Breaking Dawn (Stephenie Meyer)

"Don't be afraid," I murmured.
"We belong together."

I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of my own words.

This moment was so perfect, so right, there was no way to doubt it.

His arms wrapped around me, holding me against him....
It felt like every nerve ending in my body was a live wire.

"Forever," he agreed.





My speculations before the book came out:
- Bella and Edward will be together forever.
- Bella will become a vampire.
- The Cullen family will face the Volturi at the end.
- Some characters will die during the violent encounter with the Volturi.
- Jacob will imprint on Leah.

What happened:
- Bella and Edward lived together forever.
- Bella became a vampire.
- Bella became pregnant! Impregnated by a vampire?! (It's fiction, okay?)
- The Cullen family faced the Volturi at the end with very minimal violence.
- A minor character died, Irina, one of the Denali sisters (the only violent event during the Volturi encounter).
- Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, Bella and Edward's daughter.

Events/People I didn't see coming:
- Bella and Edward's daughter, Renesmee.
- Jacob imprinting on Renesmee.
- Jacob becoming an Alpha.

My reactions/thoughts:
- Overall, the book is okay. But I wished there was more: an ending with a BANG!
- The characters (particularly Bella and Jacob) have matured and you couldn't detect the teenage angst they used to have.
- Bella is not as irritating as she was in Eclipse.
- I wished Edward was a little sweet during the first "morning after" or at least pretended to enjoyed what happened instead of being overly concerned with Bella's state even though it was obvious that she's fine and very happy.
- Jacob and Alice have chemistry. I like them together. But that would never happen since the series has just ended. Unless...
- Emmett is another character I like. He still made me laugh.
- I cried a little during the farewell scene - the one where Bella and Edward said their goodbyes to Renesmee and Jacob.
- I found the book too long. It brought me back to the time when I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and felt that the book seems to have no end. But I don't mind. I love reading, anyway. Haha.
- Jacob... well, well, well... Reading his point of view made me love him. He's just a person in love with someone who couldn't love him back the same way.

I never thought that I would love the Twilight series. I like reading love stories, but not mushy ones. As much as possible, I stay away from hardcore romance novels.

When I first encountered the series, I thought to myself: a love story between a human and a vampire? Eww. How cheesy. But curiosity got the best of me so I bought the book. I didn't read it immediately. But when I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Just like Bella, I was dazzled by Edward - the vampire who is mostly every girl's dream guy. His love for Bella was so intense that I somehow felt it. Weird, but true.

So I read the series to find out the fate of Bella and Edward's story. Like most Twilighters, I rooted for them. And yes, they ended up together forever.

I am really glad that Bella didn't end up with Jacob. She and Edward belong together.

Jacob is MINE. :D

But I also can't ignore the fact that a part of me is sort-of disappointed with Breaking Dawn. It wasn't as exciting as I expected. I think if there was no Jacob's POV in the book, it would be ultimately boring. I'm actually glad that Stephenie included it. I now understand Jacob better.

It is fiction, so ridiculous things are expected to happen (I still can't get over the fact that Bella and Edward conceived a child). It is not a brilliant piece of writing. But that doesn't mean that it's not worth the wait. The whole book is not a total waste. Questions were answered and the characters were given an ending they deserved.

The Twilight series is still a good read.

Anyway, it's time for me to re-read the whole series. I might appreciate Breaking Dawn better on my second read.

Rating: 2/5

National Bookstore Sale

Get up to 75% off on selected books at National Book Store’s Cut-Price Pambansang Diskwento. It’s a month-long fiesta of discounted titles on fiction, non-fiction, self-help, psychology, health, children’s and many more. Plus! Get a P25-off book coupon redeemable from October to December 2008, so you can buy more books.

Laking National members get to have the fresh picks as early as August 27, 2008!

Log on to www.nationalbookstore.com for more details.

