The Time Keeper

Book Name : The Time Keeper

Author : Mitch Albom

What is it about : A story about Dor, the first person to measure Time; a young love-torn Sarah who wanted less Time and a rich old man Victor who wanted more Time. Their stories intertwined when Dor, who was banished in a cave by the Almighty for thousands of years, for daring to count Time, was set free and Time-travelled to our world with an unclear mission from the Almighty and encountered Sarah and Victor in present day New York. Salvation or punishment awaited the three characters ? Read on.

Essentially, a book about Time - our days are limited, make each one precious.

Memorable quotes from the book :

" ... we all yearn for what we have lost. But sometimes, we forget what we have ...". 

" ... with endless Time, nothing is special. With no loss and sacrifice, we can't appreciate what we have ...". 

Some thoughts after having read the book : Personally speaking, I have long since my primary school day, regarded Time as the most precious element in nature；in fact, on the Farewell Books of my fellow primary school students as we graduated, I wrote (on all of them) the following poem :

人生如朝露，事業趕快做，莫等春花謝，人已老。

By instinct, I have always treasured my Time - I tried to skip and dance forward in Time as fast as I could, but still made good adventures, out of my studies and work because I considered that Time in these stages did not really belong to me. I knew that, until I retired at forty, then I can really own my Time and I can spend Time the way I want to live my Life. The Logic goes : you want to live your own Life, first you own your own Time.

I feel that I have a relatively good grasp of the nature of Time - One way, Subtraction, Elastic, Finite for Everyone and Intangible at that Moment yet Leaving Footprints.

Would I recommend this book to you : A good book to remind Readers about the unique nature of Time. Go read for a fun ride or for deep reflections on Life. The final Chapter is magical.

Bereavement And Adjustment Disorders

Book (Paper) Name : Bereavement And Adjustment Disorders

Author : Tang P.C.Y. et al

What is it about : A technical Paper from the Book (Journal) - Essentials of Geriatric Psychiatry. Experts in the field presented clinical information and front-line statistics on the behaviour and actions older people take, to deal with their bereavement when their partners passed away. Also the different counseling techniques, therapies and medications, which clinicians deploy to assist these patients and the efficacy of these therapeutic processes.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The Paper contained some very interesting data such as the difference between male and female behaviour in mourning and subsequent handling in the event of their loved ones passing away; and how these behaviour differed with the presence and support from a large social circles of relatives and friends to those lone-wolf types, (especially males) whose other halves, were their only confidante (as in my own case). And more importantly for myself, to gain an insight of the broader picture of grief and bereavement psychiatry, and the related management techniques and therapies to assist the older generation to deal with this very personal and sensitive Subject.

Would I recommend this Paper to you : Personally I have found this Paper useful in understanding and dealing with my own situation - so Yes, for my fellow "Grievers", go read and afterwards, you may want to seek assistance and engage in many of the therapies and group sessions.

The Screwtape Letters

Book Name : The Screwtape Letters

Author : C.S.Lewis

What is it about : A book on religious faith and human nature. In the form of a series of letters, almost always beginning with "My Dear Wormwood,..." and ending with "From Your Affectionate Uncle...", Screwtape the supervisor or mentor (the Uncle) from Down Below (Hell), taught his apprentice Wormwood, who went to work after Training College, to tempt (Wormwood The Tempter) his Patient (a young man) to his ultimate undoing, corruption, downfall and damnation - via means and vices through the strategies, policies, tactics and methods devised by "Our Father Below", a.k.a. The High Command, often by exploiting the human weaknesses - vanity, pride, prejudice, gluttony, cowardice, patriotism, misplaced love and so on. 

A great quote from this book, "...humans are amphibians, half animal, half spirit..."；and for your amusement, a few of the supporting entities from Down Below, which Wormwood received to perform his job - the Intelligence Department, the Infernal Police, the Philosophical Arm, the Training College, House of Correcting for Incompetent Tempters; also Woodworm's colleagues-at-large (other skillful Tempters), similarly in active Service, roaming in our world to execute their respective demonic assignments, were Slubgob (who incidentally, later being awarded with the administrative post of Principal of the Training College for young Tempters) and Glubose - think field agents Double-O-Seven, Double-O-Six and so on, all run by their Master Screwtape at the background where their "Patients" souls (that's the general weak-willed public) are to be turned, burned or bought.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The originality and novelty of the book wore off soon after the beginning five or six "Letters", the book then took on a rather monotonous and replicated structure and basically, each Letter exploiting a different human weakness - the book thus becoming less intriguing and rather predictable; amusing and good literary writings, yet to the non-religious types, rather boring.

Would I recommend this book to you : If you are interested in reading this ingenious work with novel human perspectives, passage structures and quasi-Cold-War mentality and quasi-intelligence organisations (think MI6), by a religiously-committed author, then IMHO, quite a hard slog ahead for you, I'm afraid. Spoiler alert here - for your information, after applying all the skills and trickery learnt at the College Below, Wormwood failed in his attempt to corrupt and capture the soul of his Patient.