To Be Read, # 6

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley (won @The Secret Writer)

I only got two books this week.
But nonetheless very excited !
Both books has some meanings for me.

Forbidden was highly recommended (I emphasize "highly")
by my friends from Goodreads.
And Chocolate Wishes is the first book I've won from a contest ! ^^
I'll be reading these both very soon.

♥ Happy Reading Everyone ♥

Book Review - Homer's Odyssey

Author : Gwen Cooper

Paperback : 299 pages

ISBN : 0385343981

(ISBN 13 :9780385343985)

My Rating : ★★★☆☆

Book Description : The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken heart. Then Gwen's veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who'd been abandoned. It was love at first sight. 


Everyone warned that Homer would always be an "underachiever." But the kitten nobody believed in quickly grew into a three-pound dynamo with a giant heart who eagerly made friends with every human who crossed his path. Homer scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease, survived being trapped alone for days after 9/11 in an apartment near the World Trade Center, and even saved Gwen's life when he chased off an intruder who broke into their home in the middle of the night. But it was Homer's unswerving loyalty, his infinite capacity for love, and his joy in the face of all obstacles that transformed Gwen's life. And by the time she met the man she would marry, she realized that Homer had taught her the most  valuable lesson of all: Love isn't something you see with your eyes.


My Thoughts : I never read an animal based book before.
The reason why is the same as why I don't watch any animal based movies.
They're too damn emotional for me to handle.
But this book looked promising somehow, and I already fell in love with the book just by reading the short description on a website.

Unfortunately, this book had all the elements I don't like when reading a "memoire," I've only read one and that was enough to convince me that it was not my type of book. But I have to say it was just the last few chapters that I could've lived without reading and the rest was pretty fantastic.
If you are a fellow animal lover, I think it's hard not to fall in love with this cat.

It will be more easier for me to explain how I felt by sharing passages from this book.
So, here it goes.


Favorite Quotes and Phrases

It never occurred to me to meet the pet in question first, to see if he was "special" or whether there was some sort of unique bond between  us. My philosophy when it came to pets was much like that of having children: you got what you got, and you loved them unconditionally regardless of whatever their personalities or flaws turned out to be.

(I know this is long, but please take 5 minutes to read this one, you won't regret it.)
     The other thing I realized was that, while he seemed loving, he wasn't scared or desperate to be loved, the way you would expect a kitten-or even a person-who'd experienced nothing but pain, hunger, and fear to be. Nor was he hostile and defensive, a kitten who'd let a hard life stomp all the love right out of him. He was merely curious and affectionate. It was as if there was some innate source of courage within him, some inborn willingness to engage the world openly and joyfully, that even all the suffering and hardship he'd been through hadn't taken away from him.
     It was a staggering concept for me at the time. I had been dumped, forced to move out of my home, and was having financial problems-and I'd consequently developed an unfortunate tendency to approach life as if it were a grim struggle, to allow self-pity to consume me whenever I lost some of those struggles.
     But there were this cat, whose ordeals made my own worst days seem like a week at Disney World, and his attitude upon meeting me appeared to be, Hi! You seem goodhearted and fun. Don't you find that people generally are goodhearted and fun? 
     It probably sounds like I'm about to contradict what I said earlier, that I ended up adopting Homer because I thought there was something special about him. It wasn't that, though. Not exactly.
     What happened was that I caught a glimpse of something I desperately needed to believe in at that point in my life. I wanted to believe there could be something within you that was so essential and so courageous that nothing-no boyfriend, no employer, no trauma-could tarnish or rob you of it. And if you had that unbreakable core, not only would it always be yours, but even in your darkest moments others would see it in you, and help you out before the worst came to the absolute worst.
     Or, as my grandmother used to put it, "God helps those who help themselves." If I recognized all that within this kitten now, and took him home because of it, then I would be proving my own theory right.
     So I didn't adopt Homer because he was cute and little and sweet, or because he was helpless and he needed me. I adopted him because when you think you see something so fundamentally worthwhile in someone else, you don't look for the reasons-like bad timing or a negative bank balance-that might keep it our of your life. You commit to being strong enough to build your life around it, no matter what.
     In doing so, you begin to become the thing you admire.

A friend once asked me why it was that stories about animals and their heroism-a cat that pulls her kitten from a burning building, say, or a dog that walks across fifty miles of Iraqi desert to reunite with the soldier who fed him-are so compelling.
I didn't have an immediate answer, beyond observing that I also loved those stories. A few days later, though, it occurred to me that we love them because they're the closest thing we have to material evidence of an objective moral order-or, to put it another way, they're the closest thing we have to proof of the existence of God. They seem to prove that the things that matter to and move us the most-things like love, courage, loyalty, altruism-aren't just ideas we made up from nothing. To see them demonstrated in other animals proves they're real things, that they exist in the world independently of what humans invent and tell each other in the form of myth or fable.

Book Review - Spirit Bound

Author : Richelle Mead

Series : Vampire Academy, # 5

Hardcover : 489 pages

ISBN : 1595142509

(ISBN 13 : 9781595142504)

My Rating : ★★★★☆

Book Description : Rose's life will never be her own. 
She has been outrunning death ever since the accident that forever bonded her to her best friend, Lissa - whom she's sworn to protect no matter what.
But with Dimitri stalking her, Rose can only run so far. (from Hardcover edition)




My Thoughts : Well, my thoughts on this one is hard to explain...
Although, there's still no doubt that this is one of the few favorite series I claim it has to be read, this fifth installment was a bit hurried.

