Review: The Children Act

The Children Act by Ian McEwan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I spent 6 months learning about Family Law to finish up with a 20-over pages of portfolio and it is so utterly impossible that Ian McEwan tackled the Law way better than I did (ok, I was't that good either). But truth be told, he did extremely well, not trying to pinpoint anything from an experienced, well-known, award-winning author from the other century. I guess it's sort of a habit to want to find if something was wrong whenever I read legal fiction. (thoughts)

"The music in her head had faded, but now came another old theme: self-blame."


The novel was written in a third-person perspective. Ian was a skilful and talented writer, I agree. It's his writings which made me so into the story. It feels like he was bringing us on a teleportation journey to Judge Fiona's life. Imagine Ian and the reader were "glamoured" invisible and stalking Judge Fiona. It was exactly how the story was told, very cinematic .

This piece of fiction was so well-written. The aspects of law were so clear and a part of me wish that if Ian were to write his version of all case judgments, I would be so pleased. His writings was a blessing. I couldn't stress more that I enjoy reading it. The writing style was a mixture of flashbacks and currents. It seems like a mess, yes but it's very interesting to read about the character's thoughts. It grabs your attention, as you try to figure out when's when. But that's how it goes in your head.

I would admit I like reading his way of case commentary, except it's from a judge's perspective. I like how he describe the process of summing up a judgment. The way he explained Gillick competent, child's welfare and how he summed up with a conclusion to overrule the child's wishes. It's so amazing! (I ran out of words.)

I could go on and on about how perfect this novel is but my review won't matter if you don't read it yourself. This is my first Ian McEwan's book and I have his Atonement on its way now. I'm so excited to explore all his works.

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Review: Memories

Memories by Lang Leav
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Before I fell
in love with words,
with setting skies
and singing birds-
it was you I fell
in love with first.


Lang Leav has a unique way of writing her poems. They need not rhymed or filled with figurative phrases. They're simple and realistic. They would see through your soul and break your heart, all over again. Read it with a cup of warm earl grey, by the window seat, preferably during the rainy days.

It was words that I fell for. In the end, it was words that broke my heart.


*Memories is a compilation of some of her new poems and some favourites from Love & Misadventure and Lullabies. My favourite poem so far is still "Patience".

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Dewey's 24hrs Readathon [TBR]

Yes, I've decided to sign up for Dewey's 24hrs Readathon in midst of my finals. (IKR?) Well, this readathon takes place on the 23rd April 2016 and every participants from all over the world would be starting at the same time. Since I'm located in Cardiff, I would be following the British Summer Time which starts at 1PM till 1PM of 24th April 2016. It's not a lot of time but I have studies to do while participating in this readathon, I'll just have to see what's gonna happen. 

Anyways, my TBR would be a simple one. I plan to finish up the rest of the novellas in Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare and many other co-authors. I'm currently at 'The Evil We Love' and would be starting my readathon from there.

TBR List

Starting point: 4% of The Evil We Love

Pale Kings and Princes

Bitter of Tongue

The Fiery Trial

Born to Endless Night

Angels Twice Descending

After I'm done (if I actually did finish) Tales From The Shadowhunter Academy, I can finally start Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices series)! But so far, the above is my TBR for Dewey's 24hrs readathon. 

Comment down below if you're joining this readathon and what do you plan on reading!

Summer 

Review: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An incredible, powerful and impactful middle-grade novel by John Boyne.

I love stories which are simple yet filled with hidden meanings and sarcastic metaphors. "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" is one of those stories. Bruno, a 9 years old boy, went home one day to find that his whole family was moving house. He didn't know where they were going but he knew that he was no longer in Berlin and he hated the condition of his new house. There isn't a summary fits for this novel as I encourage readers to dive into it without knowing what's going on. I'm sure you'll find your way.

You're reading from a mind of a 9 years old. I believe many things that he didn't understand, you would, unless you're a young boy as Bruno is. I like how the author use witty phrases like "the unforeseeable future", "Out of Bounds At All Time and No Exceptions" and describing her sister as "The Hopeless Case". It shows the author's sense of humour and also how a child portray something he doesn't fully understand in his mind. Bruno learned the way adults' talk, he mimicked the way adults talk.

