Tag: book review

green leaf on pile of books

Book Review: The Sun and Her Flowers

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I love Rupi Kaur for her relatable, digestible, eye-opening poetry. I enjoyed her first book Milk and Honey, so of course, I grabbed the first chance I could with the second one. Themes ranging from love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity, migration, revolution The sun and her flowers is a collection of poetry about grief, self-abandonment, honoring one’s roots, love and empowering oneself. It is split into five chapters wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming.

I was attracted to her minimalistically designed books at Barnes and Nobles. I realized quickly that it’s not the standard poetry that I read in school. It is a very easy read. Some poems I immediately related to, and appreciated. Others, I did not, and found the emotionally and sexually charged read to be awkward to read.

Favorite quotes

.they leave

.and act like it never happened

.they come back

. And act like they never left

– ghosts

.why is it

.that when the story ends

.we begin to feel all of it

.I notice everything I do not have

.and decide it is beautiful

.a lot of times

.we are angry at other people

.for not doing what

.we should have done ourselves

– responsibility

.we have been dying

.since we got here

.and forgot to enjoy the view

– live fully

.when it came to listening

.my mother taught me silence

.if you are drowning their voice with yours

.how will you hear them she asked

.when it came to speaking

.she said do it with commitment

.every word you say

.is your own responsibility

.when it came to being

.she said be tender and tough at once

.you need to be vulnerable to live fully

.but rough enough to survive it all

.when it came to choose

.she asked me to be thankful

.for the choices I had that

.she never had the privilege of making

.leaving her country was not easy for my mother

.I still catch her searching for it

.in foreign films

.and the international food aisle

.what if

.there isn’t enough time

.to give her what she deserves

.do you think

.if I begged the sky hard enough

.my mother’s soul would

.return to me as my daughter

.so I can give her

.the comfort she gave me

.my whole life

.I want to go back in time and sit beside her

.Document her in a home movie so my eyes can spend the rest of their lives witnessing a miracle

.The one whose life I never think of before mine

.I want to know she laughed about with friends

.In the village within houses of mud and brick

.Surrounded by acres of mustard plant and sugarcane

.I want to sit with the teenage version of my mother

.Ask about her dreams

.Become her pleated braid

.The black kohl caressing her eyelids

.The flour neatly packed into her fingertips

.A page in her schoolbooks

.Even to be a single thread of her cotton dress would be the greatest gift.

– to witness a miracle.

.To hate is an easy lazy thing

.But to love takes strength

.Everyone has

.But not all are willing to practice

This book made me thankful for all the phases of life, and a great reminder that the growth is not a linear path. Some days are harder than others, but one pushes through.

Thoughts on Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Winta14 Comments

I’ve never been a huge fan of self-help books.

My siblings and I come from a small town, population: 3,500. We only recently opened a super-Walmart (which is still kind of small).

We don’t get to see the big city often, but when we do, our favorite thing to do is go to Barnes & Noble.

No, really. We love it there.

It’s crazy how excited we get come the day we get to go. It is, in fact, the only thing we do in Atlanta. And we go there just to read all day long! We would yearn for the weekend to come just so that we can spend an entire day sitting under the store’s tree nook and read.

This time, I chose to read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I’ve heard of  this title through various lists of books one should read during their life, and it seemed short, so why not?

The book captivated me.

It was a perfect dose of fantasy and reality. It asked questions that I’ve been asking myself, such as: What was I meant to do with life? What if I just wanted to enjoy life versus working the life expected of me? 

But it didn’t write the book in the typical tell-you-facts kind of book. There were adventures, adversities, and realizations.

Published in 1988, in Brazil, The Alchemist started out modestly. Copies of the books were sold through word of mouth, but exponentially grew as Coelho had appealed to an American publisher to translate and sell it in the United States. Then, everybody was reading it. 

The Alchemist tells a fictional story of an Arab “boy” (as he is referred as throughout the whole book) who has a recurring dream and the tug of fate to pursue it. He is discouraged by many obstacles, but always has guidance “omens” to pursue what his legacy is. Along the way, he learns to read the signs of the world, understanding how everything in the world is connected. As he reaches the “X” where his treasure is supposed to be located, he finds out that it was buried alllll the way back where he started.

