About books

Not All Tarts Are Apple by Pip Granger

2011-06-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

Tart
1: agreeably sharp or acid to the taste (a tart apple)
2: marked by a biting, acrimonious, or cutting quality (a tart rejoinder)
3: a dish baked in a pastry shell : pie: as a : a small pie or pastry shell without a top containing jelly, custard, or fruit b : a small pie made of pastry folded over a filling
4:[earlier slang, girlfriend, probably short for jam tart, rhyming slang for sweetheart] : prostitute

(From Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

Truth be told, Room wasn't the first book I read narrated by a child. A few months back I borrowed this book from kak Zai. The title somehow tickled me and only when I read the back synopsis did I know why the title was that way because the story is from the point of view of 7-going-on-8 year old Rosie.

She is taken care of by Uncle Bert and Auntie Maggie (whom she knows are not her actual parents, thanks to her cow of a friend Kathy Moon who, quite to her face said, "You're mum's a tart!"). She loves them with all her hearts and is loved by everyone around her too. There's a colourful and amusing set of people who are in her life.

Mamma Campanini who owns the deli and has a hoard of children, one of them Luigim whom I secretly think Rosie has a crush on ☺ There's Sharkey Finn, a shabby lawyer who lives in his office. Then there's TC, the local constable. There's Brenda a.k.a Paulette who advertises for French Lessons but who actually works in the oldest profession in the world. Then, there's Enid Fluck, otherwise known throughout the novel as Madam Zelda, the fortune teller..

..and then there's the Perfumed Lady who always dresses so beautifully and laughs a lot but seldom sober. She always brings Rosie trinkets that Rosie once thought she was a Fairy Godmother.. but in truth, she's Rosie's real mother.

She's actually a very kind woman but she just doesn't have any motherly feelings in her, that is why she dumped Rosie on Uncle Bert and Aunt Maggie, who fortunately love both Rosie and her mother.

One day, Uncle Bert and Aunt Maggie decide to adopt Rosie legally, the problem is, her mother comes and goes as she wishes so they had to track her down first since she hadn't dropped by for months.

Somehow, the news of Rosie came to her step-grandads ears and he came to their little town to figt for custody for Rosie too. Turns out, he molested and raped Rosie's mother, hat was why she ran awak.. but no, Rosie isn't his, as will be revealed at the end of the book.

There's also Dave, Paulettes pimp who beats her up and all until she leaves him and Charlie, Madam Zelda's exhusband who's just as bad as Dave. These two guys drove those two woman to despise guys so much that they found solace in each others.. err, bed! Hahah.. and this is set in the 1950s hokey.. siap move in together lagik Paulette and Madam Zelda, WITH the help of all other townspeople hehe..

One day, Rosie's grandad set out to kidnap her with the help of those two weasels but she was saved by Paulette, who in turning over a new leaf, was a waitress at the diner they were waiting.

All in all, its a very entertaining book that'd keep you reading till the end in a very relaxing way..

..I'm just wondering when am I going to return the book to its owner.. opppssss!

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

2011-06-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

*I'm actually copying this from my blog since it kinda qualifies la kot for this blog jugak hahah.. and alos coz this blog seems so left out.. sian dia*

Last week I went out with Bart outta total boredom (I think I wrote about going out with her in an earlier entry..). What I didn't write was that I had bought a book entitled The Kite Runner.

Now, I must say, its actually kinda late for me to notice this book, huh.. I read about it in a few of my friends blog.. Ayeen or Adura, I think. Then Dzul wrote about how he watched the film itself and somehow it made me wanna go find the film. But when I was out with Bart at Popular (she was searching for Ayat² Cinta), I found this book and despite having only RM50 in my purse, I bought the book.

Even then, I didn't read the book yet as I still had tons of other books I wanted to read. However, last night outta the blue, I suddenly remembered today was IM's birthday. Heck, I haven't thought about it for years and suddenly I'm remembering a lot of things. Made me a bit nostalgic and not to mention the ever-famous Ayu-being-emotional feeling. Couldn't sleep after that and was just deciding to watch a CD or something when the book caught my eye. It was still on my bookshelf, unwrapped yet with protective plastic cover (I usually wrap my bookms first before reading..)

I was debating whether to read it or watch a CD when once again the synopsis of the book caught my eye.. so it was decided then, I was gonna read the book!

..and I couldn't put it down!

It was a beautiful tale of friendship. Not once or twice did I feel a lump in my throat when I read about Amir and Hassan. Hassan was such a loyal friend, you wanted to hold him and tell him everything would be okay. The part where he was sodomised after getting the prized kite was told very simply but effectively. You could feel the shame in Amir when he ran away, in fear he would get hurt. You could feel Hassan's sorrow in the days that followed.. and feel Amir's confusion in what he had done and what he could have done.

You'd feel amazed at how Hassan still told his son, Shorab and wife (can't remember her name) that Amir was his bestfriend in the world, even when he knew Amir had ran away when he was being victimized by Assef, Wali and Kamal.. and even when he knew, Amir had betrayed him, accused him of stealing just so he had an excuse to rid himself of the loyal Hassan.

But you'd also understand Amir's hope to win the approval of his father that he never understood.. and how he felt when the secret of Hassan's parentage was revealed by Rahim after Amir's father had passed away.. and how he felt when Rahim told him, "It's time to be good again.."

I especially liked the part when Hassan told Amir, "For you, a thousand times over.." when Amir wanted him to go run after the fallen kite. And how it became the tagline of the book. I wanted to cry along with Amir when Farid had said that to him in the hospital as you could see how much Hassan actually meant to Amir (even when Farid was confused on why Amir broke down after those words..) and I liked it in the end when Amir mouthed those word to Shorab as he took the little boy kite flying..

This is one book I'll really treasure.. and I've already made Ija read it heheh..

I'm not a good story teller but to those who'd like to know more about it, you can go here. And believe me, the book is worth every cent. Written in simple english and is suitable for everyone.. I even feel like buying it for my friends, just to share the beautiful story with all.

There are other elements in this story, about Afghanistan, about Taliban, about Islam (See, we're not terrorists! Only sometime people twist the words of Allah to suit their own sick mind, while they themselves immerse their wholeself in sin..) but what I liked most, and what I think dominates this book is the friendship between the two..

Friendship, when sincere, indeed is beautiful!

Room by Emma Donoghue

2011-06-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

Whewww.. this blog really needs some dusting!

Recently I came across this book at Popular Sunway Carnival. I was actually looking for other books but the simple cover caught my eye.. the "A Man Booker Prize Finalist" on the topmost of its cover didn't hurt either so even tho it wasn't within my budget for the day, I thought I'd spend just a bit on it..

..and it was worth it! For me la, at least ☺

The novel is narrated by a 5-year old by the name of Jack whose whole world is an eleven by eleven foot space where he lives with his Ma who sometimes gets visited by Old Nick in the middle of the night.

His daily routine is the same each day with slight variations from his Ma who wants him to lead a normal life. He has PE in this world of his by running around the room, math with his Ma who teaches him all that she knows and so on. He has never ventured out of this space and all supplies are brought to them by Old Nick and to Jack, he's content with his life as long as he has his Ma.

He doesn't like Old Nick very much coz whenever Old Nick comes to spend the night, he has to sleep in the closet but other than that, he's a happy kid.

Little does he know that he and his Ma are prisoners. His Ma was kidnapped by Old Nick when she was just starting college (if my mind serves me right) and she was locked in this soundproof, windowless shed in Old Nick's garden. Jack is a result of the 'arrangement' Old Nick made with his Ma and was born years after his Ma was kidnapped.

In the middle of the novel, Ma plans for escape. Jack is afraid coz he doesn't believe there is a world outside his room but when he realizes it would make his mother happy, he decided to be brave and go for his Ma's plan that invloves him pretending to be dead.

They were rescued, and his Ma's family who had thought she was dead was joyous at their reunion.. more so when they realize what an adorable boy Jack is.

But their problems are far from over as Ma got overcome by depression when people questioned how she could bring up a child in captive like that, though if you read the book from the start, you'd know she did quite a pretty good job at it.

Ma tried to commit suicide and was held in an instituition for a while, while Jack stayed with his Granma. They soon learnt, no harm was done to Jack's social skills even if he never had any outside contact for the first 5 years in his life.. and to make Ma proud, his reading and arithmatic skills were way beyong his peers.

When Ma got better, Ma decided they needed to learn to live on their own without expecting help from her family, not that she didn't trust them but because she craved for a normal life after living in hell for the past years.

What I like about this book is how we get to see these problems through a 5-year-olds eyes. He doesn't understand why they had to escape in the first place coz he thought he was happy in the room since his Ma made sure of that. He's naive in his perception of life but somehow, that came out as refreshing.

I truly recommend this book for long weekends without anything to do since I couldn't put down the book haha..

Island, by Jane Rogers

2009-04-12T04:09:00.000-07:00

This novel came as a surprise to me, because...well...let's just say that I predicted blindly that something's going to happen to the characters even before I picked it up....and it did happen in the book.

Written by Jane Rogers, the novel is narrated by a conflicted, angsty 29-year-old Nikki Black whose intention was to search for her mother had brought her to a rural Scottish island. And no, this was not your typical 'oh my mother left me I want to be reunited with her and all will be warm and shiny and fuzzy and sweet again' Nicholas Sparks/Maeve Binchy type-novel.

No.

What Nikki Black wanted to do when she met the mother who had abandoned her at birth was simpler than sinister.

She wanted to kill her for revenge.

The mere idea to a sane person may seem far-fetched, and I was one of those people who go, "Is this even a viable idea to base a story upon? Could Jane Rogers make it work?"

Believe me when I say she did, and she did it wonderfully.

Nikki Black was at times disturbed, hotheaded, sarcastic; snarky. A strong-willed character, if you will. Her reasons for wanting to kill a woman she never met in her entire life came across as realistic, if not sympathetic. What was more interesting though, was Nikki's narrative, which made the readers wonder if her theories and assumptions were at all true. This was the simple case of an 'unreliable narrator', the one-sided view of a story that kept the readers on the edge. Her prose were punctuated in such a way that one could readily brand 'Nikki Black's and Nikki Black's only'.

Her journey eventually brought her to a small Scottish island, where she finally confronted her long-time faceless nemesis; only now Nikki discovered that she has a (half) brother; Calum. And this brother of hers was ordinarily unordinary, in the sense that he suffered from a slight mental retardation - and therefore irritating to Nikki at first. Yet Calum's many imperfections also was the reason for his strange, different, almost magical insight of the world - based on the only world he ever knew -- the island. While Nikki was sceptical, using cold hard logic domineered by hatred -- the independent girl who had traveled far and wide, having seen many layers of types of people, Calum was the opposite -- a mama's boy whose simple mind was guided by the many fascinating, almost mythical stories he had heard about the island, whose purpose in life was simply to retell the stories to others who are willing to listen. Although, beneath his awkward tenderness, lies a violent streak thatcould be frightening, even to the murderous Nikki herself.

Of course, like your usual family reunion stories, there is bound to be dark secrets to be uncovered. Skeletons in the closet. Yet even if you thought that you've seen it coming, Nikki's narration will keep you guessing, when suddenly, bam. It's right there in your face and your heart just skipped a beat. And you'll smile at the clever way Jane Rogers tied everything up -- from the irony and the paradoxes and allusions and foreshadowing.

If you had given such a mundane-sounding plotline to any other writer, you would've gotten a sucky ending. THIS however, was filled with witty dark humor laced with revelations that are purely intended to shock the readers. T'was a shame that the novel was rather PG-13, (or maybe I've been reading too much NSFW stuff) given the dark theme it attempted to explore. For 260 pages, I'd say it was succinct (despite the ending which felt slightly rushed); Rogers could've added something more to amplify the shock value.

My favorite interaction has got to be between Nikki and Calum, whose worlds collided and merged in such an endearing, beautiful, twisted way. She hated him, he was indifferent. She was irritated with him and his antics, but grew more attached to him than she would've ever wanted. He liked her, and that brought about a dozen million other problems.

The question is, will she or will she not kill her mother? How does Calum fit in the picture? How would this whole entanglement work out?

A compelling read. I never thought I could finish it in a few hours (and this was me trying to study Genetics).

Island will be adapted into an indie movie titled The Sea Change, starring Nathalie Press as Nikki Black, Janet McTeer as Phyllis Lovage and Colin Morgan as Calum MacLeod. (~~Ooooooooo, Colin playing a Scottish Islander~~)

On location, Isle of Mull/Skye(?), Scotland.

The Deathly Hallows

2007-08-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

Well, what shall I write about it? Hmmm….first thing to say is that it’s not the best book in the series but, like Ayu said, it’s still a good book nevertheless.

I have to say, this time around, whenever I started to open the first few chapters, I wasn’t able to resist the urge to sleep. I was tired alright, and I can assure you it’s NOT due to lack of exciting plots and excitement in Harry’s journey towards defeating He Who Must Not Be Named (Hey!don’t make me say the name okie..it’s Tabooed!) .

The part I enjoyed most in all the previous books were the Hogwarts part, and even though J.K Rowling has mentioned in HBP that those three wouldn’t be returning to Hogwarts for their educations, I was still disappointed when Hogwart was mentioned only towards the end of the story. Nevertheless, I was truly touched, glad - and all other emotions mixed up - that almost everyone of the wizarding world ever mentioned in the previous series turned out at Hogwarts to “duel to kill” (as Mrs. Weasley said to Bellatrix) Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

I love it that Ron and Hermione still played a BIG role in this book, tagging along with Harry wherever he went and helped him out in his quest to destroy the Horcruxes. I was a bit disappointed at first that Harry didn’t get any help from Dumbledore but as my reading progressed, it became clear that Dumbledore was still helping Harry and The Order going through the dark times, albeit indirectly.

Among all the characters that got killed, I was the saddest when Fred died. I just can’t help but kept on imagining how would George’s life be without his soul mate to share everything with him. The Weasley Wizard Wheezes (or what’s the name of their joke shop again?) surely could not go on without one of the brilliant twins, but come to think of it, maybe George would keep operating the shop as he knew that it’ll the one thing that Fred would really want him to do.

The part that I love the most in this book is the ending; when Voldermort announced to the general crowd of Harry’s death; in hope that everyone would then bow to him and give him their full allegiance. However, what happened was I think beyond his imagination. Neville was heroic in his attempt to stand up to the Dark Lord and with the bravery it’s undeniably that he deserved to be prized with the Gryffindor sword.

I love the scene when out of nowhere; there came hundreds of man and a horde of centaurs thundering across the ground to battle the Death Eaters and their master. It’s amazing how easy Voldemort got defeated by The Boy Who Lived, despite all his arrogance and so-called outstanding magical power.

However, I do think that the final chapter of the book was done as if Rowling was in a hurry to finish it. It was such a sweet little ending that didn’t blend well with the rest of the book. But who am I to say, it’s her story so she deserves to do it whichever way she wasn’t to, rite?
It’s just depressing thinking that there won’t be anymore of Harry Potter to look forward to after this. I just hope there’ll be other stories as good, if not better, than HP in the years to come.

Ayu's HPATDH review

2007-07-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

I miss Hogwarts!

I miss Quidditch!

I miss the Gryffindor Tower!

I miss Hogsmeade!

I miss Dumbledore!

I miss Hagrid!

I miss platform nine and three quarters, as well as the Hogwarts express and the candy cart lady!

..and I miss a whole lot more! All of which were not mentioned as much as before and as much as I would've liked in the final book.. but then again, its the finale, huh?

*sigh*

Still, I won't say its not a good book.. not the best maybe, but still very good..

Hahah.. ok, for Baizurah: Sorry for the delay hehe.. I've been a bit busy the past week (busy ke?)

Anyway, it took me quite a while to read the book as I had some classes to attend to (unwillingly haha..) and it took all my willpower to stop me from ignoring my class while giving full attention to THE book. However, it also took all my willpower NOT to fall asleep as I was really tired that day AND I wanted to finish the book on the same day haha.. so ta-daaa, at 12.30am the mission was accomplished *applause to self with a pat on the back*

All in all, I'd say I enjoyed it. Though there were no longer the fun-school-days in it. The only time Hogwarts was mentioned was when the death eaters had come to attack the school and Voldemort had gone there for Harry.

I enjoyed reading about Neville. Rowling managed to potray him as his mother and father's (both ex-aurors who are now admitted to St Mungo's) true son. With the absence of Harry, Ron and Hermione, Neville leading the way with Ginny and Luna went into rebellion haha.. I can just imagine him (though whenever I imagine him now, I see the face of the actor who played him in the movie) being a leader.. yeay for Neville! I've always had a soft spot for him, especially eversince I read about his parents and how his grandmother always seemed to be disappointed in him.. but this time, his granma was sure proud of him. Bravo!

Then there was Luna. I've always imagined her as plain looking with bottle-thick spectacles. I admit, I like the movie-Luna better. She's so cute, so soft-spoken, so.. I dunno, I just really like her. So in this book, whenever I read about her, I see the 'movie-Luna' which I like better than the one I've been imagining all along. When she was first added in the series, I always though she'd just be a small part, but it turned out, I wouldn't want the book without her and her eccentricities. I pitied her father though when the death eaters had abducted her but I was pissed when the tricked Harry, Ron and Hermione.. still, I'm not a parent yet, what do I know, huh? He really loves his daughter..

..and I was touched when Harry went up to her room and saw painted pictures (not moving magical ones if I'm not mistaken) of himself, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny that Luna had decorated on her ceiling with a golden chain surrounding them that was actually the word 'friends' written all over again.

Dobby proved to be a great friend too. I was stunned that he had to die but he died helping the only friend who had taught him trust: Harry! Even his last words were Harry's name but I guess he was glad to die helping Harry get away from the Malfoy's mansion that had somehow turned out to be like Voldemort's fort (though Draco here, to my delight-I never really thought he was THAT 'evil'-was seemingly uncomfortable of being on the dark side)

And hey, how 'bout Kreacher? Turned out, he only wanted attention.. and once Harry and Ron were able to be nice to him (as Hermione had ALWAYS told them to), he was really sweet to them. Always cooking their favourite meals and being the obedient house-elf he was supposed to be to Harry. It helped when they realized his favourite master had always been Regulus, Sirius's brother, who had always treated him kindly as opposed to Sirius who treated him dreadfully.. it goes without saying, you reap what you sow (or is it you sow what you reap??? My English is getting worse haha..) Well, they realized Regulus had actually disobeyed Voldemort and had wanted to make things right by stealing the first horcrux and destroying it and knowing that Kreacher was somehow involved made them see the house elf in an entirely different light (Me too, I always thought Kreacher was.. well, a 'creature' if you know what I mean!)

And whats a HP book without the prankster twins haha.. I laugh nearly everytime their names are mentioned and I guess, for the fun parts, I love their character the most! Like the time George had his ear blown off, he still managed to crack a joke, feeble as it was haha.. and I thought he was dying! They somehow manage to change EVERY dark moment into a jovial one with the punch lines and all.. but when I said 'nearly', it really meant EXCEPT the time Fred died.. though in a way, he did die they way he would've wanted.. while laughing at Percy (Oooooh, I'll come to Percy next).. but still, I felt quite lost for a while as I said, I really love George and Fred and I do wonder why Rowling didn't speak of what happened to George (though Percy WAS mentioned) in the 'Ninteen Years Later' chapter..

The loss of Lupin and Tonks were also sad parts in the book, though I think they deserve more recognition than just being mentioned as fatalities in the battle. I mean, Lupin was the one who taught Harry how to produce a Patronus and haha, this sounds crazy but I almost wish he was Harry's godfather as Sirius was actually too reckless in his own cheeky way while Lupin always seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. Yeah, I know, Sirius was caught so Lupin was the one who was always there, but for someone who wanted a father figure, gimme Lupin anyday.

And Tonks, I must admit, for the recent movie, I was really anticipating who would become Tonks and the actress (don't ask me her name) was really good.. in my books at least. She didn't disappoint as Tonks and I have always been quite fond of Tonks and her clumsy ways. And yeah, that Colin boy who worshipped Harry also died, guess he just wanted to be in the front rows with his hero too.. quite sad though!

