I like big books and I cannot lie... #1

At the beginning of this year I set myself a few goals. One of them was to read 26 books in 2015.
We're nearing the end of February, and currently I'm at 4/26. I consider that not too shabby :)
I thought I'd share sort of a book report every time I've read 4 - 5 books, and that means it's time for my first update.

1/26 - John Green - The Fault In Our Stars

TFIOS has been on the top of my to-read list for a long time. This is always a tricky thing, because together with the hype around a book, it can cause a big anticlimax. And, let's be honest, this was a big contestant for anticlimax.
Nevertheless, I thought it was a beautiful book. One thing people tend to forget is that this book is written as a Young Adult novel, and that you should read it as such. I loved the story as a 26 year old, and I'm sure I'd have loved it even more if I had read it when I was 16.

This book is also a beautiful love letter to Amsterdam, by the way. It's fun to read about a city you actually know! (This doesn't happen so much when you're living in a country the size of a postage stamp)

2/6 - Jan Wolkers - Terug Naar Oegstgeest

Terug Naar Oegstgeest is a Dutch classic. I didn't know what to expect, but I never expected it to be this beautiful. It took a while before I really got into the book, but when I got there... wow. In this book the writer tells about his childhood in "Oegstgeest", a little village in the Netherlands. At first you get the feeling that his childhood sucked, that he has quite some childhood traumas. But as he continues, you start feeling the love he secretly has for this little town, for his memories. It's sort of an ode to "life as it once was". I loved it.

3/6 - Susannah Conway - This I Know - thoughts on unraveling the heart

I'm starting to sound like a broken record - I loved this book. LOVED it. This was my first non-fiction this year, and it was exactly what I needed. Starting with how her world fell apart after the man she loved suddenly died of a heart attack, throughout this book Susannah writes an ode to life. The way she describes getting in touch with herself makes this book the best way to start the year in which FEEL is my One Little Word.
I'm positive I'll be reading this book over and over again. Susannah has a magical way with words, and her photographs are so inspiring to me!

4/6 - James Dashner - The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner is a book right up my alley: I love me some Young Adult dystopian novels. I devoured The Hunger Games and Divergent, and I had heard good stories about The Maze Runner, so I was excited to dig in.
I thought it was a great read, but you do really have to be into the whole "group of teenagers in a weird and dangerous situation need to solve a problem to get out" thing. Which I am, luckily.
So far I've only read the first of the 4 books (there's also a prequel), and I have just started #2. I'm not sure yet if I really want to read all 4 of them as a part of my reading challenge.. The problem with series though, is that you want to know what happens! Cliffhangers!!

By the way - I've heard some negative comments about the writing style of The Maze Runner. I can't tell you anything about that. I guess since I'm not a native English speaker that doesn't bug me as much :)