A novel recommended for young adults on a worn out topic but there is seriously nothing less ordinary about this book. It is a story about a young girl, Liesel, whose zeal on reading and her thirst to learn were so overwhelming, that those desires compelled her to sort of steal books.

Her life took place during the period of Nazi Germany where books, that are not related to Nazi ideology were destroyed which made her secret past time not the least none-dangerous at all. Liesel’s story during Nazi Germany on Himmel (Heaven, Zusak has a healthy sense of irony) Street, where she lived with her foster parents was narrated by the none other entity than Death itself, who was en route in Germany, fully occupied collecting souls massacred in the war.

I am truly impressed by Zusak’s way of describing those poignant moments of death in a rather unconventional way, that is by using colours to associate the mood. The character development of each individual mentioned in the book is worth the reading. I come to love Liesel’s foster parents, especially Rosa, whose character reeked of a wicked foster-mother at first read but I was glad that Zusak proved me wrong in his rather endearing way of describing Rosa, of someone who loves, without words, conveyed in her own ways.

The story had me laughing out loud due to the witty antics of the characters but also had me sad with unshed tears with each death. Rudy, Liesel’s playmate and closest buddy on Himmel Street, is such a darling and he’s hard not to love. Hans, Liesel’s father, is truly an angel of a foster father whose love for his child was expressed in profound gestures like giving midnight reading lessons.

∞ A TWO a.m. CONVERSATION ∞
‘Is this yours?’
‘Yes, papa.’
‘Do you want to read it?’
Again, ‘Yes, papa.’
A tired smile.
Metallic eyes, melting.
‘Well we’d better read it then.’

Quoting Zusak, Death has a heart too.

“I am haunted by humans.”
∞ Death, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

I love this book.

I’ve started reading this book without any prior notion about it nor had I read any reviews about it. I was glad because nothing prepared me for Martel’s way of writing. Captivating yet straight forward. He bedazzled me with his beautifully spun proses and blown me away with his storytelling.

The story is divided into three parts where the essence of it (the second part) is about the survival journey of a young Indian boy, Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi for short), trapped in a life boat at the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger for seven terrifying months!

The first part is mainly about Pi’s growing-up experience in Pondicherry, India. As a son of a zookeeper, he gave us some interesting insights about zookeeping and philosophized, at times hilariously, about its dwellers.

“In many ways, running a zoo is a hotelkeeper’s worst nightmare. Consider: the guests never leave their rooms; they expect not only lodging but full board; they receive a constant flow of visitors, some of whom are noisy and unruly.”~ Life of Pi

How about his take on the sexual habits of the zoo’s inmates?

“To speak frankly, many are sexual deviants, either terribly repressed and subject to explosions of frenzied lasciviousness or openly depraved, in either case regularly affronting management with gross outrages of free sex and incest. Are these the sorts of guests you would want to welcome to your inn?”~ Life of Pi

I was charmed and truly entertained by Pi’s reasoning on certain animals’ habits with a subtle touch of humour and his explanations on the science of zoology were eye-opening.

Pi’s days at the sea propels the story to another level. Not a moment monotonous considering such a survival story at the sea with nothing but a tiger as a companion and occasionally some sharks and plenty of sea life as passersby made only possible by Martel’s beautiful writing. However, Pi’s story explores the darker side, if not the more primitive side of human nature as well. How, for the sake of surviving one could be reduced to a level of barbarity you’d never imagine possible.

Life of Pi glued me to my seat and had me non-stop, turning its pages until the very end. At times, it made me burst out laughing, while there were times it sent goosebumps down my spine but more often than not, I was awed and I can’t stop pondering about the truth behind such wonderfully written statements like:

“For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart.” ~ Life of Pi

This is a novel that will tug at your heart and it’ll still linger long after you’ve put it down. An absolute must-read!

