Book Review: Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

After reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven & The Time Keeper*, here’s another review to a Mitch Albom book:

Have a Little Faith: The Story of a Last RequestHave a Little Faith: The Story of a Last Request by Mitch Albom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

‘I am in love with hope.’

Another book that made my eyes cry. Started reading this when my dad was brought to a hospital and now that i have finished it, sort of [like I always say to the books I read], i felt the story. Of course, i won’t be able to finish this if i haven’t felt the story and had the interests and ideas that this book is giving.

before i ever read this, i thought that it was Mitch Albom’s father who was this book is about, I was wrong. It is about what he learned from Albert Lewis, mainly, and also about Henry Covington’s lives. They are men of God and that sort of made him know more about faith and life. And that is also the main reason why I decided and encouraged .. even motivated myself to finish this. It’s because of Him.

Thankful that i have added another finished book to my bookshelf and proud that I’m finally done with this book. It was a gift to me last Christmas, actually. It’s been a long time but it’s worth it. :)

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* I just realized I don’t have my book review for the book The Time keeper by MItch Albom. Fail. Well, It’s a lesson learned. Moving forward, I will make sure I have posted my reviews of all the books I have read. 

Book Review: Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Living Dead GirlLiving Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Who is the Living Dead Girl?

She is Alice. She was named by Ray.Her real name is Kyla, who used to live in 623 Daisy Lane. It has been 5 years ago and she has always been dreaming about the Once Upon A Time that she was. Used and abused, that is what she is now. Threatened and kept like a prisoner with nobody to help her until the day she found her freedom.

Who is Ray?

He is Alice’s captor. He used to have another Alice before he had Kyla. By the description, it is implied that he was abused by his mother. He was doing things that kids aren’t supposed to do. He seemed so good to Alice, but underneath his skin lies someone who is already rotten. He is a phedophile. He wanted to keep Alice as young as she is, posing as his father when people are asking, it’s up to us to imagine what he’s been doing to Alice when they’re alone. He was shot dead by Jake at the end of the book, and there the story of the Living dead girl also ended,where Alice/Kyla is freed.

My Thoughts about the book

It’s a book where you have to work your imagination. No exact words about sex is used, every thing is described the way you can imagine them. It make my heart ache when I’m reading the lines where Alice is being hurt, and it was like in all pages of the book. She’s crying for help but no one came to her.

Threat and Abuse, that is what this book is all about. I might have been fortunate not to experience these things, but we do not have to experience those to feel what the author wanted us, readers, to feel.Speaking about what we are going through always make us feel better,just know who the the right person to talk about it.

Because almost everyone wants to know but just a few really cares.

If we wanted to be saved, do not hesitate to ask for help.
The living dead girl feels so empty inside.

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Book Review: Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

Story of a GirlStory of a Girl by Sara Zarr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finished reading the Story of a Girl. Through the end, I’m looking for more action. I mean, what happened to Deanna and her Family? What happened to her and Tommy? And what about her relationship with Lee and Jason? Did they become friends again? And while writing this, I realized, yes. It’s a typical story of a girl, that’s why I have related so much. The girl who wanted to get away from home, the one who had some mistakes from her past, the one who had a few friends, yet made things seem more complicated than ever. It’s part of her, part of growing up. A part of life that she can’t get away from, she had to live by. This seem like a story from my own story as well, and since i realized that, from 3 star, I’m giving it a 5.

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* And oh, wait. Another Michael is involved here, who has been a very good confidant to Deanna.

Note: He is gay.

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

From Goodreads:

Fifty Shades Trilogy Bundle: Fifty Shades of Grey; Fifty Shades Darker; Fifty Shades FreedFifty Shades Trilogy Bundle: Fifty Shades of Grey; Fifty Shades Darker; Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James

i started to read a few reviews for this book a while ago and also read some pages from the book. But then, i got disappointed.

First of, i learned that it originated from the fanfiction story of Twilight and so, it’s not really an original (well, nothing’s an original nowadays.) Names were just changed from Edward and Bella to Christian and Anna, respectively (but there were no vampires or werewolves, only BDSM and all about mature stuff.)

Second, it’s a really mature reading — very erotic and if i may rate it, it will be an X-rated book. It mainly contains the topic that i do not want to read about, which is i very much want to stay away from.

Third, it has been now know to be the fastest selling book? Why? because of the nature of the book? What lesson will it teach the readers? it’s now not different than watching movies, videos or films of the sort. The only difference is that it is legal.

Personally, i do not want to continue reading it. Maybe not at this time.

Very much mainstream, they say.

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Do you feel obligated to finish all books you start reading?

