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Showing posts from 2016

Reflections 2016

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Year 2016 is pretty uneventful but equally busy with many things that went on . I read much less this year compared to previous years and there was a couple of times when I totally didn't read at all and that's reflective in my review posts. I also didn't buy much novels this year as at the last count, I have nearly 150 copies of to be read novels.  If I successfully read 1 novel a month, it would take me 12 years to finish them..provided I don't buy any books at all from now onward!  If I read 2 books a month, it would take me 6 years to complete them. Wow! So yup, that's where I stand.  But I know I read more than 2 novels a month so there! My work travel also has reduced drastically since the last couple of years due to change of job and that pretty much relates to my reading habits too as I used to read a lot while on work travel as there's nothing much else to do in the hours in between. On the other hand, I have stop doing any committed review

Call The Dying by Andrew Taylor

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Synopsis : Love and need make unexpected bedfellows, and both are blind. As the grip of a long hard winter tightens on Lydmouth, a dead woman calls the dying in a seance behind net curtains. Two provincial newspapers are in the throes of a bitter circulation war. A lorry-driver broods, and an office boy loses his heart.  Britain is basking in the warm glow of post-war tranquillity, but in the quiet town of Lydmouth, darker forces are at play. The rats are fed on bread and milk, a gentleman's yellow kid glove is mislaid on a train, and something disgusting is happening at Mr Prout's toyshop.  Returning to a town shrouded in intrigue and suspicion, Jill Francis becomes acting editor of the Gazette. Meanwhile, there's no pleasure left in the life of Detective Chief Inspector Richard Thornhill. Only a corpse, a television set and the promise of trouble to come. The storyline is set in the rural countryside of UK and started off rather mellow and slo w with

Christmas Greetings - 2016

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Taking this opportunity to wish everyone a very  Merry Christmas  from Purple Queen Fairy and the royal household. God bless you all  and  may you have lots of books in your Christmas stockings!

For The Sake of Elena by Elizabeth George

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Synopsis : Elena Weaver was a surprise to anyone meeting her for the first time. In her clingy dresses and dangling earrings she exuded a sexuality at odds with the innocence projected by the unicorn posters on her walls. While her embittered mother fretted about her welfare from her home in London, in Cambridge—where Elena was a student at St. Stephen's College—her father and his second wife each had their own very different image of the girl. As for Elena, she lived a life of casual and intense physical and emotional relationships, with scores to settle and goals to achieve--until someone, lying in wait along the route she ran every morning, bludgeoned her to death. Unwilling to turn the killing over to the local police, the university calls in New Scotland Yard. Thus, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, enter the rarefied world of Cambridge University, where academic gowns often hide murderous intentions. For b

The Shinning by Stephen King

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Synopsis : Danny was only five years old but in the words of old Mr Halloran he was a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father became caretaker of the Overlook Hotel his visions grew frighteningly out of control. As winter closed in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seemed to develop a life of its own. It was meant to be empty, but who was the lady in Room 217, and who were the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why did the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive? Somewhere, somehow there was an evil force in the hotel - and that too had begun to shine... This is one of the BEST horror book ever!  I read this when I was much younger many, many years ago and I decided to re-read it again recently. Re-reading it doesn't make it less scary.  I remember being spooked out at home one night recently after reading this in bed and I refuse to venture into the kitchen to get a glass of water! Readers have to pay attention to the d

Paranoia by Joseph Finder

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Synopsis : It was only a prank: diverting cash from Wyatt Telecom's executive slush fund to throw a retirement bash for a member of the loading dock crew. But when corporate security catches up with Adam Cassidy, a low ambition junior staffer at the high-tech behemoth, they call it something else: embezzlement, to the tune of nearly $80 grand. Ruthless CEO Nick Wyatt is impressed by Adam's scheming, and offers him one way out-take on the role of a rising corporate hotshot and infiltrate Wyatt's rival, Trion Systems. His mission is to get close to Trion's legendary founder Jock Goddard, and his ultra-secret "Project Aurora," and report back to Wyatt. With Wyatt pulling the strings and a dramatically improved identity, Adam is set up as Trion's new boy genius. Suddenly, he's got a sweet new Porsche, a closet full of $1,500 suits, and even a lovely lady who thinks he's a dream. But it's all just a mirage, because Adam is about to

