Reading Ladder

Rating Key

☆☆☆☆☆ Pretend that it never existed

★☆☆☆☆ Terrible; really bad

★★☆☆☆ Bad

★★★☆☆ Okay, and I might recommend it

★★★★☆ Very good; I’d actually read it again

★★★★★ THIS IS A MASTERPIECE

 

Order: Most recent at the top

May/June 2019

In the past 38 days, I managed to read a total of 4 books: 2 comic books and 2 fictional books. My goals from last month were to read a poetry book, finish The Kite Runner, and read Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? By Anita Rau Badami. I wasn’t able to reach the first two goals, but I managed to read the novel that was one my mind. Apart from Badami’s novel, I read the following books: Usagi Yojimbo Book #3: The Wanderer’s Road by Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo Book #6: Circles by Stan Sakai, and Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. On average, I read about 19 pages per day, a MASSIVE improvement from April. In terms of reading material, May and June were pretty good.

Total: 152 + 168 + 432 + 320 = 1072 pages 134 pages/week divided by 7 days = 19 pages/day

Books:

  1. Usagi Yojimbo Book #3: The Wanderer’s Road by Stan Sakai ★★★★☆ 152 pages read

291867For the longest time, I’ve been enjoying the Usagi Yojimbo series by Stan Sakai. It’s probably one of the only comics I’ve ever actually continued reading, and despite being comics, they are actually pretty emotional. The Wanderer’s Road is no exception. It takes place in the Edo period of Japan, with animals (given human-like qualities) as the characters. The main character, Usagi, is the long-eared ronin (masterless samurai) goes on several trips and bumps into all kinds of trouble. In this particular edition, Usagi winds up befriending a tokage (lizard), encounters an old foe, and there’s even a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collaboration! I rated this a ⅘ because I enjoyed the book so much, I don’t think there was a moment that I got bored or tired of reading it. I would recommend this to anyone looking for emotion, adventure, and humour, it has it all! It’s also great for someone who’s not into comics but wants to try at least one. Here’s one of my favourite quotes:

“I guess we’re both in a bit of trouble. When the wind dies, we’ll have to try climbing down. You’re going to have to let me hold you. What do you say? I can’t fight you all the way down.”

  1. Usagi Yojimbo Book #6: Circles by Stan Sakai ★★★★☆ 168 pages read

291863Another Usagi book! In this one, Stan Sakai introduces new characters and revisits old ones. After much time wandering, he chooses to settles down and go back to his home village, only to find that as he goes there, he encounters the demon, Jei (who he’s had many unfortunate encounters with in the past), reunites with his past lover, and contemplates on whether the wanderer’s life really was for him. This book has adventure, romance, and suspense. There are also several flashbacks to his past life, of which he is visiting by going home. For those who want to read it, you don’t need to read the previous volumes to understand what’s happening; it’s not in any particular chronological order. I rated this book a ⅘ because I loved the combination of themes that you wouldn’t necessarily put together in a comic book. Here’s one of my favourite quotes:

“Duty! Honour! These words will always stand between us.”

  1. Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? by Anita Rau Badami ★★★★☆ 432 pages read

473846This book reminded me a lot of Khaled Hosseini’s style of writing. It’s about the lives of three fictional Indian women in Pre-Partition, Post-Partition, and Post-War eras between Pakistan and India. These women each come from very different backgrounds, despite all coming from modern-day India. The first character introduced, Sharaan (later known as Bibi-ji) comes from a rural village in Punjab gifted with prestigous looks, which end up helping her achieve her dream of going to Canada. She helps establish the South Asian community in Vancouver, Canada. It’s interesting to see the perspective of an immigrant in Canada in a time where it wasn’t generally accepted, coming from a time where immigration is in fact encouraged in Canada (today). I gave this book a ⅘, because it was refreshing to read a Hosseini-style piece of writing that didn’t take place in Afghanistan (I was getting tired of reading the same thing over and over again). Here’s one of my favourite quotes:

“… Bibi-ji found it hard to believe that people who had lived as neighbours and friends for so many years could suddenly become enemies just because of a line drawn on a paper map in a government office.”

