From the shelf: The Elite (The Selection #2)

Title: The Elite (The Selection #2)

Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: YA, Romance, Dystopia
Date read: October 31 - November 1, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★☆ (2.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

The Selection began with thirty-five girls.

Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon's heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?

America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America's chance to choose is about to slip away.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: The Selection

I know that it's too cliche to have a love triangle going on with the male lead and the second male lead vying for the female lead's attention. It was inevitable that Maxon would fall in love with America and that Aspen would resurface; but what I didn't like is Mer's indecisiveness. She is happy with whoever she was with and was too much of a coward to choose one because she might make the wrong move. I was worked up with her selfishness. I wanted to punish her, I honestly wanted a scene where Maxon would walk into Mer and Aspen. The only consolation was May and her maids (Anne, Mary and Lucy). Marlee is becoming a favorite character although my heart broke on what happened to her.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Selection (The Selection #1)

Title: The Selection (The Selection #1)

Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: YA, Romance, Dystopia
Date read: October 26-31, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★☆ (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

I know, I know. This is a book I thought I wouldn't read...ever. The storyline didn't catch my attention and it felt that my teenage self would've enjoyed it better. But I was wrong...well partly wrong. Though I was right that my teenage self would've love this better there were some points that I enjoyed like America's wit, Aspen *nuff said* and most especially Maxon and America's budding friendship. I may have prematurely judged this book but I guess I'll read till the end of the trilogy to see firsthand how it goes.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Adultery

Title: Adultery

Author: Paulo Coelho
Genre: Contemporary, Philisophy, Romance
Date read: September 27-30, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Linda knows she's lucky.

Yet every morning when she opens her eyes to a so-called new day, she feels like closing them again.

Her friends recommend medication.

But Linda wants to feel more, not less.

And so she embarks on an adventure as unexpected as it is daring, and which reawakens a side of her that she - respectable wife, loving mother, ambitious journalist - thought had disappeared.

Even she can't predict what will happen next...

My Review: (also in goodreads)

"After a certain age, we put on a mask of confidence and certainty. In time, that mask gets stuck to our face and we can't remove it. As children we learn that if we cry we'll receive affection, that if we show we're sad, we'll be consoled. If we can't get what we want with a smile, then we can surely do so with our tears. But we no longer cry, except in the bathroom when no one is listening. No do we smile at anyone other than our children. We don't show our feelings because people might think we're vulnerable and take advantage of us. Sleep is the best remedy."

This novel doesn't tackle any metamorphic, spiritual subject rather it addresses the woes of growing up and living one's responsibilities. What tickled me the most is the fact that sometimes everyone gets into a state of apathy. Sometimes its just in passing, or a phase; but the worst part is if it becomes your reality. Linda in this context lived in the state of apathy. She got everything anyone ever wanted: a career, a loving husband and an amazing family. But despite all that she still feels so suffocated in her life. She took a risk as wrong as it may be, just to find that spark again. I can't say that what she did was okay, she did hurt someone she loved but the lesson here is to stay away from being in a state of apathy one must feel; it could be from extreme sadness or exhilaration, one should never forget to feel.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

Title: By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

Author: Paulo Coelho
Genre: Contemporary, Philisophy, Romance
Date read: September 23-24, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Rarely does adolescent love reach its full potential, but what happens when two young lovers reunite after eleven years? Time has transformed Pilar into a strong and independent woman, while her devoted childhood friend has grown into a handsome and charismatic spiritual leader. She has learned well how to bury her feelings . . . and he has turned to religion as a refuge from his raging inner conflicts.

Now they are together once again, embarking on a journey fraught with difficulties, as long-buried demons of blame and resentment resurface after more than a decade. But in a small village in the French Pyrenees, by the waters of the River Piedra, a most special relationship will be reexamined in the dazzling light of some of life's biggest questions.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

"I looked at the Other, there in the corner of the room---fragile, exhausted, disillusioned, controlling and enslaving what should really be free: her emotions. Trying to judge her future loves by the rules of her past suffering. But love is always new. Regardless f whether we love once, twice or a dozen times in our life, we always face a brand new situation. Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere. We simply have to accept it because it is what nourishes our existence. If we reject it, we die of hunger because we lack the courage to stretch out a hand and pluck the fruit from the branches of the tree of life. We have to take love where we find it. Even if that means hours, days, weeks of disappointment and sadness. The moment we begin to seek love, love begins to seek us. And to save us."

