The Secret - Rhonda Byrne

Genre: Self-help/Inspirational/Philosophy

This book is an inspiration book to help you live your life the way you want to. It's to help you learn to be happy with what you have, and to learn how to get what you want in life.


Synopsis from Goodreads:
Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it.

In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life.

The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.

I liked how they referenced Aladdin in this. It makes Aladdin and his genie seem more legit. I feel happier after having read this book, even more so for having completed reading it. My goal was to finish reading this before 7am, and it's not even 5:45am yet, so I guess I achieved my goal. This book is useful to anyone who wants to learn how to live a happier life and to get the things they want out of life, no exceptions. I am now using what I learned from this book in my life, even before having finished it.

The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi

Genre: Sci-fi/Post-apocalyptic/Dystopian

The Windup Girl is set in a Steampunk Thailand. The story starts out with a man called Anderson who owns a factory that's failing in many aspects. Later we meet Emiko, our Windup-girl, who is a genetically engineered Japanese girl, who gets mistreated, but finds a renewed reason to live. Cibiscosis and blister rust go around like a plague making everyone deathly sick and food inedible. The world we come to know in this book is one that's very dark and depressing. Everything is genetically engineered from humans, to animals, to food.


Synopsis from goodreads.com:
What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits? And what happens when said bio-terrorism forces humanity to the cusp of post-human evolution? In The Windup Girl, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi returns to the world of his award-winning "The Calorie Man" and "Yellow Card Man" in order to address these questions.

First let me say, this book was nothing like I expected. I didn't expect it to be so dark. That's not to say I didn't like this book, but I'm sure it's not a favorite of mine. The book takes place in a Steampunk Thailand which was different than anything I've ever known, so kudos to something unique. Sometimes the book is hard to follow, I guess because it has a lot of filler junk. I felt a bit of happiness when Emiko finds her strength. After getting into the book I guess I really had no expectations for the outcome. I did feel though, that it could have used something more...I'd have liked for the story to have a lot more about Emiko, since she's The Windup Girl as the title suggests. I felt like they should have described the diseases better, though I guess they weren't that important to the storyline. I did like that Emiko developed through the story, however, the ending kinda left me empty. Overall it was an okay book, worth a read if you're into something different and strange. This book is definitely a strange one, but with a unique story.

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.

Twilight: Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Young Adult

Bella's still in love with Edward, and in this book we get to see how much of a jerk Jacob truly is. Edward still wants Bella to marry him before he turns her, despite her wanting it now, under what Edward considers fear circumstance. It's Bella's graduation year and young vampires are running rampant in Seattle. We discover Jaspers past and how it's linked to the up and coming battle with young vampires. The Cullens and the wolves form an ally-ship to fight a battle against these newborns. Still victoria wants to kill Bella. Bella discovers her love for Jacob and wants to set him free.


Wikipedia Summary:
The story opens with the revelation that Seattle, Washington is being plagued by a string of murders, which Edward suspects is caused by a new vampire that is unable to control its thirst for human blood. As Edward and Bella apply to colleges, Bella explains to Edward her desire to see her friend, Jacob Black, a werewolf. Although Edward fears for her safety, Bella insists that neither Jacob nor his wolf pack would ever harm her, and she begins visiting him occasionally. On one of these visits, Jacob tells Bella that he is in love with her and wants her to choose him instead of Edward, but Bella says she just sees him as a friend. To that, Jacob forcibly kisses her and she reacts by punching him in the face, spraining her hand while not even leaving a scratch on him. Meanwhile, Alice Cullen has a vision that Victoria, a vampire who is hunting Bella for revenge, has returned to Forks. A few days later, Edward proposes to Bella and, despite harboring an aversion to marriage, she accepts.

Bella and the Cullens soon realize that the Seattle murders are being committed by an "army" of newborn vampires, controlled by Victoria. The Cullens join forces with the wolf pack to combat this threat. As everyone else prepares for battle, Edward, Bella and Jacob camp in the mountains, hidden during the battle, where they are later joined by Seth Clearwater, a young wolf pack member, to wait out the fight.

