Rejection

    We have always heard about rejections and not being accepted whether it's a job, or any other opportunity where a group of people are brought together to make one shine out the brightest. However, what we did not know is the feelings we get when we are rejected. If we made it through, did we really know what the other who did not make it through feel like? I don't really think so, the beauty of rejection is when you want something really bad, so bad you start to ache from the rejection you got, that is when you start to really work for it. That is when you do not stop like others, that is when you decide fuel yourself with that rejection and start to move forward and give it another try. I have come to learn that when you face set backs and obstacles, that is when you really know you wanted something really bad more than anything. Because you want it so bad, you start to get started on looking again and on working harder than you have the time before.

    The beauty of it comes in you believing that you have a better chance to come, maybe it will be the next, maybe it will be after several trials and attempts, you never really know until you reach for it. Will you be rejected, and you will be criticized, but it is only the smart and persistent that really fuel up with that and move stronger than before to what they want.

    It's part of life's race. Those who fall down and put in the effort to get back up, and those who want to give up because they are running out of energy, that is the beauty of this race. 

There's a lot of people, but not so much that reach the end, their goals and desires.

If You Could See Me Now - Cecelia Ahern

© herpercollins.co.uk

• Overview

Elizabeth Egan is too busy for friends. As a reluctant mother to her sister Saoirse's young son Luke and her own business to run, every precious moment is made to count. 

But with Saoirse crashing in and out of their lives, leaving both her sister and her son reeling, Luke and Elizabeth are desperately in need of some magic.

Enter Ivan. Wild, spontaneous and always looking for adventure, in no time at all Ivan has changed Elizabeth in ways she could never have imagined. But is Ivan too good to be true? has Elizabeth opened her heart only to risk it being broken again?

As for Ivan, he thought he was there to help Luke, not Elizabeth - or himself....

• Review

    There's this something about Cecelia's writing that attracts me. The way she writes brings in a very lovely feeling to her books regardless.  As always, I've been encouraged to read this book after reading the "mysterious" brief overview at the back of book, as I began reading through the book, it felt kind of weird because suddenly I did not know what to expect from it. There was no  mention of imaginary friends to myself whatsoever and when Luke met Ivan -or probably the other way round- I remember thinking to myself "What kind of story is this all of a sudden?". I do admit to wanting to put it back on my and go for another book till I have the desire back to finish it off but that's when Ivan's identity began to grow bigger and I thought to myself "What fabulous twist is this?". That was very different and very unexpected to be honest, when Ivan suddenly turned out not to be a six year old, that's when I started to figure his presence all in all for Elizabeth. I felt really bad for her, she was sacrificing so much and not living her life for herself but living it for her family, especially her sister who didn't really care in anyway. That was sad, but once Ivan popped out, I could feel the difference and in Elizabeth and the life coming into Elizabeth's life once again, that was really lovely.

    "Mistake number two: when sliding it onto her wrist, I felt myself give her a little piece of my heart." That shattered me to pieces literally. Poor Ivan, such a great ending though.

    At the end of this book, you get to realise the beauty and innocence of children. It's a wonderful world, that tiny world of theirs, with a lot of giggles, jokes and peace to be honest. This is why one should take that tiny world of their very seriously because their world is what's important. Once they grow out of it, that's when they join in the adult world where life lacks all the innocence, peaceful joy and giggles.  Luke was such a lovely understanding boy for a six year old. So much respect for him really <3 

    Ivan's personality was very outgoing and bubbly, I found myself smiling and laughing at some parts while reading the book because he was portrayed as the best friend you would always want to hang out around because that friend brought out the best of you. He simply teaches you to live your life with not limits, not boring routines, and full of colors and joy. That's the fun of it really because in the end people should simply "Make Believe".

The Sins of The Father - Jeffrey Archer

© amazon.co.uk

• Overview:

     New York. 1939. Tom Bradshaw is arrested for first degree murder. He stands accused of killing his brother. When Sefton Jelks, a top Manhattan lawyer, offers his services for nothing, penniless Tom has little choice but to accept his assurance of a lighter sentence. After Tom is tried, found guilty and sentenced, Jelks disappears, and the only way for him to prove his innocence would be to reveal his true identity - something that he has sworn never to do in order to protect the woman he loves.

     Meanwhile, the young woman in question travels to new York, leaving their son behind in England, having decided she'll do whatever it takes to find the man she was to marry - unwilling to believe that he died at sea. The only proof she has is a letter. A letter that has remained unopened on the mantelpiece in Bristol for over a year.

• Review:

     With this being the second book of the Clifton Chronicles, I couldn't wait to carry off where the first book left me off at. That was a major cliffhanger that got me impatient to carry on with the novel. To my surprise, this book has put be through major ups and down, so much stress and cursing!! That was amazing, for a book to get you to experience different feelings and to feel like you're actually part of the entire book that was special! 

