by Lauren Weisberger


As much as I enjoyed the movie more, the literary work is equally entertaining in its own right. I could say they are both great but I cannot truly compare the book and movie on a same wavelength.

For one, the movie is the gist of the book. It was visually appealing and Anne Hathaway as Andrea is easier to picture and brings the story to life with her charm. The book, on the other hand, is beyond detailed of course and this being descriptive is the axiomatic reason why I find weaving the picture of high couture better, lacing each chapter with Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana and all the other glory of dearly-worn brands.

Rating: 4 stars - The implications of Andrea's highs and lows as Miranda Priestly's assistant is something that makes this whole story addictive. In the movie, I found Andrea sympathetic and captivating. In the book, however, I find her stark and aggressive and at times, overly complaining. But don't get me wrong: the plot is what makes this work. I think what makes the readers grasp the idea is its ability to engage the audience to relate to the protagonist whilst making her way up to the ladder of life.

This is a must-read not only for people who are into the fashion world, but if you have patience for descriptive works... this is the book for you.

by Paulo Coelho

I've been trying (or should I say struggling, stress on the word) to read this book for over a year and I haven't been successful in finishing it. One day I'll put it down then the other day I'll pick it up then put it down. Finally I had a chance to understand what the public is raving about this.

Veronika is a young girl from Ljubljana, Slovenia who had everything anyone could hope for - good and attractive physique, steady job, loving family and a lot of admirers. But it seems she wasn't contented with that when she tried to commit suicide on a winter morning by overdosing on sleeping pills.

Veronika then wakes up at a local mental hospital called Villete where the doctor tells her that her heart is damaged and she'll die soon within a week.

I admit the topic of suicide doesn't really appeal to me, so I was hesitant to read this book (though I got it from Bookmooch!). However as the pages turn I find more and more fascinating thoughts contained - like realizations of life and death. People in Villete have been curious with Veronika's case and instead of accepting her imminent fate, Veronika has surprisingly found herself struggling to live.

What I liked most from Paulo Coelho's book is that it presented awareness - awareness of life and awareness that we don't have the eternity of time wasting it without knowing its true essence. The characters in the book are also interesting; the downside is that this is slower to read than expected but don't get me wrong: the slow points are the biographical background of each major character involved so I can't imagine any other way that Paulo Coelho would write it.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

by Nicholas Sparks

Another brilliant work from my favorite author Nicholas Sparks, comes a story that rooted from tragedy.

Miles Ryan regretted the day that he disappointed his wife Missy, causing a heated confrontation that ended with the latter walking out. That night was the last time they saw each other as Missy was killed in a hit-and-run accident, leaving him and his son Jonah alone. Two years later and still no answer, Miles was desperate to seek justice for his wife's killer even so considering that he is the town's sheriff.

Everything was set aside when she meets Sarah Andrews, a charming young woman who moved in the little town of New Bern hoping to build a fresh start after coping up from a bad marriage that ended in a divorce. She then teaches at the local preschool where Jonah studies and this sparks up a connection with the boy's father. Miles and Sarah seem to hit it off, but little did they know that they are bound by a shocking secret that will compel them to re-evaluate everything that they had especially their love.

I had expected it to be all out on romance but this one's different from the Nicholas Sparks novels I've read. Mixed with both romance and suspense, it's also a delight for me to know it's a bit on the criminal investigation side. If you're fan of police investigations and mysteries, surely you'd want to consider reading this book.

Rating: 4 stars

by Nicholas Sparks
In the beginning, there is a man in a hospital, faithfully reading a faded notebook to refresh his wife's memory who suffers from Alzheimer's Disease - theirs is a love story that will prove love can cross beyond boundaries. As the old man reads the notebook, another story unfolds between young lovers Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson.

Set around summer in the beautiful quaint town of North Carolina in 1946, Noah and Allie were teenagers madly in love. Allie's parents liked Noah as a person but they were downright blunt saying he wasn't fit for her because of his social status. They want someone from a well-known family and has a stable lifestyle that could sustain Allie's future life. When the Nelsons leave the town (they stayed there just for a vacation), Allie has also left her image impressed in Noah's heart. Little did they know that the old house in the place they frequently visit will change the course of their life forever.

Years later, Allie got engaged to a man named Lon while Noah who still remained in North Carolina renovated the old house to perfection. He was the talk-of-the-town in the newspapers and so one day, as Allie was preparing for her wedding she saw a clip ad on the newspaper heralding Noah's success.

Now the question for this is, "will Allie give in to the call of love's second chance? And how will Noah react if Allie comes back to town?"

I had watched the film first before reading the book and I must say that it had given me a decent amount of visuals to help me imagine how the whole atmosphere should be. Reading the context however, was more detailed - the town is as beautiful as it was in the movie, but Allie and Noah (Rachel McAdams & Ryan Gosling) were much alive now in my mind thanks to the film. I cried, laughed, ached and rejoiced all throughout. There was easy connection with the characters as Allie was a painter (I deal with the field of arts) and Noah was a poet (I used to be a writer way back when I was in highschool) so to say, I had a smooth ride reading the story.

