TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

On Wednesday, July 19, the Council, having gleaned and discerned, released its official verdict: the fall of the tile bearing the letter "Z" constitutes the terrestrial manifestation of an empyrean Nollopian desire, that desire most surely being that the letter "Z" should be utterly excised - fully extirpated - absolutively heave-ho'ed from our communal vocabulary!

Henceforth, use of the arguably superfluous twenty-sixth letter will be outlawed from all island speech and graphy.

(Pg 6, Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn)

Being the eldest daughter in the family, Elinor Harriman feels she has the responsibility to oversee the welfare of her younger sister, Lydia, and mother after the death of their father. Their father had left nothing for them and besides worrying over their poverty state Elinor has to make sure that their mother didn't gamble away all their assets despite her sickly condition. Alas, their mother is one selfish and stubborn woman and the next thing Elinor knew, she has lost all their funds. Elinor goes after her to the Heavenly Host, a secret society where exiled aristocrats gather to indulge their carnal desires.

Viscount Rohan is the host of the Heavenly Host and he is known to be a mysterious, dark and a ruthless man who always has things done his way. He has met countless women but never one quite like Elinor. Thus when Elinor stomped into his lair demanding for her mother, he couldn’t help but to take notice of her despite that she is outspoken and fiery. On the other end, Elinor refuses to be swayed or attracted by his charms, but would she change her mind after discovering that he isn’t the man whom everyone thinks to be?

What can I say? Anne Stuart has written another winner in Ruthless. She has once again captivated her readers (at least with this reader) with a romantic tale and a dark, alpha male hero to match, in which I think has become her signature. What I liked about this story is beside the intensity between the hero and the heroine, there is also a secondary romance between Elinor’s sister, Lydia and Charles Reading, who is Viscount Rohan’s best friend and right-hand man. While the plot is not new, what I liked are the characterisations, the dialogues and also the juxtaposition of the rich and poor, as well as the depraved and the innocent set in Paris during the mid 18th century.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a secondary romance of Lydia and Charles but because their story is so brief, I wanted to read more of their story but I was disappointed to learn from Anne Stuart (I wrote an email to her) that there won’t be a book featuring this couple since she felt that she has more or less covered their story in Ruthless. I definitely hope that she would change her mind and decide to write their story in the near future. Meanwhile, I look forward to reading her second House of Rohan series, Reckless.

I just settled down in my new office today (we moved last Friday). My workstation is organised (well at least the most of it) but I still have about six boxes which haven’t unpacked but at least they are to be kept into the store. I’m currently munching on green peas and crackers and drinking a cup of hot green tea as I’m typing this; it is raining cats and dogs outside and I wish I’m at home snuggling under a blanket with a book in hand. Onto a brighter note, I will be watching Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 with my husband this evening. I can’t wait!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Rusty and Ginger belong to the red foxes species. The story opens with them exploring the forest and they encounter all kinds of other wildlife animals (such as deers, wolves, cougars, black bears, bobcats) along their way; another thing I loved is it has a fact page of wildlife information for every animal introduced in the book so readers are able to learn a little more about them as they read along.

Rusty and Ginger then stumbled upon an island where they got to meet two little adorable girls and to explore a treasure chest. Finally, there is also a message about sharing towards the end of the story which I find all so meaningful and endearing. This is absolutely a charming book to be read by readers of all ages.

About the Author: Tim Ostermeyer has spent the last 20 years taking pictures of wildlife worldwide and winning over 250 first-place awards for his photography. Currently living in Allen, Texas, Ostermeyer works as a structural analyst for the engineering firm Raytheon and continues his passion for photography while operating his photography studio. For more information on Ostermeyer and his photography, please visit http://www.rustyandgingerfox.com/ or http://www.ostermeyer-photography.com/.

(Many thanks to the publicist for sending this book to me for review.)

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

She looked into his ruined beauty and hated him. Hated him for a thousand reasons, most of which had nothing to do with him at all.

