A Great and Terrible Beauty – Libba Bray

Rating : 2.5/5

Gemma was living in India with her mother when one day at the market everything changed. She had a dark vision where her mother was killed but realized it wasn’t just a vision. Few months later England, Gemma was enrolled at Spence a girl’s academy. She meets a powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions “for a bit of fun” and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the “others” and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.

I have been trying to finish this novel last two months but I failed to finish it until today. It was an okay read for me because the first 200 pages was so boring that I had to take a break for a month or so to get back and read it again.

The story was okay though I’m not really fascinated with supernatural plots. I think this book pace was really slow but the last 150 pages were really fun that I can’t take my eyes off it. Especially where the girls go into this world where they can do whatever they wish for. The girls are somewhat innocent and broken in their own way and in that world they can get their hearts desire but eventually greed will cause some trouble.

I don’t know what I should feel after finishing this book. I decided not to continue the second book which is the Rebel Angels but maybe in the future…

This book :

1. Reminded me of the cave adventure of The Dead Poets Society but with magic.
2. left me with some pictures in my head

1984 – George Orwell

Rating : 3.0/5

A dystopian novel by George Orwell where Big Brother, the quasi-divine Party leader who is the image of an intense tyranny but who may not even exist. The Party “seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power.” The protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, is a member of the Outer Party, who works for the Ministry of Truth (or Minitrue), which is responsible for propaganda and historical revisionism. His job is to rewrite past newspaper articles, so that the historical record always supports the party line.Smith is a diligent and skillful worker but he secretly hates the Party and dreams of rebellion against Big Brother.

After reading this book I was confused and lost on why it ended that way. I was expecting more action and rebellion but it left me thinking that the protagonist were cowards and weaklings. But the more I thought about it, I realized “well…that’s the reality.” Maybe all things doesn’t end in happy endings after all.

When you’re in a totalitarian society you’re not allowed to think and act independently. You become indifferent to the things around you unless you are taught not to. This book is kinda creepy due to big brother’s eyes posted on every corner of the street telling you he’s watching you, the telescreen that you can’t turn off which it can see whatever you’re doing, the hidden microphones everywhere and the Junior Spies. The Junior Spies are children who were taught in school to report people who were doing crimes against Big Brother even if the person is their own family.

Overall its was a good read but I had a hard time reading some parts of the book so I tend to read it again and again because it was hard for me to understand. The plot was very good but it was more of a explanatory book, informational(?) book for me rather than a normal story book. I don’t know if that made any sense.

Flipped – Wendelin Van Draanen

I accidentally discovered this movie way back then but after watching it I never saw the eggs the same way again. I was so in love with the movie I later found out that there was a book. I didn’t read it until now probably three or four years after but I kept on rewatching the movie so today I just finished it and it didn’t disappoint me.

Rating : 5/5

There are two narrators of this book. Bryce, a boy who is irritated by the presence of the girl across his house and Juli,the girl. A bored Juli didn’t had anyone her age to play with. So when she heard about the new neighbors coming she took her chance to make a new friend. However, she flipped. The moment Juli touched his hands she fell in love. But that was not for Bryce. He was annoyed when she touched her hands and the endless chasing and stalking of Juli. They eventually fall for each other so its a happy ending.

But there’s more than just a young love in this book. In fact I’m not a big fan of romance novels or teen romance or such but this one is an exception. The book includes maturity, innocence, family, trust, friendship,courage and respect.

Juli had a mentally disabled uncle who his father really loves and refuses to send him to a government care despite of the family’s financial problems. It was a heart wrenching part for me because there are always people who judge the moral standards of a person depending on how they see the surface. Why not ask? Why not know the side of someone on why Juli’s family can’t afford to clean up their yard? And the grandfather was the only person in the Loski family who understands and the one who made Bryce and Juli realize the importance of seeing what’s inside.

I also loved on how Juli saw the world when climbing up up the sycamore tree. I used to climb ‘sarisa’ trees and other trees in my childhood although I climbed it for the fruits no view. You can really feel it in your bones that every climb to the top you have that little fulfillment in  your heart that there’s a price waiting for you there. That’s what made the sycamore tree for Juli that special.

