Melody

Teaser Tuesdays

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!

To save money, Ma made many of my clothes herself, even though she couldn't do it very well, so I had on a home-sewn shirt while the other kids were wearing cool T-shirts with English sayings like "Remember to Vote."



(Pg 36, Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok)

Melody

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This month's Mailbox Monday is hosted by Mari Reads.

I know my post is up early (it's Sunday afternoon here as of writing this) but here's what I received last week (purchased from The Book Depository):

1) What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

2) Wild (aka Illusions) by Aprilynn Pike

What books came into your house last week?


The annual Great Singapore Sale is here again and this year it runs from 27 May to 24 July; and this is where most shopping malls from all locations come together to offer consumers their best promotions and discounts. However, this not only applies to Singaporeans but also the tourists around the world get to enjoy the special privileges as well simply by flashing their passports to the respective shopping malls service counter or the Singapore Visitors Centre.

Anyway, I bought two pairs of shoes and a black sleeveless blouse during the spree yesterday. Of course my spree wouldn't go complete without books so here's what I bought:

1) The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

2) What Comes After by Steve Watkins


So did you buy any books lately? Do share if you do! Well I hope everyone has a great week ahead!
Melody

I noticed this bookish meme has been circulating around the blogosphere (meme originated by Simon of Stuck in a Book) and I decided this is too fun to let it pass so there you go. Plus, I figured I haven't been posting too many book reviews considering I have been slacking in my reading (thanks to my shortened commute time ever since I moved office last November and my lately addiction to Gardens of Time, one of the games featured on Facebook) so this little meme helps to fill the void, even if it is only for a day.

1. The Book I'm Currently Reading:

In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami. Don't you just love the cover and the title, but let me tell you that there is nothing pleasing or cute to the story. Set in the backstreets of Japan and with a plot that evolves around the sex industry there, this psychological thriller never let your attention wavers even though you know the places where the author take you isn't pretty.



2. The Last Book I Finished:

Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon (my review here). This is one of those wonderful classic which I would never get tired of reading it over and over again. What makes this retelling tale a wonderful reading experience to me is the writing style and the two narratives so it is refreshing to read the other side of the story from Princess Margrethe's point of view aside from the mermaid's.



3. The Next Book I Want to Read:

I have a long list of books I want to read but I suppose I will choose this book for now - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I don't think I have ever read a negative review of this book so I really look forward to reading it (I'm just waiting for the right mood to strike).





4. The Last Book I Bought:

The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto. I fell in love with this author's prose and writing style after reading Kitchen and Goodbye, Tsugumi. Also, there is just something about her stories that will make you pause and think about them.






5. The Last Book I Was Given:

Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax. This book was given to me by a publicist for review. I read The Accidental Bestseller and Magnolia Wednesdays by the same author awhile back and enjoyed them so I can't wait to see what is in store for this one.
Melody


3 different perspectives of the Texas State Capitol dome's interior
Melody

Teaser Tuesdays

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 told myself these were just random, unconnected blips, but I couldn't shake my suspicion, and before I knew it I was getting all worked up. I had to keep telling myself to calm down and be reasonable. It's crazy to suspect a guy of murder just because he lied about his job and has a bill stained with something that looks like blood.



(Pg 30, In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami)

Melody
ISBN-13: 9780307589972
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: March 2011
256 pgs
Source: Personal Library




After reading Carolyn Turgeon's Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story in April last year (my review here) and was mesmerised by her wonderful storytelling skill, I know I wouldn't want to miss reading Mermaid after knowing that she would be writing this new release based on Hans Christian Andersen's original tale.

I am sure many of you have read or heard of the original tale, but what makes this book a little different from Andersen's is it features two narratives - the mermaid princess, Lenia, and Princess Margrethe, who is the daughter of a northern king.

On Lenia's eighteenth birthday, she was given the chance to swim ashore to the upper world. She had wanted to do so ever since she had heard wonderful stories from her elder sisters as they shared with her the tales of the curiosities and wonders that lay above. But what made her trip so different and special from her sisters is that she witnessed a shipwreck and she had fell in love with a handsome man while saving him.

On the other end, Princess Margrethe, who is daughter of the northern king, is hiding in a convent when news broke that the northern and southern kingdom might go to war. While wandering around one day, she found a mermaid with an injured man in her arms. Both women are struck by the sight of each other, but circumstances called so Lenia delivers the man to Princess Margrethe as she thinks she could save him. Meanwhile, Princess Margrethe thinks it must be fate that brings her and this man together. As luck would have it, the man whom they rescued, is the son of the southern king but none of them knew each other's identity.

