Books I am planning to buy when I get my next paycheck.

Books I am planning to buy when I get my next paycheck.

So, I am almost done with my summer job and I am expecting to receive my next paycheck within this week. Aside from a new phone, being the bookaholic that I am, I surely am going to buy new books. Of course, I already have my list of books to purchase. And here they are:

• Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks
• Carrie by Stephen King
• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
• Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories Volume I by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Numbers by Rachel Ward
• ASoIaF#2: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
• A Million Suns by Beth Revis
• Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

You might think that this list way too long, but it’s not like I will actually buy them all in one go. I can never find these book easily so I’m guessing I might be able to buy only half of what’s listed above. So yeah, wish me luck.

Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most

Matilda Wormwood from Roald Dahl’s Matilda

If someone would ask me who Matilda is, I would really be disappointed. I mean hello guys, she’s like the best bookworm fictional character in the history of children’s book. Well, I guess that’s only my opinion.

And that is part of the reason why this character is the one I can relate to the most. Ever since I was child, I prefer reading book compare to playing dolls and whatever else. As I was growing up, my mom would always tell me that I behead my barbies because I hate them and that I sleep with those gigantic picture books of different fairy tales. And until now, my love for books never wither. There’s just so many worlds you can visit with just a flip of a page.

I also see myself in Matilda, with regard to how her family treats her. I mean, my parents are not exactly like the Wormwoods, literally. I have my parents and a sister, who’s a complete opposite of me. I am not really close with my parents, especially with my father, like Matilda. Also, my parent’s do not abuse me like what Matilda experienced. No. It is comparable in a way that my parents doesn’t appreciate the thing I like and enjoy the same way that Matilda’s parent’s regards her love of books as something freakish and weird. I always feel that my parents have a hard time accepting my weird and boring personality.

And also, I understand how Matilda feels when her parents are forcing her to watch the telly and act all normal. In my case, it’s my mom always frowning upon my every book haul and telling me to go out and be a normal teenager, socializing with my friends. It’s not that I hate my friends. It’s just that I really enjoy books so much that I could get lost in them for hours—days, even. 

Oh and not to seem boastful or whatever but like Matilda, I really am good in Math and Literature, both when I was a kid and until I am in highschool. Well, more of the Math, though. Call me geeky, but I do love numbers and their consistency. Ask me to recite the formula for the perimeter, area, surface area or volume of a shape and I can answer you. Hahaha. Okay, I am so lifting my own seat right now. But honestly, I love geometry! I can’t help it. Haha. Sorry.

And the only thing I cannot relate with this character is her telekenetic powers. Although, I would really love to have that talent. Imagine being someone who can control things using mind power. That would be awesome. But I still think time travel is way cooler than that.

Fifty Shades of Utter Disappointment.

Despite reading a lot of negative reviews from different sources, I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey last night. It’s not that I actually liked the premise I got from the summary, no. I am just curious about what really is the reason behind such disappointment. Plus there are also a number of people who gave it positive responses. And so I gave it a try, just to know if it’s a good book or not.

I wasn’t even past a hundred pages when I decided to stop reading. I am not a conservative nor innocent regarding the issue of sex, but this novel is just too graphic for my taste. I know it’s categorized as erotica but the book just seem to have no other substance other than the sex. As I’ve said a few times before, I do watch porn and it doesn’t bother me. But then for a book to have this great deal of detailing, I just cannot handle it. It’s basically porn made into a book. The characters were so perverted and cannot seem to think of anything but sex. The lead character blushes at the slightest sexual reference, getting so lost in her dirty imaginations. I tried browsing to see if the story would change or the sex would somehow get toned down, but no. So I guess I don’t really want to continue reading more sexual expeditions since the scenes were a bit cliche. And did I mention that the words in th ebook as so repetitive? I was like “Uhm, excuse me? Can’t you think of other words and expressions to use?” 

For me, it seemed ridiculous. It’s like a peek on the diary of a man’s desperate sexual fantasy. It’s like reading a porn blog. I think the people who loved the story should just go out and get laid or watch porn and jerk off. I mean, it’s a bit offensive, I’m sorry, but it’s true. A lot of people would hate me for this but I think this book was better off as the fanfiction it was before. I just wish there is some restriction as to who can purchase the book. I think I don’t like the idea of 13 year-olds getting the hands on this book and reading it. All in all, I think this kind of book isn’t really my cup of tea. 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent is the second book in the Divergent trilogy written by Veronica Roth. If you haven’t read the first book, you might as well read this review first and pick up the said book for, surely, you wouldn’t understand this post. This would also seem to be a huge spoiler for the first book. So I suggest that you stop reading this now. But if you have already read Divergent, I can safely assume that you already know the story and that it ends with a cliff-hanger. 

This second installment is the continuation of Tris and Four’s journey to unravel the secrets of their personality and the society they are in. Now that a war is beginning to ensue due to the Erudite’s inhumane move to control the Dauntless using simulation, the factions are on the edge of being destroyed. The conflicts in beliefs and interest among the different factions have caused unimaginable terrors to everyone. Being Divergent and the only people not affected by Erudite’s mind control, Tris, Four and the others must decide who to side with in order to stop the oncoming war. Do they try to stand by the remaining loyal Dauntless and the factionless or ally with the person who they so very hated? But would it be easy to choose when one aims to destroy the peace in order to eliminate the factions for a new regime while the other option is to betray the one you love in order to know the truth behind the formation of the society you live in? And even more so, what would you do when the one you love with all your heart refuses to agree with your choice. 

