As much as I love reading, I have to say that the only reason that I read this book was because it was on my summer reading list. Although it was tedious to read at first, I thought that the book became increasingly interesting as I went on. So here goes:
The Alchemist ~ Paulo Coelho
The alchemist is a Fantasy novel by Paulo Coelho about a
shepherd boy named Santiago who has a dream about finding treasure. He is
compelled to follow his dream of finding hidden treasure among the pyramids in
Egypt. This is all about trusting in the Soul of the World and believing that
there are forces in the universe that want us to be happy. The soul of the
world is a sort of spiritual unity that binds together everything in nature,
from humans to even rocks. In order to find his happiness, Santiago first has
to discover his personal legend (what he is meant to do in the world). In order
to accomplish your personal legend, you have to learn to connect with the soul
of the world. This is all about Santiago’s journey to pursue his personal
legend and fulfill it. During Santiago’s travels, he meets an alchemist, who is a
very rare being that knows how to turn any metals into gold. The alchemist is
incredibly in touch with the soul of the world and nature around him. He gives
Santiago advice on how to be courageous and trust his heart. One of the central themes of this book is the danger
of fear. Fear comes up several times throughout his journey, and each time
Santiago must put that aside in order to truly pursue his dreams.
Fear is also a large issue in the Alchemist. The greatest obstacle that usually
stands in Santiago’s way is his fear that something will go wrong. The author
even includes a character in the book, the crystal merchant, who is deeply
unhappy because he has allowed fear to stop him from achieving his dreams.Another theme in this book that comes up very often is
achieving your dreams (personal legends). Dreams constantly come up throughout
the book. Almost every character is following his or her dream, and the author
is really encouraging the reader to follow his own dreams and to count on the
universe to help them achieve their goals.There is also one other issue that comes up in the alchemist,
and that is the issue of love and its importance compared to your personal
legend. Santiago falls in love with a girl on his journey to find his treasure,
and he really must battle with what is more important – continuing to work to
fulfill his goals or stay with the girl that he loves.
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed the author’s style in this book. He uses very
simple and easy to understand language and there’s not much that you have to
sit and ponder over. He usually makes the messages he’s trying to get across
very obvious. It is written almost like a biblical parable, and contains many
simple yet very profound statements.Although the fact that The Alchemist is often on core reading lists might make readers veer away, it is definitely worth a read!
So as I mentioned earlier, I am always very late to catch up on things that people have seen or read a long while ago. Which explains why I only just saw the movie Argo.
This movie opens in Iran at the United States embassy; it is being seized by violent Iranian protesters during the height of the Iranian Revolution. Meanwhile in America, the CIA is busy trying to get the Americans hiding in the Canadian ambassador's home back home to the good ol' USA. This is when Agent Tony Mendez comes in to save the day. They come up with a brilliant plan to sneak into Iran safely and sneak out with their lives. Within a matter of days, they come up with and publicize a fake movie, ARGO, that they will pretend to film in Iran in order to get the Americans out. As Agent Mendez risks his life and goes to Iran, they go through a series of turbulent events that make your heart race and your toes curl up.
I thought that the movie was excellent. It was very good at making the audience hold their breaths as the characters overcame obstacle over obstacle. The actors were very well selected and the characters were portrayed quite well. The graphic scenes of the horrendous things going on in Iran at the time were very authentic and helped me to visualize just how terrifying it must have been for everybody. I do have a bone to pick with the plot of the movie itself, however. I do agree that coming up with the whole 'fake movie' idea was brilliant and pure genius, but honestly, the whole movie is simply them creating a fake movie, going to Iran, and getting the people out. Literally, that is all that happens in the movie. I understand completely that it was the whole intention of the movie, however I wished for a little more denouement. What happened to the movie, for example. But other than this, I thought it was definitely a movie worth watching; it was also quite informative and taught me quite a bit about what happened during the Iranian Revolution.
P.S. I love you Ben Affleck (:
Hey Y'all. First off let me apologize for the lack of posts lately... I have been so busy with summer school. :\
Anyways, one of the books that I got a chance to read was:
Rebecca ~ Daphne Du Maurier
True, it was a requirement for our summer reading list, and yes, I acknowledge that in the beginning I thought the book to be incredibly dull. But as I read on, I found that the book was a lot more intriguing than I thought it was. WARNING: the following may reveal some important plot points... but you find out near the beginning anyways.
The book opens with our main character, a shy girl who is paid to be a companion to an unpleasant woman, Mrs. Van Hopper. They are vacationing in Monte Carlo when they run into Maximillian de Winter, a wealthy man, owner of the famous Manderley Mansion. The young lady (who, by the way, remains nameless throughout the entire novel) and Maxim get to spend their mornings together in Monte Carlo, and inevitably, she finds herself swept off her feet by this much older man with money, possessions, and a complicated past.
Rather abruptly, the two decide to get married and with that, Maxim takes his bride to live with him in Manderley. The young woman feels quite out of place at her new home; everybody seems to be comparing her to Rebecca, Maxim's first wife, who had drowned not a year ago in the nearby sea. Rebecca was a charming, beautiful woman whom everyone missed dearly, and it was very disconcerting for Mrs. de Winter #2 to see that everywhere she turned there were memories here and there of Rebecca in the mansion. Everything is kept the way that Rebecca used to run it; it feels to her as though she is merely a visitor in Rebecca's home. And to top it all off, Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, despises her. Simply because she is not Rebecca. And so, the Rebecca that seems to haunt the mansion and everyone in it begins to haunt her too.
I rather enjoyed reading Rebecca. I have to admit that in the very beginning I often rolled my eyes and wondered just how boring this book would get, but as the plot got more and more complicated and situations became twisted, everything got so much more interesting. The book has an eerily beautiful mood to it; almost creepy, but still beautiful. I've got to say, the only thing that bothered me was the fact that the second wife's name is never mentioned in the book. Not once. Mrs. Du Maurier seems to taunt us by describing the name, but she never reveals it. I suppose this is because she wants the name Rebecca to ring out when you finish then novel. Rebecca and only Rebecca... o.o
I would definitely recommend this novel to people who like a mix of mystery, horror, and romance. This is the novel you want to curl up with by the fireplace on a rainy day.
P.S. There's a movie in black and white too. If you want to watch that (:
As much as I love reading, I have to say that the only reason that I read this book was because it was on my summer reading list. Although it was tedious to read at first, I thought that the book became increasingly interesting as I went on. So here goes:
