The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

I know this has nothing to do with corpses and vampires and the victorian era and their dark lolita fashion sense or any of those other romanticized stereotypes but shouldn't this book be filed under goth? Because it's so ... morose (look who's stereotyping). The aura it exudes is so ... I don't know ... <insert-morose-synonym-here?>. It's just so sulky and disturbing. 

Makes me feel normal to know I wasn't the only kid who ever thought about this dystopian fantasy lol

This is one of the most disturbing books I've ever read and not even in a morbid way because Donna Tartt's prose is far from that. It's mostly because the story and emotions the book stirs is morally complex. And I think that's the best kind of disturbing. Like, here's a kid who wants justice for his brother's tragic death so she goes around town investigating and somehow firmly believes she's found the culprit. Only, this person is not it. Now she sets off to make his life miserable (more than it already is) so since then, every major misfortune that happens to his family is related to what this girl did ... no matter how remotely because her plans don't exactly work the way she wanted them to. BUT we feel sorry for the kid and not the family (it was that way for me up to a certain point, anyway). Maybe because she's a kid? Maybe because the Ratliff's are a bunch of hoodlums? Look how at how Harriet reacts to Odum's kids. Like they're way beneath her.

But here's the thing. Notice that the differences between the Dufresnes's and the Ratliff's also made them similar. The Ratliff brothers were "lucky" they had a "doting" grandmother but then her "words of wisdom" aren't exactly words of wisdom. Their dad beat them and made them grow tough and thick skinned. Now, Harriet and Allison practically grew up unsupervised. Their mother has issues and left them to the maid who only really cleans and makes them meals. And not even proper ones. Sure the maid's a fixture in the house for both kids but that's because their mother is, most of the time, alone inside her head. This made them, in a way, tough and able to fend for themselves. So, clearly, both of them has dysfunctional families. Harriet just came from a society respected family tree whereas Danny was from the slums. Maybe this is me reading between the lines but I think that is the genius of The Little Friend. It discussed so many wrong things about the society without the reader realizing it. Not until we really look into it.

Finally, I get why some people say this is the biggest cock tease of a book. It didn't give us answers. The blurb at the back of the book makes it seem like a kid's adventure and it a way it is. But this is adult fiction. And it never promised a happy ending.

Harriet got her closure ... so should you

because Writers are Readers

The note that was inside the Greenwich planner that was a gift from a friend ... the paper was torn from my office-issued steno pad, heh

I don't doodle. I wouldn't know where to begin. I remember in one of those meetings in the office I actually tried (because yes I wasn't listening) and all I came up with was the question "how does one doodle?" ... in cursive. Well, that's what I do. I write. Anyhoo, I found an old note tucked in an old planner inside an old bag. Well, oldish. I wrote it at work I think late last year when I was supposed to be doing something else. Heh. I can't remember what prompted me to write it but thought I'd share.

==

I am both a public and a private reader. 
I am the one sitting at the coffee shop hours after my drink is done because I couldn't put the book down. 
I am the idiot walking in a busy street, bumping into people because my nose is stuck in a book. 
I am the loner hanging out at the park under a shade. 
Or on the beach sprawled on a towel under the scorching hot sun. 
I am the inconsiderate one staying too long at a cafeteria table even if there are others trying to grab a seat. 
I am the one frowning over noisy kids because they distract me from the world in the story I'm exploring. 
I am the one falling asleep on an arm chair by the bookshelf. 
I am the one who spends hours at the bookstore every chance I get. 
I am the employee spending my break time reading over eating. 
I am the one who sleeps late and wakes up early to finish a page turner.
I have mastered the art of folding a newspaper. I got it from my dad.

==

Yes, my penmanship sucks.

And it ends there. It looked like I just stopped writing. Just like I'm about to do now.

Super easy Broccoli Bites recipe

I started liking to cook when I realized anyone who has a common sense, who can find the right ingredients and who can follow a recipe can cook.  I look for simple recipes with simple ingredients ... or complicated ones and make it easy. Here's one I just made ... and loved.

Ingredients: 
1 broccoli head
1 cauliflower head
3 eggs (small)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup italian bread crumbs (or regular would do)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Just mix everything up and make them into patties and bake for about 30-40 mins. I used my regular sized muffin molds because I suck at making things ... round. I had three of these and I was full! And it takes forever for me to feel even remotely full. If you're on a keto diet you can use corn meal or almond meal instead of bread crumbs. The original recipe only used broccoli and no cauliflower. I saw a lot of recipes using mozzarella and ham, too. If you find it a bit dry you can use cream cheese spread as dip. I tried that and loved it.

