The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ok, first of all, I really loved this book, but I read it, or rather, listened to it as an audiobook. So to be honest, I don't know if it was the book itself I loved, or the way the reader read it. There were lots of vocal effects when he read all the different characters' dialogue, and while I didn't exactly imagine the affectations the way he did, it was interesting to listened to the book in this way.

This is only the third audiobook I've listened to in my life, and I have never had anyone read to me when I was younger, so I've had limited experience. The reader was very animated, and I loved that about the whole book. It wasn't monotonous, and the reader kept me interested in all that was happening.

It's hard to say if I would've liked this book if I'd read it instead of listening to it on audiobook, though I'm sure I wouldn't have disliked it. It was a fun enough book, made funner with the vocal affectations of the reader, but it might not have been as enjoyable if I only focused on the story rather than the telling of the story also.

I especially loved when at the end of the book, there was a song about Alice in Wonderland, I can't find the title or artist yet, but it's a great ending credit song. I felt like I had just watched an epic movie, instead of just reading a book.

Sorry I'm not much help with reviewing the actual book, but for the curious, you might like to try getting your hands on the audiobook, read by Gerard Doyle, and see how you like the experience.

ETA: Found out the song title and artist: Looking Glass by Hypnogaja!!

Dear Enemy by Jean Webster

Dear Enemy is the sequel to Jean Webster’s more popular book, Daddy-Long-Legs. Daddy-Long-Legs is one of my most favorite books, and if you’ve read Daddy-Long-Legs and loved it, you’ll love this book too.

Daddy-Long-Legs featured Judy Abbott, an orphan from the John Grier Home, who was sponsored by a very rich and generous alumni, to go to college. The whole of the book then consists of letters that Judy writes to her anonymous benefactor about her life and her friends in college.

Among her closest friends is Sally McBride, who is the protagonist of Dear Enemy. Sally is asked to be the director of the John Grier Home after Judy’s husband bought it over, and this book tells the story of how Sally takes over the running of the orphanage, falls in love with the kids, and falls in love, all in letters that Sally writes to various people.

There is a certain charm to the way Jean Webster tells her stories, and although some people don’t like epistolary novels, I think these two books are among the good ones. Some epistolary novels are hard to read because of the way they’re written, but both Daddy-Long-Legs and Dear Enemy are written in short and witty chapters, with illustrations to boot!

Daddy-Long-Legs has long been a favorite since I was a little girl, and now I’ve added Dear Enemy to my exclusive list of favorite books as well.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

This book is one of my favorite books. I haven’t done an official “poll” yet, but I would venture to say that it might be in my top 10 list of favorite books!

The first time I read this book was the year the movie came out, in 2002. I read the book before I knew the movie was coming out, and I fell in love with the book. (I hated the movie, by the way, it’s so meaningless compared to the book!)

This is a huge book, over 1000 pages, and this was the only book I’d ever devoured so intensely which was more than 350 pages long! I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat for most of the book, and even more towards the later part of the book.

There were so many twists and surprises in the story, and so much pain and anguish, but with a sort of sadism, we can’t help but watch all this happen with glee and a “Well, it serves them right!” attitude even while we are also saying “Oh, no! Oh my gosh! Oh, those poor things!”

If you haven’t read this yet, I’m jealous! You’ll get to read it and savor it the first time, because honestly, the first time’s the best. After that, the book’s still good, but since you already know what’s going to happen, it loses a lot of its shock-factor.

This is the third time I’m reading the book again, after about 5 years, and it’s great because I’ve forgotten much of it and can enjoy it over again, but still… nothing beats the first time.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

 

I was never really interested in reading this book, but I’ve been told that out of a few of the more popular classics, this was the one I’d love most.

 

Of course it made me wonder what it was about this book that people thought I’d love. Keep in mind I had no idea what it was about, I bought the book without even looking at the summary on the back cover.

 

I finally decided to read it, took a look at the summary, and became extremely disappointed. “What?? She married someone else and he only declares his love for her again 50 years later? When they’re more than 70 years old??!!”

 

Don’t worry, that wasn’t a spoiler, that was on the back cover.

