Death

It's funny how death takes over. One moment you feel like it's light years ahead of you, you have eternity ahead for you, a whole life.
But in one moment in life someone close dies, you feel the angel of death so close, a wall separating between you and him, and your lower lip begins to tremble.
My aunt (Uncle's wife) passed away this morning, at 1:30 AM. We were hardly close, but it was the death I felt mostly connected to, for I saw her daily, we lived in the same building. And now she's gone.
She has survived breast cancer, leukemia, and many arguments with her youngest son but the myeloma crushed her completely. She's been dying for the last ten days, and today God collected her soul to rest in heavens.

For the first time in my life, I saw someone dead, I honestly thought I was going to freak out, but she was so serene and calm, as if any moment she was going to open her eyes and smile at us. Her sister told us she had had a dream a couple of nights ago, my grandmother, grandfather and several other people no longer between the living were having a party, they were preparing the meat an it was as if it's a holiday.
She said maybe they were preparing her a feast when she joins them.

My mother once told me of a dream her relative had when my Grandmother (Mother's mom) was dying. He saw my Mother's father sitting on a chair, and a woman was laying her head on his legs. He asked my grandfather who was the woman and the answer was "My wife." the man asked whether it was my grandfather's first wife who died many years ago.
"No, she's Zubaida," grandfather answered.
"What are you talking about? Zubaida is in bed." The man asked in wonder.
Grandfather laughed, "She's been with me a whole year now."
My grandmother was diagnosed with lungs cancer a year before the dream.
She passed away six moths later.

May God rest their souls in peace.

A new series

Hey guys, I hope you're doing just great!

Do you like it when you have no spare time whatsoever? I recently found out I don't, I hate always having to think of so many things, never finding an hour to read... It's frustrating!
This week I wasn't able to read as much as I would have liked to, but I guess it's just a period that will eventually end. No?

And for this post's topic: Outlander!!!
It's funny how you can accidentally be introduced to a book that will later on capture you and have you thinking about it every waking moment of your day. That's what happened to me, though I wasn't introduced to Outlander by an accident, that I must admit, for I've been waiting for this book ever since I turned the last page of The Summer Garden (The third book in The Bronze Horseman trilogy). So much I thought and wondered whether I will find a book or a series that is as engrossing and heart-wrenching as TBH. I guess I finally found it.
It was beautifully engraved in the pages of one of the longest (Not one of, but the longest) books I've read.
I'm still stuck in the first book (No time to read this week :( ) but I bought the second and the fourth book yesterday (Remember I bought the first and the third about two weeks ago?)

I owe finding about this book to TBH threads on Goodreads, I guess it's very common to be a bit depressed after finishing TBH trilogy, simply because you just know, that it might take a long time before you put your hands on a book that is close to making you feel what TBH so beautifully succeeded in. So one of the topics on the threads was books similar to TBH, there I found out about Outlander and Jamie Fraser who so miraculously manages to keep Shura away from my mind while reading this book, a thing other books have failed so miserably in.

So I fell in love with Outlander, and I can't wait to read the rest of the-very long-series!
Have a beautiful day, and a great read.
Love,
Khulood

The Girl In Times Square - Paullina Simons, better than ever?

Meet Lily Quin, your average 24 year old college girl struggling with her work and school. She is trying to make a living in the city of New York. All of her life, Lily was quite the observer, watching everything around her; the most exciting things seem to happen to the people in her life. Everyone but Lily. Until her friend and roommate; Amy disappears. And Lily's life is turned upside down. That's when she meets Spencer O'Mally, an NYPD detective assigned to look for Amy.
I like Lily, in fact, I like her a lot! She reminds me of me in some way, she's very artistic and loves to read. Her all time dream is to sleep and draw and read in her spare time.
I'm not going to start glorifying and appraising Paullina Simons's writing, you all know how much I love her writing and her immersing style in which she ornaments her wonderful books. I adore Paullina.
This book was a lot different than The Bronze Horseman trilogy. Obviously it takes place in a whole different world, in a whole different time, and though it does take us back to WWII, having Claudia-Lily's grandmother survived-barely-the inhumanity of the Nazis and lost her lover during the war. But! It cannot be compared with TBH because it's a different book, and I'm not going to compare.
I enjoyed the book, quite a lot honestly. However, the explanation of Amy's disappearance, along with the truth about her (Which I'm not going to spoil, clearly) was beyond anything I expected, maybe it's good-the surprise factor, but sometimes it might take of the authenticity of the book. Which I think it did in this case.

This book deals with so many topics, it's amazing to think about it. It deals with love, finding your own soul mate and dealing with its consequences. About family relations. Alcoholism, Illness(!!!!). Luck and certainly with: Fate; the common factor I sensed in all Paullina's books I got to read.
Lily is faced with two pieces of luck, one good (Hell! one amazing!) and the other is bad beyond anything you'd imagine, and so the story begins.
As to the male character is Lily's life; Spencer. I liked Spencer a lot! (But I like Shura best! God! I said no comparison!!!) He's cool and measured, yes he's way too old but it doesn't come across as a bad thing, he's a grown up man, dealing with his own problems and fears, but he's the sweetest with Lily, I liked that.
I despised Lily's family, her mother, God she's unbelievable! Her father who is too passive. Her sisters who are so greedy and annoying.
But I do like her brother, which may seem a bit weird for those who read the book. I liked him because of his humanity, he was a heartbroken and he dealt with it his own way.


Bottom line, it's a very good book. I recommend it highly and strongly! :)
TGITS wasn't as engrossing and heart-wrenching as TBH, but it was as good nonetheless.
Have fun reading,
See you next time.
Love,
Khulood.