Book Challenge August & September

Hello my dear readers,

at the moment, I'm reading a lot more for university again and less for pleasure, but I still have to catch up on the challenge for the last two months!

Since I've been travelling a lot during the school break, I used my kindle more frequently, but there are also two small books that had waved at me at the book store and wouldn't let me walk away without buying them (something that happens more often than I'd like to admit (-.-) ).

Thomas Hürlimann - Nietsches Regenschirm (German, 40 p.)

Philosophy usually isn't really my thing as it's mostly just too complicated, but I still enjoy discussing philosophical issues, and this particular book is easy to read and understand, even for me. I'm even considering reading more literature that's going in that direction...

Haruki Murakami - Die unheimliche Bibliothek (German, 64 p.)

There are several books from Murakami that I still want to read, this one caught my eye because of the pretty cover (and because I can hardly go by a book with the word 'library' in the title without at least having a look at it). As I mentioned before, I enjoy his writing style, so I felt safe buying the book, and I wasn't disappointed.

David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas (English, 545 p.)

- A book at the bottom of your to-read-list

I wanted to read this book ever since the movie came out (which I haven't seen yet, since I wanted to read the book first...), but I also had my doubts whether my English was good enough to understand it. It took me indeed some time to get into it, I had to read some passages twice and I regretted reading it on my kindle instead of getting the actual book, since I had to browse forth and back. Other than that, it's a remarkable book, consisting of 6 different stories (2 of which take place in the future) that are all somehow connected. I found it most impressive how the author adapted the writing style to each epoch (which made me glad I had read it in its original language, I doubt it would have been as good translated).

Isabel Allende - Das Geisterhaus (German, 501 p.)

- A popular author's first book

I always admire Allende for writing these enormous tales that are still convenient to read, given you can keep track of all the characters, and educating the reader about history and politics at the same time... I definitively want to read Eva Luna at some point, which is still on my to-read-list.

Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games Triology (English, 1187 p.)

-  A triology
- A book set in the future
- A book that made you cry

I've read the triology quite some time ago, but after seeing the second-to-last movie adaption, I wanted to re-read them, and because it also fits nicely into the challenge, now was as good a time to do it as any.

Elke Heidenreich & Bernd Schroeder - Alte Liebe (German, 192 p.)

- A book your mom loves

This is one of my mum's favourite books, and I can really see why: it's the touching story of an elderly couple, who is contemplating about their lives as they retire from work. Since I read a lot of Young Adult novels, this was a welcome diversion, too.

Bret Easton Ellis - American Psycho (English, 399 p.)

Once you get over the rather disturbing content of this book, it's actually quite brilliantly written - I loved all the not-so-subtle social criticism.

Although I seem to get along not too bad with the challenge, I'm unsure whether I'll finish it before the end of the year... but we'll see (^.^)
I wish you a nice sunday evening!

Book Challenge July

Hi my dear readers,

the best thing about summer (in my opinion) is that I can read whatever books I like, so naturally I wouldn't let that opportunity pass! (^.^)

So those are the books I read in July!

M.R.Carey - The Girl with all the Gifts (English, 461p.)

A friend of mine recomended this book to me, and I wasn't disappointed; it features zombies and strong female lead characters, what more could you wish for? I found it hard to believe it's actually written by a male writer, especially since it reminded me in some points of Twilight (concerning the content of the story, it's not a negative critique or anything).

G. Lakoff & M. Johnson - Leben in Metaphern (German, 272p.)

Originally, this book was written for the English language, so in the German traduction, some of the phrases used as examples confused me a bit (although I was surprised how well the theories could be adapted to the German language). However, other than that it's a very insightful book, if you're interested in language or psychology (or both), you might find it worth reading too!

Markus Zusak - Der Joker (German, 448p.)

- A book written by an author with your same initials

I've read The Book Thief before and I absolutely adore the author's writing style. This is the story of a young man who stops a bank robber and thereupon recieves indvidual playing cards, of which each one leads him to different people to whom he has to deliver messages. Although the ending is quite predictable and the forth wall is being broken (an element I'm not particularly fond of), I love how the story is composed!

