Socrates in love by Kyoichi Katayama

Where do I start? I've read this book two times, both in spanish so I decided that I'd also tagged its name in spanish just as its exactly translation from spanish to english, because-not sure why- its translation to english they changed the title for Socrates in love-not quite sure about it, I believe it's cause the manga-

This book came to me in a really strange way, I was looking for something to read and out of nowhere I read the name, which reminded me to an anime I watched in my high school time, an anime that everysingle time I watched it-and were more than two, because I bought the DVDs-made me cry and made me feel that real love was actually something real, no matter how difficult the world could be or how hard everyone can make you think it would be. The anime was Saikano, which in spanish they added to the name the phrase: "The last love song in this little planet", and as you, my dear reader may realise, both phrases are quite similar-I mean to the book's title, of course- so thinking that maybe the manga was based on this book, I bought without even doubting-because come on! the manga was so damn good, that later was published the anime, the ova and the live action movie, so why would I think there was not possible to get a book as well , right ?

But great was my surprise when the principal character weren't even named like the anime-way more when there was no war or machines either, yeah I didn't even read the synopsis-but still I wasn't depressed I was just more curious, and kept reading, besides I bought it in spanish and was quite easier to read it, because the pace was pretty relaxed so I went on... and couldn't be more happier of doing so.

This book tells us the story of Aki Hirose and Sakutaro Matsumoto, both school partners know each other since kids, and making their friendship growing to a beautiful and sincere love.

Like a "slice of life-anime" we can read in 3 parts of the book-because is divided in 4- how the love between both of them was flourishing, how they met, their behaviour at school, at their parents, their families and such - because they were still being kids- so if you have ever watched an anime you can realise what I mean when I say it was like a slice of life-anime-yeah they tell you of how it was being delegate, how were their dates, their weekends and of course, how they tried to have sex for first time-and if to that you add rural japanese scenaries and sweet anecdotes of their relatives of how the live used to be, you will be teletransported to an innocent, relaxed and lovely panorama right away, giving to the reader a way of peace.

But not everything is as good as it looks like, here comes the part of drama: Aki gets sick, changing the genere of the book completely from romance to drama-a heartbreaking, sobbing kind of drama- one of those where you say: "nahhh, I'm okay; I can handle it", but then you find yourself blinking away the tears from your eyes because they don't let you keep reading-yup that kind of drama-

The first time I read it, I cried an ocean...but the second one I just shed a few tears -guess because I already knew what was coming-but still the story is worth it.

The book shows us different types of love, but all of them pure in their own especial way and also how to handle the lost of a beloved one. Here I had to name Saku's grandpa, I think he's the wise man from the book, giving you the best stories that will make you say: WOW, he's the one that will take Saku's hand just in the moments he needs it more.

Reading the book the first time was like if someone was getting a hand inside of me and crushing my heart, but the second one was like if someone were hugging me; in both ocassions the book made me realise the kinf of love I want in life and I want to teach to my future family and share with the rest of the world and miss the tranquility of how it was being kid and the sensations of peace and ease you felt in that time.

I can´t say more of this book without risking of giving you spoilers, just telling you that is worth the hour and a half of your time-or maybe less, cause it's 200 pages- and if you read it from top to bottom in once...the emotions will be really strong. 

May not be Romeo & Juliet or the sweetest and most dramatic love story of the world, but it is a freaking sweet and sad love story.

The Origin by Dan Brown

Not sure how to start this, the only thing I can pull of my mind is that any book written by Dan Brown so far has never disappointed me in anyway!

As you may see in the synopsis located in the back cover of the book, the story goes around Edmond Kirsch ( how a suitable name for a character that is looking revenge from a sect) a futurologist that looks to bring an answert to two of the most famous questions made by humanity since the begin of time:

Where we come from? 

and

Where do we go?

In order to answer these two he'd go through a minimalistic research that when he finally gets the answer, worried about the repercussions this might cause, talks beforehand with three representatives of differents religions so they could give him a piece of advise and an opinion of how handle this knowledge before giving it to the world.

