Calling For Writers (Volunteers)

I am a volunteer assistant editor of the Lifestyle and Relationship section of the DG Sentinel. Currently, the DG Sentinel is looking for volunteer writers for its online website, which is going to be launched soon. This is a great opportunity for writers to extend their audiences!

Here is the link to LinkedIn Profile

The DG Sentinel

We uplift local and marginalized voices around the world. We cover topics from gritty mental health personal stories to passionate tales from people actually living through war and disaster. We feature articles on chronic illness, exposés on political issues beyond the Western world, international debates on race, doctor-patient relationships, and much more. The DG Sentinel invites readers to a global community, making them well-informed, empathetic, and equipped to do good in the world. 

The DG Sentinel is an independent, non-partisan media site, queer-led and run by a majority-minority staff. We are supported by the international nonprofit, Dweebs Global, which provides free career development support and mental health mentorship to over 35 countries worldwide.

Website www.dgsentinel.org

Here are the details of 2022 Author Guidelines for the Lifestyle and Relationship Section of The DG Sentinel

The DG Sentinel is accepting manuscripts on a rolling basis.

For submissions, please email johana.htwe@weebsglobal.org while cc’ing daphne.kasriel@dweebsglobal.org and jullia.joson@dweebsglobal.org

Must READ Before Submission

When you are ready to submit, please include your article along with a 50-100 word author bio written in third person. Both components should be in the same document. Along with your article and author bio be sure to:

1. Specify the subsection you are submitting to (e.g., Relationship, Love, Lifestyle, Fashion, Beauty, Travel, Culture, etc.)
2. The submitted piece should be an original work of the writer and must not have been published before.
3. Be sure to choose a compelling title that encapsulates your work.
4. The writer can submit multiple articles.
5. The accepted word count is 500-1500.
6. We also accept pictures for articles that are relevant to the content.

In addition, given our commitment to inclusive publishing practices, we invite you to share your demographic information, including country, ethnicity, educational experiences, languages, identity, pronouns, etc. However, if you wish to remain anonymous and use a pen name, you are welcome to do so. Please leave a note for our editors.

Please keep in mind that since we are receiving a large number of submissions continuously, it may take some time to review your piece.

What We’re Looking For:

1. Beauty and Fashion

We’re looking for innovative and local beauty and fashion trends from different parts of the world. For instance, the continuing and popular cosmetic trend in Myanmar is Thanaka, which is the country’s traditional natural beauty resource. It is still widely used by Burmese women as a skincare product to keep their skin cool and protect against UV light. As for fashion, traditionally and currently, Burmese Longyi remain fashionable among both males and females in Myanmar. No matter which trend you’re covering, your content must contain your personal perspective, such as how you see the trend, why you think the trend suits you, etc.

2. Travel and Culture

Wherever you travel, you’re bound to come across the cultures of native people. We’re seeking your personal story of traveling to a new place (either to a different country or a local town). We also welcome a story of your hometown, such as the beauty which even local people don’t notice. Whatever it is, in your content, you should include unique features (historical stories, paintings, handicrafts, plays, etc.) that set them apart from other cultures while describing how they impact you and the feelings you have during your trip. Last but not least, we also welcome stories of immigrants who encounter cultural differences and how they are coping with that. There are many reasons for immigration, such as a country’s political and economic situation, and these “hidden” stories with a background theme of culture are welcomed too.

3. Lifestyle and Relationships

We are looking for articles about love: family love; romantic love; interracial/queer romance, toxic relationships, and stories about attachment to pets etc. Stories that involve doctors and patients who have to spend a long time in a hospital; for example, those who undergo chemo for cancer or the kids in the children’s ward and their extended interactions with doctors, are accepted as well. If you’re a love expert or you just have experiences with loving, relationships, and lifestyle trends and choices, we would like to share your story with readers around the world. Whatever your story is, your content must reflect who you really are and what you want to say.

