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This year, I made a promise to myself that I’ll read at least 5 books – yes, excluding textbooks.

I loved reading growing up and I still do but I feel like I have fallen a victim to the online world thus slowly setting aside my love for literature. That’s not very good if I wish to become a writer one day but I’m not going to lose my grip! I will not let TikTok consume me!!! 

So, I thought I’d share with you guys what I have been reading, what I’m currently reading and what I want to read.

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
I immediately bought this book after rewatching Almost Famous and Sing Street, so I was obviously having the time of my life reading it. The book pays tribute to the dramatic, messy, and glamourous life of rock and roll in the 70s written in a dialogue style to emulate the narrator interviewing the characters for a biography she’s writing of Daisy Jones – and because of that it made the whole story feel so real. There are times where I have to remind myself that these band members and songs don’t actually exist. Very entertaining and the plot twist was well done. 

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Quite easily one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read in my life, second to A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini maybe. This book is poetry at its finest, the words seem to flow after one another so seamlessly like an unbreakable stream of water. It follows two friends in London falling in love, falling apart and everything in between. Above all, I thought the book gave a really raw and moving insight into what it’s like to grow up Black and British. A must read!

Currently reading: The Idiot
Who doesn’t love a book about clueless 20-something year olds trying to navigate adulthood, friendships, and relationships all while pursuing academia? In this book, we follow Selin, who dreams of being a writer, throughout her time studying at Harvard. If you want to feel personally attacked, weirdly comforted or just to have a good laugh, this book by Elif Batuman should do the trick!

TBR
•    The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison 
•    Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins (reread)
•    Woman, Eating – Claire Kohda
•    On Palestine – Noam Chomsky 
•    Franny and Zooey – J.D. Salinger 

And I feel a little bit chaotic tonight, so I thought I’d cause a little stir in the bookish community – I don’t really like The Secret History. The opening line and character introductions were great, I loved the air of pretentiousness the book offered not only in the characters but also in reading the book on public transports. I just felt like it was so convoluted at times. Maybe that’s my short attention span to blame but I tried to finish it up while I was in quarantine back home to kill time, but it somehow made my quarantine feel much longer.