Good luck!
Good luck!
Fill in the blanks for this weeks meme....
1. I always wanted to be a scientist when I was younger.
2. I really hate it when people treat/abuse the animals as if they are non-living things.
3. My best friend is living in the U.S.; however this doesn't keep us apart as we always keep each other in touch via snail mails and emails.
4. In high school I was a librarian, thus I got the privilege of borrowing two books instead of one.
5. My greatest fear is losing my loved ones.
6. My dream job is to enjoy what I'm doing and will never get tired of it, ever.
7. Some people really should practice some hygiene whenever they visit the public restroom.
8. My favorite author is Mo Hayder, and I always look forward to all her new releases.

ISBN-13: 9780307346384
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Pub. Date: September 2007
344pp
Then, Angel receives an email from an anonymous writer containing an intriguing chapter and this sparks her curiosity because not only the plot is good enough to keep her reading, but she is also wondering why the writer is behaving mysteriously. She brushes it aside, thinking that this is perhaps a tactic to keep her reading but as the emails keep on coming, she begins to panic as the mysterious novel, titled Blind Submission seems to be telling her story and she no longer trust anyone around her. There is her coworker, Anna who thinks she is her rivalry at work; her boss' assistant Craig who doesn't appear to like her and then, there is Malcolm whom she thinks he might be jealous of her 'relationship' with Damiano Vero, the Italian writer who has just sold his manuscript through her good judgement. Someone seems to be watching her and know what she is doing; and she fears that whoever it is out there is plotting against her.
This week’s question comes from Julie, who asks:
While acknowledging that we can’t judge books by their covers, how much does the design of a book affect your reading enjoyment? Hardcover vs. softcover? Trade paperback vs. mass market paperback? Font? Illustrations? Etc.?
Usually, it is the author's name that will catch my attention of a book, regardless if it is a hardcover or softcover, trade paperback or mass market paperback. If it is my favourite author, I will buy the hardcover because I know I just can't wait for the paperback to be released later although I still think mass market paperback is my perfect choice because it is lighter and easier to carry around. In my opinion, hardcover is more like a collector's item that one treasures and admires. I am not particular with the font printed on the bookcover though, because most of them are big and some even have it embossed, but it does take away my reading pleasure if the entire book is printed in small fonts as I don't want to spend most of my time squinting my eyes, especially not fun when I am reading in the late evening. It is very bad for the eyes since I am already myopic.
As for illustrations, I am not that particular about it although I have to admit I will most likely pick up an eye-catching cover if I am not familiar with the author. That said, I'd still pick up the other books out of curiosity though, since I don't want to risk the chance of missing any good books just in case.

Some options to choose from:
I will go with The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman, since I don't have too many books with flowery titles in my pile. Incidentally, I have also chosen this book for What's In A Name? Challenge hosted by Annie, so to me this is like killing two birds with one stone. ;-) (Note: Overlapping of books are allowed in these two challenges.)BUD-VASE: Just as a bud vase highlights the beauty of a single bloom, this challenge level asks you to read a single book with a flower in the title.
NOSEGAY: Like a small bunch of flowers gathered together, this challenge level asks you to read two or more books with the same flower in the title.
BOUQUET: Fill a vase with the bounty of the season. For this challenge level read four or more books each with a different flower in the title.
GARDEN: When you just can't get enough, this challenge level requires you to read six or more books with flowers or flowery words (bloom, blossom, petal, etc.) in the title.
Happy reading everyone!

ISBN: 9780230014916
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Published: March 2008
(Hardcover) 32pp
- Belladonna by Anne Bishop
- Feast of Souls by C.S. Friedman (Book One of the Magister Trilogy)
- The Mercenary by Cherry Adair
- Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh
- Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (Book Two of the Dresden Files Series)
- Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (Book Three of the Dresden Files Series)
Edited to Add (1.54 PM):
- Chosen by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast (House of Night Series #3)
(I received this book just a moment ago! Yay!)
Has anyone read anything by C.S. Friedman? I have never read anything by this author but I am so intrigued after reading the blurb of Feast of Souls so I have to have it.
I am currently reading Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg and though I'm only in Chapter Two (didn't read much over the weekend), I already like what I'm reading and can't wait to read the rest of the story. I am sure all booklovers will enjoy reading this book because it has a little suspense in it and what's more, readers will also get to learn a little about the publishing industry and last but not least, it is a book about books! I couldn't have asked for more. Let's hope I can find more time in reading this book so I can get to the review soon!
RandomnessHere's this weeks questions, and have a Happy Easter everybody.
A set of random questions:
1. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Mango
2. What shampoo do you use? Sunsilk Silky & Straight shampoo
3. How do you like your eggs? Half boiled with a dash of pepper and soy sauce
4. What's the first thing you do when you get online? Check emails
5. What is your favorite tv show? Unfortunately I don't watch too much TV nowadays
6. Which do you prefer, the sunrise or the sunset? Both are beautiful in their own way!
7. When is the last time you went to the mall? Last Saturday!
8. What was the last food that you ate? Bread with peanut butter spread
9. What is your favorite animal? Penguin
10. Do you collect anything? Books, haha... I used to collect bookmarks, but I'm beginning to collect poppets now. They're so adorable! I'm also collecting fridge magnets.
Goes to Jaimie from Bell Literary Reflections.
Congratulations, Jaimie!!!
Please send me your addy to melreadingcorner(AT)gmail(DOT)com and I will have
mail to you as soon as possible.Thank you everyone for your participation! It has been fun. :D
You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What?
(Obviously, there can be more than one answer, here–a book with a cliff-hanger is going to engender different reactions than a serene, stand-alone, but you get the idea!)

