Sunday, February 1, 2009

Sunday Salon: About 3 Books

The Sunday Salon.com


I'm now shaking my head to the beat of Avril Lavigne's Skater Boy but I'll try to write my 3rd Sunday Salon post!

So, I finally finished The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray a few days ago. My full review can be found here. I keep repeating this and I'm going to say it again. It took me more than a month to read it but I enjoyed every page. =) Oh yes, sometimes it was kind of draggy but it all fitted in the story. Towards the ending though, some things didn't make sense, especially Felicity who suddenly turned out to be gay and is looking forward to going to Paris to find more of her kind there.

After all, the book is all about rebellion and going against the rules. The sad thing is, Gemma doesn't get something she wants. I'm not going to reveal it to those who haven't read the book yet.

Anyway, how would you pronounce 'Gemma'? I thought it was 'Gemma' like g in get but apparently it's pronounced as 'Jemma' like g in gesture.

Two nights ago, I watched 'The Scarlet Letter' starring Demi Moore and Gary Oldman on DVD. Again, it's about a married woman who broke the 'rules' by being different in a society of Puritans. Thinking her husband dead, she had an affair with the local minister and was pregnant with his baby. I decided to read the book which was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne right after the movie but found it tedious and boring. I think I shouldn't have started with the Introduction chapter (The Custom-House - Introductory), which has nothing to do with the story at all. It's got nothing to do with the story, right?



So I gave up on that book and went on to read The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. Now at Chapter 15. It's a cute and funny story about a tiny mouse (Despereaux) with large ears who falls in love with a human princess! The mouse's mom is French and immensely pessimistic. And Despereaux has been sent to the dungeon since he has broken a few mouse rules.

The book won the prestigious Newbery Medal in 2004. It has also been made into a movie and I don't know when it'll be shown in Malaysia.

8 comments:

  1. I've got A Sweet and Terrible Beauty checked out from the library. I'm really excited to read it!

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  2. I plan to read A Great and Terrible Beauty later this year...I'm really looking forward to reading this series!

    And yes, Despereaux is adorable :)

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  3. This is my first visit to your blog-I love its design! And I read A Great and Terrible Beauty but haven't read the follow-ups yet. Need to get around to that. :)

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  4. samantha: I hope you enjoye it!

    nymeth: Yes, do read it soon! And I'm almost finishing Despereaux. Quite a children's story.

    Eva: Welcome to my blog and thank you! I like it too. :) What did you think about the book? If you have a review on it at your blog, I'll check it out.

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  5. The Tale of Despereaux sounds cool. I want to read it! :)

    Friend is going to meet me tomorrow and she told me she bought me a book! Ah, I love book :)

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  6. Faisal: Yes, read it! Can finish it within hours.

    Haha! I love getting books too. :) Enjoy your new book.

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  7. When Tales of Despereaux first came out my partner in the media center thought I was crazy when I told her the book was going to win a Newbery. She hates personification big time. The talking mouse character turned her off right away. I taught middle school at the time, but 6th graders loved it. Now...it's history. But she still tells me she won't read it.

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  8. wisteria: Haha! Well, everyone has their own opinions, even for books. Tales of Despereaux is quite an endearing book and it's no surprise that school kids like it. The story sounds so sad in the beginning.

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