My Book Reviews

Asylum by Madeleine Roux
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book was nice, I'll give you that. Sure, it has its 'OMG!' moments, but this book makes for almost a light read. I was surprised at myself that I took this quick to finish this book.

The adventures of the protagonists didn't go as deep as I thought it would, and Brookline's history was not completely revealed either (intentionally or not, I'm not sure). There were a lot of loose ends still surrounding the mystery of the sanitarium that Madeleine has also not covered in this book.

Also, the climax of the story wasn't really... well, climax-y. It ended a bit too easily and quick if you ask me. However at the end of the book, Madeleine proves that there will be more to come.

Let's hope that all loose ties will finally come together in her sequel, Sanctum.

How Life Works by Andrew Matthews

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's depressed, not feeling too happy about themselves, or just needs a confidence boost.
Actually, I recommend this to EVERYBODY. I was actually going through a depression 'relapse' (if you could call it that), and this book really helped me cross over to the bright side again (no, I'm not exaggerating). Something about the way Andrew pens his book just makes things seem more... hopeful, I think is the word? Plus it's humorous as well, which is a plus.

Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Shakespeare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



What can I say? If you love Shakespeare, you're definitely gonna love this one.

All his Sonnets in one book, along with detailed explanation notes to help with the meanings of each sonnet. Loved it!

A Girl Walks into a Bar: Choose Your Own Erotic Destiny by Helena S. Paige

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This has GOT to be a record for me at finishing a book. xD Ahaha.

It's one of those 'choose your own destiny' kinda stories, so I guess you can't really expect much, but it was alright for me. The stories were at perfect length; not too long and not too short. Some of the intimate scenes were descriptive (though not too much so), and I swear I hadn't realized it was a semi-erotic novel when I picked this book up. Hahah. I had thought it was your average 'choose your own destiny' book, bar-based.

Nothing much to say about it though.

A Ghost A Day: 365 True Tales Of The Spectral, Supernatural, And Just Plain Scary! by Maureen Wood
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm FINALLY finished with this book and I can say I couldn't be more glad.

Sorry to the authors, but I felt like this book, to me, was a big disappointment. It also goes to show that one should not, literally, 'judge a book by it's cover'. I picked up this book because of the way the cover drew me in, promising '365 True Tales of the Spectral, Supernatural, and... Just Plain Scary!'. However, I can say that the 'scary' and 'interesting' stories were such a select few, I could count them on one hand. (Or maybe two hands. Maybe. I can't really remember, to be honest.)

I had been hoping to give myself a good scare, but it had been mediocre at best. And that, coming from me, should definitely be saying something; coming from a person who has sworn off zombie movies (and practically any horror movie, to be honest) after watching 28 Days Later in the cinema.

From a personal opinion, it may be because almost all the stories involve speculation, and not personal experiences (there was only one story in which author Maureen Wood personally experienced, but even that was not given a detailed account). All of the stories involve mere hearsay, and though I don't doubt that some of them just may be true, it's just not enough to pique my interest. I daresay that the only reason I even finished it was because I don't like reading books and abandoning them halfway through.

On the bright side though, if you're someone who's looking for some not-so-scary ghost stories, this just may be the book for you.

Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life by Nick Vujicic

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



If you've ever heard any of Nick Vuijicic's speeches (and I bet there's a high chance you have), you'll know of his amazing public speaking skills where he's almost always able to move an entire hall to tears. If you've never heard of him or had the chance to see him in person (I was immensely fortunate to have heard him speak for the first time on the 25th last month), this book sums up what he's about pretty nicely, though in my opinion, it doesn't do his speeches justice.

The main reason I chose this book over his other ones was that it doesn't touch on religion too strongly, and it came with a personal action plan, which I'm currently doing. I have to admit though that I took much longer to finish this book that I'd have liked; mostly because I had been busy with work.

Either way, if you're looking for a book for inspiration in life, this is it.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So yeah, I finished it.
UGH.
I just... I can't with this book.

The first 15 chapters or so are okay; basically just building up on Jane and her life at Gateshead, Lowood, and then Thornfield.. And THEN it gets interesting.

And I mean really interesting.

I've always had soft spots for the male protagonists in olden novels like these (Darcey, Rochester, etc), and I'm betting it's mostly because they're normally portrayed as rich, romantic, and gentlemen-y. I wouldn't say 'handsome', because in Jane Eyre Mr Rochester is described as not exactly fitting the bill as a 'handsome' fellow.

But MY GOD. I've heard of this book and I actually just happened to pick it up at a book fair last year (Big Bad Wolf) just because the synopsis at the back of the book seemed interesting, and I had wanted to get as many books as I could, and hey, it was a period book. I love stories set in those eras.

But I didn't expect to love it as much as I do.

Seriously.

I was over the moon as I came towards the end of Chapter 23, (I actually screamed and kicked around as I read it on my bed; I SHIT YOU NOT) and at the second to last chapter, Chapter 27, I CRIED. I FREAKING SOBBED as I was reading it.

I truly felt Mr Rochester's heartaches, and Jane's hardship. I shipped them so hard (too much Tumblr, so sue me for the language) and, well... to avoid spoilers, let's just say there was a moment where both were so stubborn I felt like reaching in the book and just smashing their heads together. UGHH.

Just like The Last Song, this book will probably leave its effect on me for days after I've finished.

But it's a contented feeling. I finished it with a smile, and a feeling that everything fell into place nicely and that it all worked out as it should. I'm happy with this book.

VERY happy.

A feeling something only being a bibliophile can bring. <3 data-blogger-escaped-br="">
Yes, way better than sex.
Unless, of course, it's with Tom Hiddleston or Benedict Cumberbatch.
Or BOTH.
But still.

Next book: Life Without Limits! =D