my take on the books i've read lately

It's been quite a hectic month. It seemed like the whole November has only been one veeery long workweek. There are a number of times when I felt like my body would just collapse from exhaustion or that my brain is too saturated already that it can't absorb/process any new information. Hence, I haven't had time to read books, much less blog about it. But when I do find time to escape with a book, it's like a haven.

This long weekend though is such a welcome respite. And hence, hmm..let's see how's it goes for the books I've read lately.

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book

This book must have garnered the most number of awards this year, with the distinguised Hugo Award, Newbery, Locus and Booktrust Awards to name a few. Released in September 2008, I've been wanting to get a copy of it for the most part of this year. Jonathan was thoughtful enough to buy me a copy when he bought a copy himself last October. And I loved the Graveyard Book as I knew I would. Albeit tired from work, the child in me made me turn one page after another in that it certainly took a huge amount of self-discipline to put the book down for the night so as I could go to sleep to prepare for tomorrow's work. The story was told from the vantage point of a child. And it did feel like it was being told by a kid. I had the same feeling when I was reading Lee Harper's "To Kill A Mockingbird". An attempt (storytelling from a kid's vantage point, written by a full-grown adult) where John Grisham failed in his "A Painted House". Although i'm such a yellowbelly when it comes to ghost stories, I had a great time following Bod in his adventures and misadventures. Contrary to what others said that it somehow didn't end quite right, I think the ending was just perfect; with just enough room for a hint of the book having a sequel, with more adventures for Bod. I so dearly wish there will really be more Bod adventures! And I certainly would want to hear more about Silas!!

Sidney Sheldon's Morning, Noon and Night
I loved Sheldon's books back when I was in High School and College, with "Windmills of the Gods" topping the list. Back then, I just can't get enough of the suspense and tension and that I always get the high when I guessed right who might just be the mastermind behind all the evil in the story. It was interesting to read as well how the characters are built, how nature and nurture made them the kind of persons they are. So basically, this novel was my first Sheldon read in about 8 years at least. However, I'm not really sure if this is among Sheldon's not-so-good books or that it was just me growing up and changing preferences but I found this book as shallow and predictable, with a lot of loopholes in between. Still though, I read it up to the last page and didn't think that it was a such a waste of my precious time - unlike what I felt when I was reading Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" and "Da Vinci Code".


Neil Gaiman's MirrorMask
I'm a slow reader. It's cause I would rather take my time in savoring each scene, creating a mental picture of it, rather than devouring the book and reading it in haste. This graphic novel was really just very short and any fast reader could probably just read it in 30 minutes. I read it in almost two hours. But in those two hours, it seemed to me that I was like whisked off to dreamland, to a place where anything is possible, to a place where imagination is limitless and boundless. For me who's highly stressed, it afforded me a great escape.

I'm currently reading Ken Follet's Jackdaws, which is about some spy during world War II and a German Officer. Yes, I do read a wide variety of books. Let's see how this one goes...