Sumthinblue – Page 131

Uglies

597271_23339173

A couple years ago, I found myself in a bookstore, at a loss, and called a friend to ask for any good books she’s read lately. She recommended Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.

I looked it up in the bookstore and read the cover — “In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is Ugly”. and “Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?” — and Iremember thinking it was such a sick concept.

Because I’m not really into sci fi, dystopia, or any of those spoiled, rich-kid, sex-crazed YA novels that seem to have proliferated over the recent years, I didn’t buy the book. I added it to my BookMooch wishlist though, in case it would come up and I could find out what the fuss was about.

Shortly after, it did come up on BookMooch, and I got to mooch a copy. Then it was in my TBR for about a year when I decided to bring it with me on an out of town daytrip for a meeting with one of my clients a few weeks ago, and finally settled down to read it.

Continue reading “Uglies”

WWII Reading Challenge

Because of the Holocaust phase I seem to be going through this year I managed to get a head start in the War Through the Generations WWII Reading Challenge, without setting out to accomplish it.

Thanks to Anna, who commented on one of my reviews to let me know about the challenge.

The War Through the Generations WWII Reading Challenge runs from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2009.

Here are the challenge rules:

To participate in the WWII Reading Challenge, you must commit to reading at least five books throughout the year. We plan to read more than that, and feel free to do the same! The books can be fiction or non-fiction, and they can be about any aspect of WWII. WWII should be the primary or secondary theme, and it doesn’t matter whether the book takes place during the war or after the war. Children’s literature is acceptable! (Please visit the WWII Reading List page for some recommendations.) You can count books you are reading for other challenges, so long as they meet the aforementioned criteria.

You can decide which books you’d like to read right away, or you can choose them during the course of the challenge. However, when you sign up, we ask that you set a reading goal for the challenge. At the end of the challenge, those who met or exceeded their reading goals will be entered in a drawing (prizes to be announced later).

Continue reading “WWII Reading Challenge”

A Bookworm in Cebu

I didn’t have any posts up last weekend because I had to fly to Cebu on Friday night on a business trip, to cover the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo Festival hosted by the provincial government at the Cebu International Convention Center.

I’ve been to Cebu at least once a year in the past four years (second time this year), but always for work, with a bit of leisure crammed in. Always hopeful for some reading time, I packed three books, although to no avail. For some reason, when I have several books with me I never find the time to read, and when I don’t have any books with me I end up with absolutely nothing to do!

I didn’t have much time to go around because our activities were packed (I wish I can go to Cebu for fun next time!), but I managed to squeeze in some bookish time– finished one book, went to a couple of Book Sale branches and got a bunch of books, scoped out some bookish items at the trade fair, and met up with a Flipper friend!

Continue reading “A Bookworm in Cebu”

The Ravenmaster’s Secret

tower
When I first saw Elvira Woodruff’s The Ravenmaster’s Secret: Escape from the Tower of London, I couldn’t help thinking how terribly interesting and ominous it appeared to be, and I wanted to buy the book, but it was a bit expensive so I decided to pass on it first.

Then some months later, I mooched a book from abroad that needed an additional mooch to help defray shipping costs, and I found a copy of this book in the member’s inventory so I decided to finally get it.

A couple weekends ago, I went out of town for a board meeting with one of my clients and brought this along to read while traveling, and it turned out to be one of the best historical middle-reader books I’ve ever read.

Continue reading “The Ravenmaster’s Secret”

A shiver through the spine (The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold)

shoe

I’d been avoiding reading The Lovely Bones because for a while everyone seemed to be reading it, and it wasn’t really my type of book. I don’t like dramatic fiction, especially domestic dramas. I find them very stressful to read, sometimes even traumatic, like a A Heart of Stone. Sometimes, it’s just nothing spectacular for me, like The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.

The trade paperback I mooched had been languishing in my TBR for over a year already, and I dreaded reading it, but it was taunting me (yes, it all happens in my mind) so I decided it was time to conquer this book.

It surprised me, actually, because as much as I was prepared not to like it, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, which goes to show how going out of your comfort zone once in a while can be rewarding.

Continue reading “A shiver through the spine (The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold)”