From Angelstar's Shelves

True Singapore Ghost Stories Vol.21 by Russell Lee

2011-06-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Year Published: 2011

Book 21 in the True Singapore Ghost Stories series is released, and as usual, contains collection of stories and true encounters of the contributors/readers.

The issue explored in this book, is about the world end, alleged to take place in 2012.
(Is this a ploy following the movie of the same title?)

Author Russell Lee shares his thoughts and views on this topic; and whether he concurs with the general thought that doomsday is on its way.

I think the recent spike in natural disasters and diseases has taken its toll on the human minds, and raised this alarming thought whether the world and mankind is about to come to an end and that Judgment Day is looming near, and further, the Mayans calendar seemed to end in the same alleged year.

However, researches and topics explored in the book tells you that NO one can predict WHEN is the end, whatever you read on the Internet, or hearing it from astrological experts and even mass media.

I happen to agree with Russell Lee, as seriously, we are just mere ordinary mortals and there is no way we can tell when we are about to meet our creator (if we ever get the chance to meet Him - we need to be worthy).

It is a thought provoking topic, and I am also surprised with a number of people who truly believed that the End is approaching and some are giving it all up to explore the world or to enjoy life to the fullest.
Aren't we supposed to take a deep breath, relax and enjoy each day anyway; whether the end is near or NOT?

A good topic for discussion, but I find the stories half as entertaining as they used to be in the earlier books. (Or was it me, growing out of it?)
Some of the stories were quite good, but I think the number of stories have decreased compared to before.

A good read nevertheless; especially if you are a fan/collector of the series.
Looking forward to Vol.22 soon, maybe next year? :)

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

2011-06-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 1-74114-693-3
Year Published: 2006

This is a novel about date rape, and also family background and relationships.
There are a few issues addressed here:
1. Date Rape
2. Childhood background/past history
3. Husband and wife relationship
4. Family relationship

The whole plot centers on this family; the Stones - Daniel (father), Laura (mother), Trixie (Daughter).

Story/Plot:Daniel had a disturbing past during his childhood and youth when he grew up in Alaska, and he was someone that Laura would never have imagined she would end up maried to one day. However, his charms won her heart and academician Laura was soon pregnant with his child.

When Trixie was born, Daniel doted on her so much that he was willing to give up his career just to take care of her at home while Laura strives to establish her career in the academics. It was perhaps his love for Trixie, or his excitement to be a father which is a new role for him, but I think it had something to do with his past whereby he wanted to make sure Trixie was brought up with love and attention.

Daniel was extremely talented in drawing and was approached by renowned comic companies to work for them. After years of pushing them away from his doorstep, he finally accepted a work-from-home job to enable him to continue to care for Trixie.

Trixie grew into a pretty and rebellious fourteen year old, who was going through a transition period following her breakup with her boyfriend, Jason Underhill.
Unable to get over the break up and how her boyfriend seemed to be moving on with another girl, Trixie took her best friend's advice to try to make him jealous at a party by seducing other guys in the school. Her plan probably succeeded and Jason seemed to still care for her as he shielded her from being taken advantage of.

The story takes a turn when Daniel found Trixie in the house at 4am, after the party and she claimed that she had been raped by Jason Underhill.
Trixie was sent to the hospital for examination, while her mother could not be contacted at that time as she was breaking up with her student boyfriend whom she spent the night with.

Trixie's accusations led to Jason Underhill losing his scholarship and was to be tried in court, but the whole school sided with Jason and nobody believed in Trixie except her own family. At the same time, her parents were undergoing a tough time with each other following the discovery of her mother's cheating on her father.

The story turned more complex when Jason's side of the story was revealed, and suddenly, there was a vague line between the truth and imagination.
The change of events also led to Daniel having to return to Alaska to confront his own past while mending his relationship with his wife and daughter.

As usual, I will not reveal too much, as there is suspense to what you will find as you read.

My opinion:Honestly, I find the story a little slow, despite the good plot. The story started slowly with Daniel and Trixie, and then climaxed a little after Trixie's party but it plummeted down again when it came to finding Trixie.
I find the whole plot intriguing but the direction of the story seemed to heading in so many different directions that it got a little more complex than entertaining.
I wouldn't say this is my favorite book from Picoult, as I preferred her other books.

I was kinda disappointed in the twist of the story, I would say, but there was a very good insight in the story which led to many thought provoking questions:
1. Does a woman take her husband for granted when he becomes a home husband while she pursues her career? Will there be pride and inferiority complex in the household?

2. Can the past truly be put behind you, just by running away from the place where you came from?

3. Will you believe and stand for your daughter, despite her reputation and disobedience, even when the whole world tells you otherwise?

4. What are the lengths that parents would take just to protect their child?

5. Giving up on career to care for a child - is it truly for the best? Does that mean that your child will not grow up on the negative side?

There are just so many issues addressed, and the above are just a few that ran through my mind when I read the book.

I may consider reading it a second time, and I do recommend it to parents who are close to their children as it explores on the changes when the child grows into a teenager and how they became strangers overnight.

Empress Orchid by Anchee Min

2011-05-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

The prequel to The Last Empress by the same author, the novel begins from the humble life of the famous Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi, aka Orchid and how she entered the palace to her historical fame in China's monarchy.

I have definitely sung praises for The Last Empress, which ironically was the book I read before this prequel and I have to say, Anchee Min did not disappoint in this book either.
It was amazing the imagination of the author as she saw the world of palace life through the young eyes of an ordinary girl like you and me.

Despite the general perception of how manipulative or conniving the empress was in her early days to gain power and the favor of the emperor in the kingdom, in this book, the empress was portrayed as a young girl who yearned to be loved and to learn about love and survival in a world filled with deception and secrets.

When Orchid first entered the palace, she never imagined that she would have to resort to tactics to ensure her survival in the palace. Being the naive girl she was, she thought that her entry into palace as one of the consort contestants would save her family from the poverty state they are in but she ended up yearning to gain attention from the most desirable man in the palace; the Emperor himself.

It was not her intention to gain power and status when she first entered, but succumbing to a daily boring routine of a life made her changed her mind and she soon wondered about being loved by a man; and none other but the ruler of the country himself.
Feeling the misery of loneliness, Orchid soon realized that she had to resort to ways others had been practising before her to gain entry to the Emperor's chamber before his heart.

It was an interesting journey as Anchee Min dived into the deepest desires and fears of a young girl of 17 based on the basic instincts of a human being.
When Orchid found her way to the chamber of the Emperor, she found that the Emperor too, had paved his presence in her heart. Her efforts had not been wasted; as she gained the love of the Emperor who started to spend time with her alone as she was not only there to satisfy his manly desires but also one whom he could confide in.

Orchid slowly started to secretly help the Emperor in his government of the country, paving her path as one of the most historical women in one of the strongest Chinese dynasties.

I have always felt that Anchee Min 'breathed' life into the famous Empress; bringing her from her high rank above down to our level, that the Empress herself was once a young girl from a simple background and that she had thoughts just like any curious young girl would have had.
It is amazing and I must say that the story had a 'soul', as Empress Orchid is portrayed as truly, an ordinary woman and not all the scheming or evil person that most fiction/history books portrayed her to be and that she too, had her own reasons in everything that she did.

It is a tale of reality, and not just about history and I highly recommend this for a read. It may be a historical fiction, but who knows? Empress Orchid was indeed someone like us before she ascended to power; only that she had to find a way to survive amidst the dark settings in the palace where everyone is fighting for survival.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

2011-05-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0-7475-9489-5
Year Published: 2003

Excerpt of the story from the back of the book:
1970s Afghanistan: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return, to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

Storyline:
This is a simple yet engaging story about the friendship of two boys and the perspective of a young boy who had to struggle with his own pride and guilt for his loyal friend. The story is set in the country of Afghanistan and touches the topics of political struggles and religious perspectives.

Amir and Hassan grew up together, and bonded like brothers since young. At a glance they may seem like they are similar to each other, but they are very different in their social background as Amir hails from a wealthy Pashtun family (considered as a higher class of people in Afghanistan) while Hassan is the son of the servant in Amir's home and a Hazara (a lower class group in the country due to their origin and are often slaves or servants to the upper class Pashtuns).

The story was divided into two parts; the childhood in 1970s and their adulthood in different countries.
The friendship between the two boys was the moving part in the whole story; where readers could feel the sincerity and genuity of Hassan's loyalty towards Amir who was a little doubtful and ashamed of being seen as close to his servant boy.
Amir was not exactly mean, but the author portrayed him as a boy struggling to find his own identity; thus having doubts and mixed feelings were a norm for growing boys.
At the same time, Amir had to fight for the affections of his own father, whom he fondly referred to as Baba, who seemed to prefer Hassan over him sometimes.

Amir was more inclined towards journalism and possess a rather gentle side and he knew that he would not be approved by his father who seemed to think that a man should grow up to be a man; to be brave and daring in their life. His only bet was on his hobby; kite-fighting and he aimed to win the kite-fighting tournament to impress his father and win his affections. He had the help and support from his best friend, Hassan and with God's will, he won the tournament.
The joyful Amir then sent Hassan to collect his kite but when Hassan was not back after a while, he went in search for Hassan and he witnessed an incident which changed their lives forever. (It will be a spoiler if I share it here, so I'd recommend reading the book:)

The story continues where the boys start to drift apart; particularly Amir, who, due to the suffering of his own guilt, shied away from Hassan and one day, Hassan and his father, Ali, decided to take leave, leaving his Baba in a devastated state.

The story then shifts to the Russian invasion and how Amir and his Baba fled the country to America where Amir studied and established his career. However, there is always the incident which affected him and he knew that Afghanistan will always be his home. When Amir met up with an old family friend one day, he discovered a shocking truth which forced him to make a decision to redeem himself from his long-lasting guilt from the incident which happened during his childhood.

My opinion:
It was a brilliant story, and a most captivating one as the author plays with the simple entanglement of two boys' friendship and turned it into an authentic piece of story. One would feel for Amir; as the main protagonist struggled to redeem himself and in the meantime, search for his own identity away from pleasing his father.
The story of betrayal, friendship, guilt, and pride all rolled into one and using the unique background of Afghanistan, it is a promising read.
I won't reveal too much here but I highly recommend this book not just for the story, but for the understanding of the social background of the land of Afghanistan.

A recommended read, I must say.
I enjoyed reading this book, and I finished the book during my flight!

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

2011-04-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

Imagine yourself in this scenario:

A cop husband murdered, first daughter was raped and brutally killed, and the murderer was found guilty and sentenced to death, a first in your hometown which was almost synonymous with peace and low crime rates.
Another nightmare begins when the second daughter was born with a heart defect and a heart transplant is needed to sustain her life and the murderer who killed your husband and daughter wants to donate his heart to save your daughter.
What would you do?

This is the scenario faced by June Nealon, the protagonist in this story who had to struggle between her own love for her daughter and the hate she harbors for the person responsible for ripping her life apart.
It was a thin line between love and hate, and she has to make a decision to cross that line to save her daughter.

In comes another protagonist, who was supposed to be the big villain in the story; Shay Bourne who was sentenced to death in New Hampshire's first death penalty in a century. He was someone with a disability in speaking, and did not fend for himself during the trial.
He was the main character in the whole story; rather than June Nealon as most of the story was focused on him.

Father Michael, a Catholic priest who was the spiritual advisor to Shay found himself questioning his own faith when he was with Shay. Defense attorney Maggie Bloom whose initial motive was to help Shay to win in his plea to donate his heart found herself trying to understand Shay.

The whole story revolves around the four main characters; but mainly on Shay whom I believe is the leading character in this story rather than June Nealon.
His silence creates doubts in readers' minds whether he really did commit the heinous crime, but yet at the same time, when he finally meets June, he uttered words which made one think that perhaps he did it.

