On Love

by Alain de Botton

Geez, I have been so busy. Been so hectic. I actually finished reading this book a month or more ago and have not even had the time to blog about it. So many things on my plate. Things are just slowly starting to clear up right now.

Well anyways, here's a brief review. This book was recommended by LX01 and it's a wonderful book about love, from when one starts having a crush on someone, to different stages of a relationship and if things don't work well, then the breakup. This is from a male perspective though of what love is. I do not mean this to be a chauvinistic story, but it is from a masculine point of view.

This book is also infused quite a bit with elements of philosophy to rationalise the thought processes within love and how to make sense of it (or derive meaning from the lack of logic of love). It articulates very well a lot of points that I have always thought about love.

There are however some points that I do not agree with, but I believe because love is such a personal thing. And each couple would develop their own rationales and norms, it is really no place for me to comment whether something is 'right' or 'wrong' in love. It is simply that between 2 people in love, they feel that they are comfortable with those truths that make it true.

I would say 1 very minor negative is that given the subject matter  and the author's background, the language can at times feel melodramatic. But then again, love has the tendency to bring out the drama queen in all of us.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful read and an instant classic. Worth re-reads. Love.

Maya

by Jostein Gaarder

This is the first book I have read in ages! The story is quite convoluted, as always with Jostein Gaarder, stories within stories. Story synopsis from Amazon because I'm lazy. Don't read the synopsis (in italics) if you are to read this book.

A chance meeting on the Fijian island of Taveuni is the trigger for a fascinating and mysterious novel that intertwines the stories of John Spooke, an English author who is grieving for his dead wife; Frank Andersen, a Norwegian evolutionary biologist estranged from his wife Vera; and an enigmatic Spanish couple, Ana and Jose, who are absorbed in their love for each other. Why does Ana bear such a close resemblance to the model for Goya's famous Maja paintings? What is the significance of the Joker as he steps out of his pack of cards? As the action moves from Fiji to Spain, from the present to the past, unfolding further stories within the stories, the novel reveals an astonishing richness and complexity. As bold and imaginative in its sweep as Sophie's World, it shows again that Jostein Gaarder's unique and special gift is to make us wonder at the awe-inspiring mystery of the universe. 

Here are my thoughts. I actually did not like this book very much, the story was labored at times. It was like I wanted to see the ending and that is all. The journey was not really that enticing. Perhaps that is a personal perspective. It had its moments and one realization by the character John Spooke made me quite affected. But the writing was a bit hard to digest at times. It was also written mostly in first person, so it was very difficult to read. Almost the whole book was internal monologue. But the content in itself is pretty inspiring, Jostein Gaarder always has a theme of writing about philosophy and in this case, it was on evolution theory and the meaning of life. It is quite intricate at times the concepts introduced, but again at times, this felt a lot like a lecture in evolution rather than a story. It really was bordering on being a evolution textbook bounded together as a piece of fiction.

As a whole, it is an alright read, though I still prefer Sophie's World and the Solitaire Mystery. But Jostein Gaarder's writing is unique and I aspire only to be half as good in evoking thought and emotion as his writing does.