Review: Peter and Alice

It was late. I meant to go to bed… after page one. 

Nearly two hours later I finally set the book down and dried my tears. I didn't sleep well this night. I cried for the tragic of their reality. My heart ached for the childhood that seemed to be slipping away from my own life. I felt sad for growing up. I felt sad for being sad. But I was contempt to be “feeling”.

This is a lovely, even though tragic, romance. It brings to memory everything one knows about childhood, adulthood, lies and truths, expectations, and realities.

Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray (spoilers)

This seems to me a most horrifying coming-of-age story.

Being around Dorian Gray's age when he was first introduced in the story, I readily stepped into his mind and childish character. Youthfulness make us dream of most unsuitable things. We thought ourselves romantic. We wish to be adventurous. In this wild fancy we so often disregard the consequences.
For Dorian Gray, his portrait took the burden of sin for him. Deep down, I would envy him, except his fate had proven to be more dreadful than fortunate. For us, fated to be scarred by age and our wrong-doings, have been warned. It seems that fear of these scars can save us.

Still, it makes me shudder to think that one can so easily lose one's virtues. How can one choose the right path and not go astray? A sudden strike of fancy for danger, the desires to be extraordinary, or a moment of crazed temper.... Can we ever save ourselves from such menace?

This unhappy story has seemly planted a deep dread. It is so good it pierced my heart and left it groaning and moaning. Even though it has become one of my all time favorites. It has touched me so deeply that I wish never to visit it again. The only consolation is that it has served to caution me against romanticizing rackless evil. I pray that I am thus saved from a lifetime's worth of foolishness.

Review: American Gods

10+ years ago I was a little girl too young to feel comfortable reading a huge hardcover book, but somehow the title and the cover art has stayed with me. Somewhere at the back of my mind I always planed to get back to this book.

10+ years later, I realized I'm still a little girl who'd blush and cringe at every rude joke in the book. Even so, I fully enjoyed the story. Mythology, be it Egyptian, Greek, Norse, or Asian, interests me. Yet one does this book no justice to say it is a book about ancient mythical beings--not to me at least. I love the twists and turns of a mystery, the thrill of adventure, and touches of humanity here and there. "American Gods" has it all.

Reading it was like savoring good wine--over the course of several days. The tastes keep changing. And there is always some kind of aftertaste that lasts through the night, making you dream weird dreams and wake up feeling funny. But guess what? I like that.

Because it feels real.

Review: S by Doug Dorst & J.J. Abrams

This book is cleverly designed such that multiple stories run parallel to each other. The most obvious story is the fictional book written by a fictional author. Another story can be pieced together from the writings of the two college students in between the margins. But there’s more: Pieces of the back story of the two students, the mystery of the author they are trying to uncover, and the stories of people involved are fad to the reader by the evolving, color-coded notes as well as the loose documents that came with the book. These stories blend together, each giving hints to what the others are about. Yet this book is more than a strange tale to be solved. It is a rich combination of mystery, romance, fantasy, and philosophy. Depending on the experiences and individualities of the readers, they will feel resonance with different very different aspects of the book. They would have many different understandings. What it is all about; one can only judge for themselves after reading the book.

My feeling of the book changes throughout the two weeks I was reading it. Sometimes it was an exciting adventure; at time it was creepy to the point of being terrifying, especially when read in the quiet of late night hours; there are sadness, regret, and disappointment, but also warmth, care, love, and understanding. I remember thinking about the things I cared about when I read and how I should took care to cherish them. It is a book worthwhile to be reread it many times.

Reading S also has a lasting effect on my reading and note taking habits. At the time when postcards, letters, and marginal notes are no longer common, I am left with a great desire to share my thoughts by the written word. Like the characters said in the book, written notes transforms a book into a scratch book of our lives, capturing time between its pages. They provide us with a means to speak to ourselves across time. And it is made all the sweeter when we write with a friend. Treating note-taking as a conversation to either me or a potential reader, I think more about my reactions when I write notes. The effect is profound. The new notes I've taken have become more accessible and more interesting. This helps when I came back to the notes days later. There is less perplexity about what I was thinking, or indeed what I meant, when I wrote the notes. Occasionally, a small voice in my head wondered if there will be a day when there is another that will write in my books and share their thoughts with me. With beautifully designed and written books like S, such ideas are bound to take root, and one cannot help but hope and dream.

