iris_ymra's reviews
137 reviews

Santiago was a boy who lived his life according to his dream of becoming a traveller -- he was a shepherd of a flock of sheep.

He then truly lived his dream, literally -- when he decided to meet a gypsy who can decipher his recurring dreams past few nights sleeping in a church, it was about a treasure that he needed to find that located in the Pyramid of Egypt.

Never knew that his path toward the treasure would never a smooth one. He was living an adventure to finally come upon the treasure that all this while had been just under his feet. He had learnt of language, of crystal, of chemistry, of the soul of the world, the sand dune, the alchemist, the omen and of love -- perhaps the other treasures he had acquired along his journey to find the treasure he dreamt of.

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The Alchemist is a fast paced story, yet still has its right amount of adventure and cultural it brought into the plot. It has enough of its twist, of its narration that would not bore me inspite its short and thin content. Words upon words were told delicately smooth and meticulously.

The story flows so smoothly, as if the authort didn't overthink what's his reader -- a reader like me who have so much in my mind with every events took place in this story -- would think. One thing for sure it is maybe because the story was written with prose that's definitely beautiful.

Norwegian Wood; for me is a tragic, sad, dark and somewhat depressing. It depicted the stories of people, lost in their way trying to find something to hold on to in life as parts of the it -- piece by piece -- started to fade away. We can see these characters with different ways of living their life, everyone to come with their own life perspective. And we can also find how mental health played so many roles in the flow of this book.

Told in the point of view Toru Watanabe -- the smart guy who loved reading -- looking back at the year of 18 years ago. Toru Watanabe seemed to have a persona that everyone around him found solace and peace in. These 'twisted' people often felt 'normal' with him, I don't know whether it was how undertsanding he was or how he seemed to not give a damn of what he thought about anyone -- or maybe Toru himself was 'twisted' too. The death of his bestfriend Kizuki, took away part of his life, that perhaps he had hope to find again in Naoko -- Kizuki' girlfriend -- and Naoko had hope too to find in him, as the two started building up the relationship between them, for they were the only thing that connect the both of them to the living of Kizuki.

The total amount of suicides took place along the story; from Kizuki, Naoko's sister, Hatsumi and then Naoko herself --  brought me to feel almost nothing; or actually it was too painful that it numbed you -- did they fail in life or did life failed them to make them took their own lives -- I realized that I didn't cry even once while reading this book. It had set an emptiness for me, void from any feeling, any sensory of detecting emotion. Even the way the book ended still left me wondering; there was something to decipher definitely -- or was it just me whom always overthink everything. Still, for me I found that so many things are still unanswered, questions are still lingering of what actually had happened after all of that.

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In this mortal world if you don't hold onto something that is right to hold onto, you'll always find yourself dawn to an ending before the end.

Without a true purpose in life a soul is just as fragile as it could be, easily broken and shattered and anguished, and slowly vanished before time.

It took me quite some time to finish this book -- it was a struggle for me to not put this book down when I had started and every time I tried to continue my reading.

I don't know if this book as its title claims is really for a young Muslim; do every young Muslim really are facing everything in this book -- I don't think I am. There were most parts of the topics this book discussed I could not come to an agreement with and there were parts I found myself in the same page as the writer.

Honestly, in my opinion the author didn't really give the answers to every question he made in this book -- the so questions that in his opinion are often linger in every young Muslims mind. Perhaps they are, the question, the young him faced and still to find the answer to.

I believe that most things that have been written in this book is solely based own the author's self view and opinion.

One thing I can say is, yes a Muslim can become a Muslim of their own choice, but do ones really call themselves a Muslim while not abide to the commandments of being a Muslim.

For decades The Institutes had been running its operation, with no other mission but to 'save' the world -- kids with high BDNF were taken from the comfort of their home and family, that they had little to no chance of seeing again. They were known to have the telepathy and telekinesis ability -- and at The Institutes, the kids would go through various tests and shots (that'll let them see the dots or the lights) that'll either increase their already TK or TP ability or give them both on vice versa.