What my broccoli bites looked like :-)

I don't take credit for the recipe. This was originally posted by Thin Recipes and I found that off of Pinterest. I just needed to share this because it's super easy to make and IT IS actually GOOD ... even if mine didn't turn out like it did on the photo they posted. 

(Should be) Good Reads

Latest Loot

Today was book hunting day. A pretty successful one, too. I got eleven books for Php597 (more or less US$13). Here's a list of books I will be posting reviews of in the future ... although I can't promise exactly when.

Most interesting among the loot is Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (English translation by Ina Rilke). This is a historical fiction set in China. I had to choose between this and a historical fiction set in Chicago, USA. This one won because 1) it's a book about bibliophiles and 2) it has doodles on it. Actually, no, not doodles. Notes about the book and specific lines. I guess the previous owner made a book report. That or s/he really does that. Whatever the reason, I thought it gives the book more value ... in a way. That and it's cute. I got this for Php115.

Doodle

Doodle

Nood- erm ... doodle

A Thin Dark Line  by Tami Hoag. I've been looking for a copy for forever. Or at least until I realized the person who borrowed will never return it. I kinda squealed inside the store when I saw it under a pile of random paperbacks. It was embarrassing but it was worth it lol. This cost me Php60.

Already read this twice before(once borrowed and the other one on ebook) without realizing (until recently) I did. Such a dork. So yeah, it's one of my favorites so I wanted it on print. Here's a review of The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Another book for Php60.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Another one I already read and absolutely loved! But it's another one I also borrowed so I need to have it on print. Click on the book title to read my review, why doncha?! Got this for Php75 so double YAY!

Moab is my Washpot by Stephen Fry ... because I think he's funny and it's only Php25.

Blame by Michelle Huneven ... because it says on the blurb that it's "morally complex" ... and it's Php25.

Tiger, Tiger by Margaux Fragoso. I thought this would be interesting although, admittedly, I'm not big on memoirs. But we'll see. This was Php115.

Rachel's Secret by Susan Sallis ... it cost me Php10. Need I say more?

The Seventh Commandment by Lawrence Sanders. One of the authors I read in high school and one of those books I'd take from my dad's bookshelves. Yes I was a minor and this was kind of adult-ish but I thought there was pretty cool detective stuff going on in there. :p Got this for Php37.

Black Lands by Belinda Bauer ... serial murders. Gotta love 'em. Lol. Php25.

Firegirl by Tony Abbott  ... because I'm a kid-at-heart. (Haha!) And because this was a Golden Kite awardee. This was Php50.

Fighting Reuben Wolfe (Underdog #2) by Markus Zusak

Somehow I posted the last installment of this trilogy without posting this. So ... here:

It's hard to come up with very different materials for different books. It's like music. You would want to come up with something new. Something that won't be under the shadow of the last hit. Now, The Wolfe Brothers series is written (or released) before his last two hits I Am The Messenger and The Book Thief but I read the newer ones first before I found out about these and it's amazing how, although they are of the same context, they're very different in ... package.

Like I kept saying, I became a huge Markus Zusak fan because I loved The Messenger. But after reading the first two Wolfe Brothers' books, especially Fighting Ruben Wolfe, I realize now that it's not just the Messenger. It's him. That's a confusing statement since he wrote the book, yes. But I thought maybe that was a one story thing. Err ... that's even more confusing. I didn't mean that he's a one-hit wonder, he's a great writer and everyone who read him knows that. But what I'm raving about is the context of his works. The message he wanted to pass on and, most especially, how he does that. While the Messenger was very light (and even cute), this book is very heavy. The similarity lies in the manner of story telling. It's very grounded. The difference is that whereas some books tell stories about what's right and wrong or how things are black and white (with different gray areas depending on the author's beliefs), Markus Zusak writes something so down-to-earth and real that you don't just know it, you actually feel it. This story could be happening to anyone, the decisions made here are real life decisions for real life problems. Issues a reader won't question if it exists. It's one of those books where a reader might argue if what the character did was right but in reality might end up doing the same thing. It is not black or white or gray. It just is.

On a funny note, I thought it was going to be romance-y. Lol. Maybe that was what pulled me in. I wanted to see how romance would be written from a guy's point of view. Sorry. It really comes off as that especially since the last installment is called Getting The Girl. I also thought that each book would be about a brother each since there are three brothers and three books. I was wrong on both counts. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect from this series.(less)