My Book Reviews

Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel by Jane Costello
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yes, this is another book in which I stayed up late to finish.
Because I LOVED it.

Truth be told, the thing that initially drew me to it was that it involved dance being part of it. (That, and it was on sale at the book store.) When I opened the wrapping up, I was hesitant for a while that I may not like the story after all. I couldn't be more pleased to be proved wrong.
I first fell in love with the protagonist because she was so darn clumsy..- like me. I could relate to Lauren's mishaps, and she did things that I would've done too. Halfway through the book, I couldn't help noticing though that the storyline bore somewhat of a resemblance to a bit of what I went through myself. Bits and pieces here and there seemed so uncannily familiar, it felt a bit creepy.
Also, without giving out too much, let's just say Cate's dilemma is the reason why I've never, and never would do what she did; not even in a spur-of-the-moment thing. I'm only too aware of the possible consequences to even dare to attempt such a thing. (That, and I've never thought of myself as attractive enough to even think of doing it).
The little surprise reveal from Emily also had me gasping, because never in a million years would I predict that outcome.
Honestly, it's a hilarious read, and after reading, it's hard not to feel curious about taking some salsa classes. That's all the 'spoiler' I'm going to give. ;)

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The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like all his other books, I love this one. And yes, I am aware that I got into this one rather late, considering this was one of his earlier books. Mitch has the ability to, I feel, make the reader feel contented and assured by the end of his books. Whether you laughed or cried, at the end of everything, you will feel like you're not alone, and that better days are up ahead.
In this, Eddie, who feels like his life was worthless and boring, dies and goes to heaven. But before he steps foot in actual heaven, he meets 5 people that will teach him something about life.
The message I like most in this story is that although you may feel that your life is worthless, you have had in fact affected someone's lives along the way; even if you never knew it. Good or bad regardless, your actions will unconsciously affect someone in their life. It makes you look back at your life and how you're going about at it, which is another trait of Mitch's books.
You may not relate specifically to the story, but the lessons are general. Everyone can relate to them.
The only thing that I felt didn't really leave an impression was the reason given for the estranged relationship between Eddie and his father. I felt that if you've been bitter about your dad for so many years, an event or two won't change that judgement. Well, at least in my opinion.


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Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

... Soooo I think it's safe to say that this has been the longest it ever took me to read a book; no less a book of this size!
My reason for doing so is (unfortunately) simple: it was boring.
Just a few notches shy of me actually giving up on finishing it (I came close to it), actually; which is sad because it's a Jane Austen novel!!
As a fan of classical novels, I find that this was rather disappointing. The title of the book is, I find, also rather misleading. The reader would suppose that the main plot of the story would revolve around Northanger Abbey (or at least be a huge part of the story), as the title suggests. However, mentions of the Abbey only came up more than halfway through the book. Compared to the first half of the book (which consisted mostly of Catherine & James Morland and John & Isabella Thorpe's antics in Bath), I'd say that Northanger was only part of the story.
Also, I felt that they left some strings untied; namely what happened to James and Isabella, and what about those contradicting letters that they sent to Catherine?? It may be just me, but I felt like there was no conclusion to it. Who was telling the truth, and why did the other lie?
If anyone has answers, feel free to let me know.

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