I want more. This is not enough.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Jan 15, 2012
Aug 16, 2009
Book Review: The Kite-Runner
Wao~
It has been ages since I've done a book review.....
So, here it is, a review on Khaled Hosseini's The Kite-Runner
I was so touched by the book, I made short notes/poems/things based on how I feel about it
All hail the new style (and probably I won't do it again) of orange review~
you know you like it~ XD
and actually, I've read and done the review since last year...--''
The Kite-Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: Riverhead; Later Printing edition (January 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN: 1-57322-245-3 (first edition, hardcover)
ASIN: B001OLU13K
You and I, we were inseparable
You were the better half of me, the source of my envy
You love me unconditionally and for me,
A thousand times over
You died for me. Like you said you would
But I don’t think I deserved such loyalty.
I know I wronged you
It haunts my dreams
For 20 years I tried to forget you
But you, you still love me
“You were too hard on yourself, you were just a kid”
No, I wasn’t. I could’ve done something.
He has done so much for me
Regrets, how I wish I stood up for you
“I love you, but you steal him from me!”
All those darken nights
All those frightful dreams
All those regretful feeling
All those painful thoughts
Are now gone
Thank you, for forgiving me
As the sky filled with bright colored kites
Shadows lifted from my heart, from my soul
Suddenly nothing else mattered
Cause finally, I’m with you
For you, a thousand times over………….
(All are written based on Amir's feelings on Hassan, his bestfriend)
picture from http://www.sfugradsociety.ca/
It has been ages since I've done a book review.....
So, here it is, a review on Khaled Hosseini's The Kite-Runner
I was so touched by the book, I made short notes/poems/things based on how I feel about it
All hail the new style (and probably I won't do it again) of orange review~
you know you like it~ XD
and actually, I've read and done the review since last year...--''
The Kite-Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: Riverhead; Later Printing edition (January 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN: 1-57322-245-3 (first edition, hardcover)
ASIN: B001OLU13K
You and I, we were inseparable
You were the better half of me, the source of my envy
You love me unconditionally and for me,
A thousand times over
You died for me. Like you said you would
But I don’t think I deserved such loyalty.
I know I wronged you
It haunts my dreams
For 20 years I tried to forget you
But you, you still love me
“You were too hard on yourself, you were just a kid”
No, I wasn’t. I could’ve done something.
He has done so much for me
Regrets, how I wish I stood up for you
“I love you, but you steal him from me!”
All those darken nights
All those frightful dreams
All those regretful feeling
All those painful thoughts
Are now gone
Thank you, for forgiving me
As the sky filled with bright colored kites
Shadows lifted from my heart, from my soul
Suddenly nothing else mattered
Cause finally, I’m with you
For you, a thousand times over………….
(All are written based on Amir's feelings on Hassan, his bestfriend)
picture from http://www.sfugradsociety.ca/
Sep 4, 2008
Book Review: Not Without My Sister
this book i read during lectures.
that's how boring block 13 lectures are, with all those statiscal words like internal validity, confounding validity, sample size, etc.
on to the book!
author: Celeste Jones, Kristina Jones, Juliana Buhring
Publisher: HarperCollins Entertainment (2 Jul 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0007248067
ISBN-13: 978-0007248063
when i saw Erica reading this book, i know i must try it. mainly because it got lovely cover (yeps, i'm a sucker for pretty book cover). the blurb doesn't tell much, but it summarize the whole story beautifully.
This tell the true stories of three sisters, on how they survived and freed themselves from a cult (Children of God, later known as Family of Love, and now the Family International). They were physically and sexually abused, with no one to help, and no way to run from it.
The key character of the story was their father, Christopher Jones aka Simon Peter, whom all the sisters yearned affection for. his reckless behaviour of leaving his children on the hands of the Family members resulted in various sexual encounters for the sisters as early as the age 6 years old. One of their blood-sibling (the Family considered all members as brothers and sisters) died after long years of drug addiction due to dismissal from him (he said that he had a new family and would not care for her since she's in the "System").
The Family lived on the whim of a narcisstic leader, David Berg, also known as Moses David or Mo for short. his words are the rules they lived by, and they memorized every single words that came out of his mouth. he communicated with his followers through series of letters known as Mo's Letters, which will set up new rules, or new whatever. he was the one who said that sharing is loving, and by loving, he allowed the Family to have sex with anyone and everyone as sex is the ultimate form of love.
