【Book Review】The Fountain

The Fountain

Overall Rating: ★★★★

Characters: ★★★★

Plot: ★★★★

Writing：★★★★

I received a free electronic copy to make an honest review.

      Ava is a transfer student to a school called St. Augustus where her parents are alumni of. She joins the swimming team and meets this typical mean girl Courtney, who makes Ava’s life in the new school not so wonderful. After suffering a depressing day, Ava stumbles across a mysterious fountain in the forest in her school, so she decides to make a wish that says Courtney has never existed. Then in the next day, she discovers that Courtney actually disappears, and nobody has ever heard of or remembered her. Regretting with her behavior, Ava wants to undo her wish, only to find out that she cannot find the fountain anymore. Through her research, she faces the dilemma between her boyfriend Lucas, and the charming boy in her new school called Ethan.

Interesting PLOT TWIST, though I kind of guess something may happen, thus I wasn’t extremely surprised to see that happen. As for the characters, I don’t find them to be extremely relatable, but I definitely like reading about them. To be honest, I like Ethan way more than Lucas. I like the characters, but I don’t love them to death, so that is why I give the characters a four-star rating.

Then it comes to the plot of this book. I think the overall idea of this book is quite brilliant. However, I am a little over with the whole “mean girl” thing, because I have read so many books that have these mean-girls-bully-others elements. When I read about the appearance of Courtney, I just hope that she is not going to be that kind of girl, and she actually is what I think she will be. With that being said, it is just my PERSONAL opinions. The plot is definitely interesting to read about. Also, my other opinion is that the book is a little too short. Therefore, it ends a little abruptly. I was hoping to have more, and I was shocked to discover that the book actually ends. Now, I am just wondering whether the author wants to write a sequel or not. If she will write one, I will definitely be reading that as well.

Overall, I really like this book. It is an easy read. Since the writing style is very accessible, and it is not a lengthy book, I finished this in one and a half day. I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy young adult books with little mystery elements. There is definitely potential within this book!  

【Book Review】Raining Down Rules

Raining Down Rules

       Overall Rating: ★★★★

Characters: ★★★★

Plot: ★★★.5

Writing：★★★

       I received a free electronic copy to make an honest review.

Jemma lives a life that is bounded by a set of rules. When she comes back to her childhood hometown, she is torn between Jordan, a dangerous rock star, and Vic, a charming and attractive firefighter. She is forced to make a decision that will hopefully lead her to the true love.

    As for the overall rating, I gave this book four stars. From my perspective, I highly enjoy reading this book, and I think it is a fast and interesting read. However, I still have some problems with this book which I will be discussing in the following passage.

    Normally in books that have a love triangle, I prone to choose a side among the two rivals. In this book, I choose to be in the team Vic. I understand that Jordan, a dangerous, famous, and sexy rock star, can be the crush of many young girls. However, I didn’t have a strong connection with him ever since the beginning. Maybe my opinions are a little personal, but I don’t think that I am going to fall in love with someone who is addicted, bad tempered, and inclined to impose physical violence on others. However, I admit that he is a character with depth. He definitely goes through myriad struggles and transformations in the book, which is great. When it comes to Vic, he is hands down my absolutely FAVORITE character in this book. I find him to be very likeable and attractive. He is that kind of guy who I can feel comfortable being together because of his dependability and care. In general, I find all the characters to be interesting. I don’t dislike anyone of them including Jordan. Therefore, I give the characters part four stars. I love Vic so FREAKING much!

The writing part is the one that I have the most trouble with. It doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy reading it or even dislike it. It is just that sometimes I figure the writing is somewhat a little confusing. There are several short sections that are a little repetitive. Some of the sentences are not well written in the fact that the commas are not utilized well, and I got a little confusing while reading those sentences. Besides those minute writing problems, I really enjoy the other parts such as the intense tension between characters and the portrait of the characters’ emotions. But I still firmly believe that if there had been fewer mistakes, I would have enjoyed this book much more.

    Finally, I want to briefly talk about my thoughts on the plot. This is a typical love triangle story that is filled with struggles and torments. I don’t find the plot to be able to blow me away. Also, I am not satisfied with some parts of the ending. I am not going to explain explicitly which part I dislike, but I am not happy with the thing that happens at the end. That’s probably why I give the plot 3.5 stars.

    Overall, I still have great fun reading this book. Finding some flaws in terms of writings and characters, I still highly recommend this book to people who just want to read a fun and easy-to-read romance with a love triangle. By the way, I have to admit that the cover, to be honest, is quite cheesy. However, I am looking forward to seeing other books by B.K. Rivers, who I think definitely has the potential to write more intriguing books.

