A Book Written on My Heart // Ella

Thursday 23 March 2017





Hi there, it's Ella!

Today, I want to talk about a wonderful, wonderful book I read during my trip to the sea.
It was "Written on my Heart" by Morgan Callan Rogers.

It is the sequel to "Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea", which I read some years ago, so I didn't fully remember the plot when picking up this one.
But I wouldn't say it is necessary to read the first book, you get into the second one very well without.

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The photos show my German edition (which is so beautiful *-*)
Here you can see the English cover.

It tells the story of Florine, who marries her childhood friend Bud on  The Point, the Maine fishing village where they grew up. The stories goes on, telling about them building themselves a life together and raising a family, while Florine is still struggling with the memories of the loss of her mother, who vanished when she was twelve. 
But suddenly, clues begin to surface, raising new hope to finally solve the mystery of  her mothers fate.

This was one of the books, I never wished to end.
Though, yes, this book is build around a certain plot, I features a lot of scenes, which are only there to show the life of the family. For me, this was the main point: Telling the story of two young people, getting married, building a family and going through certain struggles.
Florine, who can't let go of her mother,  Bud, who has to work and care for a family, while asking himself, whether there could be more in life.
At this point, the book shows how they cope with their problems and that there is no black and white in a relationship. Florine and Bud really love another but still are struggling. They're not 100% happy and they're not 100% unhappy.
Also, Florine loves her children, more than anything, but still, she sometimes struggles being a mother.

Solving the mystery around Florine mother comes up again and again throughout the book, but it's not the main point, as I said. The book is not about solving the case and following this line straight.
That's what I really liked. It doesn't show the process of getting behind what happened, but how the people involved in this live.

The characters we're awesome, relatable and lovable. The thing I loved the most about them, especially Florine, since she is the main character - they were so real to me.

So, if you love stories build around people and their way of living, family drama and individual love stories (aka what happens after the happy end - this is what the German blurb says, btw)  rather than straight plot lines, go with this wonderful book.

I recommend reading "Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea" too, which tells the story of Florines childhood and how she copes with the vanishing of her mother. Not because it's required to read the sequel, but because it's a wonderful story too.

Bye then, 
Ella

The Magic of Caraval // Ella

Tuesday 14 March 2017


It's only been out since February, but Caraval is already all over the place. I had the pleasure to enjoy this read during my study phase, and it was something, which kept my mood high.
Yes, it was a great read. So here's why you should read it too, if you haven't already.

Caraval tells the story of two sisters, Scarlett and Tella, who are somehow trying to escape their life aside their cruel father.
One day, their dream comes true: they got the chance to be part of Caraval, a one-a-year performance of magic and mystery, where the audience participates. But as soon as they arrive on the island where Caraval takes place, Tella is kidnapped. It turns out, that this is part of this years "game" - the participator who will find her first will get the price of one wish.
With the help of the mysterious sailor who helped the sisters getting to the island, Scarlett tries to solve the mysteries of Caraval to find Tella.


This book was so good.
Where should I start?
Caraval was so beautifully written, I loved Stephanie Garbers choice of words. She understood to draw the most beautiful atmosphere. Magical and colourful but still somehow dark. 
Not only is said, that reality and pretence, the performance and real magic will blur at Caraval - but it does for the reader too! In the end, you do not know, what was written to be acting and what was really mystery.

The characters were awesome too. This is a story about sisterhood in the first place, and this really is what is portrayed. Scarlett and Tella are quite different, but not bold.

It was one of this books you can't put down and you just want to go on and on with the story and longing to know what will happen, but at the same time, you never wish it to end, because you're eager to stay in this world of magic and mystery forever.

The ending was just perfect, because it completed the story, while at the same time, it let some things open, so you just want to go on, ready to dive into Caravals magic all over again...


Have you read Caraval yet? What do you think about it?

