'Memoirs of A Geisha', Arthur Golden

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall Thoughts

Beautifully written novel which brilliantly reveals Japan's culture and traditions, and transports readers into a largely vanished world.  

The story is written in the perspective of a young gray-eyed girl named Chiyo who was sold to a geisha house (okiya) in the Gion district by her financially desperate father.  Hatsumomo, the okiya's star geisha, felt threatened by Chiyo's beauty and treated her with indespicable cruelty.  After her failed attempt at running away, Chiyo's geisha training came to a halt, and she had to become a maid instead to pay off her debts.

Feeling hopeless at her chances of ever becoming a geisha, a second chance arose when Chiyo was taken under the wing of Mameha, a well-known geisha who was a prime rival of Hatsumomo's.  With Mameha's guidance, Chiyo transformed into Sayuri, one of the most prominent geisha in Kyoto.

Despite having many admirers who would offer to be her danna (patron), Sayuri secretly yearns for an unattainable man known as the Chairman.  Realizing that her own happiness matters, she goes against everything geishas are taught, and made it her goal to win over the Chairman.

Favourite Quotes from 'Memoirs of A Geisha'

"It seemed to me the world itself was feeling just as I felt.  Was life nothing more than a storm that constantly washed away what had been there only a moment before, and left behind something barren and unrecognizable?"

"She looked like the demon she was, but even so, I was sick with jealousy and shame."

"Anything that made life more difficult for me only strengthened my determination to run away."

"This is why dreams can be such dangerous things: they smolder on like a fire does, and sometimes they consume us completely."  

"Adversity is like a strong wind.  I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go.  It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be."

"Grief is a most peculiar thing; we're so helpless in the face of it.  It's like a window that will simply open of its own accord.  The room grows cold, and we can do nothing but shiver.  But it opens a little less each time, and a little less; and one day we wonder what has become of it."  

"A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory.  Two men are equals - true equals - only when they both have equal confidence."  

"To see him again after so long awakened something desperate inside of me."

"I don't know when we'll see each other again or what the world will be like when we do.  We may both have seen many horrible things.  But I will think of you every time I need to be reminded that there is beauty and goodness in the world."

"We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course."  

"The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none.  No hopes.  Nothing remains."

"But now I know that our world is no more permanent than a wave rising on the ocean.  Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper."

"I had to wonder if men were so blinded by beauty that they would feel privileged to live their lives with an actual demon, so long as it was a beautiful demon."  

'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People', Stephen R. Covey

Rating: 9/10

Overall Thoughts

Being an individual who constantly strives to be a better version of myself each day, I was looking for a book which could motivate me and help me gain further insight on how to be more productive and organized on a daily basis.  Reading this book made me realize that physical and mental developments alone will not be sufficient if the spiritual and emotional aspects are being neglected.

The basic ideas being conveyed in this book are that real change happens from the inside out, that we should center our lives on correct principles which will empower us to be better individuals.   If we want to make significant changes, we should work on the way we perceive, understand, and interpret situations.  Stephen Covey highlighted that majority of us aspire to be more independent, to be able to achieve what we want through personal efforts; however, we should aim to become interdependent, that is, to combine our personal efforts with the efforts of others to accomplish greater success.

The Seven Habits are easy to understand given the inclusion of several personal life illustrations by Stephen Covey, albeit the Habits alone may be a little difficult to apply in practice.  Nevertheless, this book is an excellent read which will enable you to reflect and make positive changes in your personal and professional lives.

Summary of 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People'

Habit 1: Be Proactive

• Take initiative.  Many people wait for something to happen or someone to take care of them, but people who end up with the good jobs are the proactive ones who are solutions to problems, not problems themselves.  
• Proactive people focus their efforts on things they can do something about (Circle of Influence).  In contrast, reactive people focus on the weakness of other people, the problems in the environment, and circumstances over which they have no control (Circle of Concern).  The negative energy generated by that focus, combined with neglect in areas they could not do something about, causes their Circle of Influence to shrink.  
• The proactive approach is to change from the inside-out: to be different, and by being different, to effect positive change in what's out there.  
• Stop looking at your problems or concerns in terms of "If only I have... If only I had...", instead, start focusing on "I can be...".  
• The proactive approach to a mistake is to acknowledge it instantly, correct and learn from it.  This literally turns a failure into a success.  But not to acknowledge a mistake, not to correct it and learn from it puts a person on a self-deceiving, self-justifying path, often involving rationalization (rational lies) to self and to others.   
• Look at the weaknesses of others with compassion, not accusation.  It's not what they're not doing or should be doing that's the issue.  The issue is your own chosen response to the situation and what you should be doing.  

Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind

• This Habit basically means to start with a clear understanding of your destination, to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.     
• Have a Personal Mission Statement - Visions and values which direct your life.  This will form the basic direction from which you set your long and short-term goals.  It should be personal, positive, in present tense, visual, and emotional.  
• More often that not, a person's center comprises of a combination of other centers such as spouse, family, money, work, possession, pleasure, friend, enemy, church or self.  As a person fluctuates from on center to another, this results in an inconsistent sense of direction, no persistent wisdom, no steady power supply or sense of personal, intrinsic worth and identity.  
• The ideal is to have a principle-center from which we can create a solid foundation for development of the four life-support factors (security, guidance, wisdom, power), empowering our proactivity and giving harmony to every part of our lives.  

Habit 3: Put First Things First

• Distinguish between urgent and important matters.  Important matters contribute to your mission, your values, your high priority goals.  If we don't have a clear idea of what is important, we are easily diverted into responding to the urgent.  
• Decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage to say "no" to other things.  
• Management follows leadership.  The way you spend your time is a result of the way you see your time and the way you really see your priorities.  
• The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.  
• Make a list of responsibilities you could delegate and the people you could delegate to or train to be responsible in these areas.  
• Organize your roles and goals on a weekly basis.  

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

• Win/Win is based on the paradigm that there is plenty for everybody, that one person's success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others.  It involves mutual learning, mutual influence, mutual benefits.  
• If you can't reach a true Win/Win, you're very often better off to go for No Deal.  This means that if we can't find a solution that would benefit us both, we agree to disagree agreeably.  However, this might not be a viable option in a continuing business relationship.    
• The essence of principled negotiation is to separate the person from the problem, to focus on interests and not on positions, to invent options for mutual gain, and to insist on objective criteria - some external standard of principle that both parties can buy into.  

1. See the problem from the other party's point of view.  Really seek to understand and to give expression to the needs and concerns of the other party as well as or better than they can themselves.  
2. Identify the key issues and concerns (not positions) involved.  
3. Determine what results would constitute a fully acceptable solution.  
4. Identify possible new options to achieve those results.  

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

• Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.  They're either speaking or preparing to speak.  
• Emphatic listening involves getting inside another person's frame of reference.  Its essence is to fully, deeply, understand that person, emotionally as well as intellectually.  
• When listening to others, avoid evaluating (agreeing or disagreeing), probing (asking questions from a personal frame of reference), advising (giving counsel based on personal experience), and interpreting (trying to figure people out, explain their motives, their behavior, based on personal motives and behavior).  
• Don't push; be patient; be respectful.  People don't have to open up verbally before you can empathize.  You can be discerning, sensitive, and aware.  
• When you can present your own ideas clearly, specifically, visually, and most important, contextually - in the context of other people's paradigms and concerns - you significantly increase the credibility of your ideas.  

Habit 6: Synergize

• The essence of synergy is to value differences - to respect them, to build on strengths, to compensate for weaknesses.  The key to valuing those differences is to realize that all people see the world, not as it is, but as they are.  
• When you communicate synergistically, you begin with the belief that parties involved will gain more insight, and that the excitement of that mutual learning and insight will create a momentum towards more and more insights, learnings, and growth.  
• The more genuine the involvement, the more sincere and sustained the participation in analyzing and solving problems, the greater the release of everyone's creativity, and of their commitment to what they create.  
• You can be synergistic within yourself even in the midst of a very adversarial environment.  You don't have to take insults personally.  You can sidestep negative energy; you can look for the good in others and utilize that good to improve your point of view and to enlarge your perspective.  
• When you see only two alternatives - yours and the "wrong" one - you can look for a synergistic third alternative.  There is always a third alternative, and if you work with a Win/Win philosophy and really seek to understand, you usually can find a solution that will be better for everyone concerned.  

