I actually surprised myself by reading 15 books this month. I have never read this much in a month, but I chalk it up to the UK being on its third lockdown. And now that I’ve graduated, all I can do it look for graduate jobs and read. It feel weird having this much time to read, but I quite enjoyed most of the books I read this month!
Six of Crows – I have finally read Six of Crows! I had bought a copy back when it was released but I hadn’t finished the Grisha Trilogy yet. So this book slowly fell down my TBR list because I had taken so long to read the first series. I didn’t like the trilogy that much, but I can definitely see the improvement in SOC. Pray I don’t take four years to read its sequel.
Loveboat, Taipei – I have really surprised myself this year with reading more contemporary novels and actually enjoying them for once! Loveboat was so good!
The Chosen – Eh, a little disappointing considering I have enjoyed reading Matharu’s previous series with my cousin.
Remnants of the Atonement – First DNF of the year 😦 I requested an arc because of a reddit post, but now I feel like I’ve been bamboozled.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown – “Yours, Red.” Two damn words and I was a MESS. Damn, who is this person I’ve become that suddenly enjoys contemporary.
The Song of Achilles (RE-READ) – I have been playing too much of Supergiant’s Hades. I’ve been desperately trying to reunite Patroclus and Achilles in-game, but it’s hard because I can never seem to find the room where Patroclus can be found.
I was contemplating writing this post for a while because as I reflected on this year, I felt very underwhelmed about this whole year that it almost didn’t feel worth it. But I thought, “you know what, f— it let’s look back at this mess of a year.” I haven’t even written a monthly rewind post in over a year; my reading challenge was in shambles. While it’s been one stressful year, I’ve felt pretty much disappointed in myself throughout, so I thought reflecting would be a great way to make me more accountable and strive to do better for the next year.
L I F E
I began this year buried under paperwork; my Snapchat memories tell me I was quite literally spending the first days of 2020 in the library, working on my dissertation. In between crying over my mess of a dissertation, I worked part-time and prepared for post-grad life. I realise I never really spoke about my university experience here, apart from mentioning that I attend one. But I studied BA Sociology at university. My university experience was relatively lacklustre, I struggled quite mentally through the three years, and my course had its ups and downs. But I was quite pleased with my final dissertation. It was titled “Devout, devoid, and everything in-between”: Challenging stereotypical portrayals in select Young Adult Contemporary novels.” It was a thematic analysis examining three young adult novels on two interrelated aims: exploring media representation of Muslims and Islam and examining theoretical ideas on how societal perception of Islam affects Muslims’ portrayal. As I near my sixth anniversary of this site, I don’t think seventeen-year-old me would have ever thought this random passion blog would have ever affected my life to the point where I would write a whole dissertation based on my experience and work on the internet.
And I think like most people this year, as we all entered various forms of lockdown, my energy to do more quickly dwindled. During the UK’s first lockdown, I spend hours writing my dissertation while spending the nights playing Animal Crossing and Kingdom Hearts. Here in the UK, we have gone through multiple lockdowns already, now following a tier system. As I write this, I’m currently furloughed in a tier 4 city. I’m glad I’m able to stay safe at home, but I can’t help but feel sad about the effect this year has had on my productivity and mental state. I was so sure I would smash my reading challenge, catch up on all my arcs, and finally create more content.
I was so prepared to apply for all these work experiences and internships. But this year has reminded me to take things slow, and it’s okay not to be productive all the time. I graduated with a 1st in my degree. It was such an exciting achievement for me notably because I’ve never achieved high grades all my life, hovering around the Bs and Cs from secondary school to college and partially through university. My mental state wasn’t all great during university, I was worried that I wouldn’t even pass with a 2:1 at one point, but I’m grateful I managed to pull through in the end. It’s a shame I won’t have a proper graduation, but I’m just thankful to have pulled through in the end.
hey!!! i !!! wrote!!! a !!! whole!!! disseration!!!!!!
In place of my December Monthly Rewind, I decided to do a Year Rewind instead. (Partly because I actually haven’t done anything this month apart from cry over unwritten essays and dissertations – May is so close, yet so far…) If you don’t check out my Monthly Rewinds, I showcase the books I’ve read and the music I’ve listened to throughout the year. And for today’s post, I want to highlight the best books I’ve read this year, showcases some of my non-reviews posts and share some of my most listened to songs throughout the year! Similar to my favourite blogging moments, but without the questions and now including some stats from Goodreads!