【Book Review】The Outsiders

The Outsiders

Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Plot: ★★★★★

Writing：★★★★

        To be honest, this is more like a 4.5 stars rating. However, I thoroughly enjoy this book, and I just cannot believe the fact that I actually love it! The Outsiders tells a story about Ponyboy Curtis, who is part of the lower-class called Greasers in their region. The Greasers usually get into fights with another group of teenagers who are called Socs and they are people who come from the higher-class in the region. Their conflictions come to a breaking point when Ponyboy’s friend does something horrible, and their lives are turned upside down forever.

To be one hundred percent honest, I don’t expect myself liking this book. I picked it up on Amazon just for the purpose of completing my bargain price. When I was wondering which book to read, I decided to pick this book up, and it totally blew me away. The best part of this book is its plot and its characters. Though I still have some issues about the writing style, I think that is probably my problem since I generally don’t appreciate the way these characters speak just like those of the book Of Mice and Men.

-Spoiler Alert!-

    My favorite part of this book is its characters. I cannot express how deeply I love Ponyboy and Johnny, and how depressing I was when I read the death of Johnny. Ponyboy, being only fourteen years old, is the youngest of the greasers. While Ponyboy is mature and well-aware of the confliction between greasers and Socs, he sometimes still possesses the typical teenage features which can cause him great trouble in the book. To be fair, it is his behavior to run away from his house at night that somewhat leads to his encounters with other Socs, which causes Johnny to kill one of them. By the way, I seriously think that the introduction of this book on Goodreads and other websites shouldn’t include the fact that Johnny kills someone. That is supposed to be a spoiler. If previously the readers have no idea of this incident, they will definitely be in deep shock when they read this part. Giving the readers this piece of information is just like taking away or weakening the excitement of reading this book. Also, I really admire Johnny as a character. He is willing to sacrifice himself for the purpose of saving other kids in the fire, and he is willing to kill a person in order to save his friend Ponyboy. He is such a great character, and I am so sad that he is dead at the end.

    I think there are maybe other symbols or general ideas within this book, but the most apparent one is definitely the social conflict between the Greasers and the Socs. This rivalry relationship more or less reflects the distant gap between the rich and the poor or the gap between the high classes and low classes. Even the author portrays their relationship with such dreadfulness, it is very likely that she actually points out the fact that these two classes are not opposite completely. This opinion is shown in the part where Ponyboy, a greaser, discusses literature works and watches movies with Cherry, a member of the Socs. Their harmonious relationship is an evident indication that the relationships between people from different social status are not at all hateful, instead, there are still some bright spots that can be discovered.

    Overall, I really like this book, and I definitely recommend this book to everyone who is interested in books that deal with teenage problems and social conflicts. I have had a great experience reading this book. I should have read it earlier!

【Book Review】Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

Overall Rating: ★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Plot: ★★★★★

Writing：★★★★

       This is a well-known modern classic book that I read recently. My overall rating of this book is four stars. Generally, I really appreciate this book, but I don’t absolutely love it. Of Mice and Man basically tells a story about two outsiders: George and Lennie who dream about their bright future. However, their expectation is ruined when Lennie, George’s single-minded and naïve friend, accidentally commits a dreadful crime, which leads to a despairing end.

    The only thing that I dislike about this book is its writing style. I completely understand the fact that people at that social ranking during that time period were supposed to speak that way. I know the author uses this writing style to illustrate the characteristics of these characters, but I just cannot appreciate this type of writing even I know that it is actually the best thing to do. The author always uses sentences like “I don’t mean no harm”, which, of course, I know their correct meanings, but sometimes I am just so confused. Therefore, I gave the writing style a four-star rating.

-Spoiler Discussion!-

    Here is the thing. As soon as I read the general plot line at the back of the book, I instantly knew that Lennie, as a childlike character with uncontrollable strength, is highly possible to get involved in some kind of troubles. And when I read the part where he accidentally breaks the neck of Curley’s wife, I wasn’t really surprised since I had anticipated this happenstance. However, what shocks me the most is the part where George resolves to shot Lennie from the back, and this plot twist is the reason why I finally decide to give the plot five stars. Seriously, I didn’t see that coming, and that is quite amazing.

    As for the characters, I really like how John portrays Lennie’s characters as well as the development of George’s emotions. Lennie is a character who doesn’t change much through the story, which makes perfect sense due to his natural childlike personality. The transformation of George is what fascinates me. He appears at the beginning of the book as sort of a protector of Lennie, who always gets into trouble. But as the story progresses, George starts this transformation that ultimately leads to the shot.

    This book has a very tragic ending. Both of the protagonists dream of earning their social status by working hard and can therefore gradually own their own farm. Their dreams are ruined for multiple reasons, which I am not sure which reasons is the dominant cause. Lennie is such a tragic figure. He never means to harm anyone. His tragic death derives mainly from his own intrinsic childish mind and his uncontrollable great physical body power. I am sad and pity for him.

