paulo coelho, not so crap afterall...

I read Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist some time ago - if you recall my post, i thought the story was far too spiritual and well, full of crap really. which is a big call for me to make - me, who can read anything and watch anything for entertainments' sake!

However, on a friend's insistance, i decided to give Coelho another chance, and bought Eleven Minutes. This book follows the ethical journey of Maria, a young Brazilian girl who travels abroad seeking fame and fortune but falls into prostitution. It delves deeply into taboo topics and notions that I'm sure we all think about, and challenges opinions we all must have. I've just finished Eleven Minutes today. Verdict? I still question Coelho's writing style (but this may have something to do with Spanish translation) however the story is well worth reading...

Today i spent another $25 on Coelho's Veronika Decides to Die. Haven't started reading but the plot sounds interesting... Veronika tries to take her life, but wasn't quite successful - she lies in hospital, the damage to her heart so great that she has only a few days left to live.. and it is during this time that she learns the value of her life...

As you can see I'm moving away from pure commercial trash into books that, while being fiction, can still add value and insight into my life...