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

• This means exercising all four dimensions of our nature - physical, social/emotional, mental, spiritual - regularly and consistently in wise and balanced ways.  
• Physical dimension: Eating the right kinds of foods, getting sufficient rest and relaxation, and exercising on a regular basis.  
• Spiritual dimension: This draws upon the sources that inspire and uplift you and tie you to the timeless truths of all humanity,  Immersion in great literature or great music can provide a similar renewal of the spirit for some people.  
• Mental dimension: Continuing education, continually honing and expanding the mind, is vital mental renewal.  Keeping a journal of our thoughts, experiences, insights, and learnings promote mental clarity, exactness, and context.  Organizing and planning represent other forms of mental renewal associated with Habits 2 and 3.  
• Social/emotional dimension: This centers on the principles of interpersonal relationship, emphatic communication, and creative cooperation.  
• Organizational as well as individual effectiveness requires development and renewal of all four dimensions in a wise and balanced way.  Any dimension that is neglected will create negative force field resistance that pushes against effectiveness and growth.  

Note: If you're confused on the concepts or application of these Seven Habits, I assure you that everything will fall into perspective once you've read the whole book.

'The Definitive Book of Body Language', Allan and Barbara Pease

Rating: 10/10

Overall Thoughts

If you are someone who is about to go for an interview, or someone who is trying to figure out why your employees or co-workers are constantly avoiding you, or someone who wants to improve their social and business skills, or if you are just curious to know more about body language like me, then I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this book.  The simple language used and the illustrations provided makes understanding what the authors are trying to convey with ease.  

Majority of us do not realize just how much our daily physical movements and gestures give away our true intentions.  This book enable readers to gain a better ability in reading peoples' attitudes and emotions through their behaviour.  I fully agree with the authors that understanding how something works makes living with it easier, whereas ignorance and lack of understanding promote fear and superstition and make us more critical of others.  

The Definitive Book of Body Language is split into nineteen chapters, each chapter focusing on specific areas.  The use of sub-headings and sub-sections are definitely a plus point, as you can simply begin reading any page at random.  

Reading this book will teach you how body language reveals emotions and thoughts, how to spot a liar, what your handshake says about you, the power of touch, how not to offend other cultures, the benefits of mirroring, how women and men attract the opposite sex, the secret signals your legs are giving out, keys to making great first impressions, the importance of seating arrangements, and many more valuable information.  

Listed below are some of my takeaways from reading this book:

• The palm-up position indicates a submissive, non-threatening gesture; whereas facing your palm downwards projects authority.   
• False smiles pull back only the mouth, whereas real smiles pull back both the mouth and eyes.  
• Crossing your arms portrays negativity and defensiveness, usually either a hostile attitude or a sense of insecurity exists.  
• The common lying gestures include covering the mouth, touching the nose, rubbing the eyes, grabbing the ears, scratching the neck, pulling the collar, and fingers in the mouth.  
• Our pupils will dilate when we see someone attractive.  
• Contrary to popular belief, most liars will look you in the eye.  
• If a person is remembering something that they saw, their eyes will move upward.  If they are recalling something they heard, they look to the side and tilt their head as if listening.  If they are recalling a feeling or emotion, they'll look down and to the right.  When a person is mentally talking to themselves, they look down and to the left.  
• Open legs indicate openness or dominance, while crossed legs show a closed, submissive, or defensive attitude.  
• Mirroring a person's body language makes them feel accepted and creates a natural bond.  
• Never speak at a faster rate than the other person.  Pacing is critical, so speak at the same rate or slightly slower than the other person.  
• Common female courtship gestures and signals include the head toss and hair flick; wet lips and pouting, mouth slightly open; self-touching; limp wrist; fondling a cylindrical object; exposed writs; sideways glance over raised shoulder; rolling hips; pelvic tilt; handbag in close proximity; knee pointing at the most interesting person; shoe fondling; and leg twine.  
• Strategies for giving you the extra edge: stand up for meetings; sit competitors with their backs to the door; keep your fingers together; keep your elbows out; use power words (discovery, guarantee, love, proven, results, save, easy, health, money, new, safety, you); carry a slim briefcase; and watch their coat buttons - buttoned coats indicate close-mindedness.  

Note: You will be subconsciously reading people and analyzing their behaviour after you are done with this book!  

