This challenge is host by Music Plus Books, in which I need to re-title a book no matter I have read or not. So, the book I chose is The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan. I didn’t read this book yet but I’m going to read this in the read-a-thon. I’m just re-titling it by judging its cover đ Here it is !
So, day 1 of Bout of books 8.0 ended and I’m here to update my progress. It’s been so exciting and a lot of happiness since the read-a-thon started. I felt really good after the first day of #boutofbooks.
Page read: 320
Book finished: 0
In the first day, I started Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins which is the second book in the Hunger Games Series. I love Hunger Games, but Catching Fire is also very good if not better. There is a lot more emotional in the second book. I’m halfway through in Catching Fire. Hopefully, I will finish this and start a new book in Day 2.
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (itâs entirely up to you), that we canât wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.
Hosted by: Dani from Pen to Paper
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Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prisonâeven though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner
Why I want it:
This is the second book of the Lunar Chronicles Series. I read the first book which is Cinder and I found it unexpectedly captivating to read. Cinder is a fairy re-telling of Cinderella with a different background and character. The first book ended with a very exciting scene and I really want to continue to explore the story further. So, I hope I can get to the second book soon.
So, I’m going to participating in the Bout of Books read-a-thon which start from 19/8 to 25/8.
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team ÂJoin us if you’re interest in the read-a-thon and let me know if you’re also doing this through twitter ! My twitter is @BookNeedLoveHK, tweet me now !
I’m going to decide which books I’m going to read in the read-a-thon đ See you guys later !
The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Pages: 99
Buy it: BookDepositoryPublished: 1952
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Put it on shelf: Goodreads
Synopsis: from Goodreads
Set in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Havana, Hemingway’s magnificent fable is the story of an old man, a young boy and a giant fish. In a perfectly crafted story, which won for Hemingway the Nobel Prize for Literature, is a unique and timeless vision of the beauty and grief of man’s challenge to the elements in which he lives.
My thought:
Before I read this book, I already heard a lot of things about this book, not many of people who read this and love this. I heard quite a lot of people said they don’t understand what this book want to talk about. After reading this, I have to confess that I didn’t understand what Hemingway wants to present thoroughly, but still, I have something that I want to share with all you guys.
When I’m reading classics, I always reminds myself that there must be something that makes it a classic. So, what so different is The Old man and The sea. I think of three things, the length of the book, the number of characters and the meaning behind.
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Although I’m not a writer, but I know that it’s much difficult to write a short novel than a long novel. The author need to write a complete story even they can’t use too much words to do it, the writing must be concise and accurate to do so. There are some famous short novels I’ve read, Animal Farm by George Orwell and Of mice and Men by John Steinbeck, I think The Old Man and The Sea is quite similar to these two books in terms of the structure of the story.
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In The Old Man and The Sea, there is only two characters and one big fish. Most of the time, there is only the old man and the fish which makes the story quite tedious to read. However, Hemingway did quite well to keep his reader to read by describing the fierce contest between the old man and the fish really well. It is quite exciting to imagine the story in my mind.
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Maybe the story is written to be a little unnoticeable to realize the behind meaning of the story. I myself found it quite hard to figure out what Hemingway want to tell us, however, I heard a theory about the behind meaning of this book before. What the book trying to tell us is “Fishing is more important that the fish itself”. I’m not going to explain this here, I think you guys will be able to understand after reading the book.
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Overall, I did enjoy reading this. I found myself really enjoy reading short books instead of the very long one. I give this book 4/5 stars.
3 reasons to read:
(1) It is short
(2) Huge behind meaning
(3) It’s a Nobel Prize-winning book
3 reasons not read:
(1) Quite hard to understand
(2) The old man is the only character
(3) Not very intriguing to read
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (itâs entirely up to you), that we canât wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.
Hosted by: Dani from Pen to Paper
The Diviners by Libba Bray
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City–and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult–also known as “The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies.”
When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer–if he doesn’t catch her first.
Why I want it:
After reading The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, I’m so curious and interest how the 1920’s New York look like. The story of The Diviners is set in the 1920’s of New York which is very appealing to me. I heard a lot of great things about the writer, Libba Bray and the excitement which brings along by this book.
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Pages:Â 400
Published:Â January 1987
Buy it: BookDepository
Put it on shelf: Goodreads
Synopsis: from Goodreads
Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable. As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman.
A poignant story of one college studentâs romantic coming-of-age,Norwegian Wood takes us to that distant place of a young manâs first, hopeless, and heroic love.
My thought:
So, it is Haruki Murakami first romance story, also a very sad one. But first thing first, it is a really enjoyable story.
About romance story, I’m not really a big fan of it, but this is different. There are two main character in this story, Toru and Naoko. Naoko was the girlfriend of Toru’s best friend – Kizuki before Kizuki’s tragic death when he was 17. After that, Toru and Naoko ran away from their hometown Kyoto and they both studied in Tokyo but not together. One day, they meet each other in the street coincidentally. That’s how the story begins.
