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.

She knows that she must muster up the courage to at least have a real conversation with him at a party thrown for her elder sister, who is going away to California to work for the summer. All dressed up and with the encouragement of her best friend, Maddy, Della hits it off with Dan who then asks her out on a date.

Now that Dan is finally taking notice of her, Della feels utter blissfulness. However, she discovers that her diary is missing and she can’t figure out who took it. What’s worse, all her innermost secrets and thoughts are in that diary.

To add to her shock and embarrassment, someone sends entries from her diary to her, Maddy, Dan and even her parents! Now who would do such a thing to her?

Even the title, Della Says: OMG! is totally catchy and I’m glad to have won it from a book giveaway held at Good Golly Miss Holly last year. It was a breeze reading the book. It was as if the conversations were uttered right in front of me. One of my favourite lines is by Dan who told Della this:

‘Not exactly dancing. You walk like there’s music in your head.’

I don’t know if it’s the right line to use to a girl but it worked for Della.

Apart from Della exploring her new relationship with Dan, I was also interested in the tricky love triangle situation in which Maddy is involved. Maddy already has a boyfriend but she is attracted to his best friend.

A debut novel by Keris Stainton, it reminds me of the girly adventures in the books by Jean Ure. Nevertheless, it’s an entertaining, light and fun read, perfect for teens and adults who still smile when they think of their first crush.

Keris also has a new book coming out in July, Jessie ♥ NYC.

Since everyone else thinks Stefan has been behind several attacks, Elena is no longer the golden girl in school. She sticks by him no matter what and envisions a future with him.

One day, she discovers that her diary has gone missing. The diary contains information which would make Stefan look really, really bad (duh, he’s a vampire) so she has to find it again soon. She and her two best friends, Bonnie and Meredith even break into a former friend, Caroline’s house just to find the diary. Caroline used to be Elena’s friend but they had a fall out.

Elena also finds herself unwillingly attracted to Damon in a few instances. Pretty exciting love triangle, huh? It’s so different from the TV series!

I really wanted to enjoy the book like how I liked the TV show but I found it a tad dull. Stefan was boring. Elena was…well, quite a demanding one. Damon is quite exciting though.

I’m relieved and glad that I finished the book. I’m not sure if I’ll be reading the third book, which is The Fury. I so need a break from vampires though I don’t mind watching them.

But underneath all that perfection and glory, Elena feels empty inside. Her parents had been killed in a road accident and she’s living with her aunt and aunt’s boyfriend. When the mysterious Stefan Salvatore arrives on the first day of school, Elena becomes captivated by him. Just like every other girl in school who has fallen for the handsome, brooding guy.

The shocking thing for Elena was that Stefan completely ignores her. Which guy in their right mind would not look at the beautiful Elena? Or even die for the chance to talk to her? She tries to strike up conversations with Stefan but is only left hurt and disappointed. The question burning in her mind is why doesn’t he like her???

The Awakening is the first book in the Vampire Diaries series. As I read it, it was similar to that of the Twilight books. Elena writes things in her diary. It’s a story of romance between a human girl and a vampire guy. There’s a love triangle involved. I expected it to be as intriguing as Twilight where the story will hold my attention to the end. However, I found it slightly boring although it was a quick and easy read. This book was also published in 1991 so we cannot assume it copied Twilight.

Elena is not a likeable character. She thinks only of herself and will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. On a positive note, she’s a determined sort of girl. She’s strong, defiant and won’t take no for an answer.

On the other hand, the Stefan character is quite dull. He doesn’t do much except try to avoid Elena. She describes his eyes as containing the deepest kind of sadness, the most painful kind of sadness a person can ever have. Stefan’s older brother, Damon is more exciting. Damon’s described as “sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him.” When Elena meets Damon, she is surprised to find herself drawn to him. Well, who wouldn’t if he’s such a hot guy?

Do you watch the The Vampire Diaries TV series which is based on these books? I’ve watched a few episodes and noticed differences between book and TV. For instance, Elena on TV is a brunette and she’s not queen bee like the Elena in the book. TV Elena seems much nicer too. Stefan’s the same and Damon would be someone to look out for.

I’ll be looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Struggle.

The story is narrated through journal writing by 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain. She intends to capture everything and everyone around her by writing about them in her journal. Her family is poor and they live in an old, rented but fascinating castle called Godsend in the county of Suffolk. Cassandra hopes to improve her writing by jotting down her thoughts and observations religiously in her journal.

Her family is an interesting mix of characters. Cassandra’s father, James Mortmain had a one hit wonder of a book but has ceased writing ever since. Now his family can only wonder if he’s trying to write anything else. Topaz, their stepmother, is described as a stunning woman who loves to play the lute and indulges in nudism to commune with nature. Cassandra has a beautiful older sister, Rose and a younger brother, Thomas. Stephen, the handsome, sensible servant-boy also lives with them and is utterly devoted to Cassandra. He takes extra care of her and showers her with small gifts every now and then.

