Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes

Synopsis :

Bergdorf Blondes are a thing, you know, a New York craze.  Absolutely everyone wants to be one, but it's tres difficult.  You wouldn't believe the dedication it takes to be a gorgeous, flaxen-haired, dermatologically perfect New York girl with a life that's fabulous beyond belief.  Honestly, it requires a level of commitment compatible to, say, learning hebrew or quitting cigarettes.

Introducing moi : a champagne bubble of a girl about town, working at being a princess by day and by night on the prowl for that elusive, must-have accessory every girl simply demands - an impossibly rich fiance.

This is your typical, brainless read.  A fantastic book to chill an afternoon away and be transported to the world of rich, young New York girl about town.  You can both be envious and snigger at their life style and generally be amused and entertained in a zombiefied way.

There's this girl who's narrating the story but you don't get to know her name cos it's never being mentioned.  The whole books is almost all about her getting a PH (potential husband) and while she has a career she seems to spend most of her time sleeping and socialising and that to her takes a lot of effort and work!

Nothing great about the story. No complicating plot nor twist in the end.  Rather predictable but still not too bad and if you're waiting for the doctors or waiting for your flight or just generally bored out of your mind, you might find that Bergdorf Blondes will be there just for you! (snigger!)

Goodnight, beautiful by Dorothy Koomson

Synopsis:

8 years ago, Nova Kumalisi agreed to have a baby for Mal and Stephanie Wacken.  Halfway through the pregnancy, the couple changed their minds and walked away, leaving Nova pregnant, scared and alone.

8 years ago, Stephanie was overjoyed as the thought of becoming a mother - until she found a text from Mal to Nova saying 'Goodnight, beautiful'. Terrified of losing her husband to his closest friend, Stephanie asked him to cut all ties to Nova and their unborn child.

Now, Nova is anxiously waiting for her son, Leo to wake up from a coma, while childless Stephanie is desperately trying to save her failing marriage.  Although they live separate lives, both woman have secrets that will bind them together for ever...

Finally, I completed this book.  It certainly took me a long time.  I started reading this years ago. Halfway through, I stopped and never picked it up.  Finally, earlier this year, I decided that it needed to be completed.  Because I quite forgotten the story from where I left off, I decided to catch up by starting it all over from the first chapter.   I started crying by the seventh page and continued on even after the last page.

Goodnight, beautiful is beautifully written in 2008 by Dorothy Koomson.  It is her fifth book and to me, it's one of the better ones.

I can't help but felt for Nova and all that she went through and is going through.  The pain that she felt when Mal and Stephanie walked out on their agreement and the pain that she is feeling with Leo in a coma.  It was just so sad.

I started the book with anger towards Stephanie but sympathise with her towards the end.   I can't really make up my mind about Mal.  In a way I understand him but on the other hand how could he really cut off contact with Nova but yet I can see that the action really damages him.

The only part about the book that I didn't like was that the story was told through current timeline and then flipped to the past and it could flipped to any timeline so it took a while to really follow the story through.  There's also no indication as to which character the chapter started with and I nearly resorted to pencil down the names just to help myself follow the story through. 

Having said that I am glad I finally read it although I went through a couple packets of tissue!

It's the time of the year....

for Popular to have it's warehouse sales.

The last one was held in November last year.  The family went on the 1st day and while we had a great time shopping for books, we were zonked by the crowd.

For this year, it will start on the 1st day of school holiday which also happens to be a public holiday, i.e. 24th May but we won't be going due to a prior commitment.  It will probably end on 2nd June and we might probably go then.

Forever young carrot head

Someone I know will be hunting for these as it's quite reasonable and sometimes they have this 'buy 2 get one 1 free offer' so it can be more than quite reasonable.  I used to enjoy these too :)  I'm ok for her to read Archie as she reads these (but not limited to)  too so it's rather balanced as far as I'm concerned. (except for my purse!)

The mouse, the fairy and the whatever

As for me, I bought these at the last sales and have read them except for The Circle by Ted Dekker.  I have been rather unwilling to start it  as it's just felt a bit overwhelming.

 

Anyway, will be away for a short trip after the 2nd next month so if I don't get a chance, here's wishing you Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai. :)

Happy holiday.

postscript : I forgot to mention that it's being held at the same venue, ie. 5th Floor, Permata Carpark.

Where have all the readers gone?

Photo taken by Green Heights Mall Management

I took part in a flea market sales recently.  It was held in a mall that's located in a residential area away from the city.  There were not many vendors and I was the only one selling novels, books for children, readers digest, etc.   The rest of the vendors were selling household items, fashion accessories, clothes, action figures, etc.

The princess and I brought 80 books to be sold. These do not include the readers digest which I have about 50 copies or so.

