Month: April 2026

I recently decided to restart A Little Life because I realized I wasn’t fully understanding it the first time. I was reading through it, but not really paying attention to the details or fully taking in the characters Since it’s a more complex and emotional book, I wanted to go back and read it more carefully.At the beginning of the novel, the four friends Jude, Willem, JB, and Malcolm have just graduated and are trying to figure out their futures in New York. They are dealing with things like finding jobs and apartments, and there is a lot of focus on their conversations and interactions, showing how different their personalities and ambitions are from one another. Jude, in particular, stands out because he is quieter and There are also hints that he is dealing with some kind of condition or syndrome that causes him severe pain in his legs. Although it is not fully explained, the way his friends worry about him suggests that his health is more complicated than it seems, which kind of adds a more mystery to his character.

A quote I think shows where the book is currently at is

“They had been friends since college, and, as with many relationships formed at that time, they had known one another for so long that they sometimes felt they had invented one another.” – p – 8

I am currently reading a novel called The Apothecary, by Joan Fallon. I am still in the beginning chapters, but from the opening that i have read, Joan Fallon has a really good way of introducing characters. She really makes the book seem easier to read and less straining in the opening paragraphs. Her ability to impose a strong sense of careful placement makes the story feel well thought out and ond purpose. Back to her ability to introduce characters, she makes a new character feel new and relevant to the story line very quickly and only in a few pages, sometimes only a few paragraphs. It doesn’t feel forced and u can tell it is a skill that she practiced a lot before putting the pen on the paper for this book.

“She cried that night as though her heart would break, and the next day and the next, and the next, until her father arrived and took her children back with him to his house, her old home.

How she missed her husband. When she’d look at his wasted body, once so beautiful, now exhausted from his desperate struggle to live, she had wanted to die with him, but the child within her body would not allow it.

The Fact that this is from the first page and we can already tell the exact nature of two characters is just evidence of this skill that she has to introduce characters with efficiency in a short amount of time.

This weekend I read chapters 23–24 of The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, and what stood out to me the most was how much Wang Lung has changed now that he is wealthier. I thought it was interesting that even though his life is technically better, it doesn’t actually make him happier emotionally. Instead, it feels like his relationships with his family become more distant and tense, which made the story feel more realistic to me because it shows that money doesn’t automatically fix everything. I also noticed how O-Lan is slowly being ignored, even though she sacrificed so much for the family in the past, and that honestly made me feel kind of frustrated and sad because it feels really unfair. It made me think about how people can forget who supported them once they are in a better situation.

At the same time, I feel like these chapters show that Wang Lung is starting to care more about status and how others see him, instead of focusing on the people closest to him. This makes his character more complicated, because he isn’t just “good” or “bad,” but someone who is changing because of his circumstances. I also think the author is trying to show that success can come with consequences, especially when it changes the way you treat others. Reading this made me reflect on how important it is to stay grounded and not lose your values even if your life improves.

I am still reading the same book im going really slow because i need time to comprehend  better some complicated stuff for me and now I am around page 90. In this part, the author goes deeper into how certain types of people affect others in everyday life. He explains that these people don’t just act rude sometimes, but they consistently behave like the rules don’t apply to them. This makes situations more difficult for everyone around them i think this part  makes most of the people to feel indentified of what they have experienced in their lives.

One thing I found interesting was how the author describes the frustration of dealing with people like this. He explains that they usually don’t think they are doing anything wrong, which makes it even harder to deal with them. This made me think about  our real life situations where someone acts selfish or disrespectful, and others just have to accept it.

I also like how this part of the book feels more serious. At the beginning, the topic seemed kind of funny because of the title, but now I see that it actually talks about real problems like how people treat each other. Since i’ve been liking physcology, I like how the author explains behavior in a way that makes sense but still makes you think.

Overall, I am still really enjoying this book. It is interesting to see how personalities can affect others so much, and it makes me more aware of how people act in different situations.

I’ve just started reading a cult classic: Wonder by Raquel Palacio. Starting to read the book, I already have a bit of an idea of what’s going to happen because I’ve recently seen the movie, but it still feels different getting into the story this way. Right away, there is more attention to detail in the book including characters like Mrs.Garcia, which did not appear in the movie. Reading the book I am now more prone to noticing very small details and thoughts that weren’t as clear in the film. Even though I recognize certain moments and characters, it feels like I’m understanding them more deeply, especially how nervous Auggie is about starting school and has a clear idea in his mind on why but you can notice he is not able to get it out the same way.  It makes me curious to see what else the book adds or changes, and whether it will make parts of the story feel more emotional or meaningful than they did in the movie

“I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid.” (pg.1)

 

 

This quote immediately sets the tone of Wonder as honest, thoughtful, and a little serious. It shows right away that the story is going to be from Auggie’s personal perspective, where he openly talks about his feelings. The tone feels emotional and reflective, but also gentle, since it invites every reader to understand and empathize with him. From the very beginning, you can tell the book will focus on kindness, self-acceptance, and the challenges of being different.

