Books, Part Two

Happy Monday everyone! I have read a few good books lately and would love to share them with you.

1. Letting Ana Go by Anonymous. This is an anonymous journal belonging to a girl who died from anorexia. If you’re familiar with the popular book Go AskAlice, it is basically the same as that. The book documents the struggle of a girl named Ana with her eating disorder, all the way to her death. The book is obviously very sad because it is the real journal of someone who died, but it is incredibly interesting (and disturbing) to have the insight into the mind of someone with this disease. It is not a light-hearted read, but it profoundly affected me and it is worth sharing.

2. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. I mentioned this book in my previous post about books, and have finally finished it. This book is the memoir of author Frank McCourt, documenting his time growing up poor in Ireland, through his moving to America when he was 19. Again, this isn’t exactly a light-hearted read, but hearing of McCourt’s rough childhood and seeing him overcome it was interesting. I didn’t particularly love this book, however. It was really hard for me to get through because it seemed to just drag on and on without too much happening, but it was also the first memoir I’ve read, so maybe that just isn’t my thing.

Mindy favorited my tweet. We're basically bffs.

3. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. I freaking LOVED this book. This is essentially a collection of essays by the wonderfully smart and funny writer, comedian, producer, and actor, Mindy Kaling. Mindy wrote and starred on NBC’s The Office and now has her own show, The Mindy Project. Kaling is incredibly relatable in this book and she is also hilarious. Please, please read this book. Also, I tweeted about loving it, and Mindy favorited it. Holla!

4. It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizinni. This book is about a 15-year-old boy named Craig who checks himself into a psych ward after he contemplates suicide. Although this book sounds like it would be depressing, it’s not at all. There are some funny parts, and I really enjoyed it. Apparently it was made into a movie a few years ago. Check out the trailer here. Judging by the trailer, the book is approximately two hundred times better.

5. 642 Things to Write About by the San Francisco Writer’s Grotto. Just as the title suggests, this book is filled with pages of 642 things to write about. Prompts range from writing an ode to an onion, to writing a scene in which the only words spoken are “uh-huh,” “Umm,” “Urrrrr,” and “Mm-mmm,” to documenting the difference between the first death you can remember to the most recent one. Although this book isn’t a novel like my other suggestions, it is super fun and I love it.

Use the rest of your summer well and read some of these lovely suggestions. Have a great week and thanks for reading :)

Books

Happy Wednesday to all. Since summer has been in full swing for about a month, and I am starting to feel slightly guilty about sitting around the house all day watching television, I have started sitting around the house all day reading books. Here's what I've been reading lately:

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins: I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I finally read The Hunger Games. I didn't love the first book, (probably because I saw the movie and already knew what was going to happen) but I loved, loved the second. I also really enjoyed how the third book ended, although a lot of people weren't happy with it. The series is very easy to get through, so if you've even considered reading it, I'd say go for it.

2. Looking for Alaska by John Green: I read The Fault in Our Stars by Green earlier this year and enjoyed it. After reading that book, I discovered he and his brother Hank run the YouTube channel called VlogBrothers. I checked it out and it is a good time, so I decided to read another book by him. Looking for Alaska is about a 16-year-old kid who goes away to boarding school and meets some pretty cool people. The first part of the book wasn't super great, but the last half or so was enjoyable.

3. Peanut by Ayun Halliday and Paul Hoppe: This is a graphic novel about a girl who starts at a new school and pretends to be allergic to peanuts. I read a few graphic novels in one of my classes this past year, and loved them, so I thought I would give this one a go. Unfortunately I did not love it. The story was a little weak, but I did enjoy the graphics.

4. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon: This book is a ten step guide to becoming more creative and gaining inspiration. Kleon is an artist, as well as a writer, so he has so many great ideas for inspiration, and he understands the way a creative mind works. I'm about halfway done with this book, but it is so incredibly inspiring, I just get jazzed thinking about it. If you're a creatively minded person, or want more creativity in your life, please please read this book!

5. Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith: This is another book for creative minded people, or someone who needs to lose some control in their life. This book is essentially a journal with simple instructions of what to record on each page. The pages range from instructions to draw circles, to putting a string around the book and taking it for a walk, to using it as a napkin and wiping your food on a page. This is another incredibly inspiring book and I can't wait to fill each page with whatever my heart desires!

A sample page from Wreck this Journal

Next on my list is Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, so I will most likely blog about that in the nearish future. Have a great week and thanks for reading :)