Man in the Dark by Paul Auster

Another treasure I discovered at BOOKSALE. Only 60pesos and no one even seemed to give this one the time of day. I must say, this power I have is definitely to my advantage, to know a good book when I see a good book.

August Brill, a 72-year-old man, narrates a story to himself every night due to insomnia. The activity, he claims, is the only thing that gets him through the dark when his mind is at its most active.

This night, he narrates a story about Owen Brick.

Brick, a magician, sent to another parallel dimension of America in 2007 was given a mission. This America is at war with itself. A secession has happened.

He was ordered to kill the man who is making this universe, this horrible place. The man who was telling himself the story. In order for chaos to stop, Brill must die.

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This is absolutely one of the most original stories I've read. Very indie. A book with no target-reader. Just unadulterated literature to the very core.

Paul Auster, a seasoned writer, recipient of the Prince of Austrias Prize for Literature(just one of the many awards he has), changed my perception in the field of selecting books.

Let's face it, everyone gets scared of reading books. The feeling that we might not be good enough or bright enough, the fear of not being able to comprehend a story.

I think as any fear the mind solely creates, there's nothing to be insecure as long as it's on the subject of entering a universe an author created. You will never feel that you're in the wrong place, he is opening this world to you through pages, through paragraphs and set of words.

If it's a book, you are always welcome.

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Something I found in the book, very thought-provoking.

Based on this 16th-century Italian philosopher named Giordano Bruno: if God is infinite, and if the powers of God are infinite, then there must be an infinite number of worlds.

Salingkit by Cyan Abad-Jugo

I found this book at bestsellers in SM Center, Las Pinas. It was with the Young Adult section, together with all the foreign books. I was drawn to it right away.

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Kitty Eugenio, a Depeche Mode fanatic and a high school student goes through this part of her life where most of the actual happenings conceived nothing but pain and confusion.

Having lost her father, mother working in abroad and living with relatives, she narrates in her diary the events of her life.

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My two sentence book review might be some sort of a laughing stock but that's all I can produce. This is mainly a book for teenagers to be familiarized with the EDSA Revolution.

I like the book, I'm interested in historical events. I'm happy to know that there is hope in Philippine literature. It's seldom how a book, especially YA can even likely be published here.

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

I'm very much quite familiar with Elizabeth Scott, in fact my first book-review in this blog is Love You Hate You Miss You. I've also read Living Dead Girl(and I think every YA reader should give that book a try).

One thing I can tell you about Mrs. Scott is that all her books are phenomenal. Some may not fully agree to the word phenomenal because it's SUCH a big word... but when I said "phenomenal", I meant out-of-the-ordinary. I meant uniquely crafted and refreshingly tasteful.

Every Elizabeth Scott book has that same trademark element that only said author possesses.

And though The Unwritten Rule has the most simple story compared to the other two that I've read so far, it isn't an exception to the Elizabeth Scott branding.

The storyline is SO "typical" that it got captivating.

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Sarah is the main character and she narrates throughout the book about her forbidden feelings towards her since-kindergarten-best-friend Brianna's two-month-old boyfriend, Ryan.

Though it really was clear that the girl who Ryan wanted was Sarah, he got confused into getting with Brianna who is said to be nothing but unbelievably gorgeous and superbly confident.

The conflicts here is both between Sarah and Brianna & Sarah and Ryan.

Now, it's a ding ding ding for you if you got the logic behind the title and yep, The Unwritten Rule is you don't have feelings and you don't date your BFF's "boyfriend" or any other one for that matter, ever.

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I'm going to leave my review up there like that. The story is so relate-able(relatable?), it hasn't happened to me yet but I know a lot of my friends who went through that. IT IS a book not only for the teenagers, pathetic for an adult to even consider reading this but the circumstances are honestly universal in the most veritable sense... and I can see that it will somehow enlighten anyone who's a Sarah at the moment.

Brianna who is a multi-faceted character will annoy readers but they will also get where she's coming from.

The book's message is to fight for love. To me, that's what it was. You fight for it and don't ever consider losing anything if you're sure at what you feel. Touchy feely, yes... but we can get too caught up sometimes and we settle for second best.

And the people who truly loves you will want you to be happy no matter how much it might hurt them.

"My mistake I didn't know to be in love, you have to fight to have the upper hand."

(Yes, I just quoted a Taylor Swift song. The title is White Horse)

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

I've seen this book one to many times from the different book-blogs that I am following. I can't help it, this curiosity I have for abbreviations!

And so I gave it a try.

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Bianca Piper whose story the book revolves around is "The Duff". This insulting nickname given to her by Wesley Rush, a boy she seemed to hate so much, hated with such passion.