My reading response to Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto:
Kitchen presents the narrative of Mikage who experiences familial loss and discovers methods to cope with her isolation.
After her grandmother passes away she moves in with Yuichi and his unconventional household.
Mikage finds comfort and healing through the kitchen which serves as her sanctuary.
The story demonstrates that people can overcome their grief through assistance from their friends and family.
Yoshimoto writes in a simple but emotional way.
The story became easier for me to understand because I am familiar with Japanese culture and the characters’ Japanese names.
The story became more accessible to me because of this element.
I found enjoyment in how food and cooking serve as symbols of warmth and home.
The story maintains an optimistic tone despite its exploration of loss.
Kitchen presents an emotional journey which explores themes of grief and love and the quest for personal belonging.

This week I read Reckless by Elise Silver, and overall I thought it was a really entertaining and emotional romance. The story follows Winter and Theo, and what stood out to me most was how their relationship slowly develops instead of feeling rushed. At first, their connection feels tense and complicated, which made the story more interesting because it wasn’t just love at first sight—it felt more realistic and layered.One thing I liked was how the author showed both characters dealing with personal struggles. Winter is trying to figure out her independence and who she wants to be, while Theo has his own emotional baggage and responsibilities. Seeing how their past experiences affect the way they treat each other made the story feel deeper than a typical romance. It wasn’t just about falling in love, but also about learning to trust and grow.I also noticed how the setting and ranch lifestyle added to the mood of the book. The small-town environment made everything feel more personal and intense, since everyone knows each other and secrets don’t stay hidden for long. This created tension and made the stakes feel higher when conflicts happened.A theme I noticed was vulnerability. Both characters had to learn that being “reckless” doesn’t always mean being careless—it can also mean taking emotional risks and letting someone see the real you. This idea made the title feel meaningful by the end of the story.Overall, I enjoyed this book because it balanced romance, drama, and character growth. It kept me interested the whole time, and I liked seeing how the characters changed by the end.

In the book Kill Joy by Holly Jackson, the main character, Pippa Fitz Amobi and her friends go to a a 1920s-themed murder mystery party. Pippa, even though she insists she is no longer interested in solving mysteries, goes anyway. However, as they play the game, Pippa takes it too seriously, treating the murder case as if it was real. This part in the book is when Pip starts to question the game and her reaction to playing the game.

“It’s just a game, Pip told herself. That’s all it is supposed to be. A bit of fun, nothing serious, nothing real. But her mind wouldn’t let it go, already turning over the details, already asking questions, already searching for something hidden beneath the surface. She couldn’t stop herself, even if she wanted to.” (p. 64)

I picked this quotation because it shows how Pippa can’t help getting herself involved in mysteries, no matter how hard she tries. She keeps telling herself it’s all just a game, but she’s already thinking in a deeper way, kind of like a detective. I thought it was interesting because it shows a big part of her personality andhow she’s drawn to solving mysteries and can’t ignore them. This part made me think about how people sometimes can’t stay away from doingwhat they love, even if it’s supposed to be a chill thing, which is exactly what Pippa is doing in this book. 

In 1984 by George Orwell, the first part of the story shows a very strict and controlled world where Winston Smith lives under the constant watch of Big Brother. What I found especially interesting is that most people accept this control and do not question it, which makes the situation feel even more unreal (I know it’s a book and not real but I mean that I can’t relate). Winston, however, feels that something is wrong, even if he cannot fully explain why.

For example, when Winston begins to write in his diary, it seems like a small action, but it is actually very dangerous. It shows that he wants to think for himself and not just follow the rules of the Party. I think this makes him a realistic (relatable) character, because he is scared but still tries to rebel in his own way.

Another important idea in these pages is how the Party controls truth and language, especially through Newspeak. This made me realize how powerful language can be and how it can shape the way people think.

