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Sunday, 8 February 2009
My Dream Library
I had my tabs opened when Safari unexpectedly quit. I've left this post for a few days seeking for the blog that had posted about this beautiful library but to no avail so apologies for no source and I will correct it as soon as I find it. All I recall from the post is that this is an artistic French couple.
Anyhow, I just wanted to say that as per my previous post I have posted some of the beautiful books that I have purchased for my collection, some having similar covers to the above pics. Seeing as this is the first time I've seen such a library I wanted to post about it and I wanted to just say this is my dream library. I'm even contemplating in eventually leather binding my journals and having it displayed as per this library. Aren't these beautifully covered books just adorable and I'm definitely having a sliding ladder.
2009 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge
This is another one of J Kaye's Challenges "2009 Support your Local Library Reading Challenge". All you have to do is to borrow and read either 12, 25 or 50 books from your local library. Sign up and further information can be found here. Here in my area there are 2 "districts" of library but each district has several branches but each district is considered as "one" library. I was going to count ALL the books I borrow from the library despite "which" library/district I borrow it from but I don't know if that'd be allowed so I will differentiate and see how we go...we may find I can borrow and read 50 from one and 25 from the other or maybe 25 and 25, I'll keep you posted.
12. The Hobbit by Tolkien
13. Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien
14. Lord of the Rings Two Towers by Tolkien
15. Lord of the Rings Return of the King by Tolkien
33. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
34. Thanks for the memories by Cecilia Ahern
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
Synopsis:- The first book of Charlaine Harris' mystery series introduces readers to Harper Connelly, a strange young woman who, after being struck by lightning as a child is able to locate dead people and determine exactly how they died.Accompanied by her step-brother Tolliver (who works as her manager), Harper heads to small-town Arkansas for their next job. Her client is a socialite named Sybil Teague, who wants Harper to find a teenage girl who disappeared on the deay her son was found shot dead in the woods. The girl, Monteen "Teenie" Hopkins, has a reputation for being "wild as a razorback" and scandalous rumors abound about the two, but once Harper locates Teenie's corpse a short distance from the spot where Sybil's son died and reveals she was shot in the back while trying to escape, the real trouble starts. As more town residents begin to turn up dead and with her brother in jail on bogus charges, Harper must find the real killer before she becomes his next victim.
Source:- Barnes & Noble
Review:- I actually prefer Grave Sight to Dead Until Dark. The mystery was more of a page turner. They had more angles to the crime than Dead Until Dark and there were a lot more prospective suspects that it wasn't as easy to guess what the motive was to the murders or who the murderer was. It's definitely a good crime/mystery book. I've read several reviews where people have stated that Tolliver and Harper's relationship is a bit strange, but one must remember that they aren't really brothers and sisters and they only met when they were teenagers hence there's really nothing wrong with them getting together, but I do see the reservations of others. I'm not sure but it seems that Harris is angling for the two to get together in the future, as they seem to have that high school sweetheart love happening where everyone but themselves see the jealousy and attraction and love between them. I'm not quite sure how many books will be released for this series but I'm about to read the second one shortly, Grave Surprise so stay tuned for that review.
Review ~ Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Synopsis:- Dead Until Dark is the first book in the "Southern Vampire" series by Charlaine Harris. Harris has created a world where Vampires live mainstream with humans due to the creation of synthetic blood, hence vampires do not need to drink from humans.
Sookie Stackhouse, the main character of the series, is a waitress in the small town of Bon Temps, but Sookie has a "disability" she's a psychic. One night at work, Sookie meets a vampire, Bill who she is unable to "hear" (can't read his mind) and was pleased not only by his looks but the silence of his presence. The relationship is slow and complicated when, to make matters worse, women who have all been with vampires start getting murdered. Bon Temps citizens believe that the murderer is Bill, putting further strain in the couple's relationship as Sookie is placed in between her "humans" and her innocent vampire lover. Sookie and Bill feel that there's nothing else to do but find the murderer themselves to clear Bill and to save Sookie's own life as she has now been with a vampire and seem to be the next target.
Personal Review:- I wasn't as happy with Dead Until Dark as I thought I would be, I suppose my expectations were that it'd be similar to the "Twilight" series by Stephanie Meyer but having said that, the Southern Vampire series had it's own charm. It's more a crime/mystery than a love category. Some parts of the book I felt was inadequate to the plot but it could be that it'll come up to be important in the other books in the series. I will still be reading the second book and if that grabs me, I'll definitely read the rest of the series.
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
The Awakening & The Struggle by LJ Smith
Official Synopsis:-
Vol 1 The Awakening - The most haunting love triangle of all. Two vampire brothers, one good and one evil, are in love with the same beautiful girl. Stefan meets Elena, and falls for her instantly. But he swears never to approach her because of his dark secret. On the other hand, Elena has sworn to make Stefan hers or die.
Vol 2 The Struggling - Damon is haunting Elena’s footsteps; coaxing and coercing her by turns. Stefan desperately tries to protect her from his brother. And Elena is having her blood drawn by two separate vampires. Meanwhile Caroline plots to expose Elena in front of the entire town. Can things get worse? They do, when Elena drives too fast over an unsafe bridge and drowns.
Personal Review:- LJ Smith's Young Adult series was highly recommended to me. I began reading the Vampire Diaries Series commencing with The Awakening and getting through three quarters of The Struggling but failed to have enough patience to get through the rest. Whilst I have read the synopsis for the remaining two books in the series and believe that the story line is excellent in many ways I feel that the progress of the series is quite slow. However, being fair to the series and author if I had read it when I was in my teens (target group for this series) I would have most probably enjoyed it a lot more. I will definitely recommend it to teens and young adults but for an adult you may not receive enough encouragement from the plot to keep you going. I will try and persevere to read at the very least till the end of the Struggling.
