The Ask and The Answer

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Like any other second book of a three-book series, there is a palpable monotony in the plot during the first two-thirds of the story. It felt like everything has settled down and the characters have made their choices. There are a few more quotable quotes from the main characters. Then again, this is Chaos Walking. I expected more twists and I expected to be kept hanging at the end of it. I was not disappointed. Now, on to book three...

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The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1)

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Darn this book for making me shed tears in a public place only after reading a few pages. Darn you Ben for always breaking my heart! When I get my pet dog, I shall name him Manchee. Thankful to a friend who recommended this series. Oh, why don't you just die, Aaron?! I can't stop reading and I have to read the next book. I have to. It is weird imagining a Western movie style setting in a dystopian world with two moons, full of adventure and fantasy and sci-fi and awesome heroics and action and coming-of-age stuff and drama and death. What if Noise is real? How will we cope? I'm sure there will still be a lot of lies and deception. I cried some more because some scenes hurt and touch, some make me frantic and stressed and scared. Oh Viola! That scene when she was reading the book to Todd was awesome. I love how fast-paced the book was because I find myself skipping some words, sometimes lines just to know what happens next. I wish I have another long weekend to finish the series..."

That's probably what (some of) my Noise would sound like while reading this book. :)

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Fangirl

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading Rainbow Rowell's "Eleanor & Park" and "Attachments", I know that, somehow, I have gotten used to her writing style. These two books have different plots, so I did not have any set expectations on "Fangirl". I just know I'd enjoy it. Well, I did and I am placing this book on the same level as "Eleanor & Park" when it comes to my books-I-adore list.

As a fangirl, this is my kind of story. Although I am not into fanfiction, I know how it feels to intertwine my love for the fictional world to my reality. There's a level of passion that some people will not understand and will find funny or weird. Cather is a typical fangirl whose college freshman life is told in this coming-of-age story. She goes through changes in life and love. Between her struggle to find herself, maintain her scholarship, make friends with her roommate, worry about her dad, think about her twin sister and fall in love, she writes her own version of a very popular series of books.

Interspersed with Cath's life is the story of Simon Snow who reminds me very much of Harry Potter. Think a story within a story. I would often find myself skipping through the Snow stories just to know what happens next in Cath's. That's a good thing -- her life is more interesting for me than what happens in her books.

Rowell has this tendency to write lines that melt my heart or make me want cuddle and kiss and fall in love again. I would like to believe that I can be jaded about love at times, but her books will completely reveal the heart on my sleeve. It's the thought of young love's innocence, the kindness of the characters and the way the story unfolds that make me want to get lost in them. The characters are flawed and the ending is not all perfect, but that's what makes the story relatable and effective.

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Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

[WARNING: SPOILER ALERT]

I love the movie and watching it compelled me to read the book. I did not really think of it as science fiction. I viewed it as one of those coming-of-age novels. It's a story of life, friendship and love in a setting so peculiar it would only come from someone with great imagination.

I think I expected too much romance in the story that I got disappointed. There are moments when I got bored because the story seemed monotonous and the pace unvaried. Maybe I was not used to the style of writing. There were times when I did not agree with the opinions and decisions of the main protagonist, Kathy, but I guess that's what made her real and... human. My favorite parts of the story were the last few pages. There is one scene in the book that I would have wanted to not be changed in the movie-- when Madame friend while watching Kathy dancing to the song "Never Let Me Go". It made the ending more emotional. This is one of those rare instances wherein I appreciate the movie more than the book... or maybe I am just biased because I adore Andrew Garfield as Tommy. :)



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The Spectacular Now

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(WARNING: May contain spoilers)
I wanted to finish reading this book because I was curious. They made a movie adaptation of the book and I wonder how they're going to show this on the big screen. They would probably focus more on the romantic comedy part, but this is such a sad story.

The party does not start until Sutter Keely, God's own drunk, is in the house. He's charming and confident. He's a hero and a loser. He's smart and philosophical, but he can be stupid, annoying and selfish. He drowns his life in 7Up and whisky. He's someone I love to hate and I hate to love. He's my ultimate oxymoronic fictional character.

The story can be exhausting but there are unexpectedly funny parts. I was a bit disappointed with the ending. It felt abrupt. Yes, it was realistic but I guess I was really hoping for a happy, fairy tale ending for someone who held this machismo façade, but has really suffered so much.



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