A weekly meme that asks bloggers to post their opinions on specific topics.
(hosted on Wordpress)

This week's topic: Why You Read
From Sven Birkerts' "The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age": "To read, when one does so of one’s own free will, is to make a volitional statement, to cast a vote; it is to posit an elsewhere and set off toward it. And like any traveling, reading is at once a movement and a comment of sorts about the place one has left. To open a book voluntarily is at some level to remark the insufficiency either of one’s life or one’s orientation toward it."
To what extent does this describe you?

I'd say this is perfectly true in my case. I read because books offer things that are hard to find in day-to-day life: massive coincidences, magic, mysteries, and the agency characters have in going on adventures. I've always loved Chinese wuxia stories because they allowed for the romance (I'm using its original meaning here) of swordfights and pseudo-magical powers and brotherhoods and freedom. On the same note, books allow you to travel back and forth in time - you can go back in time to escape the mechanized, clock-mediated society of today, or go forward in time to see either how well we've done, or how horribly wrong we could go. I am a rather introverted person well, so I suppose that makes the remark on orientation towards life true as well. I like being stuck in my own imagination, or someone else's, in the case of a (good) book.
Plus, I personally don't think "insufficiency" is a negative descriptor, because the written language is usually rather different from the spoken - I doubt everyone talks like a third-person omniscient narrator, or a second-person POV for that matter. Just as a great deal of ideas and expressions can only be found in books, a great deal can likewise only be expressed in sounds. Thus, the non-book world "left behind" is naturally "insufficient" (here meaning "incomplete") to me, a reader who knows and appreciates the realm of written ideas.

Announcements
I've created a collective awards post to keep track of who gave me which award. I'll only be making new posts for awards I haven't been given before, but I'll keep adding names to the list if you re-award me =) Thank you!

Also, now that I'm past 100 followers, I'm thinking of hosting another giveaway (after my current one is over). Details are still in the workings, but I might get another poll up to see what you guys would like =)

If you haven't already, take a look at my 50 Followers Giveaway where you can win either a custom layout design from me, or a $5 gift card to either Amazon.COM or Amazon.CA! Since I've reached 100 followers, there will be TWO winners! Contest closes February 28th at midnight!

A weekly meme that asks bloggers to post their opinions on specific topics.
(hosted on Wordpress)

This week's topic: Twisty

1. Do YOU like books with complicated plots and unexpected endings?
Complicated plots are a sure way to lure me into reading anything. I really liked the few Sherlock Holmes novels I read when I was a kid, and mystery novels are still a favourite genre of mine. I like it especially much if the author throws little hints that you would NEVER notice until the big reveal and then I get so "OMGREALLYAWESOME" and want to reread the whole book just so I can go "I see! Right there!"
Maybe off topic, but I also love complicated characters who have very ambiguous motives. I don't usually like it when I can just guess how each character is going to react in every scene and would prefer lots of backstabbing, unvoiced sacrifice, etc. from the protagonists' side (rather than just complicated villains).
As for unexpected endings, it really depends on what kind of ending and how attached I am to the characters. If I loved the characters and the twist ending was "death for the sake of surprise" then I would hate it. There are also "unexpected" endings that I've pretty much figured out before the end of the book (ex. Demon's Lexicon) and thus were quite underwhelming. However, I admit I love sappy happy endings too, and sometimes I'm just in a mood for the characters to live happily ever after. Tragic unexpected endings, I guess, aren't my favourites, especially if I'm very attached to the characters.

2. What book with a surprise ending is your favorite? Or your least favorite?
I have to say Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk has that perfect balance of twisted but unassuming plot and completely unexpected ending (well, middle). The little hints the author dropped with such unassuming but repeated lines as "I know this because Tyler knows this." and his oft mentioned insomnia went by as "quirky" and "suspicious", but I never actually saw the twist coming. The fact that the twist was in the middle was a bit different, but the rest of the book is spent in the Realization stage and I got to say "I see now!" without having to reread the first half of the book again. It's not just gratuitous exposition either, the plot moves on, much like real life would if you've just found out a terrible secret. The fact that the first and second last chapters use almost the exact same wording and format, but the latter carries with it a new layer of understanding is quite ingenious. Sure there's social commentary on consumer society and male social disconnection, but this was an extremely fun book to read for the complicated plots, characters AND middle.

A weekly meme that asks bloggers to post their opinions on specific topics.
(hosted on Wordpress)

This week's topic: 2009 in Review

I started this blog in October after rediscovering my love of blogging and reading. I started hoarding books that caught my interest during the frequent visits Ah Yuan of GAL Novelty and I paid to the used and franchise bookstores when we met every month. I now have a sizable mountain of books on my desk (don't own a bookshelf) and frequently turn to books when I'm not watching Asian dramas or doing translations.

That said, I'm still quite slow in pushing out reviews and not quite "updated" in terms of the publication dates of books I read. It's mostly because I'm not someone who would go and buy hardcover editions of books the moment they come out unless I am absolutely sure I would enjoy it. Next year, I resolve to visit the library more often so I do get a chance to look at these books when they come out.

People have probably also noticed that I don't focus on a particular genre of books, and this non-trend will probably continue for the next year. I don't like limiting myself to any particular genre because I love all kinds of stories, no matter the setting. I also enjoy reading adult novels, though I'm quickly working my way into the young adult shelves as well.

I'm rather disappointed in myself as I haven't been able to complete any of the reading challenges I've signed up for this year - though admittedly I signed up and started working on them in late October. I've signed up for many more next year and will be working hard to try and complete at least the basic levels in each.

BOOK STATS FOR 2009:
Read: 8 (since Nov 2009)
Borrowed: 0
Received: 29 (includes gifts)
Bought: 22
Gifted: 2

Since I haven't read that many books this year, I will just make a short list of the ones I've reviewed so far here (my favourites have a heart beside their title):

FICTION

Kingdom Come by J.G. Ballard ★★★.5
Mélusine by Sarah Monette ★★★.5
♥ The Virtu by Sarah Monette ★★★★
Blood Engines by T.A. Pratt ★★★
♥ The Strangler by William Landay ★★★★.5
The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan ★★★.5
♥ Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk ★★★★
♥ The Last Knight by Hilari Bell ★★★★.5

MANGA

♥ Saiyuki by Minekura, Kazuya ★★★★.5
♥ One Piece by Oda, Eiichiro ★★★★
♥ Gintama by Sorachi, Hideaki ★★★★.5

As for books I'm looking forward to next year, I've already ranted about them in my Wishlist Wednesday posts. However, here's the top 10 books (in no particular order) from my TBR pile:


Rogue's Home by Hilari Bell √
Fat Cat by Robin Brande
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
The Rise of Renegade-X by Chelsea Campbell
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Warchild by Karin Lowachee √
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Peter & Max by Bill Willingham
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie √
The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan
(books I actually own have a √ beside them)
I am still working on the new layout - hopefully will have it up tonight - and sorting out the details of my new weekly memes (marked with *). Here's a list of the ones I'll be participating in next year:

Monday - Cover Cravings* (temp. title)
Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday / On My Wishlist
Thursday - Booking Through Thursday
Friday - Title Talk* (temp. title)
Sunday - In My Mailbox
Reviews will be posted spontaneously whenever I finish writing them up.

And lastly, I'm hoping to become more active in the blogosphere next year, since I'm usually quite a lurker. I would also like to thank all followers for your support - knowing people read my posts helps boost my motivation =)

That's all for this year, Happy New Years everyone!