tl;dr Challenge

1) Books of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
2) American Gods by Neil Gaiman
3) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

2008 TBR Challenge

1) One True Thing by Anna Quindlen
2) Stars by Nora Roberts
3) P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
4) Sacred Cows by Karen E. Olson
5) Forbidden by Suzanne Brockmann
6) Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard
7) Next To Die by Marliss Melton
8) My Lover's Lover by Maggie O'Farrell
9) The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi
10) Halfway To The Grave by Jeaniene Frost
11) Almost Noon by Alice Sebold
12) First Drop by Zoe Sharp
Alternates:
1) The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
2) Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
3) A Student of Living Things by Susan Richards Shreve
4) In The Woods by Tana French


The Short Story Reading Challenge

1) Holidays Are Hell by Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu & Vicki Pettersson
2) Hell On Heels by Julie Kenner, Kathleen O'Reilly & Dee Davis
3) Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

I had enjoyed reading these books, but my favourites will be The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, Sacred Cows by Karen E. Olson, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly and In the Woods by Tana French.

In 1984 in a small suburb in Dublin, three twelve-year-old children wandered into the woods and only one managed to walk out alive. The boy has no memory, nor any clue to the disappearance of his other two friends, except his blood-stained sneakers when he was found gripping a tree trunk, terrified. The two children could not be found.

Twenty years later, that boy is now known as Detective Rob Ryan and working in Dublin Murder Squad. No one knows about his secret past except his partner and best friend, Cassie Maddox. When they are summoned to investigate a murder case of a twelve-year-old girl, Katy Devlin, who was found at the local archeological dig, it eerily reminds Ryan about the unsolved case of his two childhood friends, Peter Savage and Germaine Rowan.

To add complexity to the case, there is something about the Devlin's family that arouse the two detectives' suspicions, and then there is the Move the Motorway Campaign which Katy's father, Jonathan is an outspoken member against the project. Ryan knows his career will be over if his superior finds out about his identity, but he is very determined to solve the case, and most of all he is hoping to find some answers to the case which happened twenty years ago.

In the Woods is a highly addictive read as I was drawn into Tana French well-woven debut story involving Detective Ryan's childhood and the taut pacing murder case of Katy Devlin. The chemistry between Ryan and Maddox is another interesting read; as both of them have their dark past and issues to deal with. There is also a psychological element in this story, which had led me to ponder about each characters' minds and their behaviours.

This book is also the winner of the 2007 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. I cannot wait to read The Likeness, where in this next sequel, Detective Cassie Maddox will take the lead of another intriguing case.


Other review:
Bookgirl's Nightstand
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?

Well, the title is the first thing that had caught my attention when I found this book randomly on the New Releases shelves last year. I have never read anything by John Connolly, so I thought I will give this book a try since the blurb intrigued me. I am glad this book doesn't disappoint.

Twelve-year-old David lost his mother to cancer. It was also at that time that England is at war; and while David is still mourning for his mother and wary of how the war will affect them, he spends most of his time indulging in his books and fairy tales as they are the only thing that could keep him company. His father is away at work most of the times, and it doesn't help when his father remarries and he has to adjust having a stepmother and a new half-brother at home.

Later, he finds himself hearing things from the books and he is able to tell from their 'behaviour' if they are excited or angry. He didn't dare tell anyone about this for he fears everyone will think he is insane and lock him in somewhere else. It is as if the real world and the fantasy began to meld as one, and there he enters into a strange place where he will encounter a pack of hungry wolves and all the various strange creatures but nothing scares him more than the Crooked Man, which is an evil troll who will try all ways to tempt David in order to gain his power over the kingdom.

While searching for a way home, David soon finds he will learn some lessons about bravery, loyalty, sacrifice and finally the acceptance and the love for his family.

As much as I enjoyed reading The Book of Lost Things, I also find this story has touches my heart in many ways. I can totally relate with David about the loss of his mother, but it is his acceptance and the love for his family towards the end that warms my heart. Besides John Connolly's great imagination and his wonderful plot, another thing which intrigues me most is the re-telling of various fairy tales/folk tales that he put into this story (e.g. Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, Goldilocks etc... just to name a few). And as a bonus, I also get to read these origin tales at the end of the story, before reading the interview with the author and his thoughts about this book.

