Books for the Soul
"Teacher!! How can you read books so thick leh?"
Reading transports us to a different reality. And everytime you read different books, you become a part of something new, something that somehow we could not experience in real life. I think that gives me more than enough reason to envelop myself in pages of books from the stress of the actual life I'm living in; what more with the daily feed of piles of work and more work. Reading is boring, reading is this and that.. say anything you want.. after all, at least I have something to look forward to everytime I come home, haven't I? And not to mention, it's the best way to kill time as well as to nurse insomniacs at night when they have nothing better to do. (lol!)
Books I've read since March:
It's an old book I bought at the flea market in Amcorp Mall during the hols. This book reminds me of my younger years when I was an avid collector of Pike's novels. Heh. Anyway, it begins with the discovery of a video player who shows the following day's news by a girl named Rela, who uses this privilege to save other people until she finds herself in it, brutally murdered and mutilated. Gradually, she learns about the real story behind her existence; that she's a cyborg who has travelled across time to kill the person who invented 'things' like her that rule and destroy all humanity in 50 years time. It's a lil bit out of the world but I must say that it's quite interesting, only that it's more suitable for teenagers rather than the old me. Tee-hee.
It's the second book of The Fourth Realm Trilogy and generally, it's about the battle between a Traveller named Gabriel or better known as savior who can help save the world from this secret organization, Brethren who has been monitoring everyone in the world through surveillance cameras, credit cards, retina scanner, thumbprints technology and so on. The scariest part is: you can run, but you can never hide. You are being watched regardless of who you are, where you're from and what you do. Imagine that. The Travellers, who can travel to alternate realities by leaving their bodies, are sought by the Brethren and protected by modern-day warriors called the Harlequins. Too bad Gabriel's own brother, Michael is on the dark side and their long-lost father is in a state of comma. In the pursuit to find his father who travelled and got stuck in one of the realms, Gabriel leaves his body trying to enter the same realm, only ends up being stuck there, too. Maya, one of the Harlequins, tries to save him by entering it through the Ark of Covenant (fiction, fiction). But in the end, Gabriel manages to get away but she's stuck there, barely surviving. We will only know what will happen next in the next book. *sigh*
And.... the current book I'm reading is:
I can't really comment on the book mostly because I'm still reading it, lol! Anywaysss, this story is set in the late 19th century and it revolves around one of the successful and wealthiest families in England, the Deravenels clan. Life changes dramatically for the family after the death of four of its members, the hero's father, brother, uncle and cousin. And so far I'm reading up to a point in which there's a foul play with regards to their death, or shall I say, murder? It is believed that this is the work of the insiders who aim for nothing but power and money in the accomplished dynasty. My, my, my.. Who will it be? And what will happen next? Wait till I finish =P
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.~ Joseph Addison ~
One thing about me when I'm reading novels is: once I start, it's almost impossible to stop, regardless of its thickness. Some people would ask me what's so intriguing about reading fictions, things that aren't even real? To me, it's beyond what we believe in. If we're afraid to explore the impossibilities, then we're missing a great deal of the good things in life. Life isn't only the one that revolves around us, reading aids us to enter another world, with other sets of people and behaviours, in places we've never been to. Now, now, isn't that thrilling enough?
The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.~ Dr. Seuss ~
Reading transports us to a different reality. And everytime you read different books, you become a part of something new, something that somehow we could not experience in real life. I think that gives me more than enough reason to envelop myself in pages of books from the stress of the actual life I'm living in; what more with the daily feed of piles of work and more work. Reading is boring, reading is this and that.. say anything you want.. after all, at least I have something to look forward to everytime I come home, haven't I? And not to mention, it's the best way to kill time as well as to nurse insomniacs at night when they have nothing better to do. (lol!)
