16th January, 2008

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

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Okay, I had better finish up this review for once and for all! Firstly, I cannot say that this book was enjoyable. It just did not have the same wow factor like how Twilight had. There were a few dragging parts in the book with lots of unnecessary things thrown in.

So, all of a sudden Edward decides to leave Bella. For good. He wants her to forget him and everything to do with him. It’s pretty creepy, but it isn’t new here isn’t it since it’s a vampire book and all? Anyway, Edward removed all traces of himself from Bella’s life and it’s obvious that she’s in shock over what has just happened.

She can’t bring herself to believe that she may never see her beloved Edward again. So every day, she goes to school and work and comes back home and does her homework like a good girl. She doesn’t hang out with her friends and she doesn’t laugh much, if not at all. Also, she has nightmares every single night where she will wake up screaming.

Then, she discovers that if she does something dangerous or taking part in any activity where ending up dead is a huge possibility, she hears Edward’s voice in her head, warning her and trying to steer her way out of further trouble. It’s as if he’s right beside her and talking into her ear.

Soon, she’s indulging herself in reckless stunts like riding a motorcycle with her new friend, Jacob. Jacob Black is also another peculiar character but it’s apparent that he likes Bella very much and wished that Edward did not exist. To spice things up, he has his own set of secrets too! The secret will be revealed later in the book.

Edward wasn’t around for the most part of the book. He’ll be back though so don’t worry. Bella will have a tough decision to make. Jacob or Edward? She only likes Jacob as a friend and nothing more. Jacob, on the other hand, can’t stand the sight of Edward Cullen. And Bella wants to be with both of them! Well, as a friend to one and as a girlfriend to the other. Hence, it’s a complicated triangle.

I wonder how Eclipse will be. May it not be as disappointing as this one.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Nicole, Framed, Alice

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Posted in Authors M, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, School Stories, Titles N, Young Adult Fiction at 8:36 am | Comments (11)



20th May, 2007

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

This book had many good reviews on it and after reading the book, I felt that it’s definitely worth a read, if not two. Truly, it’s easy to read and undoubtedly captivating with its story of a normal human girl falling hopelessly in love with a vampire who fortunately feeds only on animal blood.

Isabella Swan or Bella as she prefers to be called, decided to move to Forks, Washington to live with her father, Police Chief Charlie Swan. Her mother had remarried to another guy, Phil, and he was always traveling about. So, in the meantime, Bella made up her mind to stay with her father in rainy Forks.

On her first day of school, she heard from her new friend, Jessica, about the strange Cullen family, who always sat together and rarely socialized with the other students. One of them, Edward Cullen, happened to be in Bella’s Biology class, too. Since the only empty seat was next to Edward, Bella had to take it. However, his bizarre behaviour and hostile, deadly looks, which he gave her, really scared Bella out of her wits. She could not possibly imagine why he should hate her so much although they had not even spoken with each other!

But, one day, Edward saves Bella’s life unexpectedly. He managed to move her out of an uncontrollable van’s way so fast that she began to be suspicious of him. The driver of the van was another student, Tyler, and he kept following Bella, apologizing over and over again! On the other hand, Bella kept asking Edward all sorts of questions as she’s sure that he’s more than a regular human being.

Well, she did get answers to most of her questions and somehow realized that she’s very much in love with Edward. Edward also finds Bella very special because (a) he cannot read her mind like how he can read others’ (b) she has a very enticing scent, which attracts him extremely. But, he’s trying to control the urge to not harm her. He loves her too much, too!

Bella sounds like a brave girl because she does not always feel afraid when she’s with Edward. He claims that she’s a magnet for trouble and he always had to be around to save her from getting hurt. Really, she’s like a damsel in distress most of the time.

This is the first time I’ve read such an interesting story of humans having strong feelings towards vampires. At first, I thought it would just be another cheesy fantasy story but clearly, I was wrong. It’s much more than a fantasy story.

Twilight is followed by its sequel, New Moon. I would certainly read it to see how Bella and Edward’s relationship continues.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Marg, Lisa, Novelish, The Novel World, Melanie

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Posted in Authors M, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Titles T, Young Adult Fiction at 9:41 am | Comments (10)



22nd March, 2007

Sweet Exile by Alison McLeay

17-year-old Kate Summerbee has never lived anywhere but aboard a stern-wheeler with her eccentric father, Ben, on the Mississippi river in New Orleans. During the Civil War, she stumbles upon an Englishman, Matthew Oliver, who is desperate to bring a few crates of unknown contents to England. When Kate and Matthew were caught being together, Ben forces Matthew to take Kate as his wife, with the drunken pastor conducting the wedding ceremony. However, Ben suffers a gunshot wound and Matthew escapes successfully to England while promising Kate that he would write to her.

Ben dies and Kate has nowhere else to go to. Finally, she decides to find Matthew in England. When she arrived there, she discovered some shocking news about Matthew and ended up staying with his parents at Hawk’s Dyke, Matthew’s father’s house. More unexpected events occured during her stay there, among them is the death of Matthew’s beloved mother. Thus, believing to be the cause of her death, Kate quietly leaves Hawk’s Dyke where she calls home.

This romantic novel tells of the inspiring story of an independent, strong-willed young woman who is loved deeply by two men, Matthew and his father, Adam Gaunt. And as the book’s back cover describes: “But only Kate, impulsive, generous and all too human when it comes to matters of the heart, can determine the future of her love…and the home where she can finally belong.”

