Author: Elie Wiesel
Title: The Judges
Genre: Historical Fiction & Religion and Spirituality
Pages: 224
First Published: 1999
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library
A plane en route from New York to Tel Aviv is forced down by bad weather. A nearby house provides refuge for five of its passengers: Claudia, who has left her husband and found new love; Razziel, a religious teacher who was once a political prisoner; Yoav, a terminally ill Israeli commando; George, an archivist who is hiding a Holocaust secret that could bring down a certain politician; and Bruce, a would-be priest turned philanderer.
Their host—an enigmatic and disquieting man who calls himself simply the Judge—begins to interrogate them, forcing them to face the truth and meaning of their lives. Soon he announces that one of them—the least worthy—will die.
I do adore Elie Wiesel's writing style. It flows well and he doesn't need a lot of words to really make you feel, think, and see. This is my third book by him. And its still as good as the other two. However, not my favorite.
Yes, this was okay. Interesting plot, a people story, thriller-ish (even though the ending was totally predictable), and though-provoking. The characters' stories were too long and boring. Each character got a huge chunk of the book dedicated to their past life/who they are on the inside. It was too long and I would skim. Honestly, it really did take away from the plot. The author did try and split up each character's story throughout the book, but each section was too big and I found myself not caring about the character. If it was shorter I would have not skimmed.
Speaking of the characters....the vast majority I didn't like/care about. I wasn't worried about them being picked by the Judge. Is that bad too say?
Ugh...the Judge...self-righteous bastard....BUT he was certainly entertaining to read about.
Poor Hunchback guy. :/
The ending as I had mentioned was predictable, but I liked it. It fit and made me happy. Okay...maybe happy is not the right word....but I approved and that is how I would've ended it myself.
So yes, this was an interesting book, not the authors best sadly. I didn't care about the majority of the characters for many reasons, but their backstories dragged on for far too long. I liked the ending a lot and I approve. This book would be a good one for High School or college students to read. Lots of thought-provoking questions and it shows that people can be both good and bad. In the end, I shall stamp this with 3 stars.
Author: Sylvia Brown
Title: The Other Side and Back
Genre: Non-fiction, Religion, & Fantasy
Pages: 304
First Published: August 1999
Where I Got It: My shelf (Christmas gift from Reece)
World-famous psychic and New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Browne takes readers on an unprecedented and comprehensive "tour" of the afterlife—a world-changing revelation that has helped millions live for today, tomorrow, and forever...
This is my second book I've read by Sylvia Browne. The first one I read was solely about reincarnation and near-death. That was really good and it reaffirmed my belief in reincarnation and spirit guides, so I've always been interested in Sylvia Browne's work since that book. Reece found this for me recently and I'm glad she did.
In this book she does talk a bit about spirit guides and reincarnation, but she mainly focuses on the "Other side" which is a form of heaven, but not your a-typical heaven with clouds and harps. Bleurgh. Who wants that? BORING. She talks about how the Other Side is much more in-tune in your interests and so forth. It is also on Earth, but its considered a different dimension. Better then the old tales of heaven and I can get behind something that doesn't involve me being naked on a cloud playing a harp. *nods*
She also does talk about talking the dead, ghosts, angels, and even the future. I've had my far share of ghostie encounters, but as for the future? I can't take her serious. No one can predict the future in my mind. Maybe you can predict a general thing that is set in stone, but I don't know if if "God" or whoever would curse anyone with that knowledge. Plus....it's like reading the end of a book. Leave well enough alone.
Now I have of course had my future told to me from many different psychics. They've been 20% right. I also do divination cards and tarot cards to give me direction or help or whatever (they've been more right then psychics), so I believe in those more so. However, the future is too fickle in my mind.
Now...reading the past is more set in stone. I totally believe in reincarnation and all that stuff, because I've experienced a couple of my past lives through regression. Its spooky and explains a lot about why I am the way I am. It also explains why I am here and trying to "better myself". I won't go into details about my stories, because I am shy and I don't really want people too know that. I rarely have told any friends or my parents (I oddly feel embarrassed and I don't want people to look at me like I am crazy - I know, I know.....I should not be ashamed in my beliefs).
This was a quick read and it was interesting. Do I believe in everything Sylvia Browne says? Hell no. Do I believe in some of it? Yes, but I've experienced some it and I'm a "have to see it to believe it" type of gal. THUS why I don't believe in aliens completely, because I have not had an experience with an alien or UFO or whatever.
I do recommend this to those with an open-mind. It's an interesting belief on the world. Is it any more crazy then any other religious theories? Nope. Some of it makes sense, some of it seems out of this world. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 4 stars. More like 3.5 stars, but I rounded.
Author: The Diagram Group and James Napoli
Title: Big Bad Ass Book of the Zodiac
Genre: Religion & Spirituality
Pages: 420
First Published: August 3rd, 2010
Where I Got It: On my shelf (Amazon)
"Oozing with sarcasm and bursting with real-world advice, Big Bad Ass Book of the Zodiac provides the lowdown on your personality, career, friendships, and love life. Separate chapters for each astrological symbol (including those of the Chinese zodiac) make it easy to find the facts…even if you can't handle the truth! From why Aries often "fake it” to what leisure activities a Taurus enjoys (spoiler: saving money), this guide is a slap in the face that's good for you"
I will admit...normally I NEVER go cover to back of a zodiac/astrology book. Never, ever. I am very selfish when (like normal people) it comes to books like these. I read mine and then I will read out loud (or let others read) other people's section. However, after I read mine...I wanted to read more. I actually did read each page and each section. EVEN the Chinese zodiac part at the back. Kuddos to me.
The writers where so funny and sarcastic...I loved it! However, as funny as they were this book was so scary true. There were only a couple people that didn't match theirs, but everyone else I know they seemed to have come to life from the page. Scary, but cool. My mom matched everything, but the "appearance" part of hers. They say Sagittarius women are suppose to be tall and slim, but my mom is short and very curved. However, all the other Sagittarius women I've met fit that build very well.
This was such a fun book and I really want to read more from the author and from this group of people. They have a whole collection of "Big Bad Ass" books. I'll have to check them out more.
In the end, this was a fun book. It was filled with not only humor and sarcastic anecdotes, but it was filled with great advice and personality qualities of each zodiac that is scarily true for 90% of the people in my life. I would recommend this to those that LOVE this type of stuff or for those curious to learn more. It's a good stepping stone in learning more about not only the A-typical zodiac stuff, but for the Chinese Zodiacs as well. I shall stamp this with 5 stars. ^.^
*CaroleRae*
