Remedium delivers a story of escape and survival that also features a budding romance, betrayal, and human resilience. 

When the cure for diabetes became the curse, seventeen-year-old Liam’s hope to be healed from this disease was in tatters. The children who were inoculated after him turned into flesh-eating, half-dead creatures. Would he become like them?  Keeping mum about his injection, he escaped the pandemonium in school and sought safety on a farm with his mother, grandfather, friends, and their family.  Before long, their situation took an ugly turn. 

Remedium is the debut novel of the promising Canadian writer, Angela Bauman, that fulfills her childhood dream of becoming an author. (Angela Bauman, 2021)

My Thoughts 

The story is easy to read, well-paced, and packed with action that intensified my anticipation of what’s going to happen to Liam, his family, and friends. Although the multiple perspectives provided important information, the change of perspective caused the excitement built in the previous pages to recede as the background of the characters in focus and the initial events leading to the moment when the school was already attacked by kid zombies are being described. I was reconnected with interest when the storyline of the different characters merged at one point and went on to form a whole story. 

I rate highly the detailed description of the zombie scenes in Remedium that reminded me of those of zombie movies I watched before — gory and scary. The scenes with children who turned into monsters tugged at the heartstrings; the heartbreak and horror that mothers felt are unimaginable. 

As for the characters, there are obvious changes in them after every chapter that made them dynamic; however, as a reader, it felt like I was watching them from a distance. I was not emotionally connected with them. I would appreciate it more if physical signals that convey emotions were more present in the scenes. For instance, Diaz,  a man who went to rescue his wife working as a school nurse, saw the little monsters in a hallway devouring bodies. After that, he reported it to his wife who was hiding in a classroom along with the other kids. Then, he proceeded to get food in the cafeteria. I was wondering how he felt and how his body reacted to the gruesome image. This gives a primal connection with the character. 

All in all the story has great potential and those who love zombie stories will enjoy this one.

3.5/5

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the author chose the title “Remedium”?

2. Identify 3 major themes in the novel and how are they depicted?

3. Were the main characters able to get what they wanted at the beginning of the book? Why or why not?

4.Which character did you connect with the most? Explain. 

5.If you were Liam, how would you feel after witnessing what happened to the children after they received the vaccine against diabetes?

6.What were the surprising points of the story? Why do you think so?

7. What are the weak points of the story? Why?

8. What makes the story different from other zombie stories or movies you read or watched?

9. What are your criteria for a good suspense novel? Does Remedium meet your criteria? Why or why not?

10. What would be your alternate ending? 

Thank you Angela Bauman for your giveaway. Thank you for the chance to review this book. I understand that I would give it an honest review.

Further Information

Title: Remedium

Author: Angela Bauman

Genre: Young Adult, Suspense

Publication Date: April 22, 2020

Print length: 270 pages

ASIN: B087JYFPBD

Quotes

First Line:

“The early morning sun shone onto Robert’s face.”

Reference:

Angela Bauman. (2021, April 14). Happy Bookversary to me!! [Facebook status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ABaumanFans/posts/1530353843834233

Thank you for visiting my blog.

I have started a new book by Susan David, Emotional Agility. I am thrilled to share with you my reading journey.

I chose this book because I am fascinated by the power of our thoughts and emotions. I have read several books about it such as Richard Schwartz’s No Bad Parts and Altogether You by Jenna Riemersma. They opened my mind to the important roles of our thoughts and emotions, especially the “negative ones” to our well-being.

When I came across this book, I grabbed it hoping to learn more about myself which is the first step of being a master of my thoughts and emotions.

So far, I have learned how we get ensnared by situations and get carried away by our feelings. David discussed the steps to face these challenges and learn from them.

“There’s a misconception that you need to be tough on yourself to maintain your edge. But people who are more accepting of their own failures may actually be more motivated to improve.”How our mind works is really fascinating. This meaning machine is nonstop analyzing all information around us, making sense of the environment, and making sure we are safe. It is the mechanism that we inherit from our ancestors. But here’s the tricky part. It still operates in a way that it did thousands of years ago. We became anxious about things that were not directly causing us physical pain — speaking in front of the crowd, taking a test, and trying new things. I think the mind still believes that they are lions that would attack us. That’s why we have to process every thought and emotion to help us see the real facts that could help us overcome any challenges. Do you like reading self-help books? Feel free to share in the comments below! I can’t wait to see how Emotional Agility works for me.

Join me next time for more insights and discussions.

To Read Or Not To Read

Is an award a guarantee that a book is a great read? An award such as the Nobel Prize or Booker Prize that’s given to a novel leaves an impression that the story is exceptional, and this seal of recognition can affect the decision of the readers whether to read it or not. With Piranesi, I decided to give it a read.

