In the month of March, I read four books and met my goal. Three of the books (!!) were on my overall reading list and I was able to mark them off. I also started a book journal this month to better record my thoughts and feelings about the books that I read.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
*Checked off my overall book list*
This book really pulled on my heartstrings. It was relatable as a girl who felt like being a teenager was a rough phase of life.
“You’ve never been a thirteen year-old girl,” Cecilia.
The ending is revealed at the beginning. We already know the girls all commit suicide and the parents move away. And yet, the reader keeps turning the pages to get the whole story. We want to know the details just like the narrators who have kept tabs on the Lisbon girls for what seems to be their whole lives.
The “we” POV is also very interesting. The reader never really knows who the “we” are aside from the neighbor kids. We find out a few names, but not all and you never really know who the lead speaker is.
The characterization of the girls was very well done. The reader learns very intimate details about each of them, even though they don’t spend too much time “on stage.” They are so beautifully unique and yet still lumped together as “the Lisbon girls” that seem to blur together as one to the narrators.
Even with knowing the ending, the reader is still able to get their hopes up from time to time that maybe, just maybe, something else will happen. Maybe the girls escape from their troubles and go on to live happy lives…but no.
And in the end, you understand their pain. The adults and media all question the “why” behind their deaths, but the narrators can see it. The Lisbon girls did make their escape.
*Checked off my overall book list*
A whole lot of “wow” and “oh no!” went through my mind as I read this book. You like the protagonist right off the bat and you empathize with his struggles throughout the entire book. There were several points that I wish I could have given him a hug.
Also, the scientific side of the book really blew my mind. It really makes you feel small in the grand scheme of things. The idea of the multiverse has always intrigued me and with this book now in my brain, I’ve been overthinking everything more than before – in a good way.
Jason is such a normal person that the reader can immediately see him as real and relatable. With the book told from his POV, you feel everything with him. His anger, his shock, fear, denial, acceptance… Every terrible thing that happens to him, it is real to the reader as well.
The pacing is so well done. As tension builds, the paragraphs become short and staccato. When he’s feeling sad, they go on longer with descriptions that grip the reader.
The plotline itself is also a masterpiece. There are twists and turns that leave you completely in the dark about how it will all end. There were even a few points that make you feel that all is lost, but then something else happens and they pull through.
The book ends in the best way – without a firm resolution, but with enough hopefulness that the reader can see how everything will work out. Which is just what Jason deserves after all the trouble he went through.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
As a HUGE Harry Potter nerd, this book has been on my bookshelf since it was released. However, I just now got around the reading it. It was a great addition to the franchise, especially for dedicated fans like myself. They were very cute stories with heavy moral lessons just like regular fairy tales for muggle children. And I’m not going to lie, I plan on reading from this book to my child.
I used this book for typing practice, also. I’m a firm believer in writing everything by hand first so I don’t always have something to type to meet my goals. I read somewhere about copying your idols to help develop your skills and I figured this was a great way to kill two birds with one stone. I typed up the entire book as I read it. So I was able to read an additional book, type additional pages, and copy one of my favorite author’s work to get the feel for how she writes a story.
The Art of Social Media by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick
*Checked off my overall book list*
This was my craft book for the month. I’ve been striving to improve my online presence and this book had a lot of good tips and tricks to help me out. In the next few weeks I plan on doing an overhaul on all my social media profiles to optimize them.
A few of my favorite topics from the book were about making a great profile that stands out, making sure to have great content on your pages, and tips/etiquette for responding to comments. But this book had so much more to offer than just those. I highly recommend it to anyone trying to build their brand.
Let me know what you’ve been reading 🙂