Book Lounge

[Tofu]

I'm actually a fan of e-books and often will read them on my kindle or phone. I do enjoy having the physical books too. I just can't carry those with me all the time so most of the time I opt for the e-book. 

 

No new readings for me but I did just finished a Chinese novel. Haha!

[Chocolate]

1 hour ago, SilverMoonTea said:

That 60" new tv of yours, will not help either I guess? 😂

You’re right! All that money saved from books have gone into the TV.

 

Btw, I discovered Doctor Prisoner on Netflix. So good! So Bossam has to wait again. Sorry 😭

 

[Jane]

6 hours ago, Chocolate said:

Yes yes! Sherry Thomas usually writes romances. I find her writing quite emotional and frequently makes me cry. But her last/current series is on a female Sherlock with a very slow burn romance. Quite good especially book 1.

 

Same here for me. I used to read like 3-4 books a week. Since April last year, I’ve read the same number 😭 

 

 

 

I will have a look into the Lady Sherlock series! Sounds very interesting from her website!

[mademoiselle]

20 hours ago, UnniSara said:

Have you watched Discover of Witches ? It was good. I didn’t know it was a book. 

Yes it's originated from Deborah Harkness's books (trilogy as well) but there's spin-off now of the side characters. Didn't read those coz I preferred the original OTP.

 

Deborah was a historian and I think she's a better writer than ahem, writers of Twilight and 50 Shades. The draw I have towards this story is vampire + witch falling in love, their powers and that book of life.

 

Check it out and see if you like it. I prefer the book. The drama miss out too much details and coz of it it's harder to invest in the characters (for me anyway).

9 hours ago, Chocolate said:

I discovered Doctor Prisoner on Netflix. So good!

I binged this one. Good eh. I thought thank god I didn't watch it live because the cliffhanger would kill me.

[UnniSara]

2 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I prefer the book. The drama miss out too much details and coz of it it's harder to invest in the characters (for me anyway).

@mademoiselle I believe the novels are always better than the movie / tv series. Not everything in the book can be adapted on the tv screens . Sometimes they like to change some things too which can be a drag. I will look for the books to read. Thank you for the recommendation chingu 

[Chocolate]

4 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

 

I binged this one. Good eh. I thought thank god I didn't watch it live because the cliffhanger would kill me.

 

Very good. I binged it yesterday and today. Completed. Makes me want to try Hot Stove League now.

 

[SilverMoonTea]

1 minute ago, Chocolate said:

Very good. I binged it yesterday and today. Completed. Makes me want to try Hot Stove League now.

 

What..no.!!! Bossam how? Haha....

Btw why book lounge also become drama one? 😅🤔

[Chocolate]

2 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

What..no.!!! Bossam how? Haha....

Btw why book lounge also become drama one? 😅🤔

My book lounge temporarily converted to TV lounge 😅 Once re-open, will be reading this book:

 

[mademoiselle]

@Chocolate
GO go. Hot Stove League is worth it!

 

Waaaa seriously. You're gonna read that! I watch the YT & couldn't get through to half...

[SilverMoonTea]

Why you need bujo @Chocolate, you only have 1 oppa 🤔 Or are you planning to expand ? Cough *taecyeon* cough...

 

I have a thing for pretty book cover too @ktcjdrama

[SilverMoonTea]

@ChocolateHave you read Murder of Roger Ackroyd? I borrowed from library, but the book a bit yellowish in colour, so I have been dragging myself to start reading it. I also have a bit OCD sometimes ahaha....

 

Note : I didn't know that Agatha Christie was a divorcee. Apparently her husband have affair. And this novel is written during her dark & tumultuous period. 

[Chocolate]

 

3 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

@ChocolateHave you read Murder of Roger Ackroyd? I borrowed from library, but the book a bit yellowish in colour, so I have been dragging myself to start reading it. I also have a bit OCD sometimes ahaha....

 

Note : I didn't know that Agatha Christie was a divorcee. Apparently her husband have affair. And this novel is written during her dark & tumultuous period. 

 

It’s good! It was one of my first Agatha Christie books and the ending was quite a surprise.

 

Why don’t you try downloading the library app and see if ebook works for you. I also dread touching used books - remember, people usually bring books into the toilet... 😂😂😂

 

[SilverMoonTea]

23 hours ago, Chocolate said:

 

 

It’s good! It was one of my first Agatha Christie books and the ending was quite a surprise.

 

 

@ChocolateI have to say its not too surprising, maybe I read too many crime books haha. 

