[Book Review]- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

 

The Book Thief was so epic that I ploughed through it in one sitting. It’s the type of YA novel that you forget is an actual YA novel because of the lack of cringe-worthy teenage angst and drama (#Firstworldproblems anyone)? I’m not saying this book lacks drama and angst, but the fact that it’s set during the real life era of Nazi Germany, makes it all the more sobering and sad. It was an especially intriguing read because of the author’s different perspective on the events of the Holocaust.  Here’s Zusak’s reasoning behind his writing approach in own words:

“I also hope that readers of any age will see another side of Nazi Germany, where certain people did hide their Jewish friends to save their lives (at the risk of their own). I wanted them to see people who were unwilling to fly the Nazi flag, and boys and girls who thought the Hitler Youth was boring and ridiculous. “ — Marcus Zusak

The highlight of the novel, in my opinion, is the fact that Death itself is the narrator. Zusak does a brilliant job of giving Death a complex persona. Rather than depicting the obvious role of bloodthirsty predator who overly enjoys picking up souls, Death is portrayed as “exhausted from his external existence and his job.” Death seems sympathetic yet intrigued by the main character of Liesel and even remorseful towards her best friend Rudy.

I loved every minute of The Book Thief and can find no faults. Death ultimately reveals that humans haunt him towards the end of the novel; I feel the same way about this book. I can’t wait to see how the film adaptation compares to this epic read.    

Bookmas

Honestly, this was a lot harder than it looks. I'm impressed with myself, considering I usually have zero artistic ability, whatsoever. This was a cool idea and a fun little project for me because although I don't celebrate Christmas, I'll always celebrate reading and books.

[Book Review]- Orange Is The New Black by Piper Kerman

Lately, I find myself increasingly drawn to reading memoirs. Case in point— the last book I reviewed was a memoir. I’ve always been interested in hearing people’s stories firsthand; be it, their own personal account of a significant event in their life, some good pieces of advice they’ve picked up, or just interesting observations about random topics. I just appreciate a good story. (Cool story, bro)

When I first heard about Orange Is The New Black, the original series on Netflix, I had no idea it was adapted from an actual memoir. Upon discovery, I immediately went out and picked it up (shocking, right?). I am a firm believer of reading the book before watching any on screen adaptations. 

The novel is based on ex-convict Piper Kerman’s experience during her 15-month prison term at a federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut. Her offense was a 10-year old drug trafficking charge, a one-off transgression that occurred during a youthful misadventure. It was a stressful and uncertain period in Piper’s life as a new college graduate, one that so many of us can relate to.

The most surprising aspect of this book is the respect and admiration that the author shows towards her fellow inmates. Never does she embody a holier than thou attitude. Instead, she wisely chooses to adapt to her surroundings by befriending her cellmates, (except the crazies) and avoiding conflict at all costs. She experiences many challenges along the way such as almost coming to blows with another inmate at the cafeteria salad bar and having to submit to a form of strip search aptly called the “squat and cough” before and after visitations. Slowly and begrudgingly we witness the author learning to accept the fact that all of the power and control she carried in her life outside prison walls, had been effectively relinquished once she became an inmate in the American prison system.  

In Orange Is The New Black, readers can expect a hilarious true story about love, detriment, camaraderie, infuriating circumstances and redemption. Shocking aspects of prison life are revealed along with important insight in to the out-of-control growth of prison populations in America.  It is the type of memoir that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it.      

[Book Review]- Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

In December 2004, Sonali, her British husband Steve and her two English sons, Vikram and Malli were vacationing in the southwest part of Sri Lanka, visiting her parents for the holidays. On December 26^th, a 30-foot wave caused by a massive tsunami, swept over her hotel killing her parents, husband and children. This memoir recounts Sonali’s intense and sometimes unbearable struggle to come to terms with the pain of her loss. 

I’ve been excited to read Wave a memoir by 2004 tsunami survivor, Sonali Deraniyagala since it first became available in stores earlier this year.  This book was far from what I expected it to be. It was raw, honest and lacking any sense of romanticism. Whilst reading along, I found myself relating to Sonali’s “subdued” reaction in the aftermath of the disaster and upon learning the fate of her young family. In her own way, she was preparing herself mentally for her new incomprehensible reality. I find myself wondering what coping mechanisms I would employ to salvage my sanity if put in Deraniyagala’s shoes. Her perseverance and resolve to keep the memories of her family alive speaks volumes of our minds’ capacity for acceptance and recovery.