Cassandra also compares her family’s situation with the Bennet family from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. She wonders if their luck would be as fortunate as the Bennet sisters whose marriage to men from rich families had helped them rise to a better social status.

When two American brothers arrived unexpectedly at the castle one night, the Mortmain family had hopes that it could bring a good change for them. The Americans who are the Cottons also owned Godsend Castle and thus are the Mortmains’ landlords. Desperate to capture the hearts of the wealthy brothers, Rose behaves in a silly way during their first few encounters. But after a turn of events, they learnt more of one another and became friends.

It was the ultimate good news when Simon Cotton made a marriage proposal to Rose. She accepted it readily as she thought she was in love with him. Cassandra and almost everyone were happy for the newly-engaged couple. But she was puzzled when the other brother, Neil Cotton did not share their joyful sentiments. He pointed out that Rose was only marrying Simon for the money.

However, Simon kisses Cassandra when he visited for a Midsummer Eve family ritual. With it being her first kiss and because she enjoyed being in Simon’s company, she believes to be in love with him. Knowing that the man she loves would be married to her sister, Cassandra carries around with her the heavy weight of her love struck and shattered heart.

The first person point of view is used to narrate the story and by that, the reader sees everything that’s happening from Cassandra’s eyes and can only understand from what she can mentally absorb. She ought to get credit because she has an eye for detail and manages to describe almost everything in the most creative manner. She tends to ramble at times but that’s part of the point of having a journal.

I admit that the book was a slow start for me. It was alright in Chapter One but the pace went slightly downhill after that. It got better with the appearance of the Cotton brothers. They were “fresh” characters who brought life to the story. Meanwhile, Stephen is just so sweet that you couldn’t help but want to knock some sense into Cassandra and tell her that he’s the one for her.

Cassandra’s father is a mystery in the beginning. You would think that it’s sheer laziness as he hasn’t made the effort to do anything to improve the living conditions of his family who are already stuck in poverty. I thought it was ironic that the servant (Stephen) had to take up a second job elsewhere to bring money in. But then he’s already considered as part of the family so that can be overlooked.

All in all, this coming of age novel is beautifully-written and you’ll just bask in the vividness of the descriptions. Follow Cassandra’s journey as she learns about love, life, the people around her and herself. There is also a 2003 movie of the same name, which is based on the book and stars Romola Garai, Rose Byrne and Henry Cavill.

Pssst…..did you know that Dodie Smith also wrote The Hundred and One Dalmatians? I loved that cartoon!

Other reviews: Bending Bookshelf, Things Mean a Lot, ImpishIdea, The Roof is on Phire, The Literary Pursuit

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

Most people ignore most poetry because most poetry ignores most people.
~Adrian Mitchell~

I found this quote here. Sounds interesting, huh? I don’t know what Mitchell meant by poetry ignoring people. Can somebody step up and share your thoughts on it?

Anyway, The Poem I Turn To With Audio CD: Actors and Directors Present Poetry That Inspires Them is a book of collected poems. Jason Shinder went out and asked various actors and directors to share their favourite poems and explain why they like them. These actors and directors would include Alan Arkin, Adam Arkin, Peter MacNicol, Carrie Fisher, Jane Fonda, Stanley Tucci and lots more! So, if you happen to be a fan of theirs, then you may get to know them a little bit better by knowing what poem inspires them.

Well, what kind of poems do celebrities like? Shakespeare? Poems by Robert Frost? Yeah, there are some sonnets from Shakespeare in it. It would be relatively surprising if nobody actually turned to Shakespeare’s words. Besides that, the simplest poem in it would be ‘Alone’ where there’s only one lone word in it, Alone. It is one of Stanley Tucci’s favourite poems.

Oh, do you like listening to poems being read aloud? I do! This book is accompanied by a CD where you can listen to some of the actors read their favourite poems. I didn’t really like Paul Guilfoyle’s (from CSI Las Vegas) poetry recitation. His voice was soft and he read the poems way too fast! Is that supposed to be a style? If I weren’t holding the book as well as reading and listening to the poem at the same time, I wouldn’t catch what he said. By the way, there are 30 poems being read aloud on the CD. And if you don’t like hearing other people read them, why don’t you read aloud yourself and record it?

All the same, this hardcover book has a lovely cover although it’s quite wordy. But I like it! Somehow I have a good feeling when I look at it. I’ve always liked poems. The poem I like most in this book would be The Guest House by Rumi. If only we had learnt more English poems in school. The only poems we were exposed to were:

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
If by Rudyard Kipling
Monsoon History by Shirley Lim
There’s Been A Death In The Opposite House by Emily Dickinson
Si Tenggang’s Homecoming by Muhammad Salleh
Life’s Brief Candle by William Shakespeare
The Dead Crow by A. Samad Said
The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B. Yeats

Still, it’s a good start.

So…which poem do you turn to?

***A heartfelt thanks to Christiaan Simmons of Sourcebooks for sending me a copy of this wonderful book.

Other Bloggers’ Reviews: John Mutford, Kim