As the climax builds up, the flow of narration will hold your breath in suspense and surely you'll end up cheering for both love stories (the old couple + Noah & Allie) which are intertwined by the notebook.

Rating: 5 stars - Nicholas Sparks has done it again. He has been my favorite author and based from the handful of novels I read from him he doesn't disappoint. If you haven't seen the film, the movie or whichever, I recommend you to start with this or A Walk To Remember to give you a clear idea of how great of a writer he is.

by Ann Cameron

I bought this book for a cheap price at National Bookstore, just planning to list it at Bookmooch but somehow at a later time I got myself to open and read it.

It's about a girl named Tzunún, who was nicknamed Colibrí by her mother. The story begins when at a young age of four she was kidnapped from her parents in Guatemala. Since then she has been with Uncle, an ex-soldier and a vagabond beggar who claimed to adopt her and then changed her name to Rosa. Uncle was determined to keep Rosa in his custody with the belief that she will bring him big fortune as predicted by the fortuneteller from one of the towns they settled in.

Rosa, who later realized that Uncle is doing bad things (lies, thefts, connivance with a criminal) and is using her to make up his living tried to escape him and sought help from the fortuneteller; she even asked to adopt her to keep her safe from Uncle. Her adventure and experience as a child will move you in ways, each page leading to the truth about her real life.

Rating: 3 stars - I recommend this book to everyone especially for teens aged 10-12 - there are lessons to be told, and values to be picked up. The flow of the story is quite fast-paced and then slow-mo at times. The ending's a bit cliché yet it will manage to get to your understanding how everything comes in full circle.

by Kay Hooper

This has been on my book pile for more than a year and it's only this vacation that I got the chance of reading it. Somehow it never failed me - in the sense that the story did agitate me to turn the pages and get no sleep.

Cassie Neill is bestowed with supernatural ability to tap into the minds of killers being hunted by the L.A. police - it seems with her help it is a gift but the backfire of this responsibility is a curse for her. When she made a huge error on a wrong forecast, causing the death of an innocent child, she makes up her mind to leave L.A. to move to a small town in North Carolina in the hope of a fresh start.

She is then startled with multiple killings in the town of Ryan's Bluff and so offered her help to solve the baffling case. Things get complicated when the sheriff didn't want to believe what she claims as 'precognition' and that she, herself, is a suspect responsible for the numerous crimes in town - some people have even believed that she was a 'witch'. The case moves rapidly, townspeople are panicking and the authority is getting desperate which leaves Cassie the burden to enter the killer's mind the soonest time possible.

I wasn't upset due to the thickness of the book, in fact the story kept me on a good pace while maintaining suspense. The praises for this book lived up to my expectations, though I sometimes find myself rolling my eyes with how Cassie narrates her 'entry' to the killer's mind (the narration kinda pushed me off but it's okay). The height of the story's climax made me grip the book and feverishly read it until early morning: you will find yourself fallen for the red herrings thrown in the plot! But when the case of the serial killer in Ryan's Bluff was over, I felt a bit down for the thrill of the story because it somehow died as it swung the spotlight on romance.

Rating: 4 stars - supposedly I'm gonna make this 4 1/2 stars but because I'm not such a fan of suspense and love story mixed together (it rarely happens for me) I decided this better be just four out of five. If you love a good story to make you gasp in excitement of what's gonna happen next, here's the book you should try.

by Lori Aurelia Williams

China Cup Cameron is a fourteen-year-old student struggling to fit both of her lifestyle in school and at home as a mom to her little daughter Amina. Now before you get thinking that this story might be a cliché, take time to read the first set of chapters before you make any conclusion.

This is a tip for you readers for the reason that at first I was appalled with the idea of reading something like this - it's my first time to read a novel that revolves around teenage pregnancy and black people. Honestly I almost gave up with the book at its early stage because I am simply off with black slang language (no racism intended but this is my opinion). I can't handle the difficulty in reading the context but a good point is that it does reflect the true conversation and culture of black people in cities like where China lives.

The book is all about the struggles China has to face: raising up her own child, keeping good grades at school, taking care of his uncle at home, and building a strong character for herself. All of which were put to vain when Amina suddenly dies and China has to pay for her funeral and memorial services. After seeing the amount she owes, she is forced to quit school and get a job. But what job would a fourteen-year-old girl have if she's dropped from class? Only the strip dance club downtown accepts such cases: Obsidian Queens.

Reading the book, it seemed to me that it was more like a memoir than a novel. Lori Aurelia Williams did a good job reflecting what today's youth is more likely about. She has also effectively enumerated the consequences of pre-marital sex and the hardship of being a young mother to Amina and made you feel that China was human and not just a character in a book.

The only thing I didn't like in the story is how dreamy or idealistic it went: Trip, Amina's biological father still turns out to be her best friend in the long run which is least likely to happen in reality. However, I must say this book has pulled me by the nose, and the lessons you will pick up will come very handy. My estimate is that I finished this book in a span of five days.

Rating: 4 stars