Human Condition: Reading In Life

The latest mission in Human Condition really spurred me to get back on track on my reading. Honestly, my target was to read 20 books in 2013 and I am not even in the halfway mark :(

Their mission this time was read for the whole week. This proved to be a challenging one because amidst their busy schedules, they have to clock in 3 hours of reading time in a day. Amaaazing. I should be doing such missions.

So the other day I was picking up some books to lend to a friend and to my horror, discovered that a few of my old Nicholas Sparks' titles were missing! This somehow reminded me of a conversation I had with another friend regarding incidences of books that were borrowed but never returned. So I was telling QQ and she told me that she had some books left on her shelves. I thought I had moved everything to my mini library corner.

*Edited*

Just checked and she was right. First book I recognised was Nicholas Sparks' At First Sight.

I am still up for reaching my target of 20.

Personal mission: Gonna try finishing a book each week.

Deluxe - How Luxury Lost Its Luster

Currently reading: Deluxe - How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas

"The idea, luxury executives explained, was to "democratize" luxury, to make luxury "accessible". It all sounded so noble. Heck, it sounded almost communist." But it wasn't. It was as capitalist as it could be: the goal, plain and simple, was to make as much money as heavenly possible."

An incredibly interesting read. 

Life.

"Haven't you heard that life is like a series of movies?" 

"No. Tell me." 

"Well, you have adventures. All start out with troubles, but then you admit your problems and become a better person by working really hard, which is what fertilizes the happy ending and allows it bloom - just like the end of all the Rocky films, Rudy, The Karate Kid, the Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies, and the Goonies, which are my favorite films, even though I have sworn off movies until Nikki returns, because now my own life is the movie I will watch, and well, it's always on."

The Silver Linings Playbook

books.

I don't know whether it's due to the holiday season that I have the mood to read the bunch of books that's been sitting on the bookshelves waiting to be read. To date (within a span of 2 weeks or so), I am done with 3 books and am moving on to my fourth. Probably it's the amount of time at my expense that I am currently enjoying now that allows me to do as such.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding 
Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Have just started on Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki. A true story of a Geisha. One funny incident that happened on the train today - I was telling QQ about me reading the books that she got but has yet to read or read halfway and Geisha of Gion was one of it. And she was like, "No, you're the one who bought the book not me." I was defensive about it because I am pretty sure it was her who bought it and went to say, "It's you. There was a time you were so into Asian literature (read: Haruki Murakami, Peony in Love or something like that written by a Lisa Lee.. I think..). She was so damn sure it wasn't her who got the book and then I recalled there was one time I read Memoirs of a Geisha and loved the book so much and was sad when I was done with it. It was then I realised that it was probably me who got it.

Oh well. When I got the book from the bookshelf earlier this morning, I saw a boarding pass as I flipped through the pages. It must have been me as I love using random pieces of paper as bookmarks at most times (e.g. receipts) but I guess that is better than using a folded piece of tissue paper, which I found in one of QQ's books.

list.

1. South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami
2. After Dark by Haruki Murakami
3. If You Could See Me Now by Cecilia Ahern 
4. A Place Called Here by Cecilia Ahern
5. Lost Symbol by Dan Brown