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Re: Latest book you've finished, was it good?

PostPosted: September 3rd, 2011, 11:15 pm
by conan_barbero
It was a pretty nice read. But I can't say it'll be among my faves.

Re: Latest book you've finished, was it good?

PostPosted: September 4th, 2011, 6:53 pm
by laila_6045
although this series is not my recent read...i have finished it awhile back...the detective thriller type of books were not my usual cup of tea..but as soon as i've seen the trailer of the film adaptation of this series i was intrigued and immediately i looked it up and bought all three books. once i started reading i couldn't put it down. surprisingly i really like it, i was riveted..the protagonist Salander was such a fierce character, i thought she was "badass". There is some kind of a misogynistic theme in the whole series and there are parts of the books that had me cringing i mean reaaaaaly cringing...which is why i was rooting for the heroine all throughout the series. i was watching a movie in my head while reading this...it was that good for me.

Re: Latest book you've finished, was it good?

PostPosted: September 4th, 2011, 7:05 pm
by Wanda
Hi laila, i read book 1 too. While i loved the "locked room" mystery part of it like Lizzie23 mentioned, i found the rest of the story a little too disturbing, actually. But the mystery was really awesome, i was guessing till the very end what really happened to the Vanger girl, was that her name?. But other than that I found the rest unpleasant enough not to bother with books 2 and 3.

Re: Latest book you've finished, was it good?

PostPosted: September 4th, 2011, 8:06 pm
by laila_6045
Wanda wrote:Hi laila, i read book 1 too. While i loved the "locked room" mystery part of it like Lizzie23 mentioned, i found the rest of the story a little too disturbing, actually. But the mystery was really awesome, i was guessing till the very end what really happened to the Vanger girl, was that her name?. But other than that I found the rest unpleasant enough not to bother with books 2 and 3.


Hello Wanda! the books 2 & 3 concentrates more on Salander's life...but her life is indeed disturbing and filled with abuse in graphic details ugh! its traumatizing...it was agony to read those parts i can't believe i got through the whole series..but towards the end of book 2 till book 3, the story picked up it was like a car chase...

Re: Latest book you've finished, was it good?

PostPosted: September 6th, 2011, 11:16 am
by laila_6045
...annnnd then one day i just finished reading this...hehehe...the story of Em (emma) and Dex (dexter) spans about 20 yrs of friendship that started out being lovers one time in the beginning, then towards the end they finally got together again only be separated again this time indefinitely. their friendship kinda reminds me of the movie "when harry meets sally" and even one of the character in the story even referred to them as being like harry and sally. each year they try to contact or see each other while pursuing each others separate lives/career. their personality are totally opposite,and in this case they are totally attracted to each other but Dex being Dex who is charming alcoholic and an occasionally obnoxious bastard...wants to play the field and refuse to go any deeper of whatever he is feeling for his bestfriend Emma. On the other hand...Em is described as some sort of a frumpy, self righteous, goody two shoes girl...and she was like this guiding light to Dex all throughout the ups and down of their friendship. At first Em was disheartened to witness all the meaningless women that paraded in and out of Dex life for she harbors a wishful thinking to pursue a romantic relationship with Dex.
Dexter remains and prefers to be blind of what is right in front of him...and he takes Em for granted most of the time. You know its true when two really close friends have a falling out, and tend to hurt each other the most, saying the most hateful words...so i got teary eyed when i read that part.
I don't want to spoil too much about what happen towards the end...except someone mentioned here in another post about this book that her friend cried and cried and cried...which i did..coz ugh! im a romantic okay? i do dig stories like this. I can definitely see Anne Hathaway in Emma's character and Jim Sturgess as Dexter. Looking forward for the movie adaptation.
While reading this i was listening to Ronan Keating's "All Over Again"...**sigh**...
**and another thing..this movie reminds me of other movies that are based on the works of Nicholas Sparks.

Re: Latest book you've finished, was it good?

PostPosted: September 6th, 2011, 3:38 pm
by laila_6045
Wanda wrote:-spoiler warning-

Just finished Madame Bovary! What a sad story....

I thought by the title that it was about french high society. On the contrary, it was really about provincial life. Emma Bovary grows up in a farm and is married to a country health practitioner. Soon after her wedding she finds that the 'passion' she was expecting never comes. Motherhood does not bring her happiness either. Bored and longing for expensive clothes and high society, she gets intimately involved with a few of the men in her town. Soon she finds herself deeply in debt and resorts to drastic measures with tragic consequences for her husband and daughter.

