The Rain Watcher: My Review

I bought this book when it was released a year ago, and I’m so glad that I did because I simply just loved it! Tatiana de Rosnay is one of my favourite writers, and once again, she didn’t disappoint.

Title: The Rain Watcher // Sentinelle de la Pluie
Author: Tatiana de Rosnay
Release: March 2018
Genre: Contemporary
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story:

The Rain Watcher is a contemporary fiction set in Paris during the events of a giant flood. It follows the Malegarde family, who came together to celebrate the parents wedding anniversary. Their primary goal was to have a family reunion that would bring them together, as the parents live in rural France, while Tilia, the 40 years old daughter who was the sole survivor of an accident, lives in London with her daughter and her alcoholic second husband, and Linden, their son, is a worldwide famous photographer and lives in the US with his partner and love of his life. The drama is told through his perspective.

My opinion:

I hadn’t read a book by Tatiana de Rosnay in quite some time, and The Rain Watcher just reminded me of how great of her writer she is. First and foremost, I absolutely adore her writing style. Her descriptions are so enjoyable to read, and I love how she carefully crafts her characters and depicts their feelings. It was definitely a book that was hard to put down. I poured my heart and soul into it with each page. It was all the more interesting to read it in the metro, especially since I hadn’t set foot in Paris in MONTHS.

I really love books that are set in Paris, so this one shall be another to add to the list!

While following a semi-apocalyptic plot, the book managed to remain very original, keeping some great plot twists in store for its reader. It also dealt with family, and growing up, and the people dear to you which made it very fascinating in my opinion.

The story is hard to describe further without spoiling too much about it, but I loved reading about every corner of Paris, and the memories associated with it. My knowledge of the city just made it all the more interesting to me, but such a knowledge is not necessary to enjoy th story! I love how the book stopped on the relationship Linden had with each member of his family. His beloved aunt first of all, his flamboyant sister, his mother, and how much he struggled in his relationship with his father, but also his niece, and his brother in low. And of course, his soft relationship with his partner Sacha who, although he is never really present in the story, is always on Linden’s mind. The Rain Watcher was such a beautiful story about human beings and I enjoyed deeply this aspect of the book.

Overall, this was quite different from what I usually read, which made it a pleasant surprise. This book is precious, and I definitely recommend it. It has such a unique atmosphere, which immediately conquered me (can you say that in English? I hope so).

Have you read The Rain Watcher, or any other book by Tatiana de Rosnay? Feel free to leave a comment ♥

The Weight Of Our Sky: My Review

As soon as I finished reading this book I knew that I HAD TO write a review about it because I absolutely NEEDED to talk about it. It has such amazing rep, and although it was a heartbreaking story to read, I believe it’s one that had to be told.

Title: The Weight of our Sky
Author: Hanna Alkaf
Release: February 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Trigger warning: Violence, Death, Anxiety

The story:

The story is set during the riots in Kuala Lumpur in 1969, that opposed the Malays and the Chinese communities. It follows a teenage girl, Melati, who has OCD — or as she says, is harboring the djinn. She was out with a friend when the events began, and has been separated from her mother with whom she is trying to reunite, no matter how dangerous the situation is.

My opinion:

This book was simply mind blowing — words cannot even begin to describe it. I finished it absolutely heartbroken, but oh boy was it worth it. First of all, I learnt a lot historically speaking. As a European, I know that I don’t have that much knowledge when it comes to wordlwide history, and I had never hear of the 1969 riots, so this book was an opportunity for me to learn more about the history of Malaysia.

But that’s only the beginning of what I wanted to talk about.

I think what struck me the most was probably the mental illness representation. Melati has what looks like OCD and anxiety, and the words she uses to describe it are the djinn, and how it seeps through her thoughts and, among others, makes her witness her mother’s death over and over again. Now, I don’t know that much about OCD but I sure know what having anxiety feels like. Fearing the worst scenarios is only the beginning of it. A fear of failure. That voice in your head saying that you can’t do it, that you’re not worth it. And the counting, the endless counting. I personally have a tendency to count my steps, and the sips of water I drink. One two three four five six seven eight. And also  Melati only counts to three, this was a very striking detail to me, because it hit so close to home. And I’m glad that I got to read such a good mental illness representation through The Weight of our Sky.

Kudos to the mental illness rep in this book. But that’s not the only thing Hanna Alkaf tackled in her writing. The Weight of our Sky is such a raw portrayal of the events. It deals with violence, prejudice and racism in such a powerful way. I had to close the book sometimes, and I cried on several occasions, but it was absolutely worth it. Because despite the violence it also portrays human beings. It portrays the beauty of humanty in times of crisis. Through Vince and his family, through the people sheltering their neighbours, through the nurses at the hospital. It was so heartwarming, even though death could stand behind every single page.

