tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88176413027491882102024-02-07T10:22:08.605+08:00What I felt about...You pick up a book randomly, it's happenstance. You might be craving for some literature or it's simply out of boredom. But when a book is finished, it's kismet. We often don't realize how a book can subconsciously run our lives... because life is like a book. Anything can happen. Nothing is ever truly random or planned. I suggest you dive into a book like you dive into your life... or vice versa.Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-5498472883488581872014-06-26T23:34:00.001+08:002014-06-26T23:34:54.222+08:00Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is my 100th book review!!! I have been inactive lately in reviewing the books that I have read but rest assured, I am not going anywhere.</div>
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Harry Potter embarks on his fifth year in Hogwarts with the knowledge of the Order of the Pheonix, an alliance of witches and wizards set on to eliminate the Voldemort, and a disturbing feeling that things are about to get worse.</div>
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Albus Dumbledore was such an integral part of the book that when he died, I felt the wheels turning faster to a definite finality.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-65607908004691828312014-05-11T23:57:00.002+08:002014-05-11T23:57:50.654+08:00Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This fourth installment, two big events are bound to happen - the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament!</div>
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Students not below seventeen are the only ones who could join, so why was Harry announced a player and who put his name in? And why is Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, so eager to help our Harry?</div>
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Poor Cedric Diggory.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-3407873226781002262014-05-08T19:52:00.001+08:002014-05-08T19:53:34.929+08:00Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Harry Potter and his two best friends, Ron & Hermione, starts off their 3rd year in Hogwarts with a new, mysterious and shabby-looking Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. All the while, Sirius Black, the man who allegedly betrayed Harry's parents escaped Azkaban.</div>
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There will be more Harry Potter reviews after this.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-78428560907682847662014-04-25T21:06:00.000+08:002014-04-25T21:06:12.254+08:00Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It's been 48 days since the last book review! I miss doing this.</div>
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Harry and his two best friends Ron and Hermione enters their second year at Hogwarts with a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the ladies' man Gilderoy Lockhart.</div>
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Harry finds a diary that would set the trio onto locating the infamous Chamber of Secrets.</div>
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Poor Gilderoy,</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-1765548791244843582014-03-11T16:33:00.000+08:002014-03-11T16:33:07.274+08:002013 Reviewed Books (book titles)Here is the corresponding list of last year's book reviews (I did the <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-reviewed-books-book-covers.html">book covers</a> last January!):<br />
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1. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/01/bakit-hindi-ka-crush-ng-crush-mo-at-iba.html">Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo (at iba pang technique kung paano makaka </a></div>
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<a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/01/bakit-hindi-ka-crush-ng-crush-mo-at-iba.html">move on sa wasak na puso) by Ramon Bautista</a></div>
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2. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/01/tales-of-madman-underground-by-josh.html">Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes</a><br />
3. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-pretty-one-by-cheryl-klam.html">The Pretty One by Cheryl Klam</a><br />
4. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/peaches-by-jodi-lynn-anderson.html">Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson</a><br />
5. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-carrie-diaries-by-candace-bushnell.html">The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell</a><br />
6. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/reflected-in-you-by-sylvia-day.html">Reflected in You by Sylvia Day</a><br />
7. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/going-bovine-by-libba-bray.html">Going Bovine by Libba Bray</a><br />
8. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/fixing-delilah-by-sarah-ockler.html">Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler</a><br />
9. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/because-it-is-my-blood-by-gabrielle.html">Because it is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin</a><br />
10. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/03/miss-fortune-cookie-by-lauren-bjorkman.html">Miss Fortune Cookie by Lauren Bjorkman</a><br />
11. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/03/its-kind-of-funny-story-by-ned-vizzini.html">It's Kind of A Funny Story Ned Vizzini</a><br />
12. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-selection-by-kiera-cass.html">The Selection by Kiera Cass</a><br />
13. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-prince-by-kiera-cass.html">The Prince by Kiera Cass</a><br />
14. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/03/twenty-boy-summer-by-sarah-ockler.html">Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler</a><br />
15. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-raven-boys-by-maggie-stiefvater.html">The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater</a><br />
16. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/04/thanks-for-memories-by-cecelia-ahern.html">Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern</a><br />
17. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/04/black-painted-fingernails-by-steven.html">Black Painted Fingernails by Steven Herrick</a><br />
18. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-elite-by-kiera-cass.html">The Elite by Kiera Cass</a><br />
19. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/saving-francesca-by-melina-marchetta.html">Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta</a><br />
20. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/never-let-me-go-by-kashuo-ishiguro.html">Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro</a><br />
21. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/code-name-verity-by-elizabeth-wein.html">Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein</a><br />
22. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/please-ignore-vera-dietz-by-as-king.html">Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King</a><br />
23. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/06/chopsticks-by-jessica-anthony-rodrigo.html">Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony & Rodrigo Corral</a><br />
24. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-boyfriend-list-by-e-lockhart.html">The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart</a><br />
25. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-boy-book-by-e-lockhart.html">The Boy Book by E. Lockhart</a><br />
26. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/07/graffiti-moon-by-cath-crowley.html">Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley</a><br />
27. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/07/lizzie-goes-wild.html">Lizzie Goes Wild</a><br />
28. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-bermuda-triangle-by-charles-berlitz.html">The Bermuda Triangle by Charles Berlitz</a><br />
29. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/suddenly-royal-by-nichole-chase.html">Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase</a><br />
30. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/reasons-i-fell-for-funny-fat-friend-by.html">Reasons I Fell for the Fat Funny Friend by Cassie Mae (A.K.A. Becca Ann)</a><br />
31. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/hope-was-here-by-joan-bauer.html">Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer</a><br />
32. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-prime-of-miss-jean-brodie-by-muriel.html">The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark</a><br />
33. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/eleanor-park-by-rainbow-rowell.html">Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell</a><br />
34. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/shes-dating-gangster-by-bianca-b.html">She's Dating the Gangster by Bianca B. Bernardino</a><br />
35. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-hangmans-daughter-by-oliver-potzsch.html">The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch</a><br />
36. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/beautiful-ruins-by-jess-walter.html">Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter</a><br />
37. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/forbidden-by-tabitha-suzuma.html">Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma</a><br />
38. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/geography-club-by-brent-hartinger.html">Geography Club by Brent Hartinger</a><br />
39. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/anna-and-french-kiss-by-stephanie.html">Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins</a><br />
40. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-book-thief-by-markus-zusak.html">The Book Thief by Markus Zusak</a><br />
41. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/11/wonder-by-rj-palacio.html">Wonder by R.J. Palacio</a><br />
42. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/11/butter-by-erin-jade-lange.html">Butter by Erin Jade Lange</a><br />
43. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/11/abandon-changes-by-john-m-cusick.html">Abandon Changes by John M. Cusick</a><br />
44. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/11/whered-you-go-bernadette-by-maria-semple.html">Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple</a><br />
45. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-disenchantments-by-nina-lacour.html">The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour</a><br />
46. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/12/keeping-castle-by-patrice-kindl.html">Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl</a><br />
47. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-every-boy-by-dana-adam-shapiro.html">The Every Boy by Dana Adam Shapiro</a><br />
48. <a href="http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/12/daddy-long-legs-by-jean-webster.html">Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster</a></div>
Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-54010551171269120412014-03-08T18:05:00.001+08:002014-03-08T18:07:00.441+08:00Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I miss reviewing books! It's been 60 days (exactly two months!) since the last and it's a pity because I inhaled this one. I was engrossed.</div>
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Greg S. Gaines is a seventeen-year-old boy who has successfully avoided associating himself with any of the groups of Benson High School's strata. His modus operandi in maintaining the seemingly "invisible" facade is to be good friends with everyone but not close enough that it obligates him the sit-with-me-at-lunchtime & let's-hang-out-after-school social norms.</div>
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Our lead character may look like a friendless fool on the surface but, really, he has a best friend. Earl Jackson, a boy Greg describes as his "coworker" (they make homemade movies together), is a spunky boy of African-American descent.</div>
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Drama in Greg's undoubtedly lighthearted life develops the moment he befriends a cancer-stricken girl named Rachel Kushner.</div>
