The Best [and the Worst] Reads of 2011 (Subtitle: The Book I Will Push You to Read on 2012 )

[Angus]

Ay oo nga, feeling ko gender issue ang kay Cary. Hindi na rin niya tinapos yata ang Inheritance of Loss. :D

[Joyzi]

Cary hindi mo natapos ang Catcher in the Rye? Pero for me one of the easy read na Classic siya, kahit walang annotations you can understand it.

[Monique]

Angus: Nakakarami ka na ha. Dadalhin ko nga ang kopya ko ng "Passage" at ihahampas ko sa ulo mo! Para matigok ka na! ha ha

This I have to see, bwahahaha! :D

[Angus]

I will bring mine too to stage a public burning! >:)

[K.D.]

Violente na tayo! Ha ha ha. Di na lang wrestling etech, may killing na ha ha.

[Cary]

Joyzi wrote: "Cary hindi mo natapos ang Catcher in the Rye? Pero for me one of the easy read na Classic siya, kahit walang annotations you can understand it."

natapos ko ang catcher in the rye kaya nga hindi ko nagustuhan

[Joyzi]

ganun, siguro nga kanya-kanyang trip lang yan :)

[H]

Haha kawawa naman si Cary...ba't naman kasi hindi mo natapos ang Perfume, Wuthering Heights, at Inheritance? Lahat yan magaganda ah.....

Hindi rin ako rebelde, pero sobrang naka-relate sa Catcher in the Rye..ewan ko ba, feeling ko nga ako yang si Holden eh hahaha.

[Tricia]

Hey, it's okay if Cary didn't finish those books. I don't think it's proper to mention (or question her) the books she didn't manage to finish. (para kasing napapahiya yung tao). It's her own preference naman as a reader. Peace! :)

[Angus]

Po: At bakit nakikihampas ka? Nabasa mo na ba?! :D

H: H for Holden ba iyan?

Tricia: Parang ano lang yan, ambush interview, hahaha. Tulad ng 1-star rating ni Kwesi sa Never Let Me Go.

[Apokripos]

The way this whole conversation turned out, I sort of wonder: is this one form of online bullying?

[Angus]

Ah ain't seein' no bullyin', swee' pea. But Ah ain't a mod'rat'r, so hit's up to you to d'cide.

[Tricia]

Hindi naman sa bullying yun, kung ako kasi nasa posisyon ni Cary, hindi ko gusto mararamdaman ko. hehe

Kalerks naman, 1-star rating sa Never Let Me Go. I-bully nga si Kwesi sa Christmas Party. Haha

[Apokripos]

Ahh, okay ako'y nalinawan na. At naiintindihan ko ang punto mo Tricia.

[H]

Angus...H for Holden? I wish...but, not, my real, boring first name starts with an H.

Hindi naman bullying yon eh...nag comment sya na hindi nya natapos, syempre mga tao magcocomment ng 'ay, bakit hindi mo tinapos...?" If he/she feels bad that people comment that way, then he/she should say so. Kelangan pa ba syang ipagtanggol ng iba?

Para ito yung mga public messages ng GMA na 'think before you click' na mga anti-bullying campaigns nila. I think it's an insult to netizens kasi if you're online, you should expect things like that..and ikaw rin naman, on your part, you shouldn't be too sensitive or too serious. Ganyan talaga sa internet.

[Tricia]

I'm just telling. I'm not covering up for her. Let's not make a big deal out of it (or whatever).

[K.D.]

Right. May mga libro rin akong di natapos pero di ko kinakahiya. Talagang di ko lang makayang tapusin at fault yon ng writer! At ako ang bumili ng libro, kumita ang writer, tapos paparusahan ko pa ba ang sarili ko kung ayaw ko doon sa libro matapos ko syang gastusan? Ha? Ha? O di ba malaking injustice yon!?!

At least si Cary na isang taga-U.P. (meaning di mo matatawaran ang brain nya) ay di nagpipilit magpaka-deep. Saludo ako sa yo Cary.

At si Cary, (ito ang pinakapunto rito sa discussion na ito) ay hindi ni-rate ang mga librong yan.

[Aaron Vincent]

Pfft. Catcher in the Rye is a polarizing book; either you hate it or love it. I despised it. It's not about the book being a classic/award-winner/required reading or whatever. What I hated about it is how Salinger portrayed teenage angst through that TWAT, Holden Caulfield. If I were that angsty when I was at his age, I would have been mortified my parents didn't kill me. (I was 19 when I read this so technically I was still in the target audience of this book.) The Catcher in The Rye is a book that grows up into a kind a book about American White Male (Dickhead) Problems(read: Existentialist Hipsters).

Cary just voiced out an apparently unpopular opinion, and people need not to be condescending about it. I'm for raising opposing arguments, it keeps the conversation interesting. It's the troll comments I hate that doesn't really do anything at all.

[Aaron Vincent]

Best Reads:
The Passage
Mistborn: The Final Empire
On the Jellicoe Road
Pathfinder
The Drawing of the Three
The Lost Gate

Worst Reads:
The Year of Secret Assignments
Guardian of the Dead
Z

[Tricia]

Way to go, Aaron! I'm waiting for Aldrin to join the conversation. Haha

I read Catcher but didn't leave any significant mark or effect on me. (but I heard Salinger's other works are better than this)

[Krizia Anna]

I just finished reading my worst book for 2011 and that's "The Mystery of thr Cupboard" by Lynne Reid Banks. Its the 4th book to "The Indian in the cupboard"

[Angus]

At dahil ako ay isang troll, may suggested book of the month selections na ako. Theme: Rereads.

