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The Best [and the Worst] Reads of 2011 (Subtitle: The Book I Will Push You to Read on 2012 )
Worst Read 1. Gifts from Eykis by Wayne Dyer
Best Reads
1. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
2. My Friend Leonard by James Frey
3.Diary by Chuck Palahniuk
4. White Nights by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
5. Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
My 2011 best reads that I would like to shove to your faces:The Bridge of San Luis Rey - short but heart-wrenching. Poignant and unforgettable. The characters have all something to say. Their loneliness is recognizable. And why did that bridge fall? Is it an architectural problem? Or is it the weight of the people's hearts? I have an extra copy, just tell me if you want it.
The Gospel According to Jesus Christ - thought-provoking, funny, bittersweet. Not for the faint of heart and for the faithless. I think this is a more intelligent version of the Robert Langdon series. But I haven't read those, haha. And how can I forget this line: One has to be God to enjoy so much bloodshed.
Hunger - You saw this coming, haha. How could a late 19th century novel sound so modern? It's because this is set to become a classic. One of the frontrunners of pantheism, this book is a wild ride that takes us to the recesses of a man's mind who is trying to achieve transcendence through hunger. I committed myself to buying every copy that I see in Book Sale branches and give them away. I already gave Jzhun a copy.
Independent People - they say it's about coffee and sheep. Even the person who wrote the introduction said that. But aside from these two is the battle between a father swallowed by pride and a stepdaughter engulfed with contempt. And the persistence of people to defy the laws of fate and nature.
The Known World - a new take on black slavery. Blacks owning blacks. A race within a race. Regardless of that, this is a stunner. At the end of the book, it poses this question: are you sure you are lucid enough to know what the world is made of?
My 2011 worst reads that you would be thankful for the warning I'm giving:
The Age of Innocence - if this were a color, this is the color mauve, a color trying to be either pink or purple that it ends up lost in the blandness between the two. I may have missed a lot, but I'd rather read a Russian or a 19th century English novel than this one.
The English Patient - I am surprised at myself for not liking this because this is the sort of book that I like. Or should like. Perhaps the narrative is too dreamy that it ended up not registering in my head. Like a dream.
A Passage to India - Kiran Desai, in her The Inheritance of Loss, said something about the horror and pretense of non-Indians writing about India. Enough said. I'm sure Atty. Monique will back me up on this.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - the narrative is clumsy. It feels like reading the first draft of a novel. Sure, the theme of the book is overarching, but I daresay it was not delivered as it would had it been written with more skillful writing.
Tropic of Cancer - incoherent, borders on trash, there's not a lot to have this whole book redeemed. There are some good parts, but the protagonist goes out of his way to return to that bombastic language that he uses. I tried counting how many times the word cunt was used. Of course, I lost track.
Angus: LOL...Ok naman ang English Patient ah!My Best of Reads of 2011:
1. Skippy Dies (Paul Muarray)
2. Room (Emma Donoghue)
Worst Reads of 2011:
1. Disgrace (J.M. Coetzee) - a very aptly titled book...
2. The Gathering (Anne Enright)
I don't have to think long and deep.My Best Read for this year is:
The Knife of Never Letting Go
My Worst Read is:
Lola and the Boy Next Door
H: Okay din naman ang The Gathering, hahaha. But we both agree sa Disgrace. Yung mga Disgrace defenders diyan ay magtataasan ang kilay, hahaha.Joyzi: Naalala ko pa ang pagkasuklam mo sa American Gods nung first time nating magkita, hahaha.
hahaha, unti lang pala ang books na kinasuklaman ko ngayong 2011 :), yung iba sana gusto ko ilagay kaso di ko naman natapos basahin unfair naman
Angus: "Disgrace defenders..." meron bang may gusto sa book na yan?? LOLJoyzi: Good to know I'm not the only one who hated American Gods...Such a disappointment, I don't know why so many people love it!
@ H you hated American Gods din pala, i don't know Neil Gaiman can be extremely boring at times ;P
Joyzi wrote: "@ H you hated American Gods din pala, i don't know Neil Gaiman can be extremely boring at times ;P"Yeah..kahit na big Gaiman fan ako...sobrang boring nga nyang American Gods hehehe.
