My Favorite, Expensive Pastime
Hello everyone! I am almost certain that all bibliophiles can relate to my sentiments when I say that book shopping is expensive. Like, very expensive. Either that or I just didn't have enough pocket money with me when I went to the bookstore. Probably both
Unfortunately, book shopping is also one of a bibliophile's sources of joy. The aforementioned facts do not jive well with each other, but I suppose we just live with it. We all get by somehow *shrugs* C'est la vie, isn't that right?
Last Sunday, my family decided to go out and have lunch with some church mates. Afterwards, I was given pocket money while the rest went shopping. Obviously, they knew where I'd be waiting for them: the bookstore (*^▽^) I loved that particular shop, because it has three floors! You know what made it even better? 50% off discounts, people!
 |
Discounts on books are one of the things that give me life
|
When going book shopping, I like to explore different titles and genres. I usually buy the ones I have never heard of, or aren't familiar with. It's like a trust exercise with myself *sweats* To be fair though, it's a good way to unearth some of the less-than-popular reads that are as heart wrenching as the mainstream products of the publishing world. I find that's it's good to venture out of our comfort zones too, since it's a way we could learn more about stuff we didn't know we'd enjoy, if we didn't give them a second look. That's how I stumbled upon these books (￣▽￣)
 |
Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson
(please forgive my ugly hand lol) |
This is the first one that caught my eye whilst I was walking through the aisles. First thought— isn't the cover
cute? I felt compelled to buy it, as I fell in love with the art.
Talk about judging a book by its cover I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't experienced my fair share of mysteries, aside from 39 Clues and The Mysterious Benedict Society, which I read ages ago. In essence, this is about Tabitha Crum, a little girl with a love for mystery novels. One day, she receives a mysterious invitation to go to the allegedly haunted country estate of a certain wealthy countess, along with five other children.
Though it is a children's book, I believe it can be as captivating as the grittier works aimed for the older audience. After all, the target demographic doesn't define the caliber of writing! Take The Chronicles of Narnia as an example, that series is an absolute gem even if it's aimed towards little kids ♥
 |
| With A Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo |
With A Name Like Love is another mystery novel— and with an average of 4 out of 5 from Goodreads (4.6 on Barnes & Noble), this one holds promise. Simply put, the story is about Ollie Love, who then meets a boy named Jimmy in a town she and her father were currently staying in. It's a race against time, with the children finding a way to prove the innocence of Jimmy's mother from the charge of murdering his dad.
I think I got this one because the title sounds similar to another book,
A Man Called Ove, and I found that amusing. I also have a thing for mysteries and adventures involving children; it's reminds me how even little children, in all their youthfulness and inexperience with such adult situations, can be as strong and clever as their elders. And besides, these are the scenarios I've always wanted to happen to me as a kid. Who didn't want to solve crazy puzzles and have bizarre adventures? Okay, maybe a fair amount of people don't. But I think it's never too late to relieve those childhood fantasies of mine.
 |
| Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander |
I saw the chicken on the cover and felt the strong need to own it, basically. I've read some reviews of this book online after I got home, and apparently, this one's a hit-or-miss (hence the extremely conflicting reviews on
Goodreads). This book is about a young man who, in an attempt to flee from his past, moves to the rural town of Stockton, New York. Unfortunately, he ran into some problems and things just get complicated.
The promise of it being blisteringly and appallingly funny is what convinced me to give this one a chance. Who wouldn't appreciate a good laugh? This feels like a good summer-y book as well, so I thought I'd add it in my pile of to-reads. I don't really know what to expect with this one, so I'm looking forward to reading it!
Well then, that's all for this "book haul" sort of entry. What do you love about books? I'd also love to know what genres you frequent! Feel free to leave a comment, and we could rave about literature together (> u >)
Labels: books
Reactions to "The Count of Monte Cristo"
Hello, my friends ( ^-^)/ Once again, it is I.
So. These past couple of weeks, we've been studying about literature in our English class. Guess what book we're studying.
