1st August, 2008

Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer

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I don’t quite remember when I started reading this book, probably at the end of June or beginning of July and I only finished it tonight! I’m already not a fan of romance books but I thought I’d give this book a try as it was sent from Sourcebooks.

This was my first Georgette Heyer book and at least, it’s better than Austen. It is still dull for me, the story was slow and I really couldn’t wait to finish the book! So I’m really, really glad it’s over.

Anyway, what day were you born on? I was born on a Wednesday and I guess I’m full of woe. :D Friday’s child is loving and giving, which describes Hero perfectly. Hero’s an orphan and she’s been under her cousin’s care ever since she was young. Well, her cousin wasn’t really fond of her and her life’s actually quite miserable.

The hero in the story would be Sherry or Lord Sheringham. He has asked the Incomparable or Isabella for her hand in marriage but was rejected. Feeling indignant that he should be married right away so that he can have full control of his money, which was left to him by his late father, he vowed that he’d marry the next girl he meets. Sherry’s quite addicted to gaming and he is in a lot of debts.

And it’s no other than Hero Wantage who’s about to be sent to Bath to become a governess. She’s also Sherry’s childhood friend and adores him completely. When he suggests that they get married, she agrees on the condition that they don’t interfere in each other’s lives. It’s like they’re free to do what they want but in a discreet way, I guess. So, they set off to London and Hero says goodbye to being a governess.

With the help of Sherry’s cousins, Gil and Ferdy, the wedding goes smoothly. They nickname Hero ‘Kitten’. After that, life goes on as usual. Hero gets along very well with Gil, Ferdy, and another of Sherry’s friend, George, who’s completely smitten with Isabella and has always been trying to win her heart. Thanks to the characters of Gil, Ferdy, and George, as they make the story much more interesting! What would the book be without them?

Hero also lands herself in a number of scrapes and Sherry helps her out since he’s her husband and he’s responsible for her. But for how long will he tolerate it all? Hero utterly worships him and would do anything to make him happy. Whatever he says, she follows. She doesn’t really have a mind of her own but then when it comes to love, can’t blame her, right?

If you want to try Georgette Heyer’s books, I’m not sure if you should start with this one. I have more Heyer books to go and I hope that they might be better than this.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Ames

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Posted in Authors H, Historical Fiction, Romance, Titles F at 11:02 pm | Comments (7)



10th June, 2008

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

I stayed up until 2.30 a.m. last night to finish reading this book. I was eager to know the ending, so staying up late for it was no big deal!

There’s no doubt that this book has been a huge hit and so was the movie starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. No, I did not watch the movie yet though I’d really want to. It should be interesting to see Holly opening Gerry’s letters every month on screen and following her on her journey of self-recovery and doing some soul searching.

Holly’s husband and soul mate, Gerry, passed away due to brain tumour. She just can’t imagine life without him and thought she’d never be able to let him go. Then later, she receives a package from Gerry himself! He sent it just before he died. In the package are 10 sealed envelopes for Holly to open every month. She cannot cheat and open all of them at once, although she’d loved to do it!

And so Gerry’s letters help Holly move on in life without him. It’s hard but Holly is extremely lucky to have a supportive family and best friends to help her go through it. Her parents are a great help. Richard, the secretive and quiet oldest brother, surprises Holly in a number of ways. Jack, Holly’s favourite brother, has been quite distant, much to Holly’s disappointment. Then, there’s Ciara, the loud and noisy younger sister and Declan, who’s always holding a video camera nowadays.

Let’s not forget Holly’s best friends, Sharon and Denise. Both try their best to cheer Holly up as much as possible but sometimes they wonder if she’ll ever get better or if she’ll forever be depressing. However, it’s not easy on Holly’s part when she witnesses her friends’ moments of joy and happiness. Moments that she can never have with Gerry.

Holly makes a new friend too and his name is Daniel. He has recently broken up with his girlfriend and moved to Dublin while buying up a bar called Hogan’s at the same time. He’s good-looking and has been an understanding friend, but does he expect to be more than friends with Holly?

