Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is currently hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and explain why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

Abigail by Magda Szabo 

Blurb from Goodreads

Abigail, the story of a headstrong teenager growing up during World War II, is the most beloved of Magda Szabó’s books in her native Hungary. Gina is the only child of a general, a widower who has long been happy to spoil his bright and willful daughter. Gina is devastated when the general tells her that he must go away on a mission and that he will be sending her to boarding school in the country. She is even more aghast at the grim religious institution to which she soon finds herself consigned. She fights with her fellow students, she rebels against her teachers, finds herself completely ostracized, and runs away. Caught and brought back, there is nothing for Gina to do except entrust her fate to the legendary Abigail, as the classical statue of a woman with an urn that stands on the school’s grounds has come to be called. If you’re in trouble, it’s said, leave a message with Abigail and help will be on the way. And for Gina, who is in much deeper trouble than she could possibly suspect, a life-changing adventure is only beginning.

There is something of Jane Austen in this story of the deceptiveness of appearances; fans of J.K. Rowling are sure to enjoy Szabó’s picture of irreverent students, eccentric teachers, and boarding-school life. Above all, however, Abigail is a thrilling tale of suspense.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone had a great start to the work week. I am well aware that nearly everyone – and this includes me – loath Mondays because it means marching back to the office or school. Thankfully, I am skipping the first work day of the week because I am currently on leave. I just came from climbing Mt. Rinjani, the second-highest volcano and tenth-highest mountain in Indonesia. It was a worthwhile experience. Challenging yes but the view at the top and the memories I made along the trail made the struggle worth it. For those who had to report to work, I hope the break prepared you for the tough workweek ahead. I hope that the sweltering heat sweeping the Philippines will start to ease. I honestly can’t wait for colder days. I sure hope everyone is somewhere comfortable. Anyway, I hope everyone makes it through the week. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well, in mind, body, and spirit, not only this week but for the rest of the year.

Woah, the time has been flying past us. We are already in the last week of the fifth month of the year. In a couple of days, we will be welcoming the sixth month of the year. How time flies! It takes its natural course sans any regard for anyone. With time taking its natural course, I hope that the year is treating you well. I hope that as 2025 moves forward, everyone will have a prosperous year. I hope the coming months will shower everyone with good news and kindness. I wish success and blessings for everyone. With the start of the week is a fresh Goodreads Monday update. For May, I have been immersing myself in the works of Asian writers, a reading journey I started in April. Technically, this commenced at the start of the year when I spent a full quarter reading works of East Asian writers. The journey, as expected, has been magnificent as I have been regaled with the vibrancy and diversity of the continent.

But as the month draws to a close, I decided to feature a book I recently encountered rather than aligning it with the ongoing reading motif. I first encountered Hungarian writer Magda Szabó back in 2019 through an online bookseller. Curious, I obtained a copy of her novel, The Door. Despite the bleak atmosphere that hovered above the novel, Szabó earned a fan in me. I also learned that she is quite a literary figure in her native country. Further, her works have been earning accolades across the world after they have been made available not only to Anglophone readers but in other languages as well. The Door is among her works that elevated her to global recognition. Rightly so.

I was reminded of her while browsing through the books in Singapore’s Books Kinokuniya bookstore – there were a lot of books not available in the Philippines I found there but I had to stop myself before I got to splurge unnecessarily. Anyway, one of the books that I came across was Szabó’s Abigail. Originally published in 1970 as Abigél, Abigail is a work of young adult fiction. I actually wanted to purchase the book but I had to stop myself. Apparently, it is Szabó’s most widely read novel. For now, I just hope I can once again get the chance to obtain a copy of the book. How about you fellow reader? How was your Monday? What books have you added to your reading list? Do drop it in the comment box. For now, happy Monday and, as always, happy reading!