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Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

SUMMARY from GoodReads:

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

REVIEW:

Some people may argue that this book is too mainstream, and that's why they don't want to read it, and I see their point of view, but the fact that some books are too mainstream make me want to read them even more, because it just sparks my curiosity. The question is: Is it really that good? And all you really have to do is find out for yourself.

I don’t know how to write this review. I don’t think I was really prepared for this book. This is my first book for John Green and I've heard mixed reviews many times about this one, his debut. It has been there every time I’ve turned on the internet, browsed review sites, or gone into a bookshop. I didn’t really have much idea about what Looking For Alaska was all about before I started reading it. I knew that it has a massive fan base, but no idea about the story itself. I highly recommend going into this book blind like I did, because I feel it amplified my emotions. I was caught off guard and went on an emotional rollercoaster with this one.

‘Looking for Alaska’ is a painful book to read but I didn’t know how much until the halfway mark when BAM!! Surprise, surprise. I didn’t mean to sit down and read it then and there – I was in the middle of a very captivating different book! But I glanced at the first page, and then I flipped to carry on, and before I knew it I was halfway through.

BE WARNED! This review may contain SPOILERS for those who have yet to read the amazing-ness that is Looking for Alaska!

“How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?” — Simón Bolívar

I’ve started this with a quote, but those famous last words really are relevant to this book.

They say that the best books are the ones that stay with you long after you close the cover. I guess, then, that this book makes my list, since I was up until the early hours of the morning, long after I had actually finished it. Only a few books have ever stopped me from falling in to the land of dreams after I had turned off my torch.

In Looking For Alaska, John Green tells the story of Miles, a smart, skinny teen, and a kid obsessed with memorizing famous last words. He decides to go to the same boarding school his father attended in the hopes of finding a different life. The reason; well according to Miles it is because of François Rabelais’ famous last words “I go to seek a Great Perhaps”. At this new school Miles experiences a lot of firsts, first friends, first cigarette, first kiss, first love and first heartbreak.

When I first started reading this book, it took me a while to really get into it. I thought that, going by the blurb, that it was going to be a love story between Pudge and Alaska but it turned out to be so much more than that. When I did really get into the story, I lost myself in it. I really lost myself in the story, I forgot everything around me, and that is (one of) the criteria for a really great book. So, it started out a bit slow but definitely went straight up from there.

The book is in two parts, the chapters marked with the days leading up to the ultimate, shocking event, both with 136 days BEFORE and AFTER the event. Anyway, the first half was so good. Amazing even. However, in the days afterwards, it started to go downhill. It started to get tedious, boring, went on and on about the same thing. It was also much shorter, or at least, the 'After' bit is the whole point of the naming of the book. Green able to tap into the mind of an everyday ordinary teenage boy and describe the day to day goings on in such a way, that even though it’s an ordinary life, feels extraordinary when you take it in.

The characters are written with such realism that it’s hard to forget you’re reading a work of fiction. I mean, drinking Strawberry Hill, smoking in the bathroom with the shower on to hide the fumes, mixing your liquor in milk, a suit case that transforms into your coffee table, confidence issues, experiencing your first sex. This is a coming of age story at its rawest.

But it’s also more than that. Because it’s about relationships as well. It’s about making friends despite your differences; it’s about falling in love. It doesn’t pretend that all friendships are smooth. The characters are complex and slightly stereotyped and layered.

The characters, both teachers and students (The Eagle and Takumi made me laugh) and descriptions were all so original and different to many things I've read before. You get to see into what it's like to be a teenager and John Green has done this successfully as well, the things they did DO happen now.

‘Looking for Alaska’ is one of his most heart-wrenching works of fiction. I don’t even know if I can call the protagonist, our main narrative voice the central character. Although we see everything through his eyes, everything through his heart the central character is arguable Alaska Young, and enigma wrapped in a riddle and dipped in a million little candy-coated mysteries. She can never be properly understood, never be entirely worked out but, nevertheless, you love her as much as protagonist Miles ‘Pudge’ Halter does. One thing that I admire about John Green is that he creates characters with depth.

Miles ‘Pudge’ Halter, well, his name's not in the title, but he just so happens to be our narrator. He was a really cool character. I loved Miles because I recognized quite a bit of my teenage self in him. This sense of knowing exactly how certain things are and feel is definitely a plus when trying to understand a character.

Alaska Young, for whom the book is named, is a character you can’t help but love and get frustrated with. She is a girl well known for her pranks in the school, and even people who don’t get on with her love her. She is moody, crazy, unpredictable, the one who steals Miles’ heart. We, as the reader never fully understand her. Green manages to make her as elusive and fleeting as she is to her ‘friends’. She is however, the most magnetic feature of this novel. Everything seems better when she is present. Everything has more life and substance when Green includes her.

Chip ‘Colonel’ Martin, he may seem like a really tough guy that would rather die than open up to people, he's a really nice friend inside. He is Alaska's best friend and Miles' roommate. Gets his nickname from being the strategic mastermind behind the schemes that Alaska creates. Takumi Hikohito, a Japanese friend of Alaska and Chip. Who often feels left out of Miles, Chip, and Alaska's plans.

