Studying Guide On #1: Anatomy

I'm putting together this Studying Guide Posts because it would have really helped me a lot to know some of these things that I've learned the hard way during my first year of med school. I'm still trying to manage all this information, but I think I'm getting better at it. 

Let's see if you find these little help guides useful. They are for me. And I think that curious people or those one who want to get on the medical field (or even artists!) will think the same: 

1. The first thing is, you need a good book.

 Anatomy is an ancient discipline and there are tons of good books out there that you can use as a reference. In my case, I use Sobotta and Netter quite a lot, there are people who prefer Gray’s anatomy, which is pretty great too. I would recommend you Sobotta, the draws are clear and realistic, so it is really clarifying. I also use “Rouviére’s anatomy”, but I don’t know if that one is available in english, because I only found it in spanish. Anyway, that’s a pretty good book if you want good theory, but not for the illustrations. You’ll find any of these books in your university library. Undoubtedly, the best and quickest resource is Fenei’s anatomy book: 

As you can see, the illustrations are so neat and clear you can look everything up in a second, and everything’s marked with numbers so you can know what you’re looking at. It’s one of my favorites and is so small you can carry it anywhere (I always take it with me to university). ♥︎ You can buy the Feneis pocket atlas of human anatomy here. 

There’s also a book that I only found in spanish, but medical terms are really similar in different languages because they all come form the latin, so I don’t think you’ll have lots of problems, and anyway the best part about this book are the illustrations. It has more than 1000 pages and it only costs 35 euros!! You can look it up here. 

2. Draw: Anatomy is the most visual subject you’ll ever study, so draw, draw and draw everything you can. In my university, we need to buy a book called “Human anatomy in dissection planes”. I talked about this book in one of my tumblr posts but this one is pretty expensive so just draw, because it will help you memorize and understand everything. Draw flow charts of circulation, of muskuloskeletal systems, of the nervous system, of EVERYTHING. You have an example here:  

I drew the nervous apparatus of the heart.

3. Use color-coding: When I have to study the muscles that are innervated by different nerves, I paint all the muscles of the same group with the same color. Use that technique for the different branches of arteries and veins that come from the same main artery or vein too, for the nerve endings that innervate the same structures, etc. 

4. Quiz yourself: When I have to study anatomy, I print out blank images, with no names at all, and after studying I put the names of all the structures I can see in that diagram. That way I make sure I’ve understood everything and that I know what I’m talking about. Using blank diagrams and illustrations with no names is a good way of realizing what you’ve learnt and what you haven’t. Also, there's this book which is absolutely amazing. I can't even. 

5. Observe the bodies: I don’t know if your university offers it, but if you have the possibility of studying in a dissection room with real human bodies, observe everything. Touch the body, realize how differs veins and arteries and nerves feel, how ligaments and tendons are not the same… 

6. Here are some good apps: if you’re an android user, I’d check these ones out: 

Visual Anatomy Free

Anatomy 3D

However, if you’re an apple user like me, I’d recommend 3D 4 Medical apps. They’re so clear and interactive, those are my favorites: 

Essential Anatomy (In this page you can also see images and animations, and the have apps for android users too!!)

Pocket Anatomy (This one is also great) 

To study the skull (which is the hardest thing ever), use this app: 

Skullviewer (ugh I love this one) 

7. Reason as much as you can: Use mnemonic devices. Anatomical names have the advantage of being really obvious, clever and reasonable. If the thyro-epiglotticus is called like that it’s because its origin and insertion points are the thyroid and the epiglottis cartilages. That simple. If you can’t remember which are the vases that arrive to a lymphatic ganglion and the ones which leave, remember the “Afferent vases” are the ones which “Arrive”, and the “Efferent” ones, are the Exit point. See? I just made a simple relation with the initials that helps me memorizing things! 

8. AnatomyZone Youtube Videos: I just... go take a look. Gosh. 

9. OBSERVE: Seriously, I can’t recommend you this enough. Observe the human body. Observe diagrams, illustrations, human cadavers and human bodies in action. Analyze, understand, and then, you can memorize everything you study, but if you just go to the theory without observing and analyzing, you’ll be doomed. Learning anatomy is like learning a new language, so make it fun, live it, and you’ll learn it quicker than you think.

Hm. I think this last piece of advice can be applied to anything. 

_______________________________

Is there a subject you've learned how to study the hard way? 

Which are or were your favorite subjects?

How do you prefer studying?

What I'm planning on doing as soon as I finish my exams

Image source: click here

This summer has been... strange. The most amazing things have happened, and it has also been tiring, boring and stressful. 

