Five Books to Get To Know Me

I have been seeing different photo challenges on Instagram stories for quite a while now. They have these 'Post a Photo' and '10 Things to Get to Know Me' Challenges. I never participated, but it gave me an idea as to what I'm going to write.

I had participated once and posted here the 'Do I Have This Book' challenge. Now, I'm doing this 10 Things challenge, which is, of course, related to books. However, I decided to keep this blog short and choose the top five only.

In no particular order, these are the books that sit on my top 5.

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Harry Potter Series
_{J.K. Rowling}

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_{I've yet to buy my HP books. I should've bought ages ago, but I have something to achieve first before I reward myself with a precious gem.}

One of the most popular series, if not the most. This series opened my heart to fantasy and magic. Out of the seven books, Chamber of Secrets has always been my favorite. I just love moaning Myrtle here. Then next is the Sorcerer Stone; I love Harry's shopping galore. Hedwig is such a cutie. As for my least favorite, it's the Half-Blood Prince. It's my least favorite, and yet I cried so much. It took me a while to move on.

It's not a surprise if I love the trio, but maybe it's a surprise (somehow? or maybe not?) that I don't like Ginny Weasley that much. But of course, only one can sit and own the crown of the top 1 most hated character, that is Dolores Umbridge. I just hate everything about her. I should've hated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but my blood only boils for her.

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The Poet X
_{Elizabeth Acevedo}

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_{I can't find this book in the nearest bookstores, even online.}

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I already mentioned this on my previous blog, and I will say it again that The Poet X is now my favorite modern contemporary poetry book. Everything about this book is real and heartfelt. It's thought-provoking, I must say since her mother and their religion were Xiaomara's major foes.

There's this line that I loved the most:

“Burn it! Burn it. This is where the poems are,” I say, thumping a fist against my chest. “Will you burn me? Will you burn me, too?”

This one is intense, that when I tried its audiobook, it turns into a bomb. The audiobook even led me deeper to Xiaomara's, and it gave me goosebumps. Anyway, it's my first time choosing an audiobook over a book. Why? Because the voice actor was powerful and real, she made me feel what Xiaomara has been longing for. When I was done listening to it, I was stunned that it was the author herself who voiced Xiaomara.

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Every Day
_{David Levithan}

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_{My friend, who borrowed my book, hasn't given it back to me. It has been four years already.}

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This book is a gem! Thankful that the bright orange cover caught my attention - I grabbed the book and read the synopsis. It was quite intriguing; not the typical and most cliché love story I've read so far.

The story circles around A, who wakes up every day to a different body. Everything is just a routine to A, but not until A wakes up to a body of a boy named Justin and meets the boy's girlfriend, Rhiannon. And that's when the story starts.

Every Day gives you an orchestra of emotions. It's not just about romance, but it also tackles people. Since A hops from one body to the next, A gets to absorb something to learn from every person A hops in. Not everyone is relatable and gives an impact, but every experience is understandable. It leads to a thought that regardless of age, gender, sex, and status, everyone is experiencing struggles in life. It may not be the same, but one has no right to invalidate it.

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The Giver Quartet
_{Lois Lowry}

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The story goes around in a village, set up in a future society. At first, it feels like the setting is presented in a utopian society, but later on, it is giving me a dystopian feel.

And out of the four, it's the Messenger (book 3) that I like, then next is The Giver. The second book, Gathering Blue, is my least favorite. It has its own storyline not related to The Giver, which makes it somewhat confusing. But I tell you, it is not. The story still revolves around the village. Hence, Gathering Blue is not a sequel to book 1, but it has a connection to the other books. Quite complicated.

By far, this is one of the few book series that I've read fast. It talks about freedom and control, rejection and acceptance, and pain and sacrifices. The four books seem like they have their own different story, but actually, continuity is present. Every book gave me this "now, it all makes sense" thing. But not all questions and confusions were answered and resolved. Some are left unanswered for us, readers, to reflect and think of.

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A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
_{Holly Jackson}

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_{I don't have this book yet, only books 2 and 3.}

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I am more of a crime and mystery reader, so most of my favorites are crime and mystery. With that, I did have a hard time what book should I choose for this genre. But then, I remember the book that saved my ass out from my reading slump last 2020. Also, this book made me write my first ever (legit) book review, and was able to post it here on Hive.

This book is about a high school student, Pippa Fitz-Amobi, having a senior capstone project about Andie Bell who was murdered by her boyfriend five years ago. The simple investigation turns into an obsession.

Pippa is a bit frustrating. Maybe because of her impulsiveness or I was so invested that I fear for her life. The book was interactive and easy to read. It was sorted into three, and there were production logs and a transcript of the interviews conducted by Pip.

It comes with books 2 and 3. I have with me right now those two, except for this book and the prequel. Hopefully, the stores I've been eyeing for quite a while will restock this book. I just love this to bits!

Book Review:

• A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
• Good Girl, Bad Blood

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I must say, five is not enough. Initially, I was planning to make this 10, but I realized it will going to be a long blog. And since I don't want my other favorites to feel inferior, I will list down the other five (5):

          1. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

          2. Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

          3. Stalking Jack the Ripper Series by Kerri Maniscalco

          4. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

          5. The Light Princess by George MacDonald

So there it goes... I hope they won't feel bad for not including the reasons why I love them.