2013 Book Challenge

[hethler]

Ok siguro kung one review per post (like last year). Ok lang ba, hethler?

Okay lang naman siya but if you have readliy review/s for your other book/s then might as well post it along with other reviews

The point of the 1 review per post last year was for easier linking (according to stranded). Since it seems like we're all going to do our own linking to our own masterpost this year (like how it happened during the latter half of 2012), maybe we can just post how we want to? For me it feels like spamming--posting multiple reviews in different posts--when you can do it all in one post...but that's speaking for me, or people like me, who aren't active here all the time.

Yup!

[JobyBryant24]

Aba ayos mabenta pala uli tong Book Challenge.

Buti nakatapos na din ako kahit isa kahit super busy! This weekend na yung review.

[hethler]

Aba ayos mabenta pala uli tong Book Challenge.

Buti nakatapos na din ako kahit isa kahit super busy! This weekend na yung review.

Hintayin ko yang review mo

[CrystalClash]

1/50
Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Genre: YA
Authors: John Green and David Levithan
Rating: out of 5



Review:
The novel follows two boys who both go by the name Will Grayson. They are vastly different people who lead very different lives. One night brings them together and it changes their lives - forever.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a unique book. Two different POVs make for an engaging read, and there was never a dull moment. Even the supporting characters were lively. It dealt with some issues that I have not seen in a YA novel before, which I found brave. They dealt with those issues with sensitivity, yet is somehow remained to its rebellious spirit. It is funny, it is sarcastic, it is inspiring. I look forward to reading more books from Green and Levithan.

[officeboy24]

[pinoy2781]

Aba ayos mabenta pala uli tong Book Challenge.

Buti nakatapos na din ako kahit isa kahit super busy! This weekend na yung review.

in fairness, andaming sumasali. hopefully, ma-sustain yung momentum.

[Tajs]

2/50
Title: The Road to Gandolfo
Genre: Crime Novel
Author: Robert Ludlum
No. of pages: 310
Rating: 5/5



Review:
US legendary war hero and veteran, General MacKenzie Hawkins (Mac or The Hawk), became an embarrassment to his government for defacing publicly a historic monument in China after being drugged. To preserve diplomatic relationship between two governments, Mac Hawkins was later kicked out of military. Disgusted with the abandonment by his government, Mac plotted in kidnapping the Pope for $400 million, charging $1 to each catholic in the world. With the help of Hawks' harem (his four busty ex-wives) and the sharp army lawyer Sam Devereaux (had intentions to sabotage the kidnapping plot), the plan was put into execution with the aid of highly qualified operatives. Look out for the Pope's reaction.

I love reading Robert Ludlum's spy novels and was surprised that he can also write a wickedly humorous novel. Mac's character became a favorite of mine and I enjoyed reading every page of this novel. I wish that Ludlum had written more books with Mac as the central character. Road to Omaha, was written as sequel but Road to Gandolfo is still my fave.

[hethler]

coolkitten advances to this challenge as he/she finished his/her 6th book!
You are now entitled to receive a"Book Challenger" pin!

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NOTE TO ALL:
PEx is currently working on 2013 Book Challenge pins and they will be available soon
If you have questions please do send me a PM.

Happy reading!

[GL2814.5]

1/10
Title : Just Warriors, Inc. - The Ethics of Privatized Force
Author : Deane Peter-Baker
Genre : Military / Political Science / Current Events
Pages : 226



Review :
Contracted combatants (aka mercenaries) have always been put in a negative light. When the term "mercenary" comes into mind, the most common image is that of a "war junkie" who's only in it for the money with no moral norms whatsoever. Recent events in Iraq involving private military contractors (PMCs) such as Blackwater/Xe/Academi further paint a negative image of the contracted combatant.