I Was Meant To Do This 

I first learned about Piranesi when a book reviewer shared a photo of it on Instagram in September 2021. This fantasy novel is written by the English author, Susanna Clarke, and it won the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction and 2020 Audie Award as Audiobook of the Year. Several bookstagrammers gushed about it and a famous booktuber gave it a 5/5. Having the need to know more, I checked Amazon Kindle and my eyes widened. It was on sale, a sign that I was meant to read it! Without thinking twice, I grabbed my own copy.  

But It Won An Award!?

My excitement to read Piranesi was suspended for almost a year because of my long To-Be-Read list. Finally, in August 2022, it’s Piranesi’s turn to be in the currently reading spot. I started reading it with great eagerness but after reading the first two chapters,  the excitement dwindled. I was floating in confusion as the author described the house, its halls, statues, vestibules, and other things that were unfamiliar to me. I had to go to Google to check what the parts of the house looked like in the real world for I couldn’t fully imagine them. Rubbing my forehead, I put aside my e-book and tried to grasp what I was reading.  Was it a mistake to spend my time on this book? But it won an award and received great reviews! In hopes that  it would get better in the pages ahead, I continued reading. 

Hooked In The Middle

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

INTRODUCTION

Jason Fink wants to be a force for good in the world. To fulfill this, he uses his knowledge and influence as a writer even though his attention deficit disorder (ADD) is holding him back. He prefers writing short stories as novels take time; he tends to jump from one project to the next. Under his belt are several books with short stories. One of his books, Selected Stories,  contains stories from different genres from sci-fi to romance.

OVERVIEW

Learn how to compose captivating short stories quickly with this book as you are guided through the writing process. 

You are also going to be equipped with the right skills in coming up with story ideas and improving your craft. 

The guide gives practical and effective tips and tools.

It is for everyone, regardless of writing experience. 

The bonus section at the end of this book is a must-read for writers who are struggling with ADHD.

⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Everyone has the right to be seen and flourish, regardless of background and abilities. But, because of other people’s unique characteristics, they can be shunned and judged by society. 

In his book, The House in the Cerulean Sea, Klune illustrates the significance of acknowledging the differences among people, especially children and giving them a chance to live and attain their optimal potential. In one mysterious orphanage, children with exceptional abilities were isolated as they were feared by the nearby community. Because of this, the authorities were concerned about what they could do to the people around them and the whole world. Do they deserve to continue living in the orphanage or not? 

TJ Klune guides the reader in navigating through the thoughts and experiences of the characters while touching on social issues that need to be considered before it’s too late for us to change and uphold the true essence of being humans. 

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an award-winning book written by TJ Klune. This New York Times bestseller won the Alex Award and Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Adult Literature in 2021. However, despite these accolades, the book received criticisms because, to some degree, it’s based on the Sixties Coop, wherein the Canadian government took indigenous children from their families and communities and put them up for adoption. This caused generational and historical trauma in indigenous kids.

BOOK DESCRIPTION 

(from Goodreads)

The Scribe of Siena ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The Tailored Brain ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Last of the Moon Girls ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Barking Up the Wrong Tree by Eric Barker

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am always interested in nonfiction books about brain science and performance improvement. Ever since I have been wondering why some people are more successful than others.  The Barking Up the Wrong Tree by Eric Barker has the answers to my question. 

The book is not only a thought-provoking read but also a manual about success. It dismantles the concept of success constructed by what we see on TV, movies, and social media. Through stories of people from different walks of life- CEOs, mathematicians, athletes, drug dealers, and pirates, for example, Barker delves into the real essence of success and articulates well his observations and conclusions that are worth pondering. 

The Seekers’ Garden by Isa Pearl Ritchie

⭐⭐☆☆☆

The Seekers’ Garden is a new-age fiction story that explores the spiritual journey of five characters who are strangers to each other but are connected with one common thing — the search for authenticity and truth.  Using multiple perspectives,  Author Isa Pearl Ritchie was able to describe the inner workings of their minds, explaining their past and future choices that led to uncovering a life-changing secret. 

Questioning the status quo and being unsatisfied with how their lives were going, Marcia, Iris, and Zane made a big decision to go to a town in New Zealand.  Marcia returned to her childhood home that needed a major house overhaul and created a spiritual workshop after she settled in; Iris left her job to write a book and she attended Marcia’s workshop;   Zane decided to see Iris after more than a decade of being apart. On the other hand, Mrs. Everdale and Lea found the important things in their lives as they faced their fears.

