"PAPERBACK REVOLUTION"

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10th
December

4 notes
Book 21 | Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua I first “heard” of this book when I saw this issue of Time. I actually dismissed the thought of reading the book because I thought that I wouldn’t be able to relate to the story as I am nowhere near being a parent. But, I changed my mind when I read about Amy Chua again, this time when she made it to Time’s 100 this 2011. This book was pretty controversial over the internet and it all started with this article. A lot of “Westeners” were appalled by Amy Chua’s parenting style—threatening to burn Sophia’s stuffed toys, calling Sophia “garbage”, rejecting personalized birthday cards, among other things. Before you side with the “Westerners” after reading the article, I suggest you read the book first. Growing up, my mother may have imposed a “Chinese mother” style on me. I remember I was to memorize everything in preparation for the periodical exams. I also remember asking for a study break, but my mother wouldn’t allow me, until I was able to answer all her questions. Somewhat similar to Sophia’s success in Carnegie Hall, I was accelerated (please don’t make a big deal out of this, I do not regard myself as an intelligent person) and I made it as an Academic Excellence Awardee replacing one of the consistent awardees. However, my mother became a “Western parent” after my second brother was born. Not that it’s a bad thing. I am quite proud on how I turned out as a person. Contrary to the uproar and dismay of the “Westerners”, I actually found the book funny and moving. I learned that, an A- is really an Asian F, the Chinese (or the Asians, for that matter) have a high regard when it comes to families, and most importantly, I learned that discipline is one of the keys to success. I have decided. I am going to be a Chinese mother.
10th
December

5 notes
Book 20 | Looking for Alaska by John Green (a re-read) You may have read from my post way way back that I won this book in an internet contest held by @presidents. I was so happy I won this book because (a) back then the book was not available here in the Philippines (b) Looking for Alaska was a big hit of a book (c) my answer, my brief answer, was chosen by @presidents (!) I re-read this book two days before my trip to Cebu, to pass time. I think I enjoyed the book more when I read it the second time compared with my first. One of my Favorite quote/s: “Because no one can catch the motherfucking fox.”  -Takumi
2nd
December

0 notes
Book 19 | Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx This 50 Book Challenge post is dedicated to @disorganizedsuccess. “I wish I knew how to quit you.” See you soon, Patty :)
24th
September

2 notes
Book 18 | The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks This is another of the four books @inhinyeronina & @zielsy gave me before leaving for Canada. I was never a fan of Nicholas Sparks but I decided to read this because life has been stressing me out and I wanted to deviate from the heavy YA stuff I usually read. What’s funny was that, I was crying half the time I was reading this book! No judgments, people. I am a sucker for daddy plots. The film adaptation is way different from the book, though. I am not a fan of Miley Cyrus but I think she is perfect for the role of Ronnie. I liked The Last Song more than A Walk To Remember. If you plan on starting to read Sparks, I suggest you pick this book first. 32 more books to go! Will I succeed doing this challenge?
31st
August

1 note
Book 17 | Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me by Eros S. Atalia
6th
August

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Book 16 | The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Banks
10th
July

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Book 15 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (a re-read) Do I really need to explain why I re-read this book? I first read Deathly Hallows way back in college and when I saw the first part of the last Harry Potter movie, I barely remember anything I read from the book. I didn’t get to fully enjoy watching the movie because I was asking my companions what was happening most of the time! To prevent the same thing from happening again, I decided to re-read the book a month before the part two of the movie premiers. Reading the book again, definitely, rekindled my love for JK Rowling and the whole Harry Potter series. It made me realize that the story of Harry Potter, after receiving so much praise and so much criticism (for being related to witchcraft), indeed, played a big part in my adulthood. And even though the magic of Harry Potter in the big screens will end soon, it will never really end in our hearts.
21st
May

2 notes
Book 14 | Like the Red Panda by Andrea Seigel Reasons for buying this book: It is a suicide novel (my first suicide novel that I read); and It has a blurb by Chuck Klosterman at the back cover of the book Did I like the ending? I guess. The book was okay for me. That is all I could say. The wise man will live as long as he ought, not as long as he can. Yup. That’s suicide there, right in front of you.
11th
April

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Book 11 | Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Book 12 | Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins Book 13 | Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Before work officially ended, I was able to borrow The Hunger Games from my co-worker and Catching Fire & Mockingjay from our school’s library. I never expected the book to have a very good plot. I simply can’t put it down and I am not even exaggerating. Although, I think the story is a bit violent for the young adults, it is not something that they can’t handle. What I didn’t like about the trilogy, though, are its Twilight-like moments. Still, this trilogy is young adult so I understand. In between reading, I can’t help but Google updates on the film adaptation. So far, my opinion is neutral on the actors cast as Katniss, Peeta and Gale but I am rooting for Hugh Laurie to play as Haymitch. In totality, I liked the book a lot. Good thing for books like these, teenagers are not presented with stories which center on love and love alone, because in real life, family and friends matter and The Hunger Games clearly showed that.