Hooked On Bookz

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Title:  The Great Believers   Author:  Rebecca Makkai My verdict:  3.5 stars In a nutshell: The Great Believers was set in two places – Chicago and Paris, portraying a group of gay friends, mainly focussing on Yale (whom I love and could relate to when he spoke of his childhood) living through the AIDS epidemic in Chicago in the 80's; and Fiona in search of her daughter, Claire, in Paris year 2015. These stories moved back and forth throughout the book. What I liked: I cried myself to sleep the night I finished The Great Believers. It's a story of loss, love and redemption. I was especially drawn to the story that shed light on the challenges of American gay men living with AIDS in the late 80's and early 90's, and how ignorance had caused thousands of lives.  I felt their heartbreaks and devastating loss of their loved ones and their own lives to AIDS, especially Fiona. She gave, and gave, and gave, and lost. And the ending was a tear jer...

Title: Circe Author: Madeline Miller My verdict: 5 stars  Highly recommended! (Only if you're interested in Greek mythology!) In a nutshell: (Amazon) In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted...

Title:  The Master & Margarita Author:  Mikhail Bulgakov My verdict:   5 stars Highly recommended! In a nutshell:   This classic was written during Stalin's regime and was banned until many years after Bulgakov's death. The Master and Margarita (TMM) alternates between 2 settings - Moscow in the 1930's and Jerusalem; and it's divided to 2 parts. Woland (Satan) and his motley crew of 4 (Koroviev, Behemoth, Azazello, Hella) appeared on earth (in this case, in Russia), and brought people whom, in his eyes, have sinned, to justice by punishing them, some to death (in the most gruesome way one could imagine.. *cue intensifying sound effect!), and at the same time gave peace to two lovers - the Master and Margarita. And Margarita, knowing Woland is Satan, worshipped him, for he brought the master back to her and reunited them. This novel also brings us back to 2000 years ago, in Yershalaim (Jerusalem), where and when Yeshua Ha-Notsri (Jesus) was cr...

Title:  There There Author:  Tommy Orange My verdict:   5 stars Highly recommended! In a nutshell:   12 Urban Indians. 1 big event. 1 robbery gone wrong. Set in Oakland, California, the story revolves around the 12 individuals and how they and their families have been treated by America throughout the years; how it affects and have affected them. These 12 characters are to meet at an upcoming big event - the Big Oakland Powwow. That one event, meant to bring Indians of all walks of life together, ironically shattered their lives and those around them. Was it a good read? Yes. I'd describe it in 3 words: Real, raw, powerful.  The story starts off with a prologue, (which is one of my favorite parts, the interlude is the other) telling us  about the Indian Head that was used as a test pattern on TV in the 1970s to all American TVs everywhere after all the shows ran out . There are some parts which are very graphic. So, be prepar...

HAPPY 21st, MALALA! You're only 21, yet your achievements and accolades can fill a whole phone book! Thank you so much for all that you do especially education for women and young children. What you did and are still doing is an inspiration for us all. Thank you for your bravery, your courage, your intelligence and your will to pursue your beliefs and dreams. Thank you for showing us that " One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world. " You let your actions speak louder than words.  The books in the picture: Most of us would or might have already own a copy of 'I Am Malala'. So, I'm just going to briefly summarize the book behind it, "Malala's Magic Pencil". It is Malala's first picture book and is targeted towards young readers. It is basically a much simpler version of her life in Pakistan and what inspired her to do what she does today and to be who she is today.  It is about how she wished for...

Ok. I’m back! Again :P (Sorry been caught up with motherhood..) Title: An American Marriage  Author: Tayari Jones My verdict: 4 stars Highly recommended! Synopsis (From the book cover): Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. HE is a young business executive and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are suddenly ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined when, while visiting Roy’s parents in their small Louisiana town, Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years in prison for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself lost, taking comfort in ANdre, her childhood friend and Roy’s best man at their wedding. When after 5 years, Roy’s conviction is overturned and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together, Celestial is faced a soul-wrenching deci...

My verdict: 3.5 Glennon blogs on   momastery.com   and her brutally honest accounts of her life brought her popularity, then of course, a book deal. Glennon doesn't give two hoots about what others think. She isn't afraid to tell the world she was an alcoholic, a drug addict and a bulimic. And when she finally got rid of all those toxins in her life and embraced her new-found self, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease. At one point in her life she even got an abortion. Then she decided to adopt but her adoption plan fell through due to her background. So she adopted a highway instead (Yup!). She also wrote of friends, family and strangers who came to her aid when she needed it and/or supported her decisions, impetuous or not. She's very fortunate to be surrounded by people who love her as she is. What makes her stories stand out, to me, is definitely her honesty, almost too honest to be true sometimes. And the fact that she bares her ugly, crazy,...

