Review: Nightchaser (Endeavor Trilogy #1) by Amanda Bouchet

2 stars for Nightchaser (Endeavor Trilogy book 1) by Amanda Bouchet.

It has been a long time coming since I read a science fiction romance. It is not for lack of trying but the limited pool of space opera novels good enough to make my heart flutter and sweep me off my feet keeps me away from my favourite genre. Frankly, I am hesitant to start another series and a trilogy at that after my last book by this same author, book 2 of Kingmaker Trilogy. But if experience teaches me anything where reading is concerned, it is that there is nothing to lose - save my time - and everything to gain by giving authors a second chance.

A couple of chapters into the story sees me smiling from ear to ear for taking the odds with this author. The writing is remarkable. The plot seems credible. The world building is good going. I tell myself perhaps this is really the one - the epitome of space opera. There is the science in the fiction what with outer space, space travel, space warfare, spacecraft, spacewalk, hyperspace, melodramatic adventure, risk-taking, sophisticated technology and then some. And then, there is the science in the, well, science. There is black hole, wormhole, discoveries of vaccines, hypotheses, experiments, scientists, biological warfare and more.

I will say everything is almost perfect, that is, until the author ruins it by introducing a male character who has the X factor. There is actually nothing wrong with this leading character except that everything about him screams tall, dark and hot to the point of unbelievably unbelievable. In a single exchange within twenty-four hours of meeting the female protagonist, Tess Bailey, X factor cares for pretty much nothing except to get into her hot pants. And the best part? It goes both ways. I am appalled at the sudden change in story direction; from the moment X factor makes his appearance, what is supposedly a science fiction romance is turning into a science fiction erotica. There is absolutely zero romance. How does romance even fit in when there is no passage of time for two people to fall in love and develop into something that lasts for this very reason? Instead, there is craving, hunger and biological urge. Even though the author tries to justify their behaviour with explanations, I still cringe every time the two protagonists come together only to be ruled by a passion which is that of carnal love. Perhaps I am wrong, but somehow, I feel that the author tries to remedy the lust at first sight situation with romance later. But the damage is done. And it becomes terribly obvious from the instant X factor materialises that everything about this story is building towards concluding their game of hide the salami.

Then, there is the issue of foul language. There is just way too many expletives used for my liking. They are in every chapter and everywhere. Ok, maybe I exaggerate some but it seems to me, cuss words are scattered all over the place. A good story does not need that many four-letter words to bring its point across. No, scratch that. A good story does not need any profanity to make it good. Period.

Nightchaser has all the potential to make it as a great science fiction novel, one of its kind. I enjoy this story where elements of science fiction is concerned, but sadly, the same cannot be said for the so-called romance portion. In my opinion, the story can do very well on its own sans an alliance that has nothing to do with love and romance but everything to do with desire and libido that goes into overdrive more times than I can count. As it is, Nightchaser makes a wrong move to chase after the wrong goal somewhere along the line and comes away as a science fiction erotica masquerading as science fiction romance. This is definitely not what I have in mind when I first set out to read this book.

If experience teaches me anything where reading is concerned, it is that it is time to let go of this author.

Review: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

3 stars for Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.

This is my third attempt to read the book. For my first two tries, I cannot for the life of me recall reason for the reading failure other than a vague recollection that I did not go anywhere beyond the first few chapters. All things considered, I think I did a good job this time round as I manage to enjoy more than half of this original version of the science fiction classic, complete and uncut with a preface by Virginia Heinlein, erm.. before it loses me again. Yes.

This book was first published in 1961, eight years before The United States' Apollo 11's first crewed mission to land on the Moon. It is quite amazing to think that way before man's first successful Moon landing, author Robert Heinlein has already set the wheels turning to piece together a story about Earth making successful contact with another planet, another civilised race - the Martians. It goes to show how creative this writer's imagination is.