What unveils this story is the love triangle and aside from the original tale where Lenia requested for a magic potion in exchange for her voice so as to have her tail be split into human legs, Carolyn Turgeon has gone a step further into making this beloved classic more intriguing by adding Princess Margrethe's point of view besides Lenia's though the story is told in the third person throughout the whole book. Turgeon also pushed this story to a climax through Princess Margrethe's dilemma between love and saving her kingdom, and the stakes she and Lenia have to take should they decide on any choice they have to make. What would be the ending? Would there ever be a happy ending this time around? I'm not telling, but I have to say I was once again mesmerised by Turgeon's writing, and felt myself entranced by The Little Mermaid all over again. I don't think I would ever get tired of reading this poignant yet beautiful story over and over again, be it the original or any retelling tales.

As of writing this, I also learnt that Carolyn Turgeon will have a new book out in August titled The Next Full Moon; and I knew it would be another magical, compelling story after reading the synopsis. I can't wait.
Melody

Melody

Teaser Tuesdays

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 wanted to tell the abbess that it was a mermaid who had brought the man to her. She wanted to turn and shake her, cry out, I need to see him again!




(Pg 67, Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon)

Melody
ISBN-13: 9780425239957
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Published: April 2011
368 pgs
Source: Publisher




I love reading books about relationship; be it a romance, friendship or the tie within a family. Thus when I received a pitch from the publisher to review Slow Dancing on Price's Pier, I didn't hesitate because this book seems to have all the elements I mentioned above.

Set in Newport, Rhode Island, Slow Dancing on Price's Pier tells a story of a young woman named Thea Celik and her relationship with the two Sorensen's brothers - Jonathan and Garret, and how a hasty decision she made years ago has led to complications within the Sorensen's household.

Thea knew the two brothers when they were in their teens; they were the best of friends and she would seek refuge at the Sorensens' house after she has learnt of her parents' plan about moving back to Turkey. Sue, the mother of the Sorensen's brothers, will always comfort and lend her support to her and this made Thea feels like she is part of the Sorensen's family. And though she likes the two brothers, it is always Garret she is thinking about. Needless to say, they began to fall in love but unlike Jonathan, who is quiet and sensible, Garret loves the attention from other girls and this has caused Thea to have doubts about him, as well as their relationship. Thereafter, everything seems to go downhill and Thea ended up with Jonathan.

Fifteen years later, Thea became a coffee shop owner and she has a ten-year-old girl named Irina. Thea is navigating through a divorce as she struggles to keep her life at peace while she tries to find the balance between her business and her daughter. Unfortunately, her wish to finding peace is ruined when Garret returns home to Newport to restore his relationship with his brother and his family after learning about Thea's and his brother's divorce. And most of all, it brings back all the memories of the past but yet the more they try to keep a distance away from each other, the more they are drawn together. Is history repeating itself? Thea doesn't want to let go of the Sorensens but if she and Garret are back together, it would tear the whole family apart and this time around there would be no turning back.

First off, I have to say Slow Dancing on Price's Pier is a wonderful story of self discovery, second chances and forgiveness. Though the plot may sound common and a cliché to readers, it is the characterisations that what makes this story stands out. Lisa Dale has a way of writing that makes you feel for the characters as they go through their emotions. But that is not all, I also loved it that Lisa included bits of the coffee bean history and culture before every chapter (through a paper column written by Thea) which I find it interesting and informative. Here is an example (Pg 23):

From "The Coffee Diaries"
by Thea Celik

Coffee is the official and unofficial drink of friendship in many cultures.

In Ethiopia, the coffee ceremony is a fundamental rite of friendship. To be invited to a coffee ceremony is a sign of honor and respect. Guests drink three cups with their hosts and by the third cup, it's said they are friends.

Coffee plays such a big part in that country that it has infiltrated the language. "I don't have someone to have coffee with" means "I don't have close friends." Mothers warn their children, "Don't let your name be mentioned at coffee time."

Sometimes the age of coffee corporations and flavour crystals can make it feel like coffee has lost its connotations of friendship. But the connection between coffee and friendship persists.

Look around and you'll see old men drinking coffee and talking shop at the countertops of sleepy diners. Women smiling and pausing for coffee between errands, chatting with a friend in the line.

