SOPHIE LI

Happy Friday! Can you believe that it is December the 1st?! What is this craziness!?

When I try to recall what exactly I did in the past 4 weeks, I always draw a blank (goldfish memory here!) Here is what I am finally able to come up with:

1. Read 6 books
2. Went to China (ate great food and visited some of my amazing relatives)
3. Started plotting my new WIP
4. Kind of got started on this adulting thing called job-hunting

Ah, so I did get a few things accomplished after all. Phew :’)

I am proud to have been able to read 6 books this week. All of this happened while I was preparing for, on the flight to, and in China. It was one of those trips where I had plenty of time to kick back, relax, and curl up with a book. Also, the plane is one of my favourite places to read a book (that’s why I love flying!)

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

This is a sweet romance about Jamie, the quiet daughter of a minister, and Landon, one of the popular teens at school. I remembered loving the movie when I watched it in high school, and it was great to relive this experience by reading the book.

See Me by Nicholas Sparks

I was taken by surprise by this book, because it is both a romance and a thriller. The first part of the book is where Maria and Colin get to know each other, and the second half is where someone is out to get them and they try to figure out who. This novel gave me chills (in a good way).

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Have you watched Gone Girls and is it not a mind-bending tornado of a movie? Well, the novel is the same way. It’s just so, so amazing. I absolutely loved Gillian Flynn’s writing, which made the characters seem so real. I loved how Nick and Amy are both so flawed yet I was fascinated about how their minds worked.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

After reading Gone Girl, I just had to read Dark Places, which is an older novel written by the same author. This novel is as much of a psychological thriller as Gone Girl, if not more so. If you love Gone Girl and other thrillers, this one is a must read.

Speak Its Name by Kathleen Jowitt

This is a self-published novel about Lydia Hawkins, an officer of the Christian Fellowship, who learns to reconcile her sexual identity with her religious beliefs. It is a coming out and coming of age story, and it is an interesting exploration of how sexuality and Christianity intersect. Although I feel that the secondary characters could be more developed in this story, I enjoyed the novel overall.

Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga

After reading and loving My Heart and Other Black Holes, my expectations for this next Jasmine Warga book was WAY up there. However, Here We Are Now did not disappoint. Check out my review here.

For the writers out there, I absolutely recommend checking out Ryan Lanz‘s blog, which offers very useful writing advice: The Value of Forgetting is a guest post by Richard Risemberg about a crucial part in the editing process. Jacqui Murray talks about a few things that she’s learned from marketing her first novel.

Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm gives valuable tips about how to succeed as a blogger! One of my favourite tips is to schedule posts rather than writing them on the fly. This is already making my life easier!

Beth @ Reading Every Night tells us more about the novel that she is writing!!! Be sure to read about her story and see her beautiful character aesthetics!

Want to know the secret to finding books that you will love? Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books got your back!

If you are in the mood for something funny and political, Phil Taylor will make you laugh with his post about what Donald Trump could do with the new 280-character limit on Twitter.

Jackie @ Too Much of A Booknerd will make you want to add Dear Martin and Juliet Takes a Breath to your TBR with her awesome reviews!

Asha Seth @ The Musing Quills breaks down how to write an irresistible blog title!

Did you know that Dani @ Perspective of a Writer is a graphic designer? That’s why her graphics are amazing. Check out this post about one of her favourite book covers!

How was your November? What books did you read? How is adulting going? Do you love flights or do you hate them? Where is your favourite place to read?