Read-Along: Everything Comes to An End

This is my final post for the read-along of one of the greatest books I have ever read!

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift was an awesome books full of adventures, ironies, wit and incredible things, sadly, it has come to an end.

This book has shown me lots of human aspects, as I said the past post: satirical, political, humanistic... and now the utopian one is showed with the Houyhnhnms (again, a funny weird name), which are clever & sweet smelling horses, they live a clean life without lies, their society is uncorrupted, innocent & polite, and that's why Gulliver likes them and doesn't wants to leave that place.

Also, there lives the Yahoo's, which are human, filthy, vulgar creatures, slaves for the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver compares them with the Houyhnhnms and places himself in the middle, also he is considered over the Yahoo's because of his clothes, meaning that the Houyhnhnms accept him as somthing different, so Gulliver tries to immitate the Houyhnhnms over the Yahoo's.

Then Gulliver explained how are lawyers and goverment, the corruption, the injustice. He lives there for 3 years, although, after an assembly which is hold each 4 years he is asked to leave.

That's how he goes home at last, but nobody believes anything of his trips, his pride is fading and his family is happy to have him with them again.

This book is an ode for the whole humanity, it shows human behavior and some of human's faults and virtues. This book makes you think of everything in the world, no matter if it is a moral, political or social issue. Definitively, a must read for everybody!

I want to say thank you to Allie from A Literary Odyssey for holding this read-along, it was awesome!

A New Read-Along!

Ok, I am going to join a new read-along with Allie from A Literary Odyssey. This time I am going to read the book in Spanish, because it is its original language, but I'll do my posts in English.

Do you want to know the book's name? Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez. This is a well known book here in Mexico and once I promissed to a friend that I'd read it in Spanish, no matter what!

There will be two post days: July 17 and July 31.

Now, free feel to join in. Thank you, Allie, for hosting it!

Corazón, Sangre... Muerte

Muerte de Tinta de Cornela Funke

La trilogía del Mundo de Tinta comenzó a ser editada conjuntamente en Méxicopor el Fondo de Cultura Económica y Editorial Siruela a finales del 2008, y por fin este año logré leer el último libro.

Meggie vive en el Mundo de Tinta a lado de sus padres, Mo y Resa, y, aunque le gusta dicho mundo, siente nostalgia de su mundo. Además, Mo/Arrendajo debe cumplir con su promesa de acabar con el Príncipe de Plata a lado de los Titiriteros. Mientras tanto, Meggie siente impotencia al no poder serle de mayor utilidad a su padre y tener sus propios problemas sentimentales, en los que se incluyen Farid, el joven ladrón extraído de las páginas de Las Mil y Una Noches quien está haciendo todo lo posible por regresar a Dedo Polvoriento de la Muerte, y Doria, uno de los Titiriteros.

Amé toda la trilogía, y he de decir que éste libro me encantó. Sangre de Tinta se me hizo muy triste, pero llegó a una final perfecto. Todos los personajes de la Trilogía resultan impresionantes por lo humano de sus características. Recomiendo ésta Trilogía a todo aquel amante de los libros.

Una de mis cosas favoritas de todo el libro es que al principio de cada capítulo viene una cita de algún otro libro escogida explícitamente por el contexto de cada capítulo.

Read-Along: Travelling More & More

I've got some technical issues and that's why I didn't post it, I am sorry! But, here we are!

This is the third part of Gulliver's Travels, it was really good and interessting but I didn't love it as I did with the first one, but I liked it more than the second one.

My favourite part was the one when he's at Laputa (a pretty funny name!), the flying island, and he gives us details of how does it moves (this was really awesome to me!). Also, their people are short of attention and they do not realize their women affairs with the people of Balnibarbi (another funny name!) as they are mainly concerned about math and music (it reminds me a little to the whole World Cup Thing -no offense-... my dad and brothers and some friends tend to ignore me while they watch it!). It seems like the whole story is kind of a representation to some excerpts of England's History, and that's good for me, as Swift represents the idea of a possible destruction to Balnibarbi by Laputa, as if it was showing the domain of England over another country.

