"Please don't talk to me about isolation. No one has to tell me how it changes a person. I have lived it. I am isolation."
- Kya

This speaks to me on another level.
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A little bit of reading before bed. Due to painful joints today I can't hold up the book myself, but Miss Owl is always there for me when I need her.

This book was so good, i savored it as long as i could. It's hard to dose. I simultaneously wanted to know the end and didn't want it to end. When the end inevitably came, it was just as delicious as the rest of the story. This just became one of my favourite novels.

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So @Powered_By_Plants has a really cute Harry Potter themed shelf, and asked to see mine, so here's my own #MagicShelf 😊

I got my first two books on my ninth birthday from my mom. From that point on I got each book as it was released. I probably read the entire series at least once a year. I even had to replace my copy of GoF because the first one almost fell apart. Hogwarts will always be my home, until the very end.❤

It's #ReadingSunday ! Since I have so many hobbies I found it hard to reach my reading goals and this year decided to dedicate my entire sundays to reading. Seemed logical. Books are my religion. And with the loving support of my cat Gizmo and a cup of Russian earl grey, it's gonna be a good one today. ❤

I'm not feeling great at the moment so i decided to curl up on the couch with my crochet project and a new audiobook. Seeing how my country is acting the last few weeks, i thought this would be helpful. So far i'm really enjoying it, it's very witty.

When a writer is hyped up so much, I usually tend to avoid them. It never lives up to my expectations. So it was for years with Slaughter. And then this book came along and I just flew through it. I was biting my nails till the very end and I have so many books to catch up on now. If you like a good murder-mystery I would strongly recommend this one.

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This was the first book I ever read entirely in English. As Dutch is my native language and English my second, I used to just read Dutch. But I had to read this for school and I am so glad they made me read it. Not only did it open my literary world to a whole other language, it's also a very impressive read. Especially if you know someone who's on the autism spectrum.

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If you ever had doubts about religion or having an existential crisis, this book won't help. But it will make you giggle hysterically. You will fall in love with either Aziraphale or Crowley. Or both. After reading you will hum 'Bohemian Rhapsody' every time you enter a car. Bonus: the series is on Amazon and is also very good!

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My all time favourite classic. Though every character has enough flaws to immediately dislike them, still I found all of them endeering in their own way. I loved the wilderness of it all. Even though I read this during commute to school, it didn't stop me from shouting at Heathcliff.

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I couldn't stop laughing with this book. I think I serious hurt my ribs actually. But it was so funny in between all the seriousness. I loved the characters and the writing style was very pleasant. It's very admirable to make such a heavy subject a bit lighter, without diminishing the hardships. Very well done.

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Kind of liked it but I feel like it's written by someone who has no clue whatsoever about how teenage girls behave. A bit unrealistic in my opinion. However, I can understand why this would be a fun read as a teenage girl. Maybe i'm just an old and bitter lady myself.

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I read this some while ago and I must say I had to read a bit of a summary before writing this review. And then it all came flooding back to me, like a suppressed memory suddenly surfaces. I didn't enjoy this particularly. It's not bad writing but it wasn't memorable. And the romance in it was very cringey to me.

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This is the start of a five book series. I'll review them all in once. Not that the individual books don't deserve their own review, because this series is very exciting to read. But i'm afraid I would spoil too much if I say too much. This is classic Andrews in my opinion and i'll leave it at that.

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I picked this up about 4,5 years ago, give or take. If you're interested in politics it's a good read. If you want to know why Hillary has the hairdo she has, it's also very informative. I just had the feeling that the real ugly stuff was glossed over, which is a pity because that would've made this a pick for me.

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I will have to re-read this one soon. It's been quite some time since I last read it. I'm still not sure how I would pinpoint this story. Is it horror, is it fantasy? I found it very funny myself the last time I read it. However, being scared to death for all bugs, the idea of waking up as a giant cockroach is literally the stuff of my nightmares.

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I don't have much to say about this one. I liked it but didn't love it. It's nice for a light read in between some heavier stuff. I can imagine how it would be a great read for those who always wished they would become a princess later. For me it was more of an acknowledgement that I didn't want that.

