The Little Free Library: It's Finally Installed

In the second week of September, I was thrilled to see my Little Free Library installed at my college town’s new trailhead. It was a satisfying and proud moment for both my professor and I; we both worked endlessly in trying to find a home for my book exchange, and luckily, we did. After an entire year of my Little Free Library sitting in my apartment, patiently waiting for the day for it to be stored with books, I can finally watch it prosper.

For all who do not know, during my junior year in college, I had to work on an academic project for my Technical Writing I class. The main focus of the project was for students to solve a dilemma on or off campus.  While wracking up my brain with different ideas, I came across a website called “The Little Free Library.” Created and initiated by Tod Bol of Wisconsin, it is a nonprofit organization with a goal to promote literacy in the United States an abroad. My main objective for the project was to not only solve a problem that I felt needed to be addressed in my college community, but to also find something creative that could potentially unite a community—it so happens that the Little Free Library was the best way to do it!

The main focus of the Little Free Library is for people in the area to take a book, share a book, and exchange it with a new read. It is a wonderful way to inspire non-readers to read, encourage children to value books, and to give book-lover’s a chance to exhibit their love of reading by sharing their favorite pieces of literature.

After devising proposals and writing grants, I was able to successfully receive funding for purchase of the book-swap and book donations from nonprofit organizations in my college community.

Now I finally got to see my vision come true! I am amazed at the amount of positive responses I have received from local residents about my little library. People have been ecstatic and enthused about having a book exchange right in town. Every time I stop by and check up on my little library, I see it filled with an array of different books. It’s truly a rewarding feeling to see people get so involved in a small movement like this.

I guess I truly have accomplished my goal, which was to unify an entire area. And I am happy to share that I aspired another college student to start a second book exchange in the community as well.

For those interested in learning more about the Little Free Library movement, I encourage you to check out their website: www.littlefreelibrary.org. You can also purchase your book exchange box from the organization, which is handmade by the Amish, or purchase other knick-knacks for an already installed book exchange.

(To read a previous post about my journey and more thorough information about the Little Library, check out my old post: https://simplybookishblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/little-free-library-movement.html).


x, Kayla

What I've Been Up To

I broke my promise. I promised to read a ton of books and book review them all, but life got in the way. Balancing a job and an internship, simultaneously, proved to be a difficult task. And unfortunately, I could not book review all the books I read because of time constraints.

But here is a life update: I just started my senior year in college (hooray). So close to finishing, but yet so far away.

For the past summer, I did an internship at Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS). It is a nonprofit organization that oversees 20 different historic sites, as well as other neat stuff, in the community. I ran an entire exhibit during a massive, non-gated, free-music festival; it was an oral history, photography, and memorabilia exhibition. I am proud of what I have accomplished in my internship, but I am happy and relieved that it is finally over. While I did my internship, I also worked part-time--which also made my summer even more busier.

Although I did not have much to do book reviews, here are the books that I did get a chance to read over the summer months and their ratings:

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (3.5/5)

The Black Notebook by Patrick Modiano (2/5)

The Last Day's of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley (3.5/5)

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn (3.5/5)

In summary: my summer reads ended up being a (somewhat) huge disappointment. Not only did I not read as much as I hoped to, but the books that I did read were not worthwhile. The Last Day's of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley was a book that I enjoyed, but could not fall in love with. When I decided to read the Handmaid's Tale, I was greatly saddened by how I felt about it after I finished it. I read it with high expectations--especially since everyone was raving about it--and ended up feeling indifferent; I felt that the story itself was incomplete and there were parts in the story that were vague. The Black Notebook was a book I regret even buying--nothing in the story made sense and there was no plot. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn was a good and short read, but again, I felt as if the story was incomplete; although it is supposed to be a short story, something certainly felt missing. 

I learned a lesson: DON'T READ BOOKS THAT EVERYONE ELSE IS READING. Yes, some people may feel compelled to read a book that is trending because EVERYONE is reading it--but in all honesty, reviewers may not always be right about a book. My suggestion is to read a book that aligns with your interests. I read what everyone else was reading, and I ended up hating the books or not falling in love with them as I thought I would. I read each of them with high expectations, but became disappointed which led me to undergo a huge reading-slump, as a result.  

