“Maud lived alone, and she went on vacation alone. That was the way she wanted it. Freedom, no idle chatter, and no problems.” Phenomenal, short book. If you are looking for a light mystery that you can finish in one afternoon, I highly recommend this one!

“You know, you look at those mountains, and you think: Civilization will fade away, but that will go on forever. Only, civilization is snorting like a steer on growth hormones, and those mountains are going down.”

“Life was basically one long SAT test, and instead of four or five choices, you got dozens. Including shit like ‘some of the time‘ and ‘maybe so‘, ‘maybe not.‘”

“‘Although not large, you look well-muscled,‘ she said. ‘You are not a rapist or a psychotic, are you?‘ ‘No, ma‘am,‘ Tim told her, thinking: But what else would I say?”

“There are two high schools in town, just as there are two Americas. There are men and there are women and one still rules the other in certain pockets of the country, in moments that are not televised. Even when women fight back, they must do it correctly. They must cry the right amount and look pretty but not hot.”

“The conventional wisdom is often wrong. Crime didn‘t keep soaring in the 1990s, money alone doesn‘t win elections, and—surprise—drinking eight glasses of water a day has never actually been shown to do a thing for your health. Conventional wisdom is often shoddily formed and devilishly difficult to see through, but it can be done.”

“It was that people were quick to point fingers, to judge, to add on even in peaceful times, so it would be hard to fathom fingers not getting pointed and words not being added, also being judged in these turbulent times, resulting too, in not having your feelings hurt upon discovering others were talking about you, as in having individuals in balaclavas and Halloween masks, guns at the ready, turning up in the middle of the night at your door.”

My only regret is not having read this book sooner. I‘ve heard about the book and falsely formed an idea of what it would be about. I loved the way it was structured, in well thought-out parts. The plot was easy to follow and the main characters evoked feelings of both empathy and sympathy, depending on the situation. I wrote down many quotes but the one that made me laugh was this: “You can‘t sit around all day, like me. Eating pickles.”

“Most adults claim not to believe in magic, but Klara knows better. Why else would anyone play at permanence—fall in love, have children, buy a house—in the face of all evidence there‘s no such thing? The trick is not to convert them. The trick is to get them to admit it.”

“The nature of hate is mysterious. It can gnaw at the heart for an eon, then depart when one expected it to remain as immobile as a mountain. But even mountains erode.” Just finished this wonderful piece of literature. It‘s a fairy tale that contains a coming-of-age element and is simply a splendid fantasy fiction book inspired by Mexican folklore. Highly recommend!

“Folktales are full of such coincidences that are never coincidences at all, but the brittle games of powerful forces.”

“The pull of the familiar was strong, but stronger was curiosity and the blind optimism of youth that demanded go now, go quickly.”

My local library just received this book, and I immediately rushed over there to get it. Look at that beautiful cover! #tbr #newin

“All of us take pride and pleasure in the fact that we are unique, but I‘m afraid that when all is said and done the police are right: it all comes down to fingerprints.” My ninth grade English teacher once told my class that while our parents believe (and say) that we are all unique, we really aren‘t. Let‘s just say I left that class feeling betrayed and in a state of mild shock.

“I am a thirty-three-year-old man applying for a job as an elf. I often see people on the streets dressed as objects and handing out leaflets. I tend to avoid leaflets but it breaks my heart to see a grown man dressed as a taco.”

“You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do? If a physician of high standing, and one‘s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?”

I think this is my most anticipated book of the year. I have decided to listen to the audiobook and the narrator, Tim Andrés Pabon, has a pleasant voice. In addition, the author, Steven Gillon had a personal connection with JFK Jr. Looking forward to learning more about John John and his life.

“It was as if Boeing built one plane and, without doing a single flight test, told airline passengers, ‘Hop aboard.‘”

I recently watched HBO‘s documentary—The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, and wanted to learn more about Elizabeth Holmes and what happened at Theranos. I highly recommend the documentary. I‘ll share my thoughts on the book and how it compares to the documentary in the next week.

“No strangeness stranger than the strangeness of living things.”

“‘I‘m super busy right now,‘ I said. Then I came back to my apartment and took a bath.”

“Apartment life is good. I‘m using my ironing board as a kitchen table.” (May 17, 1979)

“Science in the service of willful blindness: How could so many smart people have missed the obvious? A person has only to look, to see that dead logs are far more alive than living ones. But the senses never have much chance, against the power of doctrine.”

I usually read an hour before bed but this book was so funny that I couldn‘t fall asleep afterward. I liked the story so much that before even finishing it, I ordered another book by Sedaris. Favorite quote: “These troubling, Jimmy Cricket-style trousers…that I bought…they have horizontal stripes and make my ass look like a half dozen coins collected in a sack made from an old prison uniform.” Will undoubtedly improve your mood!