I've spent almost every waking hour with my bum glued to my chair and my eyes fixed on my notes, and it's been exhausting, studying the same thing again. But I have certainly learned a lot from this. The good thing is, the news my sister gave me in july were positively  the best news I've ever received. 

I'm going to be an aunt come february-ish. 

We're going to have a little toddler crawling on the floor, bubbling and crying and laughing and giving us all such big smiles on our faces. It's so exciting. 

I finish my exams at last in two weeks, and I'll have ten days completely free of responsibilities to do as I wish. This post is something of a list to remind myself that there are always things to look forward to, and that's incredible: 

☞ Watch some movies with mum. She has a serious need of finishing the Harry Potter saga once and for all. And I'm happy to oblige her. 

☞ Watch the last episode of Sherlock. I can't believe I haven't seen it yet, I'm such a bad sherlockian. I'm so excited at the prospect of watching this last episode of season 3, which I think was even better than the two preceding seasons. This show keeps getting better and better. 

☞ Watch The Talented Mr. Ripley with Cris. We both need our Matt Damon monthly fill. And if the film includes Jude Law and an interesting plot, well... You'll have us bouncing on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. 

☞ The girls need to watch Cloud Atlas. Like, I'll be tormenting them night and day until they humor me. But I know they're going to love it. 

☞  Go shopping. I lost half of my clothes during the moving of houses, and therefore I'm in some serious need of jeans. And winter clothes are my favorites. And the next academic year is starting. It's the perfect excuse. 

☞ Buy a new quilt. There's nothing that feels greater in winter than transforming yourself into a burrito in your comfy bed after a long day filled with activities. My quilt is now almost 5 years old, and I want to buy a lighter one that brightens up the room. 

☞ Speak of the devil, I need to reorganize my room. I have to go to Ikea to see if they finally bring in again the shelves I'm looking for. I want to make my studying area into a more pleasant space, because I have too many pencils and pens lying on the desk. And I need to hang my loved, loved canvases. That little english man and that Atkinson Grimshaw canvas are begging to be hung. 

☞ Gush over baby clothes and baby blankets with mum, and visit the children section of every single library in the city to get some new books for children. You know how much I love them. And the idea of reading them to my future niece/nephew (we still don't know what it will be. Oh God, I can't wait!!) and sharing with him/her the same stories that made me happy when I was a child makes my heart burst with happiness. 

☞ Go back to posting on my tumblr. I miss my followers there, it was so much fun working on that blog. After some improvements, I'll be back at accepting questions form you, guys. Thanks for your patience and your support. 

☞ Start writing again. My creative writing has been achingly non-existent this year. I start a creative writing course in september, and I'm very scared because I'm quite out of practice, but I'm also excited because I really love writing and it's something I miss a lot. This will give me the chance to get back on track. And maybe I'll find my voice once and for all. 

☞ Get excited because winter is coming... Hmmm, that reminds me that I really need to catch up with my reading of A Song of Ice and Fire. But seriously, autumn and winter are my favorite seasons of the year. I can't stand the summer heat and there are just so many things to do during the cold season I get excited all around about it. And the rain, I can't wait for the rain. 

☞ Relax and get some energy back to start a new academic year with a completely new mind-set. I know what I'm facing now. I know my strengths and weak points. I know I can achieve this with passion and dedication. And I'm ready to take everything that comes my way with a smile. No more crying, no more feeling small and useless. No more doubts. 

______________________

And you? 

What are you looking forward to in this new period of the year? 

What gets you motivated to start the new academic year 

or to start working again full of energy? 

The Child in me #1: Ahoy!!

"We're rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me"

There's something really comforting about bringing back what you used to love when you were a child. This is what this series of post is going to go about. 

My life is loaded with studying and responsibilities, but I try to find time to squeeze between hours of work some of those things that make me actually happy. 

When I was a child, I used to read the books I'm going to show you hundreds of times. I knew them by heart, I flipped the pages back and forth and admired the pictures for hours. I was specially fond of this one, since I dreamt of being a Pirate. I remember going to the cinema 5 times (yes friends, five times) to watch Pirates of the Caribbean, and that was the moment in which I fell in love with Johnny Depp, Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Turner. They were my heroes, I wanted to be pretty and badass as Elizabeth. And if that would grant me Johnny's or Orlando's heart, well then, I can't complain. 

When I first discovered these books, I fell instantly compelled to buy them. Well, my mum did, since I was just 6 or 7 years old. They covered a huge range of topics, such as pirates, Egyptians, magic, fairies and, my favorite one: Dragons. I took a lot of care with them, because they were magical for me, and I wanted them to be perfect. They were a really special part of my childhood, and that's why I want to show them to you. 

