Happy Friday!
How is your week going? Goodwill (a donation centre and thrift store) had a sale today, so of course I went and scooped up some goods. I absolutely love thrifting! It is like a treasure hunt, or a box of chocolates – you never know what you will find! Here is (part of) my haul:
Yes! Those are the first 12 volumes of Sailor Moon, which was my favourite cartoon growing up. Seeing these on the shelves (in PRISTINE CONDITION), I couldn’t help but pick them up :’)
Anyway, can you guys believe that it’s almost October?! I feel like I just did my August wrap-up post :’)
I read 6 books this month – 5 audiobooks and 1 book in print – despite work, writing, pole dance classes, blogging, and everything in between. Sooooo I am quite proud of myself :’)
History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (Audio) ★★★★/5
Griffin still loves Theo, even though he is bitter that Theo ditched him for his new boyfriend Jackson. When Theo dies in a drowning accident, Griffin realizes that Jackson is the only person who can understand what he is going through. I loved this book, which broke my heart in all the right ways. Check out my review here.
They Both Died at the End by Adam Silvera (Audio) ★★★/5
Death Cast informs Mateo and Rufus that they have 24 hours left to live. When the two boys meet using the Last Friend app, they make a pact to live their life to the fullest on their last day together. This was the book that I was eagerly waiting to be released. Although I liked the book, it was kind of… depressing. Click here for my review.
Will Grayson Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green (Audio) ★★/5
What is it like to meet another person who shares the same name as you (both first name and last name)? It must be a trippy experience. And that’s exactly what this book is. Super trippy :’) The writing is whimsical and laugh-out-loud hilarious, but I didn’t find the characters interesting or relatable.
Looking for Alaska by John Green (Audio) ★★★★/5
Miles “Pudge” Halter lives a pretty boring life… until he moves to a new school and meets Alaska Young, who is beautiful, unpredictable, and anything but boring. I absolutely loved the writing in this book, which made me laugh and brought me close to tears :’)
Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks (Print) ★★★/5
Russell Green is living the perfect life as a loving husband, father, and executive in a successful advertising company. Then, everything crashes down when he loses his job and his wife. And of course, in true Nicholas Sparks fashion, another woman who comes to the rescue :’) Although this is an adult romance, it is surprisingly very, very clean (even compared to most Young Adult romances I’ve read this year.) I have a few qualms about some of the characters and the ending of the book, but I really enjoyed reading it.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (Audio) ★★★★★/5
This is the memoir of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, an accomplished neurosurgery resident with a love for literature. He spent his life in pursuit of one question: What makes life meaningful? He found himself confronted by this question when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. This was an incredible book with absolutely superb writing, that made me think about how to live life to the fullest. One of the best books I’ve read all year :’)
Kudos to these awesome bloggers and blog posts for either putting a smile on my lips, or giving me food for thought (or both!) 🙂
Mikaela @ The Well-Thumbed Reader gives tips about how to grow your blog. This is a must-read for newbie bloggers (such as myself)! And even if you have been blogging for a while now, maybe there are some tips that you will find useful here as well!
Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books talks about how to buddy read and how to write the best comments in the universe. These are only a few of the amazing posts on her blog 🙂
Dani @ Perspective of a Writer explains why we should all read subtitles! As a Chinese immigrant who had to learn English as a second language, subtitles have been a big, big part of my life, and even now I prefer to read subtitles rather than, well, listen to people talk on TV 🙂 How do you guys feel about subtitles?
Darren @ The Arty Plantsman is a botanical illustrator who also writes little tidbits about life, including a social experiment about making sure no one will sit beside you on the bus (it is hilarious). Check out this other post about how to help a friend or loved one who have depression.
Ryan @ A Writer’s Path gives advice to writers about how to put yourself out there. A must-read for all those who want to make it as a writer!
Michael @ Ex Libris discusses The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larrson and It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis on his Youtube channel! Kudos to Michael for making his first videos in English. Definitely check these out and show your support 🙂
SOPHIE LI 
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