Hopefully, in the coming months, I will get to read books that are more book-review-worthy. And I promise to keep up with the reviews!

x, Kayla 

Memoirs of a Geisha + Madness

Hello everyone!

Now I really really apologize for being M.I.A for the past month. Things have been chaotic lately. Working seven days out of a week can definitely drain you both physically and mentally. But I have had some time off and I feel super rejuvenated, so I decided to take the time and make book reviews that I had promised to my devoted readers way back in May.

I cannot believe that we are already in June, and by next week we will be in July. Unfortunately, my summer break has not allowed me to read as much as I would like to because of my busy schedule. Last month, I finished reading Madness by Roald Dahl, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What I did not get to finish was Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Maybe I’ll pick up in the near the future, but I found it really hard to read through. His writing and prose was dull and too descriptive—he made the narrator kind of annoying due to her naiveté. I am ashamed to even say this but I did not even make it to page 100! I just did not find it interesting—the storyline did not captivate me as I thought it would. Also, the way that Golden portrayed the Geisha culture was inaccurate. I understand it the book is “historic fiction” but that does not mean that the author has the right to skew the Japanese culture and how Geisha is valued and seen in Japan. I do not want to go into too much detail, since I did not get a chance to read the whole book, but all I can say is that I do not know how the book was an international bestseller—it is astounding.

Madness is a collection of short of grim tales. I found Dahl’s storyline concepts to bear great similarity to Shirley Jackson’s Dark Tales, but Dahl’s main focus is exploring insanity. Because I read it last month, I do not remember the specific stories that gave me the chills, that captivated me, that shocked me—but there is no question about it, Dahl is a phenomenal writer who appeals to any generation and person.  I did only find his short stories to be grim and forbidding, but I found it to be also amusing and entertaining. What I love about this one collection of his short tales is that readers get to appreciate his imagination, his talent, creativity, and his writing style for adults. Dahl is best known as an acclaimed author of children stories, but we never get to see the “dark” side of him that is displayed through Madness. Fortunately, this is one collection out three other editions that all focus on a specific theme. I do plan on reading more adult stories by him, so I will definitely keep you—my readers—posted on it.

All in all, Memoirs of a Geisha was a not a book that kept me interested—it was both the mundane prose and knowledge of knowing that the story was and is historically inaccurate; therefore, I give this book two stars. Madness is a book that I recommend any person who is interested in weird, insane and bizarre tales, and because of that, I give it a four star rating.

x, Kayla

What I am Reading in May + Timeless Readers Book Club

It has been approximately one and a half weeks since the semester finished, and I am doing my best to enjoy my summer! Currently, I am enduring a rough period, which I like to call the “reading slumps”, as of right now. But I am trying my best to finish some of the reads that I started last month.

Back in early or mid-April, I joined a self-made book club called the Timeless Readers, which are devised by two rising bookstagrammers/bookbloggers that I follow on Instagram. This particular book club is focused on reading historical fiction novels—and I am so glad that I am participating in this book club because historical fiction is not a popular reading genre. I am ashamed to admit that even though I am a history major, I do not usually read any historical fiction novels. Maybe because I cannot find any that intrigue me, or maybe it is because historical fiction novels are not highly publicized compared to other well-known genres like Young Adult (YA), contemporary, and fiction novels.  Therefore, I am eager to expand my reading taste or palette to other unpopular reading genres.

For the month of May, members in Timeless Readers have voted to read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. So far, I find it interesting—but I am also finding it difficult to read through it only because nothing captivating has happened to make me want to read more. The one thing that I always hate about reading or starting a new book is that most books start with slow beginnings, and most writers take their time getting to the “good” parts in the book. I also have some negative opinions on the historical accuracy of the book. Even though it is based on fictional characters, the entire premise of the book is inspired by Japanese traditional culture and the role that geishas play within the culture. I cannot wait until I start a separate book review on the book and share my perspective to other fellow readers on it.