'Four: A Divergent Collection', Veronica Roth

Rating: 8/10 

Overall Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book, probably even more than 'Divergent', 'Insurgent' and 'Allegiant'.  Unlike Veronica Roth's previous novels, this story is written in Tobias Eaton's (Four) point of view.  This book follows Four's journey of how he left his previous Abnegation faction and found himself joining the Dauntless,  and of course, eventually meeting Beatrice Prior (Tris).

In the first three chapters of this book, readers are able to learn more about Four's Abnegation background and why he was so desperate to leave his previous faction behind.  We're able to experience his life in Dauntless, see his character development from a timid boy into a brave man, as well as understand why he decided to be a Dauntless instructor as opposed to a Dauntless leader.

Moreover, in this book, Four discovers how dangerous it is to be a divergent.  After learning that the Erudite are planning something dangerous and are working together with the Dauntless, he struggles to decide whether to betray his current faction (Dauntless), warn his previous faction (Abnegation), or join forces with his mother (the Factionless).

It was great being able to delve deeper into Four's perspective and catch a glimpse of his desire and feelings towards Tris in the final chapters of the book.  As a whole, this book ties the whole Divergent series together perfectly.  Definitely worth reading!

Favourite Quotes from 'Four: A Divergent Collection'

""You're the one who has to live with your choice," she says.  "Everyone else will get over it, move on, no matter what you decide.  But you never will.""

"... I learned something else from watching her too, which is that the free moments always have to end."

"It occurs to me that I did that, it was me, and fear creeps back in, a different kind of fear this time.  A fear of what I am, what I might be becoming."

"Dead people can be our heroes because they can't disappoint us later; they only improve over time, as we forget more and more about them."

"One thing I know: For helping me forget how awful the world is, I prefer her to alcohol."

'Treasure Island', Robert Louis Stevenson

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Thoughts

I decided to purchase 'Treasure Island' after coming across so many great reviews and ratings about it.  Independent stated that this is a "book of a lifetime: a captivating story full of suspense".  Besides, I haven't read any classic novels in the past year so I thought that it was about time I read one.

Briefly, the story revolves around a boy named Jim Hawkins who embarks on a quest to an island in search of treasure after finding Billy Bones' treasure map.  During the voyage, Jim discovers that most of the crewmen (headed by Long John Silver) are actually pirates who are planning a mutiny and are going after the treasure themselves.  Despite having opportunities to escape torture and even death, Jim's honest, brave, and heroic attitude drives him to attempt to rescue his acquaintances - Dr Livesey, John Trelawney, Captain Smollett, Abraham Gray, and Ben Gunn - from the pirates.

Although this is deemed to be a children's book, I find that the language used made it difficult to understand the plot as the story progresses, mainly due to the metaphors and pirate slang used.  This definitely slowed down my reading a great deal; it took me longer than expected to finish this book.  Nevertheless, this adventurous classic novel is highly captivating, with interesting characters coupled with unpredictable excitements.

Favourite Quotes from 'Treasure Island'

"I began to feel pretty desperate at this, for I felt altogether helpless; and yet, by an odd train of circumstances, it was indeed through me that safety came." 

"Mutiny, it was plain, hung over us like a thunder-cloud."

"My first impulse was one of despair, but my second was towards joy."

"You can kill the body, Mr. Hands, but not the spirit..."

"There's never a man looked me between the eyes and seen a good day a'terward."  

"They say cowardice is infectious; but then argument is, on the other hand, a great emboldener."  

'Me Before You' & 'After You', Jojo Moyes

               

                    'Me Before You': 7/10                            'After You': 5/10

Overall Thoughts

When I first came across the 'Me Before You' movie trailer, I instantly thought to myself that I had to get my hands on this book.  Even though I've read multiple sad love novels (mostly by Nicholas Sparks), 'Me Before You' is definitely a good read, albeit a heartbreaking one.  In many ways, reading this novel made me realize how short life is.
  
The story revolves around Louisa Clark, a charismatic young lady who has never fully lived her life, and Will Traynor, a man who was living the time of his life with a wonderful career, beautiful girlfriend, and going on crazy adventures, who unfortunately became quadriplegic after a horrible motorbike accident.  After losing her job, Lou ends up being Will's caretaker; and she tries her best to put up with his bad temper and bitter attitude.  As with all cliche love stories, Lou and Will grew close to one another, sharing their stories and opening up to each other, and Lou eventually finds herself falling for this young man.  When Lou discovers Will's intention to end his life, she struggled to change his mind and prove to him that their love for one another was a good enough reason for him to keep living.  

