The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

I love this book so much. It makes the world so colorful. This book never promise that life is a bed of roses but it was written with so much love. Much things has happened and yet you still feel homely and you yearn for more. Nevertheless, it still has to end.

I have no words to describe how much this books makes me feel. 

*Hugs* everyone!!!

This is still my favourite movie of all time!

Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars

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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

You know you're in for a treat when you are reading a book that is based on a post-apocalyptic world. Many might think this would be another Dystopian worthy book which made many readers now cringe every time some of this words mentioned. In this case, it's not.

This is what most post-apocalyptic book should be. It was written so well that you know you're in the same world with a total disability on the basics of life after a pandemic flu outbreak and destroy most of mankind. To begin with, some might think that the end of everything is due to war but this book has brought us to a whole new paradigm on how mankind can be destroyed with just a simple deadly virus.

It was written with care on how humans will be like during moments such as this. Some of your close ones are stuck in some random parts of the world (ehem, my home country was mentioned) and the rest of the world would just siren a stand down and you are being set apart just like that.

How it was written very much reminds me of the TV series "The Walking Dead" which creeps the crap out of me. One has to go through the agony of finding whether are there survivors out there after many days of hiding in the room. The fundamental of survivor-hood during times likes this is it crucial? Everything now has been so taken care of that these basic knowledge of starting a fire is so essential to mankind. Mind you, there is no more electricity and internet. 

The world became so big once more where the main source of communication has been cut off! So much for Globalization. This book has been thumping into our heads, what would you do when you lost all of WHAT-YOU-THINK is basic to you now is no longer basic when you have no fire and clean water to begin with.

This is a great book and I just got to know that this book is already in the progress of turning into a movie. I would love to see how all of this turns out.

Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars

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The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Timothy Keller

I know of many who has heard Jesus's ever famous parable "The Prodigal Son". And I know of many who hasn't got the chance to hear about it too, which I think they might have a hint since many story's adaptation has minor hints of this parable. In my years of being a believer of Christ, this parable speaks to me in so many ways. It has so many dimensions that this can be a very good material for all people (especially Christians).

Only 7 chapters and this book is able to astound me by realizing how one parable is able to sum up the Bible as a whole. I never knew who was the original audience that Jesus was REALLY speaking to when it was being told.

Tim Keller started out by clarifying the definition of Prodigal:
1) Recklessly Extravagant
2) Having Spent Everything

Note this, this parable was a response to the grumbling Pharisees around him and Jesus starts the story by saying "There was a man who had two sons." Now, this is where the discussion starts.

Firstly, Timothy has laid down all the foundation of the Middle Eastern patriarchal practices when he further breakdown the story by explaining how inappropriate these two sons has shown towards their father. Secondly, this book shows us there were two types of sons who sins against the father. The "Younger Brother" is the one who has rebel but repented. The "Elder Brother" would be the one who refuses to forgive both the father & brother for what he thinks he should be the one getting rewarded.

Our society is divided into two cultures, as Keller points out. The culture of the "older brother" is the conventional moral conformist, commonly known for "stability" as well as striving to please authority figures. The "younger brother" culture lives by their own rules, walking a path of self-discovery. Every person gravitates to one of these two categories, and some combine the two. Both cultures proclaim, "If those people would follow our example, the world would be a better place." Our problem is that, no matter what side of the cultural divide we land on, we still play the role of the two lost sons, alienating ourselves from the Father by a self-centered focus on either keeping all the rules or breaking them all.

Overall, I love how this parable has executed for the greater good for the Christian community. Now I know why many are getting away from the Christian's faith. It is because of us who portrays so much like the "Elder Brother" that drives people away from God. Good read!

Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars

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Saga Series 12 - Chapter Twelve by Brian K. Vaughan

No way! No *effin* way!!! You can't just end it like that. It's illegal! This is an abomination to end such a fantastic build up. You can't possibly expect to me to be left hanging just like this. It's wrong! It's abusive to the readers!

The whole build up was fantastic. The dreams, the interrogation and the whole drama that was placed right in front of the readers face. Wait, am I assuming too much that Prince Robot IV is a little bi-curious? I literally saw his monitor flashing gay orgies with tons of penis in it. Is that why he's avoiding to go home?

This will be the end of Volume 02 in the series. So good!

Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars

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Saga Series 11 - Chapter Eleven by Brian K. Vaughan

Alright, I wanna get back from where I left off. And it looks like the first few pages was a little too R rated for my opinion. Nonetheless, it's part and puzzle of life and it was a flashback scene. So, just deal with it.

They were in the middle of a giant planet fetus type that was sucking them all into a giant mouth vault. Saving themselves is a current daunting task where this tree spaceship isn't their best option to speed up as expected. Compromising for everyone's safety, a life has been sacrificed and flashback memories of how important this person is has tone down the softer side of Marko and it was amazingly executed.

Still an amazing series!

Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars

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Bear, Otter, and the Kid 01 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid by T.J. Klune

Well, if you do not know by now, this is TJ Klune's book and it is part of a series. This is not my first book from this author and I think this is one of his best contemporary LGBT genre I've read so far. You would know whether the author has great writing skills, and this one does because he plays with my emotions while I'm reading it. Not fair! Anyway, he's the type of writer that draws you in real quick, and it is the very minute you start reading the first sentence, let's just say paragraph. I'm trying very hard not to sound over exaggerated here.

All of his characters were so well thought off and I can't seem to fathom how much I can relate to all of them -- especially the bonding of these 2 brothers, the Kid and Bear. The bonding between this 2 brothers were so strong that you know that nothing can ever tears them apart. Great moments of joy, sadness and laughter were portrayed so well when the siblings were having their assurance for one another on how much they love each no matter what ugly comes their way.

Love interest between Bear and Otter was not a smooth ride. The hiding, the struggles, the pain and the frustrations were all spelled out progressively instead of throwing it all into the readers face with just pure lust. The built up of their relationship was very well-paced rather than heading down the cheesy and lusty romance route where you can find it in practically most of the New Adults genre these days. Sexy scenes were in it but it's never the main spinal of the plot line. Thank God!

I'm not going to discuss about the plot because many who has read this book referenced it with the movie Shelter back in 2007. I've had my fair bit of curiosity on what the fuss is about. So, I've watched it and came to a conclusion that it was really closely adapted BUT the connection in the movie was not doing anything for me as an audience in as much as reading this book is concern. That movie is heavily on self-discovery and just romance based for each other; this book has family values written all over it with real love and support.

Many might think this is plagiarism between the movie and the book, but I think this ending has taken to a whole new level of anti-climatic journey which no readers were expecting that sort of turning point and it works really really well. How it ends was even a greater blow in which you, as readers, would want to know what is it for all of them in their next chapter. Such a good read!

Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Review Link

Book To Movie Review 06: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (2004)

Alright, here me out, I did not like this movie as much as the book. You know I know how much books adaptation movies are when it comes to details.

Dursleys
It has so many comedic elements in this portion of the book and I can't imagine is has taken a big portion out. It has so much elements on how the British scorns, despise and to abhor a person with so much hatred in their words and eyes. Harry has grown and how he manages to threatens Uncle Vernon is one way to see how much he can manage him instead of how they ill-treated him all the whole dang time!

Quidditch
Now, I was a little disappointed that the whole show, we only have 1 game. It has 3 games in the book and the house points will be gathered. In addition, there were moments of the book by introducing a so-called infatuation between Harry and Cho-Chang, which in turn to build it up in the for the 4th movie with a smoother transition.

Also, the Firebolt was given to him during the 2nd game in the book! However, the Firebolt was diverted to the end of the scene! Why!!?? I literally can't wait to see the jealous rage on Malfoy in this. Big disappointment!

House Points
In lieu with the Quidditch rant above, they literally have neglected the whole house points system in the movie like how the first one do. I know that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were truly celebrating for Gryffindor but I have never see how Slytherin always sulk in the movie version. Come on!

Sirius Black
Now this, I was anticipating a flashback shot for this. I was really yearning to see how much flashback they could spend on telling the backstory of Lily and James Potter with the rest of the marauder map's creators. This was largely a huge bit to further explore the identity of Harry Potter. It was only conveyed verbally in through conversations in the movie. Short conversations.

Don't get me wrong, this is how I feel what the movie has to offer. In the end, I like how the movie flows in a special way because no matter how, this is still a book-to-movie adaptation and I can foresee more to be taken off from the movie for the upcoming ones because the books are getting thicker and movie's duration can only be that few hours.

Ratings: 2.5 out of 5 stars