Month: June 2022

Book: How to Stop Time
Author: Matt Haig
Genre: Romance fiction, Historical fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 325
Source: Amazon

Rating:

★★★★

Eternal Mind Review:

Hello readers!!

Plot:

The story revolves around Tom Hazard, a man that ages SUPER slowly and has an extremely long life span, but he’s not immortal. Throughout the book, we transition from the present day in Tom’s life to various times in the past from his point of view. Tom has lived through many centuries and has had the opportunity to interact with Shakespeare and F. Scot Fitzgerald. He is a member of an organization that protects him, but he must follow a few rules. The most important one is to NEVER fall in love. But that is exactly what Tom does, he falls in love.

BOOK THOUGHTS:

“How to Stop Time,” by Matt Haig uses the concept of time to explain human nature, and the way fear, anger, love, and other emotions can change our thought process which makes us react to life in a different manner. Haig also asks a lot of rhetorical questions throughout the book compelling the reader to reflect on these ideas that are repeatedly visited in the book.

Haig uses a lot of historical references throughout the book which makes the book more interesting to read. It was like reading about behind-the-scenes, getting a “real” glimpse of some well-known personalities, like Shakespeare. The witch hunt time period is repeatedly mentioned throughout the book, which was really sad and disturbing at times. But it was necessary to speak about the witch hunts in the way Haig did in this book. Also, it made me question if witch hunts have actually stopped or throughout the years humans have just been changing the description of witches. The fear of the “odd” person, a person we cannot relate to still seems to be present and it can lead humans to hunt and disturb those “odd” individuals. Looking into our fears is important so we can truly realize if there was ever a need for that fear in the first place. Living a life in fear is simply a life wasted.

During the 4th part of this book, Haig uses sound to describe the settings, time periods, and feelings of the characters.  He described the 1920s as loud, noisy, roaring, but when he speaks about playing the piano and music in general he describes it as being, “a distant safe haven.” The thought of a safe haven makes me want to learn the piano again. Additionally, Haig uses the terms pattern and rhythm to describe how one lives life.

This book is perfect for people who enjoy reading a medium-paced book about the history and about life. This book had a lot of thoughtful quotes that make you reflect on your own life, and I really liked that. I gave this book 4 stars because it was an enjoyable book but the romance was a bit dull in this book. Since this is romance fiction I was hoping this book would have more romantic themes, but it didn’t. It was a very subtle romance, and because the author didn’t describe the relationship to the extent that would be necessary for romance fiction it made it difficult for me to root for the couple to be together. I honestly didn’t care for the couple. But don’t let this hold you back from reading this book, I still enjoyed this book a lot. I LOVE the quotes from this book.  ❤❤❤ The book was very insightful and the themes of life and human nature were very well written.

Final Thoughts:  Fear often holds us back and keeps us from living our life. Once we let go of our fears everything lightens up, the headaches vanish, and we finally start to live, live in the present. The present was once our future and will soon be our past. If we live in the present we can ensure to have a better future and a memorable past. ❤

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world”
“The progress of humanity seemed to be measured in the distance we placed between ourselves and nature.”
“The past is never gone. It just hides.”
“Everything changes and nothing changes.”
“Everything gets smaller overtime. Computers, phones, apples, knives, souls.”
“You see, when you look at events in history there is a two-way perspective. Forwards and back. But at the time everything is one way. “
“People you love never die.”
“All you know is the moment you are in.”

– How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!!!

Please let me know what your thoughts are on this book in the comment section below.

by Nav ❤

Book: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Pages: 462
Source: Amazon

Rating:

★★★★★

Hello readers!!

Plot:

Gang leader Kaz Brekker, aka Dirtyhands, is clever, dark, dangerous, and has accepted to execute an impossible heist which can make him filthy rich.  He forms a crew that consists of a convict, a sharpshooter, a runaway, a spy, a heartrender, and a thief, but what are the chances of them successfully retrieving the “package” from the Ice Court when their lives are constantly at stake.

BOOK REVIEW/THOUGHTS:

“No mourners, no funerals.”

An impossible heist and only six outcasts together stand a chance to make this heist possible. Leigh Burdugo has created a dark verse, named Grishaverse,  that is filled with dangerous and intelligent characters with a past that has shaped their characters, making them who they are in the present day. Grisha’s have magical abilities, where some want to destroy them, there are others who want to dangerously use Grishas’ abilities to the max. In this complex world, a gang leader has accepted the job to retrieve a “package” from the ice court. The only problem is that the ice court has excellent security, therefore is both impossible to break into and impossible to stay alive if you do.

