Only Time Will Tell - Jeffrey Archer

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"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 Magic Strings Of Frankie Presto - Mitch Albom

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    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?

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

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     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. 

Once upon a time

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"They said stories are for the children and old-fashioned. Once upon a time used to be nice and exciting, it still is to most of us.Those who find it boring have lost a huge chunk of their imagination. This is how this novel shall start, with the chunk they lost..."

  Once upon a time there lived a woman in her early twenties. She was beautiful, and everything a man would ask for. She was the perfect cook, the perfect listener, the perfect advice giver, and the perfect daughter. It was time for her to tie the knot for her mother's sake, and in the past women had no choice of accepting marriage or rejecting it. Seeing that her mother wanted her to marry this man, she prayed to Allah for strength and stability and tied the knot. As the years passed, she was blessed with her very first child, a girl whom she named Nina. Nina was one of those children that was raised by her mother firstly on islamic traits and beliefs, her aunts enjoyed her company and she was her grandmother's favorite child. She was her son's first child so she got pampered and treated with love and joy. Everyone loved her, and everyone helped her mother out in caring for her so that her mother could get her chores done on time.

  Once her father was on a business trip to France, because Nina was his only child at that time, he made sure he never forgot her whenever he was out on a trip. Sometimes it was a chocolate bar, others it was a little doll he bought from the airport. This time, it was different, it was a small golden scooter all the way from France for her. He had to empty his suitcase and instead of packing his few clothes, he packed the suitcase with the scooter. The thought of his daughter jumping in joy to the sight of the scooter made the packing all so precious.

  Years passed, and Nina was accompanied by a brother and as an inevitable human trait, jealousy accompanied as well. Nina was no longer the only child, someone was sharing the love. It was a boy this time and the love was different. But the woman made sure to give each of her children what they deserved and all the attention they needed, she was a mother and she knew she was the only one who understood what Nina was feeling. The woman managed well, till the very end of time. A few years later, the family grew in size and the responsibilities grew in size as well. The woman was raising middle school children, a toddler and a new born baby all at once. She was enjoying her busy life, "For my children, my family" she always said. Whenever she met with her sisters at her mother's house, she knew she was different, her family was unique and her children were the diamonds Allah gave to both her family and her husband's. She knew it and always answered "Patience will bring in beautiful moments in the future, you should just be strong and wait".

  Everyone knew she was right, but did not want to admit to it. Little did they know really.

  Back to Nina, who was lived the "life" everyone wanted. She got what she wanted, she had her father's love and had her mother's love and whatever she wanted was done...little did she know...she never appreciated whatever was done for her. "She's grow to know how to appreciate." was what kept her mother strong and going.

  Nina graduate high school and got into a prestigious university. She eventually graduated with honors and got married. Throughout her years under her parents, she never appreciated anything and was always throwing words that killed. Why everyone asked, sadly no one knew.

  As a bride to be, she was taken care of because she was the very first daughter in the family to get married, she got everything she desired and mostly in spite of all the objects she got, she was treated with respect and as a grownup because that's what her mother thought was the best way to raise a child. And her mother was right, but Nina turned out wrong. Nina always pressured her parents and was always harming her siblings, why to her siblings? She was always angry and mad at them, whenever something happened, she would blame her family first. What is family then? Family always comes first, that's a saying people take for granted.

  Nina got married, and unlike her mother's traditional marriage, she was given the choice to decide if she wanted to get married or not, she even sat for about an hour with her husband-to-be just to feel that she was not going to be wronged in the future. This happened because her parents, mostly her mother, was following the rules of Islam. As a married woman, she always called her mother and complained about her in laws, she shouldn't of done that. "I'll let her vent and just listen to her and tell her to be patient, life was never simple and easy." that's what her mother would say and that's what she always said. "Be patient Nina, for your family."

  When things got out of control, Nina decided to come back home. "She needs a break." is what her father said and what her mother agreed on. "She needs to take a break and come home, they need sometime apart." Things did not work out, and Nina got a divorce. 

  Her family was that family that everyone dreams of. They stood by her side ever since she stepped foot back home till she started pushing everyone away. "She needs sometime to adjust, and we need to help her as much as we can to overcome her ordeal" that's what all her siblings agreed to do. The worst part of her coming back, or it shall be put this way , the blessed and splendid part of her coming home was her coming home not along, but with Allah's heavenly gift: her son.

  The little child was like an angel from heaven, everyone was fond of him and everyone loved him. Everyone cared for him and everyone made sure he was in his best spirits. The helpers at home cared for him, family members always asked about him, and Nina's siblings raised him.

  The painful tragedy is : "Nina never learned and never appreciated."

  She pushed them all away, and took her son away from them. "It's all your fault" was what she always said to her family, the family that took her in with open arms, the family that graced her and made sure she overcame and passed her ordeal successfully and spiritually. She blamed them and prays to Allah for their destruction.

  Why?

  No one knows but Allah, this is not what family should be. The only question is, why is Nina doing all of this? 

  Yet again, no one knows.

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.