For me, knowing Jodi Picoult's style helped as I did not believe that Shay was guilty right from the start.
I don't know how to say it, but I just could not feel that someone who was quiet and mild-mannered could be capable of such a crime.
It sounds silly, but it is not wrong either.

This novel, to me, was not as engaging as the other novels by Picoult that I have read, I must say as there was too much focus on the scenes in the prison than on the victims.
Another focus of the plot was on the doubts surrounding Shay whether he could be the human form of the Son of God, based on the miracles and healing he had performed in prison.

The overall theme of the story was a rather captivating one; but the way it turned out in the novel seems to lose the climax in the midst of the story and the ending, well, not quite as expected.

If I were the author, I would spare some of the storyline for June Nealon, and also the memories of her first husband, the dead second cop husband and her eldest daughter and also, to throw in some weird things she found about her husband to arouse more mystery in the story.

Be Careful What You Wish For by Alexandra Potter

2011-04-02T01:14:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 9780340899618
Year Published: 2006

Excerpt of story from the back of the book:
I wish:
I could get a seat on the tube...
I hadn't eaten that entire bag of Maltesers...
I could meet a man whose hobbies include washing up and monogamy...

Heather Hamilton is always wishing for things. Not just big stuff - like world peace, or that Brad Pitt wants her as his next leading lady - but little, everyday wishes made without thinking. With her luck, she knows they'll never come true...
Until one day she buys some heather from a gypsy.
Suddenly the bad hair day stops. A handsome American answers her ad for a housemate. She starts seeing James - The Perfect Man who sends her flowers, excels in the bedroom, and isn't afraid to say 'I Love You'.

But are these wishes-come-true a blessing or a curse?
Does getting what you want make you happy?
And is there such a thing as too much foreplay?

In this magical romantic comedy, Alexandra Potter reveals what might happen if all your wishes really did come true...

My opinion/review:
I am a big fan of Alexandra Potter's books, honestly, like Huge as they are always hilarious and had me laughing from chapter to chapter. She just has this wicked sense of humor and I find it ingenious on how she could turn a simple everyday story into something so common yet ridiculous and it is happening to all of us, whether we realized it or not.
This novel is no different, as we gaze into the life of Heather Hamilton, who like some of us, is just an ordinary everyday girl who wished that things would be different or glamourous once in our lives.
That someone would take notice of us, that we could be just as popular as some of those pop idols out there, or that our wishes could sometimes come true, no matter how crazy it may be.
You get the idea.

Heather is tired of living her day everyday like there is no excitement; she works as an assistant to a wedding photographer who is a cheerful gay guy who is also her close friend.
She dreamt of hitting a job with a published magazine, and that she would find a charming guy to live happily ever after with; or in particular that cute neighbor whom she always peeped at from her window.
Things did not seem to turn better and her life seemed to be doomed for failure as her job is slowly losing the grip and she has to rent out a room to help to survive.

Just when things are turning to the darker side, she was approached by a gypsy on a particularly bad day and was persuaded into buying a lucky heather. Skeptical, she bought it anyway as it was not too expensive and to appease the gypsy so that she will stop bothering her and turns out, this was indeed a lucky heather although Heather did not know it at the time.
Things start to change for the better:
1. A handsome and eligible American man answered her ad for the room and became her housemate.
2. Her handsome neighbor starts to show interest in her and asked her out.
3. She was in for a job at a well-known magazine
4. She was starting to lose weight
5. Even the weather was getting better; there were no longer rain...

Everything seemed to look more and more promising to Heather, and suddenly life seemed to look so much better. However, Heather soon came to realize that her wishes came with a price and that not everything were as sunny as they seem.
She could get the pink stilettos that she had her eyes on but they hurt her ankle and she fell down when she wore them or that instance when she wished that there would be no traffic on the road, she got a parking ticket for the very first time.
Even her seemingly perfect neighbor boyfriend suddenly don't seem so perfect anymore.
It was then that Heather realize that when wishes come true, there will be a subsequent consequence....
(not revealing much to spoil your read :)

I loved this book; just like all of Alexandra Potter's books (did I mention I was a fan?). I enjoyed the thoughts of Heather and how she would be wishing for things to look a little on the brighter side once in a while. I think that kinda linked with what we girls have in mind sometimes, don't we?
It is true, that things don't come cheap nor free and that there is always a chain effect from one single incident.
It is an absolutely enjoyable and hilarious journey with Heather Hamilton, and I am sure the girls would love reading this as much as I do.
For the guys, you would enjoy reading and finding out what do girls always want :)

Read on, and don't wish for it to be a perfect story....Be Careful What You Wish For ;)

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

2010-12-02T18:31:00.000-08:00

Author: Jodi Picoult
ISBN 0-7434-5452-9

Have you ever read a book that builds up your emotions; from touched to sadness to empathy, to joy and even leads you to immense anger with the author?

If you haven't, then you have not read this book by Jodi Picoult.

No, this is not a promotional post for the book by Jodi Picoult, but rather my very own review and personal opinion on a novel that I have just finished reading.

I have been wanting to read this book for a very long time, and I was happy to finally get my hands on it when I spotted it in the bookshop!

Synopsis of the story: (spoilers ahead)
Sara and Brian Fitzgerald's eldest daughter, Kate, was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer affecting her blood and bone marrow; Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia at the age of two.
Eager to save her child, Sara decided to conceive a second child through the doctor's guided implementation to produce that 'perfect' donor to match Kate's samples.

Anna, was born to be the life support of Kate. From the day she was born, she was destined to be donating her blood and bodily substances to Kate to aid her survival.
Anna was obliging since young, until the age of thirteen, when she was told she had to donate one of her kidneys to Kate, she decided against the decision and even filed a lawsuit against her parents for medical emancipation of her own body.
With the little money she had accummulated over the years, she hired lawyer Campbell Alexander who decided to help her against all costs.

Sara was furious with Anna's decision and battled against Campbell in court to retain her daughter in her own house. The court initially relented but when Campbell lodged a complaint that Sara could harass Anna at home, making her change her mind about the lawsuit, the court appointed Julia Romano as Anna's Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) whose job is to understand and decide what is best in Anna's interests.

While Sara was fuming over Anna's decision, Brian decided to try to understand his younger daughter's decision and even agreed that it was the best for her. At the same time, the troubled couple had to deal with the antics of their rebellious and troubled eldest teenage son, Jesse.

Anna stayed with her father, Brian at the fire station quarters where he worked while Sara took care of the dying Kate in the hospital.
Sara defended herself in court and tried to persuade Anna to donate her kidney to Kate as a final favor to save her life.
Anna refused this offer and Campbell took his stand in court.

The wilful Sara turned to a passionate mother in court, begging Anna for Kate's last chance of survival.
During the lawsuit, a surprising revelation took a twist when Anna revealed that it was Kate who asked Anna to initiate this lawsuit for medical emancipation because Kate did not want her sister to sacrifice for her anymore and she has decided that she did not want to live and suffer any longer, and she knows she will die anyway.
The shocking revelation stunned the whole court, and Sara refused to believe it despite Anna telling about the various incidents that Kate had tried to take her own life over the years.

Anna won the court case eventually, and Campbell was granted the authority and medical power as Anna's attorney to aid her decisions in all her medical treatments, etc.

When Campbell drove Anna home after the trial, they were involved in a serious accident where they were hit by a truck. Brian was dispatched to the scene and tried to revive the unconscious Anna who suffered a major injury to her head and when she arrived in the hospital, the doctors pronounced her brain dead and that the parents would want to consider any organ transplants.
Campbell declared that there is a patient upstairs in need of a kidney and Anna's kidney was successfully transplanted in her own sister, Kate.

At the end of the book, Kate was still alive after 6 years.

Character Analysis:
Anna Fitzgerald
The purposely-conceived child by Sara and Brian for Kate's survival. Since young, she was admitted to hospitals continuously whenever Kate collapses despite being a healthy person herself. She had to endure the pain of the treatments and injections for the sake of Kate. She did not understand what was happening, she did not want it to happen to herself but she was just thrown into it unwillingly. Nobody took notice of how she wanted to live her life, and everyone only started to pay attention to her when she filed for a lawsuit and when Kate is in a dying state in need of a kidney.
Her life was almost equivalent to non-existent; when she was ignored of all her pleas and her cries but I applaud her strength and I admire her mature way of handling situations despite being only 13. Of course, there were times when she just cried like a little girl when she felt depressed, but let's face it, how many of us had gone through a life like Anna's without feeling suicidal at all?

Kate Fitzgerald:
She was a healthy baby, until two, when she was diagnosed with a rare blood and bone marrow cancer and since then, she was like a ticking bomb, just waiting for the day of her death. She suffered for years, despite being aided medically by the donations of bodily substances by her beloved sister, Anna.
She felt depressed at her own state, and how she could never be normal like other girls her age. She had lost her hair and she looked awful and she dare not walk out of the door without feeling miserable as she does not own the lovely hair nor looks of her own pride. When she met a boy she loved at the hospital, she had to meet with devastation when he died and she knew that her life was bound for that; death.
That was the main reason she did not want her own sister, Anna to continuously sacrifice for her when she knew that she would not survive for long. She knew her mother would not listen, and she worked with Anna to file for that lawsuit for medical emancipation, despite knowing her mother would be angry.
She did not want to live anymore, and she did not want her sister Anna to be totally deprived of her own life for her.
I truly applaud Kate's courage and selflessness for her sister, despite being the sick one who got all the attention in this story.
She was truly an amazing character who just wanted everyone else to be happy.

Truly, Kate and Anna are my most amazing novel characters!

Jesse Fitzgerald
The eldest son of the Fitzgeralds and the elder brother of both Kate and Anna. He was also deprived of attention and harboured anger towards their parents for neglecting him. In his bid for attention during his sister's law turmoil, he committed a few crimes.
I pity Jesse as he was also, mostly neglected since he was a child (or since Kate was born). He was worse than Anna actually; at least Anna was remembered when Kate collapsed but Jesse was always on the hind, and he never did have a chance to enjoy activities with his parents like other children. His parents went back on their promises whenever Kate was in an emergency and over the years, who could blame his resentful behavior towards Kate and his parents?
He was closer to Anna, and in fact, he was the one who helped Anna in the lawsuit from the background and when Anna died in the end, he turned over a new leaf and became a law enforcer for a change.

Brian Fitzgerald
Father of the Jesse, Kate and Anna, and a dedicated fireman. He was the most understanding and composed character in the story, and to a certain extent, he played the role of a mediator in most situations. I loved how he never blamed Anna for her decision and even fought to defend her, despite risk incurring his wife's wrath. However, he had his sentiments too when he was torn in between at the court; between his two daughters and his wife. He was more harsh with his son, but I guess that's the norm with most dads.
I liked his parental character the most, and he was the one, I felt, who showed the most compassion for Anna.

Campbell Alexander
A man who had a bitter past himself and was in pain for losing the one woman he loved. He specialized in children cases, and he was initially resistent towards Anna's case as she did not have enough to pay him but he eventually took up the case. What started as a selfish bid to gain popularity for himself turned into a personal emotional race when he experienced the emotions and compassion felt for Anna throughout her life.
He cared for Anna like his own daughter and fought for her best interests; I truly liked this character.

Julia Romano
Appointed Guardian Ad Litem by the court for Anna, and the former love interest of Campbell Alexander. She never did understand the reason Campbell broke up with her during their teenage love relationship and misunderstood him as a player. However, when she found out about Campbell's medical condition(Epilepsies), she forgave him and they got back together. She loved Anna as well, and it was unique that for the first time in her GAL assignments, she was unable to reach a recommendation for the court, as she starts to understand the Fitzgerald's family.
She was torn between the interests of Anna, and the concerns of Sara as a devoted mother and the sick and dying Kate.

