What Should I Read?

Looking to read something for fun, on a rainy day, or for school? You've come to the right place! Below is a list of all the books I've read (or re-read) this year and would recommend. The list doesn't follow a single genre and so it's a collection of various styles of writing. It's in random order and I'll be editing it (as the year hasn't ended yet) with more choices too. Happy reading :)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
Alone in the Classroom by Elizabeth Hay
Abandon by Meg Cabot
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Aleph by Paulo Coelho


Eragon and
Eldest and
Brisingr and
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini


The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
The Great Gatsby by S. Fitzgerald
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha
The Book of (Even More) Awesome by Neil Pasricha
The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory


Fallen and
Torment and
Passion by Lauren Kate

The Lost Hero and
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan


Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
Ruby Red by Kirsten Gier
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare


Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
Secret Daughter by Shilpa Gowda
Room by Emma Donaghue
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay
One Day by David Nicholls
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson


And Then There Were None
Murder on the Orient Express
Cards on the Table
Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie

Quote of the Day

Thanksgiving

     I hadn't planned on writing a post today, but something happened that made me change my mind. One of my most favourite bloggers is Annie from Annie's Eats. Her blog is probably the first I've ever followed and visiting it has become an everyday routine for me. Annie is a brilliant, compassionate mother, daughter, wife, doctor, cook and photographer. I remember when I first started reading her blog, she would talk about the hardships of managing medical school and motherhood, but she forever remained an amazingly well-rounded person. Annie has seen a lot of tough times such as the loss of her mother early on in childhood. Yet, she became such an inspirational role model to me because of her perseverance and love for life. I didn't know I had a love of baking until her blog helped me create memorable desserts that my family and friends have grown to love. Annie created traditions of baking red velvet cupcakes and pineapple flowers for me. It would be an understatement to say that I'm a fan.

      Today, Annie posted about a tragic event that rocked her family this Thanksgiving. Her father passed away. Words escape me when trying to write condolences to her. How can anyone ever say anything that would numb the pain of losing a parent? I can't imagine what my life would be like if I lost my mom or dad. It's ironic and bittersweet, but it is the occasion of Thanksgiving. So, please cherish every moment you have with your loved ones. We all think that things like these won't happen to us until they do. Life is so distracting that even though we want to treasure our loved ones each day, things get in the way. It may be difficult, but it's worth the try.

     My heart goes out to Annie, her brothers, and the rest of her family. Annie, I know your dad couldn't be prouder of the wonderful, kind, generous children he raised. Andrew and Caroline will always feel the love of their grandfather through the warmth of their amazing mother.

xo

Quote of the Day

Hey! Sorry for my absence lately, but final projects and essays have been holding me hostage. It's going to be a tough couple of weeks, but I promise to be back very soon with regular posts and the continuation of my "You Are What You Believe" series. 

I hope you're enjoying these sorta-fall-but-almost-winter days and I have to say, I'm loving the sunshine and clear skies! Although, it is a bit disheartening that it hasn't snowed in Canada yet (makes you all bittersweet when you think about global warming, melting glaciers, and homeless polar bears etc. :( )

On a brighter note, my order of Aleph by Paulo Coelho arrived! Don't you just love getting mail? Like actual, REAL mail. The rip-open-an-envelope and tear-open-a-package kind. It's one of my most favourite things and I really hope the concept doesn't fade away with time. Emails just don't cut it for me, ya know? Anyways, I'm very excited to start reading it, but I have to exercise a lot of restraint because I know that once I begin, I won't be able to put it down. And as of right now, focusing on getting all this homework done should be all I think about, right? ( haha. of course, that's not actually the case....)

In honour of my lovely surprise in the mail, today's quote shares the theme of self-discovery that Paulo Coelho is so fond of writing about. I admit that I do go looking for myself and the kind of person I am. But, what's also true is that in the end, my actions will dictate the person I become. I'll be remembered by others based on what I did or said. We all will. And so if your thoughts are pure, embody them in your actions. If your intentions are kind, portray them in your words. You, and you alone, know about what kind of a person you want to be. So, create someone wonderful. 

It's really all up to you.

xo

Quote of the Day

As someone who is very guilty of this, I'd like to ask you all to put your heart and soul into not procrastinating. It's my weakness and I can't even count how many nights I have spent awake doing last-minute homework. I have a huge essay due and I did all the research for it (I'm so proud because I spent hours at the library and got a million books). But despite all that preliminary hard work, I slacked when it came to actually writing the masterpiece. And so now, I'm awake working my way up this mountain with the peak nowhere in sight :(. I feel so overwhelmed with information that could be put to good use and I'm afraid I won't do as well  of a job as I'm capable of. I guess perhaps I should learn to prioritize. What an awful feeling.