I LOVED listening to this audiobook. Noah is hilarious and insightful. While I learned plenty about his childhood, I also enjoyed hearing about the political atmosphere in South Africa, especially since Noah lived through apartheid. I‘ve also decided to switch to audiobooks for memoirs. There‘s something special about hearing the author tell their own story. Reading the book wouldn‘t have been the same, in my opinion. Highly recommend!

I‘ve been putting off reviewing this book because it was a lot to digest. It was emotional, angry, raw. Brilliant, too. It‘s not an easy read, and I suggest against reading it all at once. The prologue hits your hard and that tone is consistent throughout. As a white person, I felt like I needed to apologize for what was done to Native Americans. I felt guilty and ashamed, and irate. I recommend a funny book (something by D. Sedaris) after it.

About halfway through the book written by the amazing Basma Abdel Aziz and I am really enjoying the story. It‘s a dystopian novel and reminds me of “1984”. It‘s also been a goal of mine to read more works by non-western authors. I welcome recommendations! #currentlyreading (recommended to me by @JeannieReads )

Audiobook performance: excellent. I think Reese Witherspoon should narrate all audiobooks. Storytelling: jumped around, scattered, reads more like a draft than a finished and polished story. Plot: sheds light on an important and relevant topic of racism in the South. However, I wish HL would have chosen new characters, different form those in TKAM. In my view, this book destroys TKAM and what that book represents. Read at your own risk.

Jean Louise: “Aunty,” she said, cordially, “why don‘t you go pee in your hat?”

I have never heard of the expression but it made me chuckle.

Greek mythology is one of my favorite genres and this book was nothing but phenomenal. The story is narrated by Patroclus who grew up with Achilles and was by his side at all times, including the Trojan War. I look forward to reading Miller‘s other book, Circe.

I haven‘t seen many positive reviews of the book, but I still wanted to see what it was about (and why so many disliked it). I loved “To Kill a Mockingbird” and I‘m hoping this book isn‘t as bad. I usually don‘t listen to audiobooks but since this one is narrated by Reese Witherspoon, I had to get the audio version. Review coming shortly! #currentlylistening

This is the second book by Celeste Ng that I‘ve read, and I was not disappointed. Once again, she presents a relatively simple plot but as the story unveils, you begin to understand how complex it is. The story made my heart ache at times, and I found some parts tough to read emotionally. Yet, it‘s brilliant and I highly recommend it! It‘s not easy to read about life‘s adversities, but I think it‘s important to expose ourselves to such writing.

I am still in the middle of Becoming by M. Obama but because I loved Little Fires Everywhere, I am going to start this other book also written by Celeste Ng. She is quickly becoming one of my favorites, and I am hoping to be as intrigued by this book as I was by LFE. #tbr

This book is all about helping its readers prioritize in life. Simply put: give a f*ck about important things in life and don‘t waste any f*cks on superficial things. I found this book helpful, reassuring, funny, insightful, and eye-opening. This should be a mandatory read for all adults. (Also won‘t take more than a day or two to finish it)

I am expecting to not give a f*** after reading this book. Let‘s see how it goes!

I think this is one of the best books that I have ever read. The storytelling, the writing, the plot itself felt like nothing I have encountered before. It was a simple yet complex story. Without giving anything away, the book centered around the theme of perspective. I also don‘t recommend rushing through it. I tried to enjoy every page and paused here and there to ponder and reflect. 10/10!

Had a pleasant and quick flight to DC earlier today. It helped to have a good book with me. #inflightreading

Next on my Spring Break 2k19 reading list. I am three chapters in, and I am already hooked.

Brilliant. Entertaining. Witty. I am not usually into sci-fi but this book was excellent. It exceeded all of my expectations. I never once felt bored with the story or the characters. It was unlike many of the books I have read, and I think it would be a good challenge for non sci-fi readers. Who doesn‘t want to read about intelligent plants?

Phenomenal book (will review after I finish). But I had to pause after this quote. I often find myself pretty disappointed if I have high expectations (from dates, new restaurants, cities, you name it). I am an optimist but I have learned that sometimes it‘s good to have low expectations or no expectations at all (although that‘s tough for me). What do you all think? #foodforthought #qotd

A great and insightful read. Combined economics, political science, and happiness research in pursuit of advocating for better policies from the government that improve the citizens‘ well-being. Mostly tackled problems in the US. Includes a plethora of statistics and research studies. Highly recommend! (Will look for more books by Derek Bok)

Next on my reading list: “The Politics of Happiness” by Bok. Back in college, I had to read some parts of the book and I remember liking the content. This should be a fun transition from mystery (and I don‘t mean it sarcastically).

A fascinating and, at times, overwhelming story, ultimately leads to a satisfying and hopeful ending. This book is a must read not only because of the earth-shattering plot twists but because it is so much more than a suspenseful story. The struggles behind a mental illness take center stage. Although the plot, in a way, is similar to “The Girl on the Train.” Bonus, the author (real name: Dan Mallory) has a rather shocking biography. (Easy read)