Day 30 – Your favorite book of all time

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Please do forgive the state of this book. I know that the spine is already cracked and the jacket is wrinkled and slightly tattered. But this is due to the fact that I have read this book a lot of times. And yes, it is my all time favorite book.

Of all the books I own and read, the Harry Potter series have been the closest to my heart since I grew up with it. Every year, I would eagerly wait for the release of the next book in the series. And the moment that this final book came out, I was in our school’s library at 6am to claim my reserved copy. The time that the book was handed to me, it felt like I was holding the most precious treasure in the world. I was so excited yet so afraid to finish it that I hesitated in turning the last few pages. I don’t ever want it to end. And like many other, I would give anything just to repeat the whole experience, wipe away all my knowledge of the whole series and reread the books all over again. 

As to why I consider this as my favorite book of all time, I have a few reasons. First is that everything I had ever known from the first 6 books were changed because of the twists in this one. There were so many secrets unveiled and we see how much foreshadowing there was in the past books. It just feels so great to know the whole truth and the revelations about how the events from the very first book were connected to the end. All the mysteries were so systematically written and was very much the reason why I love the book.

Second is that this book is way more different the the former 6 because in here, we finally see our beloved characters are grown and mature people. They are not just kids hungry for magical adventures, but adults ready to give everything, even their lives, in order to save their whole community.

Third is that despite the almost very obvious and predictable fact that Harry must win and survive the battle with the Dark Lord, Rowling isn’t one to give an ordinary victory. The way it ended is not simple and certainly not a cliché or some sort. Harry’s victory is definitely action-packed yet hair-raisingly brilliant.

Fourth is that even when Rowling caught us off guard with all the tragic death of our most beloved characters in the book, she never denied us the happy ending for everyone. We all know that in every war, there would always be victims, innocent or not, and that’s what the author gave us. She didn’t stir away from the truth just to satisfy her readers. She knew that a lot of us would be disappointed but she still did what she imagined how the story would go. I commend her for that. And like I said, she regained our approval by giving the story a very great and blissful ending.

And lastly, I loved this book because of the strongest most powerful message it held out for the readers: love brings out the light even in the darkest of hearts. For those who have read the book, I guess you already know that Severus Snape is the best proof of that in this book. It shows that no matter how evil a person is, love, no matter what form, requited or not, will always flush out the rotting parts of our soul. It would bring out the very best in us.

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And that’s it! I FINALLY FINISHED THE MONTH-LONG BOOK CHALLENGE! Hooray! I feel satisfied with myself. :)

They say that first love never dies, that the flashbacks will haunt you forever. But I guess it’s not the sweet memories you’ve had with the person that actually lingers. I think it’s the fact that this person was the one who made that first crack in your perfectly healthy, undamaged heart.

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.

Filipinos won’t turn into some demonic beings just because Lady Gaga will have a concert here in our country.

I am not a Lady Gaga fan but I am really getting sick and tired of what’s on the news regarding her upcoming concert here in the Philippines. According to what I heard from the news, 300 deeply-religious Catholic protesters demanded to ban the said event, claiming that the artist is blasphemous and immoral.

Well you know what? I think these people’s protests are ridiculous and pathetic. I mean, Philippine variety shows like ASAP, Party Pilipinas, Showtime and whatever else are publicly using her songs, either singing it or dancing to it. And as I clearly remember, no one ever did a protest or complain about these said TV shows. No one ever said anything bad about them because of using her songs. So why come out now? 

Plus, even if this country is a majority of Catholics, it doesn’t give them the right to force their belief to other citizens of the nation. And also, if they don’t like her, it’s actually very simple to just ignore the concert and not go. Lady Gaga is not forcing these religious people to watch the concert. For goodness sake, Lady Gaga is an artist and it’s not as if she’s asking people to convert into some kind of demonic cult or something. Her Filipino fans are going because of their own free will, and what is wrong with that? Do you ever see atheists and agnostics protesting like that whenever you sing out praise songs or when bands like Hillsong perform here in the country?

You see the problem this country has? We find it so difficult to let go of our differences that we reach a point in which we have to use force to coerce others into their beliefs. We say that it’s okay to be different, that it’s wrong to judge others, but is that what we really live up to? It’s really hypocritical how some people act.

Oh and then you’re wondering why I don’t believe in any religion? Huh. 

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.