One boy -- Luke Ellis had been a TK with not just a psychic ability, but also a high intellect and knowledge. He was the one that had -- in decades -- ever to escape and brought The Institutes down to the earth (literally) with the help from his other friends -- Avery Dixon, Kalisha Benson, Nick Wilhoms, George Iles, Helen Simms and Iris Stanhope -- and other kids too, all around the world. And also Maureen, Tim and Wendy.

But will they ever be the same after all the events that had taken part of their childhood -- though not for a long time -- but for most of the space they had in them. Life ahead was probably no better for some of them.

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The Institutes had been quite an adventure and a thrilling read for me. The transition took place from a narration about Tim Jamieson's journey to the smart boy and then how everything began. The character building is great, that really lets me become one with their emotions -- and with the kids, I'd come to love them all. How the friendship between the kids developed it's rather beautiful and heartbreaking.

The idea of there's an organisation or anything out there that think they are doing this world favours by doing such thing to kids is really gruesome and mental. The conspiratorial agenda could probably all along not a fiction anymore.

How I wished I hadn't stopped when I started reading this book. Because the second time I picked it up again, I was hooked up and just could not stop my reading.

The people we meet at the wrong time are actually just the wrong people.

A self-help book that talked about
heartbreak, failed relationship, moving forward and letting go.

If we didn’t have to search for the love of our lives, we would finally be free to realize that we are allowed to be the loves of our own.

They don’t tell you that nobody can tell you the way love is going to feel for you. That it’s an experience so unique to all of us that we’ll never fully understand what we’re getting ourselves into until we find ourselves right in the middle of it.

It doesn't share a too complex method -- just words that let you feel like there's someone talking to you and tell you things that you couldn't see clearly while the break up still clouding most of your vision.

I think if you're recently just going through a breakup, this book will definitely help to soothe the unsettled feeling of blaming yourself, thinking of what could have and should have been done.

This book is an illustrated story of how the author finally got married -- against the odds at the age of 26.

The marriage was arranged, but she had definitely fallen for her then future husband when she first saw him at a conference she attended.

This story is told in very cute illustration and witty and quite humorous narration.

This book presented collection of prayers by the sahabah. Along with narration of sirah -- that is written in a simplicity we can easily understand -- behind every prayer that we as a reader can definitely reflect upon, and aspired to be like them.

The best thing is, we can also practise all of these prayers as our daily routine. And one thing I learned throughout my reading is that, our prayers to Allah s.w.t don't have to be poetic and beautifully arranged -- all we have to do is ask, make our prayer.

Most people don’t call out to Allah sincerely because they feel too distant from Him to do so. They don’t realize that calling out to Him is a way of closing that gap and actually reducing that distance - Chap. Those Who Are Trying

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In this book Syeikh Omar Sulaiman shared with us things and deeds that are loved by Allah s.w.t.. How and what we can do to attain the love of the Ar Rahman and Ar Rahim.

Throughout my reading I realized (actually) how easy it is to gain Allah s.w.t 's love; how things that all this time seem trivial, are actually could allow us to attain the love of Allah s.w.t..

In 30 chapters, with narration of hadiths and Quran verses -- explained in simple and beautiful words of what Allah s.w.t loves, this book will help us to set and renew our vision and ways on the path to attaining the creator's everlasting love.

Membawa kisah bagaimana Zaman Zulkarnaen -- seorang peguam di Thompson & Co. -- menelusuri sejarah kehidupan anak guam mereka -- Sri Ningsih -- setelah khabar kematian wanita  itu.

Zaman diberikan tugas mengendalikan urusan warisan Sri Ningsih, yang telah membawa kepada perjalanan lelaki itu merentas benua demi sebuah amanah dan tanggungjawab. Perjalanan yang merungkai banyak persoalan dan memberikan banyak pengajaran.

Dan sentiasa selalu, masa lalu itu membawa hikmah untuk sesiapa yang menoleh ke belakang mendapatkan sebuah pengajaran, samada pada kehidupan diri sendiri mahupun orang lain. Sebagaimana Zaman pada kehidupan seorang Sri Ningsih.

