[Review] From The Heart - Sheila O'Flanagan

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Title of Book: From The Heart
Author: Sheila O’Flanagan
Publisher: Headline
Publication Year: 2003
Language: English
Format: Ebook
Pages: 91


From the Heart reveals the unexpected tales that lie beneath the surface of every-day lives, through a memorable cast of characters all in search of their own happy endings. A hot date gets off to a disastrous start; a young couple long for peace and quiet as they prepare for their first Christmas as parents; two eavesdropping passengers realise they share more in common than they had thought; a couple celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, wondering if it's all a sham; and Isobel from Isobel's Wedding encounters an unexpected reunion in a luxurious Caribbean getaway.
A touching and heart-warming selection of stories taken from Sheila O'Flanagan's bestselling collections Destinations, Connections and A Season to Remember, available together exclusively in this digital-only edition.


[Review] The Longest Ride - Nicholas Sparks

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Title of Book: The Longest Ride
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Year: 2014
Language: English
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 471



Ira Levinson is in trouble. Ninety-one years old and stranded and injured after a car crash, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together - how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can't possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage.
A few miles away, at a local bull-riding event, a Wake Forest College senior's life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death - loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he's keeping doesn't destroy it first.
Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys.

[Review] The Walking Dead Vol 16 - 18

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Title: The Walking Dead Vol 16: A Larger World
Issues: #91-#96
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Illustrator: Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication year: 2012
Language: English
Pages: 136
Rating: 4/5



A Larger World is probably the most exciting volume by far. It took a lot of twist and turn for Rick and his group to finally settle in Alexandria. Turns out, there are other communities of survivors out there. Of course Rick would do a lot of cautious fact checking before getting excited himself. But imagine the possibilities that they can achieve with these new people! Though Kirkman definitely won’t make it easy for them. I’m pretty sure there will be obstacles which come in the form of humans, I mean bad people, not the undead. But it still sounds good. At least there’s hope for these people. I need to read more to see where the story goes.


[Book+ Movie Review] The Boy in The Striped Pajamas - John Boyne

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Title of Book: The Boy in The Striped Pajamas
Author: John Boyne
Publisher: Ember
Publication Year: 2007
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 240



When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.
But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.


The Boy in The Striped Pajamas tells a tale about the horror of holocaust. This book starts simple, a nine years old boy came home to find that his belongings were packed by the house maid. His family has to move to a new place because his father got a promotion. Then, we’ll find out what kind of place his new home really is.
Though this book talks about dark and heavy issue, it’s told from a nine years old boy point of view. The boy, whose name is Bruno, only understands what he’s been told by adults around him. He just want to live his life like another normal boy. He might seem like an ignorant boy, but that’s just how children are. 
The author interestingly used puns in this book, such as ‘Out-With’ and ‘Fury’. At first I didn’t really see those puns as a big deal. Bruno is just a child anyway, maybe he just simply mispronounced them or didn’t hear the words right. But after I realized what those words really mean, I was shocked. It’s horrifying to learn that a boy like him didn’t realize how horrible the situation he’s living in. Especially because he couldn’t differentiate what’s good or bad. 
Bruno’s father is a nazi officer. He is so proud of his father. Because like other normal nine years old boys, he sees his father as his hero. One time, he even said that he wanted to be a soldier like his father. Some say that this book is about the innocence of children. But it also shows how terrifying genocide is. This book sends a powerful message. The back of this book says ‘Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter one.’ Those sentences show me that the author really cares about the genocide issue and he has a mission to make people more aware of this issue. It’s a great book. One thing that put me off is the pacing. The first half of the book focus on how bored Bruno was. But after the boring part, it’s all good.
This is the kind of book that I think everyone should read at least once. This book makes me concern about social issue more. Who knows what positive impact this book would bring to other people. 


 

[Review] The Walking Dead Vol 13 - 15

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Title: The Walking Dead Vol 13: Too Far Gone
Issues: #73-#78
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Illustrator: Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication year: 2010
Language: English
Pages: 136
Rating: 4/5



So I’m finally to the point where what I’ve read past the show. Like Rick, I’m still getting used to this ‘quiet’ moment. The community looks promising, but I’m pretty sure there’s a dark past behind them. For instance, the truth about Alexander Davidson. Though Douglas has told the story about him to Rick. I still believe that he’s not telling the whole truth, or maybe I’m just reading too much into it.
Since the Alexandria story arc started, I don’t know what kind of conflicts to expect. Especially because behind the wall, they don’t have to worry much about the walkers anymore. I’m hoping that now after they all kind of settled in, the mystery behind the zombie outbreak would finally be revealed.


Top 5 Summer Covers

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Hi! It's been a while since I last post a non-review (or even a review, geez where have I been). So today, I decided to do a top 5 Wednesday since the topic interests me. Top 5 Wednesday is where you list 5 things bookish related according to the topic of the week. Top 5 Wednesday is created by Lainey from Gingerreadslainey on youtube. This weeks's topic is top 5 summer covers or books that remind you of summer. As I look through my bookshelves, I realized that most of my books have illustrated cover or winter-ish cover. But I still manage to find 5 books with summery cover. The list is in no particular order though I'm still trying to save the best for last.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

[Review] The Walking Dead Vol 10-12

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Title: The Walking Dead Vol 10: What We Become
Issues: #55-#60
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Illustrator: Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 136
Rating: 3.5/5



In the previous volume, we meet a group of new characters consists of Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene. Rick and his group agree to accompany Abraham  on his ‘mission’ to bring Eugene to Washington DC. This volume is more about these new characters, especially Abraham. We get to look a bit into his past and his struggle living in the world full of zombies. The highlight of this volume for me is when Abraham talks to Rick about his past and his struggle, which Rick can relate to. In this volume we’re also reintroduced to characters that we’ve met before. After the prison story arc, the group is on the road again. I’m still not sure if I like this Washington DC mission. We’ll see.