Going Boving by Libba Bray
“These are hard times. The world hurts. We live in fear and forget to walk with hope. But hope has not forgotten you. So ask it to dinner. It’s probably hungry and would appreciate the invitation.”
Roadtrips are my weakness. Take any book, horribly written or intricately plotted, and put the element of a car with nothing but the endless asphalt ahead and I am bound to love it. I guess since I was a kid, I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of hitting the road off to an uncharted, unknown destination, with nothing but a few friends beside me and enough money to spare. This probably is the reason why American Gods by Neil Gaiman and John Green’s Paper Towns hold a special place in my bookworm heart. So it wouldn’t come to no surprise that despite my initial qualms about Going Bovine’s central character, I admittedly found myself eating my own words at how amazing this book has turned out. Perhaps I should always remind myself that the first few chapters do not define a book’s entirety.
The story begins with Cameron Smith, your quintessential quote, unquote modern day Holden Caulfield and his pursuit to get through life with zero attachments, whether from the people around him or from his own emotions. Sounds like a good plan, right? That is until he gets diagnosed with a complicatedly named illness called Creutzfeldt-Jakob, or more commonly known as Mad Cow disease. And just when Cameron thinks his life is going downhill, a pink haired angel clad in plaid and combat boots shows up to tell him that there is a cure, if he’s willing to find it. And thus begins, the craziest roadtrip ever conceived.
This book’s rather a stretch, I’m telling you. But a stylistic one in my opinion, because while some complained at how Cameron’s adventure seems tad too long, I feel cutting the story short will eliminate a huge element present in the story. Every pit stop that Cameron ends up to has contributed into something substantial for his overall character. From being annoying, apathetic and nonchalant toward everything, Cameron grew into a better person that cares and enjoys life. Every tiny event became missing puzzle pieces for an imperfect and incomplete individual, that along the process, I became more and more absorbed by his story. So from hating him, I started rooting for Cameron to prevail to hopefully find his cure.
I also loved how Libba Bray’s palpable narrative transformed every unusual character of the story (from an angel, a dwarf, and even a Norse god) into accessible fictional beings. Despite being in an almost crazy and surreal version of America, the secondary characters feel real and three dimensional. Bray’s ability to shift gears when it comes to being philosophical to being downright hilarious is also something I absolutely commend. Only very few authors can pull that off without it looking forced and she did quite an effortless job doing it.
With interesting parodic allusions about pop-culture, religious obsession, and human materialism, Going Bovine jumps from theme to theme with such ease that you couldn’t quite believe all such elements exist in just one story. And while I’ve somehow predicted how the end will turn up, still, its how I got there that matters (no spoilers!). I guess that is the whole point of the story, anyway. All roadtrips are somehow designed like that. So if you ever feel like reading something hilarious/profound/crazy/surreal/ then this is the right book for you! 4 out of 5 stars.
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
“First thought: It was a dream
Second thought: No it wasn’t
Third thought: Crap”
The only lesson I learned out of reading this book is that one should not set high expectations from an author despite loving one of their previous works. I guess, I had so much high hope for Twisted to be at par with Speak, my first Laurie Halse Anderson novel. Yet no matter how hard I find reasons to like the story, the more I begin to doubt myself. Ostentatious car references, really? Star Wars? Premature erections on all the wrong places? It’s pretty obvious that writing a male lead is not Laurie Halse Anderson’s strongest suit. Twisted had a lot of promise, mind you. It has that signature taut writing that I love and it’s very easy to read. But somehow everything went downhill after a hundred pages. One minute it’s like you’re in a light episode of One Tree Hill, the next it’s like everything went grim.
I’m sure she’s aiming for a quintessential look on the high school life of suburban America as well as the struggles along with it, but somehow everything just seemed trite and apathetic. 2 out 5 stars.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
“He stared up at the stars: and it seemed to him then that they were dancers, stately and graceful, perfomrming a dance almost infinite in its complexity. He imagined he could see the very faces of the stars; pale, they were, and smiling gently, as if they had spent so much time above the world, watching the scrambling and the joy and the pain of the people below them, that they could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.”
I guess I would’ve liked the book a lot more if I have read it before I saw the movie adaptation. I know this is unfair of me since we’re talking of two completely different mediums, but I just can’t help but compare the two! I just fell head over heels over the movie that I was half-expecting for the book to be quite the same. Sadly, the book became rather blunt compared to the grand details of its movie counterpart – kind of ironic really, since I thought giving details were a book’s strongest suit.
Nonetheless, I like the book plotwise, as well as the execution of the narrative. The writing feels genuine and very believable. I just wish for more character development though, as I felt some parts feel a wee bit rushed. I was also disappointed that there is no Captain Shakespeare in the book. Needless to say, but those parts with the flying ship were my most favorite, and if not the most pivotal part of the story. That was the reason why I felt Tristran and Yvaine’s feelings toward each other in the end seemed artificial. To me, it just lacked an emotional build-up. Another thing was the absence of the final epic battle, which was something that I was not expecting.
As far as I now, Stardust was first conceived as a storybook with pictures. Maybe it worked on that format but as a novel, it sure didn’t quite deliver. However, if you’re a fan of mythical creatures, of nasty evil witches, brave heroes and uncharted magical lands, Stardust is definitely a book that will fill your hunger. I’ll give this one 3.5 stars.
Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle
“I always had this idea that you should never give up a happy middle in the hopes of a happy ending, because there is no such thing as a happy ending. Do you know what I mean? There is so much to lose.” — A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle
I cannot believe it took me almost a month and a half to finish this. I apologize, that is completely not the book’s fault. It was just that the previous months, needless to say, were very crucial for my college life that it required me to give more focus on my priorities. Don’t I just sound like a mature and responsible adult while saying that? Ha! But anyway, now that the summer season has permitted me a lot of time to get back on my already-behind reading list, I am more than happy to finish the book and return to my ultimate guilty pleasure.
Despite reading Let It Snow three months after Christmas, I have to say the book just reminded me of the many amazing things that we all just love during this special holiday. And of course, I give my props to Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle for creating this quirky and interconnected tale about love, friendship, miracles, and all the things in between (including Flobie Santa Villages, hash browns and teacup pigs). A book I definitely recommended for all seasons.
Case no.1: The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson. I will just say this right off the bat, this has got to be my favorite out of the three stories. There is just something about Johnson’s oftentimes sarcastic and witty writing style that made Jubilee, her central character, more and more interesting as the story progressed. Johnson was always on point and it never came off as pretentious or annoying. It is also quite interesting to consider that Jubilee’s story never required secondary characters to make it funnier (Sadly, the other two authors heavily RELIED on their secondary characters to give humor to their respective tales.)
Case no.2: The Cheertastic Christmas Miracle: I’m going to be completely honest, I don’t know if I just had so much high hope for John Green’s story or it simply wasn’t his best work. That, or I am well too familiar with his other books that I associate them all too much on this specific short story. This is especially the case on JP, Tobin’s best friend. All of a sudden, it was like Takumi, Ben and Hassan all over again. They’re basically the same characters with the same demeanor and personalities all cloaked in different names and nationalities (John has this habit of picking non-American middle class boys). I also didn’t care too much on Tobin and The Duke’s love story as it was oh-so predictable, and also the nickname ‘The Duke’ kinda reminded me of ‘The Colonel’ circa Looking for Alaska, so that threw me off a bit.
Case no.3: The Patron Saint of Pigs: Now, Lauren Myracle had a tough job writing the last story. Because not only will she write her story, she’ll also be given the task to tie all the loose ends of the stories before her as well as bring the entire book to a close. I think she did a great job doing just that. Her story was light, relatable and very funny in all the right places. The moping of Addie, Myracle’s pig-saving heroine in the beginning somehow annoyed me a bit, but she bounced back from her pool of depression just in time for the story to develop. The surprise appearance of all the characters from the earlier stories has to be one of my favorite scenes. Definitely the nicest way to bring a nice little story to its conclusion.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (no spoilers!)