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

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Synopsis : Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged... until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister—and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. A provocative novel that raises some important ethical issues, My Sister's Keeper is the story of one family's struggle for survival at all human costs and a stunning parable for all time. Books by Jodi Picoult are never straight forward. It has to either

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

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Synopsis : The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman family—including Judd’s mother, brothers, and sister—have been together in years. Conspicuously absent: Judd’s wife, Jen, whose fourteen-month affair with Judd’s radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the death of his father and the demise of his marriage, Judd joins the rest of the Foxmans as they reluctantly submit to their patriarch’s dying request: to spend the seven days following the funeral together. In the same house. Like a family. As the week quickly spins out of control, longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed, and old passions reawakened. For Judd, it’s a weeklong attempt to make sense of the mess his life has become while trying in vain not to get sucked into the regressive battles of his madly dysfunctional family. All of which would be hard enough without the bomb Jen dropped the day Judd’s father died: She’s

Breaking the Rules by Barbara Taylor Bradford

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Synopsis : Following a terrifying encounter in the quiet English countryside, a young woman flees to New York in search of a new life. Adopting the initial M as her name, and reinventing herself, she embarks on a journey that will lead her to the catwalks of Paris, where she becomes the muse and star model to France’s iconic designer Jean-Louis Tremont. When M meets the charming and handsome actor, Larry Vaughan in New York they fall instantly in love and marry. Soon, they become the most desired couple on the international scene, appearing on the cover of every celebrity magazine, adored by millions. With a successful career and a happy marriage, M believes she has truly put the demons of her past behind her. But M’s fortunes are about to take another dramatic twist. A series of bizarre events turn out not to be accidents at all, but assaults on M and her family. The dark figure from M’s past, a psychopath with deadly intent, has made a vow: to shatter M’s world for

Certainty by Madeleine Thien

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Synopsis : Madeleine Thien's stunning debut novel hauntingly retells a crucial moment in history, through two unforgettable love stories. Gail Lim, a producer of radio documentaries, is haunted by the mystery of her father's Asian past. As a child, Gail's father, Matthew Lim, lived in a Malaysian village occupied by the Japanese. He and his beloved Ani wandered the jungle fringe under the terrifying shadow of war. The war shattered their families, splitting the two apart until a brief reunion years later. Matthew's profound connection to Ani and the life-changing secrets they shared cast a shadow that, later still, Matthew's wife, Clara, desperately sought to understand. Gail's journey to unravel the mystery of her parents' lives takes her to Amsterdam, where she unearths more about this mysterious other woman. But as Gail approaches the truth, Ani's story will bring Gail face-to-face, with the untold mysteries of her own life. Vivid,

The Bible Of Clay by Julia Navarro

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Synopsis :  In St. Peter’s Basilica, a man sits in a confessional asking forgiveness for a murder he’s about to commit. And a young priest begins a desperate journey to stop him. It’s the beginning of a ruthless race to find a rumored cache of sacred texts that could be one of the most explosive discoveries of all time. For as Clara Tannenberg and a team of renegade archaeologists journey deep into an Iraq on the brink of war, another far more sinister group is determined to get there first. Sweeping from the time of the biblical patriarchs to the front lines of the Iraqi conflict, from the horrors of Nazi Germany to the back rooms of Washington, D.C., The Bible of Clay is a novel of unrelenting, thought-provoking, and all-too-plausible suspense. This book is not spiritual at all and has nothing much to do with the Christian faith other than that the clay tables the archaeologists are trying to find supposed to have contained words by Abraham on how God created

The President's Daughter by Jack Higgins

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Synopsis : When an evil extremist named Judas Maccabeus discovers that the president of the United States has an illegitimate daughter living in France, he strikes quickly, kidnapping and threatening to execute her if the president does not launch a military attack against Iraq, Iran, and Syria . And it's up to our heron Sean Dillon to rescue her.  And rescue her he did. The End. That basically sums up the entire book.   Thrilling....yes.     Plot....acceptable. Character development....not really.    It's very much the type of book you read during holidays, sitting by the pool or keeping boredom away while waiting for flights.  

