I LOVE BAD ROMANCE
I mean those overly sweet, unrealistic, and cheesy romance books.
My favorite book is probably “Normal People” or “Begin Again.” The latter is the start of a German book series, so it isn’t very well-known and, I think, hasn’t been translated into other languages.
“Normal People” is my favorite because I read it at a pretty young age —around 13 or 14— and it heavily impacted my view of relationships.
Their situation at the beginning seemed sweet but quickly turned into a reprehensible relationship. This was mostly due to how Connell treats Marianne; he seems to love her but is unable to stand up for her or himself. The constant verbal abuse he allows against Marianne and the reveal at the end of their school years—that everyone already knew and didn't care—made his decisions even worse, which he at least acknowledges.
I have to be honest: when I read it for the first time, I imagined Marianne as an "ugly" girl, even though she wasn't described that way. I probably just couldn’t comprehend an unpopular girl being average or good-looking as a teen.
Anyways, after that, the story really picks up. The best part was the time spent at the vacation home, in Greece, I think. I read it for the third time about five months ago, so the details are a bit hazy. This is my favorite part because it was the peak of Connell and Marianne’s dynamic outside of an official relationship. The Marianne-Jamie relationship also shows us that even though Connell was a horrible boyfriend, he is still a better guy than any of Marianne’s other partners. I love how they still “want” to get back together, even when their realities are so different and Marianne outgrows him during university while Connell seems stuck.
Begin Again
“Begin Again” is a story about a girl falling in love with her new roommate—a rough, mysterious guy with a hard outer shell but a “soft inside”. I loved this book so much that when I first read the preview on Google Books, I finished all 60 pages in one sitting in bed. When I finally got the physical copy, it only took me a day and a half to finish. It’s one of those overly sweet romance books I just love—the kind where you lie there kicking your feet in the air because of the excitement.
BUT, I would say it isn’t the best book in the series; that would be “Feel Again.”
Other Good Books
Other romance books I’ve read include “What If It’s Us” + “Here’s To Us,” “Save Me,” and “The Song of Achilles”—pretty much 75% of the BookTok romance books from four years ago. I started reading a lot back then, but then I just stopped.
Currently Reading
You can probably guess that I am an ultra-slow and inconsistent reader.
The Communist Manifesto
by Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels
This was a Christmas gift from a classmate because I asked for it. It’s a very clear and easy-to-understand foundation for communist theory. My version also includes prefaces from different time periods and countries where the book was released or rereleased. The differences in the prefaces are most of the time not huge but often add historical context or explain other technical terms of the book. I am also a every big fan of how the book is structured and that it is only a short read.
How I look while reading the Manifesto
Looking for Alaska
by John Green
I like it very much, but I stopped for about three weeks in the middle. To be honest, the theme of creeping death—constantly being reminded by chapters labeled with the days remaining—wasn't great for my mental health. Regardless, I like how Alaska is portrayed because she doesn't see the main character as a love interest, but as a "real" friend.
Running the Light
by Sam Tallent
I’ve only read a few pages so far; nothing really to talk about yet.