In the month of February I decided to tip my toe in and rediscover some romance and contemporary reads I’ve had on my radar but never really gave a chance. And in the end, it made me question why I’ve come to neglect the genre. YA contemporaries seem to hold this charm that I can’t shake off. And with summer right around the corner, I’ll probably end up picking more and more of them as they seem to be getting better and better.
But for now let’s focus on the 17 books I did read this month:
Books I haven’t stopped thinking about:
Motherest by Kristen Iskandrian.
Note: I’m an Amazon Affiliate. If you’re interested in buying Motherest, just click on the image above to go through my link. I’ll make a small commission!
Even weeks after, I can’t quite gather my overall thoughts and feelings on this book. I know for a fact that I can’t stop thinking about it, and that I haven’t read anything like it before. Plus, it opened up my eyes to a new and fascinating topic for me to explore in books, which promptly made me add a similar read – Rebecca Barrow’s You Don’t Know Me but I Know You – to my TBR. However, with all the positives, I can’t dismiss the fact that I found a couple of aspects to be problematic, which consequently stopped me from adding it to my all-time favorites. I’m just… really unsure and mixed up with what to take out of this.
The book is set to come out on August 1st, 2017, so I’m hoping that by then my thoughts will feel more sorted. I have a full review up for it on my blog here.
Honorable Mention:
I watched one of the most hard-hitting and moving films this month: Lion.
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A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
List of things I felt during Lion:
- I kept pausing the film so I could gather myself together and not end up like an emotional wreck. Even more so when I was reminded of the fact that the film is based on a true story.
- The actors are beyond phenomenal, but I’ve got to give it out especially to Sunny Pawar (who played young Saroo Brierley).
For the first half of Lion, Pawar practically carried the film on his shoulders and did so outstandingly. His performance made my eyes prick with tears more than a handful of times.
- Also, Dev Patel, who plays Saroo Brierley two decades later, is an astonishing actor and human. GO SUPPORT HIM LIKE HE SUPPORTS SUNNY.
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- Sia, one of my all-time favorite singers, contributed a beautifully chilling song to the film:
- Lion changed me, sparked something that I didn’t know was there before, to paraphrase Queens of Geek. And I’m eternally grateful for that if nothing else.
- However, I think it’s important to note and warn that the film is not a light one. In fact, it might be one of the most harrowing movies I’ve seen this year. Beyond excellent, but I don’t think I’ll rewatch it any time soon. Still, it’s something I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
- And above all, Lion brings light to an important cause that’s helping protect street children.
- Support, support, support.
That was my February wrap-up, thank you for reading!