Rainy Season is Here





I don't know about you, but the definition of 'cozy' and 'rain' for me equals to books, tea and lighting up a candle. Because we don't have winter here in Jakarta, the alternative weather is rainy season. Yes, when there are floods and horrible traffic around the city it sucks. But rain also brings the temperature down a couple of degrees, and that means, cuddle session!

Sadly, the only cuddle partner I have in my life is my dog (ha!). Totally okay with that though, because Bella is furry and super duper comfortable to cuddle with.

So in this post, I'm gonna show you six of my favorite books that I love. Books that left me speechless, and ones that made me think about it days after I finished reading it. Ones that left a piece of it inside my heart.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank


This. Book. Everyone, and I mean everyone has to read this at least once in their life. As you can see, the one I own looks a tad bit worn out, because I've read it a couple of times now and it still amazes me that a 14-year old wrote this. Anne Frank, in general is my inspiration. The book touched my heart in more ways than one. With what's happening around the world these days, reading this would give you a perspective of life and a word of wisdom. I read this quite slowly, but that's okay. The slower you read it, the more the words seep in through my brain.

After reading this two years ago, my dream was to go and visit the annex where she stayed at when the war broke out. And that finally happened last May. I was so happy. But the feel of the annex was filled with so much sadness. All I could think of while I was there was that if Anne lived a couple of months longer, she would've gone through the liberation. But that didn't happened and it broke my heart all over again. Although the place is truly heartbreaking, I want to visit Auschwitz to see what the people went through when they were inside the camp.

Favorite Quotes: 
  • "I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains."
  • "People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but that doesn't stop you from having your own opinion."
  • "Where there's hope, there's life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again."
  • "I think a lot, but I don't say much." 
  • "I wish to go on living, even after my death." 
  • "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." 
  • "I've reached the point where I hardly care if I live or die. The world will keep on turning without me, I can't do anything to change events anyway." 
  • "Paper is more patient than man."

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys


Quite similar to Anne Frank's diary, because this book is located in a concentration camp. Instead of a Jewish girl, it's about a Lithuanian girl. Although it's fiction, it still gripped my heart the way Anne's story did. 

It is quite a sad book, but I personally loved it. The author shared Lina's story in such a beautiful way, yet the tone of the book was just filled with sadness. Yes, there is a romance story going on here too, which will break your heart. But don't worry, the author was kind enough to give us a (slight) happy ending. 

I let my cousin borrow this over the summer, and she absolutely loved it. I think she finished it in a day. That's how good the book was! I do love me some historical fictions, which totally makes me a masochist, because most of the historical fictions I read are so darn sad. 

Favorite Quotes:
  • "Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch." 
  • "Sometimes there are such beauty in awkwardness."
  • "Krasivaya. It means beautiful, but with strength. Unique." 
  • "Was it harder to die, or harder to be one who survived?"
These Gentle Wounds by Helen Dunbar


I don't really remembering reading this. But I do remember how much the main character, Gordie, broke my heart. This is a book that relates to mental health, so it was quite a ride that I went through when I read this.

Another thing that I remembered was how Gordie reminded me so much of Norman Bates from Psycho. He's not psychotic, but there's vibe from Gordie that reminded me so much of Norman. Some parts of the book teared me up. Because Gordie was so helpless, it made me want to comfort him even though he is a fictional character. 

Favorite Quotes: 
  • "I'm really, really tired of the past." 


Where She Went by Gayle Forman


Book boyfriend #100... (no, seriously). Before getting on about this book, I do recommend you to read the first book first (If I Stay). This is the sequel to the first book, and I must say I loved this so much better than the first one. 

While the first one was quite solemn and dark, this one had more angst and lots more scenes of swoon worthy Adam. I was quite hesitant to read this, because I didn't like the first book so much, but it definitely surprised me by how good it was! 

(If I Stay was made into a movie, starring Chloe Moretz and Jamie Blackley.) 

Favorite Quotes:
  • "I needed to hate someone and you're the one I love the most, so it fell on you."
  • "You were so busy trying to be my savior that you left me all alone."
  • "But still, I find the need to remind myself of the temporariness of a day, to reassure myself that I got through yesterday, I'll get through today."
  • "A day might just be twenty-four hours but sometimes getting through just one seems impossible as scaling Everest." 
Memories by Lang Leav


If you were active on Tumblr a year or two ago, then you've probably heard of Lang Leav. When I heard that she was releasing her first book two years ago, I was so darn excited. And when she released her second one last year, I was giddy for some more poems that she wrote.

When she announced Memories being released this year, I could not wait to get my hands on it. Sadly, I was quite disappointed with it. Not because of its content, it's great. But because the book is not in paperback, I thought it'd be filled with a whole load of new poems. I was wrong. This book consists of combined poems that she wrote on her first and second book. So the thirty something dollar I bought on this is quite a waste of money.

Nevertheless, I was still happy that I own a copy of it. Because in this one, the illustrations are in color and more in depth than the previous two books that Lang wrote. This book is great if you don't have a copy of her first two books.

Just One Day & Just One Year by Gayle Forman:


I'm not exaggerating, but this series is the best! I sadly don't own the physical copy of the first book, but you should start out with that one first in order to read this book. The first book is the Lulu's POV and the second one is in Willem's POV.

