My 2024 Reading Wrap-Up

2024 has been a busy year, but I'm happy and proud to say that this year I made it! I may have only barely touched the finishing line in time, but it's still better than not doing it at all and better than what I did last year! So, without further ado... Let us see the goals I had set for myself for the year that passed and see if I reached them...

1. Read at least 20 books   ✔
   
   I'm verry happy that this year I managed to complete my Goodreads reading challenge, which I had set for 20 books! I know it's a small number, but considering my life and how busy I am, it's not a small thing for me and I'm happy that I could make it!
   
   
2. Read at least 2 classics   ✔
   
   Now, this challenge is probably the one that I'm most proud of for 2024. Not that reading 2 classics a year is much of a deal, but for a person like me who does not gravitate towards classic books, it's something... Not only did I read more than 2 classics, but I read more than I thought and expected I could and more than any previous year.
   
   So, the classic books I read this year were:
   a. "The Selfish Giant", by Oscar Wilde (which was basically a re-read, since I had read it before, but still it was some years ago and I needed to remember it).
   b. "Oliver Twist", by Charles Dickens.
   c. "The Metamorphosis", by Franz Kafka.
   d. "The Prince", by Nicolo Machiavelli.
   e. "The Magic Shop", by H. G. Wells.
   f. "The lottery ticket", by Anton Chekhov.
   
   
   I've already made posts about some of these books, I'll try to talk about all of them in the future...
   
   
3. Listen to at least 2 audiobooks   ✔
   
   Out of the 20 books I read this year, 7 were audiobooks. And while I'm happy that I reached my goal, I do wish I would have read more physical books.
   
   
4. Read at least 2 non-fiction books   ✔
   
   This year I read 3 non-fiction books:
   
   a. "Ikigai", by Hector Garcia (which is kind of a self-help book).
   b. "Master Your Emotions", by Thibaut Meurisse (self-help, again).
   c. "The Prince", by Nicolo Machiavelli (which I mentioned again before and which is a political treatise).
   
   
   
5. Read at least 2 Stephen King books   ✘
   
   I even bought two Stephen King Books to have at the ready on my library, but I still failed this one! But, I'll try extra harf to make it next year!
   
   
6. Keep reviewing the books I read   ✔
   
   I've tried really hard to keep up with the reviews and the blog but, on this one, I feel like the success was 50-50. Like I kind of made it and kind of didn't. I did try quite a bit and wrote as much as I could, but I wasn't as consistent as I could have been throughout the entirety of the year. Which is fine, but I'll make a note to do better this time around.
   
   

So, I feel like 2024 has been an okay reading year as far as numbers go, and a pretty good year conserning the contents and quality of the things that I have read. So, in retrospect I'm satisfied with how everything went. I hope and wish 2025 will be even better and I'll try to make it so...

How has your reading year been? Fell free to share in the comments!

"Master Your Emotions: A Practical Guide To Overcome Negativity And Better Manage Your Feelings" || Quotes And Bits Of Wizdom

Happy new year!

I meant to upload this post before 2024 was over, but life happened and I didn't have time, so I guess it will be my first post of 2025. 

I listened to this audiobook a while ago and it was quite interesting.  I didn't love it, as a matter of fact I only rated it 2/5*, but I did find a few interesting bits about it and a few quotes that put me in thought. So, I thought of sharing those with you and discussing my thoughts on them.

"Events that happen to you bear no meaning in themselves, you give them meaning only through your interpretation of those events."

When I read this phrase my whole view point shifted. I had never thought of it that way. If you think about it, it's right; events are just events, they don't carry inherent meaning. They mean what we make them mean, they take the meaning and importance we decide to give them. 

"Attachment creates beliefs and these beliefs lead you to experience certain emotions."

I guess I had never thought of what it is that creates beliefs. Reading this quote, I suppose that attachment is indeed one of the things that creates and solidifies beliefs in us. Attachment to people, objects, habits, even attachment to inner thoughts, hopes and dreams. It is how we create not only beliefs, but expectations as well. 

Consequently, it's those solidified, cemented beliefs and expectations that we keep, safeguard, treasure, cling on, and often refuse to change that not only create but also affect and change our emotions. It is our inner thoughts and most deeply held beliefs that lead us to experience different emotions. 

