Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Imagine meeting your special person in one of the aisles of your favorite bookstore. It must have been the ultimate fairytale a bookworm could ever hope for. And that’s basically how Dash and Lily’s story unravels, only with a little twist.

As a regular venturer at The Strand, a ginormous bookshop, book-geek Dash was surprised to find a quirky little addition wedged in between two books of his favorite author at his particularly favorite aisle. Out of plain curiosity, he took the red notebook and opened it to find a series of tasks written by another person named Lily.

On the first page was a dare directed to anyone who has time, enough passion for literature and an ample amount of craziness to comply. With all these, Dash went out of his way and started playing the game by accomplishing the first task. This first move became what seemed to be the ticket to a different yet interesting journey of a strange kind of friendship.

For days, Dash and Lily would pass the red notebook back and forth, at various place, with new dares and challenges written on it. With each round, they got to know each other better. And in those conversations on pieces of paper, they found solace in each others’ woven words. 

But words and phrases can only get you so far. Yes, they might have the same interest in books and prose but that doesn’t guarantee that their entire personalities match. It’s so easy to lie using words and hide behind pretentious facades. 

What if the actual Lily wasn’t like the deep, kind and thoughtful one in Dash’s mind? And would the smart, soothing and friendly Dash in Lily’s head be the same as the real version? What would happen if these two people meet and their expectations aren’t met? Do they stick with the fairytale they started or would they just drift apart, letting go of that strange connection?

This is the third book from the Cohn-Levithan collaboration, and it is the second one I’ve read after Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List. Given that kind of premise, how could I not pick up this book? I mean, duh, that would definitely be my kind of fairy tale!

Reading this book, I became much more attached to Dash than to Lily. I see myself in him because we share the same sentiment. I like being alone and I believe that certain holidays are overrated. I also find company in books and like him, I very much enjoy time without my parents.

Lily can be described as quite the opposite, being all bubbly and family-oriented and pet-loving. And I guess that’s the reason why I find it hard to like her character. To me, she seemed an over-the-top goody two-shoes to the point of annoying. She seemed so unrealistic to me. I know this may be due to her issues but still, her character irritates me.

Now, let’s get to the story. At first I was enjoying how they exchange dares and challenges.  I also liked how their friendship started in a very old-fashioned way. I mean, how many people get to meet others in form of writing, and not through texts, social networking sites and the likes? I was eagerly anticipating the next games and I was impatiently waiting for when and how they would actually meet. But that feeling was cut short with an anti-climactic first encounter. I wouldn’t say the details but I can assure you that it wasn’t how I expected their first meeting to be.

From that moment on, my interest with the book diminished. Not fully giving up, I thought things would turn around as I neared the ending but it seemed like the story slipped too far away from the original concept. It’s like the adventure was cut short and another story was attached as the continuation.

Overall, it was a nice story, good for one-time reading. Yes, I might have been disappointed to some extent but when I look at the bigger picture, it’s a sweet story that will make you giddy and hope that someday the same could happen to you. It may get your hopes up in meeting that one person. The story may help readers keep their faith or somehow strengthen it, but not for me. It has a number of hilarious parts and silly events that would make you laugh out loud. I also like the references made about Hermione Granger, Buddy Holiday, and Marie Howe. It was fun and quirky, new concept of getting-to-know. But then again, to me, Dash and Lily’s story was just too good to be true. (or maybe I’m just a bitchy pessimist at that matter). I give it a 3.5/5.

Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

NO SPOILERS, I SWEAR.

Now, I know that this book was made into a movie and I have watched the film itself. But for this book challenge, let us disregard that rotten movie and focus on the book. If you’re wondering why, it’s because the movie and the book has a very different ending, which makes me dislike the adaptation so much.

Reading the summary at the back and knowing that this book has a cancer-trodden character, I expect death or something tragic in the end. Well, I was right, kind of. The ending was tragic but it was nothing like what I had ever hoped to expect. If you have read the book, you might probably understand what I’m talking about. The book has a lot of plot twists but nothing could ever compare to the ending. The final twist in the story just caught me off guard and I never imagined it to be one of the possible ending for this book. It came to me as a combination of pain, sadness and shock. 

For those who haven’t read this book yet, you must be a little intrigued by what happened in the book. Let me describe it to you like this: Imagine that you were planning for the best trip you been wanting for your whole life and then all of a sudden, that trip was cancelled because the place you are going to suddenly cease to exist.