The Book of Lost Things is a wonderful fantasy tale which I am sure will suit both adults and the young. It is definitely a keeper for me.

Other Bloggers' reviews:

Everyday Reads
Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic
Stuff As Dreams Are Made On
The Written Word
Valentina's Room

Lily and Marcus meet for the first time after she tripped while stepping out from a taxi and Marcus helps her up. They later meet at the gallery opening, and Lily slowly warms up to Marcus' flirts because he seems friendly and he's handsome. He later asks her to live with him as a roommate, and Lily sees no harm in it so she said yes. She later learnt that Marcus is an architect and the loft they are sharing is designed by him. Before she moves in, Marcus shares the place with Aidan who works as a film animator and he gives Lily the impression he is quiet and distant.

But after Lily knows the room she has took over is previously occupied by Marcus' ex-lover, Sinead, she feels curious and puzzled about her moving out because she appears to be leaving in a haste as some of her clothes are still hanging in the wardrobe. When she confronts Marcus, he tells her that she is no longer with them and Lily took it that she is dead. But Lily isn't satisfied with the answer, and later when she thinks she is seeing Sinead's spectral appearance everywhere, the more she wants to find out the truth until one day, she spots the real Sinead and she begs her to tell her everything. And so Sinead shares her whole story through the second half of the book.

At first, I was intrigued with the story premise. I think Maggie O'Farrell had came up with a great plot and had done a good job in building up the suspense from the beginning. I could feel Lily's emotions and understand how and why she is feeling them, but there are also times that I think she is too trusting and naive because whenever she asks Marcus about Sinead, he would simply tell her it is too hard for him to explain things considering he is still hurt or he would just brush it aside. But nothing shocked me more than reading Lily agrees to move in with Marcus after their first meeting. I know we are not living in an age old generation anymore but still I think Lily should be more cautious before she decides to move in with anyone.

ISBN-13: 9780446618342
Publisher: Warner
Pub. Date: August 2007
336pp


This is the fourth book written by romance suspense writer, Marliss Melton. I first came across her book Time to Run two years ago and had enjoyed reading it, not realizing that this book is part of a series. I used to have this tendency of reading books out of order but this doesn't really bothers me provided their stories are not connected. However if I realize that the book is somehow connected and has sparked my interest, I will go out the way of buying the rest.

Next to Die is a thrilling romance suspense that has got me hooked from the first page till the end. Navy SEAL hero Joe Montgomery has been carrying this guilt ever since his mission failed and had lost his men in Afghanistan. Being the only survivor, he feels he is responsible in a way for the death of his squad even though in reality it isn't entirely his fault. After this incident and back at home, he becomes a changed person, indulging in drinks and feeling sorry for himself.

Penny Price lives next door to Joe and is attracted to him, but Joe is too busy indulging in his own misery and remaining anonymous from the media after the horrible incident. Being a trained navy physical therapist, Penny not only helps Joe in the healing but getting out of his own demons as well. However, she has her own problem too as she believes the person who is responsible for her father's death five years ago is back into her and her younger sister, Ophelia's life. After reading a journey left by their father, they are convinced that it was their father's partner, Eric Tomlinson, who had murdered him. But their judgement are wrong as they will soon find out, and as Joe goes out to protecting Penny he then finds himself attracted to her along the way.

Aside from these tensions, there is also a subplot of Ophelia and another SEAL Vinny DeInnocentis whose car she has crashes into. Vinny is smitten by her at first sight, but on the other hand Ophelia isn't sure about him especially she finds out he is four years younger than her.

I enjoyed reading Next to Die as the characters are engaging and the story is intriguing. I also liked the part where there is another villian besides Eric Tomlinson whom the author wants us to believe him to be from the beginning. However, I find it amusing that Ophelia is having a fuss about the age difference between herself and Vinny initially; the way she reacts it is as if he is ten years older than she is. I have some friends whose husbands are several years younger than they are, so perhaps this explains why Ophelia's attitude seems a little exaggerating to me. But I will leave it to you to find out whether or not if she and Vinny's relationship works.