Reading this book was a rollercoaster of emotions, but despite all the tears, it was absolutely worth it, and I completely recommend it ♥

Top 5 Wednesday: Spring Reads

Top Five Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Lainey @GingerReadsLainey and she has passed down the torch to Sam @ThoughtsOnTomes. For more information and for future topics you can check out the goodreads group.

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I don’t know if it’s Spring in particular or the change of seasons in general but this topic made me want to talk about contemporary romance books, so here come 5 sweet books that remind me of Spring!

P. S. I like you by Kasie West

This book was such a contemporary I fell in love with it immediately. Am I mentioning in only because I met with Kasie West on Saturday and was reminded of how amazing she is? Maybe. Anyway. It has so many elements I love including the epistolary romance, and, of course, the “enemy to lovers” trope (although enemies is maybe to much here, you see my point). I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take place during Spring, but the sunny cover gives me a Spring-like vibe, ergo it belongs on this list!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Another of my favourite contemporary novels. Fangirl left such a deep impression on me, probably because of how much I could related to Cath. I will never stop recommending this book, every time one of my friends mentions it it makes me happy and warms my cold heart. As I read it during Spring, it’s also a book that will always be associated with this season in my mind!

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

This book. I don’t talk about it enough on here, but I believe that it’s one I’ll never forget. It usually comes up in my list of top 3 favourite books, and I think I read at least 8 years ago. That’s how long I’ve been loving it. And I know it takes place during the summer, but as I said, it’s a sweet contemporary romance, and therefore belongs on my list of Spring reads.

Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

As I was thinking about what contemporary YA I had been reading in the past year or so, this book came to my mind and I immediately knew that it belonged on the list. Love, Hate and Other Filters was the perfect coming of age novel, it was both sweet and harsh, and I can only recommend it.

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

How could I conclude this list without mentioning a Becky Albertalli book? Leah is the perfect choice to conclude this Top 5 Wednesday. I swooned so much while reading the book, and unlike the others I’m pretty sure it does take place during Spring. It was such a sweet story, with its heartbreaking bits (my heart does break easily, okay) and I just simply loved it so much. I just want to give this book a giant hug, and that’s exactly the vibe I wanted this list to have!

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And that’s it for this T5W! Feel free to recommend me whatever book you deem the perfect Spring read, as well as some lovely YA contemporaries, because I’m in the mood to read them all!

Paris Bookfair 2019

Just like every year, I am back with my endless babble about this year’s bookfair in Paris, aka Livre Paris! This time, I attended on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning for a conference. Overall, I went to several book talks and signings, and am very happy with the experience!

This time, I had the great surprise of seeing that Kasie West was in attendance! I absolutely loved her book P.S. I Like You, and have been hoping I’d get to read more of her writing ever since. Although I like reading the books in their original language better, I couldn’t resist getting a copy of Love, Life and the List in order to get it signed. She was absolutely adorable and even complimented my hair!

On Friday, I also got to buy and get signed a copy of a French book about feminism by Margaux Collet called Is Beyoncé really a feminist? which looks super interesting, as well as a graphic novel about Frida Kahlo by Spanish illustrator Maria Hesse (pictured above) which looks absolutely gorgeous!

Just like last year, Lumen Editions’ booth was absolutely gorgeous, this time featuring a Stranger Things theme, as they recently published the translation to the show’s prequel Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond.

By the end of Saturday I also bought a book about vegetarianism by French journalist Hugo Clément, and I really hope I enjoy it!

Finally I bought a collection of short stories by my queen Tatiana de Rosnay which I unfortunately didn’t manage to get signed because I was feeling like shit and went home, but it’s fine, I got to meet her last year! I also just finished reading her novel The Rain Watcher (the one I got signed last year) and I absolutely LOVED it. Hopefully I’ll manage to review it soon!

The programmation for this year did not attract me as much as it did the previous year, but I still attended a bunch of very interesting “tables rondes” (which is a fancy French name for discussions). The first one was about feminism, and then there was one about Thatcher and the Brexit, one about the Berlin wall and its consequences today, and one about epistolary novels and virtual exchange. All were super interesting and I’m really happy about that!

Top 5 Wednesday: Characters That Embody Your Hogwarts House

Top Five Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Lainey @GingerReadsLainey and she has passed down the torch to Sam @ThoughtsOnTomes. For more information and for future topics you can check out the goodreads group.

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I haven’t done a T5W in a while, but when I saw the theme for this week I knew I HAD to do it! As a proud Hufflepuff, this topic is just one I could babble about forever, so without further ado, here comes the list of characters I associate with House Hufflepuff ♥

In no particular order, here’s my team of fabulous badgers:

1. August from This Savage Song by V. E. Schwab

When I met Victoria Schwab at the Paris Book Fair last year she said that she tried to write her boys as Hufflepuff, and her girls as Slytherin, and that this was particularly true in the MONSTERS OF VERITY duology as well as the SHADES OF MAGIC trilogy, and oh boy is she right about that, so when I saw the theme for this week, of course I had to pick August Flynn for this prompt. Kell would also have made a good match but I thought of August first.

