The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Friday, April 5, 2013 by 1 Comment

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Publisher: Pocket Books | 2009 (first published 1999) | 232 pages
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Synopsis:

Charlie is a freshman.

And while he’s not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can’t stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

My review:

This is just another of those books published way back in 1999 (when I was 12) that I’m only reading now. I first found out about this book when I heard about the movie starring Emma Watson. I haven’t watched it…I’m planning to watch it right after writing this review.

Cute book title but the story is far from ‘cute’. At some parts, it is dark and unfunny, something that some people might relate to especially if their growing up years had been tough. Even the book begins with the death of a close friend of Charlie’s.

The teenage years certainly are not easy but Charlie is fortunate to have found friendship in two seniors – Patrick and Sam. In the book, we read Charlie’s letters to a ‘friend’, written from Aug 1991 until Aug the next year. In his letters, he writes about getting to know step-siblings, Patrick and Sam, who try to guide him through life. Well, they guide him more on the basic things like getting through first dates, for example. In other words, Patrick and Sam were there for him when his own older siblings could not.

I’m not sure if I found Charlie a likeable character. He seems confused and tends to jumble up his thoughts in his letters. He likes to read and his teacher keeps giving him various books to delve into. Therefore, he would also discuss the books he reads with his ‘friend’, the recipient of the letters.

In short, this book is about loss, self-discovery, family, friends and dealing with the roller coaster ride of the teenage years. Read this with an open mind and don’t mind Charlie’s weirdness. You will find out why at the end.

I won my copy of this book from the Literary Blog Hop Giveaway held at Kristi Loves Books last year.

Filed Under: Authors C, Genre - YA Realistic Fiction, Titles P

Party Frock by Noel Streatfeild

Sunday, December 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Party Frock by Noel Streatfeild
Publisher: Armada Lions | 1971 (first published 1946) | 224 pages
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It is amazing how almost an entire village comes together to participate in a pageant organised by kids. And it all started when Selina, 14, receives a party frock and satin shoes from a godmother in America. It is World War II, therefore, there are no grand parties for Selina to wear the frock and shoes at her cousins’ home in a rural village in England. Her six cousins – John, Christopher, Sally, Phoebe, Augustus and Benjamin – come together to put on a pageant that eventually turns out to be an affair that is bigger than expected.

The children would write out the scripts for their respective scenes as well as train the actors that are to act in them. They decided to hold the pageant at the Abbey, the historical and believed to be cursed residence that belongs to Colonel Day and his wife.

Things got on to a good start as they prepare the cast and incorporate a ballet into the pageant. Upon realising that they need ideas to make their pageant a presentable one, they accept the help of Philip, the Days’ nephew, who is injured from the war but with experience in theatre.

With Philip’s professional theatre advice, though initially not welcomed by the strong-headed Phoebe, the pageant suddenly becomes a big event that has the participation of almost everyone in the village.

When such a big pageant is in the works, there are of course some problems encountered by the children. For example, Selina feels that she is mostly left out even though she does most of the running in the preparations and rehearsals that she has been given the title of stage manager. Phoebe, unlike the others, had refused any help from Philip, so her scene becomes a little out of place in the pageant.

At first, I was a bit put off from reading the book. I had begun on the first few chapters but looking at the condition of my book, I was reluctant to keep going. I bought my copy from a secondhand bookstore a few years ago and its pages are seriously browning. When I opened to read it, the pages kept falling apart. Now I have to be careful when turning the pages so as to avoid more of them falling out.

I kept reading because I wanted to finish it. The flow of the story is really organised despite having so many characters involved. The illustrations throughout the book were cute and somewhat helpful while I relied on my imagination on the unfolding of the story. If only there is a movie adaptation for this book!

The characters are endearing especially little Benjamin who starts every sentence with ‘My dear’. And he is only four years old. I would like to see a boy aged four saying ‘My dear! I never upset my food.’

So far I have read two other books by Streatfeild – Ballet Shoes for Anna and White Boots. I wished I had read her books when I was younger. I think I might have enjoyed them! Still, it is better to be late than never so I’m trying to catch up with her books that I missed reading last time.

Party Frock is now published under the title of Party Shoes.

Other reviews: Sue’s Book Reviews

Filed Under: Authors S, Genre - Children's Classics, Titles P Tagged With:

Pistonhead by Thomas A. Hauck

Thursday, June 24, 2010 by 3 Comments

Pistonhead by Thomas A. Hauck
Publisher: Booklocker.com | 2009 | 176 pages
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This one is for the music fans, especially if you are a hardcore heavy rock enthusiast. Nah, this book is perfect for all music lovers and for those who are curious about the life a musician leads.

