Tuesday 7 February 2017

Day 7: favorite books

30-Day Blogging Challenge

Day 7: Do you read? What are your favorite books?

I have a reading compulsion. If there are words on something I have to read it, from labels to signs to pamphlets, I must read at least a large part of it (if not all). That's where my vast shinfo knowledge stems from.

However, I'm not deep in the habit of reading books since I started a dependent relationship with the internet. Still, having spent a whopping total of 24 years in the education system, I have read a vast amount of books in my day.

Still, I can never focus on one or even a few books to say they are my favorite. There are simply so many books which I have enjoyed and which have helped shape my mind throughout the various stages of my life.
So, here are a few highlights.

  • Leon Uris - Exodus. Growing up and looking back, I had a strong interest in history and religion, and Uris' historical fiction simply fascinated me. I stayed up all night for days on end and carried the (bible-thick) book around with me, reading during breaks at school. I learned a lot about how Zionist Jews thought of themselves, and the creation of modern Israel.

  • Gloria Cecilia Diaz - El Sol De Los Venados. My mom used to reward good grades at the end of the year by buying us children's books from the series Torre de Papel. I have a bunch of loved books from this series (Los Escorpiones, Un Marido Para Mama, Por Favor Vuelve A Casa), but this one really stood out. It presented tragedy and loss in such a nostalgic, accepting and deeply emotional way, that I think to this day it's hard to mention without a lump in my throat.

  • Miguel Angel Asturias - El Senor Presidente. I read this book more than once as I went through school, but the first time was when I was starting High School. My older sister told me there was a scene in the book where a bird eats a dying man's eye, so I picked it up for the gore. It delivered, but I fell for this book for entirely different reasons. The writing style of Asturias is, to Guatemalan capital citizens is comfortable and familiar. The stories feel authentic and personal, and the impact the history of my own country had on me was immense.

  • Tablo - Pieces of you. I first knew Tablo as a solo rap act when he joined YG Entertainment. I fell for his clever poetic lyrics, so when I found out he had released a collection of short stories in English, I had to check it out. The stories explore various relationships between people, society and the surroundings. Each story is moving and some are very surprising. I was inspired by Tablo's writing style to this day.
There are so many more books I could talk about, but these are some of my favorite ^_^

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