But of course, not everything is so simple, as talking and showing, right in the moment he was about to show everything to the world, he is killed and now, one of his dearest friends and mentor as Robert Langdon will be the one responsible to go through thick and thin, in order to finish what Edmond started... give the two anwers to the world... all that in company of Ambra Vidal, the other person that worked beside Edmond in order to make such a great presentation to introduce the truth to the world.

In this novel we will take a tour by the Guggenheim of Bilbao, the Mila House and the Sacred Family in Spain, where almost every single piece of architecture is a lost art.

We'll take a look inside of a ficticious monarchy that is not as sacred and devoted as we thought.

I consider myself a person very curious about the world that surrounds me, and reading a book of Dan Brown always allows your mind to visit any place far away from you with such a minimalistic care, that is like you were already there without the need of buying a plane ticket (and if you're in quarantine as me, this book will do marvellous for you),which is why I love so much his writing.

The conflict between religion and science exists milleniuns back, and one has always tried to eclipse the other,but none has been fruitful on it. I myself am pro of science, because how can you be against something that can be proven right?, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in some higher entity, because if the science proves to create everything due to lawsofchemistry or physics...then who created the science? and everything goes around the question : who's first the chicken or the egg? ...so for me as long I know that, am good. 

Anyway the book is an action movie like, with enough adrenaline, suspense, thriller and fiction to keep you glued to the book and the masterfulness which is written is so, that is one of those books that transports you inside of them to be right beside the principal characters getting your life in peril as well. 

I completely loved it! Not giving it a 5 just because it hasn't touched every single one of my emotions but just most of them. but is definitely a book worth reading.

Just a few quotes :

Even if this quote belongs to another great writer and character of the real life, the character that takes his name in this story is one of my most beloved ones in the book even, not caring if he's real or not, good or bad, just know that I love him because as he says, " he was created to serve and  obey orders...an he did"

Loved it.

Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

This may have some spoilers.

This book has definitely taught me something IMPORTANT, and that is, that books should have age tags as recommendation for the readers; because this one is definitely for kids around 13 to 17 years old and just NOT for someone around 20's. B-E-L-I-I-E-V-E-M-E.

Taking that apart, we go along with a story more suitable for teenagers, given that the female protagonist is one and given that she is at war; apparently she doesn't have more bigger concerns that to be worry of the possibility of her boyfriend being unfaithful and that blinding her so much that is not able to realize that the number one person that she is supposed to be aware of is being introduced to her since what? page 4.

Okay, trying to be neutral, the background story is pretty good, come one that did me! fallen angels, humans, demi angels, archangel and all ....im IN, but I'd like to have read a bit more of action among those races than just being reading the protagonist's love story.

This one ....I can't say a lot about this one: 90% of the book is about the heroine's love issues + 5% action to get ready for a war o a war itself + 5% heroine's insecurities .

No more to say here. lovely phrase of the book ? just the declaration of love of the heroe, memorable part of the book? a secondary character's dead.

That's it. And lesson learned! No more reading books written  for kids under my age.

El amor en los tiempos del cólera by Gabriel García Márquez

Actually even if this is one of the best books writen in the whole human history I can really say that this book was just NOT for me, and it have made me seriously doubt about keep reading any other book of the author.

Im a very practical person, so if you can express anything in one single sentence then I'd be more than grateful, but saying it in almost....40 sentences...I'd rather take my ears off, and that's the precise feeling I had while reading this book, was like passing pages just from one look because all the text was just for filling pages, but not really necessary.

If you follow me on Goodreads you will realise that I have qualified it with just ONE star because there weren't even too many memorable phrases to quote ( saying there were 4 it's too kind), so I don't have so much to say of this book, but if you are like me and prefer practical explanations then here it goes : 

-SPOILER ALERT-

The two principal characters met (kind of) when they were young, as in that time in order to start a relationship you needed the permission of the parents the kept a relationship by lettersfor years until they wanted to make the next step but father of the future bride to be, got in, and plans were ruined.