    Apparently, this book criticizes the brutality of human nature, as well as the fragile American dreams. In my opinion, this book deserves all of its attention and popularity in the United States. I think this is a powerful book, and I do recommend this book to anyone who is intended to learn more about American historical literature and the farmers’ life in the 20th century. Still, I enjoy it, but I don’t thoroughly love it. However, I agree with the idea that this modern classic should be passed on to generations of readers for the purpose of contemplating its profound meanings.

【Book Review】We Were Liars

We Were Liars

    Now I decide to start a new type of rating system. In the past, I always only gave a general rating of a book, but now I will start to split the ratings into different categories such as character and plot, and I will give each of them a rating, and, of course, there is still going to be an overall rating. So here is the first book that I start to use this new rating system.

Overall Rating: ★★

Characters: ★

Plot: ★★★

Writing：★★

    To be honest, We Were Liars is probably one of the worst books I have ever read in the year of 2016. The plot of the book is quite difficult to summarize without a spoiler. Basically, the story happens around a beautiful and superior family that actually has some dark secrets. The protagonist Cadence is going to unfold these dark secrets and find out the dreadful event that takes place two years ago. OK, now I have to dive into the spoiler section, or I will have nothing much to say.

-Spoiler Alert!!!!-

    Now, I have three very huge problems about this book.

The first one is its writing style.

E. Lockhart tends

to separate sentences

into short lines

which I am not

very comfortable with

period

I definitely understand the fact that some people may like this type of writing style dearly. However, I am not a huge fan of these short weirdly separated sentences. And that is my first and the smallest problems of this book.

The second problem I have is the plot. Seriously, the plot is so cliché that I don’t even want to summarize it. A group of teenagers are having coming-of-age problems and why-we-are-so-rich-and-superior-than-others problems. Then, more importantly, I was extremely confused by the plot. Initially, I thought I was reading some teenage romance story, then I realized that it should be a coming-of-age story just like The Catcher in the Rye. However, through my progression of the book, I thought it is supposed to be a family drama type of book, and then I thought it should be some kind of crime or mystery novels. And FINALLY, I figured out that this is actually a SUPERNATURAL story, with GHOSTS in it! I do accept some people’s arguments that Cadence is just going through a mental illness, the three figures of the liars are probably virtual and have never actually existed. I am OK with this explanation, but I am still really confused with the book. Also, if they are only just the manipulation of Cadence’s mind, how can everyone else never cares about Cadence strange behavior when she just talks to nobody through thin air? It doesn’t MAKE sense!

And now, here is the biggest problem that I have toward this book. I HATE everyone in this book, I cannot feel related to anybody. I would like to say that if you don’t like any of the characters, why do you keep reading the book? The only thing that I am relieved about is that this book is actually quite short, or it will just be an endless torture. Now, I want to talk about the protagonist of this book. I cannot express how I hate her, but she is definitely one of the worst female characters I have ever encountered. There are several reasons for that.

I have millions of complaints about her. She is overdramatic and holds these bizarre thoughts that I can never understand in the course of my entire life. She is such a huge hypocrite that I will automatically recall her name whenever I see the word hypocrite. She hates her grandeur family, and she wants to escape the island. She gives away her stuff, and she tries to do charities and criticize her mother’s relentless to be kind to others. At the same time, she also never pays any attention to the people who work on their island. She doesn’t even know their names! She depends on her family’s wealth, but hates it at the same time and pretends to be some kind of saint who is too divine to pay attention to economic affairs. HYPOCRITE.

She also confuses me so much. At the beginning, she describes how she is shot by her father, which literally makes me feel that she is actually wounded. But then I realized that all her descriptions are somewhat unreliable when I read the part where the blood starts to spray from her mouth or something. I have no clue she is hurt or not throughout the entire book. Why can she not act like Holden Caulfield since they are all unreliable narrators? I have to say that Holden is one thousand times better than Cadence. At least, he doesn’t accidentally burnt his close friends to death. Here is another part that is beyond my comprehension. How can Cadence just wants to do some kind of fire burning experiment and accidentally burn her friends ALIVE!?? I don’t understand it! I really don`t. She is either so stupid and possess great egotism or her mental illness already takes place before the accident (My other guess is that she is drunk. Duh). That is the only explanation I can come up with concerning her stupid behavior. Now I am more convinced by the manipulation theory, because if I am one of the dead liars, I will probably so angry that I want to kill Cadence as soon as I see her instead of being a nice and gentle ghost friend.

Overall, I am so disappointed by this book. Maybe I just have too much expectation toward it. Personally, I will not recommend this book to others since I had a hard time reading it. But if you are a fun of E. Lockhart or a fun of mystery and protagonist-has-mental-illness-problem type of book, then you will probably enjoy this book more than I do.