Stranger in a Strange Land revolves around an intelligent being with the genes and ancestry of a man. He is a man, but he does not think like one having been brought up on Mars by the Martian way shaped by Martian environment. He thinks like a Martian and feels like a Martian. In fact, he is more a Martian than a man and possesses great powers exclusive to the Martians. The author makes it easy for readers to guess who the stranger is and which planet this strange land is referring to.

There are three things I like about this novel. First is the good sense of humor throughout the book and the good dose of innocence as displayed by the Man from Mars, Valentine Michael Smith. He seems like an ordinary young male human, bright, docile and eager to learn, but he is more than he appears to be due to his strange background and upbringing. As such, I find myself constantly entertained by Smith and his grokking. Yes, he groks! Second is the superb display of political and media manipulation. I read with great delight the many conversations so masterfully crafted to show social media manipulation as a political tool with science fiction as the backdrop. Third and also last is the unexpected twists and turns of the story. Though a slow-paced story, it is not easy to predict what Smith is going to do next and this makes the reading fun and forward looking.

I will have gladly given this book a 4-star rating or more has it not been the way the story develops two-thirds into the book. From the writing, I have an inkling where the story is heading and my intuition tells me that I am not going to like it. As usual, intuition wins and I find myself losing grip with the story, especially when the Man from Mars goes into the sacred grounds of Archangel Foster Tabernacle of the Church of the New Revelation to meet with the Supreme Bishop. It didn't get any better from then on but progressively worse. There are pages and pages of discussion on religion. This science fiction of a story has turned into a wearying religious philosophy. I am so not interested to grok the topic of faith and doctrine even though I am only an egg (in the Martian sense), so I started skipping large chunks of text. And before I know it, I have reached the end of the book. Well, at least the ending chapter is funny and entertaining still.

I am thankful to friend Robert (of Mafia and Pet Society) for recommending this book to me. It has been an entertaining read (save the religious portion). I have finally completed my journey with the Man from Mars. And I think I have learnt to grok, not perfect but can make do.

Review: My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly La Force

3 stars for My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly La Force.

Books find readers. Yes, you heard me; I believe a book seek its reader. Books always unexpectedly find me instead of the other way around. And when it does, I will reshuffle my Reading List and go with the flow. What I like to say really is, I did not seek this book. Interestingly, this book comes to me at the right time, right after I have read My Bookstore. Any other time and I will likely have dismissed the book.

It is interesting peeking into other people's reading lives, especially people from all walks of life - actors, architects, artists, athletes, cartoonists, chefs, composers, curators, dancers, designers (for book cover, fashion, graphic, interior, jewelry, typeface), doctors, editors, filmmakers, historians, illustrators, journalists, librarians, musicians, photographers, poets, producers, violist, writers - to see what they have read or are reading or are rereading. It feels good to be among people who loves to read. I have an enjoyable time thumbing through the pages of this book, examining the bookshelves of every contributor in there, checking out the hidden gems in their collection, that is, books I never know existed, and it goes without saying, adding them to my ever-growing Reading List.

In some ways this book helps to accentuate the different reasons for reading. Different people see things differently and have different taste in books. They look for different things in books and they look at different things on books. It every much depends on people's upbringing and what they do for a living. The same book can mean different things to different people, or in different stages of life. What I glean from this book is, while most will advise "never judge a book by its cover", those who work in the artistic side of publishing, say an illustrator/artist will tell us to ignore that advice because to them, people judge books by their covers. Literally. Every day. Well, I think they are not wrong either.

My Ideal Bookshelf. The book title in itself is thought-provoking enough. It set me thinking. What does it mean to create my own ideal bookshelf? Hmm.. There is actually no such thing as one ideal bookshelf. Because a lot depends on where I am, physically and emotionally, when I decide to pick up a book and gives it a chance. It also depends on the different seasons of life. What I select today may be completely different from what I will assemble say one year later. What it means is, I may build my ideal bookshelf every year of my life and it will turn out to be completely different each time, though still as satisfying. Ultimately, it is not the building of an ideal bookshelf that matters, but rather, the ongoing search for the ideal book, the one more that I will love to read and hold dear for the rest of my life. That is the reason why my Reading List is growing longer by the day as I am constantly in search of and adding more good reads.

