Stefeena Elizabeth

One Crazy Summer 😎

-by Rita Williams

When Delphine and her two younger sisters, Fern and Vonetta, head out to Oakland to meet up with their runaway mom after four years, they're not sure what to expect. Will Cecile greet them with a big hug?

Yeah, nope. In fact, she doesn't seem keen on getting lovey-dovey at all, instead sending the girls to Black Panther summer camp everyday. (Fun fact: This book is set in the 1960s.) This isn't your average foursquare-playing, lanyard-making, starting a vicious prank war against the cabin next door only to discover your long lost twins live there summer camp, either.

But it's not what the girls expect from the fighters for Black Power either. Delphine might have heard on the street that the Black Panthers are known for violence, but that's not what she and her sisters get a taste of at the camp. They join tons of other kids and a kind, welcoming teacher who teaches them lessons about unity and taking care of the planet. The closest to violence they come is learning to protect themselves against it and learning what their rights are in case someone (ahem, police included) decides to target them because of the color of their skin.

Which isn't to say it's all sunshine and rainbows. Members of the Black Panthers intimidate Cecile into using her little printing press to make flyers for them, and one of them incessantly makes fun of the girls for not being "black enough"—but they also provide a place for kids to go all day during the summer. They feed them, teach them, and keep them from getting into bigger trouble, which abounds in run-down Oakland.

Delphine isn't just surprised that the Black Panthers aren't who she expected them to be, though; her mom isn't who Delphine anticipated, either. Cecile sends Delphine out to the local Chinese food joint to get dinner every night instead of cooking for them. She's super particular about no one going in the kitchen—ever. She has a printing press in there where she prints her poems under the pen name Nzila.

Over the summer, Delphine wears Cecile down on her strict rules. She's not warm and fuzzy by any stretch of the imagination, but at least Delphine is allowed to venture into the kitchen and cook dinner every night so they don't have to eat greasy food anymore. Plus, Cecile gets the girls a radio to entertain them.

One day, Cecile gets arrested, simply for her poems. It turns out the police don't like people hearing how much power black people should have, so they lock Cecile up and throw away the key. Delphine and her sisters stay with a friend from camp until their mom is released from jail. They are performing at a big political rally on the weekend and have to rehearse anyway; together, they recite one of their mom's poems about black power. Everyone hoots and hollers, especially Cecile who's let out of jail just in time to see the girls have their fifteen minutes of fame.

Delphine and Cecile decide to keep in touch now that the summer's done. Cecile still doesn't really want to be a mom and take care of the girls, but Delphine isn't as angry with her anymore either. She knows Cecile cares a lot about Black Power and is working hard for the cause

BOOK REVIEW- "ANGER AND FRIENDSHIP" Aiswarya Anilkumar(5036)

ANGER AND                      FRIENDSHIP
                    This isa short message about how anger can defeat friendship.No one loves the man whom he fears.HENCE WE CAN SY THAT FRIENDSHIP CAN ONLY THRIVE IN THE SOIL THAT IS TOTALLY FREE FROM ANGER.So friendship and anger is just like crop and weeds.For the crops to yield the weeds should be separated and burnt.Friendship cannot survive where there is anger.We all have a desire to make good friendship bt to bring that into reality anger is ahindrance.If a person doesn't have the capability to control his anger then he cannot make lasting friendship.Hence the great challenge in front of us is to streangthen our fiendship by controling all our temper,conflicts and misunderstanding.Love,   trust,kindness,mercy,compassion,forgiveness and understanding are ery much important for a stable friendship.IF ALL THOSE QUALITIES ARE PRESENT IN US WE CAN VERY CONFIDENTLY SAY THAT WE HAVE ADEQUATELY OCCUPPIED OURSELVES WITH PROPER CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILL.THE GREATEST PART IS THAT IF WE MAKE A FRIEND WHO HAVE VIOLENT TEMPER WE MIGHT LEARN THER HABIT AND NOT BE ABE TO CHANGE.Hence while choosing friends our first concern should be to make sure that they are not too hot-tempered.We should bear in mind the often repeated saying,"TELL ME YOUR FRIENDS.I WILL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE."
                 So don't mix up anger with friendship.A good friend is a connection to the life in the past,a road towars the future,and a key to sanity in a totally insane world.Do try to control your temper to make good friends.ANGER DOESN'T SOLVE ANYTHING,IT BUILDS NOTHING,BUT IT CAN DESTROY EVERYTHING.So its better to cry when you are angry,because anger hurts others while tears will flow silently to the soul and cleans the heart.

KEYS TO LIFE’S THRILLS- STEVE BERT(5032)

 

KEYS TO LIFE’S THRILLS-  STEVE BERT(5032)

  Keys to life’s thrills, written by S. Devaraj, helps provide as many exit points as possible so that, through self introspection on 15 specific areas of our life, the worst within us leaves us speedily, thus allowing the best within us to bloom and shine bright, spreading rich fragrance all around.

