52 Books: September Books

This post is long overdue and I won’t make any apologies. Heh. I started reading a book series (let’s just call it ASOIAF) last September and I decided to have an entirely separate post dedicate to that series. I am exciteeeeeed.

I had a lot of free time last month but I’m afraid that most of that free time didn’t really go to reading. I saw a lot of Alex (which is really good), and I’ve been busy with my other blog (which is also good). For some reason, I feel better when I get to do a lot of things. Reading books make me happy but there are other things that make me happy. Like Asian movies, drama series and reality cooking shows. That only proves how boring I am. Heh.

Last month, I only read two books that’s not part of ASOIAF. That means I’ll only be writing two book rants. WAHA. Gah, I’m such a lazy blogger.

The Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman creates this simple male characters and turns them into a someone. Wait, that probably doesn’t make sense. What I mean is that I have noticed how most of his male protagonists are quiet, simple, and under-achievers. They don’t really stick out in a crowd but Gaiman puts them in a situation where they rise from the occasion and proves that they are worth their adventures.

Anansi Boys isn’t one of his best book, in my opinion anyway. This is a sequel to American Gods but I still prefer AG. The humor that made me love American Gods is still here, though. I love Fat Charlie. I love it when Fat Charlie gets infuriated, I think it’s adorable. I love how he seems so disoriented all the time because of his brother, Spider. I found myself laughing out loud because of the silly situations Fat Charlie finds himself in.

It’s quite amazing how Fat Charlie starts to be more at ease with himself when he finds something he’s good at, something that he actually likes. (I got a little jealous because I know what I like but I’m not exactly good at it. Moving on…) He eventually conquers all his inhibitions and lives a life that actually makes sense to him.

I cannot really point out what’s missing with Anansi Boys.  Gaiman established the story rather well, and most of the characters are likable. I guess I just can’t stop comparing it to American Gods. American Gods is one of my favorite books, and I guess Anansi Boys just didn’t live up to my expectations. It’s still a really good book, though. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy with a touch of humor.

This is a Crazy Planets by Lourd de Veyra

I occasionally read Lourd’s blog in Spot.ph but I wasn’t as big a fan as Ayessa. I only planned to borrow her copy but I ended up buying my own when I decided to go to his book signing. I am so glad I did.

Lourd de Veyra is one of the very few writers I know who can write so well in Filipino. I’ve always admired writers who can write well in Filipino. I have my favorite Filipino writers but Lourd de Veyra is one of the few whose writings in Filipino that I really like. His English pieces are really good, too, but it’s is his Filipino articles that really made me a fan. I’m swept away, lulz.

His essays are timeless, too. I’ve already read some of his works in Spot.ph but I do not mind reading it again. His essays make him seem so likable, I don’t know. He seems so simple but he has this depth to him that allows him to write insightful pieces. His social commentary is so spot on that I end up thinking over and over again that he’s so smart.

I need to write more books by Filipino writers. I seriously have to.

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So that wraps up my September Book Month. Heh. I am excited to write about ASOIAF, though! I’m on my fourth book and it’s as amazing as ever.

52 Books: July Books

I went a little overboard and read 8 books. It’s unplanned, I swear. I guess the fact that I’ve been reading a lot of children’s fiction contributes to the speed of my reading. Alex asked me if I could still digest everything I read, and I am happy to say that, yes, I can still digest them, thank you very much. Once I’m done with my last book for July, I promised myself to read something more for my age. Then I bought another Judy Blume this month so my resolve to read more mature books pretty much went out of the drain.

No regrets, though. I loved everything I read this month.

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

This book just keeps getting better. It was the first time I read this book without reading the first six books first. I just have to read DH before I watch the movie. I remember being extremely emotional during the first time I read DH but it was insane how even the non-emotional moments made me teary-eyed when I read it again. Maybe it was the mounting anxiety of the final film installation that made me extremely vulnerable when reading it but my love for the series reached profound levels. J.K. Rowling is a genius monster for making HP fans cry. But we can never hate her for writing the most amazing series that defined our childhood. She’s our queen!

