Summer Book List #7: Champion by Marie Lu

“Sometimes, the sun sets earlier. Days don’t last forever, you know. But I’ll fight as hard as I can. I can promise you that.” 
“I’ve been searching a long time for something I think I lost.I felt like I found something when I saw you back there.” 
“You drive me insane June. You're the scariest, most clever, bravest person I know, and sometimes I can't catch my breath because I'm trying so hard to keep up. There will never be another like you. You realize that, don't you? Billions of people will come and go in this world, but there will never be another like you.” 
“It hurts every day, the absence of someone who was once there.”
“Please don't take him away from this world. Please don't let him die here in my arms, not after everything we've been through together, not after You've taken so many others. Please, I beg You, let him live. I am willing to sacrifice anything to make this happen- I'm willing to do anything You ask. Maybe you'll laugh at me for such a naive promise, but I mean it in earnest, and I don't care if it makes no sense or seems impossible. Let him live. Please. I can't bear this a second time. Tell me there is still good in this world. Tell me there is still hope for all of us.” 

Description: June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Best part of the story: Them falling in love. More in love.

On the plot: It went well, even the fast forwarded part. It felt right that June gave Anden a chance. Everything made sense. But unfortunately, I was able to predict the ending from the moment Day forgot their companion's name. And let me tell you this, amnesia's were the plot twists that I detest the most. I know it was just right given Day's condition. It was a consolation prize for him not dying. But amnesia makes everything seem like nothing. It's like you've slept through the storm and when you woke up, everything was calm again. But clearly, a lot has changed and you can pinpoint what. Making Day forget things killed a part of who he was. (And still, despite my protests, I think it ended just right.) *sigh* And they did meet on the street as just a girl and just a boy. And I hope things go uphill from there.

On the characters: One reason why this isn't my favorite book in the series is because they crushed the strength I saw in June and Day. It humanized them and showed the beauty of their vulnerability, yes but I missed the "hero" in them. They did shine in the end because of their character but... I don't know. Maybe it hurt me every time they were hurt. Now that I think of it, in this book, their minds were as messed up as Katniss' and Peeta's in Mockingjay.

What else can I say? Ahhhh. I'm reliving my Champion feels at the moment. I think I may need to retract to myself.

Summer Book List #6: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Book cover

“The first time I saw you, when you stepped into that Skiz ring against Kaede, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. I could've watched you forever. The first time I kiss you..." That memory overpowers me now, taking me by surprise. I remember every last detail of it, almost enough to push away the lingering images of the Elector pulling June to him. "Well, that might as well have been my first kiss ever.” 

“My heart is ripped open, shredded, leaking blood. I can't let him leave like this. We've been through to much to turn into strangers.” 

Description: Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?

Best part of the book: when it shook everything I believed in. I love books who can shock me like that. And of course, I loved how the story started - them pretending to be drunk in Vegas and having a simple sign (touching of the forehead) which later became important for the progress of the story. Also, I love how they fell in love and held on to each other even if they were far away. It was beautiful how they were so sure that they couldn't bear losing each other when everything else was a blur. And yes, I love how Lu ended this book even if it broke me in pieces.

On the characters: This is where I appreciated Kaede and Tess more and where June and Day were humanized. I was still cautious about Anden (and for some reason, I can see Ansel Elgort playing him).
On the plot: It did not feel like a transitional book at all. Middle books tend to be like that but Lu did a great job. The book was a full story.

I read this book in public (during the LVX orientation) but it managed to pull me into its own world. And when it ended, I couldn't stop myself from reading and yearning for more.

Summer Book List #5: Legend by Marie Lu

This is a book recommended by one of my besties and she had so much feels reading it that I was intrigued.

Book cover

“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time. -Day” 

“I don't know if anyone's ever told you this", he begins. He doesn't blush, and his eyes don't dart away. Instead I find myself staring into a pair of oceans - one perfect, the other blemished by that tiny ripple. "You're very attractive." I've been complimented on my appearance before. But never in his tone of voice. Of all the things he's said, I don't know why this catches me off guard. But it startles me so much that without thinking I blurt out, "I could say the same about you." I pause. "In case you didn't know." A slow grin spreads across his face. "Oh, trust me. I know.”

“The memory fades, and I’m left hanging on to the ghosts of his

words.” 

“The boy who walks in the light” 

Description: What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.  From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets. Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills. 

Favorite part: I won't forget when Day first saw June and he was so bold in admitting that she's the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. And of course, I loved their first kiss and the moments that led to that. Day is firm in what he feels for June but his being straight-forward about it didn't seem cocky to me. It was like he knew what he wanted and he was willing to fight for it.

On the characters: Day and June are prodigies from different worlds. Day is a criminal while June is a top-notch soldier. What's great about them is the way they think. They pay attention to details and they understand what these details could mean. Their brains are problem-solving mechanisms. I actually fell in love with the way they think!
Their bodies also respond to extreme limits so they could continue their missions.
But despite all these, they're not perfect. And that's more amazing! Behind their reputations and the things they have to do, they're really just a boy and a girl. They have weaknesses and emotions.

On the plot: I didn't expect the first pages to reel me in. Tiffany and I had different tastes in books so I was expecting the story to be set in a darker world.
The world was dark and post-apocalyptic, yes, but it was the kind that I wanted. It gave me a THG feel though it was different. There was the strict Republic government and a rebel that the people support but June's and the Colonies' presence made it unique.

Personally, this is my favorite book in the trilogy. I was fascinated with how Lu created the concept of the Republic. I was intrigued by Day and how he became who he was and how he achieved impossible feats. I loved the simple actions in this book and the mysteries it held. I loved the conflicts it built which had bigger consequences that appeared in the other two books.

