July 2015 TBR

Hello dear Readers,

I do not have a TBR planned for July. I will finish Everything I never told you by Celeste Ng, which is my current read and after that, I think I will just pick books that I feel I want to read. 

My Current Read:

• Everything I never told you by Celeste Ng.

Wen

June 2015 Book Haul

Hello dear Readers,

This is my June 2015 Book Haul. 

I bought three physical books and three e-books.

Physical Books

• The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald (Spanish Edition)

• Anne Frank. The Biography by Melissa Muller

• Everything I Never Told you by Celeste Ng

E-Books (Kindle Books)

• Shattered by Nicole Banks

• Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Portuguese Edition)

Wen

June 2015 Wrap-Up

Hello dear Readers,

This is my June 2015 Wrap-Up.

I read a total of four physical books, one Audio book and three e-books, one of them is an ARC copy I received from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, it was a great reading month. All the physical books I read, I checked them out from the Library, which has helped me with one of my 2015 Reading Goals, to use the Library more.

Title:  The Thing Around Your Neck

Genre: Fiction

Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Publisher: Anchor

Language: English

Paperback: 240 pages

*I did a review of this book on a previous post, if you want to go and check it out.

Title:  The Turner House

Genre: Fiction/Family Life

Author: Angela Flournoy

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Language: English

Hardcover: 352 pages
*I did a review of this book on a previous post, if you want to go and check it out.

Title:  The World Between Two Covers

Genre: Non-Fiction

Author: Ann Morgan

Publisher: Liveright

Language: English

Hardcover: 336 pages

*I did a review of this book on a previous post, if you want to go and check it out.

Title: The Good, the Bad and the Grace of God 

Genre: Non-Fiction/Biographies and Memoirs

Author: Jep and Jessica Robertson 

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Language: English

Hardcover: 240 pages
*I did a review of this book on a previous post, if you want to go and check it out.

Title:  Spinster

Genre: Women's Studies/Genre

Author: Ann Morgan

Publisher: Crown

Language: English

Hardcover: 336 pages

*I really enjoyed this book. Was very interesting and different from all I am used to read.

Title:  Is everyone hanging out without me?

Genre: Humor/Essays

Author: Mindy Kaling

Publisher: Three Rivers Press

Language: English

Paperback: 222 pages

*I was not planning on reading this book but it came across so I decided to give it a chance and I am glad I did. It was a funny, enjoyable and humorous book. Mindy tells us about her life and her work in a fun way but at the same time serious, showing us all she went through to be where she is now.

Title:  To All the Boys I Had Loved Before

Genre: Teen Fiction

Author: Jenny Han

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books

Language: English

Hardcover: 368 pages

*This book was fun to read, enjoyable, and even there are sad parts but I thought it was a cute story. I loved the characters, especially Lara Jean and Kitty. And for the first time in a long time with a book, I figured out was going on early in the story. What I thought was going to happen, happened. 

Title:  The Da Vinci Code

Genre: Fiction

Author: Dan Brown

Publisher: Random House Audio

Language: English

Audiobook
*It was good to re-visit Robert Langdon and what this book represents. it was awesome to listen to the Audiobook for the first time.

Wen

Book Review:The Good, the Bad and the Grace of God by Jep and Jessica Robertson/Non Fiction-Biographies and Memoirs/NETGALLEY ARC/Published in 2015

Hello dear Readers,

Below, my book review of The Good, the Bad and the Grace of God by Jep and Jessica Robertson. 

Title: The Good, the Bad and the Grace of God 

Genre: Non-Fiction/Biographies and Memoirs

Author: Jep and Jessica Robertson 

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Language: English

Hardcover: 240 pages

Book Description

Jep Robertson, the youngest son of Duck Commander Phil Robertson, and his wife, Jessica, open up about their personal trials, their early years together, and the challenges that might have destroyed them both had the grace of God not intervened. Jep describes being molested as a child and his reluctance to tell anyone until only a few years ago, his downward spiral into drug and alcohol abuse, and the eventual intervention of his family. Jessica shares about the difficult failure of her first marriage while still a teenager and the hurt that came along with it, much of it from the church. Her insecurities spun out of control as she wondered whether she would ever be good enough or pretty enough. This book is their love story but, more importantly, their love story for God.

“We are desperate to let people know that no matter what you’ve done; no matter what you’ve lived through, you can come out of it.  You can be washed clean.  You are redeemed."

My thoughts

*I gave 4/5 stars on Goodreads

I have heard of the Duck Dynasty TV show. I know what it is about and have seen a few episodes but do not consider myself a very knowledgeable person of the show. However, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very interesting to know more about the lives of Jep and Jessica, before they met and after they became a couple. How all the things happening in their lives have impacted each of them and in way or another the rest of the Robertson's family.