Nevertheless, I will still like to go ahead to put together my ideal bookshelf. It will display books that made me cry, books that I have read and reread, books that changed me, shaped my thinking and made me who I am today, books that I love most, and books that I think is the best I will ever read. These are books that are linked to the different moments of my life. They may be books I want on my ideal bookshelf for now, but who knows what the future has in store for me.

Reading is not simply a hobby or something done to pass time. Reading is a lifestyle, my lifestyle. Books are an essential part of my life and life story. There is nothing that parallels the physical book, nothing like its weight and feel, touch and smell, and the crackle of its spine. I am proud to say that I am the happy owner of physical books 1-6 below.

《My ideal bookshelf》

1. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
2. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
3. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
4. Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan
5. The Lord of the Ring trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien
6. Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
7. Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis
8. Red Letter Day by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
9. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
10. Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans
11. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
12. Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls
13. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
14. The Year of Less by Cait Flanders
15. What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey

So, the big questions is, if you are tasked to share your passion for reading with the world, to select a small shelf of books that represent you, books that have made you the person you are today, your favourite among the favourites, what books will you choose?

Review: My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop by Ronald Rice

4 stars for My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop by Ronald Rice.

This book is what I call Bookstore for the Literary Soul, the equivalent of Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. It is the embodiment of booklovers' paradise, a physical place where booklovers park themselves, not only to browse and buy books, but also to pass time, to lift their spirits and to just be.

It is a significant literary pleasure getting to know as many as eighty-four independent bookstores through authors' take on their favourites. Even though I have never set foot in any of the bookstores listed herein, I feel a great fondness and affinity with these bricks-and-mortar stores as if I have known them all my life. Bookstores are places of genuine wonder with a universe of knowledge on their shelves. Ask any booklover and she will tell you "there can never be too many books". For the same reason, there can never be too many small, locally owned bookstores. For a while, I read this hardcover book like a freight train, devouring bookstore after bookstore, soaking it all in. But as far as good things go, even bookstore hopping within the safety confines of my home does not escape the law of diminishing marginal utility. I have to admit that by the time I reach the forty-second bookstore, I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the stories inside every bookstore. Yes, each bookstore has its own history to tell, story to share, and every patron's experience is different, yet, it is all the same. Because all independent bookstores are owned or ran by book people. They know their store, they know their customers and they know books. Period.

Besides providing unique book-shopping experience to customers, independently owned bookstores also organized book events and readings, bring communities together, support small presses and give lesser-known or even unknown writers the opportunity to sign and read their books. This book gives an eye-opening look into the lives of authors. It has never occurred to me that even authors who are well known and well published now, were once unknown; having to launch a new career is no easy feat when most bookstores cannot be bothered with a rookie author's debut novel published by a small company.

This book also drives home the existential struggle faced by independent bricks-and-mortar bookstores around the world. The struggle is very real and is ever more dire, especially with the threat of big chain bookstores such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble and the inevitable rise in popularity of e-readers and e-books. With independent bookstores vanishing at an alarming rate, I wonder how many of these traditional bookstores will still be around in another three, five, ten or hundred years.

A bookstore is like a magical place, one where we may both lose and find ourselves. To have a bookstore - within walking distance from your home - which you like enough to call your own is truly a great blessing. I enjoy reading the essays and fond memories of authors on their favourite physical bookstores, but sadly, it also reminds me of the fact that there is no locally owned bookstore that I frequent enough and like enough to call my own - my personal bookstore. Sure, there are independent bookstores scattered around the island but I have yet to find the one. I am still searching, still hoping to discover My Bookstore.