                                    Human nature is a mixture of good and evil. As such we have within us the capacity to do good as well as the tendency to be bad-an ongoing battle between the animal and the angel within us. And so, there are moments when we allow the hatred and selfishness within us to get the better of us. Our discipline, and character and personality depend upon the level of success in our day-to-day fight against the animal that prompts us to indulge in things evil. When the level is very high, we become great like Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. But when the level drops very low, we become intolerable and undesirable people, fit to be condemned and isolated by the society in which we live. There is no gain saying the fact that, imperfect though we all are, we differ from one another only in the level of our efforts to develop the virtues of respectability and reliability, thus becoming increasingly loving in our day-to-day life and thus more acceptable. He have chosen “pride and arrogance” to be among the fifteen important areas to be attended to for our overall growth. If we defeat the feelings of pride and arrogance, we’ll certainly be in a position to remove everything that is imperfect within us.

                                  This book will assist you in the self cleansing required and you’ll certainly be able to discover the pretty you that is waiting to be brought out!

THE ALCHEMIST - KRISHNA PRABHA - 5020

                 
This is the story of Santiago, a shepherd boy who dreams of traveling the world and discovering treasure, and is courageous enough to walk in the direction of his desires. In order to realize the best that his destiny has to offer, he travels from his home in Spain, through the markets of tangiers, and into the great  Egyptian desert. He gets experience love, loses and makes money, learn a different language, meet different people, find himself in pleasant and not-so - pleasant situations. His journey is full of adventure and lessons, while he also find the privilege of meeting a king, a desert woman and an alchemist, each adding to his life new turns and perception                                                     
                   The book emphasis the value of spirituality, faith, hope and love through symbolic narration of a fascinating story of an ordinary boy with extraordinary beliefs. The book says that "To realize once destiny is a person 's only real obligation". It not just "says", it makes you believe.                           

                  On the way to the pyramids, he meets an English man in search of an alchemist living at the Al-Fayoum Oasis. At the oasis, Santiago receives an omen of an impending attack. After Santiago defends the oasis, the alchemist agrees to take him to the treasure. At last, Santiago reaches the pyramids. A group of men happens upon him and beats him savagely when they  find no treasure. One of the men tells Santiago about a dream he had about a ruined church in Spain. Santiago realizes the treasure has been buried there all along. He returns home to find the treasure buried in the church where he used to sleep.                                 

                       There are a lot of things about life that you learn in this book. One of the most important things is to find your ambition. For all of us, there is a treasure hidden somewhere. All we have got to do is to use our instincts and find it. Times can be hard on but we can't accept that as our fate. We need to step up and continue searching for fighting for the truth. Every person that's born here has got something special. It may take a while but it has to come out and people will see his potential someday. The things that the boy learns on his journey is the treasure that was meant to him. He never sought an ambition. He thought that riding his cattle in the grass is what's meant for him.                                                 

                      A dream makes him realize that he should stay here forever because there is a treasure out there for him. He needs to set out on a journey that will open up secrets he could never learn with cattle. Of course, there are omens that would show him the way. They could come in any form and he needs to recognize them. The greatest line from the book is meant for all of us "When you really want something, the universe conspires in your favor". So what do we need to do? We should never set back and let things happen to us. Never stop the search to find your ambition in life and always try to achieve it.

LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS-REVIEW - ANCY POULOSE 5041

LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS

Born without arms or legs, Nick Vujicic overcame his disabilities to live an independent, rich and fulfilling life while serving as a role model for anyone seeking true happiness. Now an internationally successful motivational speaker, Nick eagerly spreads his message: the most important goal is to find your life’s purpose and to never give up, despite whatever difficulties or seemingly impossible odds stand in your way.

He tells the story of his physical disabilities and the emotional battle he endured while learning to deal with them as a child, teen, and young adult. “For the longest, loneliest time, I wondered if there was anyone on earth like me, and whether there was any purpose to my life other than pain and humiliation.” 

Nick shares how his faith in God has been his major source of strength, and he explains that once he found a sense of purpose—inspiring others to better their lives and the world around them--he found the confidence to build a rewarding and productive life without limits. Let Nick inspire you to start living your own life without limits.

Nick offers practical advice for realizing a life of fulfillment and happiness by building trust in others, developing supportive relationships, and gaining strength for the journey. He encourages by showing how he learned to accept what he could not control and focus instead on what he could.

This book ,definitely, is a perfect motivator that will boost the self confidence in you.

      SANDRA BABU ~ 5066

                        "WHITE TIGER "- A Reflection ....

Aravind Adiga

              The 'White Tiger” written by the Indian-Australian author Aravind Adiga, is a debut novel published in 2008. It won the 40^th Man Booker Prize that year itself.

                             The White Tiger is presented as a epistolary novel,a series of seven letters written over a period of seven nights. It's just an excuse,of course, for the narrator Balram Hawai to tell his story. Balram is writing to the premier of China, Wen Jiabo, who is to visit the city Balram lives in –Bangalore,India—in a week's time.What made an Indian entrepreneur living in Bangalore to write such a lengthy letter to the chief of China,describes the condition of India and is the central theme of the story.