Title: Flight: A Novel  Author: Sherman Alexie ASIN: B00FEZ25IQ  My verdict: 5 stars Highly recommended! Ever wondered what's it like to really walk in the shoes of others? In this book, Zits (an angry, lonely, 15 year-old half Native American, half Irish orphan), did. Influenced by his new-found friend, whose name is, coincidentally, JusTice, Zits set out to rob a bank, with the intention to hurt and kill, to pay back for all the pain and disappointment the society put him through. This incident literally changed his life.  As soon as he pulled the trigger at the bank, he went on an unexpected time-traveling journey. He walked in the shoes of an FBI agent during the civil rights movement, a mute Indian boy during the Battle of Little Bighorn, an Indian tracker, an airplane pilot.  This journey, while baffled him at times, also allowed him to find himself; to see  and experience the love and kindness, hate and anger, and the choices mad...

Title: The Phantom Tollbooth Author/Illustrator: Norton Juster/Jules Feiffer ISBN: 978-0-375-86903-7 In a nutshell The Phantom Tollbooth is about a boy who was bored with life. 'When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in. On the way he thought about coming home, and coming home he thought about going.' Everything, to 10-year-old Milo was dull and 'a waste of time' as he 'can't see the point in learning to solve useless problems, or subtracting turnips from turnips, or knowing where Ethiopia is or how to spell February,' until one day he noticed something peculiar in his room - an enormous package, the biggest he had ever seen, and on it a bright-blue envelope that said "FOR MILO, WHO HAS PLENTY OF TIME." It was a purple turnpike tollbooth - the start to Milo's amusing, eye-opening, life-changing adventures. With a destination he picked from the map he was given and the electric automobile from hi...

Title/Author:    The Complete Persepolis/Marjane Satrapi Publisher:  Pantheon   Pages: 341 ISBN: 978-0-375-71483-2   My verdict: 4/5 In a nutshell Persepolis (Persia in Greek) is about the author's life growing up as a child in Iran in the 1970s. Her memoir started from the time when she was 10, living and surviving a troubling time in her country. The Islamic Revolution took place and all females were required to wear veils, a far cry from what she was used to, being educated at a French non-religious school, which was later divided into schools for boys and girls. Jewelry weren't allowed, women must be covered from head to toe, no Western music and so forth.  Being the only child of outspoken revolutionaries, strict rules like these don't sit well with Marjane. Her rebellious and outspoken nature always put her in danger. She was then sent to live in Austria, hoping there, she could live freely. As it turned out, living there had its humps and bumps...

Yep! I am back after a lengthy hiatus! Haha! So here's my first 2014 review :) My verdict: 4/5 In a nutshell: This story revolves around the lives of two friends, Lily and Snow Flower, brought together by a matchmaker with a selfish intention. Their friendship, a very unique one in fact, is called Lao tong (same olds), was bound by a contract, which then bloomed into love. Their matchmaker believed that they're perfect for each other because all their BaZi (8 characters) matched. Thus begun a friendship strengthened by messages written in paper fans, in a secret language called nu shu, a unique writing that Chinese women created to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men.  What I enjoyed: Lisa See had all the elements of a good read in this book. Its main characters were true to themselves, materials were well researched and its plot was a page-turner. I didn't have a favorite character but Lily, the narrator, stood out to me. She was a believ...

I've reviewed this book before about 2 years ago. Click here for it. This time round, I'm adding an activity to complete the entire reading/literacy session which I did with a new group of children age 4 - 6 years old. Read-aloud: Identify the rhyming words with the children, while going back and forth to help them remember what Freddie wished for and what Bessie Belle conjured up for him instead. It is also to get them into the flow of rhyming. Activity: Create your own post-reading activity. I just did a simple one by asking them again what Freddie wished for; why the fairy kept getting it wrong; what were the 3 rules for Freddie - is it important for us to do that too? and so forth. Art & literacy: Think of something you'd like to wish for when you see Bessie Belle and what she might conjure up if you didn't say it properly. Draw. Some interesting ones my kids came up with: 1) School - Tool 2) Baby shark - Mark on his face 3) Toy - toys...

Title/Author:    Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons / Eric Litwin (writer), James Dean (illustrator) Publisher: Harper Pages: 40 pages ISBN: 978-0-06-211058-9 Ages: 4 - 7 In a nutshell Pete the Cat wore his bright yellow new shirt which had four totally colorful, groovy buttons. But it fell off one by one! However, that didn't bother Pete at all. He said, buttons come buttons go, and kept on singing his song, until he was left with one last button - his belly button! :) What I liked EVERYTHING! It's such a simple, straight-forward story, yet my kids (4-5 year olds) in school enjoyed it immensely! They not only loved the story but also the bright, beautiful illustrations. I was quite surprised they loved the book. I guess that's how all children's books should be written - clear storyline, straight-forward & simple; basically KISS - (my definition: Keep It Simple & Straight-Forward) How I read/presented it 1) Get the children interested in ...

Title/Author:  The Devil in The White City Publisher:  Vintage Books Pages:  447 ISBN:  0-375-72560-1 In a nutshell Firstly, this is non-fiction. I bought thinking it was fiction! Silly me. Anyway, Larson combined tales of two very passionate men, who toiled (one of them, very surreptitiously) to achieve their ambitions, but both have one objective - to create history. Burnham was the architect behind the legendary 1893 World's Fair, while Holmes was the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. In the opening pages, you'll be introduced to them through their words. "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." - Daniel Burnham, Director of Works World's Columbian Exposition, 1893 "I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing." - Dr. H. H. Holmes, Confession, 1896 Thus began the story...