The Book Club

Mummy, Come Home

2011-05-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

By Oxana Kalemi

Based on a true story, a mother who is desperate to get back to her children was brutally beaten, raped, sold etc. Life was horrible for her ever since she was born. Her parents were poor, her father was a wife beater and her mother was an alcoholic.
Life was not any better for her when she turned 14. She was raped. And then she met her loving husband where she thought life was slowly turning to the better.
But that changed when she got pregnant.
And after 3 pregnancies, she was desperate. The only option was to work abroad.
She left initially for 6 months. Things were slightly better when she was abroad and earning $200 per month. But she wanted more.
She met a lady whom she thought she could trust. She paid the lady $300 for tickets and permit to work in a bar in Bosnia.
When her friend didn't proceed with the journey together with her, she then realized that things were not right.
She was sold.
Raped and sold too many times.
She traveled across Europe illegally with her many pimps.
She ended up working in a Brothel in England. Where she made friends with a Turkish girl who ended up helping her to "escape".

Ratings: 10/10

It took me 2 days to finish reading the book. If you are into real life drama, this is one book you should not miss!

I realized that my life is so blessed and much simpler after reading this book.

Mini Shopaholic

2011-01-09T18:39:00.001-08:00

By: Sophie Kinsella
Ratings: 8/10

I forgot how irritating Becky can be. The last I read her book must have been early 2010 or late 2009. I find the writer can really bring readers into the story and imagining if you are in the situation Becky's in, you would certainly do the opposite of what Becky would do.
The writer have again managed to make me hate and love Becky at the same time. :)
And of course, Becky have managed to get what she wanted being resourceful as she is. Giving the perfect birthday party to her husband, being a mother of a child who knows Starbucks and loves shopping and how she does not want to upset her parents when they were moving out of her parents.

And finally, I was even motivated by Becky with having an "audit" of her clothes and how she should wear all the clothes she has 3 cycles before being able to buy a new one. In this book, she managed not to buy any clothes for herself, but bought plenty for her little girl and her new house (which have not been purchased- may I add).
Also, she has managed to purchase items from the 5 pound shop. Loads of items from that shop(!) hahahaha

It took me a weekend to finish this book. So it falls into the category of one of the interesting books for me.

The Graft

2011-01-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

By Martina Cole
Ratings: 10/10

Very British, Very dark, very real and at times can be very disturbing. Definitely for 18 and above only. Though I could predict the outcomes of the story towards the middle of the book, the ending was still quite different from what I expected. The 679 page book I would consider my best book read in 2010.
It gave me an insight on the dodgy rich people, the lives of those who lives in a rat house and the junkies on the reasons as to how some ended up being at the wrong place at the wrong time.(Or so they say).
There are also some lessons on family values, how some may seem like what you want in life and turns out to be the total opposite and you may find happiness at the least expected circumstances.

Total time I took to read this book: With work, a toddler to handle after work and blogging to sort out- 2 weeks. But it was well worth the staying up at night to finish the book :)

The Beckhams

2010-05-14T01:47:00.000-07:00

When I read the back cover, it didn't really convince me to purchase the book. But being a "must know" person (a.k.a busy body), I bought the book anyway. I got hooked after 3 pages. It was such an easy read. One which you can read while waiting for a friend in the cafe, before bed or when stuck in traffic. All I can say is, I never thought beckam and victoria were so interesting. But then again, it could also be because of how they were written about.

Whats the book about?
Well, to put it in a nutshell, its about 2 celebrities bound together and how they face (or build up) fame and fortune. Its like I know them personally, after reading Andrew Morton's book about them, its stuffed with juicy insights, as Daily Mirror puts it..

Rating- 8/10

New books in

2009-11-15T23:32:00.000-08:00

Young Adult fiction novels written by L. J. Smith. The series takes place in a world similar to our own but one where vampires, witches, werewolves and shape-shifters live among humans. And the humans don't know the Night world existed. These supernatural races make up a secret society known as the Night World, which enforces two fundamental laws to prevent discovery: 1) Never allow humans to gain knowledge of the Night World's existence and, 2) Never fall in love with one of them.

I finished reading the first book, which consists of Secret Vampire, Daughter of Darkness and Spellbinder.

Love the book, though it is written for young adults, I am one a very ancient "young adult" is not willing to put the book down.

The Partner

2009-09-05T00:50:00.000-07:00

By John Grishom

Initially, when I read the book, I never thought I would be so hooked on it. But John Grishom's books always are. And the ending was so unpredictable! I love the way he writes and how he can take the readers into his mind and become the character in the book. I felt the pain when the character was being questioned brutally, I felt the sadness when he lost the ones he loved and I felt the pain he felt when he decided some things that changed his life forever.

Its basically about a lawyer, who faked his death and went away with 90 million dollars which his company was trying to embezzle from another. And he was not part of it. Not the fact that he wanted to be part of it. But one thing led to the other, he hated his so called friends in the company, he hated his wife who was sleeping with her long term ex boyfriend, and he hated his life.

He planned everything, and he got away for 4 years. He fell in love and the love if is life helped him with his plan. Another lawyer, who helped him how to "dispose" the money if he was caught, and they have also made profit from the 90 million. And then they caught him. He could pay them off, together with the charges and still had about 30 million left for him and his soul mate.

It's one of those Must reads books. I will not spoil the ending here. But I must add, I have given in 10 out of 10. John Grishom has done it again!

Sons of a Fortune

2009-08-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

By: Jeffrey Archer

I loved the book. I have had the books for a few years and forgot about it. Finally read it when we were refurnishing the house and rearranging the "library".

Basically, 2 brothers (twins) were born a few minutes apart in the local hospital, the same hospital where this rich political couple were about to deliver a baby after a few miscarriages. The doctor could not tell the couple that they baby did not survive.
The twins were separated since then. One grew in a political family, the other with his original parents. The nurse switched the baby then became the nanny for one of the twins. And she kept the secret to her grave. And so did the doctor- who did not have confirmation that it happened, but guessed as much, as he was the one that delivered the other baby that died.

The went to different colleges. They only crossed paths through friends. They never met.

Only after about 35 years later, when one is a successful lawyer, the other an accountant. Who also was a national her as he went served in the Vietnam war.

Though the book is very long, and as the "third person" you can actually hope for them to cross path. Jeffrey Archer made all the tiny details impossible for them not to meet. But they only met after one fateful accident. When the senator (the younger brother) crashed his car, he lost a lot of blood.

I will not say what happened next in this synopsis, that will just kill the ending for those who wants to read the book! :)

Ratings: 10/10- Ive always loved Jeffrey Archer

India

2009-08-02T01:28:00.000-07:00

By: Sanjeev Bhaskar

Dry British Humor, which I love, Sanjeeve, being himself exploring into what we know as "third world". From high rise buildings to slumps. From first class international food to road side food which made him ill and running to the loo.

I never knew India produced so many different kinds of teas. I never knew that most Indians speaks fluent English, with British accent. I also never knew they have the same humor as the British..

This book brings us along with Sanjeev, a tv host in England, who wanted to learn about his roots..His typical British humor makes this book an easy read, too easy that I needed to read another book to keep me going.
It has some insignificant parts which made me turn the pages even faster. But it also thought me many things I didnt know about India.
For those who are adventurous, would probably want to take the next flight to India after reading this book...

Rating: 7/10

Everyone Worth Knowing...

2009-06-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

When I first picked this book up, I wasn't (I meant "couldn't") really concentrate on the book, as I was more interested in baby books. So after 3 chapters, I gave up.
But I picked it up again last week and to my surprise, I couldn't put it down at all. It's what every girl should read!

Twentysomething graduate, Bette Robinson left her high-paying yet excruciatingly boring job at a prestigious investment bank after a particularly condescending exchange with her boss (who sends her daily inspirational e-mails). After a few weeks of sleeping late, watching Dr. Phil and entertaining her dog Millington, Bette's gay uncle scores her a job at an up-and-coming public relations firm, where her entire job seems to revolve around staying out late partying and providing fodder for clandestine gossip columns. Bette then started climbing up the social ladder at the expense of her friends, family, and the one guy who actually seems worth pursuing....things get complicated when all the partying and hooking up with a guy (she later finds out has more then one skeleton in his closet) just to climb up the corporate ladder...her life couldn't be more complicated as "Ellie Insider" a famous Gossip Columnist is out to 'get' her by continuously sprawling her daily updates in the column ...

I'd give the book 9/10...

The Friday Knitting Club

2009-06-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have been away for a while as I was on maternity leave. One would think that we have more time to read when you're on maternity leave. I was very wrong...:) I spent most of my time with my baby, and when baby's asleep, I log on Internet to get some work done. I did manage to finish off (sort of), 1 book though. But I couldn't call it complete reading. I did fast forward a few pages when I thought nothing much happens in the chapter.
Don't get me wrong though. The book was not at all boring. Just I didn't have time to read word for word on every pages.