Sara Fitzgerald
I left her the last because I felt different emotions for this character; but mostly anger.
She was too obsessed with Kate's medical condition that she never stopped to think for Anna and Jesse. She was too stubborn with her own views and even when she softened down with Anna, it was to plead with her guilt to donate that kidney!
Sometimes, I wonder whether she did love Anna at all.
At the same time, I understood the emotional struggle she had as a mother to ensure the best of all her children but still, I could not help feeling that she only had Kate's best interests at heart.
I felt really angry with this character, despite her constant struggles and conversations with her sister and how she was on the verge of breaking down, but really, she should take a step back sometimes to understand how Anna and Jesse felt.
She was just too stubborn for her own good.

My personal opinion:
I was really saddened by Anna's narration right from the start; being the child who felt like she was deprived of attention and love from the very beginning.
At 13, she felt like she was only created for a reason; to save her sister and without that purpose, she meant nothing to the family.
(It was evident when she left the dining table and no one noticed).
I emphatized with her emotional struggle with guilt, pity and prioritizing herself for once. It was a load of emotional supply for a young girl like her.
It was a journey filled with anxiety and misery when Anna took that step to file for a lawsuit and it seemed that nobody understood her at all, except for her lawyer, guardian ad litem and father. She was deeply saddened by her mother's rage and wanted to just leave everything behind and run to her arms, but yet she knew it was wrong.
It was understandable when Anna revealed that it was Kate's request to do so, which was why she held on firmly to the lawsuit despite her continuous give-ups right from the start. I was surprised at how indecisive she was until I found out that it was not her, it was the struggle to fulfill what Kate wanted.

I truly pitied Anna, who lived her life for EVERY one around her, except herself and I hated Sara, a mother who clearly had no compassion for this 'donor' child.
She seemed to emphasize more on Kate, the sick child, and yes, it was understandable to shower Kate with more attention due to her medical condition, but not to the extent of neglecting your other two children who was deprived of a normal childhood and growing up phase.
Furthermore, it was morally disturbing that she created a child to lengthen her sick child's livelihood.
It seemed wrong to me, but even if she did so, she should have been more accommodating to Anna in all her needs.
I felt so sad with each of Anna's pleas when she wanted to just go back to her mother and drop the whole lawsuit, and yet Sara was only trying to persuade her to donate her kidney.
When Anna eventually won, she had to die...this was when I felt truly upset and angered with Jodi Picoult's decision but yet, when I took some time to think about it, perhaps it was a good way to end because even if Anna won the lawsuit, she would have to live with guilt for the rest of her life if Kate dies without her kidney.
Either way, Anna would still be unhappy and this way, she would be alleviated of her sorrows and guilt throughout the lawsuit.

My Verdict:
READ this book by all means, it is truly a great read and gives you a good thought on what is morally right or wrong and that there is always a thin line when it comes to emotional struggle.
I heard that there is a movie produced too; starring Cameron Diaz but the movie had a change in the storyline and the ending.

Before you watch the movie, I highly recommend the book but be warned ahead, if you are one who cannot accept unexpected and unfavorable endings which could lead to anger and destruction, you might want to think twice.
I know I did not want to read Jodi Picoult for a while after reading this book, because she killed poor Anna =P

My Latest Wish List

2010-09-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

I have been avoiding the bookstores, as I know myself so well, that I'd never walk into a bookstore and walk out empty-handed.
That, is not such a good idea when you are kind of on a budget and I think last year's book warehouse sales got me quite well covered with my loot.

Anyway, while I was walking into the bookstore on Sunday to check out my magazines (yeah, I still buy mags =), I could not help doing a bit of a window shopping at the books; especially the bestsellers and I tell you, that was one of the silliest ideas I have had in ages.
What was I thinking, book window shopping????!!!

I did not feel any much better, in fact, I built a mental list of books that I really want or want to get in the future and the list just blew my mind off!
I just lost that capacity and I couldn't even remember the list I've made anymore!

There are just so many books that I really really want!

I tried to shorten the list, so yeah, this is the list (shortened version!)

1. Last Night at Chateau Mermont by Lauren Weisberger

2. The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

3. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger

4. The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

5. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

6. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

7. The Pact by Jodi Picoult

8. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

9. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

10. The Nanny Diaries

11. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

12. The Girl who kicked the hornet's nest by Stieg Larsson

13. The Girl who played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

14. One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

15. Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

16. Falling Leaves by Adeline Mah

17. The Rice Mother by Rani Manicka

18. Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw

19. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

20. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time by Mark Hadoon

Okayyyyy, I am not writing anymore...it's making me want to grab all the books from the bookstore now!

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

2010-09-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Synopsis from book:
What does it mean to be a good mother?
How far would you go in the name of love - and justice?

In the course of her everyday work, career-driven assistant district attorney Nina Frost prosecutes child molesters and works determinedly to ensure that a legal system with too many loopholes keeps these criminals behind bars. But when her own five-year old son, Nathaniel, is traumatized by a sexual assault, Nina and her husband Caleb, a quiet and methodical stone mason, are shattered, ripped apart by an enraging sense of helplessness in the face of a futice justice system that Nina knows all too well. In a heartbeat, Nina's absolute truths and convictions are turned upside down, and she hurtles toward a plan to exact her own justice for her son - no matter the consequence, whatever the sacrifice.

My version of synopsis (Warning: may contain spoilers)
Nina Frost was a district attorney who was strong-willed and confident as she strives to put her criminals in child sexual abuse cases behind the bars. She was so intent on doing her job well that she thought she was doing the right thing for all the parents and their child victim.
Her job was taking most of her time away from home, away from her husband and their five-year old son, Nathaniel but she perceived herself doing the right thing.

When Nathaniel loses his speech ability, Nina and her husband, Caleb were worried and a visit to the psychiatrist hinted at a possibility of sexual assault. The MD soon confirmed it from his anal examination and it was then that the truth hit Nina; her son had been anally raped and nobody knew the culprit except Nathaniel himsel but he was not speaking.

Nina, following their psychiatrist's recommendations soon resorted to sign language to communicate with Nathaniel but refused to believe that her husband's accusations were true; that she was intent to use the sign language to find out the culprit.
Then Nathaniel makes some surprising progress when he signed the symbol of father in the psychiatrist's office which led everyone to believe that Nathaniel's father, Caleb was the main suspect in the case. Nina, enraged and yet confused with the sudden revelation, resorted to shutting her husband out of their lives and requested for a restraining order so that her own son would not have to go to court. She had been seeing this too many times, and she could not put her own son through the repeated times of appearing in court and traumatizing him further.

However, Nathaniel soon revealed that Caleb was not the culprit but rather, an astonishing suspect; who was the local Catholic parish priest, Father Syzsynzki. This shocking revelation tore Nina's world apart as she feared her knowledge of the legal system and the consequences it would have on her son.

On the day of the hearing, she walked straight into the courtroom and shot the priest in his seat four times in his head. She was initially relieved with her actions although she was being shunned by her own husband, and her son, Nathaniel just wants her back at home. Her best friend, Patrick had to distance himself due to his awkward position and all of a sudden, she was not sure whether what she did was right or wrong anymore.

To make matters worse, the DNA report returned and revealed surprising results which turned Nina's world upside down when she realized she had made a mistake. She had killed an innocent man, and all of a sudden, her plan to plea for an acquittal based on insanity seemed no longer important as she regretted her dreadful actions.
The hearing continues on the case as all the characters in the story reflected on their own lives and what is important to each and everyone of them.

(Not revealing the ending of the story, it is too good and you will need to read it for yourself).

My opinion:
Another gripping novel which explored a taboo and unspeakable subject of trusted and respected priests who could lurk as predators behind the curtains of the majestic church. Ironically, Jodi Picoult claimed that she wrote this story before the news of the priests involved in sexual abuse surfaced.
It was a page-turner, this one, like most of Picoult's novels, and it was just so disturbing to read that a friendly and noble guy like a priest could be capable of such a despicable act. Then again, it also explored the notion that priests were just as human as all of us and that they are not invincible to sins and crimes.
It touched my heart to read about the perspectives from most of the characters; particularly Nina and the child victim, Nathaniel. A very good and engaging read.

What I liked
How the author narrated from the main characters; Nina on her views on the right act to protect her child and her regret over her actions and also Nathaniel, the five year old victim and how he perceived the whole sexual abuse case on himself.

What I disliked
Caleb; the character who was also deemed very important and imminent in the story but somehow, Patrick Ducharme, the detective and best friend of Nina got most of the limelight instead. It would be interesting to have heard his point of view in the whole case once in a while; as he was not just another devastated parent but he was also a distraught husband. I did like how he was finally mentioned towards the end; and his sentiments towards the hearing and torment on his child.

If I were the author, I would shine the torch a little on the perpetrator and to see from his sick eyes on how he committed the action. I don't mean explicit details or anything like that, but it could be written from his eyes and how he preyed on an unsuspecting child to lead him into his trap. Just a short excerpt in the story would do the trick.

My Verdict/Conclusion
Excellent read, highly recommended! Not for extremists in religion, nor the weak-hearted if you cannot be open-minded enough to accept the idea of a priest committing a crime.

Rating:
8.5 out of 10

Current reading list

2010-08-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

This is what I am currently reading....

Can you believe I actually read something like this? =)
Yeah, I do....

Sex and The City by Candace Bushnell

2010-08-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Synopsis
In this chronicle of the mating habits of New York's cultural elite, Bushnell infiltrates celebrity affairs, sex clubs, and posh suburbs to introduce us to "bicycle boys," "modelizers," and "toxic bachelors" - powerful and successful men who bed single and married women as if it were a contest. Often funny and occasionally bleak, this is an inside account of the quintessential '90s romance and the never-ending search for the perfect marriage partner in high society.

What is it all about
It is about journalists entailing the sex and love lives of the city folks; mainly in New York and Manhattan and the focus is mostly on those 30-year olds who were single and in multiple relationships in their main mission to search for The One; whom they would settle for marriage and happy-ever-after.

I love this book for the different insights in the relationships of the rich and famous; and the distinction in the perspectives from both men and women about sex and relationships.

I would have preferred if there were more stories; or perhaps a sequel! =)

If I were the author, I would include more stories from the other side of those ‘conquests’; namely the models and actresses or young men whom the rich 30-40 year olds target upon.

My Conclusion/Verdict
Not too bad if you are into the movie/drama of the same title; I usually like to read the book first and I think I liked how the stories are compiled into short files with different insights from the person and the journalist herself.

This is a 7 out of 10

Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter

2010-08-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Synopsis
After a string of disastrous dates, Emily Albright decides she's had it with modern-day love and would much rather curl up with Pride and Prejudice and spend her time with Mr. Darcy, the dashing, honorable, and passionate hero of Jane Austen's classic. So when her best friend suggests a wild week of margaritas and men in Mexico with the girls, Emily abruptly flees to England on a guided tour of Jane Austen country instead. Far from inspiring romance, the company aboard the bus consists of a gaggle of little old ladies and one single man, Spike Hargreaves, a foul-tempered journalist writing an article on why the fictional Mr. Darcy has earned the title of Man Most Women Would Love to Date.

The last thing Emily expects to find on her excursion is a broodingly handsome man striding across a field, his damp shirt clinging to his chest. But that's exactly what happens when she comes face-to-face with none other than Mr. Darcy himself. Suddenly, every woman's fantasy becomes one woman's reality. . .

