Alton Richards, 17, has a very rich Uncle Lester who is also very old. Alton’s parents always prompted him to tell his uncle over the telephone that he (Uncle Lester) was his favourite uncle and that he (Alton) loved him. The only time Alton met his uncle was when he was six years old during the uncle’s 65th birthday party.

Uncle Lester’s health deteriorates, leaving him blind but still having a sharp mind nevertheless. He hires Alton to be his cardturner at bridge games four times a week. All Alton has to do is sit at the bridge table with his uncle beside him and turn the cards on his uncle’s behalf.

Alton was initially not jumping for joy at spending so much time with his elderly uncle at bridge games but finds himself being drawn to the game. He would watch how his uncle plays at the bridge club and then go home to share with his younger sister, Leslie, of the new things he has learnt.

He then meets Toni Castaneda who is closer to Uncle Lester than Alton or his family is with the uncle. Alton feels jealous with their closeness at first but soon discovers that he enjoys playing bridge and spending time with Toni.

The Cardturner is definitely an enjoyable read. It’s written from Alton’s point of view and I liked the short chapters as well as his easygoing personality which is reflected in the storytelling. There are also simple explanations on the basics of bridge in random parts of the book. You can skip them if you don’t want to know how bridge is played but only want to know what is going on in the story.

I really disliked Alton’s parents. They were obviously only eyeing Uncle Lester’s money and probably couldn’t care less for him. I didn’t like the way they kept telling Alton that he had to say something to Uncle Lester in order for the family to be included in his will. I’m not sure if I liked Alton but I found the characters of cranky Uncle Lester and Leslie endearing.

To me, bridge was a game played by a group of people. That’s all I know about it. And guess what? I still have no idea how to play the game BUT now I do know the basics of the game as well as the terms and phrases associated with it, thanks to the simple lessons given in the book. I didn’t realise that I would like the book so much. I don’t think that just because the book is about bridge that it should intimidate readers who have no interest in the game, like me. I also liked the book because there are funny bits in it.

I realised that bridge was about partnerships and that it’s important for bridge partners to cooperate well during games. Alton learns a thing or two about it which spurs him to want to find out more about Uncle Lester’s ‘perfect bridge partner’. Yes, there are mysteries to be unraveled in this story!

This is the second book that I’ve read by Louis Sachar. The other book was Holes, which I read and enjoyed around four years ago. He has another book, Small Steps, which is the sequel to Holes.

Highly unfortunate for the murderer, Charles’ brother, Robert Hirter happens to be a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. He is determined to solve his brother’s murder case, together with German detective Kommissar Franz Waldbaer who is in charge of the case.

As they work hard in their investigations, they make a lot of discoveries which lead to more questions. Desperate for more clues, Robert accepted the invitation to meet up with a mysterious stranger who wished to tell him a story which can be a background for the murder situation. The stranger turned out to be a veteran soldier of the Third Reich and he tells Robert about how his and other soldiers’ final mission where they had to transport some crates with unknown contents.

It’s been awhile since I read a mystery novel or a thriller. I was hoping for this to be action-packed or at least be a quick read where I’ll be flipping through the pages to know what’s next. However, it was quite slow in the beginning and slower in the middle. The process of Robert unraveling the mystery of the murder case seemed never-ending. Only towards the end of the story did the real action begin.

Mysteries and thrillers usually have some romance going on between the main character, if male, and the leading female character. Well, there’s not much romantic relationships in the story but there is a hint of romance between Robert and a fellow CIA officer, Caroline, though they’ve only met a couple of times and mainly communicated via phone during the course of the investigation. He’s in Germany while she’s in the United States.

Judging from the cover of the book, one can guess what the story’s about. There’s the Swastika or the Hakenkreuz logo as used by Nazi Germany and an image of some Islamic writing. I guessed earlier that it has to be connected to Nazi Germany and terrorism. The title of the novel has been cleverly thought of too, since it’s about the idea of an evil past threatening to intersect with the evil present. Thus, it’s a collision of evil.

And oh my, there is a very gruesome murder scene in the novel, carried out by the villain. I have to applaud Mr Le Beau for describing it so well that I cringed when I read it. Actually, there is a lot of description in the novel which is why it is relatively wordy.

It’s a good story though only if it were written in a faster-paced manner. Collision of Evil is John J. Le Beau’s first novel, by the way. He served as a clandestine operations officer in the CIA for over 25 years.

***Thanks to Maryglenn McCombs for sending me an ARC of this novel to review.

Other reviews: Bookjourney, Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic

Holden is not your normal teenager. In fact, I do not really know how normal a teenager is. But he certainly is different from the rest as he has already been expelled from a few boarding schools since he has not done well in his studies. He decides to leave school a little earlier and so spends a few days hanging out in New York before going home to face his parents who will be upset to know that he has been kicked out of school again.

