PURPLE QUEEN FAIRY READS

Synopsis : Acclaimed author Lisa See returns to the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy.  Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the Communist regime.  Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation.  Yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives. Never a fan of Asian writers but in this case, I give a...

Synopsis : Thirty-something hairdresser Janie Johnson's single status is a constant source of gossip for her friends and clients. So after too many nights in with her cat, a blind date disaster and news that her ex is getting married, Janie realises it's time to do something dramatic with her life. It's time for an adventure! Leaving winter behind, Janie takes the plunge and books an exotic trip to Africa. Her friends think she's mad and Janie thinks they may very well be right . . . but then she falls head over heels for her tour guide - and fully fledged Maasai Warrior - Dominic. But can Janie now face spending a snowy Christmas back home without him? I was quite tempted to DNF this. I just don't know what to think of it.  The cover of the book was pleasant enough. Extremely attractive, in my opinion and so I was expecting a rather equally attractive story in Wrapped in You . It wasn't that it's bad, It is actually quite cute but too romantic th...

Synopsis : Sharla Cody is only five, but has already lived a troubled life -- only to find herself dumped on an elderly neighbor's doorstep when her mother takes off for the summer. Although Sharla is not the angelic child Addy Shadd had pictured when she agreed to look after her, the two soon forge a deep bond.  To Addy's surprise, Sharla's presence brings back memories of her own childhood in Rusholme, a town settled by fugitive slaves in the mid-1800s. She reminisces about her family, her first love, and the painful experience that drove her away from home.  Brilliantly structured -- and achingly lyrical, this is a story about the redeeming power of love and memory, and about two unlikely people who transform each other's lives forever. This book is quite a dark horse.  I wasn't expecting to like it but liked it I did.   The story alternates between Addy of young and Addy of current time.  However, the way the author alternates the story is very ...

Synopsis : Jason Bourne needs to regain his life as David Webb so he accepts an invitation from his beloved mentor, Dominic Specter, to join the linguistics department at Georgetown. It's a relief to leave the Bourne identity behind, but Jason soon finds himself in a life-or-death confrontation where every move might be his last. Specter tells him that a former student and son of his old friend was killed by Muslim extremists known as the Eastern Brotherhood. Their leader is a man named Semian Icoupov, and he must be stopped because his next terrorist target is believed to be right here in America. While Jason is busy pursuing Icoupov in Russia, he's become a target himself. Inside CI, a battle is brewing for control over the agency. In order to show the incompetence of its current director, two Pentagon operatives plan to accomplish what CI never could--hunt Bourne down and destroy him . I have  disappeared for quite a while, haven't I?  While, I have been faithf...