Anyway, I loved how Rowling bought back most of the characters from the series during the battle at Hogwarts. There was Percy (ooohh, I wanna talk bout him), Neville's gran, Dean (who was not allowed to go back to Hogwarts as he wasn't pure-blooded and has been on the run eversince), the Patil twins, Ernie whateverhisnameis whom I used to get annoyed with in the DA, Cho Chang, the head full of dreadlocks of Lee Jordon (whom if you don't remember, were the twins bestfriend) and the old quidditch team: Oliver Wood, Alicia something, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson (?).. and thats just to mention a few :)

Hahah.. I always thought Percy would, well, be Percy-ish till the end (He still is bossy anyway 'Ninteen Years Later' though I'm not sure what post his was holiding and why his voice was heard booming at the station) . turned out, he couldn't stand being too ambitious anymore and turned back to his family. It was quite a suprise as he wasn't mentioned that much in Half Blood Prince so I thought his character had somehow faded. But I'm glad as I always feel as if the Weasleys are the kind of family everyone wants to be in :) I laughed when Percy apologized to his family while Geroge/Fred rubbed it in (called him all sort of names haha) BUT while holding out their hands to him in a peaceful gesture.. awwww!

So, in a nutshell, its not the best book (I love happy books better), but I guess it has the greatest ending and is a fine finale for the series (C'mon, you can't expect a happy book for the end, right.. what with Voldemort and all those death eaters and dementors walking around like having a brisk in the park?)

Anyway, I keeping the book now. Don't think I can read it again in a few weeks as I'm quite full of it now.. AND since a lot of people seem to wanna borrow it.

Gee, I wonder if another book could ever make me feel this excited again??

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2007-07-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

...As requested by Ayu, I am copying the review I did for my blog here...

Like everyone else who has the smallest smidgen of enjoyment of Harry Potter I was looking forward to reading the last of the series (allegedly).

In fact, I went to Borders at 7.40am just to get my copy... after receiving an annoying buzzed text message from a certain someone in Ireland saying that she's got HER copy... Previously, I planned to go and get my copy with Nini at around 10.00am (yeah right!!). However, I could NOT seem to wait and thought back on Ayu's entry.. not to mention Baizurah's entry and of course Syuhada's entry... I SIMPLY HAD TO GET OFF MY BUTT AND GET MINE! So, I did. I called Nini to inform her about the change of plans (once my copy was in my hands) and called back to check her current progress to get her copy... and hahahaha sure enough, she's left house to get her copy. Note to Nini: Hahahaha.. tapi tak ada your *ahem BF (wink wink) plak Nini!! :D

Anyway, upon returning home and preciously holding my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I promptly sat down and tried to read it cover to cover in one sitting - didn't manage that, but I did manage to complete in in 24 hours! :D What to do?!! I'm a bookworm! Caterpillarbuku LIVES ON!!! This fantasy reads rather well, it has to be said, flowing nicely along at a good pace. It's dark and bloody, but then again what do you expect with Voldermort kicking around?

Alas, one could argue that therein lies the problem. There are not really any of the plot twists and turns that one expects from Harry Potter books. In fact, one could argue that must of it was rather predictable in extremism. That is not to say it is not a rather enjoyable romp through the final tale of the boy wizard. One thing that strikes one throughout the book is that it is rather visual, almost cinematic. The book was clearly written in a manner that would not make it too terribly hard to turn into a script... so look out people... coming soon to a cinema near you!

J. K. Rowling seems to have recovered the part of Hermione and she is not a whining teenager anymore. She does have a strop, which is a bit of predictable foreshadowing to the end of the book, well rather, the epilogue of the book. There are a lot of loose ends that are tied up rather well for all the characters, although I have to say that I was disappointed to see one of my favorite characters in the whole set of tales, Hagrid, reduced to a bit part in this novel. In fact, truth be told, much of the book only really revolves around the core three, which one might have expected.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is probably not Rowling's best book in the series and adults might find it to be a bit thin at times. It reads a bit rushed, and there are some plot glitches. But taken as a whole series, Rowling has done something only few other authors like Tolkien have done. She has created a series of books that can be read by child and adult alike and enjoyed in similar but slightly different ways. By the end chapter, I felt like there were no closure to a few things... like did Harry became the Auror that he wanted to be..? What is Hermione doing? If Rowling's intention was to create a"nineteen years later" chapter, maybe it should not be so hurried and answers all the questions that were raised in the earlier books... but that's just me and my opinion...

Secret Hour

2007-01-12T18:14:00.000-08:00

Title: The Secret Hour
Author: Luann Rice

I was feeling a bit bored and decided to go to kak Yun's house to borrow some books for the raya holidays. going through her books, I came across this other book of Luann rice and since I was impressed with the first book I had read that she had written, I thought it would be a good idea to go for this book.

This book centres around this family of three with the mother missing after being killed in an accident along with another woman who was searching for her missing sister. The father in the family, John O'Rouke, works as an attorney, a criminal defense lawyer who at the time was defending a serial killer who took young girls as his victim. He has two children, 14-year-old Teddy and 11-year-old Maggie. his wife was killed in an accident after coming home from having a rendezvous with her married lover who is also John's bestfriend. John's sorrow in losing his wife to his friend clouded the sorrow he felt for losing the only woman he had ever loved, thus he buried himself in his work just to forget it all.

Enter Kate Harris, a woman who was in search of her sister. Her sister, Willa, fled from her home when she was caught sleeping with Kate's ex-husband. But somehow, Kate's love for her sister was stronger, thus prompting her to go search for her sister who had been missing for six months. She had received a postcard from her sister but only got it recently so she knew her sister's whereabouts during that date. However, her sister went missing after that and with the case surrounding John's client, Kate figured that there might be a connection.

When she arrived at the O'Roukes household, she was greeted with a chaotic situation where locals who didn't like John defending for the serial killer had thrown a brick in his house, causing the police and neighbour to flock around the house. Through the confusion of thinking that Kate was the new babysitter for his children, she managed to calm the siblings down, gaining trust from Teddy who didn't trust strangers who got around his sister.

The story went on on how Kate won the hearts of Teddy and Maggie when she showed them how much she also loved her sister. Teddy even invited her to his soccer match as his father has seldom went there himself eversince his wife died.

Eventually, Kate won John's trust when she told him of his sister. However, John didn't want to betray his client eventhough Kate really wanted to know if he had ever encountered her sister. Discreetly, he DID ask and found some interesting facts that made him want to investigate. However, Kate beat him to it and he found her at the spot he wanted to go.

Bla.. bla.. bla.. I guess they fell for each other at this point haha.. but the novel didn't exactly centre around the love story, which is why I liked it :p

In the end, Maggie, while on a quest to find some wildflowers to cheer up her family came across this bracelet charm which Kate instantly recognized as Willa's. Kate went to rescue Willa on her own just as John realized who was behind Willa's missing AND a recent copycat murder that happened while Merril (thats the name of the serial killer) was in prison..

Hahah.. I'm outta practice writing book reviews here but I recommend this book to those who love the Hallmark type of stories. A nice read and I'm looking forward to searching for more books from this author.

Summer's Child

2007-01-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

Title: Summer's Child
Author: Luann Rice

Wow! Its been a long time since I last wrote a book review. Must be more than half a year. There are quite a few books I've read eversince the last time I wrote a review but things have just been getting in the way for me to really sit down and write a proper review <--lousy excuse, huh?

Anyway, my stock of books have been running out, and in wanting to go read some books, I went to kak Yun's house for a fresh supply of books. Though there were not much new books, I became interested in a few old books she had so these books are what I'll be writing about here.

The first book I read was this book. The cover was so 'English' I just had to find out what the story was about haha..

The beginning of this story was about Mara Jameson, who was heavily pregnant and living with her grandmother after running away from an abusive husband. Her whereabouts were supposed to be hidden from her husband but one day, when she went out to water her plants, she was never seen again.

Her elderly grandmother mourned the loss of her grandchild years after it happened. And the police officer, Patrick Murphy, who was in charge of the investigation was still obsessed with the case eventhough he had already retired. He still visited the grandmother in hopes of finding a lead.

The next scene, we are brought to the coasts of Nova Scotia with Lily Malone and her daughter Rose. She had opened a giftshop or something in that town and was well liked by the locals as she had come there a few years earlier. It was almost home to her and everything was calm until the arrival of another mum-and-daughter.. Marissa and Jessica. Unknown to the residents of the small town, those are not their real names. They had changed everything in order to flee from her abusive husband.

It is in this town that both woman discovered that the world wasn't built entirely out of bad people, out to hurt them and their daughters. And Lily as the more experienced one, showed that there was still kindness in this world for Marissa and Jessica. Marissa in return, who had an education to be a nurse, helped Rose who had quiet a weak heart.

There was also a Dr Liam Neill, a scientist who loved children and loved to entertain them with his stories of the oceanlife. He was in love with Lily but she though her trust in people had been restored, she was still afraid to trust a man.

One day, Murphy heard of the stranger who had come to Nova Scotia and judging form the age of Jessica, he guessed that this woman might be the missing pregnant mother of years ago. He went to the town to question her and also met with Lily who helped to shelter Marissa from anymore hurt that might be inflicted from old wounds.

Well, the story was pleasant enough, not so much romance, much to my delight haha.. not that I don't like romantic stories. But stories about families appeal me even more..

It was really surprising to find out that Lily was actually the missing Mara, and not Marissa. Murphy just couldn't believe that she had been practically under his nose all the while. just a few miles away from her home.. and as he had once suspected, she didn't really go missing. rather ran away when both grandaughter and granma heard that her abusive husband was coming to get her. The reason her grandma was sad, wasn't because she had lost her grandchild but rather because they had promised not to contact each other in fear that her exhusband would find her.

Another twist was that, Marissa's abusive husband was actually Mara/Lily's husband too. They had been drawn to that town in spite because their husband had a picture in their homes that was similiar to this town.. and as Jessica had always wanted, she got a sister in Rose!

Well, there wasn't actually no romance at all. Lily finally let Liam into her life while Murphy somehow found a way to be in Marissa's life.. Hehe, alls well ends well, eh?

Good read though. I loved the book.. in fact, I'm thinking of borrowing the book again so you guys might wanna try this book out :)

When Dad Killed Mom

2006-03-08T16:43:00.000-08:00

Title: When Dad Killed Mom
Author: Julius Lester

When first the book was in my hands, I was swamped with work and assignments. I was hesitating whether to start reading and when I could complete reading the book - with all the other factors crowding my mind. The title of the book had me hesitating as well, as I didn't want to be brought down with heavy reading that will take up my time and distract me from work and assignments.... However, against all these notions, I opened the book and glanced through the first page, second page.... fifth page... tenth page... and by then, I knew I couldn't put the book down. I had to continue or not sleep for the night wondering how the book went. Admittedly it did took me at least three nights, before I could finally complete the books (Ayman was very jealous of the book... it did took up my time from him! hehehehe)....

Hmmm.... The book is a well written book about the aftermath of a murder. At first the title did portray something gory, that I was afraid of, but I am glad I read the book. The book revolves around Jenna and Jeremy.

Jenna and Jeremy's father Eric has just killed their mother Rachel and they are left with to pick up the pieces of his heinous crime. The story is narrated alternately from both Jenna and Jeremy's point of view. It is really interesting to read from their perspectives and how they felt - betrayal, coming to terms of their mom's death, coping with each other, dealing with their volatile feelings towards their father...

The story follows the two children as they struggle to come to terms with the heart-breaking legacy their father has left behind. Not the closest of siblings, with Jenna having been a Daddy's girl, and Jeremy getting on better with their mother, the two siblings are forced to reconcile their differences in order to survive the future. Not easy when you both have the weight of the world on your young shoulders.

There were times, reading as someone on the outside, you feel anger at the way the children are manipulated by some of the adults... in order to get what they want from the children. There were also times when I felt like family life before the murder were taken lightly and a lot of unresolved issues were the keypoint for the cause of the murder. It reminded me back to the time before I got married. An aunt of mine passed a little something to prepare myself for married life. She said not to bring the squabbles of today to tomorrow. Live a new day with a new perspective. She also told me to settle anything that is troubling the mind on that day and not sleep on it, as then the uneasiness and pricks of anger will be nourished to something ugly.

Anyway, back to the story, apart from their confusing feelings and uncertainty, there is their father's trial to deal with, a traumatic experience for both youngsters, plus secrets that need to be told as well as old family conflicts that have to be dealt with. I won't tell you what secrets, as you'll have to find the book and read through it yourself.

I highly recommend this book and thanks to Zelureus for recommending the book. This is a sharply written book with good dialogue, some of it very grown-up in places. Jenna is a precocious 8th grader, whilst Jeremy is almost bird-like, fluttering uncertainly at first as he tries to sort out in his head what made his father kill his mother. Both children bounce off the adult characters, such as Karen their father's first wife, their grandparents and an assortment of friends and curious hangers-on.

A thought provoking book that deals with the concept of violent death in sensitive and none-condescending manner.

Pillars of the Earth

2006-02-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

Title: The Pillars of The Earth
Author: Ken Follent

Kak Zura was the one who intorduced me to this book. She noticed the bookworm in me and recommended this book as it was one of her favourite books while she was pursuing her PhD in the UK. I was looking forward to read the book, however, when the book finally arrived here, I went a bit 'off' it when I realized it was 1076 pages long with fonts as small as size 6 (I presume!). But since kak Zura was excited about the book, I just took it back home.

I've started reading it about 5 times (and stopped not halfway, but one-tenth way is more like it) before I really sat down and read it. Tu pun sebab I saw the book in kak Zai's collection so it sorta made me think that maybe there is something more in the book than I assumed.

The book doesn't really have any main characters but it revolves around Tom Builder and his family, Prior Philip and his monastry as well as William whateverhisnameis and Aliena, the Baron's daughter. The story goes with a span of 51 years from 1123 to 1174.

Now, the story is way too long for me to make a decent review of it but once I got the hang of the story, I suprised myself when I found it hard to stop reading it (and to think that I thought the book was boring).

If I were to chose a main character, I might say its the cathedral. This is because the story started when the cathedral was just a dream and continued throughout the construction of it, with two master builders taking lead in the construction, namely Tom Builder (who died halfway o the book) and Jack Jackson (who was Tom's stepson as well as 'scholar' and who took over the construction of the cathedral). From just a simple but large cathedral (Tom's idea) to a more beautiful one (modified by Jack). Jack even got married in the cathdral itself.

The story deals with architecture and structural engineering (which no wonder appeals to me! Tu dalam tak suka belajar structure dulu tu.. and its not the boring details which are usually heard in my class but it talks about the wonders of buildings.. and the architect in Baizurah might appreciate this book!)) which gives a glimpse of how all these fields started once upon a time ago. One thing I like about western writers is that they deal with the FACTS (compared to Malay, no offense here coz I'm Malay too, yang suka tulis facts ntahapahapa) so eventhough this book is loosely based on a church and christianity, it admits the fact that Muslims were not only the pioneers, but also the best in architecture, maths and engineering :-)

And to those who hate books mixed up with facts, this IS a novel so those facts are only to make it more interesting. The book still revolves around life and death, love and hate, success and failure as well as everything in between.

What I'd like to comment is on the writers ability to make you visually 'watch' the story in your head. I could picture Jack (one of the charcters) growing up from a peculiar looking child, to a strikingly handsome builder. I could feel the joy and frustrations of Prior Philip and his ambition for a cathedral dedicated to his people. I could somehow understand the pain Tom Builder felt when he had to hide the fact that he was little Jonathans father. I could sense the pain Lady Aliena felt when she had to stand up from her fall at the hands of William. In fact, you'd feel a deep connection with all the characters, you'd think you've known them all your life.. no wonder kak Zura and kak Zai both praised this book!

The book is still in my hands now, but I just don't know HOW to write a review outta it as it has so many high points in it. The only solution I can give is to ask you guys to go and grab a copy.. if you can! I don't think its sold in the stores anymore as its quite an old book.. but maybe if you go to Chowrasta or Novel Hut, you might just stumble on the book. So if you do, buy me one copy, will ya!

The Wedding

2006-01-29T00:27:00.000-08:00

Title: The Wedding
Author: Nicholas Sparks

"Sparks knows how to tug at the reader's heartstring"
-Chicago Sun-Times

"Excellent.. After reading this book you really will want to convey your feelings to someone you care about before its too late!"
-BestsellersWorld.com

"Sure to leave you breathless.. In this stunning follow-up to The Notebook, readers new and old will remember the joy of falling in love and the challenges of staying in love"
-RoundTableReviews.com

"The Wedding left me with a smile on my face. The ending suprised me, and left my heart aflutter. this is a book that will forever have a spot on my bookshelf"
-TheRomanceReadersConnection.com

Haha.. okay, enough about the reviews from 'outside'! I orignally wanted to put down only three reviews but the last one surely hit the spot for me, so I was 'obliged' to throw in that one too.. :-) What can I say, the story really DID leave a smile on my face that continued till I fell asleep that night, in fact, I'm positively sure I slept smiling <-- okay, this might be a bit exaggerating!

I've never really been interested in Sparks books as I find the movies (A Walk to Remember and The Notebook) quite ordinary, though pleasantly sweet. But I guess I forgot one thing, those story are realistic stories that could happen to anyone. I mean, most big-named authors write love stories for the wealthy; tycoons, earls, dukes.. okay la, at least ONE half of the couple must be indecently rich while the other one might be a bit poor or misfortunate or something! As if ordinary people, like you and me, don't really experience romantic love.

Well, back to Sparks! A Walk to Remember caught my eye one day at a book store, and the book-addict in me wanted to add it to my collection. However, the avid-reader me found this book quite different from the movie. Not really vastly different, but the book made the movie seem so much more real and I really understood the movie after that. If at first I thought it was just pleasantly sweet, after reading the book, I realized it was really wonderful <-- poor choice of words here!

I wanted to sample his other works too, so when I came across his books at a book fair, I immediately sat down to chose between a wide range of titles he had written. At first, I wanted to buy The Notebook since I already seen the movie and found it quite touching. On second thought, I already knew the story was beautiful, though quite slow for my liking in the movie. So I decided to try another book and came across The Wedding. With such a simple title, I was suprised to read the reviews, though as all of us know, reviews CAN be misleading!

It took a long time for me to start reading this book, what with my thesis and piling work but a few days ago, I managed to get hold of this book and start reading it. And to tell you the truth, I didn't want to put it down!

Its a story of old folks love really. About a man, Wilson, who was suddenly afraid that his wife, Jane, had fallen out of love with him, after 30 years of marriage, when he was still as much in love with her as the day the took her as his wife. The starting point was when he forgot their 29th anniversary. Since he had never been the romantic one (they even got married at the registrars office je pun), he didn't really care at first, hoping that in buying an expensive piece of jewellery would make his wife forgive him. But a few days later, he realized how hurt his wife had really felt and this made him vow to give her the best 30th anniversary ever.

In his plan, he includes all their children who were suprised at the change in their father, his father in law (Noah in The Notebook) and their mutual friends as well as their extended family. He even took a week off to make sure he was at home on their anniversary. However, a week before their anniversary, their daughter came home with news that she was getting married and she had planned to get hitched on her parents wedding anniversary. (And I thought THE WEDDING was for the old folks when I first read the synopsis, which turned out to be someone elses.. or so I thought.. hmmmmm..)

After that came a whirlwind of activities to get ready for the wedding though clearly, Jane was the most excited since she wanted her daughter to have a much better wedding than she had. And she made it clear to Wilson that a wedding is a day a woman would one day look back and wants to be happy about it. She doesn't want her daughter to regret the day of her marriage. It goes without saying of how much Jane felt her wedding day wasn't what she had dreamt of.

Anyway, the story is alternated between the preparations of the wedding, to Wilson's talks with his father-in-law (which I really liked) and about him reminiscing the days he and Jane first met and how their relationship blossomed!

I stayed up till 2.30am reading this book and when I finally turned the last page, my face had this dreamy look on it with a smile that didn't seem to want to go away! I never expected this book to have this effect on me, but it did.. and I'm glad to have a dose of a love story for us ordinary people!

Earth's Children series - The Valley of the Horses

2005-11-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

Title : The Valley of Horses (Earth's Children)
Author: Jean M Auel

Okay, since there has not been any review, I thought I'd write about the book that I'm rereading again... At least, let's get the blog moving again people!

Anyway, the book is the second series in Jean M Auel's Earth's Children series. A continuance from the Clan of the Cave Bear, the Valley of the Horses is an intesting story of the infancy of civilization. It's more of an adult epic, rather than the romantic novels that I love reading. This has a historical sense of the civilization during the Ice Age period.

This unforgettable odyssey into the distant past carries us back to the awesome mysteries of the exotic, primeval world of The Clan of the Cave Bear, and to Ayla (the main character of the story), now grown into a beautiful and courageous young woman.

Cruelly cast out by the new leader of the ancient Clan that adopted her as a child, Ayla leaves those she loves behind and travels alone through a stark, open land filled with dangerous animals but few people, searching for the Others, tall and fair like herself. Im not much of an anthropologists, but the description of Ayla kinda reminds me of viking people... tall and fair. May be waaaayyy off base but just a thought.

