For this year's reading challenge on GoodReads, I pledged to read 80 books this year. One of my goals I've set in the beginning of 2018 was to continue improving my writing and expand my ideas and vocabulary - and no better way to help me achieve this than to enrich myself with books!

Over the past couple of months, I've been collecting new books and reaching out for old ones I haven't touched in years. I've found - and re-discovered - insightful and interesting books that I'd like to share with you all! Here are the list of books I've been loving and reading recently - most of which I aim to finish by the end of this month...


1. A Little Book of Language David Crystal - I've had this book for a while but only managed to read one of its chapters. But when I was organizing my bookshelf, I picked this up and started reading it from page one and I've been hooked. Crystal thoroughly explores the concept of language, giving insight into things I didn't know about - such as how the first thing babies pick up in languages is intonation and rhythm.

2. The Guest Cat Takashi Hiraide - I am in love with this book and it is, by far, one of my favorite books! With its sweet and detailed descriptions and insightful references to philosophical concepts, it's a book that warms my heart every time I read it.

3. The Moon and Sixpence Somerset Maugham - This books is particularly an interesting one. I don't often come across 20th century books that aren't classics, but I bought this one time from a secondhand bookshop. The story was interesting to me; it was about a middle-aged man who, after living a very average life, runs away to pursue his desire of painting. What drew me to this book was the title: it apparently came from a review of another book by Maugham "Of Human Bondage" where its protagonist was described as "so busy yearning for the moon that he never saw the sixpence at his feet".

These are just a few books that I've been reading recently and aim to finish by the end of this month. I am open ears for new books to read, so let me know of any new titles you'd recommend!

Now that it's the beginning of May, before starting off the month I would like to share a little poem I wrote. Since April was the National Month of Poetry, I wanted to honor one of the oldest and the most inspiring literary arts. Due to the Spring semester's Final Exams, I hadn't had the time to write anything but here I am, on summer break, and here's a little sonnet I wrote!

Now that it's summer, I have plenty of time to indulge myself in books, and books, and books! I've been reading a wide range of genres from good ole' classic literatures, dystopian novels, epic poems and manga. I really want to read as many different genres this summer, so if anyone has any recommendations I would love to hear them! Here are the books that I've been reading so far:

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov


This particular novel has a very unusual plot; it's about a middle-aged man torn between being a pedophile and being in love because he has an infatuation for a 12 year old girl. Despite this bizarre story, I think it's a very interesting read with an expressive style of writing and that has become one of my favourite classics.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury


I've just started reading this recently and I'm only midst through the first chapter but so far it's already captivating. It's set in a futuristic society whereby a guy named Guy Montag is a fireman who destroys printed books, seen as an illegal commodity, and then burns down the houses in which they were hidden. I opened this book because of the mass amount of reviews of how impactful and compelling it was, and so far it already has my attention.

The Odyssey by Homer


The Odyssey is one of two parts of an epic poem by Greek philosopher Homer and it's about hero, Odysseus, and his journey home after the ten-year Trojan War. It is a sequel to the other part, Iliad, set during the Trojan War which mainly focuses on the quarrel between King Agamemnon and Achilles. In reading the first chapter, I never knew that the entire book was a poem because it's written in a storytelling style which I thought was quite interesting. I've always had an interest in Greek mythology, so this one is a must-read for me this summer.

the gods lie. by Kaori Ozaki


As a visual person and someone obsessed with anime and Japanese culture, I had to get my hands on this. I don't normally read manga's or comic books, but the title the gods lie caught my attention and I wanted to read it. Like some of the other books I mentioned, I'm only midst through the first chapter, but to summarise the blurb it's about a sweet boy named Natsuru Nanao who forms an unlikely friendship with Rio Suzumura, whom he spends a lot of time with. With great visuals, I find it visually stimulating and aesthetically satisfying :D


Also, during my relaxation I've begun writing a new fictional story, sampaguita my flower, in which you can read on my Wattpad here and written under my pen name Lily. It tells the story of a young teenage girl called Jasmine who is a bloodthirsty sadistic killer with the desire for vengeance, killing those who have committed crimes. She lives in the slums of Manila, but her background is relatively unknown. However, as she takes more lives, her past slowly unfolds and in each bloodbath, she recalls nostalgic memories of the one person she knew.

Sampaguita is the Philippine national flower and the name is apparently derived from the Spanish sumpa kita which translates to "I promise you".

It's my first story ever, so I'd really like for you to read it and give some feedback! (Not suitable for youths or those with a distaste in violence as it contains graphic content).

Poetry Blog
Since I like writing poetry, I've decided to create another blog which will be more poetry and short story blog. It will kind of be my portfolio, presenting my work in an aesthetic way! The link is over here but it is quite empty at the moment as I'm still working on writing my poems; other than that, I hope you like the design and some of my content. :D

Thanks for reading!

With a big smile on my face, I'd like to announce that I'M OFFICIALLY DONE WITH GCSEs!!!

After months of studying hard, I finally finished my GCSEs exams and I have officially left school! Now all that's left is prom and results day!!

When my last exam ended, I decided to celebrate my last day by reading (how typical for an introvert) and I read this book filled with love poems by Lang Leav called Lullabies. These collections of poems have inspired me to write (more like attempt) my own poem!