Being the first love interest for the male character, he promissed to never forget her and always save his heart for her, because he knew, one day, they'll be together...but that didn't mean he couldn't fool around as long he'd never gave his heart in the bussiness; and so he did it for years and years.

While the female character got married under the doing of her father with someone she didn't love but was acceptable to bare, got kids, got bored so traveled along the world for not to be in the same country, less say city as the husband.

Years went like that until both of them got old, the husband and the father of the female character died, she was alone and finally could got back with the first love..and as they were too old decided to go on board of a cruice and lift the flag of cholera so they wouldn't have to stop for a very long time.

-.-

That was it, that's the whole story in just a few practical sentences, no pretty phrases because the 80% of the book they are not even together so.............................................. yeah stil a one star mark for me.

I'm very sure a lot of people actually love this book but for ME is just a NO, but of course if it's for you or no at the end is up to you,, my words are only MY opinion after all. So suit yourself ! 

La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I sincerely have no idea of how to explain how this book makes me feel, there very few book in my wholw life that have given me this sensation...and most of the times I´ve always finished but not explaining exactly the great impression that they have left in my heart and soul, and I just try to maybe not communicate exactly how I feel, because after all "a book is a mirror of the reader", so maybe that´s the reason why it has always been so difficult to me saying what a really good book has offered me as a gift in my life.

I'd like to translate the quotes to english so you have at least a drop of what I mean, but in reality this is such a beautiful book that I wouldn´t dare to make an opiniated translation of something that would end up so arrhythmic, that may damage it, instead of make honour to it's name.

There are too many quotes to publish here but not enough of me like to choose what are the ones to put in here, as the author says: " A book is a mirror of the reader" and if I upload too many quotes you would end up knowing more of me than what I'm willing to give yet.
Let's try by just telling of what this story is about, given that I'm making myself a mess trying to figure out how to explain what this book has taught me, so here it goes.

CHARACTERS

We have character of different stages of time: We have Daniel Sempere, Fermín Romero de Torres, Beatriz Aguilar, Tomás Aguilar, Clara Barceló, Gustavo Barceló, and from another decade: Julian Carax, Javier Fumero, Jorge Aldaya, Penelopé Aldaya, Miguel Moliner and Nuria Momfort, and a few other decade behind: Sophie Carax and Ricardo Aldaya.

At first glimpse, the reader has no clue of how all of these characters are going to be intertwined, but when you get there you will be officially open-mouthed of how the mistakes we make in past tend to repeat above themselves or some others will be the ones to paying them for us.

Daniel Sempere
The kid from the cover page, son of a librerian, who introduces to the Cementery of the forgotten books, where in its corridors he'll discover "The shadow of the wind" and he'll be so amazed an thrill by it that his whole life is about to turn arround and he has no idea, with zero clues that the story of that book will be just the prelude of his very own story.

Giving the appearing of a strange person in his life asking him to buy the copy of "The shadow of the wind", Daniel will be adventured in looking and revealing the truth about the story of the author, finding out too many secrets that were buried a long time ago, but that there was still someone lurking in the dark prepared to finish what he just started a long time ago.

Julián Carax

An author born in tragedy and ignorant of his real life, marked for the mistakes of his parents and condemned to pay for them in the most of terrible ways, becoming soon enough in just a horrend character of one of his endearing books, looking for nothing more to destroy the reason of his disgrace, but came to an end when he discovers a brief light of what he could have been, given the opportunity.

STAGE

Made in the life of a Barcelona whipped by civil and world war, where everyone must took care of themselves and trusting no one, taking the reader to such as a gothic city cover of mist and charm.

I can not get myself to speak more of this story at risk of giving you spoilers, but in a very simple way, I can tell you that the book actually is nothing but the retelling of a story that should end up years ago before the book got to the hands of Daniel and how he and his family and friend will be the ones to take the matter in hands to release the story of it horrible fate.