Not only am I reading Memoirs of a Geisha, but I am also reading:

• A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab 
• Madness by Roald Dahl

I do not think I will be writing a book review on the Gathering of Shadows (which is the second book in the Shades of Magic series), only because there are an array of book reviews on the book and entire series that are already discussed or published. But I will be doing a book review on Madness (hopefully soon). 

Thank you all for reading! Book reviews will be coming (hopefully) soon.

x, Kayla

Finishing Up the Semester + Book Reviews: History is All You Left Me (3 Stars)

The semester is coming to a close, which means finals and assignments are all due around the same timeframe next week. Therefore, I have been extremely occupied and inundated (as usual) with schoolwork, so I truly apologize to my dedicated readers for not posting anything recently. This painful process of cramming for exams and writing academic papers will finally be over by next week, which means that I will have some leisure time to read and enjoy my summer break. It is truly scary to know that I will be finishing up my third year in university and entering my senior year next fall semester—but it also amazes me how time can just swiftly pass by. I feel like I don’t have enough time to do what I need to do to prepare myself for adulthood. But in all honesty, nobody is really ready or prepared for the obstacles that await new college graduates when it comes to “adulting.” Knowing that by the fall, I will be a senior and that by next year, around this same exact time, I will be graduating! I am so happy and amazed with the accomplishments that I have achieved thus far in my academic career. I know my journey to future successes will be hard, but eventually I will get there. Nothing will ever come easy in life, which I know is such a cliché, but it is accurate and true. I know that my hard work, dedication, and my perseverance will pay off.

This semester, I have been able to publish an analytical paper in my university’s literary journal, I have presented my book exchange project from last semester at an academic conference, and I have landed a great internship at a museum! Things are somewhat coming together, but I have also encountered many problems along the way. I have learned a lot of life lessons, such as to be careful in whom you trust and help. Most importantly, I learned that not everyone deserves your kindness because some will take advantage of it. Also, I learned to be careful in who I choose to be friends with. I realized that not many college students are at that mature age where they should treat people with respect and value a good friend, but instead, dispose friends and friendships because they found someone new to be friends with. It astounds me how immature some college students can be, but not all the time does college mature people into upright adults. My goal for next semester is to focus on myself and to be accepting or be okay with being alone, and to find happiness in my own solitude. Sometimes it’s for the better.

But without further ado, I am just going to briefly give a quick book review on a recent read that I finished (weeks ago). I finished History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera. It is a Young Adult (YA) novel that focuses on a story of teen-love, heartbreak and sorrow. The book is about a teenage boy, Griffin, and his boyfriend/ex-boyfriend, Theo, who dies in a drowning accident. The story (or history) is told through Griffin’s perspective, and is also told in a series of flashbacks or memories that Griffin has of Theo. After learning about the death of Theo, Griffin becomes a lost soul, consumed with sorrow and sadness over the loss of both his friend and former lover.

Living seems impossible to Griffin, nothing feels the same or is the same after losing Theo, even if they had broken up and even though Theo had found someone else to love. This leads Griffin to go into a destructive path of inner emotional battles and upheaval. Eventually, Griffin accepts Theo’s death, but it was a journey and a struggle to get there. At the beginning, he finds solace in Theo’s boyfriend, Jackson. In this unforeseen friendship, the duo try to heal each other’s wounds—but it leads Griffin to uncover untold histories about the life Theo led after the break up and other secrets, hence leading Griffin to enter another realm of different kinds of emotional complexities.

Many people have praised the book for capturing the raw emotions of first love and heartbreak, but I do not know if I entirely agree. Although I love how authors try to make their characters flawed in order to make them feel real to readers, Griffin, and all of the characters in the book, were beyond flawed; they were so flawed, it came off as somewhat agitating. I do not know if it was Silvera’s intention to make Griffin into a whiny teenage boy, who feels that he is the only person entitled to grieve and can, therefore, act and behave the way he wants to because he lost his ex-boyfriend. I felt that Silvera was just going a tad overboard about the array of emotions Griffin was going through and his behavior, which I found hard to read through at times because it felt exaggerated or overdone. I do like how Silvera captured how complicated humans can be, which is definitely relayed through Griffin. It is hard to find the right words to convey how I feel about the book and what I dislike the most, but it mostly centers on Griffin’s personality and how he deals with the loss of Theo.

