A great book should leave you with many experiences and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it.
- William Styron
- William Styron
I got a wonderful gift from Jac today: a journal whose leaves I can fill with scribblings, “anything to express my eternal love affair with books.” Books and writing – two of the things I love most in life!
Leafing delightfully through it, I discovered that some of the journal’s pages ask for the following (which I then proceeded to answer):
Would I recommend this book to a friend? Definitely.
One book I never thought I’d come to love… Bangkok 8 by John Burdett Preconceptions that made me reluctant to pick it up: Aside from the cover which I found a bit cheesy, I’m not really a fan of the exotic thriller genre.
This movie did justice to the book it was based on… The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Reasons why I consider the film as a good adaptation: Here’s where we cannot grumble that the book is better than the movie.
One book I read as a child that I still love today… Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal
Things I realized about the book after reading it again later in life: The Philippines in Rizal’s time is no different from how it is now.
My favorite characters in literature are… Howard Roark, Lily Bart, Aureliano Buendia, Yossarian and Mickey Sabbath.
What I love about these characters: Howard’s hair color, Lily’s eyelashes, Aureliano’s armpits, Yossarian’s feigning and Mickey’s licentiousness.
Most people are raving about this book. I’m not… Underworld by Don De Lillo What convinced me to read this book in the first place: It’s among the Times top five best work of American fiction in the last 25 years. I just had to know why it’s up there.
The most dog-eared book in my collection… Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
And I quote: “Will I really? . . . Will I really take the ax, will I really hit her on the head, split open her skull. . . Good Lord, will I really?”
I found this book hard to digest… Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
One thought I can’t get out of my head after reading the book: No wonder some hailed it as one of the most influential books of all time AND the second most dangerous book ever.
I would give my right arm just to meet this author… Philip Roth
One reason I fell in love with his work: His irreverent, in-your-face, deliberately provocative style of writing.
Thanks so much, Jac!
17 comments:
i have the same experience with "Atlas Shrugged." sadly, i gave up on it...lol.
The Godfather.... I totally agree, Angeli.
Kayni, it was just too long, diba? those multiple-paged monologues, who speaks like that? :) i almost did not finish it too.
Agnes, I love The Godfather - the movie versions. :)
that's a nice journal! what a creative gift. i can't believe you enjoyed nile me tangere as a kid. that book is tough!
hello prinsesamusang. it was fun. the opening scene where there's a banquet for Ibarra (and tinola was served) captured my imagination right away. all the characters - they fascinated me when i was in grade school and they fascinate me till now. :)
by the way, thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. :)
thanks for sharing and that was a really nice gift coming from a friend ;)
yes, amelia. jac knows how i love books. :)
I've also read Noli as a child, and to this day, I still like it. There are hundreds of interpretations of the book, but they are all interesting.
I saw something like that in Powerbooks (December 2007 yata). I didn't know they maintained it. I shoud have gotten one. A clever gift. =)
yeah, this came from powerbooks, too. it really is a great gift. nakakaaliw. :)
i have 'Atlas Shrugged' but haven't found time to read it yet. now i know what to expect.. hmm, made me even feel lazy to read it if it's all that intricate. I was also taken by Noli Me.. when I read it in comic form as a child, unfortunately, the comic book was stripped of the last pages so i was really 'bitin!" :-)
Artemis, have you read The Fountainhead? That I enjoyed, compared to Atlas Shrugged. :)
It's a good thing Noli and Fili are now a must-read in high school. they're now part of the curriculum, right?
no i haven't read The fountain head.in fact I haven't read any Ayn Rand yet, i think i have a couple of his books kept somewhere in my dark closet :-). i remember Atlas Shrugged because the friend who 'dumped' these books to me talked much about it before finally selling it to me, ha ha..
yes, Fili and Noli are required for 3rd and 4thyrs, as Ibong Adarna and Florante at Laura are for 1st and 2nd yrs... great books!
As a kid I read detective stories by Erle Stanley Gardner. Learned Latin from Erle, such as rigor mortis, and etcetera. hahaha.
who is erle stanley gardner?
you're welcome, A. :)
i was really right giving that to you... see how you have filled up the pages? :)
enjoy your journal. :)
thanks again, jac. :)
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