My Bookstore is most certainly a book meant for readers and writers alike. If you like physical bookstores, to be surrounded by books (and I mean real books of hardcover and paperback), the feel of paper pages bound between covers, the smell of old books and the touch of language, then this is definitely the book to read.

Review: Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores: True Tales and Lost Moments from Book Buyers, Booksellers, and Book Lovers by Bob Eckstein

4 stars for Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores: True Tales and Lost Moments from Book Buyers, Booksellers, and Book Lovers by Bob Eckstein.

This is a lovely collection of watercolour paintings, descriptions and quotations on some of the world's most treasured bookstores.

The author who is also the illustrator brings readers on a virtual bookstore tour around the world. The tour package includes name of bookstore, city and country it is located, year of establishment to last known year of operation (to present when it is still in operation), a short write-up and any quote of interest collected from owners, employees or patrons. The tour runs from New York City to San Francisco, California to Birmingham, Alabama to Boston, Massachusetts to Chicago, Illinois to Cambridge, Massachusetts to Detroit, Michigan to Taos, New Mexico to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to Seattle, Washington to South Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana to Brownsville, Nebraska to Charlottesville, Virginia to Palmer, Alaska in the United States to Goa and Chennai in India to Buenos Aires, Argentina to Nanjing, China to Paris, France to Martin, Slovakia to London, England to Albuquerque, Mexico to Reykjavik, Iceland to Frankfurt, Germany to Porto, Portugal to Bucharest, Romania to Vancouver Island, Canada to Aberfeldy, Scotland to Venice, Italy and more.

Much as I will love to visit all these charming bookstores located all over the world, I doubt I will be able to. But I am not without hope. The one bookstore that will be mighty interesting to visit one day is perhaps the last bookstore introduced which goes without saying, is a bookstore named The Last Bookstore. How fitting it is to place The Last Bookstore as the last bookstore in this book! Founded in 2005, this bookstore located in Los Angeles, California, is one of the largest independent bookstores in the world with over 250,000 new, used and rare books in its collection. What makes this bookstore so unique is that the space it is now occupying was originally a bank and its underground vaults are now reading rooms.

I love all bookstores, big or small, independents or chains. Once I walk into a bookstore, time stands still. For this reason, every bookstore listed in this book fascinates me. Though some of these independent bricks-and-mortar bookstores have since closed down for good, it is still a wondrous thing to have them illustrated here to be etched forever in our memories. As for those that have survived the hard times and are operating still, my greatest hope is that they can remain so until the end of time.

Review: What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey

5 stars for What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey.

This is a book which I have no intention of reading, not at first. But as fate would have it, I ended up seeing it time and again on the library shelf, and before I knew it, this little hardcover book was tucked smugly in my purse on its way home with me.

What I Know for Sure is an uplifting read. It is filled with positivity, contentment and true simplicity. There is so much to learn from Oprah Winfrey on satisfaction, on awareness, on appreciation, on gratitude, on seeing beyond wealth and riches of the dollar sign, on opening our hearts to life, on seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary, on spirituality, on living in the moment, on anything and everything about the beauty and majesty of life on earth.

To name but a few of the best words said, let me quote Oprah Winfrey in her own words below:

On satisfaction
"I take my pleasures seriously, I work hard and play well; I believe in the yin and yang of life. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy because I find satisfaction in so much of what I do. Some satisfactions are higher-rated than others, of course. And because I try to practice what I preach - living in the moment - I am consciously attuned most of the time to how much pleasure I am receiving."

On awareness
Being aware of, and creating, four and five-star experiences make you blessed. For me, just waking up "clothed in my right mind", being able to put my feet on the floor, walk to the bathroom, and do what needs to be done there is five stars. I've heard many stories of people who aren't healthy enough to do that."

On Appreciation
"I know for sure that appreciating whatever shows up for you in life changes your whole world. You radiate and generate more goodness for yourself when you're aware of all you have and not focusing on your have-nots.