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As soon as I read Greg's take on how the story would go, I branded this book right away as the Anti-TFiOS (<i>The Fault in Our Stars</i>). The main character immediately denied that there would be any kind of romance between him and Rachel. In fact, he even chose to highlight his negative traits. Considering how selfish and cold he painted himself, I managed to feel sorry for him when Rachel died. Other than the entertaining narrative, <i>Me and Earl and the Dying Girl </i>pulled off some earnest and heartrending story.</div>
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I don't think this book is the kind you read chapter by chapter every night. It's the kind of book you want to see through immediately. And it is because of Earl, most of the time.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-83381749294825743212014-01-09T18:31:00.002+08:002014-01-09T18:35:09.724+08:002013 Reviewed Books (book covers)Hooray for 2013! I exceeded 2012's by <u>one</u> book. Seems like I fulfilled my <i>New Year's Resolution </i>(which is to counter 2012's 47 books).<br />
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These are the <b>48 books</b> of 2013 (click photo for the corresponding review):<br />
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-10896523272592495722014-01-06T17:30:00.002+08:002014-01-06T17:33:18.497+08:00Mistress of the Solstice by Anna Kashina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Happy New Year blogger-verse! The scent of a promising year to encounter great books is wafting through my computer screen.</div>
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A novel inspired by Russian folklore, <i>Mistress of the Solstice</i> chronicles a story of a young boy named Ivan who attempts to woo Marya (the <i>Mistress of the Solstice </i>herself).</div>
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Set out to a journey of magic and peril, Ivan is determined to put the annual virginal sacrifice Kashchey the Immortal executes to a stop. Kashchey, the father of Marya, was confident that the solstice sacrifice will push through as planned until Ivan arrived in the scene.</div>
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Together with a talking wolf named Wolf, we get immersed into Ivan's mission in turning Marya into a <i>Mistress of the Solstice </i>no more.</div>
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Will he succeed? Let's find out come Solstice night!</div>
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I like that there are some Russian dialect injected in the book. I learned words like <i>versts</i>, <i>lapti </i>& <i>izba</i>. The story-line on the other hand can keep a reader. Not slow or fast-paced, just enough to keep someone guessing. But my disappointment were the characters. </div>
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The Ivan and Marya chemistry wasn't built up properly that whatever they said they were feeling about each other seemed unreal. The romance could have been better because the rest is just background. The selling point of <i>Mistress of the Solstice</i> is the love story and so I had higher hopes that upon reading their interaction, a shiver would run down my spine.</div>
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There were borrowed characters like Bayun the Cat (obviously the Cheshire cat from <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>) and Magic Mirror (oh you know where this came from!). Also, Marya's lust towards her father was disturbing. I don't know how to feel about it but it's just not supposed to go that way.</div>
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All in all, I'd still say it's quite some story! 3 stars if I were the kind who gives them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0vLgKJ4-2htC25XmQjKwpYU3fDFGyDs52gTCc_M4m-JJGc5M-1mtAs8egLABJul74yhygo6EgUwcgIh4FKKGVPy6zvLdQn9wgzwzEwBQhOAVkF33iCAa8NU8AZyc6I8UMa11f42dkvtj/s1600/18683401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0vLgKJ4-2htC25XmQjKwpYU3fDFGyDs52gTCc_M4m-JJGc5M-1mtAs8egLABJul74yhygo6EgUwcgIh4FKKGVPy6zvLdQn9wgzwzEwBQhOAVkF33iCAa8NU8AZyc6I8UMa11f42dkvtj/s320/18683401.jpg" height="320" width="205" /></a></div>
Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-60621588923605561442013-12-29T16:28:00.000+08:002014-01-15T21:20:16.632+08:00Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jerusha 'Judy' Abbott is a 17-year-old John Grier Home orphan who was given an opportunity to attend college by an anonymous sponsor. This sponsor is a Trustee of the orphanage. </div>
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He happened upon <i>Blue Wednesday</i>, Judy's feisty essay mocking the system in which John Grier Home is run, and was deeply amused. The only payment he asks of Judy is a detailed letter of her personal and academic life every month.</div>
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The sole encounter with the generous mysterious man Judy recalls is from when he was leaving JGH. Strong headlights of his car driven by the chauffeur silhouetted his tall figure. This influenced her to call him <i>Daddy-Long-Legs</i>.</div>
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This epistolary novel first published in the early 20th century introduces a loquaciously spirited voice of a very fortunate young lady.</div>
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My very first 'Judy Abbott' experience is the cartoons version that used to be on the television every morning. Of course, I wasn't able to follow through to the end because school started. Also, did you know that I always had this idea that the anonymous sponsor is Judy's father? I was wrong and disappointed it did not turn out that way.</div>
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Judy exudes a reckless, honest, aggressive, flawed and vivacious personality. Her letters resonates of youth that is beyond timeless. The narration seemed very authentic that I did not question once if it was really written by a teenager.</div>
