Online Book Review 3: Dead Stars by Paz Marquez – Benitez

Alfredo, at his 30’s had not yet married but engaged to Esperanza for 3 years. However, Esperanza patiently waited for Alfredo.

Alfredo met Julia Salaz just before he and Esperanza would get marry. He felt as if he would be much happier beside Julia. To make the long story short, he found himself falling in-love with Julia. However, Julia found out that he would be soon married to Esperanza. On the other hand, Esperanza felt the coldness of Alfredo. She knew why Alfredo was acting in such a different way and told him that she is not blind to see what he was up to. But he still ended up marrying Esperanza as Julia already said goodbye to him and went back to her hometown.

Paz Marquez had shown the readers about how human can be so irrational at times. He also showed of how we can be careless at choosing relationships. We choose a person so quickly without analyzing or thinking if we really love them and will be happy with them for the rest of our lives. Then we see that time is running so fast and we are being left behind.

I imagined myself as Esperanza, as I have been in a long relationship just like her. I admire how Paz had described her character. I wonder if I were her… Would I do the same? Probably yes, but if I could see that the man I’ll be marrying is not going to be happy with me, I’ll set him free. It’s better to be alone than being with someone who you can’t feel beside you.

It also showed also some Filipino traditions like celebration of the Holy week. Paz showed how families spend time together in the church.
I was wondering why the title is Dead Stars. In the end, I realized its significance. It was entitled to such a symbolism.

‘Dead Stars’ means memories of the past flying in our heaven of thoughts. We sometimes look at them for a while and realize that it has already passed away… already dead. In short, we could not bring back the past because it was done so the lesson is if we have the chance or opportunity, we should grab it and don’t reject because you’ll just regret in the end.

Online Book Review 2: Their Marriage Reunited by Asterix21

Lilly and Connor we’re once hopelessly in love and expecting their first child together. Then tragedy struck and in one awful night Lilly lost her husband and her child.
Six years later Lilly needs Connor’s help and he’s willing to offer it… for a price.
He wants her back I his bed as his wife. He thinks everything will go back to the way it was if they share their lives together again but Lilly fights him every step of the way and there’s more going on than even he realises.
Can he reunite them in marriage or will his efforts fail?

A romance to read. This is all started in a fake relationship between Connor and Lilly. The age gap was 4 years but as the saying goes “Age doesn’t matter” and they adopt it. Lilly was just 17 while Connor was 21. They met accidentally. Connor and his Mom we’re having lunch and his Mom keeps on asking him why did he don’t even introduce a woman. Fortunately, Lilly passed in the restaurant the Connor cornered her and state the offer if she’s willing. The agreement was Lilly needs to pretend that they are in a relationship for his Mom to stop on piercing him. As the common ending, they developed feelings and fall in love with each other.

Fast forward, Lilly is pregnant but unfortunately the baby never had the chance to live for the reason of stress. She figured out that Connor was cheating on her with his cousin. But that was a lie, her father lied towards her. After the baby’s death, Lilly decided to break up with Connor because she thinks it was the best.
I love how determined Connor is in pursuing Lilly. He use all his asset to make Lilly come back to him.

However, she don’t have a soft heart anymore because of what happened but this turns her to be confident on her own. Connor really wants to make her his. To be his wife AGAIN without turning back. Then the determination has a good result, the forgiveness was given to him because he deserves it. Lastly, they live happily and renew their vows to start a new one.

Online Book Review 1: Maid for Him by Marcimarie

Angelo knew his mother was matchmaking when she suggested then paid for his maid service. The only problem was when he laid eyes on Franchesca, he knew he may be possibly in danger of losing his heart.

At the very first Angelo and Franchesca knew that they were in a matchmaking game again of their parents because that’s common. Their parents think that they’re at the right age so they should be or have someone to marry on. They are both successful and the only thing needed is a wife/husband. There are some funny moments in the story specifically when the day they met. He saw Franchesca dancing while cooking wearing his loose shirt (his favorite one). He feels kind of turn on but he control it. He was attracted to her and he can’t help it that’s why he invited Francesca for a dinner. At first they don’t care of each other but as time goes by they develop feelings (that’s fast Hahaha).

The plan of their parents was a success because they make the Angelo and Franchesca a couple. And now the two of them are getting married with the full support of their family.