(Pg 154, Ruthless by Anne Stuart)

I was supposed to read The Levels by Sean Cregan after reading Kazuo Ishiguro's A Pale View of Hills, since both of them are library copies and I need to return them before the date due. However, I had to put down the book after reading two chapters as I couldn't find myself get into the story. I think it has to do with the characters since I couldn't feel any connection with them; or another reason being that I just wasn't in the mood for that genre at this time. Oh well.

Onto a non-bookish note, I am almost done with my packing. I have packed about 20 boxes and that excluding my superior's, haha. (I will be off to do some bloghopping packing after typing this.) Hope everyone has a Happy Tuesday!

Photo Credit

See that picture above? That's how I'm feeling right now - tired. If you are a follower of this blog, you'd be aware that I'm currently packing my stuff for the relocation of our office next week. I have been working in this office tower for (let me think...) about 5 years. Five years isn't a long time, but it isn't a short time either. I have grown to love the place, considering that it takes me about an hour to travel to work, and vice versa. I know I may sound like a broken record, but right now I can't help feeling nostalgic about everything. I think it may take me awhile to adjust to the new environment, just because I'm still feeling sentimental about my current working place.

Onto another note, I'm enjoying reading Kazuo Ishiguro's A Pale View of Hills. This is the first book I read by this author, and I'm glad this book didn't disappoint me. There is an atmospheric feel to the story, though I can't say it is entirely creepy. Mr Ishiguro had it written in a way that makes you feel totally intrigued and captivated by the story. You just couldn't help but to keep turning those pages; yes it is that addictive. I have to make sure to check out the rest of the books by this author in the near future. And speaking of books, here are a few which I bought lately:

• Matched by Ally Condie
• The Castle in the Pyrenees by Jostein Gaarder
• The Human Bobby by Gabe Rotter (Kathy and Sandy highly recommended this so I've gotta listen to them)
• Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist

So Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 opens here yesterday. I wanted to watch it badly but my husband said he could only watch it with me the week following next, due to his work commitment. I just wish that day will arrive sooner (My husband don't read the books, but he really enjoys the movies).

Well I hope everyone has a great weekend ahead (it's Thursday night while typing this). I'm hoping to have the review of A Pale View of Hills up next week, considering I'm spending lesser time on blogging nowadays due to my office shifting but we shall see.

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

In many ways, that room is the most pleasant in the house, with a splendid view across the orchard. But it had been Keiko's fanatically guarded domain for so long, a strange spell seemed to linger there even now, six years after she had left it - a spell that had grown all the stronger now that Keiko was dead.

(Pg 53, A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro)

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia from The Printed Page where readers get to share the books that came into their house last week; this month the host for Mailbox Monday is Julie of Knitting and Sundries.

Here's what I received last week:

1) Adventures of Rusty & Ginger Fox by Tim Ostermeyer (from the publicist)

2) Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn (bought from The Book Depository)

What books came into your house last week?

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Marg and Claire that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

There are many perceptions of magic. While some may think of and link them to witchcraft (usually in the olden days), others view them as an entertainment and a form of art. So, is there such a thing as real magic, or are they merely tricks and illusions. I'm afraid I can't answer them, but I want to say I love watching magic performance and that I really enjoyed reading The Art of Disappearing; a story between a magician and a textile consultant.

Mel Snow is drawn to Toby Warring the instant they met in the Old Stand Saloon in Tonopah, Nevada. Toby brought her a drink first, and she only knew he is a magician after the waiter told her about his profession. They had a few exchanges and shared a little about their life and their family. And they got married two days later.

They begin their life together in Las Vegas, where Toby hopes he would make his name as a great magician there; one whom performs real magic and not merely tricks and illusions. But Toby has a painful past that will always remind him of his magic and his lovely assistant who disappeared during a performance and couldn't bring back. From then onwards, he has swore off using assistants in his magic. On the other end, Mel still couldn't forget the childhood loss of her brother and hopes that he would appear one day again after she had lost him to a swirling river during a storm. They might not know each other for a long time, but at least they share a connection and felt the regret and loss in each other.