The Seekers’ Garden is the first novel I read that is about new-age spirituality.  It’s interesting to read how people go through a personal transformation using chakra meditation, inner child healing, and tarot reading. However, the reading experience is not memorable.  While the author’s message is clear, the storyline is muddled with too much reflection by the characters. As the story goes on,  the characters detail what they think about the world and life in general. These lengthy paragraphs of contemplations make me feel I am reading a spiritual book, not a fictional narrative.  The chapters of the book are like puzzles that don’t fit with each other, and the story is rushed towards the end.

Personal growth, spiritual journey, and inner transformation are topics I am curious about, but the way this book presents these things doesn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC of The Seekers Garden in exchange for an honest review.

H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle. by Brad Lomenick

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

    H3 Leadership was the only e-book I found interesting among the discount e-books offered by Kindle Deals last November 22, 2020 (so specific! I rechecked when I purchased this book). 

    After reading the description, I knew that it’s for leaders running organizations but I took a risk in getting it.  As I am not leadership material,  I thought I could learn what it takes to be a good leader. When I became a mother, I was scared of fulfilling the most challenging role in my life, and being a mother is like being a leader to a child. 

    H3 Leadership is written by Brad Lomenick  who was the president of “one of the largest movements of Christian leaders in America, Catalyst.” When his leadership went rusty, he went on sabbatical.  During this time,  he rekindled his relationship with God, revisited the whats, the whys, and the hows of true leadership, and realized that it was time for him to pass the baton to other leaders.  He also included the insights of leaders from different organizations.

Some Golden Nuggets

    Knowing yourself is the first step to become a successful leader. Your strengths and weaknesses foretell the degree of your influence.  The habits to cultivate to know who you are — self-discovery, openness, meekness, conviction, faith, and assignment.

    With the habit of ambition, curiosity, passion, innovation, inspiration, and bravery, a leader can bring an organization to a greater future.

    There are eight habits that can help a leader reach the organization’s goals– excellence, stick-with-it-ness, execution, team building, partnership, margin, generosity and succession.

The three most important things I learned from this book are to know and to be true to myself, to dream and create an exciting future, and to work hard for myself and for my family. 

“Be humble, stay hungry, always hustle.”

After reading  H3 Leadership, I was glad I didn’t pass up the chance to grab this book. 

Radical Candor  by Kim Scott

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

After years of experience as the head of operations teams for AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick at Google, CEO coach at tech companies such as Dropbox and Twitter,  a member of the faculty at Apple University, Kim Scott accumulated the tools of the trade of a leader and condensed them in Radical Candor, which is about how to be an effective boss without compromising excellence and growth of the team and the organization.  Scott calls all bosses to “Challenge directly, care personally”.  

The book is divided into two parts: the first part is about the new management philosophy wherein Scott explains radically candid relationships,  a culture of open communication, and helping people to reach their dreams.  The second part is all about the tools and techniques of leadership. Scott itemizes the ideas on giving and receiving praise and criticism, ways to avoid burnout, and things to do to get things done as a team faster. 

The bits that I found most interesting are the personal experiences of Scott when she worked at Google and Apple. Having different working and leadership styles, each of these big companies created a unique company culture that fosters life-changing innovations. Radical Candor conveys that it’s possible to run huge companies with pressure to keep on innovating and growing without losing the humanity of the bosses and their subordinates.  It takes a lot of courage, level-headedness, and humility to achieve this. 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌠 4.5

The Bell Jar is an intimidating book for me. If it wasn’t for the novel, Belzhar, I wouldn’t have included this in my TBR list this month. I thought I should read Sylvia Plath first before diving into it. In Belzhar, a group of teenagers studied The Bell Jar in their special English class. 

I wasn’t expecting that Sylvia Plath would bring me to an emotional and incredible journey of Esther Greenwood, the main character of The Bell Jar. Plath described Esther’s psychological mechanisms in a way that made me empathize and sympathize with her. However, Esther’s madness manifested in her thoughts and actions elicits terror and agony that’s why one must be careful about reading it.  Her sinking into despair displays how rejection, uncertainty, and incomplete grief can affect mental health. 

I will never forget Esther Greenwood. Her story is beautifully written but dark and distressing for me. 

Trigger Warning: suicide, self-harm, depression, death of a father

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

⭐⭐⭐🌠☆

Belzhar is about loss and overcoming loss. Meg Wolitzer writes about five emotionally vulnerable but highly intelligent teenagers who either lost someone or something. They go to The Wooden Barn, a reformative boarding school in Vermont. They are chosen by Mrs. Q to be part of the Special Topics in English, a class that is offered only to a few students every year to discuss one writer. For this particular group, they learn about Sylvia Plath and her novel, The Bell Jar. Aside from the book, each of the students receives a leather journal where they are required to fill with their thoughts and experiences and submit to Mrs. Q every week.