Book Review 14: Confessions of a Failed Grown-up by Stephanie Calman

In “Confessions of a Bad Mother,” Stephanie described how she brought up her children ‘wrong’. Now she unlocks her singular inability (but one which secretly we all share) to grow up: forty-five last birthday but she doesn’t feel any older, but of course she does – as in deafer, stiffer, and less able to read the dosage instructions on a bottle of Calpol. But the supposedly normal challenges of human existence feel frequently as though they are beyond her. Life is constantly confusing, frustrating and, at times, overwhelming. At forty-five – but only on paper – she’s still a child in a suit, bluffing her way with one eye looking over her shoulder, expecting any minute to be found out and taken back to the nursery. Of course, that isn’t such a bad place to be.

Sometimes she even wants to go back there, but is cruelly aware that she no longer fits the chairs. Also featuring Things to Cook in Stilettos When You’re Drunk, Why I am a Time Lord, A Hundred Ways to Wreck an Evening, Ten Things They Don’t Tell You in Biology and The Grown-Ups’ phrase book, Stephanie Calman’s candid, touching and hysterically funny new book gives hope to bad mothers and failed grown-ups everywhere: read it and know that you are not alone.

Disclaimer: I can’t able to finish the whole book because it was tedious. I’m not entertain with the flow of the story. I can’t relate. However, I think this book is for mothers and this will give them hope if they failed to raise their children.

Gosh! My recent reads was not that good so I hope for good reads for the next.

Book Review 13: Life at the Shallow End by Helen Bailey

The main character is Electra and her family was falling apart. Her dad’s moving out, her mum’s given in to her daytime TV addiction, and her little brother (aka The Little Runt) has just been caught shoplifting.
I have to say it did make me giggle a few times and it doesn’t even contain any sweet meaning or anything. Firstly, Bailey depicts Electra as being not very nice and TOTALLY boy obsessed. And she only likes handsome, popular boys and really horrible to the not so popular boys, like ‘Freak Boy’ (that is what she calls him, his name is Frazor). She starts on liking him and not being so nasty to him the day when he sees him looking a bit more handsome, not because she realizes that he is actually a nice person.
I hate to be so cruel towards books, but I do really think this book is not good. Electra is displaying all the issues/stuff teens have and then solving/ dealing with them them in not the best ways. And the whole thing is just a bit tedious.

Thanks to the person where I borrowed this book. It was not that good but I appreciate it.

Book Review 12: My Lover’s Lover by Maggie O’Farrell

My Lover’s Lover starts as the story of Lily who has just moved in as Marcus’ flatmate and realises that his last girlfriend has only recently left and under apparently mysterious circumstances. As the story unfolds we learn more about what happened to Sinead, the ex and that Marcus and Lily aren’t perhaps as normal as they seem. As Lily falls ever more deeply in love with Marcus, Sinead’s aura consumes her with fear and obsession that spark a drama of passion and betrayal.
There are also interesting ideas floating around about the ways past love affairs can haunt us. But the protagonist doesn’t have even a single discernible personality trait, the “love” she feels for the main male character is so poorly developed that it has no emotional resonance, and every element of the plot feels a little stale.
It’s an easy read, was a great holiday read, but it has more to it that is out there. The characters are flawed and therefore interesting and the novel has a mystery element intertwined with the romance that gives it more depth. Having said that, I thought the ending was a little anticlimatic as I felt like O’Farrell was building up to something a bit more dramatic than what actually happens.
I’ll give this book a low rating because the first half of the book I was confused. I felt like O’Farrell had this great idea and did not know how to finish it. And I was just waiting for some crazy plot twist but it never came. I feel shorted with this book.

Feeling disappointed but I just got this for only Php 50.

Let’s read to where I start!

Let’s go back reading novels. Just done with the book I posted last time. I’m so excited to read the next. I’ll just choose one for the next week so stay tuned!

Book Review 11.11: Encore Performances

Mistakes in decision-making is natural, in fact mistakes are good because you’ll be able to know what was you’re wrong. It will not makes us down, to be honest this will improve our character.

This is the last chapter and it help me as a child to think mature on topic relating to sex. This somehow gave me enough idea or provide knowledge that I need to learn.

I turned to a young matured woman God wants me to be.

Book Review 11.10: Setting High Standards

Some or almost all are saying “Prevention is better than cure”. In which for me is true. On topic regarding sexual and emotional integrity, preventing a child on temptations, setting them high standards will or can lead to sexual maturity.

Book Review 11.9: Shopping Sensibly

“I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”

– Timothy 2:9-10

Two ways on how to teach your daughter when it comes to how they dress:

* You teach people how to treat you.

* Whatever bait you use determines the type of fish you’ll catch.

The guidance of a parent on how a child should act is an essential part. You can’t just let them do what they want because as a parent you’re there to guide whatever decisions they make. You want to develop the strongest part in them and most of all to be respected by the people around them.