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“The Song of Achilles” – Madeline Miller
Book title: The Song of Achilles Author: Madeline Miller Comment: I just love how the tale of Achilles and Patroclus is presented and immortalized in this book. It’s just so touching… There is FOREVER rin pala! Yes, there is true love; they can be found mostly in books and in movies. In this tale, Achilles and Patroclus manifest a rare and true loving relationship. An eternal kind of love that even death failed to separate them. Is it humanly possible? Unfortunately, no. It’s Mythology. xxx
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FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley
FRANKENSTEIN or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley is a novel published in 1818 that presents a menacing ambition as portrayed by Victor Frankenstein. It is a great book that got me hooked to the end. It is actually not that horrific or monstrous as usually portrayed in movie adaptations, and I did not realize the profundity of this book until I read it. It presents the wonderful qualities and the good side of being human. At the same time, it shows the danger and horror of having an unquenchable greed. Watch it out!
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“Atonement” by Ian McEwan
ATONEMENT by IAN McEWAN is the type of book which gives me a hard time understanding and getting myself into it at the start. For me, it was not at all a ‘light read’ book compared to those that I previously read. But I was glad I persevered as I was finally able to grasp the story at the end of the book, I realised that I actually enjoyed it. In retrospect, the story is cleverly written and certainly presents something to ponder upon. Thank you.
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My admiration for “Jane Eyre” a novel by Charlotte Brontë
Jane Eyre, a novel written by Charlotte Brontë. I must confess I utterly fell in love not only with the leading character but all the more with the author herself. Charlotte has written a novel that would become one of the most famous romance novels of all time. Although I have seen movie adaptations of Jane Eyre, I did not fully realize then how beautifully the novel was composed until I read it in its entirety with the convenience of my prized Kindle. I do possess copies of the books one of which I personally purchased at a gift shop in their former home in the village of Haworth, West…
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Jane Austen – My favorite author
I have been an avid Jane Austen fan since the day I read her second book PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and watched the different versions in the movies. My favourite is the one made in 2005 played by Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. The other famous version which is considered as the most faithful adaptation of the novel is the BBC TV Mini-Series with Jennifer Ehle, alongside my personal favorite actor – Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. It maybe is too much but I have seen the movies several times and I even tried to memorise its significant lines as I encountered from the…
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A TASTE OF THE BIG APPLE – NEW YORK
“Start spreading the news I am leaving today I want to be a part of it. New York, New York…” This timeless song “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra kept ringing in my head while on the train from my chosen hostel in Central Park area. It was the beginning of my American exploration that started in New York. The very first thing I did was to go to Times Square which is the heart of the city to collect The New York Pass that I purchased days before my flight from Dubai. I decided to collect it at the Big Bus Information Desk at Madame Tussauds and had…
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An Insightful Travel Experience – Nepal
Before I started my own travels, I had been reading the articles found on https://www.hillmanwonders.com. I was fascinated by the insights Howard Hillman put into words about his passion for travelling and at the same time creating interesting and helpful tips for other would-be travellers. I wish I could travel as much as he accomplished and could document not only the famous places but also the weird and wonderful sites that I would encounter on my journeys. His website became my benchmark that I would gladly cross out the relevant places as soon as I was back from travelling. Given the ways and means, I would definitely visit all of…
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My Book’s First Review
I would like to, once again, say special thanks to Jan Schwetzingen who posted his insightful review about my book entitled INSPIRED TO TRAVEL, TRAVEL TO INSPIRE – A TRAVEL MEMOIR. He is the first person to completely read my book and post his review after it was published on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com websites. To all those others who have kindly got a copy of my book, I would also love to receive your honest comments about it. For your information, I share with you below Jan’s appraisal: “My review on Amazon: This is not your ordinary travel guide. What you will find in your hands is an essay…
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Searching for the Lighthouse of Alexandria
It’s been a month now since my book INSPIRED TO TRAVEL; TRAVEL TO INSPIRE – A TRAVEL MEMOIR was published and made available online via Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. I am pleased with the current interest especially to hear comments and suggestions from those who got their copies and have already read the book. One of my friends was so pleased that I had included Egypt as she is interested to visit the country and is considering traveling probably by the end of this summer. Like most of the questions that I have been asked so far, she wanted to know what made me decide to travel to Egypt…
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“Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19 NIV)
In loving memory of my Aunt Zebel. It was during my elementary days when my Aunt Zebel gave me a book entitled My Book of Bible Stories. This thick yellow book has colorful glossy pages and captivating illustrations. I love this book because of its enticing photos that each alone relates a story even without reading the narratives. Another proof that indeed image transcends language. As the title implies, My Book of Bible Stories is a compilation of 116 significant stories taken from the world’s greatest book: The Bible. It contains selected stories arranged in an order as they appeared in the Bible – from the Old Testament to the…