The Catcher in the Rye
Moderators: Aaron & Aldrin

A Passage to India
Moderators: Angus & KD

Life of Pi
Moderators: Emir & A.Monique

Disgrace
Moderators: Sino pa nga ba???

[Aaron Vincent]

Angus wrote: "At dahil ako ay isang troll, may suggested book of the month selections na ako. Theme: Rereads.

Naging book of the month selection na ang Catcher in the Rye. Sapat na ang isang beses lang.

[K.D.]

Angus: Duel-to-Death Book Discussion

Passage to India

Hampasan ng librong hardbound sa ulo. Matira ang matibay!

[Angus]

Sabi nga ni Aaron, sapat na ang isang beses lang. :D

[Tina]

Emir wrote: "It's easy to imagine Aaron's version of book hell. "

Haha I can imagine it, too. :)

I didn't finish Catcher in the Rye, either. I just didn't feel like it. I don't know, maybe it's a proof that I was never an angsty teen. :P

[Monique]

Boys and girls, relax! Let's all agree to disagree. After all, one's book heaven may be another person's book hell, as Emir put it. :)

Oh, and I haven't read Catcher yet. :D

By the way: ALDRIN, what are your thoughts on this? :))

[K.D.]

Aldrin, my wife is asking if I want her to give me a Kindle Fire as Christmas gift. May problem ka ba Fire mo? Hindi raw makaka-download sa Amazon kung andito ka sa Pilipinas?

[Joyzi]

Grabe naman yung 1 star na binigay ni Kwesi sa Never Let Me Go, may review ba siya dun?

[H]

Joyzi wrote: "Grabe naman yung 1 star na binigay ni Kwesi sa Never Let Me Go, may review ba siya dun?"

Kataka-taka ba yon? Di naman masyado maganda yung Never Let Me Go ah :P

[Joyzi]

napanood ko lang yung movie nun, for me 2 stars (meaning okay) pero feeling ko baka mas maganda yung book, andami kasing may gusto nun e

[H]

Ako rin 2 stars ang rating ko sa book...yung movie ok lang din. Para sa akin, parang pareho lang eh.

[Joyzi]

ah ok, kala ko kasi may something sa book with the style of writing etc. winner ata ng pulitzer yun if I'm not mistaken

[H]

Shortlisted lang daw sya for Booker in 2005...kala ko nga nanalo sya eh...hindi pala. Try mo na rin basahin baka mas magustuhan mo. Hindi ko na rin masyado matandaan pero parang wala naman atang difference masyado. ??

[Joyzi]

ay ganun ba? Babasahin ko siguro pag may time hehe

[Rollie]

Catcher in the Rye ay isang dick-lit, right?

Best Reads:
Ender's Shadow
Ender's Game

Worst Reads:
Linger
Shadowland

[Joyzi]

Rollie natatawa ko sa'yo

[Rollie]

Joyzi: Bakit?

[Joyzi]

Dapat di mo na binasa yung Linger. Mas worst pa yan sa Shiver e.

[Rollie]

Nagbigay lang ako ng chance. :D

[Joyzi]

babasahin mo pa yung 3rd book?

[Rollie]

Nope. Bakit? Haha. Di ako pa ako masyado desperado. :D

[Joyzi]

Hindi na. Kaw pa naman tatanungin ko sa spoilers. Katamad magbasa. Red na ang mga font :P.

[Rollie]

Madaming kaartehan para lang mabenta. :P

[Joyzi]

Art daw yun e

[Rollie]

Sabi ko nga: ka-ART-ehan. :)

[Monique]

K.D. wrote: "Aldrin, my wife is asking if I want her to give me a Kindle Fire as Christmas gift. May problem ka ba Fire mo? Hindi raw makaka-download sa Amazon kung andito ka sa Pilipinas?"

Kuya, let me answer for Aldrin (who, at present, is bereft of an e-reader): the Kindle Fire is receiving a lot of negative reviews. Techies and gizmo addicts refuse to recommend it - problematic daw. Personally, I think na alanganing tablet, alanganing e-reader sya. Plus, unlike the pure Kindle e-readers, the Fire is not e-ink, so backlighted sya at masakit sa mata. If your wife should gift you with an e-reader, I would suggest the new Kindle Touch or, yes, even the Nook from B&N. :)

[Joyzi]

Nook for the win!

[Rollie]

Sayang. Type ko pa naman yung Fire.

[Cary]

H wrote: "Angus...H for Holden? I wish...but, not, my real, boring first name starts with an H.

Hindi naman bullying yon eh...nag comment sya na hindi nya natapos, syempre mga tao magcocomment ng 'ay, baki..."

ay ngayun ko lang ko lang nabasa to ulit..just to clear things out, i did finish reading catcher but sabi ko nga one of the worst read sya this year kasi nadisappoint ako sa plot na puro angst.. i dont think nagsabi ako na hindi ko natapos kasi I never rate books nang hindi ko natapos hanggang sa huli.

Tricia, it's ok. i think i dont need to explain further. thanks anyway.