 

Spoiler

Since the beginning the first person narative already kind of odd for me. There is other book that I read which has this unreliable storyteller and that one shocked me so much more.

 

I thought there's some love motive for Dr. Sheppard. Since he described Flora the niece as very pretty with blond hair lols. It's kind of dissapointing, the reason not as juicy as forbidden love but just a simple blackmailing ahahaha... 

 

 

And Then There Were None still the best of her work ever. I'll try ABC Murder & Five Little Pigs, since its on list best of Agatha Christie, but I doubt it will ever be as brilliant as ATTWN. 

[Chocolate]

@SilverMoonTea Hmmm, maybe I was still in secondary school when I read that and it was highly entertaining. I don't remember much of the story except that I think the ending

Spoiler

featured a balloon that helped create a scream like a dying pig.

 

Another one that I really loved was Murder on the Links.

 

Looking through the list of HP books, I realised that I do not remember most of the stories anymore, apart from a handful. Even ATTWN, I only remember the ending, but I think the story itself was a bit "plodding". But that's also the beauty of Agatha Christie, they are very re-readable (plus only 200-300 pages) and we can do so once every decade 😂

 

Edited May 31, 2021 by Chocolate

[SilverMoonTea]

Love & Other Lies

 

Spoiler

 

American family migrate to Norway, Oslo for a change. There seems a hidden secret by his wife, and all will start to reveal once their oldest daughter missing in summer camp. There is terrorist attack in the townhall as well. 

 

I read this was written as fictional memoir of Anders Breivik terrorist action back in  2011. 

 

Quite engaging, just the first prologue kind of blur & vague. Perhaps for readers to keep guessing, but I was a bit irritated with it lols. 

 

Edit - I completed this, and I can say it's lacking of something along the way. They did come to conclusion after very long round, and it's not so satifying. 

[SilverMoonTea]

 

Finished this book I borrowed from library. It's pretty interesting piece and fast moving. When you have neighbour that stalking your wife and accused you of abusing kids, what will you do to resolved it? Will you murder them to get your peace back?

 

The ML in this story have neighbour that living on their basement (such a weird arrangement) that threaten their family life. His own marriage is kind on the breakdown state, and the novel will also go through this notion to explain. 

 

Overall I like it. It's a bit like the biography and life story of the ML, I was thought this will focus on their neighbour more. But it's not really. 

 

Spoiler

The ending not super satisfying, but it got some plot twist that a bit unexpected. 

 

 

[SilverMoonTea]

Start to read the famous Kite Runner now. Felt like transported to middle east's storybook. Just read few pages of it and seems will be interesting. 

 

Btw are you guys a slow reader or quick reader, how fast you can finish one book ? @mademoiselle@Chocolate@Tofu@UnniSara?

[Chocolate]

@SilverMoonTea Wow, I don't how you juggle reading and watching dramas. So many too. 👍👏

 

If it is fiction, I usually finish in a day or 2. It's a bad habit - once I start a romance/thriller, I can't put it down. So in the past, I only go to the bookshop to get a book before a holiday. But now with kindle/e-books, it's just too accessible and reading has interfered with work too 😓 That's another reason I was glad to have found k-dramas and HB/BinJin last year - it tore me away from the trashy books which were wasting so much time! So that's something learnt - to break a bad habit, adopt another bad habit lol!

 

I am reading Bullet Journal now.

Excerpt from The New Yorker 😱😱😱😨😨😨

"Bullet Journalists are more likely to lose themselves in a sea of posts on Instagram, where BuJo has blossomed. As with many social-media trends, there’s a performative aspect to Bullet Journaling. You get the sense, in some of the more beautiful posts, that it took more time to make the to-do list than it would have to complete the to-dos."

 

I gather is it not so much a productivity tool, but rather something that helps people spend their time more mindfully and also for those who want/like to look back/review what they have done. I'm not sure I want to be that self-aware, but it's an interesting concept. 

 

I'm really keen to see/understand how those of you who use this method, really use/customise it. @Jane the image of your bulletjournal on the stationery thread did not load - can re-upload?

 

The biggest issue I see with this method is the handwriting/journal book requirement. It seems too manual. For example:

• Tasks - I note down tasks as it comes to mind. It's a long list. I cannot be transferring the uncompleted tasks to the next day/week/month all the time, plus there are new ones added each day.
• Collections - This is a good idea which I will study more to fine-tune an exisiting "Projects" in my current To-Do app. But with pen and paper, the Collections are all over the place, it could even be in a few different journals.
• Finding stuff - to glance through each page to find anything is going to be tedious, even with an index page.