The ending was totally unexpected. Well, I didn’t expect the ending to be like that actually. All the same, ‘P.S. I Love You’ is definitely an enjoyable book, despite the sadness of it all. Ahern’s writing style is easy and funny, just like a chick lit book. Is this book considered as chick lit? Hmm, maybe not. If you’re the overly sensitive and emotional type, prepare a box of tissues when you read it! =)

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Maria, nylusmilk, Kathleen, Melody

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Posted in Authors A, Contemporary, Girls/Women, Romance, Titles P at 4:02 am | Comments (12)



2nd May, 2008

An Amazing Story by Carlo Gabbi

You may think this is purely a love story but no, it is not. It is mainly the story of Dolores who is on a quest to find true love, happiness, and her purpose in life. The book starts with Uncle Bill narrating his experiences while in Brazil and also how he met Juanita. Juanita is Dolores’ mother.

There are many characters in this book but I’ll just start with Uncle Bill, as Dolores calls him. He does not have a happy marriage and finds comfort in the arms of Juanita. He believes Juanita is his true love but they cannot be together since he has to return to his promiscuous wife in Australia. Bill also treats Dolores like his own daughter and he’s one of the few people whom she can trust.

When Bill and Juanita separate, Juanita met another man, Jack. At first, Dolores looked up to Jack as a loving father but he has been sexually abusing her without her knowing it because she’s still too young to understand and all. She thought that he’s just being a loving father figure.

One night, Juanita thought that Dolores was trying to steal Jack away from her although Dolores was just actually trying to save her mother from Jack’s cruelty and selfishness. Since then, Dolores wasn’t on good terms with her mother. Her mother was certainly very blind to everything and naive at that time.

Dolores left for Sydney, working as a dancer. But she didn’t stay long at the job. After that, she tried to get herself recruited into modeling agencies but to no avail. Things got so bad and she was absolutely desperate for money until she decided to be a high class prostitute at The Brazil nightclub at Kings Cross. She vowed to save up enough money so that she can return to Brazil to start a brand new life.

Cupid’s arrow struck her when she met Thomas, a famous photographer who thinks that he is not capable of loving a woman. However, she’s unsure if he really likes her or just using her. She’ll just need to wait and see how things go then.

Dolores wrote parts of life down in her diary and she sent a manuscript to Uncle Bill, probably hoping that he’ll write a story of her life. That’s how the story began.

It is an interesting and unique book though there are obvious grammatical errors in it. There are also many events in the story and it gets complicated if you don’t read it properly. Besides that, I think that girls and women should read it as it is a story for women after all. Apparently, ‘An Amazing Story’ is a partly true story, to what extent I do not know. Is there a real Dolores out there?

All the same, if it is a true story, it’s good that it is written. Maybe it can be a guide for young women who may feel that they have nowhere else to go or have completely given up on love. Dolores’ story is capable of helping women out there.

Thanks to Carlo Gabbi for providing me a copy of this book!

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Posted in Australian, Authors G, Romance, Titles A at 10:00 am | Comment (1)



22nd March, 2008

50 Ways to Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom

I know of a story where a vampire is in love with a human but what if the romance is between a vampire and a witch??? Now, that should be a very interesting tale.

Jasmine Tremaine or Jazz, is a 700-year-old witch who was banished from The Academy for Witches many, many years ago and is forced to survive on her own in the big, bad world. So now, she works as a curse eliminator and also as a driver for All Creatures Limo Service during the night. Dweezil is Jazz’s boss in this limo service company.

Jazz’s life is tumultuous. Eliminating curses for people can be quite a tough job, especially when clients don’t pay her but that’s easy because she will only need to bring the curse back to them. Then only they’ll pay her quickly!

Besides that, working as a driver for Dweezil’s company is like a nightmare. One of the customers that she has to drive is Tyge Foulshadow whose farts are absolutely horrendous but since Jazz is a witch, they don’t bother her that much. She hates to drive him, too because she knows that he likes her and she feels uncomfortable around him. Tyge pays in gold bars and Dweezil values him as a very valuable customer. That’s why Jazz still drives him around.

But wait! The excitement isn’t quite over yet. How would you feel if you had a T-Bird car with a ghost in it? Pretty scary, right? Well, Jazz’s ghost is not that scary at all. Irma is/was a heartbroken woman who killed herself in her husband’s car. And now that car belongs to Jazz.

