Review: The Book of Broken Hearts

The Vargas brothers share one disorder: commitment phobia. 

They will make you fall in love with them, then leave you heartbroken whether is on prom night or at the altair. No wonder Jude's sisters made her swear to never breathe near one. But ever since the youngest Vargas brother, Emilio, was hired by her dad to fix his beloved bike, Jude is entranced. Emilio seems so caring, so loving toward his family, so reasonable to her father's alzheimer's condition... Maybe it is time to break that oath?

Although the romance in The Book of Broken Hearts is sweet and romantic in a non-cheesy way, the story's background overshadows it. As Jude tries to hold the family together -- whether by ignoring the signs that her dad's condition is deteriorating, or trying to keep peace between her sisters by forbidding her heart to speak of love  -- she makes us remember the importance of family. 

The ending might feel a little rush, but all in all, Ockler gives us a realistic interpretation of growing up with an alzheimer parent. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Classic life Lessons

 

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

TOP TEN THINGS TO LEARN FROM THE CLASSICS  

Don't you just love classic movies. Thanks to Netflix, I've been catching up on old times and learning in the process.

Lesson 1: "You don't know what you have until you idiotically get rid of it."

Sunrise by F.W. Murnau (1927)

A bored married man is convinced by his mistress to kill his wife, but when he takes her on a boat to her doom,  he realizes all she wanted was some attention and falls in love with her all over again. Now -- if he could only deal with that mistress...

Lesson 2: "Sometimes the people we count on the most are the first to run away at a sign of trouble."

High Noon by Fred Zinnemann (1952)

Cooper just retired from his sherif post and is on his way to his honeymoon when a bad guy comes back for revenge. Sadly, no one in town is willing to fight him so Cooper must reclaim his post. Talk about proper ethics.

Lesson 3: "We must always be ready for a close-up."

Sunset Boulevard by Billy Wilder (1950)

In today's times when everyone is taking pictures in day-to-day locations, one must always be ready for the camera flash. Norma Desmond would be ecstatic and definitely an instagram star.

Lesson 4: "First impressions aren't always right."

Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelly (1952)

Don and Kathy despised each other at first. And of course, there is the whole fiasco about who the real star of the movie was. 

Lesson 5: "There is no place like home."

The Wizard of Oz by Victor Fleming (1939)

Yup, even if you live in a dull black and white world where the neighbors are unfriendly. There is no place like home -- so don't waste your time crying about migrating to a warmer and sunnier climate. 

Lesson 6: "No one is immune to heartbreak."

Teorema by Pasolini (1968)

A whole family falls in bed with the same young man: the mother/father/daughter/son and even the maid. After sleeping with everyone, he says goodbye and leaves. We get to see how everyone deals with heartbreak. 

Lesson 7: "Never lower yourself for anyone."

Gilda by Charles Vidor (1946)

While angry, Johnny treats Gilda like a tramp so she decides to settle this matter by doing a striptease in front of all his casino clients. Oh, Gilda! 

Lesson 8: " Karma is a @!*#%"

Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock (1960)

When you least expect it, Karma will be there. Make sure the bad deeds are worth it. 

Lesson 9: "Don't accept strange gifts."

The Exorcist by Friedkin (1973)

Seriously, follow your instincts. Also, a Ouija might not be the best board game out there. You are better off playing Uno.

Lesson 10: " If you spoil your children, you'll all suffer at the end."

Mildred Pierce by Michael Curtiz (1945)

I don't personally believe in spanking, but oh, that Veda!! She deserved worse, like a terrible summer cleaning up the gum wall in downtown Seattle.

Review: City of Lost Souls

City of Lost Souls marks the fifth book in The Mortal Instruments series. The same to hit the screen last year with Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower. This time, Jace finds himself attached to Sebastian by the evil Lilith -- whose spell is so strong that if one suffers so does the other. Now that Sebastian plans to raise a war against the clave, Clary will have no choice but to defend both sides and protect her love.

It's quite impressive to watch Cassandra Clare maintain the tension and intrigue all the way into book 5. She does this swiftly, filling the gaps with Simon's woes of his estranged relationship to his mother, and Alec's unease with his boyfriend's immortality. Most importantly, the story didn't feel exaggerated in any way or prologued for the sake of word count.

Sadly, due to the unpopularity of the first film, the sequel has been postponed. Fans can at least rejoice that the books are now all in print and reread them at their own pleasure.

Feature and Follow Friday: Hands of Time

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

Once you answer be sure to leave me your link so I can follow you back

Q: If you had a time machine where would you go?

I would travel back in time -- no doubt about that. As a good citizen of the world, I would stop pointless selfies, bad hair cuts. And cooks who don't wash their hands.


Here are a few books about time travelling you might enjoy:

Review: The Rules for Breaking

The crazy ones are always in for the long run.

Turns out the FBI had a mole in the crew, causing Anna (formerly known as Meg) and her family to live in chaos for the past years. But what are the odds the corrupt agent was working alone? This time around Anna and Ethan won't have to deal with family secrets and backstabbing foes. Instead, they are taken hostage, tortured, and dressed up...?

Sadly, this sequel to The Rules of Disappearing, doesn't stand to it's predecessor. Two thirds of the book are spent locked in vans and buildings, while Anna's sister, Teeny, is mostly there to launch her own spin-off. Elston did try to instill the family life through all the action by creating a plot line for Anna's mother -- and hence providing the novel with well-done emotional scenes.

A great addition for YA thriller fans.