Books I’ve Read & Places I’ve Loved: April 2017
Originally published on May 04th, 2017
"Books I've Read & Places I've Loved" is a series where I talk about, yup, the books I've read and the places I've loved in a particular month (my titling skills are exquisite as we all know ;-)).
GUYS!! APRIL IS OVER!! This month was INSANE. Many people in my family had birthdays, my school had our Les Mis performances and our music tour, and I managed to do some traveling (mostly the music tour...) and read a couple of books along the way! Needless to say, this month felt long, but it was also wonderful, and I'm very thankful for everything that happened.
BOOKS I'VE READ
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
This is a book that had been on my reading list for a while. I bought it MONTHS ago, and started it a while back as well. One night this month when I didn't have any homework, I read the first four parts (out of five), and then finished it the next morning. For anyone is isn't aware, Malala Yousafzai is the girl who was shot by the Taliban after speaking out about the right for education. Miraculously, she survived. She is the youngest person to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize, which she was awarded in 2014 alongside Kailash Satyarthi. She is now 19 and still fighting for the right for education. I couldn't help but underline the majority of this book, simply because it is so honest and heartbreaking yet hopeful and inspiring at the same time. I thought I would include some of my favorite quotes:
"At night, our fear is strong... but in the morning, in the light, we find our courage again." (pg. 65, ch. 10)
"'Isn't it a miracle you all happened to be here when Malala was shot?" my father said. "It is my belief that God sends the solution first and the problem later," replied Dr. Javid." (pg. 161, ch. 31)
""Truth will always triumph over falsehood." (pg. 164, ch. 31)
"What I'm finding is that we have much more in common than we have different, and every day we learn something new from one another." (pg. 181, ch. 33)
No Matter the Wreckage by Sarah Kay
Is it possible that the majority of my reading list this year has been poetry? Yes. Sarah Kay has been one of my favorite poets ever since I watched her TEDTalk and she performed "If I Should Have a Daughter," which has remained one of my favorite poems ever since. I had spent the last three trips to bookstores looking for this book, but alas, had not been able to find it. I was, however, able to find it on Amazon, and then found it in my Easter basket. My own way to explain this book is that it makes you feel emotions much more than you normally do. Some of my favorite poems from it are "Love Poem #137," "The First Poem in the Imaginary Book," "Montauk," "Brother," and "The Type." This is a book to savor.
Mosquitoland by David Arnold
I don't even know where to begin with this book. The story is vivid, inviting, and easy to get lost in. The writing is witty, intelligent, and has an uncanny resembles to the voice of my best friend. The whole time I was reading, I couldn't help but see myself in the main character as well as who I wish I was. This book has earned a place on my list of favorite books not just because I loved the writing and the story, but because of the way it made me feel. Books like To Kill A Mockingbird and A Separate Peace are some of my favorite books because they make me feel more than other books do, and Mosquitoland did the same thing.
PLACES I'VE LOVED
Los Angeles, CA
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love LA. I have since I was little, and even though I've never been exactly sure of why, I know that I'm always very happy while in this city. My school had it's music tour last week, and this picture was taken at Knottsberry Farm, where we performed on the Thursday.
Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles
Technically, I'm breaking a rule by showing this picture, but if we all stay quiet about it I think it's okay ;-). On the Saturday night of the tour, we all had the opportunity to see Into The Woods, which was one of my favorite things about the five days I was away. Until Saturday, I didn't know anything about it, so I was very excited. The show was funny, made me think, and the songs have been stuck in my head ever since.
The Middle of Nowhere, CA
What else happened this month? Let me think... Oh that's right! Our bus overheated and we were stranded for four hours! Good times, good times. I'm writing another bus all about that day in particular, so I'm not including too many details right now, but I will say that even though being stuck for a long time wasn't ideal, it has actually become one of my favorite memories.
That's it! Happy May, everybody! Enjoy the rest of your month :-)