Sotto Voce's Blog, page 12

Since my attempt in writing, I have rekindled my love for reading as well, and it has been enjoyable so far. 

I try to crawl out of my comfort zone and be more active in writing communities. It hasn't been easy. Most of the time, I'm not even sure what I am doing. My attempt on Twitter and Facebook are also pitiful. I have detached myself from social media for a number of years simply because I didn't have time, and they are getting really weird. But now, I'm trying to jump back as a faceless asp...

Added: possible spoiler

A good book doesn't need extravaganza twists, elaborate imaginations, dragons, or bombastic characters.

I read Soldier's Quartet without knowing what to expect. This is not my usual genre, but I also don't shy away from it, many of my top-rated movies belong to the same genre.

I didn't expect to be moved by it, a classic simple story told in a beautiful and engaging way, but I found myself captured and eagerly flipping pages.

The storytelling. Colin presents the story from di...

Popovich brings us to the alternate future that looks back to our past and is full of mystery at the same time. A trio pushed by circumstances decides to rent a place together and find themselves sucked into a vortex of the future.

*This is a spoiler review* I won't spoil the plot, but I will mention some contents about the book, some readers don't consider them spoilers, but I do. 

Overall, I enjoy the book, the idea, the creativity, the potential thought-provoking world; there are parts that I s...

I originally read the translated version of Flower of Algernon. At that time, I wasn't really familiar with books written in English. The translated version had a very different cover and title, and I remember it is called Charlie The Dumb Genius (translated). It still resides in one of the corners of the bookshelf in my family's house. 

Nevertheless, it was still a journey. There are not many things that beat the feeling of picking up a couple of random books, bringing them home and hoping that ...

Mockingjay is the conclusion of The Hunger Games series.

The review contains spoilers.

This time we are introduced to District 13, a district that was only known as history, flattened and non-existent since the last rebellion. The truth is, it is surviving underground and has a treaty with President Snow from the Capitol to leave each other alone.

Mockingjay has different settings and feelings from the first two books. We are introduced to bleak and bare underground settings; even the residents of ...

This is my favorite book of the series, together with the movie adaptation.

While the first book centers around the game and the main characters' hometown, this one explores the expansion of the world. It slowly reveals other districts, and I like the journey out of the Capitol. While it's probably not easy to box areas into their specialties in the real world, it's not a far fetch too, especially in the Capitol's congregation system. For example, we have District 4 with their fishing industry, D...

My pet peeve about this series is that it's often lumped with other young adult series that were adapted into movies around the same time, cough, Twilight and Harry Potter. It doesn't help that the last book is split into two films, just like them.

To me, THG is different, it is much more mature and has much more thought-provoking factors. It is speculative fiction, a dystopian world, which is one of my favorite genres. As a plus point, it manages to tell stories from a teenager's point of view w...

A Dance with Dragons is the last 'proper' book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, and it has been way too long. I understand that writing requires mood, but it's another thing to leave your reader or the fan of the series high and dry when the stories are not completed yet.

Other than the rant, the book. I find myself enjoying Daenerys's time in Meereen, while I'm indifferent about the character, I somehow enjoy slow-burn and there are many things that I find fascinating. We are frequently enter...

 

To many others, this is their least favorite book in the series; I have seen people rate it that way. But to me, it's actually my top two, if not my number one.

I love the Lannisters, yes, many find them despicable, and yes, they are that, but they are also very fascinating.

I will write about other houses, but since book 4 is primarily told by Lannister's POV, this review will be mainly about them. I like being inside the head of Cersei and Jamie. Jamie is a character that surprises me the most ...

This is my second favorite book in the series, after The Feast of Crows. To be fair, it's interchangeable, but if I had to choose, I would choose The Feast of Crows.

This is the time when the readers are hooked, after getting familiar with the world and plentiful of characters, and it's the time when everything has come together in chaotic conflicts where everyone is scattered and miserable with their own problems. This is also the book when one of the most infamous events occurs.

Personally, I'm ...