According to Goodreads, I read 26,224 pages across 80 books. This has probably my lowest reading challenge ever. I intentionally went for 80 rather than my usual 100 because university really took a toll out of me this year. My book promise was to read outside my comfort zone and I don’t even think I managed to do that, sticking to YA and whatever sounded best to me. Mentally, I was not okay and it really reflected in the books I could make myself read and the posts I was making. I don’t like talking so negatively but I honestly cannot wait for university to be over. I have so much I want to do that I feel like university wasn’t really the right choice for me but I pushed myself through it anyway. Anyway, let’s get started. I don’t think I had many standout reads this year. I had initially planned to make this book top nine since it’s the end of 2019 but I found myself struggling to really pick a book and say this one truly brought me joy this year, which I why I whittled them down to six books.
B O O K S
The first is Love From A To Z by S.K. Ali. I was invited to be a part of the blog tour earlier this year and I was literally jumping for joy when I got the email. I absolutely loved Ali’s work and having the opportunity to read such a great YA book that was so refreshing to read was a moment I’ll remember for a long time. You can read my blog tour post here!
source: goodreads
My second choice, weirdly enough, was a book from 2014.Gates of Thread and Stone is one of those books that was all the hype back in 2014 apparently, and I just so happened to miss it by a year and it flew completely under my radar until someone on Twitter posted a cover earlier this year and I immediately fell in love. It’s a funny one because the plot and the fact that it follows a lot of cheesy YA conventions made it so surprising that I enjoyed it that much. I do wish I discovered this one earlier though, I know 2014 me would’ve appreciated it a lot.
source: goodreads
My third choice is no surprise to anyone who knows me. Sword and Pen is the final book in the Great Library series. I’ve mentioned this enough times on here on how much Rachel Caine has influenced me in my journey of becoming a reader and a writer. Being able to experience another one of her series come to an end was rather bittersweet but amazing. A lot of readers will recognise Rachel from the Morganville Vampires series and the Great Library series is a true testament on how much she has improved in her skill. If you need a YA series to read, this is the one. Normally, I’m very picky over books, my favourites of all time tend to not be my favourite for long but this series has had my heart for so long, I don’t think anything will come to replace it.
My fourth choice blew me away. Summer Bird Blue was a book where I found myself truly in tears at the end. I don’t consider myself a person who get physically emotional, so I was partly in shock at myself when I finished reading this one. It was so emotional and intense and the way music is used to deal with grief is something else.
The next two choices are part of a series which should be no surprise to anyone. My fifth choice is Jade City by Fonda Lee. Jade City is such a epic novel which is such a different book that I don’t often look out for. Since this year was pretty poorly for me, I didn’t branch out in terms of reading choices. So when I saw Shealea promote the next book in the series Jade War, I decided to bite the bullet and try the book out. Honestly, I say this seriously, but this book is a masterpiece. A forever favourite book. And the sixth, and final choice, wasJade War, the sequel to Jade City. “The sheer joy I experienced from reading this novel is something that can’t be easily replicated” From my blog tour post. This series has seriously grabbed me by the throat, and I don’t know if I’ll ever let this one go.
M U S I C
Reflecting back on my music choices through Ask.fm this year really made me realise how boring my music taste. I don’t really have a set genre I listen to because my music taste essentially is: If it sounds good, I’ll listen. Judging by my last.fm, I feel like K-pop has jumped up the list a considerable amount, which is mainly due to the fact I tend to listen to my kpop girl group playlist in between short journeys where I don’t want to use my data to listen to other songs as it’s the only offline playlist I have. 😂
Anyway, I think that will be it for this post. I’m sorry it isn’t as great as I wanted it to be. Blaming it all on the essay blues and third year stress which means the first half of 2020 will not be a kind to me. But to anyone reading, I hope this year has been the best it could be for you and 2020 will bring you everything you ever hoped for!
The Wolf of Oren- Yaro by K.S. Villoso – Queen Talyien finds herself stranded in a different land after her attempts to reunite her own kingdom leaves her fleeing a botched assassination attempt. Alone and actively being hunted, Talyien must embrace her namesake and show her enemies that a wolf of Oren-Yaro cannot be tamed. I’m a part of the 2020 international blog tour for this book! (Thanks to Caffeine Book Tours!) A longer review will be published in the new year!
Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan – Failing to kill the King has Lei and Wren travelling all corners of the kingdom to rally support. I really liked this sequel, falls victim to middle book syndrome, but nonetheless, the secondary characters saved it from being too terrible. My full review can be found here!