Babyhood by Paul Raiser

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Synopsis : I'm going to be totally honest. This is not the kind of book that can help you. It's not a "how-to, " a "when-to, " or a "what-to-expect."  Let's compare: Those "know-it-all" books tell you how to have a happy, healthy pregnancy. My book mentions a squirrel. Those books tell you how to care for a newborn child. My book describes how tired I am. Those books give you essential information you can use in a life-threatening emergency. My book has some very amusing anecdotes about poop. So really, it's up to you. If you want to be prepared and well-informed, I understand. But if you enjoy seeing the words "pterodactyl" and "uterus" in the same book, you've come to the right place.   Funny man Paul Reiser gave an interesting and first hand account of the experience he and his wife went through in expecting their first baby.  It started with Paul and his bride encountering anothe

Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder

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Synopsis : Nick has returned to his old home town of Boston to set up his own shop. There he’s urgently summoned by an old family friend. Hedge fund titan Marshall Marcus desperately needs Nick’s help. His teenaged daughter, Alexa, has just been kidnapped. Her abduction was clearly a sophisticated professional job, done with extraordinary precision. Alexa, whom Nick has known since she was young, is now buried alive, held prisoner in an underground crypt, a camera trained on her, her suffering streaming live over the internet. She’s been left with a limited supply of food and water and, if her father doesn’t meet the demands of her shadowy kidnappers, she’ll die.  As Nick begins to probe, he discovers that all is not quite right with Marshall Marcus’s business. He’s being investigated by the FBI, he has a lot of shady investors, his fund is in danger and now he has a lot of powerful enemies who may have the motivation to go after Marcus’s daughter. But to find out w

Who Doesn't Want Free Books?

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I certainly do and I received some free copies recently from someone who wanted to give away hers.  I must say that I don't know this person at all. She posted in a FB group that I belong to that she'll be in town at certain dates and that she would like to giveaway some of her books to whoever wants them. I was quite blessed to be the first one to reply to her and after a few online discussion, we made plans to meet up and viola! I am now the proud custodian of all these books : There are five titles and out of these The Wicked Boy and Girl in the Woods came highly recommended. I use the word custodian because that's how I view myself. I am just a keeper and keeping them books for a period of time for me to read them and after I read them, it is my intention and plan to pass them on to others so that they can enjoy the books too and hopefully, they will pass them on to the next and the next and the legacy of such generosity lives on and on. I really can&#

A Heartbeat Away by Michael Plamer

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Synopsis : On the night of the State of the Union address, President James Allaire expects to give the speech of his career. But no one anticipates the terrifying turn of events that forces him to quarantine everyone in the Capitol building. A terrorist group calling itself “Genesis” has unleashed WRX3883, a deadly, highly contagious virus, into the building. No one fully knows the deadly effect of the germ except for the team responsible for its development—a team headed by Allaire, himself. The only one who might be able to help is virologist Griffin Rhodes, currently in solitary confinement in a maximum security federal prison for alleged terrorist acts, including the attempted theft of WRX3883 from the lab where he worked. Rhodes has no idea why he has been arrested, but when Allaire offers to free him in exchange for his help combating the virus, he reluctantly agrees to do what he can to support the government that has imprisoned him without apparent cause. Mean

Flea Market Preview - July 2016

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 It's been quite awhile since I took part in a flea market.  If I am not mistaken, the last time was in April/May. I have been pretty busy since then but at the same time I have new titles to offer as well and some of them are really good titles. Home Front by Kristin Hannah would be looking for new home at the market.  The same goes for The Time Traveler's Wife. Not forgetting An Unsuitable Job for A Woman by P.D. James. and many more. So, make a book date with me on Sat and Sun from 10 am to 5 pm in Green Heights Mall if you are in Kuching and bring home a book or two. :)

An Unsuitable Job for A Woman by PD James

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Synopsis : Handsome Cambridge dropout Mark Callender died hanging by the neck with a faint trace of lipstick on his mouth. When the official verdict is suicide, his wealthy father hires fledgling private investigator Cordelia Gray to find out what led him to self-destruction. What she discovers instead is a twisting trail of secrets and sins, and the strong scent of murder.  An Unsuitable Job for a Woman introduces P. D. James's courageous but vulnerable young detective, Cordelia Gray, in a "top-rated puzzle of peril that holds you all the way" ( The New York Time). Cordelia Gray inherited a private investigator agency when her mentor passed on.  Slightly inexperienced, she tried her best to take on a job in investigating the death of Mark Callender . There are some who felt that she's not fit for the job...which I think hence the title, An Unsuitable Job for A Woman. All in all it was a pretty decent read. This is the second title by PD James that

Home Front by Kristin Hannah

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Synopsis : All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. . . .   Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life--children, careers, bills, chores--even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a soldier she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own--for everything that matters to his family. At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

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Synopsis : Audrey Niffenegger's dazzling debut is the story of Clare, a beautiful, strong-minded art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: his genetic clock randomly resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous and unpredictable, and lend a spectacular urgency to Clare and Henry's unconventional love story.  That their attempt to live normal lives together is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control makes their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable. Time stood still for me as I enveloped myself into The Time Traveler's Wife recently.   This is not a new title and i

The Ritual by Adam Nevill

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Synopsis : Four old university friends reunite for a hiking trip in the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle. No longer young men, they have little left in common and tensions rise as they struggle to connect. Frustrated and tired they take a shortcut that turns their hike into a nightmare that could cost them their lives. Lost, hungry and surrounded by forest untouched for millennia, they stumble across an isolated old house. Inside, they find the macabre remains of old rites and pagan sacrifices; ancient artefacts and unidentifiable bones. A place of dark ritual and home to a bestial presence that is still present in the ancient forest, and now they’re the prey. As the four friends struggle toward salvation they discover that death doesn’t come easy among these ancient trees... My first book by Adam Nevill was Last Days which I read last year.  Since then I have been on the lookout for his books but they are not in the mainstream bookstores.  The only stores o

The Drop by Michael Connelly

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Synopsis : Harry Bosch has been given three years before he must retire from the LAPD, and he wants cases more fiercely than ever. In one morning, he gets two. DNA from a 1989 rape and murder matches a 29-year-old convicted rapist. Was he an eight-year-old killer or has something gone terribly wrong in the new Regional Crime Lab? The latter possibility could compromise all of the lab's DNA cases currently in court. Then Bosch and his partner are called to a death scene fraught with internal politics. Councilman Irvin Irving's son jumped or was pushed from a window at the Chateau Marmont. Irving, Bosch's longtime nemesis, has demanded that Harry handle the investigation. Relentlessly pursuing both cases, Bosch makes two chilling discoveries: a killer operating unknown in the city for as many as three decades, and a political conspiracy that goes back into the dark history of the police department. The Drop is the second of Michael Connelly's book

House by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti

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Synopsis : A mind-bending supernatural thriller from the creators of This Present Darkness and Saint. Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker -- two of the most acclaimed writers of supernatural thrillers -- have joined forces for the first time to craft a story unlike any you've ever read. Enter House -- where you'll find yourself thrown into a killer's deadly game in which the only way to win is to lose... and the only way out is in. The stakes of the game become clear when a tin can is tossed into the house with rules scrawled on it. Rules that only a madman—or worse—could have written. Rules that make no sense yet must be followed. One game. Seven players. Three rules. Game ends at dawn. I bought this book because it's a collaboration of two heavy weights in the world of supernatural thriller especially one with Christian messages.  It sat on my shelf for a couple of years and for some reason and it was only recently that I decided to 'make an honest book

