Forbidden Surrender by Carole Mortimer book review
There is less of the heartache, speculations and the drama if only people are more forthright with their feelings and situations. On the other hand, there are some things that are not and should not be readily shared to other people. Forbidden Surrender is just like that. Separated twins and agreements between the main characters as well as confused feelings are what kept the story interesting.
Easy reading.
All Dressed in White by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke
All Dressed in White started with the time that the bride, the focal point of Under Suspicion topic, was preparing for her wedding.
I wasn’t able to guess the whodunit in this book unlike the previous book, I was looking at the person closest to doer of the crime. I also like the plot of the other book because this one was less exciting and more dramatic. The love of a mother to her child is something that will touch the readers of this book. The loss of a loved one without closure, without any known reasons is one that tends to break relationships and feel an emptiness that can not be filled unless questions have been given definite answers.
All in all, 3.5 stars.
The Cinderella Murder by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke
I may have read perhaps 90% of Mary Higgins Clark’s books starting with the first book, “Where Are the Children”. I have read some of her daughter’s books too along with a few they co-authored. This was a first time I have read her book with a different co-author, Alafair Burke. It feels odd to do so, just like it felt odd reading another author writing for Lawrence Sanders’ McNally series.
Anyway…
The Cinderella Murder, another whodunit from MHC is a good read. Set in California, far away from the East Coast where most of MHC’s plots were located, this book still delivers the punch one wouldn’t expect. As an avid fan of her work, I was able to guess right who the murderer was but there were two circumstances that I got wrong: about the necklace and about REACH. What’s it about? I recommend that you read the book.
I felt the authors should have given a bit more time about Susan while she was still alive for the readers to get more ideas on what she was before she was murdered. It would have provided more understanding on the reason why she was killed. Though the plot unfolded this in bits and pieces, it would have been wonderful to get to meet her.
Book is recommended to readers who like this genre.
Paano mo malalaman na ayaw na sa iyo ng friends mo?
May sukatan ba upang malaman mo kung ayaw na sa iyo ng mga friends mo? Ito ba ay nararamdaman ba katulad ng isang gut feel o kinakailangang may closure, may pag-uusap na wala na ang invisible thread na nag-uugnay bilang magkakaibigan?
May mga indications ba na ang pagkakaibigan ay umabot na sa katapusan? Sa panahong ang buhay ng mga tao ay umiinog sa Social Media at sa pagpo-post ng mga larawan, tweets at status updates, nakikita dito either mga subtle or cryptic messages o kaya lantarang pagpapakita ng mensaheng: Hindi ka na belong sa iyong circle of friends.
Anu-ano ba ang mga senyales na ito? Narito sa listahan ang ilan:
1. Picture na pinost sa social media: maaring ito ay larawang kuha na ang mga kaibigang mo ay magkakasama for a lunch or coffee date at ikaw lang ang wala. Dalawang scenario: inimbitahan ka pero hindi ka nakarating OR sila lang ang nag-usap na magkikita at hindi ka sinabihan. Pwede namang i-tag ang pangalan mo para sabihing “we miss you and we wish you were here” kung talaga hindi kaya ng schedule mo na makasama sa kanila. Kung hindi ka tinag dahil hindi ka nga nabigyan ng invitation or in other words, “wala kang memo”, malinaw na hindi ka nila talaga gusto isama sa lakad na iyon. In other words, #alamnathis
2. Nagte-text ka sa kanila pero hindi sila nagre-reply. Nagme-message ka sa group chat ninyo pero ganun din, “seen zoned” ka lang at hindi din sila nagre-react. Kapag ibang friends ang nag-start ng chat thread, todo sagot naman sila. Nag-aaya ka na lumabas kayo kaya lang hindi daw sila pwede kasi may gagawin. Pero kapag may ibang miyembro ng grupo ang nagyaya, pwede sila pumunta.
3. Ang pag-LIKE at pagbigay ng mga comments sa mga Instagram posts, Facebook status updates or Tweets ay senyales ng acknowledgements at affirmation na napansin ka nila. Oo, kahit na sabihin nang ang babaw ng dahilan pero ang mga reactions na ito ang nagpapakita ng pagpapahalaga sa iyo ng mga so-called friends mo. This is a two-way street though, at dapat ikaw, ganun din sa kanila.
4. “Instashame” ang isang tawag sa hindi pag-tag sa iyo sa posted photos na wala ka pero sana nandoon, kung friends pa din kayo at inimbitahan ka nila. At dahil nga hindi ka na nila friend, obvious sa mga nakakakilala sa inyo na hindi ka na part ng grupo dahil marami-raming pictures na ang naipost na hindi ka kasama.
In real life or IRL, narito naman ang senyales na hindi ka na friend ng friends mo:
1. Feeling awkward ka kapag kasama mo sila. Kung dati, kahit matagal mo sila hindi kasama, it’s as if parang walang nawalang oras sa inyo at ang kwentuhan ay tuloy-tuloy pa din. Kung feeling mo nangangapa ka at hindi maka-relate, ibig sabihin, hindi ka na nakakasabay sa grupo.