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I'm not gonna review every book in this series since there are thirteen in total and I couldn't pick a favourite one if I tried. I read them as an adult, which I thought was a pity. I would've loved them even more as a child. The humour is amazing and very witty. Special mention for the wonderfully bittersweet dedications in each book.

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I really liked this. Her poëtic way of writing made it so bittersweet. Her talent especially lies in the beautiful pictures she paints about the various relationships she encounters and the internal struggles she faces. Very powerful and empowering.

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This is a weird read to say the least. The writing is fine, the story is preposterous. I actually felt just as trapped as the main character. I wondered multiple times in what era this was supposed to be, it feels really old at times and then you get these glimpses of modern life, which confused the hell out of me. There are two more books. Maybe some day in the future I will pick those up.

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I'm Dutch, so sometimes i'm gonna do a review of a Dutch writer and sometimes the books won't be translated to English. Luckily this one was. I really liked this. The confusion and uneasy feeling you have while reading is probably exactly what the writer was going for. I only wished the end had been different but he probably was going for realistic and not happily-ever-after.

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This book was kind of a surprise to me. I didn't expect much of it, but it was thrilling and very funny, and the ending, in my opinion, was phenomenal! Definitely a need-to-read for fans of the detective genre. There is mystery, there is excitement, what more do you want?

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I liked this one, though not as much as the first two. It still compelled me to immediately pick up book 4 after i'd finished. I like how Flanagan fleshes out this world book by book. I'm curious if he can keep up the pace.

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When you're only on page 18 and already have to choke back tears, you know it's gonna be a special one.

Brought to you by the writer of the Twilight saga, comes this amazing sci-fi novel. If the enemy wants to cure all diseases and banish all violence, are they really the enemy? What if the price would be the surrender of your entire being? Is it worth it? The story and characters completely took me by surprise. I liked Twilight, cliches and all. But this is on another level. Well done, Meyer.

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I read this book for the first time when I was an awkward teen riddled with anxiety and absolutely no clue about boys or relationships or sex in general. This book didn't teach me any of that stuff. But it gave me a literal escape when my girlfriends were in giggle mode. It also made me want an iguana as a pet, but unfortunately my mom wouldn't go for it. A very fun read.

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When I first read this one, I was ten years old and here I am today, twenty years later, and it still is my favourite book series of all time. I find most adults don't quite appreciate the first two books though. My advice to those people is to lighten up. We can all use a bit of magic right?

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I am not one to bail on a book. I picked this up because the subject, the religious prosecution of women, seemed interesting enough. However, I like my non-fiction to be purely factual so I can form my own opinions and it quickly became obvious that Armstrong is very opinionated herself. But sometimes she gets really mean. If I were a religious person, i'd be a bit offended to be honest.

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This book warmed my heart as a reader, as well as a writer. Hosseini does a great job of getting you really invested in the main character. You feel everything he feels and I was left with the idea I lived an entire life between starting and finishing the book. Extraordinary.

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There are a lot of books about WW2. Sometimes I feel like i've read them all, though I know I haven't even read maybe 1% of all that is out there. This one took me by surprise and made me rethink the genre. With every page it vastly became one of my favourite WW2 stories and, ultimately, one of my favourite books in general.

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I loved this book! It's my first read of Andy Weir and it definitely won't be my last. It's giving me original, pure sci-fi and I went through the pages like someone in a desert desperate for water. The original characters are refreshing and the image he creates for the future isn't as scary as in some other sci-fi stories. Not all has to be dystopian, and he gets that.

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This kind of story isn't my cup of tea. My mom was lyrical about it. I'll say it's well written. And I do love some mysterie and intrigue. But this was a tad too much for my taste. It's very heavy on the whole law jargon and it can get a bit tedious after a long chapter. The story was fine. Am I glad I read it? Yes, cause now my mom will stop pestering me about it. Will I read it again? Hard pass.

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Get all the trigger warnings you can find and put them on this book. This is one of the most amazing novels i've ever read. But opinions are split; either you find it brilliant or you hate it. I found there's usually no in between. My guess is that the experience of hardship/trauma in the past is a good way to prepare for this book. If you had it "easy" in life, you probably won't get through.