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My disappointment is mainly on the fact that Judy wasn't set free by the education she received but bought for instead. I know it's a debatable and rather a detestable thought but if you think about how she ended up with a man several years her senior, a man who spoiled her lavishly, a man who tried to control her every choice... you might see my point.</div>
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The author (who happens to be the grand niece of Mark Twain, so I heard) styled the story this way, in my opinion, to portray <i>Daddy-Long-Legs</i> as the proverbial knight-in-shining-armor to a gritty maiden in need of someone to belong to.</div>
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Although I was taken aback with the ending, I still like it! Also, this book is considered a YA. What a cherry to our cobbler! </div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-38975556506907784632013-12-27T22:14:00.000+08:002013-12-27T22:14:07.452+08:00The Every Boy by Dana Adam Shapiro<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A treasure this pirate has discovered from BOOKSALE! I got this book for only 60 pesos. </div>
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There was a silver seal inside that says "LIBRARY OF PAUL DEBONIS". At first I thought it was an award-kind-of stamp like the <i>Printz </i>but I searched the internet and it wasn't. Also, there weren't anything relevant enough that justifies whether this book belonged to the few Paul Debonis' that I found. Very mysterious. Very intriguing.</div>
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Henry Every has had a very complicated childhood. His relationship with his nothing-short-of stubborn and stern of a father can be described as 'difficult'.</div>
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One day, he dies.</div>
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His mother discovers a ledger and hands it to his father. This ledger contains the life he has lived and what influenced his untimely death.</div>
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<i>EVERY</i>one must read this philosophical experience of an insightful boy who died just when he's starting to discover the world.</div>
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One of the monumental quotes of this book contains the idiom '<i>can't see the forest for the trees</i>' which means 'not being able to see the bigger picture'.</div>
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What a melancholic, complicated, confusing, coming-of-age experience! I tell you, this is a heavily jargoned book. I hated and loved it but mostly hated it because the momentum of my reading was continuously disturbed as I fumble for my lifesaver, my dictionary.</div>
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I don't understand how cruel authors can be. Mr. Shapiro tried so hard to make <i>The Every Boy </i>a literary piece that it got me wondering whether the book would even be considered a literary piece. He deliberately killed his own protagonist the exact moment it was becoming a happy-ending. He just had to serve us, loyal readers, a bitter aftertaste.</div>
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Though from the very beginning, we knew the boy we are reading about is dead. Yet I rooted for him. So much feelings. So much investment. This book is like a bad love affair that scarred you so much you're still in love with it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fldcS7dR25VMh7ut4whjyYdeBqtkxRtIwJOjUFuF85xl_owWl_FGHx2Pl5qBe0amM3F12iY41tguxh_t6gXrlOjJU5Bpgj2E7VAW3PuFfgIqZVturus5LBvKaWdhgisi5PfUXq9BiVzf/s1600/1454534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fldcS7dR25VMh7ut4whjyYdeBqtkxRtIwJOjUFuF85xl_owWl_FGHx2Pl5qBe0amM3F12iY41tguxh_t6gXrlOjJU5Bpgj2E7VAW3PuFfgIqZVturus5LBvKaWdhgisi5PfUXq9BiVzf/s320/1454534.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-28356460777849979602013-12-27T19:39:00.000+08:002013-12-27T19:39:09.980+08:00Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Althea Crawley is in deep need of financial help as she is relying solely on her ungrateful step-sisters to support their whole family.</div>
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Alas! Lord Boring, the handsomest richest most eligible bachelor arrives. He is said to be hosting a ball and his best friend for like evs Mr. Fredericks is said to attend. </div>
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Althea with her mother and step sissies attend the ball. They are all charmed with Lord Boring as he is quite the antonym of his name. Although Althea is quite vexed with Mr. Fredericks' conservative nature. She quickly succumbs to <i>prejudice</i> and decides that she doesn't like him.</div>
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Is there truly something more to Mr. Fredericks or did he deserved the prejudgment?</div>
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A lighter version of the Jane Austen classic <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>, <i>Keeping the Castle</i> makes the former an easier experience for today's readers to understand its essence. Though in my opinion, nothing can contend with <i>Pride and Prejudice.</i></div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-10884947856686025502013-12-26T21:38:00.001+08:002013-12-26T21:38:55.589+08:00The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Colby and Bev has been the best of friends since time immemorial. While on a longed-for post-senior year <i>The Disenchanments' </i>band tour/road trip, their relationship experiences a setback as Colby discovers that Bev's future plans has changed.</div>
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Along the road, Colby tries to understand the girl he thought he knew as well as finding a new master plan for himself.</div>
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Together with their closest friends Meg and Alexa, a coming-of-age story of getting lost, redeeming oneself and friendship enchants us through <i>The Disenchantments</i>.</div>
