No Ordinary Day

When I was younger, I have identified five qualities I’m looking from a guy for me to like him. One, he should be smart. I really admire those guys who excel academically. For me,that means he really values education more than anything else. Two, he should know how to play guitar and can also sing a tune so  that he’ll be able to serenade me and maybe write a song for me. Four, he must be athletic or at least know how to play basketball. Lastly, he must love reading like I do. Yeah, I know you’re thinking that explains why I’m  still single even at this age. Anyway, that was before and I’m not going to say more about my kind of guy. I was just reminded of this thought because of this book and I’m thinking, maybe my type was actually a geek.

Moving on to my review, the plot may not be extraordinary and unique but somehow, I find it new and fresh. Maybe because it’s the first book I’ve read with this kind of plot.  I also love the characters, Jen and Trevor, for they are both strong and the story was well-developed that I became so engrossed and  finished it overnight. What really makes me love this book was the way the author revealed piece by piece the reason behind Jen’s character and how she was able to deal with her issues.

I may have given this five stars if not for some cheesy lines in the middle so I have to settle at four. 🙂

This is one of the first book I’ve read in 2011. Being a fan of Mitch Albom, this book has been part of my wish list since 2009 and fortunately, my wish was granted when I got 2 copies of this book as exchange gift in the two Christmas parties I attended last year.

Having read most of the Mitch Albom’s works, I was really expecting that this will become part of my most-inspiring-books-i’ve-ever-read list. After reading the book, it turns out that the story is actually inspiring but not as touching as Tuesdays with Morrie.

In Have a little Faith, Albom alternately relates the story of two men of faith — his childhood Jewish rabbi, Albert Lewis and his Christian Pastor friend, Henry Covington, that would eventually lead him to realize the difference faith can make in the world.

Of the two characters in the book, I was more inspired by the life of Henry, a former drug dealer, an ex-convict, the kind of man that you would describe as hopeless but was transformed into a kind of man that you would later call as man of faith. Through Henry’s life, I’ve seen God’s power and the change He can make in our life if we would only turn to Him.

Rating: 

Originally posted from Goodreads.
I was able to finish this book in one day, thanks to the poor service of NBI that I have to read this book while waiting in line to entertain myself, only to find out that my name has a hit because of my service obligation to the country as a DOST scholar so my twelve hours of waiting in line to process my clearance application resulted to waiting in vain. I had mixed-emotions while reading this one because Im starting to feel irritated because of the long hours of standing and waiting, and the same time, I felt glad because I felt the satisfaction of finishing a great book like this (and I think this is one of the few good things that happened to me today).

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a story of the adventures of Dorothy and her dog, Toto, who were accidentally brought by a cyclone to the land of Oz. It also follows her friendship with Scarecrow, Tinman and the cowardly lion as they join her in finding her way home to Kansas.

I really find the story cute, lovable and full of lessons that it actually made my day. This is one of the classic stories that I would love to read again.

Title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Author: Frank L. Baum
Rating: 
Copy:  Owned, MPP
Read on September 06, 2011

Fairy Tale Fail is my third book of Mina Esguerra, and so far,  she never failed to amuse me with her stories. Just like her two other books that I’ve read, the plot of this novella is cute, easy to read and has the “kilig” moments that I can easily relate to.

Generally, the story is kind of familiar to me because I’ve read other stories with similar plot. What make this book stand out are the characters and the setting. I always love reading novels with stories that remind me of some feelings and situations I had before or with characters that I can relate to  because it  reminds me of someone I know. Apparently, Don and Lucas reminds me of two guys I used to like before so I really cant help but smile the whole time I was reading this. 🙂

Reading is my past time so I read books for pleasure and entertainment.  A good book for me, is usually something that would make me smile and feel good while reading it.

Like Ellie, I am free-spirited, loves travelling and admittedly a hopeless romantic. If I would have a Prince Charming of my own, I would like him to be Mr. Perfect: with stable job, hardworking, gentleman, no vices and all that, just like Don. I would like to meet him as an “aloof and arrogant guy who gets over himself and reveals his other side – sensitive, caring and responsible” but I would like him also to be someone who shares the same principles and interest with me and supportive of my passion. Sometimes, Mr. Perfect is not necessarily Mr. Right and if you insist that the fairy tale that you’ve designed is something that involves Mr. Perfect and Mr. Right as the same person, then things would definitely turn out differently from happily ever after.

This is the reason why Ellie’s first relationship did not end up well. She keeps on insisting that Mr. Perfect is the right man for her and she holds on to her fantasy that their break-up is part of the test so she can’t move on and be happy.

Having not able to experience the break-up that Ellie had, I know I dont have the right to talk about getting over and moving on but my feminist side always makes me want to hit people like Ellie in the head for holding on to undeserving guys like Don. And in a fairy tale, there is always this knight in shining armour so here comes Lucas, the cool and fun-to-be-with and definitely the better guy, but she could not accept because he is not the good guy she thought she want. So when she finally realize that Don is not the right one for her I kind of felt so relieved and happy that she ended up with the right guy.

Title: Fairy Tale Fail
Author: Mina Esguerra
Copy: Ebook
Rating:
Read from August 04 to 05, 2011

It is actually surprising that most of the movies I love are based on books, just like this one. I love Anne Hathaway and I always find the role of a Princess or a royal personality so fit for her so I’ve been meaning to watch Ella Enchanted ever since I first learned about it. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch it on the big screen so it was only last year that I was able to find a copy and watch it.

As mentioned earlier, I was surprised when I learned in goodreads that Ella Enchanted is a children’s book, a retelling of our most beloved fairy tale, Cinderella, that is. And so I decided to read this the other night and was able to finish it shortly. It is actually a bit different from the movie, but I love it just the same because of the twist that the author has made on the protagonist’s character. I also love how the characters were developed, especially the Prince. He’s not the usual knight-in-the-shining-armor kind of prince who usually shows up when the damsel is in great distress but that kind of prince who is a dear friend to Ella from the beginning.

Though the plot is very familiar, I find it very creative of the author for making Ella’s character a princess with a very unlikely gift. A gift that was intentionally a good gift but we later find out that it’s not.

Title: Ella Enchanted
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Copy: Ebook
Rating: ★★★★

I don’t have the luxury of time for reading lately so obviously, my currently reading list is starting to pile up. I’ve been reading Sense and Sensibility for ages and I have to put off reading   Sophie’s World in favor of Jellicoe Road for the TFG’s May Face-to-Face Discussion and started reading Up a Road Slowly this week for my Newbery Medal Challenge. I’ve actually found the last two books amazing so I’m  having a kind of dilemma which book to finish first.

I want to have a stress-free weekend so I decided to stay awake up to 2am in the morning just to finish reading both them and it’s so worthy for both books are really satisfying.