Now after reviewing this book, I can try to get rid of it:)

【Book Review】Urban Mermaid

Urban Mermaid

       I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher to make an honest review. Great thanks to NetGallery.com and the publisher.

I am not a huge fan of ocean-related books, especially books about mermaids. I have never had a great reading experience when reading books about mermaids, because they all tend to have basically the same cliché plot line, which I am definitely over with. However, this book completely changes my arbitrary opinion, and it makes me realize that there are some mermaid books out there that are worthy to spend my time reading. I am so happy that I didn’t ignore this book due to the book’s seemingly cliché title, but decided to give it a chance. I give it five out of five stars, because it is one of the greatest ocean-themed works I have ever read.

    The author Howard Parsons is very clever to add a twist to the ordinary mermaid story. Therefore, this book is completely different from the past mermaid books. Our heroine is a mermaid, but she doesn’t want to get married and live on the small island for the rest of her life. Thus, she leaves her home and comes to live in cities amongst humans. She then makes an encounter with a human called Peter, and both of their lives are changed ever since.

    A mermaid story with a modern city setting! How fancy is that! In terms of the plot, I love how Peter and Penelope develop their romantic relationship. This book, to be honest, is just like an ordinary romance novel if you ignore the existence of the tail. However, because there is a twist that is added to the story, it makes a huge difference. I enjoy reading the part where Peter and Penelope face obstacles together. Penelope is such a witty and smart heroine, and the interaction between her and Peter cannot be more adorable. The depictions of characters are realistic. While they are not flawless or perfect, they are indeed very agreeable.

    Overall, this is a wonderful story. I am seriously considering to get a physical copy of this book because it is just so great to read. This story is not only appealing to readers who love reading an ocean-themed book but want to read something fresh, but also a good choice for someone who wants to read a romance novel with a little twist.

【Book Review】Wonder

Wonder

    The reason why I haven’t posted any book reviews for the last several days is that I was busy with school stuff. Since I am currently a junior student in high school, there are tons of things that I have to deal with, which takes most of my leisure time. I have to get fully prepared for the college application, join the school activities, and prepare for my new SAT test. I try to squeeze my books reading time into my busy schedule, and I manage to read one book for the past four days. To be honest, I am pretty satisfied with my progress because I don’t have much time for books recently. Now without unrelated stuff, I will tell you what my feeling is toward this book.

    Wonder tells a story about a young ten-year-old boy August “Auggie”, who has a facial deformity due to some sort of genetic problem. Auggie has been homeschooled by his mother ever since he was old enough to learn. However, when Auggie is ten years old, his parents are resolved to send him to a normal elementary school. Together with anxiety and fear, Auggie starts his new life in his new school. At first, Auggie struggles a lot because every other student is afraid of Auggie’s appearance. Even though Auggie is isolated by others, he is then able to develop several friendships and finally gains the acceptance of other people.

    First of all, I didn’t anticipate to like this book when I first read it. I bought this book solely because I heard some positive comments from some people I subscribe on YouTube. Since I trust their tastes on books, I then decided to purchase Wonder, read it, and see what will happen. This book turns out to be one of my favorite middle grade books ever. Of course, I gave five out of five stars on GoodReads. Actually, I want to give it one hundred stars if I can. I admit that I even sobbed several times when I read book, which doesn’t happen normally.

    This is not just a book about how to grow up while facing difficulties and challenges. It is also a book about kinship and friendship development. The story is told from different perspectives, which gives the reader a better view of the plot. Every single character has his or her own story, and these different perspectives are great pleasure to read. The author is very good at writing books from the perspective of young children. Her writing style not only is extremely accessible and fun to read, but also makes me completely immerse into the story. As readers, we can see the transformation and maturation of each character, including Auggie, Via which is Auggie’s bigger sister, and Jack, the classmate and friend of Auggie. Auggie is loveable and intelligent. His story tells us that we shouldn’t judge other people solely by their physical appearances.

-Spoiler Book Discussion-

    There are several parts in the story that are really poignant. The first part is when Auggie finds out that not only do other students don’t want to talk to him, but also afraid to even make physical contacts with him. Sometimes, young children tend to do things without realizing how cruel their behaviors are. The second part is when Auggie wears a different costume during the Halloween, he hears the comments made by Jack when he enters the room. I admit that I hate Jack so much at the moment that I want to punch him on his face when I read this part. Wonder is such a great book, because it is revealing and it can easily move us with its words.