Submission Preparation Checklist

• The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration.
• The submission, regardless of any topic, is based on personal experience and/or illustrates a personal angle.
• If the submission is a research-based article, it should include credible sources, in-text parenthetical citations, and a bibliography at the end.
• The submission should already be spell-checked with little to no grammatical errors.
• The submission file is in a Google doc format.
• If the submission has themes of suicide, self-harm, abuse, violence, sexual implications, etc, please include a trigger warning at the beginning of the piece.

Content we will not be accepting

• Articles that advocate discrimination against race, gender, class, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc. We will publish articles that talk about such discrimination, make powerful arguments grounded in culture, personal experience, and fact, and are open-minded.
• Stories that promote religion or encourage readers to join a religious affiliation.
• Stories about abuse and/or violence (aka trauma dumping) without a plot or central theme/message. We want you to tell your story as authentically as possible. However, keep in mind that your audience as well as the editors on the mental health team may have mental health issues and/or are neurodivergent. We want to share our stories in a way that empowers not only the writer but also the readers. For triggering imagery, be sure it’s presented in either an artistic way or serves a fundamental purpose in moving the plot forward.
• Articles that promote a specific treatment. Everyone experiences mental health issues in a different way.
• Research articles that are not backed up by credible sources and/or without a bibliography.
• Plagiarized articles or pieces that have been published elsewhere including other magazines, journals, and public blogs.

Black Box

A book review by Johana

Black Box by Shiori Ito

The best nonfictional book I’ve ever read in my life. 

Powerful, inspiring, infuriating, heartbreaking, compelling, and full of information are the words that will describe this book. 

#Powerful because Shiori Ito, the author of this book, is the first woman in Japan to talk about her sexual assault to the press. Despite the struggles and opposition while she was fighting against her assailant (Btw, her assailant was the infamous journalist from TBS, Washington), Shiori didn’t give up on exposing what had happened to her while encouraging the other victims of sexual assault to come forward and speak out.

#Inspiring because the book tells the young life of Shiori at the beginning, which is very fearless and adventurous for a girl born in the Asian culture. Shiori pursued her dream of studying journalism in the U.S., then she took any opportunities on her way so that she could work as a journalist. Unexpectedly, the mental and physical breakdown due to the sexual assault caused twists, and she had to dedicate herself to making the assailant admit his crime. All these moments are described in detail and the story is told in a marvelous way, which gives a sense of inspiration.

#Infuriating because Shiori believed Japan was the most unprejudiced country in the world, given that there have been fewer rape crimes in Japan. Later, she found out that it was actually because the victims don’t report such crimes to the police, resulting in fewer rape crimes. In the book, Shiori mentioned a series of her emotions when she realized that the hospitals, the police, and the organizations, which are supposed to help the victims, were not helping the victims in reality.

#Heartbreaking because Shiori didn’t want to let her family know about her experience. She was mentally broken down. Besides the physical pain, she was constantly haunted by the scene of the assault. It was harder for her to tell her sister and parents than to endure the pain. When she exposed the assault to the press, she was attacked by emails.

“Rape isn’t only committed by strangers. Most victims are assaulted by their acquaintances.”

I think this book is the book everyone should read.

I feel like Shiori is trying to tell the readers about the institutions, which are meant to stand with the victims, are avoiding helping the victims in reality. She described the laws of Japan and how it was very difficult for the victims of sexual assault to go through the process of Japan’s judicial system in the most brilliant ways possible.

I want to conclude with my favorite line of all the best lines from the book.

“Never in my life did I think I’d be chasing after the police.” This line describes the whole book.

The House In The Cerulean Sea

A book review by Johana

Hello, my dear readers! How have you been doing? I hope your life is going as you expect. If not, why don’t you take a break from your daily routines and read this book? After all, it is better to read a book than to get frustrated over things. I guarantee that after reading this book, you will feel something relaxing.

Intro

The House In The Cerulean Sea is my first favorite book of 2022. My rating for this book is 5/5 stars. It is so funny, sweet, occasionally sad, and most of all, the book tells about life.

