but wondering “what if“. Overall, I’m impressed with how Melanie Golding packaged everything for a satisfying, if not slightly sad, conclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free copy in exchange for a free copy. This book was published on 30 April 2019.

Friday Favourites: Books That Were Recommended to You

Dini @ dinipandareads4 Comments

TGI-freaking-F, book lovers! It has been a week and I’m so so glad that it’s finally Friday because I can now read through the night without worrying about how I’m going to function as a hooman at work all day. That said, I recently discovered another meme that sounded fun and that I want to participate in weekly. Friday Favourites is hosted by Something of the Book and it’s where you get to share a list of all your favourites based on the list of prompts on her page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: books that were recommended to you and became favourites.

A sad fact of my life is that there aren’t many people in it that read avidly or actually, read at all. Most of the time I’m the one that’s recommending books to people and while that gives me great pleasure, I often wish I had more people that can recommend reads to me too. Thank goodness for the book blogging/bookstagram community though, amiright? Admittedly, ever since becoming part of this community I’ve added a lot more recommended reads to my list, but I haven’t gotten around to reading them yet. I’m trash. But here is a short list of the ones I’ve read and loved!

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

When I first moved to Indonesia and did an internship at the UN, the book loving friends I made were from everywhere. They read books in English, French, German, and Spanish—it was intimidating and impressive! She was rereading The Shadow of the Wind in Spanish at the time, and demanded I pick it up ASAP when I said I had no clue who Zafon was. So I did, and the only regret I had was that I didn’t learn of him sooner! This book swept me away and took me on a beautiful gothic adventure involving a secret library, a mysterious author, murder, and romance. Zafon won me over big time!

Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis, Larry Sloman (Collaborator)

When I was at uni in Australia, one of my besties gushed about how amazing this book was and since I was a big fan of RHCP and Anthony Kiedis, I was more than willing to read it. I think this was the first non-fiction that I willingly picked up (and wasn’t required reading at school) and even more than 10 years on, I can still vividly remember certain details he shared about the music he wrote and life on the road as a rock star. I was definitely impressed!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

One of my closest friends on the island recommended this to me after she finished reading it. I borrowed her copy and almost didn’t want to return it! To my delight, one of my besties in India had a rather beaten but well-loved copy and decided to mail it to me as a surprise because she knew how much I loved it after I finished. I have great friends 🙂 This was my introduction to Rainbow Rowell’s books and I haven’t looked back since.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

My best friend recommended this to me while she was also reading it. She did mention how emotionally heavy and depressing it was, but she said it seemed like a book I would enjoy. Then I saw that heart-wrenching cover and I knew I had to pick it up. There are no words to describe what this book did to me. It was an insanely depressing read but these four friends, and Jude especially, took me on a journey through their friendship and lives that I will never forget. No question, this is one of my favorite books of all bookish time!

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Last year I read Conversations with Friends and disliked it so much that I didn’t think I’d ever pick up another book by Sally Rooney. When I finished CwF I went into a hardcore reading slump for several months—it wasn’t a fun time. However, this year a lot of book friends raved about how amazing it was and when a friend told me she really enjoyed it, despite feeling the same way about Rooney’s debut, I decided to give it a go. I’m so glad that I did because it became one of my favorite reads this year. I know both Marianne and Connell will stay with me for a long time!

What are some of your favourite books that were recommended to you? If you’d like to leave me book recommendations of your favourites, I’m always happy to add to more to my never ending TBR 😃

Birthday Month Book Haul #1

Dini @ dinipandareads4 Comments

Not only are there are a large number of exciting new releases that are coming out this month, it’s also my birthday month, which means that I’m allowing myself to go a little wild on the book haul front. My bank account might not be loving this idea because compared to other (Western) countries where you can buy a lot of pre-loved and new books or for cheap, buying English books in Indonesia can get pretty expensive! As a book lover, this is one of the things that makes me pretty sad but I’m super lucky that I have a job that allows me to indulge in my passion for books!

To kick off my birthday month, I hit the bookstore last week without really having any intentions to buy a book (*cough*), let alone a small stack, but I was delighted to walk in and find that there was a 30% sale going on for a few books I’ve been excited to get my hands on for a while! Isn’t that just the best kind of surprise? 😃 I’m quite pleased with this first haul, especially since I got three well-loved non-fictions and a new book for the Asian Readathon. Have you read any of these?

Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness
A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities not just for change but for revolution, Time’s Convert channels the supernatural world-building and slow-burning romance that made the All Souls Trilogy instant bestsellers to illuminate a new and vital moment in history, and a love affair that will bridge centuries.

Educated by Tara Westover
Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty, and of the grief that comes from severing one’s closest ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one’s life through new eyes, and the will to change it.

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
A young woman is torn between her Korean heritage and American upbringing. The elder daughter of working-class Korean immigrants, Casey inhabits a New York a world away from that of her parents. As Casey navigates an uneven course of small triumphs and spectacular failures, a clash of values, ideals and ambitions plays out against the colourful backdrop of New York society, its many layers, shades and divides… ‘Take Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, add the glamour of The Devil Wears Prada, and throw in a social commentary on modern identity crises’ Eve. 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz. Like many survivors, Lale and Gita told few people their story after the war. They eventually made their way to Australia, where they raised a son and had a successful life. But when Gita died, Lale felt he could no longer carry the burden of their past alone. He chose to tell his story.

Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
The world is messing with our minds. After experiencing years of anxiety and panic attacks, these questions became urgent matters of life and death for Matt Haig. And he began to look for the link between what he felt and the world around him. Notes on a Nervous Planet is a personal and vital look at how to feel happy, human and whole in the 21st century.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
Reasons to Stay Alive is about making the most of your time on earth. In the western world the suicide rate is highest amongst men under the age of 35. Matt Haig could have added to that statistic when, aged 24, he found himself staring at a cliff-edge about to jump off. This is the story of why he didn’t, how he recovered and learned to live with anxiety and depression. It’s also an upbeat, joyous and very funny exploration of how live better, love better, read better and feel more.

Have you already gone book shopping this month? Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments below and let’s chat 🙂