    There is no doubt that my favorite character is Auggie. He is such a brave young kid, who suffers a lot through his life time. I kept imagining myself in such circumstances, I probably will not have the courage to live. Auggie’s family members are also heartwarming. Their relationships are not perfect, sometimes they have to go through arguments and quarrels, however, they manage to fix their problems and keep loving each other deeply. It’s lucky that they doesn’t face financial problems, in fact, I personally believe Auggie’s family is actually quite wealthy. Of course, I don’t mean that they can spend money on whatever things they want. It’s just that Auggie’s myriad surgeries must cost a giant fortune, and there are many Star Wars figures and an IMac in Auggie’s room. Those, I believe, are indications of Auggie’s relatively wealthy family condition.

    My favorite parts of the story are no doubt the last part where the school holds an award ceremony. I heard some people thinks that the ending is not that realistic, but since this book’s target audiences are children, and children love books with happy endings, it doesn’t matter that much. Besides, I really love the ending and I am completely OK with it. Also, I adore the quote from Auggie which is “I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.” From my perspective, this quote just corresponded so well to the ending.

    Overall, this book is definitely going to be one of my favorite books in 2016. Everyone, no matter adults or children, should all read it, and contemplate the underlying meanings of this book. We shouldn’t judge a person’s character only by his or her appearance (though I always judge a book by its cover…). Also, try to show a little more kindness to other people, maybe the unconscious little behavior of yours can save the day of another person.

【Book Review】The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks: Life and Death under Soviet Rule

The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks: Life and Death under Soviet Rule

    I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher to make an honest review. Great thanks to NetGallery.com and Simon & Schuster.

    As always, I judge a graphic novel or a comic book by two main points, which are its illustration and its plot. I give this book five out of five stars, and it will definitely be one of my favorite graphic novels in 2016. Here is what I think about this book.

    The artwork of this book is quirky and gloomy, sometimes even scary. Although this type of illustration is not the typical ones that I like, it does correspond well with the main theme. I especially love the font of the words, therefore I give the artwork four stars.

    As for the plot, the book is divided into two parts. The first part is the Ukrainian notebook which illustrates the great famine, which is a government-sanctioned act that kills millions of Ukrainians. The second part is the Russian notebook which talks about the assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, the journalist who speaks against Putin and the second Chechen War. This graphic novel is extremely different from other graphic novels I have ever read. Previously, I only read graphic novels about romance, friendship, family, and self-development. Though containing various key elements, they all comprise positive meanings and encouraging messages. After reading this graphic novel, I can only feel disturbing and sad. This is definitely not a happy-ending-everybody-lives-happily-ever-after book. It’s painful to read how the Ukrainians are suffered from such a great disaster. Personally, I am not very familiar with the Russian history, so it’s even more shocking for me to realize how poor the people are treated. Also considering the fact that the assassination of Anna didn’t happen hundreds of years ago, instead it happened just in the 21th century, it makes the story even more astounding. This is a book that can inspire people to have more thorough and deeper contemplation about human rights. I will give the plot of this book five stars because of the bravery of the author to write about this brutality.

    I enjoy the reading experience that I have while reading this book. Therefore, I will recommend this book to people who would like to read some provoking graphic novels and people who enjoy reading about Russian history.

【Book Review】The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game

    I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher to make an honest review. Great thanks to NetGallery.com and Abrams ComicArts

    I have not seen the movie about Alan Turing, however, I do have a basic knowledge about his life and all of his great achievements. The reason why I pick up this book is that I want to learn more about his life in details. I have to say that I am not satisfied with this book, so I give it a four-star rating (more likely to be 3.5 stars). Here is what I think.

    The first problem that I have about this book is the illustration. I have some preferences when it comes to the artwork of graphic novels. Unfortunately, the illustration of this book is absolutely not one of my favorites. Even though I am well aware of the fact that this should be only a matter of differences in tastes, I still cannot enjoy the artwork. Therefore, I give it three stars as for the art.

    The second problem that I have about the book is its way of telling the story. After reading the book, I can clearly tell that the author must have done some thorough researches of Alan Turing. I just cannot appreciate the fact that the author uses Alan Turing’s relatives or friends to make interviews or some sorts in order to tell Turing’s life story. I guess some people may find it quite intriguing, and it’s indeed a special way to learn how Turing is seen from other people’s perspectives. However, in my opinion, I am kind of perplexed when I read those interviews. I am rather confused that delighted to read the interview parts.

    I still highly recommend this graphic novel while I have some issues with it. There are many great parts of the book which I think will overweigh its problematic parts. People who enjoy the movie or the life of Alan Turing or simply the history of computer science will develop pleasure reading this book. Here is what I thought about this book: a qualified memoir of a tragic but talented and great man.

【Book Review】Rutabaga the Adventure Chef Book 2: Feasts of Fury

Rutabaga the Adventure Chef: Book 2: Feasts of Fury

    I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher to make an honest review. Great thanks to NetGallery.com and ABRAMS Kids.

