Wednesday, September 18, 2013

A Wishlist of Books

There's a boatload of books I want to read, but I have to wait until such time that I am able to purchase them. Most of them the bookstores do not even carry so I have to order them online. So I'm putting up this list here so I won't forget (and maybe a generous soul would help me acquire a title or two).



You might also want to look up these titles, if you have not already. They're very intriguing.




Just reading the book description made me want to read this immediately. It strikes me as the kind of book that talks directly to its reader, without leading the reader around the maze. It makes you feel like the words within were written specifically for you. Well, the title says it, does it not.



Description from Book Depository:



"I need you to understand something. I wrote this for you. I wrote this for you and only you. Everyone else who reads it, doesn't get it." Started 2007, I Wrote This For You is an acclaimed exploration of hauntingly beautiful words, photography and emotion that's unique to each person that reads it. This book gathers together nearly 200 of the most beautiful entries into four distinct chapters; Sun, Moon, Stars, Rain. Together with several new and exclusive entries that don't appear anywhere else, each chapter of I Wrote This For You focuses on a different facet of life, love, loss, beginnings and endings.



I first encountered this book at , a Singaporean independent bookstore. I was skeptical of the title so I passed it over. And I stumbled upon it while looking through Lang Leav's Lovea girl who loves the boy who wears all black; a boy with the perfect body; and a girl who writes love songs for a girl she can't have. These are just a few of the captivating characters readers will get to know in this intensely heartfelt new novel about those ever-changing moments of love and heartbreak that go hand-in-hand with high school. David Levithan plumbs the depths of teenage emotion to create an amazing array of voices that readers won't forget. So, enter their lives and prepare to welcome the realm of possibility open to us all. Love, joy, and these stories will linger. "



Okay. To be honest, if not for all the furor of a new Harry Potter universe movie, I would not have known this book exists. But now that I do, I badly want to get my hands on it. Fantastic beasts are fantastic, real or otherwise.



Description from Book Depository:



As featured in the first year set texts reading list in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an extensive introduction to the magical beasts that exist in the magical, non-Muggle world. Some of the animals featured in the A-Z you will have already met in the existing Harry Potter books: for example Hippogriff, Flobberworm, Kappa - others you certainly won't: read on to find out exactly what a Chizpurfle is, or why one should always beware of the sinister LethifoldAs Albus Dumbledore says in his introduction, this set text book by Newt Scamander has given the perfect grounding to many a Hogwarts student. It will be helpful to all Muggles out there tooOn reading the book you will also find that Harry, Ron and (in one instance) Hermione - couldn't resist grafittiing the book, and adding their own personal hand-written opinions.



The Khalil Gibran Collection Volumes , ,



My first brush with Khalil Gibran may be was when I was a toddler. I did not really care much about authors and classic and high literature back then. But when I got into high school, I was able to read a book of his. And that was then that I truly realised what a marvel Khalil Gibran was. His works that I've read made me laugh, made me think about the rules of life that govern us, and made me cry. His words have the ability to touch a person's emotional core, and leave an imprint that will last forever.



Description from Book Depository (Volume I)



The Khalil Gibran Collection Volume I include three of Gibran's famous works. Included are: The Wanderer The Madman His Parables and Poems The Forerunner Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer. As a young man he emigrated with his family to the United States where he studied art and began his literary career. His Romantic style was at the heart of a renaissance in modern Arabic literature he is still celebrated as a literary hero.



Since childhood I've been exposed to Japanese culture especially via anime. Perhaps the early introduction to anime and kosatsu shows that were regularly shown on TV are the main reason why I really like Japanese culture. Now that I'm taking up Japanese language lessons, I want to further enhance my knowledge of Japan through stories by some of the greatest Japanese penmasters.



Description from Book Depository:



Here is the perfect introduction to contemporary Japanese fiction. Featuring many stories appearing in English for the first time, this collection, with parallel translations, offers students at all levels the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of contemporary literature without having to constantly consult a dictionary. Richly diverse in themes and styles, the stories are by well-known writers - like Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto - as well as by emerging voices. Complete with notes, these selections make excellent reading in either language.



As if living in Nazi Germany is not perilous enough already, a girl steals books driven by her love of themThis is a story narrated by Death himself.



