Chan's Top Ten
in no particular order
1.
“I dont think any of us can speak frankly about pain until we are no longer enduring it.”
This book explores the life of a young Geisha. And what looks like a glamorous, artistic and exotic life reveals to be a life filled with loss, hate and misery. This book will take you back in time and teach you about the elusive Japanese world. It certainly taught me many things.
2.
“If a thing is right it can be done, and if it is wrong it can be done without; and a good man will find a way.”
What if you could view the world through the eyes of a horse? Better yet. What if you could view the 19th century world through the eyes of a horse? Black Beauty is the story of a black stallion that experiences both the abuse and love of humans. Back in a century when horses were only a form of transformation, this young stud faces many confusing situations and often finds himself reflecting on the human action. It's definitely worth a read for those who love animals as much as I do.
3.
“Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die.”
I dedicated a whole blog for this book. Narrated by death, this book is the story of a young foster child that lives outside of Munich during Nazi Germany. Liesel soon finds an occupation that leads to dangerous situations and closure; to steal books, that is. It doesn't take her much time to share her knowledge with her father and the hidden jew in her basement. This book explores both life and death and all that encompasses humanity.
4.
"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring.”
I really don't know how to sum up this book. It all began when our narrator (nameless) has an accident and loses half her face. Her career as a model is destroyed and her personal life becomes a wreckage. From being the center of attention, our narrator soon becomes an invisible monster. Something so hideous people won't even acknowledge. It is then that our narrator meets Queen Supreme Brandy Alexander who teaches her how to reinvent her life. If you have never read any other novel from Palanhiuk, then I recommend you start doing so. This book is packed with so many plot-twists, that by the end of it your brain will be too wrinkle to even function anymore. I love this book because of its crude content and mind-bashing plot twists.
5.
“So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane."
Miles is obsessed with famous last words. Miles has always been on the search of the "Great Perhaps." Impulsed with the need to explore what more there is in life, Miles soon finds himself in Culver Creek Boarding School, a place that is anything but boring and stable. There, Miles encounters Alaska Young. Sexy, self-destructive, funny, alluring Alaska Young. And what seems to be a beautiful love story soon turns into a haunting mystery. This YA book touched me in many ways, but one thing is certain. It taught me how to escape the labyrinth of suffering.
6.
“Who are you?"
I didn't understand the question.
"I'm Uri," he said. "What's your name?"
I gave him my name. ''Stopthief.""
This book is simple enough. It's the life of a gypsy boy inside the Warsaw Ghetto during Nazi invaded Poland. But what's more fascinating is watching this child grow, when he doesn't know who he is or where he is. He has no idea what the Nazis are and what a Jew is. Through his eyes, what is considered a war, is just daily life. I cannot express how genius this book is. For those interested in WWII, I highly suggest this book.
7.
“For you, a thousand times over.”
Once you finish reading this book, that quote will make you cry. This is the story of Amir and Hassan's friendship. Amir is from a wealthy family and Hassan is the son of a servant. They both grow up as best friends -almost brothers- but after Hassan's unfortunate encounter with a bully, Amir is consumed by guilt and forces Hassan and his father to leave his father's service. Amir soon finds himself in U.S. ground when the communist regime takes over Kabul. It isn't until his father's death that Amir reads a letter that will forever turn his life around. Determined, Amir finds himself back in Afghanistan in a quest for truth and redemption. This is a story about forgiveness and friendship, and how far we're willing to go for it.
8.
"The first rule about fight club is you don't talk about fight club"
Here's another Palanhiuk book to spice things up. Again, it's hard to summarize this book, but I'll do my best. This novel tells the story of the insomniac narrator (nameless) who suddenly finds himself face to face with none other but Tyler Durden. It is then that these two found what is known to be "Fight Club", but their dark twisted plans don't end there as they plan revenge against the consumer world. Again, this summary does no justice to this raw piece of literature. Just like Invisible Monsters, this novel packs plot twists and crude themes. I fucking love it.
9.
“What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.”
John Green is a genius author when it comes to YA novels. With this, I give you one of my favorite books. I've read it twice and with good reason. This story narrates the adventurous life of Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Roth Spiegelman. Ever since the horrific moment they shared during their childhood, Quentin has had a crush on Margo. Life as he knows it is turned upside down the night that Margo knocks on Quentin's window to summon him for an ingenious campaign of revenge. It's this young love that suddenly turns into a mystery.
10.
“You cannot live with a paw in each world.”
This is the first book of the Warriors Series. I cannot express how much this book (series in general) means to me. Book One is about Rusty, a kitty-pet (a cat that lives with humans) that stumbles into the wild only to encounter the four wild cat clans. ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan and WindClan. ThunderClan is in grave danger as ShadowClan becomes stronger and even more warriors die mysteriously. Amidst this all, Rusty just might turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
in no particular order
1.
“I dont think any of us can speak frankly about pain until we are no longer enduring it.”