After reading the book I have to admit that it’s not for everyone. There will be those that will love the novel and there will be those who won’t enjoy it as much. For me it fell somewhere in the middle ground. While it’s true that I got wrapped up in reading the story Green was telling; at times it grated on my nerves with the excessive use of quirky teenage behavior that I found hard to reconcile with my own experiences and the experiences of those I have met.

This book held both good and bad points. The 'After' bit held really good and emotional points which illustrated the grief caused by such an event and how different people deal with it. The book’s structure also wasn’t what I had expected. I rather liked the “aftermath” of the book more so than the “before” of it. That’s where Green’s writing talent really stood out. It just felt like everything that he was leading toward and building up with the whole book was contained in the “after” of the book.

Green’s insights on Death and the great unknown were beautifully expressed and offered some form of comfort. A way of maybe finding a way through the grief over time and coming to terms with the tragedy that occurs in everyone’s lives at one time or another. The novel gives hope.

One thing that makes this book very entertaining to read is the wonderful quotes from the book. Yes... I know there's a lot, but this book was full of amazing quotes!

*************

“What the hell is instant? Nothing is instant. Instant rice takes five minutes, instant pudding an hour. I doubt that an instant of blinding pain feels particularly instantaneous.”

“When adults say, “Teenagers think they are invincible” with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don’t know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.”

“Thomas Edison’s last words were ‘It’s very beautiful over there’. I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful.”

“I wanted so badly to lie down next to her on the couch, to wrap my arms around her and sleep. Not fuck, like in those movies. Not even have sex. Just sleep together in the most innocent sense of the phrase. But I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was hurricane.”

“Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.”

“At some point, you just pull off the Band-Aid, and it hurts, but then it's over and you're relieved.”

“It always shocked me when I realized that I wasn't the only person in the world who thought and felt such strange and awful things.”

“Before I got here, I thought for a long time that the way out of the labyrinth was to pretend that it did not exist, to build a small, self-sufficient world in the back corner of the endless maze and to pretend that I was not lost, but home.”

“At some point we all look up and realize we are lost in a maze.”

*************

Looking for Alaska covers all the aspects of teen life, sex, drugs and rebellion. There is a lot of foreshadowing in this book that you don't even realize when reading it normally - only at the end.

Overall, I think John Green has done a great job, especially as this was his debut, however, there are points where it isn't as good and slightly rushed. It does give a good insight into a teenager's live and how they deal with big personal issues such as the main event in the novel and acts as a lesson for other teenagers on how to deal with their grief and guilt. I really enjoyed this book still though, despite some of the low points. I am going to look for more of his books in the future.

It’s a book I want to go back to again and again. Exquisite, painful, and filled with hope as well as the idea of a beyond and forgiveness. I’m so glad this book chased me, and that I finally gave in and read it.

My answer to Alaska’s question is easy. I wouldn’t get out. This labyrinth of pain is life, so I would live it for myself, and of the people I had lost along the way. I would treat every day as if it was my last; be a teenager. Fall in love. Follow my dreams. Get drunk (although not as much as she did). Make mistakes and learn from them. Because, as the book shows, there is pain in life, but there are also the moments you never want to forget.

From the laughs to the sobs, the highs to the lows, the pranks, fights, disasters and mysteries ‘Looking for Alaska’ is a modern classic.

Book Review: The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

SUMMARY from Amazon:

How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.

REVIEW:

If there really is a manual or dictionary about love, will it even make a difference? Everyone knows love is complex and complicated. Writing about love is never an easy task, much more define it but having it described by someone who can really write is somehow infinitely comforting. I first became aware of this book through friends on twitter wherein they retweeted those words that I know with not literally the meaning of those words and became curious enough to want to read it too.

This is the first David Levithan book I have ever read and I must admit it has whetted my appetite for more. Rather than complete the book review I've been working on, I decided to write one about the book I just finished instead. I literally just finished it in less than an hour in one sitting today, but will take considerably less so to write the review.

“An entire relationship narrated through a series of dictionary entries?! There’s no way reading a dictionary can be interesting,” I thought. But curiosity got the better of me, and I popped into the net searching an epub file and downloaded a copy on my iBooks.

When I first heard about David Levithan's, The Lover's Dictionary, I wanted to read it only because of the clever idea behind the book. I love anything that involves wordplay. I loved the idea that this book is told using dictionary words. Each page starts with a word dictionary style, and that's the format for the whole book which tells the story of a couple.

The Lover's Dictionary tells the story of a couple in short, dictionary entries. The couple's story is told slightly out of order, and left unnamed by the author, but it's easy enough to follow along. A series of random words from A to Z each is representing something about the protagonist's relationship. Through carefully-chosen words, their love story unfold: how they first met, how their rocky relationship evolved into something more solid, from their first date up to the time they finally live together, the ups and downs of their relationship. The narrator, who is a guy based on the entries is a writer while the girl seemed like an untamed, whimsical and quirky character who seems to have charmed our narrator. But as their relationship goes on, it gets harder for the both of them, and we readers are left wondering if they decide to stay together or part.