On the other hand, 'After You', in my personal opinion, was not a good follow up.  This book focuses on Lou trying to move on from what happened to Will.  Instead of fulfilling Will's request to live her life, she ends up with a crappy job at an airport pub with a horrible boss.  She joined the Moving on Circle, hoping that it would help her deal with grief.  Upon an unforeseen accident - falling off her balcony and breaking her hip - Lou soon finds herself being caught in a complicated situation after her encounter with an unexpected visitor (no spoilers!).  Lou struggles to balance between her responsibilities towards this "visitor", and her opportunity at a promising job in New York and a chance at falling in love again.  Should she put her happiness on hold for someone she cares about?

Note: Prepare tons of tissue before reading these novels!

Favourite Quotes from 'Me Before You'

"I will never, ever regret the things I've done. Because most days, all you have are places in your memory that you can go to."

"I thought, briefly, that I would never feel as intensely connected to the world, to another human being, as I did at that moment."\

"You make me happy, even when you're awful, I would rather be with you - even the you that you seem to think is diminished - than with anyone else in the world."

"... I told him a story of two people.  Two people who shouldn't have met, and who didn't like each other much when they did, but found they were the only two people in the world who could possibly have understood each other."

"I placed my face so close to his that his features became indistinct, and I began to lose myself in them."

"I held him close and said nothing, all the while telling him silently that he was loved.  Oh, but he was loved."

Favourite Quotes from 'After You'

"I was tainted.  The world around me knew it.  Worse, I had started to know it too."

"How could she understand that losing him was like having a hole shot straight through me, a painful, constant reminder, an absence I could never fill?"

"I want him but I'm frightened to want him.  I don't want my happiness to be entirely dependent on somebody else's, to be a hostage to fortunes I cannot control."  

"Sometimes I look at the lives of the people around me and I wonder if we aren't all destined to leave a trail of damage."

'1Q84', Haruki Murakami

Rating: 7.5/10  

Overall Thoughts

This is my first Murakami novel, and as a whole, I was deeply intrigued by his storytelling skills which kept me at the edge of my seat most of the time.  The story surrounds two main characters, Tengo, who is a math teacher at a cram school who aspires to be a great novelist, and Aomame, a sports club instructor who commits carefully planned murders against high-profiled men who have physically abused women.  

I definitely had mixed feelings about this novel in the beginning, particularly when it wasn't clear how Tengo and Aomame were linked to each other.  Nevertheless, as the story gradually progresses, I was drawn in by the magnetic events which surround the characters, particularly the somewhat dangerous circumstances they both unknowingly gotten themselves into.  In a world that Aomame calls '1Q84' and Tengo refers to as 'cat town', they both found themselves strangely connected to one another, even though they have not spoken to one another for twenty years.

Murakami definitely has a way with words, and this is evident in 1Q84.  Mind-blowing reading experience.  

Favourite Quotes from '1Q84'

"Don't let appearances fool you.  There's always only one reality."

"I've got nothing left.  Anything of value I ever possessed has disappeared, one thing after another.  Everything is gone ..."

"If you can't understand it without an explanation, you can't understand it with an explanation."

"As long as I'm alive, I can think what I want, when I want, any way I want, as much as I want, and nobody can tell me any different."

"We were not able to speak to or touch each other.  But in that short interval, he transformed many things inside me.  He literally stirred my mind and body the way a spoon stirs a cup of cocoa, down to the depths of my internal organs and my womb."

"A realization struck her.  This is what it means to live on."

"Even if I left this world, I doubt anyone would notice.  I would shout out from the dark, but no one would hear me. "

"Once you get your hopes up, your mind starts acting on its own.  And when your hopes are dashed you get disappointed, and  disappointment leads to a feeling of helplessness.  You get careless and let your guard down."  

"If you look at it the other way around, that's the only reason why this world is inside of me.  Maybe it's a paradox, like an image reflected to infinity in a pair of facing mirrors.  I am part of this world, and this world is a part of me."  

"From now on, things will be different.  Nobody else's will is going to control me anymore.  From now on, I'm going to do things based on one principle alone: my own will."