The 2012 Book Challenge

[CaRaMBa]

^Nakura will also just ask me about it hehehe.

They can "report" their reviews to you here even if the reviews are in another thread.

[strandedstranger]

If both threads can be stickied then I am all for it.

[mykel14]

January pa lang, I was already subscribing to this thread. Hindi ko nga lang matapos-tapos 'yung book na binabasa ko. Personal goal for 2012 is 5-10 books.

[krizbits]

#4 Bata,bata pano ka ginawa by Lualhati Bautista
Pages:239
Rating:4.5/5

Mas nauna kong napanuod yung movie. Grabe! Kung bihira lang yung film adaptation na nakakapag-justify ng book pwes, isa ito sa mga bihirang yon at parang nalampasan pa nga dahil dun sa line na "Akala mo lang wala, pero meron, meron, meron!" Simple lang yung original na line ni Ojie. Walang dating! Ang lakas lang ni Lualhati Bautista isang huwarang feminista na hindi kinakailangang maging chauvinista. At naging idol ko din si Vilma Santos dahil dito.

[marimari678]

10. State of Wonder, Ann Patchett
- Dr. Marina Singh works for the pharmaceutical company, Vogel. When news that his co worker, Dr. Anders Eckman is dead after being sent to Brazil, Marina with the urging of Eckman’s wife and Vogel travel there to find out not only about how Eckman died, but also check on the progress of the research on fertility that vogel has been funding. The research is lead by Dr. Anick Swenson who used to be Marina’s teacher in John Hopkins. Until an accident happened that made Marina turn her back from obstetrics and switched to pharmacology. Anick, has been studying the Lakashi tribe for years. Women of the tribe gives birth well into their sixties, even seventies. This is the result of chewing on the bark of a tree which is named martins.
Since this is set in the Amazon, I was really expecting an anaconda appearance, and I was not disappointed The novel also tackles medical ethics and morality. How far would one go for science. Once you’ve gone native, can you ever go back to wherever you came from?
4/5

[strandedstranger]

Updates will be announced every Monday.

[strandedstranger]

For those who are planning to join the challenge, you can read the mechanics here.

Less than 5 Books

• hethler
  1. Michael Cordy's "The Miracle Strain"
  
• Sweetkay
  1. Hope for the Flowers
  2. Skinny Bones and the Wrinkle Queen
  3. Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks, and Me
  4. 13 Reasons Why
  
• thekaisermarc
  1. The Thief- Megan Whalen Turner
  2. Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
  3. The Golden Compass- Philip Pullman
  
• japspt
  1. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
  2. The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
  3. The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
  
• cyberfunk
  1. 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
  2. Cadillac Beach - Tim Dorsey
  3. Torpedo Juice - Tim Dorsey
  
• kobe_lai
  1. Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan by Bob Ong
  2. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
  
• indigo77
  1. The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
  2.The Death Cure
  3. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
  
• floorfiller
  1. Bedded for the italian's pleasure
  2. pride and prejudice
  3. p.s i love you
  
• michymichymoo
  1. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
  2. Diana: The Making of a Saint- Ted Harrison
  3. Like the Flowing River - Paulo Coelho
  
• Joshua 526
  1. The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss
  2. The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
  
• dikya
  1. The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored Original Text
  
• Aurelio Buendia
  1. Clive Cussler's Arctic Drift
  2. Bob Ong's Lumayo ka nga sa kin
  
• akeanon
  1. the best of chico and delamar's the morning rush top 10
  2. lumayo ka nga sa akin (bob ong)
  
• cwayzi
  1. Pretty Little Liars
  2. PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: UNBELIEVABLE by Sara Shepard
  
• ricin
  1. THE GATHERING by Anne Enright
  
• tintura_de_yodo
  1. Macarthur by Bob Ong
  
• scribblergeek
  1. The Vast Fields of Ordinary
  
• kai0315
  1. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
  2. Death Dance - Linda Fairstein
  3. Under the Dome - Stephen King
  