DON'T PROCRASTINATE!

From, 

One victim to another.

Quote of the Day

Have a safe and happy Friday everyone! 

P.S A special shout-out to all my Russian and German readers! You make me smile every time you visit :)

You Are What You Believe: Part One

Before I begin this series, I'd like to clarify that I hold no prejudice against other religions and nor am I attempting to convert anyone. I do not know the depths of faith nor do I claim to fully understand it. But knowledge and understanding are the forces that open up a narrow mind. And so this series is simply meant to spread understanding and provide a new perspective to anyone willing to take it. I'm not an expert, but my intention is to enlighten people about a world they know, but haven't seen in a different light. With learning comes realization, but so it does with teaching as well. And it's my hope that after this series, both you and I will develop a new appreciation or tolerance for an ancient religion and its' modern people.

     I'm a born Muslim. I was raised to be kind, forgiving, and ultimately just a good person. I was taught by my parents that nothing, nothing, is ever going to be more important than being someone who is pure inside and out. What they meant was that I should do everything with good intentions and because of this I would be a good Muslim. I grew up participating in religious rituals (fasting etc.) and generally understanding the idea of God, of prophets, and of righteousness. 

     But I've been living in Canada all my life. Everything about my lifestyle complemented by parents' teachings and it's a blessing that throughout my childhood I never had to face a serious threat of racism. That aside, things have changed. I was in grade seven when the first real attack on who I was, was made. My friend (who was also Muslim) and I were waiting for soccer tryouts after school when a boy whom I'd never talked to before came up to us and called us terrorists. More than anything, I was confused. Me? The straight-A student, vice-president of the yearbook committee, lunch-time tutor, spelling-bee champion...a terrorist? It made no sense. I took it more lightly than my friend though. The next day she showed up to school wearing a hijab. 

     My point is this - we are all inherently humans. Beyond that fact, we are all from different races. Within those races, we are all from separate religions. And those religions are filled with diverse cultures. How each of us follows or resides within a culture is our own prerogative; our own choice. But we forget that we are all fundamentally humans.

     I have a habit of reading the news online everyday and I can't even tell you the amount of times I've read a racially charged story with worse comments than content in the story itself. It blows my mind that there is so much hatred and misunderstanding out there. I feel like I've lived in comfort for so long that my eyes are just opening to the harsh reality of today's society. I may be coloured, and I may be Muslim, but I assure you that I have never dreamed of blowing anything up. And I really don't believe that the faith I follow encourages such a thing.

     Which brings me to my next point. How can someone summarize the beliefs of an entire religion? I doubt even my parents and I reflect on Islam in the exact, identical way. So let me tell you what religion is. It's an acceptance. An acceptance of how existence came to be, what it is, and how to live your life in the most beneficial way possible. Yes, every religion has basic core facts that a follower must believe in. That's what makes them unique. But beyond that, your religion is what you make of it. Every single follower of Christianity, Sikhism, or Taoism will never be identical in their perception. Why? Because we are, above all, humans. And each human has their own exclusive personality. When you see a glass of water do you think it's half full, half empty....or do you wonder if the water is clean? Do you wonder where it came from, who it belongs to, who poured it out, or what it's doing here? We each have different questions and not everyone thinks the same. But we all see this glass of water and know for a fact that it's a glass and that it has water in it, just like we know the basis of our religions. But we all approach them differently.

     So just because I'm brown and Muslim and a girl, does not mean that I'm foreign, dangerous, and oppressed. I didn't grow up in a barren land and have never worn a black abaya (cloak). I don't slave away at household chores and my brothers do their fair share. My parents didn't arrange my marriage when I was a little girl, I'm allowed to have friends who are guys, I'm not illiterate or stupid, and I can argue for my freedom. 

     But if you're assuming that I am "the exception", please don't. There are millions of girls out there like me. In a world of seven billion people, a little over 1.5 billion are Muslim. A person can't seriously believe that all 1.5 billion people are the same, can they? Terrorists who justify their actions by Islam are a small fraction of the entity and they're the ones with the least understanding of what faith really is. It seems horribly wrong to judge every Muslim upon the actions of a few. Wait - let me make it more clear. It seems horribly wrong to judge 1.5 billion humans upon the actions of a few. When you think of the word "Muslim" do you envision violence, terror, or someone Arabic? Stop. The most populated Muslim country in the world today is Indonesia. Indonesia. The land of rice and coral reefs. 