It is true that the lives of the characters that exist in the books always relate to us in one way or another. If you are a book lover, you will know what I mean.

And here, this book tells us that we should always open our hearts and eyes to see everything the way they are and never let ourselves get blinded by the old, same rules.

In this book, it is clearly told that being different from others doesn’t mean we’re weird. Being unique doesn’t make someone an outcast.

Do you want to make changes? You’re not the only one who wants to change. There are always others, who think and feel the same as you. It is just that they’re scared to come to light. The characters of The House In The Cerulean Sea tell us that it only takes the first step to make changes.

What is it about?

Linus Baker, a caseworker of DICOMY, Department In Charge Of Magical Youth (it takes me quite some time to recognize what DICOMY is), is someone who has always lived his life in the same, old, boring ways. He works, eats, stays with his cats, and listens to his favorite records. No lover, no adventures, no excitement. All he cares about is not to get fired by his supervisor and to reduce his weight.

Then, suddenly, he is called by the Upper Management (where people with the highest position of DICOMY are) and given a very important and secretive task. He is to go to an orphanage on an island. Until he is given a task, he doesn’t know the existence of an island or an orphanage, let alone children and a caretaker.

Being given only a brief introduction about the people he is going to meet, Linus prepares for the worst. Then, he meets six children with unique power and traits, plus a mysterious caretaker. Linus tries to separate work and feelings, but… something is making him hard to not get attached to the people he is sent to observe.

Why this book is 5*?

Everything about this book is perfect: the scenes, the setting, the lines, dialogues and quotes, the plot, the characters, and the theme. They are all perfect in their own ways and the combination of all these things makes this book a 5* book. Btw, this book is a perfect book for children, so I recommend it to parents as well.

The story takes place in polar opposite places. Linus’s original house is in a place where there is no sun but rain. The orphanage is at the beach. The combination of gloomy weather and sunny weather is just the perfect setting.

The characters of The House In The Cerulean Sea

Frankly saying, it is the characters that make this book stand out. Every character has its own traits and personality. Although Linus seems to be the main character, in my view, it is the children characters that bring the book to life.

Lucy, the son of the one and only Demon; Phee; a forest sprite; Theodore, a wyvern; Talia, a gnome; Chauncey, an unidentifiable green blob; Sal, a were-Pomeranian; Mr. Parnassus, a phoenix and caretaker of the children; Ms. Chapelwhite, an island sprite. They are all unique but their goal is what unites them, which is to protect each other and their home. They would never back down without a fight.

Both protagonists and antagonists are actually hilarious. Especially how the children interact with Linus is so cute and funny. The way how their relationship has improved to something unbreakable is very sweet.

The theme of the book is Home. Everyone, unique or normal, needs a home. There is no single one who doesn’t want a home, where they feel welcomed, warm, and loved. T J Klune did so well in telling his story in a memorable way. His lines and quotes are indeed very true to me.

There is another thing in this book, which caught me off guard. I didn’t know that it is in the LGBT genre until I realize that Linus always feels something foreign when he is around Mr. Parnassus. There is some romance, and it is only mild, which means that it is appropriate for children as well.

Conclusion

I highly recommend this book. It is worth your time even if it somehow doesn’t make it to your favorite. As for me, I feel so content after reading this book. The House In The Cerulean Sea reminds me of why I love reading.

I want to conclude with my favorite part of all favorite parts from the book.

“I am but paper. Brittle and thin. I am held up to the sun, and it shines right through me. I get written on, and I can never be used again. These scratches are a history. They’re a story. They tell things for others to read, but they only see the words, and not what the words are written upon. I am but paper, and though there are many like me, none are exactly the same. I am parched parchment. I have lines. I have holes. Get me wet, and I melt. Light me on fire, and I burn. Take me in hardened hands, and I crumple. I tear. I am but paper. Brittle and thin.” ~ Paper by Sal.

When Breath Becomes Air

A book review by Johana

Hello! Here I am again, talking about a book, which I’ve read a long time ago. No matter how long it was, this book is a remarkable book, which has had a huge impact on my life.