"If pain must come, may it come quickly. Because I have a life to live and I need to live it in the best way possible. If he has to make a choice, may he make it now. Then I will either wait for him or forget him. Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering"

Leaving one's own comfort one is always the hardest step. Leaving the things that you are used to takes time and definitely a lot of effort. But searching for the things that will make you happy and taking risks is how one should live one's life which is a very difficult thing to do. What I like about Paulo Coelho's books is his ability to write beautiful quotable excerpts and this is no exception. Living the life is knowing that one took risks in love and even if it ended badly, the consolation is that you took that risk and moved on. I especially loved Brida's cameo.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Veronika Decides to Die

Title: Veronika Decides to Die

Author: Paulo Coelho
Genre: Contemporary, Philisophy, Romance
Date read: September 16-23, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything she could wish for: youth and beauty, pleny of attractive boyfriends, a fulfilling job, and a loving family. Yet something is lacking in her life. Inside her is a void so deep that nothing could possibly ever fill it. So, on the morning of November 11, 1997, Veronika decides to die. She takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up.

Naturally Veronika is stunned when she does wake up at Villete, a local mental hospital, where the staff informs her that she has, in fact, partially succeeded in achieving her goal. While the overdose didn't kill Veronika immediately, the medication has damaged her heart so severely that she has only days to live.

The story follows Veronika through the intense week of self-discovery that ensues. To her surprise, Veronika finds herself drawn to the confinement of Villete and its patients, who, each in his or her individual way, reflect the heart of human experience. In the heightened state of life's final moments, Veronika discovers things she has never really allowed herself to feel before: hatred, fear, curiosity, love, and sexual awakening. She finds that every second of her existence is a choice between living and dying, and at the eleventh hour emerges more open to life than ever before

In Veronika Decides to Die, Paulo Coelho takes the reader on a distinctly modern quest to find meaning in a culture overshadowed by angst, soulless routine, and pervasive conformity. Based on events in Coelho's own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal. Poignant and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

"Sometimes in the midst of tragedy and helplessness we see death as freedom, and internal oblivion"

"In a world where everyone struggles to survive whatever the cost, how could one judge people who decides to die. No one can judge. Everyone knows the extent of their own suffering or the total absence of meaning in their lives"

"That's how it should be with you; stay insane, but behave like normal people. Run the risk of being different, but learn to do so without attracting attention. Concentrate on this flower and allow the 'I' to reveal itself. 'What is the real 'I'?' asked Veronika. Perhaps everyone else there knew, but what did it matter. She must learn to care less about annoying others. The man seemed surprised by the interruption, but he answered her question. 'It's what you are, not what others make of you'.

After reading this book, I now appreciate and understand the rough path Paulo Coelho had to walk on to chase his dream. This made me respect him more. A dream that everyone frowned upon especially the people who were supposed to support him all the way. Brida has always been a favorite of mine since the book itself has a sentimental value. This book however, lets me ponder that its never too late to realize and chase a dream. No matter how dire and hard it is, one must never give up.
Frustrations and madness may come along the way but one must always focus on that dream. I love how this book led me into reflection and discussion about things that everyone realizes but decides to give up. One shouldn't be pressured by society to do things they deem as normal. Everyone is unique, dare to be different because people who take risks and chase whatever makes them happy can truly find the meaning of living the life.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Paradise

Title: Paradise
Author: Judith McNaught
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Date read: September 9-12, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★☆ (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

#1 New York Times bestselling author Judith McNaught brings us her most wonderful, deeply emotional novel yet...a spellbinding story of youthful passion, family loyalties, and the fateful events that lead two special lovers to the miracle of a second chance.

Meredith Bancroft, a serenley beautiful blonde, and Matthew Farrell, an intense, magnetic tycoon, are both haunted by their once-in-a-lifetime love...betrayed in a conflict of heartache and pain. When the Bancroft family empire is threatened by a hostile takeover attempt, Meredith is forced to turn to Matt. As tensions build between them, leaving them both uncertain, restless...and falling in love again...

Filled with the passion, tenderness, and deep understanding of love that are Judith McNaught's unique trademark, PARADISE is her most memorable love story yet...a novel to treasure forever.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

I couldn't decide if I would give this book a 3.5 or 4. This was just recommended in an online forum. For me, it's like having 2 parts of a book: the boring introduction vs. the fast paced story. My first reaction was: this is unbelievable, almost 700 pages of what? Then after that initial shock, I could honestly say that it was like watching a long telenovela in a summer afternoon. That was how the story went. It centers around the timid, naive rich girl Meredith Bancroft; her manipulative, bitter father; her road to her first love with Matthew Farrell and all those time skips...like a telenovela. At first I was ultimately bored with all those introductions but going through the middle at the time skip the novel kinda grew on me. 

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Girl You Left Behind

Title: The Girl You Left Behind
Author: Jojo Moyes
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Chick-Lit
Date read: September 5-9, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

France, 1916. Sophie Lefevre must keep her family safe whilst her adored husband Edouard fights at the front. When she is ordered to serve the German officers who descend on her hotel each evening, her home becomes riven by fierce tensions. And from the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie's portrait - painted by Edouard - a dangerous obsession is born, which will lead Sophie to make a dark and terrible decision.