The novel is basically Holden’s narration of his time spent in New York during the course of a few days along with his thoughts and opinions of the rest of the world. The hilarious part of the story, for me, was how he considered almost everyone and everything as being phony. His school was a phony, his headmaster was a phony, his parents were phonies, his older brother, D.B.’s a phony. Almost everyone is a phony to him except his younger sister Phoebe, his younger brother Allie who died of leukemia, his friend Jane and these two nuns who he met in New York.

Holden believed that once somebody grows up, he or she automatically loses his or her innocence and consequently becomes a phony in pursuit of materialism. Therefore he wants to be some sort of a catcher who prevents children from falling into the world of all things phony. He wants to help the children preserve their innocence.

As I read the novel, I know why it has been banned so many times since it was published. Profanity is abundant throughout the story as Holden likes to use them a lot. It seems that he uses them frequently to sound mature and to show that he knows what he’s talking about. Unfortunately it only shows his immaturity and unreliability. He tends to digress a lot too as he does not like to stick to one topic.

I really like this novel. It’s written in a conversational manner so you feel as if Holden is speaking to you. He is indeed speaking to somebody – his shrink actually. If you thought that some parts or most of the novel was repetitive, it’s because of Holden who’s suffering from a mental breakdown. Perhaps that’s one reason why he tends to ramble a lot.

After finishing the book, I wondered if it has been adapted into a movie. Guess what, J.D. Salinger has not sold the movie rights to any filmmaker ever since the book’s publication in 1951 so there’s no movie on it. Yet, I think. So far there are some amateur adaptations on YouTube. Do check out this one though. It’s good. This too.

Anyway, it would be a contradiction towards the book if a movie is made based on it. Holden hates the movies as he thinks they are phony too.

Other reviews: The Book Chick, 1001 Books

There are a lot of details in it and it’s quite hard to follow thoroughly, actually. Therefore, my lazy Saturday afternoon wasn’t that lazy after all, as I was figuring out what I was reading. You can also expect twists and turns, so you had better not be sleepy while reading this book, if you want to keep up with the pace.

Anyway, let’s look at the title. Who’s the crazy fool? He was Jim Farnswell, ex-employee of Skyblu Charter Jet Service. What did he do? Well, he apparently hijacked a private plane where there were two Chinese businessmen on it, killed the two pilots, and then crashed the plane. Unfortunately, when it crashed, it also killed an Earl Rayburn, a retiree who was just sitting in his home, relaxing.

Now, the matter has been brought to court. Reginald Wong of Wong, Wu & Chu is representing the families of the dead passengers and VJ Smith, Fifi’s close friend, is representing Earl Rayburn’s widow who’s seeking justice for her husband who did not do anything wrong but only happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. On the defendants’ side, Dan Boatwright represents Skyblu and Janet Porter is for Grund Aviation Technologies who was blamed ‘for not putting a locking door from the cabin into the cockpit’, which may have prevented Farnswell from shooting the pilots.

Let’s go back to Fifi now. In the first chapter, she was hired to tail Steven Burton, an ex-employee of Wong, Wu & Chu. He claimed to have a back injury due to helping out at the office last Christmas and was claiming compensation for it. However, Reg Wong does not believe him entirely. That’s why he sent Fifi to follow him around secretly and get evidence to prove that he does not seem to suffer from back injury. Well, it wouldn’t be exciting if Fifi didn’t land herself in some trouble while on the job, right? Right.

Later, Fifi gets involved in the Skyblu case when she’s hired as a document clerk, Steven Burton’s old job. Her job may seem boring but boring was not in her vocabulary. Someone is out to get her or get something from her. In the meantime, she and Bosco try to figure out the puzzles that appear in this Skyblu case. She also begins an unlikely friendship/romance with the ‘enemy’, Dan Boatwright who’s the opponent, much to VJ’s chagrin.

I mistook Crazy Fool Kills Five as a kid’s book because of its bright, attractive cover. But then, the title and the picture on it are certainly not kid-friendly. Nevertheless, I thought the book was just okay and there wasn’t much suspense in it. Fifi didn’t really stand out as a strong character even though she’s the main one. It was a fun read though. You’ll enjoy the conversations/arguments between Bosco and Fifi.

***I’d also like to thank Gwen Freeman for sending me an ARC of this book.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Lisa, Kris, Maryann

The Chicken Soup books are actually very good, you know. The stories were sent in by real people who wrote them themselves and therefore, their inspiring stories are downright true. Reading other people’s stories of kindness, motivation, miracles, etc can make you feel better. At least it gives you hope that something good will happen to you in time and all you need to do is wait. Good things come to those who wait.

It seems that there are 101 stories of life, love and learning (as seen on the cover). There are some stories which were written by celebrities like Bill Cosby, Jennie Garth, Jennifer Love Hewitt, A. J. Langer and more. Makes the book even more attractive, huh? Well, at least we know that celebrities are human beings like you and I too and they also go through life’s problems, just like anyone else.