And even though their story is nothing exceptional, a love story not all that different from the next boy-girl relationship there ever is, the unique manner in which their story was told gave it such an unconventional flavor and offbeat feel, and it was for this reason that I loved it to bits.

There is not much I can really say about this story since it’s very short. Often, I found myself pausing to really think about the situations in the story, and the deceptively simple way in which Levithan redefines an array of words…even everyday words which are seemingly mundane.

Overall, I really liked this book. Unique is to describe since this is the first time I read a book in a dictionary form. It reminded me of the movie 500 days of summer (I think most of you guys have already watched the film), not only because of the arrangement, but because of the men in both story and how they were able to survive in a relationship where their women loved them less than they deserve. It is true that the entries were just windows of what is really happening to the main characters, as if I were a nosy person peeking at them whenever I hear something inside their apartment. The feeling of knowing everything with just a short entry is what makes this book amazing. I love how Levithan constructed his entries. Sometimes sweet and sometimes sad, the book shows how the relationship between the narrator and his live in partner started and how it began to fall apart.

The writing in is beautiful and often funny, too. Wait, let me try again, HIS WRITING IS MAGNIFICENT. I'm still reluctant to call this book a novel, because to me it didn't really feel like one. It's very short and took me only less than an hour to finish. Your vocabulary will probably grow a bit. The format is very unique and creative. It is like a dictionary running from A to Z and definitions. The most interesting thing here is that these definitions are not literally straight forward definitions you see in English dictionaries, but short entries telling short stories that the narrator associate with the words. It feels like you’re reading a personal diary. I wasn't sure that it would be possible for it to have a real plot, since it was told in these entries - but it really did. Sure, it wasn't a very complicated plot, but there was a plot nonetheless, and I kept turning the pages, wanting to find out what happened with the couple.

Let me share with you of my favorite entries from the book. These made me feel shivery and fluttery inside and, well, in love:

This short book makes you stop and take notice of the words that choose to describe each other, our lives, and love. It is heartfelt, honest, and raw; hallmarks of a true romance. It's the kind that can make you feel all kinds of emotions. I think it's pretty amazing how David Levithan uses so few words but the feelings and images come out so different. Loved that! The emotions and problems and events in this story feel so real and are described like they really are. It can go from happy-in-love to heartbreaking to bittersweet to frustrated and then to happy-in-love again.

Another one of my favorite entries:

This novel takes more of a real life approach and examines how confusing relationships can get. I wish the book was longer. The ending was open ended, but I like it that way. I like it because though it was open ended, I kind of know what will happen next already. This book is a unique work of art. Definitely a favorite. I'm sure I'm going to pick this book up again to reread, especially in random -- just open to a page and read. This book also makes me wonder: if I were to make a dictionary of my own love life, what words would I use?

Nonetheless, my own love life is still nonexistent. Not yet, anyway. However, The Lover's Dictionary affirms things that I know, based from stories, reading and yes, even on some experiences. Relationships are messy, it takes a lot of work and it would hurt both parties a lot...but it allow me to believe that even so, relationships can be beautiful at the same time. :)

In fact, I have a habit of skimming it and reading an entry. It is not just a story of two people in a relationship, it is also what it was; a dictionary about love. Whether you're a romantic or not, I recommend The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan. I'm sure you'll find a bit of yourself in one of the entries in this dictionary. It is a must read for people in a relationship. I know even in a small way, it will help them.

Also of note, Levithan is one of the authors of Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist, so if that’s your thing, you should check this out. And it’s incredibly quick to read…coming in at just over 200 pages, with one brief dictionary entry per page, you could probably finish it in less than an hour. What are you still doing here? Go read it! Go, go, go!

**All the pics I posted are from the screenshots on my iBooks so that I can highlights those lines in every entries I liked. :))**

Book Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

*SUMMARY from Penguin:

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that. What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

REVIEW:

“The thing about being catapulted into a whole new life - or at least shoved up so hard against someone else's life that you might as well have your face pressed against their window - is that it forces you to rethink your idea of who you are. Or how you might seem to other people.”

If you have read my past book reviews, you would know by now that the following post might contain some spoilers. WARNING!! So stop now if you want to actually read the book for yourself. Okay I heard about this book a while back, I always meant to get it but as soon as I added it to my TBR list I guess it kind of got lost in the other books. But I finally downloaded it and of course did not start it right away, but luckily saw a friend review about it urged me to read it saying it was an amazing story. So of course I picked it up, and wow it did not disappoint me! I don't often cry while reading books. I just sniffled on some books I’ve read but I find I very rarely have extreme emotional reactions while reading books. And yet, I cried while reading it.

