Friday Reads: The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

If you haven't stopped by lately, I'm hosting a reading challenge for 2017 called the Read & Watch Challenge. Each month has a new theme word to guide you in picking a book and movie/TV show for the challenge. January's word is BEGIN. (Still time to join in if you're interested!)

And in my post earlier this week, I shared that the book I was probably going to read for this month's challenge was The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon.

This is a book I got via my new favorite bookish thing, the Book of the Month club, and I chose it for the challenge because it is about the start of a love story, the first day two people meet. In fact, the whole book is about just that ONE DAY. 

I thought that concept had potential to drag. A whole book about one day. But my fear was totally unfounded. It hooked me from the very start. In fact, I started it with my 5-pages a day reading habit that I talked about earlier this week, but five pages turned into a hundred that first night. I ended up finishing the book in three evenings. 

So, so good. I won't go into the whole story because I'll post the back cover summary below, but y'all, trust me when I say you'll get swept away. (And I just squeed when I saw it's going to be a movie because it was a very cinematic book.) Beautiful language. Funny. Compelling POVs that include not just the two main characters, who are fantastic, but people the main characters interact with for only a moment. 

At the heart of this novel is the idea that we all affect each other in some way. A moment that seems innocuous or mundane (talking to the cashier at the grocery store, getting caught in a traffic) can change the trajectory or your life and others without you realizing it. It's a romantic and sometimes scary idea. What if we missed the life we were meant to have because of one minor decision? (That's the scary part.) Or what if that thing we thought was an inconvenience actually brought us closer to a happily ever after? (The romantic part.) This book explores both sides of that coin and I loved it.

Also, if you're looking to read books with a diverse cast written by diverse authors, this is a great choice. The heroine is Jamaican, the hero Korean-American. The author explores the complications this causes with their families with a deft hand and gave me new insight into things I didn't know about (for instance, there's a chapter about why the majority of black hair care stores are owned by Korean immigrants.) I liked how the author dropped in chapters on historical topics like this in the narrative. It added an extra layer to the story.

On top of all that, it's incredibly romantic. And I love that the hero is the romantic poet type and the heroine the hard-nosed scientific type. Bottom line: I loved this book. Go read it. :)

Here's the info:

The dazzling new novel from Nicola Yoon, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything (in theaters May 2017!), will have you falling in love with Natasha and Daniel as they fall in love with each other!

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true? 

A 2016 National Book Award Finalist
A New York Times Notable Book
A BuzzFeed Best YA Book of the Year
A POPSUGAR Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Editor's Choice
A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
An Amazon Best Book of the Year

Buy the book: Amazon | B&N | Book of the Month club (*You can't get it as this month's selection but you can add it to your monthly pick if you sign up.)

So what are you reading this chilly Friday?

Creating a Daily Reading Habit & Tackling the TBR: The 5-Page Method

With the launch of the 2017 Read & Watch Challenge yesterday (have you joined yet?), I wanted to take today to focus on this month's theme word--BEGIN--in a different way. Some of the most intimidating things about reading challenges are the tasks of a) choosing which book to read and b) getting yourself to actually pick up the book and read it. So I thought it might be helpful to talk about creating a daily reading habit and what I'm personally doing this year to help with that.

I know that for some of you, I'm probably preaching to the choir. You don't need help beefing up your reading time. You're a power reader. (But read on anyway because I'm going to apply this technique to tackling that towering TBR pile I know you have.)

I used to be a power reader too. But each year, with all the things that go along with being a writer and running a business, I find that my fiction reading has suffered more and more. In 2016, I read 45 books, which is nothing to complain about, but it was my lowest count in years and a third to half were non-fiction reads.

So this year, two of my areas to focus on, habit-wise, are to get back to reading more fiction AND to tackle my completely out-of-control TBR pile. With both of these, I've found that often the hardest part for me is just taking the time to pick up a book. To BEGIN. My phone is a distraction, chores are waiting, work is always there, etc. It's easy just to leave the book on the coffee table and forget to pick it up.

But then I read this article over at Fast Company: How I Became a Morning Person, Read More Books, and Learned a Language in a Year. It's a fantastic article about starting small with habits, and it tackled what is often the hardest thing--beginning. In the article, the author talks about how she had a goal of reading 1 page a night minimum. Just one. She could read more if she wanted to, but she could check it off her habit list if she made it through one. So it lowers the intimidation factor of picking up the book and helps you feel accomplished, but also, more times than not (if the book is good), you'll end up reading more.

The 5-Page Daily Habit

So I decided to take on this technique, but altering it to five pages because it takes me about that long to get into a reading something. And I'm a fast reader, so five pages is nothing. The method is simple: Read 5 pages minimum every night.