Now, the part I guess you’ve been waiting for. The man, or should I say vampire in Jazz’s life. He is Nikolai Gregorivich or simply Nick. He needs Jazz’s help now to find the bad guy who’s responsible for the disappearances of vampires. The thing is, will she help him? Many years ago, he had put her in jail because he thought that she was a thief! Weird, huh? They’ve already hooked up and broke up lots of times.

What do you think? It is an exciting book, after all. Just check out the cover’s design. I like the cover and I like the feel of the cover. I just like to hold the book, you know. 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover is fun to read, a few twists and turns here and there, and you will like Irma the ghost. You might not like Dweezil or Tyge as they are quite sleazy kind of creatures.

The bad guy’s part is kind of creepy. Well, he has to be creepy, right, since he’s the bad guy? I guess this is not purely a chick lit’s book as chick lit books don’t scare me. Nevertheless, it kept me turning the pages to find out if good triumphs over evil.

By the way, look out for more of Jazz’s adventures in the next book, Hex Appeal! And don’t hesitate to check out my interview with Linda Wisdom!

*Review copy sent by Sourcebooks*

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Posted in Authors W, Contemporary, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Titles A at 3:50 pm | Comment (0)



16th January, 2008

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

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)



29th November, 2007

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

I gladly plucked out this book from the shelf because I’ve watched the movie a few years ago and liked it. Well, the movie was quite similar to the book. Some things were changed though. Anyhow, this is a great book and if you’re the sentimental type, you’d probably cry at certain parts in the book. I noticed that there’s a lot of crying in it.

Landon Carter is already 57 years old and he’s telling his story of what happened to him when he was 17. His life changed when he started spending time with Jamie Sullivan, when they were 17. Landon was considered a bad boy and other parents assumed he’s plain trouble. His father was a congressman and was rarely home to be with his family.

On the other hand, Jamie Sullivan is the daughter of Beaufort’s Baptist minister. That’s where they all lived – Beaufort, North Carolina. She’s not fashionable and she always carries her Bible wherever she goes. So it’s certainly obvious that she and Landon have not much in common. That’s what Landon thought.

Incidentally, Landon did not have a date to Beaufort High’s homecoming dance. Most of the girls already had dates or he didn’t fancy going with the less attractive ones. In the end, it was either go to the dance alone and clean up puke in the toilet or go with Jamie Sullivan and risk being teased by his friends. She did smile at him in class, so maybe she might agree to go with him. Finally, he asked her and surprisingly, she accepted. On one condition, that is, he must not fall in love with her. He agreed. Anything is better than cleaning up puke.

Landon found her to be a very kind and understanding person who always looked on the bright side of things, no matter how horrible they are. However, after the dance, he did not feel like spending any more time with her. That time, he still had feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Angela.

But then later, Jamie asked him to join the Christmas play. Initially, he didn’t want to join but after some pitiful remarks from Jamie, he finally gave in. So, they rehearsed the play and then, it’s show time. Without warning, Landon fell in love with Jamie when she appeared looking amazingly beautiful.

All in all, it’s a nice story with a wonderful plot. Incredibly sad, though. Also, I found out what the title ‘A Walk to Remember’ refers to. It’s the kind of book where one may want to change to become a better person after reading it. And if you like books where the guy changes himself for the girl, then this is the book for you.

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Posted in Authors S, Romance, Titles A at 12:34 pm | Comments (22)



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)



7th May, 2007

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre is indubitably one of my favourite books! I first read it about a couple of years ago and thought it’s one of the finest books ever written. This is the second time I’m reading this amazing book by Charlotte Bronte.

The name Jane Eyre may sound simple and modest but somehow, I think it’s a lovely name. After reading the book, I admired the name even more! Jane Eyre is surely one cool character.

Jane is an orphan as her parents died when she was only a baby. She was then left to the care of her mother’s brother, Mr. Reed. But he died, too and made his wife promise him that she would look after Jane Eyre. Unfortunately, Mrs. Reed utterly dislikes Jane and therefore, Jane’s life at Gateshead was a living hell. Her cousins relentlessly bullied her and Mrs. Reed was anything but sympathetic. Only Bessie, the nurse, was kind to Jane.