Without future ado, let’s talk about the book.

Where I get the book from

I received this book as a birthday gift from my friend, who is a medical student. Obviously, the book she gave me is a book related to a doctor.                

As you can see, judging from the book cover, I thought I was going to read about the world of a typical doctor, which might include hospital scenes, health conferences, medical terms, and so on. And I thought this book might not be an easy one.

But I was wrong. This book portrays something which is so normal but unexpected, Death when it is so near to success. This unexpected normality, which people usually forget, is told by Paul’s life, a neurosurgeon.

This isn’t fiction nor a self-development book. When Breath Becomes Air tells the true story of Paul’s life. It is one of my favorite books. This book is under the category of “To reread whenever I feel down” because it makes me realize that no matter how hard I try and fail, there are more important things in the world than being successful.

Ask yourself “Will success really bring happiness to your life? Is it true that nothing is important than being successful?”

Summary of the Book

Dr. Paul, a determined, kind-hearted, and excellent neurosurgeon, finally decided to give his wife more time and have children with her. But, before he could settle down with his family, he was suddenly diagnosed with Cancer in his nerves. Death came to him with no sympathy. When his deteriorating health was out of control, all he had to do was to accept the reality and face everything that was coming. Being unsure of when he would die, Paul made the best out of his remaining time.

In Paul’s world, heartbreaking moments are mixed with heart-warming ones. Love heal pains. Regrets are one thing that cannot be fixed. Success has zero value in the face of death. In the end, what matters is family and happiness.

Writing Style

The book is written very brilliantly by Paul himself. There are some medical terms but they are easy-going ones. At first, you might find its writing style boring and complicated, but later, you will get used to it and go with the flow of the plot. There are two parts in the book; Part 1 and part 2. You can’t read Part 2 without reading Part 1.

Part One

Part one of the book describes how Paul became a doctor and his life behind the wall of the hospitals. So, basically, this part is mainly for health care professionals. But still, it is very interesting to know how doctors go through their lives.

In fact, Paul had already received M.A in English Literature, but he still pursued Medicine because he wanted to know the true meaning of death and life. A neurosurgeon with a degree of M.A in English? How impressive!

Paul is a very serious man when it comes to his profession. When one of his patients passed away in the hospital, he promised himself that he would treat all the paper works as his patients but not vice versa. What an admiring doctor Paul is!

Also, you will see that doctors are not perfectionists. They make mistakes, and of course, in the world of Health Care, mistakes are unacceptable, which deeply affected the mental health of doctors, not to mention the life of patients. Paul had his own way of handling mistakes, which is quite interesting.

Part Two

Pay attention to this part! Because this part is the reason why I put this book under my favorite ones. And truly, this is the part that matches the title.

The part starts with Paul in the hospital, thinking about Cancer spreading in his nerves. Truth be told, the symptoms of Paul’s Cancer are described little by little in the first part, letting the readers wonder what will happen, not to mention it is the beginning of a tragedy.

Paul had indeed always wanted to spend time with his wife and wanted a child. But he prioritized his career and degrees. He was hoping that he would have a warm and loving family after he passed his exam and graduated. By the time he achieved his degree, it was already too late. It was already late for Paul to start pursuing what was more important in his life.

In this part, Paul’s family was the blessings from heaven in his time of facing Cancer. You will see that how Paul was still a determined man even when death was sitting near him. He tried to focus on his work, which was to write this book. He was the bravest Cancer patient. In fact, his health improved a lot. However, an unexpected tragedy occurred all of the sudden, and Paul got worse. The last part of the book is the saddest part of the whole book.

Conclusion

The epilogue is written in Paul’s wife POV. Please, do read everything, including the foreword and acknowledgements. Every single part has deep meaning.

This book will truly deliver you to another world, particularly, the world Paul’s had lived and faced death. If you are so eager to succeed, but you are starting to feel down every time you fail, read this book.