Shall we begin? Yes, that was totally a Star Trek reference. 

There are some expandable pages that complete the story with dates and information. 

It instructs you in the different flags, boats, clothes and weapons used by pirates. 

A bag of Gold!!!! And aren't those maps stunning?

There's even a piece of a flag.
And a little booklet of nautical terms to turn you into a full, knowledgeable pirate. 

I remember becoming really frustrated because I couldn't replicate the beauty of the pictures when I tried to draw them, even thought I was pretty good at drawing. 

The book has clues hidden between its pages, maps waiting to be deciphered, ropes to practice your knotting skills, and you can even build your own compass. Pinch me, I'm in heaven. 

Those crystals at the end of the book are so pretty. I love shiny things.
The details are over the top. I'd like to make a huge copy of every single picture so I could hang them on my walls.

It tells the story of Arabella Drummond, who I just discovered, was a real pirate. Hmmm, things get so much more fascinating now. I've become really interested in the history of pirates after revisiting this book, both as a curious person and a writer and maybe I still dream of becoming a pirate myself and now I can't wait to get my hands in these:  

• Raiders and Rebels, A History of the Golden Age of Piracy; by Frank Sherry
• The History of Piracy; by Philip Gosse
• Under the Black Flag, the Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates; by David Cordingly

I think I already know what I want for my birthday. 

Back to Uni with Parfois!

"You can never be overdressed or overeducated" Oscar Wilde

I've been looking for a perfect bag to carry my things to uni since months before I even started my classes. And it's been a hard task. I've tried tote bags that belonged to my sisters, but I could never fit everything perfectly. I bought a computer briefcase but it was too heavy and it made my shoulders hurt even more than they usually do. 

I carry too many things to uni, I know. But I need them: wallet, house keys, books, notebooks, binders, vanity case, white coat, latex gloves, pencil case, mobile phone, umbrellas during winter, my iPad, my computer sometimes... And this knowing that I don't need to bring a stethoscope or go to the hospital yet! 

So I really needed a bag that was both fashionable and practical. And I may have found it. After some weeks studying non-stop, the other day I decided to take a break and I went out to have lunch with mom and one of my sisters. Then, we decided to go shopping, something I hadn't properly done since I started med school. It felt so awesome. 

I was looking at some cute boots for winter when I saw this amazing Winter Computer Briefcase by Parfois. I instantly felt in love. When I picked it up and inspected it, I felt in love even harder. When I saw the price, I knew I was done for. It was perfect. 

Let me show you why I say this: 

It comes with five compartments so you can organize everything perfectly. Knowing where everything is in my bag is something important. It's infuriating wasting your time looking for things you know are there but that you can not see because your purse is always a mess when there are more important things that require you attention. 

A nice little pocket inside one of the compartments for my iPad. Yay! ♡
This is such a thoughtful detail

The quality of the briefcase is really good. The material feels nice and the zips slide smoothly. There's plenty of room for storage in this bag, which is fortunate since I seem to carry most of my belongings with me when I go to uni. Might as well throw a pillow in it and take it out to take some more than needed naps between classes and practices. 

There's a front pocket which is perfect for carrying the things you need more often, as house keys (which have the infuriating fixation of getting lost in a parallel dimension inside my bag), or your bus or metro ticket. 

It's the perfect size and it comes with a strap so you can carry it hanging on your shoulder. This is really useful when I have my hands loaded with heavy volumes and my meal bag. More than once I've found myself gathering up papers that had ended up scattered on the pavement in rainy days, with my umbrella turned inside out and the library books lying there, looking at me with accusing eyes. Or maybe I'm just that clumsy. 

The strap is wide and comes with a padded bit in order to not end up with your shoulder circulation cut because of the heaviness of all the things I carry. 

I'm quite happy with the quality of the materials used to make this briefcase. It seems sturdy enough to storage all the things I'll need in my longest days at uni and face up all the beating it can suffer from going in public transport and being carried from classes to the lab, from the dissection room to the cafeteria, from the patio to the seminary rooms. When I start using it I'll talk to you about how it resists the battle! 

  

Here's a more detailed picture so you can see the color of the briefcase. I chose the navy blue one, but there were some other lovely colors that made deciding which one to buy quite hard. I already owned some black handbags and tote bags, as well a a camel one. I'm not really a pink girl and that color wouldn't fit with most of my clothes, so the navy blue it was! I'm also in need of some serious wardrobe renewal, since I lost half of my clothes during the house moving (if you want something done right, do it yourself, at least with your clothes and your books), and this is a good chance of making some quite serious style changes. 

