I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

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 unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

I can never resist a title of Sophie Kinsella.  The last book read wasn't that good but am glad that tides are turning with I've Got Your Number. 

I've Got Your Number is an independent title and readers are first introduced to Poppy Wyatt as she frantically tried to find her missing engagement ring.  She found a phone instead and decided to make it her own so that the hotel can contact her when they found her ring.

The thing is, the phone belongs the the PA of Sam Roxton and he wanted it back but Poppy isn't letting go of it as it's her connecting in finding her precious engagement ring.  What follows can then only exist in the world of Sophie Kinsella which are both funny and bittersweet at the same time.

To me, at least Sophie Kinsella proved that she still got her number.  Right after The Wedding Night, I thought she has lost it.  Glad to have you around still, Sophie!

Flea Market Preview - April/May 2016

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 two stories in one book.

I will also bring along Winter Wonderland by Belinda Jones which didn't get sold off earlier.

If I have time, I would preview more titles for your here but if not, just drop by Green Heights Mall on Sat and Sun between 10 am to 6 pm to check out the other selections. See ya!

I, Claudia by Marilyn Todd

Synopsis 

Claudia Seferius has successfully inveigled her way into marriage with a wealthy Roman wine merchant.  But when her secret gambling debts spiral, she hits on another resourceful way to make money - offering her 'personal services' to high-ranking Citizens.

Unfortunately her clients are now turn up dead - the victims of a sadistic serial killer.  When Marcus Cornelious Orbilio, the handsome investigating officer, starts digging deep for clues, Claudia realizes she must track down the murderer herself - before he husband discovers what she's been up to.

This is an interesting book in that it was based in year 13 BC in Rome.  I wasn't that captivated by the book initially as this was one title bought in bulk and with the many TBR that I have, I thought I give this a pass.  It was only when I was caught with plenty of time and without anything to read that I decided to give it a try.

I read it over two days. I could have read it within a day but I was caught up with something so I have to put it off and finished it up the next day.

Claudia's an interesting character.  Although she is a woman in a civilization where men were in control, she certainly wasn't letting that get in her way in many of her actions.  She is sassy and in a way she reminded me of bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum.

Giving that she encountered many limitations in that era, she fared pretty well in many of her encounters with undesirable characters.  She might have something going on with Marcus Cornelious Orbilio in the future as there's another title after this.

Sudden Unexpected Windfall - April 2016

It is the most unexpected windfall when a colleague of mine came up to me and told me recently that she wanted me to have these six books of her.  Reason being she is migrating to another country in a few months time (which we all know of) and it would quite impossible to bring these titles along with her. Such, would I mind to take them from her?  I certainly wouldn't mind at all and thank you very much!

I have not read any of these titles but I have decided that I would be reading them soon but the difficult decision would be which title first?

I am quite keen on One For My baby by Tony Parsons having read his title on Man and Boy three years ago.

Perhaps I should read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult as it has been a while since I read a title written by this author.

Anyway, I don't have to decide yet so I'll sleep on it.

Thank you dear colleague of mine for these titles.  Wishing you all the best in your new life in the land of Oz.

Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Synopsis :

Derry, Maine.  Mike Noonan's wife dies unexpectedly.  After this tragic loss, the bestselling writer suffers acute writer's block, unable even to face the blank screen of the word processor without being shaken by nausea and panic.

Then their nightmares and the voices start...nightmare of Sara Laughs, their beautiful lakeside retreat.  Still Mike is drawn inexorably to their once happy home; drawn to his old typewriter and the urge to write again.

But the once familiar Western Maine town has changed.  It's now int he tyrannical grip of millionaire Max Devore and his terrifying skeletal bookkeeper.  Devore is determined to obtain custody of three-year-old Kyra, his deceased son's child, and is twisting the community to his purpose.

When the girl and her young mother turn to Mike for help, he finds himself powerless to resist them. But there are other more sinister forces at Sara Laughs determined to stand in their way...

Bag of Bones is a gripping, distinctive, haunting tale of suspense, romance, terror and grief, of lost love's enduring bonds and of a new love, struggling to be free of the past and the sins of the ancestors.

It has been a while since I read a horror by Stephen King.  I love his old work as as The Shinning and It but lately his work is in the spirit of something as The Girl Who Love Tom Gordon or Dreamcatcher which aren't really what I like about horror books by Stephen King.

As such, I was a bit apprehensive when an opportunity arose recently when another reader wanted to swap some of her collections and Bag of Bones was one of the titles that caught my attention.  To be very frank, I still wasn't very sure but I gave it a chance.

It wasn't very long before the story captured my attention and suddenly, I have in front of me the type of Stephen King title that I love. 

Bag of Bones is a gripping horror that to me, defines who Stephen King is as a horror writer.  Why didn't he write more of such titles?   I was reading it alone one evening and I was creeping myself out with this book.  In a way, I was quite happy with all the rain that has been keeping us at home and keeping me engrossed in this exciting, horrifying, creepy and addicting horror title!

I am very glad to add this to my collection.

Hazy Summer Nights by Nora Roberts

Synopsis :

Contains two Nora Roberts novels originally published in the 1980s.

Rules of the Game features Brooke Gordon who directs advertising and wants to get into bigger things. Her latest project involves Parks Jones, a baseball hero with a big ego. She's determined not to get involved, he's determined to explore his attraction to her. This is a sweet story, she's got issues and he just deals with them in very great ways. He notices things about her and tries to make her comfortable and when she falters he's there to pick her up. A charming story.

The Name of the Game is about Johanna Patterson who has grown up with show biz and distrusts almost everyone in the game. When Sam Weaver appears on her game show he decides that she would be an interesting person to date, he overcomes her reluctance slowly and with a lot of charm. Another solid romance with some great characters.

While I like Nora Roberts for her books such as The Circle Trilogy and Signs of The Seven Trilogy, it cannot be doubted and denied that she is quite well known for her romance titles as well.  Unfortunately, I am not a fan of romance so I don't really appreciate such titles and Hazy Summer Nights is no different.  It would be nice if she infused the story with some thrilling plots but both stories in Hazy Summer Nights are pure romance.

I can't say I have a preference in either of the titles having spent very little time on them.  But as romances go, they are quite nice.

I should go back to her titles such as Angel's Fall and Birthright. Now, these are mighty fine titles that's worth re-reading.