This book explores the life of a young Geisha. And what looks like a glamorous, artistic and exotic life reveals to be a life filled with loss, hate and misery. This book will take you back in time and teach you about the elusive Japanese world. It certainly taught me many things.
2.
“If a thing is right it can be done, and if it is wrong it can be done without; and a good man will find a way.”
What if you could view the world through the eyes of a horse? Better yet. What if you could view the 19th century world through the eyes of a horse? Black Beauty is the story of a black stallion that experiences both the abuse and love of humans. Back in a century when horses were only a form of transformation, this young stud faces many confusing situations and often finds himself reflecting on the human action. It's definitely worth a read for those who love animals as much as I do.
3.
“Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die.”
I dedicated a whole blog for this book. Narrated by death, this book is the story of a young foster child that lives outside of Munich during Nazi Germany. Liesel soon finds an occupation that leads to dangerous situations and closure; to steal books, that is. It doesn't take her much time to share her knowledge with her father and the hidden jew in her basement. This book explores both life and death and all that encompasses humanity.
4.
"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring.”
I really don't know how to sum up this book. It all began when our narrator (nameless) has an accident and loses half her face. Her career as a model is destroyed and her personal life becomes a wreckage. From being the center of attention, our narrator soon becomes an invisible monster. Something so hideous people won't even acknowledge. It is then that our narrator meets Queen Supreme Brandy Alexander who teaches her how to reinvent her life. If you have never read any other novel from Palanhiuk, then I recommend you start doing so. This book is packed with so many plot-twists, that by the end of it your brain will be too wrinkle to even function anymore. I love this book because of its crude content and mind-bashing plot twists.
5.
“So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane."
Miles is obsessed with famous last words. Miles has always been on the search of the "Great Perhaps." Impulsed with the need to explore what more there is in life, Miles soon finds himself in Culver Creek Boarding School, a place that is anything but boring and stable. There, Miles encounters Alaska Young. Sexy, self-destructive, funny, alluring Alaska Young. And what seems to be a beautiful love story soon turns into a haunting mystery. This YA book touched me in many ways, but one thing is certain. It taught me how to escape the labyrinth of suffering.
6.
“Who are you?"
I didn't understand the question.
"I'm Uri," he said. "What's your name?"
I gave him my name. ''Stopthief.""
This book is simple enough. It's the life of a gypsy boy inside the Warsaw Ghetto during Nazi invaded Poland. But what's more fascinating is watching this child grow, when he doesn't know who he is or where he is. He has no idea what the Nazis are and what a Jew is. Through his eyes, what is considered a war, is just daily life. I cannot express how genius this book is. For those interested in WWII, I highly suggest this book.
7.
“For you, a thousand times over.”
Once you finish reading this book, that quote will make you cry. This is the story of Amir and Hassan's friendship. Amir is from a wealthy family and Hassan is the son of a servant. They both grow up as best friends -almost brothers- but after Hassan's unfortunate encounter with a bully, Amir is consumed by guilt and forces Hassan and his father to leave his father's service. Amir soon finds himself in U.S. ground when the communist regime takes over Kabul. It isn't until his father's death that Amir reads a letter that will forever turn his life around. Determined, Amir finds himself back in Afghanistan in a quest for truth and redemption. This is a story about forgiveness and friendship, and how far we're willing to go for it.
8.
"The first rule about fight club is you don't talk about fight club"
Here's another Palanhiuk book to spice things up. Again, it's hard to summarize this book, but I'll do my best. This novel tells the story of the insomniac narrator (nameless) who suddenly finds himself face to face with none other but Tyler Durden. It is then that these two found what is known to be "Fight Club", but their dark twisted plans don't end there as they plan revenge against the consumer world. Again, this summary does no justice to this raw piece of literature. Just like Invisible Monsters, this novel packs plot twists and crude themes. I fucking love it.
9.
“What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.”
John Green is a genius author when it comes to YA novels. With this, I give you one of my favorite books. I've read it twice and with good reason. This story narrates the adventurous life of Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Roth Spiegelman. Ever since the horrific moment they shared during their childhood, Quentin has had a crush on Margo. Life as he knows it is turned upside down the night that Margo knocks on Quentin's window to summon him for an ingenious campaign of revenge. It's this young love that suddenly turns into a mystery.
10.
“You cannot live with a paw in each world.”
This is the first book of the Warriors Series. I cannot express how much this book (series in general) means to me. Book One is about Rusty, a kitty-pet (a cat that lives with humans) that stumbles into the wild only to encounter the four wild cat clans. ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan and WindClan. ThunderClan is in grave danger as ShadowClan becomes stronger and even more warriors die mysteriously. Amidst this all, Rusty just might turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
Well, there you have it. My Top Ten List. Of course I have more books in mind, and it pained me to set them aside, but these were the ones that survived. Hope I convinced you to pick up one of these books, and if you have, to dust them and read them again! :3