I recently discovered how some book are so similar (also when it comes to author themes) that I decided to create a new series. I compared a familiar book with an unfamiliar one (you may still know them) and it doesn't matter if you've read only one of the two. These are some that look very similar to each other:

The Fault In Our Stars vs A Walk To Remember

Why? Both deal with heartbreaking diseases, strong female teenagers, love relationships and staying true to yourself. I love them both so much, but when I read and watch The Faulr In Our Stars I compared it so much with A Walk To Remember (I read and watched that a few years before). They're both really good as well

Pippi Longstocking vs Anne of Green Gables

Why? Both main characters are children and very witty and clever. I think they could have been best friends and the world totally would fit as well. They're also very easy to read and both well known and loved classics. 

The Jungle Book(s) vs Burmese Days

Why? Both authors came originally from India (or their parents and moved to Great Britain) and these books are both about colonialisation and imperialism from the perspective of India so not from the western world. That's why I love them both, even though the setting is kind of different (Jungle Book has animals and jungle vibe). They both have other themes that are kind of similar as well. Only difference is, is that Jungle Book is from the perspective of a child and Burmese Days from a man in his twenties/thirties. 

Did you discovered some books that are very similar to each other and if so: which ones?

I always try to read as diversely as possible. This means I've read quite a lot about stories that don't take place in the US and/or UK. The Passenger challenge is going around on Booktube right now and I thought it would be a great idea to start a new series on my blog. Every once in a while I want to recommend some books that don't take place in the US and/or UK.

This time I've decided to recommend six books. Three of them take place in Europe (and only one for a part in the UK) and three outside of Europe, so from Africa and/or Asia.

1. Burmese Days by George Orwell

Keywords: India, coloniasm, unique main character, misformed face, heartbreaking, love story.

2. Sold by Patricia McCormick

Keywords: Nepal, young girl, prostitution, unique writing style, heartbreaking.

3. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie

Keywords: Nigeria, 1960's, religion culture, abusive father, girls who get punished for stupid reasons, want to throw book to the other side of room, makes you angry it still excists today.

4. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Keywords: Sweden, unrealistic, children's novel, funny, adventurous.

5. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Keywords: Germany (Berlin), World War II, children's story, concentration camp, heartbreaking, wtf ending.

6. Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Keywords: part in UK and parts in France (Paris) and  the Netherlands, awesome Dutch culture/words, reastic, cute ya, lighthearthed, finding about who you are.

I could have recommended maybe six more, but that will I leave for the next time. All of these books that I just recommended are ''realistic''. I'm not sure if I will do a fantasy/science fiction one, but oh well.

What books that don't take place in the US/UK would you recommend?

Olga Godim came up with this creative way of summing up her reading year and challenged everyone to do their own.  Well, while I'm back here ... I'm in!

Olga writes: "Creatively, I decided to interview myself about my reading in 2015. The answers could only be book titles I read during the year. In the year 2015, what was your..."

Most Memorable Encounter

The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

An old and treasured acquaintance, who still easily managed to outshine any and every other bookish encounter of the year.  Thanks again to Troy for making me seek him out again!

Best Vacation Spot

The Luminaries (Eleanor Catton)

New Zealand!

Most Exciting Adventure

Tie: The Secret Life of Winnie Cox and The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q (both by Sharon Maas)

Favorite Place

Shire (Ali Smith)

Least Favorite Place

Cloud Howe (Lewis Grassic Gibbon)

Worst Person You Met

Tie: Joseph Fouché (Stefan Zweig -- biography) and The Sticklepath Strangler (Michael Jecks, Knights Templar series)

Most Embarrassing Memory

Fifty Sheds of Grey  (C.T. Grey)

Worst Weather of the Year

Tie between the two extremes: Burmese Days (George Orwell) and Grey Granite (Lewis Grassic Gibbon)

Scariest Event

The Skeleton Road  (Val McDermid)

Funniest Moment

Hogfather (Terry Pratchett, Discworld)

Saddest Moment

Tie: Post Mortem  (Kate London) and The Gods of Guilt (Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer series)

Worst Food You Ate

The Five Orange Pips (Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes)

Best Food You Ate

The Christmas Pudding (Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot)

... and a few additions of my own:

The Understatement of the Year

A Place of Greater Safety (Hilary Mantel)

The French Revolution, from Robespierre's, Danton's and Desmoulins's point of view.

Most Precious Acquisition

The Blue Carbuncle (Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes)

Favorite Garment

The Chinese Shawl (Patricia Wentworth, Miss Silver series)

I was watching Karina's old videos (click here for her channel) and I thought I would be a great idea to show you the top 5 books I've read this year that made me think. The original tag was just 5 books in general so not this year, but I wanted to make this twist.

Here they are:

1. Sold by Patricia Cormack

I read this book in a day. It made me so sad and I had to think about it a lot. This is about a young girl who goes into prositution after she just got her first period. Her stepfather made that do that to her, but first she thought she was going to be just a made. She had to ''work'' a year for like 10.000 ruppees (which is 1 or 2 euros) but then she heard she had to work an other year. This still happens today and it made me so angry and mad. I wish I could help them in some way but yea. This made me realise I should be happy for the fact that I didn't/don't have to live in that world.

2. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank. Baum

We all know this story, but I've never read the book before. This story made me realise that it's never wrong to ask for help whenever you need to. This books shows that we all need someone else to get to our goals and that we can't do it alone. We need different things from different people and stand together. I have no idea if those who have read it got the same feeling as I do, but it made me think about that afterwards.

3. Carrie by Stephen King

This book is about a girl who has been bullied at school. She is really lonely and when she gets home she also has to deal with her crazy mom. This book made me feel and think about the past (when I was a child) and how lucky I am where I'm standing now. It made me think about all the things that have happened to me and that children/teenages can be really cruel. If one of my children (when I will have one) is bullying someone I will let them read this book so they will stop. It's such a powerful story with a huge impact!

4. Burmese Days by George Orwell

Burmese Days is a story that takes place in India around that time that it was a colony of Great Britain. When I had to study history during high school, we only got to learn about the western perspectives and it was just really interesting to see a different one. It made me think about it must have been for them and how I would feel if I would have lived in a land which was ruled by a country from the western world. It's so strange to imagine that, but still so powerful.

5. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Purple Hibiscus is the first novel she has written and the only one that I've read so far, but it's a really powerful one. This story is about a fifteen year old girl from Nigeria during the '60. Her father is a really powerful man and everything his children do something he didn't want them to do (for example, be the second in their class instead of first) they get punished really, really hard. This book made me feel so much, especially that those things still happen today. This story made me open my eyes. I knew those things are happening even before I read this book, but still.

I think this is the reason why we all love to read: to get a reminder of our real lives and to get away from it as well. There are still so many books I've read this year that made me think (such as It's Kind of A Funny Story and A Room of One's Own), but yea I had to make just a top 5.

Which books you've read this year so far made you think?

So uhm.. September wasn't what I was exptected it to be. I didn't read much at ALL. School drove me nuts and I went to college for the first time in my life so everything was quite overwhelming (also with traveling and stuff) so I was tired for most of the time. But anyways, here are the books I've read:

 - The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 4/5 ★ review

- Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews 3.5/5 ★ review

- Aphorisms on Love and Hate by Friedrich Nietzsche 4/5 ★ review

- Burmese Days by George Orwell 5/5 ★ review

- The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 2/5 ★ review

I did only read the last 152 of The Da Vinci Code because I read the rest in August. I also reread 270 pages of the last Harry Potter book. My favorite read this month was definitely Burmese Days!

Because I was tired for most of the time I did watch a lot of tv shows:

- Gilmore Girls S03E08 - S03E022 (I rewatched that)

- Great Expectation BBC mini series S01E02 - S01E03

- Orphan Black S02E01-S02E10 (so the entire season 2 and OMG!)

- New Girl s01e01 - S01E20

And I've also watched the episodes of these shows when they were airing (so they came onces a week):

- America's Next Top Model s22e05 - S22E08

- Expeditie Robinson (it's a Dutch tv show!) S16E01 - S16E04

- Nashville S04E01

- The Big Bang Theory S09E01

It's still not that much compared to August, but still haha.

What is your favorite read of September?