After almost a year of waiting for this to come out, I must say I was generously pleased and satisfied with what I’ve read. Insurgent continued exactly where Divergent left off and the transition was very smooth. It is much more action-packed than the first book and also, much more tragic. But nevertheless, I never could put it down, much like with the first book. 

There are a lot of things I really like about Insurgent. First is that in this second book, readers would get a good glimpse of the other factions. With Divergent, we only got to know more about the Dauntless and Abnegation, and the evil side of Erudite. Here, we will get a better view of how Candor, Amity and, Erudite functions. Readers will get a chance to know about each faction’s quirks, traditions and belief. We will see both the positive and negative sides of each faction that would really make it hard for us to judge them as purely good and purely evil.

And in that comes the second reason why I enjoy the book. Yes, this ay very well be intended for young adults, but I think that the book’s message is for all. While reading the book, I got to know more about each of the characters, and it was so hard to decide whether I like them or not. They have good traits and then the bad one which makes me want to just kill them. And I guess the author captured reality very well in this case. She was able to reflect people as close as possible to what they really are. We aren’t blacks and white. No one is purely evil and purely good. We are a combination of both. Grays. It just depends on how we choose to act on these parts of us. Some may drift to the negative while some, choose to stick with the positive. 

The third reason why I like this book is that its political and societal issues are very thought-provoking. I mean, for all we know, this could be our future. We might be divided according to our beliefs and our personalities. The author made a world in which people choose how they want to be, how they will live their lives depending on character. The Dauntless are courageous, seeking thrill in action and adventure. The Candor values truth above all and despise any form of lying. The Abnegation are selfless people, putting the need of others first before their own. The Erudite are those who thrive to learn, forever seeking knowledge and making innovation. And then the Amity are those who wants nothing more but peace, and believes that unity is important above all else. Yes, at first I tried to categorize myself into one of these factions. But in this second book, the focus was on the Divergent and the factionless, people who aren’t sorted into any of these categories. I admire how the author wrote about them. These people represent those who can be more than just one of those factions. People cannot really be wired to just one personality. No. I mean, could we not also be brave while being selfless at the same time? Does seeking knowledge and information hinder us from being peaceful? We are complex creatures incapable of being caged into just one way of living. Our character isn’t just made up of one trait. We are much more diverse that the factions, which is supposed to put things in order, also became the reason for problems to arise.

And lastly, of course is the love story of Tris and Four. Insurgent showed how realistic Tobias and Tris’ relationship is despite its dystopian genre. In most books, couples re portrayed all lovey-dovey and perfect. Here, we would see the imperfection when certain circumstances force them to disagree with each other and argue. There were even some points in which I thought they would be over because of all the bickering. And I guess it’s nice because that’s how relationships are in real life. Couples have misunderstandings, they argue. And overcoming those trials is what make the bond stronger. And that is how love is portrayed in this book. Imperfect but real.

All in all, I very much loved it, I think more than I loved Divergent. I cannot put the book down because I wanted to know what will happen next, immediately. I stayed up very late because of this book. I always have this fear that sequels would somehow fail my expectations, but this one did not. There were predictable plot twists but some are actually shocking. I suggest you don’t get too attached to any of the characters for surely, you will regret it after the next few chapters. Also, be ready to laugh, cry and be giddy for this book has it all. Oh yeah, the sarcastic humor is another great factor in this book. I give it my full 5/5. And seriously, the ending is such a fucking cliff-hanger. What will I do? The next book isn’t due until 2013. Damn.

Finally finished reading Insurgent. And all I can say is: DAMN, THE ENDING WAS SUCH A FUCKING CLIFFHANGER. Seriously. Now I have to wait for a whole year to read the next book in the series. Brilliant. Just brilliant. :|

Will post the review tomorrow.

Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera 

This book was actually given to me as a gift for my 18th birthday. I got it from my friend and she told me that my roommate was the one who suggested it. Knowing that this roommate of mine is also an avid book lover, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Plus, I’ve read a lot of good reviews and one of my bookworm friends told me that he also enjoyed this one. And I am also a bit intrigued by its title.

But then time, passed and I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if you can see it in this picture, it’s not very clear, but the book is still in its original packaging. I haven’t even opened it yet. There’s just always another book stealing my attention when I look at my shelf. Sometimes, I’m just not in the mood for reading. And so this particular book just lie there, dusty and forgotten. Hopefully, I can find the time to read this book soon, this year.  

I decided to make a list of books I have read this vacation just to see my progress and how many books I’ve knocked off my to-read list. So far, here goes the books I’ve read in April:

• Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
• Across The Universe by Beth Revis
• Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (reread)
• City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (reread)
• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
• My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares
• The Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins (reread)
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (reread)
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (reread)
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

And then here are the books I’ve read during the first week of May:

• The Lightning Theif by Rick Riordan
• This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (reread)

Currently reading: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

So that’s a total of 14 books with 8 books off my to-read list and 6 rereads. Yes, I do read books, especially series, all over again so before reading the newly released sequel for them. It helps me remember more the details of the story. Overall, I feel like I’m failing my reading challenge because I am so far behind with my goal. It’s just that I also love watching TV series that’s why my time is divided. Plus, I also got a summer job so I cannot really read books while tutoring children. Oh well, hopefully I can read at least 5 more books before going back to school this June.

Will start reading Insurgent in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1..

Bye for now!