Yes, it sounds a little too exaggerated but that’s how I feel. I was so sure of how it’s going to turn out, I had strong feeling each of the characters, and my head was so focused on my already made judgments then all of a sudden, the ending just blew my head off. Everything I imagined and created in my head was shattered. Oh, you might think that the book sucks, but no. That big twist in the ending made it so much beautiful and heart-tugging. It was definitely what made the book a success, which wasn’t the case for the movie. The change in the ending in the movie was a bit anti-climactic and predictable. So I guess what I’m trying to say, is that you read this book even if you have watched the movie.

Day 14 – Favorite book of your favorite writer

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I pick this book not because it is the most recent one he wrote and it’s so popular today. I chose it because it has the most different storyline among all of his books. And also, the only book that made me gushing with tears for longest time. 

As an avid reader of Green’s works, I was used to his pattern of characters. In Paper Towns, Looking For Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines, the protagonists are nerdy males with some kind of weird special talent like memorizing people’s last words and creating anagrams. The said protagonists would usually fall for girls who’s out of their league but has secrets they have yet to unveil. And that was what I was kind of expecting with this new book.

Of course, I wouldn’t pick this as my favorite if it doesn’t stand out against the rest. This book was obviously different due to several reasons. First of all, the main character is a girl, for a change. Though this is surprising, Green maintained his style by making Hazel Grace witty and she fared well enough in the brains department. She’s full of interesting thoughts and bits of wisdom.

The second different thing about this book is that it is more focused on the matter of life, since the characters battle with a grave disease at such a young age. Green’s other books were more lightly themed but it doesn’t mean that they are not good. This book is so full of emotion that will surely tug on readers’ heartstrings. Just when you thought everything is going fine, Green would make it a point to prove you wrong. Seriously, keep a box of tissue beside you when you read this book.

Third is that in this book, there is one particular addition that attracted me. The main character is attached to this one book. This book was only made up for the story but I would have wanted to read it if it were real. Although Alaska, from Looking for Alaska, is big book hoarder, her love of books weren’t much highlighted in the story. So I prefer the one in The Fault in Our Stars more.

And finally, is that even though it is considered as a “cancer” story book. It is not at all very depressing. Not in a way that the readers would pity the characters. John Green wrote it in a way that the readers would find strength instead of despair from the characters. We would get a glimpse of how hard the battle is but with those parts also comes the realizations that no matter what fatalities we face in life, there is always a way to turn things around and use it as a source of power and everlasting hope and strength.

Day 10 – Favorite classic book

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

The first time I read this book was way back during my junior year in high school when it was assigned to me for a book report project in my English class. Before, I thought that it would be some boring book since it was a classic. You see, I do not read the classics that time. How simple-minded I was back then, I could not defend with any possible reasons today.

Of course I was wrong, and I immediately knew it after the first few chapters in the story. Right now, this is my favorite classic book. In my mind, this book—being written during 1951 and containing such vulgar themes—have proved the bravery of the author. And this is a good thing because literary rebels usually end up with the greatest books. I believe that at that time, the book was very controversial and was banned in a lot of school for its sexual references, foul words, blasphemy and promiscuity. The book has also been named one of the ten most challenged book of all time. I guess that I am lucky to be living in this point of time when these kinds of books are much more accepted and regarded as eye-openers.

Apart from the admiration I have with the author, I like this book mainly because Houlden was depicted in a very honest manner. Unlike other books based on this novel, the main character retains his attitude until the end. It does not have the maturity cliche of most young adult books. It may sound negative being someone who rejects and resist maturity but then Houlden still knows what he wants to be. He has visions of his future. He may be the very embodiment of teenage rebellion but he has a very strong perspective of life. In reading the book, I felt conflicted as to whether I like or dislike the main character. He has his up side and down side that would really make you think. But that’s just it. In reality, people are not entirely good or entirely evil. It’s always a combination of both and I admire how Houlden is being true to himself.

Unplanned purchase.

I finally got home! I went to UST to get my clearance and did something in relation with my scholarship. After that, I was supposed to go straight home. But since I’m already out, I decided to stop by the mall and thought there’s no harm in that. When I arrived, I just visited a bookstore.