Willem De Ruiter is my number one book boyfriend (might change when I have a better book boyfriend). He is amazing! And Dutch (ehhehee). This book reminded me of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins mainly because the majority of the first book was set in Paris. (I recommend Anna and the French Kiss too, Etiénne is dreamy as hell).

So basically this book is filled with a lot of travels and I absolutely love it! Gayle perfectly described each city. Reading this made me go all wanderlust. Another thing I loved about it was that this love story is different from any other books I've read. It's quite unique but still sweet at the same time.

Favorite Quotes: (from both books in the series)

  • "We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day."
  • "Sometimes the best way to find out what you're supposed to do is by doing the thing that you're not supposed to do."
  • "You have to fall in love to be in love, but falling in love isn't the same as being in love."
  • "Travelling's not something you're good at. It's something you do. Like breathing. You can't work too much at it, or it feels like work. You have to surrender yourself to the chaos. To the accidents."
  • "Sometimes you can only feel something by its absence. By the empty space it leaves behind."
  • "Loving someone is such an inherently dangerous act. And yet, love, that's where safety lives."
Those are all the books that I'm recommending to you guys! There are a whole lot more books that I'll recommend in the future. I hope you love these books as much as I do! :)

And with the events of attacks going around this past week, I hope you guys are all safe! Keep your loved ones closer and stay safe, everyone!

Much love, Ashley xx

Comments

  1. Replies
    1. Yes, they are! Especially the one from Anne Frank's diary :)

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  2. Love the pictures, super cosy :) xo

    http://www.aimeroseblog.com

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  3. Fabulous books <3

    Chiara

    http://www.culturewithcoco.com

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  4. I agree with this post so much. Great share xx

    Love,
    Hannie Arden from Missing Wanderer.

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  5. Love those books! Nice pictures!
    Xoxo,
    Love from www.trangscorner.com {a lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and food blog}

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  6. Amazing post dear! You have a wonderful blog:)
    What about following each other on Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter?.. :)

    www.bloglovin.com/blog/3880191

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! Means a lot to me :) yeah, sure! I don't have Bloglovin though. But I'll follow your blog :)

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  7. I love reading! Thank you for the suggestions! I have read most of those suggestions and they are so great! I am looking forward to reading the other ones on your list!
    leavingericafootprints.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome! Aw, great you loved it! :) there are more books that I recommend, so will be doing that soon! Thank you for the lovely comment x

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  8. Ooh lovely suggestions. I have been in the market for a new book too :)

    Enclothed Cognition

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  9. Amazing post! You have a wonderful blog:)
    What about following each other on Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter?..

    www.bloglovin.com/blog/3880191

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's kind of a bummer about the Lang Leav book, especially since it's so pricey. You can practically read the whole thing if you lurk hard enough on Tumblr. :]

    // ▲ itsCarmen.com ▲

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    Replies
    1. I know :( hahaha, yes that's right! But I rarely go on Tumblr these days..

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  11. These books sound amazing, and I'd love to read post of them! I remember learning about Anne Frank in school, and finding her so interesting. I haven't read in like years, so I need to try and get back into the habit.

    - www.veebzboo.com
    - www.youtube.com/veebzboo - My Autumn Matte Make-up Look

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! You should definitely read it again, I'm thinking of it doing it as well. Reading her diary gives me a great perspective of how precious our life is.

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  12. They all sound like great reads. Should check them out! thanks for sharing!

    lifeisashoe

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  13. I feel the exact same. When the weather gets colder and the days shorter, I just want to curl up in bed with a good book. I've been obsessed with autobiographical books lately and I just got my hands on Carrie Brownstein's Hunger Makes Me A Modern girl so i'm excited to read it!

    - Elodie x
    www.elle-yeah.com

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    Replies
    1. Right? With the weather getting colder, tea and book's my comfort zone! Oooh, sounds interesting! Never read something like that before, but thanks for the suggestion! x

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  14. These sound like great reads! Perfect for a rainy day spent inside!
    Fashion Soup

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  15. There's nothing better than getting snuggled up under a blanket and getting stuck into a great book!

    www.ohsobecky.com

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  16. Love your reading selection! Since the cooler months are coming, I need to find a book to get enveloped in too.

    xx
    atsunamatsui.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! Yes, the colder weather calls for books and tea :)

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  17. Great post, I love that you included your favourite quotes!

    Anika | anikamay.co.uk

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  18. Lovely post!! Would love to connect! Follow me over on BlogLovin:
    https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/oh-k-14258873

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  19. This is a beautiful post :) i love rainy days with books as well! :D Some of these sound super interesting, gonna add them to my list :)
    dresses-and-travels //@susandollparts

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! Yes, be sure to tell me if you liked them or not :)

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  20. Nothing beats a good book and a good cup of tea on a cold day! Love the diary of a Young girl!l
    Chichistashan.blogspot.in

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  21. I have read Just one year series by Gayle Forman and I loved it, really glad you have included in the list. :)
    Also liked the quotes too.

    ZEKALIN

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    Replies
    1. Ahh!! Did you fall in love with Willem as much as I did? You're making me want to re-read the whole series again! Hahaha. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me :)

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  22. Rainy days are the best! Loved those books and your photography was on fleek!! :)
    -Morgs x
    http://justmorgs.blogspot.co.uk

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    Replies
    1. Aw, thank you so much for saying that! Made my morning :D

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  23. Nice post!
    http://shareasecretmag.com/

    xoxo

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