"The thing about exploring is that you have to know whether the thing you've found is worth finding. Some things are just sitting there, minding their own business, waiting to be discovered. Like America. And other things are probably better off left alone. Like a dead mouse at the back of a cupboard." - simple, yet deep

The message the author trying to bring out regarding WW2 was impeccable. Bruno was an innocent bystander, who was caught up on the wrong side of the "fence". He couldn't and didn't understand "who decided which people wore the stripped pyjamas and which people wore the uniforms" . It was really hard to believe that some people were deemed wronged just because they were born as who they are.

The younger generation should be educated about the aftermath of the war, why it happened when it shouldn't. We shouldn't just blindly accepting knowledge (or whatever people tell you) and not further exploiting your thoughts. The conversation between Bruno and Gretel when Bruno asked about his sister about the fence stuck with me the most.

Gretel sighed and shook her head. 'With the other Jews, Bruno. Didn't you know that? That's why they have to be kept together. They can't mix with us.'
'Jews,' said Bruno, testing the word out. He quite like the way it sounded. 'Jews,' he repeated. 'All the people over that side of the fence are Jews.'
'Yes, that's right,' said Gretel.
...
'Well, why don't we like them?' he asked
'Because they're Jews,' said Gretel.

This novel was very intricate-ly crafted and packed with meaningful message about the Holocaust. The plot was well-written and the ending was 'a slap in the face'. I recommend it to anyone and certainly everyone.



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Review: Confess

Confess by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Contemplating between 4 and 5 stars.

Colleen Hoover almost never disappoints me until this book. I was slightly blown away for how bland is the ending. I believe she can do so much more for this book because I love the starting. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike this book but the ending has taken me aback. The complicates seem to be resolved pretty easily and not to mention, Owen seems too good to be true. Hey, nobody wants to read a real-life "fiction". :D

But but but. Man, I love the art aspect of this book. The confessions and art pieces totally blown me away. I love the flirtations between Owen and Auburn. They made me flutters and feels good all over again. Plus, the whole feels surrounding the book just blew me away even more. Don't you just like it when a book brings you to another world entirely and you don't wanna come back to reality? Okay, I may be exaggerating a little but the whole atmosphere about this book was almost indescribable. I love it so much. I feel that everything I said here doesn't do the book justice, so read it yourself.

I was so confident in giving it a 5 stars but half way through the book it blew off. But I still highly recommend this book.

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Review: The Martian

The Martian by Andy Weir
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After reading this, I know that science fiction ain't my thing. Most of the time, I couldn't imagine what the author was talking about. I was that bad in science, I even feel stupid saying out loud.

Well, this is for sure one hell of a ride book. I can't bring myself to read this book after putting it off so many times. The science terms and theories bored me, only Mark's wittiness kept me reading. I find myself drifting off whenever some theories are being explained (no matter how easy it seem).

I picked this book up hoping that I would shed some light on science fiction genre but I guess I would never go back there again. Nevertheless, it was an interesting read. The writings were supposingly easy to read but the science/space terms made it so complicating.

I would definitely pick this up again in the future when I'm more in mood to learn more.

For any space, astronomy geeks out there, this is a book for you.

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Review: Women Who Think Too Much: How To Break Free Of Overthinking And Reclaim Your Life

Women Who Think Too Much: How To Break Free Of Overthinking And Reclaim Your Life by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ignoring the overly sexist title, the tips provided by this book were pretty insightful. I hardly ever read any self-help books but I picked this up because of the problem I'm facing myself. It's embarrassing to admit but I think it's more important to find out the problem and face it than lying to yourself. Well, I could get a little over-sensitive sometimes and I prone to overthink (says in the title).

Coming back to the book, it wasn't an overly theory-fied book. The author provided stories along with her theories to make it more applicable and readable. I like that the author wrote would jot down her points in chart form at the end of the section, making refer-back more easier.

Well, since it's a self-help book, it wouldn't help if you didn't follow the guides or tips given. I would say some of the tips given were already tried by myself before I even found out this book. It's pretty legit. :)

Guess, this is not really a recommendation unless you're facing this problem or just wanting to expand your knowledge regarding "overthinking".

Summer

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