why a little life is my favourite book of all time

Hello everyone!
Ever since I read A Little Life, I wanted to talk about it. I remember reading it and being so desperate for someone who understood what I was going through, I was begging both my mom and my best friend to read the book.
So naturally, I want to talk about it on here.
Be aware - this is going to take a while because I am going to pour my heart out. So I'm sorry if this is gonna be a rather long blog post. But well, what can you do, right?

Before I read A Little Life, I didn't really have a favourite book. I used to say the Harry Potter books were my favourites (and in a way, they are because they're like a part of me) but they weren't my favourite books of all time with all that is to them although they really mean much to me.
But I didn't really know what a favourite book was before I read A Little Life.

While I was reading it, I thought: This is it. I have found it. This is the book. The Book, capital letters.
I think no other book made me feel the way A Little Life did.

To understand this, you've got to know what reading means to me. Reading is an escape for me, a way to live hundreds and thousands of other lives, being able to travel to other worlds, being someone else, living another life. A Little Life, quite literally.
And I've never felt so much like actually living another life like I did with A Little Life. 
I don't know what exactly about the book made me feel that way - I mean, we do get to know a person's whole life story in a very detailed way but I've read similar books and never before - and after - have I felt so close to a character in a book.

Writing this, I'm still tearing up because all the emotions that I had reading the book are coming back to me.
Usually, I don't really cry reading books. If a book makes me cry, it's got to be a good one. And normally I don't even really cry cry, I just shed some tears and that's it.
Again, A Little Life changed that.
Nothing, ever, in my whole entire life, made me sob so hard.
I remember reading one particular part of the book (the ones amongst you who've read the book probably know which part I'm talking about) and I just couldn't cope with my feelings. I was crying so hard, I had to close the book and pick it up the next day again because I simply could not handle it. It was too much.

This book destroyed me. I mean, I'm literally sitting here crying just because I'm thinking about it and I've read it months ago. A Little Life is easily the most emotional book I've ever read. Actually, it's the book of superlatives. It's the most emotional, the saddest and happiest, the best, best, best book I've ever read.

I've also written that in my Goodreads review that I wrote right after finishing the book, but I'm writing it here again because I can't say it often enough: For me, A Little Life is the embodiment of literature. If literature was one book, it would be A Little Life. 
That's quite a statement to make, isn't it?
See, that's how much I love this book.

I'm sure I'll never read a book I love as much as  A Little Life ever again. Never say never, but I say never. Ever.
Maybe that makes me stubborn or close minded but really, it doesn't because there's no way another book will ever make me feel that way again.
If you think there is, I challenge you to write it. I'll happily read it but I don't think it'll compete. Sorry.

Anyway, I feel better now after having poured my heart out and finally, the only thing I can say is: Read the book. Period.
xxx

source - I do own this book but I lent my copy to someone so I can't take pictures with it

top ten love stories in non-romance books

Hi bookworms!
When I was younger, I was all for love stories. I mostly read fantasy books, but very rarely did I enjoy them for the fantasy aspect and rather for the love story that you would always find as a subplot.
Then, as I wasn't very experienced both as a reader and in life, it was really easy for me to fall in love with a love story, but as I got older and became more critical with my reading, it got harder and harder to find a good love story in a non-romance book.
As I like to believe there are more people out there who (just like me) crave gut-wrenching (in the best way possible gut-wrenching, of course) love stories as subplots to books that mainly deal with other things - may that be fantasy stuff or whatever - I thought it would be a good idea to introduce my top ten side plot love stories/ OTPs.
So without further ado, here they are (in no particular order):
(Also, be warned I might spoil some love stories here!)

1. Jesper and Wylan from the Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo
You can't imagine how badly I wanted those two to be together. I loved how throughout both of the books, Jesper always seemed to tease Wylan and how shyly Wylan reacted to his banters and when they finally got together, fireworks literally exploded in my gut because I was so happy.
Also, I can't wait to see their relationship play out in the third book that was just announced a few weeks ago!

