A Year Of Reading | 2017 Book Wrap-Up
12.30.2017
2017 is so far my best year of reading (based on my Goodreads record) because I read 60 books this year than last year. I only read 26 books last year, which was disappointing because I know I could read more than that. Earlier this year, I only set 40 books for my Goodreads reading challenge but when I reached 40 on May, I re-set my goal to 60 books. It's better than last year, I'm thankful for that. However, I can't help but think that I could've done better when SPM ended but as soon as SPM ended, I end up in a critical reading slump. The I-can't-even-read-one-single-chapter reading slump. It sucks.
Currently reading: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (but I'm so freaking slow reading this book)
This year, I mostly read contemporary young adult (YA) books. There were some that pretty life-changing to me but most of them are just average and maybe a couple of them weren't for me. I did read books from other genres and thankfully all of them were good but I'm planning to read more books out from YA contemporary. And I think almost all of the books I read this year were released before 2017. I haven't read a lot of books released in 2017 *sobs* but I'll do soon. I also finished 4 great book series and I absolutely love them all. So here are some books that I totally love in 2017.
YA CONTEMPORARY BOOKS THAT I LOVE:
Summary: Jessie is new in Los Angeles. It's been barely two years after her mother's death and when her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country with her stepfamily. One day, she received an email from someone who calls himself Somebody/Nobody (SN for short) and in a leap of faith, SN becomes Jessie's closest ally. In this book, we see Jessie adapting her new life with new people in her life and in the meantime trying to get to know who SN is.
Summary: How much can you tell about a person just by looking at them? Janna Yusuf is a Muslim Arab Indian-American hijabi teen girl, a Flannery O'Connor obsessed book nerd, aspiring photographer and sometime graphic novelist. She is trying to decide what kind of person she wants to be; a saint, a misfit or a monster. She's also dealing with meeting a monster who is parading around as a saint. In the same time, Janna suddenly finds herself caring what people think or at least what a certain boy named Jeremy thinks.
Honourable mentions: Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel (4.2/5), Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (4/5)
HISTORICAL FICTION FAVS OF 2017:
Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys
Summary: “War is catastrophe. It breaks families in irretrievable pieces. But those who are gone are not necessarily lost.” World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety. Click to watch the book trailer.
Rating: 5/5
Reviews: My review (not really, just a rant) | Other fav review
My Lady Jane - Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Summary: King Edward, the King of England is dying at 16 and names his cousin, Lady Jane as his heir and mandates her to marry Gifford (G) Dudley, the second son of a powerful duke. Jane, a book lover and G, who spends his daytime as a horse and being popular to women during the night, are both not interested in getting married. However, they find themselves married to each other and that they are pawns in a plot to make Jane the Queen of England. There is also someone else who's after Edward's throne, which is the worst.
Rating: 4.8/5
Reviews: My review (I was just ranting) | Other fav review
FAV INSPIRATIONAL NON-FICTION BOOKS:
Arkitek Jalanan - Teme Abdullah
Summary: "Ia kekal dongeng... jika engkau tidak mula berjalan" Menceritakan kisah perjuangan Teme dan Ahmad untuk menjadi dua pelajar Malaysia pertama yang mendapatkan keputusan First Class Honours yang bukan mudah untuk didapatkan. Mereka menghadapi pelbagai krisis untuk mendapatkan kejayaan tetapi mereka sentiasa mencari jalan untuk meneruskan perjalanan mereka dalam mencapai impian mereka.
Rating: 4.5/5
A Work In Progress - Connor Franta
Summary: Exploring his past with insight and humor, his present with humility, and his future with hope, Connor reveals his private struggles while providing heartfelt words of wisdom for young adults. His words will resonate with anyone coming of age in the digital era, but at the core is a timeless message for people of all ages: don't be afraid to be yourself and to go after what you truly want.
Rating: 4.8/5
Reviews: My review | Other review
Honourable mentions: Unfiltered by Lucy Collins (4/5), Be Cool : Pujuklah Hati #2 by Bonda Nor (3.75/5)
BOOK SERIES I FELL IN LOVE WITH:
The Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Summary: Since she was born, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But she is drawn to Gansey, who is on a quest and encompassed 3 other Raven Boys; Adam, Ronan and Noah. Now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.
Series overall rating: 4.8/5
Reviews: The Raven Boys (mine) | Other people's overall review
Reviews: The Raven Boys (mine) | Other people's overall review
My 2 cents for this series: I started this series very late but better late than never, right? I finished reading this series a few months ago and until this day, my heart still aches when I think about the characters in this book. Throughout this series, I felt like I was with them during the good and hard times, the hunt for Glendower and I still miss the characters a lot.
