PURPLE QUEEN FAIRY READS

While I was in One Utama a couple of days ago, I found out that Popular Book Fair is on in the ground floor foyer of the old wing.  It will be on from 26 - 31 March 2013. If it's the same as what I have been to, you will find some good deals but most of the bestsellers will probably be going for only 25% to 30% markdown. I didn't get to go as I was in a hurry to grab lunch before another round of meeting in the office. Well, there's still one more day to go, so if you have nothing else to read, you might like to consider dropping by for a book or two.

While doing some spring cleaning at my 'old' home recently, I found these two books. They were kept in a storage cabinet and if memory serves me right, they were among a box of books given to me by a friend many, many years ago.  Needless to say, I have not read them. A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry is about a soldier fighting the first world war.   Constantinople - The Last Great Seige is a historic account on the emperor Constantine.  These two books are all uncorrected proof.   Both books are in trade paperback.  I just loved the covers of both books.  While one is almost greyish and void of any colour, the other is just busting with strong vibrant colours.  While one is photo of a battlefield, the other is a painting of a city on fire. Both about wars but wars that took place about 500 years apart.  I wonder what other similarities would I find in both of these books. I brought the books home with me and have placed them in...

I am currently reading The Angel's Game . It's the second bestseller by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (book #1 being The Shadow of The Wind ) , a top Spanish writer and no, am not reading it in Espanol . The English version of the story was translated by Lucia Graves.  More about The Angel's Game another time. For this post, I want to share with you a short story entitled Rose of Fire , also written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  I read this story from my tablet as it is available in electronic format which you can download for free.  Rose of Fire trace the origin of Cementery of Forgotten Books.  If you have read Carlos Ruiz Zifon's works, you would know what Cementery of Forgotten Books is.  It's a place, hidden and also known to a few people, where one can hide a book and where one can find a book that has been hidden by someone else.   You can say it is a place where books go for their eternal rest.  However, upon being granted entry by the guardian, one...

Are you a fan of the Chicken Soup series? I'm sure you know that I'm referring to the book and not the delicious chicken soup that comes from your kitchen.:)   I was and I guess, am still a fan.  It was my aim at one time to have a complete collection of the chicken soup series.  That was way back in the late 90s.  After that, the series kinda got out of control (in my opinion).  Now, there are just way too many titles (more than 200 over) and I think it's not meant for one to 'collect' such books, anyway.  Most of the titles are rather focus and directed at only those with specific issues or concerns so there's not much point there for a collection. While in the early days, it was just Chicken Soup for The Soul or For Man or Woman, now the titles have extended to titles such as Chicken Soup for teens, for pre-teens, for adopted kids, for baseball fans, for cat lover, for gardener, etc.  Basically, if you have a need or an issue, there woul...

Synopsis : Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of homeless dwarves.  Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spider and unknown dangers. Finally, it was Bilbo - alone and unaided - who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entre countryside!  This stirring adventure fantasy begins the tale of the hobbits that was continued by J.R.R. Tolkiens in his bestselling epic, The Lord of the Rings. So, that's what The Hobbit is all about.  I must say, I really enjoyed reading it and already am thinking of re-reading it sometime in the future.  I must first admit that I am not a Tolkienite, neither am I a Ringer or whatever you use to describe fans of J.R.R. Tolkien. However, I did enjoy the Trilogy of The Rings (the movie) but I have yet to watch the movie of the same title by Peter Jackson so I really approached the book with to...

Synopsis : Everything’s coming up roses for Fleur Daxeny, as she goes through more rich men than she does designer hats.  Beautiful and utterly irresistible, her success at crashing funerals to find wealthy men is remarkable.   Fleur wastes no time in seducing her latest conquest, the handsome and rich widower Richard Favour.  His children are caught up in a whirlwind as their father’s new girlfriend descends on the family estate.  Fleur is not one to wear her heart on her Chanel sleeves, but she soon finds herself embracing Richard and his family.  But just as Fleur contemplates jumping off the gold-digger train for good, a long-buried secret from her past threatens to destroy her new family. Madeleine Wickham is the same person as Sophie Kinsella, who wrote the Shopaholic Series of which I have a love hate relationship.  However, it was more love than hate so I have been looking forward to what Madeleine Wic...