Anyway, in the story she travels to find the others and stumbles across a sheltered valley with a herd of hardy steppe horses, where she decides to stay and prepare for the long glacial winter ahead.

Living with the Clan has taught Ayla many skills but not real hunting. It's interesting to read the in-depth description given by the author of the way of living from olden times. How they manage to do somthing we take for granted now with technology and how simple needs were then. It's also interesting to note the importance of women that was given by the people, yet not so acknowledge by the flatheads (not nice, but that's the name mentioned in the book. I think they are referring to the neanderthals).

Ayla finally knows she can survive when she traps a horse, which gives her meat and a warm pelt for the winter, but fate has bestowed a greater gift, an orphaned foal with whom she develops a unique kinship.

One winter extends to more; she discovers a way to make fire more quickly and a wounded cave lion cub joins her unusual family, but her beloved animals don’t fulfill her restless need for human companionship. Then she hears the sound of a man screaming in pain. She saves tall, handsome Jondalar, who brings her a language to speak and an awakening of love and desire, but Ayla is torn between her fear of leaving her valley and her hope of living with her own kind.

The author manages to handle these two seperate story strands with ease and switching between them never is never awkward. Eventually the stories intertwine and become one as Ayla finally comes face to face with one of her own kind.

As rich in detail as the first book in the series this book is an absorbing read and one that is difficult to put down. I highly recommended this to those who wants to read the richness of life and sexuality, appreciation of civilization and companionship of human and its humanity.

ERAGON

2005-10-06T00:20:00.000-07:00

Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini

I saw this book in MPH, Midvalley, while running around after my son. The cover of the book caught my attention - with a huge picture of a BLUE dragon... I love the cover... it proved to be a good conversation material between Ayman and myself! :)

Anyway, almost similar to the LOTR, Eragon is apparently the first series. I saw the sequel of Eragon, Eldest (which featured a RED dragon), but didn't get that copy yet, as it is still expensive. MYR 79.90 maaa!!! isk isk isk...

Eragon, the first novel in the Inheritance Trilogy, is a story about a farm boy who finds a dazzling sapphire-blue stone which, as it is revealed later, is in fact an egg that hatches a blue-scaled dragon. The dragon, Saphira (duh!! wut else??!), establishes an unbreakable bond with the young man who learns that he is the only dragon-rider to have come into existence in many years. Many of the dragon-rider are either dead, hiding from the evil king cum dragon-rider, Galbatorix (whose names does not make me shiver with fright... rather reminds me of a robotic king. Kinda like from Sonic the Hedgehog!)

Eragon will have to choose whether to resist the evil king/dragon-rider Galbatorix or surrender and join him. With his home destroyed and his uncle murdered by the Ra’zac (evil dragon hunters employed by Galbatorix) Eragon sets out on a journey with his mentor, Brom, to learn the dragon riding craft and enact his revenge on the Ra’zac. In essence, Eragon has all the traditional ingredients that make a fantasy novel enjoyable.

While Eragon is a very entertaining story, Paolini’s writing is at times a little immature. I mean come on, he wrote this story when he was at the age of fifteen and published it through Knopf at age nineteen. However, he does have a gift storytelling. You'll notice though that Paolini borrows a bit obviously from the authors that inspire him: For example, his mimicry of Tolkien’s proper names (“Mithrim,” “Farthen-Dur,” “Beor Mountains,” and “Urgals”) is a bit distracting at times.

The novel’s pace is quick and exciting throughout most of the book. Packed with action and magic, Eragon is a fun read. The only lag was the 40 page, desperate last-leg of Eragon’s journey. Not a lot actually happens during this time with the exception of the group worrying about their situation, and this has the unfortunate effect of turning the reader into critic. However my suspension of disbelief was restored once the travelers reached the Varden and new adventures ensued.

Paolini shines at creating interesting characters without a great deal of depth. In particular, Eragon is rather flat, vacillating between being heroic, cocky, reckless, and petulant - typical boyhood material. Saphira, Murtagh, Solembum, and Arya yield the promise of further development, and hopefully their characters will reveal more complexity in the later novels of the trilogy.

______________________________________________________

Eragon to me is a good novel. Deep, yeah... but not too deep. Fun and exciting at parts... and go grab a copy!! :P

Carrie

2005-09-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

Title : Carrie
Author: Stephen King

Like I said, I'm not a fan of Stephen King, but still, I have a lot of his books at home so I thought of reviewing this book in our seemingly quiet page now.

Carrie is one of King's most popular books. If I'm not mistaken, it has been adapted into a film a few years back, but I've never seen it though. What made me interested in this book is because, most of King's books are compared to Carrie, putting this book on a high pedestal so naturally, the book enthusiast in me set off to find it.

Suprisingly, its not a very thick book, just around 250 pages. You could finish the book in one sitting. I initially thought the book would be full of horror and thrills but seems like I'm mistaken. This is really one of King's more relaxing books which deals more with psychology.. well, with a bit of horror thrown in jugak la!

It revolves around Carrie White, a girl with extraordinary telekinetic powers. You might imagine a haughty high and mighty girl, but Carrie is more like a timid mouse. She was born in a family so obsessed with religion that her father believed sex was a total dirty sin, even among husbands and wives. After he married Carrie's mother, they slept together for the first time and then beat themselves up to repent on their so-called sin. The result was Carrie so her mother believed she was the spawn of the devil since she was born from a dirty sin, thus, her mother hated her from birth.

She was always punished for the smallest mistake with her mother's favourite punishment:locking her in the cupboard without food and water for days. She never knew the love of a mother and father (her father died or something, I think..) and this might have contributed to her low self esteem. She always wore ugly clothes which her mother thought was best for her, making her the butt of jokes at school.

One day, while watching the daughter of her neighbour sun bathing (she was suprised to see someone expose so much skin when her mother said only the devil did that), her mother suddenly carried her inside while hurtling insults to their neighbour. Somehow, that was the turning point. Not being able to be like other people was one thing, but humiliating Carrie when she just wanted friends was another. Her anger somehow triggered the telekinetic powers she had but this just made her mother believe that Carrie was in fact, from the devil's spawn.

One day, when she was sixteen, she got her first period. Since her mother never told her anything, she thought she was dying and she was taunted by the girls. This really made a scene. However, one of the girls, Sue Snell, who really felt guilty about the whole tampon-throwing thing proceeded to apologize and tried to be Carrie's friend. Somehow, she got the idea to have her boyfirend, Tommy Ross, ask Carrie to the senior prom <--apa la punya idea! Still, she did it with good intentions!

However, another girl, Chris kot nama dia, decided to crash the prom (she wasn't allowed to go to the prom coz she didn't admit to taunting Carrie). Carrie, who at first was skeptical, was really enjoying the prom at this moment (after fighting with her mom about the 'sinful prom event' and making her own dress) was the target. However, in a turn ogf events, the prank somehow backfired and killed Tommy while Carried was drenched in pigs blood.

O-oh.. it seems like I'm wrinting my own long version of Carrie here, and it doesn't sound as interesting haha..

So to cut the story short, Carrie was so confused and frustrated that for a while, she believed her mother so she decided in commiting suicide, BUT she wanted to bring along the whole town with her. With her super telekinetic powers, she managed to destroy half the town, killing more than half of the other innocent seniors.

The chalpters in this books are alternated between the past and the present. The past of when this incident happened, and the present where experts are still trying to understand the telekinetic powers, by interviewing the surviving teachers and students.

Hahah.. I dunno why my review is in such a mess. I didn't have high views of this book really but what I've written is worse.

Really, just borrow my copy. Its simply entertaining though no thrilling moments here but, I'd read it again!

The Broker

2005-09-23T01:26:00.000-07:00

Title : The Broker
Author : John Grisham

The narrative started in January 1996, with 3 young Pakistani computer scientist -Fazal, Safi and Farooq- hired by the Pakistani military to locate, access and monitor the surveillance system of a new Indian spy satellite hovering 300 miles above the Pakistani ground.

In just a short time, they were able to determine it to be just another one of the ordinary surveillance system not unlike their own, that has been doing nothing more than snapping photographs of unimportant stuff to be broadcasted to the Indian government.

However, during the course of their work, they accidentally stumbled across another suspicious surveillance system unlike any they've seen so far. It was of the best technology the world have yet to see. After secretly tapping into the system, they were able to locate the network of 9 satellites linking to one another, which made up the most sophisticated surveillance system they've ever come across- code-named as Neptune. Being the computer whiz they were, the 3 young Pakistanis were soon able not only to monitor it's activities but also to manipulate the system and jammed the rest of the applications related to it. Of course, these were done by them writing a new home-brewed software that take total control of the network of the surveillance system. The software were code-named JAM.

After silently contemplating what they could do and make with the newly developed software, Fazal and Safi got greedy and wanted to make money by selling it to the highest bidder. Farooq wanted nothing to do with it, suggesting that they should just hand it over to the military and wash their hands off it before trouble starts. But the other two wouldn't hear any of it. A bitter fight erupted. Thus, began their fatal venture into the world of the greedy...

In September 1998, both of them travelled to Washington and from there they met with The Broker (Joel Backman) who was known as the man who could open any doors in Washington.
He was just the right man to help them market JAM to the various interested government.

Eventually, after much aggravation, a deal was struck with the Saudi government. The Saudi paid a transaction fee of a million upfront, and the rest of the $100 million will be wired to their newly opened account in Zurich.

Then all hell break loose.

The feds attacked with warrants, indictments, investigations and the Saudis got spooked. Some people got murdered inthe process. Joel himself fled to teh safety of federal prison, leaving behind some very angry people with serious grudges.

However, after spending only a short 6 months hidden away i federal prison, he suddenly found himself being hauled away outta prison by a controversial presidential last-minute pardon. What very few people know is that the pardon was granted only after the president received enormous pressure from the CIA, due to some unknown reason.

Minutes after the pardon, Backman was quietly smuggled out of the country to Italy, living under new name, new identity and a new life. What he didn't know was that the CIA has plan to leak his whereabout to the people holding grudged against him- the Israelis, the Saudis, the Russians and the Chinese. Then CIA will do what it does best, sit back and watch. The question they needed answered is who will kill him in order to solve the mystery of the Neptune and JAM.

Well, basically that's what the stroy is all about. As Grisham's die-hard fan, i still gotta admit that it's just not as interesting as his earlier writings. Not really a page-turner, this one. I guess i was still hoping for some courtroom brawl to spice up the story (that's what he's good at actually, the courtroom scene ). But still it made a good leisure read in bed over the weekend.

As for the rating, i'd give it 5 out of 10. And that's coming from a Grisham's die-hard fan. So...hmmm, go figure.

Are You Afraid of The Dark

2005-09-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

Title : Are you afraid of the Dark
Author: Sidney Sheldon

Okay.. I know some of you might be thinking, "Why on earth has she chosen to review this book?" Haha, I know, somehow, Sidney Sheldon has made a name for himself for his predictable outcomes. All his books (nearly all la..) are based around women, sometimes je men. About their lives and how their lives change after 'something' happens. Don't forget his personal touch of conspirations and government secrets and voila! You get a classic Sidney Sheldon book.

Not that his books aren't interesting. I especially like 'the Rage of Angels' and have a tattered copy at home, but, well, all his other books are just typical, right? However, I seem to have this attachment to him, somehow. Maybe its because his book was the first adult fiction I read (when I was in primary school, mind you!). Haha, still remember how shocked I was to learn that adult scenes are permissible to be written on paper. Mama was so suprised seeing me with that book (The Other Side of Midnight, I think), that she must've panicked when she took the book away from me and told me that this book is not suitable for my age. C'mon la, I found the book on the floor in our library anyway, and she DOES know that I'll read anything I get my hands on! Heheh.. so long ago lah..

Anyway, this book, like his previous books, revolves around two newly widowed woman whose life was so different, they never guessed they had this connection between them. Their husbands died in two separate murders that looked like suicide, leaving them wondering if they had done anything that lead to the suicidal feeling their seemingly normal husbands' had.

Fate bought them together to finally realize that was a bigger story behind all that had happened. Mostly the book was about how they ran away from the clutches of the 'bad guys', with a lot of luck on their side la since the 'enemy' is someone very 'huge' in the industry. I mean, ade je cara dia to find those women, and ade je cara for the women to barely escape.

One thing I like about the book is the scientific facts that are described in such a simple way, you could really understand it. Sebabnya, some books just ramble on nonsense that we ourselves can see as fake, betul tak? But I guess, thats about that la.. the other things in the book are mostly expected (So I DO wonder why they call him the Master of The Unexpected?)

Even in the end, the widows were saved by, lets say, luck! It wasn't really their own effort that saved them in the end, rather that a stroke of luck of something that happened on the 'bad guys' side. Quite frustrating since most of the book was dedicated in showing how smart and quick acting these women were so why don't let them get the spot light jugak in the end?

Anyway, don't buy it, unless you're a Sidney Sheldon fan.. If you want to read it, just borrow my copy.

Rating: Hmm.. how about 2 stars and a half?

Digital Fortress

2005-09-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

Title : Digital Fortress
Author: Dan Brown

This is one book I'd like for keeps (Hehe, don't worry Pojie, I'm NOT taking your book away)

The differance in this book and other Dan Brown books I've read is that here, we are faced with modern day puzzles. Ok.. what I meant to say is that, In da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, we are confronted by puzzles from the arts side, and I mean ancient arts here (errr, not REALLY ancient, but not our modern day types here) like centuries-old paintings and sculptures. but in Digital Fortress, we came face to face with the digital era type codes, something we're more familiar with. It was easier to try to break the code when you can imagine it, rather than trying to remember how did 'The Last Supper' or 'Monalisa' look like. Err, I take that back, not 'easier' but more interesting! I mean.. arggghhh, I'm lost for words here! Writer's block, I guess..

Anyway, once again Dan Brown chooses a lady as the main star here. See, the women of the world are not THAT low in the eyes of some men. Susan Fletcher is the head cryptographer in the National Security Agency where nearly all coded messages that are sent here don't stand a chance to stay crypted. They have developed this invincible code-breaker machine that breaks thousands of codes everyday. However, one day, their normal routine changed. Apparantly, they found a crypted message that the machine couldn't decipher.

Things got worse when they realized this coded message was really sent as a threat to the NSA for some wrong doings they might have done early on and it was up to Susan to find out what was really happening. She had loved working with the NSA, being attracted to coded messages eversince she was small, so she fought hard to save this agency. When she realized the life of her fiancee was suddenly also at stake, it just drove her to double her efforts in breaking the code that was destroying the NSA.

Throughout the book, she learnt a lot about betrayal and how trust is a vulnerable thing to look after. Human greed tops it all off, shoving aside loyalty towards the agency and country. When the truth finally emerges, realizing they had trusted the wrong person who staged a murder for his own need, it changed the woman inside her, but also made her stronger.

This book shows that sometimes, the most complicated problems have the most simplest (dah 'most', 'simplest' plak lagi..!) solution. Haha, you gotto read it yourself to find out what I mean.. but really, I enjoyed this book thoroughly!

One thing though, I still can't decipher this coded message at the end of the book.. any help here?

128-10-93-85-10-128-98-112-6-6-25-126-39-1-68-78

Haha.. ok, ok.. my review here is a bit lame. I was supposed to do this review right after I read the book but I couldn't find the time so most juicy parts I wanted to share are now a blur in my head. But seriously, if you like a relaxing book that could still tease your mind, go grab this one! Its an all-in-one type of book that I'd recommand to anyone :)

Cheasapeake Blue - The Quinn Saga

2005-09-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

Title: Cheasapeake Blue
Author: Nora Roberts

The amazing Quinn family is back!

Seth, the youngest Quinn, is home for the first time in years. An acclaimed painter, who is blessed with a gift he can't quite explain, Seth is as handsome and dynamic as the other Quinns. He comes home to find things in St. Chris much the same, with the exception of lovely Dru Whitcomb-Banks, a new shopkeeper in town. Dru is not what Seth expected and he soon finds himself drawn to her, despite his unsavory roots. She's carrying quite a bit of baggage herself, but finds that she's falling for him just the same.

Seth as pictured by Nora is a long haired artist, with long, lean, sinewy frame that complements with Dru's elfish-like beauty. With hair that is cropped short, she reminds me of Angelina Jolie in the Hackers. I love that kind of hair style! :P

Nora Roberts had already built a compelling family that intrigued readers through the first of the Chesapeake Bay saga, Sea Swept, Rising Tides and Inner Harbor. This book is in response to overwhelming reader demands (if you see the front page of the book, she dedicates the book to "Every reader who ever asked, "When are you going to write Seth's story?") she writes Seth to be as dreamy and decidedly alpha as the other Quinn men. Dru is a perfect match for Seth, strong willed and determined and also a bit of a lost soul. The combined traits make the couple vibrant and interesting. On top of that, you get to revisit your favorite characters from the first three books and find out what's become of them and their children. Nora's greatest gift is her ability to write a family that keeps the reader's attention.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to both first time, or habitual Noraholics! If this is your first Nora book, I suggest that you read the first three in the saga before reading Chesapeake Blue. You'll find your enjoyment of the story even greater having met the secondary characters before.

Nora's done it again!

p.s I have been reading a few on the shelf for a while romance novels. Didn't have much time to go out and buy a new book except for The Wives of Bath. Will definately go back to Populat soon... muahahahahaha!!!! Do enjoy.... the type of book that does not need to think but enjoy as majalah picisan! :P

The Wives of Bath

2005-09-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

Title: The Wives of Bath

Author: Wendy Holden

It was finally a weekend whereby I could breathe easily. I took several days leave from work and spent most of it with my son and family... especially since Syuhada is flying off to Dublin, this month, Ayman finally out from the hospital and yeah.. work not so hectic... I went to Popular, to browse... Book hunting too as well! It's been soooooo long since I've reade a good book (and also did my review) that I thought it was past due for me to do my review...

The title itself, The Wives of Bath, grabbed my attention.... plus also the fact that Ayman was contentedly sleeping in his stroller, I have the chance to really browse through without worry that he might topple books or run through stacks of it in the store...

I guess the charm of the book itself was because it is about first time parents, and duh! I immediately clicked with the topic... hahahaha, yet the story to me would intrigue even you guys! :P

The story revolves around two couples - Hugo and Amanda, and Jake and Alice. In a strange twist (it always happens only in storybook!), Amanda and Alice, works in the same place - Styles magazine in New York. Amanda a tabloid journalist (these are the people who gives bad name to the profession of journalism - haha) and Alice is the legal advisor in Intercorp - the company that owns Style magazine. Alice is the person who saves Amanda's butt in several occasions...

Anyway, an article written by Amanda finally brought her in a pot of boiling lava, that Alice was finally tired of saving her ass. Alice during that time was not yet married and she didn't have a significant other as well... To cut a long story short, she met someone named Jake at her cousins wedding and click off. Jake, being a person who was very very into rubbish and recycling seemed very interesting to a legal advisor who is suddenly tired of life and wants a child and a new life.

Amanda was persuaded to quit her job and on her way back to London (in the economy class section of course!), while pissing mad at the company and telling herself that it's their loss, she was browsing through the glossy magazines and in a way, convinced herself that she is ready to move into the next step - have a child. Of course that is the next course of action to take since EVERYONE who is EVERYONE is pregnant of has children! WHy else would there be Guess Kids, those cute little baby paraphernelias that only designers would produce for top celebrities!

Amanda loves Hugo and Alice loves Jake - or so we are led to believe. All are in the throes of first parenthood, linked by birthing classes and a posh maternity center, the Cavendish, where moms rest in four-poster beds while dads enjoy whiskey at the well-appointed bar. Though planning a birth at home (“on a shower curtain”) Alice has Rosa at the Cavendish after an emergency C-section, and Amanda would have expected no less than the grand sweep of Cavendish services for her little Theo. But Amanda really knows nothing about babies and cares less, and quickly escapes to her career as a high-powered magazine writer, leaving Hugo to blunder through fatherhood, losing his job in the process of trying to do right by his son.

To figure out such basics as how to change a nappie, he consults the lonely Alice, whose husband is gradually drifting into fanaticism as publisher of a recycling rag called Get Trashed!. The brush strokes are broad as we see Hugo boldly rescuing Rosa’s beloved teddy bear and winning Alice’s heart, and Amanda striking out on a mad junket landing her up in the arms of a “fantastic guy called Rick.” Jake, who’s been a pill throughout, forcing Rosa to eat pureed veggies grown in human manure, finds out he’s in love with a fantastic guy, too, and things come full circle, with Hugo and Alice back at the birthing center working on a sibling for Rosa and the winsome Theo.