To All The Boys I've Loved Before - Jenny Han
Series overall rating: 4.8/5
Reviews (not mine): Book 1 | Book 2 | Book 3
Honourable mentions: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (4.5/5), Anna and The French Kiss Series by Stephanie Perkins (4/5)
Other books that worth mentioning but don't fit in any category here:
The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones (4.6/5), Emma In The Night by Wendy Walker (4.5/5)
As you can see, my reading journey this year is better than the last few years and I'm so grateful to be given the opportunity to read tons of book. I'm aiming to be a little better next year and let's hope I'll succeed in doing so. I hope you do too.
Look the stars. Aim. Ignite. -Geekerella, Ashley Poston
The Post-SPM phase | I graduated?
12.02.2017
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| Jelitawan OSIZAL (JELO) 2017 graduation photo❤ |
Um, hello people! It's been a long time. I kind of forget how it felt to blog, and my brain is still slow in producing ideas when I write, so please bear with this post.
When I meet people I know these days, the first question they ask me will be how was SPM?
My answer is: SPM was great. The key is always revising. If you did revision in all topics or at least pay attention in classes, then no matter how hard the question is, you will somehow get an idea on how to answer the questions. Even the Bahasa Sanskrit question in Sejarah too, which was an unexpected question (note to future SPM candidates: DO. NOT. TRUST. RAMALAN. QUESTIONS). SPM also taught us to always prepare for the unexpected because there are some questions that we're not prepared for such as Biology Paper 3, which required us to make our own experiments. SPM was great, I did the best I could, and although my confidence is really on the lowest point right now, I hope it will turn out great.
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| The graduation day was a week before SPM and I bet you that we already predicted what SPM would do to us but we were blind to the signs. |
It has been 4 days since the last day I met my friends, and I already miss them. My brain is slow in translating my feelings; during the last day I was with them, I didn't even cry. However, when I saw them posting pictures on Instagram, I teared up a bit. Maybe a lot. I didn't sob but I did cry. When I once said that there's nothing I'll miss about school, I totally lied. What will I miss the most about school?
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| 5 Muslim of course 💕 I miss the class already. I miss our class teacher, Miss Suseyltah. And I miss these weirdos too (look at how they pose, look me in the eye and say they're not weird at all. their poses showed who they truly are). I'm thankful for all the times we had, good and bad. I'll miss breaking 'the stair rules' with the other girls. |
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| PRS family 💖 I have been one of this family for almost 5 years and I succeeded in going through ups and downs with this family. For that, I'm thankful. PRS will always have a special place in my heart and I'll always be one of them, no matter where I am. |
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| I was not in this picture. Only the Economy stream students were in this picture, and I can't find any other decent OSIZAL picture in my storage, so I chose this picture. I'll miss my batchmates, OSIZAL too. For all the good and bad things we've gone through since we were form 1, I am proud of where we are now. Congratulations, OSIZAL, for everything. I'll always love you guys (especially JELO. our picture is up there). |
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Enough with the appreciation speeches. So, moving on to the answer of the next obvious question: What will you do after SPM? Will you work, or what?
1. I will learn to drive and have my license. Truth is, by the time this post is uploaded, I'm at the driving academy already. My Ma is very fast, you know. She figured that next year, she might need a driver for my brothers to go to school. I'm quite nervous right now when I'm writing this because I don't know what to expect for tomorrow. I hope it'll go well.
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| Ma said my face looks excited. I'm not, I'm nervous. |
2. I will find work. My teacher offered me a work as penjaga koperasi next year and I'm not sure if I want to be one, because I don't want to meet people at school, and be at the school 😅 I'm going to find another job, but if I can't find one, penjaga koperasi it is.
3. Read a lot of books. Self explanatory.
So, that's how my post-SPM phase is currently going. Since SPM already ended for me, and will officially end soon, I hope that all SPM candidates stop stressing about the result too much. Enjoy the holiday, and do some things that will help you in the future. Do something beneficial during the holiday, but please have a lot of rest too. Keep praying for the best, never stop praying and put your trust in fate (so easy to say but it's so hard to do).
No one knows what changes, big or small, lie ahead. One thing is certain, our journey's not over.
- Plio (Dinosaur, 2000)
P.S. What are/were the things that you'll do/you had done during the post-SPM phase? Mind sharing?
Love,
Afifah Nabila. xo
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