Reflection 2020

 

A basic simple light for a basic simple year

The year 2020 will go down in history as an extremely unusual year.  It's a year where almost everything stop..not just locally but globally...all due to something we cannot see with our naked eyes.

2020 will be remembered as year of Covid 19.  I will remember it as a year where I am not able to travel at all.  Who would have thought that the last day trip I made in December last year to Kuala Lumpur would be the last trip I would have for the year.  Who would have thought that the last family trip to Shanghai would be the last trip we took as a family in quite a while.  We were supposed to attend a wedding towards end March 2020, a graduation ceremony in Sept 2020 and I have a couple of places I intend to travel to either solo trip or with friends and family this year.  All 'tak jadi' as the local would say it...not successful.

Anyway, it's still a year where I would count my blessings...from good health to good job to good relationships and time spent with family and supportive and positive friends and circle of contact.  In all things I give thanks, so thank you for a good year.

This year I read a total of 40 books. Out of these, 13 books are electronic and 27 books are actual physical books.  That means I average about slightly more than 3 books per month. 1 book takes about slightly more than 1 week which is not too bad for someone whom I think is watching far much K-drama than reading.  Imagine if I don't watch any k-drama, I think I would have read more titles this year due to the control order (MCO) imposed in my city/country due to the pandemic which created some time bubbles here and there over a period of time..

What are my favourite read?  The top titles would be the three titles by Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and And The Mountains Echoed)

The Shape of Snakes was a rather unexpectedly nice read.  However, the other title The Chameleon's Shadow also by the same author was nice but wasn't that good.

Purple Queen Fairy bought 8 books this year (all pre-loved) and will end the year with 55 posts for the year.  It's 5 posts less than year 2019 but it's still quite a consistent number of posting.

With that I shall end my reflection for this year.  It is an extremely unusual year. One that the world has not encounter before but pray-fully the whole experience will make each of us stronger....physically, mentally and also spiritually..whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger says Kate Perry. It is quite true.

While I have friends who can't wait for 2020 to be over, I on the other hand would like to hold on to 2020 as much as I can as I felt that it went by too fast.  And much as others dislike 2020 for what it represents generally to the world, I would like to say thank you for 2020 and be grateful to it.

I pray for a better year in 2021 for myself, my family, friends and for everyone as well.

Stay safe. Much love from my books and I.

Merry Christmas 2020

Taking this time to wish everyone 

Merry Christmas 2020

While a lot of folks say that they don't feel the vibes of Christmas, 

I hope that you embrace the spirit of Christmas. 

May your Christmas be filled with love, peace and joy 

that only comes from the Son of Christmas and that is 

Christ Himself.

May you be blessed this CHRISTmas.

Christmas corner in my office room

Stay Safe

and much love from me

The Common Lawyer by Mark Gimenez

 

Synopsis :

A mother in New York sneaks her young daughter out of a research hospital. A billionaire philanthropist in Texas fights to save his dying son at all costs. A young traffic-ticket lawyer in Austin named Andy Prescott runs his legal empire out of a tiny office above a tattoo parlor and dreams of being a rich lawyer. Five lives on separate paths—until Andy defends the billionaire's secretary against a speeding ticket. Their lives become fatefully intertwined, destined to intersect—in death. And Andy Prescott learns that a client can be too rich for his lawyer’s own good.

This is what I say :

Right after reading The Con Law, I quickly picked up The Common Lawyer.  It was the smart thing to do as The Common Lawyer reminds me of why I first like reading titles by Mark Gimenez.  This book reminds me a bit of the old Scott Fenney's title (also by the same author) and it was an exciting read from the first page to the last page.  When a book captivated my attention, it doesn't take me two months to read this..for this title, I read it in probably about 5 days.

I like the main character, Andy Prescott.  I like the people in his circle of contact, his landlord, the tattoo artist, his homeless friend, the war hero, his buddies and even his dad and mum are strong supportive characters that really added interesting titbits to the book.

This will probably be the last book that I will be reviewing this year and I am glad it's a title by an author that I like and it's a title that I enjoyed readying.  Will continue to have faith in Mark Gimenez and will certainly keep an eye for his other titles that I have not read.

I read this title as an ebook.

Con Law by Mark Gimenez

Synopsis :

John Bookman—Book to his friends—is a tenured professor at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin. He rides a Harley and wears jeans and cowboy boots and his hair too long to suit the conservative dean. He’s thirty-five, handsome and unmarried but seldom without a female companion. He teaches karate and Con Law, law school vernacular for Constitutional Law. He is a recognized constitutional law expert, debates senators on political talk shows and reduces them to blithering fools, writes scathing op-eds, and is often mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee. He is famous for taking on lost causes and winning. Consequently, when he arrives at the law school each Monday morning, hundreds of letters await him, letters from lost causes around the country seeking his help. Some letters are funny, others are sad, most are hopeless. But every now and then, one letter captures his attention. Then, with only his latest law school intern in tow, Professor Bookman takes off on yet another adventure—not in search of ancient artifacts like Indiana Jones, but in search of truth and justice—"or as close thereto as the law allows." In this first installment of a new series, Book investigates a murder in the world of art and fracking in Marfa, Texas.

Daily Mail (UK): "There cannot be any dispute. Gimenez has taken over John Grisham's mantle. This is his seventh legal thriller, and his work is now faster and fresher than Grisham, his characters are stronger, and his plot lines reek of tomorrow's headlines. This one centres on 'fracking'; the removal of gas from shale oil deposits, which is now the subject of fierce political debate in Britain as well as America. . . . It takes a positive delight in the intricacies of the law, but with a good helping of action thrown in, and it underlines just how much Gimenez has taken over Grisham's territory."