Most of the time when we see people on TV, we tend to think they have perfect lives and that they are happy all the time. Sometimes we even think what are we doing wrong?, why we can not have their lives?, so perfect and full of happiness and money. What we sometimes forget is there is no such thing as perfect people. We all are imperfect, we all make mistakes. We all have our ups and downs in life, even people on TV. The only difference I think is they get paid to be on TV and we get to see them on national television. At the end, they are humans, just like us.

What I like about this book is the honesty with the story is told. How two people open their hearts to the world and share all the difficulties, struggles and dark moments they have had in life. I have always admired when people do that because is not easy. To tell everyone out there about things that are not necessarily good or things that do not make them feel proud. But when you know by telling these stories you can reach to so many people and help them in some way, I think that makes the book totally worth it.

Another thing I like about the book is how Jep and Jessica talk about God and what He has done in their lives but not in a preachy or judgemental way. They tell their stories, and how God has helped them through grace and faith and try to let people know by showing all the difficult situations they have gone through in life, that no matter what, God is always there.

I like how the book is written. Showing us both perspectives, going back and forth between Jep and Jessica, their stories, before they met and after they met and got married. The sound of their voices is very believable for me. Not only when they talk about the difficult times but also when talk about the good times. Their childhoods, growing up, their families, food and Sundays at church, fishing and playing sports. People can identify with all those things, they can relate and appreciate more the meaning behind them.

The Good, the Bad and the Grace of God is about how through grace, faith and the help of family we can overcome any situation in life. I wished there would have been pictures on the book but overall, one that I totally recommend.

Thank you Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for sending the ARC copy, in exchange for an honest review.

My Favorite Quote

"Over time I began to look at Jep more as a soul than as a husband".

Wen

Book Review: The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie/Fiction-Short Stories

Hello dear Readers,

Below, my book review of The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 

Title: The Thing Around your Neck 

Genre: Fiction/Short Stories

Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

Publisher: Knopf

Language: English

Hardcover: 240 pages

Book Description

In her most intimate and seamlessly crafted work to date, Adichie turns her penetrating eye on not only Nigeria but America, in twelve dazzling stories that explore the ties that bind men and women, parents and children, Africa and the United States.

In “A Private Experience,” a medical student hides from a violent riot with a poor Muslim woman whose dignity and faith force her to confront the realities and fears she’s been pushing away. In “Tomorrow is Too Far,” a woman unlocks the devastating secret that surrounds her brother’s death. The young mother at the center of “Imitation” finds her comfortable life in Philadelphia threatened when she learns that her husband has moved his mistress into their Lagos home. And the title story depicts the choking loneliness of a Nigerian girl who moves to an America that turns out to be nothing like the country she expected; though falling in love brings her desires nearly within reach, a death in her homeland forces her to reexamine them.

Searing and profound, suffused with beauty, sorrow, and longing, these stories map, with Adichie’s signature emotional wisdom, the collision of two cultures and the deeply human struggle to reconcile them. The Thing Around Your Neck is a resounding confirmation of the prodigious literary powers of one of our most essential writers.

My thoughts

*I gave 5/5 stars on Goodreads

This was my first Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and I was very impressed by her writing style and the approach she gives it. I like the way she uses description and how the characters really tell us a story. An amazing collection of short stories, describing and exploring the human condition. She talks about marriage as an institution, infidelity, sex, dating married man for money, differences in social classes and the experience of living in America being born in another country, corruption and politicians, just to mention some. I was amazed by how she explores all these situations through the characters and their environment. It is always interesting to see how through words writers can portray the social condition, the economic condition, all the aspects of one place, in this case the African culture and be able to show that to the readers.

Some of the stories did not take off for me, I kept expecting that to happen, not that I did not like them, but was expecting more, but overall, it was and interesting and enjoyable read. I will definitely read more of her work.

My Favorite Quote

"It is one of the things she has to come to love about America, the abundance of unreasonable hope".

Wen

Book Review: The Turner House by Angela Flournoy/Adult Fiction/Published in 2015

Hello dear Readers,

Below, my book review of The Turner House by Angela Flourney. 