Last night, I employed this technique and ended up reading 100 pages. The book captured me and I enjoyed an evening of reading. And I probably wouldn't have picked up the book last night at all if I hadn't told myself, I only need to read 5 pages.

Applying the Method to the Towering TBR Pile

So then that got me to thinking about my crazy TBR pile. Hundreds of books, people. Shelves and shelves of print and a Kindle full of ebooks just waiting for me. It's been a regular struggle for me to focus on the TBR. Each year, I set a renewed goal for it and fail. But often it's because I'm overwhelmed at the thought of which book to read. I think this 5-page technique can do wonders here, too.

You pick up a book you think you want to read from your TBR and read 5 pages (or 10 or the first chapter, whatever you want your litmus test to be). If it doesn't capture you, put it aside. Go on to the next one. If a book's been sitting on your shelf for more than a year and the five pages don't grab you, well, you're probably never going to read it. Life is too short to read books that aren't hooking you.

For instance, last night I was trying to decide which book to read for the BEGIN theme this month in the challenge. I had two contenders. I decided I'd read the first five pages of each and then decide. Well, I read the first five pages of The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon and I never picked up the second book lol. I ended up reading a hundred pages because the author hooked me. :)

So, if you're intimidated about starting a reading habit this year or joining the Read & Watch challenge, or afraid you'll never put a dent in your TBR pile, then maybe give this a try.

Anyone have any specific reading habits they're tackling this year? Am I the only one drowning in my TBR pile?

The 2017 Read & Watch Challenge is here!

It's that time of the year again--reading challenge time! Each year, I like to choose (or create) some sort of reading challenge to do in the upcoming year. Beyond keeping me focused on reading, it's also just fun to have a list or chart to check off (yes, I'm a nerd.) But based on the volume of reading challenges that pop up each year, I know I'm not the only one. :)

For the past few years, I've done the Push Your Boundaries reading challenge, which was a challenge I created to expand my reading selections beyond my comfort zone reads. I've really enjoyed that challenge and it's still one you can use for 2017. All the info and downloads are here for that challenge. But this year, I'm looking for something a little lighter and with more flexibility since I know it's going to be an exceptionally busy year. I also wanted to incorporate movies and TV because I've found that I've stopped watching TV (because of that pesky distraction of the smartphone at night).

Therefore, inspired by the exercise I did where you choose a one-word theme for the year, I've created the...

2017 Read & Watch Challenge

Here's how it works:

1. Each month will have a one-word theme. 

2. You will read a book and watch a movie or TV show that match the theme.  

3. You can use the theme word however you see fit. I'll give some ideas about how to play with a theme below.

4. Each month here on the blog and in my newsletter, I will feature the word, tell you what I plan to read and watch, give a few suggestions, and I will also invite "tastemakers" (writers, book bloggers, editors) to share some suggestions on what to read. I also plan to have a Reader of the Month offer a recommendation. So you'll get a number of different perspectives and options if you're having trouble picking something out or if you just want a great new recommendation. :)

5. Track Your Progress. A few options: 

• Sign up for my newsletter and get the printable Fearless Romantics Reading Journal to track all your reading this year and this handy dandy checklist for the challenge.
• Keep a Pinterest board to pin your book covers and movies.
• Keep a page in your journal or planner.
• Post on Instagram

6. Chat about it online using the hashtag #ReadWatch17

How the theme words work

I purposely chose words that could be up for interpretation. I don't like to be told what to read, lol, so this allows for maximum flexibility while still being a fun challenge. I can't wait to see how you guys interpret them. But each month I'll brainstorm ideas to give your creativity a nudge if it needs it. For instance, here are ideas for January's theme word

January: BEGIN

• The start of a book series or film franchise or TV series
• A book you started and put down but still want to read
• A book or movie about beginnings
• A non-fiction book or documentary about some habit or activity you want to begin in the new year 
• A book or movie with the word Begin or Beginning in the title
• A book or film that follows a character from birth.

See what I mean? The possibilities are endless. :)

Want to join the fun?

Sign up for my newsletter and get your checklist and free reading journal. Every two weeks, you'll get an email from me with book challenge info and recommendations along with my other blog content (posts about books, productivity, life, contests, etc.) I try to make my newsletter useful and fun. Promo is rare.

Or, you can also do this solo and not officially sign up. Just be sure to check out the blog once a month if you'd like book and movie recommendations or want to chat with other readers in the challenge.

Stay tuned for the January Read & Watch Challenge post. But until then, who's with me? :)