                                  Balram explains that something in China is missing in India and vise versa,thus makes occasional comparisons between the two neighbouring nations but ultimately proves that to be feeble excuse for him to unburden himself, and because the premise is so poorly utilised undermines such novel. The story circles around the crime he has on his hands and gets to it in good times ,as he recollects the whole story chronologically.

                                      He was his parents' 'munna' in a tiny hell-hole called Luxmangarh, a place in India, where opportunities were limited. Balram calls himself 'half baked', like many others in the country,not allowed to finish school,with only smattering of all sorts of knowledge. In fact he was smart lad, and that was even recognized by a school inspector,who praised him as 'WHTE TIGER',”the rarest of animals”-the creature that only comes along once in a generation.

            The novel explains how family becomes a priority for Indians which makes their every actions focused on the happy faces of family. But here the protagonist slowly creates a distance from his family. Being a chauffeur of Mr. Ashok and Pinky madam(his wife),he eventually gets in Delhi comfortably far from  his demanding family.

                Balram explains why Indian servants are so honest:because of what he calls Rooster Coop. No matter what the opportunity,a servant won't take advantage of his master. A bag containing a million dollars can be entrusted to any servant,he claims,because doing anything improper would have a terrible consequences. The servant might get away with it but:

     "only a man who is prepared to see his family destroyed, hunted, beaten,and burned alive  by the masters,can break out of the coop. That would take no normal human being,but a freak,a pervert of nature."   And Balram eventually became such a servant due  to his experiences which made him kill his master,Ashok.

                                                                         

                                                                            Yes,The White Tiger 'says a lot' about contemporary India,but it tries to do so far too hard. Adiga has definitely the talent and courage to open the devastating but blinded conditions of India to the public. In the novel,Adiga makes Balram say,'I am tomorrow' which may not be correct at least for some reasons while looking into the developing nature of India...But to an extent its true as whatever development comes,the marginalized people are left to be the same.

                              Through the novel Adiga examines issues of religion,caste,loyalty,corruption and poverty in India. Ultimately Balram transcends his sweet maker caste and becomes a successful entrepreneur, establishing his own taxi service. In a nation proudly shedding the history of poverty and underdevelopment he presents himself as ,”Tomorrow”. To conclude Aravind Adiga's White Tiger is a brilliant social critic which unties the life of ordinary people of outskirts who eventually get transformed to a 'city man' in its real sense.

THE INVISIBLE MAN - ABHIJITH NARAYANAN - 5061

Introduction

The Invisible Man is a science friction novel by H. G. Wells. The Invisible Man of the title is Griffin, a scientist who has devoted himself to research into optics and invents a way to change a body's refractive index to that of air so that it neither absorbs nor reflects light and thus becomes invisible. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but fails in his attempt to reverse it.

Main characters

Griffin - Griffin is the model of science without humanity. He begins his road to decline in college when he becomes so obsessed with his experiments that he hides his work lest anyone else should receive credit. When he runs out of money, he kills his own father-a crime that makes the rest of his crimes pale in comparison. He goes from scientist to fanatic when he begins to focus all of his attention merely on the concept of invisibility and neglects to think about the consequences of such a condition. He may not have had any intention initially of trying the potion on himself, but the interference of his landlord and prying neighbor lady motivate him to cover his work and remove himself from further confrontation. The evil that he could commit does not occur to him until after he has swallowed the potion and seen the reaction of the landlord and others. The irony is that his invisibility is good only for approaching unseen and for getting away. Any gains from his crimes are useless to him. He cannot enjoy any of the normal comforts of life-such as food, clothes, and money. He cannot eat without hiding the action, as the food in his system will render him visible. Clothes, when he is able to wear them, must be used to cover him from head to foot in order to conceal his real “concealment”--hardly a comfortable state in the heat of the summer. He can steal money, but cannot spend it on his own accord. Thus the condition that would make him invulnerable also renders him helpless.

In spite of his predicament, Griffin at no time expresses any remorse for his behavior or for the crimes, which he merely describes as “necessary.” His only regret is frustration over not having thought about the drawbacks of invisibility. For nearly a year, he works on trying to perfect an antidote; when time runs out for that activity, he first tries to leave the country, and then, that plan failing, tries to find an accomplice for himself so he can enjoy his invisibility and have all the comforts of life as well. He goes from obsession to fanaticism to insanity.

Marvel - Mr. Marvel is the local tramp. He is harmless, eccentric, fat, but not nearly as stupid as Griffin thinks he is. He is smart enough to know when a good thing has happened to him; the stories he tells to the press bring him much attention and sympathy. In the end, he gets to keep all the money Griffin stole, and he contrives on his own to keep the books of Griffin’s experiments. He becomes the owner of an inn as well as the village bard, as it is to him that people come when they want to know the stories of the Invisible Man. In spite of his earlier torment, he is the only one who actually benefits from Griffin’s presence.

