"She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain." — Louisa May Alcott

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Bob the Book (Review)

Bob the BookBob the Book by David Pratt


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


How do you feel about the books you read? Do you treat them with care? Read them and then forget about them-the emotions they evoked in you as you lost yourself in the world and characters within their pages. Do you keep them with you? Cherishing them and recalling passages or quotes you found memorable?




This book jumped out at me at first glance; and not even stopping to think why, I headed over to amazon and bought it. It turned out to be a great choice. It is a delightful and refreshing novel, told in the POV of Bob the book. It chronicles his journey from stores, to discount bins, to people's shelves.




He meets other books and people; he meets book lovers and disdainful readers. He makes friends and also falls in love-yet he knows that they might lose each other along the way. Like all of the others; he wishes to be read, to be cared for and appreciated. Bob wants to have a place where he can be more than just an accessory on a shelf, but he also wants his Moishe-who was lost to him-and Bob's hope is to find him so they can be together.




This story is endearing and bittersweet, it made me laugh and truly sad at times as I read about Bob's friends' pasts-b/c each of them has a story to tell, something they lived through that's marked them in their own individual journeys. I felt for them, rooting and wishing that they all had their happy ending.




I'm the type of person that finds it hard to get rid of the books I own-even if I didn't enjoy them-so this book hit on my exact feelings for the ones in my collection. No matter the genre, my books are important to me and so this wonderful book will find its space in my shelves.




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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Love Water (Review)

Love Water (Yaoi Novel)

** spoiler alert ** **might contain spoilers**




This is a sweet and tender romance novel set in a historical time. The writing and illustrations evoked a very gentle emotion in me as I read and it was only enhanced by the innocence of Misao's and Towa's feelings for each other.



Misao works in a brothel, due to circumstances-he has no choice but to work off a debt in order to gain his freedom. Because of his upbringing he has learned to hide his true self and finds ways to earn a little extra m ...more **might contain spoilers**



This is a sweet and tender romance novel set in a historical time. The writing and illustrations evoked a very gentle emotion in me as I read and it was only enhanced by the innocence of Misao's and Towa's feelings for each other.



Misao works in a brothel, due to circumstances-he has no choice but to work off a debt in order to gain his freedom. Because of his upbringing he has learned to hide his true self and finds ways to earn a little extra money by flirting mildly with patrons without using his body. There's this feeling of dispassion in him until he meets Towa.



Without realizing why Misao opens up to Towa, who is there for someone else and has a certain naivete about the inner workings of a brothel. Towa, a businessman, is honest and straightforward; because of Misao's initial approach and assistance in understanding the rules and culture of the Tea House seeks his companionship.



This story was a delight to read. The basic history of the brothels was detailed enough to understand but doesn't cloud over the plot-it brought to mind Memoirs of a Geisha. The characters are well written and likeable-even the annoying Katsuragi. I was happy to read in the postscript that there might be another story linked to this one in the future.