(Idk how to put GIFS here so that's it for now)

Summer Book List #4: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

“You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything.”
“If my love were an ocean,
there would be no more land.
If my love were a desert,
you would see only sand.
If my love were a star-
late at night, only light.
And if my love could grow wings,
I'd be soaring in flight.”
“ If you hear a song that makes you cry and you don't want to cry anymore, you don't listen to that song anymore. But you can't get away from yourself. You can't decide not to see yourself anymore. You can't decide to turn off the noise in your head.”
“His door is closed behind me. It's staying closed.
He's letting me go.
I think I've made myself very clear, but no ones stepping forward to stop me.
A lot of you cared, just not enough. And that...that is what i needed to find out.
And I did find out.
And I'm sorry.” 

It wasn't epic for me but it did give me an insight different to suicide.

The novel showed me how being suicidal really is, before, during and after. It wasn't as dark as I expected. It just featured how a beautiful, smart and critical person was broken by the people who weren't responsible. More than anything, it was sad. It also showed me that killing yourself, in the end, is your choice. Hannah, the main character, gave up her fight (because she didn't have anything to fight for and no one was fighting for her) and I couldn't exactly blame her. It's easy to tell someone to just relay on himself/herself but one can only do that for so long. But I wish she just asked help from Clay because he could and would fight for her. Haaaaay.

Main lesson: we are dominos. Our actions affect other people so we should be responsible for them.

Summer Book List #3: The Best of Youngblood (PDI)

I didn’t read all the essays. I picked just six.

1. "The Myth of Generation X" by Frank Cimatu - The writing style was more academic and factual (which was helpful in justifying the author’s opinions). I enjoyed the piece because it was trying to define the generation that I am in.
2. "Going Stokwa" by scout - I didn’t know what stokwa meant but as I read, I learned that it was the Filipino slang for a stowaway or a person who has fled his/her house. The story was of a college student who wanted freedom and studied and worked away from home and stayed at a dorm. The story called out to me because at my age, I want independence too but I realized that I could be myself and I could blossom wherever I stay anyway. (QUOTABLE: “Personally, I thought I had full control of my life, but I hadn’t. I was just going along with the rest and the rest didn’t where they were headed either.”)
3. "Depression Generation" by RC Nalus - This piece explains why we’re so dramatic and emotional. (QUOTABLE: “Our generation is still trying desperately to make sense of its own struggles and scream at the top of our lungs about something. Indeed, in trying to make sense of our troubles we are already telling the world something. But for now, we still don’t know what it is.”)
4. "Name Game" by Lilledeshan A. Bose - This is a light piece on names and the beauty of the mixing of cultures.
5. "I Was Raised on Sesame Street" by Michael Anthony Dizon - This is a very sarcastic and ironic piece. AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! He was able to use the metaphor of a child show to point out various social cancers. I can’t even pick just a single quote because you have to read it as a whole to understand how I feel.
6. "Torpe’s Troubles" by arem - Being a romantic, I loved this piece. Why? The essay features how a shy person shows affection and it’s just adorable (and relatable). (QUOTABLE: “In the end, his crush distances herself from him, evades him. She is afraid that our torpe will think that she likes him too. But he’ll never think this way. He knows that she won’t fall for him, for who could like someone who’s too afraid to talk, too scared to speak to the most important person in his life, too frightened to say the wrong thing to the lady whom he loves above all else. I should know — I’m a torpe too.”)

The Miracle of Eating

Once upon a time, I wasn’t conscious of how much I ate and what I weight.

I remember finishing six rounds of my rice+pata meal and even being proud of it! I was just a little girl then, fascinated with my mom’s cooking like it was the only five-star dish that could exist. I didn’t care whether my tummy looked a little bit bigger (and maybe even more) as long as I enjoyed my meal and I was full.

But that carefree phase ended when I had to grow up (and was consequently forced to be whatever society imagined as the perfect lady). I learned to see myself as a fat ugly awkward girl. And I tried to eliminate that girl by eating less, trying weird exercises in my room and trying different derma-recommended products.

The saddest part was going on diets, really. Eating was more than just the in-take of food but I had to convince myself that it was just that… that it was just a matter of the calories coming in my body.

I struggled with that for years. I wanted to accept myself (and eat whatever I want) but then “being careless” and “indulging” made me feel guilty (and awfully fat). It was just now that I was learning to break free from the norms (and loving myself in the process).

Now that I’m a somewhat “free woman,” I appreciate eating more. I realized that in our culture, eating means coming together and getting to know the people around. (Why the heck would I want to eliminate that in my life?)

I love having lunch with my college friends. We were able to explore the different food spots around La Salle (that I didn’t know existed before). But more that the various dishes I discovered, it was the experiences and the stories that mattered. We couldn’t get enough of each other. More than the projects we did together, these lunches built our friendship.

I love eating with my fellow Lavoxans. Other than our love for writing, the love for food was also common among us. We’d eat lunch together during press work. We’d bring food to the pub every after a contest. We’d bring food to the pub whenever we felt like it. Usually, during those moments, I yearn to also bring food and feed them. I want to feed the people that I love.

I love eating dinner with my family. Due to busy schedules, we’re only able to come together at night. But those moments are the most precious because then we could talk together, share stories, tell jokes and ask for advice from one another. Then, we could argue and bicker too. Yes, it’s then that we remember what being a family really means.

You see, those who don’t eat or go on crazy diets on their own are missing out on a lot. I know because I’ve been there. I’m still not fully healed from the brain-wash I imposed on myself but I know that I won’t ever forget the miracle of eating. I don’t think I’d want to.