Lembaran demi lembaran kisah hidup Sri Ningsih penuh dengan definisi sebuah ketabahan, kecekalan dan kerja keras yang tidak mengenal erti berhenti atau putus asa. Sosok seorang Sri Ningsih bahkan sepanjang hidupnya telah memberikan sentuhan pada kehidupan orang-orang di sekelilingnya yang bila sahaja nama itu disebut hanya akan membawa memori yang baik tentangnya.

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Tentang Kamu, sebuah cerita seperti biografi yang dengan watak utama di dalam buku ini menjadi penggerak untuk cerita tentang watak yang lebih utama. Gaya bahasa yang digunakan pada saya mudah untuk difahami walaupun buku ini dalam Bahasa Indonesia.

Setiap bab ke satu bab, pada saya, berjalan dengan menarik dan menimbulkan persoalan memberikan faktor untuk saya terus membelek ke muka surat seterusnya. Walaupun sepanjang perjalanan cerita lebih banyak naratif tapi tidak langsung membuatkan saya bosan, mungkin kerana tidak meleret dan terus tepat kepada tujuan cerita. Dan kerana pada saya cerita buku ini juga seperti sebuah 'scavengers hunt' membuatkan saya turut sama teruju dengan perjalanan Zaman dalam merungkai kehidupan Sri Ningsih.

Paling utama, bagaimana buku Tentang Kamu ini pada saya banyak mengajar tentang nilai sebuah keluarga, persahabatan, kasih sayang, cinta, semangat dan kekuatan jiwa. Kisah Sri Ningsih cukup memberikan sebuah aspirasi untuk tetap terus bangun walau seberapa banyak kali kita jatuh.

“Benda yang dah berlaku, walaupun ia berada pada garis masa akan datang, tetap dah berlaku kan? Ia dah jadi masa lalu!”

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Setelah Khalis kembali ke garis waktu beberapa tahun ke belakang, dia tidak mampu untuk kembali lagi ke waktu semasanya. Sembilan tahun setelah dia terbang ke masa lalu -- dan mengetahui tentang bagaimana masa hadapan akan berlaku -- dalam tempoh itu Khalis terus hidup dalam paranoia.

Bertemu dengan Pakcik Leh -- yang sering menceritakan kisahnya bersama Yah -- sewaktu Khalis dimasukkan ke dalam hospital, telah membawa kepada pertemuan dengan Nik dan Liana. Dan pertemuan itu akhirnya membuatkan Khalis sedar yang dia tidak sendirian berada dalam relung masa. Mereka ialah orang-orang yang telah terperangkap dalam garis lurus ruang masa, pemilik-pemilik kepada diari merah sebelum Khalis.

Dengan harapan serupa untuk kembali ke kehidupan semasa masing-masing, Diari Merah sepatutnya ialah jawapan buat mereka, dengan halaman-halaman pertama perlu untuk merungkai semua.

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Sedetik Lagi; penceritaan buku ini laju. Sedari awal kita telah disajikan terus dengan konflik. Mengambil kira buku ini ialah sambungan daripada Sekali Lagi, pada saya akan lebih mudah untuk difahami hanya setelah membaca buku pertama tersebut.

Pengunaan bahasa yang mudah dan santai, serta struktur ayat yang tidak kompleks tetapi masih cantik sangat membantu pembacaan. Kerana pada saya buku ini plotnya agak rumit -- pada saya juga jalan cerita buku ini agak tergesa-gesa banyak persoalan yang timbul dalam minda sepanjang membaca, yang kalau pada saya, perlu untuk ada penjelasan atau mungkin penulis sengaja membiarkannya sebegitu untuk pembaca merungkai sendiri.

Usai pembacaan, sebenarnya saya berharap yang buku ini ditulis dengan lebih panjang lagi -- because I want more. Banyak pontensi yang saya lihat tertinggal; banyak emosi yang seperti tak sempat diserap jiwa, banyak plot twist yang lebih menarik andai dikembangkan, watak-watak yang perlu diberi 'kehidupan' -- maaf bunyinya dramatik (haha).

But all in all, I love this book that's why I want it to be more. Tahniah penulis.