Not Without My Sister by Kristina Jones, Celeste Jones and Juliana Buhring

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Synopsis : The true story of three sisters betrayed in the name of love, deprived of their childhood and robbed of their innocence. The devastating first hand account of three sisters' courageous struggle to escape a perverse community that robbed them of their childhood. I didn't want to put up the whole synopsis.  I thought that would be enough and let the sisters share their stories with you if you choose to read it. Not Without My Sister is quite a difficult book to read as it evoked emotions of disgust, sadness and disbelief of what the sisters went through.  The book itself is not any of the above.  On the contrary, it's a book of courage and strong convictions.  It's what they went through and the people that abused them were disgusting. What is terrifying is that Not Without My Siste r is a true story and the sisters are somewhere out there in the world and they are not the only ones with stories to tell.  There could be more equally sad or even wit

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci

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Synopsis : Edgar Roy--an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility-is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins--en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered.  It is now up to them to ask the questions no one seems to want answered: Is Roy a killer? Who murdered Bergin? With help from some surprising allies, they continue to pursue the case. But the more they dig into Roy's past, the more they encounter obstacles, half-truths, dead-ends, false friends, and escalating threats from every direction. Their persistence puts them on a collision course with the highest levels of the government and the darkest corners of power.  In a terrifying confrontation that will push Sean and Michelle to their l

Hello, Darkness by Sandra Brown

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Synopsis : Since moving to Austin to ease the pain of past, tragic mistakes, she has led a life of virtual solitude, coming alive only when she hosts her show. To her loyal listeners, she is a wise and trusted friend who not only takes their music requests but listens to their problems and occasionally dispenses advice. Paris's world of isolation is brutally threatened, however, when one listener -- a man who identifies himself only as "Valentino" -- tells her that her on-air advice to the girl he loves has caused her to leave him and that now he intends to exact his revenge. First he plans to kill the girl, whom he has abducted -- which he says he will do in 72 hours -- then he will come after Paris. Joined by the Austin police department, Paris plunges into a race against time in an effort to find Valentino before he can carry out his threat to kill -- and to kill again. To her dismay, she finds that one of the people she must work with is crime psycho

The Egg Race by Polly Williams

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Synopsis : Stevie Jonson is thirty-four. She's broody. And she's set to marry not-quite the-man-of-her-dreams in two weeks' time.  Just as the reality of her marriage sinks in, Stevie's path collides with that of Katy Norris, a thirty-six-year-old narcissist with an inside knowledge of fertility indicator home kits and a desire to get her boyfriend to settle, at any cost. As Stevie lurches further into a life that never should have happened, she meets a man who reminds her that she's more than just the sum of her ovaries . .  Set in London, Thailand and New York, this hilarious and heartfelt novel will speak to any woman who has ever met the wrong man at the right time. This book is unique for a few reasons.  First, I bought this more than 10 years ago and started reading them twice since then but cannot really get through the first chapter.  I have no idea why.  Second, since I started this book a few months ago, I read 90% of the whole bo

Vince & Joy by Lisa Jewell

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Synopsis : Vince & Joy are both looking for something... in their teens, in family holidays and bathroom mirrors. in their twenties, in messy London flats and messy London relationships. in their thirties, in marriages that appears stable - and feel anything but. Seventeen years ago Vince and Joy met, parted and never said goodbye.  And soon they're going to have to ask themselves : could it be that they actually found what they've both been looking for, back in the mid-eighties, in a holiday park by the sea? This is the third title by Lisa Jewell that I read.  I love first title which is 31 Dream Street but I didn't like the second book that I read which was One Hit Wonder .  But I do like Vince & Joy . It runs a bit like Love, Rosie by another famous author but this storyline was told in a different manner and as characters, Vince & Joy shared very little 'book time' together and appeared in their own chapters but the way the author

A Twist of Fate by Joanna Rees

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Synopsis : Romy and Thea, two beautiful baby girls, their futures sealed with the flip of a coin. One will enter a life of privilege, surrounded by only the best money can buy. The other will fight for survival in an orphanage, against an evil regime who seek only to exploit her. Throughout the years their paths will cross, neither knowing who the other one is, their lives overflowing with secrets, blackmail and murder. From the snow covered forests of Eastern Europe to the glistening white beaches of the Caribbean. From the gutters of London's Soho to the towering skyscrapers of New York, A twist of fate tore them apart, only their strength and determination can reunite them... A Twist of Fate is and excellent and a wonderful book.   I thoroughly enjoyed it as it's both exciting and touching at the same time. Right from the first chapter, I was drawn into the two extreme different lives of these two girls when with a flip of a coin, their future were determ

My travel companion

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A work travel is coming right up and I have decided to bring these two companion with me.  Although it's just a few days trip and one book would be quite enough but I am a bit 'kiasu' and decided to bring two books with me. What if I only bring one and I didn't really like it?  Horror of horrors would be me ending up with plenty of time and nothing to read.   That would be the ultima te nightmare! So, Vince and Joy by Lisa Jewell and Hello, darkness by Sandra Brown would be my upcoming travel companion.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

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Synopsis : Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject - forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he's always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he's usually right. But when Jacob's small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob's behaviors are hallmark Asperger's, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are directly in the spotlight. For Jacob's mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family, the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

Between by Jessica Warman

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Synopsis :  Elizabeth Valchar - pretty, popular, and perfect-wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday party on her family's yacht, where she'd been celebrating with her six closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, what she finds will change everything she thought she knew about her life, her friends, and everything in between.  As Liz begins to unravel the circumstances surrounding her birthday night, she will find that no one around her, least of all Liz herself, was perfect-or innocent. And that some memories never stop following you, no matter how hard you run. I was attracted to Between because I was intrigued by the cover. I thought was was quite spooky.   The synopsis was pretty mysterious too so I decided to read the first chapter there and then at the bookstore at it wasn't a very long chapter, probably a couple of pages only but at the end of it, I was captivated enough to bring it home. 

Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela

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Synopsis : Set in 1950s Sudan, Lyrics Alley is the story of the powerful, sprawling Abuzeid dynasty.  With Mahmoud Bey at its helm, the family can do no wrong.  But when Mahmoud's son Nur - the brilliant heir to his business empire - suffers a near fatal accident, his hopes of a glittering future are dashed. As the sun sets on the British rule,  Sudan is torn between modernising influences and the call of traditional past.  Mahmoud's first wife is confined to her open-air kitchen, while his second , a modern Egyptian woman, is intent on dividing the household.  And against the backdrop of this tension, Nur must rebuild his life, confronting a future in which he cannot marry his beloved cousin, Soraya. Moving from the dusty alleys of Sudan to cosmopolitan Cairo, and a decimated post-war Britian, this is a heart-wrenching portrait of faith, redemption and history on the move. Lyrics Alley was one of the books I inherited when a friend migrated back to her home country

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

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Synopsis : I’ve lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day! Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive :) !! Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect! Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life. What ensues is a hilarious and

Flea Market Preview - April/May 2016

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May - a month that sounds promising and full of possibilities.  It's also a month that I have a lot of my plate with work, certification, trips, wedding and what not and so before May make an appearance, I will be taking part again in a schedule flea market from 30 April to 1 May.  If I am not mistaken, it would be the last that I would have for quite a while to come. So, what titles will I offer? Well, whatever that was not sold off in April would certainly be put out for sale. The above titles were surprisingly not taken up so I really hope they would cos they are really cool books especially The Quickie which is a favourite title of mine. The God of Small Things which has won a Bonker Prize is a rather insightful book which forced me to read it twice to fully understand it and understood it I did at the end. Hazy Summer Night is a romance title by Nora Roberts which is not something I am keen on but fans of romance should find this a good read as there's tw