This is a young adult fantasy book about teens, but I kept forgetting that they were teens throughout the book. The characters have experienced a great deal of suffering in such a short span of time and at such a young age, consequently, you forget their age because of how they carry themselves throughout the book.  So you don’t have to be a teen to enjoy this book, because the way Burdugo unravels the story and has vividly written all the torturing, suffering, and cruelty-themed scenes will blow your mind. It’s a very dark verse, with characters who have suffered immensely and have all kinds of physical, emotional, and psychological scars.

I LOVED this book!!! ❤❤❤ The writing is descriptive but not over-written to the point where it makes the story aimlessly long, it’s the perfect amount for one to vividly see Grishaverse in their mind. Each and every character is incredibly well-thought-out and complex in a way that makes them unpredictable at times. The dialogues in the book were also very well written, and you will repeatedly read, “No mourners, no funerals.” Believe it or not, this quote was quite motivational.

I haven’t read Shadow and Bone by Burdugo, which is a trilogy that was written prior to Six of Crows’ duology, but that didn’t hinder my reading experience with Six of Crows as I didn’t see any direct references to that series in this book. So if you haven’t read Shadow and Bone you can still enjoy Six of Crows, but just know that you will want to read the Shadow and Bone series after this book because you will fall in love with the world created by Leigh Bardugo.❤I would love to see this book come to life as a Netflix series or a film like they created the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix. I’m looking forward to reading Crooked Kingdom so I can finally know how it ends.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“No mourners, no funerals.” “Be decisive…you have to know where you want to go before you get there.” “Better terrible truths than kind lies.”Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

“No mourners, no funerals.”
“Be decisive…you have to know where you want to go before you get there.”
“Better terrible truths than kind lies.”

– Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!!!

Please let me know what your thoughts are on this book in the comment section below. 🙂

-Nav ✨

Hello readers!!

Book: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Author: Haruki Murakami
Genre: General Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Pages: 400
Source: Amazon

★★★★★

Eternal Mind Review:

Two parallel universes, but not your usual, ordinary universes. Murakami creates two strange yet thought-provoking universes.

The story revolves around a smart data processor, a mad genius scientist, his interesting granddaughter, various organizations with questionable motives, librarians, and various creatures all collide in parallel universes.

This story is simultaneously horrifying and funny, and it takes the reader through a journey of uncovering the works of the human mind.

This was my first time reading Haruki Murakami’s written work, and I was immensely impressed by his writing style. He created an unbelievable world filled with fascinating characters and creatures while still expressing them in a relatable manner. The human mind is complex and has been found to be extremely difficult to fully understand all aspects of it, and Murakami exudes the complexity of the human mind in this work of fiction. He engages the reader from the beginning of the book to the end. This book incorporates humor, adventure, fantasy, mystery, suspense, and romance (I was surprised about how boldly Murakami wrote about his character’s sexual thoughts).

I rated this book with 4.5 stars and not 5 because of the ending. I had hoped for a different ending while reading this book. Not to say the ending was bad, because it’s not. But, it was just not a satisfying ending for me and I felt like I was left without proper closure. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers so I won’t dive into this any further and I’ll let you decide for yourself if the end was satisfying for you.

This book is for anyone who enjoys Haruki Murakami’s writing style. If you are new to his written work, then this book would be a great read for you, especially if you would like to read about the complexities of the mind through two parallel universe narratives.

BOOK THOUGHTS:

There were many many moments while I was reading this book when I was in awe of how something was written or described. This book really makes you think about how complex our minds are and how it can change the way we perceive the world around us.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“To stop experiencin’ is to die.”

“Stealing memories was stealing time.”

“Most human activities are predicated on the assumption that life goes on. If you take that premise away, what is there left?”

– Haruki Murakami – Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!!!

Please let me know what your thoughts are on this book in the comment section below.

-Nav ✨

Hello readers!!

Book: My Name is Memory
Author: Ann Brashares
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Source: Amazon

★★★

Eternal Mind Review:

Plot:

Daniel’s soul has lived for many centuries now just like many other souls on earth, however, he remembers all the lives he has lived. Is his exceptional memory a blessing or a curse? In the present time, Lucy (aka Sophie many lives ago) has no memory of her past lives. Daniel and Lucy have loved each other for centuries, but Lucy does not remember and Daniel cannot forget. One common factor always comes as an obstacle in their lifetimes to ensure they never end up together. But will they overcome this obstacle in this lifetime? My name is memory is a heartfelt fantasy love story that allows the reader to travel through time with the characters.

This story gives you a glimpse of various time periods through the eyes of two lovers that have a deep connection. Turning through these pages one learns about the struggles and consequences of love and hatred. While reading this book there were moments where I was frustrated with the characters and at other moments I empathized with them. By the time I reached the end, I was rooting for these lovers to have a happy ending.

