Book Review 27: Manuscript Found in Accra

Manuscript Found in Accra
Paulo Coelho

Imagine this. Your city is under siege. There is panic, blood and fear on the streets. What would you do? Run? Hide? Fight?

A group of people decided to hang around a wise man.

This book is a compilation of all the wise man's advice to the people under siege in the city.
It has everything about love, regrets, sex and everything in between.

Some of the quotes from the books.
"Love is free and is not ruled by our will or by what we do."
"Elegance lies not in the clothes we wear but in the way we wear them."

It is a good read and something that will probably you want to read twice.

Book Review 15: The Valkyries - Paulo Coelho

Valkyries
Author: Paulo Coelho


Valkyries are angels of death who take fallen Vikings to Valhalla. This book from Paulo Coelho has no reference to the Vikings’ legend.

Female motorcycle gangs, a wife, a sorcerer and a trip to the Mojave Desert.

In short, Paulo finds a motorcycle gang who are also into magic and they help him find his, angel.

He brings along his wife Chris, who learns a little about herself and the magic practices of her husband, Paulo.

What is the secret to find your guiding angel? There are 3 rules

• Break a pact
• Accept forgiveness
•  And make a bet

The meaning of each rule will be different for every person seeking his or her angel. Still with me so far?

This is one of those books where an open mind is required from the start to the end. Put logic away and drift into the world of magic and possibilities.

Book Review 7: Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk

Fight Club
Author: Chuck Palahniuk


Book of Anarchy, if there was such a thing and this would be the Bible.

The little gems in almost every chapter will respond to your sub-conscious personality.

If I could wake up in a different place, at a different time, could I wake up as a different person?

Book for Men about being men but don’t get me wrong, if you tried even half what’s written in this book you will end up being labeled as a terrorist. Worse, Guantanamo Bay.

Maybe self-improvement isn’t the answer. Maybe self-destruction is the answer.

Probably, everything you know about being a man will change. Tyler Durden a fictional character and doesn’t even really exist in the book and yet he would change a generation of men raised by women.

And if that job for some reason does not bring you closer to your answer, you seek in life, remember the strongest and the smartest men who ever lived are pumping gas and waiting tables.

Earning the mega bucks, owning your first Ferrari or everything you ever wanted from IKEA catalog doesn’t bring you satisfaction in life, turn the page and try breaking attachment to physical power and possessions, because only through destroying yourself can you discover the greater power of your spirit.

Finally, when you found that blissful second where everything works out and everything is in its right place and time, remember your one perfect moment won’t last forever.

Now about the book. J

I watched the movie several times but the book explains the relationship between the 3 main characters, Tyler, the protagonist (who was never named) and Marla Singer in detail.

Special afterword from Chuck Palahniuk, worth a read, if you have this following question, where can I sign up for fight club?

Book Review 6: Eleven Minutes - Paulo Coelho

Eleven Minutes
Author: Paulo Coelho



This is the story of Maria, a girl from the interior of Brazil who had a twisted perspective of love. For Maria, love was physical beauty and she manipulated men with it.

 

After meeting a stranger in Rio de Janeiro, Maria's life was turned inside out. Arriving in Europe as an exotic dancer, she pursued her dream to become a fashion model. However, as usual, life had other plans. In desperation for money, she became a prostitute.

She is highly intelligent, read during the day and worked in red light district at night. During this time, she found that it only took eleven minutes for a man and woman to achieve climax. Hence the title of the book.

And during one of her walks in the day, she met a painter whom she was secretly attracted. Here, an unlikely romance unfolds.

I personally liked how the story is told. We dwell deeper into Maria's life through her diary. I would have preferred if the entire story was told from the perspective of her diary. At some points, the narrator's perspective was just repeating the thoughts of Maria from her diary. It was just redundant. 

Eleven Minutes is definitely different for Paulo Coelho. He gave the book's background story in the first few pages and the reason he felt compelled to write it. In true essence, this is another girl meets boy story.

Book Review 5: The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho



Alchemy according to Wikipedia simply means philosophical and protoscientific tradition practiced throughout Europe, Egypt and Asia. Common aims were chrysopoeia, the transmutation of "base metals" (e.g., lead) into "noble" ones (particularly gold); the creation of an elixir of immortality; the creation of panaceas able to cure any disease; and the development of an alkahest, a universal solvent

I guess an alchemist would mean a person who dabbles in such practices. And while the book itself doesn't teach you how to transmutate lead to gold it does something very similar.

I have read several of Paulo Coelho's books but this is where it all began.

Touted as the fable about following your dreams, if you have never read a Paulo Coelho you should read this one.

A dear friend gave me this book and if there was point in my life, which I could reflect and say,

"This was the moment my life changed for the better."  I guess this would be it.

No spoilers but these are a few words on the back cover.

"Dreams are meant to be followed, life is meant to be lived."

Award winning and life changing. A must read

Book Review 2: The Jedi Path: A Manual for the Students of the Force

The Jedi Path: A Manual for the Students of the Force

Ever wondered why some Jedi use green light sabers while others use blue? Did you know there are Jedi who also use yellow light sabers?

Who are the Jedi? For that matter, who are the Sith? How are they different?

Midi-chloro what?

All these and much more are answered in "The Jedi Path: A Manual for the Students of the Force."

Written in the style of a handbook for Jedi Academy students, it is the essential textbook of every student of the Jedi order. The student will carry the book throughout his or her lifetime.

An expert writes each chapter. This includes everything from fighting styles, code of conduct, hierarchy of the Jedi order, career counselling (wish I had that in my school) and even a brief history.

What makes this specific book more fascinating? Yoda originally owned it! Yes, that Yoda! 

Interestingly, if Yoda was the first owner, the book is more than 800 years old.

If that is not enough to get you excited about the book, you can find notes, scribbled everywhere by the likes of Anakin Skywalker, Ashoka Tano, Darth Sidious and even Obi Wan Kenobi.

As soon as you open the book, get ready to be immersed in the five guiding principles of the Jedi order. It is almost religious.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force.

Although it is fiction but somehow certain aspects of the book is something even the ordinary can practice. Example "Fear, anger, and hate are strong passions that will cause you to lose focus and to find appeal in the easy pleasures of the dark side."

Good read.

Book Review 1: The Devil And Miss Prym - Paulo Coelho

The Devil and Miss Prym
Author: Paulo Coelho

I like this book but then again since reading The Alchemist, I have to say Paulo Coelho has left a deep impression in me, about life in general.

The Devil And Miss Prym has a more darker theme than the Alchemist.
It wrestles with the idea of choices, greed, vengeance and ancient sacrificial ritual with some excerpts from the Bible thrown in.

Anyway not to give too much away, I had little difficulty picturing the town of Viscos and the time it was set in. At first, I thought it was set in the 1900s but with the introduction of the Stranger suddenly it became apparent it was in modern times-ish.

Some of the best quotes from this title include, "Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed."

Another gem, "If you want to control someone, all you have to do is make them feel afraid."

Finally, "One thing I can tell you with absolute certainty: life can seem either very long or very short, according to how you live it."

For other gems in this book, it will depend on how you lived your life.
One word, read it.