     I am no more an extremist than the 27 other kids of different backgrounds that were in that grade seven class. So, if I defend a non-Muslim's opinion, help a non-Muslim old man open a door, or be a bridesmaid at my non-Muslim friend's wedding, it's not weird and I'm being neither a hypocrite nor "the exception". I'm being human, I'm being pure, and I'm being a Muslim.

Upcoming: You Are What You Believe: Part Two 

Quote of the Day

I love this quote so much, don't you? So enlightening. Hope you're all having a fabulous week! New posts to come soon since I just finished up on some midterms :)

xo

Quote of the Day

11/11/11

It's 

11/11/11!

This unique date will never come again guys, so make the most of it! (albeit it's almost over in this part of the world!)

After 12/12/12 happens next year, there wont be another date like this for a century. Who knows what'll be happening in the world by then? Don't you feel AWESOME that you're ALIVE right now? In THIS moment...witnessing such a monumental time in the history of existence??? I know I am :) 

But lets take a moment in all this excitement to remember that it's also Remembrance Day. Let us never forget the sacrifice and bravery of all the veterans from our past and the soldiers of our present. Let us never forget the courage and perseverance of their families and let us be grateful for the harsh times this world has overcome and the freedom it has gained. No country's loss and no family's tragedy is greater than any other. Every life is sacred, and even more so depending on what we make of it. So thank you. 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Ottawa, Canada

Happy 11/11/11 everyone! 

My wish is that you all live a 100 years to be able to witness it again :)

Also...Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is out! Go buy it! No this is not sponsored, but it's definitely a promotion ;) Why else would today be such a magical day?

P.S. I posted this at 11:11pm...am I cool or what? Haha.

Libraries of the World

     Recently, one of my friends sent me a picture of a gorgeous library in Iowa, U.S.A and it blew my mind. The place looks so amazing!! I mean libraries are sanctuaries in general, but this place looked so inviting that I'm sure people would actually want to go and spend hours in there. I mean libraries are magical places. But in this technologically adept world of ours they're starting to get neglected. We're forgetting that there's just something so special about walking down halls full of physical, written work and being attracted by the history of it all. So it got me thinking about all the beautiful libraries around the world. And everyone knows how I feel about lists....et voila :) So let's go on a world tour, shall we?

Abbey Library, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Another view of
Abbey Library, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Strahov Monastery - Theological Library, Prague, Czech Republic

Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, USA

Stiftsbibliothek Klostemeuburg, Klostemeuburg, Austria

Library of the Benedictine Monastery, Admont, Austria

Library of Congress, US

George Peabody Library, John Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD, USA

Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library,
New Haven, CT, USA

Morgan Library and Museum, New York, USA

Jose Vasconcelos Library, Mexico City, Mexico

Inventor Jay Walker's personal library

Library of Parliament, Ottawa, Canada

Chateau de Chantilly Library, Paris, France

Trinity College Library (The Long Room), Dublin, Ireland

Suzzallo Library, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

Law Library, Iowa

A Spoonful of Honey

     "Don't forget. I'm just downstairs and I'll be back soon," I told her. 

     I walked down the stairs with dirty plates in my hands. I couldn't believe the mess this house was in. I don't think I have ever let it get this dirty. But it seemed like every time I tried to tidy something up, my life exploded into chaos again. I sighed as I dropped the dishes into the sink with a loud crash. And somewhere between turning on the tap, my mind slipped from stability and I felt a sudden wave of suffocation. 

     It was all too overwhelming. There was so much to do! The laundry had been waiting for days, the bills needed to be paid by Tuesday, all the scattered toys needed to be picked up off the family room floor, the carpet needed vacuuming, and this stupid faucet would not stop leaking.

     Drip. Drop. 

     I stared at the tap my hand was holding. There was a burst of rage burning somewhere inside my heart and it was now racing through my veins. I could feel my pulse as if it were the only sound in the room. My cheeks felt hot and numb at the same time. Why?! Why wouldn't this stupid faucet stop leaking? It was driving me insane. Why was everything around me so broken? It was as if the entire world was conspiring against my sanity. 

     Drip. Drop.

     For a moment, the sound that the droplets made as they exploded against the stainless steel sink seemed cheerful. But only for a second. And that second was enough to fuel my rage. WHY? I kept turning the tap even though it was as tight as it could be. But I kept turning it. I poured all my frustrations into the inadequacy of that small, silver tap. My hand turned pale from the exertion. 

