Showing posts with label Book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book. Show all posts

Friday, January 27, 2012

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

When Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist was first published in 1988 it was a runaway best-seller.

Telling a story of a boy named Santiago finding his dream... travelling.... the author’s novel has sold millions of copies worldwide. I am one of those who owned a copy of this printed work. How it was wonderfully done and brilliantly written are the main reason that it became my ultimate favorite novel so far, rather than the popularity itself.

My favorite quotes:
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
“Like seamen and like travelling salesmen, always found a town where there was someone who could make them forget the joys of carefree wandering.”
“They come in search of new things, but when they leave they are basically the same people when they arrived.”
“When someone sees the same people everyday, they wind up becoming a part of that person’s life. And they want the person to change. If someone isn’t what others want to be, the others become angry.”
“I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living.”
“Today, I understand something I didn’t see before: every blessing ignored becomes a curse.”
“When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”
“Even from a distance, their eyes conveyed the strength of their souls. And their eyes spoke of death.”
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve : the fear of failure.”
“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”
“Remember that wherever your heart us, there you will find your treasure.”
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”




Sunday, November 20, 2011

Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

My rundown:
Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes novel is the story of Maria, a girl from a distant town of Brazil who explores an unusual relationship with herself. Maria's persistent attempts to have her dream fortune landed her to work as a prostitute in Switzerland. But each duration will only make her find out the many brilliant facets to her personality more than sexuality, and discovering what it is exactly she wants for herself. 

Filipino curiosity:
One of the characters in the novel is Nyah, a prostitute from the Philippines who is the only real female friend of Maria .

My favorite quotes:
"Dreaming is pleasant as long as you are not forced to put your dreams into practice."

"She would find it easier to admit that her husband had betrayed her than to reveal the real state of her wardrobe."

"Freedom only exist when love is present."

"Love is not to be found in someone else, but in ourselves; we simply awaken it. But in order to do that. We need the other person. The universe only make sense when we have someone to share our feelings with."

I'm not gonna confess the thorough details of the novel to keep the thrill to those who didn't read it yet.
I still continue the tradition of reading, which I firmly believe the most effective habit to foster one's knowledge. A book is my entryway to another world. They bring me to places that I may not have the chance to visit.
I borrowed this novel from a friend a few days back right after she finished reading. I use to purchase books but after the deluge I was wondering how I'm going to fit all of them in my case. I do still purchase some of them, but having friends who gloriously collects books has its happy advantages, I am able to borrow them. Why I must spend and keep something that I might read only once, when I know I can still devour them for free.


happy reading!
greetings, aileen