Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss

Starts off with aplomb, then gets boring, but all along it is insightful. It has very specific facts listed since this is a True Story about a patient telling how we are all same souls in different bodies, taking rebirth after rebirth, and learning along the way. Definitely a book to read once as a story but many times the messages from the Masters.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Considering this novel was written in the 1700s, it is fantastic. Much like the 20000 Leagues, this book has intricate details of different parts of the world and it is a wonder how folks of that era visited so many places just by ship and yet could make such wonderful journals. Added to the geographical details, is the fascinating novel itself where a man is cast away on an island and how he makes a life for himself literally from scratch. Not to mention, the loyalty of Friday, his servant after he saved his life miraculously. The literary language used is unique and fresh to read. At times, it gets boring but one can skip through those parts. Some sections suddenly become very religious and it seems rightly so, since the cast away kind of surrenders to the Will of the Almighty. Understandably some people might have gone through those situations in real-life, and this book provides the details of the hardships faced. It is a good read indeed.

Ella Diaries: Friendship SOS by Meredith Costain (Illustration - Danielle McDonald)

This one was being read by my daughter and I started flipping through it but then got gripped by it! The illustrations, the graphics, the font, the language, the deliberate spelling mistakes, the tale itself is all FANTABULOUSLY FABULOUS (to use the book's lingo!). It truly is one of a kind and a perfect book for pre-teen girls. The illustrations definitely deserve a separate shout-out, and the author has done wonders putting herself in the shoes of a young girl on her adventure in a cruise ship.