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It was a good story, worthwhile of anyone's time especially if YA is your taste in books as I am. I liked that <i>The Disenchantments</i>, the band, was a horrible band. I don't know why but it has that amusing quality to it. It seemed authentic in a way. I love the tragic oh-so-dramatic story behind Bev's self-destructive personality. I love Colby's nerdy wide-eyed helplessly-in-love boy aura. I love Meg's spunky best-supporting-role character and Alexa's quirky cutesy nature.</div>
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But let us focus more on Meg here because she has a lot to her than one can surreptitiously notice. I think she is secretly in love with Colby but she'll rather hold back and let him be happy with Bev because she is just this awesome girl-next-door who is mature and has a lot of adventure in her anyway. That notion is bittersweet. Amidst the whole dilemma of Colby and Bev, she stood out to me.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-45601701067476474062013-11-22T22:37:00.002+08:002013-11-22T22:37:51.338+08:00Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Told in a sequence of emails and the narration of Bernadette's teenage daughter Bee, we meddle into the life of an eccentric, gutsy and excessively feisty woman that is Bernadette Fox.</div>
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Discover the reasons behind her sudden disappearance and find out if Bernadette is certainly gone for good.</div>
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<i>Where'd You Go Bernadette</i> is undeniably, easily and absolutely one of my favorite books! This is my kind of book. Witty, humorous, satirical, sarcastic and 'bitchy'. Yes, bitchy! And not the bad kind that you hate, it's the kind that you inexplicably adore. Bernadette is truly a hell of a character.</div>
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I conclude that Maria Semple is an enthusiastic storyteller. The novel screams of literary but it was so interactive and fun that it seems to be juvenile fiction to most. Although, I'll always be proud of saying that the best books are in the YA genre.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-20099219282871879592013-11-22T21:57:00.001+08:002013-11-22T21:57:17.616+08:00Abandon Changes by John M. Cusick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A free short story I happened upon in Kobo.</div>
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A mysterious package is asked of Rei, a smart teenage messenger, to deliver to a mysterious girl.</div>
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It was intriguing enough, especially her struggle with romance on the side, but <i>Abandon Changes</i> is not for everyone. Not for me, at least.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-46189434532904531182013-11-22T21:44:00.001+08:002013-11-22T21:44:14.970+08:00Butter by Erin Jade Lange<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Butter</i> is the nickname given to a 423-pound boy by the bullies who forced him to eat a stick of it (butter!). After the horrible incident, our overweight protagonist has never been called by his first name again.</div>
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In the midst of being coaxed into joining the school band by the music teacher and SaxMan (his chatroom anonymous identity) making a promise to the girl of his dreams to finally meet-up with in New Year's, Butter veered into his own suicidal plot.</div>
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He sets up a website (<a href="http://butterslastmeal.com/">ButtersLastMeal.com</a>) where he will dine his way to death.</div>
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Favorite lines:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3f6E4P9CyyQsyRT2iyaz-cRT84At0NsrdUsFrCC-6aksC-M9fZ0kgKbd9FjI_mJq4ZXthmKcUSNZBrp3hGBdHdRuWprXaaGSfgU8bpE4aQOTmgaxBlCE2L8x13yFFYvlGww5k3srVYnH/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3f6E4P9CyyQsyRT2iyaz-cRT84At0NsrdUsFrCC-6aksC-M9fZ0kgKbd9FjI_mJq4ZXthmKcUSNZBrp3hGBdHdRuWprXaaGSfgU8bpE4aQOTmgaxBlCE2L8x13yFFYvlGww5k3srVYnH/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A good novel with a great character. It was a portal to a lonely boy's world and how it felt like to be unwanted or ridiculed. Butter's humorous demeanor made it light to the audience. Otherwise, it would have been a never-ending sob story. I would give it 4 stars if I were the kind of person who gives stars.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-7129040559180037142013-11-16T16:39:00.003+08:002013-11-16T16:42:07.906+08:00Wonder by R.J. Palacio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I never really thought I'd give this much interest to a middle grade fiction.</div>
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August 'Auggie' Pullman has a rare condition which is <i>Treacher-Collins Syndrome</i> (a craniofacial deformality). All his life he's been home-schooled but one day Auggie's mother starts to consider enrolling him in Beecher Prep. Auggie and his daddy disliked the idea but were finally convinced later on.</div>
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The boy was invited for an interview by the Beecher Prep principal, Mr. Lawrence Tushman. He was also introduced to three incoming 5th graders who toured him around the school.</div>
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<b>Wonder</b>, narrated by the different characters in the book, is a warm story about a boy and his struggle with being completely different.</div>
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I appreciated how sincere <i>Wonder</i> was. It touched sensitive elements that are difficult to touch. Of course, the target readers would be children so the portrayal is important. </div>
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And you know, not only the children but teens and adults are reading this too.</div>
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<u>My favorite parts are from Justin's narration.</u></div>
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<i>miranda's words keep coming back: the universe was not kind to auggie pullman.</i></div>
