Oh My Janey

52 Books: February Books

Another late 52 Books post but this time, I tried to input more into my reviews. February was a really good reading month.  Also, I read two classics. That’s quite something considering I rarely read classics. Thank heavens for book sales!

1. Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk

Rant is a book I randomly bought simply because I wanted to read the works of Chuck  Palahniuk. I read some reviews of this book before actually reading it.. The reviews were disheartening so I postponed reading this for about five months. It was a lucky day, though, when I finally peeled off the plastic cover and started reading. I immensely enjoyed Rant even though Palahniuk used an unconventional format. Maybe it’s even because of this format that drew me quickly to the book. The shift of POVs were quick and sudden so I got confused at first. But after about two chapters, I got used to the format.

The story line is quite confusing but any story line involving time travel can surely confuse me.  But there’s something so consistent about his writing. What I also like is how he managed to make each character different from one another. There are so many POVs but each one has a distinct quality. Rant, though his POV isn’t included in the story, comes alive through the tales shared by the other characters.

I am eager to read another Palahniuk book. I already have Pygmy but I don’t think I am ready for that. But I really, really want to read Invisible Monsters. [Read more…]

52 Books: January Books

I intended to post this about two weeks ago but time didn’t allow me (obviously). I also intended to write down my thoughts for each book after reading it but I’m afraid I forgot about it, too. Or I got too lazy to do it. I intended to do a lot of things, actually, but I didn’t really put in much effort. The good thing, however, is that I managed to read five books last month. I’m keeping track of my progress in Goodreads. It’s kind of nice to see how I’ve been doing. It’s also nice that I have a goal because I usually don’t have one. Heh.

I’m just not sure if January was a good month for reading. I read some good books, but none stirred me enough. I am not really a book critic, and sometimes most of the time, I feel like I don’t really understand what I’m reading. So I just usually base my judgment on the level of enjoyment I felt when reading and how much I was affected in a good way.

1. Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I’ve watched the movie a long time ago so I pretty much forgot what happened already. It’s good that I had forgotten, though. I liked the book. Not loved it because I think it’s too short. But Neil Gaiman is Neil Gaiman and I like how it feels as if I’m just reading a fairytale. His book has this “magical tone”. I don’t really know what to call it.

I just think the book’s a little rushed. Maybe it’s because I love details and though there are details, it’s not enough (for me, anyway). A lot has happened but everything just seemed to happen too quickly. I still like it, though. I should definitely rewatch the movie. [Read more…]

Do I fail as a Pothead?

In preparation for the Deathly Hallows movie, I read Harry Potter books 1-7 last May/June. Then two weeks before the premiere of the movie, I decided to reread (again) the last book. I am so in love with this series, and just like a lot of people I know, I grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. I am very attached to these characters, more so to the characters in the book than in the movie.

Everytime I watch a Harry Potter movie, I try to be excited for it. I tell myself that it’s okay that they don’t include everything since that will be impossible, anyway. But try as I might, I always feel empty and disappointed after watching a Harry Potter movie. I guess I can’t stop being too faithful to the book.  I stopped watching the movies in the cinema after Chamber of Secrets but I started watching it again since Half-blood Prince.

I was quite optimistic for Deathly Hallows since they decided to do it in two parts. I hoped that the things I deemed essential would be given importance as well. But once again, I ended up disappointed. [Read more…]

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