Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Definitely dark and entertaining - this is how I describe Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  This book is a fusion of the movies X-men, Big Fish, The Vampire's Assistant, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. This young adult fiction novel by Ransom Riggs combines horror and fantasy elements which makes the book an awesome reading experience.

The story starts with the mysterious murder of Jacob's grandfather. This event motivated Jacob to know more about his grandfather's strange request before he passed away. He went to the island where his grandfather grew up, and there he discovered the truth behind his identity.

This book needs extended sitting time because it is a page-turner. It was one of the scariest books that I have ever read, alongside Coraline, and The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. The graphic novel contains pictures that may disturb younger readers. Keep this book out of reach of children as it may give them nightmares when they sleep.

The Fifth Mountain

The Fifth Mountain is the story of Elijah, and how amidst the trials in his life, overcame, and found his true calling along the way.

This inspirational book of Paolo Coelho reminds us that we should continue to persevere even if there are many obstacles in our lives. These challenges are meant to help us find our true purpose and to transform us into someone whom we never thought we are capable of.

There are times in our lives when we start to question of our existence, when we become faithless, and when we become hopeless. The story of The Fifth Mountain will help us realize that these feelings of hopelessness and despair are normal, however, we should never cling on to the past but allow ourselves to live for the moment.

This book of Paolo Coelho is a must read for people who are in need of inspiration and motivation to continue with life. The Fifth Mountain is a success story of perseverance to complete one's destiny.

Favorite excerpt:

A child can always teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.

James and the Giant Peach

Roald Dahl is definitely one of the world's best storyteller. James and the Giant Peach, is beautifully written, beautifully illustrated , fantastic book [Christian Science Monitor].

The story is about a boy names James. After losing his parents at an early age, he was forced to live with his two horrible aunts. He was utterly miserable, until one strange thing happened.

This book is not only entertaining, but also educational. It also tells us some scientific facts about insects in our garden and how they help the environment. James and the Giant Peach is a good book that even adults would enjoy.

Favorite quote:

"Marvelous things will start happening to you . . . and you will never be miserable again in your life."

How They Met and Other Stories

David Levithan's stories about love will redefine your preconceived notion of what love should be. Love breaks barriers of gender, age, social status, and race. Deep inside, however different we may be, we are all the same.

Favorite quotes:

"You think people are afraid with two boys in love? To hell with that! What people are really afraid of is two boys screwing." 

"Sometimes, you need to be bullied by the truth."

"We'd said we'd keep in touch. But touch is not something you can do from a distance. Touch is not something you can keep; as soon as it's gone, it's gone. We should have said we'd keep in words, because they are all we can string between us - words on a telephone line, words appearing on a screen. But they cause more complications than clarity."

"We listen to songs to figure them out, to unravel the mystery of the words and the tune. I am writing in order to unravel myself, to find out what exactly I'm doing, and why."

"This is what a song can do. Our moments are music, and sometimes - just sometimes - we can catch them and put them into some lasting form. If I didn't have music, I don't know if I could ever be truly happy, and if I didn't have these moments, I would never find music. It is everywhere, in the air between us, waiting to be sung."

The Barefoot Book of Princesses

The Barefoot Book of Princesses is a collection of princess stories not just for little girls, but also for adults alike. It comes with an audio CD which is a very good companion for those who are just beginners in the English language. This book is beautifully told and presented. Caitlin Matthews, the audio talent, is such a dynamic storyteller who could easily make you imagine pictures through her melodious voice.

The audio book contains seven tracks:
1) The Princess and the Pea
2) The Mountain Princess
3) The Princess who Lost her Hair
4) The Bird-Cage Husband
5) The Beggar Princess
6) The Horned Snake's Wife
7) The Sleeping Beauty

Favorite Passage:

"The world is wide and there are many strange things in it. Best be content with simple things."

Manga Messiah

This is actually the first book of the Manga Bible series which was published in 2006. This book showed the life and death of Jesus Christ. He is the realization of Isaiah's prophecy from the old testament.

The illustrations about his numerous miracles, his parables and his death and resurrection could be easily understood by children. This is a very good Bible adaptation for children. Hopefully, this book would be able to help people understand the glory of God.

Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons In Life

Life is not as complicated as we think it is. However, it is the choices that we make that create or break us. Richard Branson's advices on how to live a full life are very practical and achievable. Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons In Life, is a very good book that can help inspire people to reach their goals.

If I had a highlighter, I would probably end up highlighting the whole book. Here are just some of the lessons that were very relevant for me:

1) If you opt for a safe life, you will never know what it's like to win.
2) If you challenge yourself, you will grow.
3) Money is important, but the bottom line us money is just a means to an end. It is not an end in itself.
4) Whatever we want to be, whatever we want to do, we can do it. Go ahead. Take that first step. Just do it.

Richard Branson is not a man of words, but a man of action. If you want to succeed, you have to live life to the full. Take chances and be brave. This book is a must read for those who need some motivation and self-belief.

Manga Messengers

Manga Messengers is the third book of the Old Testament's Bible adaptation. It was written and illustrated by Ryo Azumi. This book starts with the reign of Solomon until the age of the last prophet, Malachi. It clearly illustrates the rise and fall of the Israelites and shows the terrible consequences of disobedience to the Lord.

This book shows the timeline of obedient and disobedient kings. The appendix provides a genealogy of prophets and kings.

Manga Messenger is a good reference to use for better understanding of the connection between the Bible and world history.

Manga Melech

Manga Melech by Ryo Azumi is the continuation of Manga Mutiny. This book covers the escape of the Israelites from Egypt until the end of King David's reign. Manga Melech starts on Moses' quest to bring the Israelites to the promised land. It was followed by Joshua's success to finally bring the people of Israel to the land the Lord promised them. The book also contains the stories of Gideon, Ruth, Deborah, and Samson. The final chapters were about Samuel's annointing of Saul, the first king of Israel, and also the story of David.

The family tree and historical timeline can be found at the back of the book. It also shows maps of ancient Israel for easy reference. 

Manga Melech is a very good Bible companion to understand the reason of God's blessing and cursing which resulted in Israel's rise and fall.

Tales from Old Ireland

Tales from Old Ireland is a collection of folk tales from Ireland retold by Malachy Doyle. This book retells beautiful Celtic legends that have survived in Ireland even after Christianity took over the country. The Irish storytelling tradition is one of the richest in the world. Stories were passed down from one generation to another by storytelling, or by word of mouth. The folktales in this book are only a few of those that have been compiled by historians.

This book includes the following Irish stories:

* The Children of Lir

* Fair, Brown and Trembling

* The Twelve Wild Geese

* Lusmore and the Fairies

* Son of an Otter, Son of a Wolf

* The Soul Cages

* Oisin in Tir na nOg

Sing Down The Moon

Sing Down the Moon is a moving story about the tragic life of the Navaho Indians in the late 1800's. They were forced to slavery, were driven away from their homes, and were treated harshly by foreigners. This book is beautifully written and is simply moving. It is a memorable reading experience especially to those who are fascinated with Native American culture.

Favorite quote:

I said nothing more that day about the canyon or the sheep. But I made up my mind as we went back through the village, past the rows of brush huts where people shivered and were dying. Within the rising and waning of five moons my baby would be born.
"It will not be born here, in the shadow of the gray fort," I said to myself, "not here."

Love and Misadventure

Love is a complicated feeling. It gives joy, sadness, and sometimes pain. Love and Misadventure is a beautiful book of weaved words that came straight from universal experiences of people who are in love or those who fell out of love. Love indeed is a universal language, and poetry is the best medium to express it.

Favorite poem:

SOUL MATES

I don't know how you are familiar to me - or why it feels less like I am getting to know you and more as though I am remembering who you are. How every smile, every whisper brings me closer to the impossible conclusion that I have known you before, I have loved you before - in another time, a different place - some other existence.

Some Helpful Tips for a Better World and a Happier Life

Everybody wants to be happy. Happiness is a choice. To be happy, you need to do things that would make you smile and those that are worthwhile. This book illustrates how to make a better world and a happier life by making music and art, trying to do something new each day, talking to different kinds of people, helping save the environment, reading different kinds of books, dancing, and most importantly, just being yourself. This is a simple, yet effective book. The tips are worth remembering and worth trying.