So, I guess, if you can realize this, and be conscious about it, you will probably be able to handle your emotions and the situations linked to them. You'll be able to be in control of certain situations, instead of letting them control you and your mental and emotional stability.

"Ego is the identity you have created for yourself. Ego is a need for identity. Ego is only concerned about its own survival."

And

"Ego is neither good nor bad, it's just a result of a lack of self awareness. It fades away as you become aware of it, as ego and awareness cannot coexist."

And

"The ego leads through comparison. It likes to compete with other egos. The ego is never satisfied it always wants more."

These three quotes about ego put me in a lot of thought. I combined them in this post, and put them side by side, because to me, they complete each other and they make more sense when studied together. 

I really liked how the author touched the subject of ego and how he phrased everything. As I was reading this part of the book, something clicked in my mind and I did not expect it. I feel I have nothing to add to these quotes, nothing further to analyze, I just wanted to put them in this post as they are.

"Loneliness is not cured by human company, it's cured by contact with reality by understanding we don't need people. Once you realise you don't need anyone you can actually start enjoying people's company. You can see them as what they are rather than trying to get something from them."

I love this bit, because it's something that I have always thought about. I have often been surrounded by people who felt lonely, and in their loneliness, they would despair and result to wrong solutions, as hanging with the wrong people or making bad decisions in general. I have also felt lonely myself a few times, and I realized first hand that it was not a feeling easily cured or changed. 

Feeling lonely can make you think that you need others to fight this loneliness when this couldn't be further from the truth. This is how we end up surrounding ourselves with people that mean nothing to us, that we don't love or care about, only in order to try and fight our loneliness. The only way to fight loneliness is to sit and work with yourself. Working with your self-esteem and self-awareness can lead you to really understand who you are deep inside, figure out your worth and your uniqueness. It can help you realize if you need others in your life or not, how you need them to be a part of your life, and why you may have that need. 

I've always thought that the most important relationship we each have in life is the one with ourselves. So, once you've mended your relationship with yourself and worked with yourself enough, it should be as natural and easy to be in your own presence, as with anyone else's. And being well with yourself can feel liberating and healing and it's ultimately the only thing that might help you fight loneliness.

"Men imagine that thought can be kept secret but it cannot. It rapidly crystallizes into habit and habit solidifies into circumstance. Thoughts generate emotions and emotions dictate your actions."

I found this one interesting as well. Do thoughts really crystallize into habit and solidify into circumstance? I believe they do. I also believe that our thoughts and emotions can dictate our actions. In that way, some times even our misconceptions and wrong ideas may dictate our actions, therefore leading us to wrong paths. 

"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka || A Book Review

If you were searching for a book that will make you think and give you food for thought, then "The Metamorphosis" is what you're looking for. I can clearly see why this book has been so widely talked about and why there have been so many different interpretations and correlations put into this story over the years.

Gregor Samsa, the main character of the book, awakes from a bad dream, into a mad nightmare, as he has overnight transformed into a big, hideous bug. His first thought upon finding out he's a beetle is how he's going to miss work and this tells you, I think, all you need to know about him. His job and contribution to his family have become the very essence of his character, they have come to defy him to the point where he can't even imagine himself outside of it, even if the whole world turned upside down.

Throughout the story, he realizes just how insignificant he is - leading the reader to also realize how insignificant we all, ultimately, are in the greater scheme of things. As a bug, he's no longer the backbone of his family, its most important member, instead, he has been swept aside, forgotten, and has now become a burden, while the family adapts, finds new means of survival and life continues as it always must.

"The Metamorphosis" is also a metaphor that demonstrates how little, insignificant, and ugly society can make you feel if you are different, and how horribly it will treat you if you don't fit in - not much differently than Gregor's family makes him feel once he doesn't fit anymore. Gregor's family works as a metaphor for the society and this book manages to paint a brutal depiction of them, especially in their state of tremendous turmoil. The truths within the story are all the more obvious by the absurdist, dark humor in Kafka's work, which derives from his self-sarcasm.

The narration is slow and repetitive but not in a negative way. This style of narration perfectly fits the story, as it outlines the story's nature and highlights the surreal dimension of Gregor's condition and his mental state as well. This story probably couldn't have been told any other way. The immobility to which he has been forced through his condition nails us - and the narration - to the ground, making it as slow and excruciating as his first steps in his new condition as a bug. The language is simple and accessible, with a good touch of irony.