Images taken form Parfois.com  

I don't know why, but this feels like a fresh start. Last year wasn't exactly easy, and I've learned a lot of things I shouldn't do, and in the hard way, believe me. This is like a symbol of my determination to do things better. And well, improving while looking fabulous is just the icing on the cake. 

__________________________

What about you?

 Are you looking forward to your next academic year?

What are the things that make you motivated to get into a new project? 

What I've learned in my first year of med school

“So here’s my advice: study broadly and without fear. Learn a language if you can because that will make your life more interesting. Read a little bit everyday. But most impostantly, try to surround yourself with people you like and make cool stuff with them. In the end, what you do isn’t going to be nearly as interesting or important as who you do it with” John Green 

Studying a degree, or going into any higher education after high school is not exactly plain sailing. Specially at the beginning. Well, at least it is for most of us. It's a completely new way or working, of thinking even. New people, tons of material to stuff inside your head... My first year as a med student, after struggling a lot to get in this madness, hasn't exactly been what I expected, but I've learned lots of things I didn't think I'd learn. And I did it the hard way. 

• Work every day: this is very important. Like, wow, so important. I didn’t work every day in my first term and I regretted it to no end. If you work a bit and do it wisely everyday, you’ll be ok. Write down your own notes, resumes, flow charts, draw diagrams, take mock test, write explanations for something you don’t understand… The more you work your notes, the more you'll learn. 

• Stay in touch with your friends: seriously, friends are one of the most important things for a med student. For anyone, really. We spend too much time studying, and they know when to take us out to the street to see the light again. Also, studying with fellow classmates will help you a lot, because two or three or four brains think better than one alone, but don’t make your study groups too large, I would advise a study group of 5 (and that’s already a lot) people at the most, otherwise you’ll surely get distracted. Make sure those people are hard working, because as tempting as it is, you don't really want to have a sleep over, but an studying session. 

• Eat healthy, take long showers and do some exercise: I’ve literally felt my bones rotting while sitting in my desk chair studying. I never did proper exercise, I just walked my dog, and that’s not enough. Sometimes I didn’t eat and other days I ate everything I could, and that’s not healthy either. This summer I’ve started working on that, I still have a long way to go, but I’m on it. Also, long showers are relaxing. It’ll lessen the stress from your muscles and it’ll give you proper time to keep your mind blank for a bit. And if you sing as loud as you can while showering, then you’ll feel fantastic. This is first hand experience. I'm a scientist after all. I value the worth of empiricism.  

• Stay humble: It’s incredible the amount of amazing people I’ve met in med school, but it is also incredible the amount of envious, pretentious people I’ve met in med school. People who looked down on you for not getting As, people who thought that they always had the right answer and never listened to anyone, people who didn’t share their knowledge or helped a peer in need… You are studying medicine. You are going to treat people. Not just patients. PEOPLE. If you can’t collaborate and be nice to your fellow workers, how can you care for other people? This takes me to another point: 

• Stay in contact with art: Any form of Art. Dancing, painting, writing, singing, sculpting, acting… Whatever you enjoy. But stay in contact with Art. As I’ve already stated, you are going to treat more than patients, you are going to treat a body, yeah, but also a mind, and that’s where Art comes in handy. Art is the purest expression of human minds. If you can understand the mind of your patient, your treatment will be successful in an 80%. Patients like to feel that their doctor is listening to them, that they have enough strength to fight their illness and make them go through something as hard as a serious illness. No one leaves feeling well of a clinic in which they’ve been discarded in two minutes and they barely had the opportunity to tell what’s happening to them. An illness is a narration, and you must listen and interpret it. 

• Ask for help: If you think you’re struggling with something, ask for help. To your professors, your classmates, your parents, a tutor… There’s nothing shameful in asking for help when you don’t know something or you don’t know how to tackle a task. No one was born with absolute knowledge (despite what some med students may think of themselves…) and being brave enough to say:"I want to do this well, but I don’t know how to do it. Let’s find someone who knows how" tells a lot about your willingness to learn. 

• Enjoy yourself, your life as a med student, and stay passionate: don’t loose your enthusiasm. Go to parties if you like them, go to calmer nights at home with your friends and a bowl of popcorn, go for a ride with your music as loud as you can, go to that festival you’ve been wanting to attend for 5 years… That’s what is going to get you through med school, through illness, through loss, through hell and through whatever life throws at you. You are a student, one of the most beautiful things someone can be. You are a great person, a good friend, a good son, a good brother or cousin or maybe uncle, a good musician, a good writer, a good cooker, a good sewer, a good dog-walker… I don’t know man, just look at yourself, realize how hard it is to even be born, realize how many things could have gone wrong and realize how lucky you are to be doing what you really want, to have the overwhelming sensation of having so many open paths ahead of you, realize how wonderful your friends are and go have some coffee with them, realize how much luck you’ve had, how many things you’ve fought against, and how many things went horribly wrong but have already passed. Realize how many things you can do with your time, and do them. 