     Now, when Harry was arrested in New York, it felt like the world has been falling apart, for him and for me. No matter how much he tried to say that he was not Tom Bradshaw but indeed a Harry Clifton, no one really believed him. The time plot for the novel was sometime around the 1940s and as I am reading this in 2016, the timely effect the book gave was astonishing. You get to experience the simplicity of life and the sacrifices where there was no technology as there is nowadays, only telegrams and letters. Very vintage-y at some point and suitable. I admired the fact that once Harry was sent to jail for a crime he had not committed and decided to sacrifice his own life for the sake of Emma having a grand one of her own was simply what true love is all about. When I say love, it's not what everyone thinks it is, it's more like being human and wishing and doing what you can for the happiness of the other party although it breaks you apart, yet there's nothing you can do about. It's fate. The best part of his time in prison is him taking things seriously and giving up to reality and deciding to do his time and more importantly have a goal while being there, to be a librarian and write a diary about his time there. I would love to read "The Diary of a convict". It's a diary I would do anything to read actually, but sadly it's fictional only. The plot twist all of a sudden with Harry where he was given a chance to join the military and get to change his name back to being Harry Clifton dropped my jaw, I mean whaaaat?!

     Then there's Emma on her journey across the oceans for hope of finding Harry. I have to admit to yet again admiring all the effort she put into finding him, I mean she didn't easily give up and to mention it she had to leave her baby back in England.  Words can not express how happy I am with the fatal end of Hugo, that sounds a bit odd but boy he deserved it!!

     As for the reunion, I must say I was a bit disappointed because I was expecting a little more of it, it felt like Harry has just gotten back from a month's trip and it felt very normal though I wanted it to be more emotional dramatic maybe? But not to dramatic. It was nice as of it. I shall not forget to rant about Emma's emphasis on her British accent while she was in New York, I loved that part very much it felt like she was forcing into showing the world where she was coming from and to prove Harry's innocence as well, that deserved a huge thumbs up!

     With the third book already in stock with me I have to say that the cliff hanger at the end of this book got me again cliff-hanged. I mean I was rushing through reading the remaining pages hoping to know who would eventually inherit it all Harry or Giles after that 13 hour session and then I'm left there in thirst!!

     I'm so glad I've driven my way into this series because it's that one series you do not regret spending the time on and ofcourse all the emotions on!

The Devil And Miss Prym - Paulo Coelho

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Only Time Will Tell - Jeffrey Archer

© amazon.co.uk

"Once upon a time, there existed a book thief wandering around the stacked bookshelves of a public library wondering what to read next. The best shelf to look into was the "best-selling" shelf. What a colourful shelf that was indeed, with various genres and captivating titles that made your fingers itch...."

I think that's enough with the dramatic effect, back to business.

    I came across the fourth volume of the Clifton Chronicles at a local book store hoping that it would be as exciting as its brief summary on the back of it. Little did I know that was the fourth book. For some reason I ended up purchasing it was boy wasn't it a hock to find out that it was the "fourth" book, FOURTH BOOK! Woah, that was a shock I couldn't contain. Upon the second visit, I was determined to get myself a copy of the first volume and wasn't I just lucky enough to get it. I have to admit though, this book sat on my shelf for quite some time before I mastered the courage of read it, and when I did, I read the first few chapters before deciding to keep it as a "second-hand" book while I read something else. Little did I know, little did I know indeed. Once the primary book on my list was read, I grabbed "Only Time Will Tell" and continued. Though for the time it remained untouched on my shelf I had this urge to read it, there was something about the story line, the plot, the writing, basically everything about it that got that feeling in me of wanting to read it.

    This was the very first book I read by Jeffrey Archer and to my surprise his books were all over the libraries I've been to and I couldn't help but ask myself "How come I've never heard of you?" and things like "What is it with your writing that makes you pop out everywhere?". At this moment, I understand why. There are a lot of writers out there that make your heart ache for a few chapters then you simply get sick of that and just feel it got too drifted away. Others will make you feel anxious and excited to know what's to happen next, but as things get taken too seriously and dramatically you simply stop reading the book. Jeffrey Archer is a whole lot different. I have to admit though, despite my intensive reading habit that's getting a little out of control now that I'm interning, I have never came across a mind gripping novel as this one. Literally, just literally from page one to that very last page of the book, I was simply living in an endless loop of excitement, anxiety, sadness, anger, worry, and shock literally! How can someone make you feel gripped till that last page of the book, how? Goodness this was simply beyond the best adjective in the entire dictionary that would fit in to describe this novel. What made it the best of the best is how the story line was carried out from all the main-character's perspectives, and that was smoothly done. Some writers focus on the perspective of one of the characters or two and fail to keep that goodness for the other character's perspective.  I fit weren't for the different perspectives approach, I would've lived the story from Harry's point of view only and that would've bored me to death. But Archer did not, he took the story from Harry's point, Old Jack's point and even Hugo's point of view and did so so very perfectly I could cry from the magnificence it brought to life. You get to taste the ultimate feelings of friendship, sacrifice, loyalty and unexpectedly hatred and power-abuse it's not joke.