     But nothing happened. It made no difference. After putting all my energy into turning off this dripping tap, the fact that the droplets still fell, struck me. I felt like they were mocking me. Mocking me and my failures, my attempts, my hard work. With the same speed as I had felt the anger, came the helplessness. My hands dropped to my sides and I stood there on the cold, vinyl tiled floor staring into nothing. My shoulders slacked and a different sensation started to creep up my toes. It climbed up my legs and down my arms; leaving goosebumps. It rose in my chest and rested in my throat. It was an ache. A terrible, heart-wrenching ache. The sort of ache you get when you know you should cry, but your whole body is too exhausted to follow through with it. 

     I lingered in this weird limbo for a while until it became harder and harder to breathe. And finally, hot tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over. My whole body trembled as my tears washed the pain from my heart. They streamed down my face like rivers flowing freely in the Spring after escaping barriers of ice. I cried and cried with the most silent tears I could manage. I stifled every gasp and turned on the water for good measure. With every tear, a brick was lifted off my crushed lungs. It felt like praying. It felt like I was confessing my sins.

     I cried until the ache disappeared. Then, I dipped my hands into the running water and splashed my face. You know that moment when you're underwater and you rise up and just break through the surface? It felt like that. 

     Turning off the water, I wiped my face on a paper-towel and discarded the evidence in the trash. The moment had never happened. My body moved mechanically as I washed the dirty dishes. I didn't even realize I was doing it until I was already done. Remembering why I had come downstairs in the first place, I moved to the last cupboard and took down the bottle of honey from the shelf. I pulled out a spoon from the drawer and made my way out of the kitchen. 

     I had to go back to normal, as if there had been no change in me from the moment I had left the room. I couldn't let her think there was anything wrong. Standing in front of the hallway mirror, I rearranged my face into a smile. My face gave nothing away. 

     I walked up the stairs and into her room. There was a sweater on the floor so I picked it up and placed it on the dresser. 

     "I told you I'd be back in a minute," I smiled. "And I brought you that honey you wanted."

     Our eyes met and instead of saying anything she just looked at me. Looked at me with her deep, soulful eyes. 

     "I'm going to tie up the curtains, okay?" I said, turning towards the windows. "It's so nice out today."

     She said nothing. 

     "Do you want me to take the honey out for you?" I asked her.

     Her eyes gave me that searching look once more. They tore through my shell and into my soul and I could see something change in her expression as she registered what she had examined. I started to feel uneasy. Maybe something wasn't right. She always did say a spoonful of honey is a cure for the blues. What was wrong? Why wasn't she saying anything? Oh God.

     I walked up to her as she lay in her bed and sat down beside her. And as she put her hand on top of mine, it felt like a soothing balm. The same hand that had held me all those years still comforted me with a touch. I looked at the soft wrinkles on her face, the darkening depths of her eyes, and the wisp of hair that she had tucked carefully behind her ear. I looked at her lips, the same lips that had yelled at me for not making my bed countless times and had read me bed time stories. The same lips that had smiled and felt so much laughter. I looked at her hollow cheeks that still had their faint glow of rosy pink. And as I looked at the woman that sat before me, a million versions of her flashed through my memories. I could feel the ache returning. 

     She looked at me with those tired, brown eyes and her forehead creased as she put strain on forming her words. I wanted to tell her to rest, to tell me later. But I didn't. Instead, I stayed still in the moment. 

     I watched her carefully find her voice and be slightly surprised by the sound of it, as if she had forgotten she had one. 

     "I don't want the honey," she said to me. "You do."

     How was it possible that without me saying a word, she knew about the ache in my heart? This woman who could never tell when I was lying about having done my homework or who believed that I actually liked spinach all these years, how could she know? I wanted to protest, but for some reason I didn't. It was one of those wordless understandings. And it was too precious to lose.

     So, in this heartbreaking treasure of a moment, I let the trembling hand of my sweet, beautiful mother feed me that spoonful of honey.

©AnumAziz

This story is dedicated to a strong, wonderful woman I have had the pleasure of knowing and her daughter - who loves her more than life itself. It is also dedicated to the survivors of lung cancer, the departed, and those whom they leave behind.  

Life is eternal, and love is immortal,

and death is only a horizon;

and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.

- Rossiter Worthington Raymond 

Eid Mubarak!

To all of you who celebrate it...

Eid Mubarak!

