Book 46: Love Walked In

Title: Love Walked In

Who wrote it: Marisa De Los Santos

Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Forest Hills)

What is it about:

- A tale of a 11 y/o girl losing her single parent mom
through mental illnesses, while her dad's girlfriend
offered her shelter and comfort through
life's storm; and how their bond developed
over time, despite the awkwardness of this
relationship / friendship...

What went through my mind:

- As the first published novel,
this was a very sophisticated and
well written story : 0
She has some creative usage of
vocabularies, detailed and delicate
images laid out before the readers eyes,
and the character developments of the
people involved are excellent.
i was very impressed and felt drawn to
the story & all its characters.
I feel like i know them all personally,
and that i'd love to be their friends /
family members : )

- The theme of this novel is pretty unique,
and its optimistic worldview (while being realistic)
is quite encouarging and made this novel
all the more lovable : )

I really liked how the story does not
end on a happily ever after note,
but it doesn't make life TOO HARSH
for them (& us readers) to bear either : D
I felt some soothing comfort / warmth
brewing in my heart, for it brings a sense of
peace & hope to my life : )

Favorite Quotes:
- "If you have to ask, no way are you
ever getting the answer you're looking for...
If you have to ask that question in order
to keep him... he's already gone."
(Pg. 96)

- "Be not afraid of parenthood;
some are born parents,
some achieve parenthood, and others
have parenthood thrust upon 'em."
(Pg. 106)

- "The problem with me is that
I like to work; I like to do
what I do well and completely;
I just don't have a calling. Not yet, anyway."
(Pg. 121)
* That summarizes my life up till now.
Thanks a lot!

- "I don't think love is blind,
but wanting to be in love,
that's probably blind." (Pg. 174)

- "Maybe with true love, you see
(the mistakes/imperfection)
and you love anyway." (Pg. 182)

- "Happiness isn't what happens when
you whistle along, pretending
bad things don't exist..
Happiness is earned, like everything else.
It is achieved." (Pg. 271-272)

What came out of this:
* Reminder: Look out for this author's
second book! : D I can't wait!!

Why Should you read it, too?

It's a very heartwarming story : )
If life is not treating you too well now,
reading this shall lift your spirit a little...

Book 45: Magic Bakery (魔法蛋糕店)

Title: 魔法蛋糕店 (Magic Bakery)

Who wrote it: 張小嫻 (Amy Cheung)

Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Forest Hills)

What is it about:

- 11 inter-connected short stories
touching upon the various aspects of
romantic relationships, from puppy love
in high-school to long lost love & loneliness --
while a lot of them evolve around
desserts / bakeries...

What went through my mind:

- What can i say? One can never expect
something too deep / moving from this author,
but her stories are always easy to read & relate;
i guess in a sense, it's commercial & easy enough
for most teens / college age crowd,
which explains the level of popularity of her books.

I guess i would have liked this book a little better
if i were still in high school...?!

- The elaborate & alluring descriptions
of German cakes definitely increased my
interests in tasting them one day : D

- The author is observant that
there is a direct correlation between
desserts & romance : 0
how both bring people sweet memories
& desire to revisit the experience in the near future : )

Favorite Quotes:
- "愛情讓我們愛上自己、懷疑自己、
恨自己、憐憫自己，也了解自己。"
(Romantic love allows us to fall in love
with ourselves, second-guess ourselves,
hate ourselves, pity ourselves,
as well as understand ourselves.) (Pg. 5)

-"有人說，男人離不開舊愛，
女人無法拒絕新歡。"
(It has been said, men cannot forget
their previous relationship(s),
women cannot reject their new pursuer.) (Pg. 200)

What came out of this:
* Goal: Look into German style cakes! : D

Why Should you read it, too?

A super easy read, and it's somewhat
fun to be a total bystander
to some romantic drama at times ; )

Book 41: The Love at 7-Eleven (7-ELEVEN之戀)

Title: 7-ELEVEN之戀 (The Love at 7-Eleven)

Who wrote it: 蔡智恆 (Zhi Xing Cai)

Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Forest Hills)

What is it about:

- 8 individual Short stories consisting of
various (post) college-age characters,
weaving realistic portraits of life through
familial/romantic relationships & friendships.

