Troubled Pages

I’ve always believed in the idea that when a certain something is meant to happen, it will. It could be upon meeting someone new, or doing something for the very first time whether you like it or not, or maybe it’s tiny things that you don’t even think about—like saying hello to a stranger when you’re in your grumpiest mood. My point is, it’s true what they say. That little belief of mine is real. The thing is, I’ve never actually took the time to realise it in full. Which takes me back to a couple of weeks ago. I’d just finished rehearsing for a drama performance with a couple of friends of mine. It was late, the weather was getting cold and we were in the university which was staring to become empty at the time, so I decided to take the tram home despite the fact that my place is just two stops away. I went on anyway, finding an empty seat and immediately getting comfy. Little did I know that it was going to be the most crowded tram I’ve ever been on.  By the time it got t

"Things are rough all over." -S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders I was introduced to this story by my English teacher back in middle school, and I don’t know what it was that caught me the most, but I fell in love with it. Maybe it was the characters, the power of friendship that’s strongly expressed, the scarcity of love and kindness in this world, the unexpected ending, I don’t know. Maybe it was all of those things. My point is, sometimes it is our favourite stories that we’re not sure of, but we hold on to it anyway. We hold on to it dearly because to be honest, in the strangest ways it changes us. We also hold on to it because to find something so close to our heart is rare in today’s world. “You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want.” - S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders I remember reading the last page for the very first time. My table mate’s already spoiled the ending for me, but I didn’t care (although, I did hold a tiny little grudge on him f

"I think about the drawing his drawing of me. That girl he drew, she was beautiful. That girl wasn't a gray sky. She had hope. Hope is beautiful." -Jasmine Warga, My Heart and Other Black Holes I’m aware that I haven’t been writing for awhile. College’s been keeping me busy. For the past two months I’ve drowned myself in the world of Gothic fiction thanks to Literature class, meaning that I’ve basically spent my winter break with my nose stuck with classics, like Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So, here I am again, finally able to get back to my regular reading habits. A couple of days ago I decided to pick up a novel I’d been so excited abuot, but never got around to read. And let me tell you, I have not been able to put it down ever since.  ‘My Heart and Other Black Holes’ by Jasmine Wanga tells the story of Aysel and Roman, two teens that are obsessed with planning their own deaths. Meeting online and setting up a date to let go of everything, th

“Sometimes I wish my life was a movie. Not my whole life, but certain moments.” - (Ashley) Susin Nielsen, We Are All Made of Molecules   I knew this book would tell a story that touches on the topic of family, and by the time I’d finished reading the first chapter, I think it’s safe to say that Susin Nielsen is actually letting us explore so many other different themes and ideas. Yes, family is one of the main, but there are so much more that we can learn as lessons by the turning of a page. Carefully, the author has successfully reminded me of my middle school days—the whining and complaining and everything in between. I honestly don’t understand how my mom could cope with me back then. Looking back, I don’t even think I could cope with my 14 year old self. Moving on from this, Susin then quite quickly changes the tone of the story with the reality of the ending of one’s life, and in this case, Stewart’s mom and her passing. Again, this made me think. What would my 14 yea

“For the most part, you don't hold the people you love in your heart because they rescued  you from drowning or pulled you from a burning house. Mostly you hold them in your heart because they save you, in a million quiet and perfect ways, from being alone.”  -Jeff Zentner, Goodbye Days I always seem to find myself getting drawn to emotional, tissue reaching, heart clutching (literally) stories, and maybe that's why I'm most likely to end up sobbing at the end of most of the stories that I've read. Obviously, the word 'Goodbye' in the title of Goodbye Days makes it pretty clear of the kind of mood the story holds, but like I've mentioned before, sadness attracts me for some reason, and as soon as I saw the novel on one of the shelves at the local bookstore, I reached for it. But here's what I thought was weird: I put it off for weeks. I bought it as soon as my eyes caught a glimpse of its cover, but didn't read it until the next day, o

“But then I think, no, I wouldn’t give up twelve, thirteen, sixteen, seventeen with Peter for the world." -Jenny Han, Always and Forever, Lara Jean If you were to ask me about what I find so special about this trilogy, I wouldn't say anything. It's not because it's a terrible series. No. Not at all. It's the complete opposite. It's wonderful — all the way from the first novel, all the way from the beginning of Lara Jean's story. Amazingly written, beautifully done to be able to pull my heartstrings — this is why I wouldn't even attempt to answer your question. The truth is, I don't even know what I find so special about it. I don't want to pick out parts and leave all the others out, because heck, I enjoy every single piece of the novel(s)! It wouldn't be fair to only choose one thing to be explained as special to me. But, I'm here to talk about the final novel, the ending of a new beginning for Lara Jean (aka the main chara