iRead

Boy Meets Girl

Meg Cabot, 2004

Avon Books, Harper Collins Publishers.Inc.

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Kathleen “Kate” Mackenzie is a Personel Representative Human Resources The New York Journal. One day, Amy Jenkins, The Director, asked her to fire Ida Lopez from Craft Food Services The New York Journal, just because she did not give a pie to Mr Stuart Hertzog.

Amy Jenkins is very angry because Mr Hertzog is actually her “fiancee” and she claims that Ida Lopez should take the responsibility of this case. Unfortunately, Amy did not give her any warning before she fire her. Instead of being nice to Ida Lopez, Amy hire a lawyer to claim Ida Lopez.

The bad news is, Kate should give the terrific fire things to Ida Lopez while Kate herself disagree with this decision. Well, everybody love Ida Lopez and her magnificent hands. She cook very well so everybody could eat happily without feeling guilty over fat or cholesterol.

Kate has just moved from her home –where she lives for 10 years with her boyfriend, Dale- to Jen’s home. Jen –or Jennifer Sadler – is her best friend. Jen has one husband named Craig and they are trying to have a baby now. That is why sometimes Craig do not really agree with this plan to let Kate stay for a long period at their house. Kate herself is still trying to find a proper place to stay, considering she has limited account and undelightfully job.

Back to Amy, The lawyer she hired is Mitchell Hertzog, Stuart’s brother. Stuart’ family is not that cool, actually. Stuart loves to make trouble with Mitchell. Stacy and Janice, his sisters, are on Mitch side while his mom loves him so much and always on his side. No matter what Stuart does, his mom always support him and this makes his sisters and brothers crazy.

The unpredictable things come when Kate meets Mitchell and they are falling in love each other. They fight together to give the justice for Ida Lopez, because everybody love Ida. This makes Amy’s claims become a boomerang for her and she finally put her career in trouble.

This book is not boring because Meg does not describe many things in paragraphs. She uses an email and short messages format, so that we –as a reader- do not get bored reading many things while we still understand what situation is happening at that time. She brings us to create the condition by ourselves and imagine it as our creation while we still in context.

Meg Cabot’s books always teach me many things, such as, give someone what they should have and do not take their right just to satisfy your selfishness, because one day, the truth will come out and you will get the seeds you sow. Meg shows how friendship is, how to give something from your heart, what willingness is and what loyalty is. She tells us that love is not about sex and poem, love is about sharing each other and learn, prepare for the future and commitment. This is a nice book with many hidden precious lessons inside. I give two tumbs up for this book.

The Golden Throne
Menelaos Stephanides – Yannis Stephanides, Athena, Yunani
Vol. 5, Olympus Goddes
1989

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After Hera became Zeus’ wife, she bore Hefestus. Hefestus is not as normal as the common child. He is not handsome and he is crippled. Unfortunatelly their tradition did not let special child –like Hefestus- live there. So they threw Hefestus away to the deep Kaiadas canyon at Taigetus slope. They did this because they believed that the country needs strong and perfect people to stand for them.

Tetis and Eurinome were two sea goddes who found Hefestus. They helped him and rose him untul he is mature enough. He became a strong and creative steelmaker. Everybody under the sea liked him. One day, he gave a jewelry from his own workshop to Tetis and Eurinome as a gift. The jewelry was so beautiful that Hera loves it from the first view.

When Hera recognized that the jewelry maker was her own son. She was curious yet doubt about meeting him. Finally Hefestus made her for a gift a golden magnificent throne which no one could create it just like him. It is magnificent because Hefestus had added the throne with unbroken invisible chain and he was the one who could see the chain. The chain finally trapped her. Hera was really really upset.

Zeus asked Hermes to recall Hefestus. He would ask Hefestus to release Hera. Hefestus rejected the “invitation”. The next was Ares. Ares tried to persuade Hefestus, but He failed. The last effort was Dionisius. He made Hefestus drank and he made it. He brought Hefestus to Olympus. Hefestus was so drunk that he finally released her mother. Hera become so touched and then she hugged him. They finally loved each other. No more revenge. No more trick.

This story is a myth story which we –at least me- always hear it passing by but never know the real history. Children would never had a problem reading it. Hefestus is described as a loyal creative strong person. He is not arrogant and he knows how to appreciate someone who had been very kind to him. He gives a lesson but not placing someone in a harm. The story also include many ilustration pictures to describe the situation. Even someone who do not really love history like me can stand for a couple of minutes to read it.