In this book, Deane-Peter Baker argues that the contracted combatant is no different from his counterpart in the regular armed service. The book's title "Just Warriors" can actually mean two things :

1. That the contracted combatant is "just (another) warrior", same as the regular soldier. On the other side of the coin, the regular soldier can be also considered as a "contracted combatant" as he is bound by "contract" to serve his country's armed forces.

2. That the contracted combatant also has the same set of moral principles as the regular soldier - that he is a "just warrior". That his being a contracted combatant does not make him have less of a sense of duty as compared to the regular soldier.

[Tajs]

3/50
Title: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
Genre: Erotica
Author: A. N. Roquelaure
No. of pages: 253
Rating: 3/5



Review:
This is the first book of the Sleeping Beauty trilogy of Anne Rice, who wrote it in 1983 using A.N. Roquelaure as pseudonym. Rice revealed herself as the author sometime in 1990s. "Roquelaure" is a french word for a knee-length cloak worn especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. The setting of the book was created in a fantasy realm where the story opened with the Prince breaking the sleep spell in the Kingdom by the ravishment of Beauty, instead of kissing her as per the popular fairy tale. As with other books of Anne Rice, the trilogy was well received and even became more popular than her other novel, "Interview with the Vampire". An interest on this trilogy has again increased recently because of "Fifty Shades of Grey" popularity.

As a novelist, Anne Rice is good in story telling although there is not much story here since the focus is in delving into the erotic world where explicit acts are not spoken in public. I personally like vampire stories which made me collect all books of Anne Rice from Amazon and this trilogy was a surprised addition.

[nozmail]

1. the concrete blonde - michael connelly (audiobook)
(jan 7 - jan 13)
rating:

the concrete blonde is michael connelly's third novel. it features harry bosch, a homicide detective from LAPD.

the novel focuses on a trial against harry bosch for killing norman church, a man he believes to be a serial killer known as "the dollmaker". four years earlier, bosch was in pursuit of the dollmaker with the help of a prostitute. when harry entered the suspect's house, he found church, naked and reaching for something under a pillow. bosch warned him not to move but church did not listen to him and continued to reach under the pillow. believing he could be reaching for a gun, bosch shot church only to find out later that church was reaching for his toupe.

after norman church's death, more victims surface and honey chandler - the plaintiff's lawyer, uses this fact against bosch - norman church is not "the dollmaker". however, after investigating the previous victims of "the dollmaker" bosch found a pattern and came to a conclusion that there is a copycat. he investigates and pursues the killer, who was someone closer to him than he expected.

[PoachedPig]

May gawd! Ang saya naman pala dito sa Book Challenge thread...

Ang sarap sumali sa Book Challenge, kung hawak ko lang sana ang oras Ang tagal ko ng hindi nakapagbasa ng books. 3 books lang ata natapos ko last year, Hunger Games lang

Sana makatapos ako at least 5-10 books this year, I really miss reading...

[mykel14]

They say it only takes eleven minutes to have sex. Or, at least, that is what Maria realized about her job.

Having her heart broken a couple of times at such a young age, Maria came to the realization that prince charming does not exist. She redirected her life to finding fame and fortune, but as fate would have it, she ended up engaging in sexual activities with strangers for a living. In this unexpected turn of events, she discovered the two sides to lovemaking and in the process, she might have fallen in love… again.

I don't read Paulo Coelho books. I got tired reading friendster/facebook statuses, tweets and text messages about his inspirational quotes and life-lessons. As if the guy knows everything about life. My friend recommended this book, insisting that it is different from his other novels. But I still said no. I ended up receiving a copy as Christmas present last 2011. It is only this year that I got to finish reading Eleven Minutes.