• luthien826
  1. The Amber Spyglass
  
• krizbits
  1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  2. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  3. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  4. Bata,bata pano ka ginawa by Lualhati Bautista

5 to 9 Books

• brrrrr!!!
  1. Kitchen - Banana Yoshimoto
  2. 1Q84- Haruki Murakami
  3. black dogs - ian mcewan
  4. Catching Fire
  5. Mockingjay
  
• nozmail
  1. 999: twenty-nine original tales of horror and suspense - al sarrantonio
  2. a christmas carol
  3. black dogs - ian mcewan
  4. crooked little vein - warren ellis
  5. the call of cthulhu and other weird tales - hp lovecraft
  6. the scarecrow (audiobook)- michael connelly
  7. alice's adventures in wonderland - lewis carroll
  8. we need to talk about kevin - lionel shriver
  
• schizo_me
  1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
  2. 1Q84
  3. The Best of Chico and Delamar's The Morning Rush Top 10
  4. Divergent - by Veronica Roth
  5. The Help - kathryn stockett
  6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly close - Jonathan Safran
  7. I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella
  8. Are you there God , It's me Margaret -- July Blume
  9. Room by Emma Donoghue
  
• drewzx_me
  1. Playing the Odds
  2. Tempting Fate
  3. All the Possibilities
  4. One man's art
  5. The Sands of Team
  6. The Prize
  7. Three Fates
  8. The Inventions of Hugo Cabret
  
• pinoy2781
  1. the hour i first believed - wally lamb
  2. she's come undone - wally lamb
  3. twisted 9 - jessica zafra
  4. coraline - neil gaiman
  5. dreaming water - gail tsukiyama
  6. night of many dreams - gail tsukiyama
  7. ang mga kaibigan ni mama susan - bob ong
  8. for one more day - mitch albom
  9. ligo na u, lapit na me - (sir) eros s. atalia
  
• LimpBwiZit
  1. A World Without Walls - Michael Moore
  2. On Globalization - George Soros
  3. Karl Marx (biography) - Francis Wheen
  4. Creative Capitalism - Bill Gates and Warren Buffett dialogues
  5. Peeling the Onion (autobiography) - Günter Grass

10-19 Books

• yakibuke
  1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K Rowling
  2. Dangadang - Aurelio Agcaoili
  3. Elizabeth Costello - J.M Coetzee
  4. way to paradise - mario vargas llosa
  5. seducing the demon: writing for my life - erica jong
  6. making straight circles - maria l.m. fres-felix
  7. harry potter and the goblet of fire - j.k rowling
  8. living to tell the tale - gabriel garcia marquez
  9. personal - rene villanueva
  10. art of war - sun tzu
  11. Lolita - vladimir nabokov
  12. Blindness - Jose Saramago
  
• strandedstranger
  1. The Subculture of Violence
  2. Heart of Darkness
  3. Hunger Games
  4. Catching Fire
  5. Mockingjay
  6. Divergent
  7. The Lightning Thief
  8. The Sea of Monsters
  9. The Titan's Curse
  10. The Battle of Labyrinth
  11. The Last Olympian
  
• marimari678
  1. Norwegian wood(reread) by Haruki Murakami
  2.The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
  3.The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  4. Naked Lunch by William Burroughs
  5. Girl With Curious Hair, David Foster Wallace
  6. Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris
  7. The Lover's Dictionary, David Levithan
  8. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
  9. One day, David Nicholls
  10. State of Wonder, Ann Patchett

[strandedstranger]

Congratulations to marimari678 for reaching 10-book mark this week.

[michymichymoo]

4. Lumayo Ka Nga Sa Akin - Bob Ong



Rating: out of 5

A satirical novel from an anonymous author with the pseudonym Bob Ong. The book is in a script format and divided into three stories: an action movie, a love story and a horror story. The stories are humorous take on Filipino cinema during the 80s and the 90s. It gives a nudge on Filipino entertainment's lack of the originality in the past. The book wil bring back your childhood memories (if you used to watch Filipino movies) and will keep you laughing from start to end.

