Cristina's Corner

Sunday, December  17, 2017

Title: PARSON’S PLEASURE

Roald Dahl. Completely Unexpected Tales. 1986

Hello book lovers! Today I am going to write about a different book. I usually read long books or novels, but this time I have changed to short stories.  At the moment, I have only read one tale, but this book has many of them to continue.

Plot

Mr Boggis is a man who had an idea to become rich. The thing is that this "brilliant" idea consisted in stealing people without they realising it. It started one day, when he casually discovered that in some farms there was antique furniture.  He thought that tricking the owners would be easy. He went into their homes, he told them some lies to try to buy their old furniture at a very low price, afterwards he could sell it for thousand of pounds. However, lying to people was not going to be as easy as he thought.

My mind

This story is unpredictable, and it is very easy to read. If you have little time it is perfect for you. You can read it on the bus or underground or while you are waiting for some appointment. But  in particular I recommend it because you have to know the ending of the story. It is very funny, and I am sure you will love it. 

Maria's review

                                                                                                       Other ways

November 17th 2017

The fault in our stars

The fault in our stars. John Green. 2012. Penguin Books. 317 pages.

Hey guys! This evening I'm doing my first proper book review on my blog. I'm going to review an overly-talked about book that you often see on other blogs and pretty Instagrams.

This book, my friends, is the Fault In Our Stars. And as you will see, I strongly recommend it.

First encounter

This is NOT a soppy love story. The Fault in Our Stars is 

an explanation of life.

The story has a main theme of illness and life, so before you read the book, you should realize that reality will strike you. Cancer is a very dramatic topic, and Green captures the subject in an intelligent way.

Plot

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddendly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

My mind

The blurb on the back of the cover describe the story well: insightful, bold, irreverent and raw.

Truly, it has an extremely powerful moral story, which I shall not spoil. The characterization is magically strong, representing the person of Hazel Grace beautifully. Plus, I really want to meet Augustus.

I watched the movie once before reading the book and now that I can compare both, I confirm that the book is much more worthwhile. I rate it 9,5/10!

It is important to know that the book is as much for teenagers as for adults so don’t hesitate to read it! 

Just as Hazel said once in the book: “You read a book and it fills you with this evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never put back together unless and until all living humans read the book”.

MIRIAM’S CORNER

BOOK REVIEW

November 14th, 2017

SPENDING FREE TIME: A THOUSANDS SPLENDID SUNS

A thousand splendid suns. Khaled Hosseini. 2008. Rivekhead Books. 350 pages

Hello everybody! In this entry I’m talking about an unputdownable and passionate book. As you can guess, I would strongly recommend it.

First encounter

The story begins with Mariam, a little girl who was born in a kolba (a type of the poorest houses), the house-keeper’s daughter who was a rich man’s lover. Mariam's father always visited her once a week, and every week was the same -- her mother reminded her that she was a harami (bastard). One day, when she was fifteen, Mariam escaped from home and tried to meet her father’s family in their rich world. As a consequence, her mother hung herself.  Mariam’s life changed for the worse radically when her father’s wives married her to Rashid and she moved to Kabul, for example, she had to wear a burqa. Mariam’s life wasn’t good, but it got worse when a young Laila appeared to be Rashid’s new young wife.

Plot

The story of Mariam tell us about the suffering of many women in a Taliban world, in which men rule and women have to obey, deprived of their freedom, and in some cases sharing their life with other wives. We shouldn't forget that some of them, like Mariam and Laila, have to endure mistreatment, too.

Luis's BOOK REVIEW

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Title: WONDER

Author: R. J. PALACIO

Pages: 313

Dear followers, welcome to the last post in my blog! This post will be different! Frankly speaking, I don't usually read books, obviously I read newspapers, magazines… and several emails every day, but this time I chose this book titled “Wonder”, on my girlfriend's recommendation. She read this book last year, it was an assignment at the School of Languages, and she realized that this book was great, so following her advice, I started to read it, probably, the first book for me in the last 5 years.

Plot

The main argument is simple and complicated at the same time. August Pullman, who is around 10 years old, will go to school for the first time in his life, until then he had studied at home with his mom.  August, or Auggie, has a singular face, he has two kinds of genes which make him different, and he has scars due to the different surgeries which he received in order to save and improve his life.  

With this background, he has to introduce himself in the new school, meet with children and try to lead a “normal” life.

But the book is much more than August's point of view. If you read this book, you will understand the different views of the people who are next to him, such as his sister, Via, his classmates, Jack and Summer, and more people.