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I'm still not entirely sure what it exactly is that i read. But i found myself trapped in this wonderfully enchanting story, which took me to a place between fairytale, sci-fi and fantasy. I can't stress enough how magical this book is, you have to read it for yourself to know.

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Nothing better than a dystopian novel that makes your own dystopian life less disturbing. If you've missed the whole Hunger Games hype this is a great read. I would definitely recommend reading the series before watching the movies, so you can enjoy the same rage I had when everything I imagined got smashed to pieces. You'd think i'd have learned by now that the book is always better.

So this is the omnibus of all Hitchhiker books, which I own a very battered copy of. I read this at least once a year, usually as a pick me up. It's humour is unparalleled and I often wish all sci-fi was like this. How absurd or confusing it may seem, stick with it and you won't regret it. Just remember, whatever you do: DON'T PANIC!

A very interesting read. Sometimes you want to be able to go into the story to help the protagonist. This is one of them. Taking place in the era of the Cultural Revolution in China, it does an amazing job of viewing every aspect of life, through the eyes of just one girl. Incredible.

With the introduction of a new, female character, I got really excited, just to be immediately a bit disappointed by the cliche of it all. As an experienced fantasy reader there's no big surprises or twists you'll never see coming. Since I know there's still a long way to go in the series, i'm hoping for one hell of a character arc for some of them. Still curious where this will take me, so that's always a good sign.

I love me some fantasy. I've waited a very long time to start this series, though i've owned it a long time. I started and finished the first four within a week. It's not highly original. Sometimes even a bit cliche. But it's also like coming home after a long, cold day and stepping into a hot bath, for the true fantasy fan. I haven't been this excited by a teenage boy since I was a teenager myself.

This read was a struggle. It starts of very dry and even the parts that had my initial interest were very boring to read. While my reading comprehension is pretty good, I found myself reading some sentences multiple times. And it is so big. Intimidatingly so. I wouldn't judge you if you stayed away from it. But I did learn from it. It gave me new insights in the modern society and where our future could go. The ending made up for the rough start.

This one was one of those rare finds where the cover and the description did little to really spark my interest. For that reason it lived in my house for almost three years before I finally read it. And what a read! I only recently discovered my love for historical fiction, and with this one the love deepened. At first very romantic, downright petrifying at the end and I wouldn't recommend reading it before bed if you're prone to nightmares.

I would definitely recommend this one. I came by this book when I was looking for something funny to read. Now, I wouldn't say it's hilarious or laugh out loud funny. It's more of a dry, morbid kind of humour, but it did the trick and I read it in one go. If you ever wanted to know what it's like to be lesbian, a taxidermist, or both, this is a must-read. If you have siblings and were always the "example" child, it will hit home hard.

So what's not to love? Neil Gaiman is brilliant and his telling of these much loved legends is so enjoyable and easy to read, I think I fell in love with them even more. People who read other stuff from Gaiman will enjoy it, people who never heard of him will also enjoy it. I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't enjoy it. Except maybe Thor.

I always feel a bit sqeamish reviewing a book with such a heavy subject. But these stories have a need to be told and I have a need to form an opinion about the writing so let's do this. I enjoyed the writing not so much, at times it was very slow and repetitive. However the story itself is incredible and somehow morbidly humerous. The apathy and indifference that comes with trauma was very well done in my opinion. All in all, pretty impressive.

We follow John Carter, a soldier, when he suddenly finds himself on the Red Planet. I loved the symbolism, where the Tharks are like the Native Americans and their enemies are described as "the big white apes". I didn't really like the way Dejah Thoris, the female main character, is described purely as a physical object to admire. We get it, she is attractive, move on already. If you're into sci-fi, this is a must-read.

The story follows Ayla, one of the homo sapiens to walk the earth when humans were still foraging and gathering. She ends up with the tribe, with all the problems that occur when you look and think differently. I didn't had that "I need to finish" urge, but you can pick it up wherever you left off and you're immediately immersed in the story once more. Beautiful story, decently written and the first of a series. I will be reading part two soon.