Books I've read since March:
Christopher Pike - The Eternal Enemy
It's an old book I bought at the flea market in Amcorp Mall during the hols. This book reminds me of my younger years when I was an avid collector of Pike's novels. Heh. Anyway, it begins with the discovery of a video player who shows the following day's news by a girl named Rela, who uses this privilege to save other people until she finds herself in it, brutally murdered and mutilated. Gradually, she learns about the real story behind her existence; that she's a cyborg who has travelled across time to kill the person who invented 'things' like her that rule and destroy all humanity in 50 years time. It's a lil bit out of the world but I must say that it's quite interesting, only that it's more suitable for teenagers rather than the old me. Tee-hee.Sidney Sheldon - Are You Afraid of the Dark?
I expect more from this master novelist who writes good plots and witty lines, and explores interesting themes but this book can be considered pleasant and easy read. The themes greed and selfishness are the centre of this story. They are men's worst enemies. Due to the hunger for power and money, a man, Tanner is willing to manipulate and even kill his own brother to take over the think tank company that carries out research to make world a better place. He uses this advantage to develop a machine that could control weather and plans to threaten countries for money. Two inexperienced and helpless women whose husbands are the victims of this merciless man attempt to uncover the truth and almost get killed in the end. It's almost impossible to decide who to trust, because everyone seems to be working for the beast, only to know that there are TWO people working together in this, in which one is the person they thought could help them. Wow, talk about a total betrayal. Yes, the book is not that great, but it certainly holds my interest and keeps me reading until the very end. lol
I expect more from this master novelist who writes good plots and witty lines, and explores interesting themes but this book can be considered pleasant and easy read. The themes greed and selfishness are the centre of this story. They are men's worst enemies. Due to the hunger for power and money, a man, Tanner is willing to manipulate and even kill his own brother to take over the think tank company that carries out research to make world a better place. He uses this advantage to develop a machine that could control weather and plans to threaten countries for money. Two inexperienced and helpless women whose husbands are the victims of this merciless man attempt to uncover the truth and almost get killed in the end. It's almost impossible to decide who to trust, because everyone seems to be working for the beast, only to know that there are TWO people working together in this, in which one is the person they thought could help them. Wow, talk about a total betrayal. Yes, the book is not that great, but it certainly holds my interest and keeps me reading until the very end. lolEsteban Martin & Andreu Carranza - The Gaudi Key
This novel is one hell of a book I tell you. It's quite technical and the language used is kinda complicated. But if you could just ignore these two aspects, you will find that it has a very interesting storyline. Generally, it tells us the story of two secret organizations; good and bad, that originated in the early 19th century in which the former protects what they believe to be the stone Christ used to touch with his own bare hands to build a church of the poor, while the latter tries to destroy it. This stone is important to guide Christ's second coming to man's salvation. Many people are killed along the way for the latter, Corbel, has the power, money and influence to do so, but in the end, it was all worth it. Some strong believers might find this a piece of nonsensical work but it's a fiction after all. Very suspenseful and thrilling. It somehow reminds of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, only that TDVC is better ha-ha.
This novel is one hell of a book I tell you. It's quite technical and the language used is kinda complicated. But if you could just ignore these two aspects, you will find that it has a very interesting storyline. Generally, it tells us the story of two secret organizations; good and bad, that originated in the early 19th century in which the former protects what they believe to be the stone Christ used to touch with his own bare hands to build a church of the poor, while the latter tries to destroy it. This stone is important to guide Christ's second coming to man's salvation. Many people are killed along the way for the latter, Corbel, has the power, money and influence to do so, but in the end, it was all worth it. Some strong believers might find this a piece of nonsensical work but it's a fiction after all. Very suspenseful and thrilling. It somehow reminds of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, only that TDVC is better ha-ha.Cecelia Ahern - The Gift
I've always like her work and although I can't deny that PS I Love You and Where Rainbows End are my favourites, her latest book seems as good. It made me cry in the end, isn't that something? LOL Anyway, it tells a story about an ambitious man named Lou who seems to have everything in life, except that he does not appreciate it just because he's too oblivious to the real gift in his life; his family. This goes on and on until he meets a strange man named Gabe who has changed the way he sees the world, only to find that it's a little bit too late; he dies in a car crash. Gabe, an unknown man by nature, gives him the gift of time during his last hours to amend his mistakes towards his family, and that has made all the difference. Yes, it IS strange to encounter a pill that can split you into two identical men who can be in two places at once, but it's the story behind it that matters, is it not? After all, how can you be in two places at once? LOL But, it's a real lesson to be learnt: appreciate what you have before you lose it. =) Highly recommended to those who're into mushy novels!