    I do have to mention the fact that I couldn't wait to finish reading this book and start "The Alchemist". I remember half-way through the book I felt like I've got the entire basic idea of the Clifton Chronicles and decided to mark this as the last book I read and not continue with the entire series, but when I came to read the very last chapter of the book I was in complete I shock I simply lost  control on my thoughts, and most importantly my mental state. It was the most unexpected and most unanticipated twist in the entire book! How can I not read the second volume? Now that would simply be intense torture to my soul.  I don't want to get started with how magnificent the book cover by itself make me delighted to carry around, I haven't got the chance to carry a red book with an abundance of goodness to read.

    Now I know why Archer is all over the place, and he sure deserves it for the master piece he's created. This book is not like any other book with a story line told from all the main character's perspective it does not even give you a moment to doubt any of the characters for yourself it's pure grandness. That's the main reason I've without a doubt given this book a 5/5 stars without a single hesitation because it was more than that <3 

The Seven Dials Mystery - Agatha Christie

© amazon.com

Where to begin, where to begin with this magnificent nerve-gripping goodie?

    There's something I'd like to point out before I actually start reviewing this book. In the first part of this series "The Secret Of Chimneys", Bundle was mentioned asa character and from the way the novel was taking place while mentioning her I imagined her as a typical English woman who's wondering around her father. But not that I read her adventures in this book. No, she's not your typical English girl living happily with her father, let me tell you this : She's more than that.

    The brief introduction at the back of the book gives you the impression that the storyline will revolve around finding out what happened to the eighth clock that was put in Wade's room because that's exactly the feeling you get when you read the back cover and start off with the first chapters. That's what I personally thought this book was all about from the beginning because events start to unfold like at the very beginning and I remember thinking to myself as I read "wow, this happened too fast" compared to other books I read by Agatha Christie. I guess that's part of what makes this book really on level with its grand reception.

    As the storyline starts to form and the mystery begins, you start to discover the true self of Bundle and that turns out to be your typical adventurous, daring English woman. I have to admit that I saw myself in Bundle in a few incidents and I couldn't help but laugh because regardless of being told to stay away from "big boy type of business" she proudly admits to loving the thrilling excitement she gets knowing she should not throw herself in this mess, but she does. And in the end, the ending was very shocking, very unexpected and very jaw-dropping. I loved how Bundle although being told to not meddle in such dangerous searches, she was able to draw trace of what was going on in some sense, like knowing that the Countess was actually part of the Seven Dials members. Then the shocking-out-of nowhere proposal from Lomax was simply shocking, I was shocked myself. Then when Bill confessed and she went all "Oh, Bill darling" that was very funny!! Bundle was just amazingly written and portrayed, I loved her character in every sense.

    Right at the ending, upon the revealing of what was going on and who the members of the Seven Dials were, I kind of lost track as to the thought of trying to know who what the culprit. But then there was this following chapter where Battle explains the entire novel in a single conversation and that leads to a single chapter summarising the entire novel. If it weren't for that chapter I would've finished the novel lost in track and thought as to thinking "Okay....but then who was it?"

Perfectly gripper this was.

"Watching is never going to make magic"

© orbzforzachariah.blogspot

"As you grow old, you learn more. If you stayed at twenty-two, you'd always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It's growth. It's more than the negative that you're going to die, its also the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it." - Morrie Schwartz

    When you think of it one way or the other, there is so much to life that you are yet to experience and learn. You will never end the lessons, it's like a course that never ends till it's time for your departure. Part of growing up is actually to start comprehending and to start making plans. One should never stay at that one spot and remain there, it's boring. Imagine wearing the same outfit for the rest of your life every single day to every single occasion. How old-school will that be, let alone boring and embarrassing.

    Part of living life, is actually setting goals and reaching out for them. A coach, whom I admire very much, once said "Watching is never going to make magic." Now that might sound out of context, but in the context of when she said it, it was a gym class. Most of the attendees where simply watching the torture-like exercise the coach was demonstrating for us to follow. To get over that gut-feeling that it's impossible, personally speaking I got over that and worked it out admiring what she just said. I never thought words of encouragement were going to be said by that specific coach. That was inspiring.