[hethler]

NOTE:
Originally, I had a long review for Percy Jack Book 4 because I really love this book, I'm a fan. But when I'm about to post, nag-down ang server, tinamad na akong mag-type, ang haba na ng nasulat ko!!!

--------

Book 2:

Percy Jackson & the Olympians | Book Four
The Battle of the Labyrinth
by Rick Riordan

I'm a big fan of ancient Greek mythos so I really enjoyed reading this book, and ultimately, it lived up to my expectations. The plot and script definitely improved and are more matured which is a good thing. I also appreciate the fact that Rick Riordan manages to make the young characters grow up realistically as modern teenagers. (I hated those books with flat characters). I can see Percy, grew a pair of balls here (figuratively speaking). I can't say that this is the best among the book series though but it's entertaining and engaging enough for me to finish this really quick. Overall, it's good. Percy and Ann might just have a romantic future, no?

Rating: 3.5/5

P.S.
Should you let your kids read this, be extra careful because of one of its major themes --- violence.

[strandedstranger]

^@hethler

next time use the 'post a reply' button rather than the quick reply box.

That has happened to me numerous times already )

[ScribblerGeek]

1. The Vast Fields of Ordinary
Rating 3.5/5

Why you should read it:
The over-all tone of the novel was phlegmatic, with a protagonist who struggles with his everyday highschool life as one struggles to cross the river Styx in hell. It is not so hard to identify with Dade, because one way or another, we somehow feel alienated with the world around us and is constantly bugged with the metahysical question of "Why the hell am I here?" As a first novel, TVFOO is okay, although somehow it came accross as too melodramatic for me at some point. Nick Burd is not really bad.

[ScribblerGeek]

1. The Vast Fields of Ordinary (Nick Burd)

2. Deadline (Chris Crutcher)
Rating 3/5


Why you should read it:
You shan't if you're afraid of reading something about death. The novel revolves around Ben Wolf, who, at the start of his senior year in highschool, was diagnosed of a rare blood disease (that wasn't mentioned in the book, come to think of it), and only has one year, more or less, to live. Aside from being an absolute cheesefest because we all root for dying person trying to change the course of their lives at the last minute and declaring some profound inferences about life and death and all in between, the novel was decent enough. Just like with other YA novels, Ben has his own advocacy and that was to name a road after Malcolm X, a black guy who was shot by his kind, tagged as troublemaker of sort. But what I liked the most with this story was the ending, but I don't wanna spoil it for you who might be having an inkling to read this one.

[ScribblerGeek]

1. The Vast Fields of Ordinary (Nick Burd)

2. Deadline (Chris Crutcher)

3. The Magician (Lev Grossman)
Rating: 3.75/5

Why you should read it:
I dunno. Perhaps if you have the penchant for Fantasy fiction, this one is a good try. Though they (some of the online critics) tag it as "the Harry Potter for adults," I believe it was quite far from it. Not only that Harry Potter is a book of its own (if you get what I mean), the story is more philosophical than fantastical. It did not dwell much on the "magic" theme but more so on the irony of being a young adult (that is, finding what one really wants) > Magic was left as a pedagogy that one masters, a method, and not by all means "magic." The plus points, though, of the book, is that the protagonist, Quentin, was so flawed that it is not hard to identify with him. Unlike most heroes, he was full of angst, insepid at times and apathetic unless he's on imminent danger. But, surprisingly, he was insightful and thoughtful as well which makes him a very interesting character.

[marimari678]

1. Norwegian wood(reread) by Haruki Murakami
2.The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
3.The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
4. Naked Lunch by William Burroughs
5. Girl With Curious Hair, David Foster Wallace
6. Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris
7. The Lover's Dictionary, David Levithan
8. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
9. One day, David Nicholls
10. State of Wonder, Ann Patchett

11. The Body Artist, Don Dellilo

- Laura Hartke, body artist, stays in an old house outside New York City with her much older husband, film director, Rey Robles. Laura is Rey’s third wife. Rey later committed suicide in his first wife’s Manhattan home via gunshot. Laura decided to stay in the old house even though friends and family are against it. There’s still two months left in the lease.