Ella

HELP! I'm in a reading slump... // Lena

Thursday 9 March 2017

Something is definitely up. I'm barely reading anymore and I don't know how I should feel about this.
I know, I've read a lot in January. But then February came and I failed. To me, the past weeks have been a huge failure when it comes to reading.
It's not that I'm not reading at all. I do read a few pages here and there. But I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to. This is what worries me the most.
I'm afraid that my book addiction was only temporary and that now I'm not a 'real reader' anymore. When I was younger I read books from time to time but I wouldn't say I was obsessed with reading.
About three years ago I fell more and more in love with reading. I would pick a good book over almost everything, especially over living a typical teenager's social life. But I have changed. I've become more confident and less anti-social. I am beyond happy for having the best friends I've ever had. Yes, I'm blaming my friends 😬

What I'm doing now

I don't want to whine anymore. I'll try my best to get out of that reading slump, I promise. Everyone says you have to sit that slump out and not force yourself to read. But that's the only way it works for me. I have to tell myself that I should read and then I usually even enjoy it.
Something else that motivates me is watching booktube videos. I feel such a huge excitement when I see what other booklovers are reading. 
And yes, although I'm barely reading and my tbr is long enough, I keep pre-ordering books I can't wait for. I hope when they'll arrive I'll be super duper happy and motivated to read them.

My excuses for not reading as much as I should in the upcoming weeks

March, April and May will be super busy months for me. I suspect it won't be easy to overcome my reading slump.
  • I have to write my term paper and go to the library and I don't feel any motivation whatsoever. 
  • Lots of cool events are coming up. I'll be going to the opera, the Leipziger book fair, dances, parties, birthday dinners and all that stuff. And Easter is around the corner, yay!
  • I want to spend a lot of time with my friends. We've been apart for several weeks and I missed them and always have an amazing time when we're together.
  • Last but not least, my fourth semester starts soon and I definitely need to get prepared and also start studying for my upcoming exam.

Nonetheless, I desperately hope 
that I'll find some time to read and actually enjoy it.
I hope you're all doing better 
with your reading!
Love, Lena

This was February '17 // Ella

Monday 6 March 2017

Overall:

Hi there, it's Ella!
Time's running, isn't it?
We're already into march, I've mastered my exams and I had a pretty good reading month. Now I am trying to figure out what to do with my life the next four weeks. Pretty crazy...

And a little update here: I started a tumblr-blog, just for fun and thoughts, so if you want to check out, click here.

Favourites:


  1. Caraval - This book was so good, I think I made it trough it in two days ( while I was supposed to study, I know...)
  2. Across the Universe - And still I was into studying, but I couldn't put it down. So after I finished it, I immediately jumped up and ran to the library to get the sequels.
  3. Tulips - I really enjoyed the fresh and colourful flowers at my desk while I was (supposed to) studying.
  4. Ballet - I restarted after one and a half year of pause and cheerleading and I am so glad I did! I adore getting back to the barre.
  5. Westworld - After finally being able to (legally) enjoy my freetime, I decided to start watching Westworld, and I am already done because, guess what - it was awesome. I think, I might really start being into science fiction...

Looking Forward:

Okay, so I think March will be amazing:
I have plenty time to read and do some stuff which was on my to do list since forever, like finally working on my photo album.
Also, I will spent time with my family and work on my Android 18 cosplay, since I will go to the Leipziger Book Fair / Manga-Comic-Con at the end of march.

I am really curious for all those things, so I hope it will really be a great month!

Ella

March TBR // Lena

Sunday 5 March 2017


Sorry for not posting earlier, but I've been busy with work. Honestly, I don't even have a real tbr. I'm barely reading lately and there're not many books I'm excited for. But that's a different story. These are the three books I'll be trying to read in March.


  1. Audrey Carlan - Calendar Girl: Volume Two (April, May, June)
  2. Audrey Carlan - Calendar Girl: Volume Three (July, August, September)
  3. Audrey Carlan - Calendar Girl: Volume Four (October, November, December) 

Have a great March!
Lena

March TBR // Ella

Friday 3 March 2017


This month, my tbr is pretty high, because I want to get it down to the ground, since I will go to the Leipziger Book Fair at the end of march. Basically, I want to buy books without worrying about those, I still have to read. That's it.


  1. Morgan Callan Rogers - Written On My Heart
  2. Libba Bray - Gemma Doyle Triology
  3. Gretchen Rubin - The Happiness Project
  4. Pride and Prejudice - Pride and Prejudice
  5. Margo Lanagan - The Brides of Bollock Island
  6. Grant Morrison - Supergods
There we go. How's your march tbr looking?

Ella