There are books that you cannot put down. There are also books where you become so invested in the characters, you force yourself to stop reading to prolong the experience because you don’t want the story to end, and that’s what can happen when you read Jojo Moyes, “Me Before You.” The title doesn't really give a clue about what the book is about. Also, I want to say that the cover does not do this book justice. The pink book cover gives off a sappy, chick-lit vibe when in reality this is a heartbreaking story. Me Before You is NOT a romance nor is it romantic, at least not in the traditional sense of the meaning despite what the blurbs on the silly front cover claim. It is however a very moving and thought provoking love story. How wrong can you be! Never judge a book by its cover is a lesson I am having difficulty learning.

This is the story of Will Traynor and Louisa (Lou) Clark. Will is a very successful businessman with a gorgeous girlfriend and the whole wide world at his feet. He lost all this when he got hit by a motorcycle and became a quadriplegic. Someone who is paralyzed from the neck down with some slight movement in his head and fingers. He became trapped inside his own ‘wheelchair’. He loses everything after his accident and has no reason to live anymore. He’s doesn’t want to be in pain. He wants an out of this miserable life. Until he meets her, Louisa Clark.

Lou is a twenty-seven year old who never got to really live. Afraid of life, she always stayed in her comfort zone and didn't even leave the small town she grew up in. Desperate for the money to support her parents and her sister, she takes on a job as a carer. She never anticipated for Will to show her the beauty of life and give her new horizons.

When the two of them meet, they don't start off that great. It has been two years since Will's accident, trapped inside his own body, feeling claustrophobic every second of the day; he just wants to end it all. After a failed suicide attempt, his mother finally concedes in helping him end his life in a clinic that specializes in euthanasia. All his mother wants is six more months with him and he decides to give her just that. His mother hires Lou to keep him company for those six months. He can't help but answer every single one of Lou's questions in a sarcastic manner. This strangely brought a smile on my face, because some of his comments were just damn funny. Slowly they start getting used to each other and they even start liking each other.

That is until she finds out Will’s plan to commit suicide and makes it her life mission to everything it takes to change his mind. A life with day to day struggles but a life worth living nonetheless. Together they teach each other that life is to vulnerable to waste. She decides to give him a reason to live and to show him that life can be good.

What happens in this six month time period is the heart of this story. It is about two families and how they deal with what life has dealt them. It is about choices and being allowed to choose. It is about awakening and discovering life and all there is to take from it and not be afraid to really love and live.

Me Before You, broke my heart. In fact, I only just finished the book at 1am this morning - but I swear, this book really hits you in the heart. This is a book that has you hooked from the first page and just won't let you go. The first few chapters of this book seemed so disappointingly predictable. While reading this first chapter, I was certain I had this book pegged right up until the very end. On top of that, this novel is about a subject that makes me very uncomfortable: assisted suicide.

However, I kept reading, and was rewarded. First of all, the novel engages in from more details of quadriplegic life. The constant pain and infections, the medical risks, and the innumerable tests and medications and procedures and equipment that are (and will always be) required maintaining the bare minimum standard of life for Will.

Soon enough you will find yourself getting rather emotionally invested in the lives of your two new favorite characters, Lou and Will. Seriously, you will! Or at least I did. The characters are so interesting and I liked them so much I had to know what was going to happen next. I mean it, I had so many questions swirling around in my head: Would Lou blossom into a more confident and self-assured woman? What happened to her in the maze? Would Will decide to forgo the plans he had made in Switzerland? What types of adventures would Lou take Will on? And, how long would it take for them both to realize how in love they were with one another? This isn’t an extraordinary book or one that captivated me with its poetic language; it’s just a very good story about a man and a woman and how they affected each others’ lives.

Me Before You is such an amazing, tear-jerker book. It will have you thinking about life, love, death, and everything in between. It sounds like a cliché to say things like 'I couldn't put it down' and 'it made me laugh and cry' but this book truly did both. And, you will be left with a sadness that will inspire you step back and take a look at your own life. It also pushed me to recognize the ways in which I've become rather satisfied within my own life. I urge you to pick up this book as your first read - you won't be disappointed.

I connected with Lou and Will on such a deep level that by the end of the book. I very much believe in love and sacrifice and to read a book that handles that kind of emotion with such intensity and yet such tenderness truly softens my heart. I cried at many points whilst reading and I literally sobbed my heart out at the end. This book was and IS worth it.

The characters begin as likeable, yet maddeningly realistic in all their egocentricities. As their fears and insights are exposed, they develop in strength and purpose to reveal rich individuals who are all irreversibly changed through the events which unfold. I enjoyed the first person POV, and the odd change in character thrown in stirred the narrative nicely for me. Even though the book is written in first person (from Lou’s perspective), there are four chapters written from four other characters’ perspectives and yes, it works here. The author clearly informs the reader that a different character is narrating this chapter and seeing the situation as viewed by another character added to my overall understanding of Lou and Will and their relationship. I would have liked to have had at least a chapter from Will's perspective. I was really glad to have read Will's letter though!

The plot is relatively simple yet not complicated for all that it raises some ethical questions. How can you read this and not ask yourself what you might do in similar circumstances, how you would feel if it was your friend or loved one?

I cannot tell you how much this story touched me. And yet, it moved me, really moved me. When an author can invoke a readers emotions, someone who can make you feel genuinely sad when the characters are sad and make you feel genuinely happy when the characters are happy. It’s just an amazing feeling so thank you Ms. Moyes. It dealt with so many different issues and was so thought-provoking. Every character had a story of its own. It wasn't just Lou and Will. It was everything and nothing. It was life. The good and the bad.

"Some mistakes...just have greater consequences than others. But you don’t have to let that night be the thing that defines you.”

It really is extraordinary, and it will make you cry. I cried my eyes out. I not only cried but laughed, smiled, and learned things I didn't know before. It taught me a better understanding of being grateful of what I do have. This is a story about life and love. It's about being alive, but not living. When your body can't do what your mind is screaming for, how do you cope? Will love be enough to ignore the pain you feel every day?

“Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Wear those stripy legs with pride.”

“Just live well. Just live.”

I loved this book. It’s sweet and funny and sad and deceptively simple. The friendship and romance between Will and Lou is bittersweet. The writing is beautifully written, smooth and effortless and yet the result is a story which is invested with so much emotion, with such sensitivity, that I can't help but still be a little bit in love with this book. And yet, the ending broke me into a million pieces.

I highly recommend it. It’s not for everyone, and some people may hate the way the book ends, but I thought it was well-written and heartwarming. Moyes gives us a story that has a deep, emotional plot and shares it in a way that at times made me laugh and smile, and frown and sob. Equally. The story itself is so amazingly told and the characters will pull you in from page one.

There is so much I could say, but I know I would simply ramble on and on about how wonderfully written this book is, how the characters affected me, how the story broke my heart. Life is what you make of it, and I realized that I need to start making more of it. I suppose I should send Moyes' my thank you for this book, because not only did it touch me, it also inspired me. I smiled, I laughed and I cried buckets of joyful and heart wrenching tears. But the tears were worth it.

I'm going to be leaving things right here for all those of you who haven't read this story yet. I don't want to ruin anything or take away from the story. So, all I am going to say is that you must read this novel - I promise you will not be disappointed! Read it with a big mug of tea and a box of tissues. :’)

Book Review: Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

*SUMMARY from Goodreads:

Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again, you must learn to trust again.

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her...a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards... and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

*REVIEW:

Hey guys! It’s been a while since I’ve done a book review. Today I’d like to review a book I just finished a couple of days ago, Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks. Romantic? Cheesy? Cheesier? From the tearjerker ‘A Walk to Remember’ to the classic-epic ‘The Notebook’ to the downright depressing ‘Dear John’, to the new ‘Safe Haven’.

I am a self-proclaimed Nicholas Sparks fan. :) Without Nicholas Sparks I would never have added North Carolina in my list to travel to or walked down the aisle at my wedding to a guitar-violin playing “Only Hope” (just like in A Walk to Remember). Although I’ve only read couple of Nicholas Sparks’s books, and the few I haven't read are on my to-read list. I’ve watched enough of his movies to know that I’m a fan of his storytelling. I know, I know. Nicholas Sparks’ stories are cheesy. They are all set in a similar, small, southern town, and for the most part, they follow this predictable storyline…Boy meets girl, Boy falls in love with girl, For some reason, boy and girl split up, Boy and girl get back together, Boy and girl live happily ever after…. But I LOVE these cheesy stories. I love curling up on the couch with one of Sparks’ books or popping in a Sparks’ movie in my DVD player, and knowing exactly what I’m going to get.

I gotta warn you, there might be some spoilers following. Maybe this would be a good place to shout SPOILER ALERT! because, as in all my book and movie reviews, I can't be stopped from giving away too much things happened. So, if you don't want to know, then stop reading now and come back later (if you want to). :D

But on to the discussion.

Not too far into the story, I realized that this book was...different. Although it had all the hallmarks of a Nicholas Sparks tearjerker - an aura of sadness, and a safe, sleepy North Carolina town - it also had shadow of darkness.

Safe Haven is a really brilliant love story; we see love, fear, friendship, family and a controversial issue of domestic abuse, introducing us to Katie, a girl who has rocked up in Southport leaving people wondering where she’s come from. She is being hunted however, and life might not always be happy or safe. She catches the eye of Alex, not only because she is beautiful, but because she looks scared. He is owner of the biggest store in Southport, finds himself wondering about Katie, and the two slowly get to know each other. Alex used to be in the CID department of the Army and had learnt to read people.

Another person who befriends Katie is her new neighbor, Jo. Between Jo and Alex they bring Katie out of her shell and eventually, as she falls in love with Alex, she reveals what she is running from. The story follows her and Alex as they fall in love and Katie slips into the family, spending time with Alex and his children.