Almost a century later, and Sophie's portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston, a wedding gift from her young husband before he died. A chance encounter reveals the painting's true worth, and its troubled history. A history that is about to resurface and turn Liv's life upside down all over again . . .

In 'The Girl You Left Behind' two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for what they love most - whatever the cost.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Other books: Me Before You

The reason I tried to read this book is because of the love I felt in reading her other novel, "Me Before You". I didn't try to read reviews of this book so that I would be in constant surprise and there were some scenes that made me feel exactly that. The story takes place in two time dimensions, a hundred years apart, bound by a painting threaded by different circumstances: 1916, a place where ware ensues in a little town in France and 2006, a time where a widow is struggling to make ends meet after the sudden loss of her husband. Just as I was curious on what happened to Sophie, time suddenly skips to Liv. The ending was really interesting and as the story unfolds on what really happened to the owner of the painting, Liv finally lets go of everything that binds her to the past and finally gives Sophie the justice she deserves.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Fangirl

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Type of book: Paperback
Date read: September 3-5, 2014

Summary (cr: goodreads)

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Other books: Eleanor and Park

The reason why I gave this an easy 5 stars is the fact that I can relate to Cath. A lot. A person who could live off at home in front of her laptop writing fanfiction. And the immense happiness she felt when one person would even dare to dedicate his time to read it. Like any other books, readers are demanding but equally very passionate about the story that one may feel pressured in writing the next chapter. But unlike books, fanfiction could only borrow the characters and plot. This is a book of finding oneself. Although at first I was irritated at what Wren when she left her sister alone when she was dependent on her, I could sympathize at her need to create something out of her relationship with her sister. But when she came back to what they had, she now knows that she should work to fit into Cath's world something she worked hard for with Levi and Raegan. So maybe being apart was the best decision after all. I was having goosebumps on the part where both Cath and Wren cried clutching the last book of their well-loved series. That is what I feel whenever a new book from a well-loved author comes out. So those fellow book nerds who got to the point in writing fanfiction read this, I would definitely say that Rainbow Rowell captured the general feeling a fanfic author has: the obsession, the need to finish and get the chapter worthwhile out there...also the slump, especially the slump.

"Fangirl" gets: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Before I Go To Sleep

Title: Before I Go To Sleep
Author: SJ Watson
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Date read: September 1-2, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads

'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me...' 

Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love — all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. 

Welcome to Christine's life.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

This blew me away. I would've given this book an easy 5 stars but I should be honest that at first I was confused. Scratch that, sort of bored. But like fine wine, the more I turn the page the more I get sucked in. My curiosity got the better of me. It always made me grip my seat. I'm usually sensitive to plots but this particular story was a blur to me. Christine Lucas having amnesia every time she starts her day is one great mystery enough for me. And as she recalls events from the journal, it seems like that like her, I too wants to know more. For those who haven't read this yet I must say that my favorite scene was the climax at the end, especially the road to the climax. I definitely would recommend this to everyone. The best part is, I just found out that there is a movie this October 2014 with Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth no less.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Staff of Serapis (Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles Crossover #2)

Title: The Staff of Serapis (Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles Crossover #2)
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Greek/Roman Mythology
Date read: August 29, 2014

Dawn Rates: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

In this adventure, Annabeth encounters more oddities in the subway than usual, including a two-headed monster and a younger blond girl who reminds her a little of herself. This is the story fans have asked for, in which Annabeth Chase teams up with Sadie Kane. The demigod daughter of Athena and the young magician from Brooklyn House take on a larger-than-life foe from the ancient world. Perhaps even more disturbing than the power-hungry god they encounter is the revelation that he is being controlled by someone—someone all too familiar to Sadie. 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

After my heart practically leaped with glee reading The Son of Sobek, Rick surprised fans once again with another crossover. An Annabeth Chase-Sadie Kane epic crossover. This even cemented my dreams of having a trilogy based on a Percy Jackson-Kane Chronicles crossover. This is fanfiction heaven! Annabeth and Sadie has a more friendly relationship compared to Percy and Carter. I want more. Seriously.

Till the next read...

From the Shelf: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1)

Title: A Game of Thrones
Author: George R. R. Martin
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Adventure
Date read: August 9-22, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

I haven't seen a single episode of this well-loved series but I am aware of the craze it started. I told myself not to watch a single episode not until I am up to date with the books, and I think that would be a long way off. This books remind me of those medieval fantasy movies and RPG games. The book may be immensely long but I enjoyed every part of it. There were no chapters, only characters stating their point of view. And just when I was enjoying reading about a character's life, it harshly swifts the view to another character and that was one of the reasons why I love the pacing of this book. I love Daenerys' progression from the timid, scared princess to the worthy khaleesi. So far I hate Sansa, and I abhor Joffrey (even without watching the series) and I came to love Daenerys and Arya, especially Arya. As for the direwolves, Ghost would be number 1. 

Till the next read...