It's no secret that I love reading. Very rarely will you spot me without a book in hand. Running late for class? Oh shoot, I've got to grab my book before I go! Dentist appointment at 10am? There's probably going to be a long wait. Lucky for me, I always bring a book along. Saving the world from falling into the clutches of an evil extraterrestrial force? Yeah I'm sure I can spare a minute or two to read. Where I go, the book follows.
Every year, I set a few reading goals for myself. I only have two this year. My first reading goal of 2018 is to read a total of 25 books. The second is to complete a few popular book series that I have yet to read—namely the Mortal Instruments series, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and the Harry Potter series (Shame on me, I know. How dare I call myself a reader????!!!). I enjoy discussing books after reading them, so I thought I'd dedicate a blog post each month to reviewing and chatting about the books I've read throughout the month. You'll get to see the progress I make each month towards reaching my 2018 reading goals (oh the excitement). With that, I present you the first installment of It Was Lovely Reading You. Here are the books I read in the month of March 2018. I know we're more than halfway through April but better late than never, right?
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City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
by Cassandra Clare
Genre: Urban Fantasy (Young Adult)
What you need to know about the book:
Clary Fray is seeing things that seem invisible to everyone else. Shortly after witnessing a murder, her mother disappears and she is attacked by a demon. Clary soon finds herself being pulled into the world of the Shadowhunters—a secret race committed to protecting the earth from demons.
Clary Fray is seeing things that seem invisible to everyone else. Shortly after witnessing a murder, her mother disappears and she is attacked by a demon. Clary soon finds herself being pulled into the world of the Shadowhunters—a secret race committed to protecting the earth from demons.
What I thought about the book:
After hearing so much about Cassandra Clare and her books, I decided it was time for me to finally pick up the Mortal Instruments series. This book was entertaining and action-packed, but I wasn't particularly fond of any of the characters. There was nothing I hated about any of them (although I must say that I found Clary annoying at times), they just fell flat for me. What I did hate, however, was the ending (or rather the plot twist). If you've read the book, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M REFERRING TO. I'm sure many of you can agree with me when I say it was completely uncalled for. In my opinion, it was ridiculous and only complicated matters. Overall, this was a well-paced and enjoyable read, though it did not live up to the hype for me. I will be continuing with the series to see where it goes. Hopefully I will grow to like the characters and the books more as the series progresses.
Rating: 3/5 stars
After hearing so much about Cassandra Clare and her books, I decided it was time for me to finally pick up the Mortal Instruments series. This book was entertaining and action-packed, but I wasn't particularly fond of any of the characters. There was nothing I hated about any of them (although I must say that I found Clary annoying at times), they just fell flat for me. What I did hate, however, was the ending (or rather the plot twist). If you've read the book, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M REFERRING TO. I'm sure many of you can agree with me when I say it was completely uncalled for. In my opinion, it was ridiculous and only complicated matters. Overall, this was a well-paced and enjoyable read, though it did not live up to the hype for me. I will be continuing with the series to see where it goes. Hopefully I will grow to like the characters and the books more as the series progresses.
Rating: 3/5 stars
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*This book comprises three stories—Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There and Alice's Adventures Under Ground. All of them are reviewed separately.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #1)
by Lewis Carroll and John Tenniel (illustrator)
What you need to know about the book:
After Alice tumbles down a rabbit hole, she finds herself in a world inhabited by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures. I'm sure everyone knows where the story goes from here, so I shall not bore you or insult your intelligence by going on.
After Alice tumbles down a rabbit hole, she finds herself in a world inhabited by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures. I'm sure everyone knows where the story goes from here, so I shall not bore you or insult your intelligence by going on.