Coffee has been bringing people together for centuries. And as the coffee business grows, so too do our conversations over coffee, whether they are meaningless and silly or the most important moments in our lives.
Well I am not a heavy coffee drinker (I am more of a tea drinker, genmai tea to be specific), but reading these excerpts about coffee has definitely made me want to be one. Are you enjoying your cup of coffee now?
Melody

Texas State Capitol
Melody

Teaser Tuesdays

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!


Everyone had been certain that a friendship of two brothers and one woman could not last - that one brother, the better brother, would "take home the prize."

But Jonathan knew and took refuge in the truth - that even though Garret was so much more popular and accomplished and praised than Jonathan had ever been, they were equal in Thea's eyes.


(Pg 121, Slow Dancing on Price's Pier by Lisa Dale)

Melody

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This month's Mailbox Monday is hosted by Mari Reads.

Here's what I received last week:

1) So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti (purchased from The Book Depository)

2) Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts (The Book Depository)

3) The Taker by Alma Katsu (The Book Depository)

4) Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax (from the publicist)

5) When You Dare by Lori Foster (a surprise galley from the same publicist)


What books came into your house last week?

Melody
ISBN-13: 9780738722870
Publisher: Flux
Published: March 2011
312 pgs
Source: Personal Library



After reading Holly Schindler’s debut novel, A Blue So Dark; a well-thought and emotional story between a fifteen-year-old girl and her schizophrenic mother (my review), I just knew I have to read her next release, Playing Hurt, which was out in March. Holly Schindler’s writing not only entices her readers but her story and the characterisations captivate you as well. You couldn’t help but to feel connected to her characters, though they are merely fictional characters. Reading Playing Hurt has once again evoked such emotions in me, but the feelings and all are very different as compared to A Blue So Dark.

Basketball player Chelsea Keyes has a bright future ahead of her and that she is ready to attend college with her athletic scholarship, but her hopes are all shattered into pieces after a horrible fall during the game. What is left of her is a fractured hip (which she has slowly recovered after the surgery) and a low morale which makes her miserable the more she thinks of it. Instead of a triumph life she has dreamt of, she now feels her life is nothing although she is comforted by the fact that she has a sweet and caring boyfriend, Gabe, who is always there for her whenever she needs it.

Hoping to restore her cheerful and positive spirit, her parents decided to send her for a three-week boot camp program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she meets her trainer named Clint; a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who like her, is haunted by his past after his girlfriend died in an accident. Truth be told, she isn’t feeling too keen about the program and her worst fear is that accidents would befall on her again if she participates in any activities.

Clint, on the other hand, feels that work is the only thing in his life ever since of the passing of his girlfriend, Rosie. Unlike Chelsea, he gave up sports because it reminds him too much of Rosie and the accident. He simply didn’t have the heart and mind to play hockey despite the fact that Rosie’s accident has nothing to do with him or anything. Nevertheless, Clint and Chelsea are drawn to each other the more they spend time together and getting to know each other along the way. But as the three-week program is almost up, does that mean that their love and togetherness is coming to an end as well?

Told through Clint’s and Chelsea’s POVs in alternating chapters, Playing Hurt is a lovely story of two young characters’ journey towards finding hope and love, and also about exploring and finding their identity. Holly Schindler has once again captivated me through her wonderful storytelling but what made this a satisfying read is that these characters seemed real and honest to me through Holly’s skilful writing as she is able to capture the feelings and every emotions through their dialogues and you couldn’t help but to feel for them. I have to say I felt refreshed after reading this book as there is an uplifting note to it. However, I have to confess I wasn’t sure about Chelsea’s attitude to love as I got the impression that she and Gabe are in love from the beginning and that how could she falls for another guy she only knew for three weeks. But as I read further, I noticed that it is the connection that she feels with Clint (and vice versa) that speaks for everything and I felt myself rooting for them thereafter.

* * * * *

Did you miss reading my post on my interview with Holly Schindler? Here's the link.
Melody
Starting today for my Wordless Wednesday feature, I will post pictures of some of the places my husband visited when he travelled to Austin, Texas and St. Paul, Minnesota for his business trip in March and April. I hope you will enjoy them all!

Texas State Capitol
Melody

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This month's Mailbox Monday is hosted by Mari Reads.

Here's what I received last week:

1) Hanging Hill by Mo Hayder (bought from The Book Depository)

2) Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (review copy from the publisher)

What books came into your house last week?