I enjoyed this book immensely because of the author’s surprisingly calm and lucid voice. Her ability to navigate between her past life and present reality through flashbacks and visions was both comforting and a little unnerving. At the same time, I appreciate that none of her experiences were sugar coated or embellished for the readers’ sake. After turning the last page, I was left feeling melancholy, optimistic for the future and most of all, relieved that our roles were not reversed. I doubt I would have had the strength of spirit to overcome all that Sonali has in her life.           

These Just In.......Don't Judge me!!

I just picked these up from the bookstore and can't wait to dive right in! You'd think being unemployed and desperate would encourage me to not spend all of my meager savings on books, but I just keep telling myself that I'm investing in my future somehow. I do aspire to work in the book industry soon after all. I need to be well read right?—Yes, I think I'll just keep telling myself this for now because it helps me sleep at night.       

Drugstore Lip Balm Review: Maybelline vs. EOS vs. Nivea

Baby Lips: Available for $3-4 at Shoppers Drug Mart, Target, Wal-Mart and most drug stores in Canada.

The colour I purchased above is Peach Kiss. The packaging states that it is a SPF 20 Moisturizing Lip Balm. I can’t really speak to whether or not the SPF factor actually works but I would have to disagree with the “moisturizing” aspect of this product. The colour payoff is decent if you press hard enough and it smells good but, when I put this on, it makes my lips look very dry. It feels heavy, as if you've smeared glue on your lips. The product tends to settle in to the fine lines on my lips. I was excited to try all of the different shades but after my experience with Peach Kiss, I would not re-purchase. 

My Rating: 1/5

EOS: Available for $ 3-5 at Shoppers Drug Mart, Target, Wal-Mart and most drug stores in Canada.

The flavor shown above is Summer Fruit. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve had it for over 6 months now but it smells like melted plastic to me. This lip balm is different from Baby Lips in its purpose because it is simply a moisturizing lip balm with no colour payoff, as shown in the picture above. I would liken this product to a glorified chapstick with fancier packaging but not as moisturizing. EOS is certainly more moisturizing than Baby Lips and lacks the sticky glue feeling. However, It only lasted about an hour or so before I had to re-apply. It lasts less if you are eating/drinking. Although I thought the unique packaging was cool at first, I quickly discovered after throwing this in my purse that it’s slightly un-sanitary. Upon opening it I always find pieces of lint that I need to pick off around the edges of the dome. I would not re-purchase unless maybe the packaging was improved and they made the formula more moisturizing. 

My Rating:  2/5

Nivea Lip Smoothie: Available for $3-5 at Shoppers Drug Mart, Target, Wal-Mart and most drug stores in Canada.   

The flavor shown above is Acai and Wild Apple. The packaging lists Vitamins E, C, and B5 as ingredients. This product is by far my favourite of the three. It’s super moisturizing, lasts a few hours before re-application is needed, and leaves a really pretty, slightly shimmery, natural looking pink shade upon application. It also has a pleasant sweet smell, which, strangely smells of neither apples nor berries to me. I think the Nivea Lip Smoothie is worth the price and will definitely repurchase.  

My Rating: 4/5

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[Book Review] Bloodletting & Other Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam

With the Giller Prize ceremony happening this week, I decided to finally dive in to reading past Giller winner, Bloodletting & Other Miraculous Cures. In all honesty, this book has been in my to-read pile for a while but I kept pushing it aside. The main reason being, I imagined it might be “too medical” for my liking. Logical reasoning on my part because after all, author Vincent Lam is an actual emergency physician by day and this novel was his literary debut. However, not long in to reading the first few chapters, I discovered that this novel was actually all about relationships. It even inspired an HBO mini-series.

Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures is a collection of stories woven intricately between the relationships and experiences of a group of young doctors as they navigate through the trials and tribulations of med school to the fast-paced world of emergency room, evac missions, and terrifying new viruses.   

This novel brilliantly proves false the opinion that “Doctors are sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people scream”  The young doctors, Sri, Ming, Fitz and Chen are genuine people who each carry their own collection of emotional baggage. They each struggle with loneliness, regret, and vulnerability while being confronted daily with moral dilemmas, all for the honor of working in medicine.  Developing and maintaining personal relationships in such a chaotic existence naturally proves difficult. The characters must walk the fine line of being in charge of formulating swift life or death medical prognoses and treatment. Any hesitation or mistake can prove deadly.   