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<i>i'm thinking about that a lot and everything it means. she's right about that. the universe was not kind to auggie pullman. what did that little kid ever do to deserve his sentence? what did the parents do? or olivia? she once mentioned that some doctor told her parents that the odds of someone getting the same combination of syndromes that came together to make auggie's face were like one in four million. so doesn't that make the universe a giant lottery, then? you purchase a ticket when you're born. and it's all just random whether you get a good ticket or a bad ticket. it's all just luck.</i></div>
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<i>my head swirls on this, but then softer thoughts soothe, like a flatted third on a major chord. no, no, it's not all random, if it really was all random, the universe would abandon us completely. and the universe doesn't. it takes care of its most fragile creations in ways we can't see. like with parents who adore you blindly. and a big sister who feels for being human over you. and a little gravelly-voiced kid whose friends have left him over you. and even a pink-haired girl who carries your picture in her wallet. maybe it is a lottery, but the universe makes it all even out in the end. the universe takes care of all its birds.</i></div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-67876444947351429072013-10-25T16:26:00.001+08:002013-11-01T18:38:25.338+08:00The Book Thief by Markus Zusak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I have always wanted to read <i>The Book Thief </i>since 2012 but found it hard to will myself to. I guess I was intimidated and/or got the wrong impression about its genre. <i>The Book Thief </i>doesn't sound far from <i>The Lightning Thief </i>anyway. I made a rash judgment.</div>
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Narrated by a sort-of-a <i><u>grim reaper</u></i> in a cleverly sarcastic fashion, we plunge into the life of Liesel Meminger.</div>
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When Liesel arrived at Himmel Street, she is reluctant and defiant at first but warms up shortly to her adoptive parents (the quirky Hubermanns). Hans Hubermann is a painter/nicotine-addict who served Germany in World War 1. Rosa Hubermann on the other hand, a loud curse-like-a-sailor woman, works as a laundress to the elite side of their town.</div>
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Liesel's best friend is Rudy Steiner, a mischievous lemon-haired boy who has always been her partner-in-crime. A Jew arrives to ask for help. The Jew knocks on the Hubermann's door and inquires if Hans is willing to keep his old promise. Meanwhile, our protagonist develops a knack for stealing books.</div>
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In this Nazi-era setting, Liesel's life leading up to her adolescence is an amalgamation of fleeting events that leads us to a destined end.</div>
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My favorite quote:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtVfwnxbCF3r1th72kLigxip6fa1xPz-oMMU3MDF5vYeaX6iacw8aPOdxi_0vSIc3U3bbHUtmDRa5K8_7OSh7mzD_DCy2tTDte6FyorW2nVn_g6QauVGnBFN7tsPXNPljUfOv1CYXAOdV/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtVfwnxbCF3r1th72kLigxip6fa1xPz-oMMU3MDF5vYeaX6iacw8aPOdxi_0vSIc3U3bbHUtmDRa5K8_7OSh7mzD_DCy2tTDte6FyorW2nVn_g6QauVGnBFN7tsPXNPljUfOv1CYXAOdV/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another fantastic Nazi-setting historical fiction! It wouldn't have worked incredibly if we got a different attack to the narration. The book came out as something dark and dramatic but also remained familiar and plausible. I was irrevocably overwhelmed when I finished it. </div>
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It was Rudy's character that bothered me the most.</div>
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The movie version is out next month - November! Here's to hoping it lives up to the book (even in a remote fraction because come on, people always say the book version is better!)</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-49408441968756337722013-10-08T22:31:00.002+08:002013-10-08T22:33:47.480+08:00Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Anna is sent to a boarding school in Paris by her father who is a renowned tragic-love-stories' author. Upon her arrival in School of America in Paris (or SOAP), she befriends Meredith and instantly becomes a part of the posse. She meets Etienne St. Claire, a handsome English boy who she starts having feelings for.</div>
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But Meredith also, has deep-seated feelings for St. Claire! To top it all off, St. Claire is still with his long standing girlfriend, Ellie!</div>
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Will Anna get her desired 'French kiss'?</div>
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I was being all high and mighty avoiding books like these but you know, I regret it. I regret staying away from cutesy teeny love stories because I loved <i>Anna and the French Kiss</i>! I don't know what's wrong up there in Hollywood but this should have been a movie by now. The story has a strong power of dragging emotions out. When I say that - 'strong power of dragging emotions out' - about a book, it means i'm immensely satisfied. Because in that case, for a time being, everything about the story was real to me.</div>
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My favorite line from Anna's character is: "<i>You weren't alone, asshole.</i>" </div>
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That was so epic.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-58037561214927616672013-09-30T23:33:00.001+08:002013-09-30T23:33:56.473+08:00Geography Club by Brent Hartinger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Russel discovers that he's not the only gay person in their little town. He agrees to a meet-up with a boy he came across online. This boy turns out to be Kevin, the uber attractive jock that he's been crushing on since forever.</div>
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Suddenly, Russell finds more people within the LGBT gender. They form a support group and disguises it as the Geography Club.</div>