Kemp - Kemp is referred to as “the doctor,” but his degree seems to be an academic one rather than a medical one. He continues his own study in hopes of being admitted to “the Royal Fellows.” His own experiments and fascination with science enable him to listen sensibly to Griffin, but in spite of being rather contemptuous of his fellow citizens, his common sense and decency prevent him from being a part of Griffin’s schemes. Kemp is also the only “cool headed” person in the town once the final attack begins. He runs to escape Griffin, but as soon as Griffin catches him, he has the presence of mind to turn the capture around. He is also the first to realize that even though Griffin is invisible, he is injured, and, ultimately, dead.

Summary

A mysterious man, Griffin, arrives at the local inn of the English village of Iping, West Sussex, during a winter. The stranger wears a long-sleeved, thick coat and gloves; his face is hidden entirely by bandages except for a fake pink nose; and he wears a wide-brimmed hat. He is excessively reclusive, irascible, and unfriendly. He demands to be left alone and spends most of his time in his rooms working with a set of chemicals and laboratory apparatus, only venturing out at night. While Griffin is staying at the inn, hundreds of strange glass bottles (that he calls his luggage) arrive. Many local townspeople believe this to be very strange. He becomes the talk of the village with many theorizing as to his origins.

Meanwhile, a mysterious burglary occurs in the village. Griffin is running out of money and is trying to find a way to pay for his board and lodging. When his landlady demands that he pay his bill and quit the premises, he reveals part of his invisibility to her in a fit of pique. An attempt to apprehend the stranger is frustrated when he undresses to take advantage of his invisibility, fights off his would-be captors, and flees to the downs.

There Griffin coerces a tramp, Thomas Marvel, into becoming his assistant. With Marvel, he returns to the village to recover three notebooks that contain records of his experiments. When Marvel attempts to betray the Invisible Man to the police, Griffin chases him to the seaside town of Port Burdock, threatening to kill him. Marvel escapes to a local inn and is saved by the people at the inn, but Griffin escapes. Marvel later goes to the police and tells them of this "invisible man," then requests to be locked up in a high-security jail.

Griffin's furious attempt to avenge his betrayal leads to his being shot. He takes shelter in a nearby house that turns out to belong to Dr. Kemp, a former acquaintance from medical school. To Kemp, he reveals his true identity: the Invisible Man is Griffin, a former medical student who left medicine to devote himself to optics. Griffin recounts how he invented chemicals capable of rendering bodies invisible, and, on impulse, performed the procedure on himself.

Griffin tells Kemp of the story of how he became invisible. He explains how he tried the invisibility on a cat, then himself. Griffin burned down the boarding house he was staying in, along with all the equipment he used to turn invisible, to cover his tracks; but he soon realised that he was ill-equipped to survive in the open. He attempted to steal food and clothes from a large department store, and eventually stole some clothing from a theatrical supply shop and headed to Iping to attempt to reverse the invisibility. Now he imagines that he can make Kemp his secret confederate, describing his plan to begin a "Reign of Terror" by using his invisibility to terrorise the nation.

Kemp has already denounced Griffin to the local authorities and is waiting for help to arrive as he listens to this wild proposal. When the authorities arrive at Kemp's house, Griffin fights his way out and the next day leaves a note announcing that Kemp himself will be the first man to be killed in the "Reign of Terror". Kemp, a cool-headed character, tries to organise a plan to use himself as bait to trap the Invisible Man, but a note that he sends is stolen from his servant by Griffin.

Griffin uses Kemp's gun to shoot and injure a local policeman who comes to Kemp's aid, then breaks into Kemp's house. Kemp bolts for the town, where the local citizenry come to his aid. Griffin is seized, assaulted, and killed by a mob. The Invisible Man's naked, battered body gradually becomes visible as he dies. A local policeman shouts to have someone cover Griffin's face with a sheet.

In the end, it is revealed that Marvel has secretly kept Griffin's notes; but since they are written in code, he is completely incapable of understanding them.

Vishnu priya T S (5049) YOU ARE BORN TO BLOSSOM

You are born to blossom

This book is a  vision of developing a new India with the help of the education sector, which has tremendous resources. In You Are Born To Blossom: Take My Journey Beyond, Dr. Kalam describes the various stages of human life by using a tree as a metaphor, and says that different age groups require different kinds of learning methods. Dr. Kalam also speaks about his own experiences as a schoolboy. As the President of India, he had visited thousands of children across the country, and realized that there is an urgent need to provide quality education and guidance to students. You Are Born To Blossom: Take My Journey Beyond also highlights how the Information and Communication Technology sector can help bring about societal transformation. Dr. Kalam says that it is essential to develop diverse individual talents, and to take into account the moral and social values of our country when developing our systems.  Take My Journey Beyond consists of eight chapters, some of which are Nurturing A Garden, In The Childhood Garden, and Education As A Spiritual Journey. The authors say that it is time that the education system aligns itself according to the needs and challenges of the present day. This book will inspire readers to use their talents and skills to help India grow as a nation.

