Paper Towns by John Green

Hey guys! Lydia is back!! It's been a while since I've written on this blog! Today, I'll be reviewing a book I've wanted to read for quite a while and finally managed to, Paper Towns by John Green.

I've been wanting to read this book ever since news of the movie came out and when I finally managed to get my hands on it, it didn't disappoint. This book is about a teenaged boy called Quentin Jacobsen aka Q who's had this huge crush on his neighbour Margo Roth Speigelman since young. Margo is a mysterious girl who loves adventure and has spent her childhood escaping home to wherever her impulsiveness takes her. One night, Margo crawls through Q's window and brings him on a crazy hit-and-run adventure around the neighbourhood to get revenge at her cheating boyfriend and her fake friends.

The next day, Margo disappears again and as the days go by, she still hasn't returned and Q starts getting more and more worried. But Margo is known to leave clues about where she's going so with his best friends Ben and Radar, Q is sure Margo left those clues for him and is determined to find her. On the day of their high school graduation, the three boys with Ben's new girlfriend and Margo's friend Lacey take the long drive to a non-existent "paper town" called Agloe, New York. Do they eventually find her? You'll have to read the book to find out.

I like how this coming-of-age story kind of turns into a mini mystery as the three friends try to get into Margo's mind and understand the clues she left behind. The characters in the book also all have their own individual personality types that make them memorable - Q as the introverted shy guy, Ben as the hyper, loud, slightly horny friend and Radar as the geeky one. I particularly love Margo's carefree, YOLO personality and how she's not afraid to break free from society's restrictions so she can find herself.

As expected from an author like John Green, his humour and fun personality that I get from watching his videos is clearly evident in this book. He writes from a teenager's perspective so well and I can almost imagine the characters' voices and images in my head as I read the story. That's what makes this story so much more relatable to me as a teenager as well and just brings the whole story and its characters to life.

Overall, it's a story of love, friendship and finding adventure in our everyday life, with elements of maturity and growth balanced with the somewhat frivolity of teenaged life. I'm even more curious about watching the movie now after reading this book cos I heard that it's a little different from the book and I'd like to see how they adapted the book for the movie. So that's it for my long-overdue book review, I'm in the middle of reading another book right now and I'll definitely review that once I'm done!

Lydia

A Book about Books and Reading : The Storied Life of A.J Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

I am not proud to note that it has been nearly 1.5 years since any of us contributed to this blog! Have we really not been reading at all? From what i see of Lydia and Sarah, they have literally walked out of the world of books and into the world of Youtube. I am a willing victim too, it is much more stimulating to receive the sounds, the visuals, and the wonder of internet surfing is truly tempting and alluring, hence our hiatus from our previous love affair with books. 

It is not that i have not read at all for the past year and a half, and out of those few books i did read, there were some that were truly captivating, causing me to leave temporarily the virtual world and happily hold an actual book wherever i went. Books will always be my fall-back, on occasions when i felt fearful that my brain cells were dying due to Youtube overconsumption, I found myself back at the library, thankful that my library membership never expires and the library will never run dry.

Tonight, after reading this particular book "The Storied Life of A.J Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin, I was unusually spurred on to turn on the computer, dig out the password to the bookblog and turn in my long-overdue entry! 

I must admit that i was not really captivated by the book at the very beginning. I only borrowed 4 books  this time round, read one (not bad) and decided that two of them were poor choices and i am left with only this one book. Unwilling to discard it immediately, i ploughed on, though the first chapter was quite boring, seemingly about a brusque encounter between a book seller and a bookstore owner. There was no distinct setting and i had no idea where the story started from! I actually dozed off at my first reading….(you must be wondering why this book is worth mentioning now as i can imagine your minds drifting away from this blog. But please bear with me.)

The bookstore owner, A.J subsequently lost an apparently vintage book, Tamerlane and the storyline spirals on thereafter. The fact that i have never heard of this book, left me thinking that this book is probably beyond me and it was only due to a lack of alternatives that i decided to give it another go, the morning after. 

It seems that a great read, truly does deserve to be given a second look! Cause thereafter, the story took off - after the stolen book, an abandon baby, change in life goals, new friends, renewed ties with the lady bookseller, provided such an enthralling read that i could not put down the book and finished it at the end of the day! The plot centers around the bookstore owner, A.J and his bookstore, people who came and went, people who loved books and those who picked up the habit of reading, how he lived by principles of how to ascertain what constitutes a good book and what not.

