Oh My Janey

52 Books: May Books

May unconsciously became a Young Adult-themed reading month. I swear it was unintentional but circumstances and whims made me choose young adult novels to read next. I have no regrets! Last month allowed me to read lighter books (except for that one), just letting me enjoy other things. I also got too busy with “life” (e.g. TV dramas, summer outings, e.t.c.) so reading wasn’t on top of my list.

I intended to reread Harry Potter last month but I always end up picking something else. I guess my stack of unread books is way too high to be ignored. But I did read one HP and I will probably skip to the last book this June.

1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

I’m not going to lie. Chamber of Secrets is my least favorite book in the series. A lot of my most disliked characters are introduced in this book: Ginny Weasly, Gilderoy Lockhary, Malfoy on a broomstick (git!), and Colin Creevey. I eventually changed my mind about Colin but I still do not like Ginny and Gilderoy. But of course a lot of good things are introduced, too! Any chapter in the entire series devoted to Harry’s time in the Burrow is my favorite. The Weasleys is my favorite fictional family and I don’t think anyone will ever beat them.

After reading this book so many times, I somehow think my opinion of it improved a little. I now laugh at parts I used to not find funny simply because my comprehension of the English language  the first time I read t was still not that good. But I find questionable details that I’d really rather not focus on. Once I finished Chamber, I was tempted to read Prisoner of Azkaban (my favorite!) next but I opted not to. This is the first time I will read the series without reading everything. But I will try not to think too much about it or I will get depressed.

P.S. I also realized how lame Malfoy is. I mean, he is a good wizard but he really talks too much nonsense.

[Read more…]

52 Books: April Books

I got a little lazy last month and only read four books. It was a good reading month, I wish I read another book but I somehow feel like I’ve been reading too much. You know what I mean? But I swear I’ll get back to reading soon! I have bought seven books from various book sales last and I should get started on those. Also, I started my Harry Potter reread. I doubt I’d finish the seven books by July.

1. Looking for Alaska by John Green

So how do I even begin to describe this book? I have conflicting feelings about it. I love the characters, I love their intricacies. I love how smart they can be and I love how they can be so deep. So deep that I sometimes raise my eyebrows. I believe I do not understand many of the characters at all. I often think, was I like that in high school? I hope not.

You see Looking for Alaska is a really good book. The prose is awesome, a lot of pretty words derived from these supposed smart and “deep” characters. But though the plot is exciting enough, I don’t like it that much because I just don’t get Alaska at all. I don’t get why people fall in love with her. I don’t get how she could be a good character. I do not like her, but her flaws are the reason why we a have a story. Maybe I could have given this book five stars but my feelings for Alaska clouded my judgement. I cannot fully love a book when I hate the lead so much. Not just Alaska, too. I do not like Miles. He is okay at first then he got overly emotional and hormonal. But I love the secondary characters, Colonel and Takumi. They salvage the somewhat overly dramatic plot.

Will I read this book again? Maybe. Do I recommend you to read it? Yes. Because it has beautiful prose and so pretty words. And it’s though-provoking and it’s never a waste to read a book that will make you think. [Read more…]

52 Books: March Books

To tell you honestly, I am quite  not sure where I found the time to read seven books in a month. When I look back at March, I realized that I actually went out a lot more than usual. (I’m a homebody, remember?) Maybe it’s because I read three thin novels that’s why I managed to read 7. I told you I pretty much have all the time in the world. I love my job, I can do anything I want after work hours. Anyway, even though I’ve read two books more than usual, I still can’t say March is a good reading month. The books I read for this month didn’t evoke that much emotion from me. Heh. [Read more…]

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…]

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