Around halfway through the book Katie reveals her real name and tells the story of her marriage, and her husband Kevin. What I liked is that after that we then follow Kevin’s story as well. I was intrigued that he regularly quoted Bible verses. I did like that both sides of the story were told, it added depth and meaning to the story. There were darker undertones to the novel, and I thought Sparks handled them sensitively. I’d guessed Katie’s secret, it’s well written and it didn’t necessarily bother me that I already knew. I don’t want to give too much away because although I knew what was going to happen and I’d guessed it, I still enjoyed the way Sparks presented it and there were many little surprises I enjoyed learning as I was reading. The novel is probably predictable in more ways than one, but for me, I got into it easily from the first page and I constantly wanted to pick it up and read yet another chapter.

I found the characters to be very well presented and very easy to like. I liked the characters, especially Katie and Alex. I loved how delicate they were at the beginning. Katie grabbed me from page one, with her hesitancy and her want for secrecy. Her life isn’t perfect and she isn’t perfect but I liked how direct she was. I also really loved Alex. It was so easy to feel sympathy to him as his wife had passed away…I found his kids Josh and Kristen to be totally adorable; I’m not that a fan of children but I could have totally kidnapped those two as they were so sweet. Her only friend, Jo, a grief counselor who lives in the neighboring cottage. I was incredibly surprised about what I learned about her and I liked her too. The one character I didn’t like in any way was Kevin. He was an awful, awful person. Memorable, very memorable, but horrible. I don't feel at all bad saying that he deserved what happened to him in the end.

L-R: Noah Lomaz (Josh), Julianne Hough (Katie), Mimi Kirkland (Kristen) and Josh Duhamel ( Alex)

Dave Lyons as Kevin Tierney

Cobie Smulders as Jo

In one scene where Alex gives a sealed letter from her wife to Katie or, as she puts it, to the woman he chooses. This is where things get a little weird. Katie's about to open the letter, alone at her house, when she notices that Jo's house is completely deserted and ramshackle-looking, as if no one has lived there in years. Before Katie even opens the letter she begins to think about her times with Jo. In a burst of the sixth sense-like clarity, Katie (and I) realized the obvious - that Jo was the ghost of Alex's wife. Well the truth about Jo truly knocked me for a loop. It was something I didn't see coming, and it was actually that secret that had me in tears more than the rest of the story. I had known there was something off about Jo but had chalked it up to her being one of those nosy, meddlesome friend characters. I was also a little creeped out. Jo's letter to Katie is every bit as heartrending as you'd expect it to be. Sparks pulls out all the stops with his signature story-telling device - the letter. It adds a whole new dimension to the kind of love triangle between spouse, deceased spouse, and new lover.

Finding out Katie's secret though, I pretty much saw that one coming, and had already guessed that it would lead to some kind of explosive encounter towards the end of the book...and it did. The character of Kevin made me squirm and feel disgusted, and I really wanted to reach through my iPod screen and kill the guy. So excellent job at creating this horrid and nasty character. He definitely falls into the villain category.

Anyway, I haven’t watched the film adaptation yet, but, I am looking forward to seeing it. I can already see a few changes they've made, based on watching the trailer. In the book Katie starts out as a blonde and then dyes her hair to become a brunette, but in the movie it shows her as starting off as a brunette and then becoming a blonde. Okay, not a huge change really but still it could have remained true to the story. Also, in the book Alex is described as being one of those younger men who goes grey prematurely, but in the movie he has a nice brown hair. Come on, again, it is a small detail, but they could have done it. There are a few other minor stories and plot details I noticed have changed, but I can't make a full comparison until I actually see the movie.

I thoroughly enjoyed Safe Haven. The ending is very fast-paced and I found myself constantly reading, reading, and reading so I could finish it and see how it was all going to end. It was frantic and I just couldn’t put it down. Nicholas Sparks is a hugely enjoyable author. I love his books and movies. There’s no shame that he’s a romance author, his love stories are traditional and I can see why he’s so popular and why a lot of his novels are made into movies. Safe Haven was just a wonderful read; it made me believe in love (corny, right?). I liked that Safe Haven eschewed all of the normal love story rules. Katie and Alex’s relationship progresses at a nice, steady pace. There are so few traditional love stories in Romance Lit that Nicholas Sparks provides a nice distraction. He always seems to have something sad in them but even so they are amazing!

The ending of the book was so exciting! Kevin came and chased Katie. I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down once he discovered where she was. The ending was tense, but really good. There was a twist that I didn’t see coming and I enjoyed the ending. I was satisfied and gripped until the end.

So overall, this is a must read story. This is a great book. I think Sparks dealt with the issue of domestic abuse and death very well. The characters were so easy to like. It has it all. The love story, the suspense, and a little bit of a 'wow factor' which is how I like to call it. I'm not going to spoil it but Jo is the wow factor in this story. I absolutely recommend this book. I believe you won't be disappointed. All I can say in the end is thank you Nicholas for this incredible story. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Here’s a sweet glimpse of its film adaptation:

Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James

Book 1 of FIFTY SHADES Trilogy.

I am going to start this review with a WARNING.

This is a very adult book and one that is aimed over 18's.

This review does NOT CONTAIN adult material and you have been warned.

*SUMMARY from Goodreads:

 When literature student Anastacia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind -- until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store when she works part-time.

