April 2013. I met the crazy-happy people who contributed in this folio. I was not able to talk to most of them but am glad seeing them in flesh. That...moreApril 2013. I met the crazy-happy people who contributed in this folio. I was not able to talk to most of them but am glad seeing them in flesh. That night I read the stories and I kept putting their faces in their stories. Reading it reminded me of the calmness of a sea in twilight. Just as the title, I feel the hope in their words. No pretensions. I can't pinpoint my most favorite since each story is unique and speaks of different life situations. Like, I can relate to all of them because at certain point or aspect, I've been there. A friend of mine was able to read it while waiting. She liked it and told me she wanted to read it again. So instead of coffee table books, I put this where our guests can read it.(less)
Though I understand that this is a historical "fiction", it's unbelievable how Bruno can be so ignorant. As a Hitler youth and a son of a commandant,...moreThough I understand that this is a historical "fiction", it's unbelievable how Bruno can be so ignorant. As a Hitler youth and a son of a commandant, he must have received some Nazi Education. Pure bred German kids (like Bruno) were taught about how superior their race was, it was grilled to them in class. Bruno's tutor is a straight-up, all the way Nazi teacher who absolutely values history and social studies over arts. So how come, Bruno doesn't even know what a Jew is.
Anyway, I like how Bruno mispronounced things like calling Auschwitz, "Out-With", and der Fuhrer, The Fury, and it actually made sense. The novel feels undressed. There's little but just enough details but, I must say, Boyne succeeded in portraying emotions. I can feel it struggling out of each character and then repressed. Like when you shake a bottle of cola and just when you think it'll pop, it doesn't and bubbles leak around its rim. It's like that.(less)
Its about ohmmm...ohmmmm..but I just went zzzzz.zzzz...I don't understand why in spite of liking the the story itself, the way things turned out for S...moreIts about ohmmm...ohmmmm..but I just went zzzzz.zzzz...I don't understand why in spite of liking the the story itself, the way things turned out for Siddhartha, it always put me to slumber. With just a few pages, a day or an hour is enough to finish it, but I was hesitant reading it or else I snore. So its like 2 to 4 pages at a time.(less)
I was fortunate. I read it during day time. The creepy details are enough to make me paranoid over the littlest shadow at night. The cult-like chantin...moreI was fortunate. I read it during day time. The creepy details are enough to make me paranoid over the littlest shadow at night. The cult-like chanting and the description of how dark its essence is, is really haunting. This is my first H.P. Lovecraft and definitely won't be the last.(less)
It started slow. First three pages, I thought I'm not going to like it. But I found myself drawn in the fictional co...moreNolite te bastardes carborundorum!
It started slow. First three pages, I thought I'm not going to like it. But I found myself drawn in the fictional country, Republic of Gilead. The brutal policy and caste system. This was written in 1985. The time when there was a boom in feminist ideologies. Everybody's so "into" it (as if its not happening now) but Atwood presented a perfect dystopian society, a repercussion of an extreme ideology. A scarcity of life. I love how Atwood placed side by side the Christian ideas with the protagonists harsh reality. Like, the story of Rachel and Leah, Gilead from Genesis..etc. Also, Atwood's deliberate distortion of Marx's "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his need" with "From each according to her ability… to each according to his needs". The dress color codes separating classes of men and women are somewhat similar to Huxley's, A Brave New World.
I like Offred's fractured narration. The present, mixed with some blast from the past. I was amused with "but that did not happen", her reality fused with wishful thinking. Its epilogue /"historical notes" ended the novel with hope. That maybe Offred made it following the collapse of the Republic of Gilead. The revelations told in the symposium gave the novel a feel as if it did happen, as if those were real historical accounts.
I was so excited to read this because its about my favorite warlock, Magnus Bane. But, I must admit, the title was not given much thought. Good thing...moreI was so excited to read this because its about my favorite warlock, Magnus Bane. But, I must admit, the title was not given much thought. Good thing its just 34 pages of curiosity reading. The adventures are -eh, kinda okay but theirs nothing much in it.
It's hilarious. Imagine a nose inside your bread for breakfast. Imagine the newly fried pancake patch on where your nose was. Imagine a nose masquerad...moreIt's hilarious. Imagine a nose inside your bread for breakfast. Imagine the newly fried pancake patch on where your nose was. Imagine a nose masquerading like a dignified person. Imagine the horrors of waking up without one. While I was entertained with its magical realism, I was thinking of castration or impotence. Horrible, right? But really, for men, the nose is like a penis. But of course, imagining it otherwise, is absolutely disgusting and sick. Though, just like Kovalyovs, without it, it threatens the chances of acquiring power and success with women.(less)
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