  1. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery ★★★★☆ 320 pages

8127This is one of the only classical books that I genuinely enjoyed and picked up out of my free will. Anne of Green Gables is surely a classic that every reader should encounter at least once. It takes place in 1900’s Prince Edward Island, Canada. Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, in their old age, want to adopt an orphan boy. They are shocked to find that they are given an orphan girl instead: Anne, spelled with an E. She’s a redheaded, peculiar, vain little girl who eventually grows up to be a remarkable young woman. This book has elements of honesty, understanding, and childlike adventure. I gave this book a ⅘ because it’s a classic book that illustrates themes that are still relevant today. I wouldn’t give it 5 stars, though some might, because I had to read some parts twice to understand what the characters were saying (it’s an old book, okay). Here’s one of my favourite quotes:

“… I’d do penance for being wicked that way. I’ll look at myself every time I come to my room and see how ugly I am.”

Final Thoughts

To conclude, May and June were fine, in terms of reading. I managed to accomplish one of my goals from last month, which was to read Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? by Anita Rau Badami. I’m glad that I was able to read 4 books, as it shows that I’m getting back into the swing of reading. I was able to diversify the material, instead of sticking to just one genre. I read a classical book out of my own will, instead of being froced to read it (in a school environment) and I actually enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t recording any new vocabulary, so I’m unable to post the new words I should’ve learned. For the future, I would try to continue with 4 books, as it felt like the right amount. As for content, I will try to experiment with more poetry books. Some of my books to read for summer include: The Wars by Timothy Findley, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, and The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain. Oh, and I would also write down vocabulary words.

 

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April 2019

This month was BY FAR the worst month in terms of reading. I barely managed to finish a book. Now, I will say that it was a hectic month for me, in terms of school, extracurriculars, and work, so my reading availability wasn’t nearly as abundant as the past two months. This month, I only read 124 pages of a fictional book, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, so about 4 pages per day. In terms of the material, so far, the book is great. I’m really liking the plot, and the character development as well.

Total: 124 pages divided by number of weeks, 124 divided by 5 = 24.8, divided by days in a week, 24.8 divided by 7 = ∼ 4 pages/day.

Book:

  1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini ★★★☆☆ 124 pages read

Image result for the kite runnerAt this point in time, is it even a surprise? Khaled Hosseini, once again, entraps me in his unique and consistent style of storytelling. Similar to his other works, Hosseini writes a tale of two best friends who grew up in Afghanistan, from two completely different backgrounds. Despite the social challenges the two remain friends until one particular situation that leads to a chain events of emotional trauma, one after another. It encompasses the typical Hosseini themes of love, hate, social hierarchy, betrayal, and family. Despite this, I rated this book a ⅗ because I felt that it didn’t leave such an impact on me as much as the other two did. At this point, having read two of his other bestselling novels in the past, I think that he repeats the same themes and similar settings and plot twists that this book doesn’t seem as impressive. Here’s my favourite quote:

“Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended.”

Final Thoughts

Even though I’ve already established an opinion about The Kite Runner, I still have more than half of the book to finish. To add to that, I didn’t accomplish my goal of writing down the vocabulary words that I didn’t know from before into my journal. I’m also not proud of the book count and reading pace, but I’m glad that I didn’t burden myself to read, knowing how hectic this month was for me. Since Ramadan is coming up in May, I don’t want to burden myself to read more books, so that I can focus on my religious state of mind, as well as academic. My goal is to read another poetry book, since I enjoyed reading Milk and Honey from last month. I also want to finish The Kite Runner, and read another book on my mind, Anita Rau Badami’s Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? Oh, and actually write down vocabulary for next month. I’ll probably be finishing these before May 5th, as that is around the time that Ramadan starts.

