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Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express Book & Movie Review

January 12, 2018 / OTHER STUFF / 0 comments

Raise your hand if you’ve been to the movie theater to watch Agatha Christie’s film adaptation of Murder On The Orient Express. Also, raise your other hand if you’ve actually read her bestselling novel. I know I did and I really quite enjoyed the experience. I must admit that I had never read any Agatha Christie novel before the Murder On The Orient Express. I don’t know why, but I’ve known a gazillion Agatha Christie fans, but I was just not into it.

The story of this Murder On The Orient Express will blow you away. That is, of course, if you haven’t read or seen it yet. But I bet that you all have read the novel and knew the story already. But anyway, here’s my two cents.

The Story (No spoilers, don’t worry)

The Murder On The Orient Express is part of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot Mysteries. As one of her most beloved character, Mr. Poirot is a seasoned detective and he embarked on a prompt return to London boarding on the Orient Express. There he met a rich and shady American, Mr. Ratchett. Mr. Ratchett tried to hire Detective Poirot as his private detective because he believes that his life is in danger. However, Mr. Poirot refused the offer. The next night, Mr. Ratchett was found dead and was believed to be murdered. There goes Mr. Poirot’s specialty-to investigate who killed Mr. Ratchett? which is actually Mr. Cassetti in real life. Upon Mr. Poirot’s deduction, he realized that the killer must still be on the train. But who? Which of the passengers? How about the crews? and Why? Not to mention that the train suddenly got stuck in the middle of nowhere. All that and the spellbinding mysteries to find out who the real killer is.

The Book

The book is thrilling and extremely gripping. You wouldn’t wanna stop reading because every page you turn will lead you to one mystery after another. It’s a fast-paced mysterious atmosphere that will leave you on the edge of your seat. I like the way the book was written. Even though it’s classic, it’s still very timely and the story is unique. It’s unlike any other crime novel mysteries I’ve ever read. I like how each character of the book is well-planned and well-developed. They all seemed very credible and very convincing in their alibis, up to the point that you don’t know who did who. Also, the plot will really set you on an exotic train somewhere in the middle east and the thought of it being stuck with the potential killer roaming around is just scary. Overall, I’ve read the book in 2 days and I was really impressed with its clever writing style, plus the fact that it’s not overly thick yet the story remained concise and riveting.

The Movie

The movie adaptation was released recently and some movie theaters might still be playing them. While there are several alterations to the original story of the book, (even right at the beginning of the movie) still I find the film to be as convincing and moving as in the book. The acting was good and the overall atmosphere was as mysterious and gloomy as in the novel. Mr. Ratchett/Cassetti was played by Johnny Depp, while Mr. Poirot was portrayed by Kenneth Branagh. A few characters were omitted or changed in terms of their ethnicity and names, but still, the storyline is there and the ultimate mystery and revelation are also there. I do feel like some scenes of the movie might be kind of boring for some, but that was part of the thrill, in the sense that Mr. Poirot was trying to find out who the real killer is by studying and observing each passenger on the train. Soon, it will all unravel.

To sum it all up, this has been a very good first-time Agatha Christie novel for me, and her writing style and story flow is superb. I am now a convert and will look forward to reading more of her novels, as well as hopefully seeing more of her book being adapted for movie in the near future.

The Murder On The Orient Express Novel is available at amazon.com

The audiobook is available HERE

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Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 Book Review

August 28, 2017 / OTHER STUFF / 0 comments

Hey Again Bookworms! I have an exciting book to talk about today. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware is an exciting edge-of-your-seat kind of book. From its first sentence down to its last paragraph, this book will keep you interested. This is one of those “can’t put down” read that is so riveting, gripping, and stunning, you just can’t stop flipping the pages.

Lo Blacklock is a travel journalist who lives alone in her apartment in which she had just been burglarized. The experience left her shaken and wary. An opportunity to relax, unwind, and distract herself came when her boss asked her to be her proxy aboard a luxurious cruise ship. Lots of well-known guests, lavish parties, and posh cabins are what she had stumbled into. It was elegant by all means, but things took a different turn when one day, she met a mysterious girl at cabin 10 in which she’d never recognized as part of the guests, and then the next day she witnessed a body thrown overboard. Things will get even messier when she found out that there’s actually nobody occupying in cabin 10, and it’s not supposed to be occupied since day 1. Also, there were no traces of the girl she had met nor evidence of the body that was thrown into the sea. Worst of all, almost nobody believes her and that everyone’s accounted for. Was she dreaming? imagining? paranoid? must have been a product of the trauma that she recently experienced? But what about the woman she’d met? Who is she? What about the body that was thrown? Lo thinks she’s certain about the things she saw and experienced inside the cruise ship, which can only mean one thing, there’s a killer among them, lurking inside that luxurious cruise.

This book is full of twists and turns, lots of surprises and shocking revelations. What you may think of as what had happened, is actually not what it is. It’s a story that will grip your attention the moment you start reading its first few pages. The characters are well-developed and there’s an eerie sort of claustrophobic feel to it as you start to imagine what it must be like to be Lo Blacklock inside that ship. It’s a surprising, shocking, and terrifying book to read, but at the same time, it’s a story of survival, friendship, and believing in yourself. A book that truly deserves a movie adaptation, no doubt.

A definite page-turner, fast-paced read, and riveting by all means, this like The Girl on the Train meets Agatha Christie meets Gone Girl. Oh, what an incredible read!

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware is available on amazon

the audiobook is available HERE

Have your read this book already? Did you like it?

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Kevin Kwan’s “Crazy Rich Asians” Book Review

July 26, 2017 / OTHER STUFF / 0 comments

“I have no idea who these people are. But I can tell you one thing— these people are richer than God” – Peik Lin, character from Crazy Rich Asians.

Here’s a bold satirical book that will surely crack you up. This book is purely entertaining and fun to read. It’s a romantic comedy that will not only make you chuckle but it will also touch your heart, especially towards the end of the book. It’s an interesting fast read with a no-nonsense type of writing. Each character is very well developed, so much so that even if you’re not rich, filthy rich or crazy rich, you will still find this book to be a great summer read.

I found out about this book when I read an article that talked about an upcoming romantic comedy film with an all-Asian cast. I thought, now that’s gonna be interesting, and of course, the upcoming film is entitled and based on this Crazy Rich Asians book by Kevin Kwan.

In the first few pages of the novel, you’ll find a family tree of The Young Family, The T’sien and The Shang Clan. It’s a great reference as to who the characters are, where they came from, and in which family they belong. You will find yourself constantly coming back to this for reference while reading the book. This means to show that there’s a lot of characters involved. But there’s a few main ones that are the main focus of the story. Don’t worry, I won’t be spoiling the entire story here, but I’ll give you a glimpse of what the story is all about.

Rachel Chu is a Chinese-born American and an NYU Economics Professor living in NYC with her boyfriend Nick Young who hails from Singapore and is also a History Professor at NYU. Nick’s best friend Collin, is getting married in Singapore and Nick is invited, so is Rachel. She’s never been there and she has no idea about Nick’s family history nor his complete background. Meanwhile, Astrid, Nick’s cousin living in Singapore is a jet-setting lady with troubles of her own. She warns Nick to tell Rachel about who and what their family really is. Also, Eleanor is Nick’s mom who loves him dearly and only wants the best for him. She’s eager to meet her son when he arrives in Singapore but changed her mind when she found out that he’s coming with his Chinese-American girlfriend, whom she’s never met before. Su Yi is Nick’s grandma who also loves him dearly but she has her own mind and sets of standards. Peik Lin is Rachel Chu’s former classmate and best friend from Singapore. Read how their lives will come together in one big funny mess, especially when Rachel finds out who Nick really is, his entire family and relatives’ history and background.

This novel depicts the lifestyle of the crazy rich Asians in a larger than life way, It’ll shock you to the bones and you’ll find yourself being transported to their world while laughing at the same time. It’s a lighthearted take on the lives of the people who have too much for their own good and also a tearjerker towards the last few chapters. There’s moral lessons to learn and several insights to ponder.

The Crazy Rich Asians Book is a trilogy by the author Kevin Kwan. It is available in amazon.com

The Book 2 (China Rich Girlfriend) is also available at amazon.com as well as the Book 3 (Rich People Problems)

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