I'm thankful that it's not my first Gaiman and never akong bumili ng books niya :)
Joyzi wrote: "I'm thankful that it's not my first Gaiman and never akong bumili ng books niya :)"You should try reading his other books: Neverwhere, Stardust, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book.
best reads for 2011
WORST read only for 2011:
(dragging)
@ H I've only read Neverwhere and American Gods, baka I'll read Fragile Things since I already have an e-book copy
Joyzi: Marami nga syang mga collection of short stories. Try mo rin yung mga graphic novels nya.
oo nga e Sandman series yung graphic novel niya di ba?
Marami syang graphic novels, pero yang Sandman na siguro ang pinaka sikat...
Umberto Eco's "Il Cimitero di Praga"... I think it's translated as The Cemetery of Prague. Anyway, the book is boring. BORING! My goodness!
best: 1. Holes- because social issues were neatly knitted into this children's book.
2. Ender's game- there is finesse in the way children are exploited here to save the world. and we thought our personal problems were big, try thinking ways to save the world... from alien invaders. :-)
3. Hardboiled wonderland and the end of the world- because I understood the message and saw that inner space is as deep and dark as outer space. (Because deep inside, I am a scifi junkie and loved the idea that Murakami could write something like this)
4. The Universe in miniature in miniature- it's a collection of short stories, there would be a story in there that is bound to hit you.
Worst:
Sadly, it would be Murakami's South of the border, west of the sun. If he admitted writing this during his middle age crisis, maybe I would add a sympathy star to my vote.
Doc Ranee: Wow, I'm surprised at your worst read. It's either irony or sound judgment (or both) when you pick the worst book from the a writer you are a fan of.Tripster Guy: Really? Isn't that his recent novel? I was intrigued when I saw copies of it at Fully Booked.
Angus wrote: "My 2011 best reads that I would like to shove to your faces:The Bridge of San Luis Rey - short but heart-wrenching. Poignant and unforgettable. The characters have all something to s..."
Angus... Akin nalang yang Tropic of Cancer mo.. xD
Best reads will be "game of thrones", "poisonwood bible", "atonement"My worst read will be "a visit from the goon squad" and "interview with the vampire"
Lam ko meron pa. I'll check when I get home.
More best:1. "Of Mice and Men"
2. "My Sister's Keeper"
More worst
1. "The Knot"
2. "Shopaholic" series
Tripster Guy wrote: "Umberto Eco's "Il Cimitero di Praga"... I think it's translated as The Cemetery of Prague. Anyway, the book is boring. BORING! My goodness!"Gusto ko pa naman basahin sana yan.... :(
Nik: Hindi ba taga Cebu ka?Krizia: I also love Atonement! I like Goon Squad naman, medyo nagulat ako at nasa worst list mo siya.
Wala naman kasi akong super pangit na book ba nabasa for this year so relatively its the "worst".
Meron p nga ako:Best
1. Blindness - early this year ko nabasa kaya feeling ko last year pa
2. Wind-up Bird Chronicle
Worst
1. Celestine prophecy
2. Fallen
Angus wrote: "Nik: Hindi ba taga Cebu ka?Krizia: I also love Atonement! I like Goon Squad naman, medyo nagulat ako at nasa worst list mo siya."
Yep.. tago cebu ako. hihihi. akin nalang yan. pleaseee.
Krizia: Ako yung mga super pangit ko ay yung last two sa worst list ko. Yung first three ay so-so. Tolerable naman.Nik: Bili ka na lang diyan, maeffort ang magpadala, hehe.
I liked the "The English Patient"..
Angus wrote: "Krizia: Ako yung mga super pangit ko ay yung last two sa worst list ko. Yung first three ay so-so. Tolerable naman.Nik: Bili ka na lang diyan, maeffort ang magpadala, hehe."
I am killing myself hunting it in booksales. mamatay ako dahil sa alikabok.
magkikita kayo ni Mr.KD dba this dec 17? pde mong ipadala sa kanya ksi pupunta xa sa cebu this dec. 27...
please please please. that would make my christmas perfect..
Nik: May nakikita ako sa Book Sale outlets. Sige, I'll try not to forget it. :)Krizia: Siguro wrong time ko binasa yung The English Patient kaya di ko siya maappreciate.
Angus: Gusto ko silang i-explain kaya lang magiging repetitive lang sa mga reviews ko.DISGRACE: di nyo gusto? Kasi wala pa kayo doon sa time na magre-retire kayo. Tapos nagkaroon pa kayo ng affair at na-disgrace. Pana-panahon lang yan. I mean parang majority rito mga bata, kaya di kayo maka-relate sa istorya ng Disgrace pero tuwang-tuwa kayo sa Divergent and the likes ha ha.