If you enjoy reading a book about traveling through both time and destinations, with a strong touch of love and romance then this book is for you. This book also makes you think about the concept of life and death. There were moments when after reading a particular line I would put the book down to spend some time letting those words sink in to understand the meaning it was attempting to convey.

Also,  the author of this book, Ann Brashares, is also the author of the book series, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Plants,” so if you enjoyed reading that series then there is no doubt in my mind that this book is for you.

BOOK THOUGHTS:

• Time has a way of just slipping away like sand in a clenched fist, therefore it is necessary to enjoy each and every moment we are blessed with in our lifetime.
• Trusting someone can be a scary thing. It can be really difficult to put your faith in someone when they speak of unbelievable things. You can either refuse to trust someone and miss out on an amazing adventure or you could take a leap of faith for an undeserving person and end up in an awful situation. It can be difficult to trust someone, but your gut doesn’t lie.
• If you don’t have time for love, then make time for love. Love is a precious feeling and an unforgettable experience so make it a beautiful part of your life.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“Your death is a shadow of your life.”
“I guess I was better at loving then, too, and also better at being loved – the two go together.”
“You forget your victories, but remember the losses.”
– Ann Brashares

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!!!

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. 🙂

-Nav ✨

“As Old as Time,” by Liz Braswell is an insightful and twisted take on the classic Beauty and the Beast fairytale.

Hello readers!! This is my very first book review so I hope you enjoy reading it. 🙂

Book: As Old as Time – A Twisted Tale
Author: Liz Braswell
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 484
Source: Amazon

Eternal Mind Review:

★★★★

Belle has yearned for adventure all her life and when she finally gets the opportunity she is a prisoner in a cursed castle, among lively objects, and an angry Beast. The beautiful enchantress who cursed the prince, his castle, and the inhabitants of the castle was no one other than Belle’s mother. Both Belle and the Beast look into the mysterious events that took place in the kingdom over 10 years ago. Was Belle’s mother a ruthless enchantress who abused her power to see others suffer or were the Beast’s parents the ones who abused their power over the kingdom? Belle and the Beast work together to uncover their family secrets to break the curse.

This story isn’t just about the enchanted castle, instead, it is about the people that reside in the kingdom and the villages nearby. Similarly, this story isn’t just about Belle and the prince who was cursed into becoming a beast, instead, it’s also about the enchantress who cursed the beast and her reasons for doing so. The classic beauty and the beast tale was a fairytale that avoided sensitive subjects or even describing the true feelings of the characters. I enjoyed reading, “As Old as Time,” because it made me reflect on my beliefs as a person and my behavior towards people with beliefs that are different from my own.

If you liked the classic fairytale, Beauty and the Beast, or if fantasy is one of your favorite genres then this book is perfect for you. You get a deeper look into the thoughts of the characters and a richer, more descriptive plot. Plus the twist makes this story more interesting and gives you a lot to think about regarding the world we live in.

On the downside, this book was too long. I already know and love the classic Beauty and the Beast tale so when this book went on and on about how that story unfolds it was slightly boring because I already knew about it. For someone who doesn’t know the classic fairytale it might have been a nice read but I found it slightly repetitive. This story is supposed to be a twisted tale, therefore I was expecting the majority of the attention in this book to be on the twist. I wanted to be on the edge of my seat throughout this book. Not to say this book doesn’t have a twisted tale, because it does but the majority of the focus on this twist comes in once Belle and the Beast uncover the secrets.

Book thoughts:

Curiosity can be a great virtue if one acts upon it within reason. Belle was curious about the forbidden wing in the castle which led to the destruction of the cursed rose resulting in severe consequences to the prince (Beast) and his servants. Another character’s curiosity and strong beliefs led to the destruction and misery of several people and families.

Eliminating a person, community, or race is never a solution to any problem.

Just because you’re scared of someone doesn’t mean they’re dangerous.  Now don’t get me wrong, if you know someone is dangerous then they probably are and you don’t need to question your judgement if you have the evidence. But being scared of someone based on only first impressions when you don’t actually have a valid reason to be scared other than their looks may not always be accurate.

Don’t judge someone only from their appearance as there is no guarantee it will match who they are within. First impressions may not be accurate or honest impressions. If you think you know a book just by reading the first page then think again. It takes time. No one reveals all of their layers at once.

Favorite Quotes:

“Everyone should have a journey-and everyone should also have a home, too. Go out into the world for adventure, come home for love.”The village was like an egg – she had developed there, she had been imprisoned there, and she was trying to break free. But it had a pretty shell.”The scariest, most frightening person can turn out to be quite a lovely character…if you give him time.”- As Old as Time – A Twisted Tale, by Liz Braswell

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!!!

Please let me know what your thoughts are on this book in the comment section below. 🙂

-Nav ✨