I think what drove me to frequent Booksale was my hunt for Italian language books. I wanted to buy a second hand dictionary, since I was taking a basic course it makes no difference if I buy something a few years old. But it took me several months of browsing to discover an Italian language book that my Italian course was actually over when I did. 

And so, back to Italian and Booksale. Tita Vien, a friend of my Tia, borrowed my Php45 Just Enough Italian pocket reference for her trip to Italy. I was at Tia's during one of my job hunting escapades and we were having doughnuts (I think) when Tita Vien told us about her upcoming trip. Amazingly, I had my book with me because I had lots of idle time and I figured I should brush up on my Italian. Just Enough Italian was perfect, especially because of a dedicated chapter on shopping.

She just got back and so did my book. One of the tours she was in was on Leonardo da Vinci (and I guess somewhere along that leg is where she got me this Vitruvian Man magnet) and it can be concluded that he is becky! Or kami lang nagassume, kasi in addition to his scientific, mathematical and artistic endeavors ay events planner/ coordinator and clothing designer din siya. Hehehe

I am so proud of my cheap-o reference book! Naunahan nya pa ako pumunta ng Italia. :p

Jane Eyre (2011)

Among the classic English romance novels written before the twentieth century, Jane Eyre is my favorite to date, though I haven't read much. I adore Pride and Prejudice as much as the average girl but I feel like Jane Eyre is so much bigger and grander, I can't find an exact word for it. 

I have been looking forward to this movie since I saw the gripping trailer last year. It appears to play on the gothic flavor of the novel, which is a good thing in my opinion. I haven't seen any of the earlier adaptations, but I bet only a small fraction if any were made in a dark tone such as this. It could also spark interest in those who haven't read the novel or do not fancy period movies.

Often, book to movie adaptations are horrible but I'm pretty positive Jane Eyre would be among the few exceptions (I trust RT). Below is one of the released clips from the movie, and as far as I can recall the book does not set up a kilig moment like this. Lovesit.



I'm not sure if I posted the trailer before, but I'm too lazy to check so I'll just post it. There are some spoilers extra clips here. Of course all official media can be found in the official website.

The casting choices are impeccable so I am even more excited to see this on the big screen. I'm still googling when it will be released in Philippine cinemas because I read that the March release is limited. :|

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In other movie news, I just found out that the Swedish adaptation of  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo will be coming soon here in the Philippines. Yay!

Waiting, Ha Jin

I waste time in bookshops often. I  sometimes take note of the authors and novels which I find interesting, for future reference. Ha Jin is one of those, and I instantly recognized his name when I chanced upon Waiting at BOOKSALE. Boo yeah.

This is my first "review" for the TBR Pile Challenge, so I'll set a few personal guidelines. I'll break down the review to three things: technical stuff, for the author's style, mood/tone, setting/s, etc; story and themes, where I'll state the gist of the book, review the plot and focus on themes that I find most interesting or significant; and overall, where 'llI sum up the feel of the book for me where I'll rate it for fun based on the grading system used in Quebec according to wiki. And also, I vow never to read any other review regarding my titles prior to writing my own.

Technical stuff.
I like Ha Jin's writing style. He doesn't go down that super complicated sentence construction route, he states things simply. How he unfolds the story generates the complexities in the novel, and I must say it is effective. I found the pacing of the novel just right even though it spans a couple of decades, which in theory would've been boring as hell. It's not like an adventure/mystery/thriller kind of book that's meant to keep you up until 4AM, but it's like a short story that does not hurry nor thrill so much yet still draws you in. The characters aren't very loud and extremely conscious with their actions, which fits the picture of the pacified and traditional lives during communist China.

Story and themes.
The protagonist Lin Kong is a married man, a doctor in the military hospital in the city. His wife Shuyu and child Hua are in the province, where he comes home for 10 days each year. He was married upon the insistence of his parents, and does not love his wife. In the city, he found a girlfriend whom he really connects with, a nurse named Manna Wu. This is set in a very conservative and communist China, where rules are strict and divorce is barely in the vocabulary.

The political flavor in the book is rather discernible, as it limits what the characters can or cannot do. It took a long time for Lin Kong to get a divorce mainly because of the traditional and sociopolitical conditions of the time. The people in his province looked up to him and his family, and as in small villages divorce is a big issue. Year after year, some bomb from his brother-in-law would explode and his divorce would have to wait another year. I particularly liked how Gen Yang, a military man who turned out to be absolutely scornful, played out the devil in this divorce debacle since Lin was more of a passive man. For that age in China, Gen Yang was headstrong and quite rebellious. He dares Lin to be more bold, that he had the option to follow his desires. Lin listens, but still conforms to the rules.

The novel scrutinizes what the passing of time, waiting, can do to a person. I can just imagine my English 11 teacher asking who was really waiting in the novel. At this point I'd fail to give the exact answer or get lucky, because I think all the major characters were waiting and for several different things. Take Manna Wu for example, she was always waiting for the person she loves whether it be from a job assignment, from a trip to get a divorce, or just from work. Before, I thought it only takes patience to wait but now I realize it also takes confidence to wait. But time does tend to erode everything, and time elapsed cannot bring back fonder memories nor youthful beauty. Waiting is exhausting, especially for people who have a lot to lose.

