8. Death of a Salesman

Rating: 8/10

Where: Bed, Vivo (this American pizza and panini restaurant. Whatever a panini is), some other restaurants, gym (20 minutes on those bicycle machines that only work your legs so I can do other things like read)

What I think: Personally for me it's harder to review a play than a novel because somehow I just can't connect with a play like I can with a novel, but Salesman really does a close job. The title itself introduces Willy Loman not as a person but as a salesman, and his "death" suggested that events in the play were going to lead up to just that. I especially liked the portrayal of the relationship between Willy and his son, it's really the saddest part of the play for me and it does a good job of conveying the message, which is the destructive nature of the American dream. I am always painted a realistic picture of the average American family, with the constant mention of materials, mortgages and big corporate companies that are all basically trying to sell something. The play is a tragedy, and you read it just waiting for the death at the end.

"The man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want." - Willy Loman

7. The Great Gatsby

Rating: 8.5/10

Where: On the sofa of my living room where I endured two consecutive sleepless nights.

What I think: A very enjoyable read! Nick has a way of narrating that just entrances you into reading. The settings, the people and the themes and values of the story have a pleasant feel to them, but with a tragedy waiting at every end. I really liked Gatsby as a character. Through Nick's eyes, he has worn different personalities as the book progresses, shedding more and more of his self-guard to Nick until when I finally see the real Gatsby at the end, tragedy strikes. But I get a sense that it was necessary and, quite beautiful in a way. Beautiful tragedies are hard to come across.

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther ..." - Nick Carraway

6. Outliers

Rating: 7/10

Where? TOK class, car, home

What I think: I was incredulous at first! And skeptical. And a tad furious. And ... you get the idea. I discussed this book with my TOK teacher and he absolutely loved it. I thought things were a little too convenient at first, and it's also my problem because whenever I read non-fiction books I always gear myself to this mindset to seek out the points where authors are deliberately trying to trick readers.

Most non-fiction authors just point out what we already know in different words and amplify them, making us go wooow this makes sense and I can relate! As I read Outliers further, I was still not convinced (he also uses a lot of examples that are not very well-known, unleashing a whole lot of questions in my head - okay he also uses examples that are well-known like Bill Gates and Beatles but what if that's just a trick!) but I have to admit it's a pretty smart book. It talks about success in a very different light. It's not what you do, it's where you're from. Something like that. I can relate to some of the things he said in there, though not all. It's worth reading and if you're perceptive enough, you can use the information you get here to GET AROUND the obstacles of success. Useful book I must say, especially for parents.

"The book talks about people whom we think were exceptions." - My TOK teacher on the book

Cleo magazine has directed you here

But unfortunately I haven't been updating this blog for a really long time because I've been really busy so head on over to

www.mayzhee.blogspot.com

Where I update more often.

Sorry I thought if you see this update-less blog some more you guys are going to hate me.

5. Macbeth

Rating:?!??!

Where: School

What I think: Oh my lord.

Mini project!

If you do tune in to this blog then you're in for a surprise! I don't know where to announce this first and this blog has been pretty dead so I'll do it here first, before my Twitter and everything else.

My friend Errol came up with this idea so it's credited to him. Basically, under my publishing company, we are going to a publish a book called How I Got.

It's just going to be a small fun book meant as light reading or a gift for friends. It'll have a few chapters of different people penning their different How I Got stories. Like it could be How I Got: Rich, How I Got: The Best Third Grade Teacher, etc.

If you have any ideas, feel free to submit it in to me with your name, e-mail and where you're from. It can be from one page long to a couple of pages, but most importantly, it has to be entertaining and funny. Entries hopefully by 31st of August!

4. The Outsider

Rating: 8/10

Where: Home mostly

What I think: To the ordinary reader this book might draw a lot of Huhs? but because this was on my school's required reading list, I also had to analyze the book, which is really what makes the book so amazing. I like The Outsider, it's one of my favorite books from school. It's the idea of a man so indifferent to everything and is shunned by society just because he refuses to even lie emotionally that appeals to me. We all, at some point, to some extent, wish that our loved ones were dead. We all don't really regret the things we do.

The only reason criminals show regret is out of fear of prison life (and one wonders if showing regret for that is right), but since Mersualt has made peace with death and being a prisoner, he had no reason for regret. And he tells it like it is to the people, but he gets called a monster for that in return.

Once you get a grasp of the concept of existentialism, you'll be able to read through this book and pay attention to every word of Mersault.

"Yes I accuse this man of burying his mother like a heartless criminal." - The prosecutor on Mersault