    Going back home with that thought in mind, watching really is never going to make magic. It never will and as a matter of fact it never is magic itself. If you take a moment to fully comprehend that thought, it basically applies to every aspect in life especially if you're one that is currently planning out your life ahead. Everyone can set goals, everyone can make endless lists of what they want to do and what they want to be. However, not everyone "works" on making the magic happen. The toughest part of really being what you want to be and doing what you really want to do is "work". Whatever it is you plan to do with your life, you got to work for it regardless. The worst part of it all, is to lead a wreckless-in-the-void type of life. That's simply a waste of time, effort, and well...space.

    No matter how old you're getting, you will always learn something new everyday. That is inevitable. There will always be that lesson you learn as you grow, it's part of growing up and developing yourself. It's up to you though to widely accept this and learn/argue, or discard it and waste a possible life changing experience.

The Secret Of Chimneys - Agatha Christie

© goodreads.com

   After reading "Endless Nights" by the same author I started to doubt whether I want to read more mystery and thrillers because I was very much disappointed with that book. But it all comes down to not all books are good enough, like there's this amazing book the author writes and stuff that just make it stand out. Anyways, this book was worth all the time I spent on it. I've spent all my days and nights reading through it because you just couldn't help but want to know what's going on. 

The final twist in the book was not really expected but what made me enjoy reading this was the old-vintage-like english type of writing that got me attracted. It was like watching an old English movie from the old ages, simply splendid. Everything about the way the story was written was captivating, you just couldn't stop at any point, you just wanted to continue reading for the sake of the english and for the sake of wanting to know what's going to happen next.

   At some point though, I shall admit to losing track of some of the characters, but what made me really anxious is how Cade was involved in the entire drama and how he managed to work out the events. Things did eventually fall in order, and that was the beauty of the ending although for some reason I sense that this is not really the ending....or is it?

This turns out to be a series, so I don't take this book as being the end, but actually being the beginning of something quite thrilling?

One Hundred Names - Cecelia Ahern

There's this thing about Cecelia's writing that makes you feel a mix of emotions. Throughout her writings, you literally laugh out loud, and sometimes you feel kind of sad to what's happening. Not a lot of writers can trigger your feelings as you read their books, but Cecelia mastered that pretty well. 

This book is yet again different, what made it special was the journey of Kitty trying to figure out what Constance's list was all about. If I were in her place, I would start of exactly the same way and I'll try to find some sort of connection between all 100 names, but then when you think of it it's a list of 100 names!!! How can there be a link between them? It's mental if you'd think of it. The process of figuring out what this list was all about got me flipping pages trying to get to the ending of it because it gripped me from the very start.

The ending was exceptional to be honest, I loved it and I did not expect at all. It was lovely really, Kitty struggled through saving her career from falling apart and that was not an easy task to do with all the pressure she'd gone through, her determination was admirable really. Then there's her an Steve, exactly what she needed to keep her going with her list. 

The Magic Strings Of Frankie Presto - Mitch Albom

© www.3.bp.blogspot.com/

    Sometime last Summer, I came across the news of Mitch's newest novel that was set to be released on the 30th of November. Having read all his books I  literally couldn't wait till the 30th, it felt like forever. It was such a long time to wait for yet another goodie of his captivating writing. Who knew I'd be super immersed in my college work from the very first day till the very last day, having that said I completely forgot what the 30th of November was all about. It wasn't until my sister told me she saw the book on the latest release section. Now what was from me to do but work on getting my hands on a copy ofcourse.  When I finally did get a copy, it was time for finals, "what finals when there's Mitch's book?" who was I kidding. I knew that if I started reading this, I was not going to stop till the very end, but then I also knew I would regret reading it first on the list, what was left for my long trip? Oh well, I eventually started at the wrong time, with no regrets ofcourse.

Who said I can wait after my finals to start reading it, boy I started the minute I got my hands on that precious.

    This book was again very different than Mitch's previous writings so far. For this time, Mitch tried a different approach and took on the story of Frankie Presto from the very first day he was welcomed into this world to the very last day he took in his last breath. Everything was connected amazingly and got you hooked till the very last sentence. This novel speaks the story of a gifted guitarist, life lessons through his mentor, and a touching story of an abandoned child that was gifted and guarded from afar. It breaks your heart to know that Frankie was abandoned and later taught by his very own father, yet his father had no clue he was passing on his one and only gift to his very own child whom he thought was actually dead. Till the last minute, El Maestro had no idea, at the very end of Frankie's heart warming story, he gets to know who his father is, but it's toooo late. Frankie is already taking his last steps, and he is already running out of time. He got nobody left. He was really alone, regardless of what he had, where he stood with fame and the music industry, nothing can replace that feeling you get when you actually know you belong somewhere and you belong with a "band". 