Title: The Turner House 

Genre: Adult Fiction

Author: Angela Flourney 

Publisher: Houghton Miffilin Harcourt, April 14th 2015

Language: English

Hardcover: 352 pages

Book Description

The Turners have lived on Yarrow Street for over fifty years. Their house has seen thirteen children grown and gone—and some returned; it has seen the arrival of grandchildren, the fall of Detroit’s East Side, and the loss of a father. The house still stands despite abandoned lots, an embattled city, and the inevitable shift outward to the suburbs. But now, as ailing matriarch Viola finds herself forced to leave her home and move in with her eldest son, the family discovers that the house is worth just a tenth of its mortgage. The Turner children are called home to decide its fate and to reckon with how each of their pasts haunts—and shapes—their family’s future.

Already praised by Ayana Mathis as “utterly moving” and “un-putdownable,” The Turner House brings us a colorful, complicated brood full of love and pride, sacrifice and unlikely inheritances. It’s a striking examination of the price we pay for our dreams and futures, and the ways in which our families bring us home.

My thoughts

*I gave 4/5 stars on Goodreads

The Turner House tells us the story of The Turner Family. Francis and Viola Turner and their 13 children, and how they need to decide what to do with their parents house in Detroit due to their bad financial situation. Even though I think there were too many characters and this did not allow me to get to know them very well but somehow I felt their stories were connected and it was a good element to the story. This was the only thing I did not like about the book, too many characters, it was a little confusing at times.

For a debut novel, I think the Author has a very beautiful writing style. I like the fact she alternates the story. One perspective, the 1940's parents living in rural Arkansas and a second perspective when we can see their lives and their children's lives in their house in Detroit, and their hopes for a better life living there in Detroit. 

More than a story of each member of the family, it focuses on the Father Francis, the eldest son Cha Cha and the youngest daughter Lalah, but like I said, in some way all the family members stories connect in a way. They are not the perfect family but despite the struggles, they are a close one. The Turner House is about family relationships, overcoming obstacles, facing life as it is, dealing with fear, doubt, and socio-economic issues.

Another aspect I like is some of the passages made me laugh, this book is entertaining, even though it deals with difficult situations.The Turner family goes through some major struggles but it did not make the book a difficult or hard one to read. I also like way the Author shows us this family's struggles and their reality. How the environment they are surrounded by is described.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was entertaining, but at the same time one that makes us reflect on our own lives. If you like to read books about family, their struggles and how they overcome them, I recommend this book.

My Favorite Quote

"Says you and your family. Sooner or later you're gonna realize that just cause a Turner thinks a thing is normal doesn't mean it is. Not at all".

Wen

Book Review: The World Between Two Covers: Reading the Globe by Ann Morgan/Non-Fiction/Published in 2015

Hello dear Readers,

Below, my book review of The World Between Two Covers: Reading the Globe by Ann Morgan. 

Title: The World Between Two Covers: Reading the Globe 

Genre: Non-Fiction

Author: Ann Morgan 

Publisher: Liveright, Feb 5th 2015

Language: English

Hardcover: 336 pages

Book Description

A beguiling exploration of the joys of reading across boundaries, inspired by the author's year-long journey through a book from every country.Following an impulse to read more internationally, journalist Ann Morgan undertook first to define "the world" and then to find a story from each of 196 nations. Tireless in her quest and assisted by generous, far-flung strangers, Morgan discovered not only a treasury of world literature but also the keys to unlock it. Whether considering the difficulties faced by writers in developing nations, movingly illustrated by Burundian Marie-Thérese Toyi's Weep Not, Refugee; tracing the use of local myths in the fantastically successful Samoan YA series Telesa; delving into questions of censorship and propaganda while sourcing a title from North Korea; or simply getting hold of The Corsair, the first Qatari novel to be translated into English, Morgan illuminates with wit, warmth, and insight how stories are written the world over and how place-geographical, historical, virtual-shapes the books we read and write.

My thoughts

*I gave 4/5 stars on Goodreads

When I first read the description of this book, after a friend of mine recommended it, it seemed to be a very interesting read and a unique book. A person who decides to read one book from every country in the world, to me that is to take the reading experience to a whole new level. Unusual maybe, but very exciting. I was very intrigued by this undertaking.

In 2012 Ann Morgan, a freelance writer, editor and blogger decides she wants to read one book from every country in the world. She ends up with a list of 196 countries. She shares reviews of these books and her thoughts on her blog. 

I thought this book was going to be about each book she reads and nothing else, but I was very surprised that more than a list with all the books, descriptions and her thoughts, the book is about how she chooses the books she wants to read, the challenges of world  literature. She talks about translation (books translated to the English from another languages), censorship, how the internet influences reading. Something interesting is one of the things she had to figure out in order to choose which countries to include on her list was what is it that define a country. There are some parts she talks about her bookshelves, libraries and bookstores. And what hooked me up with the story from the beginning was the opening line, which I am including down below as my favorite quote. She calls herself a literary xenophobe I wanted to know why.

