Title: Murphy’s Law Book Two (more reasons why things go wrong)

Author: Arthur Bloch

This little volume of laws (related to both laws of nature and men) and principles (approached with pessimism and subtle optimism encompassing many areas of life) is a sought-after continuation of the Murphy’s Law book. The Murphologists’ ideology is further displayed in this book. Though the main Murphy’s Law If anything can go wrong, it will is presentimental as far as negativity goes, the ideas it possesses are far more conformed in black and white, or good and bad. It is to say the least, reality.

And since there’s nothing much to review on this book, I am delighted to site my favored laws from this book. This is no easy feat for everything you read in this book is like a quote worth a mantra (depending on your profession).

Here are few:

“In order for something to become clean, something else must become dirty.”-Imbesi‘s Law of the Conservation of Filth

“You can always find what you’re not looking for.” –Maryann’s Law

“Indecision is the basis for flexibility.”-Schroeder’s Law

“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.”-Leo Rogers’ Blessing for Volume 2

The book serves its purpose 🍌🍌🍌🍌 though some parts are least of my concern and therefore arguably irrelevant. Those are laws on professions like engineering, medicine, etc. that I simply cannot relate.

Title: What If It’s Us

Author: Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

The story is written in alternating narratives of Arthur and Ben. The book is divided into several parts: What if, It’s Us, and And Only Us (and epilogue: What If It’s Me and What If It’s You). It starts when they meet at a post office somewhere in New York. Awkward smiling and casual chatting. Ben is trying to get rid off his ex-boyfriend’s gifts for the purpose of an easy moving-on. Then a sudden flash mob marriage proposal fills the office with cheerers and picture-takers. They haven’t had a chance of exchanging numbers or at least of a proper name introduction.

The story opens up and delivers what I say an obvious story direction. This is nothing but a love story. Maybe a sweet gay love story. And I’m so down. I favor something light at this time of the year.

It is always interesting to read both sides of the story even if the two involved will soon to be lovers which is to say, no serious conflicting opinions.

Okay, I am not a big fan of pop culture references but since it’s Harry Potter in a gay romance, I am feeling it. I just don’t get why Arthur uses Emma Watson’s lips to describe Ben’s. I mean he’s gay and he’s into Ben. I guess no gay is going to have sexual attraction to Hermione’s lips, no offense. And it’s not an isolated mishap by the author/s as it’s used more than once. These references (also theater play related ones) are metaphorically and/or descriptively laid out making some of them sound redundant or unnecessary. This book is off to a not so good start.

In their own separate endeavors, they try to find each other. And in all fairness, these two gay guys trying to cross path again because they hold onto that spark makes me giggle with imagined two little hearts for eyes. Maybe, the universe is really figuring out ways to make their second encounter possible. And it happens. They meet again.

They have their first date, do-over date (because the first one isn’t memorable enough), and another one (because the do-over date is a mess but fun). And then the first kiss…Well, it doesn’t happen as expected. Ben has been planning on doing that on their third first date but Arthur chooses to interrogate him about Hudson, his ex-boyfriend.

Arthur thinks he screws up because no future date has been talked about. Then Arthur plucks up enough courage to text Ben and tell him how he feels. Then another date happens. And first kiss. A kind of kiss they don’t want to label perfect so they can always practice, which is to say, more and more kissing. Things get more interesting. They call each other boyfriend. Ben’s parents meet Arthur’s. Everyone seems in favor of their sons’ premature but unassuming relationship. But everybody knows of the near future that is ahead. Arthur and his family will only be staying in New York until summer. Will their story be just like summer love affair?

What I adore most about the book is its characters, both protagonists and minor. I even picture them in an awesome romcom movie. The part when all of them are in Arthur’s apartment to celebrate his birthday is just amazing. It reminds me of Friends’ ensemble cast. I am a little envious about the friendship they share, the family ties they’re so lucky to have. And of course, each other, Arthur and Ben.

This book is not perfect just how imperfect lovers are. But the kind of love these two people share and all their attempts to prove that the universe is on their side, are testaments of what love can really do. Though they end up being just best friends and states away from one another, what they share should always make them believe of better possibilities. Who knows, they might cross path again in the same city and continue where they left off. What if it’s really them.

I don’t love every single bit of this book but I love it enough to give it 🍌🍌🍌🍌.

Title: The Little Prince

Author: Antoine De Saint-Exupéry

I say everybody should have a copy of this book in whatever format they prefer. This has to be present in every household. Yes, this is a children’s book, a novella about a pilot stranded in Sahara desert meeting a little prince who comes from a different planet. Yes, like what I said, a children’s story. But this is special. Really special.