    Through his writing, you don't only read but you actually get to feel the pain ,misery, and everything Frankie has felt. It's just the way Mitch makes you feel through his writing, and its kind of difficult to express. You just have to read his writing to know what this really means. Everything makes sense now though it's sad and all the events link together, everybody joins a band during their life time. The number of bands you're currently part of is limitless. You're part of a family, you have got you're special group of friends, bla bla bla and the list goes on and on. 

    The best part of the novel is how the fantasy of the magic strings was appended to the progress of Frankie's life.  Those strings really held magic in them, every string was meant for a reason and the at the end the biggest shock I was anticipating was just how Frankie passed away on stage, who knew it was going to be magical like that?

    He started off in doubt, and ended with great success. Mitch yet again did not fail to blow my brains apart, why did I have to start off with his book and not another one, now I shall be waiting for yet another magical novel, this could take a few years but that doesn't mean I won't dig my way through his books yet again for another round.

    For an A to Z literal story this was by far the best, it felt like I was actually there during all the ups and downs of Frankie's life. As a reader, I watched Frankie Presto grow. 

   The only question that's been bothering me throughout this book was " Is Frankie Presto real?".Real musicians were talking about their experiences with Frankie and how he influenced them in different aspects, but then is he real? Well the real question is..was he? Sadly speaking, he was fictional. Written very grandly in a way that brought him to life. That's what makes Mitch my favorite. He made you live the life of Frankie Presto behind the curtains that not everyone can actually experience that, he was not real, but he was depicted in a real manner to the very least detail. He was not real, but he was spoken about and remembered by very real people that eventually made him real. He had the ability to change six lives with his magic strings, he was capable of making a difference in people's lives...now how can that not be grand?

An act of discourage..?

     As human beings, when we're surrounded by people that are older than ourselves, people that are more experienced and more skilled than ourselves we tend to forget that they are just like us. They face ups and downs in their lives, they always do. Being older and more experienced does not take humanity out of the context because in the end of the day, they still have that little human instinct that makes them nervous and hesitant at some point.

     Earlier today, a group of people had to pitch in their innovative ideas and gain the judges trust and appeal. The hall was filled with people with different passions, different ideas, different goals and levels. There were employees, professors and students. However, in that room, everyone had that goal of wanting to be "it". Personally speaking, our group had no intention of really being "it", we were too busy trying to comprehend how we made it this far and its quite astonishing to this instant. The only reason we decided to go with this weekend's program is to continue what we started and see where we go from there. Luckily, it was one of those grand experiences that you do not get to experience everyday. The best part of it, we were presenting in front of different groups of people, with different backgrounds and different perspectives.

     The one thing that got me worked up after our pitch presentation was that one of the professors was devastated and already pessimistic. Man, that was not the idea. You're supposed to stand strong regardless of what your pitching in front of the panel, well at least have that solid confidence that you made it this far so that's more than enough . Looking at the bright side, you actually made it to this level, so personally speaking that's quite impressive, but for you to fall weak and suddenly discourage yourself right before pitching, that wasn't the best approach.

     The biggest shock of the day is that person making it through to the top x people, that got us thinking maybe the entire "discourage" act was maybe a game? Nah, it was serious and it was sincere so there was no act in it all.

Poor man though, he got himself worked out for nothing.

Bless you have a little more faith. :')

The perks and the act

© googleimages

   It's not as simple as we were always told it would be. It's never the way we have ever imagined, it's different to the point beyond imagination because you're the only player, there is no company in this.

   When speaking of what's really out there, you just go speechless. The reason for that being is because no one really holds the answer to that except  yourself. What awaits you is a journey you should have the strength to begin and only you can figure out what life holds for you. People will stress you out and will deadly pressure you to the point where you feel like you'd give a decision but still don't have enough time to think it through. Is it the best for you? Or will it be the start of your destruction? Damn that.

  When you're literally running out of time and feeling super bad about the delay, but what's more dangerous than that is you do not even know what to decide on, better than that whatever you choose to do, will it be the best for you? 

   I was told, whenever you've reached a dead end, well before you hit it you should not turn to people. Never turn to people in times of needs because no one's gonna help! The perks of being a human just like everybody else is that everyone throws in a thought, that's not going to help. They can give you something you'd love to hear, something you'd never wanna hear but in the end it all falls down to you. That's why you should avoid humans and seek their creator.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

© overdrive.com

"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, 

Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her soul." - Khaled Hosseini

   The very last novel on my to-read list by Khaled Hosseini was non other than "A Thousand Splendid Suns". I have a lot of painful mixed feelings regarding this book, that's why I probably decided to give it a 3/5, though I wanted to rate it as a 3.5 but that's not possible. Now, as I read my way through this book, Hosseini successfully illustrated what it was like to live as a woman in Afghanistan, so much pressure, fear, stress, pain and very less care and affection. As an Arab woman myself, it hurt me to know how women on the other side of the world were being treated, yet there was nothing that can be done about it. 

