sumMARIzed: Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Book: Weep No More, My Lady (2004)

Author: Mary Higgins Clark

Plot:

Elizabeth Lange is still grieving from the death of Leila LaSalle, an international celebrity, and at the same time, her beloved sister. To forget that tragic event even for a short time, she was invited by Baron and Baroness Helmut Von Schreiber to Cypress Point Spa, a celebrity resort in California, without knowing that Ted Winters, her sister's lover and the one that alleged to be responsible for Leila's death, was also there.. He's with Craig Babcock, Ted's business assistant, and Henry Bartlett, his lawyer. Though Elizabeth thought she was being set up, she still stayed to keep her focus. Many unfortunate events happened during their stay in the spa, which makes each of their moments into a threat. These series of events led Elizabeth to the truth about her sister's tragic death, which causes the threat for her life and at the same time, discovering something about herself..

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Oh yes, another Mary Higgins Clark book. Being an avid suspense-thriller reader, I really enjoyed the twist of events in the book. With all the characters in the novel, you will definitely wonder who is the killer, and you will be surprised when you discover it towards the end of the novel. As I read through the chapters, I formulated the following questions that helped me analyzed the flow of the story. Questions such as;

•"Why did Ted Winters killed Leila LaSalle?"

•"What does Syd and Cheryl have to do with Leila's murder?"

•"Who's sending those poison letters to Leila?"

•"Who really killed Leila, and what made him/her unleashed that fatal venom?"

•"Is there something that Elizabeth Lange is hiding?"

All these questions were answered towards the end of the book. Surprisingly, Craig Babcock (which really is not one whom I thought is the killer) is the one who commit the murders. His motives? Well, it's about LOVE--- how it poisoned Craig's mind knowing that Leila can't be with him since she's in love with Ted, and the fact that Elizabeth is arriving to really discovering the truth, that made him wanted to silence Elizabeth forever.

What makes this story a good read? Here are my key points:

1. It talks about murders.

I know the idea is gruesome, but that's the reason why MHC is considered as the Queen of Suspense. The killings gave the novel spice that every reader (I think.) is expecting in a story.

2. Its mind-bogging mysteries.

Just like what I mentioned, this book was successful in giving me those trains of thoughts that really made me use my logical thinking abilities. It's like you are playing with jigsaw puzzle pieces--- you are really digging out for the next piece to complete the picture.

3. It's exciting.

With all the turn of events, I assure you that you will not dare to take a break from reading it, just like what it did to me. Haha!

4. Love ended it all.

Oh yes, you read it correctly. Despite all the twist of events, in the end, LOVE closed all the doors. Eventually, Elizabeth admitted that she's in love with Ted the first time she saw him (That's sweet, huh!).

Overall, Weep No More, My Lady, is indeed one of the best recommendations I can give to book enthusiasts like me. If you are looking for a story of love and tragedy, then this book will surely hit the spot!

Rating: ★★★★☆

Book: The Unexpected Guest
Author: Agatha Christie (Novelized by Charles Osborne)

Plot:

The story started when Michael Starkwedder, an engineer, was trying to get some help after running his car into a ditch due to a thick fog. While searching for some help, he came across a house. When he knocked on the door, and there's nobody answering to his call, he entered the house as he saw that the french windows were open. To his surprise, he saw the lifeless body of Richard Warwick, a hot-tempered man, sitting on a wheelchair, with Laura, his wife, standing across the room with a gun on her hand. when Michael asked Laura who killed Richard, Laura immediately took the blame. But Michael was not convinced that she did the killing. So instead of calling the police, the two made a cover-up story to protect Laura. They thought of setting up MacGreggor, the father of the boy that Richard ran over several years ago, to be the killer.

As soon as the investigation rolled, as headed by Inspector Thomas and Sergeant Cadwallader, they found out that MacGreggor was already dead so him being the killer was impossible. With the turn of events, the history of the family came up that;s why every member of the family became the suspect to the killing. As the ending neared, Jan, the mentally-challenged Richard's half brother, stole one of the police's gun, while shouting that he was the one who shot Richard. He shot one of the police then he shot himself to death. As the police thought that the case is already solved since Jan admitted the crime, Michael is not convinced with it. To end the story, Michael confessed to Laura that Jan was not the killer but him since he is MacGreggor and he came to give his revenge. Laura run after him as he escape himself from the tragic scene.