But in the meanwhile of doing so, the book will teach you more of what you pay for, giving you lessons of life and drops of wisdoms that you will adore with your very core.

It's the more I can say so far.

Recommend it til the end and beyond, definitely buying the next three book of this beautiful masterpiece of "The cementery of the forgotten books"

Hush hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I bought this book with great expectations, but sadly the book hasn't meet them at all! Yeah the story is about angels, yeah it gets you to a whole new way to think about angels, of their hierarchy and the possibility for them to develope feelins to humans, something similar to ...

   

And that was a hell of great but then comes the developing of the plot itself, way too slow for me, the heroine acted good in this one, because they were messing with her head and with the little info she had, she did what she could and that's ok, the heroe acted like all othe other heroes and in top of that? they both were acting like typical teenages so.... it was ok. But for real ? the author could have done way better with the characters she created I still believing and defending the story but still, the characters? they could have been way better than what they are right now. 

So, a whole Twilight remembrance, shy and lonely girl meets a handsome and lonely guy inside highschool, ( at least this guy goes for it inmediately so we don't have the whole corny and slow movement here) and actually that's what makes it funny, then we find out than the guy had his own secret reasons to do it, and it becomes a hate-love relationship to finally take us to a WTF, because yeah didn't know the angels could also be jealous hehe. In summary I LIKED THE PLOT but the charcaters and the development left me expecting way much more. 

This is definitely a book for teenagers, people that is good deducing plots or want more intrinsic developments splashed with a bit of thriller and danger, not recommended for them. Just see?? 

I don't even have a quote to rescue from this book.

 

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

No for me ...just no. 

I don't even want to make a great and full review out of this, I bought the whole Deluxe set ( the 4 books at one) and I hope not ending regreting it, seriously I'm praying for that not to be the case. I bought it mainly because of everyone's reviews, most of them were good and the plot is not bad at all, there a few thing I like from the story, no; actually I LIKE THE PLOT it's the heroine I really despite, she comes to us as a simple and i mean REALLY SIMPLE teenage girl who isn't sobrepticious, astute, hesitant or any proper of a great heroine. This girl only takes what her eyes see and with no further investigation or even the need of real confirmation, makes every single thing she sees like the actual reality in this world, taking it for granted and making the reader taking that for granted as well, (at least trying to make the reader take it for granted) and there's where the problem for me comes, see? for me ... I don't take what is bein given to me for granted or the actual reality, I don't believe in gossips I always go to the fountain if not, then for me what I've seen hasn't changed one tiny bit and my resolution stays still until the fountain makes me believe the contrary but this girl, Dear God! couldn't make her more naive??? 

The book one was of a real slow pace, but was more better than this one, because the book aimed to played with the reader's mind, and the author got it, but the second? NO. If the next books proof to be like this one as well, then that would make stay away from the YA gender, because it was to easy to deduce, and if a book doen´t make me think, then it isn't the book for me, I'll just hope for the best.

 The story itself was really good, can't complain on it, but the heroine still continue to be the only problem for me. In this book, you´ll find the typical teenage break up problems, the little pranks one tries to do in order to take advantage from the person who hurt you, a good representation of friendship, a parade of events with little and no explication and a game of who will find the truth first. If you wanna get distracted a bit, then this is for you, IF at difference of me, have no problem f finding what's going on way earlier than the pretty naive heroine. 

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

There's not much to say about it. 

I started it with the idea that it'd be a hell of a great reading but it didn't make it for me... it was just a definite ahemm....nope. 

It has a good base, it makes us laugh a few times due to the principal character's paranoia ( which I believe it's based on the author nevertheless) and the effect it gives the phone allowing us the fiction and magical part was pretty good, really, but guess it could have used it in a better way making it more complex and such. 

Maybe for a married couple would have a different meaning because the book gives you the prerogative of "what would have happened if you 2 wouldn't have married?" so yeah it has a pretty good argument.

But I insit it could have been way better with a bit more of drama. 

Was an easy and fast reading.

Not too many quotes I like in here...sorry.