This is the nth time I read The Little Prince but its magic and whimsical vibe are far from fading. The Little Prince is like an old friend I visit when things get rough in the adult world. The funny thing is the book is hardly restricted of adulthood allegories. In fact, grown ups and children traits and philosophy are the core of its relatability. It tackles humanity in a fascinating manner and delves into issues concerning friendship, love, aloneness, and more. The writer’s philosophy on things is alluring in a way that makes the book impossible to put down.

The little prince travels far from his small planet after an arrogant flower sprouts on its ground. He visits many planets in space and discovers an array of ideologies and wisdoms from these planets’ inhabitants.

In his intergalactic journey, he comes across (before he meets the pilot on Earth) the king, the conceited man, the businessman, the drunkard, the lamplighter, and the old geographer in their own separate planets. Each of them assumes a role that is insignificant to their situation. Like the king living alone in a very small planet. He is a king but rules over nobody for he is alone. Each of these individuals carries a burden of loneliness and represents men in their most strange character.

From dedication to the last page, The Little Prince speaks nothing but literary beauty.

🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌

Title: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Author: Neil Gaiman

Everything Gaiman writes becomes a fable of truth and wonder. He is a master of storytelling. His prose is simple and elegant like a fancy silk to skin. This is once again demonstrated in his novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

The story follows a man as he remembers his childhood experience in his old residence and neighborhood. That includes a farmhouse at the end of the lane where he met a girl named Lettie Hempstock. She is the one who showed him the duck pond that she called an ocean. She insisted it was an ocean, not a pond. Not even a sea.

Extraordinary things started to happen. He remembers waking up from a nightmare, choking and tasting something metallic in his throat. His little seven-year old fingers tried to reach out farthest into his mouth and managed to pull out a coin. A coin from his throat. Then he later found out from an eleven-year old Lettie that other people were also experiencing “money issues”. Not necessarily choked by a penny but all started in dreams until manifested in reality. Lettie, her mother and grandmother seemed so knowledgeable about this phenomenon. What are they hiding?

That’s the start of their adventure. Lettie took him to a place, not ours, where the thing was; a creature that caused people the nightmares and fortune. They left the orange-sky place feeling hopeful. They thought they defeated the creature. It disguised as a beautiful lady and called herself Ursula. She became their new housekeeper. His parents were fooled. No one would believe him. He tried to sneak out and warn Lettie but to no avail. Ursula was always on his way.

Lettie and her mother and grandmother were always there to reassure the kid’s safety. They might be able to silence the flea in Ursula’s persona once and for all, as they succeeded in cutting off its tie with the boy. They just needed to banish her/it from their house.

Things got creepier after Lettie allowed the vultures of the void to finish Ursula (real name: Skarthach of the Keep) off. They wanted to clean everything up including the vessel Skarthach used to enter the world or mankind. And that’s the boy…

🍌🍌🍌🍌 bananas. Though it’s perfectly written, the unfamiliarity of storyline and its progression make it occasionally tiring to leaf through. You might see little experience that resonates with yours, in that case, some readers might rate it lower that 4. And some might rate it higher due to its intricacy and originality.

One certainty that’s always evident in the author’s works is how brilliant and satisfying he wraps up stories. Before finishing the last page, you’d feel privileged you got to read the book.

Book Title: The Graveyard Book

Author: Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman writes in simple, moving and intricate proses. His style, though like liquid in the air, is surprisingly fast-paced and certain. His story is fascinating; like a modern fairytale. His words are like breaths that vibrate to your skin into satisfying goosebumps. I guess greatness comes with a story and the way it is presented. Gaiman has mastered these two.

The Graveyard Book is a retelling of the Jungle Book. It follows the same format but different twists and premise. It revolves around a boy named Nobody “Bod” Owens who’s raised by ghosts and his guardian (neither dead nor alive, you guess what he is) in a graveyard on top of the hill. Just like the Jungle Books’s man-cub, Bod knows little to nothing about the world of mankind. His story becomes more intriguing due to its suspense element. He’s the only one who survived in a family murder. The murderer is still at large, fuming with desperation to finish him off.

There’s more to the graveyard than meets the eye. There are other entities or creatures or whatever you call them than ghosts and apparitions. There are ghouls- bad spirits that feed on dead bodies, night-gaunts- big winged creatures of the dark, dead witch- a witch but dead, werewolves- creatures we’re all familiar with, and more.