 

I thought about how much time wasted that was, because I’d love to spend my whole life with someone I love, and not just have at most a decade or so left with him. And then it actually got me thinking, am I sure I married the right man and don’t have anyone else I’m thinking about now that I’d regret not marrying?

 

Thank goodness, I’m very happy and very sure I married the man I love, and there’s no one else I’d rather marry! (Except maybe Johnny Depp!)

 

So anyway, I read this book, and loved it! And wonder why I do.

 

There’s this saying that young people in love is a work of nature, but old people in love is a work of art. That’s probably how I feel about this book.

 

This couple don’t exactly spend their whole lives pining for each other, although they fell in love 50 years ago, but they went on with their lives, well, sort of. The beauty of this book is in the storytelling, I think, but it’s quite indescribable and so intangible that I can’t put into words what it is about the book that I liked.

 

In fact, I’m not quite sure what it is!

 

Nevertheless, it is a beautiful book, and I loved it.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

 

My father has had this book on his bookshelves for a long time, along with some other Pearl S. Buck books. I’m a huge fan of Buck’s book, Imperial Woman, about the last empress of China, but I’ve never read any of her other books.

 

Apparently, The Good Earth is her most popular book, and after many years of re-reading Imperial Woman, I’ve finally decided to read The Good Earth.

 

The Good Earth is about a poor Chinese farmer, Wang Lung, who works hard and believes in investing in the land. He faces terrible challenges; famine, poverty, hunger, pestilence, but his wife and family supports and helps him through it all.

 

Eventually, his hard work pays off, and he becomes a wealthy landowner, and then there are a whole lot of new challenges he has to face.

 

What I really like about the way Buck portrays Wang Lung, is that he’s human, with very human tendencies, just like everyone of us. We like to think that we’re better and different from everyone else, and that we’d make better choices. Hypothetically, we always do, but when actually put in the situation, we don’t even see clearly enough to recognize the situation, much less make good choices.

 

This is a simple yet thought-provoking book. It takes a humorous look at human nature, yet at the same time shows how fallible humans are, and how tragic life can be. If I had known how much I’d enjoy this book, I would’ve read it much earlier, but then again, I believe in a way, I’m much better equipped now to understand the book better than if I read it years ago.

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway

I've had this book for ten years, and I kept putting off reading it because I assumed it would be a boring, old classic.

 

If I had only known! This is one of the most exciting, sitting-on-the-edge-of-my-seat books I've ever read!

 

At the back of my copy, it says that this is a "triumphant yet tragic story", and oh, how I celebrate and sympathize with the old man!

 

I know the feelings of excitement and triumph well when it comes to fishing, since I'm somewhat of an amateur fisherman myself. I've been fishing with my father for several years, and while we've never gone deep sea fishing, we've had our share of triumphant and tragic fishing moments.

 

The old man's experience with the giant marlin is amazing, and to be quite honest, I'm not sure I can find the words to describe my feelings as I was reading this book. Hope maybe, and fear, helplessness because I couldn't do anything to help him, respect for his steadiness and strength, jubilation when he triumphed, sadness when he was defeated, worry for his safety, and ultimately, moved by his story.

 

I am moved almost to tears by this amazing, amazing story, and I daresay that this book is among the top ten best books I've ever read in my life, and I haven't been a slouch when it comes to reading books either! This is one book that I will not forget easily, and one that will stay in my heart for a long time.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

 

I chose this book for my Reading Dangerously Challenge 2009 because it was a controversial book, but I had no idea just what a challenge it would be to read it.

 

It wasn't the subject matter that made it hard for me, since I kind of already knew what to expect. I've heard so many references to Nabokov's Lolita to the point that I almost didn't appreciate that the book was about pedophilia, in fact.

 

What made the reading of this book hard for me, was the writing style. Nabokov tends to write in long sentences and paragraphs, and more often than not, I found my eyes struggling to stay open.

 

The truth is, although the book was amusing at times, mostly I just didn't like it at all. I didn't like Humbert Humbert, and neither could I like Lolita. I probably would've given up completely on this book if it wasn't because it was meant to be a challenging read. But again, I didn't realize that it would be challenging in this sense.