When Jane was 10 years old, she was sent to an orphanage, Lowood Orphan Asylum. She was so glad to finally get away from her pitiless aunt and cousins. Jane then spent 8 years at Lowood, 6 years as a pupil and 2 years as a teacher. When she arrived there, she made friends with a sickly girl, Helen Burns. They got along well but their friendship could not last long because Helen died some time after.

After living at Lowood for so many years, Jane wished to get a new job somewhere else. She advertised in the newspaper and finally became a governess for Mr. Rochester’s ward, Adele. Soon, Jane finds herself falling in love with Mr. Rochester but assumed that he only had eyes for the more beautiful Miss Ingram.

So, what do you think will happen in the end? Do you think Jane has a chance with her employer? And what’s with that ever-mysterious servant, Grace Poole, whom Jane thought laughs mirthlessly, wanders around, and sets her master’s bed on fire in the middle of the night? There is certainly a good bunch of surprises in this well-loved story. If you’re willing to spend some time to sit down and really read this book, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Arukiyomi, Amanda

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Posted in Authors B, Classics, Romance, Titles J at 4:20 am | Comments (15)



31st March, 2007

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Published in 2005
ISBN: 0385338686

Wouldn’t you like to be a high-powered lawyer at one of the most prestigious law firms around? To wear black suits all day and constantly check your e-mails every thirty seconds?

Welcome to Samantha Sweeting’s world. She’s one of the brightest lawyers at Carter Spink and never had any weekends off. She works all day and only arrives home late at night until she had to depend on her ever-caring neighbour to receive her mails and other things for her.

Samantha worked at Carter Spink for a good 7 years, giving her all. All she ever wanted was a partnership there. When she finally got it, she finds something unexpected among the piles of papers on her messy desk, which will ruin her entire career. Feeling shocked and more stressed out than ever, she leaves her office in a hurry and somehow ended up at an unfamiliar place.

When she stopped at a house to ask for a glass of water, she’s mistaken for a housekeeper arriving for her interview. Before she knew it, she made up incredible stories about her ‘housekeeping experiences’ to her would-be employers, Mr. and Mrs. Geiger. They were so impressed that they hired her immediately.

This is the first Sophie Kinsella book that I’ve read and I really enjoyed it. It is the book to read if you are looking for something light and hopelessly funny. I also cannot believe that Samantha can’t iron a shirt or even sew on a button! But, the part where she was trying to figure out how to use the washing machine was hilarious. I’ve never come across any washing machines with complicated pre-wash programs like A3-E2, H4, whatever.

Besides that, I don’t understand why she kept insisting that she likes being a housekeeper although she silently retaliates each time orders were being thrown at her. She obviously doesn’t like being bossed around. I mean, who would?

Samantha also falls in love with the gardener, Nathaniel. Initially, she was not sure of the mixed signals coming from him and was about to give up trying to get him interested. But, soon, things turned out well and Samantha started feeling happy being where she was.

While reading, I simply could not wait for the part where her employers and their obnoxious niece will find out who she really is! Samantha thought she was able to keep things a secret but things are not as easy as she thought they would be.

It’s a funny book, though I doubt there can be a real-life Samantha Sweeting somewhere!

Buy The Undomestic Goddess

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Posted in Authors K, Girls/Women, Humour, Romance, Titles U at 1:31 pm | Comment (0)



22nd March, 2007

Roommates by Katherine Stone

Carrie arrived at Stanford University with high hopes and then her hopes faltered when she thought she could not fit in with university life. But after meeting her roommates, Megan and Beth, who are totally different from each other, she made up her mind to enjoy herself as much as she could.

Megan wants to be a famous actress while Beth is more interested in the science world. Carrie’s older brother, Stephen is also studying at Stanford and has a mysterious roommate, Jake. Jake never tells anyone about himself and no one wanted to ask him to tell more of himself.

Carrie learned important lessons in life as she spent time with Megan, Beth, Stephen, and Jake in and out of campus. The ups and downs that the characters go through are absolutely heartwarming and you are able to feel the joy, sadness, loneliness and pain as you read the whole book. ‘Roommates’ is a beautiful book and it will keep you captivated till the last page.

I read this book in 2004.

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Posted in Authors S, Romance, Titles R at 2:51 am | Comments (2)


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