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

A non-fiction, no-nonsense book on randomness, that proves to be quite an interesting and thought-provoking read while at times entertaining due to the tongue-in-cheek attitude of the author. The book deals mostly with the uncertainties and the unpredictability of events, on why we shouldn’t altogether ignore outliers. Here are roughly some of the points the author mentioned in this book which serves as some food for thought:

• We usually fool ourselves into thinking that the world is easy to predict than it actually is by underestimating the possibility of things to turn out as we expected them to.
• We don’t actually know as much as we think we do, next time if you say you know something, think again.
• Be skeptical, if not wary at those so-called ‘experts’, who sometimes might just be telling you things because they are paid to do the job.
• Don’t be a sucker to the Gaussian bell-curve as it ignores outliers because those events that lie outside the consideration of the bell-curve, have the largest if not serious repercussions.
• Don’t believe everything you saw in television or everything you read in the newspaper.
• Don’t judge a book by its cover because you’ll never know what lies behind those lines and try to withhold judgments to ourselves.

Taleb tries to rationalizes his arguments by relating it with some of his personal experiences while also lacing his explanations with some fictional characters. It’s interesting to read about his anecdotes during his early days as a trader, about his encounters with some ‘highly intellectual’ individuals.

A word of warning though, the structure of this book is rather confusing and most of the time it is rather chaotic due to its too many self-coined terms by the author. It’s worth finishing nevertheless.

“I stick my neck out and make a claim, against many of our habits of thought, that our world is dominated by the extreme, the unknown, and the very improbable…and all the while we spend our time engaged in small talk, focusing on the known, and the repeated.” ~

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Am I more skeptical after reading the book? Sure.

My verdict: 3.5/5

This is the much awaited fourth and the final book of the Twilight Saga. All I can say is, what a finale Meyer has written! This book has received plenty of mixed reviews from Meyer’s fans. Some hate it while some absolutely love it. As for me, I adore it! I am happy with the way Meyer ends this love-triangle mess, happy for Bella, Edward and Jacob, although the ending might come across as a tad too ideal for some.

I admit that I’m guilty of reading some reviews and spoilers (because I can be very impatient) before reading this book and some of those reviews were really disheartening and some fans even started a return-your-Breaking-Dawn protest. However I decided to read it for myself before judging the book because I have to give it a chance since I’ve come this far in the series.

In my opinion, this book is really not a bad read after all, although after reading four books from Stephenie Meyer, there is still room for improvement in vocabulary usage or her sentence structures. There are words that were overused throughout this book because it appears to me that Edward ‘chuckled’ a whole lot .

English language aside, this book paints a lighter shade for Jacob’s character because I was a little miffed with him in the end of Eclipse due to his manipulative way in getting Bella’s affection. But in Breaking Dawn, I enjoyed his part of the story the most. His character outshines Edward’s in this last book and I’m a little disappointed about it because Edward’s character is what attracts me and his relationship with Bella is what holds me to this whole series and in this last book, Edward appears to me as a secondary character and his relationship with Bella is overshadowed by the many new characters.

The twists and the plenty of information that Meyer throws in to save the day were too much to absorb at first. After a second read, I began to accept how she wanted the whole story to end where everybody wins, except the bad guys of course.

If you have come this far in the Twilight series, then you will have to read this last book of this saga. I honestly expected a little action during the final showdown with the bad guys and I even prepared myself for some casualties but I was in for a little disappointment. Not that I wanted any of the characters that I love to be sacrificed, on the contrary, I’m glad that everyone is alive and happy in the end.

After two sleep-deprived nights of reading this book, I finally reached the last page of this saga with a deep, contented *sigh*. Looking back at the days when I was completely absorbed into this spellbinding tale of vampires, werewolves, myths and legends, days when I was utterly enthralled by the journey Meyer has brought me, I can only recommend this series!

I’ll give this book 4/5.

The third book of the Twilight Saga has me glued from its first page to the very last and has me reread it again..and again. This book takes off from where book number two left us and offers so much more. Eclipse has, in my opinion, a better plot and a slightly better character development than New Moon.

Bella’s decision to be together again with Edward has pushed her friendship with Jacob almost to the brink of non-existent. What makes it even harder for Jacob to accept is Bella’s choice for immortality with Edward after her high school graduation. He tries to convince Bella that there is other choice in life which doesn’t involve in her giving up her mortality, by choosing him instead and he’s not giving up easily to try to win her heart over.