Whats it about?

Georgia, a single mom to Dakota (12 yrs old), runs a knitting shop, Walker and Daughter in Manhattan with the help of her good friend, Anita, who was slightly much older and richer then her. Anita lost her beloved husband, and was trying to find things to do to keep her occupied. Upon meeting Gerogia, who was heavily pregnant and didn't have a job, she decided to help Georgia out with giving her a loan to help open a knitting shop. Which became successful and famous which draws loyal customers and a few oddballs. Darwin Chiu, a feminist grad student, who believes knitting is downright old-fashioned, but she's drawn to the club when her young marriage is on the rocks. Lucie, 42, a television producer, is about to become a single mother. Alone without a husband, she takes into liking for knitting as it helps her "move on". A book editor KC finds her career has stalled unexpectedly, and Peri, who works at Walker and Daughter by day and designs handbags at night.
Georgia then had an unexpected visitor, two of them, in fact, one, her long lost best friend, who ditched her the minute she got into college which Georgia turned down, and second was Dakota's father, who was hoping for a second chance.
And an unexpected tragedy peaks the moment for the book, which I would not want to reveal to spoil the ending for those who have not read the book.

Ratings: 6/10

New In March 09...

2009-02-28T22:21:00.000-08:00

Sophie Kinsella- Remeber me?

When 28 yr old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she's in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident- in a Mercedes, no less, and she's about to find out just how much things have changed.
Somehow Lexi went from a 25 yr old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek
new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband-who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mid still stuck three yrs in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly, Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?

India- Sanjeev Bhaskar

As a young British Asian growing up in 1960s west London, writer and actor, Sanjeev Bhaskar was fed stories of exotic old India- of cobras and leopards, trapping fireflies and riding rickshaws. But his childhood visits to the old country revealed stifling heat, power cuts and the pervasive aroma of cow dung-baffling to a young boy brought up in an England of fish and chips and light drizzle.
Now, years later, Sanjeev embarks on a uniquely personal journey through the heart of India, where he is reunited with old relatives with traumatic stories of Partition-but also discovers a shiny new India of high-tech industry and glittering Bollywood kitsch. Sanjeev paints a unique picture of this chaotic, beautiful and remarkable country-this is India as you've never seen it before.

Playing for Pizza- John Grisham

Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the AFC Championship game, to the surprise and dismay of virtually everyone, Rick actually got into the game. With a 17-point lead and just minutes to go, Rick provided what was arguably the worst single performance in the history of NFL. Overnight, he became a national laughingstock- and was immediately cut by the Browns and shunned by all other teams.
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent finds a team that needs him. Against enormous odds, Rick finally gets a job- as the starting quarterback for the Mighty Partners...of Parma, Italy. The Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL Player, any former NFL Player-at their helm. And now, they've got Rick, who knows nothing about Parma (not even where it is) and doesn't speak a word a word of Italian. To say that Italy-the land of fine wines, extremely small cars, and football Americano-holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery wold be something of an understatement.

The Golden Cup- Belva Plain

In this magnificent return to the world of Evergreen, Henrietta Roth, an extraordinary women, fights to control her destiny, and three turbulent generations come vividly to life against a background of immigrant struggle, war and passion.

Message in a Bottle- Nicholas Sparks

Divorced and disillusioned about relationships, Theresa Osborne is jogging when she finds a bottle on the beach. Inside, is a letter of love and longing to "Catherine" signed simply "Garrett". Challanged by the mystery and pulled by emotions she doesn't fully understand, Theresa begins a search for this man that will change her life. What happens to her is unexpected, perhaps miraculous-and encounter that embraces all our hopes for finding someone special, for having a love that is timeless and everlasting.

The Friday Night Knitting Club- Kate Jacobs

It starts almost by accidents, the women who buy their knitting needles and wools from Gerogia's store linger for advice, for a coffee, for a chat and before they know it, every Friday night is knitting night. And as the needles clack, and the garments grow, the conversation moves on from patterns and yarn to life, love and everything. These women are of different problems, but they are drawn together by threads of affection that prove as durable as the sweaters they knit.

Sunday's at Tiffany's- James Patterson

Jane Margaux is a lonely little girl. Her mother, a powerful Broadway producer, makes time for her only once a week, for their Sunday trip to admire jewelry at Tiffany's. Jane has only one friend, a handsome comforting funny man name Micheal. He's perfect. But only she can see him. Micheal can't stay forever, thought. On Jane's ninth birthday he leaves, promising her that she'll soon forget him.
Years later, in her thirties, Jane is just as alone as she was as a child. And despite her own success as a playwright, she is even more trapped by her overbearing mother. Then she meets someone- a handsome, comforting,funny man. He's perfect. His name is Micheal.

Vanishing Acts- Jodi Piccoult

Delia Hopkins has led a charmed life. Raised in rural New Hampshire by her widowed father Andrew, she now has a young daughter, a handsome fiance', and a job she loves, finding missing persons.
But as Delia plans her wedding, she is plagues by flashbacks of life she can't recall. And then a policeman knocks at her door, and her world fractures into something unrecognisable...

Note: Synopsis are from book covers. My review will come after Ive read the books :)

My Name Is Salma...

2009-02-28T16:50:00.000-08:00

Author: Fadia Faqir

Its about an Arab women who got pregnant before marriage. To restore their honour, the villagers set out to kill her. A runaway from her tribe, her days playing the pipe for her goats and swimming in the spring are over. She is placed in prison for her own protection, and upon delivering, her newborn baby was taken away.

Few years later, she moves to England to seek asylum. She began her new life in the middle of the most English of English towns, Exeter, where she learns good manners from her ancient landlady, and strives to have a social life at the local pub. But it is with the help of Parvin, a feisty Pakistani girl on the run from an arranged marriage, that Salma is finally able to forge a new identity.

Still, deep inside her, she still hears the echos of her baby girl. When she can no longer bear them, she decides to go back to her village to find her. It is a journey that will change everything - and nothing.

It left me with a long sigh after reading this book.

Ratings: 6/10

Slumdog Millionare

2009-02-03T01:02:00.001-08:00

Previously Published as "Q&A".

It took me 3 days to complete this book. It would have in fact taken me a day to finish it, but due to some other circumstances, it took me longer then it should have.
I did not want to put the book down. As soon as I started reading it, i was hooked. The writer (who is a professor) managed to bring me "meet the character". He is tiffin boy, who managed to win 1 billion rupees by answering 12 questions in a game show. (If you have seen who wants to be a millionaire, you will not have problems understanding this book). But he was brutally taken to prison with the reason that he cheated at the game show. With the video of the game show, he carefully explained how he knew the answers to each of the questions based on the eventful life experiences.

Its a straightforward read, with many teeth gripping life events. Also, after reading this book, it takes my believe in Karma to a whole different level.

I'd rate this book 10 out of 10. Its no wonder the movie won so many awards...

: Watched the movie. The book is MUCH better...

New in Feb....

2009-02-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

*The Harmony Silk Factory*

The Harmony Silk Factory tells the story of Johnny Lim, a Chinese-Malaysian man during and after World War II. Tash Aw's novel is in three parts, with each section telling a different perspective on Johnny's life. The first section is told by his son, Jasper, who searches for the story of his father's life to find out how he became such a despicable man. He finds that his father worked in a British-run tin mine in Malaya, chafing at his poor treatment by his racist masters. The murder of one of his bosses allows him a career change to become a brilliant salesman at the Tiger Brand Trading Company. When Tiger Tan's mysterious death puts Johnny in charge of the company, he marries the most beautiful woman in the valley, Snow Soong. The second section of the book is Snow's diary of a belated honeymoon trip, accompanied by a Japanese professor, Mamoru Kunichika, and a British aesthete, Peter Wormwood. The third section is Peter's remembrance of the same trip, and his fond memories of both Johnny and Snow. The Harmony Silk Factory explores the life of a man as told from three different sources, all with their own memories and limitations. Tash Aw's debut novel has received mostly positive reviews with the London Times saying, "From the clunky unreliability of Jasper, through the pellucid prose of Snow's journal to the intelligent, slightly camp, aesthetic eloquence of Wormwood, Aw orchestrates a graceful ballet of dissonances and congruences, of echoes and discords."

* "Slumdog Millionare"
-Previously published as Q&A *

A former tiffinboy from Mumbai, Ram Mohammad Thomas, has just got 12 questions correct on a TV Quiz Show to win cool one billion rupees. But he is brutally slung in a prison cell on suspicion on cheating. Because how can a kid from the slums know who Shakespear was unless he has been pulling a fast one?