Something else I like about this book is you can see all the effort the author put on doing her research and putting all the information together. There were times the pace was slow but overall, I really enjoyed reading it. I totally recommend it.

My Favorite Quote

"I glanced up at my bookshelves, the proud record of more than twenty years of reading, and found a host of English and North American greats starting down at me…I had barely touched a work by a foreign language author in years…The awful truth dawned. I was a literary xenophobe".

Wen

UPDATE: Goodreads Reading Challenge and Book Riot Read Harder Challenge

Hello dear Readers,

I just want to do a quick update on where I am on my Reading Challenges.

As in the last two years, I am doing the Goodreads Reading Challenge. My goal is to read 50 books in 2015. As of today, I have read 27 of 50. I am 54% on my challenge and 7 books ahead of schedule.

These 27 books include: 3 audiobooks, 2 graphic novels and 22 books (physical, e-books and ARC copies I received for review). I do not own all of them. I have been checking out books from the library which was one of my goals at the beginning of the year, to use the library more than I did last year. In this area, I am doing ok but not as good as I was hoping. I have bought too many books this year.

The Book Riot Harder Challenge its being really fun to do. And also very interesting because I have read books that I never though about reading or I should say, types of books that I never thought of reading. Sci-Fi, Graphich Novels, Authors from Africa, books re-telling a classic, Thanks to this challlenge now I know what a guilty pleasure book means and what a Microhistory type of book is.

The challenge consists of 24 tasks. I have completed 16 of the 24.

1. A book by a person whose genre is different from yours.

2. A book by an Author from Africa

3. A YA Novel

4. A Romance Novel

5. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize, or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade

6. A book that is retelling of a classic (fairytale, shakespearian, play, classic, novel, etc)

7. An Audiobook

8. A collection of Poetry

9. A book that someone else recommended to you

10. A book that was originally published in another language

11. A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind

12. A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure

13. A book published this year

14. A self-improvement book

15. A sci-fi novel

16. A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people

I found out about Book Riot thanks to a booktuber I have been watching the last few months. I checked it out and it's fantastic. I like their you tube channel and they also have a Podcast which I have been listening to and I enjoying a lot.

 If you want to know more about Book Riot and about this challenge, you can visit their website at www.bookriot.com. There is also a group discussion on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/152441-book-riot-s-read-harder-challenge 


Wen

Book Review/Reseña: Un buen Hijo de P by Ismael Cala/Inspirational-Self Help

Hello dear Readers,

Below, my book review of Un buen hijo de P. Una fábula, by Ismael Cala. 

This is a Spoilers free book review and written in Spanish.

Title: Un buen hijo de P. Una fábula. 

Genre: Inspirational/Self Help

Author: Ismael Cala 

Publisher: Vintage Español

Language: Spanish

Paperback: 304 pages

Book Description

Hijo de p...? No, no es lo que piensas. Las pes de las que hablamos aquí son otras muy diferentes.

Tras el enorme éxito de su primer libro El poder de escuchar, el presentador de CNN en Español y conferencista en desarrollo humano Ismael Cala vuelve con una fábula inspiradora sobre el desarrollo humano, los significados reales de nuestras historias de vida, la inteligencia emocional, la búsqueda del éxito y el bienestar interior que nos ayudará a transformar la manera en que vivimos nuestras vidas. 

A través de la historia y las conversaciones de dos personajes, Arturo y Chris, Cala nos enseña como sólo nosotros mismos tenemos el poder de transformar nuestras vidas y que con el poder de la mente y el amor, todo es posible. Esta forma de vivir queda encapsulada en las tres pes: la pasión, lapaciencia y la perseverancia, que nos permitirán no sólo llegar a nuestra cima, sino aprovecharla y disfrutarla. ¿Estás dispuesto a convertirte en buen hijo de p…?

My thoughts

*I gave 5/5 stars on Goodreads

Este no es el primer libro escrito por Ismael Cala pero es el primer libro de él que leo. Fue una experiencia maravillosa. Cuando leí las primeras páginas, donde Chris nos empieza a contar su historia, sentí como si estuviera viendo mi vida hace cinco años, allí plasmada en el papel. Mi vida es mucho mejor que hace cinco años. Di el cambio que necesitaba. No usando las técnicas sugeridas en este libro. Mi experiencia fue diferente y hoy tengo una vida plena y mejor en todos los aspectos. No soy perfecta pero si busco ser mejor cada día, dar lo mejor y mejorar mi relación con Dios día con día. Sin embargo, por irónico que parezca, no pude evitar preguntarme, que sería de mi en este momento si este libro hubiese sido publicado hace cinco años y lo hubiera leído. Más que recordar el pasado o querer que hubiese sido diferente, es esa parte mia en donde la curiosidad no puede ser evitada.