Promo runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 30, 2008.
Per DTI-NCR Permit No. 3595 Series of 2008

I got this great news from my e-mail this morning. I forgot that September is the month of the annual sale of National Bookstore (NBS).

I don't usually buy books in NBS. I always buy in either Powerbooks or Fully Booked because I have discount cards from both bookstores. But why would I pass up this chance of finding interesting books at low prices? So my book hunt will extend until September and my pile of books to be read will go higher. Yipee!

Powerbooks Sale 2008

POWERSALE MECHANICS:

1. All books will be included in the sale. Discounts will be from 20% up to 70%. Discounts are not applicable to "X," "XP," markdown, bargain items, magazines, special orders and pre-orders.

2. Books purchased from the Powerbooks online website (www.powerbook.com.ph) are not subject to sale discount. 3. Discounts can be identified by the customers through a color coding scheme except for the following:

a. Titles with no sticker have a discount of 20%.

b. Titles that have a "This copy only" sticker that indicates the discounted price of 50% to 70% off.

4. A sticker will be placed near the price tag of the book, identifying the discount.

5. A legend poster will be placed in the store so that customers will be aware of the discount scheme.

• Yellow Sticker - 5% off
• Pink Sticker - 10% off
• No Sticker - 20% off
• This copy only - Price as indicated
  

Per DTI-NCR Permit #3614, series of 2008

The Powersale is one of the things I always look forward to every August. Even though I already get discounts from Powerbooks courtesy of my Powercard Plus, I still look forward to the sale. Who doesn't?

So go to your nearest Powerbooks branch while there are still a few days left. Happy book shopping!

*source

The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)

*This is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. In the face of this force they can neither prevent nor control, Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

If there's one book that I wished it never ended, this would be it. That was how I felt after reading it. I wish I could read more on Henry and Clare's story even if it is far from reality.

What I like most about this book is how devoted Clare and Henry are to each other despite everything. I most especially like the last part. I really felt their love for each other.

I first read this book on New Year's eve of 2007. I wasn't able to finish it that night because I focused more on the festivity. After New Year, I became busy with work and practicum so I had no time to read it. As soon as I had the time, I read it again.

In the first few chapters of the book, I got a little bit confused on the timing of events. Henry sure did a lot of time traveling. It was sometimes hard to imagine the real time. Towards the middle, I finally understood that in the real time, his appearances either came from the past or the future. Unlike Hiro Nakamura of the NBC series "Heroes", Henry has no control on when and where he would go. He also can not change anything from the past. Everything has been set so he has no way of changing it.

Just like in reality, we can not change what has happened. We can only change the present. That is why we should always seize the moment and appreciate what we have now. In this way, there would be little or no room for regrets. Only lessons learned and happy memories.

Rating: 5/5

By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept (Paulo Coelho)

*Rarely does an adolescent love reach its full potential. What happens when, after eleven years, two lovers come together again? Pilar has become an independent and strong young woman. Her childhood friend has become a handsome spiritual leader. She has learned to bury her feelings, while he has turned to religion as a refuge from his inner conflicts. Together they embark on a journey that is initially fraught with difficulties, as blame and resentment resurface after years of being hidden. But by the River Piedra, in a small village in the French Pyrenees, they discuss many of life’s big questions and reevaluate their own special relationship.

A lot of my friends know that this is my favorite book. I had this book when I was in college. I was already a Paulo Coelho fan when I bought this having read The Alchemist and Veronika Decides To Die. The plot intrigued me. It's a love story. Who doesn't like love stories? So I read the book in one sitting. After reading it, I fell in love with the book. It was beautifully written. It's not a mushy or romantic kind of love story. It talks about love and life on a deeper level. Very typical of Paulo Coelho. This book is also like a book of quotations because most of the lines are like sayings on love and life. It is something I could read over and over again. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is happy in love or has his or heart broken. The book will surely inspire anyone and make him or her believe in the power of love no matter how hard or bitter the heart is. It melted mine.

Rating: 5/5