I was browsing for new books to buy the next time I have enough money. At the last shelf, the one at the very back, I found Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak hidden behind a The Fault in Our Stars hard cover. I immediately picked it ip when I saw the red tag in front. The book is marked down by 40%, which means that instead of getting it at 500php, it is priced at 300php. I didn’t find any damage, whatsoever. So, without second thoughts, I immediately went straight to the counter and paid for it. 

I was hoping to buy this book for a long time. But then I was not able to because it’s always out of stock. But I guess my book luck strikes again and voila! I watched the movie adaptation of this book and became very interested when  I learned that it was originally a novel. And so now, I am so happy because I can finally read it.

Day 08 – A book that you’re reading right now

Okay, so I forgot to post this yesterday because I was so tired that I went to sleep immediately after I got home. So for today, I will post two days of the book challenge.

I started reading this book last Saturday evening. I’ve been meaning to read this even before vacation but since I’ve read The Fault in Our Stars first, I opted to read books from different authors just so that I won’t make too much comparisons with the book of the same author.

And of course, I regretted that I wait this long before reading this book. Even at the first chapter, the book had me reeling with fits of laughter. I’m just past the first four chapters, and I am certainly enjoying the story and the characters. Each of the characters have their own personality and weirdness but I can’t to love them all.  

Also, having read other books of Green and Levithan, I can distinguish which characters they were wrote about. Their different styles mix well together and compliment each other with a very pleasant result. I am hoping to finish this soon so I can make a full review. I’m not yet halfway through but I’ll be continuing later this evening, which is, for me, the best time to get lost in my books.

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This is a queued post, btw. I’m off to some scholarship meeting until 5pm. :|

PBB Teen Edition 4 is freaking hilarious. One big fucking joke. Haha. Everyone in there has some serious issues. One is a 13 year-old girl who says she already had 4 boyfriends. One girl is acting like bossy bitch, already picking fight with another. I mean, they’re not even one week in. All the girls are so irritating, screaming and giggling their heads off. As for the boys, one is acting like every girl is in attracted to him. With all these, it’s no wonder that people look down at teenagers. They are just plain proof that the teenagers in this generation are hopeless. 

Yes, you’ll say I’m a pathetic person ranting about stuff when I could have just ignored it. That I don’t respect other people’s personality or whatever. That I should not look down on my fellow Filipinos. But what can I do? It’s very obvious how disappointing these teenager are. I laugh at how shallow and stupid they act. I know that I’m not perfect myself, but I can say that I am not simple-minded. And what, I should be proud that these people represent our generation? Sorry, but that’s very unlikely. 

As to why I watch the show even if it annoys be, I won’t try to give petty excuses. It’s simple: I am curious. I wanted to know what the big fuss was about and why it’s such a big hit. And so I watched the show. But I don’t think I will for the next weeks to come. If this is how it will go for the whole edition, why would I even bother with it?

Now Reading: Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Just started with this book. I’m done with more than the first dozen pages, and I must say, this is a really cute book. I mean, it’s fresh and it is full of thoughts from two innocent, but very insightful minds. And the more I read, the more I see that the movie very much stuck true to the book’s storyline. Will update soon, after I’m done with it. Happy reading, fellow bookworms!

The lobby of our dorm isn’t a hotel room.

My roommate and I saw a couple at the corner of the dorm lobby making out. And not just pecking but a full-on french. Even the guards and the receptionist are eyeing them weirdly. They are so gross. It’s just very inappropriate. Seriously, get a room and do it in private. 

Reality bites hard.

Just finished watching this movie. A good eye-opener, this one is. Although, I think the issue that it focuses on isn’t exactly new to us, internet people.

The story is about Taylor Hillridge, an average high school girl who gets a laptop as a present for her birthday. This lead her to the world of internet and social networking sites. And as it goes, certain comments and posts started to ruin her reputation and consequently, her life. From one little status, to a few comments, and eventually to videos, the internet have made her perfectly normal life into a disaster. How will Taylor be able to put her life back together and save herself from all the cyberbullying?

Ugly. Fat. Gay. Stupid. Homo. Bitch. Slut. Dyke. Dumb. Whore. Fag. Fake. 

These words sound familiar? Do they ring a bell?

Insults. Names. Everyone of us have been called one of those and sometimes, we also say them to others as well. Bullying is one of teenager’s greatest problems. And much worse, is when it is done on the internet. People can blatantly say anything about you, lies or not. It may be anonymous or distinct. Whichever way, it subjects people into such degree of self-loathe. There’s this saying that goes: Sticks and stones may break my bones by words will never hurt me. Whoever said this must have been very lucky, seeing as to how words don’t affect that person. But in truth, words are just as much hurtful as physical assults, maybe even worse. What people say can go into your head, bury deep and forever haunt you down. They don’t go away easily. It’s sticks in your brain, slowly destroying you from within. And I think it has to stop. People should realize what they could do to people with their snide little comments. And in turn, people who are bullied must learn how to stand up to those people who think bullying is a great hobby. They should speak up and let others know how they feel. It’s the only way we could somehow have a better life. On the internet or in real life, I think all of us could use a safe place to stay.

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Scarlett and Halley have been best friends for quite a long time. They’ve been with each other for so long, that they’re practically sisters. 

Scarlett is the more outgoing one. She is good in interacting with people, easily made friends in school and is actually considered popular. She is the stronger one of the two. She takes care of her single mother. She is the one who consoles Halley when things went bad. Halley, on the other hand is the shy type. She is not very sociable. Before she met Scarlett, she’s almost invisible in school. She is the good kid, close to both her parents and play by the rules. This may be because of her mother being a successful therapist. She is usually referred to as Scarlett’s bestfriend and she was fine with that. 

Everything was that way until Michael, Scarlett’s boyfriend, died in a motorcycle accident. Suddenly, it was Halley who needs to be there for Scarlett. Halley was now the shoulder to cry on, the strength Scarlett needed. And just when they are trying to move on, another problem surfaced. Scarlett is pregnant with Michael’s baby. 

With all that, Halley and Scarlett struggled through their life trying to live as normal as possible. They work so hard to make end meet and find comfort with each other. Scarlett decided to keep the baby and Halley promised to support her decision through it all. Things went good for both of them. 
And then Halley met Macon, Michael’s best friend, and started to fall for him. The two began dating and ended up together. Things were well but then Halley started to change. Macon influenced her to cut classes, go to some parties, smoke and drink. This didn’t go unnoticed by her mother, and the usual inseparable pair drifted apart. 

Will Halley be able to realize that her life is slowly crumbling as she became closer to Macon? Will Scarlett be able to reach through her, to pull her back to her senses before the worst comes? Will their friendship withstand all the problems they have to deal with? In this Sarah Dessen book, another gripping issue about teenagers is tackled. At what point is a girl ready to give up her precious virginity? Is it really an essential thing to do in order to maintain a relationship? Yes, this book is all about love, friendship, trust, virginity, family and responsibilities. At such young age, Halley and Scarlett will learn how much they need each other and how to value themselves above all else. Sometimes, we have to be hurt in order to realize our mistakes and gain something from the experience. 

It’s an overall 3.5/5 for me.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Wouldn’t it be great if you are remembered by people for something big even if you’re long gone? How amazing would it be if you matter so much in this world because of your works?

That is exactly what Collin Singleton aims to achieve in life. To be someone, to be remembered, to matter. Our protagonist is a child prodigy. A whiz kid, intelligent enough but not yet a genius. Collin is the typical smartypants, being brought up by parents who greatly supports his intellectual talents. He is an anagram-geek, a bookworm, and a teenager thirsty for more knowledge. But there is a unique quirk about Collin. He has been dumped by nineteen girls, all named Katherine. Due to this number, he embarks on a quest to find the solution to his problem of love.

Together with, Hassan, the hilarious, happy-go-lucky Muslim friend, they took an adventurous road trip going wherever, after the nineteenth Katherine dumped Collin. Along the way, he tries so hard to create and perfect his Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability in order to somehow find a formula for love. This, he thinks, will be the perfect way for him to be remembered and be famous throughout the world. A formula that can predict how relationships would go and how long they will last. As their trip brought them to Gutshot, Tennessee, Collin will soon encounter a lot of things, variables, that would greatly affect his Theorem and might turn it all around.  

This book is the second John Green book I have read. Like Looking For Alaska, each of his characters are unique, each with quirky, weird but lovable personality. At the beginning, I wasn’t so much into Collin’s character since his intelligence and nonstop blubbering irritates me. It’s like I want to just shut him up for he doesn’t know when to stop, and when his topics become not interesting anymore. And there goes Hassan’s character, who balances the geeky, nerdy role of Collin with an ample amount of humor. He’s like the perfect sidekick/buddy since he knows how to deal with his best friend. 