 

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March 2019

This month, I read a total of 4 books: 2 fictional books, 1 poetry book, and 1 non-fiction book. My goal from last month was to stick to reading 4 books, and I’m happy to say that I was able to stick to that goal. I read the following books: The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld, Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts by Susan Cain, and And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. On average, I read about 23 pages per day, a HUGE difference from February, however, I do think that I went a little overboard that month. March was a pleasant surprise in terms of reading material.

Total: 233 + 208 + 288 + 421 = 1150 pages 164 = pages/week divided by 7 days = 23 pages/day

Books:

  1. The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld ★★★☆☆ 233 pages read

 18090147 This book was recommended to the class around the beginning of February. I was hesitant on reading it, since every time I follow the recommendations of others, things don’t always turn out so well. I also saw it online a couple of times, so I figured it must’ve been fate for me to read it. This fictional book takes place in prison, specifically dealing with death row inmates. In almost every chapter, there is a different perspective, but the main perspective is that from an anonymous death row inmate, whose case is unclear, even until the very end. I gave the book a ⅗ because I felt that some ideas weren’t as executed as the author anticipated. Some scenes are very confusing; for instance, the character development was so subtle, at first I was confused as to who is who. Nonetheless, it’s a great read and is great for anyone— whether you like fantasy or not. Here’s my favourite quote:

“Before, he was a demon without a past. Now he was once a child.”

       2. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur ★★★★☆ 208 pages read

23513349Milk and Honey was a weirdly satisfying surprise for me. I tend to gravitate away from poetry books, and the whole genre of poetry in itself, but knowing that this is a bestseller, I couldn’t let this pass. I absolutely loved the style of writing Kaur incorporates. In this book, she tackles love, hate, passion, and describes her feelings in a way that I would’ve never thought of. Every chapter is its own little story. I read the book not only because I wanted to experiment in terms of reading but actually, I already watched the author’s TED Talk and knew I was a little familiar with her background. Not sure if that made it any easier to understand, though. I gave the book a ⅘ because it was well written, and the ideas were illustrated in a subtle, yet powerful way. For anyone who is unsure of whether they like poetry, give this book a try. Here’s my favourite quote:

“bloom beautifully dangerously loudly bloom softly however you need just bloom”

3. Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts by Susan Cain ★★★☆☆ 288 pages read

This non-fiction book was one written by an author who really understood how introverted individuals think and feel, and I truly resonated with that. This book opens up a conversation that hasn’t yet been brought into the spotlight, at least from what I’m aware of. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the idea that introverted individuals psychologically act differently from extroverted counterparts because of the different ways the brain functions in all sorts of social personalities. A more liberal thinker would say that this challenges the standard level of social hierarchy by showing examples of how introverted individuals accomplish as many, if not more, achievements compared to their extroverted peers. I gave this book a ⅗, simply because of the redundancy in examples and philosophy of the author. Nevertheless, introverts and extroverts alike will enjoy this book. Here’s my favourite quote:

“There’s a word for “people who are in their heads too much’: thinkers.”

4. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini ★★★☆☆ 421 pages read

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Khaled Hosseini once again! This time, I read And the Mountains Echoed, and let me tell you, it was one emotional rollercoaster. The events take place starting from the mid 19th century to the 2010s. It starts off with a local legend, told in the perspective of Khaled Hosseini. I won’t disclose much, in case you haven’t read it yet, but I will tell you this: the theme in the legend in the first chapter is the foundation for the other chapters, the other characters around the globe and in different time periods. Despite being worlds apart, Hosseini shows that there are connections between peoples and most often than not, these are unexpected. For this reason, I gave the book a ⅘, since the themes were similar to that of A Thousand Splendid Suns, but was still different in its own right. Here’s my favourite quote:

“With morbid eagerness, I looked forward to seeing this scar for myself.”