... Well.... It's in the title, so... (>__<;)
ANYWAYS. I reaaally wanted to read it for a while now, but I haven't been able to... because.... *creepily whispers* Hetalia fanfics....
Alright!~ So, lemme give you the gist of the book.
There's this dashing, young man named Edmond Dantes, yeah? He's got life good. He just got home from a long journey on the
Pharaon (that's the name of the boat he's a crew member of), was about to be promoted to captain, and was about to get married to this pretty lady named Mercedes. Life was sweet.
BUT! There's that small group of people who dislike our young protagonist.
Long story short, they framed Edmond for a crime, he got imprisoned, and when he finally escaped, poor Dantes was yearning for revenge. And thus.... *loud, creepy whisper* the tale begins.
Okay, so my first impression was.... well, I was captured. I love the book. It's.... It's.... It's beautiful (T u T)
I love his writing style. *raises hand* Friends, friends. This book is GLORIOUS. *sparkly eyees*
I mean, yeah sure, he uses a lot of deep words, and includes a lot of post-Napoleonic era political references and whatnot... But WHATEEVVVEER (> u >) Survive the first few chapters, and everything will start heating up (> u <) So much drama at the middle part >_>
As for the cons... Well... All I can say is that I think Edmond Dantes is pretty angst-y (>_>)
I can imagine him like Eren Jaeger from Shingeki no Kyojin. Except, instead of being obsessed with titans, he's obsessed with revenge. I can see him go all "REVENGE REVENGE REVENGE REVENGE REVEEENGE".
But gotta admit, I also imagine him as a really awesome adult guy. Like, Sebastian Michaelis or something. An angst-y Sebastian. Whew. Or maybe that's just my anime fangirl side talking.
On a side note, I wanna make a comparative analysis of this one and Jose Rizal's
El Filibusterismo. They are so similar >_>
Right now, it's half past 10 pm, and I've got an exam about this. Wheeee, so this post is kinda short. Sorry (^_^;)
I shall put up another post once my exams are over to make up for it~
So, has any of you read this book yet? What are your thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment below ( ^-^)/
(( a reeeally small P.S.: to the kind soul out there who followed my blog, thank you ;w; You need not reply back to this random banter of mine, but still. Thank you >u< *showers to you all my love and cakes and wonderful Earl Grey tea* ))
Labels: books
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Hello everyone~ It's already past 11:30 pm, so I'll make this quick ^_^
I just finished re-reading
Dear Mr. Henshaw, a book by Beverly Cleary.
Oh, the feels are like problems. They slowly pile up, and you don't notice them, but in the end... BOOM! It falls on you like an avalanche. Sort of like the anime Little
Busters!. I love that anime. Sort of like a happy kind of series... then you know what happens next. I like Kyousuke. Spontaneity level = OVER 9000!
Buut... I digress.
Gosh.... That book is sad >_<
I love it.
Aaand... since I
did read it, might as well tell you guys about it.
It's about Leigh Botts (he's a guy with a girly name... like the guys from
Free! xD), and "Mr. Henshaw", his favourite author. Leigh wrote letters to him, and one day, his teacher required them to write a paper about their favourite authors. You know what happens next.
So, Leigh asked Mr. Henshaw some questions. And, Mr. Henshaw's reply sort of started a change in Leigh...
And that's where it begins to pile up >_>
The story's open ended.... But no problem about that, though. I think it made the story nicer, in a way.
But oh, the feels are strong. >___<
I sort of want to start writing again... I used to write a lot (short stories... and a lot of fanfics that I never finished)..
But then, things went downhill.
But seriously. It's a nice, sad book.
Dear Mr. Henshaw, I mean.
