Sisters & Books

On Wednesday, April 10, I saw a few posts on Instagram and Twitter about National Sibling Day. Since I was unable to post anything about my sisters and me then, I thought I'd take today to talk a little bit about them - and this is totally related to the blog, I promise.

I love my sisters. Even though it's been three years since any of us have lived full-time in a house together, I still feel as close as ever to them. Now that we're all older, we get along better for the most part, though there are arguments and dramatic walkouts from time to time. The thing is, in spite of our differences (and there are plenty), we all love each other and do our best to be supportive, encouraging and there for one another.

L-R: Melissa, Carmela, me & Rachel

I have two sisters - Melissa and Rachel, and I'm the eldest. You might be wondering why there's a fourth girl in this picture. That girl is my cousin Carmela, who grew up with us and is also my sister (at least in my heart). So, when I count them, I have three sisters, and not just two. Each of us is very different from the other, and yet somehow we fit together perfectly (which is probably a God-given gift).

So yes, I'm extremely grateful for each one of them, and happy to have them in my life. Even though I live millions of miles away, I know that they're always there for me and that I'm always going to be there for them. These are the girls I'd jump on a plane for and fly home if they needed me, the girls who I want to see triumph and figure things out and achieve all their dreams. I love them very, very dearly. 

Happy National Sibling Day loves. You are very much missed and loved.

As a reader, I try to share my passion for reading with my siblings. Carmela is as big a bookworm as I am, and she's slowly but surely building up her library. Mel, on the other hand, is more of a mood reader, and she often picks up books she sees and finds interesting at stores. Rachel is the most reluctant reader, though I know she's managed to read a book or two or three when she's in the right mood for them.

I thought I'd share some of the books that my sisters and I have read, loved or recommended to one another over the years. It's quite the collection, and I'm sure that in the years to come, it'll continue growing.

Like I mentioned, Rachel is the most reluctant reader out of the three. While she's read a few books, the one I remember her most enjoying was The Princess Diaries. I have recommended Anna and the French Kiss to her, but I'm not sure if she's read it yet.

My sister Mel, on the other hand, enjoys reading almost as much as I do (and she's even reviewed Every Day). While we share a taste for historical romances, we both also read and loved Divergent. I convinced her to try Unearthly, and she got me to read Twilight (the whole series). Other recommendations that have come from her include City of Bones (and the rest of the series, the first three of which I've read, but forgotten - so maybe I'll read it again before the movie is out), The Host (which she just read and really, really loved) and Dark Lover (and the rest of the series, which I've heard quite a bit about from other bloggers too).

Carmela, on the other hand, is my bookworm soulmate in the family. We read a lot. The one difference between us is that I prefer fantasy novels and she's all about the classics (She's only seventeen. I know, right?). We meet in the middle with our love for contemporary novels and our mutual love for a series you may know called Harry Potter (which she re-reads every single Christmas). I recommended The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and Wanderlove to her when we were at a bookstore together - she loved them. We both read Amy & Roger's Epic Detour within a month of each other, and loved it. Without her, I would not have discovered the awesomeness that is Percy Jackson and The 39 Clues. And she's the one currently encouraging me to just go for it and read Les Miserables.

There you have it! Those are just a few of the books that I've read and shared the experience with my siblings. I will now leave you with a picture that I love of all four of us just because.

YOUR TURN - How do your siblings feel about books? About reading? Do you share reading experiences with your siblings? How often do you recommend books to your siblings? How often do they recommend books to you? Do your tastes in books match theirs or are they completely different?