Savage Spring by Mons Kallentoft

Synopsis :

Spring has finally arrived, filling the Swedish countryside with sunshine and flowers after a long, dark winter. 

The beautiful weather is lost on Detective Investigator Malin Fors, though, troubled as she is by the unexpected death of her emotionally distant mother and what it might mean for her own fragmented and dysfunctional family. But when an explosion rocks the town square, killing two young girls, leaving their mother fighting for life, and terrifying the entire community, Malin has no time to address her family’s uncertain future. 

Suddenly the future of her entire city is in danger, and she may be the only one who can save it…


This is what I say :

Savage Spring goes by another title - Spring Remains.  There are found titles to this series which goes by the season of the year. I have the copy on spring (this one) and another copy on autumn.

The book started off quite promisingly but did not managed to hold my attention.  I do not quite like Detective Investigator Malin Fors.  She has her issues and maybe I don't know her character well enough, she didn't come across as likable at all.

What I like is the 'supernatural' elements in the book told from the perspective of the two young girls killed in the explosive.  That was rather unique and we as readers don't really know if it's really supernatural or just a voice that the author wanted the girls to have.

That was the reason why I completed the book. Otherwise, I wasn't thinking of doing so.

Crispin - The Cross of Lead by Avi

Synopsis :

"Asta's Son" is all he's ever been called. The lack of a name is appropriate, because he and his mother are but poor peasants in 14th century medieval England. But this thirteen-year-old boy who thought he had little to lose soon finds himself with even less - no home, no family, or possessions. 

Accused of a crime he did not commit, he may be killed on sight, by anyone. If he wishes to remain alive, he must flee his tiny village. All the boy takes with him is a newly revealed name - Crispin - and his mother's cross of lead. 


This is what I say :

Crispin - The Cross of Lead is the first book in the trilogy written by Avi.  I don't know how this book came into my possession but it's a very new copy and I found it on my shelf.  I read it because I needed the space on the shelf for other books.

It's actually a book written by children which I would say suitable for eleven, twelve or early teens depending on their command of the English language.

It wasn't too bad. Set in the medieval period, it does create the opportunity for readers to imagine how that period looked and felt like, based on the description given.

There are two more title after this. I don't think I will be reading them. As for this copy, I will be donating it to a school library.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Synopsis :

To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world....

Told in the inventive, funny, and poignant voice of Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience—and a powerful story of a mother and son whose love lets them survive the impossible.

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough ... not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.


This is what I say :

The novel, Room by Emma Donoghue was published 10 years ago and was a bestseller.  It has always been my intention to get hold of a copy and when I managed to find it during a book fair about two years ago, I was extremely pleased. Moreover, this particular copy is still very new.

After sitting on my shelf for more than a year, I suddenly decided to read it during MCO recently.  It took me 2 days to complete it and it was a wonderful read.

It was sad, but wasn't that sad.  At times I was pretty angry wot Ma but at time I felt like giving Jack a smack too but then I guess we have to remember that being only five years old, he's feeling scared with what's happening and he is certainly lacking social interaction since birth.

It is quite clever of the author to write the book from his perspective and did it quite well too, in my opinion.  And not just any five years old but, a very different five years old.

It's a book that once you start, you can't really stop and to be honest, I read it till late into the night but that's just between you and me. haha..  I actually do not mind reading this again sometimes in the future.

Right after reading, I watched the movie adaptation.  The gist was there and it was a good and satisfying movie.

Heat Rises by Richard Castle

Synopsis :

Heat rises in the coldest New York winter of a century. The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a bondage club pits NYPD Nikki Heat against a vicious drug lord, an arrogant CIA contractor, and a shadowy death squad. 

The conspiracy reaches the top of the NYPD. When she gets too near the truth, Nikki is disgraced, stripped of her badge, and on her own as a target for killers. 

She can only trust reporter Jameson Rook.


This is what I say :

I bought this book years ago because at the time of purchase, the TV series Castle was one of my favourite 'detective theme' series.  The series is about an author, Richard Castle and his connection with LAPD especially with a certain female detective and in the show, his is an award winning famous author.

This book, Heat Rises is supposed to be written by him, Richard Castle. But if you ask, 'Hey, I thought you said he's a character in a TV Series?' Yes, I did but this book is written by him, Richard Castle.  

Actually, that is how the book is marketed. probably to folks like me who are fans of the series. Who actually wrote this title, I have no idea.

Anyway, like I said, I bought it because I was a fan of the series. It sat on my shelf for many years.

I read this during the MCO recently.  I don't quite like it.  It was not book but because the series has ended, so has my interest in series and it just doesn't appeal to me as it would have years ago.

Having said that, I am glad it read it but I wont be buying another title by Richard Castle anymore as he no longer exists . hahha..

The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell

Synopsis :

REVENGE CAN TAKE MORE THAN A LIFETIME

In a sleepy hamlet in north Sweden, the local police make a chilling discovery; nineteen people have been brutally slaughtered. It is a crime unprecedented in Sweden's history and the police are under incredible pressure to solve the killings.

When Judge Birgitta Roslin reads about the massacre, she realises that she has a family connection to one of the couples involved and decides to investigate. When the police make a hasty arrest it is left to her to investigate the source of a nineteenth century diary and red silk ribbon found near the crime scene. What she will uncover leads her into an international web of corruption and a story of vengeance that stretches back over a hundred years.


The is what I say :

This book has good potential.  

It started off pretty thrilling but as the plot and storyline progress, it weakens at it was very confusing and the plot and storyline get rather unbelievable.

The coincidences that occurred within the plot are rather unbelievable too.

Basically, it could have been a great thriller from the start if the author focus on the investigation. There was a part in the investigation where a young boy was mentioned but then he didn't have any contribution towards the story at all.

The reason for the murder was also rather far-fetched.  In fact, there's no reason at all. There was an story of something that happens one hundred years ago but to use that as the reason for the murder? Give me a break.

I was rather excited to read this book but I was so annoyed after reading it.  Wasted my 5 days with it.

Not Dead Yet by Peter James

Synopsis :

For LA producer Larry Brooker, this is the movie that could bring the fortune that has so long eluded him . . .

For rock superstar, Gaia, desperate to be taken seriously as an actor, this is the role that could get her an Oscar nomination. . .

For the City of Brighton and Hove, the publicity value of a major Hollywood movie being filmed on location, about the city's greatest love story - between King George IV and Maria Fitzherbert - is incalculable.

For Detective Superintendent Roy Grace of Sussex CID, it is a nightmare unfolding in front of his eyes. An obsessed stalker is after Gaia. One attempt on her life is made days before she leaves her Bel Air home to fly to Brighton. Now, he has been warned, the stalker may be at large in his city, waiting, watching, planning.

Not Dead Yet is the eighth novel featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, from the number one bestselling author Peter James.


This is what I say :

This is my favorite title among the three titles that I read written by Peter James.  It is a also the last book that I have in my collection so I wont be able to continue on with the world of Detective Roy Grace.  I quite like him and quite intrigue to know what's going to happen next especially issues surrounding his family front.

There was something unexpected in this book what I didn't catch on and that is one reason why it's my favorite among what I have read.  Until  I have a chance to get copies of his titles, I will have to move on to other authors.

If you do come across this series, do give it a try.