Later as Mo died, his "wife", Karen Zerby risen up, and appointed herself as the Queen Maria. she too, continued his legacy of free sex, though not as free as during Mo era. during Maria's time, the Family started facing bad press due to confessions and reports from the second generation of the Family, who ran away and quit the cult. many of the second generation have mental problem and one of the Royal Family members , the prince, Davidito, committed murder-suicide, which shaken the Family system.
that's roughly what happened in the Family from the three sisters views. the Family ways were told mostly from Celeste and Juliana's side, since they were in the cult until their 20s while the System side was told by Kristina, since her mother quitted the cult and brought her along when she was 12.
Celeste and Juliana didn't have much life in the Family. they were treated like goods, and when there's trouble, they'll be shipped to another Family base around the world (eg, Japan, Uganda, etc). they never knew the address of the house they were staying, never had an identity of their own. names could be change in an instant, it had no meaning, no significant what so ever. after encountering major events in their life, they decided they had enough and wanting to leave the Family.
orange kite says: scary!!! all those child abuse stories... it makes me feel really grateful of my life. lost childhood was something that cannot be found again. i rarely read these kind of books because, well too depressing to begin with, and i am depressive enough for myself. but for the nice story and not making me feel stupid, i give this one a 9/10.
that's how boring block 13 lectures are, with all those statiscal words like internal validity, confounding validity, sample size, etc.
on to the book!
author: Celeste Jones, Kristina Jones, Juliana Buhring
Publisher: HarperCollins Entertainment (2 Jul 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0007248067
ISBN-13: 978-0007248063
when i saw Erica reading this book, i know i must try it. mainly because it got lovely cover (yeps, i'm a sucker for pretty book cover). the blurb doesn't tell much, but it summarize the whole story beautifully.
This tell the true stories of three sisters, on how they survived and freed themselves from a cult (Children of God, later known as Family of Love, and now the Family International). They were physically and sexually abused, with no one to help, and no way to run from it.
The key character of the story was their father, Christopher Jones aka Simon Peter, whom all the sisters yearned affection for. his reckless behaviour of leaving his children on the hands of the Family members resulted in various sexual encounters for the sisters as early as the age 6 years old. One of their blood-sibling (the Family considered all members as brothers and sisters) died after long years of drug addiction due to dismissal from him (he said that he had a new family and would not care for her since she's in the "System").
The Family lived on the whim of a narcisstic leader, David Berg, also known as Moses David or Mo for short. his words are the rules they lived by, and they memorized every single words that came out of his mouth. he communicated with his followers through series of letters known as Mo's Letters, which will set up new rules, or new whatever. he was the one who said that sharing is loving, and by loving, he allowed the Family to have sex with anyone and everyone as sex is the ultimate form of love.
Later as Mo died, his "wife", Karen Zerby risen up, and appointed herself as the Queen Maria. she too, continued his legacy of free sex, though not as free as during Mo era. during Maria's time, the Family started facing bad press due to confessions and reports from the second generation of the Family, who ran away and quit the cult. many of the second generation have mental problem and one of the Royal Family members , the prince, Davidito, committed murder-suicide, which shaken the Family system.
that's roughly what happened in the Family from the three sisters views. the Family ways were told mostly from Celeste and Juliana's side, since they were in the cult until their 20s while the System side was told by Kristina, since her mother quitted the cult and brought her along when she was 12.
Celeste and Juliana didn't have much life in the Family. they were treated like goods, and when there's trouble, they'll be shipped to another Family base around the world (eg, Japan, Uganda, etc). they never knew the address of the house they were staying, never had an identity of their own. names could be change in an instant, it had no meaning, no significant what so ever. after encountering major events in their life, they decided they had enough and wanting to leave the Family.
orange kite says: scary!!! all those child abuse stories... it makes me feel really grateful of my life. lost childhood was something that cannot be found again. i rarely read these kind of books because, well too depressing to begin with, and i am depressive enough for myself. but for the nice story and not making me feel stupid, i give this one a 9/10.
Jun 3, 2008
Book Review: Tuesdays with Morrie
yeahh!!
a proper book review after two months of not doing it properly.
i totally skipped during April, and May saw me reading romance novels.
i know this is old, but what the heck, here it is:
Tuesdays with Morrie
author: Mitch Albom
Publisher: Broadway
Language: English
ISBN-10: 076790592X
ISBN-13: 978-0767905923
First book i read from Mitch Albom was The Five People You Meet In Heaven. the story's about life after dying. about retrospecting the life you've had and what actually that you've learned from it. but i'm not going to talk about that book. today i want to talk about Tuesdays with Morrie.
i'm never one to investigate books i'm about to read. a review from a friend, a great cover, an author/authoress i recognized, all these (or one of those) are enough for me to pick up a book and read it. so when i read Tuesdays with Morrie, what i have in mind was "this is a fiction story about an old guy who is dying". but what i think about the book isn't important now.
i like the moral of the story. of how Morrie refused to study medicine, law and business because he didn't want to manipulate people. i always think that a doctor's duties may be not as noble as we think, because we make a living out of other people's misery. never a good thing. and of how he said that to live happily you have to interact with people, to have communication, to have relationships. and i think that's true too.
ait. other topics discussed in the book are "regrets", "feeling sorry for yourself", "death", "family" and a few others.
this book defies most of the materialistic cultures we lived by today. it says things like, prioritize things that is really important to you; money isn't everything in life; it's okay not being able to do everything; and many others. for me, this book is better than any self-help book. i hate self help books because they made me feel helpless. and stupid (i know, i know, i have denial problem).
anyway.
this is a true story about a man's perspective about life.
a light reading with a heavy input.
enjoy.
orange kite says: i have mixed feelings when reading this book. i still have problems dealing with deaths. especially dying because of disease-related problems. somehow this book help me get through it a little bit, and didn't make me feel so bad about myself. so, for not making me feel like i'm the most evil person in the world, i'm giving a full 10/10 for this book.
a proper book review after two months of not doing it properly.
i totally skipped during April, and May saw me reading romance novels.
i know this is old, but what the heck, here it is:
Tuesdays with Morrie
author: Mitch Albom
Publisher: Broadway
Language: English
ISBN-10: 076790592X
ISBN-13: 978-0767905923
First book i read from Mitch Albom was The Five People You Meet In Heaven. the story's about life after dying. about retrospecting the life you've had and what actually that you've learned from it. but i'm not going to talk about that book. today i want to talk about Tuesdays with Morrie.
i'm never one to investigate books i'm about to read. a review from a friend, a great cover, an author/authoress i recognized, all these (or one of those) are enough for me to pick up a book and read it. so when i read Tuesdays with Morrie, what i have in mind was "this is a fiction story about an old guy who is dying". but what i think about the book isn't important now.
i like the moral of the story. of how Morrie refused to study medicine, law and business because he didn't want to manipulate people. i always think that a doctor's duties may be not as noble as we think, because we make a living out of other people's misery. never a good thing. and of how he said that to live happily you have to interact with people, to have communication, to have relationships. and i think that's true too.
ait. other topics discussed in the book are "regrets", "feeling sorry for yourself", "death", "family" and a few others.
this book defies most of the materialistic cultures we lived by today. it says things like, prioritize things that is really important to you; money isn't everything in life; it's okay not being able to do everything; and many others. for me, this book is better than any self-help book. i hate self help books because they made me feel helpless. and stupid (i know, i know, i have denial problem).
anyway.
this is a true story about a man's perspective about life.
a light reading with a heavy input.
enjoy.
orange kite says: i have mixed feelings when reading this book. i still have problems dealing with deaths. especially dying because of disease-related problems. somehow this book help me get through it a little bit, and didn't make me feel so bad about myself. so, for not making me feel like i'm the most evil person in the world, i'm giving a full 10/10 for this book.
May 8, 2008
romance and other few things
i forgot to do a book review in April. honestly, i only finished reading one book in April, and that was "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" by Mitch Albom. i don't think i need to review this book, since well, so many well-written review about it on the net, and in book review columns in papers.
effi discussed about his reading habits in here. since most of the guys that are pretty closed to me don't read books except comics or when they have too, his entry is kinda surprising, really. and the comments from various readers. they make me feel like i'm just a novice. which is true, since i rarely read anything beyond the popular novels and trashy romance. ha ha ha (nervous laugh, really).
talking about romance, i bought three of them yesterday, in the spirit of "Today is the romance reading- day". the books cost me rp60 000 (roughly around rm30), which is expensive according to my "used romance should not cost me more than rm8 max, per book". one i bought just purely out of amusement:
didn't know that there's still guys like him existed. or females still described their man like that. oh wait! the book was published in 1990! patutlaaa... isn't the males of the 90's were just a bunch of whiny men, like Kurt Cobain? no wonder women wanted men like "Wolf Renninger", a beautiful male animal in the prowl.
despite the controversial description of Wolf, the story was boring, moving too fast, till i don't know where i am. and all those flashbacks, confusing me, because there's never a clear cut border indicating the scene was happening in the past or in the present. and please, with guy like that, i'm hoping there'll be a lot of romance, especially involving kisses and such. but what i get? nothing more than just whiny bitch who wouldn't listen (the heroine yang konon prasan independent), and a wounded, sickly, old animal. tolongla. bad romance. bad.
and also, when Micki was 19, Wolf was 30. doesn't that make him like a pedophile of some sort? like cradle snatcher? or maybe just plain lecher? and as if a weekend together ties both of them forever. despite not seeing each other for 6 years, they still head over heels in love with each other.
and guess what they called their kid?Cub, as the name Wolf (Wolfgang actually) is inherited to the first male born of the family. so, now we have a whole tribe of wolves!yay! what kind of wolf is your favourite? mine is the siberian wolves. they are just so white and vicious..hehehe.
this is what i get for wanting to read trashy romance, trash. aihhh... i thought i could find something valuable among the garbage, but nooo..just plain old trash, stinky and boring.
does this count as my May book review?
effi discussed about his reading habits in here. since most of the guys that are pretty closed to me don't read books except comics or when they have too, his entry is kinda surprising, really. and the comments from various readers. they make me feel like i'm just a novice. which is true, since i rarely read anything beyond the popular novels and trashy romance. ha ha ha (nervous laugh, really).
talking about romance, i bought three of them yesterday, in the spirit of "Today is the romance reading- day". the books cost me rp60 000 (roughly around rm30), which is expensive according to my "used romance should not cost me more than rm8 max, per book". one i bought just purely out of amusement:
Wolf Renninger was all that his name implied - devastatingly handsome, charming, lean, and hungry - a beautiful male animal on the prowl. Years before, Micki Durrant, nineteen and strikingly lovely, had been his prey, losing her heart and her innocence to him.devastatingly handsome guy who is always on the prowl. not to mention hungry. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!
didn't know that there's still guys like him existed. or females still described their man like that. oh wait! the book was published in 1990! patutlaaa... isn't the males of the 90's were just a bunch of whiny men, like Kurt Cobain? no wonder women wanted men like "Wolf Renninger", a beautiful male animal in the prowl.
despite the controversial description of Wolf, the story was boring, moving too fast, till i don't know where i am. and all those flashbacks, confusing me, because there's never a clear cut border indicating the scene was happening in the past or in the present. and please, with guy like that, i'm hoping there'll be a lot of romance, especially involving kisses and such. but what i get? nothing more than just whiny bitch who wouldn't listen (the heroine yang konon prasan independent), and a wounded, sickly, old animal. tolongla. bad romance. bad.
and also, when Micki was 19, Wolf was 30. doesn't that make him like a pedophile of some sort? like cradle snatcher? or maybe just plain lecher? and as if a weekend together ties both of them forever. despite not seeing each other for 6 years, they still head over heels in love with each other.
and guess what they called their kid?Cub, as the name Wolf (Wolfgang actually) is inherited to the first male born of the family. so, now we have a whole tribe of wolves!yay! what kind of wolf is your favourite? mine is the siberian wolves. they are just so white and vicious..hehehe.
this is what i get for wanting to read trashy romance, trash. aihhh... i thought i could find something valuable among the garbage, but nooo..just plain old trash, stinky and boring.
does this count as my May book review?
Mar 30, 2008
Book Review: Trojan Odyssey
hooray!!
another Dirk Pitt adventure!
I've fallen in love with Pitt in Inca Gold. Rugged, adventurous marine engineer from NUMA, with his trusty sidekick Al Giordano, so daringly escaped from death, and saving the world at the same time.
okay. I'm not making any sense.
anyway.
the book:
Trojan Odyssey
author: Clive Cussler
publisher: Putnam Adult
ISBN-10: 0399150803 (hard cover)
ISBN-13: 978-0399150807 (hard cover)
ISBN-10: 0141016949 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-0141016948 (paperback)
hermmm...
if you've read any Dirk Pitt's books before, you know what to expect. it's the same story being repeated again, but with different setting and different kind of feeling.
the book started with a flashback from a scene of Homer's Odyssey, but with a twist in the plot. For those of you who didn't know what Odyssey is about, well, basically it's about a dude named Odysseus's (or Ulysses in Roman mythology) journey from the Trojan War back home . more info on the guy you can refer to Homer's Odyssey (a must read!) or if you're too lazy, just Google it..