Along the way there are many reasons to laugh, as Alice defends her beloved Jake despite his domineering ways (the Christmas gifts wrapped in toilet paper, the feast of Brussels sprouts served in what was once the glass door panel of a clothes washing machine, the wormery in the garden). Amanda is wicked as the career non-Mom who almost forgets her son’s name, and then there’s Laura, the sexy siren who tries to seduce Hugo and winds up saving him from Amanda’s wrath. Holden is fast with a bon mot and great at naming things: Theo’s childcare center, Chicklets; Hugo’s real estate firm, Dunn and Dustard; and Jake and Alice’s love nest, The Old Morgue (because it once was one).

If you love Brit humor as I do and like it laid on thick as old paint, you’ll crease up as you follow the hilarious doings of The Wives of Bath.

The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time

2005-09-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Title : The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon

I saw this book last year in Popular at Batu Pahat when I was doing my data survey there. What caught my attention was the ORANGE cover and the unbelievable long title of the book. However, it wasn't enough to interest me yet. However, through the next few weeks, I noticed book reviews about this book in the newspapers so for a while there, I DID regret not buying the book.

Then one day I heard kak Zai talking about this book excitedly. Apparently, this book had won the Whitbread Book Award which is one of the highest rewards a book could get, according to Mama lah! By then, I couldn't even find the book in the bookstores, it was already selling like hot cakes.

Well, I won't go into the details of 'My Adventure Finding This Book', but believe me, it was kind'a frustrating when I couldn't buy it as a birthday gift to my brother (and would you believe it, the next week, I found a hidden copy of this book in Popular and I grabbed it! I'm not gonna wait another year for this book!)

This book is a narration of Chris (what was his last name, huh?). He's a fifteen year old boy with who's autistic. He's fascinated with numbers, has memorized all prime numbers up until 3000++ and is obsessive with having all his facts right. He doesn't like human contact, not even his parents' touch!

I've never personally REALLY known someone who has autism but I guess this book could give you quite an insight of their world. Mark Haddon has been working with autistic children so I'm sure he has tried his best to write this book from their point of view.

Chris (the narrator) has his life all planned out for him. He doesn't like to have his plans altered because he would feel as if his life was outta control. He is also a genius in maths and has the mind of an encyclopedia.

One day, his carefully planned life was disturbed by the death of his neighbour's dog. Chris frequently goes out to take a stroll at night because he reasons that at night, there aren't any people around so he won't have to afraid of their touch. That was when he found the dog who was killed with a garden 'fork'.

Chris, who admires Sherlock Holmes, then set out to investigate about the dog's death. At first, he was blamed on the incident since he was the one who found the dog but when the police realized the problems faced by Chris, they let him go (with his father la helping). This might be what set him to find out what really happened.

The book isn't mainly on Chris's investigaion. In fact, the chapters are alternated with facts that Chris wants to share (I love the chapter on our beloved MALAYSIA :)), his relationship with his teacher whom he calls Siobhan and other things that are going through his mind. Mark Haddon has managed to make us realized how different minds work. We could feel Chris's frustration when he realizes his father has been lying to him for the past two years. We understand how betrayed he has felt and how scared he was when he went to London to find his mother. In fact, somehow, we could relate to him!

The story isn't what you'd call amazing, but the writing is superb! I didn't really want to put down the book once I started reading it, thankfully, its not really a thick book! Its just an everyday story but since it comes from a special point of view, that makes the book so.. well, special!

The chapters in this book are quite unique as the don't go by our usual 1,2,3.. but it is arranged in the prime number sequence. I thought I had lost some pages in my book when I first realized the first chapter had a number '2' on it hehe.. It also has some puzzles in it and the example of the 'A' Levels Maths answer that Chris did and inserted in the book since he says it is very interesting!

All in all, I think I'll give a 4 star rating for this book, so you guys, go find the book and enjoy.. coz I sure did!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some things DO disturb me though.. is there anything as half autistic or something like that? Coz I found some similairities here.. errr..

1. Chris always used numbers to calm him down eg. counting to a hundred then calculating the square or cube for each number --> I used to do that whenever I was upset! Even when I'm tired of a journey, I'd add up the plate numbers, in my head la, of all cars I can see and try to relate them together.

2. He doesn't like public toilets or public places, fearing germs, I think! --> I always had this very extensive imagination of germs. I'd hate touching toilet doorknobs or taps bla.. bla.. bla.. coz I'd imagine the germ people have left before me, then I'd scrub my hand with soap till I think all the germs have gone away

3. Chris loves facts and hates it when people get them wrong --> For the meager facts I have stored in my head, I'm like this too. And I always get this urge to correct other peoples facts and grammer when I realize its wrong. Luckily, I'm too shy to talk to people I don't know plus the fact that I've taught myself to bite my tongue whenever I feel like doing it. I mean, people don't really like it, do they? Never REALLY tried correcting people, I usually just do it in my head!

4. Hey.. I think I'm gonna turn this into my blog entry lah pulak!

The Silver Kiss

2005-08-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

Title - The Silver Kiss
Author - same as Blood and Chocolate's

okay, so I am venturing into the underworld-sorta-genre here -- the last time I reviewed was on a book abt werewolves, and now, it's about vampires.

Hold on, it's not meant to be as terrifying and explicit as Dracula, so dun worry. Anyway, the story starts off with Zoe, the heroin, a 17-year-old whose mom is dying, and she felt lost. She had this feeling of people taking her for granted, and that includes her dad and her best friend, Lorraine. Later on, in the midst of the night, she bumped into a creature lurking in the night -- a youthful and beautiful boy -- Simon, the vampire, whose mother was murdered.

Although she had a hard time trusting him at first, well...you can guess what happens next. But is he a really good vampire ala Angel of some sorts, or is he trying to trick her into his trap? Is his stories of his little brother, the evil Christopher true? Is she falling in love with the most unimaginable creature she could have ever known?

Well...it's up to you, if you wanna know the rest of the story, pick this up.

I have one word. Sad.
Go figure.

Blood and Chocolate

2005-08-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

Title: Blood and Chocolate
Author: Annette Curtis Klause

What is going on? Why so silent? I can even hear heartbeats pumping. Uh, I noe how's everyone's bz...so, I decided to make a review, of Blood and Chocolate. By the way, the movie is now filming...so...it better be good, cuz I like the plot and the characters grew onto me.

Okay, so actually, the story is about a 16-year-old lass named Vivian Gandillon. If you think that she's an ordinary gal with high school problems, think again. Vivian is, actually a part of a pack of werewolves , or in this case, the Loup-Garous. Her late father was the leader of the pack, and with her father dead, she was lost and torn between her loyalty to her pack, or her love for a meat boy.

In this case, she fell in love with a normal human being, her schoolmate, a boy named Aiden. The boy didn't have the slightest idea that she was actually hiding a very huge secret from him. And at most times, she had the urges to reveal her true self to Aiden, but felt insecure whether he would accept her as she is or not. Especially, when there are murders of innocent people caused by members of Vivian's pack.

Problems also occur among the wolves in Vivian's pack -- eg; the rivalry between Vivian's mom, Esmé, and another she-wolf, Astrid. The reason? A handsome, young, 24-year-old werewolf named Gabriel. And there's The Five, the notorious group who are known to cause havoc around town, especially when one of them is trying to woo Vivian for himself. But Vivian kept pushing those guys away, because she wanted to choose her own mate. And she's very keen about having Aiden as her mate. Which of course, her family didn't really approve.

There are a few slip-ups in Vivian's world that may lead to several unexpected events. So, will Aiden and Vivian's love prevail? Who's the werewolf that is doing all the killing? Will she reveal herself to Aiden? If she does, would Aiden accept her? What shall happen to Astrid, Esmé, and Gabriel? And who would Vivian choose at last, a human, or one of her own? Would she choose blood, or chocolate?

Read this one. It's not too long, not too short, just perfect. Loved it. Now, I just wanna see the casting. I'm eager to know the cast. Because if it ain't ryte, the movie's gonna suck. Which I highly hope not. *Crosses finger*

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

2005-08-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

Title : Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince
Author : J.K. Rowling

To begin with....WoOooOWw!Ayu..What a long review you've got there, so full of disappointment! haha..and Farah, alaaa..tak best la canni if u tak review sama..

Anyway...I'd been postponing to write a review for this book for more than 2 weeks now. The main reason is because i dun have much spare time to write about it, and i dun want to rush into it as i feared i might be doing it injustice. But well, since i got some spare time at the moment, i might as well write AT LEAST part of it..and steal times tomorrow and the day after..until i'm satisfied with it.

Well, now...I believe that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the MOST anticipated fantasy novel of the year. The 5th book which is Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire left a deep impact on the readers with the death of Harry's godfather-Sirius Black-that most of us couldn't wait to get our hands on the 6th book in the series. I mean like, the thickening plot in Book 5 made us want to find out how Harry would face his days ahead without his godfather-at least that's how it was to me.

Thus, the day of the released of HPHBP was one of the most memorable one for me. Never before did i imagined that i'd be waking up at 5++ am just so i could grab a copy of my fave book before anyone else did. Ha ha!

Okie Ayu, I admit. The obsessioon didn't start until just a couple of months before the book was due to release. And even then, i didn't write much about it though i did managed to annoy both of my twin brothers and Amin for constantly reciting to them every single news i heard bout the HPHBP book, be it from the net or the newspapers. Once, I even called up Ayu in my excitement to asked her to tune in to TV3, coz there was a short segment in the news reporting on the HPHBP book as a phenomenon for the whole world. And i was glad for all these news as it was able to lessen my longing for the book during those longest period of my life.

As mentioned earlier, on d day itself I woke up at almost 6 am; and somehow here managed to be the first among friends to get my hands on the book (triumphant smile here ;-))). But sadly i wasn't the first to finish reading it, Ayu beat me to it. And even more frustating, SHE SPOILT IT FOR ME! I can't believe u told me bout Dumbledore's death before i get to the part itself Ayu. U just wait until the 7th book, i'll be the spoiler then! ;-p But anyway, to get my revenge..i spoilt it for Soraya as she was in U.S at the time, and we got the book one day ahead of them. So that was able to cool me down a tiny lil' bit ..he he he... (nasty, crooked grin here).

Okie okie, moving on the book itself. I've heard and read that many voiced out that the book is such a DISAPPOINTMENT to them! They sort of feel like, after all the waiting and anticipations..THIS is what we get???

Well, frankly speaking..I do admit that Jo Rowling had done better in some of the preceding books, but still - after much gloomy and dark episodes in the previous ones, it made a NICE change to read of a more jolly and optimistic side of their life.

Conceivably, there may be a lil too much of the lovey dovey scenes to our liking, but hey! they're in the middle of their teens aiite, and it would seem abnormal if none of them start to discover the mushy-mushy thingy we called LOVE. NORMAL TEENAGERS DO, don't they??And i believed that even wizards and witches are blessed with the blissful feeling o~ love, aren't they? Another thing that we musn't forget is that LOVE had played a central role in the stories, even from the start of the series (in Book 1). It was protrayed as the element of ancient magic that saved Harry from being killed by the darkest wizard there ever was. Hence, the stress on the LOVE aspects...

Now, let's talk about the good plots in the book first. I found that the first chapter- "The Other Minister" was a good start as it tells us on the seriousness of the situation they're facing. And it shows that Voldermort's evil doings did not only affected the wizarding community but the Muggle world as well-though most of them did not realized it. And it made a good transition from the previous book to this one.

As my reading progressed, I found myself more and more enthralled by the plots. Being as sentimental as i am (he he i can see Ayu sticking out her tongue at me ;-p ) i can't help but be touched by the fact that Dumbledore's taking Harry into his confidence and total care. He seemed to put more trust in Harry's judgement and abilities. And knowing how reckless Harry can be at times, it's quite satisfying to see him placing total faith and confidence in Harry.

Admittedly, there are some points declared by the critics which i have to agree on. It does seem that their lessons and Quidditch are being given less focus in this book. Though i could do without the Quidditch thingy-i have not much interest in sport u see-i do miss the lessons very much especially Care of the Magical Creatures! Yes yes! i know they hate the subject, but u gotta admit that lotsa things happened during these lessons. I mean like they were introduced to Buckbeak during one of these lessons weren't they?And among the most interesting thing-Malfoy being attacked by the hippogrif- happened during the lesson too (hehe..am i bad to think of it as an interesting "event"? ;-p). What's more, thanx to Hagrid for introducing them to Thestrals, they were able to ride it to the Ministry of Magic in the 5th book. And i'm more disappointed that their Defence against Dark Art lesson weren't as remarkable as before, but it was interesting to finally found out why no one seened to be able to hold the post for longer than a year- Voldemort's doing of coz! GrrRrr....

Another thing missing in this book is the dark atmosphere itself. It was only pictured in the earlier chapters. After that, becoz of the lack of exposure to these mayhem and destructions done by Voldemort and his followers, we tend to forget that there were facing one of the darkest time ever!

Other than that, the plots are as delicious as the butter-pecan ice cream from Baskin Robbins! YuMmie!!!(hehehe...that's sooo like comparing an orange to an apple eh??isk isk)

One of the unique thing that u can find in this book is the fact that; though Professor Snape played a big role in this book, MOST OF US didn't realize it until we come to the end of the book where he KILLED Dumbledore. On the other hand, looking at the cover of the book (mine is the UK Adult version; showing the Advance Potion textbook) i did had this vague idea that the Advanced Potion book will somehow be connected to Snape in some ways, though i never imagined that he was the Half Blood Prince. And I did have this impression that Snape will be a vital character this time. I mean, just think...when we say the word Potion..the name of Severus Snape will come to mind aiite??So......it was not a complete shock, only that we didn't put 2 and 2 together while being absorbed in the book...But in a way, Rowling somehow succeed in keeping the suspense and thrills until the end of the plots.

About Dumbledore's death, well some might think that it wasn't tragic enough but for me...the idea of Dumbledore being dead was appalling enough that we don't need a tragic way of him dying to make it more....real...and....ummm...catastrophic...*sob sob*

And just like Ayu said in her review, I didn't really have the feeling of "cepat la kluar next book, i can't wait" coz i was a bit disillusioned with the ending. But now that i've finished reading it for the 2nd time (i'm sure most of u've read it more than twice now) ... there's a lil bit of excitement building up here, and lotsa curiosity wanting to be satisfied :

1) Is Snape really "a servant who'll never return" to the Dark Lord??
2) What were they (Snape n Dumbledore) arguing about when Hagrid overheard them near the forest??
3) Dumbledore saying to Snape.."But u promised" and Snape replying something like "Maybe u took it for granted..maybe i just don't wanna do it anymore? Was Dumbledore's death planned by himself so as to get Snape to be Voldemort's most trusted man???
4) Like Ayu said, there must be more to Aunt Petunia than the cold-hearted, horsey-faced woman she was conceived to be...does she has deeper connection with the wizarding world than we know??
5) Surely Dumbledore trusted Snape due to better reason than Snape's repentance for giving out the info that led to the Potter's death, ain't it??????
6) AND MOST PUZZLING OF ALL, WHO'S R.A.B who destroyed the Horcrux???? I've racked my brain for hours but still can't figure it out!!!

To sum it up, there are things that i'd love Rowling to add to this book but i wouldn't even dream of her cutting off any of the sections or chapters as i love it just the way it was written, though I wouldn't mind if she add some more pages...(What??MORE??!!I can see Daphne's mouth hanging open in horror!!!hahaha)

As for the rating, i'd give this book 4 1/4 out of 5.. Sorry guys!Can't help it...even after all the critics, i find myself still loving it! ;-)

O'oh! I've run out of parchment here! Better stop now, till the next book then....Pip Pip!!

The Sight

2005-07-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Title: The Sight
Author: David Clement-Davies

Hullo ppl! You guys must be wondering wtf is this girl writing a completely absurd review of a 2002-published book when HPHBP is currently the most talked about book of 2005. Outdated, some might say, but I think there's no need for a bunch of HP reviews...cuz if I start to write abt it, I'll whine. And seriously, you'll not like it when I whine.

So what's "The Sight"all about? It's supposed to be a children's book (Just like HP was supposed to be), but it must appeal to werewolf fans (my friend recommended me this particular book), and since I'm quite one myself, I wondered how come I've never read this book b4. Frankly speaking, I didn't quite notice the cover for a while until I examined it, and I realized, that I've read magnificent reviews of this book sumwhere, a long, long time ago. (Yellow eyes of a wolf staring ryte atcha!)

Anyway, it's about a pack of wolves (or Vargs, rather) which has their own beliefs in Gods like Tor and Fenris, and how this particular belief pushed away all their superstitions of prophecies and such. The most popular, and feared superstition of all (which is told to the cubs usually to scare them) is The Sight, the ability to see the future, past, make a pact with birds, see through birds' eyes, etc.) One of the members of the pack, named Morgra was condemned for having The Sight, which is also related to an Evil Spirit called Wolfbane. She was wrongly accused and left out of injustice, and her anger led to manipulating her powers for evil.

Note that females are called Drappa, and males are called Dragga. Animals are called Lera, while Putnars are commonly hunters. Anyway, Morgra's brother is Huttser, whose mate is Palla. Now, this Palla, gave birth to two cubs, a Dragga and a Drappa. The Dragga cub's name is Fell, while the Drappa's name is Larka. Their elderly nurse, Brassa, could sense that one of these cubs has The Sight. It is said that a prophecy long forgotten will come true, and it is going to be a battle of which one between the wolves who possess The Sight could fulfill it.

Due to this, and the confrontation/hatred towards Morgra, the pack had to travel together in order to save themselves from Man traps, Morgra, and anything else that comes in their way. Man and Wolf are related quite closely in this tale, of fantasy and unexpected events that happen in their excursion of separating the truth from lies, and good from evil. Will Larka, Fell, and their friend Kar survive? What actually happened to Morgra, and who the heck is Wolfbane? You gotta read this one, guys. It's kinda complicated to tell the whole story, so, just pick this one up.

And soz, no HP review from me. My heart is shattered to pieces.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2005-07-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Title : Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Author: As if she needs introduction anyway! Hehe..

Ok.. I've been putting off making my review for this book for the longest time.. Yes Farah, I guess you must wonder why are we lagging behind here, especially for THE book of the year. Well, I have my reasons which I must say, seems SO obvious from my say in the chatter box.

I (and I'm not alone here) have been anticipating the coming of THE book for so long. C'mon la all of you, look deep down inside yourself and tell me that you didn't already start waiting for this book right after you turned the last page of The Order of The Phoenix? Heheh.. jangan tipu la.. I have the all-seeing eye here ;-p

I mean, Baizurah talked non-stop about Harry Potter and she kept giving me these pop-quiz questions, asking me to give her the exact moment a dialogue was said in the previous 5 books and though I was sooooooo busy at that time, she helped put me in the mood.

On THE day itself, I was all jittering, couldn't stop myself from wanting the time to fly quickly so I could finally have THE book in my hands. Baizurah was no help as she called me at 10.00am just to gloat over her 'victory' of picking up her copy first ;-p heheh.. Sangat jeles tau, Sentot! My feelings didn't get any better when she told me about the door gifts she received when getting her copy. Then I had to endure another 5 hours of tuition before FINALLY getting the chance to read my book.

Ok.. ok.. enough about the 'adventure' in getting the book. Let's go to my review, which in one word says : DISAPPOINTING!!!

Whhoooaww.. I can feel the glares of most of you here! Cam daggers going through me, but well, this IS my review kan? Haha.. Baizurah mesti tak puas hati ni hehe..

I mean, when I first started reading it, I found myself amazed at how matured Harry is, no longer feeling sorry for himself anymore.. ok, maybe a bit la but he DID change kan. And when he went back to the Burrow with Dumbledore, I was feeling,"Waaa.. baiknye Dumbledore! Macam Tok (father tak leh la kan since Dumbledore taught Harry's father before him) Harry plak" Though here, most of us noticed the differance in Dumbledore.. especially the obvious one where there was s'thing wrong with his hand kan.

As the story progressed, I found myself sinking deeper into the book but still, I had this nagging feeling at the pit of my stomach. When I came to the 3rd quarter of the book (I can hear Baizurah saying, "Asyik ulang ayat yg same je.. 3 quarter.. 3 quarter" Hehe..), I suddenly realized, "What??!!?? No nothing here??"