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The Unexpected Guest was originally a theatrical story way back in 1958. I could say that the story is a murder mystery since it started when Michael Starkwedder, who happens to be the "unexpected guest," discovered the murder of Richard Warwick. The story offered a lot of mysteries like, "Who killed Richard Warwick?" "What are the secrets lying in the corners of the house of the Warwicks?" "Why did Michael Starkwedder is trying to protect Laura Warwick?" These are just some of the questions that are in need to be answered.

Since I am a fan of mystery and suspense-thriller books, I found this book interesting. The story is very straightforward and the plot is simply constructed. This novel talks about how family relationships can change with just some turn around of events. Behind those love for each family member, there's hatred that is slowly building up, waiting to be burst out. As the story escalates, feelings of love and hate will collide.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

"Inner beauty outlasts outer beauty.

And so inner beauty is what we should also enhance."

--- A line from Miriam Quiambao-Roberto's Foreword for the book "Ikaw na ang Maganda!" by Malu Tiongson-Ortiz.

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How to be beautiful? That's the every question a woman asks. Is it all about how one looks, or it comes from within? Either way, enhancing both beauties will make you, us, a better being.

How does one define beauty? It depends. What may seem beautiful to one person may not be to another. Simply, there are no rules in appreciating one's beauty. Today, beauty is an asset. It helps one person to find a better job, or attract someone. For women, beauty will give them confidence. Most are willing to spend money to buy beauty products. But what if, you don't have the luxury to buy those? Does that mean that you can't be beautiful? This is what this book will teach us: That there is more to physical beauty. It's the inner beauty that make each woman beautiful. Just like what 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, "Beauty does not come from outward adornment, clothes, jewelry, hair, or makeup. There is something more to being beautiful on the outside, something that in the eyes of God, is even more valuable."

"One must practice the things which produce happiness, since if that is present we have everything and if it absent we do everything in order to have it."

--- Epicurus

All of us want to escape suffering. Who wants it anyway? No one ever wakes up in the morning saying that, "I wish I suffer today." We do everything to get that happiness that we all wanted. The only thing that confuses us is that, we don't know how to differentiate a genuine happiness from superficial happiness.

Everyday, we look for new ways to build relationships, grow friendships, love others, enrich ourselves, protect our loved ones, and keep ourselves from any harm. We give our time and effort in doing these things for we believe that these will give us that sense of fulfillment.

Whatever term we name it, we always go back to this question: "Isn't happiness the goal of all goals?"

Oh well, yesterday I was at Festival Super Mall to bring stuffs to someone. (Yeah, I'm getting a little blushy here. :P) Anyways, back to the topic. And since I still have more time, I decided to stroll around the mall, hoping I would find something interesting.

At first, I was planning to buy new clothes so that I have something new to wear at office. But then, I just don't feel the designs I am seeing. (I know, I get a little picky sometimes. :O) So, I decided to just go home, after all I have an appointment with my dentist. Then, I pass by the BOOKSALE store. I can't help but to enter the store. And my eyes just got wide to see those books around me. There are fictions, novels, educational books, pamphlets, magazines, and many more.

What I love this book store is that all books are on sale. Yes, ALL books. And to tell you, they are all original. And what should a bookworm like me would do if you are in this kind of place? Of course, buy books! :D

I am searching for Mary Higgins Clark books, but unfortunately I wasn't able to find, only one. :( S I opt to buying other books, but with the same genre. I always love reading suspense-thriller themed books. I get to find a book with that theme. Then I got to find a romance-themed novel, so I bought it also.

I get to purchase only three books since I can't hold more books since I got no bag with me that time. So these are the three books I bought:

Weep No More, My Lady by Mary Higgins Clark. Her biggest best seller novel ever. It is a tale of mystery and suspense.
Ambitious Love by Rosie Harris. A story of a girl who is longing to find true love.
The Rosewood Casket by Sharyn McCrumb. A story about a family strife, dark secrets, and eerie legends among mountain people torn between tradition and change.

So there. I am excited to read these books. :D I am sure I'll be going back to that store soon. :)

If you want to visit BOOKSALE that I went to, you can locate them at:

Festival Mall 1

GF Festival Supermall near Food Court

Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Festival Mall 2

Space #K101 - GF Festival Supermall

Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Tel. 807-5630

Every man wants to be happy, but in order to be so he needs first to understand what happiness is.

--- Jean-Jacques Rousseau

This is the opening quote for our topic today. This is the one million dollar question that should be answered: WHAT IS HAPPINESS? Or should I rephrase that; WHAT IS REAL HAPPINESS? We sometimes thought that we only become happy when we get the things that we desire. Yes, a part of it contributes to our happiness, but it is more than that. Happiness is not measured by the things we see or feel. It comes from within.