2. Percy from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

I feel like I haven’t mentioned him in one of those T5W in quite some time, so it was high time that I did again! He is such a loyal character I think he would fit perfectly in Hufflepuff. Although Gryffindor would probably be a good match as well, but I think he would find his place in Hufflepuff as he has always proved to be kind, and loyal to his friends and family.

3. Quentin from Paper Towns by John Green

First of all I am obsessed with this book, so obviously I was going to mention it again at some point. And second of all Quentin is also the perfect example of a loyal character. All through the book, he is loyal to Margo and her weird ass quest, as well as to his friends. He is also super kind and patient and I believe he would totally belong in Hufflepuff!

4. Cress from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

My sweet baby Cress, of course she would belong in Hufflepuff, and I’m not just saying that because I identify with her badly. Throughout the whole story she is nothing but kind and loyal, and that makes her a perfect Hufflepuff. ♥

5. August from A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews

I almost didn’t include her in this list because there already was one August in this top but who cares! She is such a sweet ray of sunshine, a deeply kind human being, that makes her automatically a Hufflepuff in my heart… And she also gives cake to Beck, so I’m guessing if anyone had a doubt about that, it only confirms her Hufflepuff-ness!!

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And that’s it for this week! Thank you so much for reading ~ Please feel free to share in the comments characters you associate with House Hufflepuff, or with your own Hogwarts House ♥

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: My Review

I was highly anticipating this book, and there was a lot of hype surrounding it, but I can guarantee that it deserves all the praise that it got. And yes, it took me more than a month to complete it, because apparently I was in a bit of a book slump in February, but it was still a fantastic book no matter how long it took me to finish it.

Title: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
Author: Hank Green
Genre: YA, Science-fiction
Release: September 2018
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary:

As she is going home after a long day of work — it’s 3am — April May stumbles upon a giant sculpture that seems to have appeared straight out of thin air. On a whim, she calls her best friend Andy and together they make a video to post on YouTube, promptly baptising the creature CARL. In the morning, the video has reached thousand of views, and it turns out that Carl is not the only Carl, as about 60 of him have appeared in various major cities. April May is propulsed in the limelight and quickly find herself really enjoying it. Also quickly it turns out that there is more at stake and that the Carls might be more than an art installation. Could they be aliens? Are they dangerous? April finds herself at the center of a debate defending them, in a book that deals with instant fame, social media and radicalization among other topics.

My thoughts:

I started An Absolutely Remarkable Thing not really knowing what to expect. I had heard many excellent reviews about it, and I trusted Hank Green enough to know that I would most likely enjoy the story. I was excited to read a book with a protagonist who was the same age as me — and who was also bi as I quickly found out! — and that dealt with social media and instant fame, as these topics definitely fascinate me. But An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is about so much more than that! Not only does it have a fantastic title AND cover, but it deals with politics and extremism in such a HUMAN way, it was honestly mind-blowing. It’s all the more impressive considering it was Hank’s first novel.

// I’m so proud of him, is that weird? //

I would like to say that I couldn’t put the book down, but it wouldn’t be exactly true considering I was in a bit of a book slump. But I got deeply involved in the story every time I opened it, and I absolutely LOVED the writing style.

The story was raw and daring and unique, and dealt with heavy and important stuff. Honestly, this book left me speechless. April May is such a human character. She is the narrator, and as such we get to know everything that she thinks, and yes she may make mistakes and stupid decisions, but we also get to see them firsthand, and see her whole thought process which was super interesting, made the story very realistic, and once again made her look so human. She was charismatic and fantastic, but she also had her flaws. Some parts, some reactions (such as her breakup, her attraction towards such and such character) were rather predictable, but I think it was also what made her such a realistic character. In a way, I felt that it was impossible to hate her because I would probably have ended up making the same choices as her. Which is why I loved this book so much.

Now you may be wondering why I gave it 4 stars and not 5 if I loved it so much. I did feel that it got a bit long towards the end, and I also did get a tiny bit annoyed with April at some points. I hestitated a lot when it came to my final rating, and compared how much I really enjoyed it, compared to some of my other recent reads, and came to the conclusion that I did enjoy other books more, and therefore couldn’t give it the five stars I had given to other books… Anyway, I’m rambling. I also am left with so many questions! There’s going to be a sequel and I absolutely cannot wait for its release.