He visualizes Information and Communication Technology mining the rural talent. Here, Kalam presents his dream of schools in India at 2020 as symbiotic nerve centres connecting teachers, students and community; personifying knowledge that exists in the world. He also makes a loud and clear call to accelerate the process of societal transformation. This would involve raising the standards of governance and safeguarding the sanctity of public institutions. The book uses the metaphor of a tree to describe the process of knowledge bearing fruits of prosperity in the contemporary globalised world where different phases, formative, adult working life, and post-50 experienced senior citizens, call for different kinds of learning. The book refers to a contextual contribution of a large number of Indian scientists and artists and proves that there is no age bar to blossom. He advocates creation of conditions that favour growth of diverse individual talents akin to a garden and calls for a scientific mind-set guided by conscience, consensus and by actions that take our social and moral values into account in building our own systems.

,

“Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success......APJ Abdul kalam”
Vishnupriya  T S  (5049)

                                                                                                     

Liya Das 5043.........DIVERGENT

        Divergent –Veronica Roth                                

                       

Divergent is about a girl called tris. She lives in are world which has a divided society Beatrice does not fit in any of the society. So she is forced to live a life she does not want. So she decided to find where she belongs and leaves her family behind and venture out alone. Each year the 16 year old of the city take a test which will tell them which of the five factions they confirm to after the test they will attend the choosing ceremony were they get to decide which faction they want to belong to Beatrice is an ahnegation raised girl who grouse up with her brother calebher  mother and her father who is a city leader. But Beatrice unexpectedly turns to dauntless and cateb joins erudite .

                        After jumping into a train ,jumping off a train and then off a building Beatrice enter the dauntless compound , where she meets her instructor four; he ask faer for her name , but Beatrice hesitates , then says “tris” despite brutal dauntless training and being bullied by her fellow initiates , tris still find time to fall in love with four. But when erudite threatens to take down tris’s previous home, her love for four has to wait. J won’t give any spoilers  but I will say what happens is pretty awesome. This book is a master piece that hook you all the way through. If you are interested in watching movies like things games will definitely love this story and characters.

                         It is a amazing story that out who you are really are and what it is like to fall in love. In a society divided into factions all are forced to choose where belong. And the choice Beatrice prior make shocks everyone, including herself. During extreme ignition test, tris must determine who her friend are and whether she can trust the man who both threatens and protectts her. The positive thing related to this story is that it will help or make us to do thing or our life tasks according to the way or idea that comes on our mind. It will help us to find ourselves to find out who you are and who you want be……………

Liya Das

Second yr ….b.com tax (A)5043

Roshna xavier 5044..........RIDING ON WINGS OF FIRE

Riding on wings of fire

                         

                                    : An Autobiography of APJ Abdul Kalam                   

                                                                                               

"The trouble is that we often merely analyse life instead of dealing with it. People dissect their failures for causes and effects, but seldom deal with them and gain experience to master them and thereby avoid their recurrence. This is my belief: that through difficulties and problems God gives us the opportunity to grow. So when your hopes and dreams and goals are dashed, search among the wreckage, you may find a golden opportunity hidden in the ruins."...

Fire has no structural boundaries, no religion, no caste, neither assumptions nor presumptions, so was the true son of India the Bharath Ratna laurate Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. Wings of fire one of ever ground-breaking bestsellers among Autobiographies portraits not an analysis of one's own self but a contemplation of Kalam's life and experiences with a total optimism to ignite the hearts and minds of crores of Indians from every walk of life, young and old alike. The autobiography of APJ Kalam written together with his a decade-long colleague in Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Arun Tiwari probably misses to highlight the cynical thoughts of a dedicated scientist normally struggles in the clutches of bureaucracy and corruption of a pathologically infected political system. This was not intentional but the narration of his life always overpowered by his devotion towards the positive attitude towards life which was seldom discouraged by the negative sparks around. So the book's partition into the sections of Orientation, Creation, Propitiation and Contemplation from his early life and career to scientific and technological indigenous innovations for our country's defence as well as space research programmes of course deserves its meritorious applause. It is all about positive outlook towards life which surpasses the son of a less-known  boat owner in Rameswaram to become one of the prominent Scientists in India and even the truly deserved position to become the President of India. The book shares glimpses of the religious harmony in his native village, his personal failures and struggles to find his own self  in order to unite with the SELF in a very vivid manner with a strong back bone of scientific innovations, inspiring testimonies and annotations with heart touching personal experiences to boost the young mind of India. The book inspires the reader and leaves him / her to ride on the wings of fire and at the same time challenges him / her to share the responsibility to mould his / her life as wings of fire themselves.

By Roshna Xavier

5044

SRUTHY PJ 5045 the adventures of sherlock holmes

  THE  ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

The  ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES  is  a  collection  of  twelve  short  stories  by  Arthur  Conan  Doyle,   featuring   the  famous  detective  Sherlock Holmes.  All  of  stories  within  The  Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes   are  told  in  a  first  person  narrative  from the  point  of  view  of  Dr. Watson,  as  is  the  case  for  all  but  four  of  the  Sherlock Holmes Stories.