In the end, no matter who you are or what you’ve achieved, you will die one day, which can be any day. So, be on guard and make sure you see what is more important so that you will not regret beofre it is too late.

The Geography of Bliss

The Geography of Bliss written by Eric Weiner

A book review by Johana

This is a nonfictional book, which is what I stole from my father.

According to the book title, I was expecting topics such as “How to make your days happy and Things to avoid to be happy”. Overall, I thought it was a self-development book.

I was wrong. The Geography of Bliss is like an adventure to different countries and finding out about the definition of happiness that those different countries held. There are funny cultures, interesting customs, and scary beliefs, and with them, people defy their happiness. The author has a funny way of telling his personal experience and indirectly describes the real definition of happiness.

What it is about?

This book is about Eric Weiner, who works for BBC. The author himself was not happy. So, he decided to see which people from which country were happiest in the world, and he told himself that if he found one, he would go and live in that country. So, he traveled throughout the world, from the richest to the poorest, in search of Happiness.

There are actually some intriguing philosophical and psychological facts about happiness, which are different based on a particular country. You need to be aware of those facts while you are reading. The book isn’t boring at all. In fact, it is funny and I found myself laughing out loud at some points.

This book is also like a traveling book. It is not 100% true though. It is just that the culture of each country is explained and described in detail, making me want to take a visit there. At some points of the book, I noted to myself “If I ever have a chance to visit one of those countries one day, I will surely look out for those cultures and places.”

The Intriguing Facts from the book

“Patience will bring you happiness.”

“Freedom is happiness but careless freedom is a disaster.”

“People of Switzerland never make the others jealous because jealousy is the downfall of happiness.”

“Trusting each other will make you happy.”

“A five-minute thought of death is one way to calm your mind.”

Although this book took me longer than any other book to finish reading, it is still worth your time. Read it. Happiness is a wide field of study to look at.

People we meet on vacation

People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

A book review by Johana

Hello again! How are you? It has been a long time since I wrote book reviews. The fact that I didn’t enjoy the first two books I’ve chosen for October as much as I had anticipated is making me procrastinate on writing a new post.

This book “People We Meet on Vacation” is super hyped on Tiktok, Instagram, and YouTube during the summer season. I should have read it when they were highly recommending the book, but I had other books in my mind, so I could only insist to read the book later to know whether it really was worth the hype or not.

No, I didn’t enjoy the book as I had expected. This book is not for me.

What is it about?

Poppy and Alex are best friends although they have polar opposite characters.

Poppy, a tiny fighter (nickname given by Alex) likes to party and gets wild. She never stays in one place long enough to decorate her apartment like any other girl does. She is funny and frank and never takes things too seriously.

Well, Alex, he is a serious man with a stern face. He is more like a calm, polite and composed man. What he really wants is growing old in his grandma’s old house in their small hometown.

With this huge difference between them, they are still inseparable because Alex becomes naked Alex (nickname by Poppy) when he is around her. Just find out why they are nicknamed like this. Tiny fighter and naked Alex!!!

Even they became long-distance best friends, Alex would sacrifice everything for Poppy, and so would Poppy for Alex. That’s because both of them have some deep feelings for each other. But, they would rather keep their friendship like the old, great days. They didn’t dare break their bond by telling their feeling.

The book opens with Alex and Poppy taking a summer vacation. And from there on, you will be delivered to the world full of summer and vacation vibes since it is all about their every summer vacation.

What disappoints me?

The book is too predictable. From the beginning, I just knew that they would be together in the end. Still, I told myself that maybe there would be some unexpected twists at some points of the book, or maybe there would be dramas. The fact that a character named Sarah was introduced in the first chapter made me believe that there would definitely be dramas between Alex and Poppy.

Obviously, the plot is what disappointed me. The book was written alternatively in flashback ( five, four,…. summer ago) and present (this summer). And I was anticipating Sarah to be so evil that she plotted some fake stories against Poppy. But there was none. There was only a little bit of jealousy, insecurity, and heartbroken moments, which all of them had been expected by me. (Sorry to the readers who love this book. I mean no offense)

But it was not the plot only. Most of the scenes are taken by Alex and Poppy only, and I got bored at some point. When the chapter told me it was one of her previous summers, I just knew that they would take another vacation, and Poppy would tell how much she was happy with Alex and what she felt for Alex without him knowing.

Some good points?

So, why do I read till the end if it is predictable? Well, it is a writing style that drew me to the end. The whole book is so brilliantly written. Emily Henry is the best author in portraying the emotions and the personalities of the characters. She wrote amazingly whenever Poppy felt something for Alex, and the way it seemed like Alex felt nothing in the early chapters, but actually, he was feeling something for Poppy. So, for me, a writing style is what saves the book.

3 stars out of 5 stars

In summary, this is a summer read, so I wouldn’t recommend it too much like I’ve done in my previous book reviews. But still, if you are missing your summer holidays, you should read this. It is still worth your time. It will entertain you. If you like a best friend to lover trope, this book is a good choice.

Thank you for reading! Hope you like this review. Please, leave a comment if you want to suggest something regarding my blog posts.

It ends with us

It ends with us by Colleen Hoover

A book review by Johana

Hello again! How are you doing? I hope you’re fine. I am fine too.

I am a member of a book channel in Discord, and in there, I buddy read ‘It ends with us’. Trust me, buddy reading will help you out of your reading slump (but it depends on you). Audiobooks will also help you out of a reading slump. I always listen to audiobooks when I get bored at some point. In this case, I listened to the audiobook in early chapters.

I love “It ends with us”. In the buddy reading channel, most readers don’t like the book. They said “It ends with us” was the worst of all Colleen Hoover’s books. Well, for me, this book is my first Colleen Hoover’s book so I cannot contradict them. But also, I cannot agree with them. I like this book. In fact, I love this book. This book is a four out of five stars book and it really is worth my time.

Summary of the book

Lily, who moved to Boston to open her own floral shop, met Ryle, a handsome, smart, and funny neurosurgeon. Soon, they fell in love with each other and got married. When her childhood sweetheart, Atlas, unexpectedly showed up in Boston, her relationship with Ryle began to crack. A short-tempered Ryle with his traumatic past couldn’t control his jealousy and committed unforgivable actions which triggered Lily’s biggest fear of her childhood. Lily had to hide from her husband when she was having his baby. The fact that Atlas was the one who was helping her didn’t make the situation better at all. Contemplating between her love for Ryle and her past traumatic event, Lily had to be strong as she promised to herself when she was young and made a decision which would be the best for everyone including herself and her daughter.

Writing style

First of all, the writing style is so smooth. There are two or more smut scenes mostly in the beginning and I think they’re brilliant. In this book, what caught my attention is that the author recalled the past of Lily through her childhood journal. Lily was writing to Ellen DeGeneres when she was fifteen. Yes, that Ellen DeGeneres of ‘Finding Nemo’. The present(Romance between Lily and Ryle) and the past( Romance between Lily and Atlas) is alternatively described in early chapters, which is so amazing, almost near to perfect. When Lily found herself alone in her apartment, she read her journal, which will let you know more of Lily including her fear and her childhood sweetheart, Atlas.

What I think

To be honest, the early chapters are a little bit boring. It might be because the world that the author has chosen for the characters is starting to build. However, after I passed the point when Atlas, Lily, and Ryle met accidentally, I was instantly intrigued. I wanted to know what would happen and how all three of them would react. As you can see, the title is “It Ends With Us” and I was wondering who would be the one Lily chose in the end. Would it be Ryle? Would it be Atlas?

As I continued to read, what the book really wanted to tell became more significant. What the author wanted readers to understand and the feeling after reading this book was totally what I wasn’t expecting. Maybe, the fact that I didn’t research what the book was about before I read it, surprised me when I started to know what the book was telling me.

Characters

Characters play important roles in making the readers continue to read the book, love the book, and finally remember the book forever.

And in this book, I love all the characters.