Back to Pitt.
Suddenly i found out that there's two Dirk Pitt in the novel, Pitt Sr. whose sidekick is Al Giordino and Pitt Jr. whose twin sister is Summer Pitt. imagine how confusing i am when i read the book. it's like, "which Pitt are you talking about?!" since both of them have similar characteristics. you really have to focus to know which one is which. by the way, both Summer and Dirk Jr. are the children of Dirk Pitt Sr from his long lost thought-to-be-dead lover. they were introduced in Valhalla Rising.
as usual, there'll be some bad corporation trying to do bad things. this time, its a company called Odyssey. and a bad guy called Specter, who willingly left 1100 people to die when his hotel, Ocean Wanderer (underwater hotel, at the sea) was in the path of a fictional typhoon Lizzie. and there's a environmental crisis of brownish contamination in the ocean's waters, a plot of making the whole Europe undergoes ice age for the sake of selling cheap fuel cell, a female Druidic cult, and some major changes of Pitt Sr.'s life.
it's enjoyable to immerse myself in his adventures. kinda remind me of the Famous Five, Hardy Boys, Three Investigators of my childhood time. but, don't expect something different in this novel. it's a familiar path if you're looking for a walk down the memory lane but with a little extras. however, if you're looking for surprises of plot or anything, avoid this book like a plague. it will not give anything new. you can always guess what will happened at the end.
and Dirk Pitt will always save the day...
(at least he's like Solid Snake XD)
orange kite says: okay. since i'm reading this book during exam week, it's a great stress reliever. because you know what will happen next. it's such a comforting book with great adventure to keep the adrenalin pumping and just enough thrill to make you curious what will Pitt do next. a great read during lazy days, or as a bedtime story. overall i give a 5 out of 10. okay, 3 for Pitt, and 2 for the story..or was it the other way around?
hmmm....
another Dirk Pitt adventure!
I've fallen in love with Pitt in Inca Gold. Rugged, adventurous marine engineer from NUMA, with his trusty sidekick Al Giordano, so daringly escaped from death, and saving the world at the same time.
okay. I'm not making any sense.
anyway.
the book:
Trojan Odyssey
author: Clive Cussler
publisher: Putnam Adult
ISBN-10: 0399150803 (hard cover)
ISBN-13: 978-0399150807 (hard cover)
ISBN-10: 0141016949 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-0141016948 (paperback)
hermmm...
if you've read any Dirk Pitt's books before, you know what to expect. it's the same story being repeated again, but with different setting and different kind of feeling.
the book started with a flashback from a scene of Homer's Odyssey, but with a twist in the plot. For those of you who didn't know what Odyssey is about, well, basically it's about a dude named Odysseus's (or Ulysses in Roman mythology) journey from the Trojan War back home . more info on the guy you can refer to Homer's Odyssey (a must read!) or if you're too lazy, just Google it..
Back to Pitt.
Suddenly i found out that there's two Dirk Pitt in the novel, Pitt Sr. whose sidekick is Al Giordino and Pitt Jr. whose twin sister is Summer Pitt. imagine how confusing i am when i read the book. it's like, "which Pitt are you talking about?!" since both of them have similar characteristics. you really have to focus to know which one is which. by the way, both Summer and Dirk Jr. are the children of Dirk Pitt Sr from his long lost thought-to-be-dead lover. they were introduced in Valhalla Rising.
as usual, there'll be some bad corporation trying to do bad things. this time, its a company called Odyssey. and a bad guy called Specter, who willingly left 1100 people to die when his hotel, Ocean Wanderer (underwater hotel, at the sea) was in the path of a fictional typhoon Lizzie. and there's a environmental crisis of brownish contamination in the ocean's waters, a plot of making the whole Europe undergoes ice age for the sake of selling cheap fuel cell, a female Druidic cult, and some major changes of Pitt Sr.'s life.
it's enjoyable to immerse myself in his adventures. kinda remind me of the Famous Five, Hardy Boys, Three Investigators of my childhood time. but, don't expect something different in this novel. it's a familiar path if you're looking for a walk down the memory lane but with a little extras. however, if you're looking for surprises of plot or anything, avoid this book like a plague. it will not give anything new. you can always guess what will happened at the end.
and Dirk Pitt will always save the day...
(at least he's like Solid Snake XD)
orange kite says: okay. since i'm reading this book during exam week, it's a great stress reliever. because you know what will happen next. it's such a comforting book with great adventure to keep the adrenalin pumping and just enough thrill to make you curious what will Pitt do next. a great read during lazy days, or as a bedtime story. overall i give a 5 out of 10. okay, 3 for Pitt, and 2 for the story..or was it the other way around?
hmmm....
Mar 20, 2008
EDGAR ALLAN POE!!
even though i said in the last post that i won't buy another book for at least 6 months, i did buy a new one today. how could i not? it was a compilation of EDGAR ALLAN POE works!!! i've been searching for the hard copy of his works for months now, and it's in front of my eyes!!
aaahhh!!
POE!!!
i love you!!!
aaahhh!!
POE!!!
i love you!!!
Mar 19, 2008
Book Review : Be With You.
my new target : at least make a book review once a month.
why?
well, i've been reading books, and it would be interesting to retell the story that i've read in my own words. hehe.
all right. on to the book.
Be With You
author: Takuji Ichikawa
translated by: Terry Gallagher
Published by: VIZ Media
ISBN: 1-4215-0762-5 (hard cover), 1-4215-1393-5 (paperback)
this might seem like a ghost story, but it's a sweet ghost story. hey wait, it's not really a ghost story..
it all started when Takumi's wife, Mio, died, leaving him and their six-year-old son, Yuji behind. struggling with neural disease, living a normal life is tough for Takumi, and it gets tougher when he had to take care of his only son alone. going to work is a battle for him, because taking transports made him dizzy, and his body tends to overreacted towards stimulus (if he's hungry, even just a little bit hungry, he'll just black out).
both of them yearn for the dead Mio, for assurance, for warmth, for a normal life. and one day, during the rainy season, after a year of her death, Mio came back. not as a ghost, but as flesh and blood. and thus the miracle begins (yeah, this sentence sucks). and yeah, giving out how Mio came back will be a big spoiler. XD
this story is basically about love, family and struggle in life. in the novel, Takumi questions the relevance of Mio's love towards him, and what is his purpose in life. as for Yuji, he always felt that his birth was the cause of his mother's death. and Mio too, had her problems, whether her decision to marry Takumi was right or wrong. there's also Nombre-sensei who had lived all his life for his sick sister, hovering between regrets, relieve, happiness and anger. bit by bit, the characters overcame their weaknesses through bonds between family and friends.
hmm.
i suck at reviewing.
oh well.
not forgetting, this book was made into a great movie (of the same title), sucky drama (of the same title), and a manga (i still haven't get a hold of it). and there'll be a US re-make of this movie in 2009.
oh oh!! soundtracks for both film and drama was sung by ORANGE RANGE! (Hana for the movie, and Kizuna for the drama)
orange kite says:
i'd give 10 for originality. the presentation style is different from any english novels, since it's originally written in japanese. a refreshing change, sweet but not caries-inducing. and it's written by a guy too!
why?
well, i've been reading books, and it would be interesting to retell the story that i've read in my own words. hehe.
all right. on to the book.
Be With You
author: Takuji Ichikawa
translated by: Terry Gallagher
Published by: VIZ Media
ISBN: 1-4215-0762-5 (hard cover), 1-4215-1393-5 (paperback)
this might seem like a ghost story, but it's a sweet ghost story. hey wait, it's not really a ghost story..
it all started when Takumi's wife, Mio, died, leaving him and their six-year-old son, Yuji behind. struggling with neural disease, living a normal life is tough for Takumi, and it gets tougher when he had to take care of his only son alone. going to work is a battle for him, because taking transports made him dizzy, and his body tends to overreacted towards stimulus (if he's hungry, even just a little bit hungry, he'll just black out).
