What I'm Reading This Week: A Brief History of Time

Hi, friends. It has been a while since I last wrote. I must admit, it has been a while since I last opened a book. I did get a little carried away and am currently reading two different books: This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper and A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Both of these books have been out for a while now; so most of you have probably read these. If you have not, I strongly encourage you to at least give one a try. I have always had a strong fascination with science ever since I was a very small child. So, you can imagine how excited I was when I finally bought a copy of A Brief History of Time. This book was written by Stephen Hawking and not only gives small incites into his life and his brain, but also explains his theory he came up with as a PhD student. Now I am not going to lie, I was a little skeptical at first. I love science, but I am more interested in viruses and bacteria than I am in physics. However, Hawking explains in such a way that even those who are not interested in physics or know nothing about physics can appreciate and understand his work. I am about half way done with the book, but so far I am intrigued. The book challenges you to ask the big questions about the history of the universe and time itself. Furthermore, if you come from religious background, it does not criticize people's beliefs. In fact, Hawking gives several examples of how you can allow a creator in this theory. Overall, I recommend this book to my fellow science lovers or people who just want some answers about our universe.

What I'm Reading This Week: An Abundance of Katherines

   It has been a while since my last post. With school and work, I definitely fell behind on my reading. In the time span of my last post, I've read only four books. I just came across An Abundance of Katherines by John Green and I immediately fell in love. If you haven't heard of John Green yet, I highly recommend you check him out. Most of his books are for teens so they are an easy read; so you can actually finish his books relatively quickly. I picked up An Abundance of Katherines this morning and I have roughly fifty pages of it left. Trust me; you will love John Green if you don't already.
   Our story centers around a recent high school grad, Collin. He is a child prodigy worrying about his future on top of girl troubles. He always falls in love with girls named Katherine. But his last relationship with whom he addresses as Katherine XIX left him depressed. She dumped him like all of the other previous Katherines. For Collin though, this break up was different. This time he really loved her. John Green put Collins break up in probably the best wording I have ever read. Collin's friend Hassan is always complaining how Collin should get over it  and how after 19 breakups he should be used to this by now. Being the prodigy Collin is, he compares his break up to a punishment seen by the Greeks. They pulled out all of this person's teeth. Just like teeth pulling is a monotonous task, so is getting dumped. However, now matter how many teeth you pull or how many people dump you, it doesn't hurt any less. I absolutely loved that. Collin in a last ditch ever to win her back and make her see that he is indeed a genius tries to find his "eureka" moment. He sketches a graph of his breakups and tries to come up with an equation to predict the outcome of a relationship. Just as Pythagoras believed that math can predict anything, Collin feels the same way. Numbers can predict love.
   I highly encourage this book to all of my John Green readers. It is definitely not a new book, so I am sure many people have read it. If you haven't though, definitely check it out. An Abundance of Katherines puts a new perspective on how to see relationships and offers some comic relief as well. John Green is a talented writer who offers a realistic perspective on romance. His books aren't fairy tales. The characters are relatable. We don't expect every relationship to work out perfectly. Nor do we expect to fall in love with the first pretty person we see. The same goes for John Green's stories. In An Abundance of Katherines, Collin is able to acknowledge all of these attractive girls but no matter how much he wants to move on, he can't forget about his first real love. John Green depicts break ups both poetically and accurately. He puts love in a logical and mathematical way. If you want an interesting and new romance novel, then this book is definitely for you.

Why Reading Should Be Everyone's New Hobby

A bibliophile is someone how loves or collects books. I pride myself on my love of books. However, I am a bit displeased to find out that not everyone loves books the way I do. Last weekend, I was telling my boyfriend about the book I had just finished. Although he never actually understands the things I tell him, he always listens to my rants and facts about books and characters. I really appreciate this about him. However, I told him to read The Harry Potter series (who doesn't love that series?). That is where things really went downhill. He had the audacity to look me in the face and say "But I've seen all of the movies." I was just appalled that he would even think such an absurd thing. I know he's not the only person out there who feels this way. I have several friends who feel the exact same way about books. Why read the book when you can just watch the movie? I like to imagine that books are like a house. You have the foundation which is sort of like the plot. It holds the whole story together. Then you have the necessities like a door and some windows. Maybe a chimney thrown in there too. Those are the characters. I like to think of the roof as a conclusion that finishes the whole house. However, you wouldn't just live in a pile of wood or a pile of bricks would you? That is basically what a movie is. The movie compared to the book is just an unfinished house. You can't really establish a story in an hour without taking things out. I want everyone to reestablish their love for reading.
I know a lot of you are thinking "I just don't have the time." Well you have to make time. You don't need to go out and buy a 900 page book to love reading. There are so many books out there. If time is truly an issue you can always buy audio books and listen to them in the car. There are no excuses. Also, "I hate reading" is definitely not an excuse. The only people who hate reading are those who have never done it properly. Our school systems do a severe injustice to us especially in high school. In high school I had to read so many books I really just didn't like. Being forced to read really takes the enjoyment out of it especially if it's a book you have no interest in. Don't base the books you read in school on all of the books out there. There are billions and billions of books in the world. You just need to find that one. Your book soulmate. You'll know when you find it because it will make you fall in love with reading. It will be the book that you go back to every time. I'm lucky. I fell in love with books at a very young age. I don't have just one book soulmate. I have entire series. I love the Harry Potter series. Those are the books I go back to when I've finished all the books I need to read. I keep going back to those books because they make me feel like I'm falling in love with reading all over again. Not everyone is like that though. Finding your book takes a lot of trial and error. I've read so many books in my lifetime. I'd be lying if I said that I loved every book I ever read. Some books will disappoint you. Some books will make you cry. Some books will take you on a journey. Books are so powerful. Think about it: tiny words on paper have the power to educate and inspire. How amazing is that? There is a book for everything. There is a book for everyone. I promise. I encourage everyone to go out tomorrow or the next day and just read. Just take 30 minutes out of your day to read a book. You will not regret it.