RECOMMENDED READING
I have fibrous dysplasia in my pelvis (click here to see a similar case to mine). I got some surgeries when I was little. Living with one leg slightly shorter (by 3cm) has always been difficult, but the most difficult time was when I was in school. Elementary to High school, I was super insecure with how I was seen from the outside. Wearing jeans was not something that I looked forward to, because then everyone would see the difference between the left and the right leg. It was such a dark time, but I no longer want to dwell in the past. In the present, I’m trying to heal the wound by reading books, mostly fiction. Reading fiction is my temporary escape. That’s why I prefer reading fictional novels with intriguing conflicts and bold adventures to keep me occupied. I’m aware that the novels I consider intriguing may not be the best fit for you, nonetheless, I hope this recommended book list can help you feel alive and adventurous. These books are my best picks in 2020. Let’s dive in!
Five People You Meet in Heaven and its emotionally intense sequel, Next People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom is where I return when I need something moving and soul-stirring. You may find the phrase “But all endings are also beginnings” in another source like Closing Time (Semisonic song) which sounds “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”. The line from the song is also derived from a Roman Stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Mitch Albom stirs the catchphrase with what he believes as the afterlife based on what his uncle had told him when he was little. As the protagonist dies, his journey begins. The journey to reveal life’s greatest secrets. While going on the heavenly voyage, Eddie will encounter five people whom he knows little about but they influence him in certain ways. I love this book very much. I remember I couldn’t put it down as I finished the last page because I was contemplating the life lessons Mitch Albom just taught me through this book. Teary eyes too.
Its sequel, Next People You Meet in Heaven, is a tear-jerking too. In the first book, Eddie dies as he is saving a girl whose name is Annie. She is the protagonist of the sequel. As she goes through her otherworldly journey, she encounters some people too. These people will help her see her life differently. Teary eyes continue…
All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
Anthony Doerr constructs each word into sentences and sentences into paragraphs exquisitely. The words are gracefully dancing on every page because he describes his characters with melodious phrases, and those phrases encompass Marie Laure and Werner Pfennig’s intertwined fate. The story takes place between 1934 to 1944 France and Germany (the second world war). It is unfortunate that they are coming from the opposite sides of the war. One being the evicted war victim and another a wavering Hitler soldier. As I read the protagonists’ developments, I also witness their struggles. Marie is a young blind girl who has to flee Paris to Saint-Malo with her father because the Nazi has taken over her home. As the story continues to develop, my empathy toward Marie gets bigger. Werner, on the other hand, enlists in the Nazi youth. Unlike a vile and vicious disposition of a Nazi soldier, Werner is different and I was immersed in those differences whenever I read his part of the story.