Sherlock Holmes  is  the  world’s  only consulting  detective.  Watson  narrates  each  one  through  his  eyes  and  experience. We  know  that  it’s  the  most  accurate  version  from  Watson’s  mouth  and  this  is also  what  pulls  us  in. He  puts  in  his  initial  assessment  and  then  his  discussion  with  Holmes  who  clarifies  his  route  of  action  most  of  the  time  after  the   fact.  The  image  created  by  A . Conan  Doyle  is  compelling  because  of  this  missing  detail  and  it’s  the  opinion  formed  by  Watson  himself.  The  missing  parts  of  where  Holmes  investigates  on  his  own  is  where  we  wonder  when  he  comes  back  what  crazy  approach  he  is  going  to  track  down  the  unknown   culprit  red  handed.  It  leaves  the  readers  wondering  and  often  times  I  found  myself  trying  to  figure  out  what  the  next  move  was  or  who  the  next  culprit  was.

This  is  also  makes  Sherlock Holmes  a  very  attractive  character.  He  inspects  and  sees  the  little  details  that  we  normally  would  not  associate  with  how  he  gathers  his  information. It  takes  a  lot  of  general  knowledge  to  be  able  pull  those  links  together  from  the  people  he  observes  and the  evidence  that  he  finds  and  inspects.

Overall, I  really  did  find  this  a  very  fun  novel  to  read. I  loved  the  character  of  Sherlock Holmes  and  will  probably  seeks out  his  other  novels.  I  always  like  a  good  mystery  and  makes  the  guess  throughout  reading  it. It  allows  me  to  be  involved  throughout  the  story  and  that  makes  it  very  recommendable  and  a  great  classic  to  me!

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - ATHIRA R 5005

                       

                             PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Pride and Prejudice is quite comic and it paints a clear picture of how women who lacked their own fortune oftentimes had to forsake love to marry for economic security and social status.

I love this book because I love the characters.  A few of them really work my nerves, but I still love how well-written they are.  Elizabeth is my favorite because she is so independent, headstrong and outspoken.  She refuses to marry for any reason other than love, even if that means she doesn’t end up marrying someone who can give her a better economic and social status.  She has her faults, but she is not afraid to admit to them when she knows she’s wrong.  Her mother and two of her younger sisters annoy her as much as they annoy me, and she can’t stand the snotty sisters of Mr. Bingley, whom I despise every time I read the book.  It is apparent from the first chapter that Elizabeth takes after her father, who is also headstrong and outspoken.  He loves to put his annoying wife in her place, but he does it in very humorous ways without being too nasty.  I get a lot of laughs out of Pride and Prejudice every time I read it, and most of those laughs are courtesy of Mr. Bennet.  Mrs. Bennet annoys the heck out of me and I find myself audibly telling her to shut up throughout the book.  Seriously, if she would only just shut up.  I avoid people like the snotty Bingley sisters like the plague in real life because if anyone deserves a good slap across the face, they do.  People who think they’re better than everyone else because of money or social status, like the Bingley sisters and Lady Catherine (Mr. Darcy’s aunt), just disgust me.  Mr. Collins could use a nice piece of duct tape over his mouth, as well, since he really makes himself look like a fool every time he speaks.  Finally, Mr. Darcy is infuriating and endearing at the same time.

I think what makes Jane Austen’s books so well-loved and timeless was her ability to tell it like it is.  Our language has evolved quite a bit from what it was like in the eighteenth- and nineteenth-centuries, and anyone who reads classics knows that the language in them can be very hard to understand at times.  This is not at all the case with Austen’s writing.  She wrote without a lot of fluff and the way she worded things in the nineteenth-century is really not a whole lot different from the way we use the language today.  Her books remain relevant because she wrote about subjects that will always be a natural part of being human, no matter how many years go by, and her characters are always so realistic and full of life.

If you like good classic literature, a good love story, and humorous characters, you’ll enjoy reading Pride and Prejudice.   It’s a nice, satisfying, fun read.

The Time To Reflect___JEENU JOSEPH___5035

The Time To Reflect

The moment when I realized a 'difference' from all assignments, I started loving ' The diary of a young girl' by Anne Frank. 

When I searched about Anne Frank,it was an excitement that ,this book,the diary of a 13 year old girl got 2051329 ratings and 21098 reviews.

I thought when a thirteen year old girl can write this much an d grab attention of the world,I ,a degree graduate should atleast read this book.Anyway,I should say that this is the only book that I have read in a single stretch.Eventhough I closed the book many times ,I was in a hurry to go back to the pages....

'The Diary Of a Young Girl' was written at the time of second world war.Anne calls her diary KITTY. The relation with Kitty and Anne portrayed is very much friendly in nature.Kitty becomes an instrument which hears all emotions of Anne Frank ,her family and co-dwellers at the hiding place.They were forced to hide when Germany invaded Holland.They hid for 25months and the life was completely changed during these months.They studied everything especially to adjust with everything and everyone.They were actually in a pathetic situation.They couldn't hid there for more than 25 months because German secret police discovered their place.They all were sent to concentration camps and all died there due to various diseases except Otto Frank.He was the person behind publishing of 'The Diary Of a Young Girl' to say the world about the troubles they have faced during second world war.

     When Anne Frank died,she was only 15 year old.But now,her diary is big rated around the world.Excited!!!!

Who will Cry, When u Die..... Akhiyamol Benny -5012.

          Who will Cry, When You Die.

       "Greatness comes from beginning              something that doesn't end with you."

                                                  -Robin Sharma. 

            Who will Cry , when you Die- is an inspirational piece of work by Robin Sharma Incorporated with a bundle of inspirational messages.

            The author had given several inspirational thoughts various day to day happening so that the readers can understand it easily. He tries to make out a positive thoughts from each minute things around us. 

            Some of the thoughts that creates a spark in my mind were:-

• Journal for Life-        we should have a habit of making journal for our life consisting of our thoughts, emotions, reactions, events, experience, lesson..etc so that it can be a good guide for our life.
• A minute for You-       Find a portion of your life for yourself. In this busy world besides running behind our goals keep a part of it for ourselves. 
• Being silent -                Learn to be silent in some situations. It is not important to talk all the time. Remaining silent for a while can keep away a hundreds of problems. Learn to meditate n silent for some time can keep your day fresh vibrant and healthy.
• Words & Promises-.           Learn to honour your words n promises given to yourself and to others. If you fail to keep your word it will poorly you. Do that often and people will stop trusting on you. So be conscious of what you say.
• Glance at your past -.        We should find time to recollect things from your past, out emotions, faults, mistakes of your past and try to learn from them.
• Say NO-.              Say  NO to people and task that are not worthy of your time and attention. Time is a limited resources once it's gone can't be recalled. So give your time and attention to task that matters you the most.
• Stop multitasking -.           Multitasking is not a skill. Focus your time, attention and energy on this that you value the most. Don't waste for the right time to start, there is no such right time, start Now.
• Work to achieve your goals in life. But don't allow the work to consume you. Find time for everything rather than being stucked at a particular point.
• Book as Companion -.          Keep books as your best companion. Many a times a book will be worthy than having a hundreds of fake friend around you. A book guides you, advices, inspires, motivates you.

                 I find the book so inspiring and motivating, I would refer the book to others also as they can also make some changes in their lives too.. l like the author's style of simplifing all the philosophies. The title proposed by the author tells everything 'who will Cry When you Die.'........

ATTITUDES OF GRATITUDE__ Nevil Menachery__5022

             ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE__
                           M.J. Ryan
                   

     " Life will bring you pain all by itself.

        Your responsibility is to create joy."
                               - Milton Erickson,M.D


                           The author discovered her gratitude from exploding Turkey. She wanted to find what was sacred in her everyday life,to look with fresh eyes and see what might have been there all along that she had not been able to see. This book is a collection of more than 60 Short-describtions categorised mainly under 5 heads as follows;

 1. The simple joy of living from a grateful Heart
     
     ' If you look to others for fulfillment,
          you will never truly be fulfilled.
       if your happiness depends on money,
          you will never be happy with .
       Be content with what you have;
          rejoice in the way things are.
       When you realize there is nothing
     lacking,the whole world belongs to you. '

                           In this context author expresses her view on Happiness of Life
that her friend Annette gave her. She understood that Gratitude brings up Happiness in life. For her ,Gratitude is not just a key instead is a magical key by the use of which we can suddenly transform everything into beautiful wonders. Gratitude help us to track success .She found out the most wonderful thing about gratitude--- it makes yo feel full,bursting with delight, just to remember the gifts you have recieved. Thus we all are doubly blessed when we recieve something , for the gift itself , and later, in recall, for the miracle of having been given it.

2 . The  gifts of Gratitude

       ' Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
    It turns what we have into enough,and
        more. It turns denial into acceptance ,        chaos into order, confusion to clarity . . . .
         Gratitude makes sense of our past ,              brings peace for today, and creates a.                           vision fortomorrow.'