2. Kaz and Inej from the Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo
Well, what can I say... those books are just full of loveable relationships.
Again, this is a very angsty relationship and Kaz and Inej are both characters that are emotionally quite unstable but I just love how they learn to trust and rely on each other. Also, can we just talk about the fact that there are literally no scenes of them kissing each other (at least if I didn't forget something which would be embarassing haha) but still, I just love their relationship so much and they're the cutest couple ever and they're both just so precious!

3. Inan and Zélie from Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
To be honest, their relationship was my favourite part of the book. Which doesn't mean I didn't love the rest of the book, but dear God, INAN AND ZÉLIE! The two of them started out as enemies and since the hate-to-love trope is one of my absolute favourites in romances, I just couldn't help but root for them. Which is why that ending broke my heart and I NEED THE NEXT BOOK RIGHT NOW!

4. Alucard and Rhy from the Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab
This is one of the OTPs that, before I read about them, I didn't know I wanted them to happen. (SPOILERS!) Like, literally, I had no idea that the two of them together might be a possibility until that one scene in A Gathering of Shadows in Rhy's bedroom, when Alucard comes visiting him and you get to know they have a history together and it's just the sweetest scene ever. Every time I feel bad, I go back to that scene and reread it and it never fails to make me feel better.

5. Nova and Adrian from Renegades by Marissa Meyer
Technically, they haven't gotten together yet but I still root for them because they're just the absolute CUTEST. Their relationship involves a lot of angst and could very well go in a complete other direction than I want it to in the next books but I really want them to be together!
I feel like Marissa Meyer really does a great job in creating tension between characters and also, I loved both Nova and Adrian so much, aarrgh!

6. Adam and Ronan from The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
God, how I loved them both. I loved how wild and untameable Ronan is throughout the entire series, but when it comes to Adam, he's just SO CUTE! The only thing I wish for is more scenes of them together.
Also, I love how technically, they should be so clichée (I mean, Rowan is the definition of bad boy and Adam is just so neat and decent) but somehow, Maggie Stiefvater manages to not portray their relationship as stereotypical which I LOVED.

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7. Tengo and Aomame from 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
I don't know if you can consider their love story a side plot in 1Q84 since it's a very essential part of the story, but still, I wouldn't consider 1Q84 a romance novel.
I have never read a love story with so much build up, ever. Tengo and Aomame's relationship is definitely one that shouldn't have worked, but it did. Like hell did it work.
Their love story is the most unique one I've ever read and so, so beautiful!

8. Tella and Dante from Legendary by Stephanie Garber
This is a rather untypical constellation because while normally, you see the bad boy and the shy, innocent girl falling in love, in Legendary both Tella and Dante have their dark sides. When I say they deserve each other though, I mean it in the best way possible. I love both of their characters so much which is why that ending KILLED me and I can't wait to see their relationship in Finale. 

9. Paige and Warden from The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
I remember when I first read The Bone Season, The Mime Order wasn't out yet and the first book ended on such a cliffhanger according to their relationship, I was DEVASTATED. I know a lot of people consider their relationship problematic and I totally see why they would. At the time when I read it though, I wasn't very critical as a reader so I just remember swooning over their relationship. I am planning a reread of this series though in order to finally read The Song Rising but so far, I absolutely love Paige and Warden.

10. Simon and Baz from Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
This was one that I wished would happen, but never believed it would until it did. I don't know how many times I reread just the parts of them together in this book and how much I swooned over them. Also, my heart stopped for a moment when I saw that Wayward Son was going to be a thing. I still can't believe we're going to get more of Simon and Baz. And I CAN'T WAIT!

favorite books of all time #2

Hey!
I really liked sharing some of my all time favorite books with you so I thought I'd continue with this format and introduce some more favorites of mine. Have fun reading!

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
It's very hard to explain why I loved this book so much.
I thought the writing was exceptionally beautiful.
I loved how character-driven the story was. Naturally, I fell in love with Ari and Dante. Like, deeply, madly in love.
And their relationship... Gods, I think it's one of the cutest and purest relationships I've ever read about. I loved their talks and them being together and well... I loved everything.
So yeah, that's the best I can do to explain my love for this book. This is one you've got to read yourself though to understand what I mean, I think.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
And here we are again with a Khaled Hosseini book. This was actually the first one I read by this author, hence it was the one that made me fall in love with his writing for the first time.
The story is told in a very unique way: it is one single story, but told from so many people who have an influence on the story and each of them kind of tell their own story. In the end, everything comes together and it's so beautifully crafted. My heart aches thinking about this book, and there is really no other word to describe it other than beautiful.

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Mirrorworld Trilogy by Cornelia Funke
Naturally, I couldn't write this list without mentioning at least one book by my favorite childhood author, Cornelia Funke. Her ideas are always very magical and unique and the Mirrorworld trilogy is no exception to that. I don't only love the fairy-tale-esque, kind of whimsical world but also (so, so much!) the characters and the journey they go on.
If you like fantasy and fairy tales, you'll definitely love these books!

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
I guess this one is on everyone's favorites list, isn't it? I think it's not a good sign when a person hasn't read Harry Potter (or at least watched the movies) and it's even more suspicious when they didn't like it. Like, how can you not like Harry Potter? How can you not LOVE Harry Potter?
I don't want to explain why I love it so much though, that would take too long. I will do a whole post dedicated to Harry Potter one day (though even that would probably not be enough lol)

Was fehlt, wenn ich verschwunden bin (literally translated: What's missing when I'm gone) by Lilly Lindner
Unfortunately, this book hasn't been translated into English yet but I'm still gonna write about it in English.
I read this only a few months ago but I instantly knew it was going to be a favorite. I loved Lilly Lindners autobiography and it wasn't hard to figure out that this book also has some autobiographical features - it's an own-voices novel about a girl struggling with anorexia.
Lilly Lindners writing is incredibly magniloquent, even from the perspective of a little child who doesn't understand what's going on with her big sister (who is the one with the anorexia). It's actually too much to explain here but this book is both so important and so beautifully done.

my all time favorite series

Hi everyone!
I'm always on the hunt for new series to read because I LOVE when there are multiple books in the same world, with the same characters... the more the merrier, right?
So I thought I'd introduce my all time favorite book series to you and maybe I'll inspire you to read some of them ♥

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Well, I think this series is on almost everyone's favorite list so I don't need to say anything about this, do I? I grew up with it and I reread it countless times and by now, I almost know those books by heart. And I still love them to pieces. They're everything. Need I say more?

here you can see all my HP editions... except the ones
that are hidden behind the front row lol

Inkworld Trilogy by Cornelia Funke
Much like Harry Potter, I grew up with those books. They didn't only strengthen my love for books in general (since, after all, this series pretty much revolves around books) but they also made me realise what I love about literature and what good literature should be like for me. These books are pretty much my childhood and I will definitely read them to my children (once I have some lol).

Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
I absolutely love how this series explores Greek mythology and how you just learn so much reading the books... in a fun way, of course! I read the books multiple times and since I just recently started reading the Heroes of Olympus series I remembered how much I loved Percy Jackson and his comrades. Although technically, its middle grade (though that applies to any of the series so far, haha) I would still recommend this series to any age group because even though my last reread was several years ago, I still love those characters and the story so much!

don't ask me why the first one is the only paperback...
it's a sore point for my collector's heart

Shades of Magic Trilogy by V.E. Schwab
Those books are rather recent reads for me since I only discovered them last year. The reason why I love them so much is because in a way, they reminded me a lot of Harry Potter. Not because the story is similar (because it isn't whatsoever) but because the characters were exactly as loveable and they absolutely won my heart. V.E. Schwab is all about characters and her stories thrive on them and since for me, characters are the most important part of a story too, I naturally adore her books.

Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo
Similar to the Shades of Magic trilogy, I only read those books very recently but nevertheless, they hold a very special place in my heart. Those books thrive on diversity, the most perfect character cast and on top of that, an enthralling story full of twists and turns. And, most exitingly, Leigh Bardugo just announced there's going to be a third book in this series which... well, that made me have a crazy fangirl moment and I can't even express how happy I am to get more of these characters and their story!

1Q84 Trilogy by Haruki Murakami
These books are utterly different from my other favorites. Honestly, I only read them in this past month but oh well... what can I say other than I absolutely fell in love?
They're weird and quirky and full of peculiar things but they're anything but easy to forget. They contain one of the greatest love stories I've ever read about but essentially, they are about so much more - which I can't possibly express all in one sentence or even a paragraph. Or a whole page. In fact, I think you do have to read them to understand what I'm talking about. But they're absolutely worth reading so of course, that wouldn't be so bad☺

Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
This is one I read a couple of years ago and I absolutely devoured it then. Those would be the go-to books I'd recommend if anyone asked me for a thriller recommendation because they're everything thrillers need to be (in my opinion): hard to put down (actually, impossible to put down), with a rich and enthralling story and on top of that (and the main reason why I love this series so much) with some of the greatest characters I've ever read about. They are so well developed (actually, sometimes I doubted they were even fictional, I was convinced the story had to be real until I googled it and sadly, it's fiction) and complex and just... well, everything you want characters in a story to be. Highly, highly recommend!

So, those are all of my all time favorite series (at least the ones I've finished already (though, as I said, Six of Crows isn't really finished yet but since those are very late news, I still consider it finished... well, this is getting confusing.)) but I know this list is going to expand over time so I'll definitely do an update in the future (in the far away future though)
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about my favorites and I wish you all a nice day!
xxx

favorite books of all time #1

Hi everyone!

I thought it'd be a good idea to introduce you all to my favorite books of all time. Since I have a whole bunch of them and the number is continuously increasing, I'm gonna do several blog posts about it (like little series) and this is the very first one!
I hope you'll enjoy reading it and maybe get some inspiration for what to read next yourself!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I feel like The Book Thief is quite a classic amongst book lovers and I fully understand the hype. Narrated by Death, the perspective of the story is very unique and it's set in a very crucial time in history, in Second World War Germany, where everything is under Hitlers control.
I loved the role books played in this book and how Liesel, the main character, fought her own, tiny war against the Nazi regime. It's gripping, touching and timeless. Must-read for everyone!

Inkheart, Inkspell & Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
Similar to Harry Potter, those are the books I grew up with. They don't only get me out of reading slumps still today, they also introduced a whole new world to me and even increased my love for books. I've read them several times and each time, I'm falling in love a bit more with the world and the characters. Beside the whole concept of the book, one of the main reasons I love them so much is Cornelia Funkes writing style which draws you in and makes you fall down the rabbit hole till your woven into the story like a spider's victim in its net.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Set in Taliban-occupied Afghanistan, The Kite Runner is a very important novel that doesn't only discuss the matter of war, violence and hate between certain peoples, it also talks about the importance of friendship and the impact it has on people. This is very touching, very intricate and very beautifully written. I have never come across anyone who didn't love this book.

The Millenium Series by Stieg Larsson
(The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest)
Those, in my opinion, are what perfect thrillers look like. They are all huge but I couldn't put any of them down for just a second. I loved the characters, I loved the story and I selfishly want to bring Stieg Larsson back to life so he can go on writing this series.
Everyone who likes thrillers will love these books since (like I said), they are perfection.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
As a huge Harry Potter fan, I welcome everything that is (even just distantly) related to HP so there was no way I wasn't going to read this Harry Potter satire.
I didn't only love how it played with the trope of the Chosen One, I was also very surprised by the romantic aspect of the story and I have to say, this is one my absolute favorite romances of all time. I'm planning a reread soon in order to be able to write a proper review of this book but I absolutely loved every word of it and again, I could not put this book down.

That was the first part of many to come - I hope you enjoyed it and if you like, you can leave me some of your favorite books in the comments.

xxx