East of Eden (1952)

John Steinbeck’s masterpiece is a sweeping family saga with an overarching theme of the battle between good and evil. Every character, even those seemingly insignificant, are developed well both in complexity and simplicity. At over 600 pages, I savored every word of the text (both on paper and in audio) and immersed myself in the heartbreaking and exhilarating history of the Trasks and the Hamiltons.

One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)

Magical realism at its finest, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude was a shock to the senses; Gregory Rabassa’s beautiful translation did not only make me love it, but had me convinced that I must learn Spanish in order to read it again in its original form. It is the perfect combination of eccentric, original, shocking, and magical – though not for every reader.

Pride and Prejudice (1813)

My ~5th read of this classic did not at all take away from the pleasure of reading it all over again. In fact, it only made me fall in love with this favorite classic… and made me appreciate the other characters as well. Elizabeth Bennet is still my favorite literary heroine of all time. As for Mr. Darcy, I am still waiting for mine, but at least I can enjoy this literary figure meanwhile.

Sense & Sensibility (1811)

I don’t remember liking this that much at all when I first read it. But this year, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it much more than I did the first time. I still like Marianne more than Elinor, but now equally like Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon.

Around the World in Eighty Days (1872)

Without being able to do much traveling this year, I was happy enough to travel through Phileas Fogg and Passepartout – and all over the world at that! This is very much a dated account of world travel, but the humor still rings true! Someday, when I’ve mastered the French language, I hope to read the original text. Although I’ve read this when I was much younger and remember liking it a lot, I enjoyed it even more this time around.

The thought of going ashore to see the town never occurred to him, for he was one of those Englishmen who, when travelling, leave their servants to do their sightseeing for them.

Jules Verne

So much the worse for the sun, sir! The sun will be at fault, then, not my watch.

Jules Verne

A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)

This isn’t what I was expecting at all, in a good way. I’m almost always disappointed in reading plays but this was so well-written and had such an interesting plot and characters. Of course, it led me to discovering Marlon Brando (who I had NO IDEA was THE GODFATHER) in the 1951 film, and it only made me love it more.

The Call of the Wild (1903)

After watching the 2020 film starring Harrison Ford, I wanted to read the book because I wanted to know if the film was loosely based or not. It has been on my to-read list and I knew it was going to be a short read at only about 62 pages. The film is actually very similar and is a great adaptation. It portrays the relationship between a beast weakened by society and the human he found as his own, the human’s love awakening his true nature and setting him wild and free at last.

There is a patience of the wild – dogged, tireless, persistent as life itself – that holds motionless for endless hours the spider in its web, the snake in its coils, the panther in its ambuscade; this patience belongs peculiarly to life when it hunts its living food;

Jack London

The Prince (1532)

Though extremely dated and largely not applicable in America’s democratic society, a lot of the principles / concepts are still familiar, especially in a political landscape, even in the business world. I read this with two of my friends and we held discussions every few chapters and I quite enjoyed hearing different perspectives on the topics. I’m just proud to say, I can now use the term “Machiavellian” in almost full context!

Swann’s Way (Vol. 1, 1913-1927)

This beast of a book at 615 pages is only the FIRST volume out of seven, of the longest novel on record (Guinness World Records) – out of the mind-boggling total of ~4,215 pages. Although I really enjoyed it, it was one of the most (if not THE most) difficult book I’ve ever read, and I’m not even reading in French! Paragraphs go on for pages and pages, and this volume only had 2 chapters. Yep, you don’t even get paragraph breaks, let alone chapter breaks. I’m not sure if this is what they call the stream of consciousness format, but I think that phrase perfectly describes this one. I did get in the mood for madeleines and this inspired me to learn how to bake them and I even invested in madeleine molds made in France!

Greenlights (2020)

I’ve been a fan of Matthew McConaughey since How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and any of his more recent works don’t disappoint. But I never really appreciated the “true” Matthew until I listened to this audiobook Sometime in the future, I’d like to read the book and take notes, since this time around, I just enjoyed it! He is hilarious, talented, and dynamic – and very intellectual at that, too. If you are diving into celebrity memoirs, this should definitely be at the top of your list! Lots of hijinks and gasps in store. Alright, alright, alright.

The Meaning of Mariah Carey (2020)

I think if you’re already a fan of Mariah, you wouldn’t want to miss this. I was a fan of a few of her songs and her talent is undeniable, but I didn’t know anything about her at all. This memoir made me gain more respect for her as an artist, you could tell her passion about music, and I even found out some of the background/context when she wrote several of her songs, including My All.

The Anthropocene Reviewed (2021)

After waiting long for another John Green book to be released, I’m fairly certain I would have read this, even if it was only his grocery list. But this was even more than I ever imagined it would be. I’m quite sure I even love it more than his fictional works. His intellect quite stuns me. And I learned so much, and I wish I would retain it all, but I really do hope to revisit this book again someday. I RATE THIS BOOK 5 STARS.

We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here.

John Green

Fear Is Just a Four-Letter Word (2020)

My dad has been watching Million Dollar Listings: Los Angeles for a while now and I usually catch an episode or two with him. When Tracy Tutor came on the show, I was floored by her confidence and her ability not only to survive, but thrive, in the cutthroat world of real estate, not to mention her fashion sense while at it. So happy this was everything I hoped it would be. I learned a lot from this, and will definitely be keeping her tips in mind, and hopefully in action!

DUNE (1965)

When I found out that Timothée Chalamet is playing the MC in the film, I immediately decided to read the book, and I read it right before I went to see the movie in the theatre. This was almost 700 pages so I didn’t really get to finish reading but stopped at the perfect point where the movie leaves off (it wasn’t revealed that it was only the first part!!)

I absolutely loved DUNE’s world-building and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that shifts from POV to POV within the same chapter, and I really enjoyed that format. For people who haven’t read the book, I noticed that the movie might not have done too good a job of being coherent enough. But I enjoyed it very much, and I think all the characters were perfectly cast, especially Timmy as Paul Atreides.

The Scorpio Races (2011)

Essentially a book about horrifying water horses, I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but I ended up loving it as it was a totally atmospheric read perfect for the month of November.

People We Meet on Vacation (2021)

This was such an engaging and perfect rom-com read! The best friends turned to lovers trope never gets old, and the mystery kept me going until the end!

The Love Hypothesis (2021)

Much hyped and much-deserving of the hype, this was a romcom genre I didn’t know I needed – so glad Ali Hazelwood will keep writing about females from the STEM field. I’m so glad I didn’t let the YA feel of the cover to drive me away from this gem.

Malibu Rising (2021)

I also didn’t know what this was going to be about before I picked it up after reading countless recommendation lists including it. It ended up being an intoxicating tale about the Riva family, mostly centered around the four surfer siblings: Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit. My reading experience was also enhanced by Julia Whelan who narrated the audiobook – she’s in the top 3 of my favorite narrators.