Something happens every time the five teenagers write in their journals. They are transported to a place where they can find the person or the thing that they lost in the real world. They named this place Belzhar where problems don’t exist. But as the pages of the journal are used up, the fear of losing again the important people and things in their lives intensifies. They have to do something to save themselves from another great loss.

I read Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar first to get prior knowledge before reading Belzhar. Much to my dismay,  the characters did not delve into her writings. There are only a few scenes where Plath’s life story and poem were touched slightly. Well, the book is about Belzhar, not Bell Jar.  What was  I thinking?

Belzhar is a satisfactory story.  It is told from the point of view of the main character, Jam, which limits the in-depth characterization of other characters because they are described through her eyes. She is an unreliable narrator in the beginning especially when she talks about Reeve but, eventually, she becomes honest and tells her true story that I didn’t expect at all.

I like the message of the book– journaling is a powerful tool that helps us get a better understanding of the whole situation we are in and see the things that we can change and can’t change. It’s up to us, to be honest, and to take appropriate steps to make our circumstances better.

The Art of X-Ray Reading by Roy Peter Clark

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

This book changed the way I think about reading. Apart from enjoying a story, it teaches me to take notice of the words, phrases, or sentences and find the meaning behind the sound of the letters, the placement of the word in a sentence, and the words chosen to appear in that sentence. Clark also provided helpful tips to writers.

 

With my own experiences about dealing with negative emotions, I found myself asking- How do I handle the dark side of life? How do I live with sadness, fear, frustration, and anger? The questions led me to find Thomas Moore’s Dark Nights of the Soul. The book opened my eyes to the reality of negative emotions. They are always part of me. Instead of running away from them, I should get curious about what they are teaching me. Another thing that I appreciate more about this book is the encouragement to express the dark nights of the soul into a painting, a poem, a song, or any creative outputs. Creativity is closely connected with the dark nights of the soul. I started writing poems about how I feel even though I am not a poet. The Dark Nights of the Soul is the best paired with Bringing Your Shadow Out of the Dark by Robert Augustus Masters and Lissa Rankin.

    I watched The Lord of the Rings movie series and I thought why not give The Children of Hurin a try. It’s my first Tolkien book. The names, events, and places that are too many for me to process make the book challenging to read. Even though it felt like reading a history book, the interesting storyline and characters motivated me to keep on reading. I was captured by the tale of the children of Hurin but their tragic fate left me with a heavy heart. The Children of Hurin got me curious about what’s going to happen to Morgoth and other characters.

 Amazon Kindle is a great source of eBooks ranging from recently published books to classical books. Reading has become more convenient and affordable as Amazon Kindle offers deals as low as $0.99 per eBook every day. What’s even more amazing is that thousands of free eBooks are also available at your fingertips! 

You don’t need to spend a lot to enjoy reading. If you are living in the Philippines and you want to start your reading life, you can buy interesting fiction and nonfiction books on Amazon Kindle using Globe’s digital wallet, GCash, through American Express. 

I presume that you already have an Amazon account and GCash American Express Virtual Pay. Make sure that you have enough funds in your Gcash account before purchasing an e-book. If you don’t have a GCash account and American Express Virtual Pay yet, you may go to Gcash’s website to know more.

Here are the steps:

Add American Express Virtual Pay as your New Payment Method

1.Go to Account & Lists on the upper right corner of the screen. Click the drop-down menu and choose Your Account. 

2.Click Your Payments. 

3.Choose Add a credit or debit cards.

4.Enter the details in the fields and click Add your card, and then add your mailing address. 

Where to get GCash American Express Virtual Pay details?

1.Log-in to your GCash App and click Show More. 
2.Scroll down and click Pay Online under Lifestyle & Shopping.

3.Choose Pay with American Express Virtual Pay. 

4.Get the Card No. and Card Expiry Date and enter them in their respective fields on Amazon. 

You are now ready to buy your eBooks!

1. Go to the Amazon Kindle Store.

2. Click the eBook you want to purchase. 

3. Click Buy now with 1-Click. 

4. The eBook will be delivered immediately on your Amazon Kindle app or Amazon Kindle device. 

5. Download the eBook and enjoy reading!

GCash will send you an SMS notifying you that you successfully ordered the eBook. The message also includes the remaining balance of your GCash account.  