“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
Fact: I am not a very emotional person. I rarely cry over fictional characters, books especially. So to be quite honest, even I was utterly surprised on how I responded when I finished reading John Green’s latest literary masterpiece. (Read: Buckets of tears) I mean, I was moved by his other works – Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns to be specific, but The Fault in Our Stars left me in a complete emotional wreck I was almost out of words after reading. Combining equal parts humor, nostalgia, sophistication and wisdom, the book has exceeded any of my expectations (and reservations) when reading fiction. I guess, Markus Zusak has articulated it perfectly–without any shadow of a doubt–this is John Green at his best.
Ever since I became a fan of John, I always knew what his strongest suit is. He simply gets it. He completely utterly understands how to tap into your emotions and write prose in its absolute perfection. He doesn’t just string beautiful words together, he conjures thought-provoking philosophical reflections that illuminate uncharted territories teenagers are sometimes too afraid to explore. With ideas about the human consciousness, existentialism, oblivion and life after death, John effortlessly blends these oftentimes disparate ideas into one cohesive story. Simultaneously, John never forgets who his audience is, for he always writes in his signature mix of educated humor and unadulterated nerdiness. The Fault in Our Stars is no exception to that golden John Green quality.
Aside from a heartbreaking and beautifully told story, the real heart of the book lies in two of the main characters – another John Green trademark. He knows how to create this world filled with interesting people all with different personalities screaming in their own unique voices. Once again, I found myself immersed into Hazel and Augustus’s own little world, sharing their fascination of The Imperial Affliction and their relentless search for answers about life. In the absence of dystopian societies, vampires and wizards, it can be quite a challenge to draw young readers into realistic fiction. John however takes this opportunity to give focus more on the raw emotions rather than the plot itself.
Never mistake that just because at the some point the book evoked this certain whim of loss and suffering that the book as a whole is ALL about loss and suffering. In fact, The Fault in Our Stars is quite the opposite. If you try to look closely, it is an uplifting book that celebrates the importance of life, being in love, friendship and living your life to the fullest. Perhaps what made the book even more close to my heart is the fact that I was part, with the rest of the Nerdfighters, of seeing the book grow: from being an unnamed new John Green book, to countless months of waiting for the official title, seeing John read chapters one and two on livestream, down to the release of the official cover. Heck, I even felt like I was also there when John signed all the preorders!
Inexplicably, I am both happy and sad that Hazel and Augustus’s story has to come to a conclusion. I’ve grown to love both of them that it’s quite hard to separate myself from their touching story. Brimming with funny sketches, intellectual reflections and positive anecdotes, The Fault in Our Stars reminded me of why I fell in love with John Green’s writing in the first place. I won’t be surprised if even the most cold and unsympathetic reader will be caught in so much emotion due to the story’s pervasive narrative. It is his boldest and most irreverent work yet – a genuine rollercoaster ride of emotions. True to its promise, the book as John once said, will make you “feel all of the things.” 5 out of 5 stars.
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
“That’s what she was, Joanna felt suddenly. That’s what they all were, all the Stepford wives: actresses in commercials, pleased with detergents and floor wax, with cleansers, shampoos, and deodorants. Pretty actresses, big in the bosom but small in the talent, playing housewives unconvincingly, too nicey-nice to be real.”
To cook up something that is both horrifying and intellectual takes only a man of high caliber of experience. So it wouldn’t come to no surprise that Ira Levin, the man behind Rose Mary’s Baby came up with something equally haunting and beautifully crafted. At once a satire and a savage social commentary on a patriarchal media-driven society that suppresses woman empowerment and liberation, The Stepford Wives takes its readers on a horrifying look on suburban life. The book created so much cultural impact, that the title itself left an indelible mark in our consciousness. After all, there is a reason why popular culture used the term “Stepford Wife” as a reference to a submissive and docile housewife.