Lets face it, the only thing that seemed related to the previous books are their normal classes which sadly are mentioned very 'seldom'ly (ade ke perkataan seldomly?). Their classes have always been the source of the magical feelings we get when we read the books. Ok la, maybe one of the sources la but still, everyone agrees how they liked to read about the classes in Hogwarts kan? Especially now diorang dah complete their O.W.L.s so their lessons this year should be waaaaaaaay more interesting.. err, even if they HAD to drop Hagrid's subject! Haha, couldn't fit it in their schedule konon heheh..

Even Quidditch has lost its place in THIS book and this is quite disappointing considering that Harry HAS become the Captain of the Gryffindor team. I mean, Quidditch IS Harry's passion, right? And most of us have grown so used to knowing Harry would once again be the star in Quidditch tapi just look at that, just a few paragraphs of Quidditch here! But thank God there's the attraction of Dumbledore's 'private lessons' with Harry (Yup, we agree on THIS, Sentot!)

Another thing, (Baizurah says: Harry dah besaq la, Ayu.. biaq la dia bercinta!) is about the love affairs in this book. There seems to be endless stories about kissing in this book. I mean, since when did this book revolve around kissing? Memang la in the second book, Ginny DID mention she saw Percy and Penelope kissing, but THIS is outrageous! With Ginny and Ron quarelling about 'snogging', I mean, whats happening here? I know, maybe Rowling wants to appeal to the teenagers but still, it seemed out of place here.. a little bit could be okay, but not half of the book la!

Ok, maybe I'm a bit protective of Harry here haha.. perasan la cam kakak dia plak! I mean, kalau betul Ginny REALLY liked Harry, why talk about her and Dean yang 'like glue stuck to each other'? Then there's this somehow sickening description of Ron and Lavender sounding like a suction cup.. call me old fashioned then!

Though I still enjoy Ron and Hermione's bickering and their 'who-says-I-liked-you' attitude around each other, it didn't feel THAT appealing when too much outside affairs were thrown in.

Dumbledore's death DID move me a bit.. ok, a lot coz I was starting to feel more affectionate towards him and maybe most of you feel the same way too but still I couldn't help agreeing on some views that say, it should be more dramatic. Sirius's and Cedric's death seemed more interesting to some of us. I didn't quite realize this until it was pointed out to me but yes, maybe I DO agree.. a bit la sebab still sedih gak Dumbledore mati.

And about Snape.. I have always trusted him since Dumbledore trusted him too.. turns out, he's a true Slytherin! Sangat marah!!! Heheh.. over plak.. But then, do all of you sympathize with Malfoy here? I dunno, tiba² kesian pulak kat dia in this book though I've hated him before.. tgk la time Myrtle told Harry that Malfoy's been crying in the toilet for a while, saying that he's being bullied (by Voldemort la, sape lagi kan?)

Then there's this seemingly rushing-into-the-ending thing that I can't quite understand. All the while, I always liked reading the book from the start right through the end but this time it feels like I'm driving this car idly and only at the last minute, when going downhill, do I realize I don't have brakes.. soooooo.. Gosh, I don't have the word to describe it!

Maybe its just me BUT I've gotten the same comments from fellow fans here..

And to make matters worse, I don't have the feeling of, "Cepat² la next book dia kluar! Tak sabar ni!" like I felt when reading the previous book. I feel as if I waited 2 years for nothing here sob.. sob..

I mean, there MIGHT be no Hogwarts! There's definitely no more Dumbledore though I'm secretly hoping that he'd come back, as a ghost pun tak pe lah! And it DOES seem like there'd be no more FUN in it since Harry is adamant to go search for Voldemort! Waaaaaaaaa, why aah? Why??

Well, I hope I'm wrong.. really² hope I'm wrong! *Crossing my fingers here* I guess even the greatest writers have their ups and down and for Rowling's sake, I hope it'll be more UP than ever in the next and supposedly final book in this series.

There are lots more I want to know, unanswered questions, I mean

1. Why did Petunia recognize Dumbledore's voice in the Howler he sent to her a few books ago?
2. Does she have relations to the magical world too?
3. To what extent are the powers of Voldemort towards Harry, since he supposedly tranfered some of his powers to Hary when he wanted to kill him, remember?
4. How come Dumbledore could trust Snape so much? What did he do to REALLY deserve his second chance? I mean, takkan la you guys believe the story yang Dumbledore trusted him sebab dia dah insaf?
5. Why did Voldemort say that Snape is 'my servant who would never return to me' in the forth book, but it still turned out that dia tu belot?

Banyak lagi questions, but I've got this writers block here now..

Well, I guess thats it from me now.. till then, keep your fingers crossed for the final installment of Harry Potter.. cheerio!

Aristotle Politics

2005-07-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Since I am in the National Academy and wants to torture those friends of mine not here, I'm gonna do a review on a classical text or literature on constitution and political theory. This is probably the most important text ever, as it discusses the ideas or the foundations of a good constitution.

Aristotle's Politics is one of the most influential and enduring texts of political philosophy in all of history. The Aristotelian tradition, following from the philosophy of Plato and continuing in the writings of Cicero, Augustine, Aquinas (pening ke belom lagi fromall these wierd names?) and other medieval theorists, has formed the backdrop against which all subsequent political and moral philosophy has found its orientation.

Early modern political philosophers such as Machiavelli and Hobbes (which I am sure is quite familiar to all of us), as well as modern Enlightenment theorists and even postmodern authors have either explicitly or implicitly defined themselves against the Aristotelian model (which is the whole idea of Aristotle on the criteria and characteristics of a good constitution). While writers in the Aristotelian tradition believed that politics has to be based on a fundamental conception of the good as an objective ultimate end for human beings, political theorists from the pre-moderns to today have tried to base politics on anything but a shared idea of the good.

The initial reason for this change is perhaps the fear that claiming the existence of one objective end for human life is too likely to lead to serious conflicts like the Wars of Religion. Coupled with this fear is a profound philosophical skepticism originating with Descartes that questions the existence of any intrinsic human nature, objective end for human life, and even objective truth in general.

These motivations are relatively clear at least in the case of Hobbes, who lived through both the Wars of Religion and the English Civil War, both of which were highly ideological conflicts, although concerns for power and material gain were also at the forefront. Hobbes attacks Aristotle vehemently in his writings, precisely because he is afraid that having such a clear-cut and universal conception of the good will inevitably lead to further ideological warfare. It is because the core assumptions of Hobbes' and Aristotle's thought are directly opposed to one another that Hobbes believes Aristotelian ideas sufficiently dangerous to merit such strong condemnation.

While Hobbes constantly emphasizes the absolute necessity of acting rationally for self-preservation, Aristotle looks beyond the mere goal of living to the higher aim of living well, in accordance with the natural function of man. This emphasis on living well is a danger in Hobbes' view, for he believes that any lofty ideals for which one may be willing to sacrifice one's life can lead to rebellion and the dissolution of the commonwealth. From Aristotle's perspective, what Hobbes fails to understand is that the goal of self-preservation will not suffice to motivate people to moderate their desires and restrain their actions. Hobbes, however, a skeptic who had been highly influenced by the writings of Descartes, simply did not believe in the existence of an ultimate good, or even for that matter in the existence of objective reality outside the human mind.

The Enlightenment was likewise largely a reaction against the Aristotelian tradition. All liberal political theories, no matter how far-ranging in specific tenets and prescriptions, hold in common one fundamental premise: the freedom and equality of human beings. To safeguard this hallowed bedrock of liberalism, liberal philosophers shrink from the metaphysical view of virtue proposed by Aristotle.

For with a fixed standard of human excellence, how can one say that all are equal when some are clearly more virtuous than others?

Hahahahahaha.... I don't want to be stressing your minds unnecessarily anymore... Anyway, basically what I understod from yesterday and today's session - as I have several more weeks to go - is that Constitution is the most important part and duty of a citizen. A citizen's duty is to interpret the meaning and function of a constitution. Without this knowledge, we would not know the importance of the power that is in our hands - that we place in the representatives we elected to voice out our needs.

Another thing that I want to say is that this workshop has given me a greater understanding and appreciation of not only the American Legacy - the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, but also OUR own Malaysian government and independence... and I'll explain that later in part 2...

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation tie-ins

2005-07-10T00:45:00.000-07:00

Title: CSI series
Author: Max Allan Collins

It's been a long time since my last review.... so I decided to make a sextant (sp?) review of the whole CSI novel series.
If you're a true CSI fan, you've gotta get the books cuz there's so much in detail written here including, some *ehem* hints of romance between the CSIs. Like the TV series, the book also usually has two cases in one book, solved at the same time.

The first in the series' title is Double Dealer. It's mainly abt a killer who has a double tap signature, whose identity must be revealed. The problem is, FBI agents are also interested in the case and of course, Grissom wouldn't let it go so easily. Another case is the murder of a 15-year-old girl.

Second is Sin City (not the Jessica Alba movie, mind you!), where a born-again Christian woman named Lynn Pierce was reported missing after her husband threatened to cut her into pieces, while Jenna Patrick, a stripper (thus the relevant title), was found strangled in her working booth.

Third is Cold Burn, Grissom and Sara were sent to a conference for forensic geeks high up on a picturesque, chilly mountain hotel (Grissom+Sara couple lovers will love this one), found a burnt body in the midst of the snowy mountains. This is one of the best novel in the series, and my personal favorite together with Sin City.

Fourth is Body of Evidence, where an employee discovered a grotesque child porn photos in her boss' printer. Another case is the disappearance of the mayor's secretary. You'll never get to guess who's the culprit until the very end.

Fifth is Grave Matters, where a woman wants to excavate her mother's grave because she believed that her mom was murdered. However, more problems pop out when the body was not her mom's, but a complete stranger's. Meanwhile, at a nearby hospital, a patient's death was very unnatural which led to an investigation by Catherine and Warrick. This is another favorite of mine because of the twists.

The last one, but not least, is Binding Ties. This is the first book that features Dr. Al Robbins and Greg Sanders on the back cover (The other five only have Grissom, Catherine, Nick, Warrick, Sara and Brass) since both cast members (David Hall and Eric Szmanda were finally credited as main cast in Season 5). It's abt a serial killer who had been terrorizing Las Vegas 10 years back, used the same modus operandi to kill his latest victim. However, through a reporter, he claimed that he didn't do it. There's a copycat, or so he said. This is the most tense of the series, and by far most real.

I must say that I loved the series because the author didn't mind to delve into the character's emotions and past background. While the TV show took a while before telling the audience what the characters' lives were, or the troubles they had beyond LVPD office hours, the book had it all. Besides, I loved the fact that there's much I could learn (all the scientific terms and chemical stuff) which made the series a must-have just like the show a must-watch.

Coming UP: THe CSI Miami series.

'Double double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble' - Macbeth...

2005-07-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

I studied Macbeth when I was in high school. Instead of taking other subjects like Arts or Geography, I had to be different. I took English Literature - and my highschool at that time did not offer English Literature, but Malay Literature (Gila nak suruh aku buat Malay Literature, BM biasa pun nak pass susah!! hahahaha). There were only four of us who took English Lit. from SGGS, and we had to take extra classes on our own in order to pass the course. And yes, I think it's the best subject by far!

If Hamlet is the grandest of Shakespeare's plays, Macbeth is from a tragic standpoint the most sublime and the most impressive as an acting play.

Nothing so terrible has been written since the Eumenides of Aeschylus, and nothing in dramatic literature--not even the slaying of Agamemnon--is depicted with such awesome intensity as the murder of Duncan. The witches are not, it is true, the divine Eumenides; they are not intended to be so; they are ignoble and vulgar instruments of hell, and the German poet who transformed them into a mixture of fates, furies and enchantresses, clothing them with tragic dignity, very ill understood their meaning.

Whether the age of Shakespeare still believed in ghosts and witches is a matter of perfect indifference for the justification of the use which, in Hamlet and Macbeth, he has made of pre-existing traditions. No superstition can be widely diffused without having a foundation in human nature; on this the poet builds; he calls up from their hidden abysses that dread of the unknown, that presage of a dark side of nature and a world of spirits, which philosophy now imagines it has altogether exploded. Shakespeare is a true literary genius - and the play of words, emotions and scenarios for a writer during his time was absolutely marvellous. Due to his literary genius, words were coined and created by him, due to his writings!

Back to Macbeth, these repulsive hags (the witches of course!), from which the imagination shrinks, are here emblems of the hostile powers which operate in nature; and the repugnance of our senses is outweighed by the mental horror. With one another they discourse like women of the very lowest class; for this was the class to which they were ordinarily supposed to belong; when, however, they address Macbeth, they assume a loftier tone; their predictions, which they either themselves pronounce or allow their apparitions to deliver, have all the obscure brevity, the majestic solemnity of oracles. They are governed by an invisible spirit, or the operation of such great and dreadful events would be above their sphere.

With what intent did Shakespeare assign the same place to them in his play which they occupy in the history of Macbeth as related in the old chronicles?

A monstrous crime is committed; Duncan, a venerable old man, and the best of kings, is, in defenseless sleep, under the hospital's roof, murdered by his subject, whom he has loaded with honors and rewards. Natural motives alone seem inadequate, or the perpetrator must have been portrayed as a hardened villain. Shakespeare wished to exhibit a more sublime picture--an ambitious but noble hero, yielding to a deep-laid hellish temptation, and in whom all the crimes to which, in order to secure the fruits of his first crime, he is impelled by necessity, cannot altogether eradicate the stamp of native heroism. He has, therefore, given a threefold division to the guilt of that crime.

The first idea comes from beings whose whole activity is guided by the lust of wickedness. The weird sisters surprise Macbeth in the moment of intoxication of victory, when his love of glory has been gratified; they cheat his eyes by exhibiting to him as the work of fate what in reality can only be accomplished by his own deed, and gain credence for all their words by the immediate filfilment of the first prediction.

The opportunity of murdering the king immediately offers; the wife of Macbeth conjures him not to let it slip; she urges him on with a fiery eloquence, which has at command all those sophisms that serve to throw a false splendor over crime. Little more than the mere execution falls to the share of Macbeth; he is driven into it, as it were, in a tumult of fascination. Repentance immediately follows, nay, even precedes the deed, and the stings of conscience leave him rest neither night nor day. But he is now fairly entangled in the snares of hell. That same Macbeth, who once as a warrior could spurn at death, now that he dreads the prospect of the life to come, clings with growing anxiety to his earthly existence the more miserable it becomes, and pitilessly removes out of the way whatever to his dark and suspicious mind seems to threaten danger.

However much we may abhor his actions, we cannot altogether refuse to compassionate the state of his mind; we lament the ruin of so many noble qualities, and even in his last defense we are compelled to admire the struggle of a brave will with a cowardly conscience.

Lady Macbeth, who of all the human participators in the king's murder is the most guilty, is thrown by the terrors of her conscience into a state of incurable bodily and mental disease; she dies, unlamented even by her husband. Macbeth is still found worthy to die the death of a hero on the field of battle. The noble Macduff is allowed the satisfaction of saving his country by punishing with his own hand the tyrant who had murdered his wife and children.

Banquo, by an early death, atones for his ambitious curiosity to know his glorious descendants, as he thereby has roused Macbeth's jealousy; but he preserves his mind pure from the evil suggestions of the witches; his name is blessed in his race, destined to enjoy for a long succession of ages that royal dignity which Macbeth could only hold for his own life.

In the progress of the action, this play is the reverse of Hamlet; it strides forward with amazing rapidity from the first catastrophe to the last. The precise duration of the action cannot be ascertained--years, perhaps, according to the story--but to the imagination the most crowded time appears always the shortest. Here we can hardly conceive how so much could have been compressed into so narrow a space, and not merely external events, for the very inmost recesses in the minds of the dramatic personages are laid open to us.

It is as if the drags were taken from the wheels of time, and they rolled along without interruption in their descent....

Anne of Green Gables series pt.1

2005-07-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

Title : No specific title.. I'm talking about the series here :-p
Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery a.k.a L.M. Montgomery

I was introduced to this carrot-haired lass a few years back during the Dunhill Double on TV2.. remember? Yup, I got to know her from the TV FIRST, before getting to know her in literature. And, hey, don't tell me I'm the only one here hehe..

Fast forward a few years later, I was in the school library when I stumbled upon the series and after that, I kept going back to borrow the books until I finished all 8. Sadly, I didn't get to read them in order as it was more to availability. Being the blabbering girl who loves to talk about books, I told my classmates about my find and well, everyone just wanted a piece of it that I had to 'chup' the books from my friends in order to read them.

Well, back to the present time, around last year when I was doing my usual book hunting (one thing about Popular, you never KNOW when you'd find a GEM.. I found Quidditch Through The Ages on one of these trips and I doubt that most of you even have SEEN it haha.. Baizurah, tolong la jeles kat saya!!!) when I came across Anne of Green Gables. Remebering the childhood fun of reading it, I quickly paid for it and savoured every minute reading it.

A few days later, at KBJ, must be jodoh haha, I found other the books in this series but since I bought just a handful of money then, I just managed to buy 2 but that just started my hunt to complete the whole series from the well known Anne of Green Gables right up to Rilla of Ingleside which by the way narrates the accounts of Annes youngest daughter, Rilla, named after Marilla Cuthbert, the woman who took care and loved Anne as her own child.

So now, people, I'm the proud owner of the whole set!!

The series kick-starts with Anne of Green Gables which all of us know is about the 9 year old orphan who was sent to the Cuthberts by mistake, but managed to steal the hearts of everyone in Avonlea, including the Gilbert Blythe, who somehow seems to remind me Raja Nazrin.. in the movie la but don't ask me why! Baizurah, we can relate to her, you know.. she too, is a day dreamer like us haha.. She and her 'bosom friend' Diana get into a lot of scrapes, with Anne as the mastermind of it, of course. The both of them (kindred spirits, as Anne describes them) create all these stories for every place in Avonlea and even venture to change the name of nearly all these places.

Anne (spelt with an 'e' haha..) is described as a smart but hot-headed girl, proven by her infamous action of slamming her slate on top of poor Gilbert's head, then refusing to speak to him ever, even when he saved her from the river one day. Her pride just won't let her befriend him, though, at the end of the book, she finally asks him for forgiveness for her stubborness.

The second book is Anne of Avonlea which tells of Anne abandoning her dreams to further her studies just so she could look after Marilla after Matthew's death. She becomes a teacher at her dear old school in Avonlea, courtesy of Gilbert who handed her the post given to him earlier. Full with expectations, she starts her job but soon realizes that what she dreamt of and what student REALLY are made of, are not the same. But cheery Anne still maintains her trust in her students and she wins their adoration. She further becomes close to one student of hers named Paul (I think..) who lost his mother since he was small. Somehow, Anne's intrusion in his life helped him find a new mother who's just perfect for him.

Back at home, Marilla adopts twins who are somehow her kin. I don't remember what happened to the twin's family, though. Dora and Dave are as different as day and night. Dora, the sensible, prim and proper but boring twin contrasts with her mischievous and cheeky twin, Davy. Davy soon grows attached to Anne and is jelous of the bond between Anne and Paul. Gilbert also starts his advances to Anne, which, as readers, we understand Anne's feeling's more than she herself does. *sigh*

Here we learn that, once upon a time ago, Marilla and gilbert's father were once a couple but because of Marilla's stubborness, they broke up. Mariila never forgot that and she was afraid that Anne might make the same mistake.

Another thing, Ms Rachel moved in with them after the death of her husband and together, the old ladies took care of the twins and the farm, enabling Anne to go to college the next fall.

Then there's Anne of the Island. In this book, she finally pursues her dream of going to college, Redmond College to be exact. And guess who's also there.. Gilbert Blythe! Together they compete with each other in college, with Gilbert always a small step ahead of Anne.

Anne befriends this cheeky but very sweet childish flirt with the name of Phillipa and together with her old friend Prissy, they rent this cute cottage together and learn not only lessons in class, but also lessons in life. It is here that Anne starts feeling confused with her feelings for Gilbert. Gilbert on the other hand, hurt by Anne's rejection, befriend another girl, Christine but only at the end do we know that he was just taking care of Christine.

Anne gets her first proposal, in such a ridiculous way that she can't help laughing about it! She also befriends this other guy, whom I can't remember his name (nmpk sangat pro-Gilbert!) but doesn't end up with him in the end for obvious reasons haha..

She misses Green Gables, Marilla, Mrs Rachel whom she once despised, Dora and Davy but somehow manages. Even her dreamy Paul has grown up, living with his father and new mother. He no longer has day dreams like he once had but he still corresponds with Anne and still writes his poetry.

Towards the end, Gilbert fall sick and is feared to be dying. This somehow is the turning twist of Anne and Gilbert's life when they finally admit what they've been feeling for so long *double sigh*.