Even though, he moves along to other countries: Luggnagg and Glubbdibdud (this names are the funnier of the whole book! and they are pretty difficult to write, too!). where he is allowed to see (and talk) with the ghosts of the dead leaders (that's awesome and kind of scary for me! I don't know tho who I'd talk, perhaps Maximiliano de Habsburgo, Porfirio Diíaz, Benito Juárez, Miguel Hidalgo, Mrtin Luther, King Henry VIII, Elizabeth I of England, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Parr) and he can select to whom he's talking to... I liked this part a lot! Then, Gulliver goes to Japan (this is a real country, but I think it is represented as a fantastic and exotic country because of its distance to England) in his way home.

I think it shows more of the human side of wanting and desiring, and how harmful somethings we want or desire can be to our society. I liked it, because in this way Swift is showing some side of humanity (satirical, political, humanistic... let's see what side shows us the fourth part!).

So, now we have one part left... see you then!

Histories of England

Two Histories of England by Jane Austen & Charles Dickens

On 12th June was my 19th birthday and my mum gave me this pretty little book with a double-side cover (pink + blue). it included Jane Austen's The History of England from the Reign of Henry the 4th to the Death of Charles the 1st (which originally was part of her Juvenilia) and Charles Dickens' A Childs History of England (which, in fact, was just an excerpt from the whole book), each had a satiric tone and for me was awesome to read it!

Jane Austen's part were critique spans from some of England's rulers (Henry IV, Charles I, Richard III, Mary Queen of Scots, and may others) I loved it because it shows Austen's wit and a great writing abbility (even though she was 16 when she wrote it). Charles Dickens' book was part of the British school curriculum, and was full of irony and Dickens' passionating words.

So, I must say I loved the whole book (including the Introduction!) and that I recommend it to every Austen or Dickens fan and to every person who wants to read a little of History. Also, it is a funny and excellent reading for all those who like History!

I am glad that my mum gave it to me because of my love for both, Austen & England... it has been one of the best gifts ever! Thank you mum!

Read-Along: Brobdingnag or, How to Be Their Pet

Ok, so, here it is the second post of this Read-Along!

I loved this part... it was like the biggest irony in the whole world to see Gulliver like the little one (they are 12 times his height!)! The only thing thing that I hated was that he was like THEIR pet... they treated Gulliver like if he was nothing!

But then, Gulliver considers the society as mostly a moral people with just some that are jealous or corrupt, the King’s jester, with a little malice at times. Just as others Governments and Kings have been!

One of my favourite parts was when Gulliver discusses the English society and government with the King and he gives Gulliver his view and judgment, comparing them to Brobdingnag. This causes Gulliver to take a different look and view point at the English. This is a more political part than the first one!

I liked this part a lot, but I LOVE the first one the most!

See you on the next post!

Jane In June + Happy Birthday To Me

Ok, so, I am into this AWESOME blog activity called Jane In June at Misty's blog, Book Rat (check it out asap!), and I've got my guest post posted today! Also, today is my 19th birthday!

Jane Austen + Birthday in one day, how good is that?!

I will be posting a couple of reviews of Austen's books somewhere in the next couple of weeks (as soon as I can)... for now... Thank you Misty!

And... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!

Read-Along: Travelling to Lilliput

So, way back into May I signed up for two read-alongs at Allie's blog. This one is Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, and today I am posting my thoughts of Part I: A Voyage to Lilliput.

The whole book is in Gulliver's point-of-view, and in this first part he is telling his adventures & disventures at the little country of Lilliput; the way he has to live in a country where everybody is way-too small for you (barely 6 inches, if I am not wrong).

One of my favorite parts is when the queen's rooms were in fire and Gulliver saves it in a very, errr... inapropiate way, but, well... he saved the palace!

I love the irony & satire that Swift manage at the whole part, is like if he was making fun of England's goverment! That's what I love the most of Literture: the way it reflects the society in its author's words.

So, that's all for this first part, I am looking forward the next!