THE CHAIR

For as long as I can remember, I've always been fond of reading. My mother often tells me that I started to read at age 3, and by age 4 I was already perusing the newspaper. We used to live next door to my cousins, who were avid readers, and I soon followed their footsteps. By third grade I had started my own little library. By fourth grade I was already scrimping my allowance so I could expand my collection. I love reading so much that I would finish skimming all the stories in my English textbook even before the school year starts. I hang out so much at bookstores that relatives often joked that if my parents didn't know my whereabouts, they can easily figure out where I am. (And there was indeed an instance when my parents just randomly strolled into a book fair hoping to find me, and they did!) Back then, my dream job was to be a librarian. To be surrounded by different kinds of books was my ultimate bliss.

As the years went by and other priorities set in, I found less time to read. It didn't stop me from buying books though, or borrowing from friends, cos I still have high hopes of being able to read them "someday soon". And so eventually, I have accumulated quite a long reading list (and also gathered much dust on the shelves). This year, I resolve to catch up on this, with the goal of finishing at least 30 novels this 2012.

And so yesterday, I went to work armed with Ptolemy's Gate, the final installment to the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Luck was on my side, cos there were hardly any patients during my 12-hour shift. As an added bonus, there was a comfy chair in the resident's quarters (see picture above). Oh, what joy! My reading went undisturbed and I finally finished the series.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud is composed of The Amulet of Samarkand (2003), The Golem's Eye (2004) and Ptolemy's Gate (2005). Set in an alternate history of 1930s London, where magic plays a strong role in politics and in shaping world events, this is the story of a gifted and ambitious young magician named Nathaniel, his cheeky five-thousand-year-old djinni Bartimaeus, and a feisty commoner named Kitty Jones. Their lives are intertwined in a series of conflicts, magical adventures and complex conspiracies that will bond them in a destiny that just might save their world.

Initially I found this a bit hard to digest cos the books are quite thick and the fonts quite small. I also thought that it might be a drag, so I kept pushing off reading this series. But when I really focused on it, I realized that it was immensely enjoyable! The story is rich with humor, suspense and excitement that will make you flip page after page and keep you guessing until the end. Since every chapter is told from one of the protagonists' point of view, I can associate and empathize with all three main characters. I particularly looked forward to chapters that are told from Bartimaeus' POV, cos he's such a tease! He likes to brag and make snide and sarcastic comments that often made me guffaw out loud. There are also footnotes in his chapters which give us glimpses of his rich past and explains a lot about his otherworldly attributes. Nat, on the other hand, developed not only physically but also in knowledge and in character. Seeing him grow up and change from book to book makes you wonder expectantly if he will become the typical corrupt magician, or if he does have traits which will make him exceptionally different. And sure enough, I was not disappointed with how he turned out. Kitty's perspective does not appear till the second book, but her character also develops wonderfully and she becomes a significant part of the plot. I especially loved the third novel, since it was so exciting, fast-paced, action-packed, and I won't spoil, but the ending just clinches everything so perfectly and satisfactorily that I am still affected by it even until now, more than 24 hours after finishing it. I thought that each book is separate from the other, but when I read the final installment, it actually connects all the incidents and wraps up the trilogy into a beautiful and epic conclusion. I am certainly most pleased with it! (^o^)/

I really want more of Bartimaeus and I'm so happy to learn that the author has actually released a prequel for this series, called The Ring of Solomon (2010) (Oh~ Thank you so much, Mr Stroud!!!) Although sadly, we won't be hearing more of Nat and Kitty, but I am thrilled that I can read more about our audacious djinni! I hope I can find the book (prolly not in our local bookstores though, maybe in Manila...).

Lately I've only been reading books aimed for children and young adults. Series I've finished in the most recent years include The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Twilight, Fablehaven, Daniel X, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Hunger Games, Beyonders (first of trilogy), etc etc etc. Series I still have to read are Maximum Ride, The Kane Chronicles, The Heroes of Olympus, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Witch and Wizard, Artemis Fowl, Inkheart, Redwall, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Lord of the Rings, etc etc etc. If you notice, most of these are of the fantasy/adventure genre cos I'm currently only interested in those (although I also have other more "mature" or "serious" materials here). Although I want to write about all of them, but as you can see, I'm kinda bad at describing my reading experiences (what's with all these adjectives that fail to describe @___@). Well, whatever. To blog or not really depends on my mood and my skills in time management. As of now, I'm juggling a lot of activities in my hands, though I feel that I'm still accomplishing nothing and not really serving my real purpose in life. Oh well. I guess I'm off to the next book.

MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!

A few months back, I have mentioned several books titles I've been wanting to read, and one of them was the young adult post-apocalyptic trilogy, THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. I have been compelled to buy the set several times, yet I always change my mind when I reach the cashier (mostly out of fear of being disappointed, and out of fear of my growing collection of unread books). Fortunately, a friend lent me her copy last July, and so I had the opportunity to read and experience it. 

My initial opinion of the plot -- a group of teenagers in a dystopic setting forced to fight each other to the death -- is that it is nothing new. If you are familiar with the controversial Japanese pulp classic Battle Royale by Takami Koushun, then you'd be quick to say that HG is a rip-off. This further piqued my curiosity and interest, as I wanted to see for myself how similar or different the stories are. And I guess I can safely say that although the main concept might be alike, but the society they live in, the culture and mentality that they have, and the execution of the storylines are quite different, so it would be fair if we should just stop comparing them and see them both as independent works.

That aside and going back to my Hunger Games reading experience... The trilogy consists of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Maybe because of the hype and my high expectations, but I actually ended up having mixed opinions about it. I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. For one thing, although the main characters -- the protagonist Katniss Everdeen and her two love interests, Gale Hawthorne and Peeta Mellark -- all have their strong traits, yet I just couldn't bring myself to like any of them (although if I must choose, I'll be in Team Gale! XD). It's not that I don't like romance in my novels. As a matter of fact, I relish it! But somehow, I find the romantic development in their dog-eat-dog world a bit... off. Their situation and their personalities are too psycho and bitter to actually make me feel "kilig". I find Katniss quite indifferent yet very fickle with her emotions, very much like Bella flitting between Edward and Jacob, so I didn't like that one bit. (Although yes, you may easily argue that she acts that way because the situation calls for it, and I can understand that. But it still doesn't bring her close to my heart XD). Then there are some supporting characters who seemingly have great potentials to become more than they are, but they get killed. (Yes, I know it is expected since they are jut ordinary kids, but I just couldn't help but feel grumpy over it). There are also certain twists in the plot which I didn't particularly like, not because they were unhappy, but just because they are just conveniently there, if you know what I mean. No, you don't, cos I don't either. >__< Well, let's just leave it at that cos I don't know how to expound on this and further writing only brings more confusion. ^w^

I do admit that it had enough combination of angst and thrill to hold my attention for several days, and so I was quick to finish the books. One thing I realized about the HG trilogy is that it is not to be judged as individual books, but to be seen and read as a continuing series of events. I was honestly quite disappointed with the first book, but the pace for me picked up in Catching Fire when I realized that the first part was only the tip of an iceberg and there is more to the story than I initially thought. I like how the nation of Panem was envisioned by the author, with its own rich history, government, structure and culture, however sick and distorted it may be. I like how the capitol and districts have been organized, and how they set-up the games. Face it, I'm such a sucker for alternate societies/settings like this so I easily take a fancy on such stuffs. Overall, it was an entertaining read for me. But, like the Twilight series, I wouldn't think of reading it again, or buying my own copy.

BUT!!! I will definitely watch the upcoming movie adaptation set to be released on March 2012. I think this will be another young adult novel turned movie franchise that will spawn gadzillions of screaming fans and even more bickering haters. Watching the trailer doesn't particularly excite me, but like the books, it has piqued my curiosity and interest once again. Fans all over have gone in a frenzy agreeing or disagreeing over the choice of leads. I, however, have no particular preference or comment for the cast, except that maybe they are not who I exactly pictured in my mind. But as I have no particular fandom over Katniss, Peeta or Gale, so I don't really care. I did browse through the credentials of these actors, and they seem rather talented and suitable for the roles. Anyway, it is expected that novels brought to the big screens don't exactly come out the way everyone wants, so let's just wait, keep our minds open, and see the movie for ourselves. 

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

SUGGESTED READING MATERIALS

My cousin's son, Shan, is a voracious reader, and probably reads faster and more avidly than me. I have mentioned in a previous blog entry that we exchanged some of our books. He immediately finished all of the novels I lent him, while I, until now, have finished only four of his books (blame in on the unlimited supply of patients! >__< but don't worry, I'll catch up!) I'm really quite excited that I share similar reading interests with my 10-year old nephew, and hence I've come up with a list of suggested reading materials, most of them of the fantasy/adventure genre, which my cousin might want to buy for her son (and which I can hopefully leech in the future XD). I haven't read any of these and chose these based on my own preferences, so I cannot assure anyone if these books are any good. But I provided links so you can check these titles out for yourselves.

Dragon Rider

by Cornelia Funke, author of the Inkworld series

Heroes of the Valley

by Jonathan Stroud, author of the Bartimaeus Trilogy

Beyonders : A World Without Heroes

by Brandon Mull, author of the Fablehaven series

This is the first of three books.

The Emerald Atlas

by John Stephens

The first in the Books of Beginning trilogy.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

by Suzanne Collins

I'm not sure if I should recommend this to my nephew, since it gives me the impression of a violent dystopian world akin to that of Battle Royale. And hence, I'm not sure if kids his age should read it. But among all these novels, this set has been particularly calling out to me very loudly for the past few months. I must admit that I've taken this box set several times near the cashier, but have always promptly stopped myself and returned it back to the shelf. Now, I've just borrowed a copy of this trilogy, and will try to read it soon. If at any point I will immensely enjoy reading this, I will buy a set for myself right away. 

The Mysterious Benedict Society Series

by Trenton Lee Stewart

Currently there are three books in the market:

01 - The Mysterious Benedict Society

02 - The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

03 - The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma

The Inheritance Cycle

by Christopher Paolini

The first book is the basis for the movie of the same title.

(And on a side note, was actually the first movie my boyfriend and I watched together on a date. XD)

This was initially a trilogy, but the author decided to publish a fourth book, set to be released November 2011.

01- Eragon  //  02 - Eldest  //  03 - Brisinger  //  04 - Inheritance

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

by Michael Scott

This is a series of six fantasy novels, five of which are already published.

01 - The Alchemyst // 02 - The Magician // 03 - The Sorceress

04 - The Necromancer // 05 - The Warlock // 06 - The Enchantress (May 2012)

Septimus Heap Series

by Angie Sage

I'm not quite sure how many books there are in this series, but currently there's already six of them out in bookstores.

01 - Magyk // 02 - Flyte // 03 - Physik

04 - Queste // 05 - Syren // 06 - Darke

Actually I have some other titles in mind, but these are my choice picks for now. I would buy these myself I have the funds, and "another" bookshelf (since the recent one I bought is already overflowing >__<). But for now, I have decided that it's impractical cos I need to save money and our current apartment is too cramped. Also, an important factor is that I'm busy with work yet I hoard too much, so most likely I won't have the time to read these anyway. So if other people can buy these and will just let me borrow, then I think that would help me a lot. ^_______^