Though the book is littered with many titles, none i can identify with, I do relate to the different characters in the book who have differing tastes to various book genres. Some like memoirs, some like Young Adults, others like action, romance, autobiographies, so on. It reminded me how wide and deep the literary world is, I am probably reading but a minute percentage of available books out there! I know that when i am choosing books to borrow, i do judge a book by its cover, its blurbs - some books' appeal jumps right at me, most i give them a miss. I wonder how many great reads i have missed out, how many more are out there! For the life of me, if you ever ask me what is my favorite book, i would not be able to quote a single book! I enjoy books while i am reading them, give them my full attention and then like a fluttery butterfly, move on to another book to devour, forgetting the one i just read. This bookblog actually does a vital job in recording the books that i actually felt stirred enough to pen down thoughts to, for which i am thankful for!

A.J's love for reading and books reminded me of my own love affair too. I have read, ever since i remembered, as a child, a teenager, a young adult, till now in my 40s. I am gratified that i live in Singapore where books are readily available, there will never be a shortage of books out there for any of us to lay our hands on. In the book, A.J felt threatened by the popularity of ebooks, but i think that the internet is a far bigger competitor with books for our time, attention and mindful involvement. 

Though it is very enjoyable to watch a video and see and hear the world beyond my sphere of existence, the enjoyment of reading a book cannot yet be replaced. For there is seldom as much satisfaction in randomly choosing a book off a shelf, settling down to read as and where you are, admiring the wondrous power of words that describe, stir and evoke all sorts of emotions, and then finishing it, a sense of achievement and akin to ending a journey phase. For all these revelations, i am forever a book lover and lifelong reader, come what may. I wish that Lydia and Sarah will soon renew their love for books too. May this little entry encourage who reads this too. Grab a book today!

It has been a month since i last read and very quickly reviewed the book "The Firebird" by Susanna Kearsley. In the days passed, i had made 2 other trips to the National library to snatch up whatever book of hers I could find. With great glee, i managed to lay my hands on 5 of them and took my time to savor them. The last of the lot was Sophia's Secret (also named as Winter Sea). To my utmost surprise and delight, it was one of the best books i read from the author, and upon finishing it, went on to read it another time around!! And to get even more from the book, i went online to read other reviews to see whether the book was similarly enjoyed by other readers.

Throughout the book, the names of the characters were strangely familiar sounding but i thought little of it, since i recognized it as a common theme of Susanna Kearsely, the English/Scottish history she is so expert in. But i was utterly surprised to discover online that this last book i read, Sophia's Secret (SS) is actually the "prequel" to the first book i read of hers, The Firebird (FB)!!!!! Oh my! To say the least, i am more fired up now than ever, to return to the library and try to borrow the latter book again and rehash the pleasure of reading it again and reuniting the characters, all to wondrous finale in my mind!!! This is truly an unexpected bonus and one that is surreal, much like the theme of the books i am reading! Haha, i do believe the magical dust of the books has rubbed off on me!

So, my dear friends, once again, i am inept in reviewing these books but still repetitive in asking you to head out to the library to try to find this series from this talented author and get started on this journey like i did. If you do managed to read them, may i suggest that you start with SS, followed by FB and any other books of hers in between! Do drop a line of comment here or you can pm me if you share my excitement or not so. Either way, i look forward to any of your feedback!

Jen

Excellent Read! - The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

In the depths of my heart, i have a secret wish to be a writer! I have a dream that one day, maybe at "retirement", i shall sit myself down and write meself a novel! When i was younger, it was bound to be a romance! But as i grow older (yieks!), i tell myself that it must surely be something that has more depth, more substance - maybe a suspenseful drama, a reflective journal, a historical mystery.... to say the least, i have very little idea of what i would actually write, but it is still my dream!

I was reminded of this dream when i was reading this novel,  and was reminded again the enormousness (i checked, there IS such an adjective) of this dream, the task of writing a book. I was filled with awe as i turned the pages of this book, the multi facets of the story, the parallel dimensions of 2 stories in one book both captured my imagination and my mind! It was so informative as well as fantastical that i was swung from pleasure to pleasure. There is so much research that the writer had to do, discipline to alternate between two plots, linguistic prowess for English and its dialects  to weave such a wonderous tale of love, history, personal journey and discovery! In short, i was humbled, it will be a dream that will require more than mere wishing to fulfill!

Pardon all my musing and allow me now to share the joy of reading this book. The story revolves around 2 women from two different times, Nicola who has psychic powers and Anna, who has to escape and survive at a young age to preserve a family heritage. Both women have a past to deal with and a future to prepare for and while we view through Nicola's eyes, the life of Anna with her growth and struggles, we are still fully aware that Nicola is not insulated from the realities of her own life! It is like watching a movie of a girl watching a movie, we read and "watch" 2 life stories at one go! So addicted and spellbound i was, i took a day and a half to finish the whole book! It is certainly highly recommended and i would love to hear any comments from anyone who have the same pleasure of reading it too.

I know that I am lacking in reviewing this book in good detail but i do beseech you people out there, if you are at a loss of what to read, this is definitely the book to plug your need. The plot is clever in managing between two lives, two timelines, informative in telling the history of early Europe and suspenseful in leading the reader through the many peaks and intrigues of her characters. Read and truly enjoy!

Fresh Fiction reviewed "An imaginatively captivating trip through time."
Historical Novels Review : "Romantic, passionate and bittersweet, this intelligent, tension-laden story will sweep you away."

Jen

Suspenseful Read: The 39 Clues series by various authors

Hi guys! I know we've not been posting a lot (sorry for that) but we've been really busy these days, my sis has been preparing for this big major exam this year & my mum has been helping her prepare. I've been also studying for my Common Tests & End-of-Year exams these past few months. So I hope you all understand & apologises for being MIA for a while. Anyway, I've told them to post whenever they have time & since now it's the school holidays, we'll have more time on our hands to read & review books. So you guys may expect an entry by my sis or mum coming up soon!

Moving on, the book (or rather series) I'm recommending today is The 39 Clues series. This series is written by different authors and consists of 11 books (in the picture, book 1 is the last book while book 11 is the first one). The series mainly surround the plot of orphan siblings Amy & Dan Cahill, along with their au pair Nellie Gomez, competing against their distant relatives on a hunt for 39 Clues around the world to become the greatest Cahill in history. How did this whole thing start off? Before Amy & Dan's beloved grandma Grace passed away, she set up a challenge for all the Cahills; to take 1 million dollars or take the first Clue & start the hunt for the rest. At her funeral, this challenge is relayed to all the relatives through Grace's lawyer. Amy & Dan decide to take up the challenge, along with other fame-hungry relatives as well. From then on, they travel around the world, looking for clues based on historical figures that were apparently part of this influential Cahill family. It may seem a little complicated now so read the first book, Maze of Bones, to find out more!

Some background on the Cahills: there are 5 branches of the Cahill family; Lucians, Tomas, Ekaterinas (or Ekats), Janus & the most powerful and mysterious one, Madrigals. Each Cahill has a special characteristic that identifies what branch they're from, for example, the Janus are usually talented in the arts, having historical figures like Mozart in their branch. All the branches are at loggerheads with each other, leading to the fierce competition that Amy & Dan face during the hunt from their relatives, who use their individual skills & tactics to trick each other & get ahead in the hunt.

This book is so full of suspense & adventure that it is such an exciting read. You never know which scheming relative will come out & trick Amy & Dan during the hunt. There are also so many mysterious characters that you don't know who is good or bad. This is why I usually borrow 3-4 of these books from the library at one go so I can immediately move on to the next book & find out what comes next! I finished reading book 10 & can't wait to finish the series with book 11! For all those who like adventure & a little bit of history while using your brain to figure out the meanings behind the Clues, this is THE book for you. Once you start reading, you'll find it hard to stop!

Another interesting thing I found out about these books recently: When reading book 8, I noticed certain words or sections of a word were circled (not in pen, in the printing). If you combine all the circled words, it forms a message! How cool is that? Books 9 & 10 have symbols at the page number margins & the "guide" to decoding the coded message is somewhere in the book (for these 2 books, they were at the page with the publishing info at the start of the book & the blank pages at the end of the book). Go ahead & read the other books in the series & have fun decoding the messages!

From what I hear, there's gonna be a movie of the book coming out probably in 2014 so I'm especially excited for it. Also, after reading this series, you can check out another series, Cahills vs Vespers, about the Cahills' greatest enemy, the Vespers and there's even a new series coming up soon this October, Unstoppable, so there's a lot in stall for 39 Clues. Definitely go & check out this series & hope to hear your views on the books soon. Again, if you have any books you want us to review, please drop us a comment or email us at bookpicks4all@gmail.com. We'll be happy to hear from you! Happy reading!