My opinion

I didn't cry, really, but I have been touched. I would recommend this book obviously, it is very easy to read and well-developed. Page by page, you will discover and identify with the different problems and doubts you have probably had in your life, too. This book could help us to understand the people who are next to us everywhere, and the kind of people we need around us. 

David's Corner

Book reviews

December 10th, 2017

Leisure Time: About The Book Thief

The Book Thief. Markus Zusak. 2005. 539 pages. Publisher Picador.

Hi my enthusiastic followers. Today, I bring you a new book review. I had heard about it and I must confirm it as a marvelous drama/war, deeply inspiring and heartwarming book.

This story takes place during the years of the Second World War (1939-1945). Concretely, the book is set in a German town called Molching, where its inhabitants live in the Nazi time.

The plot is told from Death’s point of view. It narrates how a girl (Liesel) travels from Munich to Molching to be adopted by a host family. Liesel has to start a new life. At the beginning it will be hard but soon she will meet some friends such as Rudy or Max. Her foster father will teach her to read and she will take books from Major’s house without their permission. In fact, she borrows them because in that age it was banned to have books. At the end, World War II finishes with some consequences in everything around Liesel’s life.

I am glad that I decided to read it because this book made me think and sometimes even cry. I would recommend it without any doubt. I consider that it deserves 9 out of 10.

I am going to see you next week with a new book review. I am looking forward to your comments and as always, I will answer all your questions.

I love you, my followers!!

BEST BOOK REVIEWS

FRIDAY, 26 JANUARY 2017
Completely Unexpected Tales - Lamb to the slaughter. Roald Dahl.
Penguin Books. 405 pages.

Hello devoted readers! Hi bood lovers! I am back with a book I found fascinating. I hope you find my review inspiring and get down to reading the story I am presenting this month.

UNEXPECTED MEETING

I am not used to reading books of this gender but sometime changes do us good. If I had to choose one adjetive for this book, it would be "impressive".

PLOT

Completly Unexpected Tales offers different and strange stories in which you can find surprising and unpredictable endings. For instance, Lamb to the Slaughter, relates the life of a traditional wife, Mary Maloney.  Every day she waits for her husband to come home from work with the same ritual, a glass of whisky and a warm room. One day her perfect life will change after a shocking.

OPINION AN RECOMMENDATION

First of all, after choosing the book and starting reading it, I must admit I thought it could be the most boring book I had ever read but I was totally wrong: it turned out something astonishing, tragic and romantic at the same time.

I am glad that I decided to read this original book. I can thoroughly recommend these stories because they keep you in suspense until the finish line. In addition, simultaneously you can improve your English with a bit of time every day.

Posted by BET at 19:30.

PAULA M.'S REVIEW

Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. J.K. Rowling. Bloomsbury 1997.

I started to consider reading this book many years ago but I was never able to go on it beyond the first chapter. When I knew I had to read a book in English, I thought that it could be a good time to resume reading it. I went to see the film with my brother when it was shown in cinemas and, since then, seeing the new Harry Potter's films together became a tradition and made me love this saga.

First encounter

Descriptions called my attention at first. Both, the situations and the characters, are meticulously described, allowing readers to perfectly imagine the plot created by the author.

Plot

Harry Potter, a ten-year-old orphan boy, that had been leaving on the shadow of his cousin and suffering serious emotional deficiencies, discovered that he wasn't a normal boy living in the cupboard under the stairs. Actually, he was a famous magician since he defeated the most evil and powerful magician in history, called Voldemort, when he was only a baby, on the same night his parents died.

The story takes place in a school of magic called "Hogwarts", where Harry and his new friends learn all kinds of spells and potions to face the dangers they find.

My mind

A world of magic and fantasy has been created to submerge the reader into the story. Although this kind of books aren't thought for adults firstly, the author, has managed to turn a book for children into an interesting read for all types of readers.

                                                                                                                                                   Paula M.                                                                                         

BEA'S REVIEW

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2017

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, VINTAGE CONTEMPORARIES, 2004

I am glad that I decided to read this book because it is an involving story. I would certainly recommend it.

First encounter
When I was looking for a book to read, I had never imagined that this story would fall into my hands. At first, this book seems pretty easy to read. I was looking for a book according to my English level but finally I am very surprised with this real story and I not only found a book I can understand but also a compelling read.