I hope you had a wonderful time filled with family, love, and food;

And that God gives you a year of blessings and happiness.

xo

Class is in session

     So here's the deal. When I was in high school there was no class I ever loved more than (surprise, surprise)...Biology. Okay I lied. The answer's obviously English. Every time I walked into the room it felt like coming home, as cheesy as that sounds. I suppose it was like what swimmers feel when they step into a pool. It's the feeling of being enveloped by familiarity. I was totally in my element. Perhaps my positive attitude towards English class is what would cause it to be my highest mark every year. And every year that I did well, I loved it even more. It was the opposite of a "vicious cycle"; it was awesome.

     But clearly, that's not the case for everyone. I have friends who dreaded English class and would become incredibly anxious whenever we were assigned an essay. I want to be humble, but I have helped many people with their thesis' or essays. The thing is, I love editing. I love creating thesis' and I feel as if it helps me improve as a writer. Believe me I HATE working on my own assignments :P, which makes no sense really, because I find myself constantly doing the same work for others. But enough of me being full of myself, let's get to the point.
     I realized that a lot of people out there don't share the same passion or awe that I do for the classics that are studied in high school English and beyond. Maybe I got lucky thanks to my fabulous and inspiring teachers.  But I know how helpless and anxious people can get when even a simple sentence is hard to form. Writing essays and understanding novels can be a really strenuous and frustrating task. I see that frustration in my siblings and even myself at times. It's sort of like the apprehension I get when having to deal with math so trust me on this...I feel for whoever finds English class difficult.
     My solution is this: In the next few weeks (if exams don't kill me) I'm going to start a series of posts dedicated to the explanation of various Shakespearean works, other popular books, and offer writing tips. You're free to comment/message me and request a certain book or concept. If I can, I will definitely try my best to help you out.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

P.S. I was supposed to be writing an essay this entire time (due tomorrow) but instead I'm here blogging about helping other people write their essays...how ironic. :P

I'm feeling wisdom-y

Look at where you are right now at this moment in life. It doesn't matter if it's a good place or a bad place. It does not matter at all.

Because you can only go up from here.

You can only go up as long as you don't look back. If you look back, you might turn around. Things from the past will start to look appetizing. They will lure you with their familiarity. You'll be tempted to stop progressing, turn around, and walk down the beaten path.

So don't look back. Because there is a reason that it's all behind you now. There's a reason that you're standing where you are. The people you left behind, the choices you made, the bad habits you grew out of, all the regrets and decisions are what led you to this spot. 

You can only go up from here.

It may look difficult and it may be hard. Maybe it had been easier before. But were you happy then? Are you happy now?

Why don't you go get this happiness? 

Why don't you do everything you need to do to be the person you want to become? You have already been the person you don't want to be. And that in itself should make your path more clear.

Follow your heart, but don't forget your brain. Your heart helps you realize what you want, but your brain makes you understand what you need. 

We all make horrible, life-changing decisions at some point. But we remain alive and things get better when we let them. When we are true to ourselves.

So remember, no matter where you stand, in success or in failure, you can only go up from here.

Merci!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to thank each one of you who takes the time to come over to my blog and read my stuff - THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart, honestly, I truly appreciate it. When I first started this blog, I didn't think that anyone would bother visiting (aside from obligated family and friends who I planned on threatening/bribing/blackmailing into doing so). It's such an awesome feeling to see the viewer count steadly rise every day :)

You have probably guessed by now that I have an obsession with quotes so here's one that I love: "Don't ask your reader to admire your words when you want them to believe your story" - Ben Bova. I can't tell you how much each comment you write means to me, privately or publicly sent. I love criticism and advice (and obviously compliments haha) so please don't hesitate to say what you feel. 

Again, thank you so so much! Please keep visiting, commenting, and tweeting!
xo

Blessings

1. The smell of freshly cut grass

2. Winning something when you least expect it  

3. Waking up in a panic only to realize that you still have some hours of sleep left

4. Realizing you have nothing to do 

5. Diving into bed and burying yourself under the covers on a cold, winter night

6. Going to a bookstore and seeing all the endless shelves of colourful books  

7. The smell of baked bread

8. Hugs

9. Hearing your grandparents' voice

10. That flower that's somehow surviving in the lawn when every other plant has died from the cold

11. Warming your fingers around a cup of hot chocolate  

12. Fuzzy socks

13. Wordless apologies

14. Frost on an ice-cold glass of iced tea on a hot summer day

15. Meeting up with old friends only to realize the friendship is still going strong

16. Getting rid of an itch

17. When there's a false fire drill and class is cancelled

18. Siblings 

19. Hearing that special, giggly, baby-laugh

20. Buying something for someone and anticipating their happiness when they see it

21. Waking up to see everything has been covered with a soft, white blanket of snow