Lily…..beautiful, sweet, funny, love gardening, love Ellen and her shows, love her mother but doesn’t really show it, and hate to be a weak woman.

Atlas…He is a gift from God for Lily, poor-to-rich successful chef, loves Lily so much, sweet gentleman, and obviously doesn’t like Ryle

Ryle…smart, too handsome, rich, doesn’t do relationship but only fall for Lily, love Lily so much (this sound too perfect to be true, right?), but only one problem which is lack of control of his anger

Allysa and Marshell…. perfect side characters for Ryle and Lily, super-rich couples, funny and best friends for both of them

Lily’s Parents…..perfect side characters in portraying Lily’s fear

Pay attention!

Now, this is the huge part of the book which makes this book one of my favorite books. This book is more than about Lily and her romance with the two men. It may seem like it in early chapters but it is definitely more than that.

This book is about a sensitive subject of most households. At the end of the book, you will see the author’s note and by reading it, you will know that this book is not just a book. This book is inspired by the author’s own life and all the characters are inspired by the author’s most important persons in her life.

It is about how women have to endure the abuse of their abusive husbands. You don’t understand why those women don’t leave their husbands right away?? Lily was like that too. She didn’t understand why those women were too weak to leave their violent husbands. Read this book, and as Lily went through her life and became one of those women, you will be told ‘why‘ through her (Lily’s) own life. This book beautifully portrayed how women had to contemplate between their love and their fear.

I highly recommend this book. You should read it. Even if it is not your favorite book, it is still worth your time. And please, read the author’s note. It will help you understand the book more.

Favourite quotes

“It is easy, when we’re on the outside, to believe that we would walk away without a second thought if a person mistreated us. It’s easy to say we couldn’t continue to love someone who mistreats us when we aren’t the ones feeling the love of that person.”

“But sometimes the reason women go back is simply is because they’re in love. I love my husband, Ellen.”

Thank you for reading!! Please, like and follow if you like this review.

Dreams

Photo by Lucas Pezeta on Pexels.com

I dream a lot.

By dream I mean, a dream which I want to come true. Not a dream I dream when I am falling asleep. Any dream which I want to come true.

There are many dreams I dream of.

A dream of ‘What I want to get‘

A dream of ‘Who I want to become‘

A dream of ‘What I want to happen‘

I once thought that those types of dreams were toxic because they never seemed to come true. In fact, dreams are slow to come true, but it is probably because we are not too patient.

When my dreams were just dreams, I got frustrated to the point that I became depressed. To stop my depression, I stopped dreaming.

But……. ‘Not dreaming at all‘ was worse than ‘Dreaming‘. It made me more depressed. I lost the light of my life. I forgot why I should keep living. I had no happiness at all.

So, I began dreaming again. After all, those dreams can at least bring me happiness. At least, because of those dreams, I still want to live.

DREAM. DREAM A LOT. NEVER BE AFRAID TO TRY YOUR DREAM.

Thank you for reading!!

Read This Book!!

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Hello, dear readers. Welcome back to my website!

Today, I am going to talk about a book that I just finished a minute ago (Sep7, 2021, 5:30 p.m.)

Heartbroken, Incredible, Beautiful, Brilliant, So-touching, Lovely, True-Sad………are the words that I want to describe for this book.

The book starts with Finch and Violet who are trying to take their bodies down from their High School’s bell tower, a very high tower. From there on, Jennifer Niven will carry you to the world of Finch and Violet.

Jennifer Niven did so well in making me fall in love with Finch and Violet that I wanted both of them to end Happy-ever-after. But Jennifer did so well in leaving me heartbroken. Actually, this book is more than a sadly heartbroken story. It is more than the life of Finch and Violet.

What is the book about?

This book incredibly portrays the theme of SUICIDE. Suicide is not a light subject. I took it lightly until I read this book. Suicide is a very important matter in our society which we sometimes or more often fail to realize. In this book, the author brilliantly describes two of those mental disorders through the main characters, Finch and Violet. It feels so real to see Finch’s emotions and behaviors and his thoughts. It feels so real to see Violet who has a traumatic past that drives her to the point that she doesn’t want to be her anymore.