Manga Mutiny

Manga Mutiny by Ryo Azumi, is a graphic representation of the Bible focusing on the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph and Moses. The book clearly shows the Bible's timeline starting from the creation until the time of exodus.

This book is an excellent companion to the Old Testament Bible. At the back of the book, it shows a family tree where we can clearly trace the descendants of each important character.

Manga Mutiny is a Bible adaptation that both children and adults would love.

Talking In The Dark

Talking In The Dark is a poetry memoir about childhood, relationships, and self-realization. Billy Merrell's poetic account of his life is a tapestry of colorful imagery of happiness, sadness, fear, shame, understanding, and acceptance. Beautifully strung words both figuratively and literally, convey the writer's emotions in his own book of revelations. 

Poetry itself is universal. In most poems, it is like looking at the mirror.  One could see his own reflection into one of the pages. His, is an ordinary story, told in an extraordinary way. Billy Merrell is a master of words. 

Favorite poem:

Love brings you hope, purpose and resurrection.

And though you say you're not religious minded,

you want to have faith in something daily yours

that brings you joy. What is existence, really,

but the product of one's own belief? If we 

can name it, if we have given it a place

inside us, how could it not be there? Name

one thing more possible, more durable,

more real than people. It is not naive

to recognize existence, something you aren't

sure of --- it is naivete to ignore

the possibility that something might.

Go. Look directly back at it. It will 

still be there. Dare to let the world look back

at you. If we give love a space, a name,

ourselves, there is no end to what we see.

-p. 116 Billy Merrell

Marcelo in the Real World

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork is an eye-opener for parents who have gifted children. Marcelo Sandoval, the protagonist in the story, is a unique hero that everyone would love. Forced to mingle with people in the "real" world, Marcelo struggles how to be functional in his dad's law firm. Torn between doing what is best for his own interest and what seems right, Marcelo listens to the imaginary music inside his head to decide his course of action. This story lets us take a look inside the beautiful mind of Marcelo and lets us understand the social conscience that should govern each and everyone of us. This is truly an amazing read. It is wholly compelling and not to be missed.

Favorite quotes:
"It's not hard to simplify the thought processes of the brain. All you have to do is stop unwanted thoughts from rising up."

"Every day I come to work, I tell myself, I'm a warrior and this is a battle. I put on my war face. That's another figure of speech. It's a way of saying that I understand I will need to watch out for people's motives and I will need to be competitive - like in a war, where some will win and some will lose. It's important that you see that side of life."

"I don't believe in suffering. If a kid is happy, understood, and appreciated, he will bloom in his or her own time."

Tokyo Heist

Tokyo Heist is a mystery novel written by Diana Renn. It is about a missing Van Gogh, Japanese mafia, and an unexplained death. This "East meets West" story tackles common cultural and generational issues and how these differences affect relationshiops. Creative and unique, Diana Renn paints real and animated pictures through her written words in her debut book. Tokyo Heist is indeed a pleasant revelation.

Favorite quotes: 

"A bridge isn't just something we build out of wood or steel. A bridge can also be the people that connect our past to our present, or the people that connect one country to another. And making or sustaining a bridge can be as simple as people talking. It's people making connections." 

"You see, many Japanese people have a certain vision of love. They believe impossible love is the strongest love there is." 

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Words create magic. Anonymously written, words are powerful enough to make people imagine something different other than reality. It is called expectation. Words sometimes hypnotize and flatter, giving the wrong impression. However, written words are also the author's form of escape, of what he or she really wants to be. In words, everything is possible. Our bodies only limit what kind of person we can project to others.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares tells us a story of words exchanged in a mysterious red notebook. Follow the adventure of Dash and Lily, as they find themselves falling in love with each other even before they met. 

Favorite quote:

"Danger comes in many forms, I suppose. For some people, it might be jumping off a bridge or climbing impossible mountains. For others, it could be a tawdry love affair or telling off a mean-looking bus driver because he doesn't like to stop for noisy teenagers. It could be cheating at cards or eating a peanut even though you're allergic.

For me, danger might be getting out from under the protective cloak of my family and venturing into the world more on my own, even though I don't know what - or who - awaits me. I wish you were part of this plan. But are you dangerous? Somehow I doubt it. I'm scared you're just a figment of my imagination.

I think it's time to experience life outside the notebook."