Thus began, Laura’s strange way of coping with the grief of losing her husband. She watches via internet livestream, a road in kotka, finland. Weirdly finding pleasure from staring on an empty road in another part of the world. Laura discovered an enigmatic person in one of the rooms of the old house. From her observations it seems his appearance tend to change and he has the ability to mimic voices. He may be a ghost, a figment of Laura’s imagination, Or an escaped psychiatric ward patient.

The story in it’s most basic is all about marriage, loss, grief. But do not dwell too much on specifics.

3.5/5


Currently Reading: Black Swan Green, David Mitchell
good night

[indigo77]

4. Choker by Elizabeth Woods



No. of pages: 233
Rating: 2 out of 5 (1 rating for its potential, 1 rating for the pretty cover)

Review:

I didn't know what to expect from this book except that I knew it's a teen mystery psychological drama. This book kept me interested from the first page. It starts by giving you a picture of a typical high school set up. From awkward teenagers wanting to fit in, to some bullying, to high school crushes, to parties, etc. As soon as the mystery aspect started, I already had an idea who the bad guy is and I was right! I even guessed what the twist would be at the end. This book had the potential to be a really good "whodunit" mystery novel, but it failed with its predictability. Overall, it's an okay fast read. Just don't set your expectations too high or you'll be disappointed.

[japspt]

4. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (541 pages; Feb 26-Mar 4)

Review: A quick overview of what the novel is about: It’s a story of conjoined twins of an English doctor and an Indian nun who worked in a hospital in Ethiopia. The nun dies, their father flees, and the twins are raised by their parents’ colleagues. The novel is how this influenced the lives of the twins, Shiva and Marion, our storyteller.

My reading experience is a polar opposite. I either extremely enjoyed it or I extremely hated it. There were some parts were I felt that CFS was a medical book and the story was forced to make it a novel. I had medical background so I understood his very detailed description of medical conditions/surgical procedures, but it was these times when I struggled to read. It’s like watching your favorite TV series then someone switching it to a documentary channel.

Other than that, I loved Cutting for Stone. It’s a mixture of everything I want in literature – bits of historical, cultural, romantic, family story, medical drama, coming of age, redemption, humanity.

I rate this 4/5 stars.

[michymichymoo]

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl



Rating: out of 5

One of the greatest children's books of all time, which tells us about the story of a poor young boy named Charlie, who is living with his parents and grandparents in an old shack. They are so poor that his grandparents share the same bed. Though they are extremely poor, Charlie's family makes sure that he gets to eat a Willy Wonka Chocolate for his birthday. Willy Wonka is the owner of the world's best chocolate factory which is closed to public when other chocolate factory owners try to steal Wonka's chocolate recipes. Willy Wonka opened the factory for 5 lucky children who will get the golden ticket found in Wonka chocolate bars, and Charlie was one of them. Being a selfless boy, Charlie ended up inheriting the factory when Willy Wonka wouldn't be able to run the factory anymore.

[michymichymoo]

6. Pugad Baboy 18 - Pol Medina Jr



Rating: out of 5

Pugad Baboy 18 is a compilation of comic strips published at the Inquirer, and known for its humorous take on the current events and Philippine politics. It also gives emphasis on family matters with the odd couple Debbie & Dagul and Barbie & Tomas. It also gives insights about the Filipino youth through the "biiks" Paltik and Utoy. The character I like the most is Tomas' ex-convict cousin, Igno, who's inflammable due to his drinking habits and his extreme fear of ghosts. Senator Cabalfin, the neighborhood politician, embodies the current situation of Philippine politics. The Pugad Baboy series is an entertaining yet informative read.

[pinoy2781]

For those who are planning to join the challenge, you can read the mechanics here.