One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
Official Synopsis:- One Fifth Avenue, the Art Deco beauty towering over one of Manhattan's oldest and most historically hip neighborhoods, is a one-of-a-kind address, the sort of building you have to earn your way into - one way or another. For the women in Candace Bushnell's new novel, One Fifth Avenue, this edifice is essential to the lives they've carefully established - or hope to establish. From the hedge fund king's wife to the aging gossip columnist to the free-spirited actress (a recent refugee from L.A.), each person's game plan for a rich life comes together under the soaring roof of this landmark building." This book is a modern-day story of old and new money, that same combustible mix that Edith Wharton mastered in her novels about New York's Gilded Age and F. Scott Fitzgerald illuminated in his Jazz Age tales. Many decades later, Bushnell's New Yorkers suffer the same passions as those fictional Manhattanites from eras past: They thirst for power, for social prominence, and for marriages that are successful - at least to the public eye. But Bushnell is an original, and One Fifth Avenue is so fresh that it reads as if sexual politics, real estate theft, and fortunes lost in a day have never happened before.
Personal Review:- This was an entertaining light read. It was not thought provoking but the characters were not as one dimensional as most chic-lit novels. Whilst something that I probably wouldn't re-read it was entertaining enough when being read. The plot was not creative nor unique in any way and simply put about different people and their lives and how it interweaves together as they live in the same building, some parts of the story is a bit unbelievable but nonetheless if your into chic-lit it's worth a read.
Monday, 2 February 2009
"The Guardian" Reading Challenge
"The Guardian Reading Challenge" is created and hosted by Jenni from Biblio File. The list is provided by "The Guardian" a UK newspaper which can be found here. The Guidelines are as follows:-
- You must read and review 10 novels between February 1st 2009 and February 1st 2010
- You must choose at least one from each given category
- One book must be unknown to you prior to reading it on the provided list
Friday, 30 January 2009
Review ~ The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Official synopsis:- This stunning novel begins on a winter night in 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down syndrome. For motives he tells himself are good, he makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own. Compulsively readable and deeply moving, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a brilliantly crafted story of parallel lives, familial secrets, and the redemptive power of love.
Personal Review:- I love the story line, the whole concept of the consequences of decisions and lies and how it has a "domino" effect. It makes you really think about how a decision that you think is fair and right can change your life forever and not for the better, it makes you think of how precious and sensitive our lives are. The theme of down syndrome is very sad too, it makes you ponder what would you do in such a situation?
However, despite my love for the story line and it's concept and themes I was quite disappointed with the progress of the novel, I felt it very slow and felt that the ending had really much to be desired. I felt that Edwards didn't tie the loose ends well. For example; the novel was mainly about Dr David Henry's decision, why he made such a choice, what his motives were and how it affected him and in turn affected his entire family in the long run and yet he just dies! After reading the book I was thinking constantly "Why did she end it like that?" "Why did that happen to (character's name)?" Whilst it was a happy enough ending it just wasn't the happy ending that I would have desired, but then each reader have their own theories and thoughts on how one story should begin, progress and end, hence it just didn't appeal to me personally, which doesn't necessarily mean it won't appeal to you. The best way to describe the ending is "rushed" as if she just needed to finish it off due to deadline and hence, wherever the characters were in their lives at that stage got finished off.
Having said that, whilst I won't read it again I'm still pleased to have read it. The concept and themes are wonderful and one of those books that have several "morals" to the story and very thought provoking, I thoroughly enjoyed the story itself and just wished that it was implemented better. The actual writing is good, not literary masterpiece but nonetheless its a light read without the need of too much concentration but not too simplified that you loose interest whilst reading.
Monday, 26 January 2009
Happy Australia Day!!!
Happy Australia Day Everyone!!!
Today being Australia day I thought that I'd write my list of what I love about Australia. Having lived here since I was 12 and turning 13 the following month of our arrival, hence being here for 13 years I've got to say that despite the fact that I've loved other countries I couldn't imagine choosing to live elsewhere.
What I love about Australia:-
- I love how it's so multi-cultured
- I love how the Universities have HECS which for those that don't live in Oz is a system that allows people to "borrow" in effect a loan from the Government to be able to study the degree of their choice, and it doesn't have to be paid till your making $30,000 per annum
- Medicare system, despite people constantly complaining about it, I've found that the Health Care system in Australia is quite good
- Centrelink system which is good for those unemployed or those unable to work due to children, disabilities etc
- Our Educational system, our Public Schools are quite good and we pretty much don't have to spend money as text books are provided etc.
I think in general Australia is quite a lucky country and I think that we take it for granted at times but I for one am very happy that I live here.
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Happy New Year!!!
It's been exactly one week till the turn of the year...2009 so I thought it's time to quickly drop by and wish all a Happy New Year and may the upcoming year be filled with lots of love, laughter, joy and happiness.
I also want to apologise for the lack of post since Christmas day. I've been very pre-occupied with many different books and novels, so much so that it has taken over my internet browsing "hobby". It's quite early and I have not slept hence I will save the incoherent posting for now, but stay tuned as I will write reviews and summaries of the novels I've read of late including that of the Twilight series and just recently completed, hence my late or shall I say very early morning retirement, Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre".
Goodnite or shall I say Good morning for now, as you are bound to see my post is starting to become incoherent already and I will be posting soon regarding the books I've read, till then...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
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