We begin when Joanna and Walter Eberhart moved from the busy lights of the city to a sleepy little suburban town of Stepford, Connecticut. Everything about the town seems to be an ideal paradise for couples - perhaps too ideal. For behind the Stepford’s cheery and idyllic façade lies a dark terrible secret – a secret so shattering that no one who encounters it will ever be the same. In a race against time, Joanna must outwit the people behind this horrible plot, or she will end up just like the housewives she feared and despised – “mere actresses on commercials, pleased with detergents and floor wax, with cleansers, shampoos, and deodorants.”
I specifically liked Levin’s straightforward narration. It was fast paced and very easy to read. He didn’t give too much flowery details as the focus wasn’t on the prose but on the actions taking place. The precision of this form of writing, I feel is very important, as it can be oftentimes mistaken to as haphazard writing. A wicked deadpan humor apparent in the story is also something I quite enjoy. Readers will often find Joanna, the story’s heroine, in witty conversations inside her head. Her interactions with Bobbie, a Stepford neighbor and friend, were also something I found entertaining. With all of these, I became more and more sympathetic for Joanna’s character. After a hundred pages, you’ll find yourself rooting for her to escape. A literary tactic of Levin which I feel, brought a more horrific close to the story (oops, spoiler).
As I found out, The Stepford Wives was first published the exact same year when Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment. The year when conservative males begin to think that the feminist movement was much more than a minor nuisance. I don’t know if Levin did this on purpose because it’s an impeccable timing, if you ask me. But whatever you might think, the book successfully created a near dystopian look on male chauvinism and the measures that men will do to keep it that way. True to its promise, the Stepford Wives is a timeless modern classic.
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
“And the moral of the story is that you don’t remember what happened. What you remember becomes what happened.” - Colin Singleton
Ask a Nerdfighter what their favorite John Green book is and they will tell you either one of these two options: Paper Towns or Looking for Alaska. I never really understood why only a few people liked An Abundance of Katherines, pre-reading, to be quite honest. It’s a Printz Honor book, I always remind myself. So when I was about to start what I call as the “unloved middle child” of the John Green books, I decided setting my expectations on a safe level would be smart. And what an ingenuous move it was indeed, because I ended up loving the story more than I expected.
An Abundance of Katherines tells us the story of a recent Dumpee and a former child prodigy named Colin Singleton. In a pursuit of mattering after being dumped nineteen times by nineteen different Katherines, Colin sets out on a roadtrip across America. With an overweight Judge-Judy obsessed best friend riding shotgun and ten thousand dollars in his pocket, Colin is determined to predict the future of all relationships, save himself from his own swimming pool of pity, reinstate his prodigy status, and possibly win him a girl.
What is not to love about this book? Why is it not getting that much love from Nerdfighteria? I completely have no idea. I personally adore John’s writing with this one – kind of surprising since I was so used into seeing him write in first person. The narrative was funny and very dorky, with all of its footnotes, which I surprisingly enjoyed. I also liked Colin and Hassan’s interactions. All their inside jokes, crazy antics and code words made the story more hilarious.
Not only did John singlehandedly achieve the perfect balance of teenage angst and humor, he had also successfully made his readers think. A John Green signature, I suppose. Thematically, Abundance of Katherines is filled with questions of mattering, self-perception, the deviousness of our memories and the importance of stories. As a regular John Green reader, this subtle approach on breaching serious topics really what makes him a force to be reckoned with.
With equal parts thought-provoking and funny, An Abundance of Katherines is an intelligent story that mixes intellectual humor with laugh-out-loud antics, filled with mathematical equations, historic references, fascinating anagrams, a chapter dedicated to pig hunting and hornets, and I must not forget, a lot of footnotes. 5 out 5 of stars
Yes. It was perhaps late last year when I coerced myself to start writing book reviews. For one, I wanted to hone my writing skills. Second, I liked the idea of having an avenue where I can share my thoughts about the recent book I just finished. So far, I have written seventeen. A pretty small list really, which I hope will double the size when 2012 commences. Just a little bit of fair warning, I am not an expert critic, so please don’t judge! Here goes nothing:
(PS: Please bear with the occasional times when I write horribly. Lol)