It was a decent read, but I was not in love with it. I think Silvera is a fantastic writer and I look forward to reading more books from him in the near future.

x, Kayla

Book Review: We Are Okay (4 Stars)

We are Okay by Nina LaCour is a story about grief, loneliness, love, deceit, finding one’s self, and reconnecting. It was a cute and simplistic read—the prose was beautifully written and gentle. The elements, which I mentioned before, are truly emphasized through the entirety of the book, thus making it also relatable to readers who may have come across these feelings in their lifetime.

This story is about a college freshman named Marin. She is a California native who is attending a university somewhere in upstate New York. The first semester has ended; students are packing up and leaving to be reunited with their families for the winter break and holidays, except for Marin. Marin is staying on campus for the remainder of the break—she seems at peace with her own solitude and is accepting the fact that she has nowhere to really go to anymore, and no family to go home to—ever since the passing of her grandfather aka “Gramps” who raised her. But Marin is expecting a visitor, her best friend Mabel is staying with Marin for three days at her dorm. Marin and Mabel haven’t spoken in months since Gramps died—and as a result, Marin purposely drifted away from the people who loved her, especially Mabel. In Mabel’s three-day stay, the girl’s form new bonds, discover new revelations, and piece together the broken past of Marin’s life, while reconnecting and rekindling their love and friendship.

Nina LaCour did a great job in writing this book. In a sense, I related to Marin—I knew what it felt like to lose someone you love, finding ways of forgetting coping with the loss, and abandoning the past in the hopes of healing. Therefore, I identified with Marin—but I didn’t necessarily agree with Marin’s choices in coping with her grief and dealing with her new discoveries of her past that her Gramps kept hidden from her, because she push aside the people that were there for her and who cared for her.

Also, there were some parts that I felt were exaggerated, such as Marin's reactions to her best friend, Mabel, and her hesitance to open up to her as well. There was just too much angst, it made me frustrated and annoyed at times.

I like how the story is short and not drawn out—it’s a good book, but I can't say it's the best book ever written or the best book I've ever read. This is my first book from LaCour and it was a read that I truly enjoyed because of its simplicity.

x, Kayla

Book Review: Dark Tales (4 Stars)

Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson is a collection of seventeen short and eerie stories. Readers will be transported to the haunting world of Jackson’s dark imagination—which can best be described as dark, mysterious and inviting. There is no doubt—Jackson is the queen of Gothic fiction.

Each tale begins with someone who is ordinary, living or staying in an ordinary suburban place where the “ordinary” carry on with his or her lives; but sooner or later, the ordinary will transform into the strange and unusual. To put it simply, each story is about normalcy gone wrong. After finishing each tale, readers will be left with some sort of uneasiness, or possibly some discomfort. The fact that Jackson can provoke these unsettling feelings or reactions to her readers is quite remarkable and impressive. Her stories weren’t openly horrific—they were subtly disturbing but also intense.

I think Jackson’s goal when writing these stories, was to make the everyday feel unnerving and sinister. I think that’s what creeps people and readers out the most about it—she makes it almost feel real and the foreboding possible.  There were some stories that made me feel confused, even frustrated because I felt there wasn’t any closure at the end for some of them. I felt that Jackson used a lot of cliffhangers to keep readers on edge or make the story feel more suspenseful—and then there were some tales that made me confused about plot or premise of a particular short menacing tale.

All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who appreciates books that exhibit the dark, unusual, and the uncanny. Jackson is by far a talented female writer, who I believe is underrated in today’s modern book culture. Each of her stories was skillfully written and captivating. This is a great short read that will satisfy any readers desire for something deliciously dark.

x, Kayla