I know for sure: If you make time for a little gratitude every day, you'll be amazed by the results."

"Life is full of delightful treasures, if we take a moment to appreciate them. I call them ahhh moments, and I've learned how to create them for myself. Case in point: my 4 p.m. cup of masala chai tea (spicy, hot, with foamed almond milk on top - it's refreshing and gives me a little lift for the rest of the afternoon). Moments like this are powerful, I know for sure. They can be your recharge, your breathing space, your chance to reconnect with you."

On gratitude
"Being grateful all the time isn't easy. But it's when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you: perspective. Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive. It's the quickest, easiest, most powerful way to effect change in your life - this I know for sure.

..And the more grateful you become, the more you have to be grateful for."

On seeing beyond wealth and riches of the dollar sign
"The older I get, the less tolerance I have for pettiness and superficial pursuits. There's a wealth that has nothing to do with dollars, that comes from the perspective and wisdom of paying attention to your life. It has everything to teach you. And what I know for sure is that the joy of learning well is the greatest reward.

On opening our hearts to life
"And now I simply want to share what I've been given. I want to continue to encourage as many people as I can to open their hearts to life, because if I know anything for sure, it's that opening my own heart is what has brought me my greatest success and joy.

On seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary
"In the best of times and worst of times, I know for sure, this life is a gift. And I believe that no matter where we live or how we look or what we do for a living, when it comes to what really matters - what makes us laugh and cry, grieve and yearn, delight and rejoice - we share the same heart space. We just fill it with different things."

On spirituality
"Spirituality is not religion. You can be spiritual and not have a religious context. The opposite is true, too: You can be very religious with no spiritual dimension, just doctrine."

On living in the moment
"Balance lives in the present. When you feel the earth moving, bring yourself back to the now. You'll handle whatever shake-up the next moment brings when you get to it. In this moment, you're still breathing. In this moment, you've survived. In this moment, you're finding a way to step onto higher ground."

"Spirit to me is the essence of who we are. It doesn't require any particular belief. It just is. And the key to this essence is simply being aware of the present moment. It's transformative. It redefines what it means to be alive."

On the beauty and majesty of life on earth
"Getting older is the best thing that ever happened to me. ..Whatever age I'm at, I think about all the people who never made it that far. I think about the people who were called before they realized the beauty and majesty of life on earth.

I know for sure that every day holds within the possibility of seeing the world with wonder."

I feel blessed to be given the chance to add this book to my repertoire of literary criticism not that I have anything to criticize but praise. I am grateful that Oprah Winfrey, through her writing, allows us glimpses into her life (without revealing much background), shares her innermost thoughts, reveals that even she can have doubts about herself once, and that being famous does not make one more mysterious or different or better than any of us regular folk. She believes that life is full of delightful treasures if we allow ourselves to take delight in them, that the choice is always ours to make so long as we are not afraid to step out and move forward. And the list goes on.

On the topic of grateful.. I used to list down three things I am grateful for every week, on a Tuesday. Then, I got busy (or so I thought) and I stop. After reading Oprah's sharing on gratitude, I decide to start all over again. This time, however, I determine to write them down every single day. It has been a short two weeks since I restarted this personal challenge and already, I can feel the effect this change has in my life. I start to notice with each passing day how blessed I am on so many counts. I become increasingly aware of all I have and my have-nots fade into the background. Some days, I actually struggled with writing down the three - most memorable - things I am grateful for because I have so many. 'Tis so true - the more grateful we become, the more we have to be grateful for.

I am also pleasantly surprised and at the same time happy to know that Oprah Winfrey and I share a common love to read. To quote her, "Everything I do all day, I do in preparation for my reading time. Give me a great novel or memoir, some tea, and a cozy spot to curl up in, and I'm in heaven. I love to live in another person's thoughts: I marvel at the bonds I feel with people who come alive on the page, regardless of how their circumstances might be from mine. I not only feel I know these people, but I also recognize more of myself. Insight, information, knowledge, inspiration, power: All that and more can come through a good book." Everything that is on my mind about my love to read, Oprah Winfrey sums it up nicely in one passage. Sweet.