During his debut performance in Las Vegas, a mishap happened and they flee to Amsterdam, hoping they would put all the unhappy past behind them and start their new life in a new place. It is only a matter of time that Toby begins to find his way back to magic, and by then Mel begins to wonder if their love is genuine, or is it just part of a magic conjured by Toby.

Haunting and spellbinding like magic, The Art of Disappearing is one of the most unforgettable fictions I read this year. I loved it that the premise has a surreal feel and that it makes you think of the choice(s) you will make in life. The Art of Disappearing may sound like a love story, but I think there is so much more to it - the two protagonists finding their way, coming to terms with their pasts and deciding on the path they want to go. Aside from the lovely premise, I also loved Ivy Pochoda's writing style and how she managed to bring this story and the characters to life through her words.

Speaking of characters, as much as I enjoyed reading them, I have to say I didn't really understand Mel's feelings towards Toby at some point. She may have fallen in love with Toby, but throughout the book she sometimes refers him as 'the magician', which made me think there is still some distance between them. I wasn't sure what her intention is, but I just felt it is strange of her to refer that of her husband. Nonetheless, this won't diminish my liking for this book.

Finally, after reading this book this thought just came to me: Would you like to change anything if you are given a chance to travel back to your past?

(My daughter pointed out to me that day that she saw an image of a rabbit on the cover. I have to confess I didn't take notice of it until she mentioned it. However the image shown online is much more obvious as compared to my print copy, and don't you have to agree that children always have the most imaginative mind?

The bottom cover is how it looks like when it was first released in September 2009.)

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

I took one of his hands in mine and massaged the deep crevices between his fingers. "They're beautiful."

"I didn't want my classmates to see what I could do." Toby laughed. "Then there was a year I barely used them at all. Right after I made my assistant disappear."

(Pg 41, The Art of Disappearing by Ivy Pochoda)

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (via Singapore Airlines)

Thanks to all who participated in my giveaway last week. Based on the draw result from Random.org, the winner is ...

Iliana

Congratulations, Iliana! I'll be emailing you shortly for your mailing information. I hope you will enjoy reading this book!

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

We've been sheltering women at our house since before I could speak English. Tee-tee - Teresa Tomasio - director of the Helpline Crisis Referral Center by day, undercover shelter director by night, has a soft spot in her heart for women who need to get away but have nowhere to go. We run a safe house called Philoxenia - Greek for "love of strangers" - for battered women and their kids.

(Pg 18, For the Love of Strangers by Jacqueline Horsfall)

Apart from NaNo, today is also my husband's birthday! I gave him a dinner treat last Friday evening and we also had a simple celebration at home over the weekend - a Premium D24 eggless durian cake. Unfortunately I'm not able to post the picture here since we haven't downloaded them but I can show you the picture taken from the bakery. What can I say? It was scrumptious (even our 2-year-old daughter loved it)!

(Photo credit)

On the reading front, I'm still reading Falling Home by Karen White. I'm enjoying reading it and Karen White is one of my favourite authors. I think the reason for my slow progress is that there are too many things happening in my life lately. My eldest daughter will be graduating from her kindergarten class soon and their school will be having a graduation ceremony in another two weeks' time; and she was being informed by her teachers that she would act as an emcee so for the past week my husband and I became her audience as she go through her 'script' again and again, LOL. And then, there is our office relocation end of this month and I have to get all my things organised and packed before the move. Frankly speaking, I am so not ready for the move in spite that my new workplace is nearer to my house and it takes about half the journey time as compared to my current one. The reason? Because I will miss the bookstore (just a 5-minute walk away) and a few of my favourite eating outlets but most importantly, I will miss these staff who have now became my friends! *sniff*

Back to my reading, I will start reading For the Love of Strangers by Jacqueline Horsfall tomorrow. This is for the Green Books Campaign hosted by Eco-Libris and I want to get it done so that my post will be ready on November 10th (considering I'm a slow reader, ha). After this, I will be reading The Art of Disappearing by Ivy Pochoda which I bought last week. This is a story about a woman named Mel Snow and a magician she met and married two days later. Is their love real or just an illusion? I can't wait to find out what happens.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead!