PURPLE QUEEN FAIRY READS

image's taken from web In another few hours, we will bid adieu to year 2013 and welcome year 2014 whether we like it or not.  Some might greet it with much reluctance or while others would be welcoming the new year with arms wide open. It's a rather wonderful day to sleep in as it's raining rather heavily and with nothing much to do for the whole day and not feel like doing much for the whole day, it's rather nice and to curl up in bed with a book and a nice mug of coffee and I'm going to do just that shortly! For now, it the right time to take stock of this year before it's over. Purple Queen Fairy Reads will end this year on a pretty happy note. :) This blog managed a total of 70 posts for the year which is 5 posts less than last year but all things considered, I'm quite at peace with it.  Circumstances changed and I am aware that I am not able to maintain the momentum that I had two years ago. For this year, I am rather pleased happy with my ...

Synopsis : Married and the father of a young daughter, John Bevan had finally found the traditional family he lacked as an orphaned child. But all that disappears when a fatal car accident steals away his wife-and the unborn child she carried. Filled with sorrow, John withdraws from life and love. He erects a small cross at the scene of his wife's accident and visits daily, grieving. Then one morning he encounters a young man kneeling before the cross, touching it up with white paint. John's conversations and travels with this mysterious man-known to him only as the Cross Gardener-will forever change his world. From Jason F. Wright comes a timeless tale that explores the questions we ask when our lives are touched by loss: How do we carry on? And who will show us the way? The answers John Bevan finds illuminate the hope that even in our darkest hours we are not alone. The first thing that attracted me to this book is the colour of the cover.  I love this g...

Wishing all readers near and far  an extremely MERRY CHRISTMAS Blessings be with you and your family

Synopsis : Following a week in the life of a busy wedding planner, and based entirely on true but anonymous stories, Wedding Babylon takes you to the heart of an industry where emotions run high, money flows like champagne and £3000 cakes are made of polystyrene. Why are weddings so expensive?  What makes us spend a year's wages on one Big Day?  And just how Big does your Day actually have to be? Hilarious, shocking and full of jaw-dropping true tales of wedding days from hell, here is definitive proof that, sadly, the course of true love never did run entirely smooth.... This is as much a fun book as a sad book.  Fun because it has lots of funny tales of weddings, brides, grooms, best men, bridesmaids and so on.  Sad because if the tales are true, some people do get their priorities wrong when it comes to getting married. The wedding planners featured here are actually two guys and readers get a glimpse of their days as they met with clients to discuss...

Synopsis : New York ...Smart, sexy Rose Fiorello grows up poor with nothing but a blistering hatred of Rothstein Realty, the developer that crushed her father's business...and a shocking plan to get even. Los Angeles ...Pampered society princess Poppy Allen wants to escape the smothering cocoon of her parents' privileged life to embrace the excitement of becoming a rock star...or rock star maker. London ...Plump, bullied Daisy Markham devours trashy bestsellers to escape her misery at boarding school...until she discovers that writing them can bring the acceptance-and man-she secretly desires. But as each of these gutsy women goes after her dreams, a brutal act committed long ago will suddenly explode their worlds-revealing the betrayal that stole the heritage of three baby girls... uniting them now with one common passion: revenge. I felt a tiny bit cheated by the book.  It was rather too predictable. Triples sisters by birth, three baby girls were separate...

I went to the book fair again today thinking that tomorrow is the last day. However, just found out that the fair has been extended till 22nd December 2013.  So, if you haven't been, you will have a second chance to go again and perhaps pick up a book or two for either yourself or your love ones. Remember...Hills Shopping Mall from 10 am to 10 pm. See you there!

Synopsis : Olivia Bellamy has traded her trendy Manhattan life for a summer renovating her family's crumbling holiday resort. Tempted by the hazy, nostalgic memories of summers past - childhood innocence and the romance and rivalries of her teens - it's the perfect place to flee after her broken engagement. But what began as an escape may just be a new beginning... As Olivia uncovers secrets buried thick with dust, one by one her family return, their lives as frayed at the edges as the resort. Summer at Willow Lake can be classified as a romance.  Girl met boy years ago in summer camp. Something happen towards the end of camp. They left camp and never saw each other until one day girl meet up with boy again.    The author actually used this formula for two generations of campers in this book although with a slight variation. Being a non fan of romance, the book failed to hold my interest and I was quite lost one third into the book.  However, ...

If you are in Kuching, you might be aware that there's a sales going on in one of the malls.  It is actually a book sales and to be more specific, it is a book sales of pre-read book.   Termed ' Books Second Time Around ', the books are all second hand or books that have been read that were shipped directly from the United States or Canada.  I rather called them pre-read books. Held from 16th November to 8th December in Hills Shopping Mall, you can say the fact that it's a sales certainly added a lot of excitement to folks here whether they read or not.  From the young to the old, there's something for everyone. All you need is time to browse around. I especially love to read the inscriptions on some of the books especially inscriptions of love and well wishes in the children's books. :) While this sales is very visible in terms of promotions and locations, there is also another book sales in town that's rather quiet and less well known in everywhere ...

Synopsis : The epic story of three sisters and their turbulent lives, tied to the destinies of Germany, Austria and Russia in the unstable years leading up to World War I. It is midnight, New Year's Eve 1900, and three women gaze out over the rooftops of snowy Vienna, contemplating the promise of a golden future.  The dawn of a new century and the glittering Emperor's ball await them, enough to fulfill any young lady's dreams of social success.. But Sophie, Alma and Marie Schmerling have ambitions that will take them far beyond the samll intrigues af Viennese society.  The winter snows of St Petersburg, the brash cafes of prosperous Berlin, they want all the vast and thriving empire has to offer.   I think I get what the author was trying to convey through the title - The Midnight Country after reading the book.  To keep it simple, it's story of ending of empires, of way of life and social culture and the dawn of a new era for and I guess midnight ...

It was yet another successful sales at the September flea market.  It wasn't as good as July but it was good enough and I am thankful in so many ways. First to go was my favourite Angels Fall .  There seems to be a lot of Nora Robert's fans out there but then she does write good books.  I am sure Angels Fall has found a wonderful new owner.  Another lady took a liking to Echoes and Irresistable Force by Danielle Steele. Finally they are out of my hands!  Lovers and Players , Chapatti or Chips and Man and Boy are among the books that went to new owners over the two days.  So did Memiors of A Geisha which I decided to put for sales at the market after some consideration.  I read the book many, many years ago and was thinking of re-reading it for a review but then, I don't think it will make it to my to-read list anytime soon so might as well say a quick good bye. I also managed to sell off some of my fantasy collection like the series o...

Synopsis (from goodreads) : One miscarriage too many spelled the end of Max and Zoe Baxter's marriage. Though the former couple went quite separate ways, their fates remained entangled: After veering into alcoholism, Max is saved in multiple senses by his fundamentalist conversion; Zoe, for her part, finds healing relief in music therapy and the friendship, then romantic love with Vanessa, her counselor.  After Zoe and Vanessa, now married, decide to have a baby, they realize that they must join battle with Max, who objects on both religious and financial grounds.  Like her House Rules and several other previous Jodi Picoult novels, Sing You Home grapples with hot button issues. The novel also includes a CD of songs, each matched with a chapter in the book. Perfect for book clubs My impression of Jodi Picoult was rather good after Change of Heart .  Such, I have high expectation from Sing You Home .  I shouldn't have.  It was quite a let do...

Synopsis : Everywhere hailed as a novel of rare beauty and power, White Oleander tells the unforgettable story of Ingrid, a brilliant poet imprisoned for murder and her daughter, Astrid, whose odyssey through a series of foster homes - each its own universe, with its own laws, its own dangers, its own hard lessons to be learned - becomes a redeeming and surprising journey of self-discovery. I have never done a what I termed, a 'semi-review' before.  This is not a full review as in I didn't read the whole book.  I just did enough research and read part of it to get a feel of how the book would be like and to know the plot and development of the story. The reason why I didn't want to read it is because it's another coming of age book and while I have nothing against the topic I don't think I can deal with another coming of age book as I just read one recently . White Oleander is as much the story of a girl called Astrid (quite a beautiful name) and he...

Synopsis : Miles Ryan's life seemed to end the day his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago.  As deputy sheriff of New Bern, North Carolina, he not only grieves for her and worries about their young son Jonah but longs to bring the unknown driver to justice.  Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews, Jonah's second-grade teacher.  A young woman recovering from a difficult divorce, Sarah moved to New Bern hoping to start over.  Tentatively, Miles and Sarah reach out to each other...son they are falling in love. But what neither realizes is that they are also bound together by a shocking secret, one that will force them to reexamine everything they believe in - including their love. When I posted that I am reading this book on FB, my well-read niece commented that it was a nice book.  That comment motivated me as I wasn't very sure at that time whether it would be good as I have some hit and misses with Nicholas Sparks in previous encounters. Th...

Synopsis : Elfrida Phipps, once on the London stage and retired at 62, never anticipates going off with a man. But after a devastating tragedy, church organist Oscar Blundell asks for her companionship.  So with her brown and white dog in tow, Elfrida begins her journey, not knowing that joining her and Oscar at a rundown Victorian house in Scotland will be a young woman nursing a broken heart, a teenager escaping an unhappy home, and a stranger arriving during a snowstorm  Now these five very different people form an unexpected circle of friends that will forever change their lives. I am sure you have heard of the saying 'do not judge a book by it's cover'.  Well, that's exactly what I did when I saw Winter Solstice.   With it's flower theme cover, I kinda judged it as a romance book. However, having read the synopsis on the back over, it doesn't seems to be the case.  So, with much apprehension, I decided to give it a try. Winter Solstice is a sto...

Bishop Myriel - image from wikipedia I started reading Les Miserables early this year.  I'm actually reading an electronic version from my tablet and I must confess that I am progressing extremely slowly.  First, could be due to the fact that I don't really like reading from the ipad and also because the book has not being very exciting thus far. I completed Part 1 - A Just Man a while ago and currently reading through Part 2 - The Fall.   If you must know, there's altogether 48 parts to the book and over 1800 pages.  I really do not know when I'll finish it! Part 1 - A Just Man consists of 14 chapters and covers over 80 pages.  A Just Man is all about the bishop. M Charles-Francios-Bienveu Myriel or just known as Bishop Myriel.  If you have watched the movie and seen the musical, you would remember the bishop is an important character in the change that took place in Jean Valjean. It is through the forgiving kindness of the bishop that Jean...

Synopsis : Lavish wealth and appalling poverty live side by side in Victorian London—and Edward Pierce easily navigates both worlds. Rich, handsome, and ingenious, he charms the city's most prominent citizens even as he plots the crime of his century, the daring theft of a fortune in gold. But even Pierce could not predict the consequences of an extraordinary robbery that targets the pride of England's industrial era: the mighty steam locomotive.  Based on remarkable fact, and alive with the gripping suspense, surprise, and authenticity that are his trademarks, Michael Crichton's classic adventure is a breathtaking thrill-ride that races along tracks of steel at breakneck speed. The Great Train Robbery is a rather great book and exceeded my expectation.  I actually thought that it would be rather dry and factual but it turned out to be pretty interesting and captivating. The novel is actually based on an actual train robbery of gold that occurred ...

Synopsis : Precious Ramotswe, the owner of No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency finds herself overly beset by problems. She is already busier than usual at the detective agency when added to her concerns are a strange intruder in her house on Zebra Drive and the baffling appearance of a pumpkin. And then there is Mma Makutsi, who decides to treat herself to dance lessons, only to be partnered with a man who seems to have two left feet.  Things are also not running quite as smoothly as they usually do at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. Mma Ramotswe’s husband, the estimable Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, is overburdened with work even before one of his apprentices runs off with a wealthy woman. But what finally rattles Mma Ramotswe’s normally unshakable composure is a visitor who forces her to confront a secret from her past. . . . Delightful and charming would be two words I use to describe this book.  It is one of those books that makes you feel relax and comfortable after read...

Synopsis : Michelle Maxwell has just blown her future with the Secret Service. Against her instincts, she led a presidential candidate out of her sight to comfort a grieving widow. Then, behind closed doors, the politician whose safety was her responsibility vanished into thin air. Living a new life on a quiet lake in central Virginia, Sean King knows how the younger agent feels. He's been there before. In an out-of-the-way hotel eight years earlier, the hard-charging Secret Service man allowed his attention to be diverted for a split second. And the presidential candidate Sean was protecting was gunned down before his eyes. Now Michelle and Sean are about to see their destinies converge. She has become obsessed with Sean's case. And he needs a friend—especially since a series of macabre killings has brought him under suspicion and prompted the reappearance of a seductive woman he's tried hard to forget. As the two discredited agents enter a maze of lies,...

From Wikipedia : Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American author best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science story lines that are set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games which bear his name for licensing and promotional purposes. Seventeen of his novels were best-sellers, with over 100 million copies in print. His name was also a brand for similar movie scripts written by ghost writers and many series of non-fiction books on military subjects and merged biographies of key leaders.  I read a lot of Tom Clancy's novels years ago. I started with Patriot Games and then I went back to The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising .  From there it's The Cardinal of the Kremlin, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears, Without Remorse, Debt of Honor and I stopped at Executive Orders which is my favourite as that's when Jack Ryan became President of t...

I received from the post, a complimentary copy of The Seeds of Time by Sharmini Flint. The Seeds of Time is a story for young adults on the environmental challenges from climate change to species loss facing our planets.  The book started with a foreward written by Dr Isabelle Louis, Director, Asia Pacific Region for WWF.  This is what she wrote : There is an urgent need for humankind to respond to the rapid changes that are having a negative impact on our environment and our very future as well as the future of our children and grandchildren. The Seeds of Time captures the spirit needed by all of us, adults and children alike, to respond across the world collectively.  It is a call for global action across all nations, all professions and all ages.  We can all be Animal Talkers and change makers!  The Seeds of Time, delightfully and wth a spirit of bold aventure, inspires us to believe that, whether young or old, we can save our beautiful planet Eart...

Green Heights Mall in Kuching will be organising a flea market this weekend, on Saturday and Sunday which is 28th and 29th September.  It will take place on the ground floor of the mall from 10 am to closing time. I will be taking part again and here's a preview of some of the books available for sales at the market. Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger - I have two copies of this book so one will have to go. Would you know that I bought one of the copies just last week?  Man and Boy by Tony Parsons - I thought I lost this book and I actually read the last chapter in a bookstore as I didn't want to buy it just for one chapter.  Anyway, found the book in the most unlikely places at home recently while doing spring cleaning. Memoirs of A Geisha by Arthur Golden - I read Memoirs many years ago. Should I read it again? I am still thinking if I should withdraw this from the sales! Lovers & Players by Jackie Collins - I am very sure I wo...

Synopsis : Youth taught them how to love. Betrayal taught them how to forgive. Katherine Tempest, world-famous actress and star - a dark haried beauty with a volcanic temperament. Francesca Cunningham, blonde, cool, distance - the aristocratic writer of bestselling historical romances. Yet, their loves were inextricably intertwined over two decades and more.  Voice of the Heart is the spellbinding story of two unique and brilliant woman - and the charismatic men whom they loved and lost, and to whom they ransomed their hearts. I first read this books many, many years ago.  At one time, I was rather hooked on the A Woman Of Substance Series of which Barbara Taylor Bradford is known for.  To be honest, I only read the first 3 books of the series and post the 90s, I was quite tired of Barbara's heroines.  I must have read Voice of The Heart sometimes in the 90s as well.  I can't really remember as Katherine Tempest somehow wasn't as captivating as Em...

Similar event but different timeline I just realised that I forgot to blog about a weekend flea market that I took part in few months back. recently.  This happened in early July and over a weekend in Green Heights Mall, a rather small but compact suburban mall about 15 minutes from the city. Well, you might or you might not have read there about my previous experience prior to this that I had in a past event organised by the same mall.  Anyway, I was rather concerned that the response would be similar but one consolation that motivated me along was that the flea market would be held on the ground floor instead of the first floor of the mall this time round. With a much longer operating hour as well, the weekend market also featured a more diverse vendors this time round with vendors from online boutiques, collectors and generally a group of people having fun sharing with the public their hobbies and interest and making some bucks at the same time :).  I reall...

Synopsis : The sole survivor of a brutal crime back East, Reese Gilmore settles in Angel's Fist, Wyoming - temporarily, at least - and takes a job at a local diner. One day, while hiking in the mountains, she peers through her binoculars and sees a couple arguing on the bank of the churning Snake River. Suddenly, the man is on top of the woman, his hand around her throat. No one in Angel's Fist seems to believe Reese and what she saw, except for Brody, a gruff loner.  When a series of menacing events making it clear that someone wants her out of the way, Reese must put her trust in Brody and herself to find out if there is a killer in Angel's Fist, before it's too late. My first introduction to Angels Fall was the movie adaptation which starts Heather Locklear.  I think I watched it twice over the years.  It wasn't that bad but after reading the book, the book certainly reigns supreme. Because I have seen the movie, it was a very easy read when I read th...

Synopsis : In a dusty trailer park on the far edge of the California dream, Michelina Bellsong contemplates the choices she has made. At twenty-eight, she wants to change the direction of her troubled life but can’t find her way—until a new family settles into the rental trailer next door and she meets the young girl who will lead her on a remarkable quest that will change Micky herself and everything she knows—or thinks she knows—forever. Despite the brace she must wear on her deformed left leg, and her withered left hand, nine-year-old Leilani Klonk radiates a buoyant and indomitable spirit that inspires Micky. Beneath Leilani’s effervescence, however, Micky comes to sense a quiet desperation that the girl dares not express. Leilani’s mother is little more than a child herself. And the girl’s stepfather, Preston Maddoc, is educated but threatening. He has moved the family from place to place as he fanatically investigates UFO sightings, striving to make contact...

Synopsis : For twenty-three years, Naina has saved herself for the man her parents have chosen for her to marry.  They've chosen well; Ashok is handsome, kind and considerate.  Although she's met him only twice, Naina knows he will make a good husband. Dave, on the other hand, would not.  Although, like Ashok, he's good looking and charming, he's also unreliable, thoughtless - and an incorrigible womaniser! Dave is Trouble with capital 'T'.  and with six months to go until her wedding day, Naina knows she should keep well away from him.  So why can't she stop herself? I have fun reading about Naina who's so torn between two cultures and between two men. Ashok sounds like the perfect man, except he's the perfect man for her parents. He is not Naina's choice and Dave is Naina's choice but Dave is every womens' nightmare.  He's cocky and chauvinistic to the extreme degree.  He thinks highly of himself and doesn't believe in ...

 Synopsis:  A Story of Reconciliation John and Abby were the perfect couple, but they are about to lose it all: On the verge of having an affair, John is no more the man Abby married than she is the long ago girl of his dreams. They make the sad decision to divorce. When they gather their three children to tell them the news, their daughter makes an announcement of her own: she's getting married that summer. Determined not to ruin their daughter's season of happiness, Abby and John secretly agree to put their divorce plans on hold. But as the wedding nears, they wonder: Is it possible to find joy, after all these years, and perhaps the time...to dance? Here is where I got this book.  It's such a joy to find this gem among the many books there.  Such books are not readily available in our mainstream bookstores so I really count my blessing to come across a book by one of my favourite author.   It is also a rare occurrence that the name and ad...

Synopsis : Meet Dolores Price. She's a thirteen, wise-mouthed but wounded, having bid her childhood good-bye. Beached like a whale in front of her bedroom TV, she spends the next few years nourishing herself with the Mallomars, potato chips and Pepsi her anxious mother supplies.  When she finally rolls into young womanhood at 257 pounds. Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder.  But this time she's determined to rise to the occasion and give herself one more chance before really going belly up. In his extraordinary coming-of-age odyssey, Wally Lamb invites us to hitch a wild ride on a journey of love, pain and renewal with the most heartbreakingly comical heroine to come along in years.  At once a fragile girl and a hard-edged cynic, so tough to love yet so inimitably lovable, Dolores is as poignantly real as our own imperfections.  She's Come Undone includes a promise : you will never forget Dolores Price. There's as many negative review about this ...

It's a school holiday week next week and the family will be going on a road trip.   Everyone's pretty excited as this will be a new experience for us - driving over eight hours to a small town that I have been before for work but the rest of the family have not been yet. Naturally, I must make sure I have a good read during the long journey and while we're there too.  Most of the times, I would end up not having enough time to read as we'll be too busy doing enjoying our holidays :) but there would be pockets of down time and that's when I would lost myself in whichever book that I brought alone.  As such, it's important that I bring along the right book as a wrong choice would mean nothing to read for the whole trip. I did mention here that I inherited heaps of new read recently.  I have started on them and the few that i read so far met my expectation. For next week holidays, I have shortlisted my choice to these three books :     She's C...

Synopsis : In Lovers & Players, the Diamonds family rules.  Red Diamond is an abusive and much loathed billionaire. His three sons, Max, Chris and Jett are summoned to New York, for a family meeting which rocks their world. Diahann, a beautiful black ex-singer, works as Red's housekeeper - a job her daughter, Liberty, does not approve of.  A waitress who is a would-be singer herself, Liberty has dreams of her own and while she pursues them, Damon P. Donnell, married hip-hop mogul supreme, pursues her. Young New York heiress Amy Scott-Simon in engaged to to marry Max. At her bachelorette party she runs into Jett.  Jett has no idea who Amy is.  She also doesn't realise who he is.  A one night fling leads to major complications. As the lives of these characters intertwine, power, money, fame and love are the ties that bind - emotionally and otherwise - in this highly charged love story about family relationship and deadly choices. I think a lot of u...

Synopsis 1 (from the book) : Marisa Merico, the daughter of one of Italy's most notorious Mafia Godfathers, was dazzled by her father, Emilio DiGiovine.  To her e was all-powerful, sophisticated and loving; to the rest of the world he was staggeringly ruthless. Marisa knew her father would do anything for her, but she hadn't expected just how much he would ask for in return.  This is the shocking true story of a small-town British girl who became a Mafia Princess.  Synopsis 2 (from a web that hosted a photo album and better describe her than from the book) : Drugs, guns, money—as the former boss of a powerful Italian mafia clan, Marisa Merico saw all of it. Merico was 22 when she “stepped up” to take over the family business, the ’Ndrangheta—one of the most successful and violent crime syndicates in the world. She felt it was her moral obligation to run the clan, taking direction from her father, who had just been sentenced to prison. Being boss woman was a n...

Synopsis (taken from goodreads.com) One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for time to heal her wounds, waiting for justice. In short, waiting for a miracle to happen. For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, though, something happens that changes everything for him. Now, he has one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June's eleven-year-old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes, and the rage of a mother who has lost her child. Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish?  I have read a...