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Namjoo – Taken from my review: ” This book is so simple in its concept, and the fact that it angered so many men does not surprise me. It holds a mirror to their privilege without actually calling them out, uncomfortable enough to make them uncomfortable. It lays down the facts and backs itself up, sending the message that hey this is what women are facing in Korea and it’s not okay. The story of Kim Jiyoung is full of silence but every bit powerful. “
The Can Be Arranged by HudaFahmy – Author of Yes, I’m Hot in This publishes her second book following the story of how she met and married her husband. Navigating gossiping auntys and societal expectations, Fahmy tells a hilarious story based on her experiences. Full review to come!
During the month of October, I read 4 books. As we reach the end of the year, my reading time really limits because of university. (May feels like a lifetime away right now, but I know it’ll be here in a blink of an eye 😂) But I really enjoyed the books I read this month!
Don’t Date Rosa Santos
“Don’t Date Rosa Santos was delightful and moving. Its emphasis on family and community makes it such a touching read, and one of my most surprising reads of the year. It really was something special.” Read my review here!
Crier’s War
One of YA’s biggest releases this year, and I really enjoyed it! It was a fun exciting read about two girls, one human, one Made, falling in love in amidst of a human revolution. It’s advertised as an epic fantasy but it felt more low key.
Other Words for Home
A sweet novel in verse about a young Syrian girl who moves to the US. It’s one of those stories that I wished existed when I was younger.
Goddess of the Hunt
A poetry collection about Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Hunt. Told through the perspective of Artemis with contribution of other Goddesses.
A feature section to highlight my favourite posts from my fellow bloggers that were posted this month.
The Struggle of Balancing Book Blogging and School – Having started my final year of university (eek!) reading Tiffany’s post about struggling between blogging and school was really refreshing to read!
NaNoWriMo 20 Question Tag – Jia’s NaNo project has me all sorts of excited. I get really happy see people do NaNoWriMo for the first time! This tag is really cool and a great introductory way to showcase your project to the world!
Appropriation, Appreciation, and Good Ole Chicken Noodle Soup – I’m an avid fan of K-pop and have been for a while, but the anti-Blackness that is entrenched in the culture (like most Asian cultures) cannot be ignored. Check out Stitch’s post about the Kpop industry and using Blackness as a concept style for their music and videos.
That’s it for this month! Tell me what went on in YOUR life this month! What sort of things was important for you this month? New obsessions? New TV shows? Or book? Any new song recs (I’m always open to new music!)? Best books you read this month?
” I Wish You All The Best is quiet but satisfying. A story about a nonbinary teen by a nonbinary author; this is a story that celebrates life amidst terrifying circumstances and is a shining example of what future contemporary YA literature has to offer. “
“I adored the Ten Thousand Doors of January. A charming and magical adventure about a girl who persevers in the face of resistance. A story I didn’t know I needed, but I will appreciate for a long time.”
“Piecing Me Together is a standout novel about a teen’s journey of awareness and self-empowerment through art. Readers will find Jade’s story thoughtful as she navigates the world as a Black girl. The microaggressions she faces in her everyday life is powerfully nuanced and incredibly realistic.”
“The Surface Breaks is an interesting retelling of The Little Mermaid O’Neill has used the original tale brilliantly and adding her own flair and originality. I especially loved the added backstory to their mother. If you’re looking for a fairy tale with a touch of darkness and empowerment, this one is definitely for you.”
Juliette’s short tenure as the supreme commander of North America has been an utter disaster. When the children of the other world leaders show up on her doorstep, she wants nothing more than to turn to Warner for support and guidance. But he shatters her heart when he reveals that he’s been keeping secrets about her family and her identity from her—secrets that change everything. A full review to come!
This one’s all the way from July, but I completely forgot to share it here. A while ago, Saajid (From Books Are my Social Life) reached out if I wanted to partake in a booktube video, and I strangely said yes! I don’t have time to do booktube which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, so I jumped at the chance when this offer came around. Check it out here for mine and a whole lot of other cool people’s recommendations of books with Muslim characters! Also, I apologise for my lack of energy, I had just submitted my final piece of essay for second year of uni when I filmed my part. I used one of the computer rooms at like 8am film because I didn’t feel comfortable filming at home, and I’d then have to explain what I was doing to my family 😂😂
That’s it for this month! Tell me what went on in YOUR life this month! What sort of things was important for you this month? New obsessions? New TV shows? Or book? Any new song recs (I’m always open to new music!)? Best books you read this month?
as told by zaheerah 