Slacker

Soooo apparently I'm a slacker with this 52 in 52 challenge thing!! WOW!

Well, I do have to say I'll try to pick up with the reviews a little bit better. But I AM reading... so I guess that helps out a lot!! :-)

Happy Reading!

Book #6: The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

I'm not lying to you when I say that reading the last few pages of this book actually ticked me off!! I was reading through it thinking, "well, that was a good one!" Until I read the last two pages. To be honest, it's pretty easy to predict how Sparks' writings will end, but I was a little shocked with this one! It was very good!

Typical Sparks trait: this book was very spiritual. The reasons for Thibault's journey across the country, the endeavors in Iraq, his best friend Victor, etc. Everything had a very spiritual meaning--nothing was quite just as it seemed. There were a lot of symbolic representations.

I want to say that fate played a large role in this novel... 

I feel like this may be a very touchy/deep subject, but I'm going to go for it anyway...

Here's Logan Thibault, ex-marine that had been to Iraq three times before being discharged. He finds a special pendant that supposedly saves his life through many of the Iraq bombings, attacks, etc. Even though Thibault does not notice these benefits to the pendent, his friend Victor does. Victor constantly brings it to his attention, but Thibault just brushes it off and refuses to believe that the pendant has any supernatural qualities. Until some event in the novel intrigues him to change his mind (I don't wanna ruin the book for anyone, but here's my point...)

My point is that sometimes in faith, individuals can be reluctant to see past the object as just an object. Considering that I'm speaking from a very strong faithful background, I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason and that there is a sacred person that lines things up for us. Now that doesn't mean, necessarily, that everyone has a pre-destination. I truly believe that everyone has a goal in life that a sacred being leads you to. That doesn't mean that a person will always do what they are supposed to, but there are signs out there that direct him/her in the "right" direction. The one thing I want to say is that, if a person makes the "wrong" decision, there is always another chance to make it "right." So that's where I want to make it clear that I don't necessarily believe in predestination. I believe that there are signs. People can interpret signs in any way they want to, but they're out there...

In Thibault's case, he refused to see the sign until his friend Victor made it very clear that the pendant was no normal pendant. Reluctant to believe, Thibault took his friend's advice and clearly thought, "there is a reason I have this. There is a reason I am here, but what it is I'm not quite sure yet..."

This novel had a lot of hidden messages, I think. In my opinion, I think that everyone asks themselves the same exact question... "I'm here, but why am I here?" The "signs" are only little guides that one can choose to take or not. 

On a lighter note!! This book was a great romantic drama. I truly enjoyed it all the way to the last two pages :)

When you wish you had a 2x4...

Ok, so I've just started reading Confessions of a Shopaholic and I'm loving it so far. It's a hilarious novel about this girl who tries so hard to be financially aware, but she fails miserably...

However, while I was reading this I was CRINGING with some of her actions!! I was sitting there like, "what are you doing?!" That just got me thinking about times when you're reading a book or watching a movie and you're inches from jumping out of your seat because you're just like "what are you doing?!" For example, the movie "Family Stone" or "Meet the Parents" or some other movie like that, you're sitting there, almost in pain, thinking "Oh my God... what ARE you doing?" 

Aside from the part of this book that makes me cringe and jump out of my seat, I'm enjoying it! It's definitely a guilty pleasure... sort of like Gossip Girls and such... It's a cute novel and I can't stop reading it so far!!! :)

Book #5: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This book was interesting... VERY quick. And I really cannot wait to see the movie! But, it was SO short! I don't understand how something this tiny can become a huge motion picture.

Since the book was sort of short, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what the entire message was behind it? When I hear people talk about the movie, they're like "that's the way life should be..." But, I found it kind of frustrating because here is this man who is 50 years old but looks 16 and he can't get any respect. Is that what the message is? That people don't treat the elderly with respect? 

But then where does the age in birth come from? I mean, why was he born as an old, wise man but as he grew up his knowledge dwindled?

Was there a meaning behind this? 

OR! Was it supposed to be as if younger people THINK they know everything there is to know about life. They think they are older and superior to the rest of society, but they truly don't have adequate respect for their elders.

Another idea I had with him getting younger as the years passed by was that we treat the elderly sometimes as helpless children. If you look at a retirement home, yes, we are helping them live happy lives, but they are also being treated as incompetent individuals, in a way. I'm not trying to talk smack about retirement homes, but I feel like when people visit the elderly they get that certain feeling of necessity with treating these individuals as if they were children. Am I way far off on this? 

Book #4 The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Ok, so I thought that this book was really really really good! I seriously couldn't put it down! 

The description McCarthy used throughout his novel was so detailed, it felt like you were there. However, he kept it vague enough where you were guessing about what had actually led up to "burning of the Earth" that led to everyone's disappearance and their wandering homelessness. You also wondered if they were actually human or if the other "bad creatures" were actually human. It was a very interesting book that I couldn't put down.

However -- don't read this if you want to read the book and haven't yet!!--

what was the point? Someone wanna help me out? I mean they walk around this desolate Earth, which we NEVER find out what actually happened to, and try to survive off of each other. The boy pisses me off sometimes because he's just a selfish child that thinks he knows what he's talking about but he really has no clue. The father has a great disposition when it comes to this novel. He's VERY noble to his son and he does everything in his power to push him on. However, his care lessens more and more as they get closer to the shore. I wonder if this is supposed to show the child's maturity and the fact that the father can rest at ease after a certain point of raising his son. 

However, back to my main question... what the--- haha! I mean I was SO intrigued by this book and I finished reading it like, "wait a sec, there has to be a section missing." I mean, what happened to the Earth? Where is EVERYONE? Why are there "bad creatures." How long have they been wandering? What does it mean that they are the ones that "carry the fire"? I mean i have SO many unanswered questions that it's kind of ridiculous!! haha..

Other than those few things... I truly enjoyed the book. I thought it was very interesting and very intriguing... just slightly disappointing...

Philosophy or Art History

Public question:

I have to pick a "western cultures" class for next term because its part of the university's core academic program. So I can either do Philosophy (Classical) or Art History (1-3). The thing is once, I start the sequences I can't interrupt them and I have to take 3 of them. For example I can't take 2 art history classes and 1 philosophy class, or some other combo like that...

So what do you think?

Philosophy or Art History??? 

Book #3: Lifeguard by James Patterson

This was a good book. It kept me wanting to read to the end. However, it was a typical James Patterson, murder-mystery. I enjoyed it particularly because it was set in a place in Florida where I have a timeshare. So, when the author was referring to certain roads to landmarks, I knew what he was referring to. It was kind of entertaining. I also found it interesting because the FBI agent in the novel was an art major, and I'm currently contemplating whether to take a Philosophy or Art History class next term...and I'm leaning toward the Art History... but it was just interesting to hear about these missing pieces of art in the novel and how they were cherished, and blah blah blah...

But, this book was nothing special... just a regular James Patterson...