Currently reading

I am currently reading Atonement by Ian McEwan. I fell in love with the movie that's why I decided to read the novel. It's my first McEwan novel.

There is actually one more reason why I decided to read it (beside I feel in love with the movie & to James McAvoy). I want to read it because I want to get out of my comfort zone. I feel like I haven't read any "actual novel" besides Paulo Coelho's novels. I want something where I can learn something. Something that just not fill my imagination but also contribute to it.

To be honest, I haven't read any Shakespeare or Slyvia Plath works. Though I read one of Edgar Allan Poe works, which I forgot eventually. I am not a true bookworm or a novel/poems lover. I am not even a fan of those.

I started reading novel when I was in my senior year in high school, and guessed what? It's Twilight Saga. I just read it by accident. I saw our class president reading it, then I asked her if I can see it. Then I check out the cover page then the back, then the acknowledgement, and then the chapter 1 - and I couldn't put it down anymore. I think I spent the rest of my senior year reading Twilight Saga. Since my parents won't buy me that, I have to borrowed from our class president and to the guy two years younger than us. Then my friend decided to just print it, instead of buying it. So alternately, we read it and since I am the faster reader I go first.

That's how I started reading novels, when I got to college I met some people who is also fond at reading novels. They introduce me to Paulo Coelho works. His first novel that I read is the 11 minutes, then the Alchemist. I love his works, and I've been reading most of his works now. I read some novels too which I forgot the title and the author. It will take me 2 novels with the same author to actually remember their name and the title of their works. I know, shame on me for that.

Then I stop reading novels for about a year and resume after reading the 50 Shades of Grey and I started reading erotic romance novels. I even told my friend "if porn are for guys well erotic novels are for us girl!" Yes, very funny of me. I really prefer erotic novels over porn (which doesn't have any romance on it). Also, I prefer reading that over boring romantic novels where I don't learn anything. At least in erotic novels there's a thrill.

Anyways, so since I've been reading a lot of erotic novels, I feel like I haven't been reading an "actual - real" novel. I want to take myself into the next level. I want to get out of my zone and appreciate other genre and learn something from it.

My only problem in reading an "actual - real" novel is the author use of words. I hate it when they use a deep meaning whatever word is that. If they can explain something in an easy way, then why not use that? If there's a beautiful word and yet easy to be understood word, then why not use that? Do I always have to carry a dictionary or search in the internet just to find the definition of that word? Yes, I am not a native english speaker that's why I complain a lot. Or maybe I am just stupid enough not to know those english deep meaning words? (*And stupid enough not to know where the (,) must be put or when to end a sentence.) 

I know I should expand my english vocabulary. Actually I am planning to enroll in a technical writing class in preparation for my master thesis. Maybe I'll pursue the creative writing thing later. I have no problems in a normal communication englsih, though of course there are times where I couldn't express myself because I don't know the right word or the translation for that.
One of my friend even asked me why I have limited knowledge in english vocabulary if I read a lot. I gave her a damned looked and said "It's not like I'm reading Shakespeare, Slyvia Plath or Edgar Allan Poe. I read a lot, but it's manga's. And in manga's they don't complicate things - they use simple english which I already know." I was pissed with that, and I was pissed at myself. I read manga's more than I read novels. Actually I think it reached to 100? Where the novels that I read are less than 50. That's why I'm gonna read a lot now and improve.