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And what about the outcast Brian Bund? Does he belong to Geography Club?</div>
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This is one of my favorite gay teen fiction. <i>Geography Club </i>has a sincere and friendly atmosphere in it that charmed me enough to overlook the plot's lack of intensity. The narration was very clever.</div>
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I can't wait for the movie version!</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-3733384156269220522013-09-30T23:01:00.000+08:002014-01-29T15:09:16.835+08:00Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Forbidden</i>, an incestuous love story of Maya and Lochan, portrays the struggle of two people who has no one else to rely on but each other. Growing up with a stuck-in-the-past irresponsible drunkard mother and three younger siblings, our protagonists' tale dramatically unfolds to an unexpected end.</div>
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This Tabitha Suzuma novel has a high rating on <i>Goodreads</i>. I don't know what or how to feel. The story is alien to me, the situation is many things. It is repulsing, endearing, vomit-inducing, romantic, etc. I am confused. Terribly.</div>
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The message of course is, 'romantic love may be universal'. It made me over-analyze the psychological aspects though it didn't fully convince me as an excuse to their 'love'. To me, it wasn't enough to push the two of them past the familial boundary. Call me a prude. <i>Forbidden </i>is a book that lives up to its title.</div>
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As if the whole book wasn't controversial enough, the ending just had to be unspeakable. With its unconventional love story, the Vatican will surely forbid young readers to read <i>Forbidden </i>(or not if they all react similarly as I did).</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-74700762001214704122013-09-14T23:06:00.000+08:002013-09-15T19:57:36.517+08:00Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Porto Vergogna is a spec of an island in Italy where The Adequate View is located. Pasquale Tursi whose father died just recently inherits this isolated hotel.</div>
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The ambitious Pasquale is working on his minuscule beach when he realizes that The Adequate View has a surprise guest! A beautiful American actress who is terribly sick landed on the young man's turf.</div>
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50 years to the future in the city of angels (LA), Claire Silver is on the brink of quitting her job when an old Italian guy and a 30-year-old man shows up at work.</div>
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In the hopes of encountering a good movie concept this time, Claire decides to hold on a bit longer. When her boss Michael Deane arrives, he is instantly in terrible shock upon seeing this old Italian guy.</div>
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The four of them takes a journey (literal) that will soon define who they are and how their lives turn out to be! </div>
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This book is <u>an explosion of flavors</u>. I got Italian/American culture, 60's celebrity gossips, humor, wit, midlife crisis, riveting and heavy drama, frustrated writer, porn addiction, plastic surgery PLUS so much more! You can tell that this seasoned author has had a lot of experience in life, either that or he's just an excellent narrator of other people's comic tragedies. I'd prefer to believe the former.</div>
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It took a while before I finished <i>Beautiful Ruins</i>, maybe it's because it was something far from what I usually read. I loved the book, there were boring parts but oh the nostalgia and catastrophe rammed in one interweaving story. It is so diverse and unexpected.</div>
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No wonder Emma Roberts and Taylor Swift decided to read it too.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-46041542616119022222013-08-31T23:58:00.001+08:002013-08-31T23:58:19.843+08:00The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And yet another treasure found from <i>BOOKSALE</i>! Can you ever believe my luck?</div>
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Jakob Kuisl is the official hangman of Schongau (a town in Bavaria). There has been a sudden commotion in Schongau. A boy has been found dead and incidentally has the witch's mark on him!</div>
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The town goes berserk as rumors of witchcraft spread.</div>
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Martha Stechlin, a midwife who brought Jakob's children to being, is the main suspect. She was immediately held in captive and due for stating a confession that would determine whether she will be burned at stake.</div>
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Meanwhile, Johann Lechner (court clerk) is provoked to act upon the matter swiftly for he does not want things to get out of hand as it did seventy years ago. Half of the women of Schongau were burned at stake seventy years ago, everyone was accused of being a witch.</div>
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The hangman strongly believes that Martha is innocent. Although he understands what the court clerk's intentions are, he couldn't help but meddle in the case.</div>
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Together with his daughter Magdalena's swain (Simon Fronwieser, the town physician's son), Jakob delves in deeper in this medieval mystery crime!</div>
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I like it as much as I didn't like it. I have mixed feelings about this international bestseller. The prolonged agony of reading this book is tiresome. It was all too much but all too little. I don't really know what I want from this, really. It's just that, though I've enjoyed the medieval feel of it and having to encounter words such as <i>doublet</i>, <i>tankard</i> & <i>wench</i>, I needed something more emotional. The title as well is a little too misleading. Halfway through, I was thinking 'ooh, Magdalena is the witch! She is!'.</div>
