The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I love such kind of books which imparts big chunks of lessons through economical use of words.

The lesson I learned here is, never "feed" yourself with things that you are not suppose to "take in", for they will never satisfy you. Caterpillars are not suppose to eat oranges or apples or plums much less ice cream or Swiss cheese! So when he consumed each he still felt hungry and eventually felt sick. But when he ate a leaf, he felt better, became fat and in the end turned into a beautiful butterfly.

Feed on the things that you must; do what you were born to do and in the long run you will be what you were born to be.

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The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


1 star: Love story is of the maverick kind. It is unlike the stories I usually read in other books with either a happy or a tragic ending. The ending has the sad tone of despondency which as I've said is not the typical conclusion of most love stories in books but very often in real life.

+1 star: The settings were in two of my favorite countries, Spain and France. :D Bullfighting, though part of Spanish culture, doesn't quite interest me. It is a morbid form of entertainment. And these toreros, they are either stupidly brave or bravely stupid to risk being gored by the bull. Either way, I still love Spain. ^^

+1 star: There was so much drinking that I, myself felt "tight" in the end. xD I say, only a good book can affect me this much. :D



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The Stranger by Albert Camus

The Stranger by Albert Camus

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Seriously, after reading the last lines, a quiver shot through me. And this only happens when I am reading or have read an exceptionally good book.

Albert Camus's The Stranger, supports the philosophy I hold that one is solely responsible for his/her own life; that no one has the right to dictate another what or what not he/she should feel or do. Meursault's indifference to the events that occurred in his life - his mother's death, his killing of an Arab and his own death - I could relate to somehow, as at some point,I have become indifferent to the things that happened in my life, which I do not like to discuss.

The part where his case, id est his killing of an Arab, was tried, where the prosecutor vehemently imputed him with his guilt by turning his and the witnesses' words against him, that particular part made me realize that whether or not you tell the truth - as what Meursault did in the story - other people, more powerfully convincing people, will do anything to bring you to bay. So, when asked whether he would like to say anything, he just said, "No". I interpreted his refusal as his submission to life's futility.

With this book, I have come to know why my father encourages me to read philosophical novels. The depth of the themes presented is overwhelming that it propels the transformation of your thoughts, your beliefs and your life itself.



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Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other.

— John Steinbeck in his 1938 journal entry

In John Steinbeck's book, Of Mice and Men,he was able to clearly mirror how it is to truly understand a person through George's character. Lennie, a physically able but mentally challenged man, had been George's companion for a long time. Lennie caused him such big troubles but he was still able to tolerate him, because to him, Lennie was like a brother. The kind of friendship between George and Lennie is very rare nowadays. It is not often that one can find a person who can understand and who is willing to sacrifice for you.

The ending of the book was a tearjerker. I could almost feel the weight of the gun in George's hand and the emotional burden he had to carry when he shot Lennie. He had no other choice but to pull the trigger because he cannot bear the thought of other people killing Lennie out of mere cruelty and spite. But George did it out of brotherly love.

This book is genuinely human.



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For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


You know you’ve devoured a good book when after going over the last line you feel somewhat ethereal - an unworldly feeling of satisfaction. Well, that is what I felt with this book.

This is my first of Hemingway and my second war novel (first was Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five).
When I picked it up from my book rack, I told myself “Hmmm.. Hemingway. This must be a difficult book”, but I was proven wrong. Hemingway’s stylistic choice of words, the density and intelligent distribution of his sentences, his judicious use of figures of speech made every part of the book graspable – the scenes, vivid… the sound, almost audible.

His use of simple Shakespearean language and Spanish profanity, I found really amusing. The former gave added classic tone to the book and the latter, a little jest. But what I really loved about this book was the genuine emotionalism it evoked. There were parts that made me laugh; parts that stirred anger and hate; parts that provoked compassion and fondness and profound pathos for each character that had my eyes pour out lacrimal fluid. There were even times when I had to pause flicking its pages, stare at some random things without even seeing them and smile because of how succinctly beautiful the words were written.

I can give this book a multitude of 5 stars. And if you will ask me how much I love this book, I’ll say, “A bushel and a peck and some in a gourd” :)




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