PURPLE QUEEN FAIRY READS

It's the time of the year for me to take stock of twenty nineteen. I really can't believe it that in a couple of days, I will have to say good by to it.  I always seems to say the same thing around the same time each year but it is a fact that can't be denied and that is 'time flies'. So, how did I do this year?  What's my report card like? I surprised myself by posting 60 posts for the year.  I guess keeping it consistent helps in managing the number of posts although I would be quite happy with 50 posts.  Shall we try to keep to 60 posts for next year too? I read about 40 books this year. Maybe I missed out a book or two but ya, it's around that number.  That means I average about 3 books a month so I think it's about just right.  Taking into consideration my schedule and and my commitment for the year, averaging about 3 books is the best I can do at this point and I am quite at peace with it.  If I can keep this momentum for next year, I w...

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020 BLESSINGS FOR CHRISTMAS TO YOU 

Synopsis : Aging, self-absorbed rock star Judas Coyne has a thing for the macabre -- his collection includes sketches from infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a trepanned skull from the 16th century, a used hangman's noose, Aleister Crowley's childhood chessboard, etc. -- so when his assistant tells him about a ghost for sale on an online auction site, he immediately puts in a bid and purchases it. The black, heart-shaped box that Coyne receives in the mail not only contains the suit of a dead man but also his vengeance-obsessed spirit. The ghost, it turns out, is the stepfather of a young groupie who committed suicide after the 54-year-old Coyne callously used her up and threw her away. Now, determined to kill Coyne and anyone who aids him, the merciless ghost of Craddock McDermott begins his assault on the rocker's sanity. This is what I say : I have been so busy with my final assignments that I am feeling so so so stressed.  I missed my reading as I have n...

Synopsis : Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past… She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight. She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return. This is what I say :   Queen of Shadows which is the forth book in the Throne of Glass Novels is the most intense book so far.  There's just to many important and thrilling moments that made this book my favourite thus far...from the assassination of the King of Assassin, to blowing up the tower that controls magic, to the rescue or assassination of Prince Dorian. And it is only in th...

From last yer's trip Hot on the heels of my recent gateway to a rather oriental city, this weekend would be a gateaway to a cosmopolitan city just about an hour by fight from where I am.  This will most probably be the last trip of the year. All in all, I didn't travel much this year. Can't be help I guess. I need to channel my finances elsewhere for these couple of years. Anyway,   I am meeting up some friends whom I have not seen for quite a while so it's a weekend of eating, talking, cooking and I am not sure if I would have the time, hopefully I can read a bit too.. Nevertheless, how can I travel without my beloved books?  There's always the flight time for me to spend some time with them.   And the time spent waiting for flights, that's my reading time too.     This time round, I am quite keen to travel with an ebook.  Something that has been downloaded into my mobile.phone.  This would mean one less item to carry s...

Synopsis : Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed. The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before. This is what I say : Book three in the series introduced new important characters and revealed much about the background and destiny of Calaena Sardothien.  As the story move along, Calaena Sardothian ceased to exist and she embraced her new identify or rather, the identify and destiny that she's been denying herself all these while. Heir of Fire has certainly brought the story into a new dim...

I didn't do much travelling this year.  Maybe because there's no really no reason to.  Anyhow, since early part of this year, I managed to get rather good airfare rates to an oriental destination. Such, in a couple of day's time, princess and I will be holidaying for about a week in this oriental city which we have not been to.  Can't wait! The height of our enthusiasm is actually the opportunity to visit the home of a couple, Mr & Mrs MM whom we love, having visited only two of their home so far...one in Hong Kong and the other in Tokyo.  And we love all their girls too. Can't wait to see the sweet and lovely princesses too. While we are excited in planning for the trip, I have my own personal excitement of deciding which book to bring with me.  It's always the same for me before each trip...to spend time thinking and deciding which books to accompany me for that duration of time. This time round, I have decided on The Peach Keeper.  ...

Synopsis : Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence. As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and faci...

Synopsis : A grisly torture-murder, a haunting northern Sweden backdrop, and a dark drama of twisted sexuality collide memorably in Åsa Larsson’s masterpiece of suspense—a tale of menace, hope, longing, and darkness beyond imagining. The dead woman was found on a frozen lake, her body riddled with evidence of torture. Instantly, Inspector Anna-Maria Mella knows she needs help. Because the dead woman—found in workout clothes with lacy underwear beneath them—was a key player in a mining company whose tentacles reach across the globe. Anna-Maria needs a lawyer to help explain some things—and she knows one of the best. Attorney Rebecka Martinsson is desperate to get back to work, to feel alive again after a case that almost destroyed her. Soon Rebecka is prying into the affairs of the dead woman’s boss, the founder of Kallis Mining, whose relationship with his star employee was both complex and ominous. But what Rebecka and Anna-Maria are about to uncover—a tangled drama of secrets, p...

Synopsis : Though Chloe was the younger of the two Taylor sisters, she always seemed to be in charge. She was the honor roll student with big dreams and an even bigger work ethic. Nicky was always restless . . . and more than a little reckless—the opposite of her ambitious little sister. She floated from job to job and man to man, and stayed close to home in Cleveland. For a while, it seemed like both sisters had found happiness. Chloe earned a scholarship to an Ivy League school and moved to New York City, where she landed a coveted publishing job. Nicky married promising young attorney Adam Macintosh, and gave birth to a baby boy they named Ethan. The Taylor sisters became virtual strangers. Now, more than fifteen years later, their lives are drastically different—and Chloe is married to Adam. When he’s murdered by an intruder at the couple’s East Hampton beach house, Chloe reluctantly allows her teenaged stepson’s biological mother—her estranged sister, Nicky—back into her lif...

