Last year, I got myself into this hobby : reading. I have the explanation about how I begin to read books and stuff in my draft that I might post it here too, but for this post, I just want to make a book recommendation based on the books that I've read.
So here it is :
1. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
Synopsis : "Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry
into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to
his future. Determined to succeed at life-which means getting into the
right high school to get into the right college to get the right
job-Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does.
That's when things start to get crazy.
At his new school, Craig
realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids; he's just
average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future
crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and
sleeping-until, one night, he nearly kills himself.
Craig's
suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new
neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her
own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There,
isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is
finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
Ned Vizzini,
who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a
remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness.
For a novel about depression, it's definitely a funny story."
Why you should read it : Read this book when you need a reason to live.Sometimes everything isn't going your way and death seems to be the best form of escapism. But that's not entirely true, because we have the power to choose what we do with our live.
Memorable Quote :
"... but then I decided I didn't want any regrets. I'm done with those; regrets are an excuse for people who have failed." Ned Vizzini, It's Kind of a Funny Story, page 355
2. The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
Synopsis : "From the author who's inspired millions worldwide with books like Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven comes his most imaginative novel yet, The Time Keeper--a compelling fable about the first man on Earth to count the hours.
The man who became Father Time.
In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years.
Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.
He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.
Told in Albom's signature spare, evocative prose, this remarkably original tale will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spend it, and how precious it truly is."
Why you should read this : This book will make you appreciate the time. For no one in this world can ask for more time nor ask for less.
Memorable Quote :
"We all yearn for what we have lost. But sometimes, we forgot what we have." Mitch Albom, The Time Keeper, page 133
3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Synopsis : "A mysterious island.
An abandoned orphanage.
A strange collection of very curious photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,
an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a
thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family
tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off
the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss
Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned
bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than
just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been
quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible
though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy
illustrated with haunting vintage photography,
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."
Why you should read this : This book is really interesting because the author put some eerie old photograph to complement his story. The photograph connects to the story very well, and this book is really great for those guys who want to read a book with pictures in it.
Memorable Quote :
" I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was." Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, page 351
4. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider
Synopsis : "Varsity tennis captain, Ezra Faulkner, was supposed to be homecoming
king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a
car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with
unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe.
As Kirkus Reviews said in a
starred review, "Schneider takes familiar stereotypes and infuses them
with plenty of depth. Here are teens who could easily trade barbs and
double entendres with the characters that fill John Green's novels."
Funny,
smart, and including everything from flash mobs to blanket forts to a
poodle who just might be the reincarnation of Jay Gatsby,
The Beginning of Everything
is a refreshing contemporary twist on the classic coming-of-age novel—a
heart-wrenching story about how difficult it is to play the part that
people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic
endings."
Why you should read this : This book remind us that things may change in an instant and even the bad thing may not always lead to something terrible, it can also lead you to something that's better from before. This book also remind us that it's okay to be our self.
Memorable Quote :
"But we're the ones who choose, in the end, how people see us." Robyn schneider, The Beginning of Everything, page 330
5. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Synopsis : "Years ago, when
House of Leaves was first being passed around, it
was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which
would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have
anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would
soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth --
musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists,
and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the
hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those
strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives
of their estranged children.
Now, for the first time, this
astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the
original colored words, vertical footnotes, and newly added second and
third appendices.
The story remains unchanged, focusing on a
young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they
discover something is terribly wrong: their
house is bigger on the
inside than it is on the outside.
Of course, neither Pulitzer
Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen
Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until
the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily
began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an
ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which
soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams."
Why you should read this : You'll get funny look if you read this book in public. Sometime you have to turn the page upside down, use a mirror, etc. This book is really unique. For some reason, the word "
house" is always printed in blue, and there also
some passages that looks like this. Curious? Take a look at this book by following this link →
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Memorable Quote :
“We all create stories to protect ourselves.” Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves, page 20
I guess that's it for now. I hope my book recommendation will pique your interest in reading xD