What I thought about the book:
I don't read many classics and that is something I want to work on. I thought the best book to start with would be Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed. I was never familiar with the story although I knew roughly the premise of it. Reading this book for the first time made me realise how much I have missed out on. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful this book is. It is whimsical, quirky and full of imagination and strange, odd things. I adore Alice. She is such a sweet and childish character, and I love how curious she is about everything. I also really liked John Tenniel's illustrations; I think they helped to enhance my reading experience. Having said all that, I am aware that this book does not appeal to everyone. It is a book that you either love or hate. A marvellous work of fantasy or a giant pile of nonsense? You decide.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
I don't read many classics and that is something I want to work on. I thought the best book to start with would be Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed. I was never familiar with the story although I knew roughly the premise of it. Reading this book for the first time made me realise how much I have missed out on. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful this book is. It is whimsical, quirky and full of imagination and strange, odd things. I adore Alice. She is such a sweet and childish character, and I love how curious she is about everything. I also really liked John Tenniel's illustrations; I think they helped to enhance my reading experience. Having said all that, I am aware that this book does not appeal to everyone. It is a book that you either love or hate. A marvellous work of fantasy or a giant pile of nonsense? You decide.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #2)
by Lewis Carroll and John Tenniel (illustrator)
Genre: Classics
What you need to know about the book:
In book two, Alice goes through a looking-glass and finds herself in a world based around a game of chess. After being told by the Red Queen that she, too, can become a queen if she reaches the Eighth Square, Alice navigates her way through the strange world and meets even stranger characters along the way.
In book two, Alice goes through a looking-glass and finds herself in a world based around a game of chess. After being told by the Red Queen that she, too, can become a queen if she reaches the Eighth Square, Alice navigates her way through the strange world and meets even stranger characters along the way.
What I thought about the book:
Like he did in the first book, Lewis Carroll gave readers a good deal of content to digest in Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. This book was just as full of imagination as the first was, but the characters in this book weren't as memorable to me. While this was another fun and enjoyable read, I definitely preferred Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Like he did in the first book, Lewis Carroll gave readers a good deal of content to digest in Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. This book was just as full of imagination as the first was, but the characters in this book weren't as memorable to me. While this was another fun and enjoyable read, I definitely preferred Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Rating: 3.75/5 stars
Alice's Adventures Under Ground (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #0)
by Lewis Carroll
Genre: Classics
What you need to know about the book:
This is the exact reproduction of the book that Lewis Carroll gave to Alice. It is also known as the manuscript and early version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
This is the exact reproduction of the book that Lewis Carroll gave to Alice. It is also known as the manuscript and early version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
What I thought about the book:
There are not many differences between this version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the finished one except that there are a few significant characters and scenes missing in this one. I loved playing spot the difference while reading this and seeing where the version that so many people are familiar with came from. It was also interesting to see Lewis Carroll's illustrations. Lewis Carroll is definitely not the best illustrator, but his illustrations possess a charm of their own. Seeing the formative stages of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was delightful. A must-read for Alice fans.
There are not many differences between this version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the finished one except that there are a few significant characters and scenes missing in this one. I loved playing spot the difference while reading this and seeing where the version that so many people are familiar with came from. It was also interesting to see Lewis Carroll's illustrations. Lewis Carroll is definitely not the best illustrator, but his illustrations possess a charm of their own. Seeing the formative stages of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was delightful. A must-read for Alice fans.
Rating: I will not be giving this a rating as this is the early/unofficial version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
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Studio Mumbai: Praxis
by various
What you need to know about the book:
This book consists of the works of Indian Practice Studio Mumbai and interviews with a few of their staff and collaborators.
This book consists of the works of Indian Practice Studio Mumbai and interviews with a few of their staff and collaborators.
What I thought about the book:
As an architecture student, it's always interesting to see works by other architects and find out what they draw inspiration from. This book covers some of Studio Mumbai's works and briefly talks about the reasoning behind their designs and what compelled them to use certain materials, which I found quite intriguing. The interviews with the staff and collaborators were insightful and helped me to understand what goes on behind the scenes a bit better. It was interesting to see what role each of them played and how they operated as a team. I read this in just a day.
As an architecture student, it's always interesting to see works by other architects and find out what they draw inspiration from. This book covers some of Studio Mumbai's works and briefly talks about the reasoning behind their designs and what compelled them to use certain materials, which I found quite intriguing. The interviews with the staff and collaborators were insightful and helped me to understand what goes on behind the scenes a bit better. It was interesting to see what role each of them played and how they operated as a team. I read this in just a day.
Rating: 4/5 stars
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