Synopsis  : From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil. Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart. Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and who...

Synopsis : When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer.  For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past. Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their perfect life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to ta...

Synopsis : Christian Thydell’s dream has come true. His debut novel, The Mermaid, has been published to rave reviews. So why is he as distant and unhappy as ever? When crime writer Erica Falck, who helped Christian discover and develop his talents, learns he has been receiving anonymous threats, she investigates not just the messages but also the young author mysterious past. Then, one of Christian’s closet friends, Magnus, goes missing. Erica’s husband, Detective Patrik Hedström, has his worst suspicions confirmed as the mind-games aimed at Christian become a disturbing reality. Christian's group of friends—a “gang of four” from childhood—is a tangled web of relationships, love triangles, and family secrets that Erica and Patrick must unravel in order to discover what really happened to Magnus and who is still threatening Christian. But, with the victims themselves concealing evidence, the investigation is going nowhere. Is their silence driven by fear or guilt? What is the s...

S ynopsis : Twenty years ago she ruined his life. Now she has the chance to save it. Widower Jack Harris has resisted the dating scene ever since the shooting of his wife Molly by a fifteen-year-old boy three years ago. An early morning run along the Hudson River changes that when he spots a woman in last night’s party dress, barefoot, enjoying a champagne picnic alone, reading his favorite novel. Everything about her reminds him of what he used to have with Molly. Eager to help Jack find love again, his best friend posts a message on a popular website after he mentions the encounter. Days later, that same beautiful stranger responds and invites Jack to meet her in person at the waterfront. That’s when Jack’s world falls apart. Olivia Randall is one of New York City’s best criminal defense lawyers. When she hears that her former fiancé, Jack Harris, has been arrested for a triple homicide—and that one of the victims was connected to his wife’s murder—there is no doubt in her mi...

Image from the web. Credit to the creator. Love the colour I am doing a weekend gateaway. It's the first time I am travelling out of town for this year so even though it's just for 2D/1N, it's something to look forward too. However, it s not a fun trip though. More to attend to some personal matters rather than holiday.   At the same time, it's a chance to meet up with a friend whom I have not seen for more than 10 years.  She has invited me to bunk in at her new condo and I surprised myself for accepting!  Normally, I value my privacy and would normally prefer to stay on my own even if it's in an airbnb.  Anyway, it's would be nice to 'catch up' after so many years and we'll probably be visiting some of our old 'hound' late into the night!  Yup, the 'good old days' I also want to check out some Korean grocery stores to see if I can get some produce that I need to make something that I have been wanting to make but I don...

A mini birthday celebration photoshoot with Salted Caramel Macadamia Cheese Cake :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY   to purplequeenfairyreads.blogspot.com I can't believe that I have been blogging for ten years and have produced more than 650 over posts over the years.  I guess that works out to an average of 65 posts per year. I am not very good and commercialising this blog.  At one point, I was pretty keen to explore how. However, it never was my priority and for now, I am happy to just read and post and keep a record of what I read and share my thoughts on what I read. Anyway, I am just happy to have this platform to pen down my thoughts of books that I read. It also serves the purpose for me to keep track of how many books I read, how many books I bought for the year (been keeping track in recent years. Didn't do much of that previously)  It's also useful when I wasn't sure if I have bought or read a book before and I can just check from this blog. Shou...

S ynopsis : Crime writer Erica Falck is shocked to discover a Nazi medal among her late mother’s possessions. Haunted by a childhood of neglect, she resolves to dig deep into her family’s past and finally uncover the reasons why.  Her enquiries lead her to the home of a retired history teacher. He was among her mother’s circle of friends during the Second World War but her questions are met with bizarre and evasive answers. Two days later he meets a violent death.  Detective Patrik Hedström, Erica’s husband, is on paternity leave but soon becomes embroiled in the murder investigation. Who would kill so ruthlessly to bury secrets so old? Reluctantly Erica must read her mother’s wartime diaries. But within the pages is a painful revelation about Erica’s past. Could what little knowledge she has be enough to endanger her husband and newborn baby?  The dark past is coming to light, and no one will escape the truth of how they came to be This is what I say : The ...

Synopsis : Police Officer Nina Hoffman finds her fellow officer David Lindholm on his bed with bullets through his head and stomach. Next to the body is his wife, Julia. The traumatized Julia rambles on about a woman entering the house, killing David and running off with her son, but all the evidence seems to point in Julia’s direction.  Annika Bengtzon covers the case and is drawn in headfirst when she sees that Julia is about to be falsely charged.  Working against the clock, Annika must clear Julia’s name and find her missing son. This is what I say : Liza Marklund is a Scandinavian author.  I just realised that she co-wrote Postcard Killer with James Patterson which I read about three years ago. I have never read any titles that just carries her own name.  Lifetime would be the first time. Like many novels nowaday, while Lifetime has a stand-alone story-line, it's also part of a universe that consist of series of titles.  In this case, a...

Synopsis : A string of suspicious deaths points to a potential serial killer who has turned his eye toward Fjallbacka and her dark forests, where two children vanished decades before. A local woman is killed in a tragic car crash, but it isn’t a clear-cut drunk driving case. The victim’s blood contains high alcohol levels, but she rarely drank a drop. Meanwhile, a reality television show begins shooting in the town, and as cameras shadow the stars’ every move, tempers start to flare. When a party ends with an unpopular contestant’s murder, all eyes turn to the cast and crew―could there be a murderer among them?  The ratings spike as the country tunes in to a real-life murder mystery. Detective Patrik Hedstrom finds himself increasingly unable to focus on the strange circumstances of the first case, but what if that holds the key to a series of other unsolved cases across Sweden? Under the unforgiving media spotlight, Patrik tackles his toughest investigation yet. Thi...