In the morning, Jacob becomes upset when he overhears Edward and Bella discussing their engagement and threatens to join the fight and get himself killed. Bella stops Jacob by kissing him, and she comes to realize that she is in love with him as well. During the battle, Victoria tracks Edward's scent to Bella's forest hiding place, and Edward is forced to fight. Edward manages to kill Victoria and her vampire army is destroyed. Afterwards, Bella explains to Jacob that while she loves him, her love for Edward is greater. After receiving a wedding invitation from Edward, Jacob runs away in his wolf form to escape his heartbreak over Bella's rejection.
Let me start by saying this books freaking long dude. I saw the movies before I read the books, but it looks to me like the movies follow the books pretty well. I didn't mind this one, in fact it was my favorite of the series so far. The one thing I have against this saga is that it kinda circulates to the same junk all the time. Detailed circles that just keep reoccurring basically. What I mean by that is, Bella's always strung between Edward and Jacob before she even realizes her feelings for the one guy. Not to mention that someones always trying to kill her because shes 'fragile.' Also she's always blaming herself for the bad stuff that happens and I guess she does kind of draw it to herself. They need to get on with turning her into a vampire already so that the story can get some kind of change. Also, is it just me or does Jacob become more of an ass, as the series continues? Raging werewolf hormones much? If you're into vampires and werewolves and love triangles, you'll love this series, especially if you don't mind some trends that seem to stick with the theme of the saga. It's definitely a series that if I were a teenage girl, I would be crazy about. The flaws probably wont stop me from reading the next ones.

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.

The Buried Covenant - Shawn P. Keenan

Genre: Sci-fi, Religious, Occult, Young Adult


The book starts out pretty slow, but does get better. It starts out pretty much like most young adult novels do, focusing on things like relationships and friendships. Our hero, Jayke, is a boy who doesn't know much about his past and is really nervous around others, especially those his own age. He slowly starts to learn he has some kind of super natural powers. We meet a few ominous characters one being Amber, who we later find out goes by a different name, and a different character all together. A group called the Aduro really wants to stop him, because he's the key of the future. In this book it seems love is our hero's reason for strength. I will admit I didn't like this book too much at the beginning, and the entire book almost lost me when we discover it's religious affiliation, but with a title like 'The Buried Covenant' it should have been expected. It wasn't written poorly by any means. It was easy to get through, I read the entire book in a sitting. It's pretty cool that Jayke goes through a metamorphosis of understanding himself, and the things he's capable of. Heck, he even has a romantic interest, even though he must stay pure and cannot be with her, which must be difficult, for anyone.


Synopsis from Amazon.com:
Being hardheaded is a common character flaw, but most teenagers can’t crack a concrete curb with their skull. And while a skilled skateboarder appears to defy gravity, he can’t keep water from pouring out of an upturned cup.

Unintentionally tapping into latent powers has brought Jayke Wolff to the attention of the Aduro, an ancient society plotting an apocalyptic new world order. He’s now their number one draft pick, and they’ve dispatched their most seductive member to close the deal. It shouldn’t take much convincing a hormonal teenage boy to turn his back on a cryptic covenant for a future of self-indulgence and unchecked power. But if Jayke can’t be tempted by pleasures of the flesh, the flesh can be influenced in less pleasant ways as well. Armageddon can’t wait forever. Killing Jayke will also work.

I thought it was pretty slow at first. As I said before it does get better. It has good character developement as we see Jayke go from a shy and unsure guy to a strong character with more understanding of himself. I read it in a sitting, so that should tell you it's not a terrible book, at least I didn't think so by any means. I recommend reading this book if you're into the occult, religious affiliation and the supernatural. If you're looking to read this book, goodreads.com has it up for June 2011 for a free read here. 

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.

Rating: