I read so many incredible books last year(still can't believe it's 2016 already!) and I really really want you all to read them too. Here are some of my all-time favorite books from various genres that you might want to add to your reading list this year.
1. Me Before You - Jojo Moyes: What an incredible, incredible book. A tear-jerking, thought-provoking tale of a, formerly successful, quadriplegic bachelor, Will, and Louisa - an upbeat, confused twenty-seven year old with an eccentric sense of style, looking for a job to feed her dysfunctional family. When Lou lands a job at the Traynors' as Will's carer, she has no idea that the her uneventful life would soon turn into a mission to breathe new life into a frustrated, angry man who is still ever-so-adventurous at heart.
2. I'll Give You The Sun - Jandy Nelson: A work of art, about art. For all those of you creative people out there, this book will compel you to look at things around you with a whole new perspective.
3. All The Bright Places - Jenifer Niven: This book touches a subject that is not talked about very often. This is the story of Theodore Finch a.k.a. Theodore Freak struggling to fight the realm of his own thoughts and Violet, a girl struggling to find happiness after the death of her only sister. Their lives cross paths at the ledge of a bell tower as both contemplate whether life is worth living. When both pair up for a school project to explore the state of Indiana, Finch decides to teach Violet to live but fails to teach so to himself.
4. Let's Pretend This Never Happened - Jenny Lawson: Undoubtedly funniest book I have ever read. This book is a memoir written by a fellow blogger. Don't be surprised if you wet your pants as Jenny takes you through the course of her crazy life. You probably won't believe her at first but worry not, she's got that covered with photographic evidence.
5. The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen: This book is just so beautiful. The story of Macy, who is depressed after her father's passage and is sick of her grieving, workaholic mother and her boring job at the library. She decides to give it all up for a catering job at Wish where she comes across an orphan guy Wes, who is perhaps the most hardworking, responsible, caring and immensely talented fictional character I know.
6. The Architect's Apprentice - Elif Shafak: The story of an elephant-tamer, Jahan and his rare white elephant, Chota, set up in the time when the Ottoman Empire was at it's peak under the reign of Sultan Suleiman. At a young age, Master Sinan- the head architect is able to see the spark in Jahan and takes him under his wing as one of his four apprentices. Jahan gets to construct some of the most glorious buildings to date while fighting to stand out among the other apprentices. A brilliant story and a must read. This book encompasses love, hate, jealousy, greed, the beginning of the decline of one the mightiest empires in history and everything in between. It is a bit long but I am sure it you'll love it by the time you get through it.
7. The Forty Rules Of Love - Elif Shafak: One of the most deep-affecting, perhaps somewhat life-changing books I have read. This is the story of an unhappily married woman, Ella Rubinstein who comes across historic tale of the greatest Islamic poet Rumi and his spiritual mentor, Shams of Tibriz - the whirling dervish, when she proofreads the novel 'Sweet Blasphemy' written by a modern-day dervish, Aziz Zahara. This is a grand tale of profound love between Rumi and Shams, who together rebel against the society to establish a bond with the Almighty and give a new meaning to religion and spirituality.
8. Landline - Rainbow Rowell: If you're tired of reading young-adult novels, this book by the acclaimed author of Eleanor and Park is worth a shot. This book is about a passionate TV writer, Georgie and her husband Neil, an at-home dad. Neal is sick of Georgie for giving preference to work before family. When Neil has to leave for Omaha with their children for Christmas with Georgie, their marriage seems to be hanging by the last thread. As Georgie makes futile attempts to strike a balance between her family and marriage she stumbled upon a medium to communicate with Neil in the past - an old landline. It was a heart-warming, fun read and was definitely a breath of fresh air.
9. The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls: This is an unforgettable book. I absolutely love it. A remarkable memoir of a girl's struggles, brought up in a dysfunctional family. The parents deliberately refuse to improve their standards of life. The children, seeing no hope in their shack of a 'home' decide to escape to New York in search of a better future. I highly, highly, highly recommend this book.
"And whatever you do or whoever you become, your roots never leave you.", as my sister put it, this book will tell you that no matter who you become, something's can never be escaped.
10. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky: I need not say much about this book. If you haven't read it already, you need to. It is emotionally jarring, yes, but it deserves to be read. It is not often that people talk about these things and I would exactly mention what these 'things' are as it may spoil the book for you.
I hope you all missed me, haha. I just wanted to sit back and relax for sometime because you all don't have the slightest idea how happening the past year has been for me. I will try and post more frequently because the revelation that I have posted only thrice in 2015 was a serious blow to my confidence and I honestly want to enjoy and not make blogging feel like a chore. I love writing, designing and photography and that is all I honestly want to do here. I hope you'll stick by my side for the years to come and that I will be able to deliver all that you guys want from this blog. Again, please excuse any grammatical errors.
Until next time!