I've always like her work and although I can't deny that PS I Love You and Where Rainbows End are my favourites, her latest book seems as good. It made me cry in the end, isn't that something? LOL Anyway, it tells a story about an ambitious man named Lou who seems to have everything in life, except that he does not appreciate it just because he's too oblivious to the real gift in his life; his family. This goes on and on until he meets a strange man named Gabe who has changed the way he sees the world, only to find that it's a little bit too late; he dies in a car crash. Gabe, an unknown man by nature, gives him the gift of time during his last hours to amend his mistakes towards his family, and that has made all the difference. Yes, it IS strange to encounter a pill that can split you into two identical men who can be in two places at once, but it's the story behind it that matters, is it not? After all, how can you be in two places at once? LOL But, it's a real lesson to be learnt: appreciate what you have before you lose it. =) Highly recommended to those who're into mushy novels!Janice YK Lee - The Piano Teacher
This is one of books that I've read recently. The storyline is a bit confusing as it shifts back and forth between the time when Hong Kong was under Japanese rule during the WW2 and after that. I'm not sure whether the title would be appropriate as the piano teacher, Claire is not the real highlight in the story. Yes, I must admit that she is the centre of all the characters in the story but most of the time it focuses more on other characters' lives and feelings. I don't really feel connected to Claire as I did with 2 other main characters, Will and Trudy. You see, Claire's husband is posted to HK, so as a newlywed, she goes there too, only to find herself stuck in a totally different atmosphere. There, wealthy Chinese tycoons rule the city rather than what it used to be in her home country, England. And surprisingly, she takes up the job to teach piano to the daughter of one of the influenced men in HK at that time, Victor Chen.
She has an affair with Will, who bears a lot of secrets of his own, especially during the war. Trudy was his girlfriend then, who had done a lot to save him in the past until she died in the hands of the cruel Japs. Due to his bitter experience, he does not show much emotion to Claire, unlike her feelings towards him. After all, she does not know her husband very well before they got married. To begin with, there's no love between them. Next, everything falls apart when everyone knows about the affair that she learns things aren't gonna be the same anymore. This book is different compared to those I used to read before. Although it can bore you with those gory details during the war, it does explore the other side of human who are craving for real love even though they know how wrong would it be.
John Twelve Hawks - The Dark River
It's the second book of The Fourth Realm Trilogy and generally, it's about the battle between a Traveller named Gabriel or better known as savior who can help save the world from this secret organization, Brethren who has been monitoring everyone in the world through surveillance cameras, credit cards, retina scanner, thumbprints technology and so on. The scariest part is: you can run, but you can never hide. You are being watched regardless of who you are, where you're from and what you do. Imagine that. The Travellers, who can travel to alternate realities by leaving their bodies, are sought by the Brethren and protected by modern-day warriors called the Harlequins. Too bad Gabriel's own brother, Michael is on the dark side and their long-lost father is in a state of comma. In the pursuit to find his father who travelled and got stuck in one of the realms, Gabriel leaves his body trying to enter the same realm, only ends up being stuck there, too. Maya, one of the Harlequins, tries to save him by entering it through the Ark of Covenant (fiction, fiction). But in the end, Gabriel manages to get away but she's stuck there, barely surviving. We will only know what will happen next in the next book. *sigh*And.... the current book I'm reading is:
Barbara Taylor Bradford - The Ravenscar Dynasty
I can't really comment on the book mostly because I'm still reading it, lol! Anywaysss, this story is set in the late 19th century and it revolves around one of the successful and wealthiest families in England, the Deravenels clan. Life changes dramatically for the family after the death of four of its members, the hero's father, brother, uncle and cousin. And so far I'm reading up to a point in which there's a foul play with regards to their death, or shall I say, murder? It is believed that this is the work of the insiders who aim for nothing but power and money in the accomplished dynasty. My, my, my.. Who will it be? And what will happen next? Wait till I finish =P
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