Book Review : The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet

The Pillars of the Earth is Ken Follet's bestselling novel published in 1989 and  the prequel to 2007's World without End; it was also adapted for TV as a miniseries.

Summary:
        Set in a fictional town Kingsbridge,England of medieval times during the Anarchy ; from the year 1123 - 1174,with the building of a cathedral by an ambitious Master Builder, Tom, serving as what I call a foundation theme, The Pillars of the Earth explores the development of medieval  masonry and architecture, the civil
war, intrigue - filled secular/religious disputes and shifting political
loyalties and their conspiracies of that time.

Xpressview:
     
        Ken Follet picks from almost every genre of fiction and whips it all together comfortably in this historical masterpiece.  A book that just pulls you  along gently while transporting you back in time to an era that you never imagined will have much to interest your generation, The Pillars of the Earth is a must read for every fiction lover(xcept if u re into sci-fi or other fantasy stuff). I found out that a forthcoming game based on the novel has been set for 2016.

Rating:
           4.5 stars out of five. A superb read.

Book Review : Cold Vengeance by Preston & Child

Summary:
After the death of his wife,Helen; FBI Agent Alloysius Pendergast vows to catch her killers. In the process, he gets a shocking revelation from one of her supposed murderers: Helen is alive and may have staged her death.How and Why? Pendergast vows to find out.....

XpressView:
    My first impression of this book was...well,....Hot, but then  it ended up not so hot. Why?  Well, I felt it had a much to do with the fact that Cold Veangeance is a second part in a trilogy involving Mr and Mrs Pendergast; (Fever Dream and Two Graves being the first and last respectively ).
     The first and second chapter held my attention but after a few more i got bored, (the protagonist seemed not to be needed, not until chapter 26 did  he become prominent). Its ending was less dramatic too.
   I  think a Good book should be able to stand out on it's own regardless of it being part of a trilogy or whatever,to me Cold Veangeance didn't do that.

Rating :
   Two out of five. Not an impressive read.

Book Review : The Fault In Our Stars by John Greene

First let me start by saying that this book has been made into a movie that got released this year. So I decided to read before watching; Having finished reading, here are my thoughts. SUMMARY: Seventeen-yr-old thyroid cancer patient Hazel Grace meets osteosarcoma (a sort of bone cancer) survivor (he had one of his legs amputated to keep the cancer from spreading) Augustus Waters at a cancer support group meeting,the two teens knock it off quickly,become fast friends and seem to be in love with each other. Amidst health challenges (Hazel suffers a crisis when her lungs accumulates fluid and she is sent to ICU,Augustus learns his cancer has spread and might be bedridden ), the two teens fly to Amsterdam on Gus wish to meet Hazel's favorite author Peter Van Houten to get a climax to his only novel. Despite the meeting turning out to be a disappointment to them,they make the most fun out if it and return home; Augustus' situation gets worse; eventually he dies, leaving Hazel without a true friend "The only person I really wanted to talk to about Augustus Waters' death was Augustus Waters." Hazel struggles to find comfort. REVIEW: With an out-of-the-norm storyline,humor-filled teen romanctic plot,a sad character end and big hype to follow (I actually got to read this novel upon a friend's recommendation;she said it actually made her cry),I expected "a roller coaster ride that only goes up"(Augustus' words) with me gushing out tears (makes me think of V.C.Andrews 'Flowers in the Attic') at the end, but I never got that feeling. For one,the characters seemed unbelievable to me,the humor seemed overdone (couldn't picture a dude whose pasttimes are sodomy and Angeldust and forever sticking an unlit cigarette in his mouth as funny) and a baffling ending that ironically leaves me wanting to know how Hazel felt on finding Augustus letters just as she desired to know to the real ending to the novel she was reading. For those who want a quick,funny read to pass time I'll recommend this; otherwise I won't. From WordXpress we give this book two out of five stars.