This is what I say :

Con Law is yet another legal thriller by Mark Gimenez.  I personally enjoyed his other titles previously with The Colour of Law being the first book that I read that I loved that started my interest in reading Mark Gimenez's titles.

However, I feel myself not liking Con Law that much.  Maybe because it's a bit over detailed in describing all that's happening especially on what 'fracking' is and it's impact or non impact on the environment which I know have something to do with drilling for oil but honestly he lost me at the first sentence.

The book is very descriptive.  And has a lot of conversations.  Not much action.  I kinda lost interest here and there.  It actually took me 2 months to read this while reading other titles in between.

I dont seems to have good luck with the last two titles by Mark Gimenez.  The Governor's Wife which was the other recent book by this author at the start of lockdown this year wasn't that nice too.

I am currently reading The Common Lawyer. Hope it fares better.  I will let you know once I am done with it.

Mr Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy) Book #1 by Stephen King

Synopsis :

In the predawn hours, in a distressed American city, hundreds of unemployed men and women line up for the opening of a job fair. They are tired and cold and desperate. Emerging from the fog, invisible until it is too late, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

Months later, an ex-cop named bill Hodges, still haunted by the unsolved crime, contemplates suicide. When he gets a crazed letter from "the perk," claiming credit for the murders, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, fearing another even more diabolical attack and hell-bent on preventing it.

Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of eccentric and mismatched allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady's next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

This is what I say :

For a title from Stephen King, this book is totally void of anything paranormal or horror or anything that goes bump in the night.  It is actually a detective genre which is the first I read from Stephen King.

So, let's cut to the chase and let me  share with you what I think.  Strange is the feeling I get after reading this book because it is very unexpected and very different from what you would expect from Stephen King

For a detective book, Mr Mercedes wasn't that bad. It wasn't very good either and I have read better content but I guess for a first time foray into a different genre by the author, it was quite good.

You have a retired cop running around training to solve the case with two most unlikely side kicks and an extremely psychotic killer.  I understand there's two more titles in the universe of Bill Hodges entitled Finders Keepers and End of Watch.  Will be on a look out for them. 

I read this as an e-book. 

Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella

 Synopsis :

Sophie Kinsella returns to her beloved Shopaholic series with Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) newly arrived in Hollywood and starry-eyed. She and her two-year-old daughter, Minnie, have relocated to L.A. to join Becky’s husband, Luke, who is there to handle PR for famous actress Sage Seymour. 

Becky can’t wait to start living the A-list lifestyle, complete with celebrity sightings, yoga retreats, and shopping trips to Rodeo Drive. But she really hopes to become a personal stylist—Sage’s personal stylist—if only Luke would set up an introduction. Then, unexpectedly, Becky is offered the chance to dress Sage’s archrival, and though things become a bit more complicated, it’s a dream come true!

Red carpet premieres, velvet ropes, paparazzi clamoring for attention—suddenly Becky has everything she’s ever wanted

This is what I say :

Becky, Becky, Becky...I really quite dislike you in this title.  I think you are way over in your thinking and actions.  You are extremely self centered in this title and reading you trying to justify your action, it's just pathetic.

You can do so much better and I would have think that after 10 years and after 6 books, you might have grown up a bit but unfortunately it doesn't seems to be the case.  If it's anything you seems to be at at your worst in this title.

Shopaholic to the Stars is book number 7 in the Shopaholic series.  The story did not end here but spill over to book number 8 which is Shopaholic to the Rescue which I have already read.  Yes, my sequence of reading is all wrong but it doesn't really matter in the end.

Anyway, it's a good thing that I did not read this title first. If I did, I might just stop right at this book cos this book really doesn't show Becky in a good light. Instead, I find her downright horrible and extremely immature.  But because I have read to the Rescue, somehow I can be more forgiving.  Perhaps America doesn't fit her well as she turns out to be better when she went back to UK for Christmas Shopaholic.

I must say among these 3 recent titles Christmas Shopaholic is my favourite title.

Shopaholic To The Rescue by Sophie Kinsella

 

Synopsis :

Becky Bloomwood and a hilarious cast of beloved family and friends (plus one enemy!) set off in a van to find her missing father, last heard from in Las Vegas.

Becky’s father Graham and her best friend’s husband, Tarquin, have disappeared from Los Angeles saying simply they have “something to take care of.”

But Tarquin’s wife Suze who is Becky’s best friend, and Becky’s mother Jane, are convinced the two men are hiding something and are in danger—their imaginations run wild. They must track them down!

Hijinks ensue as husband Luke drives Becky, daughter Minnie, Jane, Suze and other favorite Kinsella characters across country from LA to Las Vegas in search of the missing men.

Becky feels deeply guilty about ignoring her father while he was in LA, in addition Becky feels her enemy Alicia is threatening her friendship with Suze.

This is what I say :

Shopaholic To The Rescue is book number 8 in the Shopaholic Series and no, it's not the final book although a lot of readers seems to be tired of this series already but hey, not me!

I guess if anyone can lead me back to reading, it would be Becky and after a period of not reading for quite a while, I am glad it's Becky that I am spending my reading time with.  I am actually reading this title and Shopaholic To the Star at the same time but I seems to be reading Shopaholic To the Rescue faster than To the Star which in the sequence of story, I should be reading To the Star first as that's book number 7.  In fact, I got my reading sequence all wrong as I have already Christmas Shopaholic and that's book number 9.

So I am reading book number 9 first followed by 8 and then 7.  Ah well, as long as I am reading right?

Anyway, as expected from Becky's story, it's never borng, it will be pretty dramatic (sometimes for the wrong reason) but Becky always delivers at the end with much adoration from her family and close friends who are pretty short-sighted where Becky's concern. It's all feel at the end and that's whats important

After this title, it's time for Becky to be back to herself and celebrates Christmas in Christmas Shopaholic!