Description from Book Depository



HERE IS A SMALL FACT - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION - THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH. It's a small story, about: a girl, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW - DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES.



If you're sick of, or can't stand, long treatises about human and his inherent nature and all that hullabaloo but are into philosophy, apparently, you're not alone. Because a book such as Dorling Kindersley's The Philosophy Book exists. Now would-be philosophers don't have to languish over horribly, unnecessarily wordy, beats-around-the-bush discourses. (I'm so simple a person I can't even find the proper words.)



Description from Book Depository



This is an innovative and accessible guide to more than 2,000 years of thought. To the complete novice learning about philosophy can be daunting - "The Philosophy Book" changes all that. With the use of powerful and easy-to-follow images, succinct quotations, and explanations that are easily understandable, this book cuts through any misunderstandings to demystify the subject. Each chapter is organised chronologically, and covers not only the big ideas, but the philosophers who first voiced them, as well as cross-referencing with earlier and later ideas and thinkers. "The Philosophy Book" untangles knotty theories and sheds light on abstract concepts, and is perfect for anyone with a general interest in how our social, political, and ethical ideas are formed, as well as students of philosophy and politics. It covers major and niche topics, from moral ethics to philosophies of religion.



Fairy tales from your childhood just got more interesting.



Description from Book Depository



In a collection guaranteed to provoke both laughter and thought, 14 timeless fairy tales are revisited and reworked to become relevant fables for more modern times. These hilarious adaptations satirize and sanitize the sexist, racist, nationalist, ageist, sizeist, ethnocentrist, and phallocentrist biases of classic bedtime stories. Familiar exploits of beloved characters are related from a respectful, prejudice-free perspective: the Emperor is no longer naked in his new clothes but "is endorsing a clothing-optional lifestyle," Snow White escapes to the cottage of "seven vertically-challenged men," and Goldilocks is an ambitious scientist studying anthropomorphic bears. With a redesigned jacket and a previously unpublished story, this expanded edition is sure to appeal to readers of multiple generations who find political correctness is as topical as ever.



I've seen the film, now I want to read the book and delve deeper into the mind of Charlie. I, just like many others, could relate to his situation. Sitting in the fringes, never really belonging. Who hasn't suffered a setback during their teenage years? Who has not been traumatised by an event in their life? Perks is a book that not only teenagers can enjoy, but also those who have been through hardships at a young age. I think that's everyone.



Description from Book Depository:



Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie is attempting to navigate through the uncharted territory of high school. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and music - when all one requires to feel infinite is that perfect song on that perfect drive. Standing on the fringes of life Charlie has a unique perspective of the world around him, but there comes a time to stop being a wallflower and see what it looks like from the dance floor. This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion has become a modern classic. Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating and through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.



After reading the summary at the back of this book, I immediately knew I had to have it. But no, I bought a hardcover of The Fault in Our Stars instead. And until now I'm still longing to have Looking for Alaska. If journeys in search of something (in Pudge's case, The Great Perhaps) is your cup of tea, then you'd like this book too.



Description from Book Depository



The award-winning, genre-defining debut from #1 bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award "Los Angeles Times "Book Prize Finalist "New York Times "bestseller Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave "the Great Perhaps" even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . . After. Nothing is ever the same.



Manga are technically not books but stillFullmetal Alchemist is one of the manga titles that I truly want to have and to read over and over again. I've seen one anime version (FMA Brotherhood) and I was hooked the whole time I was watching the series. This is a body of work that delves deeper into the darkest pits of the human soul and is not ashamed of tackling the topic head on. It's not all that serious too. It's well-balanced. It inserts humour where appropriate and keeps the mood somber when it has to be somber.



Summary from Anime News Network



When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric tried to revive their mother using Alchemy, something went drastically wrong. Edward lost his leg and his arm, and Alphonse lost his entire body. Now, a few years later, Edward becomes what's known as a "State Alchemist" or a Nationally recognized Alchemist. Along with Alphonse, who's spirit has been put into a metal suit of armor, and his Automail leg and arm, the two brothers set out to find a way to restore themselves.



There are other titles, but I will talk about them in another post.
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