What is so great about reading?

          I keep asking this question to myself often. So what is so great about reading? Afterall, there are numerous Hollywood movies that are jampacked with action and stunt sequences. You have thousands of fantastic movies in almost every genre. So, why do people still turn to books when they can get everything they require in just two hours? I'm wondering myself!

          First of all, books are something personal. While watching a movie, you are actually viewing what the director wants you to view. You are only experiencing the director's creativity and imagination as to how the plot can be presented. But that is not the case with reading. You get to create your own characters, you get to imagine your own locations and you get to experience your own mind at work. In short, books take you to a new world and act as a portal between the real world and the virtual paradise in your head.

          Next comes the quality factor. Watching movies is like eating fast food - a short and quick experience that doesn't stay for long. You only get the taste of it for a short period of time and are more likely to forget it and move on to the next one. On the other hand, reading is like eating a full course of meals. You get the starter first, then followed by the main courses and finally the dessert. Books have the power to change a person's life completely and its effect lingers on even years after you finish reading. Books give you company, and the issue of whether they provide good or bad company lies entirely in your hands.

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. A man who never reads lives only one"
- George R.R Martin(A Dance with the Dragons)
          Its quotes like these that make you mad on books. yes, a reader lives a thousand lives. One day, you are a lonely sailor battling a raging sea risking your life and the next day you are an astronaut travelling to the Moon on a mission the save the earth. You get to sit in a silent cafe in Boston looking out at the moving traffic and the next instant you are in the 16th century watching raging battles between power-driven kings. Who said time travel did not exist? they do exist in the form of books. Only books can provide such diversity.

          Moreover, there are other merits: reading improves your vocabulary, enriches your creativity and relieves stress. They work as a miracle drug and keeps your mind free and receptive of new ideas. And yes, reading is a silent hobby. All you need is a book and some privacy to get lost in your own world. You don't have to disturb anyone. 'Reading is to mind what exercise is to the body'. I think this quote just hits the bull's eye.

          So, why are you waiting still? Forget it if you have not read a book so far. It is never too late. Go grab a book and start dreaming!

The Host - Stephenie Meyer

          Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

Review:

Stephenie Meyer

         Wow! This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I was really surprised to see so many negative reviews in goodreads, and I was asking myself,"What else you people want?". This book has everything you expect from a book - love,hate,romance,anger,betrayal,disappointment,hope...This is my first experience with Stephenie Meyer and I must say, I'm really impressed. I'm wondering why I decided to give 'The Twilight Saga' a miss. Maybe I should read those books afterall!

The characters were all beautifully developed! Wanda,Jared,Ian,Jamie,Jeb,Melanie were all likeable. The complicated love triangle between Wanda, Jared and Ian makes for exciting reading. You can never hate Wanderer, the invading soul, no matter how cruel you are. Such a delicate creature that cares almost entirely for others even at the expense of its own life. There are only a few books that have the power to bring tears to your eyes and this is surely one. I could hardly control my tears during the final pages of the book.

The highlight of the book is the way the the humans go from blind hate to blind love for the soul Wanderer. When she first arrives at the desert, the humans almost kill her thinking she is a traitor. Through some intervention from Jeb, she stays alive and the rollercoaster of emotions start. One by one, every person start loving Wanderer and she becomes indispensable to the human community with her altruism and care for others. I was really touched by this character- the pure and unadulterated love showed by the soul to everyone, even to those who hate her is amazing.

Stephenie Meyer is incredibly skilled with emotion; that's her strongest suit. She writes emotion in a way that makes you feel everything the character feels. When the character is in pain, the reader is in pain too. 

Meyer writes love in a way that makes you love everything and everyone the character loves with a strong passion. Even though he was just a character, I loved Jamie as strongly as if he was my own brother. And I was in love with Ian as strongly as if I was Wanda and he was actually real. Stephenie Meyer is a queen of emotion; I don't think anyone can write it like she can.

A Sci-Fi novel for people who hate Sci-Fi! Loved it...

Rating: 4.2/5

Vital Signs - Robin Cook

       Pediatrician Melissa Blumenthal will try any scientific method available to conceive--until the horrible secrets of an urban clinic erupt in a nightmare of staggering proportions... 

Review:

Robin Cook

      I had really high hopes for Robin Cook after reading 'Mindbend'. But this book never met my expectations. Robin Cook should have sticked to his cup of tea - the medical field. Instead he takes us on a wild goose chase, starting from America to Australia, then to Hong Kong and then to China. And somewhere in the middle, the plot was completely lost. The initial scenes were really wonderful and I felt I had stumbled upon a fantastic book after a long search. But then that joy did not last long.

      The author needed only 2 pages to give answers to all the mysteries that surrounded the hospitals. All the other pages were just covered by chases, murders and travels. What on earth was the protagonist doing travelling all round the globe on a wild goose chase? And even after all those adventures, I never really got my answers. I guessed the plot right from the start and it took the author 400 pages to tell me that my guess was right.

     The characters were loosely developed except for Marissa and Wendy. Three - fourth of the book was like reading some fantasy book. I wonder how such a big treachery were left unnoticed except for a pediatrician. The author surely has written better books.

      Overall, a pretty ordinary book with a promising start that loses its way in the middle.

Rating: 2.8/5