Maybe it's because I've grown a little too tired of "Vampires," but still the last and the sixth book is coming out this December and I though, I could wait for two months until that time comes. And to be honest, I think I can actually wait, without making myself think too much about Dimitry, Rose, and Adrian.

First of all, I'd like to say that this book still deserves all the fuss and support from medias and admirers. It took longer than I expected to read half the book but once I was there, there was no stopping me from finishing this book at 4 am.

Okay, so we all knew that Dimitry had to somehow re-become a dhampir.
I mean there is no way that the author has gone through all this if it wouldn't occur.
What I had not expected was the time when it was going to happen.
I thought that this, Dimitry's transformation and salvation was going to be the finale on the last book. But no, it happened so fast and sudden it didn't even feel like it was a big deal.
And the part where Lissa learns to stake a strigoi was pretty awesome which is why I'd like to have read about it more.
All this happened within a few chapters and I thought it progressed in a super speed.
Dimitry's behavior, while understandable, was disturbing for me.
Clearly I am not happy about this.

But all in all, I am more than intrigued with what the story the sixth and the last book of the Vampire Academy series will bring. Aren't you ?? 

Friday's Breathtaking Covers # 2 - The Tear Collector

I thought this cover is quite beautiful. 

Not only because of the "boy," but also it's in sync with the title.

If this book were to be on a book shelf, in a book store, 

I would definitely pick it up and look through the description.

I was surprised to find out what this book was about. 

And to be honest, a little weirded out. 

I guess you have to read for yourself to decide. 

Check out The Tear Collector on Goodreads

My Top 7 - Fictional Love Triangle

Life is full of "triangles."
But there is nothing more than a love triangle that attracts my attention.
There is something sinful and amusing about it.
And I'm always curious about who is going to "win."
Here are my top 7 most memorable and complicated love triangle list. Enjoy ! ^^



1. Mrs. Robinson / Elaine Robinson / Ben Braddock from The Graduate

I first saw this movie when I was in high school with my dad.
Apparently he thought I might enjoy it.
But to this day, it's kinda unnerving...
I mean how is it possible for a woman to run away with a man who slept with her mother?
Albeit she might be in love but COME ON ! how can you live with that?
This movie, for me became what first comes to mind when thinking of love triangle.
And a quite disgusting one at that.



2. Rafe / Danny / Nurse Evelyn from Pearl Harbor

One of the saddest love triangle ever !
I was really upset how nurse Evelyn found her next love in the comfort her former boyfriend's best friend ! Well, I guess it happens more often than we think.
But it was tragic with the death and the baby and all...
Most importantly, I was so moved by the friendship of Rafe and Danny.



3. Julianne / Kimberly(Kim) / Michael from My Best Friend's Wedding

This is something that happened to me.
Not to the extreme of breaking a marriage but it relates to the "if I can't have it you can't either" or "is it just me, or has he gotten hotter now that we're broken up?" thoughts.
Julianne's actions were so desperate it kinda was sad.
I think I'd also feel betrayed when my best friend who claimed to love me since I can remember, suddenly introduced me to the woman he was going to marry.
Ahhhhh, the drama.



4. Kathryn / Annette / Sebastian from Cruel Intentions

I enjoyed this movie so much !
And I actually was cheering for Kathryn / Sebastian couple.
They were both twisted and mean, I thought they deserved each other.
I also secretly hoped that they were in "love," and not just screwing around.
Of course, that wouldn't have been a love triangle now would it !



5. Stefan / Damon / Elena from Vampire Diaries

There so many awesome pictures to choose from !!!

I've read the first book of Vampire Diaries and gave up on it.
It was a terrible book. To be honest, I can't even remember what it was that made me stop. But I know it was just weird.
But the TV show is a different matter.
I would drool all day just looking at these pictures.
This is somehow more tempting because it's between two brothers !!
I don't know about you, but I would't hold it against Elena if she chose to love both. *sigh*



6. Mark / Daniel / Bridget from Bridget Jones's Diary

This is my favorite holiday movie, along with "Love Actually" and "The Holiday."

I mean, I still feel giddy whenever I think about Mark Darcy.
There was no question that Bridget had to choose Mark over Daniel but like most insecure women, Bridget makes herself look ridiculous in front the man she loves.
But in the most sweetest ways. ^^
Besides, don't they look cute together? they actually look.... normal !



7. Ally / Billy / Georgia from Ally McBeal

This is yet another love triangle that I find absolutely disturbing.

The fact that Billy was still in love with Ally while married to Georgia.
He dies of a sudden heart attack in the middle of the series.
Ally being the last person he talks to, and he whispers that he loves her.
What is that? What about his wife?
You'll have to see the series to understand but I thought it was... weird.
Nonetheless one of my favorite series ever !!!


Extra Thoughts
I know that a lot of people would first think of Edward / Jacob / Bella.
I personally didn't think there were any wiggle room for Jacob to come between Edward and Bella. And I hated the thought of Jacob imprinting on Edward and Bella's daughter.
So, to avoid obvious, I have decided to exclude them. ^^



What is your favorite love triangle?