Rabbitin

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - 4/5 Stars Now I know what all the hubub about TFIOS is about. Sure the hype is well deserved, but had I read this at a different time, I would have raved about it. But I am old AF and I think I am a little less dazzled by young love of this kind. The story is pretty basic and so are the characters.For me, it is the dialogue that stands out. John Green is a superb wordsmith. He can string a lot of quotable quotes that stirs all the right bits in your heart.    Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer - 4/5 Stars  Weird ass book, this. And I loved it. It's ooky, kooky, icky, and all other sorts of oky! It's like an Amazon Jungle Twilight Zone thing. More than the mystery, I love how the protagonist (The Biologist) is written. It is largely very character driven, and I felt all of her frustrations and sadness and grief and curiosity. I think, I'll take a bit of a breather though before taking on book 2, Authority. Because Ar...

So I managed to read 20 books last year. Not too bad. 20 isn't stellar but it's not a zero. Obviously. But I am happy with it. I've had some pretty awesome reads this 2017 too. And my top ten are as follows: 1. I would say Lincoln in the Bardo   by George Saunders is my best book of 2017. Surprise, surprise. The novel is a feat in terms of style and emotionally electric in terms of content. And if you doubt my word, give a listen to an interview of George Saunders in Bullseye with Jesse Thorn, right HERE . 2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood  was another memorable read. So much so that I now have a necklace with the mock Latin phrase: "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum". What I love about Margaret Atwood is how her writing tends to be quiet and subtle, but it pulsates. 3. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was such a fun read, took me back to the old gaming days of blowing on cartridges, and playing straight because they didn't...

Hi guys! Here comes the mini reviews for the books I've read so far, and also what I am currently reading.  Books Read:  1. The Sellout by Paul Beatty - 4/5 Stars  The Sellout is unlike anything I've read before. It's funny because it doesn't really have a plot, it's just mostly commentary. And it's good commentary. Funny, smart, witty and full of passion. He is a great wordsmith, Paul Beatty. His sentences are like firecrackers, they snap, cackle and pop. He can take any argument about race and turn it even more explosive than it already is. I listened to his interview on WTF, Marc Maron's podcast, and he said something about how he couldn't understand what "black pride" (or gay pride, or national pride, or any other pride) meant, and how everything about race is just so contextual. It's a really good interview. You can give it a listen HERE . 2. The Princess Saves Herself In This One by Amanda Lovelace - 3.5/5 Stars ...

I thought this would be the perfect time to break my blog post drought! So I guess, it's been six freakin years. Although it does seem embarrassing putting up an anniversary post when there hasn't been any "actual posts" for a long time now. But who cares. My blog, my rules! Now on to business! Now let me tell you a quick story. My sister and I went to a local nursery in the city. The one with plants in them and not babies. The owner was very attentive and accommodating in helping us decide which plants to get. And in my case, very low maintenance plants. Plants have been known to die at my hands, so I need a black thumb proof plant. Okay, so she toured us around the nursery and she was marvelous. My sister got the ZZ plant. And nope the plant doesn't make snooze-y sounds. Bummer. But it has really pretty, shiny leaves. And I got an Aloe Vera plant (which I named Alouette.) My sister is counting the days before little Alouette dies. She is a monster. Now bac...

It's been three darned months. And I know I made promises I didn't keep in terms of blog posts. But I have never stopped reading. I may not read as much as I used to, but still do. Haven't been blogging that much though. Obviously. But I managed to come up with two posts for my movie blog, and for that I am glad. So now I shall refrain from making promises I may or may not keep, and just post whenever I am up for it. What I'm reading: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders - Right now, I am reading The Filipino Goodreads Book Club's book of the month which is George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo. If you haven't heard of George Saunders, you need to re-examine your life asap. George Saunders' brain is like entering a darkened, albeit familiar room. You grope your way in, recognizing familiar objects. The lamp, the leather couch. But then you your hands feel something strange, something you can't quite place. A gooey substance, a pointed e...

But first things first.... To my blog readers (or what's left of em! Sob!): I know, it's been a looong while! Sob! I haven't been reading much lately. I can only manage to read one book a month, half if the book is long. Sob! It's not that I don't have time. Well, perhaps I have less time now than before. But still, I got time. But for the past months I have been burning through all six seasons of the AMC TV series called The Walking Dead, and then I managed to watch the first two episodes of the currently airing, 7th season. And it is not a very good idea to watch this show in succession on account of emotional exhaustion. After that, I finally acquired a copy of the complete fourth season of Doctor Who. It is also not a very good idea to watch this show after The Walking Dead, because this show and I, have a history. And then there's this thing called "movies." So yeah, I am double crossing books for television and film. Sob! So there's ...

August 2016 - Required Reading Report: 1. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - (5/5 Stars) I got to attend the face to face discussion on this! Okay, we were late. And the long table was long so I wasn't able to truly listen to everybody's insights. But it was great! The book is great! Although a few people in our group felt lukewarm towards it. And I get why. Or at least, I think I do. It's kind of fanciful rather than grounded from life. It's a tad telenovela-ish, if you know what I mean. And one of the book club members even mentioned something about Leo Gursky being caricaturish. He's not someone you would encounter in real life, he says. And yeah, he may be right. Krauss sort of strings him along on these antics. Dropping change all over the floor, hassling the shoe sales person, posing nude for an art class. And this guy, he's 80 years old! And then there's Alma, one of the protagonists, who is also on the peculiar side. In fact, I was asked du...