    Tilly Dillehay, a pastor’s wife, mother, and homemaker offers a Christian perspective on understanding and overcoming envy in Seeing Green: Don’t Let Envy Color Your Joy (September 4, 2018, Harvest House Publishers). She was a former journalist, and newspaper and lifestyle magazine editor. She facilitates the Green Workshop that touches on envy for women in local churches. In this Christian literature, with courage and honesty, Dillehay tells her struggles with envy that clouds her relationships and her love for music.

    She starts with defining glory as ” the shining joy, beauty, intelligence, power, and goodness of God himself.” What we have is a borrowed glory like the light of the moon borrowed from the sun. Disconnected from the source, an envious person feels bad about other people’s looks, wealth, achievements, and relationships.

    To manage this emotion, Dillehay provides scriptures that explain what the Bible says our physical body, charm or influence, intellect, money, creativity, competence and control, and relationships, the seven sources of envy. Love, diligence, humility, and transparency are the four virtues we need to have to avoid being eaten up by envy.

Other Takeaways

• All glory belongs to God; our glory is borrowed from Him. We are conduits of His glory.
• Inequality does exist and we need to accept that some people have more while others have less.
• Each of us has God-given talents which we are accountable for.
• Being able to gaze at God’s glory without harm and worship it, being like Christ and sinless, having eternal wealth, having dominion over creation are the four kinds of glory Christians will possess in the future.

• True happiness is in Christ.

Thoughts…Thoughts…Thoughts…

    Even though this is Christian literature, we can still glean lessons from it about envy and its effects on us, which is experienced by all, one way or the other.

    The goal of the book is to change the perspective of the reader on envy, and it did. I am used to comparing myself with others, those who have more and better things, thinking that I am an inferior, making me overlook the skills and talents that I have. This book makes me appreciate the borrowed glory I have and the opportunity to share it with others. Glory, as a borrowed thing, must be celebrated by enjoying our talents, skills, wealth, beauty, relationship, and intelligence, not something to be shown off to put others down or to be insecure about when others who have more display what they have.

    Although the personal stories and other people’s anecdotes are too long before going to the point, I appreciate the discussion questions at the end of every chapter that helped me understand the book’s theme.

Discussion Questions

1. Has this book changed the way you think about envy?

2. Was the author successful in making her message across by including her own story?

3. When do you feel envious of others?

4. Why is it hard to accept the truth that we are envious of others?

5. How would you deal with envy?

Further Information

Title: Seeing Green: Don’t Let Envy Color Your Joy

Genre: Christian Literatur

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (September 4, 2018)

Publication Date: September 4, 2018

⭐⭐⭐🌠☆

Unhappy With Success?

Do you feel unhappy with your success? Does a part of you attribute your accomplishments to luck? Do you constantly worry that others might discover you as a fraud? If you do, you may have Impostor Syndrome.

The Root of Impostor Syndrome 

In her book, You Are Not An Imposter, Colin Monsarrat explains IS and how it affects our lives. She delves into its root cause and its connection to childhood trauma, self-belief, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and sensitivity. At the same time,  she discusses the science behind our thoughts and emotions that contribute to the development of IS. Understanding how the brain works lf-awareness and self-appreciation. Monsarrat illustrates this through her powerful personal stories of suffering, struggles, and triumph over life’s trials.

What Impostor Syndrome Can Do For You 

Having experienced impostor syndrome myself, I got curious about how the author dealt with her impostor syndrome. I was more interested in her spine-chilling personal stories that show that IS can make you overlook your health, which is the most shocking thing for me. It almost cost Monsarrat’s life.

A Good Introduction to IS 

Colin’s book does a good job of delving into the scientific explanations behind IS. While I appreciated this in-depth analysis, much of the information presented was not novel to me, as I have read about this topic in the past. Nevertheless, for those who are new to exploring this condition, I highly recommend this book as an informative and accessible introduction to IS.

You are Not An Imposter is a good book where you can get information about IS and get to know the difficulties Colin underwent. She’s a testament to the possibility of overcoming IS and e to the fullest.

Thank you Colin Monsarrat and Book Sirens for the ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Quotes 

“If there is one thing I have learned and lived by ever since these events, it is that I am the author of my life.”

“Celebrating our successes also allows us to thank those who helped us achieve them. Seeing others celebrate our success will validate that we accomplished it through hard work and not just by luck.”

“We should also learn to master our emotions. Mastering our emotions does not mean we should only allow positive emotions in our lives. On the contrary, the whole idea of mastering our emotions is centered around the philosophy that we should feel and acknowledge all emotions, but once felt, acknowledged, and understood, we should move on.”

Book Information:

You Are Not An Imposter by Colin Monsarrat

Published on January 26, 2023, Apicem Publishing (January 26, 2023) e-book

Find it here: