Summer Reading List

My taste in books is... questionable. I am about to turn 19, and I feel at this age and with my college-student status, outsiders expect my summer reading repertoire to consist of intellectually stimulating works or at least novels of the "adult" genre ("adult" referring to books with SAT vocabulary words scattered on every page, not fan-fictionesque prose [although many include such lol]). However, it's summer. The reading list is of my choosing, and I am guilty to say that my current genre of choice is... YA. I'm also a sucker for Rom-com, Biography, and non-fiction books with health-related topics. Oh, and comic books. I am so lucky to have awesome friends with extensive comic book collections and the kindness to share these beauties with myself. Here's to an awesome summer!

Things I've read:

[x] Starters Lissa Price YA (5/20/14)
[x] Looking for Alaska John Green YA (5/26/14)

[x] Eat Pray Love Elizabeth Gilbert Self-enlightenment/ Bio (6/6/14)

[x] All You Could Ask For Mike Greenberg Adult Fiction of the Rom-com variety (6/7/14)

[x] Saga (Vol. 1-3) Comic

Things I've started:

[ ] Game of Thrones George R. R. Martin Adult Fantasy/ Action 

[ ] Untouchables Narendra Jadhav Bio

[ ] How Sex Works Dr. Sharon Moalem Non-fic Health

[ ] Fat Chance Robert H. Lustig, M.D. Non-fic Health 

Things I need to get my hands on:

[ ] 1984 George Orwell (because it's awkward that I've never read this before)

[ ] All the next Sagas because I'm kind of really obsessed 

Now for some subjective reviews:

Starters  6/10 

Okay novel. Too YA. Ughhh I really need to stop reading these books because the writing is just so early-middle-school level. I did enjoy the story-line. Yet, another post-apocalyptic tale, but with an interesting twist. It was engaging and memorable, but the writing-style (a lot more Hunger Games than Harry Potter) felt off-putting after a year in college. As nerdy as it sounds, I like the challenge upper-level novels offer.

Looking for Alaska  7/10

Another YA novel. Very John Green. If you haven't read a John Green book before, I'd definitely recommend his novels. His style goes either way- you're either super into it or super not. I am a happy fan. This one wasn't my favorite (The Fault in Our Stars and An Abundance of Katherines have a higher place in my heart), but it's a nice novel for leisure. As usual, John's characters are quirky and offer that live-while-we're-young teen take on life. 

Eat Pray Love 8/10

My friend OT (greenglassheart) recommended this novel. It was during one of our talks about being "a strong, independent woman." She praised it, going as far as saying, "It changed my life." And yes, it's definitely a life-changer. Gilbert explores her journey of finding herself post-divorce. She's the epitome of the strong, independent woman. I loved the author's expression of vulnerability. She talked about personal issues most aim to keep hidden: depression, being hung-up by an ex, questioning spirituality, etc. Her style read as genuine; as a person on paper, she appeared humorous, ambitious, and undeniably inspiring. She isn't a perfect person, but when she feels broken, she refuses to remain so, and I totally admire that. I also admired her sense of adventure; through her words, I traveled to Italy, India, and Indonesia. (I'm really craving an adventure now...) 

All You Could Ask For 9/10
I'm loving these books about strong, independent women. This dude knows how to write about women. I was dubious at first, but within the first few pages, I connected to the three beautifully and genuinely voiced characters, Brooke, Samantha, and Katherine. Soon, these women felt more like friends than figments of Greenberg's imagination. The tale is very rom-com-esque, self-explorative, and touching. It's about friendship, love, and life. I loved this book even more because it's set in NYC/ Greenwich, Connecticut- two places I've recently visited; it even references Colgate! haha.  Definitely not the book for everyone, but I now feel impulsed to purchase the novel and add it to my collection (I borrowed the copy in my hand from la biblioteca), and find anything else this guy has written because, after this novel, he's gained a loyal fan.

** On second thought, turns out Greenberg's previous books, as he is an ESPN reporter, revolve around sports. I guess I'll just have to wait for the next fiction novel.