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Since we have less work and more offs, I had more time to read. And I take only two to three evenings to finish a book so here are the recent three.

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

The latest I’ve read is Turtles All The Way Down and I was like, oh, isn’t this the best place to read something related to turtles? Only for me to find out that the book has nothing to do with turtles and that here I am again, buying books without even checking what is it about but anyway, surprise! Surprise!

No spoilers nor synopsis since you will find a lot online. I like the book. Its a an easy read. Its a bit painful to read about someone with mental problems. I felt like I was carrying a burden all the while I was reading the book and though it is painful, it didn’t really make my tear drops roll.

The teen romance was cute, quite refreshing yet nostalgic. It’s like reading something completely new but you’d remember some old feelings.

The first time they mentioned about turtles I was like, ok here we go. But then, they just literally mentioned turtles. So I thought, maybe towards the end, there will be some sort of connection but there was none. When the theory ‘ Turtles All the Way Down’ came up, I had to search for it online. And, maybe I’m not that smart, but I can’t understand how the world sits on top of a turtle and a turtle and a turtle and a turtle. So how many turtles would there be?

I really like these quotes though:
‘Anybody can look at you. Its quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see.’

‘No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.’

Great Military Disasters by Michael Haskew

From the title itself, you will know already what’s the book about. It’s simply how the leaders or the staff screwed up hence they ended up losing the battles of their lives.

I find the book fascinating because they have illustrations of the war grounds with complete explanation of the war tactics that led to disaster.

The book started from wars of the Byzantine Era until the youngest and probably the latest at the time of writing, the India and Pakistan war.

I was quite bored reading the Western wars. But come Russian, Japanese and Vietnamese I was so alive. And I ask myself why? Is it because I’m Asian? Is it because I root for the oppressed Asians? Or I find Western wars boring (and senseless) because they fight to get each other’s territories and (sorry but) I feel that this is nothing compared to fighting for your country’s freedom? Seriously, these (early) Westerners are quite greedy. They go to war to get more territories while Asians only want their freedom.

Ok I’ll stop it now as I don’t want to sound too political and I don’t want to engage in any political stuff.

Anyway, there are basic things that led to all wars lost. Of course, bad leadership comes in but mostly the loss is due to bad communication which I understand. At that time no phones, no internet.

However, I like how military tactics can still be applied into the current time although not literally.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

I’ve always liked Murakami’s books, there’s none I’ve read that I didn’t like (so far). He always makes me think about things and imagine what happened, what could have been and what’s next?

This book hurts. It tells you how you can regret a lifetime if you sit in one corner and grieve about rejections.

The main character always believed his life is colorless and he has nothing to give to anyone and that he was always destined to be left by the people that he loves and that even hurts the more. In reality, we always have these negative thoughts in life that we are never enough, that we don’t have anything to offer but what we are is actually enough to the people who love us.

Here are lines that I like:

‘The human heart is like a night bird. Silently waiting for something, and when the time comes, it flies straight towards it.’

‘But there are countless things in the world which affection is not enough. Life is long, and sometimes cruel. Sometimes victims are needed. Someone has to take that role. And human bodies are fragile, easily damaged. Cut them, and they bleed.’

‘Would anybody really want the little he had to give?’