In the order of the questions of the show, Ram tells us which amazing adventures in his street-kid life thought him the answers. From orphanages to brothels, gangsters to beggar-masters, and into the homes of Bollywood's rich and famous, this book is brimming with the chaotic comedy, heart stopping tragedy, and tear-inducing joyfullness of modern India.

*Girl with the Dragon Tattoo*

A classic odd-couple duo: a crusading financial journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, and a freelance private investigator, Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist bears a more-than-passing resemblance to Larsson himself, whose work exposing racism and fascism made him particularly unpopular with his country's far right.

Blomkvist is at a low ebb when an ageing businessman, Henrik Vanger, offers him a diversion. He wants him to spend a year writing the Vanger family history, while secretly investigating a cold case close to his heart: the disappearance of his 16-year-old grandniece, Harriet, over 30 years ago.

Blomkvist agrees, and decamps to the small island, three hours north of Stockholm, where Vanger lives, along with a handful of surviving family-members. These include Harald, a half-mad Nazi-sympathiser, Cecilia, his daughter, and Martin, Harriet's brother and currently CEO of the family business.

The case has intriguing aspects. On the day of the girl's disappearance in 1966, the bridge to the mainland was blocked by a traffic accident, and Hedeby Island itself was chock-a-block with Vangers present for a family dinner. It is, in Blomkvist's words, a "locked-room mystery in island format".

It's a fair analogy. The book feels closer to Agatha Christie than Henning Mankell, more concerned with the idea of detection as an intellectual exercise, like a crossword puzzle of human emotions, than a murky procedure compromised by the buffets and trials of real life. Nor is it a breakneck page-turner. It takes Blomkvist almost half the book to make any kind of breakthrough, when he spots something odd in a photograph of Harriet taken on the morning of her vanishing, and a series of coded numbers are revealed to him as that old serial killer standby, references to biblical chapter and verse.

Salander joins forces with Blomkvist for the novel's second half, a 24-year-old anorexic and bisexual loner with multiple piercings and tattoos, a history of mental illness, a photographic memory and some useful – and never explained – computer hacking skills.

She is at once a vision of female empowerment – a kind of goth-geek Pippi Longstocking – and an echoing agglomeration of clichés, not least in the scenes where she is viciously sexually assaulted by her mental health worker and proceeds to take her revenge. Her understandably pitiless view of men ties in with the grisly secrets that the duo's investigations unearth in the Vangers' past and present, and informs the later books, which deal with sex trafficking and government corruption.

*Keeping Faith*

In the small town of New Canaan, N.H., 33-year-old Mariah discovers that her husband, Colin, is having an affair. Years ago, his cheating drove Mariah to attempt suicide and Colin had her briefly committed to an institution. Now Mariah's facing divorce and again fighting depression, when her eight-year-old daughter, Faith, suddenly acquires an imaginary friend. Soon this friend is telling the girl how to bring her grandmother back from the dead and how to cure a baby dying of AIDS. As Faith manifests stigmata, doctors are astounded, and religious controversy ensues, in part because Faith insists that God is a woman. An alarmed Colin sues for custody of Faith, and the fear of losing her daughter dramatically changes meek, diffident Mariah into a strong, protective and brave womanAone who fights for her daughter, holds her own against doctors and lawyers and finds the confidence to pursue a surprising new romance with TV atheist Ian Fletcher, cynical "Spokesman of the Millennium Generation."

Reviews are from internet and book covers. My review will be in separate posts after Ive finished reading the books. :)

Innocence...by Kathleen Tessaro

2009-01-25T06:31:00.000-08:00

Writer: Kathleen Tessaro
Ratings: 10/10

My favourite book this year! Took me only a couple of days to finish reading it despite the heavy work load and being 7 months pregnant. :)
The writer managed to bring me into character, Evie Garlick a 30 something American girl, lives in London, being haunted by her dead best friend. But its not one typical ghost/paranormal stories which you've come across, its more about live, how the haunting made her realise what she has become and how her best friend has helped her getting through hectic London lifestyle.
Being somewhat a failed student actress due to a huge love for a man type decision she made in her 20's which affected her career, she then ends up being an acting teacher, stuck in her own world.
But not all the decision she made in her 20's was bad ones, she does however has the best thing that ever happened to her, Alex, her son.

Book cover synopsis:

It's 1986 and eighteen-year-old Evie dreams of being an actress. Leaving her hometown of Eden, Ohio, for the first time, she's heading to London to study drama. Together with fellow students Imogene (a born-again Laura Ashley poster child and frustrated virgin) and Robbie (a native New Yorker, budding bohemian, and very much not a virgin), Evie's flung into a thrilling new world -- a world illuminated by the glamorous, outrageous Robbie. Together, any thing's possible.

But then life, and love, intervene.

And everything changes.

Fifteen years later, Evie's a single mother teaching drama to night students and living with the eccentric Bunny in her house of artistic renters. Robbie's gone now, killed in a car accident. And Evie's doing her best to forget the past, as well as the dreams they once both shared.

Then an old friendship comes back to haunt Evie.

Literally.

And suddenly everything is about to change again.

New in this month...

2009-01-11T05:17:00.000-08:00

I got a few new books in this month....

Micheal Crighton - State of Fear

In Paris, a young physicist performs an oceanographic experiment-then dies mysteriously after a romantic tryst with a beautiful stranger.
In the Jungles of Malaysia-powerful hypersonic cavitation technology capable of toppling mountains with sound is purchased by private interest for an unspecified purpose.
In Vancouver- a businessman leases a small research submarine for use in the waters off New Guinea
In Tokyo, in Los Angeles, in Antartica, in The Solomon Islands...an intelligence agents races to put all the pieces together to prevent a global catastrophe
*Ive not read this but from the synopsis, it sounds thrilling!*

Stephen King- Thinner

"Thinner"-the old gipsy man barely whispered the word. Billy felt the touch of a withered hand, gentle on his cheek.

Billy Halleck, prosperous if overweight citizen, happily married, shuddered, then turned angrily away. The old woman's death had been none of his fault. The court had cleared him. She'd just stumbled in front of his car. Now he simply wanted to forget the whole messy business.
Later, when the scales told him he was loosin weight, it was what the doctor has ordered. His wife was pleased- as she should have been...But... "Thinner"- the word, the old man's curse, had lodge in his mind like a fattening worm, eating his flesh, at his reason. And with his despair, came violence.

*I read this a while back, whilst in University. It was a hardcover Christmas gift from a friend. I somehow lost the book, and found a second hand copy for sale last week. Its definitely worth to be read for the 2nd time*

J.K Rowling-The tales of Beedle the Bard

A wizarding classic, first came to Muggle reader's attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermoine Granger's new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes and illustrations by J.K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly imaginative tales.
*An interesting read especially for bedtime stories...Those who loved Harry Potter would love this book*

Agatha Christie- The Unexpected Guest

When a stranger runs his car into a ditch in dense fog in South Wales and makes his way to an isolated house, he discover a women standing over the dead body of her wheelchair-bound husband, a gun in her hand. She admits to murder, and the unexpected guest offers to help her concoct a cover story.

But is it possible that Laura Warwick did not commit the murder after all? And if so, who is she shielding?

*I was an Agatha Christie's fan when in school, and when I saw this book in a 2nd hand store going for real cheap, I had to purchase to re read it. Obviously being a "mature" reader, the storyline was quite straight forward. But nevertheless, it is a good book for a short flight for those who loves Agatha Christie..*

Janet Tamaro- Breastfeeding Basics

*no need explanation for this one* :)

Kathleen Tessaro- Innocence

It's a long way from Eden, Ohio to London. 18 yr old Evie leaves her hometown for the first time to come to England to follow her dream of being an actress. With fellow students Imogene and Robbie, she studies drama- and life. Her friendship with the Bohemian, outrages Robbie illuminates her new world. Together, anything is possible. But then life, and love-in the shape of struggling rock musician Jake Albery- intervene, and everything changes.

15 years later, Evie is a single mother, teaching drama and living with eccentric Bunny in her house of artistic lodgers. Robbie's gone. And Evie is trying to forget the past and dreams they once shared.

Then an old friendship comes to haunt her- literally. And suddenly everything is possible again....

*Sounds abit like my story when I first went to England, character even shares the same name! :) Not read this book yet, but sounds promising...*

Kathleen Tessaro- The Flirt

Sexy, independent Leticia Vane runs her own bespoke lingerie shop and knows just how to make a women feel beautiful. But love is strictly off limits for Leticia. She doesnt even believe it exist.

Socialite Olivia Bourgaly du Coudray has an exquisite house in Chester Square and everything money can buy, except a happy marriage.

Luckily, handsome young Hughie Venables-Smythe is discovering a secret new profession-the timeless art of the flirt. It can save a marriage or lift a heart faster then any therapy.