I didn't get much further on my book challenge, but after all, I enjoy reading because of the sake of reading, rather than checking off points from a list as fast as possible (^.^)

Book Challenge June

Hi cuties,

are you enjoying the summer? It's getting a bit too hot for my taste (I'm already longing for autumn - yes, I'm horrible, but I'm just so not a summer person!).
Nevertheless, I've got some reading done, yay!

I finished three books in June:

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Schlachthof 5 (German, 208 p.)

- A book with a number in the title
- A book you started but never finished

I started reading this book last year, but somehow didn't really get into it, so I gave up. I tried again for the challenge, and this time it was a bit easier since I knew what to expect, but it still confuses me (especially the science fiction parts...).Maybe it's the traduction, it might be better in the original version.

Haruki Murakami - Gefährliche Geliebte ( German, 286p.)

- A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
- A book that came out the year you were born 

It's called South of the border, west of the sun in English whitch is not only the accurate translation (I think...?), but also much more poetic. However, I already loved the German translation of Norwegian Wood, so I wanted to read this book in German too. I'm glad I did, it's a beautifully written story, and I really liked the ending - it's hard to have a good ending on a story, they're usually too cheesy or overdone for my taste. Seriously, it's always stressed how important the beginning is, but I think the ending is really significant too, it might destroy the whole feeling of the book.

Stephen King - Es (German, 1536 p.)

- A book that became a movie
- A mystery or thriller
- A book that scares you

Well, the book seemed to scare me in the beginning, as I had a nightmare about the clown, and I hardly ever get nightmares! But the longer the book went on, the less scary it got. I must admit, I think it's a really bad book, especially considering how popular the author is. It's easy to read (otherwise I wouldn't have gone through with it), but all the characters are loaded with clichées and the story gets weirder and weirder towards the ending. I had exected more from a book that has been sold so many times, but then again, I probably shouldn't be expecting too much from popular literature (whoa, that sounds so stuck-up - but I'm just so disappointed!). Anways, I'm glad I read it on my kindle and didn't buy a physical copy, and at least now I never have to read another Stephen King novel.

On the upside, I made some progress on the reading challenge:

By the way, I'd love to know what you are reading at the moment, or whether you know the books I'm reading and what you think about them - tell me in the comments! (^.^)

Book Challenge April & May

Hi my dear readers,

you might have noticed that I didn't update on the reading challenge for April here. I was busy with school for the past two months, so I was mainly reading for classes and fewer books, so I thought I'd take these two months together.

Jakob M. R. Lenz - Der Hofmeister (German)

- A book written by someone under 30 (he was 23 years old when he wrote it)

- A play

Sam Byers - Idiopathy (English, 310p.)

Samuel Beckett -  Der Namenlose (German, 301 p.)

I coulnd't check off many points on the challenge, but as the semester has finished, I 'll (hopefully) have more time to read during the break (^.^)

Book Challenge March

Hi cuties,

I'm a bit late with the update on the reading challenge for the month of March, but never late than never, right?

Uni got serious in March, so I didn't really got to read a lot of books (-.-)

Mark Ryden - Pinxit (English/French/German, 360p.)

As it's an art book, it can't really be counted as "reading". Despite that, it offers a beautiful overview of Mark Ryden's main works until now, and every collection is accompanied by an essay from a friend of Ryden, so there's still something to read. It offers a little insight into the work and life of this amazing artist, and I especially enjoyed the detail shots of his art; so much detail, it's breathtaking. I find his art extremely inspiring and I'd love to let it print on fabric and make dresses out of it! (^.^)

Neil Gaiman - The Sleeper and the Spindle (Illustrated by Chris Ridell, English, 66p.)

What happens, if Snow White sets off to rescue Sleeping Beauty, accompanied by three dwarfs and pursuited by sleeping zombies? The answer was quite surprising for me, and while I liked the plot twist, I'm not sure if I agree with the ending... of course it's important to be true to yourself and to follow your dreams, but you should still take your responsibilities seriously, no? Well, my opinion might be unpopular, and you'll have to read it yourself to decide (^.-). It's definitively worth reading, Neil Gaimans writing never ceases to  fascinate me!

Aristoteles - Poetik (Greek/German, 181p.)

- A book more than 100 years old

Although this edition was published by reclam just recently, the book itself was definitively written more than 100 years ago, so I'll just count that point (^.^). I had to read it for uni (more about that right below), and if you're interested in literature, it's surely a good reference.