2. Hindi ka ba magkasakay at maka-relate sa mga jokes at innuendo? Pwedeng ito ay senyales na wala ka sa inner circle at hindi ka privy sa mga secrets at mga pinag-usapan nila.
3. Hindi ka na isinama sa lunch or coffee date na usually eh pinaplano nyo to jive your busy schedules? Hindi ka sinabihan na may impromptu dinner date? Nararamdaman mo yun na hindi ka na niya gusto makasama lalo na kung ilang taon na kayo magkakaibigan at alam mo na ang takbo ng pag-iisip ng mga kaibigan mo kahit hindi nila sabihin sa iyo na ayaw ka na nilang makasama.
4. Beyond the usual greeting through Social Media man or through text messages kung halimbawa birthday ng isang kasama sa group at hindi ito nasundan ng usual chika, nagpapahayag ito na tila ba wala na kayong gana na maging up-to-date sa inyong buhay-buhay.
5. Nalalaman mo lang ang mga life changes sa buhay ng mga supposedly close friends mo, whether major or minor, though the grapevine. Kumbaga, hindi ka updated sa kanilang buhay-buhay.
6. Nakakahalata na ang mga kakilala ninyo at nagtatanong kung ano ba ang problema at bakit tila ba hindi ka na parte ng grupo. Maaaring concern ang nararamdaman ng iba at may pagkakataon namang dapat isipin din mabuti kung kanino mag-open up sa nararamdaman dahil baka makarating sa mga so-called friends ang iyong hinaing at ma-misinterpret. Sa huli, ikaw pa ang lalabas na masama.
So, ano’ng gagawin mo ngayon?
1. Guilty ka ba? Kung sa palagay mo na ikaw ay dapat ma-guilty dahil may ginawa kang hindi nila nagustuhan na directly affected sila, ask them kung ano ba ang mga issue at paano ba ito mare-resolve? Maaring guilty ka dahil nagkukwento ka sa kanila ng problema mo sa buhay at kaya mo ginawa iyon dahil kailangan mo ng mga kaibigang makikinig sa iyong saloobin. Maaring guilty ka sa hindi pagsama sa mga lakad dahil busy ka sa iyong trabaho. Kung nagsasawa na sila sa ganitong attitude mo, kung sila ay mga tunay mong mga kaibigan, maaaring namang pag-usapan kung ano ang issue nila sa iyo.
2. Kung hindi ka guilty dahil sa pagkakaalam mo ay wala kang inutang, walang hiniram na hindi ibinalik, hindi mo sila chini-chismis sa ibang tao, wala kang dapat alalahanin. Kung sa tingin mo hindi ka nagkulang sa dapat ipakita bilang isang kaibigan, hindi ka din dapat ma-guilty. Continue living your life without the guilt bothering you and avoid putting a cramp in your lifestyle dahil sa hindi ka na kasama sa friendship na ito.
3. Be a better version of yourself, with or without the guilt. Pwede mong subukang gawin ang mga bagay na hindi mo pa nagagawa and in doing so, you develop new friendships while developing new skills and interests.
4. Pagtanggap sa mga pagbabago sa pagkakaibigan. Maaaring hanggang diyan na lamang ang inyong pagiging magkaibigan. Ika nga, may mga bagay-bagay na may hangganan.
5. Move on. Ito ang pinakamahirap gawin sa lahat dahil hindi lang ito nagsisimbolo ng pagtatapos ng inyong pagkakaibigan, ito ay tila pagsasara sa isang yugto ng iyong buhay na bagama’t nagkaroon ng masasayang ala-ala, nagdulot din kurot sa puso, sakit ng saloobin at bigat sa dibdib.
Wika nga ni Anna Lyndsey sa aklat na “Girl in the Dark” tungkol sa pakikipagkaibigan: “Friendship plants itself as a small unobtrusive seed; over time, it grows thick roots that wrap around your heart. When a love affair ends, the tree is torn out quickly, the operation painful but clean. Friendship withers quietly, there is always hope for revival. Only after time has passed do you recognize that it is dead, and you are left, for years afterwards, pulling dry brown fibers from your chest.”
4.5 stars
There are books that you want to either rush reading to get to the end or not read at all because you are so upset with what is happening in the plot. This is one of those books.
I wanted to peek at the end to see how the story goes but I dared not. I also wanted to stop reading because it was affecting much that I think about it when I am doing something else. A well played plot, you have to be on your best analytical mind to be able to follow the past and present parts of the book because it was not written sequentially, which made reading it so much more interesting. How can one write a dark and intense plot with an easy flare? If there were big words used, I probably did not notice but the writing style was easy to read and follow yet the scenarios were too scary to imagine.
The relief (ok, this is clue enough) that I felt at the end of the book made me shed a few tears. It is that good.