Only Hughie is something of a wild card. And when provocative anonymous notes are delivered to both Olivia and Leticia, events take a delicious turn. Who is flirting with whom? And is flirtation innocent- or can it lead to more dangerous territories of the heart?

*can't wait to read this one!*

Lauren Weisberger- Everyone worth Knowing

Soon after Bette Robinson quits her horrendous Manhattan banking job like the impulsive girl she's never been, the novelty of walking her 4 pound dog around the unglamourous Murray Hill neighbourhood wears as thin as the "What are you going to do with your life?" phone calls from her parents. Then Bette meets Kelly, head of Manhattan's hottest PR firm, and suddenly she has a brand-new job where the primary requirement is to see and be seen inside the VIP rooms of the city's most exclusive nightclubs. But when Bette begins appearing in a vicious new gossip column, she realizes that the line between her personal life and her professional life is...invisible.

*Also, can't wait to read this one!*

Death of a Dream

2009-01-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

Death of a Dream, a true Crime account from behind the scenes by: Paul Larosa and Ein Moriarty

True crime drama about a dream of a Broadway dancer turned into a nightmare. She was found murdered in her apartment. 2 suspects came into custody, an innocent looking yoga instructor who was her current boyfriend, and a dodgy looking housemate who was her ex-boyfriend.

The book was not as gruesome as you may think, the thorough investigation done by the police took me into my own CSI lab.

I enjoyed the book, the writer managed to bring me into the murder, the life of a dancer and the lives of her partners, family and friends.

Ratings: 7/10

I would recommend those CSI lovers to read this book along with any other more "in depth" books which may sometimes bring you straight to sleep. :)read more on Death of a Dream here

An Offer you cant refuse, by Jill Mansell

2008-12-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

Rating: 8/10

I truly enjoyed this book. The author managed to transport me into the life of Lola, who was paid 1000 pounds to leave her then bf, Dougie as his fna fna (or ra-ra or whatever you wanna call extremely rich and stuck up) mother did not like Lola as she was not going to University, and working in a chippy. Lola is appalled by this and refuses point blank - until she discovers a terrible secret and she has no choice but to take the money and finish with Dougie. She even managed to barter with her and got 12000 pounds.

Then, 3 years later, upon coming back to England, a twist of fate bringing Dougie and Lola back together, with Lola still loving him as much as ever, but Dougie discovers she was paid to break his heart.

She is then determine to make him forgive her and take her back. (Some annoying parts about her here). But nevertheless, I love the fact that I wanted to turn the pages even if it meant missing an hour of sleep. ;)

Seriously recommend this book! Its brilliant!

Nobody's Baby but Mine...

2008-11-30T17:41:00.001-08:00

Title: Nobody's Baby But Mine
Author: Susan E Phillips

Book was quite predictable. Even from the start. But it got me going, the genius physics professor Dr. Jane Darlington who desperately wants a baby, but without the commitment of a father, and that won't be easy. Jane's super-intelligence made her feel like a freak when she was growing up, and she's determined to spare her own child that suffering. Which means she must find someone very special to father her child. Someone...well... stupid.

She planned with her neighbour, to bed Cal Bonner, the Chicago Stars' legendary quarterback, who seemed to be the perfect choice. But looks and attitude towards life can be deceiving. A little too late, she then learns that the good ol'boy is a lot smarter than he lets on, and he's not about to be used and abandoned by a brainy baby-mad schemer.

The plot thickens... But predictably funny. I enjoyed the book, I would rate it 6/10.

MPH Discounts!!

2008-11-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

Got sent this link this morning, from MPH and ACMA MALL: -

MPH Discounts

ACMA MALL

Though Im not sure if I will be purchasing any books anytime soon, as I havent read 5 of the books I bought a few months back...

P.D James- A Certain Justice

2008-11-11T18:24:00.000-08:00

P.D. James – A Certain Justice

The theme of this story is the past. Try as you might, it’s always there. Like your shadow, there are times when you can lose sight of it. But trailing along, it always is. Hercule Poirot (I think) said we can always allow for one coincidence but only one. In this case, there are 2. This however, is an acceptable mistake for a brilliantly written story. In my opinion, one of her best. Warning: Parents may be disturbed by this story. Proceed with caution.

By- Rina

The Ex-Files by Jane Moore

2008-10-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

A real comedy set in the current situation in England. Man (Mark) marrying a women (Fay) he loves, she is a talented beautiful model, he a successful chef with an accounting degree. Both husband and wife to be decided to invite their exes to the castle wedding, one of the exes is still very much in love with the man.

The wedding day scenario "Take a bride and groom, several relatives, four 'exes', mix with alcohol, and stand well back. Boom." Add in wickedly funny asides from a gay best friend and "explosive" doesn't even begin to cover it. So it's hardly a surprise that high-flying, high-maintenance model Fay Parker's dream of her big day doesn't quite go according to plan.

Fay is indulging in a little pre-wedding infidelity: "She fumbled with his shirt buttons," and 10 seconds later regretted it: "what exactly was she doing?" So the gorgeous stranger with the intriguing X-factor is sent packing. But be assured we haven't seen the last of him, he turns up at the wedding weekend in a very compromising position.

Mark's "exes" are Jenna, a sweetheart from school, and "feisty, opinionated" Kate. Mark and Kate lived happily together until the stress of Mark's job (as a chef) got in the way. He moved out "wondering if he'd done the right thing". But then he met beautiful, perfect Fay and fell head-over-heels in love. Or, at least he thinks he has. Needless to say Fay and Mark have unresolved issues, especially when the identity of Fay's handsome X-factor stranger is revealed. Cue tears, tantrums and some much-needed emotional honesty, before all is resolved. But who marries whom? Now that would be telling.

Twelve Red Herrings by Jeffrey Archer

2008-09-08T21:22:00.001-07:00

12 Amazing gripping stories by Jeffrey Archer. I first read the book whilst on a girlie holiday in Thailand (I was waiting for my turn to have a spa massage). I stopped halfway, and didn't want to not know the ending of the first story! So I had to purchase the book when I got home.

Many of the 12 stories here, all of which feature false clues and twist endings, are based on "known" incidents.

"Trial and Error,"- an original but attenuated tale of a wronged man's thirst for revenge, kicks in only with its predictably wry twist.

"Chunnel Vision" offers a classic red herring by which Archer uses a jilted woman's revenge on her lover to divert our attention from the real threat to the lover's happiness.

"Never Stop on the Motorway"- a chilling story, plays on our expectations about an endangered woman's plight.

An original but flaccid is the last story, which features four rather obvious alternative endings that the reader can tack onto an opening gambit about a man picking up a woman at the theater.

Ratings- 10/10

Stoning of Soraya M

2008-09-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

by: Freidoune Sahebjam

A chilling, true story of an innocent woman stoned to death for adultery in Iran.

It took me 1 day to finish this book. It was traumatising, yet, I had to finish the book to see what happens to the men she trusted. In the end, I wish the ending had a happy fairytale ending, unfortunately, it as this is one true story, happy ending was not the case. The worse is not the husband stoning her, her 2 sons also aimed her head and cheered while stoning(!!!)

Synopsis:

Soraya M.'s husband, Ghorban-Ali, couldn't afford to marry another woman. Rather than returning Soraya's dowry, as custom required before taking a second wife, he plotted with four friends and a counterfeit mullah to dispose of her. Together, they accused Soraya of adultery. Her only crime was cooking for a friend's widowed husband. Exhausted by a lifetime of abuse and hardship, Soraya said nothing, and the makeshift tribunal took her silence as a confession of guilt. They sentenced her to death by stoning: a punishment prohibited by Islam but widely practiced. Day by day--sometimes minute by minute--Sahebjam deftly recounts these horrendous events, tracing Soraya's life with searing immediacy, from her arranged marriage and the births of her children to her husband's increasing cruelty and her horrifying execution, where, by tradition, her father, husband, and sons hurled the first stones.

Ratings: 10/10

The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir

2008-08-15T01:47:00.000-07:00

As written by Rina

The story of the death, in sinister circumstances, of the boy-king Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, is one of the most fascinating murder mysteries in English history. It is a tale with profound moral and social consequences, rich in drama, intrigue, treason, scandal and violence.

Children of England: The Three Heirs of King Henry VIII by Alison Weir

2008-08-15T01:43:00.001-07:00

As written by Rina...

"God deliver us from the Physicians", exclaimed William Cecil after hearing how they treated the dying teenage King Edward VI. Edward was not the only one of Henry VIII's heirs who suffered at the hands of their carers. Mary and Elizabeth, his sisters, and Lady Jane Grey, his cousin, all had such wretched childhoods taht Cecil could have said with equal justice "God deliver us from the Parents, Step-parents and Lord Protectors" ... Weir provides immense satisfaction. She writes in a pacy, vivid style, engaging the heart as well as the mind. This, her fourth book on the Tudors, affirms her pre-eminence in the field.