Rutabaga is going on an adventure with his little pet, a pot called “pot” (interesting). As a chef, Rutabaga is determined to find the most exotic and mysterious ingredients from the top recipes. Through his journey, he encounters many people as well as obstacles. In this book, he meets an old man with strange taste, a troop of actors with a concern for robbers, a thief who tries to steal the jewels of the princess, and a group of Goblins who desires to overthrow the royalty then rule the kingdom. This is the second book in this graphic novel series Rutabaga the Adventure Chef.

    I always judge whether I like a graphic novel by looking at what I think the two fundamental elements of a graphic novel, which are the plot and the illustration. Therefore, I feel like it’s necessary to discuss this book on each of these two topics.

A page from http://rutabagacomic.com/

    As for the illustration, I absolutely love it! The picture is in full color, and the art is quite cartoonish and extremely vibrant. I have several types of arts that are my favorite, and this art style is apparently one of them. I think the word part and the art combines well to form the whole story. There are some pages where there are quite a lot of words while some pages have little words and lot of arts. This combination, I believe, it’s suitable for young readers to keep reading the book. The author can portray the food and the process of cooking them with great finesse. The vibrant color makes the food more appealing to the readers as well. I greatly enjoy the recipes which appear through the story and at the end of the book. I will give the art of this book five stars!

    As for the plot, I don’t like it as much as the art. The book is divided into different chapters while each chapter tells a different story. However, these stories are also related to each other, which is quite fascinating. For example, there is a depiction of the masks of the actors being robbed and sold by the thief. Then in the later chapter, the Goblins appears to use those masks as their disguise. This connection between chapters is intriguing and interesting. Besides, this book is not just a typical cook-and-fight-the-evils kind of book, it contains some deeper meanings as well. This can be seen when the actor tells Rutabaga that every person wears a mask to hide their truth. Even there are many elements that I like about the story, I still have some issues about it. The most evident one is how the story develop. I always feel like there should be more development to the characters, especially Rutabaga himself, but considering the fact that this book’s main target readers are children, this shouldn’t be a huge problem. Thus, I will give the plot of this book four stars, I still enjoy it very much.

    Overall, I will give this book 4.5 stars. The reason why I request this book is its relation to the food, and I admit that the art of the author fulfills my expectation. I am looking forward to more artworks from the author, and I will also try to get the copy of the first book in this series. Great reading experience!

    

【Book Review】To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

    I really have nothing more to say about the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird. It tells a story that takes place in a fictional small southern town called Maycomb in Alabama. The sleepy old town is awakened by the happenstance of a case that reveals the dark side of humanity and racial prejudice. To Kill a Mockingbird possesses a paramount status in the history of American literature. It deals with such a debatable issue that it has been banned by many schools and areas even till nowadays.

    I first read this book when I was in tenth grade, and our teacher required us to write an essay about its theme which every school’s teacher probably does. After reading and analyzing this book, I do have some thoughts about it that I want to share.

    One of the most evident themes in To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely the racial inequality. Even many decades have passed since the Emancipation Proclamation, the arbitrary notion that black people are lower in social ranking still prevails in people’s mind. According to the book, even the Ewells, who are in the bottom among white people, still have a higher social ranking compare to the black community, who at least possess more admirable qualities than the Ewells. The racial prejudice of people gives Bob Ewell the opportunity to persecute Tom Robinson who is completely innocent. To Kill a Mockingbird shows us how the black community was cruelly treated more than half a century ago. This depiction of racial discrimination is the main reason why this book is banned in many regions.

    There is another theme that is fundamental to this book which is the loss of innocence. Even though the title which contains mockingbird doesn’t have a strong connection with the literary content of this book, it does represent some other ideas. Just as Atticus once said to Scout that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird, mockingbird resembles the innocent people such as Jem, Scout, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson in this book. Killing a mockingbird is just like destroying the innocent people who have done nothing guilty. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the author also portrays the maturing process of both Jem and Scout. Jem witnesses what happens on the court and realizes the fact that in reality good not always defeats the bad. He suffers a painful maturation, and gradually stop acting in a childish way. At the end Jem becomes a completely different person compares to Jem’s disposition in the beginning of the book. As for Scout, she matures in a relatively later time which is reasonable considering her young age. Scout is the character that I want to have a full discussion about.

    I really admire her after reading To Kill a Mockingbird. She is a unique little girl. She is unusually intelligent, brave and thoughtful while her behavior separates her from all other young girls. Being repugnant to learn etiquette and manners, she possesses a great interest in playing boys games with her friends. I cannot believe how smart she is especially I think of her age. Scout is only five years old at the beginning of the book and she can already be this thoughtful! I barely knew anything but playing when I was in my five-year-old. When she encounters the dark side of the society, she is neither defeated nor suffers mental breakdown just like Boo and Tom do. Instead, she understands all the moral principles held by her father and fully grows up at the end. If you consider deeply about Scout, she is probably one of the toughest female protagonists you have ever seen. After all, who can be this smart and brave at the age of five. Besides the book, I also watched the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird. My opinion of the movie is that the actor of Dill is too ugly and the actress of Scout is very cute indeed.

