My Take on Classic Books

Recently I have started to procure an interest in classic novels, I stopped by the library the other day and picked up "The Invisible Man", which I am halfway through, and thus far is great! Of Mice & Men which is a timeless classic. Recently I have also read 1984 by George Orwell, which gave me the chills!

I don't know what it is about classic novels that I find so alluring. When I think about how many people have probably read these books and have been dazzled by the same authors I find it humbling. History is a great place to learn from, and classic novels are as much a piece of history as anything else, so why not honor them in the same fashion? There is such a timeless feel when you read a classic and I often find myself discussing the book with strangers who have also been influenced by it, its swell. Regardless of others points of view I love classic novels.

The Devil and Miss Prim By Paulo Coelho Review

I just finished the Devil and Miss Prim, and overall I liked it. I am familiar with another book by this author (The Alchemist) and in my opinion this book was light-years better! The book is an easy reader, not a page turner, there aren't many breath taking events. This book gains its oneness through the philosophical quotes and sayings that are prevalent in each page.


I enjoyed how the author tried to tackle such a universally controversial issue, its aim was to prove if humans are naturally evil, or good by nature. I like how the author sets up the very simple experiment to answer the question. The book is very straightforward and for the most part is not decorated with elaborate wording, and  each page is not drenched in action. However, it is a good book to read slowly and I often stopped to contemplate what I would do if I were put in the protagonists position. In my opinion any book that can get me to question the very fiber of my being is worth the time it takes to read it.

The weak points of this book were; the overall pace, it was slow and overly dramatic. I did not feel particularly connected to the protagonist, at the same time I wish I could have learned more about her in the book. Lastly there was a repetitious feeling through out the chapters, I often had to double take to make sure I wasn't reading over the same page. I suppose this was done intentionally to reinforce the said text, I found it an annoyance, but that is just my point of view.

Overall I this book definitely had its strong and weak characteristics, and I feel the strong did out weigh the weak.  I appreciate how ambitious the author was to tackle such an age old question and provide and answer. I feel that I could read this book again in a couple of years, and possibly appreciate it more then.



Vital Stats:
Title: The Devil and Miss Prym
Author: Paulo Coelho
My Rating 6.5/10
Theme: Human temptation.
Recommendable: I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys philosophy. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for an action packed page turner.

The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

The best thing about fiction books is their ability to completely entrance the reader. Fiction books can take you out of the daily rituals of life and take you on an amazing ride through another culture, place, time period, or simply another individuals life. The kite runner has done all of this flawlessly.

Hosseini has stuck fictional gold, I love his use of metaphors, however most the most notable aspect of this book to me was how the author caught the life of an individual with such detail and passion he made me feel like I knew the character. The Kite runner is one of those books that deserve every award it has received, and if you are ever given the opportunity you should read it. The book was also made into a movie and for all you non-readers who want to experience the values of this book, the movie is a great option. I watched it supports what my mom always says: "a movie is never as good as the book" but none the less it does the book justice and excludes very minimal amounts of detail. The movie is also a great watch after you finish the book, the casting director really pin-pointed the correct actors, each character is easily identifiable to those in the book. It was a good movie and I would give it a 7/10.

I refuse to give away any details about the book! However here are some of the high lights to me; I enjoy how the author really creates drama and meaning in the lives and actions of the characters, it adds a lot of complexity to them. Continuing on through the book and you will notice the elegant metaphors coupled with the authors great story telling (this book is magnificently paced and though it does switch back and forth between time periods the author does it in a way that so that it is easy to distinguish).

I enjoyed the bonds that were made in the book as I said before, the relationships between the characters are so strong, it really is the biggest distinguishing feature of this book. You cringe when the characters goes through a painful experience and smile when they witness something joyful, the author wrote the characters so that they are very easy to connect too and this is another one of the books strong points. The book focuses on the consequences of "sins" and how life has a way of coming full circle and re-paying those sins for the main character, Amir this came in the form of guilt. He lives with guilt for about 10 years and finally decides to silence it by correcting his sins. There are many morals to this story, but the biggest one I got out of it is; Do not underestimate the way life can come back to bite you, live a life free of sin thus free of guilt.  To me there really were no negative components, it is truly a great work of fiction that has touched my life. I hope the author continues to write such profoundly touching works of fiction.


Vital Stats:
Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
My Rating 8.5/10
Theme: The resilience of the human spirit.
Recommendable: Highly, everyone should read this book.

The Devil and Miss Prim By Paulo Coelho

I'm 100 pages into "The Devil and Miss Prim" by Paulo Coelho, and so far I am impressed. I recently finished the Alchemist which is another more well known book from the same author, however this book blows the alchemist out of the water. I really enjoy this authors philosophical views, you can't read more than a page without stopping and pondering a saying or quote in the text. The storyline of this book so far is based on the ancient question are human beings good or evil by nature? I absolutely top my hat to the author for trying to tackle such a monumental philosophical question while keeping the story enthralling. When I finish the book I will give a more thorough report, as of now I would highly recommend reading this book or any other book by the same author, they are all very enlightening.

The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini.

I just finished the first 40 pages of a nationally acclaimed book entitled "The Kite Runner", I understand that the every first 40 pages of a book is just a relativity small window into the book as a whole. But based on the fist 40 pages I am amazed that this is the author's first book. I will write a follow up review of the book upon completion, until then Aloha.

Puukohola

Every year a handful of students from my school take part in a cultural gathering. This year was very special for me, it was my first time participating in this ceremony. Even though I have been attending since I was 7 this was the first time it felt right for me to be a part of this once in a life time experience. I had tons of fun during the day time practicing hula, and taking part in some of the workshops. Just being around Pu'ukohola is always a treat, but being there with people whom have so much to share with others is always nice. Overall that weekend spent preparing for the new school year in my eyes was well worth it. Pu'ukohola is an annual event taking place in Kawaihae on Moku O Keawe ( Hawaii Island ) come join us next year!

Back From Summer.

This is the day before my first day of school, and I would like to take some time to reminisce on this summer and talk about my previous first day's of school. This summer was an extraordinary chapter in my life. As it comes to a close I want to remember the bonds that have grown between me and my new and old friends. I hope to continue growing along with such a gifted group of young individuals. As for the first day of school... isn't it always such a magical or bloodcurdling experience? But I always look forward to the first day of school, because I get to see people who I've missed for 6 weeks. I've always found summer a peculiar thing, doesn't everyone seem to grow exponentially during those weeks spent away? Well, I hope this school year will be better than last and that I meet a bunch of new people!