It wasn’t a life changer like The Four Agreements, but I was hooked and finished it within 3 days. The short 200 page book (100 if you read on the phone) had given me a lot of thinking on my current life phase.

The book highlights his resilience, quick wit, weakness, bravery, compassion, logic, ambition, sorrows, and regrets. The boy is so human. 

Yet, there were magical elements, which reminds me of all the fantasy books I used to obsess over.

Time and again, I found myself rooting for the boy, wondering what happens next, as if it were happening to me. I want him to reach his treasure, as I yearn to reach mine- whatever that may be.

I related to the book on a personal level, because I felt it throughout my life.

There is an impression that seems like the book has an overdone cheesy, silly, time-wasting story of you-can-do-anything-you-put-your-heart-to kind of attitude. I don’t believe that the book is meant to be taken seriously by any means.

There were many important lessons I enjoyed through the book, such as:

The book highlights the boy’s resilience, quick wit, weakness, bravery, compassion, logic, ambition, sorrows, and regrets. The boy is so human. Yet, there were magical elements, which reminds me of all the fantasy book I used to obsess over.

If you want something bad enough, the universe will conspire to help you

If one wants something to happen, they have to go after it like crazy. I find that when I search for things, there are always ways to make it happen. Sometimes it comes from a different place than expected, but the signs are all there.

Awareness of the disconnect between people and the surroundings

People don’t listen to the signs in nature. The book also teaches us that all things are connected. The life and energy of every living being can affect all others around it.

Nothing is insignificant, knowledge and sincere, hard work will pay off on the long run

In this part of the book, the boy had gotten all of his life savings taken by a thief. He is left with nothing in a strange land where he begins working at a jewelry store. Slowly he helped the shop-owner expand his business over the months. The business amazingly takes off.

The book spoke out to my naive self, that dreams will eventually come true, if you keep pursuing it and not lose sight of your treasure.

Thanks for stopping by! Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? Do you know of similar books that is similar to this and can recommend? Thanks!IMG_0281

Review: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Winta12 Comments

Hi, everyone!! Today, I’d like to share one of the best books I’ve read this year. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is essentially a book of conducts that can transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, happiness, and love. It eliminates needless suffering and self destructive thoughts through simple agreements. With only a little over 100 pages, this book is packed with deep revelations and logical reasoning.

I should first mention that I’m not a huge fan of self-help books. I’ve always felt that reading it meant that I needed help and I have to follow what some author decided was best. Of course, my views has changed over the years. This book, in particular, has changed my entire perspective and way of life in the most fundamental ways.

I first heard of The Four Agreements from Cuong about two years ago. The book had seemed interesting, and I added it to my to-read list. I encountered it again when we visited in a perma-culture farm in El Salvador where a group people lived by the principles of this book. It wasn’t until recently that I had the chance to read it.

The book is based on the philosophy of the Toltec, an ancient tribe of men and women with immense knowledge. According to Ruiz, humans have domesticated to believe everything they have been told. Because each core belief, or agreement, reflects whoever passes on that agreement and may have a detrimental effect in your lifetime.

Check out The Four Agreements on Amazon here!

What are these four magical agreements?

Be impeccable with your word.  Stresses the importance of the words you use, and how it affects on you and others. I believe this is the most important agreement of them all. We should never make empty promises, say things we don’t mean, or gossip about others. There is no use for them, as it decreases our own credibility and hurt other people.

Don’t take anything personally. Too often, we’ve let ourselves get hurt by people’s word and actions. We become depressed or take revenge. We become belligerent or passive aggressive towards people. If we keep a clear head by not taking anything personally, then we will be able to learn much more from life.

Don’t make assumptions. Like it or not, our assumptions causes a lot of misunderstanding and fights. Assumptions cause disappointments, hurt, and unfair expectations. It stresses the importance of transparency in communication.

Always do your best. Ruiz acknowledges that some days aren’t good as others, and that’s okay. However, one must always put their honest hardest efforts into the work they do so that they don’t regret it later on. As long as we all are able to stand behind the work that we do, then there is nothing to be upset about.