Along with her BFF'S Casey and Jessica, she was the designated ugly fat friend. The friend who fends off for them, the one least good-looking, the last one to be noticed and the one set-up to make the two look better... or so that's what she thought.

On the verge of her parents getting a divorce, she searched for an escape. A release she only found by having constant intercourse with playboy Wesley Rush.

After a month or so... she's developed something other than loathsome feelings for Wesley. Scared for her feelings not reciprocated, being the duff and all, she immediately cut her ties with him and disregarded the feeling.

Or did she really?

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I'm not going to be a hypocrite and say this book is not worth my time, that it's so cliche and artificial, that it has no educational value, that it's shallow, that the mature content is too much and that it's all stupid and annoying. I am not going to say those words by saying them.

Honestly, they might be all those things to me but I can't hold it against anything because I enjoyed the book! Yes, the book might be highly for entertainment purposes only, lacking thought-provoking-set-of-words and that revolutionary theme I am looking for but what can you do? I really did darn enjoyed it!

I was all over for that romance Bianca and Wesley had. They made me feel it, they made me feel the passion. The author's lack of imagination for things rather than the run of the mill YA novel low-self-esteem-girl-getting-the-hottest-guy-in-high-school, she made up for that talent she had for simply putting words in such fashion that you're able believe it and feel the emotion it conveys.

Though I wish she had a little more of that conservative touch.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

I bought this on BOOKSALE for 145pesos! It was on the display window and I asked for it because I've heard nothing but good things about Life of Pi.

Magnificent book, really amazing.

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The book is a narration of an Indian boy named Piscine Molitor Patel. But because Piscine sounded exactly like "pissin'" and he was always bullied for it, when he finally moved to a new school(the Petit Seminaire) he took the opportunity of making a moniker as substitute. Hence, he is now called Pi.

His family owns and runs the Pondicherry Zoo, it was also there where he grew up and decided to acquire three religions: Islam, Christianity AND Hinduism. His father startled and mother concerned, they've asked him to pick only one. But when Pi quoted Gandhi's "All religions are true", they had nothing else to counter it and so just let him be.

Time came when his father desired to be where the grass is far greener. From India along with some of their zoo animals, they took a Japanese cargo ship(the Tsimtsum) routing to Canada.

Something terrible happened and the Tsimtsum sank. Pi in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker and the story of survival begins!

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This book wasn't at all what I expected. Though now I know that it's just a work of fiction, I still can't help but linger on some pages. I guess it's what happens when you finish it off in one sitting. Everything overwhelming, I was overloaded with emotions.

I will never have enough words of praises and compliments for this book but the only guarantee I feel insured to say is that it is a book about the assessing of life. The realizing of it. The appreciation and the perpetual faith we should have in it and God.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Ever since, I really wanted to read this book. Yet another gripping novel from Ms. Anderson. I can hear the voices in her novels so clearly, it kind of scares me.

Melinda Sordino, the main character and the narrator goes to her first day of high school. She enters it with a big burden, having the one who called the cops at a party last August, it seemed that everyone hated her.

But what they did not know is... she was raped.

 You almost could not even guess that the book is about rape, you only see a light at the end of the tunnel getting closer and closer as you keep reading.

I hate to be a spoiler but there it is, it's a book about a girl who got raped!

It's basically a novel about moving-on and speaking up (hence, the title) and sharing your story. It's about not being scared to say what you have to say and taking bold steps. 

I liked the art teacher Mr. Freeman very much! He has that kind of encouraging powerful release of emotion through art that helped Melinda on the way. He wasn't scared to paint his frustration towards the school faculty, I know it's not big of a deal in the storyline but it tells a lot of things to me and somehow, it empowers.

I just hated the weakness, I could not wait for it to be done. I had to read it all at once. I can't take how Melinda handled the rape. In the end, the right thing was done and I was eternally relieved. I learned a lot and I definitely commend this book.

Three Men in A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

My Papa bought me this book last June 12, 2012. It was an Independence Day sale at bestsellers and from 119pesos, this book went down to 50pesos. Reading this became such a drag to me. I had so "many" laughs while reading it but my attention span to things about boats and rowing and sailing is unfortunately limited.

This is a story about three men and a dog's journey to unwind themselves and get a quick escape from the city by travelling in a boat. It is a story about comradeship, facts about life, geographical landmarks and also history.

Reading this book taught me so well about England, the journey in the waters gives a similar connection to roadtrips in this era. A hankering for finding oneself is always best especially with friends. I can't quite give an explanation why a hundred years from now, with different style in narration and different approach in grammar, still this book is hilarious!

This is my first classic book-review and what a fresh start!