• Value the worth of knowledge: there's nothing I value more than knowledge. It's not only a source of personal growth, but a source of independence. With knowledge, you can't be fooled, no one can take advantage of you, and you'll have a much more open mind. I'm not just talking about academic knowledge, but the knowledge that comes with all sorts of experiences, with reading, with music, with art. Realize how important it is that you can learn, how amazing it is that we can even learn, that we have a brain that can understand itself and the world we live in, and learn. 

Although I wrote this form the perspective of a med student, I'm sure you can somehow apply this to some aspect of your life. Or maybe not. I don't know, but I think these things are important, and therefore I wanted to share them with you. 
And yes, what you see there is a real human skull. Hur hur. 

__________________________

And you? Have you learned good things in uni? 

In highschool? Anywhere else? 

Tell me your experience, I want to know! 

A (huge) Reading List. Or on why I am a shame.

When I started med school, things got ugly. It was much, much harder than I had anticipated. Add to that lots of personal problems and the resounding failure that were my grades, and reading became the last of my worries. 

I've always loved reading. You could always see me with my nose buried deep in a book, and I've always loved the cozy comfort that comes with cradling a paper wonder in your hands, so many of my free afternoons were spent in book shops, choosing new titles with my friends. 

However, the mess that I was making with the beginning of my first year as a med student made that passion fade a bit. And when I thought about all the books that were waiting for me, that were desperate to be read, it made me sad. I've only managed to read less than a dozen books up to this month, and I want to get back to my usual pace now that things start to look more colorful. Not everything is sorted, I still have to retake some exams come september, but I'm getting better at this, and books have too strength a hold on me to resist it. 

That's why I have decided to make this reading list, so I can clearly see how many books I still have to read (brace yourselves, this is going to be full of photographs) and how I'm progressing on that front. 

Here we go. 

1. Lanark, by Alasdair Gray: I bought this book at Casa del Libro in Madrid. I spent hours there with my sister because I just couldn't decide. It took me a lot of eye-squinting to spot this book; the cover and the fact that there's no synopsis in the back did it for me. It had to be mine. 

2. Inheritance, by Christopher Paolini: Eragon was one of my favorite sagas back when I was a child. I remember dreaming of having my own dragon to fly above the city, and maybe I dreamed of flying in it with Eragon... Maybe I keep doing it. ♡ I also remember loving Eragon's cousin, but that's as far as I can recall because I read the three preceding books quite a long ago and now I can't remember even them most important things of the plot. Guess I'll have to reread the whole saga before diving in this last episode. Cor, that's going to be such a hard task... I'm not looking forward to it at all... 

3. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen: I found this book rummaging in my living room's shelves, and it was so pretty and cheesy I couldn't help taking it to my room. And there it is that it has been rotting for years now. It is a book that came with those collections that were sold in news-stands years ago. Do they still do that? 

4. Mémoirs d'Hadrien, by Marguerite Yourcenar: I don't even know where this one came from. Probably it belonged to my mom or one of my sisters. The thing is that it's about a roman emperor. It must be so interesting. 

5. The Froging of a Rebel, by Arturo Barea: When I studied Spanish Literature in high school, books about the Spanish Civil War were my absolute favorite. I spotted this book during a book shopping afternoon with my friends, and I needed to have it because it tells the story of the writer, Barea, before, during and after the Civil War. It is so thick, thought, that it may still wait for a bit, when my head is a bit more clear to get involved in such a hard reading. This edition contains the three books of the saga: The Forge, The Track and The Clash. 

6. Romanticism, by Rüdiger Safranski: I'm a sucker for Romanticism. I didn't get to study much about it in high school, but the little I know, I love with all my soul. I saw this book in a museum after visiting an exhibition of Impressionist (oh, how I've been in love with Atkinson Grimshaw and this particular painting  since that day). No one says you can not learn on your own, and Romantic ideals are something really interesting. 

7. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway: I bought this book along the other one you see in the same picture in a second hand library I'm not coming back to ever again, much as it pains me, because the bookseller treated my friends and me as shit, almost kicking us out of the shop. However, this edition was pretty beautiful, and it cost me no more than 4€. Pity I'm not going to get more bargains like this, I don't like being treated like a princess when I go with my mom, and like a theft when I go with my friends. You lost what possibly are the better customers you could have had, bookseller. 

