Book Reviews

Author Luisa Playa gives her top tips for writing reviews:

1) Start with a couple of sentences describing what the book is about

But without giving any spoilers or revealing plot twists. As a general rule, try to avoid writing in detail about anything that happens from about the middle of the book onwards. If the book is part of a series, it can be useful to mention this, and whether you think you’d need to have read other books in the series to enjoy this one.

2) Discuss what you particularly liked about the book

Focus on your thoughts and feelings about the story and the way it was told. You could try answering a couple of the following questions:

• Who was your favourite character, and why?
• Did the characters feel real to you?
• Did the story keep you guessing?
• What was your favourite part of the book, and why?
• Were certain types of scene written particularly well – for example sad scenes, tense scenes, mysterious ones…?
• Did the book make you laugh or cry?
• Did the story grip you and keep you turning the pages?

3) Mention anything you disliked about the book

Talk about why you think it didn’t work for you. For example:

• Did you wish the ending hadn’t been a cliffhanger because you found it frustrating?
• Did you find it difficult to care about a main character, and could you work out why?
• Was the story too scary for your liking, or focused on a theme you didn’t find interesting?

4) Round up your review

Summarise some of your thoughts on the book by suggesting the type of reader you’d recommend the book to. For example: younger readers, older readers, fans of relationship drama/mystery stories/comedy. Are there any books or series you would compare it to?

5) You can give the book a rating, for example a mark out of five or ten, if you like

Courtesy: http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/teenagers/writing-tips/tips-for-writing-book-reviews/

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Tuesdays with Morrie- Author:Mitch Albom 

This book is a very touching book .The book mainly deals with the conversations that the author has with his professor with whom he lost touch for almost two decades. He reunites with this Sociology Professor who is at the last stages of a terminal illness ALS . He recalls the earlier days when he used to have a class with his Professor every Tuesday. Now that he meets him ,they decide to begin classes again on Tuesdays ,But now the topic is “meaning of life”.
Throughout the book we see how this professor welcomes death with dignity. Though he is in pain and has to depend on somebody for every single act, he never shows any self pity. Instead he showcases courage ,optimism and humour.He never mourns or grieves his illness but tries to live the last few days meaningfully and happily.The book has 14 Tuesday classes each discussing different aspects of life.forgiveness family ,world caring for the society, to mention a few.
The relationship between the student and the professor is almost like a Son Dad relationship and when meets Morrie on the 14th Tuesday for the last time he cries for the first time in many years.The beauty of the book is that it does not talk too much about the illness or how the professor suffered physically.The conversation itself makes us understand how Morrie sees life and how he is ready to face death
The Tuesday lessons are not just for the author, but for all of us.

Indomitable Spirit: Book review

by

Dr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul kalam was born on October 15,1931and has the unique honour of being the recipient of the country’s top civilian awards : the Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1991 and the Bharat Ratna in 1997. Dr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam became he eleventh president of India in July 2002.

The book Indomitable Spirit is an awesome book written by Dr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam.It is the experience from his own life’s journey from the shores of Rameswaram to the hallowed portals of  Rashtrapati Bhawan. In this book Dr.Kalam has showed great respect towards women and says that "womanhood is a beautiful creation of God" and this is explained in chapter-9 (Empowered women) which particularly depicts examples of women who have defied society norms and have done well to rise beyond their expectations. According to him, "there is no other profession in the world that is more important to society than that of a teacher" which is explained in chapter-2 (My Teachers).  And this is what is liked the most as I aim to become a teacher. It gave me more interest towards that profession. He has great hopes towards the youth of the nation.  Indomitable spirit has two components. The first component is that there must  be a vision leading to higher goals of achievement.The second component is the ability to overcome all hurdles coming in the way of mission accomplishment.

In this book he tells the young men and women, "success can only come to you by courageous devotion to the task in front of you". Since I conclude that the youngsters should read this book as it is very inspiring, and by reading this book one becomes self – confident courageous and determined.

Have you been wondering about what 'The Secret' is, and why it took the country by storm? You're not alone. The book, which discusses the Law of Attraction and how to use it in your life, rose to the top of many bestseller lists and inspired offshoots like The Secret Gratitude Book, The Secret Day-To-Day Calendar, and its own official website. The book introduced many people to the concept that their thoughts may influence not only their actions, but the experiences that they bring into their lives as well.

NAME OF THE BOOK: THE SECRET BY RHONDA BYRENE (It is available in the library and must read)

Tips from The Secret

The Secret puts forward several ideas that are surprising, exciting, and perhaps controversial, such as:

• If you focus your attention on achieving a goal andbelieve not only that you can do it, but that you already have done it, you can achieve virtually any goal you set your mind to.
• If you focus on what you don't want, you are inadvertently drawing that into your life. For example, if you constantly ruminate on what is stressing you, you'll actually draw more of those situations (and accompanying stressed feelings) into your life. Instead, the trick is to focus on what you dowant in your life, and you'll get more of that.
• The Law of Attraction, the principle that you attract whatever you focus your energy on (good or bad), works with relationships, possessions, goals, and anything else you are able to focus on -- even your own health.

The book shares other insights and specific strategies to use, gives a history of the use of the Law of Attraction, and provides examples on how it's worked in the lives of various people, making it an interesting and informative read.

The Cons and Contrversies of The Secret

02-04-2014


27-0802014

Title of the book:   Samskara: A rite for a dead man
Author of the book:  Dr. U R Ananthamurthy

Summary:
This book tells the story of a decaying brahmin village that is pulled into a quandary of what to do about a brahmin
who died. This particular brahmin rebelled against the orthodox ways of the village and flouted his indiscretions in the face of the other brahmin. However, since he was never excommunicated, only another brahmin could perform his last rites. the Archaya, young head of the Brahmin village, agonized over what to do, but without explicit instruction from the books, he didn't know what to decide.
In this quandary, Archarya's struggle and subsequent fall from grace, critiwues and questions strict Hindu beliefs and caste system. It raises the question of whether transformation is possible, but certainly highlights that it is needed.
This book painted a picture of a place in India that was in some ways timeless. The writing style was engaging and through this story you definitely get a sense of Hindu practices and Indian culture.

By Priyadarshini Class XIA Science