ENGLISH PATIENT: love story, surreal, breathtaking description of the sceneries. It's not for everyone too. "His penis resting like a seahorse" ayaw mo non? ha ha.
TROPIC OF CANCER: Horny heterosexual man. Kaya di ka maka-relate, Angus! ha ha. It was the time na pumupunta ang mga American artist sa Paris. Sex free from inhibitions. Kakaiba ang pagkakasulat eh. At ayaw mo ng cunt. Parang doon sa "The Gathering", ayaw ko ang repeated na pagbanggit nya ng "penis" Kababaeng tao.
Yong mga binasa mo this year, nabasa ko last year. Ha ha.
Sayang lang oras i-re-read ang Disgrace. Move on with your life and find a better book lol.
Sisigaw muna ako. GYYAAAHHHH!!!"Relatability" does not have anything to do with appreciating a book. Hindi ako atheist, hindi ako sheep farmer, hindi ako black, at hindi ako patay-gutom, but I daresay those novels are the ones that constitute what one may call quality reading. I strongly believe that no one is a pedophile in our group, but we still love Lolita.
And relating to a novel's premises or characters only gives it a seemingly gregarious air (because you feel that it is a book about you, and screw that), but that does not automatically mean that it is of good quality. Like I could always relate to the Ladlad gay anthology, but are they really worth recommending with the relatability factor crossed out?
And why do we have to relate to a novel? The novels that we read are remotely about us, so it's invalid to measure quality by comparing and contrasting it with our lives. I think paulit-ulit na ako, hahaha, napag-usapan na rin kasi namin ni Kwesi ito somewhere. Pero hindi masyadong napursue, so hayan, sinabi ko na lahat ng gusto kong sabihin about relating.
At ano itong double standard na ito? Si Miller ay lalaki na ilang daang beses binanggit ang cunt dahil gusto lang niya, at may repulsion kapag isang babaeng tulad ni Enright ay magsabi ng penis? In the context of the novel, she had to use the word penis because she is telling a story that involves how a penis, when used without permission, can destroy someone's life. (I changed my rating of The Gathering because I felt that my vexation toward the narrator is a mark of good characterization. So hayan, I'm drawing in a lot of The Gathering haters, hahaha.)
Naghahanap ako ng Life and Times of Michael K imbes na magreread ng Disgrace. Siyempre nasabi ko na yata lahat ng gusto ko about it here. Ubusin ko na muna ang backlog ko bago magreread.
And after rereading this post, bakit ba pakiramdam ko ay napakabayolente ko? Hahaha, hindi ako galit, nagmamadali lang. :D
Best books read for 2011 (not in order!)1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - made me teary-eyed, broke my heart into pieces.
2. Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follett - DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHY
3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - Hee <3
4. The Thursday Next Series by Jasper Fforde - explanation not needed lol
5. 1984 by George Orwell - Very dystopian!
6. Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
7. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey - creepy! And Yancey's prose alone creeps the hell out of me
8. Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Justin - it's like Wizard of Oz x Alice in Wonderland adventure
9. Paper Towns by John Green - the book slapped me realizations relevant to my life
10. Batman: Mad Love and Other Stories by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini - BECAUSE I LOVE HARLEY QUINN, OKAY?
Worst Books read
1. I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore - for real, the writing is horrible, the romance is forced, the story is ridiculous. No offense to fans
2. Dopple Ganger Chronicles: Volume 1 by G.P. Taylor - seriously, what's the point of the story? The escape?
3. Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - it's good sana but it lost me when the mystery was revealed.
4. Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy - not realistic, IDK. hehe
5. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk - the prose is beautiful but the story annoyed me too much.
6. Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - I just don't like it. Maybe I expected too much after reading the Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (which I really love)
Hay naku. When you read, you are fully engaged: your mind, your heart. You don't read by using your mind alone. Mayroong emotion yan lagi kahit Philippine Constitution pa at Bill of Rights ang binabasa mo. Yon ang totoong reading. Ngayon, yong relatability, knowingly or unknowingly papasok yan. Kahit nanonood ka ng 100 Days or Budoy or kahit gay porn, may nati-tickle ang emotion mo: saya man yan, o galit, o pagkabigo, pagkainip o libog. Emotion yan. Sa madali't sabi, kahit di mo sinasabing di importante ang emotion sa pagbabasa, di mo lang siguro aaminin o di mo namamalayan, kapag nag-rate ka ng libro, may side ng emotion mo na ginagamit or ginamit mo.