Having come to the end of this book, I cannot help but ask myself the same question - what do I know for sure? Well..

What I know for sure is this book, organised in parts of eight, each with a number of chapters, some as short as one, others two or three, but never more than four pages, is very reader-friendly. I like that I can stop easily at the end of any chapter to pick it up again later where I leave off when time permits me to.

What I know for sure is I keep reading the same passage again and again and again. Because what Oprah shares in her book is so beautiful that it warrants reading and rereading.

What I know for sure is this book small on the outside but big on the inside, is a book worth putting aside my time to peruse.

What I know for sure is this book reminds me of the Chinese saying "小时候,幸福很简单;长大后,简单很幸福". Translated, it means when we were small, happiness was a simple thing; after we have grown up, simplicity is a very happy thing.

What I know for sure is I want to live life in the moment, in contentment. Be appreciative. Be grateful. Be simple.

Review: The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations by Oprah Winfrey

5 stars for The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations by Oprah Winfrey.

This book is chock-full of wisdom and great words, words that come together to form meaningful sentences which then transformed into beautifully expressed passages that vibrate with life-altering energy that ultimately instil a sense of peace and calm.

Many of the passages from this book resonate with me and deeply. As I read, I am like OMG, I can totally relate to this and this and this. It is like a spark to my heart, a light bulb clicking on and illuminating the truth. I don't mean the truth as in new information being revealed, but that of what is already there, the truths of life, something I already know all along. And then seeing them put in words, elevate it to a different level; I can see it, feel it and understand it.

Though Oprah Winfrey writes simply, I can feel the power of her words. Deeply. I can feel the simple pleasures of life shining through her words of wisdom and taking root in my heart. I love all her personal essays, the opening passage to each of the ten chapters. The ones on awakening, intention, mindfulness, forgiveness, grace and gratitude, love and connection leave a deep impression on my mind especially. I read those passages not once, not twice, but many times, to allow myself to soak in the present moment of reading and let those feelings wash over me repeatedly.

The Wisdom of Sundays has fulfilled its purpose well. It has helped me uncover the little spaces in my life, find comfort in them, gain insight to their meaning, and see the way forward to an extraordinary new existence; that life matters, that each of us matters and makes a difference. The simplest of things, when appreciated with deep respect, take on a completely new meaning. When we slow down, not only do we allow ourselves to appreciate the simple things in life, we also allow ourselves to delight in the present moment. Following the insights, I find myself making the effort to be more mindful, to slow down to appreciate the little things that I have mostly taken for granted for bulk of my life, such as the changing blue hues of dawn as the eastern sunrise gradually breaks over the horizon, the swaying of willow branches and leaves in the wind along the path less taken, the smell of freshly cut grass, the sound of birds singing and chirping, the sight of bees flying from flowers to flowers, sipping nectar and collecting grains of pollen.

The above said, I do find one downside - which is not exactly a negative in this case, but more of a weakness, I feel - to this book. And that is that these super soul conversations are extracts; they are a section of the original conversations. They may be the gist of different conversations, but still, only a part of the bigger picture. It will be nice to know more than that portion of the conversation, perhaps the full context in some even. Then again, on the flipside, because these super soul conversations are contributed by many - some world-renowned spiritual teachers, others much-admired visionary leaders, best-selling writers - most, if not all, have written quite a number of books, there is no lack of self-help books to turn to if I want to add more to my reading list.

I think the beauty of this book, The Wisdom of Sundays, is that Oprah Winfrey does an remarkable job extracting life-changing insights from all conversations in her self-help talk show, Super Soul Sunday. There are so many super soul passages that I will like to list down in this one review, but to do so is to quote the book in its entirety, which in no way am I doing it. So here's the deal. Read The Wisdom of Sundays yourself.

