5 RECOMMENDED READS!!!
- Aug 8, 2016
- 4 min read
Hello, fellow readers. In this short post, I would like to share with you a few books that I really enjoyed reading during the first half of 2016. First of all, the sequence of these books have nothing to do with their rankings. :)
This book tells the tale of a girl who would do anything for the sake of getting new books to read. Very interestingly, it is being told from the perspective of Death. It is set during World War II in the home of Nazis, Germany. Liesel Meminger parted with her biological mother and lost her brother during a train journey. She then was adopted by a couple, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. The Hubermanns treated her like their own daughter, especially Hans. With the help of Hans, Liesel learned to read. However, the Hubermanns were poor; they couldn’t afford any new books. Liesel did not complain, she read the same book over and over again. Until the day when she was sending laundry to the mayor’s house, she discovered that the mayor’s wife has a whole collection of books in her library and the latter wasn’t afraid to share her books with Liesel. Here, embarks the story of a book thief, a girl who couldn’t resist her temptation of books.
It might have appeared to be a simple story but, since the story is set in such an era and country, it is very hard to avoid topics about Adolf Hitler, Nazis, Jewish, concentration camps and rations. Through reading, Liesel learned about the connection between her biological family and the Nazis. She shared her stolen story-books with her neighbours, as well as with a Jewish who hid in her basement before he was captured by the Nazis.
In my opinion, this has to be a simple yet soul-feeding book. An unforgettable, heart-wrenching tale.
Before Wendy, Peter Pan had Tiger Lily. Just like Peter Pan, Tiger Lily belongs to Neverland. Growing up an introvert, Tiger Lily never knew how to express her feelings. Most importantly, she didn’t know that she has to. She never fits in in her tribe; everyone else is scared of her. She was lonely, but she never show, until she met the Lost Boys. However, there was too much quietness, insecurity and doubt between her and Peter Pan even though they loved each other deeply. She didn’t really know how to express herself, until it was too late; Wendy appeared in Peter’s life.
It might have appeared to be a cheesy love story, but I can tell you, it’s more than that. It has the elements of loyalty, friendship and loneliness. Furthermore, although the story is set in a fictitious setting, it talks about the consequences of religion, bullying, domestic violence, forced marriage, rape and transgender.
Every now and then, there will be a book that captures your heart until the last page and it leaves you a hole in your heart when you finish the story. For me, this is the book.
***If you are interested in reading my review of Tiger Lily.
The Shadow Queen is a Snow White retelling. Lorelai is a fallen princess, but mainly a fugitive. To claim back her father’s kingdom, Ravenspire, she set her mind to only one thing: killing the wicked queen, Queen Irina a.k.a her stepmother and her father’s second wife. She might have been more powerful than Queen Irina, but that’s the thing, she is not allowed to use magic as her weapon, or else her enemy will be able to track her existence.
Meanwhile, in another kingdom named Eldr, Prince Kol has been crowned as the King and he has to do whatever he can to save his kingdom from the giants’ attack. To do so, the only way is to seek for Queen Irina’s help. In such a deal, Prince Kol is required to bring her Lorelai’s heart.
Here begins the tale of how the life of a fallen princess entwines with that of a troubled king.
Thanks to Dorothy, Oz is f*cked. If you’re familiar with the original Wicked series, you would have thought this book will be an opportunity to reunite with your good old friends like Dorothy, Tin Man, the Lion, the Scarecrow and Glinda the witch. Sadly, no. The Lion feeds on everyone’s souls, the Tin Man kills based on Dorothy’s commands and ridiculous law, the Scarecrow tortures and experimented on every innocent creatures he captured. Justice must be brought before everything is too late. There is only one person who can save Oz and its people, and it’s Amy Gumm.
The story has a fantastic setting and it involves a lot of world-building and character development because the author has introduced many new characters, including a twin sister of Glinda.
I enjoy reading this book very much because it is an easy read and most importantly, it has an interesting plot. Plus, who doesn’t like a twisted and darker version of Oz?!?!?!
***Just in case if you are interested in reading my review of Tiger Lily
The unnamed female narrator in this story would do anything to survive, including giving hand jobs to wealthy men. Other than that, she also claims that she is skilful in reading people’s “auras”. One day, the rich yet unhappy Susan Burke walks in and hope that the narrator would find out about the source of Susan’s grief, by inviting the latter to visit her eerie Victorian home. The narrator knows nothing about ghost and supernatural stuff but she had to pretend that she is purifying her client’s home. Of course, things don’t get better when Susan’s stepson, Miles does disturbing things to the “psychic”.
Gillian Flynn is best at giving you the creeps when you’re reading her book and this book never fails to do the same. It might have appeared to be a horror story but in the next page, it might turn into a thriller. Most importantly, the story has all sorts of unexpected twists and turns.
In this short story, I’m really surprised to find so much uncertainties and doubts. Plus, it’s Gillian Flynn. Other than writing and creeping people out, Flynn likes to manipulate her readers and her readers like to be manipulated too.
So, if you’re in the mood for a story that doesn’t have a clear explanation of what really happened, this is the book for you.
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