   You see, there are Muslim women all over the world. We've got the American-Muslim, the Asian-Muslim, the European-Muslim and many more muslims. All ethnic groups and countries have their own beliefs and cultures, that's basically what makes them different than one another. The Americans have their own way of life, the English have their own way as well as the Arabs, but there's one trait that makes us all equal, regardless of the colour of our skin and language of communication, and that is Islam.

   Some people are very strict and super conservative, that's not right because on of the greatest traits Islam teaches us is to be right in the middle of everything. Not to take the top nor the low, but to try our best and be in the middle. In the book, the readers can see how strict that society is, and its reality, its inevitable. Life goes on for that matter, you have nothing but to pray for everyone in this world. 

   In this book, I felt really bad and in a lot of pain to read what has been happening to both Mariam and Laila, and its very true.  You do not always get the happy ending you dreamed of, what Mariam did in the end to her husband was a sign of courage, endurance, patience running out and simply courage. I praise her for that even though she was killed for that, but she did what she did. In reality, the situation of a woman at this state, she should not be faced with death as a result of her doing, some people refer to death as a solution, others let women like Mariam go because its considered as defence. 

   In the end of this book, I just gripped it so tight because of the pain it brought down, it made me want to do whatever I can possibly think of to provide help. More importantly feeling blessed was overwhelming, really.

   Anyways yet again Khaled Hosseini is just topping my favorite author's list because he was able to make me live in his novels and actually feel connected. 

Thumbs Up!

The Kite Runner

© Teenink

“For you, a thousand times over” - Khaled Hosseini

  This marks the second book I've decided to read by Khaled Hosseini, and I do not regret spending the time and reading it, however, I just miss the few - literally - few days I spent reading it. We've heard people say "I just couldn't put the book down." this is the book where this quote literally applies to. At first, I did not know what to expect as I read the book but half way through the book the title started to make sense. Hosseini, unlike any other author out there, makes you literally "live" the story and that I mean very much because while reading this book I was picturing the scenes and imagining the characters speaking. That's a rare skill that most authors are still failing to accomplish. After Amir and Hassan's childhood flashback, I was gripping the book so hard I thought something was going to happen to me. The intensity of the words, the events and the way the sentences were written makes it even harder for me to describe how I felt as I read the book. When Amir went back to Pakistan to begin his journey of bringing back his nephew, that was shocking. The delivery of news, the anxiety of reading the letter Hassan finally wrote after teaching himself how to read and write, brought me to tears literally. Upon reading the news of Hassan's death and Amir's denial as the news was delivered to him I was already tearing apart. The way Hosseini engaged me in this novel was super marvellous  I don't think I can easily express in any good way to match its standards. 

  Most readers of this book talked about how Hosseini was trying to make them like Amir better, personally speaking I dreaded Amir for being a coward and a selfish person. Hassan no matter how life sucked up for him, he showed the true meaning of friendship, loyalty and honesty. He was the perfect example of all of life toughest traits despite being treated lowly by his society. This shows what life really is all about. No matter how awful your life is, no matter how " bad " you think you're being treated, just look at the bright side, always because there's always that little thing that's going to bring a smile to your face and really make your day. I can not imagine the regrets Amir will live with for the rest of his life for ruining Hassan's life and for raising his son who eventually turned out to be his nephew, I really can't imagine the pain and regret that will fall upon him for having to watch his half-brother's son every single day and remember how awful he treated his father, that can end up killing you being it's inevitable.

I salute Hassan for his honesty, loyalty, courage, and yet again his loyalty.

  This book is just amazing, though it was criticised for its content and I have no right to comment on that whatsoever, regardless of all that, it was the novel of this year so far for me. Later on, I found out it was adopted into a movie, I struggled to find the right subtitles so I ended up watching in a language I've never heard before, but it was a good movie. To me it wasn't as good as the book because as always movies do not 100% adopt the book. I think it's just me, I always prefer books over movies but watching the characters come to life is really nice.

  For the second time, Hosseini impressed me and got me speechless, I'm already reading through his third novel "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and frankly its a masterpiece so far. 

  Taking the time to read after months of a lot of studying and working feels great, makes you think twice and trice to always make that time to open your book and just read. Always make that time no matter what.