Lydia

Touching Read-青色的围墙 by Xu Tian Bin & Xu Shu Qin

Hey all! Here's my first Chinese book I've ever posted on this blog! Guess I'm following in the footsteps of my sis & mum haha! Well, for the benefit of those non-Chinese readers, this book literally translates to "The Green Wall" & it's written by a Malaysian writer, with a novel woven within the story by his co-author & daughter.

It tells about a 15-year-old girl called Shan Shan & her father, Xu Tian Ping who's an author. Her mother passed away when she was 5 & now lives with her father & aunt. However, she & her father both can't understand each other. Shan Shan feels her dad scolds her before she can explain the situation & sometimes doesn't respect her privacy, not knocking before entering her room & checking her phone texts. As a result, she turns to her aunt, who is like a mother to her, to talk to & find comfort in. Tian Ping, on the other hand, wonders why his daughter is so cold towards him & though he tries to give her what he thinks is best for her, she turns him away repeatedly. In the end, will the father & daughter improve their relationship? Will they finally understand each other or stay distant? Read the book to find out!

After reading this, I could really relate to Shan Shan, a regular teenage girl like me. I'm sure all of us have felt our parents don't understand us at all & turn to other family members (ie: grandparents, cousins, siblings etc) or friends to confide in at some point in our lives. But have you ever wondered how your parents feel? The 2 point of views by the father & daughter in the book shows us both of their sides of the story so we have a balanced view of both parties. Plus, the novel (written by the author's daughter posing as a 15-year-old girl and aspiring writer) is like another story altogether so it's like reading 2 stories at once!

This is great for those parents struggling with coping with their teens & vice versa, for teens who feel a little misunderstood. All in all, it's a great book for adults & teens! Please share any comments if you have any & they'll be greatly appreciated. Thanks & watch out for more entries!

Lydia

PS: If you find these reviews of Chinese books we've done so far interesting, please tell us so we can find more to share with you all! Or tell us some of your own personal favourites! Oh & sorry for the lack of entries by my sis...will tell her to post something one of these days :)

Irresistible Peculiarity of a book - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Hi everyone! Sorry for MIA for such a long time but i had neither the time or inspiration for putting up any new post. However, immediately after the finishing of this book today, i just had to put my two-cents worth of thoughts into words!!

I mean, I am totally flabbergasted and bewildered as i read the last page of this novel. It is seldom that i bother finishing a book when it starts off "weird". There is too little time in life to waste on books that are just "not my cup of tea.", others can go ahead and read them but hey, I have an ocean of other books to read. But this book drew me in with first, an intriguing title and a subject matter that i have an interest in, food! (see my previous posts)

 The blurb on the book sounded interesting enough and for the first few chapters, i was totally drawn in by the character, Rose, who at nine years old, discovered she has a gift, or rather a curse, of being able to discern the feelings and emotions of the person who cooked the dish. She was able to taste the loneliness of her mother who was emotionally detached from her husband, the sadness and hollowness of her marriage. So much so that young Rose started to fear eating home-cooked foods, as she didn't want to sense the sadness, the bitterness and subsequent illicit affair of her mother.

So far so good? Well, good enough for me to continue to read at obsessive speed, picking up sub-plots of a disappearing brother (what is that all about?!), developing a crush with a childhood friend, and a more interestingly, her ability to pinpoint where and how the food was brought to being! She knew where the milk came from, how the flour was milled, no minute detail was spared!!

I knew that as the book progressed, i was either going to be presented with a "smack your forehead" moment or an extremely satisfying conclusion to the whole story. In case anyone of you is interested to pick up this book, i will not spoil it for you by giving you any more spoilers but i assure you, this is a non-typical book and the author certainly has an astonishing imagination which really raises my eyebrows rather than in awe.

The revelation that came out of this reading is that there are all sorts of writers out there. You can write a run-of-the-mill story or you can write out-of-the-world hysterical one or simply, one that interlaces incredulity with reality. A book that makes you think and wonder long beyond the pages of the book, if you let it, to stretch your imagination, the limits of what can be, what is real and what is surreal.

Oh dear, i think i have been affected by the book so much that i have written a similarly "weird" review! Forgive my ramblings, it IS quite a mixed-up afterthought. I am glad I am done reading this book, probably will not pick up another book by the same author (too avant garde for me! I just want to space out and relax with a simpler book.) BUT, i am happy that i came across this book, for all its twists and turns, it was like a surprise box, you never knew what you would get, until the very end. And in life, surprises are always a gift in itself! Do share your comments if you have any. Thanks in advance!

Jen