The fourth book is Anne of Windy Poplars about her life after college. She has finally graduated and about to begin a new life as a teacher in Summerside. Howver, her cheery composition is darkened by the Pringles, a clan considered 'royalty' of Summerside.

Here, she rents a room at Windy Poplars with two widows, Aunt Kate and Aunt Chatty, together with their housekeeper, Rebecca Dew (Anne could never call Rebecca with her first name, it was always accompanied by her surname). These are her friends who help her uncover the secret of the Pringles and at the same time, win their trust and heart too.

Apart from the Pringles (I'm imagining the potato chips right now..), Anne's meddlesome nature urges her to help little Elizabeth, a dreamy girl version of Paul. She was abandoned by her hurt father after her mother died while giving birth to her and looked after by her grandmother who controls her too much. Anne however managed to persuade Elizabeth's father to come and just take a look at his daughter, but the father took a step farther by taking Elizabeth with him instead, making the little girl happy.

Anne also helps change this hard hearted teacher, Catherine. Anne's warmth and cheerfulness was so infectious that she finally thawed this Ice Queen who finally became her friend after so much differances they displayed against each other. Don't forget, Anne is stubborn too!

Here, Anne also manages to learn about her real parents and suddenly feels so complete after having the chance to keep sweet momentos of her parents.

This book is punctuated with letters from Anne to Gilbert and vice versa.. sweet² letters too! BTW, Gilbert was still finishing his studies in medicine here, that's why they aren't married yet.

Wow!! Look at the time, I still haven't finished the preview for the other 4 books of this series, but I guess I'd continue next time.. later, guys!

The Green Mile

2005-06-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

Title : The Green Mile
Author: Stephen King

Now, though I have an entire book shelf of Stephen King books, which sadly only 4-5 books are good enough for my repeated reading, I'm not exactly his ardent fan. Sometimes I DO wonder why sometimes I keep buying his books but then, once in a while when I manage to get a good book out of him, I'm reminded again of why I buy his books.

One of my favourites is The Green Mile. This novel was first published as a serial novel but I was lucky to find the complete compilation of the series and I really enjoyed it. To be honest, I watched the movie first, before reading the book and though the movie has omitted a lot of the actual story, its still good. I'd recommend watching the movie first before proceeding to the book or you might be disappointed eventhough the movie gets a 4-star rating from me.

The Green Mile refers to this green strip of colour lined at the floor of the prison that leads to the execution area, better known as Old Sparky, the electric chair. The story, narrated by prison guard Paul Edgecombe revolves around a few main characters such as John Coffey (the so-called criminal who's so simple minded, you'd wonder how they even thought of him as the criminal, though his size could contribute to it), Warden Moores (the prison warden), the prison guards namely Dean Stanton, Harry Terwilliger and Brutus Howell aka 'Brutal' (though he's as gentle as a lamb, but has this garang face) and the infamous Percy Wetmore (reminds me of Percy Plod in the 'Happy Family' game card most of us played when younger) who's one of the most irritating guy you'd ever meet, always strutting his stuff (which is not much anyway, he got the job because he had connections and applied for it so he could beat up the prisoners) and pretending to be such a big shot!

Anyway, the story starts with a newcomer in this prison block. The block these guys were stationed at is the final place for the prisoner before he is executed so any newcomer had his fate already sealed. Paul had been used to all sorts of criminals but this new one kept him puzzled. His name was John Coffey ("like the drink, only not spelled the same way" <--this was Coffey's sure-line after introducing himself). Coffey was a giant of a man, and black, and this was a time when discrimination was still on the heat. He seemed to be able to crush everyone with his bare hand but, suprisingly, he was soft spoken and well-mannered in the 'simple Simon' way. The guards were suprised when he told them not to switch of the lights since he was afraid of the dark coz that was a stark contrast to his crime -->raping two sisters and killing them, cold heartedly after poisoning the dog! Somehow, Paul had already started to doubt Coffey was guilty.

Oppss, the story is quite long and I don't want to dwell on the details anyway but as we go on, we are introduced to other inmates of the priosn cell like Dell, a kind'a retarded person who had raped a girl and killed her then burnt her body in hopes to destroy the evidence but somehow, a building was also caught with the fire causing two more deaths. But apart from his ONLY crime, he was just this simple minded guy. Then there's William Wharton aka Wild Bill, I think, who was arrested for I-don't-remember-what BUT, towards the end, you'd know he had a connection with Coffey, and suprisingly, you'd get so mad it was as if you were involved in the story too.. talk about the power of literature! Wild Bill arrived looking like a drug-junkie but you'd laugh out loud at what he did to Percy.. serves him right, anyway!

Then, one unforgetable character will be Mr Jingles who is Dell's pet in prison. He might look like an ordinary mouse but he sure is smart. The story would be punctuated by stories revolving around Mr Jingles, and don't be suprised to see how important the role he plays here. Towards the end.. and here I mean towards the end coz this story is narrated by Paul when he was already in a nursing home.

The story is mainly about what happened during the time Coffey was imprisoned before his execution. You can't help but feel a bit of affection for the gentle giant who always saw the good in people. He was also always trying to be nice to everyone-not in that sickly sweet way, mind you- even volunteered to look after Mr Jingles when it was finally time for Dell to go to Old Sparky which with Percy's 'help' turned into an ugly event. Somehow, King manages to explain the procedur for electric chair execution but Percy, being Percy, wanted to see more of the action and what happened turned out to be so ugly, that Mr Jingles finally ran off after feeling what was happening to Dell, through Coffey's body!

And WOW!! Dell's execution was certainly well described. But you also can't help feeling sorry for him after you've got to know him throughout the book. In the movie, Dell is potrayed by this actor who made such a wonderful job outta it, that when I read about Dell, I keep seeing this guy's face. The same goes to Coffey who was palyed by this guy.. I'm not sure of his name but if i'm not mistaken, he starred in DareDevil the movie as the King Pin or something like that. Sorry, I didn't watch DareDevil but I saw the picture in the papers so I'm sure its the same guy! But Paul was played by no other than Tom Hanks.

Throughout John Coffey's time in prison, Paul had been infected with a urinary infection but somehow, towards the end, he learnt what was special about John Coffey, when Coffey helped him with this problem. This gave them (Paul, Brutus, Harry and Dean) the idea to bring Coffey to Warden Moores home, to help his wife Melinda who was supposed to be dying of cancer. You would laugh at all the measures they took in order to smuggle Coffey out where they had to take care of Wild Bill and Percy, so these two won't notice anything amiss.

Gosh, I wanted to keep this as a secret at first but I guess I have to tell you guys about it. Coffey had this special healing ability where he could 'suck' illness from anyone, and dispose it in form of these dusts he would exhale through his mouth. He did it to Paul so Paul had known what was to happen. However, in doing it to Melinda, Coffey didn't even exhale the dust he was supposed to. This worried Paul but they had to haul Coffey back to prison at that time before anyone realized he was missing, so Paul didn't have time to persuade Coffey to do so.

Arriving at the prison, Percy woke up (he was given sleeping pills by Paul and Brutus) just in time for Coffey to be safely in his cell. Being up to his usually bullying habit, he went up to Coffey for his round of 'torturing' when suddenly Coffey exhaled all those dusts right into Percy's mouth. What followed was something none of the guards would ever forget as Percy slowly recovered but with this distant look on his face. He then went to Wild Bill's cell, and shot the guy clean!

Percy was then institutionalized (am I using the right word here?). He was never the same.

It was after all these that Paul finally had the courage to go up to Coffey and ask him about the crimes, and about what he did to Percy. You'd really pity Coffey at this part when finally the truth comes out. As much as Paul wanted to help Coffey, the sole evidence to Coffey's innocence was already dead but then again even Coffey didn't want to live anymore. He was so sensitive to the pain of others that his execution was a welcome break for him.

I really love this book, one of the King's greatest compositions. Quite heavy though, not intended for light reading but I'm sure you guy's would've enjoyed it too!

The 5ive People you Meet in Heaven

2005-06-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

Title : The Five People you Meet in Heaven
Author: Mitch Albom

Now don't ask me why I bought a hard cover version of this book. With the big fonts and double/triple (Exaggerating to the max!!) spacing, I now think it was a waste of my money. It just came out here in Malaysia at that time so the were no paperbacks yet.

I read the review from NST. Since they had high regards of Tuesdays with Morrie, also written by the same author, it convinced me to try this book out. Even at MPH, I was dazzled by the praises this book received (reading it at the back of the book!) so it blinded all my dispelasure at the fonts and spacing thingey I'm always fussy about.

Though a tad disappointed, I still think this book is ok. Relaxing even.. ok², I like books too much to say they are not good, though once in a while I DO stumble upon a book not worth reading, not EVEN worth selling in bookstores so this books settles down in the OK category. 97% books are ok for me, in that matter!

This story happens on Eddie's birthday which ironically is also the day of his death. The author describes it as, "This story begin in the end!". Haha.. cute description, though!

Eddie is the maintenance guy who works at the amusement park in his hometown. All his life, he's been living near this amusement park, except the time he went for military services, and since his father also worked there, it seemed like the only logical choice for him.

Everyone loves Eddie (cam nama cerita tv plak..). The kids, the adults, his co-workers and so on and so forth. He periodically check on the rides, ensuring every nut and bolt is in its place so the park would be accident-free. However, God had other plans for him and that day, an accident happend at the Ferris Wheel that lead to his death while he was trying to help a child.

Upon waking up, Eddie, though he knew he had died, was suprised to see the afterlife so much like earth. This is where he met the first person he should meet before entering his OWN heaven. (Ok, the author has the idea that all of us have our own heavens, depending on which place on earth we were happiest)

The book talks about Eddie's journey through 5 other peoples heaven. All these 5 people have been connected to him in one way or another, though some of them he barely recognizes. Once he realizes the lesson in one heaven, he will be transported to another's heaven and learn another lesson.

The journey is punctuated with birthday tales of Eddie throughout his life. From the time he was born, to being a child, then a teenager right through adulthood. Somehow, these birthday tales are essential to understanding the story, I guess.

Simply written, still, sometimes you feel a stab of pain or pride while reading this book, especially when it narrates about his relationship with the father he hates but secretly worships and about his wife whom he really loved. Quite a good writer, though APASAL CITER DIA PENDEK SGT??

Reading this book makes you wonder how much you have affected other peoples lives, and I don't mean this positively! For example, one of the people Eddie met in heaven was this guy who died just because Eddie and his friends were playing ball. It happened that the ball they were playing has been kicked right into the street in front of this guy who had just learnt to drive. Though the guy managed to swerved at the right moment, thus saving the life of little Eddie at that time, the shock at a near-accident weakened his already delicate heart, thus made him die peacefully in his car right after avoiding hitting Eddie. Eddie on the other hand, obvlious to what happened, continued to play with his peers.

It's true, you know. You then realize that sometimes, unintentionally, you affect these changes in other people though you don't really realize it. The change might be for good, might be for bad, but still, it happens!

Hehe, I'd really categorize this book in the self-inspiration category. Even my housemate pondered on this question for days so if you guys want to read this, better borrow my copy or at the library. Not really worth its weight in gold, though in this case, its paper but it could keep you occupied for a few days..

Hmmm. makes me start wondering again..

Deception Point

2005-06-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

Title : Deception Point
Author: Dan Brown

This is yet another book by this author and in a way, this book is more relaxing than the two previous books I've reviewed but nonetheless, still entertaining.

Yes, this book starts with the assasination of someone but no, it doesn't involve Robert Langdon being awaken from his sleep by a phone call. In fact, the story revolves more around a woman, not a man this time. Intelligence analyst, Rachel Sexton is the daughter of a prominant senator who's in the running for the president of the United States election. However, her relationship with her father is anything but close.. hostile in fact. She partly blames her ambitious father on her mother's heartbreak that lead to her death though they still maintain a courtious relationship.

While having breakfast with her father, she is summoned by the President to verify a new finding by NASA. Due to the cirucumstances, where the President is on the brink of losing because of his constant support for NASA which have more than failed the American people during recent times, Rachel's boss suspects that the President is using her as a pawn against her father, not that she minds anyway. Her father has been using the NASA issue as his point to topple the current President with his slogan "Less spending bla.. blaa" Gosh! I forgot the slogan!!! I can't believe I forgot it.. well, I'll update the slogan once I remember, k.

The discovery apparently involves the extraterrestrial issue debated long ago by experts but if you want to know about it, go grab the book la hehe.. Anyway, as an analyst, Rachel was supposed to verify the authenticy of the finding and help to broadcast it throughtout the nation.. theirs la, bukan sini! However, amidst the excitement, a small flaw surfaced that lead to a bigger complication that threatened to put NASA and the President in jeapordy.

Then, as stories go, the people responsible for whatever happened wrong realized that these group of experts have detected the deceit behind the discovery, thus prompting them to destroy the whole group and here it all begins.

Compared to Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, some people might find this book quite tame but it was a great relief from those two books as you don't have your mind trying to solve anything before the characters do. You just go with the flow with this book though there ARE part which you want to scream or something hehe..

One thing about this book is, though it still with the theme of 'being deceived by someone you trust', this time Dan Brown made a great job of hiding who the person is. In Angels and Demons, towards the end of the book, I somehow realized who was deceiving who, as like in The Da Vinci Code where you could already guess earlier. However, this time, I was proved wrong. Glad about that though as I don't like books to be so predictable.

The end was expected, I mean, good guys always win though they might lose something on the way! Hey, ask Harry Potter, it always happens that way to him.. nearly always la! But still, I quite enjoyed the whole reading experience.

So, people out there, if you want a book to help you rewind, but you're not in favour of the mushy² type, this could be one of your choice.

Till next time.. cheerio!

A Knight in Shining Armor

2005-06-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

Title: A Knight in Shining Armor
Author: Jude Deveraux

Continuing the Romance fever that has been controlling the blog recently, I kept my promise of writing another time-travel themed novel...and it's a very touching one, too. And no, it's not downright corny to feel that way (even after a dose of mystery-solving genre).

Anyway, Jude Deveraux is another romance writer whose works I truly cherish besides Judith McNaught (in fact they're both friends), and one thing about Ms. Deveraux is that she loved to tell stories of the heroine being whisked back to the past...(another title is Remembrance).

Okay. The prologue tells us of a young man named Nicholas in 1564 England, trying to write a very crucial letter to his mother, in order to save his life. The next thing that happened was, he started to hear a woman weeping but he tried to shove the thoughts away since he was alone in his room, it might be the works of a witch. Time passed on and he still couldn't get the woman's weepings out of his head. At last, he gave in, following a ray of light...leading him somewhere.

The next chapter we're back to the future (1988 England). The beginning of the story we're introduced to the heroine, an American school teacher named Douglass Montgomery. She described herself as the *black sheep of the Montgomery family* because all her other siblings have better jobs, better lovelifes, etc., and she was always the laughing stock during family reunions. Thankfully, she thought she would end her miserable lovelife after getting hooked with a man named Robert, who promised her to a romantic getaway in England. Unfortunately, Robert confessed that he was going to bring his beloved 13-year old daughter Gloria, together, thus destroying any hopes of a romantic affair to bloom. If taking Gloria is not enough, Douglass could not get along with the young girl because of her spoiled character, dissing Douglass with hurting comments, and accusing her of doing things. Worse, Robert always stood up for her daughter and blamed Douglass for his daughter's misery. At one point, Douglass could not stand it anymore and decided to leave Robert, hoping that he would ask her to follow him back. But he never did. Instead, he drove off angrily with Gloria, leaving Douglass alone at the cemetery of an ancient English monastery. At this point, readers must have felt sympathy for Douglass.

She wept and wept at this particular tomb which had a marble statue on top, of a man wearing a knight's suit. She read the name on the tomb and it stated, "Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck". It hit her that she wanted someone judt like that - A Knight in Shining Armor. The next thing she knew, a real, living knight in shining armor was standing right in front of her, accusing her of being a witch and demanded her to return him back. The man was no other than Nicholas Stafford himself. She was mesmerized and confused all at the same time. The man was handsome (of course), but he acted (and spoke) differently that she thought Nicholas was a madman who suffered from schizophrenia or something. AT first, they couldn't stand each other because she didn't believe that he was indeed the Earl from the past and he kept accusing her as a witch.

Time passed on and she started to believe him bit by bit (especially after the ancient-coin exchange part). Since it was the future, Nicholas began to ask her what had happened between 1564 to 1988, how the history books portrayed him, what happened to his family...since one second he was writing a letter and the next he's in 1988. Nicholas realized that he was executed in 1564, his whole family was accused of treachery against Queen Elizabeth I. Even the history books had nothing good to say about him...he was portrayed as a playboy, a spoiled brat who wasn't interested in anything except girls. Douglass felt sorry for him because he didn't seem to be that way. And she tried to help him by taking him to his residence (which was refurnished a a tourist attraction, a.k.a, a museum). There, she learnt more about him, especially an important bit where they were told by a guide that NIcholas impregnated Lady Arabella Sydney, the wife of his friend, Robert Sydney. Two servants spied on him and their accounts were written into a book.

Nicholas frowned, but he still had to know what brought to his execution. He also told Dougless that he had an older brother, Lord Christopher, who drowned in a lake and died, and a son, who died too. He also confessed that he had a wife, Lady Lettice, whom he loved very much. Dougless' heart sank. However, the chemistry was too strong that they couldn't stand being far from each other, that one night, they finally made love.

The next day, Nicholas was gone, just before she could tell him the truth on who framed him which led to his death. Worse, no one remembered Nicholas existed. She searched frantically for shirts and colognes that she had bought for him in their room, but all were gone, as if Nicholas had never entered her life. She cried again, weeping at his tomb, and all of a sudden, she was whisked back to the past, 1560. 4 years before Nicholas' execution. She realized that there was time for her to change history and save her lover. But, she had a few problems. Nicholas didn't know who she was, he didn't listen to her words, accused her of being a witch (again), and she thought she would never be able to save him. It also hit her that everything written in the history books were true -- Nicholas was a notorious philanderer. Just as she lost hope (since Nicholas appeared to hate her), she never thought that his family members adored her.

She cured Nicholas' mom's flu by giving her flu tablets, taught the Thornwyck household Broadway songs (like My Fair Lady - could you imagine?), caught the eye of Nicholas' older and much more sensible brother Christopher, and made Nicholas achingly jealous. All the things she did were important to ensure that a few things didn't happen -- the Arabella incident, Nicholas' brother and son's death, his marriage to Lettice, and more importantly, his own death.

She was even thrilled to find out that some people who gave her a large impact in her future life existed in the past. Could she ever prevent the horrible things from happening to Nicholas, thus saving his life? Who was the one who framed him? Could she change history, and more importantly, is it really true that they belong together? Will the power of love prevail?

The answer lies in the chapters of this wonderfully written novel. I cried as I read through the pages because I felt what Dougless felt, both in the modern and medieval times. Forgive me if the review sucked (I've never been good at writing facts), but please do pick up the book if you see it lying on the bookshelf of any bookstore. It will make you feel as if you want a knight in shining armor of your own.

My favourite romance of all... Whitney My Love... sigh

2005-06-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

The story begins with Whitney Stone. She is a feisty, independent fifteen year old and stubborn to a fault. She is more than her father can handle so he writes her aunt and uncle and pleads for their help in transforming Whitney from a defiant tomboy into an acceptable lady of the ton. They are more than willing to help Whitney become acceptable in society but there is one problem, they live in Paris. Whitney is devastated with the prospect of leaving her home, after all Paul Sevarin is there. Whitney has been infatuated with Paul for some time and has made a spectacle while throwing her desperate self at his disinterested feet. Before she leaves for Paris she makes one final plea for him to wait for her but he quickly squashes all her hopes of ever becoming Mrs. Paul Sevarin.

When Whitney arrives in Paris she dedicates herself to becoming the perfect lady, takes her studies seriously (wish I had! haha) and learns all the fine arts of a lady of quality (fine arts of being a lady y'all hear!!). She does all this hoping against all hope that when she finally returns to England she will blow everyone away with her transformation.

When she finally makes her debut in Paris society she quickly becomes the most sought after beauty in all of France but her heart remains in England with Paul and she refuses offer after amazing offer. She becomes a challenge to every suitable male around and still she refuses.

The only man she will allow to accompany her anywhere is Nicholas Duville (whom apparntly is a handsome devil!!). He is urbane, sophisticated and extremely jaded when it comes to matters of the heart. He is the perfect man to have as an escort if you don’t want the trouble of a proposal. But Nicki is fast becoming enchanted with the elusive beauty and he finds himself wanting her for his own. They are in the middle of an argument at the Armand’s masquerade ball where Nicki had escorted Whitney into the garden and he began to press her about marriage. A stranger steps forward and offers her the escape she is looking for. He invites her to dance. He is dressed all in black and wearing a black demi-mask and all Whitney can think of is how this man reminds her of Satan. He and his roguish ways intrigue her but she understands that he is indeed a very dangerous man, the kind that could break your heart if you allow him to. It doesn’t matter because her heart still belongs to Paul Sevarin.

