iseefeelings's reviews
201 reviews

"Grief is universal.
At the same time it
is extremely personal.

Heal in your own way."

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" "Time heals," many people say,
It may.
It may help to dull your pain.
But the medicine of time,
taken by itself,
is not sure.

Time is neutral.

What helps is what you do with time."
___

a book written in verse, simply as that.
loss and death haunt me
I keep going back to them in books, ridiculously.

*blog

3.5*
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Lars's Moomin stories are quite different from those of Tove for the different themes that they dig in. However, the cartoonist siblings have such wry sense of humour (I mean, I love it!). Even though I don't really like the way Lars took on the stories, I adore both Tove and him anyway, especially the oddly adorable characters they created; such as some little guests like mr. Hermit, little Albert and his mom :)

Perhaps, one of the favourite books from this series?
I admire the daring move of Lars to tackle these globe-trotting themes (new continent's discovery, gold rush,...) yet staying humorous and charming as usual in his storytelling. 'Moomin and the Scouts' is my best-loved story, it's funny to see Moomin fall head over heels over another girl while Snorkmaiden had to win him back (she is now my beloved character besides Moominmama :) ).

Snorkmaiden: So you really don't want the pill?
Moomin: No..I just want to be alone.
Snorkmaiden: How strange he is... If he were I, I'd know he'd have fallen in love, but who'd he fall in love with? Particularly when he has me

I just love love how confident Snorkmaiden is, no over-sentimentally despair for heartbreak.

I can find the similarity between Dorothy's journey and my current life somehow: we both long for home, even though that home may not be the best the place to live. Such a witty (and beautifully written) book it is that I truly find joy in reading from the beginning to the end. Although the "horrible and blood-curdling incident" is not eliminated as the author's foreword (and it still strikes me in some pages), I appreciate the way L.Frank Baum casts his spell on both children and adult while reading this work. I love how he wrote about death straightforwardly and briefly. After all, children have nothing to avoid that and they still can seek pleasure in this kind of modernized wonder-tale.

Last but not least, this 100th-anniversary edition is such a beaut! W.W.Denslow's illustrations are true iconic among many versions for this book, apparently.

Only after watching the author's Ted talks, I decided to give this 'popular' book a shot. I'm glad I did.

Susan Cain exemplifies her soft power with such a well-documented and beautifully written book. Not only does she give us introverts an opportunity to both reflect and understand more about our inner-selves but also challenge judgments and assumptions of introversion (either standing alone or making a comparison with extroversion). Every idea is excellently reinforced with studies, interviews as well as personal stories. On one hand, by having a better sense of what, why and how being an introvert is not a curse as I thought but a great asset myself, I believe it would be the greatest way to elevate my self-esteem and take advantage of it. On the other hand, what a brutal truth to see this world (not only America as the author states, I believe) gradually shift from 'A Culture of Character' (in which 'the ideal self was serious, disciplined and honorable') to 'A Culture of Personality' (where people focus on how others perceive them) along with the wide-spreading of Extrovert Ideal. Having dedicated one chapter to talk only about the contrasting attitudes of Asians versus Westerners and different group identities, the author underlines the problem that many people from one culture reach to another may face: the failure to fit in. But instead of raising more questions, I love how she suggests us to maximize the decibel level of our 'soft power'; just as professor Ni told Susan, "Aggressive power beats you up; soft power wins you over."

Lastly, I don't think Quiet is a comfort for any introverted peer to live in their shell but the book offers strategies for them to act out of character when it's needed in exchange for being true to themselves the rest of the time. I wish I were aware of 'restorative niches', Free Trait Theory as well as Free Trait Agreement sooner. Surely things we read need time and effort to be utilised, yet how wonderful it is to close a book which strengthens your mind and expands many possibilities to a degree you never thought it was within you.

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damn, I'm a fan of Hergé now.
.
I watched Tintin the movie when I was a kid but this comic series is truly a masterpiece. I'm glad that I picked The Blue Lotus as my first to-read book among them, truly worth it! Hergé seems to be a master in turning socio-economic problems into an entertaining adventure in Tintin.

With many excellent sceneries depicted in large frames, I was amazed by his distinct 'ligne claire' style, which can often be seen a lot in graphic design and illustration work these days.

excellently chosen in the theme for each story but it's getting dull when approaching to the outcome for the first two stories, though (except 'Sniff's Sports Shop and 'Mymble's Diamond' in this volume).

I felt an urge to keep reading and discovering what may happen to the characters, which only proves how excellent Roald Dahl is as a storyteller.
I had to pause many times to appreciate his well-selected words. As the story proceeds, a shift from an ordinary story of a gifted child to an exaggerating and whimsical one is quite amusing. I love the way Roald Dahl tells a distressing story in such a pleasant way. No matter how delightful the book seems to be at first glance, the ending left me with such a bittersweet feeling. Dahl doesn’t let his little characters escape the harsh reality with fantasy but rather trusts in their strength to cope with the cruel things in their own ways. Last but not least, let’s not forget to mention that with only a few scratchy lines, Quentin Blake’s illustrations will leave you with vivid imagination throughout this profound children’s book.
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“And don’t worry about the bits you can’t understand. Sit back and allow the words to wash around you, like music.”
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“Children are not so serious as grown-ups and they love to laugh.”