Pretty book pendants :)
(Source: farm3.static.flickr.com, via shenizpoetics)
And, since the Calcifer-made-of-cake has to have someplace to live, someone amazing made a Howl’s Moving Castle! Care of Cake Wrecks.
In My Mailbox - October 17
In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. This meme is about books that you received or bought during the week.
It was a very good book week for me last week. I was so happy when the Postman dropped off my copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins! I also decided to grab a copy of Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick when I dropped by Fully Booked since theirs is the cheapest copy that I’ve seen so far.
But my favorite book buys for the week were Lips Touch: Three Times and Blackbringer by Laini Taylor, and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, all of which I found in bargain bins at local bookstores. I read and enjoyed Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and heard great things about her other books, so I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw her two books. As for The Blue Sword, I have actually already read it, but wanted to upgrade my copy to a hardcover.
It was a sale weekend here, and I was sorely tempted to buy some other books. But I had to hold myself back and just “settle” for the above books. How about you, did you receive any great books this week?
Group Read: A Monster Calls, Part I
I’ve heard so many good things about A Monster Calls but felt that I needed to be emotionally ready before I started reading it. When a couple of people from Goodreads decided to do a group read for this, I thought it would be a good idea to join in so that I could really take my time to appreciate the book. Tina, who has already read it, gave us a few questions to answer, so here’s what I came up with (might contain spoilers).
Part I: A Monster Calls to Grandma
1. “You’re a good boy,” Conor’s mother tells him. “I wish you didn’t have to be quite so good.” (p. 17) What do you think she means by that?
I took this to mean that even under the current circumstances he was holding himself together so well and that he was acting very mature for his age. In a sense it was like he was acting as if everything was normal, and probably his mother didn’t expect that kind of reaction. I suppose she wanted to be able to talk to Conor about the situation but didn’t know how to do it since it seemed like he was coping so well.
2. Lily was once Conor’s closest friend but now he can’t forgive her. Why? Is he right to feel betrayed?
At Conor’s age, friendships are very fragile and crucial – one little thing can spell the difference between acceptance and rejection. Being in a situation that most kids probably might not have known how to handle set Conor apart from the rest, and not in a good way. To know that this was caused by someone whom he was close to probably felt like such a huge betrayal, and I can see why he reacted that way. I suppose if I were in his shoes, I would have felt the same way.
3. The monster talked about 4 stories, 3 from him and one from Conor. The one from Conor should be the truth. What do you think is this truth? (Feel free to speculate :D To those who’ve read this already, you can write what you first thought this truth was.)
Not much has been said at this point of the novel, so I would say that it’s his having to accept the possibility of his mother dying. When Conor’s grandma wanted to speak to him about the situation, he immediately went on the defensive and insisted that everything was fine and was going to be fine. He was very adamant in his refusal of his grandma’s help, which seems to have stemmed more from denial of his mom’s situation than it was of optimism that she would get better.
It has been easy reading to this point but I’m still bracing myself for the coming chapters.:)
On Appreciating the Hufflepuffs
Growing up, everyone wanted to be in Gryffindor. If you characterized yourself as a do-gooder in the face of fear, or weathered hardships without complaint, you were a Gryffindor. If you always chose the high road and completed every side quest in every RPG, you were a Gryffindor. Gryffindor was the house of heroes, the house of the chosen one, and the house that Dumbledore seemed to rain upon with numerous points for whatever reason he deemed suitable.
“Harry finished his supper all by himself! Fifty points for Gryffindor!”
– Professor Dumbledore
ReaderCon Filipino Friday: Week 5 - ReaderCon Expectations
Yes, it’s already Tuesday, but here’s my last minute post to the last ReaderCon Filipino Friday.
What do you hope will happen in the Filipino ReaderCon? What are you expecting from the event?
To be completely honest, I really don’t know what to expect because this is my first time to attend an event such as this. But I am really looking forward to meeting new people and listening to the discussions (especially on Book Blogging, since I know I still have a lot to learn).:)
I do hope that this event will be the first of many for Filipino Readers because I know that a lot of people out there are just waiting for a chance to get to meet and interact with other readers.
Now before I end this post, I would just like to give a shout-out to Honey, Chachic and the rest of the Filipino Book Bloggers for all their hard work in organizing this event. A big thanks also to the co-presenter, Vibal Publishing House, Inc. and the sponsors, Primetrade Asia, Flipside Digital Content Company, Inc., Scholastic Philippines, OMF Literature, Hachette Philippines, and Tie Me Up Buttercup for making this possible.
So anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!:D