And just like that, March was already over! I didn't really make a lot of progress on the challenge, unfortunately, and I hope I'll catch up soon...

Now, as mentioned above, a word about my studies. Some of you know that until recently, I studied business and economics. However, it became less and less what I had expected and started to make me quite unhappy, so I knew I had to make a change. I'm very lucky that my parents agreed to let me change my subject of study without finishing the other one first (which probably wouldn't have happened anyways), so this winter I changed to German literature and Media studies instead. I'm so glad I did this, as I'm much happier and way more interested in my studies now!

So for my new classes, I needed some new books too, obviously:

We don't have to read all of them, from certain ones we just read extracts or single chapters, and of course we read a lot of essays and texts that we get directly from the professors. I just wanted to post this here too, in order of completion.

Book Challenge February

Hello Lovelies,

of course I used my last days of the semester break not only for spending a lot of time with my sewing machine, but also for reading. And naturally, I'd like to present you with what I occupied my mind with:

Probably not as impressing as in January, but hey, I do other things besides reading too (^.-)

Guido Hofenbitzer - Bekleidung: Schnittkonstruktion für Damenmode (German, 368p.)

Let's start with a book that is not really literature, I didn't "read" it in the classical sense. But I'd like to mention it here because I do like to improve my sewing skills, and besides online tutorials I prefer to buy books on the matter. Like this I can learn on my own terms and pace, and exactly what I want to learn, instead of attending an overpriced class - but that's only my opinion, it's just the most comfortable for me because I'm an autodidact.
So this book explains the basics of pattern construction for women's outer garments (so any womenswear except for undergarnments). I can highly recommend it if you already know a bit about sewing, since it only covers the pattern making and not the actual cutting and sewing part, also I think it's an advantage to follow the steps if you have some experience on how patterns look like and work. Other than that, the steps are explained well and it covers pretty much every garment and its alterations, so the investion was definitively worth it for me. I'm looking forward to actually try and make my own patterns from scratch!

Michelle Halbheer - Platzspitzbaby (German, 206p.)

- A book with a one-word title
- A book based on a true story

Michelle was born as daughter of a heroin addict who was part of the open drug scene during the 80ies in Zurich and grew up seeing and experiencing things no child should ever be exposed to. It is an amazing story of a really really strong girl who had to grow up early in order to survive. Now, with 29, she told her story to a journalist who wrote the book for her. While it's easy to read, the content touched me all the more, as it's written in quite figurative language.
It made me also think about drug politics in Switzerland, or rather the lack thereof, as there are still children left with their addicted parents. This happens, just as with Michelle, under the pretext that the child would help the parent with the fight against the addiction, while it's clear that they can't even take responsibility for their own life, left alone for a child.

M.E. Thomas - Confessions of a Sociopath (English, 321p.)

M.E. Thomas is a law professor, a trained musician, a successful woman, and a sociopath. After running the blog sociopathworld.com for a while, she wanted to share her whole life story. It's really interesting to read about her inner thoughts, how her logic works, and, what astonished me, how insecure she's felt for years, before she came to accept her fate as a sociopath and started the blog in order to seek contact to like-minded people. Our society likes to present this stereotype of the cold-minded psychopath (Thomas uses the two terms interchangeably as they actually mean the same). What hardly ever anyone speaks about is that sociopaths often feel left out, because they think differently, no matter their (assumed) lack of moral values.
The book is well researched and entertaining to read, although I had to look up a few words. I certainly learned a bit more about other peoples minds, something that's always of great interest for me.

Erin Morgenstern - The Night Circus (English, 512p.)

- A book with more than 500 pages

I got curious about this book as it kept appearing on my tumblr, and so I decided to buy it, since the booklovers on tumblr have great taste in general. And I was not disappointed!
The Night Circus arrives at night, without warning. Inside its gates are the most wonderful things to see, every tent exhibits another sensation. One might almost think it's magical...
I highly enjoyed all the descriptions of this extraordinary circus, it's occupants and surroundings. The only thing that bothered me is that the story is not told chronologically, but in the beginning of every chapter, a different time and place are indicated. It all comes together in an unity in the end, but for the first half of the book I was constantly confused and had to go back and forth, also because there are a lot of characters involved. But that's a great excuse to read the book again! (^.^)

And that's the status quo of my reading challenge! Still a long way to go (and it's already March! Where did the first two months of the year go?)