Parang kanta lang yan. Yong sinasabi ni Paula Abdul na "connect with the audience."
Sa Theory of Relatability mo, may emotion.
Very subjective ako when I rate books I've read. If it made me laugh, cry, angry, violent, laugh, etc.
Regarding emotions and reading, I think the emotions you feel while reading the book affects whether or not you will like it. Especially if your emotions match the emotions the author is trying to convey.But I don't think you have to be able to relate to characters or events of a book for you to like/dislike it. I've read lots of books where I couldn't relate, but I still liked it. Of course your personality affects the types of books you like or choose to read, but I don't think you necessarily have to relate to the characters.
I think being able to relate to a book or characters in a book will only make that book more special to you. For me, "relatability" is more of a bonus, instead of a requirement.
KD: Relating is not the only way to engage your mind and your heart. Relating is not drawing out your emotions. Relating is merely referencing and associating, and that can be devoid of any emotion.Tricia: I hope not to forget The Virgin Suicides next year.
Lynai: Rating is always subjective. Hindi ako naniniwala na may purely objective na rating. :DH: Well said. Your thoughts are like my own. :)
Reading for me is always an emotional experience. Emotion not in the sense that I have to cry or laugh. Even reading a medical book requires an emotion. When you read a good book, you were able to relate to the text not necessarily on the characters. Relating is connecting. If you don't connect, you will not understand what you read. Sometimes, even if you don't understand the writer (from his perspective), you find the book very good. The reason is that you were able to relate to what the author is saying kasi you were able to connect with him.
Sabi nga si Nabokov, reading is connecting to the brain of the writer. When you connect, you relate. Hindi yong relate na pag inaapi yong character, feeling mo, inaapi ka rin. Hindi yon. Relating is you are able to identify yourself to the idea, theme, message that the author wants to send to you.
Example, the idea of eternal love sa Lolita or whatever it is na nagustuhan mo. You liked the book for that reason. Ergo, you were able to relate to that reason. Doon nabuo yong connection ninyo ng writer.
Emotions are not the direct results of reading. They are what comes after you understand what you read.I don't think that with relating, there is understanding. It's a facade. And there we go again, trying to identify one's self. Please refer to message 39, hahaha.
Agree and understanding can be based on your perspective. Not necessarily the author's. That's where relating comes in. Naka-relate ka on what you think the message of the author is.
K.D. wrote: "Yong mga binasa mo this year, nabasa ko last year. Ha ha. "Where's your review of Independent People? Ako lang ang meron sa friends ko.
hahaha! mukhang magandang debate eto! ur best read book could be the worst read book for others?...or vice versa...hahaha!...cge pagandahan ng paliwanag sa x-mas party ewan ko lang kung may maganap na Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV- bakbakan! na eto hahaha...
My Best:1.The Alchemist
2.Brida
3.Up in the Air
4.Fall On your Knees
5.The Firm
6.Black and Blue
7.Vinegar Hill
8.AL Pacino
9.The Purpose Driven Life
10.Roadtrip
11.The Thorn Birds
12.A Widow for One Year
Tricia wrote: "Best books read for 2011 (not in order!)1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - made me teary-eyed, broke my heart into pieces.
2. Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follett - DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHY
3...."
I can't imagine a girl reading choke. ahahahahaha Of course, it is designed to annoy people. ahahaha
K.D. wrote: "Hay naku. When you read, you are fully engaged: your mind, your heart. You don't read by using your mind alone. Mayroong emotion yan lagi kahit Philippine Constitution pa at Bill of Rights ang bina..."Reading is like is a one on one communication with the writer. A writer should be able to connect on a very personal level. It's a very special thing to happen when a reader completely identifies with the writer. There communication is rooted. It takes a deep sympathy and empathy for the writer get into that level of understanding.
Sometimes, you even have to get out of your own world just to enter the world of the writer. Or let the writer get inside your own world.
The Filipino Group
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This topic was a digression at the Christmas Party Thread, and at KD's suggestion, we are putting it on a separate thread.
KD's Best Books:
1) Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
2) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
3) Old Goriot by Honore de Balzac
4) Embers by Marai Sandor
5) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
KD's Worst Books:
1) Paper Cuts by Pam Pastor
2) A Wolf at My Table by Augusten Burroughs
3) Aleph by Paulo Coelho
4) Amrita by Banana Yoshimoto
5) Divergent by Veronika Roth
Kuya Doni, explain.
(My best and worst to follow.)