Review: Grow Up

Grow Up by Ben Brooks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


His work isn't deep, granted. But the author is 18.



People (readers and critics alike) seem to forget that, they demand Charles Dickens out of him just because he's published. He is a teenager, and although young, his writing is better than a lot of adults ever will be. Give him time.



The book is not sophisticated, it's a very simple story about a teenage boy and drugs and sex and what's going through their head at that age. But I was often pleasantly surprised by choice of wording and sentences, often being at least once every three pages on my kindle.



I once purchased a book on Amazon written by a certain 'Anonymous' who published several of them, and some readers rating it as 'brilliant'. It wasn't, not for me. It was a jumbled up demon-ish, detective mystery fantasy that seemed to be written by a 13 year old while he was high on hard drugs. Forced and illogical. I ended up not finishing it and leaving it on a train.



At least this one is honest, and actually sensible. And I simply couldn't put it down.



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Review: 那啊那啊神去村

那啊那啊神去村 by Shion Miura

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I bought it since late March, shortly after it was published. I have an issue of buying books quicker than I can read them, so there's always a massive pile of 'to read's in some corner. Paperback or digital.



It's a strange little story, it makes me laugh and cry, and often both at once. Most of the time, it makes me smile unstoppably. It is the story of another teenager, also 17. A Japanese boy left the city and started working deep in the woods, as a lumberjack, living with a strange group of people in a faraway village.



I can totally understand why Miyazaki thought of making it into an animation/movie. I can also understand why he chose not to in the end. Even though I do hope he changes his mind again. This story does fit his style of story telling.



This book is strangely enthralling, I picked it up at 3 this morning thinking "I'll go to bed after 20 pages" then it became 40, 60, and eventually a chapter.



And then I didn't put it down till half past 8, when I actually finished the whole book. I have a course to give in one hour, but strangely I don't mind. I feel good. This is one of them books that makes you feel good about life after reading it.



It's not available in English yet, though I hope it will be soon. :)









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About wars

The first time I realised that war is really tearing people apart, that it is really affecting everyone in the world, was no more than a couple of years ago.

I mean I wasn't naive or anything.

最近的生活

最近這陣子接的課突然多了起來。

於是乎我開始在不同分校間奔波著，每個星期還要思考要給學生怎樣的回家功課。好在接的都是個教，要求的都是會話能力。會話就是啦咧，所以給出的作業也能夠花樣百出。今天是看本書，下次是介紹一部電影；上次聊中東情勢，明天學旅遊問路。

買了枝鋼筆

這其實是有點舊的新聞了。

在德國出生，所以對鋼筆並不陌生。歐陸國家大多還保有使用鋼筆的習慣，入門款便宜的很。

在我那年入小學的時候，要備齊的文具用品清單中，除了各種橫紋方格大大小小的筆記本還有想當然爾的鉛筆和橡皮擦之外，最讓我感到有一點驚奇、有一絲驕傲的，是要準備一枝鋼筆。

New phone try out

So I got this new mobile, which is an android, which means it's one of them smartphones, which means it comes with a range of apps to choose from and download and try and then maybe keep or delete them...which basically means it becomes hard to put down the phone.

同理心

哭點向來低。

連稍微溫情一點的廣告都可以讓我鼻子發酸眼睛發燙、聲音也跟著哽咽。所以最近難得看電視時，看到某銀行今昔對照的廣告CM我都馬上轉台。

趕稿的同時

難免忍不住到處東摸西弄一下。

最近後面鄰居家的裝修震天價響，說實在很難集中精神思考。雖然一邊仍在趕稿，另一方面吵到受不了的時候就給自己藉口休息一下，也不錯。

親愛的

難得妳有機會上線，我講的話好像沒有讓妳好過一點、心裡舒坦一點。

實在是因為，我替你不值。可能口氣就跟著數落了起來。加上想舉例的，卻事後一看，全像是炫燿。