 

Final Thoughts

Being able to achieve my goal of maintaining 4 books this month makes me feel really accomplished; I didn’t go overboard, nor did I vacation from reading altogether. Like February, I continued to feel the benefits of reading 4 books, and I was continuing to build upon my habit of reading. Unfortunately, I wasn’t recording any new vocabulary, so I’m unable to post the new words I should’ve learned. For next month, I would try to continue with only 4 books, as it felt like the right amount. As for content, I will try to experiment with more poetry books, in particular, Rupi Kaur. As I already mentioned, I don’t really read (or enjoy) poetry, but her style opened my eyes to a whole new genre of reading. Oh, and I would also write down vocabulary words.

 

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February 2019

This month, I managed to read a total of 5 books: 2 YA novels, 2 adult fictional novels, and 1 self-help book. I don’t typically read as much as I have read this month (normally, I manage about 2 books a month), but I’m satisfied with what I was able to read in 28 days. On average, I read about 32 pages per day. I didn’t necessarily experiment with the type of book, with the exception of The Last Equation of Isaac Severy: A Novel in Clues, and I mostly continued reading books with elements that I’m comfortable with. I mostly felt inspired by the life-threatening elements represented in the YA novels; perhaps I’ll use this in my own writing in the future.

Total: 415 + 320 + 293 + 384+ + 176 = 1588 pages ÷ 7 weeks = 226.8 pages ÷ 7 days = 32.4 pages/day

 

Books:

  1. SYLO by D.J MacHale ★★★☆☆ 415 pages read

SYLO was a good filler book to read between novels. This young adult novel takes place in a fictional island, Pemberwick Island, off the Atlantic Coast. The book is about an unexpected military invasion by an American military sector, known as SYLO. I enjoyed the use of suspense and the several plot twists scattered throughout the story. That being said, I rated the book ⅗ because I felt that the character development was very gradual, and maybe a bit too subtle. Toward the last 5 chapters, I felt that the events illustrated were a little too unrealistic, as most survival-themed books tend to be. Nonetheless, it was an excellent choice of genre to read, as I have a history of reading YA fictional novels with survival elements to them. Here’s my favourite quote:

“‘This has been the freakin’ longest night of my life,’ I said with dismay. ‘Yeah,’ he replied. ‘And it’s not over yet.'”

I think this quote really sums up the entire novel. Throughout the stories, the characters, and even the readers, feel this way about the drastic change in events and schemes revealed. This is the first book in the SYLO Chronicles, and I hope to finish the rest of the series sometime in the near future.

      2. The Darkest Hour by Caroline Tung Richmond ★★★★☆ 320 pages read

The Darkest Hour

This YA novel by Richmond is an excellent choice for those interested in WWII, survival, and close bonds between family and friends (or lack thereof). The main character, Lucille, is a member of the Secret Ops—an agency consisting of young females. This was actually my second time reading it, and my thoughts about it remain the same. I loved the gradual, yet brief introductions to each character in the first few chapters. Being ignorant about the historic elements behind the story didn’t handicap me from understanding the themes and central ideas illustrated effectively by the author. Here’s my favourite quote:

“‘I’ll keep fighting until it kills me,’ I say through a clenched jaw.”

This quote really highlights the attitude of the main character. Even after rejections and failures, she still strives to contribute more than she can in order to avenge her brother. I rated the book ⅘ because I loved the effective planning and craftsmanship put into each chapter. Each page was a thrill to read. I would definitely recommend this to anyone of any reading level.

      3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey ★★★★☆ 293 pages read

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

This is a bestseller self-help book by Sean Covey, whose father, Stephen Covey, wrote a book prior to this: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The tips in the book almost remind me of effective fatherly advice. I loved the simple and efficient text, in which the underlying message of each habit was conveyed straightforwardly. There were also several quotes scattered throughout the book, which I saw as pieces of motivation and small acts of renewal. Here’s a simple, yet memorable thought:

“Without an end in mind of our own, we often wind up following anyone who’s willing to lead, even into things that won’t get us far.”

I would definitely recommend this to anyone going through mental and emotional struggles, or just to amp up productivity.