Jem and Scout
I wonder what do they look like right now

Dill
I mean, seriously? That's what Dill looks like? 

    Several months ago I heard the release of Go Set a Watchman, which is a sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird, I instantly went and bought the physical copy. Unfortunately, I haven’t got time to read it yet, but I will definitely read it in a month or two. To be honest, I am a little hesitant to get my hands on this book because it only gets 3.32 on Goodreads. However, my past experiences with books and their Goodreads ratings tell me that I shouldn’t rely much on the rating of the book, so I am still excited to read Go Set a Watchman.

【Book Review】Rosie the Raven

Rosie the Raven

    I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher to make an honest review. Great thanks to NetGallery.com and Annick Press. 
    Rosie, a girl who hatches from a raven’s egg, lives with her four siblings, Mr. Raven, and Mrs. Raven. As Rosie grows up, she realizes the differences between her and her siblings. She has neither feathers nor wings, even though she tries to fly several times by flapping her arms, she can never make it happen. She then gradually realizes that there is no need for her to struggle to make changes, her raven parents will always accept her no matter who she is and what form she takes.
    I don’t want to discuss how exactly a little girl can hatch from an egg since it’s definitely not the major issue of this book. This book is about the unconditional love between parents and children. After discovering her distinction, Rosie confronts with frustration and anxiety, but she ultimately decides to accept her uniqueness and ceases to mimic the behavior of her brothers and sisters. The raven parents really demonstrate their deep love and care for Rosie, which plays an essential role in Rosie’s emotional transformation.
    Normally, I don’t read a lot of children’s picture books because in most of the times they seem to be quite childish. However, my arbitrary notion is changed by this beautifully illustrated book. Rosie the Raven carries a deep meaning which sometimes can be difficult for children to comprehend, but this book is very suitable for young readers. The writings are straightforward and accessible while the illustrations are not magnificent, they do bring a mellow feeling. I rarely encounter this style of illustration, but I decide I will read more of this style in the future. 
    Overall, I cannot say that this is an exceptional book, but I do like it and recommend it to young children. I give it a four-star rating on Goodreads. Thanks again to the publisher and NetGallery.com for sending me this book. 

【Book Review】Animal Farm

Animal Farm

    A group of animals who are tired of being ruled by humans, decide to revolt and establish their own society where everyone is equal. However, the animals face even worse situation under the tyranny of pigs, who declares to be “more equal than others”…

    Before I read this novel, I have already known that Animal Farm is a satire of the Russian Revolution, though I don’t possess a complete knowledge of the counterparts of each character in the novel. Then, after reading this book, I did a little research on the internet and found something useful. Now I can present a more understandable chart to illustrate the relations between the fictional characters and the reality.

    Mr. Jones, the former owner of the farm, represents the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov (Nicholas II), and Mrs. Jones represents the Tsar's wife, Alexandra. Old Major, as the father of Animalism, not only symbolizes Karl Marx but also symbolizes the original leaders of communists Vladimir Lenin in some degree. Napoleon represents the second leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin while Snowball represents Leo Trotsky, who is one of the initial revolutionaries and is expelled from Russia. Squealer represents the media which spreads Stalin’s words to the general public. Boxer, the dedicated horse, represents the working class; the dogs represents the police or the army.

-Spoilers Alert!-

    There are two themes I want to share my opinions in Animal Farm. The first one is the class stratification. In the beginning, animals all have the same enemies which are humans, but as long as animals seize on the ownership of the farm, they begin to turn on each other. The pigs, who are portrayed as intellectuals, separate themselves from other animals, who are regarded as working labors. The rulers manipulate the society and establish their power by making the naïve working class animals believe that“Napoleon is always right.” This is a strong indication of the formation of classes. The commandment is now rejected since the equal between every animal no long exists.

    George Orwell also portrays how the controllers exhibit the abuse of language. The most evident example is the Seven Commandment which the Old Major proposes as the core of animalism. When Napoleon takes the power, he gradually twists the original meaning of the words for the purpose of improving his own dominance. He even proclaims that even though everyone is equal, someone is more equal than the others.