Charlie Sinclair is 24 years old and holds two jobs. He works on an assembly line in a factory by day and thrills rock music fans by night. He plays the guitar in the band who calls themselves Pistonhead. Even though they have only released two CDs and keep a small following of fans, the band members remain optimistic by doing what they love to do, that is to make and play music together.

However, Charlie feels as if his life isn’t going anywhere. He only holds a temporary day job. His band gets booed at certain shows. His childhood friend and lead singer of Pistonhead, Rip is hooked on drugs. He has no girlfriend. His apartment is filled with mice. His mother has a new boyfriend he doesn’t know about. Charlie wished he could tell all that to people who think he leads a glamorous rock star life.

Then suddenly something happens that ultimately changes everything. The band’s future becomes uncertain. Charlie’s future looks even bleaker.

This novel of only 174 pages has the plot going smoothly. It only revolves around one very important week in Charlie’s life. Told from the third person limited point of view, we readers see life and music though Charlie’s eyes.

Despite the rocker musician’s spectacular performances on stage, Charlie becomes just as ordinary as everyone else once he gets off stage. People think he leads a promiscuous life with groupies but all Charlie wants is a girlfriend who loves him as he is. This is where I wonder if his co-worker Lisa has feelings for him though there are hints of it. There is also an eccentric love scene with Lisa’s friend, Tamaya.

I really enjoyed reading the concert scenes and Charlie’s feelings when on stage. The most exciting part for me is where one of their performances got a lukewarm response from a very hostile audience. I was on the edge of my seat and tried to guess whether the band would stop playing or just go on with the show.

The author of this novel, Thomas A. Hauck was a rock musician and songwriter for 15 years. He had played with Boston-based bands such as the Atlantics and Ball and Pivot. You can read more about the bands here.

Check out Thomas Hauck’s guest post on my other book blog, Books Love Me!

***Thanks to Mr Hauck for sending me a copy of his novel to review.

Filed Under: Authors H, Genre - Contemporary, Titles P

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

Friday, April 24, 2009 by 4 Comments

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
Publisher: Minx | 2008 (first published 2007) | 176 pages
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I’m beginning to adore graphic novels and The Plain Janes (Minx) is to blame for it. I bought it at a bookstore in Giant for only RM16.90. What an awesome bargain!

It begins with Jane who had to move to suburbia Kent Waters. She and her parents were living in Metro City until an unexpected bomb exploded in a café in the city. Jane was strolling past the café when it happened. She wasn’t hurt but she didn’t look forward to entering cafés anymore.

She was surrounded by dead bodies but she managed to save a young man’s life. He’s known as John Doe throughout most of the story and is in a coma. Jane tries to visit him often and tells him stories of her everyday life. John Doe appears to be an artist since he had a sketch book with him. As Jane is also an artistic person, she keeps the sketch book with her and fills it with her own sketchings.

Afraid that another bomb would explode or some other disturbing event would occur in the city, Jane’s parents moved the family to peaceful Kent Waters. Jane attends the school over there and awkwardly befriends the reject group of girls: Jane, Jayne and Polly Jane. That’s how Jane got the idea for P.L.A.I.N.

The three Janes only allowed Jane into the group after she suggested a seemingly brilliant idea that’ll somehow make their voices be heard. They were the rejects in high school and it was thrilling to leave eccentric messages for the people in an anonymous way. It’s as if they weren’t that invisible after all. Soon, they go on to leave their P.L.A.I.N. marks all around their neighbourhood. P.L.A.I.N. stands for People Loving Art In Neighbourhoods.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story now. There are only around 100+ pages of the story with great graphics and great storyline. I was simply hooked till the last page. The sequel to this book is Janes in Love! I’m definitely looking out for that.

A few graphic novel titles such as Re-Gifters, Clubbing and Good As Lily were advertised on the final pages of this book and they do seem fun to read. If you’ve read them before, please tell me all about it!

You can check out the preview for this book here.

Filed Under: Authors C, Genre - Comics/Graphic Novels, Titles P

The Poem I Turn To edited by Jason Shinder

Monday, June 30, 2008 by 11 Comments

The Poem I Turn To: Actors and Directors Present Poetry That Inspires Them edited by Jason Shinder
Publisher: Sourcebooks MediaFusion | 2008 | 227 pages
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Most people ignore most poetry because most poetry ignores most people.
~Adrian Mitchell~

I found the above-mentioned quote here. Sounds interesting, huh? I don’t know what Mitchell meant by poetry ignoring people. Can somebody step up and share your thoughts on it?