When her father sends word that he wants his daughter to come home to England and to him Whitney is ecstatic and terrified. She knows her place in Parisian society but how different will it be in her homeland?

The reason her father has requested that Whitney return home posthaste is because of a man. A duke actually, Clayton Westmoreland, The Duke of Claymore, one of the most sought after titled gentleman in all England and Paris. Clay has met Whitney on several occasions but she was so distracted with her friends that she scarcely spared him a glance, until the Armand’s masquerade ball. He was the stranger in the garden and it was then that he knew she was going to be his and there was nothing that could stop him.

He contacts her father and makes him an offer he absolutely can’t refuse. Now he is living in disguise, a common county gent that just moved in next door to Whitney’s property. It is the only way he can think of to properly woo her and make her his and so their tumultuous journey begins, full of spicy arguments, witty bickering and outrageous stunts.

This novel is one of my all time favorites. I adore the story with all its fiery conflicts and clever dialogue. The struggle between these two amazingly written characters is not only entertaining; it’s charming as well. Every skirmish lends more insight to the depth of the character and the underlying attraction they both feel for each other. This is one of those books that you just feel the need to scream at some of the stupidity and stubbornness both characters display but can’t help but enjoy yourself throughout the novel

Clayton was written as the ultimate alpha male, proud, arrogant and dominant, he can be one of the biggest jerks on the planet but he loves Whitney with a ferocity that you seldom ever come across. Whitney, with her stubbornness and independence, plays off his pride and drives him insane with her antics to try to hold off the inevitable. Both characters have so much zest and life that you feel you are reading about real people.

McNaught is truly masterful with this novel, wreaking havoc on your emotions and pulling at your heartstrings, creating amazing battles of the wills and writing one of the most poignant and emotionally charged love stories you’ll ever find.

Timeline

2005-06-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

Title: Timeline
Author: Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton is one of those authors whose sci-fi works are simply brilliant (Jurassic Park series) but, as a result of terrible screenplay, the movie sucked a little bit. (Probably because of the dialogue and the casting). I'd like to say sorry first if I mixed up the movie and the book because I found both interesting.

The story started when an old man wearing a brown robe was stranded in the hot desert, but he suffered from hypothermia, which was very uncanny. Much worse, the x-ray reports indicated that his veins and bones, although in tact, were not in place, as if it was teared up and being put back again. He had no idea how he got there, and the only thing that they found on him was a blueprint of a monastery (Mon. Ste. Mere), which meant Monastery of Saint Mother in French. Later, it turned out that the monastery existed, but in 1357 near Castelgard, France. And the man's name was Traub, an employee of International Technology Company (ITC), founded by a Bill Gates- wannabe, Robert Doniger.

At the same time, a group of archaelogists led by Professor Edward Johnston was excavating a site where the French and the English army warred each other during the Hundred-Year war. If it sounded familiar, the place was Castelgard, France, and one of the team members, Kate Erickson, was processing the Monastery site. Not a coincidence, but the project was also funded by Robert Doniger, the ITC founder.

Prof. Johnston's team also included his son, Chris, who was rather smitten with Kate, Andre Marek the Scotsman, Francois Dontelle the Frenchman, and a physics expert David Stern. Prof. Johnston was curious at why Doniger was so eager to fund the project and gave him too much information as if it landed from the sky or something. He decided to go to New Mexico to talk to Doniger.

While he was gone, Kate discovered a hole under the spot she was working on and realized that it was an underground room in the monastery. In the room, she found some documents and a stone carving which was ruined badly. When Stern processed the documents, he was dumbstruck to find Prof. Johnston's writing on one of them. It dated 1357. Panicking, the group decided to question Robert Doniger and flew to New Mexico.

When they got there, they met Frank Gordon and Steven Kramer, Doniger's right hand men. They were even shocked to know that Doniger sent Johnston and Gordon to Castelgard 1357, and Gordon actually left Johnston alone. Now, the group's job is to go there, find the prof and return, through a revolutionary machine which works like a fax-machine (that is, by tearing up the electron particles of a body and putting them back together again.) Actually, the machine was meant to be a super fast posting machine that could send a package from point a to point b in seconds. But, they had no idea why they were sent to the past. The only thing that could bring them back was a marker with a button which they could press to return to the future. While Stern was against the idea, the others decided they had to save the professor. Frank Gordon, and his two sidekicks joined the crowd, as guides, since they did the traveling too many times already. THere were a few rules: They had to be back beofre 6 hours, and they were not allowed to bring any modern weapons.

Unfortunately, this trip was going to be different from Gordon's past trips. They went back on the day where the French attacked the English's stronghold La Roque, and brought it down. Worse, the English wrongly attacked them (they thought that they were the French spies). One of Gordon's men was shot by arrows and pressed the marker to return home. Even worse, he brought grenades with him. When he returned to the future, the grenades blew, thus ruining the machine. This meant that if the others were to return, it might not happen until the ITC employees fixed the machine. Doniger was very mad. It may be that even if they managed to save the professor, they might not be able to go back.

During this trip, the group had to go through lots of grueling things of living through the medieval times. Innocent lives were taken, and an unlikely romance that wasn't really supposed to happen bloomed between one of them and a French Dame. There were many plot twisters, including a former ITC employee who was betrayed, and lots of other interesting things that were never shown in the movies. Will the course of history change? With their interruption, will the English win the war instead of the French?

If you saw the movie, you better pick this book up.
If you haven't seen the movie, pick this book up first before laughing at the movie.

The Rule of Four

2005-06-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Title: The Rule of Four
Authors: Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

This novel is about about a bunch of Princeton students (roommates) who have different personalities and interests. Thomas, Paul, Gil and Charlie are their names, and like usual American college/university students, they like to fool around (although they are very devoted to their studies), a pinch of hedonisme here and there (Nude Olympics) but in a few days, an ancient text will change their lives.

The novel started rather slowly (written in Thomas' first-hand account). Tom's late dad was an expert in Renaissance studies. There was no doubt, that Tom grew up being haunted by one of the most famous and complicated of all Renaissance text, titled Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. (The text does exist) Paul, on the other hand, is totally crazed about the text that he could spend his whole life studying it. In short, Paul is something like a mirror image of Tom's dad.

To be honest, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili is famous not because of a great storyline, plot, or anything like Homer's Odyssey. It is more infamous for being totally incomprehendable. Even the author remained anonymous until a scholar discovered through some puzzles ala Da Vinci Code style that a certain Francesco Colonna wrote it. On the whole, it tells the story of a young man by the name of Poliphilo, who went looking for his lover. But, as each chapter unfolds, everything made no sense. One second it was talking about architechture, but then pictures of explicit accounts between Zeus and Leda jumped in. One moment it was written in Greek, the next it was written in Hebrew. But of course, there are secrets hidden within...

There are also feuds between two professors who used to work with Tom's dad, namely Vincent Taft and Richard Curry. It was apparent to Paul, who needed both to guide him in unveiling the text, that Taft was accused of stealing Curry's diary that may had clues to solve the puzzle. This is important later.

As Paul and Tom made discoveries from the text, it became clear that Colonna had reasons for the text's complications. Each page that had no sense became a series of questions that Paul and Tom had to answer in order to reach the next clue. Each question was linked to passion for art, culture, and science, for only the ones who are strong-willed enough would break through the maze. Which is why, Paul became half-a-maniac (almost a hermit) with only Tom as his friend during the process.

The reward was priceless treasure (of art and poetry) saved by Colonna during the end of the Medici family reign in Florence from a priest named Savonarola. The title, "The Rule of Four" is the rule to solve the text.

To me, the novel is an interesting read, especially if you're a Da Vinci Code fan. Unfortunately, the writing is quite slow and unlike Dan Brown, the two authors (Caldwell and Thomason) spent too much time writing subplots like Tom's deteriorating relationship with his girlfriend Katie, etc. This may be a hurdle for readers who want more action and less talk. However, the clues are briliant, and it would spoil the excitement if I were to state the ending.

It's worth a read (or two, three times) in case you missed some of the good parts.

Trivia: Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason are indeed, Princeton and Harvard graduates respectively, thus the exaggeration on Ivy League way of life. But, it's a Da Vinci Code style of book with higher standards since some of the true facts are totally distant and never unheard of by laymen, except scholars like the authors.

Next: I'd like to write reviews of a time-travel themed novels:
1. Timeline by Michael Crichton
2. A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
3. The Time-Traveler's Wife (the author slipped my mind ryte now)

Enjoy!

Flesh and Blood - Jonathan Kellerman

2005-06-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

I first stumbled upon Jonathan Kellerman’s books when I was browsing at Novel House bookshop. Jonathan Kellerman’s Flesh and Blood immediately caught my eye and as I skimmed the back cover, I immediately got filled with excitement. Kellerman’s novels centre around a small group of main characters such as Alex Delaware, a child psychologist who is occasionally is asked to work with the police as a consultant. Detective Milo Sturgis, Delaware’s close friend, whom he often relies upon for back up and help. Robin Castagna, Delaware’s long suffering girl friend.

Some of his other books centre on other characters too with the key ones, as I mentioned above, in the background instead. He tends to rotate the importance of his well-developed characters, which I personally think makes his books very interesting to follow.

He is another excellent crime thriller writer, which (as you’ve probably guessed) is my preferred genre. Kellerman’s other books include Doctor Death, Billy Straight, Monster, Bad love and many more.

The author used to be a child psychologist himself, so he brings in an altogether different feel to his books (as opposed to those who write from a detective point of view)….more emotional, and you find yourself really connecting to the main characters.

Flesh and Blood Plot

Shortly after the celebrations of a New Year had settled, Alex Delaware is sat in his office on a perfectly normal (forgettable even) Saturday morning. Then, the phone rang….

The call was from a Mrs Jane Abbot. He didn’t recognise the name at all, but she seemed to know him. She tells him that it was her daughter, Lauren Teague that he once knew. He had treated her nearly ten years ago. Alex instantly remembers the name, and is filled with a sense of overwhelming guilt and confusion. Lauren may have only been his patient for two sessions (the third one was cancelled), but she sticks in his mind due to the circumstances of their chance meeting six years later.

The story then briefly flashes back to the chance meeting, some four years previous.

Alex is celebrating a colleague’s impending marriage with a traditional bachelor party. Not his idea of a good time, and he felt uneasy with the whole thing. Along comes the stripper, as always appear in these parties, and he sees AND feels a spark of recognition. It was Lauren Teague. Nothing was said by either, and Alex made his excuse and left early after the shock encounter.

Later that night, Lauren looks up Delaware’s number and calls him unexpectedly to belatedly re-appoint their third session. She informs him that she is now studying psychology at college herself, and is paying her own way through the stripping. Conversation turns to her family and their faults. After a much-heated discussion, Lauren storms out of Alex’s office, leaving Alex somewhat bewildered.

Back to the present day and the phone call from Mrs Abbot. It is a desperate call asking for his services to try and locate Lauren… She’s missing.

Alex is a little reluctant to begin with, but after he does some delving into Lauren’s past he finds some astonishing discoveries, connections within L.A’s seedy underworld, and a possible link to another girl’s disappearance.

There are a lot of questions that pops into mind. Will Alex find Lauren in time to save her? Will Robin’s love for Alex withstand his obsession for this case?

I shan’t say any more as I do not want to give away any vital parts of the story. I know it’s a cliché, but I have to say it…this book is a true rollercoaster ride, full of twists and unexpected plot diversions. To top it off, the ending will blow you away!

MY OPINION

This book was simply brilliant. There is plenty in this book to keep you guessing and leaves you literally sitting (or rather clinging!) on the edge of your seat. Like James Patterson’s books, the chapters are fairly short and very addictive. They are written in such a way that it makes you want to keep on reading into the early hours, simply to find out what could possibly happen next!

Since reading this book, with it’s subtle style and engrossing characters, I have gone on to read other books by Kellerman and they are all written in the same effortless, and engrossing style.

The characters are extremely believable and, as I have said, because these particular series of books were written more from a psychologist’s point of view, the characters had a great deal of depth to them, and I really did feel emotionally attached to them.

By the time that I had finished reading this book, I knew a great deal about the characters previous encounters, characteristics and personal involvement, as with each of his other books. So much so, I even knew a little of their previous involvement in his earlier books.

Jonathan Kellerman’s brilliant structuring and characterisation made it very easy to understand each of the characters and situations. Each book gives a good insight into the characters themselves, so if you haven’t read any of the previous ones, you will not be left in the dark as far as characterisation goes.

I really enjoyed reading this book (I must have done because I went straight back to the same bookshop the next day and got two more) and I think you will too.

Flowers in the Attic

2005-06-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

I know most of us must have read like Flowers in the Attics from way before.

I was browsing through the bookshelves, looking for a book to read - I'm always doing this, rereading my books when I've completed the latest books... I spotted my old copy of Flowers in the Attic, with the cover almost torn apart.

I have read it several times, and each time I read it I am once again drawn into the lives and relationships of the characters in this spellbinding story. Each time I feel what they are feeling and see what they are describing as if I am there with them. This book has affected me emotionally more than any other book I have ever read, and I am writing this so that I may share it with you.

Flowers in the Attic is based on a true story, and is written in the first person. This, coupled with a brilliant writing style of Virginia Andrews makes the story seem so very real, even though the plot seems so unlikely.

This powerful, moving and compelling novel is the story of Cathy, Chris, Cory and Carrie, four innocent children with a horrifying story to tell.

The ‘Dresden Dolls’, as they are nicknamed, are beautiful, happy and have a seemingly perfect life. This all changes when their beloved father is killed in a car crash. After, their Mother suddenly announces they cannot pay their debts and must leave immediately to go to her parent’s house. They are wealthy, and many toys and other fine things await her ‘darlings’ there.

Over the three year period they are locked away in just one room, with an attic as their only playroom, they are put in the care of their grandmother. Not only is she strict and heartless, but she has a particular disliking for these devil’s spawn.

Originally, they follow natural instincts to trust their doted-upon Mother who brings them present after present but later they rightfully suspect her intentions are far more sinister and gradually whatever maternal feeling she had for them is also lost in her greed.

The story which unravels is utterly heartbreaking. Unloved and living a restricted and lonely existence, the eldest brother and sister also assume full care and responsibility over their 5 year-old twin brother and sister. They all endure terrible punishments for breaking the grandmother’s puritan rules and on top of this, they are going through puberty. The growing sexual frustration and the high emotion that both of them are going through eventually has cataclysmic consequences.

The story begins in a small town in America where a happy family live seemingly perfect lives. Cathy and her siblings, Chris, Cory and Carrie are waiting with thier mother Corrine for their father to come home from work on the night of his birthday. Cathy, our narrator is 12, Chris is 15 and the twins are just 5 years old. Their Daddy never comes home that night. He has been killed in a car crash.

Corrine admits to her children that they are now in financial trouble and the house and all their belongings will be reposessed. Luckily though Corrine's parents, who have not before been mentioned to the children before, are considerably wealthy and have a large home in West Virginia and the childrens grandmother has agreed to let them stay. However there is one condition. Corrine had disgraced the family several years earlier and she would have to hide the children away from her dying father until she could win him over and he would accept her and her children.

And so at dead of night without saying goodbye to friends and neighbours the five of them leave and take a train to Virginia. They arrive and the children are ushered into a dark room in a dissused wing of the large house while their mother prepares to make a more civilised entrance in the morning.

Cathy is left with Chris and the twins in this one room with adjoining bathroom and the door is always kept locked. Their mother visited the next day to inform them that it may take slightly longer than one day to in back her fathers affection and they may have to stay in that room for a week or so.

The excuses keep coming and the children are kept upstairs waiting for their grandfather to either accept their mother and them or to die so they inherit his fortunes. Meanwhile the grandmother provides the children with a picnic basket of food daily and a list of rules for them to follow forbidding them from looking outside in case they are seen, and even from looking at members of the opposite sex. they must keep thier thoughts pure and their actions modest and remain hidden from the world. They are also given access to a gigantic dusty attic which is to be their only playground.

Later their mother reveals her secret, that her late husband Christopher was in fact her half-uncle, and because of their incest, they were long ago cast out from the family and removed from her father’s will. She intends to win back his trust, but in the meantime insists the children are hidden away in a distant quarter of the magnificent house until she receives her inheritance.

The focus of the book is much less on the storyline than on the feelings and relationships of the characters. The breakdown of the childrens love for their mother as she continualy betrays them is heart breaking. Although we only see things from Cathy's perspective it is clear to the reader that Chris has greater trust and faith in his mother than Cathy and these differences cause tension between the two of them.

Cathy leads on an emotional journey from childhood to womanhod and the reader will most certainly become wrapped up in the romantic notions of this young girl in these alien circumstances. It really takes you back to a time when you were young and naive and every little thing seemed so important and enormously dramatic. This side of Cathy's personality is brought to life so vividly you can feel her pain and her love, her fears and her dreams.

This is such a harrowing, compelling, beautifully written book and it made such an impression on me when i was younger. Even now when I read it it takes me off into a world of pain and sadness in that dim room and dark attic where the only way to see the sun was to climb out the window onto the steep roof high above the ground.

It is definitely worth a read although I doubt it is half as captivating for male readers. It is suitable for young teenagers through to adults although the subject matter is very disturbing at times. Highly reccommended though (I mean if you want to really feel the pain of betrayal and filial responsibilities and also the implications of incest!).

The book is the first in a series, which continues with Petals on the wind, If there be thorns and Seeds of yesterday. These follow Cathy through the rest of her life and explore how the events of her teenage years affect her through adulthood and even affect the lives of her children. Garden of shadows completes the series and tells the story of the grandmother and how she came to be as she is. All are equally good, although Flowers in the attic can easily be read as a novel on its own.

Virginia Andrews wrote a second series of books and a single novel as well as this set, and her unfinished works were completed and published after her death. In my opinion the books published before she died are much better than the ones she didn't not complete herself.

Thanks for everything!

2005-06-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello, hello (Three hellos to three such wonderful blog contributors!)

First of all, I'd like to thank Ms Ayu for making me a member of her team, together with Ms Soraya and Ms Baizurah. Seriously, I'm delighted to actually find ppl with a same interest as mine. Don't you find books exciting? Anyway, plz don't be mad at me for posting this...but I really do have to (in order to pay homage to the blog's very first administrators). As the old adage says, saya budak baru belajar, kalau salah tolong tunjukkan...

I'm thinking of posting a review of Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason's The Rule Of Four, a mystery novel ala The Da Vinci Code but I'm asking for your permission first...in case it's not approved.

So...thanks a million!

Ditto...

2005-06-22T00:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Life Sketcher.... same as what Bai wrote... I mean Harry Potter HBP is still on sale yet.. so we'll have to be patient. I saw on the Net that the next movie is scheduled to be released in November... So, I'm also waiting for that as well...

Reviews on the HBP will definately be done by three persons, with separate points of view... So, I'm definately crossing my fingers... Anyway, ever since Ayman is together with us in this world, I'm trying extra hard to catch up with reading.. It can definately be a little hard reading and concentrating while your son is like scrambling on top of the television set... Know what I mean!??! :) Yet, I wouldn't trade him with all the books in the world... So, what I'm doing is train him to start reading as well... muahahahhaha I mean if you can't beat them, join 'em right. Better he folow my reading habits than me following his scrambling habits! Hehehehehe

This post is solely dedicated to Life Sketcher..

2005-06-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

Hiya there! Wah...tak sangka kita ada our very own fan who reads OUR BLOG!kan ayu kan..kan mickey kan...hahaha...
Anyway...Life Sketcher, mana ble buat review for Harry Potter HBP now...have not read it maaa...and besides, too much speculations would just spoil it. Whatever it is, AFTER July the 16th, come visit us and you'll definitely find not only one BUT THREE SEPARATE REVIEWS on that book (insyaAllah).
For the time being...let's just wait with P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E for another 23 days...until it comes out...(sigh) That's too long man!
Ayu...Mickey...anything to add?? And Oh! me haven't read The Bartimaeus Trilogy...later maybe..

Shopaholic....

2005-06-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

Well, comparing this book or genre to what you guys have been reading, this is like majalah picisan ajer... Anyway, this is a story that suits those who wants to do some light reading without really using your brains to dechiper anything...