Thanks For The Memories - Cecelia Ahern

© ecx.images-amazon.com/

     A few months back, I caught a glimpse of this book at the book store and from the title I thought it was going to be another romantic novel, and decided not to read it. Now that's a big mistake, I don't usually judge a book by its title and cover so I decided to get over that and suddenly took the risk. Considering my reading preferences after reading Mitch's books, I was hoping I'd find something similar, something you'd get life lessons from and would crave reading over and over again with not regrets. Thinking of it now, I think that risk was one of the best things I've decided to do. This is what made it special actually. I mean the cover, the font, the title, and the brief description at the back does not reflect the content which is on the contrary just fabulous. That folks adds as one of the other reasons why Cecelia happens to be a great writer. 

     So this book was amazing, I gave it a 5 star rating on GoodReads because every single line was carefully written and the tension and excitement was carefully managed till the very last page!!!  I got hooked from the minute I read the "Prologue". I had to read it like three times before actually carrying on and reading the book. The humorous scenes with her father, then Doris and Al, everything was amazing, I have never really laughed out loud and read such snippets for a million times!! Additionally, I got very excited while reading the parts where both Joyce and Justin finally met and decided to talk to their families about what's been going on and it's kind of fascinating really. It gets you to think and makes you look more into the idea of "transfusions" and what it really is all about. Throughout the book, you get to picture yourself as that third party watching what's going on and screaming in the background  hoping things would go on the other lane, not all writers out there make readers feel that way.  Although, the entire story might seem quite fictional, but it gives you an insight about what two different families go through when losing loved ones. I really loved it, every bit of it. 

   The title itself could give you different ideas as to what it reflects. When reading the title for the first time, one could imply a love story and a possible break up. It's nothing like that as I said, its all about taking the chance and actually figuring out what the title is all about. You only get the real meaning of the title when you read the book. Thanks for the Memories simply describes the gracefulness and appreciation of having the honour to live in the shoes of a very precious person to someone...and that someone was working very hard to move on. Its like meeting the other person that simply completes the one you really love. That was nice, the idea of transfusion is where everything fits. It was just a matter of blood transfer, but no one knew through that blood transfer, precious memories were transferred as well. Memories to people are heavenly possessions. 

    The bottom line is, this book is not what it looks like and not what it sounds like. This book gets you to think, get emotional, laugh, and excited all at the same time!! I was literally cracking up while reading the parts where Joyce and her father cameo at the antique tv show, her father was marvellous. He has to be my favorite character in this entire goodie of a book. 

Good Morning July

Feeling really blessed for making it through the Spring semester successfully. The biggest shock was the fact that college students kick off their Summer break before school students and that was exciting. Ever since the 11th of June, the last day of the semester and the very first day of my summer break, I was making sure to make the best of every single day.

I have always admired my mother's organised habits. As her daughter, it amazes me all the time and it actually grew on me. Ever since I since I started middle-school and started to feel independent, I have always had pet peeves and everything had to be in place and organised. My study list was listed well with the important tasks listed on the top and as the list went downwards, the priorities started to decrease to the less important. I've lived that way and have been very comfortable with it really. As I grew older and got to college, I never changed. Everything had to be scheduled and my tasks had to be pointed out either mentally or written. It's just the way I feel less stressed because as tasks pile up on my to-do list and I do not know what's more important and when its due, then I seriously can not get things done. Keep in mind that every single one of us had their own habits and is literally different that the other. My sisters are the complete opposite, literally the complete opposite and I'll keep it to that. 

My summer is not as organised as my to-do study list but I do mentally have a few ins and abouts planned out for my break. To begin with, I definitely plan on catching up with my GoodReads challenge and my crochet projects. That's a top priority for sure, the things I love to do the most have to be crocheting and reading. Throughout the Spring semester I was not able to fully do any of them, but now that it's summer time, there's plenty of time to crochet, read , write and get some work done.

My review page is already up, but my "CroKnits" page is still under construction. Anticipate it though, I've got a few awesome looking completed projects that I plan on posting and sharing with the world. :)

The Missing One

This was a book I never thought I would read, it turned out to be my Good-Read for my Spring semester and boy it did take sometime to finish. This semester was overloaded with a lot of course related work but I was able to squeeze in time for my readings. Now that my Spring semester is over, I'm so happy I got the chance to finish off this book and it was not a waste of time. Throughout this book, I literally could not stop. It's that type of book that keeps you wanting for more, and the escalation of events as I read through the book got me on my heels. First off, the lead's mother passes away and this book is all about the rush of impulse she goes through in order to find out about the life her mother lived. The twist in this is literally at the end and I shall not talk about the twist here, but to add on the excitement of things, the lead "Kal" finds out her husband might be having an affair and she already has a son. In the end things turn out to be just shocking..literally shocking, the lady who happens to be her mother's long time friend eventually starts losing it, how you ask? You should read the book to know what I'm talking about.

