I Like It Like That – A Gossip Girl Novel by Cecily von Ziegesar

Wednesday, March 7, 2007 By 13 Comments

I’ve always wondered what the Gossip Girl books are all about. Then, while browsing in eBay, I saw a couple of second-hand Gossip Girl books on sale. So, I bought I Like It Like That – A Gossip Girl Novel, and read it in two days. Well, guess what? The book sucks.

First of all, I can barely imagine any real teenagers behaving like the characters in this book. I mean, they are just so wild and have no self-respect. They respect neither themselves nor other people. And the girls take drugs, smoke incessantly, and sleep around with most boys they meet.

And the boys? They are just as bad as the girls. They also smoke pot, Marlboro cigarettes, and are just plain horny guys.

What kind of book is this? Why is it so hugely popular? Because it’s a ‘bad’ book? Is that it?

I particularly don’t like Georgie. She’s selfish, crazy, and plain wild. Ugh, if I were a boy, I definitely would not want a girlfriend like her. Her boyfriend, Nate, must have been in anguish for not having the chance to spend some quality time with her because she’s always busy soaking in the hot tub with other boys!

This will be the first and last time I’m reading this book. Not recommended to those under 18.

Well, you’re going to get it anyway, so why bother?

Buy I Like It Like That: A Gossip Girl Novel

Popularity: 22%

Filed Under: Authors V, Genre - YA Fiction, Titles G

Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

Thursday, February 22, 2007 By 9 Comments

This is the fourth Diana Wynne Jones book that I have read and it is also much better than Hexwood. Maybe because Charmed Life was a lot easier to read, as the language was simple and there were not many complicated names.

Eric and Gwendolen Chant were most unfortunate when their parents died during their family day trip. Then, they were sent to live with their neighbour, Mrs. Sharp. Mrs. Sharp was a certified witch and she was glad to have the children to stay with her. She was also interested in Gwendolen because she was a witch too. Eric, or Cat, as Gwendolen calls him, seems like a normal boy with no magical powers.

Gwendolen was then sent for magic lessons at Mr. Henry Nostrum’s place. He was very proud of her because she’s a very gifted witch and has the potential to rule the world. Well, that was what he told her.

One day, Chrestomanci paid the Chants a visit and invited them to live with him at Chrestomanci Castle. Gwendolen was ecstatic to be going there and it was her who wrote to him in the first place, telling him about her parents’ death. It seemed that Chrestomanci was somehow related to the Chants. Cat was not that excited to go there at all. He would miss Mrs. Sharp terribly.

The young Chants arrive at Chrestomanci Castle to find its surroundings were filled with magic. I like the way Jones described that you could smell magic or feel the magic in the air. I wonder how it’s like to smell magic!

Anyway, Gwendolen expected to be treated like a queen and waited on hand and foot. However, she was thoroughly disappointed when they did not fuss over her like how Mrs. Sharp and Mr. Nostrum did. Furthermore, she was not allowed to have magic lessons with Chrestomanci’s children, Roger and Julia.

I found that things got very interesting when nearing the end of the book. I also believe that this book is the first part of the Chrestomanci series. In other words, this book should be the first book in the Chrestomanci series to be read. The next one to read would be The Lives of Christopher Chant.

Buy Charmed Life

Other reviews: DogEar Diary

Popularity: 24%

Filed Under: Authors J, Genre - Fantasy, Titles C Tagged With:

Roots by Alex Haley

Tuesday, February 20, 2007 By 6 Comments

Roots, which is written by Alex Haley is undoubtedly the best, heart-warming book I have ever read. It is the story of Kunta Kinte, who is from Africa. He is an extremely brave, loyal young man from a small village, Juffure, in The Gambia.

He has turned 17 and was very excited because he has become a man. But unfortunately, things did not turn out the way he would like it to be. One day, while he was out chopping wood to make a drum, he was abducted and sent on a slave ship to the New World to become a slave.

In America, a John Waller, who treated him like dirt, bought him. Kunta tried to escape 4 times but he was caught and finally, the slave-catchers cut off his right foot. He was then sold to John Waller’s brother, a doctor who treated his slaves better.

Kunta got married and had a daughter, Kizzy. She was taken from her parents to become a slave to another master. He used her for his own pleasure and she had a mulatto baby, George. George grew up to be fighting cock trainer. He got married and had kids, too. So, the story goes on until Alex Haley was born.

When he was a young boy, he would hear stories of Kunta Kinte, who claimed he was from Africa and was also very proud of his homeland. Then, Alex Haley set out to find out the true story of Kunta and his history. It took him 12 years to complete the book.

Really, read it for yourself and you will learn a lot. It made me appreciate that I have my family with me now and I have no one torturing me till I bleed, half-dead, and practically losing hope of ever getting the chance to be free again. This book deserves 5 out of 5 stars!

I read this book in 2004. One of my teachers recommended this book to me in 2000 but I put off reading it as it’s such a thick book! Anyway, it took me 3 whole weeks to finish it.

