Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts

Friday, May 28, 2010

Tell Me What's Your Costume


I was right there inside Booksale looking for something random. Something cheap.A book not costing more than 5o pesos. So, right there in front of all those hardbound books ranging from 50 to 100 (or so I think), I found Carol Shield's book: Dressing Up for the Carnival.

Okay. Don't get me wrong. But who wouldn't be scandalized by the cover. A headless woman and a colorful title. I checked the price. The tag says "Booksale 35.00". Now, this is a sign. I then started reading the whole front cover. [I can't remember the complete words but it goes like this] "From the Pulitzer winner for her Stone Diaries" [see illustration for true & complete details]

This is the real sign. I took the book without really having second thoughts, lined up, paid for it (and my sister's Winx mag) then carried it all the way home. I had no sling bag during that time.

It was a collection of witty, allegoric stories concerning the sarcastic human life. Now who wants that huh? [Shields might disagree to my description of her book].

Anyways, I never regretted buying that book. If I were Booksale's manager, I would've sold it for 5oo pesos. [I'm working with lights off. Low voltage dude!] I have been wondering, "How come the book went unnoticed? Do they not know who Carol Shields was?" [LOL. I don't even know who she was before reading that book.]

Windows
was my favorite story because it tells about how life would be without light. I mean "natural light." The main characters were two artists. They were married. No kids. Period.
Now, they were living during the time when they had to pay taxes for every square inch of windows they build.

Their marriage was in complete dryness. [They lack paints.LOL.] Well, I think mainly because they were of different philosophical ideas and styles not only in art but also in real life. They hardly speak to each other during that period. [Wife's POV]

One day, the wife discovered a piece of wood nailed to the wall. [Something like that; I'm not good in comprehension nor in memorization.] She decided to paint a glass window to create an illusion of light. She thought to herself, "How is it possible to make light dance on a flat surface, and how does anyone bring transparency to what is rigid and unyielding?". [Like I said earlier: Life without light is difficult.But isn't it more difficult to make a piece of wood look like a glass?] And everyday after that, she dedicated her life perfecting her masterpiece. Her husband then helped her finish it. And everything has been restored back to life because of that painting. (Clap!Clap!)

Now my favorite quotation...['tis gave me a new way of looking at a glass ] "Glass is green like water or blue like the sky or a rectangle of beaten gold when the setting sun strikes it or else a midnight black broken by starlight or the cold courteous reflection of the moon."

Ciao! Gonna dress down for now... [There was a story in there with this title. You wouldn't want to know what is it about.]


Friday, September 11, 2009

That "SOULMATE" Thing


Lorens said, "We study things that we see. But sometimes, what we see doesn't really exist." Somewhat related to "What is essential is invisible to the eye" by Exupery.

I just cannot get over Paulo Coelho's "super works". His thoughts seem out-of-this world but true; simple but complex in meaning; ironic but real. It has life in its own sense.

After reading this book, I've finally found explanations for some of the most haunting questions I've kept in my mind for a long time,specifically, the questions regarding mystery and magic and their ties with love.

The soulmate explanation wherein he said that we are incarnations of previous beings in this world; our atoms once belonged to things or persons that once existed in this world and our soulmates are those whose atoms once belonged to the same things as ours (getch?).
Then there's this certain light that we can see in the eyes and on the left shoulders of our soulmates. Soulmates...yeah, with an "ssss". It's because according to the book, it's possible for us to meet more than one soulmate in a lifetime.

It's one of my most loved books (thanks Tricky) because it has a touch of science,hmmmm...time travel to be exact. I've always wanted to slide backwards and forward in time.

Some more facts to be added next time...chill...

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Insanity & Falling in Love

An Instant Book Review & Summary (as well)

Her name's Veronika and her life was almost perfect. She's pretty, she's smart and she's dying.

After years of success and enjoyment, she has realized that something is lacking. It was something she could never ever have for it was something she doesn't know.

For a longing with no definite solution, death was the only answer. So she decided to take fifty sleeping pills and write a nonsense suicidal note to be left on her bed.

But after becoming unconscious, she suddenly woke up. She was in Vilette, a mental hospital in Slovenia.

Her story slowly unfolds in this dreaded place (am I exaggerating or something?). A place where she found the real reason why she has to strive to live again.

Paulo Coelho takes the readers' into another perspective of looking at insanity and hope.

The freedom of thinking and dreaming without anyone stopping you, of doing and saying things the way you really want it to and loving someone with your whole heart knowing that you only have a day to live.

A book of miracle & second chances; chances to believe, love and live for the second time.