both of them yearn for the dead Mio, for assurance, for warmth, for a normal life. and one day, during the rainy season, after a year of her death, Mio came back. not as a ghost, but as flesh and blood. and thus the miracle begins (yeah, this sentence sucks). and yeah, giving out how Mio came back will be a big spoiler. XD
this story is basically about love, family and struggle in life. in the novel, Takumi questions the relevance of Mio's love towards him, and what is his purpose in life. as for Yuji, he always felt that his birth was the cause of his mother's death. and Mio too, had her problems, whether her decision to marry Takumi was right or wrong. there's also Nombre-sensei who had lived all his life for his sick sister, hovering between regrets, relieve, happiness and anger. bit by bit, the characters overcame their weaknesses through bonds between family and friends.
hmm.
i suck at reviewing.
oh well.
not forgetting, this book was made into a great movie (of the same title), sucky drama (of the same title), and a manga (i still haven't get a hold of it). and there'll be a US re-make of this movie in 2009.
oh oh!! soundtracks for both film and drama was sung by ORANGE RANGE! (Hana for the movie, and Kizuna for the drama)
orange kite says:
i'd give 10 for originality. the presentation style is different from any english novels, since it's originally written in japanese. a refreshing change, sweet but not caries-inducing. and it's written by a guy too!
Mar 17, 2008
impulse buying
gramedia (a bookstore chain here, equivalent to thai kuang or MPH in Malaysia) had used books sales today.
and i rushed to it after dinner.
spent around rp 226 000 (lebey kuang rm 100)
i bought:
Silmarillion is also addition to my LOTR collections. now i'm only missing The Hobbit and The Two Towers (sebab malas nak beli..haha!).
Bought Dante's Club because the murder cases have something to do with Dante's Inferno (been trying to find that book...i've already have Faust, now i want Dante). sounds mysterious, satanic and gory. definitely my cup of tea (or should i say coffee? i don't like tea that much).
I really like Dirk Pitt's adventure in Inca Gold, thus i accidentally bought 2 of Clive Cussler's books. hopefully they'll be as fun as the Incan adventure. go Dirk Pitt!!
Hannibal. well, i like the movie well enough to think that the book will be better. heh.
Sir Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is what drawn me into the world of detectives and mysteries. it's a classic. it's a great classic. i'd be a fool not to buy it. XD (though i prefer A Study in Scarlet better...)
oh. and i don't think i'll be finishing all these books in 3 months time. since i already have a few books i'm currently reading, and still not finished like The Labyrinth - Kate Mosse (reviews said it's better than Da Vinci Code, i say it lacks the excitement and conspiracy of the Code), Vintage Mystery and Detective Stories - various author (well, it's thick. and a lot of stories. plus old style english. needs time to digest) and a few more i haven't even touch.
heh.
after this i will not have to buy books for another 6 months. XD
and i rushed to it after dinner.
spent around rp 226 000 (lebey kuang rm 100)
i bought:
- The Feast of All Saints -Anne Rice
- The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien
- The Mummy or Ramses the Damned - Anne Rice
- The Dante Club - Matthew Pearl
- White Death - Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos
- Trojan Odyssey - Clive Cussler
- Servants of the Bones - Anne Rice
- Hannibal - Thomas Harris
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Silmarillion is also addition to my LOTR collections. now i'm only missing The Hobbit and The Two Towers (sebab malas nak beli..haha!).
Bought Dante's Club because the murder cases have something to do with Dante's Inferno (been trying to find that book...i've already have Faust, now i want Dante). sounds mysterious, satanic and gory. definitely my cup of tea (or should i say coffee? i don't like tea that much).
I really like Dirk Pitt's adventure in Inca Gold, thus i accidentally bought 2 of Clive Cussler's books. hopefully they'll be as fun as the Incan adventure. go Dirk Pitt!!
Hannibal. well, i like the movie well enough to think that the book will be better. heh.
Sir Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is what drawn me into the world of detectives and mysteries. it's a classic. it's a great classic. i'd be a fool not to buy it. XD (though i prefer A Study in Scarlet better...)
oh. and i don't think i'll be finishing all these books in 3 months time. since i already have a few books i'm currently reading, and still not finished like The Labyrinth - Kate Mosse (reviews said it's better than Da Vinci Code, i say it lacks the excitement and conspiracy of the Code), Vintage Mystery and Detective Stories - various author (well, it's thick. and a lot of stories. plus old style english. needs time to digest) and a few more i haven't even touch.
heh.
after this i will not have to buy books for another 6 months. XD
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