Overall, this book left a deep impression on me, and I’m not going to forget it any time soon. It is all the more important as it deals with a fear of anything that is other and I believe that it is very fitting to address such topics in today’s society. I think the way it was dealt with was very striking, and a very accurate reflection of the world today, no matter how scary it can be when you think about it. This book made me think a lot, and I’m glad it did, which is also why I would absolutely recommend it!

(In case I hadn’t made myself clear enough, go read this book 😉📖)

The Wonderstruck Booktag

I found this tag on Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books‘ blog, and as I’m particularly weak for Taylor Swift’s old songs (I basically learnt English with her album Fearless) I decided that I should give it a go, especially considering that I haven’t been very active lately.

This lovely tag was created by Purely Olivia, you can find her own post here. She is also the one who made all the pretty designs for the prompts ♥

Here are the rules:

• Link back to the creator
• Answer as many or as few of the questions as you’d like.
• Feel free to use any of the graphics in this post. 🙂
• Tag however many people you’d like at the end!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This was such a beautiful book, and I am so glad that I read it, but oh boy did I cry. I cried so much while reading this book, it was so sad and heartbreaking… Worth it, true, but it did break my heart.

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green. This book left such a deep impact on me because of the fantastic mental illness rep it contained. I will always think about it and cherish it in my heart.

As soon as someone mentions the words “gorgeous cover” I immediately think about Sara Barnard’s books. Just look how beautiful they are.

I have yet to read Fierce Fragile Hearts as it was just released in February, and I can’t wait because these books are just as beautiful and precious inside as they are outside.

For this one I have to go with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I just love the Narnia universe, it warms my heart and makes it all fuzzy and nostalgic! I’ve (re)read this series so many time, and every time it takes me back to my childhood, while also teaching me new things. Those books are so precious ♥

For this prompt I’m going to pick one of my latest reads, which was An Absolutely Remarkable Thing! Although it took me more than a month to finish it, as soon as I opened it I knew that I would love it. Not only is the main character April exactly my age, but it also deals with topics I love talking about such as social media and instant fame. I also feel in love with Hank Green’s writing style, and I can’t wait for the sequel!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is one of my absolute favourite books. I really loved it while reading it, and I always think about it fondly. I remember getting really involved in the story, and I actually own several copies of it. I read an abridged version of it in French as a child and the story fascinated me. I later read the whole book in English when I was in high school, and fell deeper in love with the story: I’ll definitely have to read it some day!

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han. The fake relationship trope ALWAYS works for me (especially when I read Bellarke fanfics, but oh well) so obviously I immediately fell in love with To All The Boys when I read it last summer. I read the whole trilogy in just a few days and have been recommending it to all of my friends ever since.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. As soon as I heard about this book I knew that I would become obsessed with it, and sure as hell, I fell in love with it with the first pages. From the concept to the writing style to the characters, I loved everything about it and I just have one more thing to say: YOU SHOULD READ IT.

*****

And I’m tagging YOU if you want to do it! Feel free to also check out the original post I linked at the beginning because it contains more prompts, as I chose not to do them all. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day ♥

February Wrap Up

Basically this month I read one manga and one graphic novel. I loved them both, I’m just schocked that I didn’t manage to read more this month! February happened so fast, and now my internship is over, and I’ve only read two books this month… But anyway, here comes the wrap up!

Books I Read This Month:

Manabu vol.1-2 by Masako Yoshi ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I bought this manga at the comic book festival that I attended at the end of January, and I’m so glad that I did! It was such a sweet read. I originally discovered mangas with Ai Yazawa’s series Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai which was set at the very beginning of the 90s, and which I absolutely loved. Manabu is set just a few years earlier than that, and I loved how it conveyed the same kind of atmosphere. It’s been such a long time since I last read a manga, I’m so glad I read that one! And I’ve ordered the rest of the series, I’ll probably read it it March ~

Deux Femmes / Two Women by Song Aram ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This one was translated from Korean, I’m not sure if it is available in English but I LOVED it. It was so raw, so real. It follows the paths of two women as they figure out what they want to do with their lives, and deals with their friendship although they have very little in common. It was nominated at the Angoulême Comic Book Festival back in January which is how I heard about it, and I’m so glad I decided to pick it up!

Currently Reading:

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

TV Shows I’ve Been Watching:

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ✨ Brooklyn Nine Nine ✨ Riverdale

Kdrama:

Romance is a Bonus Book ✨ Memories of the Alhambra ✨ Doctors

Movies I’ve Seen:

Dumplin’ ✨ When We First Met ✨ No Strings Attached ✨ Big Fish and Begonia

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An update on my reading challenges:

Goodreads Challenge: 10/70 Books
Audiobook Challenge: 2 Books (+ 1 currently listening to!)
YARC: 4 Books

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Thank you so much dropping by! Hopefully I’ll manage to read more this month, and finally finish some of the books that I have been reading for a while. I also have many books on my TBR that I would really like to check out, so cheers to that, and have a wonderful day!