It's something you don't usually read about. But as much as it is an interesting read, Eleven Minutes does not change my perception of Coelho, or at least, my attitude towards his work. His explanation of sex and soul and inner light made me more skeptical. What's weirder is that Maria's exploration with sadomasochism - Terence's explanation as to why people engage in such practice - actually makes more sense than Ralf's claim on sacred sex. The ending made me more confused. It suggested that Ralf and Maria ended up together – and that went against everything Maria was telling about in previous chapters. Of how acting on love is falling to destiny’s trap… of how responding to it ruins the pleasure being in love brings. I wish Ralf did not pursue Maria... that the latter went back to Brazil with her family. But maybe that's what the book is trying to say - that Maria is wrong, disillusioned by her previous encounters with love. That this - what she had with Ralf - was true love. But somehow, her earlier points and arguments seemed right... valid. I don't know what to make of it.


1/10
Eleven Minutes
by Paulo Coelho
Genre: Fiction
Date Finished: January 19, 2013
Rating: 6/10

[magenstrasse]

mykel - i've only ever read one paulo coelho book. i kinda find him overrated. too much.

tajs - i've also read anne rice's sleeping beauty series. and i actually read the other two installment. natawa nga ako sa sarili ko eh. parang bored much? those books are all about freaking rape. i remember skipping a lot kasi paulit-ulit.

[michymichymoo]

mykel - i've only ever read one paulo coelho book. i kinda find him overrated. too much.

tajs - i've also read anne rice's sleeping beauty series. and i actually read the other two installment. natawa nga ako sa sarili ko eh. parang bored much? those books are all about freaking rape. i remember skipping a lot kasi paulit-ulit.

read it too pero til the 2nd book lang ako. medyo disturbing eh.

[magenstrasse]

^disturbing nga. unang-una pa lang eh. pero di ba ganun daw 50shades? kaya di ko na binasa 50shades.

[tiger_lily1]

Omg may prizes pala dito? Astig.

I'm posting my 3rd review. I'm caught up na although it's taking me quite a long time to finish my 4th book.

3. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle, non-fiction self-help, my rating 3/5

Eckhart Tolle's main premise is how every bit of our emotions is governed by but one thing: our ego; and how that in order to find true happiness (therefore, our true purpose) we must learn to co-exist with the things that are available in the present but also be able to detach ourselves from thus. The elements of this world are all in a state of impermanence, no exceptions. Very buddhist in his propositions, Tolle reminds us of the principal cause of suffering -- that it is born out of our ego to always want more than what is, and that the only way to relieve ourselves of thus is to be aware and 'awaken' ourselves to the existence of our ego that will never reach the point of satisfaction in earthly things, that is, everything that exists of this temporary world. Tolle introduces the reader to the virtue of detachment, however insists that detachment is not equal to indifference, but actually a tool that will help us appreciate being in the present, and properly utilize all resources that are available to us at present time.

I don't know about 'purpose' but this book may enlighten a disillusioned conscience, comfort a suffering soul, inspire an apathetic will. Although at times quite redundant in later chapters, and written in psych jargon that I can almost imagine a shrink preaching next to me, It is a sensible read, and may be relevant to all persons in whatever life stage they may be.

[michymichymoo]

^disturbing nga. unang-una pa lang eh. pero di ba ganun daw 50shades? kaya di ko na binasa 50shades.

Di ko pa din binabasa 50 shades.

[talkplaylove]

^ Ako din. But from the excerpts I've seen on tumblr, it falls more on Mommy P___ category than the Sleeping Beauty series. And the descriptions / euphemisms in 50 shades are horrible.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5...b8mso1_500.jpg

San daw? Haha

[magenstrasse]

^ Ako din. But from the excerpts I've seen on tumblr, it falls more on Mommy P___ category than the Sleeping Beauty series. And the descriptions / euphemisms in 50 shades are horrible.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5...b8mso1_500.jpg

San daw? Haha

hahaha natawa ako! it's THERE.

whenever someone is asking me if i've read 50shades eh natatawa na lang ako. then i'll tell them di pa. tapos sasabihin nila maganda kaya! sobrang ganun lagi ang reaction. if they want better erotica novels there is a sea of others out THERE.

btw hopefully this feb mabasa ko na yung Dirty Red, pero i wanna read The Opportunist again. and cry again.