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January Current Reads

Before January ends, I want to share with you guys some books that I'm reading lately.

It's ironic to note that I'm reading three books, almost juggling them, to use the term lightly. I used to think that  a person should only read a book one at a time, to give the story justice and to give the characters their time to grow on you and to feel the threading of the storyline and one's daily life.

But time has been such a commodity lately. It's a currency with a very high trade off so since it's very precious I only trade it off with the most pressing of tasks. Well, anyway, so much for that tired old excuse right?

My January reads are pretty diverse, if I do say so myself. I love that all these books were either lent or given to me. It makes it all the more special to end the first month of the new year!

It's Like This Cat by Emily Neville


Fresh and full of insightful adventures, this story by Emily Neville is an engaging read. It is a YA novel that touches on a lot of values and affords us a glance of what it was like to be a boy in 1970s Brooklyn.

I love that it features the simple life that young boys used to lead, the active lives that they lead unlike today's boys who spend more hours locked up in their rooms infront of the TV or PC and Game consoles, "PWNING" other players as if it is significant to the world, or playing keyboard warrior to make their lives more interesting. It's makes me think how sad the world we're living in now is.

It's Like This, Cat makes me miss the sense of wholesome adventures that seems to be waiting just around the next block, waiting for you to pass by on your bike with a little cat on your bicycle basket. I have a review on this book in the next post, so stay tuned for that!

Breathe Deeply by Yamaaki Doton


A dramatic, deep manga that all of you should look into! Its story revolves around the question of ethics and morality. The manga starts innocently enough, but it already has a tinges of its darkness at the first few pages. Two boys, Sei and Oishi, vie for the affection of their childhood friend and classmate, Yuko, despite her being confined in a hospital for a terminal heart defect. 

My copy of the Manga given by the publisher. Beautiful rough, shady artwork. The intricate detailing of the characters in the manga is astounding.
The helplessness of having experienced someone you care for die every so slowly everyday never left their hearts and minds as they grew up, delving in the genetic/medical field because of a deep-seated desire for closure and answers, haunted by her memories everyday.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami


This is an intense read, I will tell you that much with all honestly. There are a lot of things going on in the book. A lot of obvious disconnect in events but they are interconnected by a single, fine, morose thread.You can't think that a calculated Assassin group who take justice to their own hands by shoving a finely crafted, barely-there ice pick would be interwoven with an ardent editor pushing a ghostwriter to re-write an award winning novel of epic proportions.

As I said, there are a lot of things going on. It is a true Murakami novel: It is sharp and hazy, borderline nightmare-like, made of the confusing things that makes sense of things in the end.

His thickest book yet but is thoroughly engaging. And the fact that Jay Rubin translated this made it to my lise of 2012 Epic Novels. I have so much story to go but it is an adventure in itself.

The book has pages that spell out the title! I thought it was so cool to discover each one as I went along!

 

These three books are my current read but only It's Like This Cat can be seen within my book bag, as the other two are as thick as nothing else and my shoulders cry out in pain when I lug them around everywhere! :)

Thank you so much for reading!



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Breathe Deeply by Yamaaki Doton from the publisher One Peace Books for the sole purpose of a book review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Comments

  1. Anonymous11:55:00 PM

    O_O krcu gurl, imoha diay tong its like this, cat na book? saw it atop sa locker yesterday...you forgot it i think? or you have it with you? hahaha! :))

    ReplyDelete

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