What is it all about
Another light-hearted story about a girl in search for a perfect love story; and was trying to fend off the friendly offers from her best friend cum bookstore colleague who was truly concerned about her. In a bid to get away from the invitation to go for a wild vacation with her friend in Mexico, she signed up for a literature tour in a haste to visit her favorite author; Jane Austen’s home in a tour in the England countryside.
She found herself in the company of a bunch of senior folks; mostly women who were fans and secretly dream of the charming and much-loved character of Mr Darcy in Jane Austen’s book and she started wondering whether she made the right decision to ditch her young peers for a tour full of older people.
There was only another young person her age (or at least younger than the rest) but he made quite an impression and the duo got off on the wrong foot from the beginning.
Just when Emily was beginning to lose hope and enthusiasm in the tour, she found herself bumping into who else, but the legendary Mr Darcy himself. Thrilled and realizing that she was seeing him for real, she started hanging out with him secretly and it was like living a fantasy in the reality. Only thing is, she started to see more of Mr Darcy than just what appears in the book and also understands about love and hatred in life. This trip definitely turned out to be more educational and inspiring than what she had signed up for.

I love this book for the funny moments and enjoyable literary tour of Jane Austen (she’s also one of my favorite authors!). The part where Mr Darcy just appeared during the tour was truly enchanting and unforgettable and it was really hard to realize that you have come face-to-face with the fictional character himself. I think the author really made that part really good where Emily slowly realized that this Mr Darcy was for real. Also, I really loved the main protagonist; Emily Albright, who sounded a little like me in real life (I mean not that I had trouble with dates or social life, etc) where she really loved books! I laughed at the part where she started packing her books and trying to stuff her books into her bag and only left the clothes last. I remembered I used to do that when I was a kid; and Dad would always have to make me leave at least half of my books behind. That was such a great kick to my own memories =)

I would have preferred if nothing was changed from the book; I think I liked it the way it was and the flow was just right for the story.

If I were the author, I would change nothing, as mentioned, I liked everything in the book already =)

My Conclusion/Verdict
Great read; and inspiring, and it is true that what you see or believed in may not be necessarily as good as you get it. An inspiring read to teach us to cherish what we have and not fantasize about things we cannot have.

I give it a 8 out of 10

Who’s That Girl by Alexandra Potter

2010-08-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

Synopsis

If only you knew then what you know now...

Imagine if you could go back ten years and meet your younger self -- would you recognise her?
And what advice would you give?

Wear sunscreen!

Back away from those PVC trousers?

DON'T give that idiot your phone number?

Lemon juice won't bleach your hair -- it just attracts wasps...

He's the one - don't let him go!

For Charlotte Merryweather, there's no need to imagine. She's about to find out for real. With surprising consequences... Alexandra Potter's deliciously funny and enchanting romantic comedy looks at life, love and what might happen if you could turn back time.
What is it all about?
The synopsis seems to have spelt it all out; and that was all in a nutshell to this book as we follow the bone-tickling antics of our protagonist as she meets her younger 20-year old self; an incident she initially thought was an object of her hallucination/stress or a result of a possible brain tumor.
When she realized that she was given a second chance to meet her younger self (who doesn’t seem to recognize her older self) for real, she tried to hand out advices to the younger one and found herself dealing with dilemmas and issues of her own at her age and realized that everything in the past moulded her into someone she is at the moment.

My Opinion
This book got me by the interesting and catchy prelude written at the back of the book and I knew I just had to get my hands on it and read it.

I love this book for the quirky and witty lines running through the mouths of the characters; mainly of the main protagonist; Charlotte Merryweather who was just a living example of a woman in the 21st century with a great sense of humor. I loved the wonderful and the wicked sense of humor in all her thoughts and words.
I think I found it ticklish to the bone and I remembered laughing so hard that it hurts when I was reading this on my bed and I just could not stop laughing. I don’t think it helped for my insomnia and God forbid that my housemate thought that I was out of my mind. Truly, those lines were just so entertaining that you no longer need the tv series or tv to impress you =)

I would have preferred if there were more scenes of the 20-year old Charlotte Merryweather and her antics; with the current 32-year old intercepting into her life without much avail.

If I were the author, I would just insert more parts about Charlotte Merryweather’s 20-year old self and the funny mistakes that could make the 32-year old gag and try to change.

My Conclusion/Verdict:
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book and this book made me start on a mission to track every single book by the same author and she has officially became my favorite author as well!

I give this book a 8 out of 10! =)
(Officially a book which has landed on my ‘Favorite books’ shelf)

Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger

2010-06-23T00:27:00.000-07:00

This is one book which, after the wickedly funny Devil Wears Prada by the same author, tells you about fashion and the mad mad world of PR (event planners)

From the start, the protagonist clicks with us normal people, who, just leads that boring life of a routine and clockwork job as a banker stuck at her desk from nine to five each day.
She had no boyfriend, no social life and pretty much, NO life, as her Uncle Will says.

It all changed when she finally mustered up her courage to say the big NO and quit her job at the bank and she took up the offer to join a PR company under the recommendation of her famous Uncle Will, whereby the owner of the PR company was his student.
Thus began Bette Robinson's life (our protagonist) as she struggles to fit into this ever-tumultous and challenging world full of glamour, fame and materialism, not to mention a wicked humor once in a while.

She had a rather unpleasant encounter with the bouncer at one of the most happening clubs in town; Bungalow 8, and that same night landed her in one of the hottest and juiciest columns as the latest girlfriend to British playboy, Philip Weston who had a rather noble royalty background and an equally notorious relationship fact sheet to make up for.

Her actions were constantly supervised by the anonymous writer, Ellie Insider and her faux relationship with Philip Weston has garnered her unwanted fame and transforming her from Plain Jane to an immediate superstar almost overnight.
This piece of news thrilled her publicity hungry boss, Kelly but shocked her loved ones who suddenly felt that they do not know her anymore.

To make things worse, there was not even such a relationship to begin with, as Bette had NO relationship nor sex with the playboy, who seemed to be only snuggling up to her for publicity sake.

She felt suffocated trying to explain herself and even hurt her best friend, Penelope which left their long term friendship to a test.

Everything seems to look perfect and yet bleak and so wrong at the same time, as Bette struggles to get herself out of this mess.
At the same time, she found herself truly falling for the bouncer, whom she then found out from him that he was her old schoolmate who had a long-time crush on her.

They struggled to keep their relationship alive while Bette tries to maintain her sanity.
In her efforts to maintain the best of both worlds, she had to take a risk which meant putting her own job and future on the rocks as she threatens to expose the truth to the whole world about her co-workers, and the person responsible for jeopardizing her life and career, in her bid to restore her former life.

It was a killer of a decision, that's for sure, and I am not going to spoil everything for those who have yet to read this book.

My verdict is very clear from the start, I absolutely love this book from the first chaper itself and this is one book which is just a stone's throw from Devil Wears Prada and I don't need to figure out why since they came from the same womb; I mean, the same pair of hands who penned them down.

I LOVED the story to every bits and found myself chuckling incessantly to myself at night, and I must say, this is not a book for bedtime as it will just keep you awake and wanting more rather than going to sleep. It is such a page-turner!

I hope to see more of such books from Lauren; and yeah, I agree, Birkins Bag is not just any bag, albeit the tag of twenty grand....it's a LIFESTYLE!

The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

2009-11-30T20:44:00.000-08:00

A chilling murder story with detailed medical linings to garnish the plate of story cooked up in this book. It will make you think twice of stepping into an OR for any reason.

Women are found brutally murdered all over Boston; and they are all spotted with a similar pattern; whereby they have been drugged, had neat surgical incisions across their abdomens which were done while they were alive/conscious and had a neat slice across their throats.
There is always a neatly folded pair of nightclothes smudged with blood in a chair nearby and all the women have been found to have their uterus removed.
Detective Jane Rizzoli is on the scene; she is the main protagonist in all Tess Gerritsen’s books. Portrayed as the bold and unnerving policewoman who stands tall and proud in the male-dominated field, she will not allow herself to be intimidated by her sneering male colleagues and strives to prove herself in the field and to protect her own turf.

Her gender positioned her in a vulnerable and defensive mode and this was the front she showed to Detective Thomas Moore who was assigned to the same case. However, his cool and calm stature impressed her and soon, she found herself impressed by more than his professionalism at work.
Their investigations on the murders led them to a previous series of killings done by a killer who was dead for two years; Andrew Capra who had conducted his murders in the same manner and also following a certain pattern after he committed his murder.
Their search on Capra’s records led them to the beautiful Dr Catherine Cordell; who was Capra’s last and only surviving victim who was the one who shot him to death.

Dr Cordell was initially uncooperative as she was unwilling to relive her painful past that she had tried so hard to put behind and Detective Moore; who was working hard to solve the case, decided to try harder to persuade her and this led them closer, much to the dismay of Detective Rizzoli who now realized that she thinks more of Moore than just a friend.

However, when things took a worse turn and they realized that the killer is hot on Dr Cordell’s turn, they are led to believe that the killer seemed to be finishing off Capra’s unfinished business from the start and that the other victims were just his starters to brag to Cordell that she remains the main target.
As Detective Moore worries more about Cordell’s safety, he was drawn closer than the supposed line and he was retracted from the case by his superior.

Rizzoli pursued the case further, and they were left with no choice but to conduct a hypnosis on Dr Cordell to relive her past memories through medical works. She revealed a possible 2nd person present at the crime scene which suggested that the current killer could be a partner of Andrew Capra.
The investigation team then turned their attention onto Andrew Capra’s background and found out more about his records and revealed one of his close friends/lab partner during medical school who was expelled due to a disturbing past.

Hot on the trail, Rizzoli almost threw her own life away when she was pursuing the killer and her own vulnerability led her into the trap the killer set for her, while she was trying to rescue Cordell from the killer’s hands.

The killer was finally captured but Rizzoli could not brush the trauma of near-killed experience on herself.
It was truly chilling as you follow the killer’s mind when he committed all the murders and yet, it was intriguing and exciting as the detectives slowly uncover the true identity of the killer.
Of course, it was definitely a great thing when the psychotic killer is arrested and a tie-breaker for all at the end.

Another recommended read from Tess Gerritsen; and one thing is for sure, you will never walk into an OR or a laboratory feeling the same ever again!~

Life Support by Tess Gerritsen

2009-11-30T18:29:00.000-08:00

Tess is officially on the list of my top and favorite authors of all time; and she has impressed me from the first book I read of her; Body Double (which reminds me, I don't think I have written a review on it yet)

Life Support is yet again, another medical thriller by her and it is again, a skillful combination of her medical theories along with the interwoven plots of murder and intrigue.
It was a different twist of the usual plot; where this starts with a series of seemingly aged and healthy men dying of weird viral infection in the brain and this aroused the suspicion of ER resident Toby Harper who then tried to investigate the causes leading to their death.

She found a trail which led her heads on with one of the senior and prominent consultant surgeons which could even result in her career termination; however, she was not ready to give up and when she stumbled upon the similarities and the medical histories of all the patients who have passed on, she was in for a more exciting picture in front of her; which relates to a Creuzfedlt-Jakob disease in each of the patient in her investigation.
This led her to a shocking discovery of a medical conspiracy to create a breakthrough in science through a gruesome and inhumane process.

This book can leave you feeling chilled to the bone as you read of the medical process and also the value of fame and recognition to a human being.
I could not believe that there are beasts lying behind the faces of the doctors whom we trusted to put our lives in their hands and yet they were thinking of ways to get famous; at the cost of our health.

It was also sad that people are willing to take risks for the sake of staying young forever and this, is the main notion of the whole story, where the people are willing to pay; at any cost for a promising remedy to help them stay young and defy their age and creating a network of medical monsters who use this as an opportunity to create fame for themselves through their findings in science.

It was an amazing read and certainly an eye-opener; and the author has once again stirred the suspense and excitement, not forgetting the fear in me.
Tess Gerritsen has never failed to impress me; and have I mentioned that she is officially one of my favorite authors?