The graveyard is like a village occupied predominantly by ghosts with headstones and crypts as their homes. These ghosts act as Bod’s parents (Mr. and Mrs. Owens, hence his surname), teachers, playmates, neighbors, and companions. It is also a nature-reserve enveloped with ancient mysteries. Such a fascinating adventure of an extraordinary boy in the graveyard and beyond.

I daresay I have nothing negative to say. You may decide to skip the book or end up not liking it as much I do for a probable reason that you simply don’t like the story. Or because the pacing isn’t appealing enough to your personal liking. Or because the bittersweet ending makes you hate it. But truth be told, its storyline and writing are top notch. 🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌 bananas. Highly rich in potassium.

“He took a step forward, through the gate that took him out of the graveyard. He thought a voice said, “I am so proud of you, my son,”…”

-Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book

Book Title: Carry On

Author: Rainbow Rowell

It won’t be damaging to your precious reading experience to dig into the book’s inspiration a little bit. I prefer this certain self-awareness, not just concerning the establishment of the book but also the Normals who decide to pick it on the shelf. And so please be aware that Carry On is like Harry Potter fan fiction gay edition. Just read the first few pages and the glaring similarities will either make you nostalgic and/or displeased. It may sound like queer porn or amateur to say the least but trust me, get pass through that and you get to experience the magic of Rainbow Rowell.

It follows the same premise: a school of magic in the midst of mundanity, the castle and the woods (Forbidden Forest: Wavering Wood), birds as messengers, the chosen one prophesied to defeat the bad guy, even some beloved characters from HP paralleled with some of its own in terms of their positions and relevance in the story. A copycat in a good way.

Some of the things that make it distinguishable from its obvious inspiration is the romance and magic system. And yeah, the storyline.

I find the magic system amusing though its complexities are minimal. The casting of spell is a song to sing or a rhyme to speak. So long as the word or phrase is widely spoken by Normals (Muggles counterpart), its power remains. There’s power in words and that principle makes the world of mage magical.

The likability of her characters are soaring, the same way with how I leaf through its pages as I crave for what comes next. Presenting the story in short chapters works for me too, except those that are one or two or three liners. I find them unnecessary (waste of paper). And the use of several points of view in a constant shifting makes the reading occasionally confusing. You have to switch personas and remember that the one narrating is a different character from the previous one. Nonetheless, this is a minimal issue.

The first confession of homosexual love is lovely. This is how unpredictability should unfold. I ship Simon and Baz! That makes me want to change my initial advice: You may want to get on its story firsthand with zero knowledge about its plot and inspiration. So what is it like? Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy/ Edward Cullen love story? Doesn’t matter. I love it. And I find Baz’s perspective fascinating. I like to read more of him. I keep wishing for the next chapter, “Please be Baz. Please be Baz.” I love all his dialogues. They are queer, in love, and humorous. Now I am falling…

In the end, all my issues about the book become inconsequential. 🍌🍌🍌 🍌bananas. Love still wins even if you’re a magician and/or a blood-sucking beautiful monster. I would’ve given a perfect 5 if I let my emotions, nothing else, dictate, to be honest. That’s how I’m in love with Simon and Baz.

Simon Snow:

Baz grins, then leans over and kisses my neck. (I have a mole there; he treats it like a target.)

“Go on, then,” he says. “Carry on, Simon.”

-Carry on by Rainbow Rowell

Book Title: The Left Hand of Darkness

Author: Ursula K. Le Guin

In the world of Winter, a habitable planet lightyears away from earth where people are physiologically ambisexual- no fixed sex and the experience of sexual desire and coitous only transpire during a certain sexual cycle, an envoy from earth determines to convince the race to join the league of planets for the purpose of intergalactic collaboration. This is not an easy feat for Gethenians are afraid of the unknown and their politics is not in a good state. The two predominant nations are not to be dealt with ease as it slowly harbors danger for the envoy’s life.

This is a classic scifi. A well thought-out story and universe that deliver greatly on the aspect of believability and uniqueness. The writing is purely eloquent though it might lack humor and constant dynamic. Like any other classics, this might not appeal to the majority chiefly to those who are greatly consumed by the height of YA and contemporary. And Science fiction genre is not for everybody in the whole sense of preference. In the aspect of literary mastery and critical taste, the book is perfection.

🍌🍌🍌🍌 bananas. Rich in potassium.

Genly Ai:

“It is yin and yang. Light is the left hand of darkness…how did it go? Light, dark, Fear, courage. Cold, warmth. Female, male. It is yourself. Therem. Both and one. A shadow on snow.” -The Left Hand of Darkness