Written in french by gustave flaubert in 1857, it was supposed to be the first REALIST fiction because it touched on adultery. I guess that means next to this book pride and prejudice and jane eyre would seem like fairy tales. It was so real that many women who read it at that time claimed they were Madame Bovary! Hehe. Of course this was a translation that i read but i found the book to be very descriptive, and flaubert was known to take pains to find 'le mot juste' or the right word. He also didnt give his opninions whether the actions of the character were right or wrong. He just narrated the story, and maybe thats why it was said to cause a lot of controversy at that time.

My only thought while reading from one of Emma's mishaps to another, was that if she didnt love or even like her husband why did she marry him in the first place?! Of course if she didn't then we wouldn't have a story but it could've saved everyone a lot of trouble and heart ache! I guess its a good story about unfaithulness, how ridiculous it can be, the chain of lies and the serious consequences it can lead to. The character of her husband charles bovary was rather remarkable i think. He had a saintly selflessness bordering on naive stupidity that i didnt know whether to love him or hate him! I mean all those long absences by Emma right under his nose and he still didnt have a clue! Maybe he is the true romantic because despite Emma's beauty and elegance he didnt see any of her numerous faults. The book also touches on medicine, religion, the role of agriculture in a society, and of course, marriage.

Regarding the translation, this is the only version of the novel that I have read so i cant compare it with other translations but i found it beautifuly written and easy to read. Lydia davis, the translator, said she tried to keep the tone and essence of the original as much as possible, not just to recount the story. She is also supposed to have translated Marcel Proust's masterpiece In Search of Lost Time.


Hi Wanda! i got your latest blog about this book. in fact upon reading this post i made a point to pick up a copy at the book sale store. the one i got is translated by Margaret Mauldon. Haven't read that many classics properly except for Jane Eyre. Despite your above spoilers i will still look forward to reading the provincial life of Mdm Bovary. :)

Re: Latest book you've finished, was it good?

PostPosted: September 7th, 2011, 7:04 pm
by bossjun
Great book, really changes your attitude towards money....

Re: Latest book you've finished, was it good?

PostPosted: September 8th, 2011, 2:44 am
by Memnoch26
The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum

wiki...........
The Bourne Supremacy is the second Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum, first published in 1986. It was the sequel to Ludlum's bestseller The Bourne Identity (1980) and precedes Ludlum's final Bourne novel, The Bourne Ultimatum (1990).

At the beginning, Bourne or David Webb, has recovered from most mental and all physical injuries and is teaching Asian studies at a university in Maine under his real name of David Webb. He is also living happily on campus with Marie and is getting regular psychological tests from his doctor, Morris Panov.
________________________________

The story focuses on a conspiracy whose outcome would have been a civil war between hongkong and china. The story is set during the time before hongkong was to be returned to China by the UK. Bourne was "forced" to go to hongkong (under threat of his wife's death) to put a stop to this conspiracy.

In the end, Bourne got his wife back and was able to end the threat in China.

What i remember and amazed me was that Bourne had a gun encounter inside Mao's tomb -similar to Marcos tomb. And from what I remember - Bourne made a big mess of Mao himself. Awesome!!!

This is a good read for Jason Bourne fans. The only thing is that the book or Robert ludlum books are a bit long. Maybe that was how things are done during that era (80s~90s) -- really long action packed novels. I do hope the Jason Bourne books by Eric Van Lustbader wont be that long. I do want to complete the Bourne series. I am hooked with Jason Bourne so I just have to suck it up.

Re: Latest book you've finished, was it good?

PostPosted: September 11th, 2011, 5:11 pm
by Wanda
Just finished another great installment from The No. 1 Ladies Detctive Agency. This is the 11th, and to those who are following this series, Violet Sephotho is back with a vengeance. But Mma Ramotswe insists on kindness and respect, the usual Botswana way :). Funny, wise, and entetaining :D

Re: Latest book you've finished, was it good?

PostPosted: September 12th, 2011, 10:58 am
by malot1182
Whew! This one is great. It's like reading Dexter then a crossover to Supernatural in the end. Hindi ko inexpect yung twist. Hahahaha!

edit:

Tagal na palang walang nag post dito.

Anyway, I'm done reading Dan Wells' trilogy. It was great!

Done reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. First, it was spooky then a twist of the story. I recommend if for those who like to read YA genre.

Then, kakatapos ko lang ng Hunger Games. It took me for a while to finish this. I'm mincing every word of it. It's too good to finish it in one sitting. Parang favorite food mo na inuunti-unti mong kainin.

Right now, I'm reading LOTR One-Volume edition. Im not making any progress but I really intend to finish it.

Maybe, I'll read Catching Fire later. But for now, I need to rest my eyes. :)