Six Books I instantly loved....

Bookish love is a wonderful thing. And bookish love at first sight is even more wonderful. There are very few books that I fell in love with upon opening to the first page or at the conclusion of its first chapter. But here is a short list....

1) The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - In Tan's bestseller I instantly felt as if June was a kindred spirit. I read the book at a time of my life when I was discovering who I was. I was finally learning more about my own family and about my own mother; and at the heart of this book is the story of daughters learning to value their mothers. 

2) The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank- I read this book at a very young age and it has stayed with me my entire life. Anne was so much like myself, she liked to read, she was curious about everything. She also was coming into her own; sadly Anne's life was cut short. I sometimes wonder what she would have done with her life had she survived the concentration camp.

3) Renee and Jay by J.J. Murray - This was the second book by Murrary I had ever read; however, it is why I kept reading his work. In that one little book he weaved a love story so real I was completely taken aback. What's funny is that supposedly the story is loosely based on his relationship with his real life wife. Another thing about this story that really made me love it was that he is a Caucasian man writng as a black woman and a very very convincing way. 

4) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - what's not amazing about this book. Austen writes about the way that people sometimes fall into love. It can come from out of nowhere; and sometimes that love can be bought on due to a few misunderstandings. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett's love story is be far one of my favorites and I know I will be reading it over and over again for the rest of my life! 

5) The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - does this need any explaination. I mean what's not to love about The Potter series; it's got it all. Witches, Wizards, Magic, Danger, Loce and laughs. 

6) The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness - I read this series last summer and fell head over heels in love with it. Mainly I fell in love with Matthew Clarimont; the mysterious Oxford professor. Matthew is dreamy, and Diana (who would become his love interest)  has a mystery of her own to unreveal. It seems the closer they get to one another the more they need each other to work through every great the mystery of the series.

What books did you really fall in love with? Please feel free to comment!

Book journaling... (Yeah Its a thing)!

I never thought of book journaling until I got serious about tracking my reading and the books I wanted to buy. It all begun with my goodreads account; of which I have been a regular (almost daily) user for over three years. I use the app to keep track of books I have read, want to buy and have lent out. While the app and site are wonderful however, it does not allow me to really keep track of quotes. Thoughts and sometimes raw emotions

that a book can invoke. So here comes the book journal. I have given these as gifts but until a year ago never thought to get myself one. The beauty of journalling is that it allows you to rant and rave in a way that you may not want to do on a website. It allows you to also write out all the feelings you have about the book your reading while your reading. No need to quickly tweet it, or put it on facebook or goodreads; when you can just write a quick note in your journal and move on.

(This is when post notes can become your friend too; so easy to just stick them to the pages of your book.) Another awesome thing about book journaling is that for the aspiring writer it gets you to write in depth about what you love and may hate about a character, scene etc. It could inspire you to try out different scene/world buliding techniques; change the way you describe objects or characters. God knows Stephen King changed the way I structured chapters and inspired me to not ramble on and on but, to get to the point quickly. Book Journaling is also helpful in helping you decide what books to read next. By simply fliping through your journal ever now and again you may rediscover and author that you liked. Or may want to reread a book again to see if you get the same reaction from it. This happened to me with The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson; the second time around I had a deeper appreciation for the book and the love story of Marianne and the main character. Also journaling is down right therapeutic; so why not combine your love of reading with writing too. I am sure you'll learn more about yourself as you journal. I know I have.

*My journal is the Booklovers Journal bu Moleskin; its available at Barnes and Noble for 20$ and at amazon.com for 17$)

Warm weather Wishes

What I would not give for a lovely spring or summer day and a lovely book to read....perhaps some Cassandra Clare...since the book comes out in spring <3

Entire List of the Books I am set to read this year...hopefully I can get more than this in...

A short list of the books that I am looking forward to reading this year.

1) I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

2) Shades of Milk & Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

3) You Give Good Love by J.J. Murray

4) Inferno by Dan Brown

5) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

6) The Hours by Michael Cunningham

7) The City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

9) The Night Eternal by G. Del Toro & Chuck Hogan

10) Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

11) The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan

12) Divergent by Veronica Roth

13) Beautiful Redemption by K. Garcia and M. Stohl

14) Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by R. Riggs

15) The Time Travelers Life by A. Niffenegger

16) Emma by Jane Austen

17) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

18) By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham

19) The Help by Kathryn Stockett 

20)  She’s the One by J.J. Murray

21) Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

22) Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

23) The Cuckoo’s Calling by J.K. Rowling

24) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead 

25) Love In the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

26) Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

27) A Gift from Tiffany’s by Melissa Hill

28) Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 

29) The White Chapel Conspiracy by Anne Perry

30) Dolores Claibourne by Stephen King

31) Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers

32) The Art of Devotion by Samantha Bruce - Benjamin

33) The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards

34) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

35) Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

My wish for everyone in the New Year