This is my second post and also my first English post! I've been learning English since I was a kid but I started focusing on it more since 2019. It'd been quite hard for me first but as time passed on, I had started enjoying learning new phrases and understanding the language in conversations. But as I finished my English academy a few years ago, I haven't had much chance to practice English so I thought it would be cool to remember English as I write things down on journaly!
I've been into reading books since 2021. That was the time when I started going to libraries. As I read one after another I realized how many amazing books there were, how many competent authors this world had.
So here are some of my favorite books of all time:
-The Last Lecture (by Randy Paush)
I think I've read this one three times from the beginning to the very end, and also have read just some of my favorite chapters more than three times! It was written by a professor of computer science whom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In his book Randy talks about his childhood, what his bucket-lists had been since he was very young and how he managed to accomplish them as he grew older. The book is called the last lecture because he wanted to give people his thoughts about life and about passions, meaning of life etc. as someone who was going to leave the world behind soon. It's a pretty short book and very captivating. Highly recommended!
-The Kite Runner (by Khaled Hosseini)
I've read this one also multiple times. In the books, there's a boy named Amir from Kabul, Afghanistan. It's about Amir, his father, and Hassan who is the son of Amir's father's servant. Amir's father treats Hassan the same way he treats his own son Amir. The father buys Hassan what he buys for Amir. The reason why he does this will be shown as the chapters go. Running kites is what the boys enjoy the most. Hassan is excellent at it. And one day, Hassan wins a local kite tournament. After the triumph Hassan goes to find the kite where he gets assulted physically by a kid who doesn't approve Amir and Hassan's friendship because of Hassan is a Hazara. Amir, standing behind them, sees what happens-what the kid does to Hassan. But he's too afraid to tell this to anyone, even to his father. And as story goes on, Amir and his father move to America. Some time after his father's death in the new country, Rahim Khan-the father's close friend reaches out to Amir. And Rahim Khan tells stories about his father that were never told to Amir. (Also, as the chapters go on there's Soraya and Sohrab). It's an emotinal, heartbreaking and at the same time heartwarming book. Must be read in lifetime!
-단순한 진심(by 조해진)
This is one of the books that got me into reading. It's a story of a Korean orphan who gets adopted to France at a young age. The book starts as she gets pregnant and wonders about her own mother-who bored her and raised her for a few years of her early times of life. That's also when she gets asked to film a movie by a documentary director. So she flies to Korea. And she tries to find the meaning of her Korean name: Munju. As the chapest pass, she gets to understand her mother-find her finally, not physcially but emotionally, and also finds herself.
These are three books that I love! Thank you for reading :)
What an excellent first post in English! I have to say that I've never read Kite Runner, although I've seen it for years. I'll make a point of reading it this summer! As for the Last Lecture, I actually watched a documentary on him and his book and it was heart-wrenching. It was inspiring and at the same time agonizing to watch his calm attitude towards his illness and impending death. Thank you for the recommendations and welcome to Journaly!
title: Some of My Favorite Books
@CocoPop Thank you so much for reading my post and correcting my mistakes, apprecciate it so much!! I didn't know there was a documentary about Randy Pausch, that's so cool :) Yes, I also found the way he approaches life amazing. Thank you for welcoming me!
You're very welcome! Here's the video I saw. I can't watch it without crying: https://youtu.be/j-a7LRwqwNw?si=71_8fW8YiOPA9ke4
@CocoPop Thank you for sharing!
Hi, @kaeun . Thank you for the post. I've watched the movie of Kite Runner, but I've never read the book yet. Since the movie was really good, I'd love to read it in English too.
Welcome to Journaly! I've only read thrillers and crime novels in English, with the exception of two historical non-fiction books by Ben Macintyre; The Spy and the Traitor and A Spy Among Friends.
These books tell the stories of real spies whose actions had a significant impact on world affairs. I loved that the author also focused on the human aspect of the job, which almost made me cry; almost because I resisted it😂.
The second book tells the story of two close childhood friends who were both recruited by the British Foreign Secret Service (MI6). It was such an emotional story. In case you're interested, I won't spoil anything else.
@yumiyumayume the book is really good, hope you'll read it and like it! Thank you for visiting :)
@Simone- I've never heard of them! Thank you for recommending!