My year in books (Part III)

My top 5 

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

As you noticed so far, I read lot of memoirs. I am a huge fun of this genre because it gives me a glimpse of people lives. I can live as many lives as I wish through memoirs ….

This particular one has a great impact on me. I still remember the day a close friend sent me a link about the first review of this memoir by The New York Times. I read the review, and I immediately bought the kindle version from Amazon. I went to the terrace (because it was strangely a warm and sunny January day) with my favorite drink, and I started reading. I fell in love with it from the first page. What an incredible book!! It really changed something deep within me, and I will always remember it.

This book won the best memoir title for 2016 on Goodreads, and The New York Times chose it among the top 10 books of the year. I’ve already written a review about this memoir. You can check it here. Give this book a try. I bet you won’t regret it.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Another great memoir. It starts with the following:

“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.”

Although this is a legendary memoir, I didn’t come across with it until I read a book about writing memoirs (see Part I), and I am glad I did. McCourt told the tale of his childhood. A childhood that will make your eyes wet at least once. I was comfortably sitting in my favorite couch for reading; yet, his words made me feel the cold wet feet he lived with. A painfully honest memoir that made my heart melt. Give it a try.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

This was the last book I read for this year, and OMG! What a memoir!

Trevor Noah is a standup comedian. I first knew him from The Daily Show. I like his jokes and his accent. I adore is laugh and I love his mimicry. Add to it a really handsome face and a sexy voice!! What a great combination!

When I heard about his book, I couldn’t help but buy it and spend the needed time with it. To be honest, I expected to be disappointed (like it happened to me with Schumer), but I wasn’t. To my surprise, it was a great memoir. Not only well written, but it had a combination of pain, humor, and wisdom. Trevor told his story in an honest open way. A south African childhood isn’t an easy one. Yet, he made it out with a huge success. What attracted me the most, is his mother personality. She is a wonderful mom. A strong rebellious woman, who refused to let her environment dictate her life standards. With a mother liker his, how can he be anything but a good man? Lucky him, and all my respect to his mother.

Hey, a small tip to enjoy this memoir the fullest: listen to the audio-book version. It is read by Trevor himself. His sexy accent and voice imitation will take you to another dimension. Every evening, I would turn off the light, crawl into my bed and let the audio play while I close my eyes and listen carefully. I sincerely felt I was watching a movie, not listening to an audio-book.

Great job Mr. Noah!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

“First colours. Then humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try.

Here is a small fact. You are going to die”. That’s death talking to you through this book. Or at least, how the author told the story through death.

I assume many of you read or heard at least about this wonderful historical fiction book. I watched the movie version, and I didn’t consider reading the book, because, as usual, the movie ruined the story. Fortunately, a friend sent me the book as a surprise gift. What a gift! I took the book in my hands, and I started smelling it of course. Then I started reading the first passages. I was like WOW! That wasn’t in the movie at all! Sure, the main plot is the same, but the details are missing in the movie. Books are about the right words, and movies are not.

Another reason I adored this book, is that I was going through some tough days. They were the saddest 3 days I have been through during this year. And reading this book was the only action I had energy to do. I read its words eagerly, forgetting my own sadness.

I won’t give away any details of the book story, just read the book, and you will travel in time.

Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Lastly, I have another book about productivity and self-help. Duhigg is already famous by his book “The power of habit”. This book is a better version of the previous one. He explained main concepts to productivity through key stories, which made the book enjoyable despite its length. Those productivity concepts and strategies can be applied to improve your life at home and at work alike. I hope you find it as helpful as I did. 

Other books I highly recommend

Rock Star by Jackie Collins 

I got this novel as a gift from a nice friend. I was not very excited about it, as I don’t really enjoy novels, but I surprisingly enjoyed this one. I went in a small trip, and it as hot and humid. Worst weather ever for traveling! Thus, I spent most of my time indoors. What else could I do but read? Luckily enough, I took this book with me. It was relatively a long novel, but I didn’t care. I started reading first pages. Slowly, I got addicted to it. The story tells how three singers from different places rose to fame, and how fate brought them all together. It was a nice novel to spend some free time during holidays. 

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Another gift from a close friend. I had this book for 2 years before I finally read it. I had some sleeping problems, and I couldn’t fall asleep. so, I looked at my bookshelves, and I decided to pick up a book I didn’t read yet. I chose this one. It is a collection of stories. Each one narrates a nice tale. The book is very well written. But what attracted me the most, is the feeling of serenity that I had while reading it. I am not sure what the source was (the author voice of writing, or the tales themselves), but I am certain I enjoyed it. 

Persepolis (Vol #1 & #2) by Marjane Satrapi

A New York Times Notable Book and a Time Magazine “Best Comix of the Year”.

This one can be classified as a graphic memoir. Satrapi is originally from Iran. in a smart and funny – sometimes painful- way, she told her story from being a little girl to being a woman and leaving Iran for good. I loved this one so much. The way she combined her life tale with Iran history through comics was brilliant. Absolutely worth reading. 

Smarter Than You Think by Clive Thompson

I started reading this book in the context of my research. I planned on reading only one specific chapter, but many other chapters got my attention and I ended up reading most of it.

In general, the author discussed different pros and cons of recent technologies impact on our lives. I found it informative and easy to read. It doesn't require any specific background. So, enjoy!!

                                                                                       Spread the joy of reading 

                                                                                                        Merry