As the story goes, I was engulfed in a mathematical quest, which I admit, bored me. When Collin ponders on his Theorem, he explains it using variables, graphs and other curves. Yes, there are drawings of his graphs and equations in the book. Plus there were funny footnotes that gives us a bit of an explanation on what Collin is talking about. As a math geek myself, it was an interesting find. But for someone who don’t actually like math, these parts would seem to be draggy and slow. There might be a point where you don’t get what the equation is saying. But then when you get past them and got to the good parts, where you learn about certain secrets and revelations about each of the characters, you’ll love it.

Yes, John Green knows how to keep the better side of his character, ready to expose it at the right time. It’s like you cannot fully love or fully hate his characters. They have a bit of a good and bad in each of them. This particular books is a great story about friendship, love, and finding your true self, no matter how different you are from others. The story shows us that life can be a whole sack of lemons, but at some point, it turns and give us pure joy if only we know how to look for it. It is a good read and it would really teach us that it’s perfectly fun to just be yourself.

Sex Sex Sex. Psssh.

What would it be like if our country is open to the issue of sex? If people would not cringe, flinch or snicker when words like sex, penis, vagina, cock, clit or whatever else is mentioned. Because at this point, I am getting irritated with people who call themselves “innocent”. I don’t believe that they are. I call them “pa-virgin”. Sometimes I think it’s immature when they react like these things are gross or something funny. Hello? These are your body parts for God’s sake! Sex is an act that is natural to everyone, even to animals. It’s the reason you are conceived and alive today. I get it if you’re between the ages 0-15, it would be too weird to grasp fullr. 16 or 17 even. But if you’re already 18 or older, laughing at these matters is very childish. You are an adult, if you don’t already know. Maybe this is the reason why we are so uneducated about sex. Maybe it is why people keep doing irresponsible things. Because they think it’s just something to laugh at, a joke. Keep in mind that as adults, we’re supposed to act like one. Younger ones learn from us, they look up to us. What’s wrong if you overheard your friends or classmates talking about sex, virginity, porn, or whatnots? Those people have open minds that don’t judge easily. It doesn’t mean that they are sluts or sex addicts. They are just comfortable talking about those things. So please don’t look at them like they are some weirdos who are unacceptable and contagious. 

Kids, cigarettes are not lollipops nor stick-Os.

As I was on my ride home from UST, I saw a lot of teenagers walking along the side of the road. My guess is that they are from a public school here in Cavite, which I am familiar of. Maybe it’s their break time since it’s 12nn, that’s why they’re out and about. There’s this huge traffic jam, so I watched each of them passing by the car I was riding to kill time. It’s then that I noticed some of them holding cigarettes and puffing smoke. By my estimate, they look as though they’re just freshmen or sophomores in high school. They look so young to be doing that stuff. I thought to myself, “How would their parents react when they knew about what their children are doing at school?” Do they even know about those bad habits? It’s such a shame because they are already in public school which might mean that they are somehow a bit financially challenged. I am not mocking their status here. I just think that it’s such a waste of money and their parents’ effort to spend their allowances buying those cigarettes. And instead of studying well to somehow repay their parents’ hard work, they go on not giving a shit about their education.

I am not saying that I am goody good child, that I never in my whole life did something to disappoint my parents. But I can proudly say that I never smoked and waste my parent’s money during high school on cigars. I also admit that I did drink, occasionally, with friends and  WITH permission. Yes, both my parents knew that I drink. It was something we are open about in the family. My parents were the ones who introduced me and my sister to alcoholic beverages. They say that it’s better that we learn about these drinks at home than outside with other people or strangers. To them, it’s safer that we knew how much alcohol we can tolerate so we can be prepared outside. 

So yeah, going back, I am just saddened with what I saw. I cannot imagine how much those children’s future might be destroyed if they continue to be submerged in such habits like smoking and drinking and whatever else. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I should not meddle with things that I am not involved in, but I can’t help but worry about them even though they’re mere strangers to me.

P.S. I don’t hate smokers. I have friends who are very much chain smokers. They are old enough to be responsible and almost all of them are legal smokers, meaning their parents know. I just can’t look at children, like those I saw, which I deem too young to be so into smoking.