The Mammoth Book of Great Detective Stories by Herbert Van Thal

2008-08-15T01:42:00.000-07:00

As written by Rina...

This huge and unique volume contains four anthologies by Herbert Van Thal featuring 35 of the best detective stories ever told. The stories range in style and setting from the mean streets of Raymond Chandler's New York to the classic English whodunnit by Agatha Christie and offer an unmissable treat for detective fans.

The War of the Roses by Desmond Seward

2008-08-15T01:39:00.000-07:00

As written by Rina...

During the amazing fifteenth-century bloodbath of the Wars of the Roses, three kings, a Prince of Wales, and eight royal, or semi-royal, dukes died in battle, bu murder or sudden death, together with a third of the peerage and countless gentry. At no other time did the English ruling class face ruin and destruction on such a murderous scale. A government spokesman told the House of Commons in 1475 the Duke of Buckingham, soon to be beheaded, claimed that war was never 'in none earthly nation so deadly and so pestilent as when it happeneth among us ... nor so cruel and so deadly foughten'.

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

2008-08-15T01:29:00.000-07:00

I was hoping a more gripping novel, coming from Jodi Picoult. After reading Salem Falls and 19 Minutes, I was imagining the couple in Harvesting the Heart in a court room fighting for who is right and who is wrong. I even imagined the baby dying in the hands of the father when the mom "left them to find herself".

But, its deeper then that. Its purely a book for self search people. Those who wants to find the true meaning of love, family, husband, wife, son.

I did enjoy the book, but not towards the end, unfortunately. Maybe, Im still the girl who loves court room drama.

Maybe my next book will be better... :)

Ratings: 5/10

The cupid effect

2008-06-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

By: Dorothy Komsoon

It wasnt my cup of tea, unfortunately. I got totally lost as I wasnt sure where the book was going. Maybe I wasnt concentrating hard enough. But after reading My Best Friend's Girl by the same writer, I wasnt expecting a book which requires my full on concentration. I was expecting more of an easy read, straight to the point effect.

But Im sure tonnes would disagree with me. My colleague highly recommends this book. So, please ignore my rants if you're totally into this one.

what was this book really about?

*Internet sources said...*

There’s something magical about Ceri D’Altroy . . .

After leaving London to follow her heart's desire to become a psychology lecturer, Ceri D'Altroy vows to leave her matchmaking ways behind her for good. Unfortunately, all she seems to do is inspire the new people she meets to change their lives.

There’s Ed, who’s decided to declare his love to a woman who is way out of his league; Mel and Claudine, two long-term friends who are now tempted to start an illicit affair; and Gwen, the chain-smoking head of department who has a deep, dark secret she only wants to share with her new employee.

No-one who comes into contact with Ceri is ever the same again. Could this unsuspecting young woman be modern-day Cupid?

A delicious comedy about love, life and following your heart

Ratings: erm...for me it would be 3/10. Sorry!!!! But Im sure my colleague would have given it 10/10...

Defrosting Charlotte Small

2008-06-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

Author: Annabel Giles
Ratings: 5/10

I didn't quite fancy this book, to be honest. I was "introduced" to it by an old friend a couple of years back, and she told me that she will let me read her copy once she finished with it. But, we didn't quite get on after 6 months of being friends, and obviously she didn't want me to read her copy. (hahaha) So I bought a copy in a book fair, it was selling for cheap!

Whats it about? Yes, sorry about the long "history" about the book, but here's a short synopsis....

Its about a single mother, (Charlotte Small) and her life is falling apart...After flattening a friend's dog, carelessly losing not one job but three, and waving her daughter off to spend Christmas overseas, Charlotte hits the wall. Years of suppressed heartbreak and disappointment overwhelm her and the fine thread of sanity finally snaps. Consequently, having thrown the entire contents of her house onto the street, she's found by the police, (YUP!! she did it) and lying on her back under a Christmas tree with an empty bottle of Port and a half-eaten lump of Stilton. Charlotte needs to claw her way back from the brink and start again. But can she build a bigger, brighter, and better existence this time around?

She tries, and she tried hard. And she managed to turn a new leaf. But the author left us to decide if she succeeded, or will she fall again...

I took slightly longer to finish reading the book, so, for those who is expecting this book to be an "easy read", think again. Charlotte can actually "stress you out" a bit if your're one who gets into character when reading... *wink*

Bad Influence by William Sutcliffe

2008-05-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

I totally love British Writers. They are absolutely funny. This book is brilliant! Such an easy read. Its about Ben and Olly, who are best friends, and it's Ben who tells the story of what happened that autumn, starting right at the end of the summer holidays: how Carl moved into the street and everything changed forever.

I would say Carl is a total Physco, but being at the age where everything bad is a cool thing to do and being in a group led by a total baddy is deemed as honorable, Ben and Olly does nothing except tries to "fit in"....

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

2008-05-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

Author: Sophie Kinsella

I enjoyed reading this. Its one of the "easy reads" I reckoned. But, the ending is quite predictable, nevertheless, its one of the books you just have to read. The plot is slightly different from any of the other authors books, though similar character. Rich, pretty women with not so perfect life.

Author managed to bring me into character. I was imagining myself as Lexi, who was from one of the rough side in London, waking up in a hospital, with the most expensive handbag, top of the range hand phone and a husband. She remembers falling over knocking her head, in 2004, but she woke up in a hospital, after a car crash, and it was in fact, 2007.

So waking up and loosing 3 years of your life due to amnesia can be frustrating. There was more to it as well. Not only she has a Greek Goddess of a husband, she also found out she had an affair with Jon.

Read it and find out what happens...:) I will not ruin the book for you...

Ratings: 6/10

My Sister's Keeper, By Jodi Piccoult

2008-05-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

It took me a little more then a week to complete the book, not because it wasn't interesting, but because I had tonnes of work to complete, my reading time was only in traffic jam and just before bed (which is only for about 10 mins before my eyes auto shuts -due to workload).
Jodi managed to bring all the emotions out in me. I was angry, sad, loving and hatred towards Anna's mother all at the same time (!)reading this book. But I understood why a mother would do such thing. Maybe when Im a mother, I will understand it even more...

Here's a short synopsis I found on the Internet...

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?

After reading this book, I wonder, if I was Kate, would I want my sister to go through what Anna went through? And if I was Anna, will I be strong enough to help a dying sister? And if I was a mum, would I do the same as what their mom did to help one dying child and risking of loosing another one of my children?

What would YOU do?

Ratings: 8/10

The First Time By Joy Fielding

2008-04-27T22:59:00.000-07:00

I read this book twice. Not because it's such a brilliant book, but because I forgot I read it. Reading it again, I also realised that it is one of the books which you wouldn't mind reading it again. Its not brilliant, inf act, it's excellent!

The plot:

Mattie Harte who is only 36 yrs old, discovered that her husband of sixteen years is cheating on her, again... and this time Jake decides to move out to be with his girlfriend, Honey (that's her name, I guess pun was intended by the writer). When Mattie discovers that she has Lou Gehrig's disease, Jake decides to move back home to help out until she dies. Doctor's have told her she has 6months to 1 year to live.
Mattie tried to move on without Jake, she even had an affair with someone who truly liked her, but she couldn't imagine dying alone in the end. So, Mattie and Jake made an arrangement: he will pretend to love her until she dies.

But Jake comes to find that he does, and he doesn't know how to deal with it. Their daughter (and the reason they got married) deals outwardly with her mother's illness, but begins looking for trouble, underage sex, suffering from a slight case of anorexia which causes more stress in the family.

The plot thickens when Mattie made her mother (whom she never got on with) promise to do the necessary when it was time.

I give this book 8/10.

The best part of the book for me was:

1) when Mattie and Jake went on a trip to Paris, Honey was also staying at the same hotel

and

2) when Mattie's mom could not keep her promise

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

2008-03-06T06:40:00.000-08:00

I finished reading this book in one week. (This is quite quick for me, since I was on a business trip and trying hard to concentrate on work back home and the work that was accumulating during my trip). I enjoyed it very very much.

Its about how both parents handle the fact that their child was sexually abused. (Yes, it's kinda morbid to think about it), but the writer have managed to get you into the book, imagining yourself else either the mother or the father of the 5 yr old.
The mother is an attorney, so it made it worse. She knew the "rules" and she knew how to get the perpetrator to be convicted. And she did. But then, on the first day of the court case, she killed him. In court, in front of her husband and her best friend, who happens to be a police officer.
The story then took a swift turn to the fact that SHE is no longer the victim, but the person whom she thought was the one who molested her child.
And she was wrong. She later found out that she has killed the wrong person.

Want to know the rest? I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 10/10!!!