The ending is pretty sad. It leaves you with no answers or explanations, it instead lets you draw your own conclusions and lessons from the story. Gregor’s family, and Gregor, cannot stop what is happening. They just have to go on with it and hope to make it through to the other side. Forced into a situation we cannot control, we perish. Such is life.

The "Metamorphosis" is surreal, inexplicable, bewildering, and unusual, yet utterly compelling. It opens several doors of reflection on different themes such as dependence, work, a ruthless world, social relationships, family, powerlessness the futility of human existence, and the meaning of life. This isn’t a story that will ever leave the reader. It’s haunting and told with realistic mundanity. 

"Ikigai" || Book Review

 

I saw this book at a bookstore and loved the cover. It stayed on my mind for a while and when the book got in my hands and I read the synopsis, I decided to read it. This book is a "collection" of advice on how to live a better, longer life mostly based on Japanese culture and Asian practices.

The book does offer some insight and a different point of view on life than what we in the West have been used to. The ideas are mostly mildly interesting but nothing new or grand either. Some of the advice is pretty basic and shared amongst many people worldwide: sleep well, eat well, exercise moderately... Nothing new there... The parts that do have something to offer are the ones talking about less practical, more abstract concepts, like how to approach problems in life, how a sense of community contributes to a better life,

Something that bothered me about the book is that the writer keeps contradicting himself. He will make a statement at the beginning and try to prove it and a few pages later he will make another statement that directly opposes the first one. I can't tell if he realizes he did it and just happens to carry a few contradicting opinions, or if he hadn't realized. 

He also tends to repeat the same ideas - as if to fill pages - but doesn't really put an effort into a more detailed, more in-depth, and more nuanced discussion.

Overall, there are some good bits in the book but it was mostly boring. It offers quick overviews of various concepts but doesn't delve deep into any one topic. It felt like the intent was right but the execution was lost midway. The book may be a good choice for someone new to the self-help genre, but it wouldn't be of much value to someone who has read other similar books before.

I rated this book 2/5* as it was nothing great, but not terrible either. 

I hope you found my review useful and that you have enjoyed the post. I'd love to read your opinions of the book if you've read it and also any recommendations you may have!

"Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens || Book Review

"Oliver Twist" is one of these books that I've wanted to read for a long time, but never got around to it. I'm very happy I finally read it and even more excited to write a review about it!

The writing is simple, clear, and easy to understand, yet well-structured and concise. It makes sense why it would be a recommended read for school for young students and English learners. The plot, while fairly simple, is tight and solid. The plot points are tied seamlessly with strong narration and beautiful prose, thus making the story even more compelling. The language is easy to understand and beautiful as well.

The characters are well-written, distinct, and memorable. You can clearly see the symbolism and connections between characters and the themes/morals they represent. Oliver represents kindness, pureness, and hope. In short, he represents everything good and positive, trying to survive in this dark and negative world, full of bad and negative people trying to take you down and full of hard circumstances. 

However, as likable and good as Oliver's character was throughout the story, my favorite character has to be Nancy. Nancy starts in a bad place in the story, life has brought her there to survive and she has become cruel herself. She manages, however, to see the error in her ways, to understand what's right, and even to stand up against all evil forces. I loved her character development, I loved how she changed the course of events with her actions/decisions and I was really sad about her ending. To me, she represents all the people who - even in the hardest, darkest of circumstances - make the choice to stand up and make a difference.

The villains were all really disgusting, each one of them representing different bad qualities and all of them equally well-portrayed.

There's some mystery in the story regarding Oliver's real identity and it's interesting how it slowly unravels with each page. The outcome of the story is not the most unpredictable or surprising but it does have quite a bit of suspense and holds your interest well.

I guess, the main message of the story is that goodness, kindness, and mercy can survive through every kind of hardship and will, in the end, prevail. Life is unfair and cruel but Oliver stays strong, grows out of humiliation and abuse, and holds on to his virtues. 

I rated this book 4/5*. It's not hard to see why this book is so widely loved and recommended. It's one of these books that are not only worth your time and attention but one of the books that one ought to read within their lifetime...