The Four Agreement, written in 2005, was supposed to be a standalone book, containing all the agreements needed to master ourselves. It has been quite successful and well-liked by many readers. In 2010, Ruiz wrote another book, The Fifth Agreement, which is basically a summary of the first book with some added sugar, which I thought was kind of a strategy to milk the money. But since I haven’t read it, I can’t say much.

As with many self-improvement books, the chapters in The Four Agreements felt somewhat redundant. Regardless, the message passed on by Ruiz is powerful and worth reading. I finished the book in a couple of days and have been improving my way of life since. It taught me the core foundations it takes to be a happy individual. Ever since reading it, I’ve become more conscious about not partaking in gossip. I’ve also become a more impeccable speaker, saying only things that I mean and keeping to my word.

Each chapter is built upon the previous one, The Four Agreements guides us towards true realization of how important it is to follow these. It’s amazing how ancient Toltec philosophy remains relevant with today world. Sometimes the most elegant solution to a problem is the simplest one. I enjoyed reading Ruiz’s take on self-improvement, and will make an agreement with myself to re-read this book again in the future.

A Response to Daily Prompt: Better

Thanks for reading!!! I’m always searching for book recommendations. Have you read this book/similar books? Please leave your thoughts in comments or shoot me an email! <3

Review: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

“Are you happy with your life?”
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

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Book: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had made a different decision? If you went back and took the road not traveled? Atomic physicist professor Jason Dessen did. On his way to buy ice cream one evening, Jason is abducted and drugged, and wakes up to find himself in a version of Chicago that isn’t his own: he’s not married, he has no child, and he now appears to be an award-winning quantum physicist. Jason journeys through various nightmares to find his way home, or is it his home anymore?

Prices as low as $4.88 on Amazon!

I recently discovered this book at our local library’s recommendation list. We’ve been searching for a book to read together, and the book’s cover and name had hooked my attention. I’ve always loved fantasy/sci-fi fiction books and it’s been awhile since my last Michael Crichton book. I thought I might try something new.

Read it for:

  • Mind-blowing, epic and nerve-wracking journey with a scientist through different universes. Due to the intensity of the events, I stopped reading halfway through the first chapter. I know, weak, but the beginning was rough. When I finally regained my courage to continue, I was hardly able put the book down. Crouch’s prompt and no-nonsense narration of the sequence of events keeps me at the edge of my seat (or more literally, bed).
  • The deep themes of regret. The million of times I spent wondering what would have happened. Dr. Dessen sees both his lives first hand, and has to decide what’s best. The big looming question in the book is something that I’ve fretted countless of hours over before. Do I choose a path that will lead me to success or a path that takes me to true love? These are tough questions and helps me redefine my own views. And if you’ve somehow had a perfect past without regret, there are themes of loss, selfishness, love, fear, and trust in it for you too. I feel the pain that he feels, I experienced his grief, longing, hunger, cold, anger. Where does that leave me? I started to get existential on this roller-coaster ride of emotions.
  • The possibility of something impossible. It was surprisingly easy to follow the physics to it. There were abundant amounts of WHOA, whaaa-?, and aha! moments in this book as I trail behind Dr. Dessen’s series of unlikely events. Picture an alternate you in another universe is dead or that the world is apocalyptic. No one can possibly know what happens. It’s a beautiful mash of Star Trek, Fringe, Doctor Who, and Inception.

Not so fond of: 

  • There’s not a huge character development across the board. It mainly focuses on Dessen, his thoughts, and his discoveries. Side characters could be more dynamic.
  • The big nerdy science theories and excitement aside, the fast paced and action-oriented book seems as if it’s written to become a movie. Sure enough, Crouch already has plans with Sony to get it on the big screen. Regardless, the final chapters of the book made it completely worth it. Read the book. Then watch the movie, because it will be epic.

Overall

The concept of the book is excellent, I was hooked from beginning ’till end. Despite the thriller movie vibe to it, the mind-boggling ending is worth the read. <3