July 2016 - Required Reading Report: Okay so remember what I said about me and Meliza moderating a book club discussion sometime this November with the theme: Book to Movie Adaptation? And that I would like to keep the titles a secret until voting day? We'll I am going to keep it that way! Because I am annoying that way! 1. Mystery Book #1 - (5/5 Stars) While I don't think I have fully grasped what this book is truly saying, the writing style is something else. It's brusque and coarse, and with sentences and phrases that repeat all throughout the book. And I mean all that in a positive way. And there is that chaotic, random and trippy feel to the whole thing. But it works because the style doesn't appear to me as gimmicky, instead I find it significant to the kind of story the author wishes to bring to life here. This book is just mental but it's one hell of a thrill ride. 2. Mystery Book #2 - (5/5 Stars) The author's choice of an unreliable narra...

June 2016 - Required Reading Report: 1. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luiz Zafron (4/5 Stars) - The Shadow of the Wind feels like a really big lunch. It's like say, a particularly chunky, thick stew. A hearty, warm bowl of goodness that left me with the satisfied smile of a well- fed grizzly bear ready for hibernation. Okay bears don't smile, but you get my drift. While this book has indeed the trappings of a 'telenovela', that is, expect some high drama and a great deal of preposterousness. But who cares? Carlos Luiz Zafron spins a really engaging yarn, it's impossible for me not be beguiled by the mystery of Julian Carax and the other slew of colorful characters. Carlos Luiz Zafron, I like your flourishes! On Hold: 1. Time's Arrow by Martin Amis - I wasn't able to finish The Shadow of the Wind before the month ended, so Mr. Amis would just have to wait.  July 2016 - Required Reading Report: 1. A Book turned into a Movie! - Nop...

May 2016 - Required Reading Report: 1. The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness - (4/5 Stars) I was unsure about this during the first few chapters. The whole "wink-wink", meta thing can be terribly annoying. Parodies too can grow tired fast and sometimes turn mean in lesser skilled hands. But I worried for naught because Patrick Ness is an amazing writer. At least for me, he took a risk and he pulled it off. Having the chosen one fantasy story in the background adds texture to the YA contemporary story in the forefront. It made, what could have been a run-of-the-mill coming of age story, less hackneyed. I love the contrast between the plot driven fantasy story of the indie kids, and that of the character driven, internal monologue-y contemporary story of Mikey and his friends. That and the fact that Ness writes such good prose and with much sensitivity. Mikey's experiences with OCD and anxiety felt very genuine to the point of familiarity. The Rest of Us Just ...

Things have been awfully quite here in my blog, I know. I haven't been putting out posts as frequently as I would like. It's not necessarily that I lack time. I mean I can make time. But it's more like my brain being all over the place. My sister going away for good during the start of the year seems to have put me in a certain headspace that I haven't been to before. Well, I already haven't been blogging that much late last year, so I guess it's not that after all. Bah, what am I saying? See? Brains all over place! Anyhu, I will always do my darnest to keep this blog afloat! Because I love that I got to meet awesome books and people (TFG and Meliza, I hope to see you sometime this year!) through this blog! I love that I always feel comfort and the joy when I am writing in this blog! I will always cherish this darned blog! I love you blog! I love you blog readers! I love you literature! I love you all! BRAINS.ALL.OVER.PLACE.

April 2016 - Required Reading Report: 1. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell - (5/5 Stars)  I admit I was expecting Mitchell's spinning, twisting, genre-hopping razzmatazz, so I was very surprised to find a straightforward narrarive this time. Well it has several storylines, yes. But it is more simple in structure than his books prior to this. I say this not as a complaint but as a compliment to his range. And well, every inch of it is still very much a Mitchell book. That is, it touches on big themes like religion and belief, and immortality and reincarnation, and life and death, and supremacism. And as always he spins a fantastic yarn, historically rich, and magical, and grand, and romantic, and saddening. My gawd. Why is he so disgustingly good?  On hold: 1. Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba - I was supposed to have read this last month, but Thousand Autumns proved to be a lenghty read. And I have to prioritize the above mentioned books...

March 2016: Required Reading Report 1. Siglo: Freedom (Siglo #1) by Dean Francis Alfar (Editor), Michael Vincent Simbulan (Editor) - (3/5 Stars)  This is one of those things where "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts". I mean as a collection, I like how varied the stories are, and how it showcases that freedom can mean different things to different people. Individually, however, the stories doesn't seem to hold much weight. There is no strong feelings generated from any of them, not from me, at least.  2. The Penelopiad by Margaret Attwood - (5/5 Stars) I love how funny The Penelopiad is, which I was quite surprised to find in an Attwood work. But come to think of it, her short story Happy Endings (my first and only Attwood experience) has comedic elements. So yeah, I guess I shouldn't be surprised after all. I love her dark humor, and how she was able to create such a compelling and inventive narrarive from the perspective of a character whom we al...