It's time to say Goodbye!

Hello,

The semester is coming to an end, and I just wanted to let you know that this will be the last post to my blog. As a part of my Multimedia Journalism course in Bilkent University, I had the opportunity to create this blog to help people learn more about bookstores/books in Ankara. I enjoyed researching and visiting bookstores, and hope I have fulfilled and benefited my readers at the same time.

Want to say in touch?

At the meantime, you can follow me on my social media accounts where I will definitely post book reviews now and then.

Twitter: @IsraaSays_

Instagram: @Israa.gr

Listening to Audio books

Hello,

Reading and listening are great ways to learn, but audio books let readers engage with books in a different way than print. You can listen to them when you're in the car, walking or exercising. It is fun because the narrator is like an actor, my favorite to listen to is Stephan Fry, reading Harry Potter. They are also easily accessible, you can download the audio book from audible.

http://www.audible.com

Most read Genre in Bilkent

Hello,

I always wondered what is the most popular book genre, so I decided to make a survey by going around campus asking Bilkenters what is their favorite genre to read and here are the results.

Word Cloud

This is a word cloud representing my blog. It is a logical arrangement of keywords within a textual content that visually describes the popular topics.

Audio Interview

Hello everyone,

Writer and professor Jennifer Reimer joined me today to chat about her experience on writing poetry and short stories, make sure to check it out!

Top Five: Favorite Books of 2016

As 2016 wraps up, I decided to share with you my favorite 5 books I read this year. (No specific order)

        1. Across The Universe by Beth Revis

The cover of this book caught my attention, which made me grab the book and start reading it. Though I must mention it's a bit misleading as the book's main plot barely includes romance. This book is about Amy, a seventeen years old girl being transported with many people as a frozen cargo on a spaceship to a new planet, destined to arrive in 300 years from take-off. but, not everything goes to plan.  As a science-fiction fan I really enjoyed the dystopian space mystery in this book.

Favorite quotes:

"I never thought about how important the sky was until I didn't have one." 

"Maybe the secrets of the stars have nothing to do with being alone."

      2. Bird Box by Josh Malerman

The world is not safe anymore, something terrifying exists and must not be seen. No one knows what it is or where it came from. Malorie, is a survivor with her two children. Blind folded all their lives, living in an abandoned house near the river. They must escape to a place where they might be safe. In this horrifying book, we join Malorie's experience as she tries to move. The best thing about this book is that, it shows horror, not by describing images, but by describing sounds as the characters are being blindfolded most of the time. I find this a creative choice made by the author. 

Favorite quotes:

“How can she expect her children to dream as big as the stars if they can't lift their heads to gaze upon them?”

“It's better to face madness with a plan than to sit still and let it take you in pieces.”

3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This book is everything I ever wanted; it's a combination of fairy tale and science fiction. If you're interested in seeing wires sticking out of your disney princesses then this book is for you. It's offers a unique retelling of the story Cinderella. I love how Meyer painted vivid visions in my mind while reading it.

Favorite quotes:

"You can help me pick out a tiara when we're done saving the world."

“She was a cyborg, and she would never go to a ball.”

4. Quite Power by Susan Cain

5. The Night Circus

Reading Atmosphere// Winter Edition

Hello all!

Picking a good reading spot and atmosphere is an essential step to fully enjoy reading your books. I like to be perfectly comfortable when I read, surrounded by pillows in my cozy bed. Yet I still love reading outdoors, feeling the warm sun on my shoulders. However since winter is approaching, I can’t imagine a better way of reading than sitting down with a hot beverage- in coffee shops. By that, I decided to show you how to treat yourself to a long afternoon with a book.

Here are some items that you could carry to enhance your winter reading experience.

• A hot beverage: Stay hydrated and warm in this frosty weather and enjoy a hot cup o’ something tasty.

• A reading playlist: Find yourself playlists to listen to while reading books, you can find those on Youtube, Spotify. etc. Some of them were even compiled by authors themselves, that would make for pretty great companions to your daily reading habit.

• Highlighters: Whenever I come across a line that I like from a book, I highlight it as a way to remember.

• A bookmark: I love collecting bookmarks, and would never dog-ear a page or lay the book down. Here's a good tip "use a standard 3x5 index card as a bookmark. When you start a new book, grab an index card and write the book title on it. As you read, write the page numbers down of any particularly meaningful."