      4. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini ★★★★☆ 384 pages read

After reading this, it’s no surprise to me why this book receives such high praise. Khaled Hosseini illustrated his themes in a powerful, yet subtle way. I think what really intrigued me into loving this book was that it had elements of history and survival (notice a trend here?), but it wasn’t in your face, meaning that he constructed detail in accordance to time, without unnecessary repetition. I also love the aspect of telling the story in the perspectives of two completely different characters from opposite sides of the tunnel— Mariam Jo and Laila. The two grew up during different times and under different circumstances, but eventually cross paths for better or for worse. The book takes place in Afghanistan over the course of several decades, and really induces the reader into the history and reasoning behind each minor conflict, which inevitably led to war. Here’s a quote that stuck with me:

“But Laila never felt it [rivalry] in Tariq’s house, where these matters never even came up. Her time with Tariq’s family always felt natural to Laila, effortless, uncomplicated by differences in tribe or language, or by the personal spites and grudges that infected the air at her own home.”

The quote illustrates what people have been struggling with, and are continuing to struggle with: differences. This quote may seem “forward” for its time, but conflict and rivalry still exists today over narrow-minded dislike for differences and change. I almost gave this book a 5, however I gave it a ⅘ because I didn’t feel like it changed my perspective on anything, and it didn’t really spark or trigger something for further discussion. Nonetheless, this book is a must-read, for that it covers subjects that need to be brought into discussion.

     5. The Last Equation of Isaac Severy: A Novel in Clues by Nova Jacobs ★☆☆☆☆ 176/352 pages read

The Last Equation of Isaac Severy

You’re looking at the rating and thinking, wow, she must really dislike this book. It’s true. I only read the first part, to be completely honest. I found that there were too many characters to keep track, and the introductions to each character was unnecessarily slow; it felt as though almost half of the book was just character introductions. The novel has some mystery elements to it, which might be why I didn’t enjoy reading this piece; I typically don’t go for mystery/horror books. Up until halfway in through the book, there was no definite plot; I felt that there were several subplots that had little to no significance to the overall story. Picking up this book for the first time, and checking the ratings was what pushed me to read it. I thought that the high ratings and summary of the story meant that I would enjoy the experience. Nonetheless, reading the book made me realize the type of elements and genre I don’t look for in an enjoying reading experience. I think it’s important to experiment at times with pieces that seem out of reach, which could help in narrowing or broadening literature tastes. Here’s a random quote I recorded in my journal:

“… there was nothing like a talent for the former to separate pure, distilled intelligence from the affected kind one picks up at college.”

The quote is one of the only pieces I enjoyed in the novel. It compares several types of “intelligence” that one may or may not have: the biased education one received at professional institutions, and pure knowledge someone already has in their mind as a result of age and experiences. The only benefit I got from reading this book was learning the complex vocabulary used, as most of the characters are intellectuals. I also got to explore a piece from a genre I typically don’t go for. I don’t think I’ll be talking about this book soon, but if anyone is interested in general fiction and mystery, give this book a try. It’s just not for me.

 

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, whether the books I read changed me or not, I felt the immediate benefits of reading 5 books (okay, fine 4 ½) in one month. I developed a habit for reading almost every night, which deterred me from time-wasting technology. I also learned a total of 17 new vocabulary words:

  • Maxim
  • Mustered
  • Cursory
  • Vigilance
  • Rudimentary
  • Cadence
  • Aipathy
  • Palinoia
  • Meraki
  • Chimerical
  • Myopic
  • Pretension
  • Ineptitude
  • Camaraderie
  • Senility
  • Penance
  • Gaunt

At the same time, I felt that I might’ve been dedicating TOO much time reading, and at times it served as a distraction from more important things. My main goal for March would definitely be reading more Khaled Hosseini books, as I enjoyed his style of writing. I also want to read The Enchanted by Rene Denfield, and either another self-help book or a general non-fiction piece. For next month, I want to set a limit of 4 books, so that I find balance between reading and other activities/schoolwork. I also want to stay away from reading survival-themed novels and experiment with literature styles. Expanding diction will also continue to remain a priority of mine for the months to come.

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