 

The last part of the book is even worse, because it just went on and on without much happening at all, and me just thinking, get on with it already! Even the ending was anti-climatic.

 

The best thing I can say about having read this book, is that at least I'll be able to have 'intellectual literary discussions' about it. Honestly speaking, I think the only reason this book is popular at all is because of the subject matter, if Nabokov had written about anything else, we probably wouldn't even know his name now.

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

 

This book is a re-read, and one of my all-time favorite books. I read it when I was a little girl, and I loved it.

 

I've re-read it many times since, and I still love it. The ending can still move me and bring me to tears, no matter how many times I read it, and even though I almost know the story by heart.

 

The last time I read it was a couple of years ago, and I guess I was feeling a little bit nostalgic and thought I'd read it again.

 

This book is my first introduction to the epistemology style of telling a story, and I think it's still the best.

 

Judy Abbott is an orphan who is sent to college by a rich, anonymous trustee from the orphanage she was brought up in. The only request he makes is that she writes him letters to tell of her progress in college every month.

 

Judy is hilarious, charming, and lovable, and the letters she writes are simply delightful reading. She tells funny stories about the friends she makes at college, the lessons she learns, and the boys she meets. You really feel that you get to know her well, and you can't help but fall in love with her.

 

The ending is wonderful, and of course, it's a surprise for those who don't know the story, but although I already know what happens, it still gets me every time.

 

Although this is written for young girls, I think I will always love this book no matter how old I am. I'm sure I'll enjoy it again when I'm 98 and have lots of grandchildren, and I'm sure they'll love it as much as I do too.

Perfume by Patrick Suskind

Date Started: 17th Mar 2007
Date Finished: 19th Mar 2007

Rating:

I came across this book while I was browsing the bookstore a couple of months ago. I was hooked the moment I read the blurb, interested because it looked like a new concept, a serial killer who stalked his prey with his nose.

I bought the book eventually, and was pleasantly surprised to find how amazingly well-written it was.

I had gotten the initial impression that this was about just another serial killer who just happened to stalk his prey with his exceptional sense of smell, and the book would be just another mystery/thriller that described the killings and the good guys trying to catch him.

What I got instead, was a wonderful tour into the world of scents. The author's description of all the scents featured was so vivid that I could almost smell them. The art of perfuming was shown to us, so clearly, so masterfully, that we couldn't help but get drawn into it. The book itself was written so artfully...I almost want to cry at Suskind's genius.

This book wasn't a brutally painted picture about an animalistic predator who killed for pleasure. Although the murderer was animalistic in his way, and he did kill for pleasure, we don't see the senselessness of his actions. We see instead, the reasons for his actions, and we almost, just almost, sympathize with him. We see his background, we see his life, the things he went through, we see his perseverance, we see his genius, his vision...

It was such a wonderful read. I was so caught up completely in this world, flowing gently with the words and the story.

I went later to watch the movie, and while I think the book was so much better, of course, I think the directors did a very admirable job in interpreting the book for the movie. They changed some of the storyline to fit into the movie, necessarily, but it was done really well, and it doesn't take away the beauty of the art. Read the book and watch the movie, I'm pretty sure you'll love both.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (447 pages)

Date Started: 1st Nov 2006
Date Finished: 15th Nov 2006

Rating:

I loved this simply because I read The Eyre Affair just recently.

But I loved it so much more because of the actual experience of reading it as it was. Literature nowadays are seriously lacking in quality. Most authors seem to think that to have a bestseller they need to write stories that consist of shocking ethical or moral issues and have tragic endings. I miss the great books with happy endings.

This is one of them. You can't imagine how refreshing it was to finally read a good book, a great story, and it has a happy ending too! Although it is a classic, but it's new to me, and I've been jaded with too many sad endings lately. I'm glad for this book.

But endings aside, the storyline, the plot, the narrative... they were all superb. Charlotte Bronte is a wonderful author, and remains one of my favourites. I love how Jane pulls you into the story, the way the descriptive passages flow into one another, the way the words causes the most vivid pictures to appear right before your eyes.

And as I said, it was made all the more enjoyable because I previously read The Eyre Affair. It was slow reading, but it was made to be savoured. That's why it's still a great classic after all these years.