Judge Dee's Mysteries by Robert Van Gulik

2009-11-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

I've gotten hold of a few of the books in this series from a second hand bookshop; and I was pleased with my loot as I really loved mysteries and Chinese Literature and this is a combination of both.

Judge Dee was a famous icon in the period of Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi's rule. In fact, he was one of the Empress's trusted advisor in court.
He was also famous for his wisdom and quick wits in solving crime cases; and this has established his name in the Chinese history.
So famous was he that there were several movies/TV series; and the most recent one being The Greatness of a Hero (check my movie blog)

All the stories below were translated from the Chinese texts by this Dutch author; Robert Van Gulik.
I do find some of the stories focusing too much on nudity (even the illustrations show that in the books)
It seems to be such a norm that women in those days were used to being seen nude by men; which I doubt, in a conservative society like China.

The Chinese Nail Murders

This is one of the most written/filmed story; and it seems that it was extracted from one of the old court cases; whereby there are two separate cases but using the same method of committing the crime. Both the murderers are women and do not know each other.
Even Judge Bao was seen judging this case in his chronology crime-solving series.
I wonder who is the actual mastermind who is responsible for this now?
This story truly depicts, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"

Judge Dee at work

This is a compilation of five mini-stories happening in towns across the country.
Fast-paced and short, it is not too difficult to figure the culprit.

The Lacquer Screen

I find this intriguing; where the murder case was kinda unique and the murderer, well, not totally unexpected although there were a few additional twists.

Necklace and Calabash

This one was rather interesting too; as it involves the royal court and the beloved princess of the King, who lost her precious necklace.

Phantom of the Temple

I would say this is the one that disappoints me (or was it too predictable for me after reading the previous 4 books?)
I must say this is not crime story at its peak.

Overall, I enjoyed Chinese-translated stories like these and especially mysteries! =)

Times Bookstore Warehouse Sales AGAIN!

2009-08-28T01:58:00.000-07:00

Times Bookstore is having another warehouse sales again; until end of this month (Merdeka day)

This time around, it's no longer a Malaysia tour like the last one they had back in April and May where they had the sales in Penang, KL, Johor, Sarawak, etc.

This round, there is only one location which is in KL; Hartamas Shopping Centre.
I am excited but I think I have been to lots of books warehouse sales this year...and have gotten myself books that could probably last me a lifetime (quoted from my Daddy:p)

Anyway, I am still excited as they do offer some really good books during their sales!

Is it me or has there been endless books warehouse sales this year?? (During the economic downturn?)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

2009-08-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is one novel which can haunt your mind and soul; wandering between the right and wrong or what is ethical.

The birth of a child is indeed a happy and much celebrated in every household; and it was the same for Dr David Henry and his beloved wife, Norah.
On the night of her labor, there was a heavy snowfall which led to Dr David having to deliver his baby himself in his clinic with the assistance of his nurse, Caroline Gill.
He was elated with the healthy baby boy which came out and was relieved with the safe delivery when his wife had a second contraction and he was excited with the anticipation of twins in his household.
However, his happiness was short-lived when the second baby girl came out and displayed evident signs of Down Syndrome.
(It was back in the 1960s where they did not have the luxury of such advanced technology in medicine to diagnose at an early stage).

Devastated, Dr David Henry made a move which changed his and his family's life forever. He handed the baby girl to his nurse to be sent to a special home; while lying to his wife that their daughter died.
Caroline was secretly in love with the charming Dr David and was shocked with his decision.
Understanding his concerns, she then proceeded to the home according to his directions.

Upon reaching the home, Caroline could not bear to leave the baby girl; named Phoebe in such a miserable and isolated place and thinking of the impact it will have on her upbringing, she took leave and decided to raise Phoebe on her own; without informing Dr David.

She disappeared from her hometown and her job soon after; while at the same time, Norah and David's relationship start to drift apart following the supposed-death of their newborn daughter.
Norah was devastated with the news; and while David tried to do his best to fill the emptiness, Norah still struggled with the loss of her daughter and was frustrated with the nonchalant David who did not seem to lose sleep over the death of their own daughter.
Unknown to her, David was equally as upset as he had the same experience with the loss of his sister, June, who died of heart complications since young and was trying to protect Norah from suffering the same devastation with their daughter.
Norah, on the other hand, was angered and puzzled with his behavior which seemed to be cold and distant from the rest of the family.

As Paul grew up, he turned rebellious and was closer to Norah compared to the distant David.
David also found out that Caroline had been raising Phoebe on her own and was cross but continued to provide for Phoebe's living.

At the same time, the whole family had fallen apart; with Norah falling out of love with David and getting herself involved in flings and affairs while Paul just could not bring himself to communicate with his father.
David died later; and Caroline reappeared at his funeral and brought the groundbreaking news to Norah and Paul; revealing to them about Phoebe's existence and David's hardships throughout the years.

Norah was heartbroken and Paul continued to blame his father when he met his sister, who was now living happily.
Norah and Paul reunited with Phoebe and decided to let her live the way she had been living with Caroline; and with their constant visits.

It was truly a touching story; and it had me thinking about the right or wrong; and the moral values of the story.
However, to be frank, this is not a tale made out with a fancy imagination; but sadly, it is a re-enactment of a common issue plaguing our modern society these days.

We do protest that it is wrong to do something like that; and we can hold banners or scribble profanities on message boards or forums; condemning such despicable actions.

At the same time, let's turn the picture around and look at it from a different point of view.
It is easy to say what we think is right simply because, we are not even in the picture. We are looking at it from a third person's point of view and of course, it's easy to be judgmental.

Slipping ourselves into the same shoes the person is wearing; in this case, it would be Dr David Henry, and look at the scenario from his eyes.
1. He is a doctor with a past experience/knowledge of the complications which may arise from such cases resulting from the syndrome.
2. He loved his wife and knew her well enough to know that she will not be able to accept the fact about their daughter and further anticipate her death in the future, would be too much for her to handle
3. He was afraid to suffer the same loss and pain similar to his sister's which also tore his own family apart
4. He did not know what to do at the point of a time

It is not untrue; nobody would know what to do when it comes to situations like these especially since we live in such a superficial and materialistic society which seems to focus on everything that is good and perfect in appearance and looks.
Even someone with slight imperfections would be disregarded immediately; and how would they survive and hold their heads up in the world in the future?
It was split of a second and I believed that as a father, Dr David did tell himself that would be the best thing he could do to ensure that there is happiness for the family and also at the same time, special care for the child.

Morally, what he did was of course, wrong because he is the father of the baby girl; whether she was born perfect or with a defect.
No matter what, it is not reasonable to abandon your own flesh and blood like she's just unwanted garbage. It was too cruel to a certain extent.

Secondly, he did not even make it a point to discuss with his wife and had immediately made his own decision.
His wife was right, he did not even give them a chance to decide on what is right and best for the family.

It was truly a touching and thought-provoking story and the author has written it so beautifully. It could warm your heart and soul; and I am truly touched by the whole story from the birth of Phoebe to the reunion with her mother and brother.

The Other Adonis by Frank DeFord

2009-08-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting novel which is about reincarnation; a true love which passed the test of time and travelled through different eras.

It was exactly what happened to Bucky Buckingham who had a strong feeling towards Constance Rawlings the first time he met her. Although they were complete strangers at the first meeting, they felt an instant strong attraction to each other and the familiar feeling that they know each other.
They longed for each other deep down inside their heart but they did not take it further as both were also married to their respective spouses and have a happy family.

Bucky thought he was going insane and sought the professional advice of psychiatrist, Dr Nina Winston who was also dealing with her own affairs. When Bucky related his overwhelming affection for a stranger whom he had only met for 3 times, Dr Nina associated it to his playboy and philandering ways with women until Bucky requested her company to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and showed the piece of painting, Venus and Adonis by Peter Paul Rubens and how he passionately reacted to the painting did Dr Nina pushed aside her skepticism and agreed to conduct hypnotism on her patient to find the truth or to prove that it was all an illusion by science.

During the hypnotherapy, the doctor was surprised to find Bucky transformed into a different person; in fact, a gentle woman who seems to behave like a lady from four centuries ago and calls herself Margareta. The woman does not seem to speak much English and the doctor, fascinated with her findings decided to summon Constance Rawlings to fly in from New York to conduct hypnotherapy on her as well.

A search for identity initiated out of curiosity turned into a dangerous journey as they moved into the past and unravelled the violence and hatred from the characters; the man, who loved Margareta and how the whole story intertwined with their present life.

The story started off very well; and it was filled with suspense and excitement as I was kept wondering on the past and how did these two protagonists met each other and loved each other in their past lives.
It was a fast-paced and moving story; which was not only filled with romance but also plenty of dangerous and thrilling moments.

The phenomenon of two people who have inexplicable feelings for each other are termed as the Double Ones in this novel; which explains how they are fated and meant to be with each other across the various lives they go through.

It was lovely; and I think the author really did a marvellous job in such an entertaining and suspenseful story which kept me guessing and even gasping towards the end!
I recommend this book; a good read and you can learn a thing or two about the folks in Netherland; especially their style in the 17th century.

Kasanova oleh Meor Shariman

2009-07-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

Sebuah novel yang bertemakan kisah cinta; seperti yang dijumpai di dalam kebanyakan novel Melayu yang pernah dibaca and dimiliki.

Cerita bermula dari kisah seorang gadis bernama Zuraida yang baru tamat pengajiannya dalam bidang komunikasi dari universiti dan sedang menghabiskan masa di bandaraya sementara tinggal bersama kakaknya yang seorang.
Zuraida seorang gadis yang kuat imamnya dan berdikari; namun sepertimana gadis biasa, dia juga turut mempunyai fantasi terhadap bakal teman hidupnya yang dibayangkan bagai seorang putera.

Diperkenalkan pula Eddie, model lelaki berbangsa kacukan yang amat tampan dan bergaya; yang mampu menawan hati setiap gadis yang ditemuinya. Eddie memang bangga dengan rupa warasnya dan tidak pernah keraguan untuk menggunakannya dalam memenangi hati dan tubuh setiap gadis yang diminatinya.
Sebagai seorang yang optimis dan bebas pendiriannya, Eddie tidak mementingkan komitmen dan cuma menggunakan gadis-gadis yang ditawannya untuk memuaskan nafsunya sahaja di mana gadis-gadis tersebut akan ditinggalkan dan disisihkan selepas mencapai matlamatnya.

Rozana merupakan seorang gadis yang pendiam dan konservatif; namun dia tewas di tangan Eddie dan kehilangan maruah tubuhnya apabila dia tertipu dengan janji manis Eddie dan menyerahkan tubuhnya kepada lelaki tersebut; justeru meragut maruahnya sekali. Rozana masih menagih cinta daripada lelaki yang disangkanya bakal menjadi suami tercinta tidak dapat menerima apabila perangai lelaki tersebut berubah dalam sekelip mata selepas asmara pada malam tersebut.
Rozana terus merayu kepada Eddie supaya kembali kepadanya; namun dihina berkali-kali sehinggakan gadis tersebut merana dan di kala itu, Rozana merancang untuk membalas dendam terhadap lelaki itu; dan bersumpah akan membuatkannya lebih sengsara daripada kepahitan yang dialaminya.

Eddie yang memang tak berbelas kasihan akhirnya menemui nasibnya apabila mengenali Zuraida; gadis yang menyebabkan Eddie jatuh cinta buat kali pertama dan pada pandangan pertama apabila mereka bertemu.
Eddie mencuba sedaya upaya untuk menawan hati tersebut dan tidak kecewa apabila Zuraida turut membalas cintanya.
Namun, ketika cinta mereka tengah berputik, Rozana pula muncul dan menceritakan kisah kasanova Eddie yang membuatkan Zuraida jijik dengan perbuatan Eddie; sekaligus membaling segala kebaikannya keluar daripada hatinya.

Eddie amat dukacita dengan perubahan Zuraida dan cuba dengan payah untuk memenangi kepercayaan dan cinta gadis idamannya itu.
Akhirnya, Zuraida menerimanya apabila Rozana yang enggan melihat Eddie dan Zuraida yang tidak bersalah merana semata-mata untuk memuaskan dendamnya dan dia yang membantu dalam mengeratkan hubungan mereka ke atas pelamin di mana mereka akhirnya disatukan sebagai suami isteri yang sah manakala Rozana pula menemui teman hidupnya.

Cerita ini memang sebuah kisah cinta yang tak lari daripada plot yang biasa tapi cukup romantis untuk menambat hati pembaca.
Lagipun, apalah salahnya untuk ditawan oleh sebuah lagi kisah dramatis tentang kuasa cinta yang begitu agung dan mampu mencairkan hati setiap peminat kisah cinta, bukankah begitu?

Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong (translated by Moss Roberts)

2009-07-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

I knew I just have to have this book the first time I set my eyes upon it in the bookshop and boy, did I not regret it anymore!

This book is a novel-based telling of the chronological events in the history of the period of the Three Kingdoms. It was written in a fact-based form but also with the style of a story-telling as in a novel that we read anywhere.
The introduction of all the characters was done in a factual-style and a fashionable manner where they were all introduced through their given name, middle name/style and the description of their physical appearance.

Of course, this cannot be compared to the historical textbook on the sequence in Three Kingdoms but this novel is definitely following very closely to the events.
It started from the Han Kingdom and the Yellow Turban Revolution led by Zhang Jiao and introduced a young Cao Cao with his father who was the minister at that time to the downfall following the death of the Emperor and how the throne was succeeded by a son which was undeserving; resulting in a revolution and thus invoked the greed and ambition in his serving ministers.
As most were eyeing the throne and the weaker Emperor Xian, it then led to battles to wipe out the revolution around the country.

The climax of the story is the battle of the Red Cliff, which was so famously discussed among the fans and was even made into a movie by John Woo.
This battle was said to be unofficial initiation of the separation into the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu; where Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan are the respective rulers.

Amidst the numerous characters introduced in the book (trust me, there is way too many characters that it becomes confusing and difficult to keep track; especially if you are a novice at the events of the Three Kingdoms!), my personal favorite is none other than the wise and suave Civil advisor in the form of Zhu-Ge Liang; styled Kong Ming who was assisting Liu Bei.
He was also known as the Sleeping Dragon and agreed to help Liu Bei following the latter's visit to him for three times and Zhu-Ge Liang was said to be touched by his sincerity and was also in awe of Liu Bei's nobility.
The reason I love this character is his wisdom (as in Merlin's wisdom). Despite him staying in an isolated area and spending most of his time hibernating in his nest, it was amazing how much he knew about battles and strategies as he continues to throw out one after another of his baffling strategies in countering his enemies; especially Cao Cao whose army clearly outnumbered that of Liu Bei's and even Sun Quan's.

His Eight strategem, his acquisition of the arrows from Cao Cao, his plans of attack to defeat Cao Cao's troop and how he escape unharmed each time was truly the most interesting and climatic read for me; and thank goodness the novel had not one nor two but several chapters dedicated to Zhu-Ge Liang's tales of wisdom.

This is truly a recommended book for all Three Kingdom's fans and I enjoyed every bit of it!!

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

2009-07-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

What can I say, this is after all, a classic novel and one that most have heard of, if not read it before in their lifetime.

I enjoyed the story told from childhood and how they fight against the racial discrimination in their conservative community.

It was definitely not just a simple story of the children growing up; as they tell their story but it also shares on the elements of love and values of life in a community which believes in the majority rights and only in what they believe.
It was a difficult place to grow up in but they had the guide of their strict father who was also a lawyer who fought not only for money but also for justice.

He led the family into the target of the town's fury when he took up the case to defend a black man who was accused of raping one of the townsmen's daughter.
Knowing that there is no chance of the black man being freed in this town of white men, he fought will all his might as he know that the black man is innocent and he may have lost the case but he won his children's support and in implanting the right values and attitude in his growing children.

It was a touching novel; once which I shall always remember with the vivid descriptions by the narrators who were the proud children of the just lawyer.

Quote: Lawyers, I suppose, were once children

Crossings by Danielle Steel

2009-06-21T00:18:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite authors, Danielle Steel spins a story about a woman who had grown ahead of her age (as all the female leads in her stories), and had to confront her true feelings for a man while waiting for her husband during the war period.

Liane Crockett, was the young and only daughter of the famous Crockett Shipping merchant, Harrison Crockett when she caught the attention of the de Villiers; the French ambassadors' Armand and his wife, Odile. Back then, she was being treated like their daughter; particularly by Odile, who doted on her. Following the wife's death, she even entrusted her husband to Liane for her to accompany, and this led to the blossoming of the love between the duo despite the huge age difference (also another commonality in DS's novels).

She was happily married to the French ambassador, Armand who loved her more than anything in the world and the due had two daughters, much to Armand's delight after unable to conceive with his first wife.
Then in a twist of fate, Armand was requested to be back in France, his homeland again which sent the whole family on their journey on the famous and beautiful Normandie (a famous French ship).
On board, they met Nick Burnham and his spoilt wife, Hillary, whom Liane and Armand could tell were not in a happy marriage.

Liane became close to Nick and realized how unhappy he was with his wife, whom he loved dearly but she, due to her pampered ways at home, tried to dodge her responsibilities in the marriage and even cheated on him by sleeping with other men.
At the same time, Liane felt neglected by her husband while on the ship due to his time being occupied with work. It became worse when they landed in Paris and Liane found herself often wondering about Nick and his wife.

When war struck, where Paris was suddenly attacked by the German Nazis, Armand had to arrange for his wife and daughters to be sent back to America. On the ship, Liane met Nick again and their teamwork in helping to save the victims brought them to realize their feelings for each other and love blossomed on the ship.
However, they made a pact that all must end upon reaching America.
Fate decides the better for them when they constantly crossed paths with each other, and Liane has a hard time dealing with everyone accusing her husband as a traitor to his own country when Liane knows the truth about Armand.
Nick was also having a hard time fighting for the custody of his son; while parting ways with his temptress of a wife who finally re-married after their divorce.

Will they get back together?

As usual, DS concocts a tale of dilemma and tough decisions between the two protagonists of her stories and make their love story so hard for each other.
However, it will all end well as you go through the story, but no doubt, you will always end up feeling so much emotion for the characters and yearning for them to be with each other.
DS remains one of my favorite authors :)

P.S, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

2009-06-20T23:46:00.000-07:00

Already a major motion picture, this is a unique romantic tale of how a husband who knew his death by cancer, plans ahead for his wife, by preparing letters For each month after his death for his wife to get herself busy with the activities and in the meantime, learn to live again.

Holly and Gerry were a couple who often argued in the beginning, as Holly starts to recall after Gerry's death by brain tumor/cancer. Their arguments always center on Holly's mother who does not seem to like Gerry and at the same time, their small apartment. However, after each argument, as Holly lovingly recalls, they will make up to each other and kiss.
When Gerry finally succumbs to his illness, Holly's whole world collapsed and she refused to go out of the house, which worried her mother and her best friend to no end.
However, she was soon brought back to life when a parcel arrived for her containing the letters Gerry prepared ahead and telling her what to do each month which Holly diligently obeys.
As the time passed, the letters are heading towards the notion to get her to free herself of depression and to slowly let go of Gerry, telling Holly to find her life again.

A truly touching tale, and a unique idea of how powerful true love is.
It is very true that when you love someone so much, you would always want to see them happy.
You do not have to own someone when you love them; it is sufficient that the love grew in your heart.

I love Gerry in this story; as the thoughtful and wonderful husband as recalled by Holly in the various parts of the book.
The author truly know how to fiddle with the real human emotions and to tell us through this story how love lives on even beyond death.

Shadow of Ashland by Terence M Green

2009-06-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

A story which started from the death of the narrator's mother; to whom he was close to.
His dying mother's wish was to locate her long separated mother and thus, Leo Nolan embarks on a mysterious journey back to Ashland based on the letters he starts to receive from his long lost uncle recently while the letters were posted back then in 1934.

He started on his journey by driving back to the last place his uncle wrote about in his letters, and stayed in the same hotel where he met the same people his uncle talked about.
In his quest to find out the truth about his uncle, he was thrown into an imaginary world based on the letters, his uncle's description, and the story as told by the owners of the inn whom his uncle was close to.
As he starts to uncover the story behind his uncle's disappearance, he plunged into a little romance with the local waitress at the Woolworth's he frequent for meals.

It started off with a sad note, and the writer captured my interest by the intrigue he has built.
However, as the story moves deeper when Leo, the protagonist is in Ashland, that was where the climax starts to die and I felt that the story had gone into a weird route; where you seem to feel out of the flow.

It did explains things though; but I guess it started off with too much of a high note which could lead to a low-key ending which was supposed to be simple and explanatory; but it was not meeting my expectation :(

Overall, the little book made it easy to carry in my bag whenever I need a book to read.

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

2009-06-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

A true story on the author's childhood and the life she led as the unwanted daughter in the family.
It was a story which touched my heart, and at the same time, it reminded us of our unique ethnicity as a Chinese through the depictions of the traditions, culture and the typical family mindset during those tumultuous era.

Her birth signifies the death of her mother; and due to that, she was scorned upon and disliked by her own siblings. To make matters worse, their father has since remarried a French woman who had two more children by him, making them a group of 7 siblings.
However, their French stepmother is practising double standards in the treatment of the children, favoring her own biological children compared to the other five.
Ostracized by her own siblings and the evil stepmother, she was constant ridiculed and ignored in the family.
Despite her shortcomings at home, she excelled at school and had the love of her grandfather and aunt Ba Ba who were the only ones who were true to her.

She had to put up a front in school; telling tales that she was much loved at home.
However, due to the constant turmoils in the country, her family had to run away from the unstable states which resulted in her being transferred from one school to another, and yet continuously excelling in her studies.
She was even left behind in missionary schools by her family until she was saved by her French stepmother's own sister who treated her with such love and care that she half-wished she belonged to that family.

It was heart-wrenching when her beloved grandmother died and she was separated from her aunt Baba.

Lady Luck finally shone unto her when she emerged as a winner in a script play writing competition and won the admiration of her father who agreed to send her overseas to further her studies; a dream she had longed for and thought had lost due to her being a daughter in the family.

Her father frowned upon her dreams to study English or writing and decided to place her in medicine. Better than none, she accepted it as the golden opportunity to independence.

A truly touching story, and simple enough for anyone to understand.
I felt the stirring emotion for Adeline as I followed her through her plight and her life story.

P.S:I would love to get my hands on the prequel; Falling Leaves :)

The Last Empress by Anchee Min

2009-06-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

An engaging story about the life and thoughts of one of the most prominent female leaders struggling amongst the thorns in the conservative society in China back then.
Empress Dowager; Tzu Chsi (or Orchid) as she is fondly known as.

Anchee Min spins the tale in a way that it was narrated from the lady herself; detailing her thoughts and emotions.
It was cleverly told, and the narrator assumes her role and responsibilities from a normal brought-up peasant and ordinary girl just like you and me, and how she too, goes through traumatic times in making life-threatening decisions.

The contemporary world has formed a perception of Tzu Chsi as a tyrant; and a cold-blooded ruler who would do just about anything, to protect her authority as she makes her way up to the top; including murdering her own son.