For me, the novel creates a very dark mood while reading. It made me think about how important freedom and independent thinking really are, especially in a world where people are constantly watched and controlled. I also started to question how much we can trust information and who decides what is true or false.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is still my Independent Reading book. It was published in December of 1866 and is often cited as one of the greatest works of world literature. This part of the book describes an important article Rodion Romanivich Raskolnikov wrote, discussing the idea of certain people being able to commit crimes because of who they are.

(part 3, chapter v, page 307)

‘yes, sir, and you insisted that the enactment of a crime is invariably accompanied by illness. Most, most original, but . . .

that wasn’t actually the part of your little article that interested me so much, it was rather a certain idea that you introduced at the end of the piece, but which you unfortunately alluded to only in passing, obscurely . . . In short, if you remember, you made a certain allusion to the idea that there may exist in the world certain persons who are able . . . or rather, who are not only able, but have a perfect right to commit all sorts of atrocities and crimes, and that it’s as if the law did not apply to them.’

This is, in short, Porfiry Petrovich (an investigator, who happens to be very fixed on the murder of the two women that Raskolnikov murdered) discussing a intriguing article Rodion wrote about the idea of people like Napoleon, high up, untouchable people being able and having the right to commit crimes. This is a hint to us readers about Rodion’s character, and possibly how he justified the crime he himself committed. It’s an important idea not just for the novel but also real life. If you think about for awhile, you may realize that people with power often commit crimes and get away with it or receive barely any punishment for their actions simply because they are powerful and protected by that.

That’s it.

In the book Things We Never Got Over, Lucy Scores shows Naomi’s emotional state and her complicated views on relationships.

I didn’t do attachments. Attachments only led to disappointment. People always left, or let you down, or changed into someone you didn’t recognize anymore. It was easier to rely on yourself than risk needing someone else.

This quote really shows her perspective about relations from the start. She seems very independant and observant towards emotions. Its gives the idea that she has been hurt before, which makes her now be avoidant at opening up to people. Overall this quote is very significant, not only because it gives a wide view on Naomi’s past and emotional vulnerability.  But because it also begins to introduce one of the main conflict of the book. This mindset reflects past experiences that have likely hurt her, making her view relationships as risky rather than meaningful. As a result, Naomi isolates herself emotionally, even when she is surrounded by people who care about her. This creates tension within the story, especially as other characters begin to challenge her perspective. As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that this fear is something Naomi must confront. Overcoming her resistance to attachment is essential for her personal growth, as it allows her to develop trust, form genuine relationships, and move beyond the limitations created by her past experiences.

“Oh my son,” sighed Ama. “I was talking to the shadows of the pomegranate trees. At least they will be here when we are all gone.”

I recently started reading the book “The Last Bookshop In London” by Madeline Martin, and right now I am on page 76. The book tells the story of Grace Bennet, who is a woman who moved to London right before the start of World War II. At first, Grace didn’t like reading books, but that changed as soon as she started working at a bookstore called Primrose Hill. When the war started and London started getting destroyed, Grace started reading books and she found out that storytelling was a way that she could “escape reality’ and be calm even in the hardest days of war.

“Reading is…” His brows knit together and then his forehead smoothed as the right words appeared to dawn on him.“It’s going somewhere without ever taking a train or ship, an unveiling of new, incredible worlds. It’s living a life you weren’t born into and a chance to see everything colored by someone else’s perspective. It’s learning without having to face consequences of failures, and how best to succeed.” Pg.73

This quote of the book is important because it shows the importance of books and how they helped Grace in this hard time to stay calm and do something that she started enjoying.

The book I chose was the ICBCE learners’ test book. Recently I got my license, and the book was very helpful to me i recomaned prople to read it for the knowledge test.

“Safe driving requires constant attention, awareness of surroundings, and respect for traffic laws. Drivers must anticipate hazards, adjust speed, maintain space, and make responsible decisions to protect themselves, their passengers, and all other road users at all times on roads.”

This shows that paying attention and thinking ahead can prevent accidents before they happen. In real life, drivers who look ahead and leave space between cars have more time to react to danger. It also means following speed limits and avoiding distractions like phones. These habits make roads safer for everyone. Therefore, using the ICBC handbook’s advice helps drivers make better decisions and avoid crashes.

Recently I started reading The Kill Order, which is a prequel to The Maze Runner series by James Dashner. So far, the story has been really interesting and kind of intense in a different way compared to the other books I have read so far.

The story follows Mark and his friends trying to survive in a world that was already damaged by solar flares. Even though everything is pretty destroyed, they still try to live a normal life in the small group that was left. But everything suddenly changes when a Berg (a type of ship) appears in the sky and people start getting attacked with darts.

