Books I've read in May, 2015

News: I've finished my challenge for this year... 20 books! Well, I know I could've put a larger number but I know that some months I rarely even read. (February, for example.)

Books I've read in April, 2015

Late again. Four books this time, barely. Don't you wish the background would change?

Our Fallen Pieces [ short story ]

A short story I've written for class (once again), and it's honestly the best I've written, the best I've worked on. Be warned, this contains spoilers for the ending of my first novel, but you don't need to read the novel in order to understand what's happening. It works as a stand-alone short story.

Books I've read in March, 2015

So finally, the month is coming to an end, and I'm proud of myself this time, to be honest. Unlike last month, I managed to finish four books this time! Which means that I've finished half of my reading challenge for this year! Let me tell you about what I've read.

Books I've read in February, 2015.

Well, unfortunately, last month I only managed to finish one book, on the first of Feb, at 12:30 am. You don't even realize how awful that makes me feel. But, oh well, I was busy with stuff and things.

(Picture from my Instagram)

The Histroy Boys by Alan Bennet 

I'veseen the movie version of this play before I've actually read the play. I'm a sucker for stories with student/teacher relationships (Dead Poets Society, Freedom Writers). So I thought I'd get this book and it's the first time I actually read a full-length play. It's very good, very cute. The interactions between the Oxbridge candidate students and Hector (name: Hector, nicknamed Hector) is admirable. The ending is quite heartbreaking.I don't have much to say about this play. If you're looking for a quick-read and/or you're interested in student/teacher dynamics (with lots and lots of twisted stuff in this one), I suggest you read this book. It's fun and short. (Sorry if the text's messed up, I don't know why.)

Books I've read in January, 2015.

So, I'm planning to do this every month, since it motivates me to read more and to write more (because, you know, if you read more, you write more). I've set a goal for a minimum of 20 books this year, and so far, I've read five! I'm so proud of myself! *tears* Yeah, so I'll tell you what I read in the past month, since it's nearly over, and tell what I think, my rating, and if I recommend it or not. This is a personal opinion and not an actual review. Let's go!

Note: these are in no particular order of which one I finished first.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

This book is about Jonas who's chosen as the receiver of memories in his perfect society. The one who trains him to be a Receiver is The Giver. And soon he realizes that his society is more than meets the eye and that YA bull. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good YA series (The Maze Runner is my all-time favorite) but, God, this book was so slow. And for a book this small, nothing really happens until the last few chapters. Though, I have to give the book some credit because the simple writing sort of inspired me to write more.

Overall: I'm not sure if I'm going to continue reading this series, but if I wanted to, it's not going to be sometime soon.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

About the disappearance of Nick Dunne's beautiful wife, Amy Elliot Dunne. It shifts between Nick trying to find her, and Amy's diaries about their marriage. Let me just say this, the book is so messed up and shocking, I had to stop reading at some point. I have not read a book like this before, it's truly great and mysterious. While there are some things I don't get about what happened (it's not that I don't understand them, it's just that they made me just go "but... why?").

Overall: It's a very nice book for people who love mystery and thriller. I don't think you should watch the movie version for this, though. I don't know, it just felt meh.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver

This is a collection of short stories where (as I read in one of the reviews) nothing happens. It's just told in a way that is so captivating. This was recommended to me by Dr. Keith Jardim (shout out to my adopted father!) because he thought that my short stories reminded him of this author's writing. Honestly, when I read the book, I was flattered because he thought so. Although some stories didn't catch my interest; it happens when it comes to short story collections.

Overall: Amazing. You should get it. That's all.

Near Open Water by Keith Jardim (A.K.A, my professor and life coach)

Another collection of short stories. These are set in the Caribbean Islands, specifically in Trinidad. It's so shockingly honest about the Islands. It's not what it seems. I've sorta cheated on this book. There are two stories I haven't finished, and I haven't even read the last story. It's not that I don't like the book or I found it boring. On the contrary, it's so descriptive that you can actually taste the water and smell the air when he describes the beach, and I found that so fascinating, the way he could accomplish it. The reason I didn't finish some of the stories is because they are so tiring to read! The book is so condensed that I kept reading the same line three times without realizing it. Nevertheless, it's a very honest and beautiful book. Nothing surprising since Dr. Keith is the one who wrote it. That guy made me a better writer to be honest.

Overall: Read this book if you want a boost of creativity.

The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith

Warning: this opinion will sort of be biased because good God, I've waited so long. Also, there might be spoilers if you haven't read the first book (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter). So yeah, you've been warned, my friends.

You see, this book was the highlight of my month, no lie. When SGS announced that he was writing it last year, I swear I felt like I couldn't breath properly because I never thought this book was coming. And I've waited four years for that one chapter that explains to you what was concluded in the first book. Yeah, imagine my excitement. If you've read the first book, you might know Henry Sturges (Abraham's mentor, best friend, a vampire). Well this book is about Henry's life after Abraham's death. To me, the book was one big history lesson, but with more vampirism and bloodshed added to it. Unlike the first book. it has more gore, violence, and sexual images. But, but, it has more Henry since it's about him, which is basically a gift given to me in a form of a book. After finishing this book, I don't know if I want another one. This book just gave me everything I wanted from the first book -which is more Henry. Sorry-.

Overall: Live. (You'll get it when you read the books. You should get them both right away. I mean come on, it's Abraham Lincoln wielding an ax, slicing down vampires with Henry freaking Sturges as his mentor.)

Exceptions [short story]

This is a short story I've written in Short Story Writing class. It was a future chapter for a novel I was working on, but I decided it could work as a stand-alone short story. Enjoy it. :3