Book Club: Poetry Reading

I have been a part of various book clubs in the past and they all usually work the same way. The group all reads the same book and meet the following month to discuss that book. What we liked about it, what we didn't like about it, would we read something from that same author again, etc. The books read at book club are meant to start up a lot of discussion, so they tend to be books that make you feel. This upcoming meeting in February, my (current) book club is doing something a little different. Instead of reading a book, every book club member will be choosing a poem each and read it out loud to the rest of the group members. Each reading will be followed by a little explanation of why we chose that poem. 

Literature was always my favourite subject in school and I loved studying poetry. Back when I was a teenager, I used to write a lot of poems, short stories and journal entries in my free time. It is sad for me to admit that I haven't written a poem or a short story in years. However, I do occasionally still write in my journal. I was going through some of my old notebooks recently and found a collection of some of my writing. Some of them I had completely forgotten about, so it was nice to go back to them after all these years. Looking back at some of my old work, I feel like I may want to get back into writing poetry some time. Maybe one day when I am inspired, I will start again! One of my book club members suggested for me to bring one of my own poems to read for the next meeting. I was a bit hesitant at first to share my own work, but I decided to go with the one I liked the best...so here it is. Most of my writing is dated, and I wrote this one when I was sixteen.  Hope you enjoy it! 

Growing Up

by Sadaf Hussain

I am quiet,
I am lonely,
I have imaginary friends,
I am a laugher,
I am a crier,
I am a thinker,
As I look at my reflection,
In a mirror view of my past,
I let my inner-child free,
I come back to reality,
Today I am friendly,
I am loving,
I am caring,
I am a laugher,
I am a crier,
I am a thinker,
I am a writer,
I am a drawer,
I am a dreamer,
I am a friend,
I am a sister,
I am a daughter,
I am an aunt,
I am not perfect,
I make mistakes,
I am a learner,
After all,
I am human.

2016 Reading Challenge.

2015 I did not actively read as much as I had hoped. My book list was ever growing but some days I just didn't feel like reading. There were only a handful of books I read this year which were page turners. The last few months of 2015, I decided to join my local book club (again) to force myself to read more (for lack of a better word.) The very first book club book just happened to be a lovely book I'd read before; The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. 

I'd been a member of the online Good Reads community for quite some time now, but I'd been relatively inactive on it. I've started using the app more lately, and it's helped me find some good books which I've added to my TBR book list. One nice feature Good Reads has on it is a "Reading Challenge" page. Members challenge themselves to read a certain amount of books for the year. I was going through many of the other members' reading challenges, and noticed numbers like 50, 75, 100 and some even as high as 200! 

I wanted to challenge myself to reach a realistic reading goal. At first I was going to do a 30 book reading challenge. Then I decided to start off with 25. At first I thought it was a low goal, considering that so many others' wanted to read 100 books! However, a good friend of mine reminded me not to compare my goals with others. Maybe those people have more time to read, but there's nothing to be ashamed of. Furthermore, the most important thing is not the quantity of books but the quality! Hopefully I can reach my goal and will read some enjoyable books along the way. 

Happy Reading! =) 

Finished my First "E-Book"

I finished reading The Gray Wolf Throne on my e-reader a couple of nights ago. I had a hard time putting it down. Cinda Williams Chima has that charm on me. I love all her books and love her writing style. I found myself staying up late at night, telling myself, "just one more chapter, then I'll go bed!" Raisa Ana Marianna (who is the protagonist in the story) always puts a smile on my face when she says something witty and makes everyone well aware that she can't be bullied into doing things she doesn't want. She's headstrong and stubborn and that quite often gets her into trouble with her enemies, and even within her Queendom.

The e-reader wasn't half as bad as I expected it to be. I still stand by my opinion that I prefer real books over e-books. However, since the book sucked me in to the story so well, I didn't even remember I was reading an electronic book half the time.

Now that I've completed book three, it's time to read the fourth and final chapter in the series, "The Crimson Crown." I can't wait to see how Chima ends the series, and am anticipating some untimely deaths along the way! (There were quite a few heartbreaking deaths in Chima's other book series, "The Heir Chronicles." *tear*). Keep your eyes open for a book review on this wonderful book series in the next few weeks!

Happy Reading! =) 
 

Liking my E-Reader more than I expected

I've been reading on my e-reader for the last couple of weeks now. I am firm in my belief that real books are way better. However, it's not as bad as I was expecting it to be. I am enjoying my book so much, that sometimes I even forget it's not a "book." I understand why so many people like e-readers. It's so convenient to have a thin device with endless books downloaded on to it, as opposed to carrying them all in your backpack. This convenience would be most applicable to students or people who travel a lot, I would imagine. Furthermore, maybe I am just old fashioned, but I love the feel of pages through my fingers, and an old book smell. There's just something magical and wonderful about it. The book I downloaded is The Gray Wolf Throne. I've previously taken this book out of the library a few times, but never ended up finishing it. It's book three of a series of four, so I can't wait to find out what happens!

What book are you currently reading?

Books Vs. E-Readers

So I finally caved in and got myself an e-reader. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Let me explain. Nothing beats the feeling of a real book; running your fingers through real pages, and reading a book with a real book smell. However, living in a small town, my public library does not have a lot of books available on loan. Although, they do have the ebook versions of some of those unavailable titles. Since there are a handful of books I want to read (which they don't have) the only choice I had was to take out an ebook! I have not started using my e-reader, so I can't say whether I like it or hate it yet. However, I have already downloaded some books that are waiting to be read!

What do you prefer? A physical book or an e-reader?