SIRMATA RECOMMENDS: CHRISTMAS WORTHY READS

IRMATA RECOMMENDS:

ChristmasWorthy Reads (from one bookworm to another) GRAZIEL MAE RAMAT “So many books, so little time…” –Frank Vincent Zappa Hail, the very famous quotation (or expression) thinking about our own #ToBeRead books piled at the bottom of our priority list (since we’ve been drowned by our academic responsibilities). Luckily, Christmas vacation is here, and nothing beats a peaceful, quiet reading session with a mug of coff ee in our hand as we let our mind wander into the adventure and experiences brought by these books that you are about to open. AH, free therapy to be stress-free. Remember, a reading slump is no such thing (really, we just need a break sometimes)! And here, dear bibliophiles, geeks, and whatever-you-call-yourself-as-a-fan, are some book recommendations in diff erent genres to add on your never-ending TBR list before we once again run out of time from enjoying our holidays.

Get that book and get lost with its magic!

1: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Genre: Coming-of-age, bildungsroman

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”

The book is basically a semi-autobiography of the author Louisa May Alcott, refl ecting her and her sisters’ experiences as they grow up–projected on the lives of four sisters Jo, the main protagonist; Meg, Beth, and Amy March as they transition from being little women to their adulthood–fi nding their own strengths and conquering their own weaknesses. The story took place in New England in the 1800s, where aside from a touch of love and romance, gender roles and feminism are a part of the book that hooks readers (it was even adapted in the big screen twice).

Getting to know the characters, learning from them–the essence of feminism–or simply being just as strong as they are, is something that we could gain from the book. For me, it’s a Christmas-worthy read not only because the story actually started in Christmas, but because reading it feels like you belong to the March’s cozy and home-y family, and that’s what Christmas feels like.

2: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

Genre: Romance, young adult fantasy

Having an easy-going Christmas vacation? A Court of Thorns and Roses or ACOTAR is the perfect fantasy series read to enter a new world: the magical world of faeries. It tells the modern Beauty-and-the-Beast and Hades-and-Persephone-like story of Feyre Archeron, a 19-year old mortal, who entangles her life and soul with the High Lords of the seven courts of Prythian. It started when she hunted and killed a wolf which turns out the wolf is a Fae who belongs to the Spring Court. In return, the High Lord of the Spring Court, Tamlin, took Feyre in his manor and basically locked her up–not to punish, but like Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Feyre is the key needed to break the curse placed by Amarantha

For the sake of the safety of her family left in the mortal lands, Feyre decided to stay with the Faes to break the curse. There, she has also met Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court, a slave of Amarantha, and the other Faes who changed the turn of her whole life; and found out that the day she struck an arrow on the wolf is not accidental, but rather something that has been planned.

Love. Power. Bonds. Deceit. ACOTAR is an exciting read making you think like you know how things will be–yet the turn of events tell you otherwise; and right after closing one book, you’ll defi nitely look for the next one in the series.

RECOMMENDS:

ChristmasWorthy Reads (from one bookworm to another) GRAZIEL MAE RAMAT

3: Normal People by Sally Rooney Genre: Romance, psychological fi ction

“I’ m not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me.”

Unspoken words. Unexpressed feelings.

Normal people is a raw and realistic narration of how an existence of one person could defi nitely change one’s life for the better. It tells about the secret friendship between Connell and Marianne; their inconsistent yet unfaded relationship–that no matter how many times they drift apart, they still keep on coming back to each other.

Together, they understood each other’s diff erences and fi lled the hollow spaces in their hearts, while trying to really know their own selves and take their own fl ights. However, it is a sad tale of heartbreak and hopelessness–where two people both feel unworthy of love, of being a dear to someone, and even of living. The tragedy of this story is that they might never fi nd out that they are destined to be with one another.

If you feel like being calm yet emotional this Christmas, Normal People, considering the way it was written, is a must read.

4: The Song of Achilles by Madeline

Miller

Genre: Romance, psychological fi ction

“And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.”

If you’re one of the Demigods, the Percy Jackson Series fans (or someone who is into Greek Mythology in general), you might be familiar with Achilles’ story already and what the famous metaphor Achilles’ heel meant. Achilles, as described by the books, is one the greatest warriors in Greek Mythology, and among the Acahaians during the Trojan War. In Iliad, he is described to be extraordinarily strong (he is a Demigod by the way), courageous, and among the rest of the other compliments, the most beautiful.

However, in this masterpiece of a book, it retells the story of Achilles in a diff erent angle–friendship, unconditional love, devotion, honor, pride, loss, and grief–beautifully and expressively written in the point of view of Achilles’ best friend, Patroclus. We know Achilles’ story is sad to begin with, but this books’ narration hurts more than being shot with an arrow in the heel.

This book will let you read something that is more than just a mythology, something that you wouldn’t expect that’ll leave your heart aching for days (just like the way she has written Circe, another retelling of a story–which, by the way, is also a great read if you want more from the author).

5: Before the Coff ee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Genre: Fantasy, magical realism

If you could travel back in the past or towards the future, what would you do?

Funiculi Fanicula is a cafe located in a small back alley in Tokyo which has been operating ever since 1874. Rumor has it that this cafe, aside from their carefully brewed coff ee, off ers something else–time traveling.

Four customers have an encounter with the cafe namely Fumiko, Kohtake, Hirai, and Kei; the latter being the cafe owner’s wife. One wants to travel back in the past to bravely express her feelings, hoping things would change for the better, one wants to receive a letter from a beloved whose memories have faded; the other wants to see their sister one last time, and lastly, one wants to meet the daughter that they will never get a chance to know.

However, this given chance has a risk one should take: they should be able to return to the present before the coff ee gets cold,or else… they will become ghosts.

Before the Coff ee Gets Cold is a perfect read to internally reconnect with ourselves and condition our emotions. It is followed by its sequel Tales From the Cafe, and the third book Before Your Memory Fades.