What went through my mind:

- You know how sometimes, after reading a book,
you remember next to nothing about the story,
but the intimate feelings & self-revelation
the book brings you?
This is one of those books : )
The stories themselves seem pretty simple
and straight-forward...
sometimes it might even appear amateur...
But in a way, it's like drinking
a clear, pure glass of water.
You might not call it tasty,
but it leaves you a satisfying aftertaste.

Favorite Quotes:
- "帥哥與美女一樣，
你愈證明你是，
你就愈不是。"
(Handsome men are just the same
as pretty ladies,
the more you have to prove you are,
the more you're not.) (Pg. 153)

-思念是用腦子想；
相處是用眼睛看。
可以思念的感情總是比較美．．．
因為腦子容易美化．．．"
(You use your mind to miss someone;
while you watch with your eyes
when you're together.
A relationship that requires you to
miss that person with your mind
tends to be more beautiful...
because your mind is likely to
paint a prettier picture than
the reality...) (Pg. 140)

What came out of this:
*Nostalgia: I miss those days back in h/s...
when we hung out at 7-11 everyday
after school : 0

Why Should you read it, too?

If you'd like to pick up an easy/light-read : )

Book 29: See You in 16 Years (十六年後在此重會)

Title: 十六年後在此重會 -- 細說神鵰俠侶
(See you in 16 years...
Analysis on The Return of the Condor Heroes)

Who wrote it: 陳墨 (Mo Chen)

Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Forest Hills)

What is it about:
A chapter by chapter analysis of the famous classic:
The Return of the Condor Heroes, written by Louis Cha.

What went through my mind:
- This book is very well written,
in the sense that it contains the qualities of
both literary criticism AND leisure reading.
It flows very well from chapter to chapter,
even if readers don't have the Novel in front of them.

- I was almost brought to tears while reading,
simply coz Chen was able to pinpoint the main
characters' turning point in life, the +ve & -ve
consequences of the choices they made,
unveiling the mystery: What is love?
「問世間情為何物，直教生死相許?」

- NOSTALGIA...
Reminds me of the times when i'd stay up till 4am,
reading Cha's books in the dark under the blanket
with a heavy metal torch in my hand...
Back in 4th grade! '_'

What came out of this:
* Desire: I wanna read all of Cha's books again!
* Goal: Read the other books written by Chen : )

Why Should you read it, too?
If you've read / watched Cha's stories,
you should read this book! ; )
It'd make you fall even more in love with them!

Book 23: The Feast of Love

Title: The Feast of Love

Who wrote it: Charles Baxter

Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Forest Hills)

What is it about:

A movie-like story of how one person is
connected to another, then another...
which eventually brings everyone together back in full circle,
while describing their life and love stories.

What went through my mind:
- The writer has a very good style,
created lively and somewhat realistic characters,
the novel reads like a movie...
it's a decent literature piece all in all.
- i'd like to know the narrator more,
especially that he had an interesting set-up
in the beginning, as the guy who remembers everyone/
everything else but himself.
- I really wonder, has anyone heard of this movie???
Why haven't i seen anything like it?
Or is it a new movie in 2008? 0_o"

Favorite Quotes:

- "Everyone relationship has at least
one really goood day." (Pg. 17)

- "...a lot of men feel they have to prove
they're real men... I don't think that
most women have to prove that they're
real women." (Pg. 33)

- "...intelligence and quick-wittedness
have nothing to do with a talent for being
loved, or being kind..." (Pg. 62)

- "We live in a large city, populated only
by ourselves." (Pg. 84)

- "... discovered that the meaning of his life
lay in learning, friendship and love,
and service to others." (Pg. 176)

What came out of this:
* Reminder: Look out for the movie!
(Or is there gonna be one?
i'm still confused...)

Why Should you read it, too?
If you liked reading character development fiction,
it's pretty well-written : )