Los personajes de esta historia más que seres perfectos, son personajes en los cuales podemos encontrar algo de nosotros mismos en algún momento de nuestras vidas. Personajes que, con todas sus dudas e imperfecciones, buscan lo que la mayoría de seres humanos queremos en la vida, ser mejores cada día, aprender de nuestros errores y seguir adelante.

Un buen hijo de P nos cuenta la historia del joven Chris, un asistente de director cinematográfico que, después de una pelea con su novia de muchos años Mary, la cual también trabaja en la producción de la película pero en el área administrativa como Contadora, donde ella lo llama "hijo de p" enfrente de sus compañeros de trabajo. Esta popular frase que a través del tiempo se le ha dado una cognotación negativa, hace que Chris reaccione como nunca antes y se vea en la necesidad de un cambio extremo en su vida para poder recuperar a Mary. Es por esta razón que Chris recurre a Arturo, un famoso presentador de televisión en los Estados Unidos y que recién se inicia como "life coach", para que lo ayude a cambiar y recuperar a Mary. Al principio, la razón por la cual Chris quiere cambiar es única y exclusivamente para recuperar el amor de Mary. Si bien siempre ha estado consciente de sus limitaciones, imperfecciones e inseguridades y que Mary hizo todo lo que pudo para ayudarlo a cambiar, pero el único motivo que lo impulsa es Mary, Chris no cree o desconoce que para llegar a Mary y recuperarla tiene que primero mejorar en el resto de áreas de su vida. Y es allí donde Arturo interviene y ayuda a Chris a darle un significado totalmente diferente a la frase "un hijo de p", un significado positivo y como esto le ayudará no solamente a volver con Mary pero también a sanar y reconstruir su vida completamente y en todos los rubros. Chris ser convierte en "un buen hijo de P".

Puedo decir con toda seguridad que ya este libro es uno de mis favoritos del 2015 y de toda mi vida. Ismael Cala con un estilo de escritura simple, para nada complicado, pero a la vez bien elaborado, utilizando de forma excelente la descripción y agregando un poco de humor cuando es necesario, nos muestra, a través del narrador, cómo Arturo, con la ayuda de ciertas técnicas y compartiendo con Chris frases de autores de otros libros y personajes que han marcado la historia de la Humanidad, que han sido sus guías y mentores, Chris empieza a tomar las riendas de su vida y se compromete a realmente cambiar y mejorar su vida. Chris se da cuenta que un cambio verdadero tiene que ser sincero pero también por las razones correctas. El entendió que su cambio no podía estar motivado solamente por Mary y el amor que ella le ofrece sino también debía estar motivado por traer a su vida un cambio para él, para sobrellevar y resolver su pasado y que lo tenía que lograr por méritos propios, y así fue. Me pareció emocionante e interesante la evolución de los personajes a través de la historia, Como superan sus dificultades y al final, más que lograr una vida "perfecta", nos muestran su lado más humano, y gracias a ellos podemos entender una vez más que todos, no importa que tan difícil parezca, con la ayuda de Dios y de las personas correctas, podemos salir adelante, y tener no una vida perfecta como ya mencioné pero si una "perfecta relación con Dios", seguir siendo humanos pero espiritualmente llenos de Dios.

Este es otro aspecto que me gustó del libro. Como se maneja el tema Dios en el. En ningún momento se trata de imponer religiones o que solamente hay una manera de resolver situaciones. Se muestran técnicas que ayudan a Chris en su caso en específico y se dan opiniones y se muestras referencias en cuanto a Dios y el tema espiritual pero no tuve esa sensación que el narrador o los personajes estuvieran tratanto de imponer sus puntos de vista o formas de ver la vida. Es un libro que, si lo permitimos, nos puede ayudar a mejorar. Como dice Arturo: "el mismo yo, pero una versión mejorada".

Un buen hijo de P. Una historia que altamente recomiendo a ser leída. Una historia inspiradora, llena de enseñanzas, llena de realidad, divertida. Una historia sobre cómo podemos aprender de nuestros errores, trabajar para mejorar y seguir adelante. No mencionaré más porque no quiero contar todo el libro acá. Este es un libro que tiene que ser leído, experimentado y así poder entender su título. Espero lo disfruten.

My Favorite Quote

"Qué para ellos era el desarrollo? Todo lo que nos enriquezca son empobrecernos espiritualmente".

Wen