And somehow, there is always love no matter what is going on or no matter what world it is. Cruel world, brutal world, happy world, sad world, abandoned world……name it as you like, but there is always love. Yet, will this love last long enough to live through? Will this love be strong enough to fight this brutal world? No one can say but you will find out how love will go on between Finch and Violet.

Why I recommend it.

I really, really, really recommend this book for you. I think it is time you should read a book that highlights what is going on in your community, which is hardly recognized by people. The next reason I want to recommend this book is the lines, quotes, and phrases. They are all precise and beautiful and brilliant. One line can make you fall in love with a book. In my case, many lines and quotes are making me fall in love with this book.

Funny but bitter fact……. People only mourn when everything cannot be undone.

A moment in the story which I love……I love how Finch’s young sister, Decca, cut out all the bad words and phrases from books she had stolen from her mother. She did so so that those bad parts will not be confused with good parts in the book. She believed Bad must be separated.

Favorite lines by Finch……I know life well enough to know that you can’t count on things staying around or standing still, no matter how much you want them to. You can’t stop people from dying. You can’t stop them from going away. You can’t stop yourself from going away either. I know myself well enough that no one else can keep you awake or keep you from sleeping.

My heart is still heartbroken while I am writing this. But it feels so good to write my feeling down.

Thanks for reading!!

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

A book review by Johana

The book is Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean.

The story is set in Tokyo, Japan. MY FAVOURITE PLACE!! I love everything about Japan; its people, culture, and traditional cuisines. The thing I love most about Japan is the way the Japanese speak, their body bends every time they greet and their accent is deferential and super cute (Kawaii!). Ok, I am swaying from the main subject, I am not going to talk about Japan but about the book. However, I must include that loving Japan is already the reason that makes me fall in love with the book in the first place. There are many more reasons I give this book four and a half out of five stars.

One of them includes Royalty. I’ve always been a fan of Royal Palace, Kings and Queens, the black, shiny-polished, bullet-proof cars, the stern-faced bodyguards, the growing competition between the Royal family members, the life behind the gate of Royal Palace, the cruel Press……..Yep, I will stop here. Everything I’ve mentioned was included in the book.

About the book

In short, it is about Izumi, a lost butterfly of Japan or a new princess of Japan.

Izumi or Izzy was raised by her single, Japanese mother with no knowledge of who her father is. Living in a country where there are few yellow-skinned people like her, she always wonders where she comes from and where she belongs to. One day, her best friend Glory accidentally discovers the diary of Izumi’s mother which reveals her mysterious father, who happens to be the Crowned Prince of Japan.

From there, you will follow Izumi; from what she felt about her father (THE CROWNED PRINCE! Just imagine when an ordinary Asian-American girl learns out of the blue that her father is a royal prince) to why she flies to Japan and what she has to undergo inside the Royal Palace. From the start of her journey to Japan, I can’t mention more about Izumi’s enemy-to-lover romance with her bodyguard, which is super cute. Her soul mate is the perfect character of my type (Wink).

In fact, it is more about the Royal Palace and Japan. It is Izumi who is eager to find out where she belongs no matter what lies in her path. The only problem is that she feels like she doesn’t fully belong to America but she also knows nothing about Japan. With the demand of the princess’s responsibilities, Izumi will have to make the hardest decisions in her life. And you will see what and how she overcomes.

This book is a fast read for me. I finished it in two days. It is also very lovely and funny. Some reviewers say that Tokyo Ever After is where The Princess Diary meets The Crazy Rich Asians. Well, I cannot deny it.

If you’re in a reading slump, I suggest you read this book. If you like the contemporary Royal setting, you should pick this one. If you like an enemy-to-lover romance, just read this. This book is worth your time. And who doesn’t want to explore the royal palace of Japan? Well, not me, who is crazy every royal palace.