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resists Ana's quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trapping success - his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family - Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical, and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny. 

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds? Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

*REVIEW:

As for one of my recent reads (more reviews coming soon, of course!) :) It's the book on everyone's lips, a book that I think has been making the rounds so much, everyone is sick of it, regardless of whether they've read it or not. Never one resist the hype of good read, or rather the claim of "Mommy Porn," it's Fifty Shades of Grey. (And if you've read the book, that last word will surely have another layer of meaning for you.) So, I'm guessing that you've heard of a little book called Fifty Shades of Grey that's rocketed it's way to the top of all best seller lists everywhere, and doing so in record time. With more than 1.2 million copies soled every week and a movie in the works, the Fifty Shades phenomenon shows no sign of flagging.

And yes, I did read it. Actually I finished reading all the three books in E.L James Trilogy. How did it come about that I would decide to read this book that is sooooo far out of my comfort zone, you may ask? Look, don't judge me!! Curiosity. I wanted to know what all the hype was about. So, I have to admit that I went into reading this book with a VERY OPEN MIND. This was mainly due to knowing what the subject matter was and hearing so much about this book along with an equal mix of good and bad reviews. Some people passionately hated this book and others thoroughly enjoyed it. Well, I actually am one of those that enjoyed it.

My iBooks: Fifty Shades Trilogy

Every time I walked in a bookstore, Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James is quite often a book I first see on display. In many of the stores I've been in to, it has been the top seller at that location and when you're ready  to purchase a copy it's always been out of stock. I was intrigued by the fact that it was popular in store and talked about everywhere online. However, at first I was really reluctant to grab a copy of the book, since there are a number of mixed reviews. One of my best friends found an e-book copy online, so she sent it to me, and I ended up reading it on iBooks, which I usually hate doing, but I'm getting used to it. :P

What makes the book a best seller? My only guess is that it deals with topics that people can relate to: love, lust, jealousy, and broken families. I'm sure, there's more! Innocence? Wealth? Control? Yeah, those are there, too!

E.L James Fifty Shades of Grey, anticipating an entertaining page-turner, a modern-day love affair. Having no further background in the porno reference, I was stunned-shocked-at what waited in the pages before me. Not because of the explicit sex scenes, but rather the terribly underdeveloped characters and story line - this novel send to all about the value of love within a relationship.

Now, there are even talks of a movie deal with Ian Somerhalder expressing interest, Matt Bommer or Channing Tatum offering themselves to play the role (Yes, please!! :P). By now, I'm sure you know that Fifty shades is based on Twilight fan fiction, there are some parallels between both books.

Please STOP if you don't want anything about the plot revealed. SPOILER ALERT!!!!

The novel opens with protagonists, Anastacia Steele, stepping in for her BFF Katherine Kavanaugh, to interview a wealthy and powerful "multi-billionaire" Christian Grey, for an article for the school newspaper. Ana and Kate are both graduating in a few weeks and Christian Grey is scheduled to deliver the commencement address. Ana shows up for the interview and the picture of young woman completely unsure of herself, uncomfortable on her own skin, is painted. Clumsy and naive, Ana literally face into Grey's office. He is amused and gives a stare that makes her "flush-crimson" - which she will literally do many times in the book. Grey seems to be intrigued with Miss Steele. Their interaction doesn't stop there. Kate insists that Mr. Grey meet them for a photo shoot for the article, after the shoot Grey asks her to join him for coffee. This is when we start to get a glimpse into the background of both characters.

At only 27 years old, Grey is portrayed as someone well beyond his years. A perpetually-single, unattainable, billionaire playboy with both a helicopter and private jet. Ana is everything like the Twilight heroin Bella Swan - painfully aware of her shortcomings, put together as very immature, inexperienced girl and a woman with a thesaurus vocabulary and a moderately smart mouth. Eventually, warnings about his dark secrets, Christian Grey tells Ana who he really is - a sexual deviant who likes to dominate his women into submission-literally. Required to sign a contract, that locks her into a set of rules. And then it's time for big reveal! The plot thickens. 

Moving on.

The first main character, CHRISTIAN GREY, has had a hard start to life and this has in turn made him into a very controlling and egotistical man human being. He's never let a person into his life and has always been the one who set the rules. I found Christian's character just captivating and sweet. You can't help but be affected by him and his strong personality and confidence. That is until you realize that he is actually a needy boy who is scared of being rejected and alone. 

This fan made stuff!! This is NOT REAL!! :)

The other main character, ANASTACIA STEELE, is an innocent and timid girl who gets completely overwhelmed when she meets Christian. He is totally out of her league but she finds herself drawn to him in a way she has never felt with another man before. I got a bit annoyed with Ana's character but I think it was just because of repetitive writing and the way some conversations were structured. And a lot of talks about her 'subconscious' and 'inner goddess'.

In the latter part, the relationship of the two grows stronger, but more confusing. Ana becomes a bit more believable as James gets her stride in character development and it turns out the Christian has a bit of soul. I'm not ashamed that I really liked it and as with the Twilight, I quickly devoured all three books in a matter of days. James sex scenes are not incidental , they are the meat of the plot, the crux of conflict, the key to the both characters. It is a book with a more sex on it.