As this love triangle evolves around them, the Cullens are worried at the same time about the strings of mysterious killings in Seattle because it doesn’t appear like it is done by human. Due to Edward and Jacob’s mutual affection for Bella, the werewolves and vampires decide to team up against these killers, despite the fact that such a pack is completely against their natural instinct.

This book is not as mundane as the second book, with action, suspense, humor and the pain of decision making nicely told. I especially like the chapter Fire & Ice with Jacob and Edward. I see Edward’s point on why he’s doing what he’s doing although I think it’s utterly and endearingly generous of him, even to the point of extreme. I can understand his overreaction at first but his extreme tolerance and his completely unselfish gestures later on totally bugs me.

At times, I was a little disappointed with Bella’s character in this book. By pursuing her friendship with Jacob, she’s indirectly giving him hope. She even knows it herself what she’s doing to Jacob but she couldn’t stop herself from craving his company. Don’t you think it’s cruel to both Edward and Jacob? Well, you would have guessed where this eventually will lead to.

I like how Meyer uses various literatures to illustrate her storyline. She uses Pride and Prejudice for Twilight, Romeo and Juliet for New Moon and for Eclipse, it’s Wuthering Heights. I can see why she’s using this book as a parallel description for this love triangle. As Bella quoted from the book when she has made her decision:

Ah, that sounds exactly right
My verdict: 4.9/5

This is the second book of the Twilight Saga and it just makes me wanting for more. Stephenie Meyer is one brilliant storyteller, just like J.R.R.Tolkien and J.K.Rowling, one who keeps its reader turning the page until the very end.

This book sees the continuation of Bella (Isabella) and Edward’s relationship at the beginning. I see it coming that Edward is not hundred percent sure whether he’s right being together with Bella at all because he thought that he’s always putting her in danger. Due to an unforeseen incident with Edward’s family, Edward decides to end their relationship because he thinks that this is the only way to keep her safe, by keeping vampires out of her life.

Bella succumbs to depression for a few months due to the break up with Edward. I like the way Meyer describes Bella’s depression by those blank pages…it amplifies Bella’s pain and emptiness effectively. It is at this lowest point of her life that Jacob Black, an old family friend comes into the scene. As the friendship of Jacob and Bella grows, so does Jacob’s feeling for her, although Bella sees Jacob as nothing more than a good friend, as someone to lean on while going though a troubled period.

A large part of this book is dedicated to Jacob and the legends of his Quileute (Quill-yoot) tribe. Incredulous as it may sound, it turns out that Jacob is not as human as you and me but he’s a werewolf as well. Oh my God, I can so see your eyes bulge . Well, if there is a world with Harry Porter and magic, then the idea of werewolves and vampires co-existing doesn’t sound so far-fetched at all right ?

All in all I find this book sort of an opening for another interesting side of this saga, which is not all about vampires. Although this book is not as good as the first book, it is not a bad read at all. It shows a darker period that Bella has to go through and she is torn between her friendship with Jacob and her love for Edward because werewolves and vampires are ancient enemies. Both of them aren’t making her life any easier.

How can one choose between one’s soul mate-like, best friend and one’s first, true love? Life would be miserable without either one. That is one thing I don’t understand about Bella and through this book, my opinion of Bella is little clouded. I’ll come back to this point in book number three.

I’ll say this book is like a bridge for the first and the third book of this series. Although I’d very much love to jump from the first book to the third book, however without this second book the story is not complete.

I’ll give it 3.5/5.

This book is awesome! It is ‘unputdownable’! I love, love, love it! It is a must read, if you love suspense, romance and vampires . My first novels about vampires were from Anne Rice’s The Vampires Chronicles and I thought her work was one of the best. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight doesn’t come quite close to Anne Rice’s because this story is targeted at younger readers (teens) but it is still a fun read nevertheless.