This story shows us the other side of Tzu Chsi; a Tzu Chsi who may have been misunderstood by the world, a lady who have her own difficulties in explaining to the world on everything she has done; for the pride and dignity of her country and at the same time, protect her own son, the emperor from further humiliation.

It was a realistic depiction, and I felt like I was reading the Empress's thoughts; and seeing her human side compared to the cold portrait that has been painted based on the stories I have heard and read about her throughout all the years.
The author has injected a touch of humanity and a tale of compassion into this famous female ruler who had to protect herself and the throne from all the conniving men surrounding the two widows and the son who was the true heir to the throne.
When her own son has contracted a deadly disease which was too disgraceful to be announced, Tzu Chsi was torn between true compassion and depression and at the same time, being realistic to understand the consequences of the news to the empire.
During that time, there were foreign forces which were particularly interested in the Chinese empire due to their strong influence and resources.

Tzu Chsi had to be careful with her every move, as there is no one whom she can trust in the palace. It was an internal battle itself, behind the palace walls, as she struggles to make the right decisions and forming her own very trusted allies; comprising of the devoted General Yung Lu and her eunuch who died somewhere in the novel.
Initially, Prince Kang was another allie who soon found his way out to his own interests and Tzu Chsi was left with no other choice.
Her close and intimate relationship with General Yung Lu ignited the sparks among themselves and also the whisperings along the palace corridors and the main hall. However, the author told about the empress as a lonely widow but still one with rationality and traditional mindset to swerve towards any form of behavior which will be frowned upon.
At the same time, Tzu Chsi was still human after all, and all those suppressing of her own inner feelings for a man has those times when she just wanted to break away from tradition and follow her heart, just a thought that occasionally seeps into her mind.

It was a poignant tale; but brilliantly told to show us a personally expressed story by the protagonist herself.

I love this novel; and this is actually a sequence to the Empress Orchid which starts the tale from how she became the empress; from a young peasant girl.
This novel itself; is the sequel in which her tale continues from the death of the emperor and her assuming her role as one of the Empress Dowager and at the same time, the mentor and guide to the budding young emperor who was her own son.

This is a book that I will definitely read again; to revive that compassion and heartfelt emotions of the glorious and yet humane empress.

Rating: 4.5/5

Hidden by Katy Gardner

2009-05-28T01:56:00.000-07:00

A Hide and seek game between a mother and daughter went very wrong when the daughter could not be found.
Poppy, a seven-year old girl had been living with her mother (Mel) since she was born; just the two of them.
When Mel met with her prospective customer whom she was doing her valuation work for his place, it soon turned out that he was also his prospective love of her life.
The whirlwind romance soon became steady and Mel married Simon Stenning and moved in with him; into a warehouse which was under renovation works in Kent.
Mel then gave birth to little Joey; fondly known as Jo and together the family of four was happy.
When Poppy started getting sulky about changing to a new environment and having to make new friends, Mel constantly got cross with her.
Things got worse when Poppy started claiming that she had seen a ghost in the house; across her room, and the ghost is sometimes in the form of a fat shape.
She was terrified and Mel brushed her off as her desperate way of gaining attention.

However, during the period when Poppy went missing, Mel was forced to recall all the incidents which had happened with the comfort of Sandra; an officer who was trying to help her and her best friend, Trish whom she met at the park when she just moved to the new place.

Mel could not help getting suspicious of Simon who was also missing at the same time when Poppy went into hiding and it was his car that she heard at that time, driving away.
When police reports that the car was spotted on the highway with a little girl fitting the description of Poppy's, Mel was forced to face the truth and to recollect all her memories of the sinister past of Simon with his mother whom he never liked/trusted, and his on-off relationship with his ex-girlfriend Rosa Montague who was reported missing, and his one night stand with prostitute Jenning who ended up killed, and of course, her stunned reaction when the cops just appeared at her doorstep yesterday to take a sample of DNA from Simon and to hold him arrested for a murder case.

With all evidence pointing to Simon and the increasing hours of Poppy missing, Mel has to be fast to recall every little detail of her relationship with Simon and to provide the clue to finding Poppy.
It was a race against time; as both Mel and Detective Dave Gosforth hits the trail of the murderer and the consequence of Poppy's disappearance and making sense of it all.

The story started off at a good pace but then lagged in the middle as Mel seemed to be stuck recalling all the details of her life with Simon.
There were too much details and it became draggy and boring as the writer spent a huge amount of words to describe the chronology of the events.
However, the pace picked up again towards the end as the story breathlessly reveals the true identity of the killer, in a most fashionable and surprising manner.

As the tagline on the book says, "The Killer is in the last place that you look"

I shall not reveal the spoiler...but this was well-thought and brilliantly written to take your breath away!

Deadly Lust by McCay and Marie Vernon

2009-05-28T01:11:00.000-07:00

Based on a true story of the series of killings by a sex fiend in the states of Florida (St Augustine) and North Carolina where he was finally caught.

The authors have compiled their research and wrote this book based on the recorded details from the PD and also the interviews with the officers who were in charge of the case at that time, and also with the relatives and friends of the murderer and also of the victims.

The murderer himself was actually a normal man; who, however, had a bitter and rather pitiful past of abuse and negligence.
He lost both of his parents in a freak car accident and then was adopted by a couple who was only too glad to take him following their own grief over the loss of their own son.
His foster mother had a strict manner of bringing up the children and often commands control over them. He was rather afraid of her; and had been suppressing himself in fear and frustration over the years.
When he finally met the first woman whom he fell in love with and wanted to marry, he became possessive and turned to abusing her. At the same time, he was involved with another woman whom he met at the bar and this led to the divorce of his first marriage where his first wife was still rather furious with his infidelity.
His second marriage was also not too smooth and there were no accounts as to how violent he was, since his second wife is no longer available to share her opinions.
However, based on the interviews with her relatives and families, they revealed that he was not exactly an angel with his second wife as well.

Having come from such a bitter past, and then he was also found to be diagnosed with cancer, he turned to killing.

Whether it was his past or his way of venting his frustration on those women whom he believed deserve to die for their sins, it was no way to justify his actions and the amount of grief and pain he had inflicted upon the victims and their families.
He targeted mostly women who lived off the streets, had a connection with crack cocaine and using their own mean by prostitution to earn their way to obtaining the crack.

Initially he targeted the white women only; and then he started with the blacks after one who tried to rob him of his money and he killed her.

Although he admitted to seven of the sex slayings, there were suspicions that the number was between 12-20.
It was a rather shocking story revealed and the cruel and heartless way in which he committed the crimes proved that William Lindsey (the crime offender) has no way to justify his own sad background to cause so much harm to the innocent victims and at the same time, the torture that he put their families through who had already suffered to see their lovely daughters' addiction to the hazardous cocaine and selling themselves on the streets.
What could be more horrific than hearing the next news; on their daughters' death and in the most gruesome way anyone can think of; mutilation and sexual abuse prior to their death by murder and then abandoned in a hidden place for weeks before being discovered?

A well-researched book and truly an insightful story on how the man was brought to justice finally.
There are also actual photographs included in the book; of the victims, the murder locations/where the victims are found and also of the PD team who solved the case and brought justice upon the victims' families and the culprit.

I have enjoyed the book and at the same time, I can't say it didn't give me the chills as I read about how these young women lost their lives.
It was definitely insightful and serves as a reminder that nowhere is safe in this world and that extra precaution is no longer a form of paranoia.

Apocalipstick by Sue Margolis

2009-05-21T20:40:00.001-07:00

This is an extremely fast-paced, wittingly funny and enjoyable book.
The story is about Rebecca Fine; a young and unnoticed beauty columnist for the Daily Vanguard fashion and beauty magazine.
She secretly yearns to be a investigative reporter and finally had her chance when an ex-employee of Mer de Revres (a famous cosmetic producer), Wendy sought her help to expose a secret ingredient in their latest product in the market; a pot of antiwrinkle cream which may pose a threat to the health of the women out there.

Initially skeptical, Rebecca soon saw this as an opportunity when she is again and again disappointed in her sort-of boyfriend Max Stoddart whom she accused him of two-timing her with another gorgeous reporter, Lorna Findlay.
Rebecca soon found herself flying to Paris with her soon-to-be stepmother; who ironically was her high-school classmate who bullied her during those days.
Since her father had taken so long to find the one he loved since her mother's death, she left it at that and unregrettably after she spent time with Bernadette; nicknamed Lipstick.

Their mission to uncover the biggest scandal in the beauty world turned out to involve also political struggle and Rebecca soon finds herself trying desperately to talk to the Prime Minister of England; Tony Blair to warn him of these potential threats which could cause war between England and Nigeria.

I will not spoil the rest of the story for others but suffice to say, it was hilarious as you read the crazy thoughts and antics of Rebecca as she struggles to gain position in the magazine, and trying to prove her capability; then accepting her father's will to marry a girl her age (her classmate even who was not even her best friend in high school), her crazy best friend who had problems with her own husband's sexual incompetence, her on-and-off struggle in a relationship with a suave and handsome Max, and at the same time stay SANE.

I liked the story and of course, the cover of the book which is so PINK!

Definitely recommended chic book; to read and to laugh and cry with the girls!

Simple-O-Logy by Mark Joyner

2009-05-18T01:44:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting book; it's not motivational type; rather I found it thought-provoking and something that gets the mind reeling!
The title is definitely trying to tell you something already; that everything is simple; which is quite true. More often than not, we always find ourselves thinking of a complicated and Einstein's way of solving a problem or even fundamentally, looking at a particular situation.

I enjoyed the illustrated examples through the comic strips and each chapter's not too long for you to get bored.

It's not a thick book; and I enjoyed the different perspectives conveyed by the author; it is an intelligent read, I must say!
At the end of it all, all the simple steps to having it, is summarized in all the short sentences in order.
Funny how they still navigate my mind through the chapters when it is all summed up in short, precise sentences which is the whole idea of the book =)

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

2009-05-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Jodi Picoult writes in a captivating manner; that's all I can say about Plain Truth.

The story of the known Amish Community in the state of Pennslyvania, United States of America, it follows the lifetsyle and strict religious beliefs practised by this enclosed community lining the outskirts of the country.
The peaceful community lives in a world of their own and make rare contacts with the outside world; unbothered by the news and happenings in the world, until one day, a newborn baby boy was found dead in the barn of an Amish family and this hailed all the outsiders including the cops and the lawyers to the closed community.

The evidence led to a shocking discovery that an unmarried 18-year old Amish girl, Katie Fisher may be the mother of the baby boy and also, the murderer of her own son.
Despite the protests of the community and the denial of the suspect herself, the law enforcers had to step in to bring justice to life.

The story then leads to the appearance of Ellie Hathaway; a lawyer who appears to have her own personal and work issues, who is brought into defending Katie against the conviction.
Thinking that it was just the same as all her other cases, Ellie suddenly finds herself being thrown into the Amish community herself as part of the deal to keep Katie in her custody during the trial.

It was rather annoying when Katie kept denying that she had given birth despite all the evidence and even medical reports that her health condition and the bleeding points to her being a recent mother.
Ellie started off annoyed with Katie's constant denial but the longer time she spends with Katie, she found herself more drawn towards her.
She discovered more and more information about Katie which continues to point towards the strong motive Katie has to kill her own baby.
During the process, Ellie has to struggle with her own past and her own relationship issues and trying her best not to be influenced by the emotional tag she has with Katie.

It was a good pace, and the way the story is unraveled is really great.
I found myself hooked onto the story, and understanding (losing that annoyance) with Katie Fisher.

Touching and definitely a recommended read.
Teaches a few things about life's lessons and it's all about perspectives!

This must be one of the best books I've ever read!