I haven't really read the whole Shopaholic series... so far, I've read the Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic takes Manhattan... For me, the books suits my need and it is also a book that entices without being too overwhelming and interests you without wanting to take up all of your time... (which is why it is suitable for me ~ juggling time between works, study and family...)

The story revolves around Becky Bloomwood (who has the most captivating personality!) who is sorta like a financial whiz... yet somehow she manages to get in debt... and it somehow seemsfamiliar yet frightening... I mean reading through the book gives you the impression that you are her and the situation somehow seems familiar.... Very disconcerting....

The book also shows us how faith and hardwork will help you acheive what you want... I mean she was actually bankrupt, but managed to get over that bankrupcy... What an astounding achievement... That's why its fiction!! hahahahahaha...

I guess, for me the book is definately suitable for light readings... And if any of you wanna read Confessions of a Shopaholic... I have it in my bookcase...somewhere!!

Frank Herbert's Dune Series

2005-06-20T03:14:00.000-07:00

You guys gotta check this out...

This series is actually something that is definately personal and close to my heart... LOTR is also another series that is close to my heart... I've read through the LOTR even before they made the movies... LOTR is one of my daddy's favourite series of all time... and he suggested that I read through the series... I read the book using my father's copy - all worn out but well-thumbed... That was how I got hooked up with the science fiction series...

Anyway, I guess by now everyone is hooked up with the LOTR. I mean anyone who is a bookworm will have either read the books or saw the movies (which did not vary that much from the books). After reading the LOTR, Daddy suggested that I read Frank Herbert's Dune. From then onwards, I was a Frank Herbert's fan...

The stories apparently, even though, it was written in the early 50s, tells us about the drug abuse and how it affected those around them. You wouldn't get that implication unless you are aware of the conditions during that period of time... However in the books, they would mention it as spices and how adictive it can be. It's a areally futuristic story, written in the 50s with a lot of sci-fi moves and storyline... It's really amazing how advanced the imagination and creative thinking of the writeers then.

The story revolves around a boy, Paul Atreides, who has this special powers, and is somehow or rather known as The One. They move on to a planet in outer space, which is sorta like a sand desert... and gets to know some local sand people. The way of life in the desert is definately different from how things were on his own planet... The beat of movement must not be rhythematic, but inconsistent. Cause, if it is consistent, there are sandworms to be aware off. IT also tells about the addiction and power conflict between different Houses - meaning different political parties... House of Sarkonen, House of Atreides...

The fanatical sisterhood of the Bene Geserit is also a force that no one wants to reckon with... They know how to use their Voice to subdue people, their movements are to a minimal yet lethal... They have the knowledge of thousands women before them... and women are of power here! Hello people!! Woohoo!! :) [ Just kidding.. but it's interesting to read how they manipulate and managed men... it just shows that women are built tougher than others and that women are good at management and manipulation too ~ at times!!]

Paul Atreides is somehow The One and it goes against what the Bene Geserit has planned... The One is a MAN!! Muahahahahaha... Anyway, I'll advise you to read this, cause I don't want to tell it all... The stories goes on to his grandchildren... The fight for Planet Arakis...

To sum things up, here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides [the actor who acted as Paul Atreides boleh tahan laa... not bad], who would become the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib [I've always thot that there were some Islamic elements in the story]. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family—and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream [which is truning a desert-like planet full of luch greenery and grass and water that is easily available!]. This is definately a stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.

Anyway, the series are Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune and Heretics of Dune.

Try and read Dune.. I know you guys'll get hooked with the series...

Soraya ;)

The Prophecy of The Stone

2005-06-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

Title: The Prophecy of The Stone
Author: Flavia Bujor
Translated from The French by Linda Coverdale

This book is not on the best-sellers list......

It is an extremely childish work compared to Dan Brown's..

But it will bring you into a world full of HOPE and FANTASY....

So...

If u ever dream of visiting the Land of Fairytale...

Go and grab the book... As ur wish would then be fulfilled.........

Okie, okie enuff advertisement there..hahaha...I got the book last weekend. I was bored silly with nothing to do, and I'd been re-reading all the books on my racks for soooo many times that I knew most of it by heart (especially the Harry Potter series). And since I was (still am) infected with the "Harry Potter" fever and and couldn't take my mind off the Harry Potter HBP, I thought that MAYBE if I read some fantasy stories, then my "temperature" could be reduced...hehehe...

So, while I was browsing around at the Fantasy sections (of Prangin Mall Popular), my eyes was laid upon "The Prophecy of the Stones"-at first I wasn't THAT attracted to buy it due to the childish layout, but when I read the synopsis at the back...I was hooked up. (Mainly because it did mention Harry Potter at the back there..hehehe). So I decided that it would make a nice, leisure reading for the weekend. And I bought it...

Three Girls....Three Stones...One Destiny....(Man!Dunno why I'm always attracted to books with that kind of headings!)...

Anyway, this book tells the story of three different girls from very different background who were destined to be united by the three stones they were born with. They were named after their birth stones...Jade, Opal and Amber. Jade who is the Daughter of the Duke of Divulyon led an extremely pompous life. Opal who lived with her grand aunt, and grand-grand aunt, is a girl that hides her emotions very well. She seemed like she was incapable of FEELING, but it changed after she met the other girls. Amber was a peasant girl who led life with HOPE and dreams. She saw beauty in every being on earth...in the stars, in the sun, even in her pains and sufferings. She was hapy with her life until DEATH took her mother away.

The girls-who were born on the same day- found out on their 14th birthday that they were required to set on a quest -leaving their homes and families, to face enemies in the land of Fairytale where magic reigns and evil is unknown. And armed only with their magical stones, they embarked on this epic journey in search of GOODNESS that will fight the evil that has spread throughout the world.Along the way, they found out that they were well-known in the legend as the three girls who would lead the Army of Lights (the good people in the Land of Fairytale) to fight the evil that ruled the world. Together they journeyed through the unknown in order to fulfill The Prophecy that was written hundreds of years ago by a wise man.

Although they met as strangers-and was told by their gurdians that they were to be enemies, the girls discovered friendship as they learned to trust one another with their secret, and their life. They also learned that in order to succeed with the epic task, they've got to BELIEVE in their capability and have faith in one another.

"From the shadows will come the Chosen One
To unify the Realm
And lead into the light
As a King who must not reign,
Crowned in the name of the Gift.
Three Stones, three young girls:
One will discover the Gift.
One will recognize the King.
One will convince the two others to die.
Of three stones, only one fate will remain..."

Towards the end of this story, the three young heroine met the Chosen One; one of them recognized and confirmed that he is indeed the Chosen One, the other girl discovered the Gift that was entrusted to them upon their birth, while the other one.....persuaded the others to DIE....

Ha!!!So if u want to know more...go get the book.And as for the ratings,I'd give this book 3 stars out of 5. It's a good try for an author of 13 years old, and a first novel at that. It won't beat Harry Potter or many other fantasy stories I've read, but at least here's a light, fantasy book that can be read by children and girls as well as boys alike.

The Da Vinci code

2005-06-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

Title : The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown

This is the second Dan Brown book I've read and in short, I'm hooked!

This is one hell of a writer, no wonder he was compared to JK Rowlings in a recent review. The differance is that JK Rowling's Harry Potter series is a book for all ages while Dan Brown books are more for the matured and intellectual mind (perasan!!)

This time, the main character, Robert Langdon, last seen in Angels and Demons, gets involved in the search for the Holy Grail. Like the previous book, he too was awaken by a phone call that turned into a series of unexpected twists and turns.

It started with the murder of a museum curator. Left to die by an assasin who wanted to find the secret of the Holy Grail, the curator spent the last moments of his life leaving clues behind for his grand daughter, Sophia Neveu, in the museum with a final message for her so find Robert Langdon to assist her. Langdon hawever had become the prime suspect of the crime since his name was written on the curator's body.

With the help of Neveu, Langdon escaped the clutches of the French Police-something (I'm not sure about his exact rank but one of the highest), Bezu Fache and fled to the home of a fellow historian who has been on the trail of the Holy Grail all his life, Leigh Teabing. Together, they flew to Britian where the Holy Grail is believed to 'reside'.

The path to the Holy Grail is hidden in the cryptic poems left by the museum curator before his death but all of them have the expertise in this field that before long, they had already managed to decode it. However, as in his previous book that I read, Brown managed to twist the story around, making us feel just as frustrated as Langdon was when he realized there was a traitor within their circle <-- sense of deja vu here! But then again, good guys always win, no matter how twisted the plot is heheh..

However, suprise².. to me, I find the final parts of the book more interesting, especially when the bad guys have been caught (not gonna tell you who it is though!). I find these last pages more intruiging and fascinating. A true example to show how sometimes, we don't see the most valuable things that have been right under our nose and though at first I thought the cryptic poem were a bit boring compared to the clues given in Angels and Demons, when reading the last part, I suddenly see the beauty of it!

Now, as for this writer, either he's really been doing his homework or he's one hell of a story teller to make you believe all the 'facts' he presented in his books. I mean, the story about the Holy Grail itself is captivating enough. A few times I felt like searching for an encyclopedia just to verify the things Brown describes in these two books I've read and there are moments when I wish I could take a peek at these paintings that are commonly known but never really closely examined.

For the 2 books I've read, a few similiarities (except the ones about the mind boggling puzzles throughout it la, I love those part of the books)stand out

1. Must Langdon HAVE to be awoken from his sleep by PHONE CALLS!
2. Must some be MURDERED at the start of the book (ok, maybe that's how these kinda books should start anyway!)
3. Must the bad guys always have an assassin who's 'different' (an Arab, an albino).. omputih takde ke yg diorang bleh upah? Though I also know that usually these kind of people have had difficult chidlhoods so tu tak kisah la if told pun..
4. Must the WOMAN who assists him be a close REALATIVE of the DECEASED]
5. Must they all be INTELLECTUAL WOMEN (scientist, cryptologist).. tp tkpe gak, Langdon bukan terror sgt pun hahaha..
6. Must they always have a TRAITOR whom they TRUSTED originally
7. Can't think of anything else right now hehe..

All in all, its a great book though I love Angels and Demons a tad bit more ;-) Compared to Angels and Demons, I DO find this book a bit boring, and 'boring' in this sense still means a book I can't put down once I've started. Not the book's fault that I think Angels and Demons is more 'colourful' hehe.. But still, its a great book! I give it a 4-star rating. I'm really looking forward to read more by this author, but before that, pulangkan dulu buku ni kat tuan dia (",) Now I know another section to head to whenever I'm in Popular!

Angels & Demons

2005-06-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

Title : Angels & Demons
Author: Dan Browns

As a frequent 'visitor' to Popular bookstores in Penang and Ipoh, I've noticed the book The Da Vinci Code. Though it had great ratings, I never bothered to even flip through the book. I guess, because the title seemed like a long lost Renaissance era-type story, THAT part of it scared me away. I've never really been a fan of arts and I'd be embarrassed if anyone asked me anything about it.. I'll feel soooo stupid la!

Anyway, suprise²! I found out I had a junior who loves books too. Pojie was the one who prompted me to start reading Dan Brown's books. He had already read a few books by this author and I could tell that he was impressed. A good (or bad.. depending on your point of view) thing about an engineer is that we're always curious. This curiosity was what pushed me to borrow this a book form him. He recommended Angels and Demons, the prequel for the Da Vinci code hehe.. at least this title didn't have any Ninja Turtle names in it!

Since I didn't have the time to really sit down and read, I had to 'curi²' read this book during my free time. At the time, I was busy with my work, tuition and a motivational programme held here in USM but once I had the chance to REALLY read the book, I was instantly hooked.

This is the type of book that makes you THINK.. not really light reading, but amazingly, it was still relaxing though you could have your adrenaline going crazy in some of the chapters. For 3 straight nights, I had dreams about this book since I only had time to read it before going to bed.. but WOW!

It narrates about this Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon. Awaken from his sleep one morning by an urgent phone call, he was suddenly thrust into this amazing.. gosh! I don't even have the right word for it!!!

He was taken to this scientific research centre called CERN. A scientist, Leonardo Vetra, had been killed the night before and his chest was branded with the word 'Illuminati'. This scientist was on the verge of an amazing discovery, that he claims could show the connection between religion and science. He hoped to bridge the gap between these two as according to this book, science and religion are like oil and water.

As for the Illuminati, it was the name of a group that was formed centuries ago by scientists who had the pure intention to combine science and religion. This is a true fact, according to the arthor, with membership of the group that includes famous artist Bernini and scientist (God! I've suddenly forgotten his name!!!). However, due to the closed minds of the church, this group was considered dangerous thus, banned. Some scientists were captured and prisoned, tortured too! This raged the group, making it in the end, an anti-religion group.

Langdon, as well as Vittoria Vetra (Vetra's daughter) went to Vatican to solve the mystery of the murder as well as to find the missing antimatter, which is by-product of the research Vetra Sr was doing with his daughter. This antimatter is a dangerous unstable substance that could endanger the Vatican city if not found in an allocated time.

Unbelievably, the whole book tells you what happened in just a few hours of time, but I guarantee, you won't be able to put the book down once you're engrossed in it. You'd be amazed at the brands which are displayed in this book with the words Illuminati and the four main elements of science (before the JADUAL BERKALA la hehe..) earth, wind, air and water. These word were written in such a way, that you'd see the same thing eventhough it is upside down, talk of pure genius! I read the book while tilting it upside down, just to prove the point.

Though some people might find it a bit heavy, what with astonishing facts and historical events recalled in this book. But it'll leave you in wonder and amazement, and ooooo, the satisfaction of reading it is just undescribable!

I just finished this book and I wish it was longer. I just can't get enough of it, very interesting!

I'm ready for THe Da Vinci Code though.. here we go!!

No update ah?

2005-05-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

Hehe..

Its been a long time since I updated about the books I've been reading. Truth is, I don't have the time to update about books, though my other blog is thriving with info about my life.

There are a few books I've read and once I find the time, I'll talk all about it, here..

Till then, cheerio!!

Johnny Angel

2005-04-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Title : Johnny Angel
Arthur: Danielle Steel

I read this book just this morning (for the third time, I think). I bought it last year- or was it the year before?

I've always relied on reviews (either from the printed or electronic media, but mostly friends who have the same interest in books) before deciding to buy any books and since I was a Popular Card member, I almost always read all the reviews they have on new books.

This book caught my attention because

1. Though I don't have any preferred authors, I know that Ms Steele's books have always been on the best sellers list

2. The book itself is not a thick book, and it was printed in a large font so I knew I could finish this book in two hours (I wanted to buy a quick book at that time since I was waiting for a very late friend)

3. Though as a Muslim, I don't believe a spirit could come back for unfinished business, I like to see the prespective of people who believe in it (refer to Remember Me I, II and III by Christopher Pike, my favourite books when I was in secondary school, I had to skip recess for a few weeks just to buy these books)

It was about Johnny, an all around nice boy, valedictorian of his class and best athelete of his school. On the verge of his graduation, he encountered a fatal accident on his prom night leaving his family devastated and girlfriend, Becky shattered. His family wasn't really the perfect family though they were happy (father alchoholic, mother a worrier, sister Charlie who's been trying to get her father's attention since forever and brother Bobby who's never spoken a word after an accident with his father)

His death caused a lot of sadness but one day, miraculously, he came back to 'tie up loose ends' (as his describes to his mother). Sadly, only his mother and Bobby (though we won't know till the middle ofhe story) could see and talk to him.

Not sure about his mission, he spends his days cheering up his mother, helping his brother to talk, watching over his sister in school, setting up Becky's mom with a nice guy, helping his father and finding a new partner for Becky (which might be the most painful)

Towards the end of the book, he manages to complete most of his tasks and everyone starts to be happier. His father no longer drinks and now spends more attention to Charlie after being coaxed to go to one of her games and realizing that she's just as good an athelete as Johnny was. One touching moment was when Bobby wished his father Merry Christmas. His father had been so consumed with guilt that he lost hope of ever reaching out to Bobby, but when Bobby finally spoke, it was a great turn of his life.

But somehow, this book fails to express how Johnny felt when Becky started falling in love with the guy Johnny chose for her himself. True, it did mention about how hurtful it was to him but readers won't be able to picture how he felt. Though, we might sympathize with him, I mean imagine pairing up someone you love with someone else.. :'(

I'll give a 3 and a half rating for this book. I still think its too short and should be longer so we can really feel what the characters are going through. Nice book though, nearly perfect if you're in the mood for a sweet touching story.

The Curse of the Single's Table con't

2005-04-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading the book.

Overall, I don't think I'll change my ratings for this book though the end DID give you a shove in the a** when you realize that you've seen what her problem is all along, but like her, you refused to aknowledge it, preferring her mindset (that is shamefully like most of the population of the world, anyway!)

But for relaxation, I could recommend you this book if you want a good I'm-just-as-dumb kind'a book. For certain parts in this book, you give a really instant good prep talk to yourself reminding yourself to NOT do what she's done.. but I assure you, you'd only be sober for about 5 minutes. I mean, who hasn't done anything stupid for the sake of love? Most normal people could really relate to this book, though you might think, Suzanne is really taking the 'extremes' to the extreme. It'll make you fell that you handle your love problems better but at least, she'll make you feel good about yourself ;-)

I won't recommand you to keep this book in your collection, but hey, it might come in handy one day so, it might not be a bad idea after all to go get yourself a copy. Enough said.

The Curse of The Single's Table

2005-04-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

Title : The Curse of The Singles Table
-A True Story of 1001 Nights Without Sex
Author : Suzanne Schlosberg

Please excuse the title. The first part is ok, but the second part makes me cringe. I mean, imagine reading this book in a roomful of people with those words blaring from the cover. I wonder what people would think *shudders

I first came across this book from the mix.fm website. Being a freebies buff, I often enter the quizzes in this website. Usually the prizes are cds or movie tickets but this time, it was books. And having books as your passion, plus with the chance of getting them free made me really want to enter the quiz so I dilligently read the review in the website.

My first impression was, this book may be a pathetic reason to feel ok of being single. C'mon, a single glance at the title could really imprint this opinion in your head BUT luckily, I'm trying my best to practice the sense of 'don't judge a book by its cover' or in this case, don't judge it by its title. Its a good thing that my love for books are so huge that I don't care what kind of books I get my hands on.

Anyway, I thought entering the quiz was just that. I didn't really expect to win and still don't hope so anyway. But, I happened to come across this book a few days ago. A friend of my housemates has come to stay with us for a while and while chatting with her, I noticed this book on our coffee table.

When I told kak Yatt that I'd read reviews about the book, she laughed and told me to read it. Still considering myself a school girl, I think, she told me to be open minded a READ the book (Ooowwhh, c'mon, my housemates are older than me so I always feel that I'm not matured enough).

So, with the book in my hand, I started to look at it. Let me give you a quote from the back cover of the book

'Warning: Do not read this book in a quiet waiting room! I did, and embarrassed myself trying to mask my giggles. Suzanne Schlosberg's sparkling debut deserves an A+ and a hearty LOL'

Okay! THAT statemate caught my eye and within minutes, I was engrossed in this book. It seems that Miss Suzanne here is writing her very own true story (Hmm.. makes me wonder if I could write one about mine). Now I knew what a singles table meant and thankfully in Malaysia, we don't have such things at weddings.

This book is a true-to-the-heart kind of book where I laughed at things that are so true but mostly people are embarassed to say it out loud. Though I didn't find it as hilarious I thought it would be (Hey! Blame it on the reviews), there were stil moments were giggles escaped my mouth, causing my colleagues (Yes! I read it during office hours) to cast worried glances to me. This lady really gives you detailed descriptions of what she did to find the love of her life and to overcome her broken heart. Not to mention how she avoided the usual relatives questions that pop out everytime there are weddings or engagements. This is really something most people could relate to.

What I really like about it was that she didn't just want to find a bed partner like most of us might assume. She was really searching for her soul mate. The one she wanted to share her life with, so you really pity her when nothing works out. You would also sympathize her when she talks about her younger sister's engagement and how she had to endure all those questions from her grandparents but you'd laugh when she tells you how her grandparents helped her buy her condo coz they were afraid they won't be alive long enough to be able to spend for her wedding (It seemed like her grandparent have set aside a certain amount of money for their grandchildrens wedding, and its the same amount for each one of them).

All in all, until page 164 (I still have about 100++ pages left.. ooo, c'mon, I'm bored and I want to write about something tonight), I'll give it a 2 and a half rating. Maybe a bit more for making me realize that deep inside, all of us are just as insecure as the next person.

I don't know. Maybe when I finish this book, I'll have a different view, so lets just wait and see. Till then, cheerio!