Easy Reading: Fortunately, the Milk

TGIF! What a nice day it was to go down to the local library and get some easy reading material. I heard about Fortunately, the Milk from Neil Gaiman's Tumblr (Nice marketing, Mr. Gaiman!), and had wanted to get my hands on one ever since its publication last month. Imagine my excitement when I found out that the library already have several copies and I can place a hold for one (They circulate fast and were all checked out.). Now imagine what it's like to finally get a message after a week's waiting:

The following item(s) you requested are being held for you:
Gaiman, Neil.
Fortunately, the milk /
The item will be held until: 11/04/2013

It was heavenly! Skipping down the streets with my headphone on, I couldn't be sure if the silly grin was due to the giddiness of knowing what I was about to pick up or the cheerful audio book playing on my headphones (The book was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang narrated by David Tennant.) was simply too much fun.

With all these excitement, I finished the book in no time. And I am happy to say, it absolutely lived up to my expectations. The story was most curious. 10 years ago I would find it fantastic. Now, nearly an adult, I find it cute and silly. I nearly forgot how good it is to read adventure stories without having to feel anxious about the characters. Another great element of children's books are the illustrations. How I adore them! People with curly fingers, animals standing on their hind legs, strange creatures with big eyes.... Fortunately, the Milk has become one of my all time favorite children's books. It is something I would love to share with my younger cousins and probably read to them when I have the chance.

Review: Flappers and Philosophers

Romance rarely top my list of enjoyable stories. Recall seeing lovebirds engage in passionate kisses with hands over the place at public places and make everyone present uncomfortable? The show off cannot compare to the sight of the couples holding hands with shyness and a hint of a smile lingering on both sweet faces. Love stories can be like that: Showy but unconvincing or subtle and sweet. When two people fell in love in a story, it should be believable. Let readers feel the love! The audience should not be merely the spectator. They should be engaged in a relationship.

What I love most about Fitzgerald's love stories is their realness. The characters can do incredibly romantic things or be madly in love with one another, with good reason. There are ups and downs in the relationship - just like in real life! His characters have very distinctive personality. Some are proud, some strong, some shy, some bold. They might not be perfect, but they feel like real human beings. One would worry about them when they made the wrong judgement and cheer them on when they did the right thing. They are people we can relate to, be it pain or joy. We see ourselves in their shoes.

Overall I find Flappers and Philosophers a fun and charming. It is a collection of very different types of romance. I read the book on my kindle. Having no knowledge of the construction of the book and no physical volume as hint. I did not expect The Offshore Pirate, my favorite story in the collection, to end where it did. The result was a wonderful surprise at the plot twist I would otherwise have guessed. (I have long since learned not to read book descriptions just to leave myself at the mercy of surprise.) It was a romantic journey as impacting as first love.

Review: Casino Royale (A James Bond Novel)

Casino Royale is the first James Bond novel by Ian Fleming. Instead of boring and tedious background stories, readers get to learn about the mysterious spy the way one would when making new acquaintances: We judge him by his actions and beliefs. The outcome was not bad. Even with a negative view, James Bond's emotions were easy to connect with. One can almost feel sentimental about his situations. To conclude, the book is believable and invites the reader to experience the thrill without the danger.

Gathering from the discussions and glimpses of the movies, the double 0 agent has always seemed, to me, to be a the cold-blooded machine that never make mistakes on a mission and his seductive qualities merely material supplied for the purpose of spicing up the plot to suit the taste of audiences. For years, I have refused to read the story believing in, and disgusted by, the amount of male chauvinism involved. But I was surprised to find that, the book is actually action packed with a storyline filled with glorious peaks as well as bitter pitfalls. James Bond is a believable character with many talents. He may misjudge a dire situation, and expresses fear in the face of danger. He is not a superhuman hero but a man good at his job. Although he does hold somewhat offensive views of women, his line of thinking is understandable. Mercifully, the romance never got in the way of the plot, as I had previously assumed it would. Instead, it gives much insight to the making of the man living a dangerous and lonely life. He is far from heartless, although he has a touch too much of manly pride (from my prideful point of view of a lady).

This is the first Bond novel I've read. As popular as the various movie adaptations are, I have watched few and understood less. Spy stories used to be too political and complicated for me. I am thankful that, without plot spoilers from the movies, my experience with this book is completely fresh and exciting.

Review: Endymion

Endymion is a poem by John Keats. It is based on the Greek mythology of Endymion, the shepherd beloved by the moon goddess Selene. The poem is divided into four books. It starts with beautiful descriptions of the woods and the merry gathering of shepherds in honor of Pen. However, readers will soon learn that Endymion heeded nothing, being terribly lovesick after his encounter with the moon goddess. He set out in search of his loved one. The journey and adventures he undertook was described in colorful details. The hero's dreams and his fantastical encounters were hard to distinguish, one as wondrous as the other. As readers follow Endymion's footsteps, they will be kept curious of what the next page brings. Be it sorrow, joy, wonder, or pain?

Sidenote: As one unfamiliar with poetry, reading Endymion has been quite a challenge. Reading out loud helped me stay focus on the meaning of each sentence (which usually takes several lines). It was a tremendous joy to listen to the words rolling off the tongue. I strongly recommend readers to try.

Review: To Kill A Mockingbird

There is profound clarity when serious issues are viewed from a child's innocent eye. Without prejudiced ideas about rank and race in a society they make judgements solely on the happenings of an event. Although Scout often asked her father, Atticus Finch, about the happenings around her, she was far from an ignorant child. She was most often puzzled by the folly of the ways of the grownups. Children understands much more than grownups often assumes, as was pointed out constantly throughout the story.

To Kill A Mockingbird is a book ahead of its time. Even when viewed in the 21st century, where humankind has advanced so much since the 1930s, the story can still call its readers to reflect upon the issues of bully, racism, and government. Interestingly, to readers of different ages, the effect it have would be as different as the land and the sea. It preaches about morality, how to face assaults, and how to stand in other people's shoes;

"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

It captured the horror of racism and yet does not despair in the state of events; It is a story about how there are people that uses what power they can to change the things that were wrong;

"Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win."

It tells of successful parenting (Even though Atticus Finch had been continuously accused of letting his children "run wild," readers will not object to his being a real moral model); It allows us a peek of the life in a Southern town in the 30s; It is a story of how normal people are heroes many different ways.

As a first time reader, and knowing nothing in advance about the plot, the story line caught me by surprise. What started out as an innocent looking, child narrated, summertime events in a quiet little Southern town, turned into a thought provoking roller coaster ride. I regret not having read it in my teens. Because of the many layers contained, this book is worth rereading every ten years. With every new built experience one will view the story at a new level, yet be constantly reminded of how to be a human being.

Review: Of Mice and Men (spoilers)

Of Mice and Men is a novella[1] written by John Steinbeck. Overtime there has been many adaptations to the famous story. I learned about the story from the radio play by BBC 4. It has left me feeling extremely emotional. Never suspecting the sad nature of the story I treated it as a bedtime story. The result was many heartbroken, cold sleepless minutes under the bed covers and later uneasy dreams. It left me feeling so broken that, even though the story fascinated me to the point that I wish to read the original, I will not be doing that anytime soon. Feelings need time to heal.

The main characters were George Milton and Lennie Small. The topic revolves largely on their strong friendship throughout the story. Lennie was a large and physically strong being, but his mental disability made him fragile and unable to take care of himself. Despite his appearances, Lennie was kind-hearted and always attracted to soft things. From the very beginning we learned that he had been with George for a long time and George has always took care of him. They were fleeing from a ranch they worked at previously because of misunderstandings caused by Lennie's love of soft things. On the way to find a new workplace, Lennie urged George to talk about their shared dream to one day save enough money to buy a piece of land and live their own happy lives. It was very sweet except their dream was already overshadowed by the dangers caused by Lennie's strength.

The play vividly introduces its audiences to the various characters George and Lennie met on the new ranch. Everyone had a story to tell; Everyone was lonely for one reason or another; And everyone dealt with their discontent differently. Some get together and took care of each other, others used bad means to satisfy themselves, still others took their rage out on everyone else. Unfortunately for Lennie, he became the victim of unfortunate times.

The tragic ending was not the reason the story utterly broke my heart. It was the cruelty of having had my hope risen up by the possibility that George and Lennie's dream were so close to realization, only to be plunged into deep sea when the fatal accident happened. But that was not the end of it. Naively, I hold on to the hope that George will find Lennie (Of course he did.) and together they will fled into the night once again. Alas, I did not understand that there was no running away again. I realized too late that George had to do what he did to save Lennie from a cruel and painful death. When George instructed Lennie to look away I did I understood with horror what he was doing, and I screamed internally: "Please don't do it... Please don't do it...." The sound of gunshot was far more painful than it should be to my mind. The only comfort to the audience was knowing that Lennie had probably died painlessly and escaped gruesome treatment and Lennie at least had another friend who understands him to keep him company.

Having finished the story, the most puzzling thing remaining is the title of the story. It was meaningless until I did some research on Wikipedia[2]. It was taken from a poem by Robert Burn:

The lest laid schemes o' mice and men
Gang aft agley. (often go awry)

All the plans George made all came to naught when the accident happened. What could he do when even the best laid plans can go wrong?