Review: Retire Inspired: It's Not an Age, It's a Financial Number by Chris Hogan

5 stars for Retire Inspired: It's Not an Age, It's a Financial Number by Chris Hogan.

I have at long last read Retire Inspired. This book has been on my reading list ever since my significant other read it last year. I promise myself that I will read it this year and read it soon. Now that the deal is done, I can finally upgrade the status of this book from unread in my reading list to read in my read list.

Be inspired!
Plan for your future
Invest in your dreams
Retirement will no longer be an age thing
Goodbye to the have-to stage of survival and welcome to the want-to stage of living

This is one amazing book on retirement, retirement planning, budgeting and investing. It is educational, encouraging, empowering, inspirational and insightful.

Real-life examples are included, by way of illustration, to bring across the meaning of high-definition retirement dream clearly. Concepts are presented with easy to understand explanations and calculations. Strategies are shown on how to retire well. Basically, this book is written to inspire us and to help us avoid the pitfalls that can set us back from the retirement of our dreams.

One thing to note is that this book is written with the U.S. market in mind. Many of the items covered on the topic of legal, tax, estate planning, insurance and real estate issues that surround the subject of retirement cater specifically to the U.S. market, but even so, I feel that the advice given is very much practical and easy to relate in countries with similar applicable rules.

I like that Chris Hogan explains everything in layman's terms. One excellent example which stands out among the rest is his comparison of the stock markets with supermarkets - the concept of the market where things are being bought and sold. He explains that when it comes to investing, "the market" which comprises different types of markets say, the stock market, the bond market, the capital market, works the same way. Investors buy and sell the investments and prices of these investments go up and down all the time, just like the products in a supermarket. To further illustrate his point, he talks about buying strawberries, a small juicy red fruit that everyone is familiar with. Hogan says that he notices that the price of strawberries goes up and down throughout the year and that they are more expensive during off-season months, but cost a lot lesser when they are in season. This is one excellent example of fluctuation in the value of strawberries which a consumer will take into account in the buying decision. And that is also how the stock market works; stocks go through similar fluctuations. I am not new to the stock market having worked in a stockbroking firm before. But I have never thought of it in such a manner by way of explanation. Hogan has shown that it is so much easier to illustrate an abstract concept by analogy with something so everyday such as strawberries. His writing style impresses me so and gives me the feeling that he is working with us not only to help us reach a good understanding but also to see things the way he wants us to.

There are many things to like about this book. Perhaps what I like most is that it is not purely about money, figures and wealth building, it is also about family and relationships. It stresses the importance of managing family and relationships, the most important investments in life. Because if these precious investments are not managed the right way, then all of the retirement planning will have been for naught. To put this point across, Chris Hogan even goes to the extent of sharing his personal stories and life experiences with us.

To sum it up, this is a book about budget, dreams, plans, goals, efforts, sacrifices, commitment and even boundaries. It is about so many things. But really, at the end of the day, it is about spending retirement years doing what you want to do instead of what you have to do. For that, Chris Hogan poses some questions for his readers, questions that pretty much recapitulate the bottom line of Retiring Inspired and provide food for thought.

What are your priorities?
Who is important to you?
What do you want your legacy to be?
What do you want to leave your loved ones with?

Having read this book, Chris Hogan has convinced me that it is possible to retire inspired. I am grateful and thankful that my significant other has also read this book (in fact, he read it first). So now, we both have the same understanding about retiring well and are taking action to work towards achieving the retirement of our dreams. I certainly do not want to retire broke, tired or stressed. I want my retirement to be a normal one at least, not the burden or nightmare retirement. And I know it can be done.

You can do it too! You can make a real difference in your life, in your family, in the lives of your children and possibly even in the lives of your children's children. Read Retire Inspired. Be inspired. Take action. Retire well. Retire inspired.