Plot
The story begins when Chistopher (main character,15 years old) finds his neighbour's dog dead; so he decides to try to find out who killed him. Christopher is a young boy who suffers a kind of autism called Asperger's syndrome. He has difficulties to understand human behaviour. He feels afraid when someone touches him so he reacts with violence and shouts at them. He hates yellow, he believes that if he sees five yellow cars one day it means that he will have a bad day. In contrast, if he sees five red cars, his day will be perfect. Finally, not only does he discover who killed the dog but also he discovers that he is able to do everything he intends to do because he considers himself a brave boy.

My mind
Christopher is a boy who achieves what he puts his mind to despite his difficulties. Don't miss it, it is a gripping story that will change your perception of human behaviour.

Beatriz Almagro

SWIMMING AMONG BOOKS

Thriller
Friday, December 15, 2017
Reading The couple next door (2016)
The couple next door. Shari Lapena. 2016. Bantam Press. 304 pages

Hello readers! I'd like to advise you to read a book for Christmas. I hope you find my review inspiring and get down to reading the story I am presenting. As you will see, I absolutely recommend it.

First Encounter

Anne and Marco are a married couple who live in upstate New York. They are first-time parents and their daughter Cora is only six months old.

Plot

The story starts when their next door neighbour is going to organize a dinner party in order to celebrate her husband's birthday and they are invited. Nevertheless, an important requirement exists to attend, children are not allowed. They do not have a babysitter. In spite of that they finally decide to go because they will carry the baby monitor and take turns to check at their baby every half an hour. The problem comes when they return from the party and the child has disappeared.

My mind

This is a gripping story. The fear of what had happened with Cora hooks you throughout all the book and your suspicions change as you read.

Thanks!

I'd like to thank my sister who recommended this book to me because she knows that I love thrillers! Please do not miss this book, it is one of the best ones that I've read.

Cristina Vicente

READY.STEADY.BOOK

READY.STEADY.BOOK

Lourdes's blog

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018

THE BURIED GIANT, A NOVEL OF THE NOBEL PRIZE OF LITERATURE WINNER KAZUO ISHIGURO.

Hello my friends! Hi my nerdy readers! Thanks for always being there. I am back with a book I am reading just now.I hope you found my review so interesting and intriguing that you are curious about this author and his dystopic atmospheres.

The story follows Axl and Beatrice, an elderly married couple, on a hazardous cross-country trek in search of their son, lost in circumstances that, like much else, they cannot recall. Legend has it that a dragon exhales a memory-wiping mist that accounts for other people's pasts, too. The dragon is not merely present in the novel, but lies at the very heart of its plot.

The novel starts the Middle-Ages in an unnamed village lost in the countryside. Tendrils of mist curl around villages in which Saxons and Britons live at peace. The fog is not only present in the plot but in the design of writing, sometimes you can think that you are in much the way of a dream. At times, the narrator speaks as though from the present day and, other times Ishiguro gives us an ostensibly historical novel.

I can thoroughly recommend this novel because it is a heartwarming and original story. The writing style is awesome, matching with the story in a hair-raising way. And, at any given point, is a deeply affectionate portrait of marital love and of how even the most precious memories can end up being vulnerable.

Posted by Lourdes at 20:00 PM

Labels: Kazuo Ishiguro, The buried giant, books reviewed in 2018, Nobel prize of literature winner.

The Books' Reader

Literature
Monday January 22, 2018

The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood 2000, 987 pages

Welcome to my new readers and thank you for your interest and support to those who have been following this blog since it started.

This time I suggest reading a thought-provoking book, winner of the Booker Prize in 2001.

Three stories are intertwined in this novel but in the end they become one.The main character, Iris Chastain, presents her life through intelligent feedbacks over certain shocking events such as her sister's, husband's and daughter's death.

Iris and Laura, her younger sister, live with their parents at Avilion where their father, Captain Chase, owns a button factory in Port Ticonderoga, Canada. During the Great Depression, the business fails, and Captain Chase arranges a marriage between eighteen-year-old Iris and Richard Griffin, a whealthy businessman in the hope that this arrangement saves de factory, but it does not. Meanwhile the relationship between the two sisters becomes more a more difficult until Laura's suicide at the age of 25. After that, Iris realizes through her sister's  journals that Richard had been raping Laura for much of their marriage. Two years after her sister's death, Iris publishes Laura's novel, Blind Assassin, that is in fact her own novel and contains the other two stories that I referred at in the introduction.

Although this novel can be confusing at the begining, it is worth making an effort to finish the book because the narration takes the form of a gradual revelation, and you will discover eventually a thrilling, well-developed novel not out of social criticism.

Posted by Belén Sánchez at 22h.