It is a gripping story about Isabella Swan, who is attracted to Edward Cullen and later falls irrevocably and unconditionally in love with him, the mysterious, attractive, god-like classmate of hers in high school. She suspects that Edward is concealing a deep secret from her, which she is so determined to unveil. She puts aside her fear when she finds out what Edward is (a vampire) and and risks her own life and everyone else’s as she’s getting herself emotionally more involved with him everyday.

A relationship between a human and a vampire spells trouble. No one knows about the secret of Edward’s vampire family except Isabella. Their unusual relationship is put to test when Isabella is faced with the danger that is brewing all along.

Although the story is categorized as teen read and I’m way past time teens , I still find this book tremendously enjoyable. The magical feelings of first love, the butterflies in the stomach, the longings, the frustrations and jealousy are so real.

I love the way the author describes the feelings of Isabella whenever she’s with Edward. Dreamy, spellbinding and enticing at the same time. Furthermore the cover of the book is so cleverly chosen and it suits the message the author conveys in the book perfectly. From the author:

This book is the first book of the Twilight series. I can’t wait to grab my hold on its 2nd book New Moon. There’s even a movie in the making for Twilight coming out this December. I hope it won’t be a disappointment, like most of the movies adapted from novels. *Fingers crossed*

My verdict: 4.95 out of 5

I’ve taken forever to finish this book. I was attracted to the story of book with its interesting topic. It is a story about a family struggling with the fact that the eldest daughter, Kate, is diagnosed to have leukemia at an early age. Another child, Anna, is conceived, whereby her genes were engineered so that she can be the donor to her elder sister.

However, at the age of thirteen, Anna has soon had enough of the medical nightmare that she has gone through (since she was a baby) to help her ailing sister that she decides against the idea to donate one of her kidney to her. Without the kidney transplant, Kate will die. Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation, so that she can decide all future medical decisions for herself.

The author approaches the topic in an interesting way, by telling the story from the point of view of each main character from the book. Each chapter is unfolded in a way that the reader gets to see things from the perspective of Anna, her father (Brian), her mother (Sara), her brother (Jesse), the prosecuting lawyer for Anna (Campbell) and the guardian ad litem for Anna (Julia). There is however, none from Kate.

I guess for such a topic, it is rather an intelligent way to explore the feelings of each character involved in this family turmoil. Personally for me, I find it sort of confusing because my flow of interest and concentration for the story was paused by every change of character. Then I have to start all over again from the perspective of another character. This explains why I was able to put down the book by the end of each chapter. It didn’t leave me with the feeling of yearning to know what’s next.

It is not really an entertaining read for me because I couldn’t really connect with the characters of the book. Perhaps the story was told with too much details and too deep into each character and makes it sort of dragging on forever.

Want to know the ending? It is an end which I didn’t see coming. The author aptly puts it.

I’ll give it 2.5 out of 5.

A book that I’ve read a few weeks ago and the story still lingers in my mind. I’m very new to American classics and I got to know bits and pieces of American history through some very brief introduction in high school but mostly through movies and documentaries. So this book really serves as a little eye opening for me about the problem facing the African-Americans in the 1930s.

The story is told through the viewpoint of a young girl, whose father works as a lawyer with a case defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. The young girl ‘Scout’ and her brother ‘Jem’ are brought up by their father who taught them that everyone is created equal and has the same rights in the eyes of law. Although for some viewpoints, I find it a little too adult for the young narrator to understand. However I have a feeling that small children can be very smart and observant too.

It’s an interesting and also a touching story about prejudice, racism, honor, fairness and the vast gap in the society for the ‘blacks’ living in a ‘white’ community at that time. As the story unfolds, Harper Lee really emphasized how one can form unjust prejudice of someone who one personally doesn’t know, or of someone who is ill be it physically or mentally.

There’s a rich usage of vocabulary in the book and also some southern American slang which I couldn’t understand sometimes, but that is not so much of a problem . The ending of the book really left me pondering, it’s very ‘hmm’ , if you know what I mean. It left the readers wondering about what really did happen and whether to choose to believe the bright side of a situation, or not.

I’d absolutely recommend this book!