The Daughters of Cain by Colin Dexter

2009-05-17T22:13:00.001-07:00

A New Inspector Morse novel; which I found very disappointing.
I was looking forward for a twist in a crime story; suspense, excitement, mystery and all that we can look for in a detective novel and this was nothing that could even get me there.

The writer writes in a rather monotonous way and I find the depiction of Inspector Morse who is ironically supposed to be the protagonist in the story, really ridiculous.
There is an air of confusion and somehow this Inspector Morse did not earn the respect and admiration of readers but rather just left me wondering, how absurd can a detective get?
The dialogues are uninteresting and uninspiring and not a book that will keep the pages turning.
The plot itself is simple and not much twists of agony to depict an intelligent crime in the making. The motives and even the way the murder was committed was just plain and it didn't take much of a guess.

If you want a good mystery/crime/detective novel, I definitely do not recommend this book.

I don't usually not recommend any book; since I just love reading. But this was not my cup of tea, definitely

Most Amazing Mistakes! by Michael Johnstone

2009-04-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

History is full of mistakes, so this book says.
Compiled in year chronological order, all events in history from Greek mythology/legend to the most famous/notorious murder case.

Some of the mistakes can make you laugh your head silly, but some make you really angry at how those 'little' mistakes have turned out costly, and have even snatched innocent lives.
Troy, Pearl Harbor, Titanic, murder case in London, tragic plane/train crash, etc, it's really insightful. All these are not just plain tragic but they are neither accidental nor incidental.
They are all caused by human mistakes, it's really sad.

A book that will make you laugh, cry and sigh over the mistakes made, enjoyable!

Troublemaker & other Saints by Christina Chiu

2009-04-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

The debut novel by Christina Chiu; and it is a intertwining story of three families, all Chinese immigrants and prominent figures in the society.
Hailing from Hong Kong and China, the stories were told from the different perspectives of the people involved and how they deal with the negative reactions from the conservative teachings in their own family, peers and the society.
Christina also spins the tale creatively to differentiate the generation gap in the behavior and minds of both the young and the old and creates a thought provoking tale as we wander into each of their minds.

The collection of tales are told from each individual perspective and how they perceive the situation they are facing. It gets complicated as you traverse from one chapter to the next, but they are all linked as the character recalls the character who appeared in the previous chapters.
Of course, since we are dealing with three different families here, it gets a little more complicated than that.

At the same time, the interesting part of this novel is how cleverly Christina inserts the issues of concern into the tale and spins it in a way to show how it is seen by different people in the society.
In Nobody, it is a story of how a girl feels deprived of attention and constantly feels like her existence is of no importance to anyone at all in her life and school. Dealing with a demanding father and her own grief over the loss of her own grandmother whom she is close to, she is constantly on the verge of suicide and depression. She found company in her neighbor whom also made her feel insufficient when she was not stood up for in times of humiliation.
The same girl moved on to be a third character in another story as we see from this young Chinese doctor who married a black man as her husband and was considered an outcast by her own parents.
The mention of her own husband silences the whole family faster than you can spell 'apple'.
At the same time, she is the doctor overlooking an anorexic girl whose heart is failing and she has to deal with the conservative parents of the patient who refused to agree to tubes and machine aid to maintain their daughter's life.

Another story tells of how a mother deals with her daughter's bisexuality and there is another, how the mother deals with her son's homosexuality.
Christina also explores into the stories of property tussle within siblings, sexual relationships, eagerness to please, and stealing/abuse, etc, all part of the common issues plagueing our society these days.

It was interestingly told and yet, it appears confusing at times.
I must say, I was impressed by the simplicity and yet complication which arises along the storylines.
You must have a pretty good memory to put those jigsaw puzzles together; and the overused four-letter word in the story may prove entertaining to some, or not.

A recommended read for Amy Tan's fans as well, as this is another perspective into the Chinese immigrants in the United States.

For One More Day by Mitch Albom

2009-04-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

From the author made famous by "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "Five People You meet in Heaven", this is yet another philosophical not to mention inspirational piece exploring the inner conscience/true feelings of a person before his death.

Starting with a tagline "Every family is a ghost story", this book is about the life and death decision of Charley "Chick" Benetto who was about to kill himself after his life was wrecked apart and at the final straw when his only daughter did not invite him to her wedding for fear of disgrace.
He tried many ways to kill himself and yet decided to take one last journey back to his old house where he grew up before his departure.
It was there that he met his mom; a woman whom he had seen buried and covered with flowers at the funeral.

He could not believe it; and yet he saw his mother.
From then on, we were taken on a journey backward while Chick recalled all the memories with his mother; which to his surprise were not very memorable as he recalled the times his mother had stood by him and he, on the other hand, well, failed her.

As a child, Chick was told by his father “You can be a mama’s boy or a daddy’s boy, but you can’t be both.”
So he chose his father and was later disappointed when his father just walked out on his life as he was approaching adolescence.
He was embarassed by his mother and constantly blamed her for his father's disappearance.

The writing was pretty simple and comprehensible for any age.
In fact, it was a story told so many times that we just did not take much notice into the true underlying issue or reminder in our lives.

It was a heart-warming tale of how Chick re-explored his relationship with a mother whom he never knew and yet one of the greatest love of all.
It was a tale of compassion; whereby we are all reminded of our time on earth and with the people we love.

To me, I was truly touched and in fact, I have even gained a different perspective/new light into my own family relationships.
I have even conjured up my very own list of the times my dad/mum/bro stood up for me and the times I did/didn't stand up for them.
It is at this time that you feel guilty and realized how far you have come and how much they weigh in your life.

Chick had lost his mum without him even having the chance to make any amendment; and in fact, he never even got to see his mother before her very last breath because he made up an excuse and prioritized another event.

How many times have we actually failed our very own family by putting them as second priority to our work/love relationship/event/friends, etc?
How many times have we said 'I Love you' to the person next to you and your siblings/parents?

When you are given one more day, you will find that all you ever want is for time to turn back for you to change and to give it another chance to do it even better.
But why do we need to look for a chance to turn back time (which we know will never happen) when we can do it today?
Why put off to future something we can do today?

I certainly do not want to wait for one more day to tell my family; especially both my parents how much I love them.
It is today that we see them and we should be with them and stand up for them all the time.
I do not want to have a list in which I look back and say, "Those are the times I did not stand up for my mum/dad"

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan

2009-04-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

“LuLing Young is getting old and – while she still can – she begins to write down her memories of life as a girl in 1930s China.
One day, while tending to her ailing mother, LuLing’s daughter Ruth uncovers this extraordinary memoir of a childhood spent in the remote mountain village known as Immortal Heart. In this ancient world, steeped in magic and superstition, lie the deep secrets of LuLing’s heart and the tragic events that changed the path of her life. As Ruth’s understanding grows, mother and daughter discover together that what they share in their bones through history and heredity is priceless beyond measure”

I do not have to start with those commentaries by the big names from the press or the journalism world on Amy Tan as a wonderful writer.
This story again, touches on a poignant tale between an Asian mother and daughter who obviously didn’t see eye to eye with each other.
Ruth was an Asian American who is co-habituating with a divorced American man with two daughters from his previous marriage. Her relationship with the man in her life was in chaos and at the same time, she had to deal with her mother’s constant intervention in her life. She never did get along with the mother she saw as ‘know-it-all’ and constantly at her neck. When her mother was diagnosed with dementia, she starts to spend time with her mother and see the happenings through her mother’s eyes. She read LuLing’s diary, and all of a sudden, things start to fall into place as she sees the real reason behind her mother’s puzzling behavior all the years and how she never really knew her mother.
A touching and emotional journey through her own roots in her family history; tracing back to her mother’s childhood and the grandmother she always thought was someone else. She starts to see her mother in a different light; and joins the mother-daughter relationship bonded through their blood connection.
As mother starts to fail in her memory due to the age and health, she starts to realize her true role of being a daughter and granddaughter and at the same time, explore her own relationship with her own family.

It is a wonderful read; one of the best piece by Amy so far which was deviated from the usual mother-daughter relationship stories. She explored deeper into the history of the family and traced her character to their roots; which touched the hearts of her readers as we start to follow in the emotional path of the characters.
I enjoyed every page of this book; and couldn’t stop putting it down when it came to the diary part.
I would put it on the shelf to re-read and read again and again; it made me feel so warm and lovely and how lucky I am to have a loving mother and to love my own mother. I feel thankful that I’ve always taken an interest in my mother’s life story and it made me more keen to know even more, to make sure I don’t miss a single moment in my mummy’s life.

An insight to the true meaning of family relationship and appreciating your bloodline.
I would highly recommend to all mother and daughters; whether you think your relationship is already great or you felt like you never did understand each other.

Books I have read

2009-04-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another new blog of mine; which I should have started long ago, to pen down all my thoughts and inspiring stories which I have read since I have learnt the chronology of ABC.

I have read numerous books, and am still enjoying reading to this very day.
Books, as I have termed, are my vital soulmates; and reading is something which I consider a very solitary activity which I love to curl up in a corner and just read and read like there's no tomorrow.

To be able to write to command a reader's interest and to be able to 'feel' the characters and the flow of the story is the capability of the writer
To be able to read, enjoy and be in the character's shoes is the enjoyable art of the reader

Having read countless books in my journey, I have been intrigued by authors like Enid Blyton, who was truly the Queen of Children's stories as she was known. She is truly an inspiring figure of imagination and creativity and I have always enjoyed reading her books; even till this day.
At the same time, I shall not forget the classics of Charles Dickens, a truly descriptive writer who never fails to impress me with his way with the words; from he describes a boy standing there to the point that you can picture him down to every single detail that he seemed to be really standing right in front of you.
Marvellous writer; and indeed a great choice for a literature reading.

Speaking of classics, one shall not forget the names of William Shakespeare who seem to be the king of classics after all, and all the wonderful writings of classics, namely; Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer's Night Dream, Othello, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, and many more, works of the articulate writer.

Enter the classical romance genre, we have the works of the Bronte Sisters; Charlotte and Emily Bronte who have given birth to the wonderful Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights which have never failed to touched the heart of each of us; to the warmth of hope of the existence of true love.
That includes the works of Jane Austen who is also one of my favorite writers

I have enjoyed many more classics; which include all the adventures and island stories such as Treasure Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Gulliver's Travel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Anne and the Green Gables, The Wizard of Oz, Black Beauty, The Wind in the Willows, and many more lovely titles from that shelf.

Exploring into other genres such as mystery and thrillers, we have the big names of Agatha Christie to boast of. She is one of the very best, in my humble opinion, with her careful thought into planning each of the little plots and the actual murder culprit. I am and will always be intrigued by her imaginative mind which just blows you off with a total surprise. My favorite character is Hercule Poirot (who doesn't like him anyway:)
Then there's Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and also Alfred Hitchcock's stories which were slightly more towards the children's mysteries.

Contemporary and modern writers who explore the women's heart are Danielle Steel, Sophie Kinsella, Amy Tan, Lauren Weisberger, Meg Cabot, Sidney Sheldon, Nora Roberts, etc.
There's also wonderful authors like Jodi Picoult, Mary Higgins Clark, J.K Rowling, C.S Lewis, Georges Simenon,R.L Stine, Christopher Pike, etc

I have so many authors and books that I could not possibly list them all down here; and I will share along the way in my blog; which I am really looking forward to..GEE!

It makes me feel so happy and I can't wait to start sharing on my books or books I have read from everywhere, of course, my shelves!
My books/reviews will be categorized according to the genre and the authors, hopefully you will be able to find something you like in the future, once the blog is running fast:)

Enjoy reading 'From my shelves' and hope I get some good recommendations from everyone on probably many books I have yet to read.

Reading opens the window to our soul *winks*