While the sale for my novels wasn't very good, the sales for the princess's kiddy books went extremely well.  She managed to sell off books that she doesn't read anymore for RM2 to RM5 per copy.  As she really loves her stuff, the books are all in very good conditions. 


Over at my end, sales was very slow.  I sold off less than 15 books which is way less than my first sales.

I said good bye too Anansi Boys.  I also sold off A Time To Mend, Trouble the Water and a few other Christian novels that I brought there.  I am really glad someone else will get to read and enjoy these books rather than them being kept in a box in storage cos my shelf is just too full already.

If you are where I am at and would want to purchase these novels from me, drop me a comment and I'll get a list to you. 

Man and Boy by Tony Parsons

Synopsis :

HE HAD TO FACE THE TOUGHEST JOB OF HIS LIFE. AND HE NEVER ONCE THOUGHT HE'D BE ON HIS OWN.  

Harry had it all: a beautiful wife, an adorable four-year-old son, and a high-paying media job. But on the eve of his thirtieth birthday, with one irresponsible act, he threw it all away. Suddenly he finds himself an unemployed single father trying to figure out how to wash his son's hair the way Mommy did and whether green spaghetti is proper breakfast food. This brilliantly engaging novel will tug at your heart as Harry learns to become a father to his son and a son to his aging father, takes stabs at finding new love, and makes the hardest decision of his life.

There is a mystery here.

It's concerning where has my book disappeared to.

I brought the book out with me to mum's place and I remember very clearly that I put the book into my handbag.  When I reached home, the book was not there.  I thought maybe I left it behind where I was at since I was in a hurry at that time.  When I went back to mum's place the next day, the book was not there and she said that no, I didn't leave anything behind. 

Until today, I still do not know where it has disappeared to. It's a good thing I was at the last chapter so I was able to read just the last chapter in a bookstore recently! heheh....please don't follow my example. I didn't want to buy a book just for 1 chapter.

Mystery aside, there is nothing mysterious about this book.  The story is written from the point of view of the man concerned and the relationship and interaction between father and son is rather touching  It is very much on how a man made a mistake and the wife take advantage of the mistake and call it quits.  The man ended up being a single father when wife decides to take a trip to Japan to rediscover who she is and to follow the dreams that she gave up for marriage.

Harry learned to be more than a father to his son, Pat and the author also touches on the relationship between Harry and his father - how he sees his father as a hero and how he felt he can never measure up to him.  They made their peace with each other.

There are others who seems to compare the similarity of this book with a very famous old movie and to another author. Well, I have not seen that movie (i think the movie was 40 years old!) and I have not read the other author so I can't comment much on that and I don't make any comparison, Such, I quite enjoy the book and actually finished it over two afternoons.  This is the first time  read Tony Parsons and I won't mind reading his other works again especially the sequal to Man and Boy which is Man and Wife.

The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts (Book 3 of The Sign of Seven Trilogy)

Synopsis :

Years ago, after their blood brother ritual, Gage, Fox and Caleb emerged from the woods, each with a piece of bloodstone.  Now, it will become their weapon in the final fight against the demon they awakened.  

Shared nightmares, visions of blood and fire and random violence plague the long time friends and Quinn, Layla and Cybil, the women bound to them by fate.  None of them can ignore the fact that, this year, the demon has grown stronger - feeding off the terror it creates.  But now the three pieces of the bloodstone have been fused back together.  If only they could figure out how to use it.

A gambling man like Gage has no trouble betting on his crew to find a way.  And though he and Cybil share the gift of seeing the future, that's all they have in common.  Were they to take their flirtation to the next level, it would be on their own terms, not because Fate decreed it.  But Gage knows that a woman like Cybil - with her brains and strength and devastating beauty - can only bring him luck.  Whether it's good or bad has yet to be determined - and could mean the difference between absolute destruction or an end to the nightmare for Hawkins Hollow.

Finally, I completed the series.  By a stroke of good fortune, I was at the right place at the right time and managed to pick up this book at a flea market.  I have been on the look out for it at the library shelves which housed book #1 and book #2 but surprisingly no book #3.

As I have already known, The Pagan Stone focuses on the final couple in the series, Gage and Cybil.  While the other two couple are rather lovey dovey in their relationship, Gage and Cybil are rather hash in their treatment of each other.  Both refused to admit that they are attracted to one another.  Both have rather bad experiences of rejection as while Gage came from an abusive father after his mother died at childbirth, Cybil's dad took his own life, leaving Cybil with her sister.

My interest was to see how the story ends and it ended rather mildly.  I am sure if this was turned into a movie or series, the ending would be more dramatic especially the final battle at Pagan Stone but on paper, it was rather mediocre.

All in all, it is a rather nice series coming from queen of romance and suspense but I think I have enough of her series for now.  I still have one more series to go, i.e. The Garden Trilogy but after that I don't think I will be actively seeking out her work.