Anyway, The Poem I Turn To is a book of collected poems. Jason Shinder went out and asked various actors and directors to share their favourite poems and explain why they like them. These actors and directors would include Alan Arkin, Adam Arkin, Peter MacNicol, Carrie Fisher, Jane Fonda, Stanley Tucci and lots more! So, if you happen to be a fan of theirs, then you may get to know them a little bit better by knowing what poem inspires them.

Well, what kind of poems do celebrities like? Shakespeare? Poems by Robert Frost? Yeah, there are some sonnets from Shakespeare in it. It would be relatively surprising if nobody actually turned to Shakespeare’s words. Besides that, the simplest poem in it would be ‘Alone’ where there’s only one lone word in it, Alone. It is one of Stanley Tucci’s favourite poems.

Oh, do you like listening to poems being read aloud? I do! This book is accompanied by a CD where you can listen to some of the actors read their favourite poems. I didn’t really like Paul Guilfoyle’s (from CSI Las Vegas) poetry recitation. His voice was soft and he read the poems way too fast! Is that supposed to be a style? If I weren’t holding the book as well as reading and listening to the poem at the same time, I wouldn’t catch what he said. By the way, there are 30 poems being read aloud on the CD. And if you don’t like hearing other people read them, why don’t you read aloud yourself and record it? =)

All the same, this hardcover book has a lovely cover although it’s quite wordy. But I like it! Somehow I have a good feeling when I look at it. I’ve always liked poems. The poem I like most in this book would be The Guest House by Rumi. If only we had learnt more English poems in school. The only poems we were exposed to were:

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
If by Rudyard Kipling
Monsoon History by Shirley Lim
There’s Been A Death In The Opposite House by Emily Dickinson
Si Tenggang’s Homecoming by Muhammad Salleh
Life’s Brief Candle by William Shakespeare
The Dead Crow by A. Samad Said
The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B. Yeats

Still, it’s a good start.

So…which poem do you turn to?

***A heartfelt thanks to Christiaan Simmons of Sourcebooks for sending me a copy of this wonderful book.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: John Mutford, Kim

Filed Under: Authors S, Genre - Poetry, Titles P

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 by 15 Comments

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
Publisher: Harper | 2007 (first published 2004) | 520 pages
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I stayed up until 2.30 a.m. last night to finish reading this book. I was eager to know the ending, so staying up late for it was no big deal!

There’s no doubt that this book has been a huge hit and so was the movie starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. No, I did not watch the movie yet though I’d really want to. It should be interesting to see Holly opening Gerry’s letters every month on screen and following her on her journey of self-recovery and doing some soul searching.

Holly’s husband and soul mate, Gerry, passed away due to brain tumour. She just can’t imagine life without him and thought she’d never be able to let him go. Then later, she receives a package from Gerry himself! He sent it just before he died. In the package are 10 sealed envelopes for Holly to open every month. She cannot cheat and open all of them at once, although she’d loved to do it!

And so Gerry’s letters help Holly move on in life without him. It’s hard but Holly is extremely lucky to have a supportive family and best friends to help her go through it. Her parents are a great help. Richard, the secretive and quiet oldest brother, surprises Holly in a number of ways. Jack, Holly’s favourite brother, has been quite distant, much to Holly’s disappointment. Then, there’s Ciara, the loud and noisy younger sister and Declan, who’s always holding a video camera nowadays.

Let’s not forget Holly’s best friends, Sharon and Denise. Both try their best to cheer Holly up as much as possible but sometimes they wonder if she’ll ever get better or if she’ll forever be depressing. However, it’s not easy on Holly’s part when she witnesses her friends’ moments of joy and happiness. Moments that she can never have with Gerry.

Holly makes a new friend too and his name is Daniel. He has recently broken up with his girlfriend and moved to Dublin while buying up a bar called Hogan’s at the same time. He’s good-looking and has been an understanding friend, but does he expect to be more than friends with Holly?

The ending was totally unexpected. Well, I didn’t expect the ending to be like that actually. All the same, PS, I Love You is definitely an enjoyable book, despite the sadness of it all. Ahern’s writing style is easy and funny, just like a chick lit book. Is this book considered as chick lit? Hmm, maybe not. If you’re the overly sensitive and emotional type, prepare a box of tissues when you read it! =)

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Maria, nylusmilk, Kathleen, Melody, Tricia, KittyCat

Filed Under: Authors A, Genre - Romance, Titles P Tagged With: