Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 5 Update!

Hiya! Time for another Popsugar Reading Challenge Update, this time for week 5! I’m happy to say this week has been quite productive! Since my last update, my challenge now stands at: 28/50 (Week 1: 5 books, Week 2: 4 books, Week 3: 7 books, Week 4: 3 books, Week 5: 9)! A bit more than halfway through, yes! 😀

• A book with more than 500 pages: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
• A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• A book that became a movie: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• A book published this year: The Heir by Kiera Cass
• A book with a number in the title: Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
• A book written by someone under 30: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book with nonhuman characters: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
• A funny book: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• A book with a one-word title: Aftermath by Tom Lewis
• A book of short stories: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
• A book set in a different country: Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
• A popular author’s first book: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• A book a friend recommended: Hereafter by Tara Hudson
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Skinned by Robin Wasserman
• A book based entirely on its cover: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
• A book you can finish in a day: The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West
• A trilogy: (Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee) Angelfall, World After, End of Days)
• A book with a love triangle: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• A book set in the future: Flash Point by Nancy Kress
• A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
• A graphic novel: Sisters by Reina Telgemeier
• A book by an author you’ve never read before: Animal by Nikki Rae
• A book you own but have never read: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book that was originally written in a different language: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• A book you started but never finished: Wicked by Sara Shepard
• A banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

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9 books in one week! Definitely my best. (The fact that Sisters is graphic novel and Aftermath was really short will be ignored…) I would love to celebrate my progress, but as a result of all this reading, my studying has been… procrastinated. I will most assuredly not be getting good grades this year… Oops! Better get to it. Exams almost over, though, woo-hoo! Hopefully I’ll be able to finish up the many rough drafts of my reviews that I have pending soon.

How are your reading challenges going? Let me know in the comments below!

-A

That’s What HE Said Thursday #8 (May 28)

Aloha! Time for another That’s What He Said Thursday, a meme hosted by Chapter Break! I’m still reeling from Ignite Me’s amazingness (by Tahereh Mafi) and so here’s a quote brought to you by none other than Warner, one of the love interests in the story. (Whose review is coming soon!)

And I’ve fallen.

So hard.

I’ve hit the ground. Gone right through it. Never in my life have I felt this. Nothing like this. I’ve felt shame and cowardice, weakness and strength. I’ve known terror and indifference, self-hate and general disgust. I’ve seen things that cannot be unseen.

And yet I’ve known nothing like this terrible, horrible, paralyzing feeling. I feel crippled. Desperate and out of control. And it keeps getting worse. Every day I feel sick. Empty and somehow aching.

Love is a heartless bastard.

-Warner, Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

The feels, the feels! Oh my god I just about died from the feels reading this book! Isn’t this just so heartbreaking?

Come on Warner, you can do this. If Tay-Tay can, so can you. ❤

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What do you think of this quote/tidbit? Have you read the Shatter Me series or this book? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below! Planning on reading the series? Also let me know! I’d love to hear from you. 🙂

Happy Thursday!

-A

Translation & Literature | Book Snacks Babbles

Hi! Recently I’ve discovered a company called Smartling, a translation software company that translates website content into many languages so that businesses can effectively communicate with their audience. This company raised several thoughts in my head. After all, there are so many books that have been translated, to and from so many different languages! How would the world be today if these books hadn’t been translated? Completely different, wouldn’t it be?

I recently finished re-reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, and I loved it! I might even consider one of my favorite childhood books, but how would’ve I read this if it had not been translated from German to English? I wouldn’t have, and I would’ve missed out on a quite wonderful story. Another example would be Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, a book also originally written in German. I quite enjoyed this story, and I would’ve missed out on it had it not been translated. For other good examples, you should check out Poulami’s post. 

Translation is wonderful, in allowing us to have access to pieces of literature and novels that we wouldn’t otherwise have access to. As translation is so crucial in sharing literature with the world, there are of course several issues that must be addressed. When I read books translated from another language, I often worry about whether the same story has been translated, and whether the writing style will remain the same. After all, a different language means for a whole different way of communication, and there are of course language slip-ups that happen when translating a whole story. I know from my personal reading as well as from other readers’ opinions that translated books do not always provide satisfying reading experiences. If this issue could be resolved, translated books would have a larger value and would reach more readers.

So those are my thoughts on translation and literature! We all know the value of the written word (or so I hope!), and the world would definitely be different if books hadn’t been translated; they wouldn’t be accessible to many people today. What are your thoughts on translated books? Do you agree with me? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below!