Buy Roots: The Saga of an American Family

Popularity: 25%

Filed Under: Authors H, Genre - Memoir, Titles R

Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones

Wednesday, February 14, 2007 By 4 Comments

Finally, I finished reading Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones! Honestly, it was a difficult book to read, as it was utterly complicated. Even after I’ve finished the book, I still don’t understand some parts and I think I’ll have to read 4 or 5 more times to fully comprehend the whole story. I don’t think I can bear to read it again anyway. I’m considering selling the book off on eBay!

The story starts with a letter from Hexwood Farm to the Sector Controller Borasus, complaining about an ancient machine called the Bannus, which had been intentionally activated one of the clerks.

Then, there are 5 Reigners who control everything in the universe. Well, the present 5 Reigners are bad ones because they had cheated the Bannus many years ago. The Bannus’ job is to pick up 5 Reigners, each from different Houses, every 10 years, if I’m not mistaken.

One day, Ann, a 12-year-old girl who lives near Hexwood farm wanders into the wood. In the wood, in a weird and bizarre incident, she meets Mordion, the Reigners’ Servant. A Reigner Servant is responsible for killing people on the Reigners’ orders. However, Mordion hates the Reigners very much and wished to take revenge on them.

He creates Hume out of his and Ann’s blood. Mordion plans to train Hume so that Hume can finish off the Reigners for him. But later on, he realized how cruel it was to train Hume to do such a thing and did not want Hume to do the dirty job for him anymore.

There are more characters and even more complex events after that. This is the first book that I don’t particularly like from Diana Wynne Jones. I hope her other books would not be like this, too! I like this book’s cover though.

Buy Hexwood

Other reviews: Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog

Popularity: 18%

Filed Under: Authors J, Genre - YA Fantasy, Titles H Tagged With:

Calvin & Hobbes – The Best Cartoon Ever!

Monday, February 5, 2007 By 4 Comments


I started reading Calvin & Hobbes when I was in my primary school years mainly because it was a comic! The comics are colourful, humorous and incredibly entertaining. I used to read C&H for hours. Calvin is smart yet stupid at the same time.

He uses big, bombastic words but he is frightfully hopeless in Math. His best friend is a stuffed tiger toy, Hobbes, which he imagines is a real and talking tiger.

He detests girls and loves to bully his classmate and neighbour, Susie Derkins. I truly enjoy the ones where there are Calvin and Susie. Susie is smart and friendly. Unfortunately, Calvin stubbornly remains unfriendly and hostile towards her. However, it may be possible that he likes her!

He frequently gives his teacher, Miss Wormwood, lots of headaches. He is also afraid of Moe, a big but not-that-smart bully who always asks him for money. Moe calls Calvin ‘Twinky’.

Calvin is also afraid of his teenage babysitter, Rosalyn. Rosalyn also considers him a little monster but she baby-sits him because she needs the money for college. Something always goes wrong when she comes over to baby-sit him for the evening.

His mom loves to throw him out of the house as he is always making a mess in there. His dad tells him things, which are not quite true. It seems that Calvin’s dad is a resemblance of the comic’s author, Bill Watterson.

The characters in Calvin & Hobbes never grow old. Calvin will be 6 years old forever. It would be awfully interesting if he did grow. But, I guess Mr. Watterson had no plans of making him older!

It’s still fun reading the comics anyway. =D I wonder how many Calvin & Hobbes books are there in total. There is a box set – The Complete Calvin and Hobbes – that includes ALL of Calvin & Hobbes comics and would be a must-have treasure for any Calvin & Hobbes fans. It is also priced at a whopping $90.00!

Buy The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes)

Popularity: 25%

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

The School at the Chalet by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer

Thursday, January 25, 2007 By 4 Comments

The School at the Chalet sounded interesting to me and I thought it would be a fun book to read. Little did I know that the beginning was so hopelessly boring! Therefore, it took me quite a long time to finish this book and unfortunately, I could not read other books yet. I tend to read one book at a time, so in order to read the next one, I have to finish the one I’m currently reading.

Nonetheless, the book got better after reading about ¾ of it. When I finished the book, I wanted to read more of it! I’m keen to read what adventures Joey, Madge, Grizel, Juliet, Simone, and the others will have in the books that follow The School At The Chalet. That would not be a problem because Elinor M. Brent-Dyer wrote over 60 books about the Chalet School.

Madge, Dick, and Joey are the Bettany siblings. They have no parents and struggling to support themselves. Then, Madge decided to start a school in the Austrian Tyrol. I did not know that it would be so frightfully easy to start a school but anyhow, Madge did it. Initially, the school had very few students but it grew as the time went by.

I found this school story somewhat familiar with Enid Blyton’s school stories. It was also amusing that the girls insisted on keeping up with what English schools in England did. Play pranks. The students at the Chalet School consisted of different nationalities. The German students were excited to play pranks because they wanted to feel being in an English school. The only thing they did not have was a midnight feast like how Enid Blyton’s schools had.

Of course there are tragedies, excitements, rows with various kinds of people, making new friends, silly students, etc. It was dull in the beginning because all everyone did was introduce themselves to each other. Things sped up when the girls began to play pranks on one another and there were the consequences.

I also learnt new German words too, for example, mittagessen or lunch.

I am looking forward to reading more Chalet School books.

Buy The School at the Chalet (The Chalet School Series)

Popularity: 23%

Filed Under: Authors B, Genre - Children's Classics, Titles S
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