8. Tales, by Ernest Hemingway: This book is really really old and contains a compilation of Hemingway's tales. The edition is classic and the pages smell of old, used paper. Just lovely. 

9. The Sherlock Holmes Puzzle Collecton, by "Dr. John Watson": A friend recommended me this book and I said "Sherlock Holmes? Enigmas? Pretty illustrations? A padded hard cover edition? Where do I sign?" And that's how I got hold of this book. I've solved some of the enigmas, and let me tell you, is as much fun and as challenging as you think. Haven't gotten through the whole book, thought.  

10. Sandman #1, by Neil Gaiman: I haven't read anything by Neil Gaiman yet, but I know that he's one of those writers I'm going to love to bits. I learnt about these comics thanks to a tumblr blog, and I ordered the first number as quickly as I could. I don't want to read the series until I have all the comics. Maybe that'll be what I ask for in Christmas... 

11. Alif the Unseen, by G. Willow Wilson: I bought this book without having the slightest idea of what it was about. It was through one of those crazy days that bookdepository have a 25 hours sale, with one book in a bargain per hour. It caught my attention, so I bought it. Then I discovered that it was a modern tale mingled with arabian mythology. My instinct never fails me. 

12. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card: This was actually a present a dear friend gave me for my birthday. I don't know how he knew that I loved the movie, because I hadn't had the chance to talk about it with him before my birthday party. It must be that he just knows me that well. And if the book is better than the movie, which I'm 150% sure it is, I'm going to enjoy it like I enjoy dessert. 

13. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury: This is the book this blogs owes its name to. I've already read it in spanish, but this is the english edition. The cover is made with cloth and the flame is almost as vibrant as what awaits on the inside. The only thing I'll say is that it knocked my socks off, and that it has stuck with me since I devoured it in a boat trip that wasn't even 3 hours long. I spent the remainder of the trip looking at the horizon, letting my brain masticate what I had just read. 

14. On the Road, by Jack Kerouac: I got these two books the same day. One is the usual edition, the other one is the original typescript scroll, with some changes from the originally published edition. I have never watched any film adaptation of this novel, and I don't know much about it beside the things it tells me in the synopsis. I prefer to start reading it without knowing much, and unravel the story and getting surprised with every page. 

15. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J. R. R. Tolkien: I don't know how many times I have watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or the Hobbit. I have the Evenstar always hanged 'round my neck. But I haven't actually read the books. I'm a sham. Such a big sham. A Sham with capital letters. This is going to be my next victim, as soon as I finish the saga I'm rereading right now. The Middle Earth, has always drawn me in, I was enthralled with the world of Bilbo Baggins. I can't wait to accompany Frodo in his adventure. And Sam. Oh, Sam. ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ 

16. The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: I have the best friends in the world. They gifted me with this book just because they are that awesome. They know how much I love reading books in their original language, and they know how utterly, loyally and viscerally I love Sherlock Holmes. I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS IN THE WORLD. 

17. The Penguin Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, by Edgar Allan Poe: I'm just so in love with this book. I've read some Poe's poems and tales, but every single one is in this beautiful edition. I might as well marry The Penguin Complete Editions now. 

18. "Cuentos Completos de Edgar Allan Poe", by Edgar Allan Poe: this was a gift from my sisters, and it's even more awesome because the introduction is written by Julio Cortázar. The bookmark seemed fitting, don't you think? (It was also a gift from the friend who gave me my copy of Ender's Game ♡) I ought to read this edition first, because Poe's english may be a bit too difficult for a non-native english speaker. What would you say? 

19. The new Dracula, Annotated, by Bram Stoker: this was also a gift from my sisters, as well as the frankenstein copy. It is a beautiful edition, with side notes by Leslie S. Klinger and an introduction by Neil Gaiman. It's an epic edition, with a lot of background on the story, plenty of photographs and sources that will surly make the experience of reading Dracula, a novel I enjoyed to the last comma, something even more enriching. 

20. Frankenstein, by Mary W. Shelley: Mary Shelley was a badass, and I don't know why I haven't already read anything written by her. I'm just an uneducated fool. This edition is beautiful, with incredibly simple and evocative illustrations to accompany the reading of the first science fiction novel ever written. I can't wait for this one. 

21. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell: I could babble for hours about David Mitchell and his incredible work with Cloud Atlas, which is a book I devoured and that is now filled to the last page with sticky markers. I'm sure I'm going to love this book, more so seeing the synopsis. The fact that the cover is absolutely beautiful it's just another one of the reasons that had me in for this one in a second. And I must say, the spanish cover is much more beautiful than the english one. 

22. Silk, by Alessandro Baricco, Illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer: This might as well be the most beautiful book I own. It tells a story of a romance, of a man that owns an eccentric business and his travel to Japan. The illustrations are so beautiful and evocative, soft but full of force, and I can't wait to read this book to show it to you guys. Maybe I'll do it soon, because the story is really not so long, seeing as the illustrations fill every page. 

23. Earth's Sons #1 & #2, by Jean M. Auel: As well as with the Sandman saga, I won't be reading this one 'till I've got all the books. I prefer reading all the books of a series at once, because if I wait I forget important details and then I have to reread it again from the start. It's the first time I'm going to read something set in such a remote time, and I'm looking forward to it. 

24. Parade's End, by Ford Madox Ford: Brace yo' selves for the fangirling. I watched the BBC mini series Parade's End, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall last year, and it has become my favorite drama ever. I red the script as soon as I discovered it was available for the public as a beautifully edited book, and it didn't disappoint me. It was a completely novel experience. The script is an adaptation from the original book written by Ford Madox Ford, that was created by Tom Stoppard, who also happened to write the script for Joe Wright's Anna Karenina film. The boo you see in the left side, with the actors faces in the cover, is the english version, a small, light and beautiful book that I can't wait to get myself into. The one you see in the right side is the spanish edition. Here I think I'm going to go for the original edition first. I love WWI novels and the fact that Tietjens, the main character, has already won my heart without having read his words yet make me feel sure that I'm going to love this book. 

25. The Hobbit, 75th Anniversary, by J. R. R. Tolkien: One of my friends bought this amazingly tiny and beautiful edition of The Hobbit, and she couldn't stop gushing over it, so I decided to buy it. I ordered it to my favorite local book store and when I went to get it I spent at least 15 minutes gushing with the shop assistant about it too. I had already read The Hobbit in spanish, so this was the next step. And the fact that it was petty cheap was just the icing on the cake. It's just so beautiful, I can't even. ♡

26. Roverandom, by J. R. R. Tolkien: I didn't know of the existence of this book, so when I saw it was the only copy available in the bookshop I had to take it with me. It's a small children tale about a dog, and I can't wait for my nephew to be born to read it to him. This Minotauro editions are just so beautiful. 

27. North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell: I learned about this book through the Richard Armitage adaptation, which I haven't seen yet. We don't study foreign literature as a rule in high school, so my knowledge of English Literature thanks to school haven't gone further than Shakespeare or Jane Austen. This Wordsworth Classics collection is amazingly beautiful and cheap. I've got these three books for no more than 3€ each!!! 

28. Mathilda and Other Stories, by Mary W. Shelley: I saw this edition at the book shop too, and seeing its price I couldn't help but take it with me. It's a compilation of Mary Shelley's horror stories, and what was my surprise when I flicked through it and saw that it comes with black and white illustrations. So much love. 

29. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen: I bought this copy in Gibraltar when I went with my school. I remember the little bookshop, which wasn't fancy at all, and seeing this collection of Classics for the first time. I hadn't actually read Pride and Prejudice by that time, but I got to do it during a long train trip and I loved it. I should really read it in english, thought. Books in their original language are always much, much better. 

30. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini: I got this book thanks to an app called Gus that sadly had to shut down. You just had to play a Roulette game and then you could get a free book or points to get a free one from your wish-list. You didn't know which one you were going to get, thought. I haven't seen the film adaptation of this book, and I don't think I'm going to do it until I read it first. A friend has told me wonders about this novel, so my expectations are quite high! 

31. War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo: I for this book for Christmas from bookdepository as a present for myself. Yep, you should treat yourselves with things you like from time to time, it's nice to indulge in some self-love every now and again. Th book is really slim, and it comes with shots from the film adaptation, which happen to have Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch in it. Dear goodness, my heart is going to explode when I watch it. I want to read the book first, thought. Can't take me much time to get down to it, can it?  

32. War and Peace, by Lev. N. Tólstoi: I read an adapted version of Ana Karenina at school and I absolutely loved it. There's something compelling about the Russian Napoleonic era and the French Invasion of Russia. I can't wait to read this book and learn a lot about Russian history and society, and marvel at every word Tolstói has expelled in what is known to be his finest piece of art and one of the most important novels in the history of Literature.  

33. Thus Spoke Zarathustra, by Friedrich Nietzsche: I love philosophy. I'm a philosophy geek. Nietzsche was my favorite author among all of those I have studied. He's irreverent, controversial. I've read some of his works and I absolutely loved them. He's critical and such an influence in posterior thinkers, artists, philosophers and writers. Just as the greatest ones are. 