Frozen Pizza and Other Slices of Life

"Frozen Pizza, Frozen England"

Hello guys! I am here with a book I just found really easy to read and super interesting. I hope you find it as delightful as I did.

First Encounter

Basically, this book tries to show us how different England can be through eight stories, depending on the point of view and the life people led. In general, all of them are chapters about real life.

Plot

The collection of short tales provides us an insight into some aspects of British society. In the book we can find different examples like an exchange student who lives with a British family, a man who does not want to change his mind, a boy who loses his identity joining a gang, and many more, but with no doubt, the most impressive one for me is the story about two different worlds in the same city, London. It describes the inner-city problems that people experience every single day.

My mind

There is a particular touching feeling in some of the stories while with others it is just the opposite. I highly recomended it if you are looking for a well written and educational collection of short tales about the life in England in the 21st century.

Holes.

Holes

Stanley Yelnats has been sent to Camp Green Lake , a peculiar juvenile detention center for boys.But Stanley is not a criminal , he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.In Camp Green Lake the boys have to dig a hole with a five feet shovel so the hole is five feet wide and five feet deep.

Stanley made friends in the camp, Armpit, X-Ray, Zig-Zag,  Magnet, Squid and Zero. Zero the boy who never talks and everybody thinks that he is stupid. Stanley's nickname is Caveman. Stanley and his friends have to dig every day, according to Mr. Sir this is to improve their character but they that there is something else,  something that nobody tells them. But with the help of Zero Stanley will find out and they will try to get out Camp Green Lake. 

Holes is an amazing book , the plot can be weird but it transmits values such as loyalty and friendship. It also speaks about the problems of poor children who have to steal to survive.

I strongly recommend this book to everybody who likes adventure , mystery and magic. I also recommend it to teachers because this book is suitable for  kids and it has a happy ending.

Between lines

The reluctant fundamentalist.

Mohsin Hamid. Peguin Street Art

209 pages.

Hello my friendly bloggers. I am back again. I am sorry for not having written  for a long time, but the waiting will be worth it. Today I am going to recommend an awesome book which I have just finisthed, its title is “The reluctant fundamentalist” I hope you find my advice useful.

The plot

The story is about a Pakistani young boy named Changez. He gets a work replacement  because of his grades and starts to work for a huge American Company.  As he is a committed, determined and hard working person, he becomes a tremendous asset for his firm, thus, Change's world will begin to change little by little.

As he is given more responsibility, he will experience another perspective of the relationship between colleagues and friends. Besides, some internationl events influence  his thoughts and will lead him to make some hard choices, about work, friends and love.

Do not judge a book by its cover

In my humble opinion, emotional, sensitive and truly realistic. This book can take you to a new world of images, smells and tastes. It is a thought-provoking story that can make you reconsider your traditional view of this unknown coutry called Pakistan.

Despite its title, it's not about politics but life, dreams, values. Easy to read and written in a particular way. This book will surprise you, and for sure will change some  prejudices that are ingrained  in our society. I undoubtely recommend it if you want to become an open-minded person. Enjoy it.

Autumn entertainment: Reading short tales

Reading  original version books

Autumn entertainment: Reading short tales 

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Completely unexpected Tales. Roald Dahl. 1986. 404 pages

No one will take the decision for you

I was in November on the library with two books in my hands trying to decide which will be the unputdownable one. Before reading both blurbs, I chose “Completely unexpected tales” because it looked original and maybe impressive.

Plot

This book is made up of 25 well-developed stories, some of them first published in 1954. Even though the vast majority are set in England during the inter-war period or the 1940´s, this is neither a drama nor a war book, it is the most unusual one I have ever read due to the fact that, in each tale, the writer creates an English atmosphere using polite characters and typical English situations as tea time or foxhunting. Furthermore, if you add them a pinch of unease, stir them into a large macabre and awkward situation, sprinkle later with black humour, the result is brilliant and unexpected as the title advances.

Learner's best choice

I am not sure if this strange book would appeal to everybody but its main advantage is that every tale is a different short story. Therefore you can read only one from beginning to end if you are exhausted after a dreadful day and you will not run the risk of setting your reading aside.

An example

What will you do if a little rich man bets you while you are sunbathing in a hotel? The cash prize: a last-year Cadillac, but if you loose, he will take a small thing you can afford to give away such as your little finger. 

To sum up

In spite of the fact that British manners are depicted it a too posh way and maybe it could be repetitive, I recommend this enjoyable reading.                                                                     

Posted by Judit Roger at 13:00