Book Traveling Thursday #1: A Book Worth the Hype

Book Traveling Thursday is a weekly discussion post where we pick up a book that fits a predetermined theme and explore the various cover editions and chose our favorite and least favorite editions. This week's theme is 

Hype is not always a bad thing. Choose a book that was worth the hype.

The book that I chose for this theme is The Book Thief.  A short gasp escaped from everyone's mouth when they would know that being the crazy reader I am, I still haven't read this masterpiece. Some people would also roll their eyes in order to show their intellectual superiority.I hate these people because they bring a bad name to the community of readers. Hey! We don't judge other readers on the basis of what they read. Seems like I am drifting from the topic. Let's come back!  So, when I went to book fair in January this year, my friend literally shoved this book in my face and told me to read it ASAP. And after reading it, I only regret not reading it sooner. Reading it was like an emotional roller coaster. I remember reading it one sitting ( yes, I am proud of myself) and crying my heart out. Now, I try and get my friends to read this one if they already haven't. 

Book Covers available in India  

                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                    

Covers I like the Most:

 The first one is the Vietnamese Cover, the middle one is an anniversary edition, and the one at extreme right is Portuguese one. I love all of these covers because they symbolize the story in one way or the another. 

My least Favourite Cover:

I hate the movie-tie in editions of the books because they steal all the focus from the book and give the spotlight to the movie. Books over movies, any day!

See you next Thursday with another book!

Tell Me Something Tuesday #1: Authors I want to read

Tell me SomethingTuesday is a weekly discussion post where a wide range of topics from books to blogging is discussed. And this week's question is:

Who are some authors you have been meaning to read?

Fernando Pessoa- He is a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, and editor.  I got to know about this author from a friend who told a very interesting story about him. So apparently, Fernando Pessoa created around 75 alter egos of himself. And he used to mess around with his girlfriend writing her letters using the names of his alter-egos. His girlfriend would also play along but after some time, she left him. This intrigued me very much and I decided that I got to read his work.

Chinua Achebe: He was a Nigerian poet, writer, professor, and critic. I got to know about him through the works of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I have read

two of her books and they were amazing. She says she is inspired by Chinua Achebe. Not only that, I have seen various acclaimed writers praising him too. So, I am really excited to read him soon.

  

Saadat Hasan Manto: He was an Indo-Pakistani writer, playwright, and author. He is considered among the greatest writers of short stories in South Asian History. He was an iconoclast of his time and it reflects in his writings. He faced court trials several times for obscenity in his writings in both India and Pakistan. 

    

Sudha Murty: Sudha Murty is an Indian writer and philanthropist. She is a computer engineer by profession. When she was studying, she was the only girl in her class because girls were not encouraged to study engineering. Despite all the odds, she emerged as a gold medalist.She was the first woman to be hired as an engineer in that company. After that, she took to writing books and has been a phenomenal success. I find her very inspiring and that's why I have been meaning to read her for some time.

Sarah J. Mass: She is an American Fantasy author. Her books are a rage everywhere from bookstagram to booktube.She is the New York Times and the USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series. Her latest trilogy A court of Mist and Fury is getting popular among readers. I have had so many people recommending her books to me that I finally decided I should give it a try. 

Other authors include Salman Rushdie, Italino Calvino, Albert Camus. Mulkraj Anand. Tell me in comments which authors you have been meaning to read. 

                                                                                                      

Monday Musings- Dear Me

“Be the person you needed when you were younger”

As I was mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook wall, I came across this quote. It actually got me thinking about what I would tell myself if I could go back in time and talk to my 15-year-old self. So here it goes:

Dear me

This is your 21-year-old self. She has some advice for you. Listen(read) carefully. 

Get out of your textbooks and talk to people. It is going to help you in long run.

Stop beating up yourself if you get fewer marks that one time. Grades won’t matter, anyway. You will get through by life just fine. One exam of your life is not going to decide your future.

Stop judging yourself so harshly. People are doing it already. You just need to pat your back.

Don’t give into peer pressure. If you don’t want to go to that party, curl up inside the blanket and read a book instead.

Don’t be afraid of failure. Give that audition. Surprise yourself. Fall and get back up.

Don’t bottle up your emotions. Cry your heart out if that’s the only way to feel better. It is not a sign of weakness. Only strong people can be vulnerable.

Don’t let society dictate what is appropriate. Wear your heart on your sleeve. You are beautiful, no matter what. 

Be thankful for what you have. You don’t know how many people are living without things you take for granted.

Also, you are no longer afraid of dogs and lizards,  but rats still scare the hell out of you.

Love
Me

Five Minute Friday- Breathe

You ever feel like everything is falling apart. You cannot speak because the emotions you kept bottled up inside are choking you, dying to come outside but unable to do so. Your eyes are brimming with tears and vision is blurred. Your heart is beating so fast you fear it might explode. There are so many thoughts racing through your mind that it is almost impossible for you to concentrate or think. And you are just sitting there wondering what in the hell did you do to deserve that?

In those moments of uncertainty, self pity and self loathing, all you got to do is breathe. 

Breathe slowly. Breathe lightly. Breathe deeply. Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. 

Breathe till all the emotions that are choking you come out in the form of tears out of your eyes. Breathe till your heart relaxes. Breathe till your mind slows down. And then, just breathe a little more.