I read this book in 2004.

Buy Sweet Exile

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Posted in Authors M, Historical Fiction, Romance, Titles S at 2:35 am | Comment (0)



6th January, 2007

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

Australian books are not bad. There should be more books by Australian writers sold here. Looking For Alibrandi is an excellent book written by Melina Marchetta. It has even been made into a film in 2000 and I have only known about it today. Oooh, how I would love to watch it since I love the book so much!

The story is told from Josephine Alibrandi’s point of view. Josephine is of Italian descent and she lives with her mother, Christina. She is 17 years old and studies in St Martha’s. She is there on a scholarship. She has 3 best friends - Sera, Lee, and Anna, and they always hang out together. They are all very different from one another but still; they are the best of friends.

Josephine had the biggest crush on John Barton, a highly intelligent boy. But, there is another tough guy on the scene too. Jacob Coote is from Cook High. Josephine begins to fall more for Jacob and her feelings towards John start to fade. John seems to have problems and he confides in Josephine but I feel that she does not understand him. She is already absorbed in her own world with her own problems ranging from fights with Jacob to racism remarks from schoolmates.

After 17 long years, Josephine’s father, Michael Andretti, comes back. Initially, they were like oil and water and were determined not to have anything to do with each other. But as time goes by, they got to know each other and became good friends. She is also trying hard but unsuccessfully to pair up her mother and Michael since they are her parents anyway.

The saddest part of the book was where one of Josephine’s friends, (I won’t tell you who) committed suicide just before their Higher School Certificate exam. Josephine and her friends and enemy took it very badly.

In my humble opinion, this is a really good book and I hope there will be more Australian books in Malaysia.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Alessandra

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Posted in Australian, Authors M, Titles L, Young Adult Fiction at 7:09 am | Comments (4)



5th January, 2007

How To Walk in High Heels - The Girl’s Guide to Everything by Camilla Morton

A really catchy title, don’t you think? This was my Christmas present by my sister who is always trying to make me behave more like a lady. Sometimes I listen to her advice and sometimes I try to defend myself. =) Anyways, this book is helpful in a way, with lots of great tips and witty suggestions. It teaches you how to lead the life similar to a celebrity or a princess.

It even mentioned that a 5 cm heel is considered practically FLAT! Moreover, the higher and the thinner your heel is, the higher your status will be. So girls, better invest in a pair of really good and high high heels in order to receive more attention because duh! you will become really tall and easily noticed! It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

I liked one where the title is How to Change a Nappy. There are other eye-catching titles too. It even has tips for the low-tech girl. You can learn how to use a printer, how to ebay, know the different parts of a computer, which is the keyboard, the monitor and the mouse (it does not bite), and more.

In fact, almost everything a girl needs to know is in this book. Well, like I said, almost. So, don’t go expecting that everything can be found in this book.

How to Survive New Year’s Eve, How to swim in shades, How to sound like a politician, How to use a knife, spoon and fork, How to love champagne, How to find and delete viruses, How to make popcorn, How to change a light bulb, etc. And if you can’t do it, take a step back and let a man finish the job for you. No point getting your well manicured nails dirty or broken. That’s a popular tip in there.

Lastly, I guarantee you’ll learn a tip or two, which you may find useful one day. And to all the girls: enjoy being a girl! There’s nothing more you could ask for.

Buy HOW TO WALK IN HIGH HEELS: THE GIRL’S GUIDE TO EVERYTHING

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Posted in Authors M, Girls/Women, Humour, Nonfiction, Self-help, Titles H at 9:34 pm | Comments (2)



30th December, 2006

My Place by Sally Morgan

I’ve finally finished reading this book after 3 or more weeks! It’s a heart-warming story of a family with Aboriginal roots in Australia. Most of it is written from Sally’s point of view. Sally is the eldest child in the family. She lived in Manning with her mother (Gladys), grandmother (Nan), and her 4 siblings - Jill, Billy, David, and Helen. Her father, Bill, died when she was only a young girl. He was a POW (Prisoner of War) in Germany and was tortured so brutally until he needs serious hospital treatment even when the war had ended a long time ago.

Besides Sally’s point of view, there are also stories from 3 other people. Arthur Corunna, Gladys Corunna, and Daisy Corunna. Arthur is Sally’s granduncle, Gladys is Sally’s mom, and Daisy is Sally’s grandmother, whom she refers to as Nan. It was quite difficult for Sally to get Gladys’ and Daisy’s stories as they were reluctant to share their past. Especially Daisy (Nan) who is defiant in keeping her past a deep secret.

Anyway, this book reminds me of another book on racism and slavery, which is Roots by Alex Haley. These stories are eye-opening as we are taken back to history where we learn about the troubles and conflicts between races. At times when I read them, I became emotional and felt anger about how they were treated cruelly and in a totally unfair way. Fortunately, times have changed.

My Place is interesting from the first page but when I reached the middle of the book, it got a little boring for me as I feel the story was lagging. However, when I reached Gladys’ story, things took to a faster pace. Overall, My Place is definitely a must-read. I learned a lot about Australia while reading this book. It also stresses on family importance and accepting one’s roots. Really important things to ponder on.

Buy My Place

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Posted in Australian, Authors M, Biography/Autobiography, Nonfiction, Titles M at 1:17 pm | Comments (2)


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