First, let me get the "bad" out of the way. Could it be that there was an actual STORY there? Well, dear readers, yes there is. Besides all the hype about the erotica, there is a story, there is a romance and there is a character development. There's even a little humor thrown in for good measure with  the flirty email exchanges and the addition of Ana's Inner Goddess who acts out every now and then. I'm not going to say that book was perfect -- there were some overused words and repetition of adjectives and I got a bit sick of seeing same lines and expressions all the time but I didn't let that interfere with my enjoyment of the story.

Let me discuss the "good" part of the book. With the stresses of every day life, I was quite happy to be able to pick up a book without having to think too much and just sit back and enjoy. Fifty Shades of Grey is definitely not a scholarly read. It was entertaining enough to keep me interested to the end. The story goes like this: clumsy, naive, and book-ish coed meets attractive rich man who is so taken with her that he just has to have her. Mix in stubbornness, gift giving, lip biting, gasping and a story is born.

All in all, it is addictive, funny, shocking and sexy. I found myself jumping onto the next book straight away, although there is no cliffhanger it still leaves you wondering what happens next. You will read this book perhaps record time. Take that as you will, but keep in mind that page turner sell, and if that's anything to go by, it's one of the factors of this book success. 

Fifty Shades of Grey will not go down in history as one of the classics, but it will be remembered for all the hubbub and steamy parts. Do I recommend it? If you thought Twilight is good and wanted more then yes, you will enjoy Fifty Shades of Grey.

Read it already? Liked it or Hated it? So leave time to read all three at once! Be the Judge!! :)) Here's the website to know more about the book, updates and the author. 

Book Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This is the second book of THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy series.

Warning: SPOILER ALERT!!!

"Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge. 

'Tic Toc Tic Toc is the clock!'"

*SUMMARY from Goodreads:

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and long time friend, Gale. Yet, nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has returned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. I f they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. 

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.

*REVIEW:

Oh, Man! Where to begin?! However, when I finished the first Hunger Games book (e-book), the first thing I did was sit in front of my laptop and browse for the second book. The first book was captivating, action packed with a little spice of romance and a page-turner. I had high hopes for this book, not only because everyone said it was amazing, but because the first book was fantastic. But I was a bit disappointed indeed. Why I said so?? Because in the first few chapters there are dull moments of the story that you want to skip and go to the next chapter. The first half is still slow-even, though a lot of horrid stuffs happens in it - but intensifies goes over the roof once the Quell are announced.

Let's have some little run-through...The first book is about Katniss Everdeen experience at the Hunger Games, and the second is basically based on her Victory Tour, where she visits all the twelve districts with Peeta, whom Katniss was romantically involved with. In the second book, Peeta and Katniss travel through Panem for their Victory Tour, and Katniss didn't mean to uncover some dark secrets. She realizes that they aren't safe in district 12 and neither are the people close to her. So she has to go to extreme measure and know what President Snow fraudulent plants for them. Katniss symbolic act of defiance in the Arena has dramatic, unforseen consequences as she has incurred the wrath of those high in power.

Going back to my feelings about this book, I think I did like "The Hunger Games" better. The Hunger Games was epic, entertaining and page-turningly fun. Whilst, Catching Fire may not has been as epic as The Hunger Games, but it certainly knew how to keep you reading. Unlike the first book, which I wasn't able to put down, there were certain parts of this book where I had to force myself to keep reading, and tell myself that the next chapter would be better. Yet, I loved how everything went along. You got to see a lot more of the other characters, especially Gale.

There are many twists in Catching Fire, and it would be remiss to spoil them, so I won't!! A few of my expectations were met, but largely the plot was constructed that it would be near possible to predict. This book is full of intense. The compassion, threats, betrayals, action, romance, words all of it! This has to be the reason why is it addictive. Some things are hinted out, but the full results of what's going on isn't totally revealed till the very end.

The 1st novel ended tragically in a personal way - with a challenge of small handful of berries that have such a dramatic effect, the 2nd makes you think about a tragedy of a bigger issues - will the districts be able to defeat the Capitol?? I love the wider scope of this second novel. I was once again so impressed with Collins writing - she definitely knows how to keep readers on their toes! The story just got more and more interesting, without too much and over complicating matters. Ms. Collins manages to flesh out not only her main duo, but gives supporting casts and throws in some great surprises in each characters. New characters from other districts also are introduced, whom we will along the way expect see much more in the third and final novel.

Parts were well written and there was a punch of odd joke thrown in here and there, which made me chuckle a few times. I'm eagerly awaiting "Mockingjay" - the third book. I want to see how everything gets resolved. If you haven't read this series yet, give it a shot!! Don't be turned off by the fact that it's just for young adult audiences, or by the subject matter. I think this series is one in which everyone can find something to enjoy. If you have any doubt as to whether or not this series is worthy, you really should read it and find out yourself.