2012 is nearly over. I have read 10 books so far, and I am halfway through Book #11. I think I have time for two more books by year-end. I am rather pleased with myself. Compare that to the two books I read last year! How are you going with your own reading? I trust that you will join me (again) next year for another twelve books. Perhaps, like me, you have the titles for 2013 lined up in your head already.
I found the time to read but it is more difficult to find the time to write. I can only produce a condensed version of my reviews. So here we go.
Book #5: To Kill A Mockingbird (May-Aug on and off) – Shelf it.
Ariel bought this 1960 classic in hardcover at his favourite bookstore Kinokuniya. I must admit, it was a very slow read in the beginning. I was distracted by the other books in waiting. In truth, I read other books in parallel. It must be the old English prose or the subject matter that I found lackluster – rape and racial inequality. There was no sword fighting nor sorcery. I persisted. After all, it won the Pulitzer Prize and was made into a movie starring Gregory Peck.
A summary from Wikipedia – “As a Southern Gothic novel…, the primary themes of To Kill a Mockingbird involve racial injustice and the destruction of innocence. Scholars have noted that Lee also addresses issues of class, courage, compassion, and gender roles in the American Deep South. The book is widely taught in schools in English-speaking countries with lessons that emphasize tolerance and decry prejudice. “
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.
– Atticus Finch, To Kill A Mockingbird
This book is easily one that you should have in your bookcase. Every lawyer or would-be lawyer must read it, if not everyone.
The next classic I want to get my hands on is “The Catcher in the Rye”, in hardcover please.
Book #6: Fifty Shades of Grey (June) – Gift it or Pass it around. This deserves its own space here.
Book #7: Game of Thrones-A Clash of Kings (July and August) – Shelf it.
The second instalment of the wildly successful series is as good as the first one. Unfortunately, I have not written anything in my notes after reading this book. So, humour me, and just read my review of Book 1.
Book #8: Fifty Shades Darker (September, but it felt like forever ) – Pass it.
My apologies to fans of Fifty Shades. The second issue did not exceed the first book‘s magic. The novelty has worn off for me. But to the romantic at heart, Fifty Shades Darker is much more palatable than Fifty Shades of Grey. This is when Christian Grey falls in love with Anastasia Steele and is brave enough to admit it and say it aloud. More than once. Did I say that book two was romantic?
I’ll be a party booper. I find this second instalment to be unnecessary. The author could have jumped straight into book three. Blame it on the popularity of trilogies. Everything must come out in three’s, regardless if the storyline is only worth one book!
Fifty Shades Darker has too much “vanilla” for my taste. It was not as racy as the first. So it was a tad hohum… But I cannot not read it. I have to read the trilogy, right? To get to book three, I must “pass” book two first. So there. Just borrow it from your friends or go straight to book three altogether!
Book #9: The Hunger Games (First two weeks of October) – Shelf it.
I am glad I read the book first before I saw the movie. The Hunger Games surprised me. I loved it. The reason is simple. The heroine, Katniss Everdeen, is feisty, headstrong and a survivor. She hunts using a bow and arrow. I love strong women characters who walk around in boots.
From Wikipedia – It is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, where the countries of North America once existed. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games are an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death.
At the core of the story is a love triangle between Katniss, her hunting partner Dale, and her Games partner Peeta. The author, Suzanne Collins, drew ideas from various sources – from Greek Mythology, from today’s reality television, and from Apocalyptic themes. I should also mention that the movie had an all-star cast. To my delight, Lenny Kravitz and Woody Harrelson appeared as Cinna and Haymitch respectively. I am looking forward to reading the other two sequels. Go find a copy, it is an easy read.
Book #10: The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Two days in Oct) – Shelf it.
Wikipedia says – The book’s primary inspiration is the true story of turn-of-the-century French pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès, his surviving films, and his collection of mechanical, wind-up figures called automata… At the end of his life Méliès was broke working in a toy booth in a Paris railway station, even as his films were screening widely in the United States.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret ought to be enjoyed in its hardcover edition. Replete with Brian Selznick’s 284 sketches, the drawings are so lifelike that it’s like “reading a movie, or watching a book”. You can actually finish this book in two to three hours, just like any movie. The depth of detail in the drawings is fascinating to see. If you used to draw in the past, reading this book will stir feelings of wanting to draw again. Not only that, you will be dreaming of visiting Paris real soon…
Read about my Twelve Book Challenge.
How I rate the Twelve Books:
Pass it – not worth your precious time
Borrow it – worthwhile reading but don’t buy it
Shelf it – worthy of a space in your bookcase
Gift it – it is so good, you want to share it
Disclaimer: Please don’t take my word too seriously. I am no expert in reviewing books. In other words, katuwaan lang po ito (just for fun)!
Leave a Reply