34. Tales, by Benedetti: I actually bought this book quite a few years ago. It's another compilation of tales, written by Mario Benedetti, whose poetry I love to bits. Southern American writers are one of my favorites literature groups of all times. 

35. Hamlet: In my country you only get to study foreign writers if you take Universal Literature as one of your chosen subjects for the previous years of entering uni. Wanting to study medicine, I didn't have the chance to pick this one, so I just studied Spanish Literature. Don't misunderstand me, I love Spanish Literature. But I'd like to be trained in other writers as well. I don't know much about Shakespeare besides the common things everyone else knows. Getting down to read four of his Theatre pieces ought to be something epic. 

36. Romeo and Juliet: I'm going to confess it. I've never watched a single adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Not one. I know what it is about, of course. Everyone does. But I've decided to be a more educated reader and starting with Shakespeare can't be a bad idea. 

37. Othello: I know I've misspelled Othello in the picture, I know. I've already told you I'm a shame. I haven't watched any theatre show of one of Shakespeare works either, but it's not as if in my city there are lots of Shakespeare plays to attend. Gosh, how I want to move out of this city. 

38. Macbeth: I've made the trite joke of "Alas! Poor Yorick" while in the dissection room with a human skull in my hands. Aren't I fun? I haven't actually read the play yet. But shhhh, don't tell that to anyone. The good thing about this editions, is that their bilingual, so I have the same text in both pages, but in one it come in english, and in the other, it comes in spanish. Who said I can't kill to birds with a stone with just a book in my hands? 

39. Notre-Dame de Paris: Victor Hugo is one of my absolute time favorite writers. I go singing Les Misérables whenever I go, I could perform the play on my own *wink, wink* and I devoured the book in less than two weeks. The fact that the well-known story of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame comes in this two volumes and beautifully illustrated edition is just a wonderful thing. It wasn't one of my favorite Disney Movies when I was a child, made me far too sad, but know I can revisit the film under a new light. 

40. "Una Historia de la Medicina", by Antonio Mingote and José Manuel Sánchez Ron: Being a medical student, I love everything regarding this discipline. My sisters gave me this book for my birthday, written by a medicine historian (José Maneul Sánchez Ron), and illustrated by the most famous vignettist of Spain (Antonio Mingote), this is a piece of art that tells the first steps of medicine unto our time, accompanied by fun images. Maybe it'll be useful for my History of Medicine classes next year. 

41. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, again: Yes, Pride and Prejudice again. I don't know how may copies of this novel I own, but the thing is they're all in english. Don't know why I don't have a spanish copy yet. This tiny little pretty books are part of the Collector's Library Collection, and I'm absolutely in love with them. This one in particular comes with full color illustrations. The borders are golden, the covers sturdy and it's just so frickin cute I want to have the whole collation. And they're like, super cheap. You wouldn't get such beautiful books in spanish for less than 20 €. ♡

42. The Silmarillion, by J. R. R. Tolkien: This in one of the other books I got through the Gus app. It's really sad it doesn't work any more. They work with Amazon and were really trust worthy. A friend of mine tried to read The Silmarillion in spanish and she couldn't get past half of the book, but she said that in english it was much easier and fun for her, so it's just fortunate that I only own this copy of the History of Elves of the Middle Earth in english. The letters are rely tiny, though, maybe I'll need to use glasses when I'm done with it. 

43. The Best of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Another Collector's Library book. Of Sherlock Holmes. Wow, such a surprise, right? This one comes with black and white illustrations, but they're very rich and quite spectacular and fitting for the tone of the stories, so I can't complain. How could I when I'm in so much love with this tiny wonder? 

44. Ana Karenina, by Lev N. Tolstói: Another Tolstói novel. I bought this one in Madrid along the first book of this long reading list that is coming to an end. The cover is just so pretty and evocative. The paper on these two last books I'm showing you is quite thin, which is something I usually dislike, but as a whole it works quite well. The books are quite heavy for their size, which was a surprise. I love Joe Wright's movie adaptation, and I won't be able to stop imagining Jude Law as Káreninwhile I'm reading it. ♡

45. The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin: I love biology, I love evolution, I love genetics and the three things are compiled in this world-changing essay written by Charles Darwin based on his travels on board of the HMS Beagle. I've never read such a long essay, but I know I'm going to learn so much that I'm all excited over the place every time I think of reading it. I know, I know, I should get down to it. 

Well, this was it. I have quite a lot of work to do. I'll tell you all about these books, as soon as I get mi mind together again and start devouring books as I used to do before. 

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What about you? Have you read any of these books?

Do you have thousands of books waiting to be read? 

Which one? Tell me in the comments or link me to your own posts, I want to know!!