Have a Little Faith

A while back, I started off my "Mitch Albom" marathon reading challenge. I think it was sometime in November and I read basically all of his books so far except for "Bo". The last book on my marathon list was non other than 'Have a little faith". I'm glad I had this book for my last read because from it Mitch has become my most respected author. This book as well as "Tuesdays with Morrie" is just a different twist, through them you do not only get to know what Mitch has been doing, what he was up to and how he got to where he is, you also get to know about the people that basically changed his life and opened him up to reality and faith. In this book in particular, Mitch writes about an 8-year journey to explore faith with 2 people that never actually met each other, and as a person from a different faith I was hesitant as to whether I would enjoy reading this book or not but eventually I loved it. 

This book not only shows what real life is all about and what life with a struggler is about, it also shows you that no matter what you do, where you are, or even who you are...God is always there. Now there are some concepts I do not agree with, or I don't think I should say that but the point is, in this book if you are a person that respects other faiths then this book will definitely be the one for you because most people argue and fight over what they believe is right, but that's not the case in this book...it's a book that convey thousands of messages through the words of a rabbi.

Whenever you feel like the world has closed down on you and you have got no way out and you feel devastated, just remember that whenever something unexpected happens, it's a sign for you to change or a sign for you to accept reality and plan ahead for change.

A change of plan

As all is known, it's that time of year that gets you very grumpy and really nervous. It's the time of year where you put your all at the very last minute to perfect everything.

"Finals week"

Well, that's finally about it. It's finally time for my finals and I've been waiting for so long and studying for so long to the point where I got sick of it all. The funny thing just happened yesterday though. It's something that changed my plan for this entire year and I'm quite proud I've made the decision. 

A few weeks back in time, I've received the email of the semester and that was one of those "once in a lifetime" experience for me. It was something I was very looking forward to however failed to participate in because the email was sent on the deadline's date, that annoyed me..very much. It felt like a slip in time and it might never happen again.

The second email that blew me away was a global competition email that's going to be held in France in November of this year. Now again that was sent a night before the deadline and there was such a short period of time for me to actually form a group of 3. So I replied back to the email sender and said: "Such a great opportunity with such a short amount of time to form a group". That got me angry really because all these great opportunities could shape my life and career as well and they just keep on slipping and slipping.

So without further or do, the France competition's team formation was extended and a lot of students signed up for it and yesterday, a meeting was held to determine the "Main team" for the competition.

Three different departments were participating : Mechanical Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Information Technology students. Now that is one fabulous mix, it got me super excited about the idea once again.

Now just to clear things up : the main team that is going to represent the university is to be composed of 6 students, however, this doesn't mean the other students that signed up for the competition can't work on it either because the work cannot be done by 6 students only. So I'd say the supporting team and the main team make about 10 -15 students working on the project. I've never worked with such a group of people but it's making me look forward.

First of all, I'm going to engage myself with people from different departments and we can all shared knowledge and learn from each other . Second is the fact that all of us are super dedicated for the project to the point where we all want to start working on it like right now. Last but not least is the fact that this is one of those events where we stand up and show the world where we come from and what we are capable of doing. All of that just hyped me up for challenging myself and stepping up to join.

Yesterday, it all happened and I still can't believe it happened. I took a step and accepted a challenge that is going to be one of the grandest challenges I'll ever take in my life.

I'm totally up for it, and I'm excited to see what we bring to the table!

For One More Day

 

This was another book I bought at the library when I was looking for Mitch Albom's "The first phone call from heaven". Reading it was unplanned, but because I loved the FPCFH I had to give him another shot, it's just the way he sets his plot and characters that impresses me.

It didn't take long for me to actually get attached to this book and never putting it down, I just couldn't and this is not one of the situations that always go like " The book was amazing I couldn't stop reading" No, this is different and I felt it. Through every page, and every sentence of this book, it emotionally touched me. I could feel the regret, the pain and the embarrassment as I read the sentences and I could very much relate to them, not because I was human, but because I was a child myself. This book made me aware of a lot of the things our parents do and we as children think of them as being what...a waste of time? or we just always end up being selfish right? I mean look at all the things Chick's mom has gone through, and despite the pain and humiliation she received from the world, she never gave up...she was a " Mother ". She suffered so much but still was able to keep her problems to herself because his children were young and she didn't want them to affected by her divorce. Not until chick was a father himself, and not until his daughter was old enough to get married that Chick was told the truth of why his mother did not want his father back at home. As a child her hated her for that, but as the man he'd grown to be , when he was on the verge of dying did he know why his mother did that.

This highlights the trait we children never fail to get rid of, we fail to acknowledge the fact that our parents are always aware of things we are not, they know it all, but they're just waiting for the right time for us to know as well...this is why they teach us to be patient..this is why they raise us to be patient...but the question is...who's willing to be that patient?