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Showing posts from May, 2013

Top Ten Tuesdays (Freebie): Creature Feature

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For More Info go to: The Broke and The Bookish Today's Top Ten Tuesday Topic is FREEBIE! Meaning I get to pick whatever. So, I decided on Top Ten Creatures in Literature , Mythical or otherwise. Here goes... 1. Manchee (The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness) - This dog broke my heart. No other dog could be more loyal and loving than to his master than Machee. 2. Acorn and Angharrad (The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness) - Another one of those fiercely loyal creatures whose devotion to their masters that made me cry. 3. Buckbeak the Hippogriff (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling) - Sure, Hedwig, the snowy owl is iconic when it comes to HP, but Buckbeak is my favorite. Despite his grandness of being a hippogriff and all, he exudes affection towards Harry and Hagrid and he's kind of adorable. And turned out to be a very helpful in saving Sirius Black. 4. The Great Eagles (Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien) - These soaring majestic ...

ABNKKBSNPLAKo by Bob Ong (REVISITED)

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"Bakit namamalo si Miss Uyehara? May mga notebook bang lumilipad? Bakit masakit sa ulo ang Mafhemafics? Ano ang lihim sa likod ng pagkakaibigan nila Pepe at Tagpi? Bakit may mga taong nakapikit sa litrato? Masarap ba ang Africhado? Sino si Tigang? Bakit may mga classroom na kulang ang upuan? Masama bang mag-isip nang malalim habang naglalakad? Saan ang Ganges River sa Pilipinas? Bakit may mga umaakyat ng overpass pero hindi tumatawid? Sino ang webmaster ng bobongpinoy sa Internet?" I remember having read this book sometime during the end high school or the start of my college years. I did not think much of this book back then. Now, re-reading it as a legitimate (ehem) adult, I found that my appreciation for it has increased.   The power of this book lies in nostalgia. The shared experiences of student life, as humorously related by Bob Ong. And I realized that these experiences, more or less, never really varies THAT much from era to era. The 70s born P...

Top Ten Favorite Book Covers Of Books I've Read

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  1. Why We Broke Up by Danile Handler, and Maria Kalman - I love the cup and saucer suspended in midair, I can almost hear it's inevitable crash to the floor. It is a perfect depiction of the book's theme. 2. Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci - It's because the pixelated characters on the cover reminds me of my nintendo/family computer days! And I love that each one represents a specific type of geek. 3.  Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling  - The HP books have recently been given a makeover, and while I think they are great, I still hold a special place in my heart to the Mary Grandpre ones.    4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien -Far over, the misty mountains rise! 5.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins  - I admire the whole militaristic, geometric design of the series. And how the mockingjay's position changes, as a way of depicting the stage in which the story is in. 6. Love and Lef...

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

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Summary from Goodreads : Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor. Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the y...

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

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Summary from Goodreads : In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training. Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother ...

Top Ten Books Dealing With Tough Subjects

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For more info go to: The Broke and The Bookish 1. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - A WWII story about women spies and fighter pilots. This is one of those stories that broke my heart. It's more than just espionage. It's about love, loyalty, bravery, and friendships. 2. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak - Another WWII story made heartbreakingly sad through the words of a young girl named Liesel. Being a kid, and growing up in the middle of war is one of the hardest experiences there is. 3. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - It's a haunting and riveting story that won me over because of it's prose which somewhat took away the grisliness of such a topic as eating disorders but did not fail in making me realize it's actual gravity.     4. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - Speak deals with a traumatic event that led Melinda to suppress her feelings and shut herself out of the real world. I appreciated it's honest depiction of a teen's internal ...

The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud

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Summary from Goodreads : The setting is an alternate version of biblical times during the reign of King Solomon, where magicians command djinni and Solomon rides herd over the known world due to his possession of an all-powerful ring that causes everyone to cower before him. The Queen of Sheba, aware that Solomon is preparing to disrupt her country's frankincense trade due to her refusal of his multiple marriage proposals, sends her most trusted guard, Asmira, to kill Solomon and steal the ring. Meanwhile, Bartimaeus has been humiliated because of his misbehavior and forced to work for Solomon's henchman, Khaba, on his new temple. After an amusing incident in which Bartimaeus is caught in the form of a hippo while illegally using magic to lay stones for Solomon's temple, he is sent to hunt other creatures who are disrupting trade routes. He encounters Asmira, traveling to Jerusalem under an assumed identity to accomplish her mission. How Bartimaeus ends up as her serva...

Top Ten Books When You Need Something Light & Fun

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For more info go to: The Broke and the Bookish 1. A Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty - Told through a series of letters, exchanged between four girls and four boys of two different schools as part of their pen pal project in English. Fun and funny. 2. Anna and the French Kiss / Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - Perkins makes a seemingly average romantic teen story stand out because she does it well. There is cheese but not cloying. 3. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - Best read siting on the patio deck with tea and cakes. 4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan - A pretty straightforward adventure story. Easy to get into, and fast-paced. 5. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - If you love books and words and the mystery of corresponding with a stranger through an exchange of a red moleskin notebook then this is for you. There is an added charm if read during Christmas. :) 6. Fairy Tale Fail b...

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

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Summary from Goodreads : "War," says the Mayor. "At last." Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they're so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge - the electrifying finale to the award-winning "Chaos Walking" trilogy, Monsters of Men is a heart-stopping novel about power, survival, and the devastating realities of war I always have mixed feelings when it comes to reading the last installment in a well loved series. I want to read it immediately because I want to know what happens next. But on the other hand, I want to try and put it off as much as I can because I just don't want the series to end, I don't want to have n...

Required Reading: May 2013

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The Sequels Month of March. That was my reading theme and I must say I had a blast. And from the time I joined this challenge last February, this is actually the first time that I have had 3 five star reads. It was a little bit emotionally draining with having to read the last installment of two of my favorite series of all time. So that's having to say two farewells in one month. But, they were the best endings that I could ever hope for. So all in all it was a wonderful month of March! March Required Reading Challenge Report 1. The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare - 3.5 Stars 2. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - 5 Stars 3. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness - 5 Stars 4. The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud - 5 Stars * I initially had Son of the Shadows by Julliet Marillier for number 4 but I switched it with The Ring of Solomon because I missed Bartimaeus and it's the only book left, for me to complete the series. *Spillovers: Review Post for Monster ...