If anyone incorporates some digital tools with the method, do share.

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by Chocolate

[UnniSara]

@SilverMoonTea  like @Chocolate said it depend on the type of book, how many pages  and how obsessed I become with the book. For me it can vary from 1 day and three days max or a five days.

Ever since I started reading BL novels , I have become a bit obsessed. I can finally say I am no longer hooked. Yay Also my year’s resolution was to complete My GOODREAD READING CHALLENGE and I have completed it. It was dues to BL novels. Smh smh why do you say that because it was FREE LOL LOL this is the first year I completed it, so happy 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

On 6/20/2021 at 12:53 PM, SilverMoonTea said:

Btw are you guys a slow reader or quick reader, how fast you can finish one book ?

My best record was probably 1 day+ for Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire (5th book and the thickest). I literally did not sleep and just kept on reading the moment I got it from the shop. That was the good ol' days when I could still go by without Zzz and no work (not sure why?... maybe it was weekend). If I'm engrossed in the book then I'll "binge" it like I binge dramas.

 

Oh wow @Chocolate you're actually read Bujo. I don't think I would be able to do Bujo. For one, I don't like to handwrite if I can make it look neat and tidy with computer font. Maybe you could look into "Microsoft Planner" if you have Office 365. My boss used it to plan this year's tasks that the team needs to do. I've yet to look into utilising this one into my work. In addition Planner can be combined with Power Automate as well.

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by mademoiselle

[Chocolate]

Wow @UnniSara you've read 25 books in 2021!!! I think I watched 25 dramas and read 5 books 😭 Btw, what are BL novels?

 

@mademoiselle Yeah, I think it would be difficult to do Bujo with pen and paper. But the concept of everything encompassed in 1 place is attractive - just need a digital method. Yes, I checked out MS Planner and Automate previously. The latter is interesting - but I need time to delve into the details to see how it can be used on my side - thanks for the reminder. Also checking out other platforms like Monday and Airtable.

 

This is all a bit like Netflix - you spend so much time searching what to watch/what to use, and then at the end of it, you're too tired to watch the drama/do the work 😂

 

[SilverMoonTea]

 

@mademoisellethis is how to read book properly 😆

[mademoiselle]

@SilverMoonTea Hahahahahaha~ I believe this will lead to the contents in trashy books instead...

By the way, have you ever experienced the same situation where Woo Yeo wanted to be beside Dam when she studies? NEVER let a man do that (for anyone here who is still studying). You will fail your exams. xDDDDD

[mademoiselle]

Hey @SilverMoonTea This was what happened in the drama... xDDDD

 

Before

After

Spoiler

 

[Jane]

On 6/21/2021 at 12:20 PM, Chocolate said:

I gather is it not so much a productivity tool, but rather something that helps people spend their time more mindfully and also for those who want/like to look back/review what they have done. I'm not sure I want to be that self-aware, but it's an interesting concept. 

 

I'm really keen to see/understand how those of you who use this method, really use/customise it. @Jane the image of your bulletjournal on the stationery thread did not load - can re-upload?

 

The biggest issue I see with this method is the handwriting/journal book requirement. It seems too manual. For example:

• Tasks - I note down tasks as it comes to mind. It's a long list. I cannot be transferring the uncompleted tasks to the next day/week/month all the time, plus there are new ones added each day.
• Collections - This is a good idea which I will study more to fine-tune an exisiting "Projects" in my current To-Do app. But with pen and paper, the Collections are all over the place, it could even be in a few different journals.
• Finding stuff - to glance through each page to find anything is going to be tedious, even with an index page.

If anyone incorporates some digital tools with the method, do share.

 

I am in the midst of setting up my new July-Dec book, I will take pictures and upload to show you then. I have customised the system very much to fit my own needs. For example, I work on an overall six month schedule. I will draw out July - Dec 2021 and my future log is for Jan - June 2022. Within each month, I work on a weekly system so that it contains all the notes I make in a work week. I carry forward from week to week (which is good to show me how much I am procrastinating on some tasks. I don't use collections because I find it all over the place too.

 

I have always been a pen and paper person so having it manual is not a problem for me. I find it quite therapeutic sometimes when working on each month. In the past I would use two notebooks, a pre-drawn schedule and a blank notebook. But with the customisation of the bullet journal method, I can combine them in one.

Edited June 27, 2021 by Jane