** this is my 124th post and thanks to wordpress for suggesting this topic.

Every time i read a book, either it’s a novel, a short story or just any other book about anything, i try and make a point that ‘i’ll finish reading this one’ — especially when i’m very interested on the topic that the book is written about.

when i read a book, i make believe that i’m the protagonist of the story and let my imagination do the rest!

Some of the topics that i’m looking forward in reading a book are about (most importantly) love, death, friendship, family, moral lessons that i’ll get, mysteries, humor and positivity.

I’ve been hooked up with stories such as:

* the undying love stories that goes on and on for ages.
* friendship over Lovers stories.
* detective stories.
* worlds apart love stories.
* comic books. (who doesn’t read one?)

i also read books that are in series or in sequels. I love reading those that are written in novels and then were made into film. I like to see what changes were made or if they did exactly what is written in the novel.

Examples of the books that i have finished reading are:

* The twilight Saga novels written by Stephenie Meyer — Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. I also got to read the Midnight Sun that had been leaked on the internet before.

* A Series of Unfortunate Events written by Lemony Snicket (Bad Beginning to The End)

* Nicholas Sparks’ The Last Song and Dear John

* The Queen of Babble Series by Meg Cabot

* Sophie Kinsella’s Twenties Girl and Can You Keep A Secret?

* Paulo Coelho’s the Alchemist

* Ann Martin’s The Babysitter’s Club books.

* Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes

* Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Reading is learning. Whatever lesson we may get on what we read, we should know what values to keep and what to just leave on those pages.

Write it Down

While I’m trying to think of what i will share here in my blog, I took the chance to browse at the pages of The Purpose-Driven Life (by Rick Warren) and see if there’s any topic that I can use.

To say the least, I opened the book to page 308 Day Thirty-Nine: Balancing Your Life with the topic of Writing down your progress in a journal. And the things you’ll read below are from that part.

Write down your progress in a journal

The best way to reinforce your progress in fulfilling God’s purposes for your life is to keep a spiritual journal. This is not a diary of events, but a record of the life lessons you don’t want to forget. The Bible says, “It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard so that we don’t drift off.” Hebrews 2:1. We remember what we record.

Writing helps clarify what God is doing in your life. Dawson Trotman used to say, “Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through your fingertips.” The Bible has several examples of God’s telling people to keep a spiritual journal. It says, “At the LORD’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress” Numbers 33:2. Aren’t you glad Moses obeyed God’s command to record Israel’s spiritual journey? If he had been lazy, we would be robbed of the powerful life lessons of the Exodus.

While it’s unlikely that your spiritual journal will be as widely read as Moses’ was, yours is still important. The New International Version says, “Moses recorded the stages in their journey.” Your life is a journey, and a journey deserves a journal. i hope you will write about the stages of your spiritual journey in living a purpose-driven life.

Don’t just write down the pleasant things. As David did, record your doubts, fears, and struggles with God. Our greatest lessons come out of pain, and the Bible says God keeps a record of our tears, Psalm 56:8. Whenever problems occur, remember that God uses them to fulfill all five purposes in your life: Problems force you to focus on God, draw you closer to others in fellowship, build Christlike character, provide you with a ministry, and give you a testimony. Every problem is purpose-driven.

In the middle of a painful experience, the psalmist wrote, “Write down for the coming generation what the LORD has done, so that people not yet born will praise him” Psalm 102:18. You owe it to future generations to preserve the testimony of how God helped you fulfill his purposes on earth. It is a witness that will continue to speak long after you’re in heaven.

NB: I have used this part from The Purpose-Driven Life because I have been asking myself why i still keep on writing at my journal despite the fact that the memories just make me feel nostalgic. Some entries are about success, thankfulness, happiness, and friendships. Others are about trials, failures, people who got hold of me at the wrong end of the stick, and unlikely situations I got into. But still, I keep on writing. And I’m writing to Him, my Savior… JESUS.

May the readers of this post be blessed. All Glory To God Alone. :-)

Book Review: Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurley

Love is too powerful to hide for very long. Deny it and suffer the consequences. Acknowledge it and suffer the consequences. Revealing it can either be shameful or liberating. It is for others to decide which it will be. –Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurley

Plot:

Charlotte Usher had always dream to be known, or at least noticed. Her dream man, Damen Dylan was about to be her Physics lab partner and had asked her to tutor him when she was choked by a gummy bear that caused her death. She never thought that being dead has some advantage. She learned them step by step and even made decisions unknown to her Dead Ed professor, Mr. Brain. She discovered that she can possess someone’s body and that made a great part to her story. She shared the body with Scarlet, the gothic-punk sister of her idol cheerleader, Petula Kensington. Scarlet enjoyed being out of her body but it turned out that Charlotte can do some things with her body that she’s not supposed to do like signing up for the cheerleading squad, which she passed but then quitted later. Charlotte got a hard time to realize that she’s not suppose to live anymore but rather live like the dead, just like her Dead Ed classmates. Her main goal is to know what she needed to accomplish before ‘moving on’ with them. Later in the story, Scarlet and Charlotte got in a conflict of who between them did Damen really like, they even had this swimming pool event but unfortunately interrupted by Charlotte’s Dead Ed classmate, Prue… which made the school officials find a better place to hold the annual Fall Ball. Things get a little tough between Charlotte and Prue during the party but they get to resolve it with Scarlet’s research on how Prue died. Scarlet and Damen were crowned King and Queen of the Night. Petula, however, planned to embarrass her sister with an air brush paint but the tint landed on Charlotte’s and showed her to the Living. Scarlet explained everything Charlotte has done to make the evening great and that made her be remembered by everyone. Charlotte and the other dead students graduated and finally moved on.

Reaction:

…’tis really a ghost story. Not scary. It’s even funny in its own way. Kinda reminds me of Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. But this story really has a dark aura in it. Just wondered how Scarlet’s the only one who can see Charlotte and the other? It’s not clear to me. Is it because of her goth style? Well, the story’s good.. a teen-ghost-fiction story. :-)

Book Review: Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot

“…the girl i’ve finally realized i’ve always been in love with… who i was beginning to think just might love me back, turned around and got herself engaged to my best friend who, frankly, doesn’t deserve her…”

After being engaged to Luke on New Year’s day, Lizzie is haunted by Chaz’s words that she’d done something wrong, and so as her other friends and even Grandma do so disagree.

She is left to manage Chez Henri alone, forcing her to hire people to help her, that includes Tiffany, her co-receptionist at the Pendergast, Loughlin, and Flynn. She has worked on Ava Geck’s wedding gown, though unfortunately has been called off, and became friends but because of the paparazzi-thing, she has been angry on Lizzie.

Six months later, she still can’t believe herself so confused between her fiance, who was she’s engaged with and his best friend, who doesn’t believe in marriage, saying it’s just a piece of paper. Luke has to go back to France and work for his uncle, leaving Lizzie with her friends. On the night of the Fourth of July, as she was speaking with Chaz about their feelings, her Mom had called saying that Grandma had died. This leaves poor Lizzie so emotionally stressed. On the first night back in Ann Arbor, Chaz came to comfort her on grief about her Grandma’s death. That’s a plus point for him because Luke doesn’t even bother to fly back and console her. Because of so many things that has happened between her and Chaz, she has decided to do the right thing. She loves him, and he loves her. But she can’t tell Luke about it. Although everyone else knows already, especially Late Grandma’s approving of their relationship. Even Chaz’s ex-girlfriend and her best friend, Shari knows all about their relationship. But what’s frankly worrying everybody is that Lizzie still doesn’t break up with Luke, although they said they had had a break when Luke went to France.

When Lizzie went back to work after her Grandma’s funeral, four days after, she’s so suprised to find out that the Henri’s have planned to sell the whole building and go back to Provence. Does this leaves her jobless again, nowhere to live, and having an unsuccessful career? Well, no of course. She talked about it first with Shari who made her upset by thinking she has already thought she told Luke of their break up. Then, it was Luke’s turn to call her and telling her to go to France and start her business there, but he told him she’ll still think about it as she sees Chaz approaching her in front of Vera Wang’s flagship store. And remembers Ava Geck once again and calls at her to begin her business offer with the Geck’s. So, Chaz went with her and with Ava’s suggestions, they had closed the deal with Ava’s dad, making affordable wedding gowns and other wedding dresses for bridesmaids and other wedding attendees.

After coming from the meeting with Ava’s dad that night, she’s surprised to find that the lights of her apartment were on, only to see Luke, which should be in France. He said he wanted to personally comfort her of her job loss (but has hasn’t come when her Grandma died, right?). Well, that night, Lizzie finally broke up with him. But he told her to keep the ring. Their break up has been so easy, and that made her suspecting. So when he called for Chaz to come right after Luke has left, Chaz has told her about Luke’s back stabbing her with some girls from his class. And as he told her this, and confirms when he calls Luke, she realized she doesn’t feel angry on him or anything. So that leaves her and Chaz freely together.

Lizzie has decided that she can maybe buy the Henri’s building and pay them within five years, and they agreed, saving her employees and having her own LiZzie Nichols Designs shop.

After six months, the story unfolds at Tiffany’s wedding with his boyfriend Raoul, even if she were four months pregnant at that time. When the wedding was done, Chaz shows Lizzie an envelope where a paper on What You Need To Know to Apply for a Marriage License is enclosed. They decided to marry at a later time which only the both of them knows, they’ll just tell the others when they ask. And for Luke, maybe after two years, according to Charles Pendergast the Third.

Reaction:

Wow. I finally get to read the third sequel of the Queen of Babble! The story got my mind really thinking hard. Was Lizzie really so bad on the Bad Girl Scale? Is Chaz really in love with her? Is it true that Luke is too good, too perfect to be the right guy for her? Well, i thought that things will work out between Lizzie and Luke but that’s the way Meg Cabot has written it. But i’m satisfied with the story because Lizzie was justified by the fact that Luke cheated on her. Well, that really sucks. And yet, Chaz is still there for her, although he didn’t tell Lizzie all Luke’s foul in the beginning, which is just other girls. He wanted Lizzie to realize that it is him whom she love, without any furthermore reason, not just because Luke cheated on her. In the end, it is revealed that Chaz doesn’t really hate the thought of marriage, it is just the wedding. And i’m happy for the both of them, really. And now, i wanted to get back what i have written about finding someone like Luke on my post on my review of Queen of Babble In The Big City. Ok, i’ll get it back. Ha ha. I wanted someone who’ll gonna give me beard burn just like what Lizzie got from Chaz… kidding! I want someone who will persevere to make me want to realize that his love for me is real and will show me and let me feel that i love him, too. How touching! Sweet. :-)

Book Review: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Characters:

John Tyree
Savannah Lynn Curtis

Plot:

She was a mountain girl, gifted and sweet, raised by attentive parents, with a desire to help those in need; he was a tattooed army grunt, hard around the edges, and largely a stranger to his own home.

They fell in love together almost only a week when he’s home for vacation when she met her at the beach. They confessed their love for each other when she brought him to see the house that they are building for the Hurricane victims. He brought her to special places to eat and walk at the beach while planning on how they’ll keep in touch in spite of the distance between them. When he took a vacation the next year, she introduced him to her parents and the time was so fast yet their days together are only few. They made love, had quarrel, and planned for marriage when he returns.

September 11 bombing had happened and he took another two-year service for the army. Exchange of letters between Savannah and him began to gradually skip a day or two. Neither did she mention how she feels about how she can’t see him because of the incident. When one day, he got a letter from her saying something about breaking up, and that’s how he got hurt so much. His dad got sick and that’s how he began to build friendship with him even though he knows that his father’s passion for coins were the only ones he can talk about well with him. When according to Savannah, his dad is suffering Asperger’s, routinely actions.That makes him feel almost well in spite of his condition. Six weeks after he returned to Germany, his father died. He returned for the funeral and decided to let the attorney sell the house.

He went to Lenoir, deciding to see Savannah again. He found a way to know where she now lives. It’s a ranch with title about “Hope and Horses”. He got to see her again, and she was suprised. He noticed that she now have a wedding ring, and knew that it was Tim, the guy way back before when he met her at the beach in Wilmington. He was a good guy. Maybe a lot better than him. But it was obvious that they still love each other. She asked him to go back the next day to meet her husband, and so he did. He just didn’t expected that he’ll meet him at the hospital. He was diagnosed for Melanoma, a poor guy. John knew that Tim love Savannah so much. That’s why he decided to sell the coin collection of his father to donate and help Tim in his diagnosis, but it has been anonymous to the couple.

As John, behind the darkness, watched Savannah outside the ranch, he saw her look at the full moon so intently like what they promised each other long ago. And that made him feel like they were together again.

Reaction:

This is another book by Nicholas Sparks that made me cry, the last song is the first one of course. I expected them to break up in the end because of what was said in the prologue. And i was proven right during the latter part of the story. It was just so realistic. Time is what was lacking in their relationship, although they keep in touch by writing each other. They haven’t seen each other for years, and so she finds comfort with her friend, who she’s also consoling for the loss of his parents. Tim’s character was not villainous and he played a very nice role in the story. He’s been kind to John when Savannah and John went out together during their days. But John knew that Tim has a special feeling for her even before. Well, all i can say is that she must have waited for him for he truly loves her. I mean, who on Earth will do that?, considering the distance and the war? Ok. It’s really a tearjerker and the story makes me want to read continuously up until the end, although most all of the time it was John who narrates the whole events of the scene. Is he for real? I wanna find someone like him, ok cliche.

I Love It! :-)