The Goodreads Book Tag

 

Assalamualaikum, May peace be upon you.

Back in early 2016, I had a horrible realisation that I was reading less and less ever since Autumn 2015 and I felt that I was losing a part of my identity. This continued throughout 2016 in which I read sparsely (7 books in 8 months). But ever since my break with social media and my other hobbies, I’ve gotten the groove back with e-books! Shhhh, don’t tell my supervisors, but I used the free time at my intern to read and write posts (like this one I’m writing) for this blog. 😉

Okay, I lied – partly. I shared my reading list with my supervisor, HAHA. He was impressed that I’ve already read 7 books while I’m under his care, so I think that’s a green light to reading at the office. Needless to say, I’m more active on Goodreads than I was before and I’m digging this pace so when I saw this tag  floating about, I was like, why not? Here goes!

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU MARKED AS “READ”?

Finished The Strange Library by Murakami Haruki last night and I didn’t expect it to be so short because it took a lot more time to download the e-book compared to the others. Verdict: I’m kind of disappointed? It was okay but this has the lowest rating from me yet (2.9/5) compared to Murakami’s other books that I’ve read so far.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

When Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs came to Brunei, I remember reading someone’s copy as a coffee table read. Basically I flipped through it without reading too much so I retained no memory of it, haha! I saw a trailer for the upcoming movie a few months ago and when I saw the e-book version I clicked on it faster than I read the title (it is quite a mouthful, isn’t it?).

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU MARKED AS “TO READ”?

The latest novella to A. G. Howard’s Splintered series (LOOK HOW PRETTY SHE IS THOUGH). This is very surprising for me because I loathe reading book series. But since I haven’t read one for so long I might just try it again – so I chose Mistborn (in which I was duped into thinking it was a trilogy) and the aforementioned Splintered.  Hopefully these two will make me change my mind about reading chronicles ahem series.

WHAT BOOK DO YOU PLAN ON READING NEXT?

 

Oh lookie here. Isn’t this surprising?

Certainly very surprising.

 

DO YOU USE THE STAR RATING SYSTEM?

 

Yes, but I wish I could rate it in numerical form as well. Or why don’t they at least give us the half-star option??? or have book icons instead of stars????

 

ARE YOU DOING THE 2016 READING CHALLENGE?

Yup! It’s my first time joining the challenge, and considering my previously slow pace, I initially decided with one book per month (and so I had to read 12 books in 2016). But I’m proud to say that I have done my reading challenge as of September 11! I’ll talk about the challenge once 2016 is over so I could straight away make another (Not So) Petite Book Reviews (my first being a part of my Back to December series that you can read here).

 DO YOU HAVE A WISHLIST?

I didn’t know GR even had this option. Or does it? But I do have a list of wishes if that’s what you’re asking. It kind of includes taking over the world and stuff so it’s pretty confidential as of this moment sorry

WHAT BOOK DO YOU PLAN ON BUYING NEXT?

I’ve always been a book borrower. If I could live at the library I SO FREAKING WOULD WHERE DO I SIGN UP. Alas, I’d rather not be caught by the security and have myself banned from the library. Whenever I do buy books it would be when I go abroad – so they’re either books that I’ve been wanting to read OR a random book that I never knew existed but then I saw the cover and it’s gorgeous and I kinda like the blurb and oops my money is gone now.

SO!! This time I’m trying to get my hands on The Productive Muslim: Where Faith Meets Productivity by Mohammad “Abu Productive” Faris. I’ve never tried online shopping so I requested it at a local online bookstore and now I’m just waiting for the news.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?

Here’s a few that I liked on GR:

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ― Charles William Eliot

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out. ― Ray Bradbury

Kindle the candle of intellect in your heart and hasten with it to the world of brightness. ― Nasir-i Khusraw

Murakami Quotes:

“Death  is not the opposite of life but an innate part of life.”

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think whateveryone else is thinking.”

“Which is why I am writing this book. To think. To understand. It just happens to be the way I’m made. I have to write things down to feel I fully comprehend them.”

– Norwegian Wood (I really like this book oops)

“Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn’t something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn’t get in, and walk through it, step by step. There’s no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverised bones. That’s the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine.

And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too. Hot, red blood. You’ll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood and the blood of others.

And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

– Kafka On The Shore (most favourite excerpt from this book)

“Is action merely the incidental product of thought, or is thought the consequential product of action?”

– After Dark

“I have this strange feeling that I’m  not myself anymore. It’s hard to put into words, but I guess it’s like I was fast asleep, and someone came, disassembled me, and hurriedly put me back together again. That sort of feeling.”

– Sputnik Sweetheart

“Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.”

– Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

– What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

 

ARE YOU A PART OF ANY GOODREADS GROUPS?

I am, but I never participated in it that I’m actually better off not joining, hah!

 

WHAT COULD GOODREADS DO BETTER?

I used to rarely go on GR because I wasn’t used to the whole site – It took a while to get to where I wanted (after clicking random links because damn it just let me edit this shelf come onnnn) AND ADDING PEOPLE WAS SO CONFUSING?? AND SEARCHING FOR THEM AS WELL??

Speaking of searching – the search engine irks me so much because sometimes you have to really be specific for the book that you want and considering I’m a lazy potaty I’d rather not have to type all the “The” and “And”.

And yes. Half star. Just gimme all dem half starssss.

AND THAT WAS FUN! Come join in the fun and please do tag me when you do so I could read it. 🙂