Less than 5 Books

• hethler
  1. Michael Cordy's "The Miracle Strain"
  
• Sweetkay
  1. Hope for the Flowers
  2. Skinny Bones and the Wrinkle Queen
  3. Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks, and Me
  4. 13 Reasons Why
  
• thekaisermarc
  1. The Thief- Megan Whalen Turner
  2. Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
  3. The Golden Compass- Philip Pullman
  
• japspt
  1. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
  2. The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
  3. The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
  
• cyberfunk
  1. 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
  2. Cadillac Beach - Tim Dorsey
  3. Torpedo Juice - Tim Dorsey
  
• kobe_lai
  1. Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan by Bob Ong
  2. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
  
• indigo77
  1. The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
  2.The Death Cure
  3. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
  
• floorfiller
  1. Bedded for the italian's pleasure
  2. pride and prejudice
  3. p.s i love you
  
• michymichymoo
  1. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
  2. Diana: The Making of a Saint- Ted Harrison
  3. Like the Flowing River - Paulo Coelho
  
• Joshua 526
  1. The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss
  2. The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
  
• dikya
  1. The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored Original Text
  
• Aurelio Buendia
  1. Clive Cussler's Arctic Drift
  2. Bob Ong's Lumayo ka nga sa kin
  
• akeanon
  1. the best of chico and delamar's the morning rush top 10
  2. lumayo ka nga sa akin (bob ong)
  
• cwayzi
  1. Pretty Little Liars
  2. PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: UNBELIEVABLE by Sara Shepard
  
• ricin
  1. THE GATHERING by Anne Enright
  
• tintura_de_yodo
  1. Macarthur by Bob Ong
  
• scribblergeek
  1. The Vast Fields of Ordinary
  
• kai0315
  1. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
  2. Death Dance - Linda Fairstein
  3. Under the Dome - Stephen King
  
• luthien826
  1. The Amber Spyglass
  
• krizbits
  1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  2. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  3. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  4. Bata,bata pano ka ginawa by Lualhati Bautista

5 to 9 Books

• brrrrr!!!
  1. Kitchen - Banana Yoshimoto
  2. 1Q84- Haruki Murakami
  3. black dogs - ian mcewan
  4. Catching Fire
  5. Mockingjay
  
• nozmail
  1. 999: twenty-nine original tales of horror and suspense - al sarrantonio
  2. a christmas carol
  3. black dogs - ian mcewan
  4. crooked little vein - warren ellis
  5. the call of cthulhu and other weird tales - hp lovecraft
  6. the scarecrow (audiobook)- michael connelly
  7. alice's adventures in wonderland - lewis carroll
  8. we need to talk about kevin - lionel shriver
  
• schizo_me
  1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
  2. 1Q84
  3. The Best of Chico and Delamar's The Morning Rush Top 10
  4. Divergent - by Veronica Roth
  5. The Help - kathryn stockett
  6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly close - Jonathan Safran
  7. I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella
  8. Are you there God , It's me Margaret -- July Blume
  9. Room by Emma Donoghue
  
• drewzx_me
  1. Playing the Odds
  2. Tempting Fate
  3. All the Possibilities
  4. One man's art
  5. The Sands of Team
  6. The Prize
  7. Three Fates
  8. The Inventions of Hugo Cabret

• 
  
  pinoy2781
  1. the hour i first believed - wally lamb
  2. she's come undone - wally lamb
  3. twisted 9 - jessica zafra
  4. coraline - neil gaiman
  5. dreaming water - gail tsukiyama
  6. night of many dreams - gail tsukiyama
  7. ang mga kaibigan ni mama susan - bob ong
  8. for one more day - mitch albom
  9. ligo na u, lapit na me - (sir) eros s. atalia
  
  
• LimpBwiZit
  1. A World Without Walls - Michael Moore
  2. On Globalization - George Soros
  3. Karl Marx (biography) - Francis Wheen
  4. Creative Capitalism - Bill Gates and Warren Buffett dialogues
  5. Peeling the Onion (autobiography) - Günter Grass