False Impression

2008-02-09T19:14:00.001-08:00

Author: Jeffrey Archer

"The tale unfolds in New York, where Anna Petrescu is missing, presumed dead, after 9/11. She uses her new status to escape from America, only to be pursued across the world from Toronto to London, to Hong Kong, Tokyo and Bucharest as she tries to find answers to the following questions:

Why was an aristocratic old lady brutally murdered in her English country home the night before 9/11?

Why was a successful New York banker not surprised to receive a woman's left ear in the morning post?

Why did a top Manhattan lawyer only work for one client, but never charge a fee?

Why was an Olympic gymnast paid a million dollars an assignment, when she didn't have a bank account?

Why was an Honours graduate working as a temporary secretary after inheriting a fortune?

Why was an English Countess ready to kill the banker, the lawyer, and the gymnast, even if it meant spending the rest of her life in jail?

Why was a Japanese steel magnate happy to hand over $50,000,000 to a woman he had only met once?

Why was a senior FBI agent trying to work out what the connection was between these eight apparently innocent individuals?

It will take all the resources of the FBI and Interpol to work out the connection between this seemingly disparate cast of characters. The one thing they all have in common is Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear. Full of twists and turns and heart-stopping intrigue, False Impression is guaranteed to pull you into its cleverly constructed web and not let you go until the final page"

Synopsis from Jeffrey Archer's Website.

The book was an easy read, it didnt take long for me to complete it, I never wanted to put it down. Literally read it in the loo, in traffic jam and during my lunch breaks.

Ratings: 8/10

Plain Truth- Jodi Picoult

2008-01-11T05:55:00.000-08:00

Plain Truth is a fascinating portrait of Amish life rarely witnessed by those outside the faith. A young Amish teen hides a pregnancy, gives birth in secret, and then flatly denies it all when the baby's body is found, urban defense attorney Ellie Hathaway decides to defend her. But she finds herself caught in a clash of cultures with a people whose channels of justice are markedly different from her own… and discovers a place where circumstances are not always what they seem.

Ratings: 6/10

Nineteen Minutes- Jodi Picoult

2008-01-11T05:51:00.001-08:00

In Sterling, New Hampshire, 17-year-old high school student Peter Houghton has endured years of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of classmates. His best friend, Josie Cormier, succumbed to peer pressure and now hangs out with the popular crowd that often instigates the harassment. One final incident of bullying sends Peter over the edge and leads him to commit an act of violence that forever changes the lives of Sterling’s residents.

Even those who were not inside the school that morning find their lives in an upheaval, including Alex Cormier. The superior court judge assigned to the Houghton case, Alex—whose daughter, Josie, witnessed the events that unfolded—must decide whether or not to step down. She’s torn between presiding over the biggest case of her career and knowing that doing so will cause an even wider chasm in her relationship with her emotionally fragile daughter. Josie, meanwhile, claims she can’t remember what happened in the last fatal minutes of Peter’s rampage. Or can she? And Peter’s parents, Lacy and Lewis Houghton, ceaselessly examine the past to see what they might have said or done to compel their son to such extremes. Nineteen Minutes also features the return of two of Jodi Picoult’s characters—defense attorney Jordan McAfee from The Pact and Salem Falls, and Patrick DuCharme, the intrepid detective introduced in Perfect Match.

Rich with psychological and social insight, Nineteen Minutes is a riveting, poignant, and thought-provoking novel that has at its center a haunting question.

Ratings: 10/10

Testing Kate

2007-12-09T00:53:00.000-08:00

By: Whitney Gaskel
Ratings: 8/10

Writer takes us to University days (or in the States, they call it college), whereby Kate meets 5 friends in her law class. Lexi- beautiful and flirtatious, Jen- married and settled (or so it seems), Dana- youngest, smartest, quietest and the first to tremble after final results from first year was out, Addison- cute and crazy and finally, Nick- gorgeous, goes for anything walking and in skirts. He is also her neighbour, who suddenly finds himself attracted to her. Problem is, Kate has a fiance'. Who is secured, stable, handsome, and a doctor.

Kate has other problem. One of her professor is out to fail her. Simply because she was late and was not prepared for his first class...

This "college" story reminds me a whole lot about my university days. Who is dating whom, who is married, who is shagging whom and who likes to flash their bits off when their drunk.

Its not funny "har har" type, but its smooth flowing, easy read and some part of it puts a smile to my face as writer managed to take me back to my university days effortlessly.

Queen Of Babble

2007-11-18T05:28:00.000-08:00

By: Meg Cabot

Fresh out of the Univ. of Michigan with a B.A. in history of fashion, Lizzie Nichols sets off across the pond to spend the summer with British boyfriend Andrew, whom she barely knows. When Lizzie learns that Andrew isn't the man she imagined, she changes direction and heads for France, where her best friend Shari is working at Château Mirac in the Dordogne wine country. En route, she meets Jean-Luc de Villiers, a French-American hottie whose father owns the château, and who would be so easy to fall in love with if he weren't already taken. Lizzie discovers sixteenth-century wineries, kir royals and vintage Givenchy dresses stored in the attic, while matching wits with Jean-Luc's ambitious girlfriend. Although blunt dialogue about oral sex adds a titillating edge, the book is sweet to the core.

From publishers

Ratings: 5/5

Memoirs are made of this

2007-11-18T05:16:00.000-08:00

By: Swan Adamson

Very similar to "Devil Wears Prada". The writer is typical wicked and very hilarious novel brought me to the world of journalism, badly behaved girl who is funny and sometimes heroic. :)

She not only did fantastical work for her Sex column writer boss, she even made a name for herself by keeping the biggest secrets in journalism and revealing it at the most perfect timing.

But it took me too long to finish it, therefore this is one book I read while waiting for my doctor's appointment.

Ratings: 3/5

PD James – Unnatural Causes

2007-10-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

A particularly gruesome murder starts a chain of events that leads to every character being brought under the spotlight in brutal detail. P. D. James dispassionately takes each character apart to show us their darkest thoughts and what drives them. She strikes a balance by making the characters full to the brim with emotions, desires and thoughts. She keeps us guessing at every turn as to the ‘who’. I dare anyone to state that they knew the ‘how’ before the author reveals it in her book. 

Salem Falls- Jodi Picoult

2007-09-24T00:35:00.000-07:00

Jack St. Bride was once a beloved teacher and soccer coach at a girls' prep school - until a student's crush sparked a powder keg of accusation and robbed him of his career and reputation. Now, after a devastatingly public ordeal that left him with an eight-month jail sentence and no job, Jack resolves to pick up the pieces of his life. He takes a job washing dishes at Addie Peabody's diner and slowly starts to form a relationship with her in the quiet New England village of Salem Falls. But just when Jack thinks he has outrun his past, a quartet of teenage girls with a secret turn his world upside down once again, triggering a modern-day witch hunt in a town haunted by its own history…

There's Karma, love, life, what-if's in this book, which made me want to buy all Jodi Picoult books.

There's a reason why your life is a sudden downhill, you basically have to look back at what you may have done to others....

This book is pure Karma...

The Kept Women- Susan Donavan

2007-09-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

Ratings: 5/10

A women left by her husband, he turned out to be gay when she was pregnant with her last baby. She ends up with 3 kids without a husband. Working 12 hours shifts to support her family, she ends up singing a contract with the governor to be. Paid by him to become his "Fiance'" until the next election.

Trouble is: he is a womaniser, he has a horrible mother, his ex girlfriends all want to be his wife.

The book shares with us how she overcome those problems, and how she ends up falling in love...

Confession of an Old Boy-Kam Raslan

2007-08-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

It took me the weekend to finish this "Dato Hamid's Adventures". Brilliant, funny, somewhat slapstick, has a tint of British Humor. I love it.

He started out with stories from the past, times when he was in Uni. At a young age, how he met and lost friends, "the wife" never left out in any of the stories. He ended it as a successful politician in the millennium age. There was love, crime/murder, sex, band, lust- all in one book.

My personal ratings: 10/10

Infernal Affair by Jane Heller

2007-08-12T03:16:00.000-07:00

This book is quite funny. Its quite far out as well. Husband left her for some other women, someone younger, prettier, blonder...etc etc. So one night, she was depressed, drunk and slightly mad. She asked for help from God. (or she thought it was God).
Then things got better for her. She did better in work (the week before, she nearly lost her job), she lost her husband, she was getting fatter etc etc. But after that speech she made to God, she woke up with a blonder hair, bigger tits, shapely body, and a dog! (Dog called Pete whom she thought was lost).

She thought she was doing well, as she met such a handsome bloke, sold the most expensive house to him (so no bye bye to work) and she scored a date with the handsome and rich bloke. The downside, she has bad breath.

So, the first night with him, after dinner, in his bedroom, she found out the worse of his traits. He has a tail. As in a tail attached to his bum.
And then she also found out that he is a Darksider. Darksider men have tails, and Darksider women have bad breath.