... I just realized I made 2 posts in a day xD Oh well. This one's just short, so.... I guess it's ok? xD
So yeah! That's about it. Have you guys read the book before? Or do you know about other good books too? Feel free to tell me in the comments ^_^
Labels: books
My Favorite, Expensive Pastime
Hello everyone! I am almost certain that all bibliophiles can relate to my sentiments when I say that book shopping is expensive. Like, very expensive. Either that or I just didn't have enough pocket money with me when I went to the bookstore. Probably both
Unfortunately, book shopping is also one of a bibliophile's sources of joy. The aforementioned facts do not jive well with each other, but I suppose we just live with it. We all get by somehow *shrugs* C'est la vie, isn't that right?
Last Sunday, my family decided to go out and have lunch with some church mates. Afterwards, I was given pocket money while the rest went shopping. Obviously, they knew where I'd be waiting for them: the bookstore (*^▽^) I loved that particular shop, because it has three floors! You know what made it even better? 50% off discounts, people!
|
Discounts on books are one of the things that give me life
|
When going book shopping, I like to explore different titles and genres. I usually buy the ones I have never heard of, or aren't familiar with. It's like a trust exercise with myself *sweats* To be fair though, it's a good way to unearth some of the less-than-popular reads that are as heart wrenching as the mainstream products of the publishing world. I find that's it's good to venture out of our comfort zones too, since it's a way we could learn more about stuff we didn't know we'd enjoy, if we didn't give them a second look. That's how I stumbled upon these books (￣▽￣)
|
Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson
(please forgive my ugly hand lol) |
This is the first one that caught my eye whilst I was walking through the aisles. First thought— isn't the cover
cute? I felt compelled to buy it, as I fell in love with the art.
Talk about judging a book by its cover I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't experienced my fair share of mysteries, aside from 39 Clues and The Mysterious Benedict Society, which I read ages ago. In essence, this is about Tabitha Crum, a little girl with a love for mystery novels. One day, she receives a mysterious invitation to go to the allegedly haunted country estate of a certain wealthy countess, along with five other children.
Though it is a children's book, I believe it can be as captivating as the grittier works aimed for the older audience. After all, the target demographic doesn't define the caliber of writing! Take The Chronicles of Narnia as an example, that series is an absolute gem even if it's aimed towards little kids ♥
|
| With A Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo |
With A Name Like Love is another mystery novel— and with an average of 4 out of 5 from Goodreads (4.6 on Barnes & Noble), this one holds promise. Simply put, the story is about Ollie Love, who then meets a boy named Jimmy in a town she and her father were currently staying in. It's a race against time, with the children finding a way to prove the innocence of Jimmy's mother from the charge of murdering his dad.
I think I got this one because the title sounds similar to another book,
A Man Called Ove, and I found that amusing. I also have a thing for mysteries and adventures involving children; it's reminds me how even little children, in all their youthfulness and inexperience with such adult situations, can be as strong and clever as their elders. And besides, these are the scenarios I've always wanted to happen to me as a kid. Who didn't want to solve crazy puzzles and have bizarre adventures? Okay, maybe a fair amount of people don't. But I think it's never too late to relieve those childhood fantasies of mine.
|
| Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander |
I saw the chicken on the cover and felt the strong need to own it, basically. I've read some reviews of this book online after I got home, and apparently, this one's a hit-or-miss (hence the extremely conflicting reviews on
Goodreads). This book is about a young man who, in an attempt to flee from his past, moves to the rural town of Stockton, New York. Unfortunately, he ran into some problems and things just get complicated.
The promise of it being blisteringly and appallingly funny is what convinced me to give this one a chance. Who wouldn't appreciate a good laugh? This feels like a good summer-y book as well, so I thought I'd add it in my pile of to-reads. I don't really know what to expect with this one, so I'm looking forward to reading it!
Well then, that's all for this "book haul" sort of entry. What do you love about books? I'd also love to know what genres you frequent! Feel free to leave a comment, and we could rave about literature together (> u >)
Labels: books
Reactions to "The Count of Monte Cristo"
Hello, my friends ( ^-^)/ Once again, it is I.
So. These past couple of weeks, we've been studying about literature in our English class. Guess what book we're studying.
... Well.... It's in the title, so... (>__<;)
ANYWAYS. I reaaally wanted to read it for a while now, but I haven't been able to... because.... *creepily whispers* Hetalia fanfics....
Alright!~ So, lemme give you the gist of the book.
There's this dashing, young man named Edmond Dantes, yeah? He's got life good. He just got home from a long journey on the
Pharaon (that's the name of the boat he's a crew member of), was about to be promoted to captain, and was about to get married to this pretty lady named Mercedes. Life was sweet.
BUT! There's that small group of people who dislike our young protagonist.
Long story short, they framed Edmond for a crime, he got imprisoned, and when he finally escaped, poor Dantes was yearning for revenge. And thus.... *loud, creepy whisper* the tale begins.
Okay, so my first impression was.... well, I was captured. I love the book. It's.... It's.... It's beautiful (T u T)
I love his writing style. *raises hand* Friends, friends. This book is GLORIOUS. *sparkly eyees*
I mean, yeah sure, he uses a lot of deep words, and includes a lot of post-Napoleonic era political references and whatnot... But WHATEEVVVEER (> u >) Survive the first few chapters, and everything will start heating up (> u <) So much drama at the middle part >_>
As for the cons... Well... All I can say is that I think Edmond Dantes is pretty angst-y (>_>)
I can imagine him like Eren Jaeger from Shingeki no Kyojin. Except, instead of being obsessed with titans, he's obsessed with revenge. I can see him go all "REVENGE REVENGE REVENGE REVENGE REVEEENGE".
But gotta admit, I also imagine him as a really awesome adult guy. Like, Sebastian Michaelis or something. An angst-y Sebastian. Whew. Or maybe that's just my anime fangirl side talking.
On a side note, I wanna make a comparative analysis of this one and Jose Rizal's
El Filibusterismo. They are so similar >_>
Right now, it's half past 10 pm, and I've got an exam about this. Wheeee, so this post is kinda short. Sorry (^_^;)
I shall put up another post once my exams are over to make up for it~
So, has any of you read this book yet? What are your thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment below ( ^-^)/
(( a reeeally small P.S.: to the kind soul out there who followed my blog, thank you ;w; You need not reply back to this random banter of mine, but still. Thank you >u< *showers to you all my love and cakes and wonderful Earl Grey tea* ))
Labels: books
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Hello everyone~ It's already past 11:30 pm, so I'll make this quick ^_^
I just finished re-reading
Dear Mr. Henshaw, a book by Beverly Cleary.
Oh, the feels are like problems. They slowly pile up, and you don't notice them, but in the end... BOOM! It falls on you like an avalanche. Sort of like the anime Little
Busters!. I love that anime. Sort of like a happy kind of series... then you know what happens next. I like Kyousuke. Spontaneity level = OVER 9000!
Buut... I digress.
Gosh.... That book is sad >_<
I love it.
Aaand... since I
did read it, might as well tell you guys about it.
It's about Leigh Botts (he's a guy with a girly name... like the guys from
Free! xD), and "Mr. Henshaw", his favourite author. Leigh wrote letters to him, and one day, his teacher required them to write a paper about their favourite authors. You know what happens next.
So, Leigh asked Mr. Henshaw some questions. And, Mr. Henshaw's reply sort of started a change in Leigh...
And that's where it begins to pile up >_>
The story's open ended.... But no problem about that, though. I think it made the story nicer, in a way.
But oh, the feels are strong. >___<
I sort of want to start writing again... I used to write a lot (short stories... and a lot of fanfics that I never finished)..
But then, things went downhill.
But seriously. It's a nice, sad book.
Dear Mr. Henshaw, I mean.
... I just realized I made 2 posts in a day xD Oh well. This one's just short, so.... I guess it's ok? xD
So yeah! That's about it. Have you guys read the book before? Or do you know about other good books too? Feel free to tell me in the comments ^_^
Labels: books
Books 
My friends 
Homestuck 
More time to read books please 