After that, a strange disease begins to spread, and it makes people lose control of themselves, almost like they’re going crazy. One moment that stood out to me is when Mark starts realizing that this is something serious and that the world is changing again, not just from the flares but from something even worse.

What I liked about this part of the book is how it slowly builds tension. It helped to understand how everything started to fall apart. It made me curious to keep reading, because I want to see how all of this connects to the Flare and the rest of the series.

Things We Hide From The Light

For my independent reading, I am reading Things We Hide From the Light by Lucy Score.  the story is already very interesting and emotional. The book focuses on Nash, who is dealing with the aftermath of being shot, and Lina, who is trying to protect him while also hiding parts of her own life. Their relationship starts off tense, but you can tell there is also trust slowly building between them. This makes the story engaging because their interactions feel realistic and sometimes awkward.

One thing I noticed is how the author uses imagery to create the small-town setting. The town feels calm and cozy, but there is also a sense of tension because of Nash’s recovery and Lina’s secrets. This contrast creates emotion and keeps me curious. The structure of the chapters also helps build suspense because new information is revealed little by little. For example, the hints about Lina’s past make me want to keep reading to understand her better.

The diction is simple and easy to understand, which makes it easy to read. The conversations sounds natural, and sometimes it’s even funny, which balances the more serious moments.  There are scenes where Nash struggles with fear and anxiety after the incident, and this shows vulnerability. These moments make the reader feel empathy for him. At the same time, Lina appears strong but also protective, which adds emotional depth to her character.

Personally, I like how the book mixes emotional scenes with lighter ones. It doesn’t feel too heavy, and the characters feel real because they have flaws. , the story has made me interested in how their relationship will develop and what secrets will be revealed. Overall, the author provokes emotion through realistic dialogue, descriptive setting, and character development, which makes the book enjoyable and engaging to read.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman is about Louisa meeting a famous artist C.Jat. After his death she receives his famous painting. She follows C.Jat’s friend, Ted. While living with Ted and his friends, Louisa discovers the behind story about a famous painting she received. The painting was about Ted, Joar, Ali, and Kimkim teenage life. How they shared their sad teenage life on the pier and built their friendship. KimKim later becomes a famous artist and paints the scene to capture the memory with his friends. Louisa learns the meaning behind the paintings and heals her own life.

The world is full of miracles, but none greater than how far a young person can be carried by someone else’s belief in them. They sat there together, in the roar of the car’s air-conditioning, with their eyes closed and their chests rocking. And that was their whole childhood (p.361).

I chose this quote because it shows how someone’s trust and friendship can be powerful. It describes how trusting someone can have a significant impact on someone’s life. It also shows their childhood friendship and how much they cared for each other.

I finished reading I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang  less than a month ago. It centres around Jenna, an overachieving student who makes a wish one night to be like her perfect cousin Jessica Chen. Somehow, when she wakes up the day after she is transformed into Jessica’s body and starts living her perfect life but then slowly begins to realize there is way more pressure under the surface that her perfect cousin always tries to hide. I really enjoyed this book because I connected and related with the main character .

I’ve spent my whole life trying to be enough—trying to be smart enough, good enough, impressive enough. And somehow, it’s still not enough. (p.32)

When I read this quote, I felt like it really resonated with me on many levels. Jenna describes the feeling of always trying to chase good grades, impress her parents and comparing herself to others but still never being good enough to live up to everyone else’s expectations. No matter how hard she tried as Jenna, she’d never feel satisfied with herself.

I am currently reading The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder. I actually started reading it over a year ago, but I never finished it because I began reading something else, so I decided I finally had to finish it now. So far, I am finding the book to be boring, even though it is not necessarily slow-paced. Fi has just fallen into a body of water (I cannot remember if it is a lake) and hallucinates (or not? We do not know yet) a boy who kisses her underwater (weird). After she gets out of the water, she starts a fire because she is cold. Fi remembers when her father taught her how to start a fire.

Fi opened her eyes to the sound of dry needles crackling in her fire. She smiled to herself. Like most academics, her father had taught her many things that had no practical application whatsoever, but this skill had saved her many times. (pp. 59-60)

Her father is an academic, as we can infer from the block quotation directly above this. I thought this was funny, and I normally find these types of quips humorous in the books I read.

Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book is about all the different kinds of habits such as the ones like how tiny habits do matter, and in those tiny habits its that doing small repeated action everyday will always add up. There are also types  habits that you keep and don’t keep, like bad habits those are the ones that you want to break. Then there’s the good habits that replace the bad ones and are also just ones that you want to have. Than for the good habits to set those up you want to start by setting up a good environment so that it will lead you into making good choices, and those good choices lead to you having good habits instead of the bad ones.

imagine you have a messy room and you set a goal to clean it. If you summon the energy to tidy up, then you will have a clean room—for now. But if you maintain the same sloppy, pack-rat habits that led to a messy room in the first place, soon you’ll be looking at a new pile of clutter and hoping for another burst of motivation. You’re left chasing the same outcome because you never changed the system behind it (p. 24)

What this quotation is saying is that even if you have the motivation to clean your room if you never change the bad habits of making your room messy than it will just keep happening. The reasson that this quotation stood out to me was that even if you have the motivation you should always look at the habits first ands see what needs to be changed so that you can live better.

I am currently reading the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard. I am currently on the second book in the series called Glass Sword. In Mare’s world people are divided by their blood colour. Silver bloods with powers, and red bloods with no powers. But a new blood has come to be, red blood with abilities stronger than any silver.  In the book right now, the main character, Mare Barrow, is going around looking for people who are Newbloods. Currently they are training the newbloods before an attack on Corros Prison. A prison that holds many newbloods captive.

I am the lightning girl.
The clouds are dark above, swirling with the weight of rain and snow. A nymph would find them easy to manipulate, as would a Silver storm. When I was Mareena, I lied and said my mother was a storm of House Nolle. She could influence the weather as I can control electricity. And in the Bowl of Bones, I called bolts of lightning out of the sky, shattering the purple shield above me, protecting Cal and me from Maven’s soldiers as they closed in. It
weakened me, but I am stronger now. I must be stronger now.     (p. 334)

I chose this quote because it felt powerful. Although Mare is surrounded by many people, along with many who care for her, she feels that she is alone. I also chose it because I found it interesting why she referred to Mareena in the third person. Mareena was a persona for Mare created by the royal family for her to seem like she was a real silver.

A Good Girls Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson, is about a girl named Pippa Fitz-Amobi who is in high school and has to chose a project for her senior year graduation credit. She chooses to solve a closed case of a murder in her small town that she thinks should not be closed, because she thinks she knows the truth.

“When you ask people in town what happened to Andie Bell, they’ll tell you without hesitation: ‘She was murdered by Salil Singh.’ No ‘allegedly,’ no ‘might have,’ no ‘probably,’ no ‘most likely.’ He did it, they say. Sal Singh killed Andie. But I’m just not so sure.” (p.19)

In this quotation Pip is saying how she really thinks that Salil did not kill Andie and that the town is wrong, therefore she will be trying to “solve” the case herself while not getting into the actual case as that could be dangerous. After she figures out that she might be on to something and others involved in the case see this too she begins to contact the police about reopening this case.

Atomic Habits is a book that I have revisited in the month because I feel like I have been lacking a little bit on my habits. Right now I am reviewing chapter 6 of the book. Atomic Habits is made by James clear who is an American writer, speaker, and expert on habit formation and he is best known for his bestselling book Atomic Habits the book I’m reading now. Atomic habits is a guide made by James about how small and consistent changes in behavior can lead to remarkable personal and professional improvements over time. the book is 20 chapters long with five major parts also know as the 4 laws which are Make it Obvious, CH 4-7, Make it attractive CH 8-10, Make it Easy CH 11-14, and Make it satisfying CH 15-20. Each chapter focuses on a specific principle, example, or strategy for building or breaking habits. This quotation comes from chapter 7 of this book. The quotation explains why self control is short term while optimizing your environment is the secret to self control.

“Self control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one. You may be able to resist temptation one or twice, but its unlikely you can muster the willpower to override your desires every time. instead of summoning a new dose of willpower whenever you want to do the right thing, your energy would be better spent optimizing your environment. this is the secret to self-control. make the cues of your good habits obvious and the cues of your bad habits invisible” (page 95).

What James means by this quotation is that  self controls doesn’t all ways works and that sometimes you will not be able to resist the temptation of bad habits. An easier way of controlling your habits is to optimize the environment around you. If you want to read instead of watch Tv or play video games Unplug the Tv and move it to an entirely different room. have books near you so you have something good to do around you. This can be used for anything as well. Any good habit you want to do make it ovious and don’t put it somewhere forgettable. Put it somewhere oblivious so you can do it and put bad habits in places that are less ovious. That is what he means by this quotation.