I don’t even know what else to say about this book. Hedwig’s dying scene almost made me cry, and I still don’t understand why they didn’t include in the film Dudley and Harry’s goodbye. The Silver Doe is still my favorite chapter. I know a lot of people can’t forgive Ron for running out of Hermione and Harry. But I forgive him. He’s Ron Weasley, how could I not? He makes a mistake leaving the two behind but he does everything to get back in their graces, right? From then on he doesn’t back out from whatever hardship they face. I won’t go into more details about this but I really think people are too hard on him. Another chapter that I love is the Battle at Hogwarts. I’m not sure how many times I teared up because of it. It’s not even the deaths that chilled but the mere courage that everyone is showing. I swear Professor McGonnagall forced me to sniffles.

For some reason, Deathly Hallows seems to be a lot better than the first and second time I read it. (Or again, maybe it’s just my emotions speaking.) It’s just amazing how J.K. Rowling managed to weave a flawless story with really little plot holes. I still had a lot of questions when I reread it but I shrugged it off because the strengths of the books overpowered its minor faults. I also had this huge hate for the epilogue. I thought it was corny and their children’s names are really annoying. I don’t know. Maybe Harry is just too lazy to think of names. But this time, I actually like the epilogue. I guess it just needs a little getting used to. I have a lot more to say about this book but my reactions are already starting to mix with my reaction to the movie so I’ll just stop here.

Let me just say first that this will definitely won’t be the last time I’ll read Deathly Hallows. I will reread the series for the years to come until I have to pass on my love for the Harry’s world to my future children. I guess every Pothead has this silly dream of passing on to their children their love for magic.

52 Books: June Books

I got back my reading mojo last month. I read some pretty good books and some pretty annoying ones but it’s all good. Whenever I read a book I don’t particularly like, I just tell myself that it’s good to feel something. It’s better to be annoyed than not feel anything at all. I’m pretty I’m not making any sense. Heh.

1. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Of all the depressing books I have read, Norwegian Wood stands out tall and proud. Every turn of the page seems to lead me into something more crushing, something more heart-wrenching. The ever-present death also seems to be the number one driving force of our two main characters. Hence, the main character’s mantra summarizes (I believe) the story: ”Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of life.

It’s really beautifully-written but I don’t think I have fully grasped what Murakami is trying to say.  This is his first book that I have read and I am excited to read more. His words have a way of taking you to the very core of the story. Toru Watanabe may be the narrator of the story but it’s not only his emotions that we see. I kind of understand why people say that this book is honest. It’s as if all the emotions of the characters are exposed in plain sight. We see their pain, we see their happiness. It’s all out in the open that it’s impossible not to feel what they’re going through. Everything feels so raw. I haven’t read other people’s reaction to Norwegian Wood. All I know is that a lot of people I respect love the book. But I really think that Naoko and Watanabe are bad for each other. They become isolated from the whole world and are often enveloped in sadness when they’re together. Kill me for saying this but I think Watanabe’s presence pushes Naoko into depression. Midori and Watanabe’s relationship, on the other hand, is what I would call healthy. It’s not clear what happened between them but I’m really hoping that it ends well for these two.

The number of suicides in the book baffles me. I have said this out loud before but it really bothers me how Murakami makes suicide as if a usual occurrence in Japanese society. I know that Japan has high suicide rates for both sexes but for it be part of a novel, it’s still unsettling. I understand what drives Naoko to do what she did. Two of the people she has loved committed suicide. She’s even the one to discover the body of her sister. What I don’t like is how she explains Kizuki’s suicide as something that is inevitable. The two of them are so happy that it’s kind of unfair for the world so Kizuki kills himself because that’s bound to happen anyway, she says. Well, to me that’s what she means. That’s just a stupid thing to say. Other than that, this is a really good story and I recommend it to anyone who wants to have his/her heart broken.