Bibliophile

Hi my dear readers,

I'd like to add a new aspect to this blog, to cover another of my hobbies: reading!
I used to read a lot when I was a child, a little less when I became a teenager, and since I started studying, textbooks covered most of my reading schedule. But I noticed how much I missed reading, especially fiction (although I also enjoy non-fiction!).

Even if I didn't take the time to actually read a lot, my wishlist on amazon grew (and still grows) quite a bit. So when I got some money and bookshop gift cards for Christmas, I didn't spend it all at once on books because that would be irresponsible couldn't resist and stocked up my reading materials:

It's not "too many books", it's "not enough bookshelves"!

Along with some more books that are on my to-be-read-pile, these should keep me busy for some time (^.^)
It's also a good thing that this book challenge keeps floating around (I found it on tumblr, but I think it's also on other social media platforms), which I want to join:

In order to keep track of it, I decided to post at the end of every month which books I've read and hence what I can cross off the list. I interpreted it insofar that one book can cover more than one request (to quote a friend who also participates: "my challenge, my rules!").
So, what did I read in january?

I'll write a little something about every book, I hope you don't mind (^.^).
So let's have a look!

Walter Moers - Die Stadt der Täumenden Bücher (German, 455p.) & Das Labyrinth der Träumenden Bücher (German, 427p.)

- A book with nonhuman characters
- A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet

So far, I've only read Die 13½ Leben des Käpt'n Blaubär by Moers, but I've loved it. The author has this brilliant use of language and an extensive vocabulary, which always makes me feel very smart when I read his books. 
These two books are the first two of a series (the third volume is released this year), so the content is linked together. It's about a young writer who visits what sounds like the best place on earth; The City of the Dreaming Books. It's a city full of bookstores, libraries and cafés, where everyone reads, writes or sells books. Sounds amazing, right? However, beneath the town lies The Labyrinth of the Dreaming Books, a vast cave system that holds many dangerous adventures for our hero!

Susan Cain - Quiet. The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (English, 280p.)

- A book by a female author
- A nonfiction book
- A book by an author you've never read before

I first learned about this book in connection with this amazingly beautiful comic "Introversion" by Luchie (please look also at the rest of here blog!).
I consider myself an introvert, and it's more often than not a difficult trait of my personality, so naturally, I was intrigued. And I can highly recommend this book, whether you are an introvert or extrovert.

It's very well researched and based on numerous scientific studies, but also personal experiences of the author. The definition of introversion, why our society is based on an extroverted ideal (and why that might be a bad idea), how introverts can benefit from their personality without being forced to pretend to be someone they aren't; Cain explains all this in a very entertaining language, accompanied by many examples and stories of her own life. Despite being cramped with information, it's agreeable to read. Many things dawned on me while reading it, and I think I understand myself a bit better now.

Rachel Hawkins - Rebel Belle (English, 345p.)

- A book set in a different country
- A book based entirely on its cover
- A book with a love triangle
- A book set in high school
- A book with magic

They say you shouldn't judge a book based of its cover, but I must admit, the cover was what got me interested in this book in the first place (shame on me). The content is pretty much obvious from the points it crosses off the challenge which I listed above. Although this might not look like something I'd enjoy reading on first glance, I did not hate the book. It's well written, witty, and the main character is very charismatic. Also there's magic and wiches and some historical facts included, so I'm contemplating to read the second book of the series, Miss Mayhem, which will be published in april...

Kouyu Shurei - Alichino (Manga, 3 volumes, German)

- A book a friend recommended
- A book you can finish in a day
- A graphic novel
- A book that was originally written in a different language

Yes, I'm shamelessly going to count mangas as books too! A friend borrowed them to me, since she wants to cosplay a character and I didn't know the series before. It was published in 2005 and put on hiatus after three volumes. Which is a shame, especially the elaborate costumes are really pretty! They might even get me into cosplaying after all...

So, looks like my book challenge started not too badly:

I really hope I can finish it by the end of the year! (*_*)