From afar, it seems like your usual love story. And frankly I was drawn to the book because of this premise, I thought it'd be one of those long realized what nots and after all the pride and moral obstacles they'd be together. But it as a love story as much as it is a story about being able to feel and love, because I observed that it's more of the protagonist's ability to feel and love that is explored more than the relationships he has. I think I realized this after Lin Kong finally got his divorce from Shuyu, because it was so anticlimactic. I truly believed he felt strongly for Manna, trying to get that divorce for 18 years, I know he did. However, probably all the waiting made everything a tad bit too late. If Lin and Manna were married earlier, they would have been happier. Because when things finally fell into place, it felt like he pushed through with the divorce and marriage because there just is no turning back and it's not a choice to drop his eighteen year old plan anymore after everything that has happened.

At first, he was determined to divorce his wife with bound feet and marry a young and educated woman. After almost two decades when he finally got married to Manna and had twins, life wasn't better for him.  Then there's also that one incident where he endeared to Shuyu when he got drunk. It's such irony to finally get what you want, or wanted, and then not wanting it as much when you get it. Maybe because the time between the two made everything altogether different, but that's just speculation. In the end, this story paints the sad reality that love does not conquer all.

"Yet one thing he was certain about now:  between love and peace of mind he would choose the latter." 

Compounding his rational behavior towards deciding to let go of Manna though with fits of controlled jealousy, his indifference to Shuyu, his lack of communication with his daughter and his initial lack of attachment to his sons it is evident that he's always a few steps behind. I think that it's sadder, to feel but in such a mediocre manner.  

Overall.
It is literally an easy read, but it's quite the opposite of an easy read. It gets you thinking after you put it down, which for me makes for a really good read. I felt sad after finishing the book, maybe because I felt like all the waiting ended up in misery and at the same time it was a very pragmatic (unromantic sounds off) love story. But really, an A- for this one. 

2011 To Be Read (TBR) Pile Challenge

I'm joining the 2011 TBR Pile Challenge!

The Goal:

To finally read 12 books from your "to be read" pile, within 12 months.

Specifics:

1. Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or "To Be Read" list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2010 or later (any book published in the year 2009 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile - I WILL be checking publication dates).Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the "can't get through" pile.

2. To be eligible, you must sign-up with Mr. Linky below - link to your list (so create it ahead of time!) and add updated links to each book's review.  Every listed book must be completed and must be reviewed in order to count as completed.

3. Your list must be posted by Friday, December 31st, 2010.

4. Leave comments on this post as you go along, to update us on your status. Come back here if/when you complete this challenge and leave a commentindicating that you CONQUERED YOUR 2011 TBR LIST!  Every person who successfully reads his/her 12 books and/or alternates (and who provides a working link to their list, which has links to the review locations) will be entered to win a $50 gift card from either Amazon.com or The Book Depository!

5.  There may be mini-challenge "check-ins" throughout 2011, to award and recognize those participants who are progressing through the challenge, such as a "Spring Break Check-In!" or a "6 Month Pit Stop!" Participants who are making equal progress to-date (6 books at the 6 month check-in, for example) could win a prize! 

6. Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable, as long as you have never read the book before and it was published pre-2010! 

*Note - You can read the books on your list in any order; they do not need to be read in the order you have them listed. As you complete a book - review it, and go back to your original list and turn that title into a link to the review - that will keep the comments section here from getting ridiculously cluttered.  For example, I have completed #09. on my list - so I have crossed it out as completed, and linked it to my review. 

This probably is the best way lessen my unread, just idling by and so so lonely books. Some of the books here, I've mentioned before that I planned to pick up but still haven't read. Sometimes I just can't get through some books, like A Hundred Years of Solitude which I'm not including because I will fail this challenge if I do, so I picked the ones I feel like I can finish. So, here's my list:

1. Animal Farm, George Orwell (Thanks Kirby!)

2. Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (Thanks Bea!)

3. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

4. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
5. The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway

6. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

7. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi

8. Wicked, Gregory Maguire

9. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini

10. Absurdistan, Gary Shteyngart

11. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (Thanks Jomax!)

12. Waiting, Ha Jin

Alternates:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon

The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas

There are two things you may have observed in my list. First, Persepolis. I have to say including Persepolis was a big decision because it's a graphic novel. But I placed a comment on the challenge post and the moderator agreed, so that's settled. Second, you can see that half of my list are classics and half are more contemporary. I just wanted to read in equal parts so to speak, I don't know if that makes sense but it somehow does to me. Hehe

Too bad I can't include Mockingjay and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest in the books I'll be reading for the challenge, but hopefully I can squeeze them in. After all, I have tons of time to read after graduation. I think all depends on how long it will take me to land a job. :p

Note: I created a stand alone page to keep track of my reading. I will link my reviews there. (See tab beside Home labelled TBR Checklist.)