I recommend reading Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures to anyone who holds any form of disdain towards doctors of any kind. This novel will provide you with an accurate depiction  of what medical professionals must deal with in today's world.       

Kamaljit

Now Playing: Willow Beats

The best way I can describe how I feel listening to Willow Beats is bliss mixed with sonic joy. Their 5-track album Alchemy is the perfect album to put on during a long drive to clear your head or on your daily commute to help you unwind from a long day. My favourite track off the Alchemy EP is Elemental. You can watch the music video here.
 
Willow Beats is composed of an Australian duo, Narayana Johnson the producer and Kalyani Ellis on vocals. Believe it or not, the pair is actually uncle and niece. My mind is officially blown. 

Fashion Favourites: ‘Combat’ boots

I had been on the hunt for a pair of military inspired boots for about a month when I finally found and bought these. I was looking for something affordable that would lace up, sit about mid-shin length, and not look too masculine.  

I bought these boots online from the Sears catalogue. I was a bit nervous about the purchase at first because this was my first time buying boots online and I’ve never shopped from the Sears catalogue before. I much prefer trying on boots in front of a mirror, in-store, to get a better feel for them. However, I had been searching for the perfect pair for weeks without any luck finding affordable options in the style that I wanted. 

I have only two complaints: 1) there are zippers on both sides of the ankle but only one side works. This was not mentioned in the description. 2) The shipping was 2 days late with no explanation. Otherwise, I’m happy with my purchase overall because the boots look really nice, are pretty comfortable and were on sale for quite a large discount.

 

[Book Review] The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski

The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow is about a young boy, born without a voice box, yet in it’s place he has a remarkable gift of hearing; one that encompasses every single sound in the universe. On top of that, he can communicate telepathically with his late father. The reason he was born with such a gift is seemingly to help fix all that is broken in the lives of his grieving mother; Dancy, his guilt-ridden grandmother; Letice and the restless spirit of his father; William. With the help of his father’s gentle guidance and a Creole housekeeper endowed with her own special gifts; Trinidad Prefontaine, Bonaventure works to heal the souls of his family members by unraveling long-buried secrets.

This is one of the most richly descriptive novels I’ve read in a long time. At one point, I found myself wanting to bust out a pack of crayons and start colouring, so I too could experience the sound of each colour like Bonaventure! This book would be perfect for fans of magical realism in literature because it reads like a fairy tale. It’s an enjoyable read that’s not too long (400 pages) and has a sentimental happy ending. Take it along as your vacation read or on your every-day commute to become teleported within its magical pages. I highly recommend reading The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow, if you want to take a break from your daily grind.

Kamaljit

Now Playing: Toro y Moi

Toro y Moi aka Chaz Bundwick is an artist who I recently discovered earlier this year. I find him both extremely innovative and refreshing. Toro y Moi, his stage name, derives from Spanish and French words and roughly translates to “bull and me”.  The first song I heard by Toro y Moi and instantly fell in love with is So Many Details. This song was the first single off his latest album: Anything In Return. The latest single off the album, and my personal choice for best music video of 2013 is Rose Quartz. The artistry, detail, and effort that was clearly put in to making this video is what makes it so stunning. I highly recommend you check out Anything in Return because it's an amazing album and a great introduction to the chillwave genre of music.  

[Book Review] Sutton by J.R. Moehringer

Admittedly, before picking up this book I’d never heard of Willie “The Actor” Sutton or his illustrious career as a bank robber/prison escape artist. In fact, when I first saw this book in store and judged its cover, (lesson learned) I presumed it was a fictitious mystery novel based in London, England during the 1920’s. I was quite mistaken.

J.R. Moehringer does a fantastic job of recanting Sutton’s real, fact-based life story with his own distinct twist on events. He manages to provide the answer to the mystery of why an intelligent and charismatic hard worker such as Willie Sutton chose to transform himself in to a master thief who was just as skilled at robbing banks, as he was deft at breaking out of prisons. The only plausible answer could be love. First love.

This book had me loyally rooting for Willie “The Actor” who never fired a shot, yet cringing internally for the destruction left behind in the lives of those he loved. Despite the conflicted feelings, the ending of the book left me only with the feeling of remorse that it was over.

Kamaljit