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It's not a disappointment. It was still worthwhile.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-6691921374825887452013-08-25T23:01:00.002+08:002013-08-25T23:03:32.572+08:00She's Dating the Gangster by Bianca B. Bernardino<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This was recommended to me by Tanny!</div>
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Athena Dizon just arrived from Korea and recently got enrolled in Southwell High School.</div>
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Kenji, Southwell's very own gangster-looking bad boy heartthrob, meets Athena.</div>
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Coincidentally, Kenji's ex-girlfriend (whom he is not over yet) is named Athena 'Abigail' Tizon.</div>
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Somehow Kenji manages to persuade Athena into helping him get Abigail back. Unfortunately, the two develops feelings for each other.</div>
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Will Athena date this gangster for real? Join in the bandwagon and read on!</div>
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A one-hit Wattpad success this is! <i>She's Dating the Gangster</i> is a crossbreed among <i>Meteor Garden/Boys over Flowers</i>, <i>Romeo & Juliet</i> and <i>A Walk to Remember</i>. We had our generic falling-for-the-bad-boy hate-love relationship plunged into a fast-paced whirlwind of events. It was all too unbelievable for a 144-page book but the charm and the pull of the story was evident.</div>
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This book is a total hit with the Pinoy youth. I just hope the production companies are smart enough to recognize this and buy the movie rights already... and fast!</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-83104917413007877222013-08-24T23:42:00.001+08:002013-10-19T22:37:31.711+08:00Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Only an author with the name of "rainbow" can make such a marvelous love story like <i>Eleanor & Park</i>.</div>
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Eleanor, an eccentric and chubby redhead encounters a Korean boy named Park in the school bus.</div>
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Although their first impressions of each other were negative, their friendship improves while the story progresses. They easily became fond of each other despite the conflicting circumstances they are in.</div>
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Soon enough, they are falling in love!</div>
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Now why is Eleanor reluctant of their blooming relationship?</div>
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The ending is just... I have no words for it! I was impatient because I had to read 58 chapters of <i>Eleanor & Park</i>, it was that long. I want to finish it fast, I want to know what happens in the end immediately. I almost gave up but something told me it would be worth the eye stress.</div>
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And I tell you, it was well worth every eye cramp! I could live another 58 chapters for that ending. Those endings make my life meaningful.</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817641302749188210.post-45322593674703875302013-08-24T23:15:00.000+08:002013-09-23T20:33:51.089+08:00The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It was early 2012 when I first read <i>The Finishing School</i> by Gail Godwin. According to some of the people from the Goodreads community, <i>The Finishing School</i> is a complete rip-off of Muriel Spark's <i>The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie</i>.</div>
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Miss Jean Brodie, a sophisticated and cultured teacher of Marcia Blaine school, has decided to consume her prime years to prepare her chosen girls into becoming the creme de la creme.</div>
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Marcia Blaine is a conservative Scottish school for girls. Miss Mackay, the headmistress, has made it clear several times that she does not approve of Miss Brodie's unconventional methods of teaching.</div>
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Miss Jean Brodie and her set of girls faces the trials that befalls them. But the joyful years won't stay for long because soon, one of Miss Brodie's precious girls will betray her.</div>
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While I've enjoyed reading <i>The Finishing School</i>, I cannot blame people if they think the book's concept was borrowed. There may be numerous similarities between the two novels but I dare announce, they are not at all the same.</div>
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There are many sociological/philosophical subjects tackled in <i>The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie</i>. Subjects like Calvinism was deeply discussed. What I hated about the novel is how flat the narration was. I couldn't quite point a finger on it. Was it the sequence or the pace of the story that made it bland? I wasn't completely overcome with emotion when major points of the plot was revealed. You just know it when you should have.</div>
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What I love about this book is Miss Brodie and Sandy. The multi-faceted Miss Brodie, a hypocritical and delusional woman, is a kind of character that is hard to execute in a novel. Together with another conflicting personality like Sandy who is insightful and high on morals, I would say that this is definitely a story worth reading.</div>
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Lastly, I have watched the incredible movie adaptation in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Alan95Haitch">Alan95Haitch</a>'s Youtube channel. Maggie Smith and Pamela Franklin was a perfect match!</div>
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Lorainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.com2