Unlike other romance story, the relationship between Toru and Naoko is not distinct. What I mean is that they are brought together not because of mutual attraction, but because they are living in a very similar life after the death of Kizuki – loneliness, meaningless life. (That’s what I think. I may be wrong) The author concentrated a lot in describing the characters using the things they experienced in life but not by telling the reader how his characters look like which I really love it.
Also, it is a tragic love story like The Great Gatsby which I love the most. There is a great deal of “Happy ending” romance story out there, to be honest, I’m really tired of those because ” It is how real life look like ? “. I don’t mean that the story must be tragic to be a great romance story. What I mean is creativeness. The style and the plot of this book is brilliant.
I don’t know whether Haruki was intend to write this book only for the people who live in Japan or not, but I think the description of the environment is not quite enough. I’m reading this book during the trip in Japan, so I can really experience how those characters walking in the street, drinking in the bar and so on. Simply said, I can experience the environment the story happened in which in very important to the story. If the author can put a little more description to the environment of the city, that would be awesome.
One more thing, I think there is a little too much sex scene in this story. At first, honestly, I quite enjoy it. But when it came through again and again, i’m a little bit tired of it. It is only a very minor problem.
Overall, I think Norwegian Wood is a great book. I think this is great because it is so real. Just like it would really happen in real life. 5/5stars
4 reasons to read:
(1) Unique writing style
(2) The story is so realistic
(3) Page turner
(4) A different romance story
3 reasons not to read:
(1) Lack of description of the environment
(2) Too much sex scene in the story
(3) Â So miserable (it makes you feel sad)
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Pages: 221
Published:Â December 28th 2006 by Speak
Buy it: BookDepository
Put it on yourself: GoodReads
Synopsis: from Goodreads
Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter’s whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the “Great Perhaps” (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.
After. Nothing is ever the same
My thought:
The first book of John Green that I’ve read is The Fault in Our Stars, that is simply awesome. So, because of the amazing experience on TFIOS, I have quite a high expectation on Looking for Alaska. Fortunately, I think this book is as good as TFIOS, if not better. It makes me more eager to finish the other books by John Green. This is absolutely phenomenal.
Reading this book is a total enjoyment. The characters, the plot, the behind meaning of the story are all good. John Green did really well to present his character to the audience. I can visualize how “Pudge” looks like, how gorgeous and how fascinating Alaska is, also how “Colonel” trash-talk the opponent basketball team. John didn’t use many difficult and fancy  words to describe his characters, but he still get the job done really well. Characters are well shaped.
About the plot, the book is divided into two part: Before and After. For me, I think both parts are excellent to read. It is a book that you can’t really predict or expect anything, if you did that, the rest of the book will prove that your predication is wrong. So, it is also an exciting read. The plot is really great.
Looking for Alaska is not a simple book, what i mean is not about the usage of language but the behind meaning which John want to address. Alaska asked Pudge one question at the very beginning of the book: How to escape labyrinth ? It is an interesting and worth-thinking question. Maybe different religion will give you a different answer, but after all, the answer given by yourself is what that matters.
Lastly, i think the golden letter “P” is put on the book for reasons. This is a very emotional book. Happiness,  funniness, sadness, uneasiness, you name it. Looking for Alaska is not just a simple YA book. The question carried out by it can be really huge.
Why read it:
(1) Amazing plot
(2) Insightful story which makes you think more about life
(3) Well shaped characters
(4) A lot of emotions in the book
(5) A really funny and giggling book
Why not read it:
(1) The story is a bit too short.
(2) People who don’t like prank thing may not like it
Awesome read, one of my all time favorite.
5/5stars !
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (itâs entirely up to you), that we canât wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.
Hosted by: Dani from Pen to Paper
The Archived by Victoria Schwab
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping oftenâviolent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
Being a Keeper isnât just dangerousâitâs a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Daâs death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.
Why I want it:
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this book from the BookTube community. From the synopsis, I think the story is really intriguing and captivating. Also, the cover of the book is absolutely gorgeous !!!!  Can’t wait to own this book.
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (itâs entirely up to you), that we canât wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.
Hosted by: Dani from Pen to Paper
Down and Out in Paris and London
by George Orwell
Synopsis(from Goodreads):
What was a nice Eton boy like Eric Blair doing in scummy slums instead of being upwardly mobile at Oxford or Cambridge? Living Down and Out in Paris and London, repudiating respectable imperialist society, and reinventing himself as George Orwell. His 1933 debut book (ostensibly a novel, but overwhelmingly autobiographical) was rejected by that elitist publisher T. S. Eliot, perhaps because its close-up portrait of lowlife was too pungent for comfort.
Why I want it?
George is one of my favorite author of all-time. I am a super fan of his famous novels 1984 and Animal farm. A friend of mine told me that after reading this could give some clues on why George Orwell was able to write 1984 and Animal farm. This book is a memoir of George Orwell during his miserable living in London and Paris in his early years. I’m absolutely intrigued by how his lives in these two cities shaped him into such a great author.
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