So shes a darksider...

The rest- well, you have just got to read it! Its well funny!

Ratings - 7/10

Shanghai Baby

2007-07-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

SHANGHAI BABY by Wei Hui is a bit like those painted wooden Russian dolls, one fitting inside the other until you come to the final core doll, a tiny replica of the big one. A story within a story, a novel within a novel. Is Shanghai Baby Wei Hui? Is the character of Coco her double? I felt like I was reading a made up tale, or was it a true story told within a made up tale? I cant tell...

It's a book of out front eroticism—hot, but shallow—immature emotions and true depth of feeling.

"My name is Nikki but my friends all call me Coco after Coco Chanel, a French lady who lived to be almost ninety. She is my idol, after Henry Miller. Every morning when I open my eyes I wonder what I can do to make myself famous. It's become my ambition, almost my raison d'être, to burst upon the city like fireworks. This has a lot to do with the fact that I live in Shanghai. A mystical fog envelops the city, mixed with continual rumors and an air of superiority...this hint of smugness affects me: I both love and hate it. "

Coco is a writer. Like Wei Hui. And, like Wei Hui, Coco has published stories using the same titles—Shriek Of The Butterfly, Virgin In The Water, Desire Pistol—as Wei Hui. And real life Wei Hui has even published a story called Crazy Like Wei Hui. Coco is a party girl, an addicted shopper, an urbane lover and poetic girlfriend. Throughout the book she is writing a novel and I could never be sure if I was seeing Wei Hui in the mirror Coco looked into, or if what I was reading was all Coco fiction: "I've always believed that writing is like sorcery. Like me, my heroine did not want to lead an ordinary life. She is ambitious, has two men and lives an emotional roller coaster...Like me, she was afraid that when she went to hell there would be no films to watch, no comfortable pajamas to wear, no heavenly sounds of records to be heard--just suffocating boredom."

It doesn't matter if it's Coco's story or Wei Hui's. I was taken to Shanghai and the backdrop of that old, cosmopolitan city, with its long history of foreign influence, keeps the story in place. I travel the streets with Coco, meet her friends—Madonna, Spider, Ah Dick, Flying Apple and company, and we meet her lovers: The impotent painter, Tian Tian and the sexually charged German, Mark, a rich businessman with whom Coco shares a carnality that sautés the pages. Ouch.

Coco only glances at world problems. Or at the plight of Chinese peasants—-no where to be seen in Shanghai, except for the take-out Chinese delivery boy (Coco eats either junk food, take-out or fancy restaurant fare paid for by someone else.) Her private angst consumes her. In Tian Tian she has found her soul mate. A lovely almost feminine man, he is supported by his mother, an expatriate living in Spain, who, according to Tian Tian's grandmother, is responsible for the murder of Tian Tian's father. Tian Tian is haunted by his absentee mother, he is fragile and too vulnerable for the world. It is no surprise that he succumbs to the lure of drugs; he's tailor made for opiates. But it is Tian Tian who encourages Coco to write her novel, and they are blissful together when he paints and she writes. Alas, there is that impotency issue. "My brain was a screen covered in dust, and my darling and I were the world's most hopeless leading couple." What can one do with deep love minus deep sex?

Coco tells me about her problems, her life, her what if's and her why's. It's a pronouncement, abd I got used to them. And to the fast-paced lyricism that shines here and there throughout. I love Wei Hui's book, with its unashamed female-ness and free thought.
And I closed the book with one thougt- I wonder if Coco's book as good as Wei Hui's?
And now Im curious. I must try and get Wei Hui's other books...

Brilliant read... Love it.

Rating: 10/10- the best book for me yet.

The Givenchy Code

2007-07-08T01:51:00.000-07:00

Same sort of story line like the Davinci Code, same sort of plot, someone being hunt by someone else, except it is more of a game with loads of clothes, shoes and handbag brands where the plot is concerned. I could actually put the book down, I didn't get lost in some translation of the codes, as it was somewhat straight forward.
I was actually reading it in parallel with some other book- Shanghai Baby, which I found more interesting.

Back to the Givenchy Code.

The girl was chosen to be a target by some sicko who invented the game over the Internet. Along the way, she met her protector and obviously her killer. Also she found out the guy that gave her the red Givenchy shoes that was supposedly killed in the game has something to do with the plot. He is also her ex boyfriend.

So there, the plot is not all that thick, but it was an easy read for me.

Ratings: 5 out of 10

The Guy Not Taken

2007-06-10T23:46:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Weiner's first few short stories when she started writing. One of the best stories she wrote was when a women happily married with a kid wanted to check what her ex boyfriend and his soon to be wife will get for their wedding. She actually went online to check the wedding list, and one thing led to another. She deleted the bride to be name and put her own. Woke up being married to her ex. Totally new house, no baby and he ex was sleeping next to her, on his bed, in his house.

Her short story book started with the youngest character and ended with an old lady being hold hostage by two teenage sisters, one was pregnant. Most of the stories are based on 2 sisters, just like the made famous by Cameran Diaz "In Her Shoes"

I was a bit lost the first 3 stories, as I actually thought they were interlinked, and then realised they were actually short stories... Doh'

Ratings: 6/10

Daddy's Girls

2007-05-24T00:26:00.000-07:00

Its about four glamorous daughters of Lord Oswald Balcon, money, murder and relationships. From Fendi handbags to Ivy League educations, they live in a world of designer labels and unrestricted opulence; their father's money and aristocratic status, coupled with their dazzling good looks, bought them every opportunity and advantage. They are beautiful, blond, and barely thirty, and the world is their luxury playground.

Elsdet: Venetia, the sophisticated interior designer, has booming professional success but is desperate for a child and an escape from a loveless marriage. Second: Camilla, the rising political star, is too brilliant and ambitious for any of her unworthy lovers to handle. Sweet yet savvy third sister: Cate is living out her ultimate dream, launching her own magazine, with an all-too-handsome business partner. The baby of the family, Serena, is one of the country's most beautiful actresses, reaching international stardom, but being a party-girl is bringing more scandal than success.

They are the darlings of the London paparazzi, but when Daddy turns up dead, the shadow of suspicion falls on his four daughters. A jealous tyrant, Daddy has tried to bring his daughters down all their lives. These four women -- at the top of their careers in show business, publishing, interior design, and politics -- must face an awful accusation, and each other, as they try to discover the truth that lies beneath the glossy surface of their lives. The facade of the Balcon family hides a web of deceit and betrayal, in which a thirty-year-old secret lurks, threatening to destroy them all.

The book did not give me the anticipation I expected, it did not peak at the moments desired. I'd give this book: 5/10.

Baby Proof- Emily Griffin

2007-05-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

What happens when a couple breaks a promise?

They got married with a pact. They both don't want children. The agreement was comfortable for a long time. Until their travel partner/best couple friends changed their minds and got pregnant.
Things started to become more obvious. He now wants a child. She still doesn't want any children and is strongly against his decision.
They got a divorce. It was quick and she thought it was painless.
She met someone and thought he met someone too.
She then realise that the new person she was with is not someone she is in love with.

Typical love story, but with one point in mind. The whole topic was about babies and how not to have them.
How relationship can change so quickly, and it simply shows how we now days are so quick to move on.

Interesting read, took me only 2 days to finish, as I could not put the book down.

For One More Day-Mitch Albom

2007-05-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

He thought he was a failure. He grew up following his dad's advice and ignoring his mum's distress. He was a good student in school, his mom was proud. His dad left one night. His mom had to work as a cleaner to bring her 2 kids up. He never saw his dad, until one day his dad then interfered, came back into his life, wanted him to be a famous football player. He left college thinking he can be rich by playing football. All is well, until he was left injured. That was his last game.
His dad left him soon after that.

His mom's birthday- his dad called. He thought it was to wish his mom a "Happy Birthday". His dad actually wanted to tell him to play football for an opening game of the league. It was called "Old Timers Game".
He searched for excuses. He found one. He said he had to attend a meeting. His customer wants him to fly down right that very night.
That was the last time he saw his mom. His mom died of heart attack the next morning.

He had a perfect wife. One who cared for him for whatever he was. But, his depression and love for alcohol pushed his wife and little girl away. He did not attend his girls wedding, he wasn't even invited, actually.

He drove one night, with no sleep and plenty of alcohol in his body. He crashed into the divider, and he floated out of his body.

He was dying. He went home. And it was like he never left. His mom greeted him and they chatted, ate and went for a walk.
He then understood, he got a day for with his mom. To be with her, to apologise and to have her in his life, for one more day.....

Currently Reading

2007-03-05T23:21:00.000-08:00

Ratings: 5/5

Those who love the Shopaholic series will love this one. Even though she is slightly more irritating in this one, but writer excelled in showing emotions from a pregnant women. The paranoia, the emotional turmoils and the love for nothing but their baby. Except, for Becky, it is still love for shopping. She did not give up the heals, still uses HUGE Marc Jacobs "IT" bag that can hurt back bone and not forgetting tights to make her thigh look slimmer and smaller.

This book makes you want to strangle her and hug her at the same time.

till next book!
Evs

CHICK LIT's

2006-12-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

Search By Writer (Alphabetical Order)

A.
Adelle Parks - "Husbands"
Alexandra Potter - "Becareful What You wish For"
Annabel Giles- "Defrosting Charlotte Small"

B.
Bridget Jones- "The Edge of a Reason"
Belva Plain- "Fortune's Hand", "Her Father's House", "After the Fire"

C.
Carrie Fisher- "The Best Awful"
Carol Matthews- "More to life than this"

E.
Emily Griffin- "Baby Proof"

F.
Fiona Walker, Jessica Adams & Chris Mandy- "Girls Night In"
Fannie Flagg- "Standing in the Rainbow"
Fadia Faqir- "My Name is Salma"

H.
Helen Fielding- "Bridget Jones the Edge of a Reason"

J.
Jennifer Weigner- "In Her Shoes", "The Guy Not Taken", "Goodnight Nobody"
Jessica Adams- "Single White Email"
Jill Manson- "Two's a Company"
Jane Heller - "Infernal Affairs"
Judith McNaught- "Every Breath you take"
Julie Kenner- "Givenchy Code"

K.
Kathleen Tessaro- "Innocence" , "The Flirt" Kim Edwards- "The Memory Keepers Daughters"

L.
Lauren Weisberger- "The Devil Wears Prada","Chasing Harry Winston", "Everyone Worth Knowing"
Lolly Winston- "Happiness Sold Separately"

M.
Melissa Nathan- "The Nanny"
Margaret Mitchell's- "Gone with the Wind"
Meg Cabot- "Queen Of Babble in the Big City"

N.
Nicola Prams & Emma Mclaughclin- "Citizen Girl"
Nisha Minhas- "Pashion & Poppodams"

O.
Olivia Goldsmith- "Wish Upon A Star", "First Wives Club"

S.
Sheila O'Flanagan- "Destinations"
Sohphie Kinsella- "Can You Keep a Secret","Shopaholic Takes Manhattan"
Susie Gilmore- "Love Struck"
Susan Donavan- "A Kept Women"
Susan Elizabeth Phillips- "Nobody's Baby But Mine"
Sandra Marton- "Marriage on the Edge", "More then a Mistress"
Swan Adamson- "Memories are made of this"

T.
Tasmina Perry- "Daddy's Girls"

V.
Victoria Beckham-"That Extra half an inch"

W.
Whitney Gaskell- "Testing Kate"

COMEDY/FUNNIES

2006-12-21T19:35:00.000-08:00

Search By Writer (Alphabetical Order)

L.
Lilian Jackson Braun- "The Cat who said Cheese", "The Cat who knew A Cardinal", The Cat who Dropped a Bombshell", "The Cat who Saw Stars"

S.
Sue Towsend- "Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years", "The Queen & I"

V
Vikas Swarup- "Slumdog Millionare"

CRIME

2006-12-19T21:31:00.000-08:00

Search By Writer (Alphabetical Order)

A.
Agatha Cristie- "The Secret Of Chimneys", "The Seven Dials Mystery", "Spiders Web", "The Man In The Brown Suit", "Sad Cypress", "A pocket Full of Rye", "The Pale Horse", "Murder Is Easy", "Sparkling Cyanide", "Towards Zero"
Anne Frasier- "Sleep Tight"
Alice Sealbold- "Lucky"

B.
Belva Plain - " After The Fire", "Her father's house", " Fortune's hand"

C.
Cornelia Funke- "The thief Lord"
Charles Osborne- "Black Coffee", "The Unexpected Guest", "Wow!"

D.
Dan Brown- "The Davinci Code"
Dante Alighieri- "Inferno"
David Belbein- "The Beat:Losers", "The Beat: Sudden Death", "The Beat: Black & Blue"
David Eddings- "King Of the Murgos"
David McMillan- "ESCAPE"
Dorothy L Sayers- "Unnatural Death", "Gaudy Night", "Strong Poison", "In the teeth of the Evidence", "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club"

E.
Eoin Colfer- "Artemis Fowl:The Artic Incident"

F.
Fannie Flagg- "Standing in the rainbow"

G.
George Maekstein- "The Cooler"

I.
Ian Rankin- "Dead Souls", "The Hanging Garden", "Knots & Crosses", "Beggars Banquet", "The Falls"

J.
James Patterson- "Roses are Red", "Along Came the Spider", "2nd Chance"
Jasper Fforde- "The Big Over Easy", "Something Rotten", "Lost In a Good Book"
Jan Ure- "Dance with Death"
Jeff Robin- "Broken Arrow"
Jeffrey Archer- "Sons of Fortune", "Twelve Red Herrings", "False Impression"
Jill McGowen- "Picture of Innocence", "Birth, Deaths & Marriages"
John Grishom- "The Partner", "The Runaway Jury", "The Firm"
Jodi Picoult- "Salem Falls", "Plain Truth", "Nineteen Minutes", "Perfect Match", "My Sister's Keeper", "Harvesting the Heart" , "Keeping Faith"
Joy Fielding - "The First Time", "Life Penalty"
Judith McNoaught -"Every Breath you take"
John Burdett- "Bangkok 8"

K.
Ken Wharfe- "Diana, Closely Guarded Secret"

L.
Liz Mills- "Crime Watch"
Lilian Jackson Braun-"The cat who talked turkey"

M.
Mario Puzo- "The Last Don"
Micheal Crighton- "A Case Of Need", "State of Fear"
Mark Cole- "The Craft"
Mark Haddon- "The curious incident of the dog in the night time"
Martin H Greenburg- "My Dear Watson"
Martin Oliver- "The Usborne Books of Whodunnits"
Max Allan Collins- "Sin City", "Double Dealer"

N.
Nancy Taylor Rosenberg- "Mitigating Circumstances"

P.
P.D.James- "Unnatural Cuases", "Shourd for a Nightingale", "Death of an Expert Witness", "The Black Tower", "Devices and Desires", "The Murder Room", "A Taste of Death", "Cover Her Face"
P.G.Woodhouse- "Jeeves: Joy in the Morning", "Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin", "Big Money", "The Girl In Blue", "Blendings Castle", "The Luck of the Bodkins"
Patricia Wentworh- "The Clock Strikes Twelve", "The Arlington Inheritance", "The Case Of William Smith"
Paul Doherty- "The Hours Killings"
Patricia Cornwell- "Blow Fly"
Paula laRosa- "Death of a Dream"-

R.
Robin Cook- "Outbreak", "Fatal Cure"
Robert B Parker- "Small Vices"

S.
Stephen Hawking- "The Tommyknockers", "Bag of Bones"
Stieg Larsson- "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

T.
Tash Aw- "Harmony Silk Factory"
Thomas Harris- "Silence Of the Lambs & Red Dragon"
Terry Pretchett- "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents", "Thud!", "Night Watch", "The Dark Side of the Sun"

W.
William Sutcliffe- "Bad Influence"

OTHERS

2006-12-18T22:07:00.000-08:00

Search By Writer (Alphabetical Order)

A.

Arthur Golden- "Memoirs Of A Geisha"
Arundhati Roy- " The God Of Small Things"

C.
Carrie Fisher-"The Best Awful"

D.
Dorothy Koomson- "My est Friend's Girl"

K.
Khaled Hosseini- "A Thousand Splendid Suns"
Kim Edwards- "The Memory Keeper's Daughter"

N.
Nick Hornby- "A long Way Down"

M.
Mitch Albom- "The 5 people you meet in Heaven", "For One More Day", "Tuesdays with Morrie"
Mark Haddon- "The Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time"

S.
S. Webb & Son- "Eternal Enigma"
Stephen W. Hawking- "A brief History Of Time"

V.
Valérie Mettais- "Louvre: 7 Centuries of Painting"

FANTASY

2006-12-18T21:59:00.000-08:00

Search By Writer (Alphabetical Order)

A.
Alan Moore, Kevin O'Neill- "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2"

C.
C. S. Lewis- "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy"

G.
Greg Rucka, Klaus Janson- "Batman: Death and The Maidens"

J.
Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm- "The Brothers Grimm: The Complete Fairy Tales"
J.K Rowling - "The Tales of The Beadle Bard"

W.
William Corlett- "The Magician's House Quartet: The Door in the Tree", "The Magician's House Quartet: The Tunnel Behind the Waterfall"

Z.
Zoe Daniels- "Year of the Cat: The Dream", "Year of the Cat 2: The Hunt", " Year of the Cat 3: The Amulet"