    One of the major conflicts within the plot of Animal Farm happens between Snowball and Napoleon. Snowball is dedicated to spreading Animalism to every part of the world. His problems are that he is too idealistic. He insists on relying on his mental power, therefore, he is incapable of competing with Napoleon, who possesses military forces in some degree. Even though in Animal Farm, Snowball seems to be more appealing than Napoleon, he still has fatal flaws when it comes to the role of a leader. He accepts the fact that pigs are supposed to be superior to other farm animals. His enthusiasm for grand and hard-to-achieve project can also leave undesirable consequences to the farm. As for Napoleon, he never makes any contribution to the revolution. He trains the puppies for his own sake, which is to rule the farm and defeat Snowball. Napoleon successfully demonstrates the image of a political tyrant. After Napoleon expels Snowball, he depicts Snowball as a traitor and makes him take all the blame. This is obviously for Napoleon to take better control of the farm. As readers, we can see this occurrence happens in a various time period while the winner takes it all, the loser loses it all.

    Overall, reading Animal Farm is a great fun especially when you have a knowledge about the background information and all the implications. I heard that there is a comic version of Animal Farm, and I would like to give it a try. This classic is not only accessible and simple but also has an intriguing plot. If anyone wants to start reading a classic, Animal farm will be a desirable starting point.

【Special thanks for newspeakdictionary.com for the characters explanation lists】http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/go-animal_farm.html

【Book Review】Howl's Moving Castle

Howl’s Moving Castle

Sophie, the eldest of the three sisters, is doomed to follow her fate and inherit her parents’ hat shop. Sophie proceeds her mind-numbing life and gives up the hope of achieving her own dreams. Things remain the same until one night she meets the Witch of the Waste, who she has an argument with and is therefore under a terrible spell the witch made that turns her into a ninety-year-old lady. In order to break her spell, Sophie is forced to confront with the witch, to enter the mysterious moving castle of wizard Howl, and to conquer many other obstacles. Through Sophie’s long journey, she discovers much more about herself and the seemingly wicked Howl.

-Spoilers Alert!-

    Now, let’s talk about Sophie and Howl’s relationship. To my surprise, Howl appears to be a less appealing figure in the book, but this fact also makes him more realistic than the Howl in the movie. Book Howl has several irritating flaws, for example, he is fickle especially when it comes to romantic relations, and he is also evasive, fastidious and even narcissistic. In the book Howl is not a perfect figure, but he develops as a person through the progress of the plot. At the end of the novel, Howl learns to bear his responsibility and confront the evil.

Howl and Sophie in the movie

    My favorite character in Howl’s moving castle is no doubt to be our female protagonist Sophie. She is very tough. If I am a young girl and suddenly turn into an old lady, I must freak out or even go through a mental breakdown. Sophie dares to leave her safe house and ventures into the Howl’s castle; she dares to make a bargain with the fire demon Calcifer; she dares to visit the king for the purpose of blackening Howl’s name; she even dares to confront the witch of the waste to safe Mrs. Angorian. (I’m pretty sure I spell it wrong.) I deeply admire her because she is such a brave and clever female character. The interaction between Howl and Sophie’s is always humorous which makes me want to giggle every time I read these parts.

Howl's Moving Castle

    Many readers may know the very famous movie adaptation of this book. I agree with numerous other readers that the original book has a broader view of the world and a well-crafted and more twisted plot. However, I prefer watching the movie to reading the book, which is probably the opposite of many readers’ opinions. I watched the movie seven years ago when I was a young kid, the movie leave me wonderful memories and, therefore, possessed an extremely high status in my mind. The problem with me reading the novel Howl’s Moving Castle is that I always put the images of the movie into the characters of the novel. For example, when I read about what Howl does something in the book, I always relate to the Howl in the movie who does the same thing. Another example occurs when the book portrays the appearance of the moving castle, I instantly imagine the castle in the movie. The thing that bothers me is that the book and the movie are actually very different from each other. The book has more characters than the movie and they each portrays the remaining characters very differently, such as the Witch of the Waste, who is portrayed as an elegant and arrogant woman in the novel but a fat, surly, and filthy middle-aged woman in the movie. I have a weird feeling while I read through these pages, though I don’t hate that feeling.

    If I can be able to give a rating to the movie, I will give it 5 stars. Considering the fact that I give the book 4 stars on GoodReads, I have an explanation for my rating. I am pretty sure most people have the exactly reversal rating compares to mine. They all believe the book is far better than the movie. Now, for the first time, I am having the unpopular opinion againsst the general public. I will skip all my praise for the movie and talk about my problems with the book. The one major issue that I have about the book is that it ends too abruptly. I am eager to read more about the life of Sophie and Howl when they live together as a family, but now all I can do is to read some fan fiction. I am so disappointed about the fact that the author doesn’t write about their common life. Since I have already watched the movie, I have a basic idea of what is going to happen until the end, and I wait for the portrait of Sophie and Howl’s interaction after they live together since the beginning of the plot! I cannot believe the author doesn’t write that, so I give it four stars to express my anger.

    I still recommend everyone who loves the movie Howl’s Moving Castle to go read the book, maybe you can discover something that you haven’t noticed before.

Howl's Bedroom,one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Very different from the book indeed.