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?

My first thought after seeing the movie: It wasn't as different from the book as I thought it would be. It actually was quite similar with some noticeable differences but nothing too big.

 

The movie didn't have President Armelio in it, which kind of bummed me out, only because I was expecting the whole 'I will crush you in spades' thing. Also, they didn't play cards, but table tennis. Which was fine with me because I personally really like table tennis no matter how much I suck at it!

 

In the movie, they ended up sneaking out twice in nurse's uniforms which never happened in the book. I'm not sure if I liked this addition or not. I still can't decide. They also had a pizza party at the end instead of a movie. I think I liked this better in the movie just because they had talked about having a pizza party at the beginning, so it seems fitting to have one at the end as a kind of resolution of sorts. Plus, everyone got to see Muqtada come out of the room finally, which was awesome!

 

The romance between Craig and Noelle was pretty similar to that of the book. There were some minor things, but that's it. I kind of wish they would have put the whole Noelle, emotional scene in the movie, but that's okay.

 

Overall, I really liked the movie and I loved the book!

Words cannot describe how I feel about this book right now! First of all, I watched this movie back when it came out and it's one of my favorite movies! I'll have to watch it again this weekend and then write a comparison piece for you all, but yeah. I had no idea if the book was going to be that good or not. I was setting my expections very high, but I definitely was not let down!

 

Characters

First off, the characters are amazing. Each one has their own unique personality and I love how quirky some of them are. And just the way the story is, it just works! I love Craig's transformation in the story. I like how he also changes love interests due to him changing. It's kind of awesome! I love how Armelio can't stop playing cards, especially Spades (he'll crush you in Spades) and how Humble always gets himself into trouble. I liked Noelle's character a lot as well.

 

Storyline

The storyline was really good and I like that it was based off of how long the author, Ned Vizzini, actually spent in the adult psychiatric hospital. Apparently about 85 percent of this was true to Vizzini's story. That makes the storyline amazing just with that.

 

Everything Else

I just really liked how honest the story was. It really feels like that at times. Especially the Cycling or more commonly known as the snow-ball effect. You start thinking of what you're doing wrong, how much it will affect your day, your week, your month, your LIFE. I was especially sad though to find out that Vizzini had eventually killed himself in 2013, about 7 years after the book was published. To know that he was battling depression just makes the story so real or at least the feeling behind the writing.

 

Overall, a definite 5-star read! I recommend to anyone and everyone if not just to gain knowledge about depression and other illnesses.

Hey, everyone! It's officially time for my July TBR! (TBR stands for To Be Read, by the by.) I'm super excited for my list, but I must confess that most of these I drew from my TBR Jar.

 

A quick note about my TBR Jar. I just updated it a couple of days ago and it includes all of the YA books and Adult books that I own. Lately, I've been reading a lot of library books, so I decided I should mostly read books off my shelf so I can either 1) refresh my memory on the book or series OR 2) read it because I've never read it before and I feel like every book was simply written to be read. In any case, I have chosen the following books from my TBR Jar this month.

 

1. Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright based on a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson. I'm actually really excited for this book just because I saw the movie and I liked the twist they put on it, even thought I don't remember it very well. No worries though. I'm planning on reading it and then watching the movie again!

 

Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.

 

After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them - it could be anyone in town.

 

It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.

 

2. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I've read this one before, but it's been so far that I do not remember anything about the plotline! It's the first book in a series and I'm hoping that I like it as much as I remember liking it. I didn't go on with the series the first time, so hopefully it's different this time.

 

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license - for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

 

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world - and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

 

3. Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 1 by Bisco Hatori. I've read the first couple of books in this manga series and I love them to death, so I'm ecstatic to be able to read these again. I just can't get enough of these!

 

In this screwball romantic comedy, a poor girl at a rich kids' school ends up working for the school's swankiest club - and gets mistaken for a boy!

 

One day, Haruhi, a scholarship student at exclusive Ouran High School, breaks an $80,000 vase that belongs to the "Host Club," a mysterious campus group consisting of six super-rich (and gorgeous) guys. To pay back the damages, she is forced to work for the club, and it's there that she discovers just how wealthy the members are and how different the rich are from everybody else...

 

4. Overseas by Beatriz Williams. This is an Adult novel and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it, but it should be an interesting read. Let me know in the comments what you think based off of the summary.

 

When twenty-something Wall Street analyst Kate Wilson attracts the notice of the legendary Julian Laurence at a business meeting, no one's more surprised than she is. Julian's relentless energy and his extraordinary intellect electrify her, but she's baffled by his sudden interest. Why would this handsome British billiionaire - Manhattan's most eligible bachelor - pursue a pretty but bookish young banker who hasn't had a boyfriend since college?

 

The answer is beyond imagining...at least at first. Kate and Julian's story may have begun not in the moneyed world of twenty-first-century Manhattan but in France during World War I, when a mysterious American woman emerged from the shadows of the Western Front to save the life of Captain Julian Laurence Ashford, a celebrated war poet and infantry officer.

 

Now, in modern-day New York, Kate and Julian must protect themselves from the secrets of the past, and trust in a true love that transcends time and space.

 

The next two books are books that I am reading for the two book clubs I am in on Goodreads.

 

5. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen. This book came out this year and I'm super excited to read it, especially since Dessen wrote it. One of my favorite books is by her and I've been wanting to read more of her books. I'm reading this one for my own book club, Book Assassins.

 

Sydney has always felt invisible. She's grown accustomed to her brother, Peyton, being the focus of the family's attention and, lately, concern. Peyton is handsome and charismatic, but seems bent on self-destruction. Now, after a drunk-driving accident that crippled a boy, Peyton's serving some serious jail time, and Sydney is on her own, questioning her place in the family and the world.

 

Then she meets the Chatham family. Drawn into their warm, chaotic circle, Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance for the first time. There's effervescent Layla, who constantly falls for the wrong guy, Rosie, who's had her own fall from grace, and Mrs. Chatham, who even though ailing is the heart of the family. But it's with older brother Mac - quiet, watchful, and protective - that Sydney finally feels seen, really seen, at last.

 

6. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. I haven't heard a lot about this book, but I'm still excited to start my first book with the book club, Amazon Editors' YA Book Club.

 

For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, trying to outrun the memories that haunt them both. They moved back to Andy's hometown to try a "normal" life, but the horrors he saw in the war threaten to destroy their lives. Hayley watches, helpless, as her father turns to drugs and alcohol to silence his demons. And then her own past creeps up, and everything falls apart.

 

How do you keep your father alive when death is stalking him? What are you supposed to do when your parent stops acting like an adult? And what happens if a sweet guy who can make you laugh barges his way into your world and for the first time, you find yourself thinking about the future?

 

And finally the last book is one I have already started and plan on finishing this month.

 

7. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. I saw the movie when it first came out and I really liked it. I'm hoping the book will be even better.

 

Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

 

Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

 

So those are the amazing seven books I am planning to read this month. If you guys have read any of these or want to just talk books, feel free to comment! I'm going to try and post reviews for all of these as I finish them, so look out for those as well!

Door alle postieve reviews van mijn goodreads vrienden heb ik besloten dit boek te lezen, maar ik was eerlijk gezegd teleurgesteld..
De psychiatrische kliniek leek wel een 4 sterren hotel, ik bedoel.. een rookruimte, pokeravonden, en Craig die een flinke make-out sessie had met maar liefst 2 meisjes in 5 dagen?! En na die 5 dagen in de kliniek heeft Craig het licht gezien, en lijkt alles weer positief?
Ik waardeer dat Ned Vizzini depressie bespreekbaar wil maken, maar Craigs depressie lijkt wel een sprookje..

(Overigens wel 3 sterren omdat het begin wel leuk was, de schrijfstijl vond ik ook fijn, en de patiënten waren wel leuk om over te lezen)