The role of the adults here are big. Especially when the story is a continuous phase of Juli & Bryce growing up in the same neighborhood. Mr.Loski who has a mysterious past that maybe made him a cold person as he is today and Mrs. Loski who had a hard time coping up with it. Chet, Bryce’s grandfather and Juli’s father had the best advices for them. I admired the part where the sycamore tree was cut down and Juli’s father told her that ‘it was not just a sycamore tree. so don’t try to forget’ & made painted her her own sycamore tree.

This book has left me with :

1. To be thankful for all the little things that I have.
2. Fulfillment is not only acquired by getting the things you want. Its also the act of fully understanding and realizations.
3. 
4. To be out in the nature more! Iv’e been stuck in the house for sooo long.

To kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

Rating : 3.0/5

From the point of view of a little girl from Maycomb she shares the story of her childhood where she spent the countless afternoons with her brother playing and fantasizing about the debut of their neighbor Boo Radley getting out of his home.  His father Atticus is a widowed lawyer who despite of his time occupied with different cases never fails to discipline and educate his kids with kind guidance. But the family was faced with difficulties when Atticus was appointed to defend a black man. He was left with no choice but to do his work which is to protect his client. But is his client the only one to be protected?

Probably everyone knows about this book or heard it once in a while. But I just finished the book first week of January and watched the film. Not only it was great, it was kinda scary for a 18 year old girl too. It was hard for me at first to read a classic modern type of book since it would be my first time reading one but the writing was so beautiful that I felt I was in my  hometown.

First off while I was reading this I got confused because I thought Scout was a boy. Yes, a boy. I was very sure that I read the book with my heart and mind but I was lost when I was seventy pages after.  So I read it again finished it satisfyingly.  I really admired Atticus who have all this deep thoughts to tell his children. If Maycomb had a best single parent award that would be Atticus. And don’t forget the best non-parent, Calpurnia.

Both book & film I was amazed with Jem because of his open-mindedness and a true gentleman. Scout on the other hand always take her first step on the wrong foot but the minute she understands stuff she becomes like his father and brother. The characters and plot were well portrayed on film even though there were some missing parts but both were amazing.

Set in the 1930s there is a visible inequalities between the black men and women. But I assure you 1930’s or today it is saddening to see that we still have it now. Of course we may have an abundance of organizations that protects people who have different perspective, religion and culture. People nowadays also accept cultures that before extremely opposed. But that doesn’t mean its not happening. I live in Ansan, South Korea where a lot of foreign immigrant lives and everyday morning I come to see hundreds of foreigners from different countries starting their day in an alien land with alien people who look down on them. I am not emphasizing that all Korean people are judgemental and racist but some are. I am a Korean and its sad to know that despite of the growing economy of this country the moral standards are decreasing too. How do I know? Well, every time the topic of homosexuality comes up most of the class and my friends would strongly loathe them like they were criminals. I live with my immigrant father and he would come home telling us at our dinner table on how the Korean workers eat good stuff while they don’t get an invitation or anything. It breaks me that if these things are considered small discrimination in my society how much more can be seen in the news today?

Besides the childhood reminiscence of my childhood and its beauty I was more intrigued by the author of this book. She made a debut with this book and it became a phenomenal masterpiece but remained discreet up to now. She remained independent now living with her sister. I mean its not that I am planning to not get married and have a family. Its the simple life she has growing old with her sister. I am very close with my sister despite some annoyance with her attendance I would love to see my future sipping a tea in our porch near the beach with my sister 50 or 60 years later.  Ms. Lee also haven’t had any interviews or appeared on TV since way back the 1990’s I guess and still her books are the monthly purchase of many.

Overall this book left me with :

1. Missing my hometown and the memories good or bad
2. There’s no such thing as perfect family, there are absences but you have to take part on helping to create a loving family.
3. Be an open-minded person. Respect each perspective.
4. 
5. My first book of the year!

When everything doesn’t go into plan

Since the day I realized that I have to be well prepared for my future, I was obsessing here and there on how I can do stuffs. No procrastinating on any work, tried to complete all the tasks in my planner and not be late for school. I may have been sometimes lazy on small things and just wanted to push things off my radar but I always tried. But the other day I found out that I can’t be on any college in the Philippines. Since the implementation of K + 12 in the country, I received an unwanted email about them not being able to accept any freshmen for the academic year 2016 -2017. I was devastated because even if I am accepted into a college here in Korea there are many reasons why I don’t want to. I was dreaming and studying hard getting ready to be admitted into a Philippines university but it turns out I wasn’t lucky enough for the timing. But I still have hopes and who knows? Maybe this all happens for a reason.