My favourite story would be in the On Love and Kindness category and the title is ‘Life Just Isn’t’ written by Katie Leicht. When I feel sad, I read this story. It reminds me of what life is really about and what I should be doing.

Life isn’t about keeping score. It’s not about how many people call you and it’s not about who you’ve dated, are dating or haven’t dated at all……But life is about who you love and who you hurt. It’s about how you feel about yourself. It’s about trust, happiness and compassion. It’s about sticking up for your friends and replacing inner hate with love……

It’s not only stories in this book. You will find cartoons, poems, famous quotes, inspirational quotes, etc. I am glad that there are books like the Chicken Soup ones around. I have no doubt that they’ve probably saved people’s lives! Yeah, it’s that effective. If you don’t believe me or if you haven’t read any yet, I strongly recommend that you do it soon.

When you’re physically sick, the real chicken soup is good for you, right? Well, I do know that chicken soup makes you healthy and strong! Anyway, I believe that this Chicken Soup book can be your best friend when you’re lonely.

Buy Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: 101 Stories of Life, Love and Learning (Chicken Soup for the Soul)

Anyway, the hero is Charlie Bucket and his family is extremely poor. His father is the only one in his family who is working but his pay is not enough to buy the proper amount of food for his whole family. Also, Charlie’s grandparents are very old and they stay on their bed all day and night. But, everyday, Charlie will sit on the bed and talk with his grandparents. This cheers them up despite having to live in such poor conditions.

And every day on the way to school, Charlie passes Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. When Charlie’s birthday was coming up, something exciting happened too. After so many years since he’s reopened his chocolate factory, Willy Wonka is inviting 5 children to visit his factory. He’s inserted 5 golden tickets in 5 random chocolate bars and the lucky 5 kids who find those tickets can see what it is like inside the factory.

As luck would have it, Charlie is the fifth person to find the last Golden Ticket. The other four lucky finders are Augustus Gloop – a boy who loves to eat, Veruca Salt – a rich, spoilt brat, Violet Beauregarde – a girl who likes to chew on chewing gum, and Mike Teavee – a boy who always watches television. Aren’t they an interesting mix?

The day of the visit is on Feb 1. Charlie is accompanied by his Grandpa Joe. As they enter the factory, all the visitors are overwhelmed by the beauty and the heavenly chocolatey smell there. Wow, wouldn’t I want to drink a cup of melted chocolate from the chocolate river? How I wish there’s a real Chocolate Room somewhere like the one in Wonka’s factory!

Besides that, the children got to see Willy Wonka’s secret workers, the Oompa-Loompas! These Oompa-Loompas are small people who love singing and eating cacao beans. It’s certainly a magical chocolate factory and new surprises lie in wait for all the visitors. Good and bad surprises.

The book that comes after this is Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Oh, Dahl probably doesn’t like the television very much. The joy and wonders of reading is clearly stressed in one of the Oompa-Loompas’ songs!

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Tatiana, 20223banana, Alice, KittyCat

Rebecca or Becky is 25 years old and she completely adores shopping. She’s a financial journalist at Successful Saving magazine. Although she finds her work hopelessly boring, she sticks to it because it’s a job and she gets paid. Oh, she also gets bombarded with numerous letters from her bank and Visa. Why’s that? Well, she’s spent too much and hasn’t paid the bills yet, that’s why!

Finally, taking her dad’s advice, without his knowledge, she tries to C.B. which means ‘cut back’ on her spending. However, she ends up spending more money instead. When she felt like there’s no more hope, her flatmate, Suze, suggested that she tried to Make More Money so she can pay off her bills.

Somehow, Becky applied to be a Saturday shop assistant at a clothes store. Sure, she loves clothes and all, but hiding a pair of jeans from a customer??? That’s hilarious! You never know what she’ll do next. She makes up lies and all kinds of stories just to get her own way and to me, she comes across as a very selfish person.

How’s her relationship with Luke in this book? He’s deemed a genius and he built his company, Brandon Communications from nothing. Also, he’s in the list of the 100 Richest Bachelors. Tarquin, Suze’s cousin, has also made the list. He’s interested in Becky but she’s not that into him, unfortunately. Anyway, things changed after she spotted him in the richest bachelor list.

Becky thinks that Luke Brandon likes her. But, she’s not quite sure. She even had a good time choosing a luggage bag with him. Apparently, the luggage was for his girlfriend! Was she furious when she found out! And all the while she thought that he actually liked her. Since then, she’s never trusted him and decided to hate him.

At the beginning of the book, only bad things happened to her. Partly because she caused them to happen. You feel sorry for her and yet you just want to laugh out loud at her silliness! It’s like the other Shopaholic books I’ve read. And I have two more books to go – the one where she gets married and the other one with the baby!

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: BookChica