The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

About the Book:

Carmen got the jeans at a thrift shop. They didn’t look all that great: they were worn, dirty, and speckled with bleach. On the night before she and her friends part for the summer, Carmen decides to toss them. But Tibby says they’re great. She'd love to have them. Lena and Bridget also think they’re fabulous. Lena decides that they should all try them on. Whoever they fit best will get them. Nobody knows why, but the pants fit everyone perfectly. Even Carmen (who never thinks she looks good in anything) thinks she looks good in the pants. Over a few bags of cheese puffs, they decide to form a sisterhood and take the vow of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants . . . the next morning, they say good-bye. And then the journey of the pants — and the most memorable summer of their lives — begins.

***

My Thoughts:

I liked this book, it was a very fun, easy & fast read. The story has nothing special really, and maybe a little bit juvenile for my taste, the target audience would probably be teenage girls. But nicely written. I'd seen the movie some years back and liked it as well, so decided to read the book. One of the fewer instances where I'd read the book after watching the movie. I don't remember the movie that well, so cant say which was better, so I'll settle for both being equally OK.

***

Some Lines:

She wanted to pray, but then she felt guilty because she only ever seemed to pray when she needed something. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to alert God to her presence here: The Girl Who Only Prayed When She Needed Something. It might irritate Him. Maybe she should just hold out, and pray when it was just for the sake of praying so that maybe God would like her again. But God (sorry, God), who could ever remember to pray when things were just okeydokey? Good people, that was who. And she wasn’t one of them.

Guilt, like the cat she’d never had, wove around her legs and hopped up onto the bed to insinuate itself at close range. “Go away,” she said to the guilt. She imagined it brushing alongside her, swiping its tail against her cheek. Guilt wanted her most when she least wanted it. Cats always loved people who were allergic to them.

The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

  

About the Book:

Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

***

My Thoughts:

Ok,  so it took me long enough to get to reading this book, but I did it! Finally! And it was worth it, just for the end. I must admit I took a really long time to finish reading it, about a week to be precise. For a book of 88 pages, this was I think the slowest I've ever read. Everytime I would start reading from where I'd left off previously, I would start getting drowsy, my eyes would close, and I would start to drift away. 

All that stuff about the universe conspiring to give you what you desire the most sounded like a whole load of crap, I dont believe in all of that. So all the discussion and dialogue happening in the book between Santiago and the various other characters was quite boring, although a few of the quotes were pretty good. 

Anyway, by the time I reached the last page, I felt  like Santiago, going on this long tiresome journey - reading this book I mean - and eventually finding the treasure waiting for me at home - which would be the end the moral at the end of the book I believe - the place I started off from.

"You old sorcerer," the boy shouted up to the sky. "You knew the whole story. You even
left a bit of gold at the monastery so I could get back to this church. The monk laughed
when he saw me come back in tatters. Couldn't you have saved me from that?"
"No," he heard a voice on the wind say. "If I had told you, you wouldn't have seen the
Pyramids. They're beautiful, aren't they?"

***

Some Memorable Lines:

It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none

about his or her own.

"At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."

And better still to be alone with one's books. They tell their incredible stories at the time when you want to hear them.

"If you start out by promising what you don't even have yet, you'll lose your desire to work toward getting it."

Everything in life has its price.

A shepherd may like to travel, but he should never forget about his sheep.

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it,

Maybe God created the desert so that man could appreciate the date trees, he thought.

Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity.

Camels are traitorous: they walk thousands of paces and never seem to tire. Then suddenly, they kneel and die. But horses tire bit by bit. You always know how much you can ask of them, and when it is that they are about to die.

You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love…

Men dream more about coming home than about leaving.

The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect.

"You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you'll never have to fear an unanticipated blow."

It said that the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.

"But this payment goes well beyond my generosity," the monk responded.

"Don't say that again. Life might be listening, and give you less the next time."

'Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.'

Top Ten Books I'd Want On A Desert Island!

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly feature on this super blog I follow. I'm not very regular with my posts so thought I'd just take up those top ten lists that interest me, and post randomly.
So my top ten desert island books would be:

1. The Harry Potter Series By J K Rowling - 

 

Because its my all-time favorite series, and I never ever tire of re-reading these books. I mean they have everything: humor, romance, drama, suspense, action, everything! I'm counting the whole series as one book, because I cant read one, and not follow up with the next!

2. Gone With the Wind By Margaret Mitchell -

 
Because I love this book, its my favorite amongst all that I've read.

3. Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe - 

Because I loved this book when I was younger, and was always impressed by how resourceful he was. I'll take it for some desert island inspiration.

4. The Complete Works of Shakespeare -

Because I haven't had a chance to read these yet, and I'm sure I'll be able to finish it with no other distractions around. Hopefully!

5. The Complete Sherlock Holmes By Arthur Conan Doyle - 

Because Sherlock is the best!!


6. The Holy Bible.

I cant really think of any more, and if hurried I'd probably end up getting some trashy novels that I'd love at first and then hate most seriously. So for now I'm ending my list here, will add to it as and when I remember.

Avozinho

A small article I wrote for a booklet published for my maternal grandfather's 100th Birth Day. It was written in a hurry and with inputs from my dear true cousin San!

***

The 1st of April, is celebrated as April Fool's day all over the world. But in our family it was always the birth day of our grandfather, our Avozinho. The school summer vacations would start by the end of March, and so all of us cousins, uncles, aunts would congregate in Quepem to celebrate Avozinho's birthday.
Avozinho always loved to have his grandchildren around him, and although nobody dared to play any pranks on him, he enjoyed watching us play pranks on each other. His birthday was one big celebration where the whole family got together and had a good time.

Avozinho always loved visiting his children/grandchildren for their birthdays. Except for the last, I don't think he ever missed any of mama's birthdays, and would always stay the night at our place. He would come all the way from Quepem to Vasco by bus, and would reach by afternoon, and never once did he come empty0handed. He always brought a jackfruit or something from his huge gardens and other properties. After a quick nap he would be as fresh as ever, I always admired that in him. He was very interested in knowing that we were doing well, and encouraged us to do even better.

Whenever Alvaro and I visited Quepem, we were always welcomed with open arms by Avo and Avozinho. Avozinho was always concerned about how our studies were going on, and how we fared in our exams. A good education had top priority for him, as evidenced by all his well educated children. He was very strict about table etiquette and manners, and liked us all to well versed in using our forks and spoons!
Avozinho was also very particular about respecting and obeying once's parents. We were always encouraged to seek our parent's and other elders' blessings every night before bed by Avozinho. 

In those hot lazy afternoons, a welcome noise was the ringing of the ice-cream cart's bells. We were all made to stand in line and given money by Avozinho to buy the ice-cream of our choice. And ice-cream was the best treat you could give us kids!

He is the only grandfather I have known, and although I didn't get to spend much time with him, I will always treasure those few memories I have of my Avozinho.

The Time Keeper By Mitch Albom

 

About the Book:

The Time Keeper--a compelling fable about the first man on earth to count the hours. The man who became Father Time.

In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

***

My Thoughts:

So, I've been hearing about Mitch Albom for ages, mostly good things about the bestseller "Tuesdays with Morrie". The Time Keeper, I just happened to find while browsing around, and since I was looking for a change from the chick lit genre, but nothing too serious, I thought I'd give it a try, and I was not disappointed.

This book is not like any I've read before! Its a fable, quite a lengthy one actually, and with a good moral. One I guess I needed to apply in my life:

It is never too late or too soon. It is when it is supposed to be.

I though I'd heard this line somewhere, but I just couldn't figure out where. I finally remembered today, it was in LOTR - The Fellowship of the Ring (Biiiiig Fan)! Gandalf to Frodo, after the latter accuses him of being late (and what beautiful music played in the background!!):

'A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.'

Anyway, the three interwoven stories are very good, and although simply written, they hold your attention till the end. A very interesting read.

***

Memorable Lines:


Like other men of enormous power, Victor could not imagine the world without him. He felt almost obligated to stay alive.

Things changed. “Don’t get too attached to anything,” he reminded himself, including accepted knowledge.

“It is never too late or too soon. It is when it is supposed to be.”

Sometimes, when you are not getting the love you want, giving makes you think you will.

A heart weighs more when it splits in two; it crashes in the chest like a broken plane.

Common sense has no place in first love.

When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.

Time is not something you give back. The very next moment may be an answer to your prayer. To deny that is to deny the most important part of the future. “Hope.”

“There is a reason God limits our days.”
“Why?”
“To make each one precious.”

Only when the rocks looked familiar, only when he saw the hut made of reeds, did he slow his pace, as man does when he approaches what he desires, uncertain if it can possibly be all he hoped. Dare he look? All that he had dreamed of? All that had sustained him for an eternity?