                    This head provides information regarding the gifts that every person attains in his life by being gratitude. Being gratitude means to declare out loud to tge Universe that we are willing to let go of struggle and eager to learn through Joy. While being old through ages we should be able to open tonthe magic and beauty of life, thereby that gratitude keeps us Young throuhout our life. We experience the mental sunshine of gratitude only when we begin to glow with sunshine ourselves. Not only is the world brighter, but we are too.
More we experience a sense of gratitude, the more endorphins and the less adrenaline we pump into our systems, thus contributing to longer, healthier lives .                                    Gratefulness also eliminates worry because it reminds us of the abundance of our universe. It help us to draw people to us as well as to keep people in our sphere. For her , gratitude is an inner light that we can use to illumine our souls.  The more we are thankful, the more light we experience and the more we shine forth into the world. It helps us to accept the world as imperfect . Walk around where we  live and really notice and give thanks for the objects in our life that give us joy . While we can be thankful for past blessings and hope for future ones , we experience gratitude.
                The fact that true gratitude creates a sense of open-heartedness is the reason so much of the 'thanks' in this culture is rote and unfeeling .It' s allways a beautiful cycle . The more you feel grateful , the stronger is the impulse towards giving . Gratitude also gives birth to a fiercely loving environmentalism , a sensitivity born of the connection made explicit between us and everything else that creeps , crawls , sways and clings. Our spirits join with the Great Spirit in the dance of life. And finally, through gratitude , our souls , in Emily Dickinson's words " always stand ajar; ready to welcome the ecstatic experience. "

3. The attitudes of Gratitude
       
      '  The most powerful agent of growth
             and transformation is something
      much more basic than any technique:
                    a change of heart '

Gratitude helps us to appreciate the miracle of being alive, we will find the peace and the strength to face life's challenges as they come. This head provide us the confidence and courage to face hardship on the way of living our life.
It will helpat least in the meantime to enjoy ourselves a whole lot more and be more fun to be around.The more we allow what is true to be true , and less we should ourselves , the more space we create for the possibility of gratitude to quietly, softly enter our heart. Inside ourself or outside , we never have to change what we see, only the way we see it.Author says that being gratitude in life helps us to be allways at heart , caring others, loving, eradicate disability, to make us worthy, to find solutiond for problems in our life, to be joy in life and Help us to start from where we were...!


4. The practices of Gratitude

' Begining to tune into even the minutest

feelings of...gratitude softens us...

If we begin to acknowledge these moment

and cherish them...then no matter how

fleeting and tiny this good heart may

seem, it will gradually ,at its own speed, expand. '

                    At this stage we are upto put our attitudes to action. We express our feelings of gratitude in variety of ways. Likewise gow we built up our muscles , we should built upour gratitudeness in life.  We can achieve whatever we are looking for through bring grateful. Helps us to forgive others by self- involvement, being senaitive etc...  Practice of gratefulness becomes a part of our life. By developing a great memory we could be healthier in every aspects of life. Also it will help us to focus on right things in life. Being thankful to our body will help to retain the mental health too. Honouring, sending thanks giving cards , greeting thank you, being fall in love towards something allways , appreciating others , being everyday last. This is what makes us grateful to the beat extend in our life.

5.Conclude: The deeping journey

 At every moment of gratitude, our soul's capacity deepens.First, we experience contentment , then we experience meaning, and at last we dwell in pure JOY.By being gratefulneaa in life for then it will be truely possible to give and recievw joy everyday of our life...!!
M.j Ryan teches us how to unloack the fullness of our hearts and lives 1  the expression of gratitude.It helps us to return to our natural state of joyfulness.It makes us feel complete, that we have everything  we need, at least in this moment..!!!!!

VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE - NEELIYA PRAKASAN 5013

      VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE

            

    

 We belong to  a world in which a person commits suicide in every 40 seconds. Its a fundamental question that every person asks themselves : " Why should I go on living ? ". At some or other point of life, we humans, being an emotional animal may get depressed on every minute obstacles in our life and begins to search the rope to "Hang" ourselves. Poulo Coelho in his book " Veronika Decides To Die " with the tag line ' A Journey of Redemption ' deals with this indespensable issue. This is not just a book but a journey towards oneself.

    Veronika, the protagonist of the novel is a 24 year old,Slovenian girl who has everything in her life ; beauty , friends and a satisfying job. But in her inner soul she felt void which nothing ever in this world could fill. After evaluating every possible method of committing suicide, she finally decides to kill herself by taking sleeping pills. Her decision to conclude her state of being alive was based on two reasons. Firstly, she would gain nothing by continuing to live rather than her sufferings. Also it is sure that one day she will become old. The second reason is highly philosophical; she felt the world is full of sins and her deeds are  entirely powerless. So its better not to live here.

     Unfortunately, or should i say fortunately, her attempt to suicide wasn't as successful as she wished. She opened her eyes into a new world of "insanity". She was admitted into a mental asylum and was informed that she will live only for a week due to severe heart damage. From there Veronika met new characters. They are Dr Igor, Zedka , Mari , Eduard ( fellow patients ) who plays a crucial role in her life. Locked with the mentally disabled , she was confused wheather she was insane or not. There she explores her life to the fullest level possible by wearing a mask of mental illness so that people will not criticize her for whatever she does. This provides her the freedom to do anything she loves. She discovered the love of her life. She was opened to a place with new experiences with the beauty of madness. Days she spent there was like a journey to herself. It is the attitude of human beings that make  their life monotonous or beautiful. People who live by obeying the societal concepts are considered to be normal. But here , our heroine begins to enjoy her life when she was categorized under the " abnormals ". Now she doesn't wish to die. Thus Veronika Decides To LIVE...