ISBN-13: 978-0099488460
Publisher: Definitions (July 2007)
Paperback: 304 pages
Translated by Anthea Bell
I suppose the printed blood stains on the book cover speaks for everything. The Strawberry Picker is an intense suspense thriller which I devoured from cover to cover. I found this book at the Young Adults/Children section; at the bottom right of the backcover it stated that this book is unsuitable for younger readers which I agree since this is a book about murder after all.
Eighteen-year-old Jenna has two good friends, Caro and Merle. They share a flat together and treat one another like sisters. When they heard of the murder cases whereby the victims were brutally stabbed, had had their hair cut off and their necklaces missing, all of them were terrified. The public even named him as the necklace murderer. Detective Bert Melzig has a hard time finding the clues and cracking the cases as the killer leaves no traces behind, although he thinks the killer is a fetishist as well who keeps the victims' necklaces as mementos.
Jenna is uncertain about Caro's new relationship when the latter told her she has a new boyfriend who no one has met. She is more horrified when Caro later told her she doesn't know his name either, however Caro feels otherwise as she thinks it is a game and that it is romantic in a way to make wild guesses of his name and earned his love further if she has guessed it correctly in the end. On top of this, he barely touches her too. Caro thinks he is sweet and their relationship is so special.
And when Jenna later meets Nathaniel by chance, she is immediately attracted to his shy and reserved way. She feels they have something in common, and from there he shares a little of his unhappy childhood memories with her. Jenna soon finds herself falling in love, but Nathaniel thinks she is behaving no different from the other girls he befriended and he decided to end it all with a heavy sick heart.

ISBN: 1845060245
Little Tiger Press (2004)
32pp
Ages: 3-7
- Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg
- Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harris
- Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood
- Decorated to Death by Peg Marberg
- Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
- Killing Fear by Allison Brennan
- Death's Door by Quintin Jardine
- Kiss of Fire by Deborah Cooke
- A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi
- The Sound of Language by Amulya Malladi
- Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Would you rather...
1. sky dive or bungee jump? None of them! I'm scared of heights.
2. eat a hissing cockroach or eat a slug? Eek! I think slug may be a little better than a hissing cockroach?
3. have lifelong free entry to all theme parks or lifetime free entry to all movie theaters? Movie theaters! Because there are always new movies showing...
4. spend one month without books or one month without tv? definitely without TV
5. have the ability to fly or be able to become invisible? To fly of course!
6. to have a personal shopper for life or a personal fitness trainer for life? I love shopping and would rather shop my own stuff so I'd choose to have a personal fitness trainer
7. be spiderman or be superman? Hmm... maybe superman
8. be stuck in the 70's or be stuck in the 80's? 80's. I love the songs during that generation!
Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?
I'm quite satisfied with my handwriting, so I'd say a 7. To me, what most important is it has to be legible.
Soup
Do you prefer baths or showers?
Anything goes as long as I am cleansed.
Salad
What was the last bad movie you watched?
I can't remember which bad movie I had watched because I have a short memory, and I haven't been to a cinema for some time.
Main Course
Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.
Reading, that goes without saying. I don't think it affects my life greatly except that it burns a hole to my wallet and that I need more storage space to keep those pile of books (and not to mention getting new ones as well)!
Dessert
Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?
Saxophone. I love listening to Kenny G's music. So soothing... it calms my mind and makes me relax.
How about a chance to play editor-in-chief? Fill in the blanks:
__________ would have been a much better book if ______________________.

ISBN-13: 9780451223371
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pub. Date: March 2008
400pp

ISBN-13: 9780446616850
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub. Date: September 2006
324pp
Annie soon finds herself drawn to the mystery and is keen to uncover the truth, but having a police detective boyfriend who refuses to reveal much of the information and an attorney mom who sleeps with her publisher. To make things trickier, then there is fellow reporter, Dick Whitfield who seems to be on her trail wherever she goes.
Other Bloggers' reviews:
Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Here are some of the books I bought recently.
- Before I Wake by Robert J. Wiersema (I'm not familiar with this author, but I am intrigued with the blurb)
- Predatory Game by Christine Feehan (This is #6 of the Ghostwalkers series)
- Falling by Christopher Pike (I'm a great fan of Christopher Pike since I was a teenager. He writes great YA thrillers/fantasy, but I understand he is also writing novels for adults nowadays)
- Broken Angels by Richard Montanari (I have not read his books yet, although I have read a few good reviews about them from fellow booklovers)
- Taking Pictures by Anne Enright (She's the author who wrote The Gathering, so I'm interested to read this as well. By the way, this book is a collection of several short stories and is listed as the Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2007 . This copy is a UK edition)
- Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult (I like her books; this is her latest release)



Booking Through Thursday
Randomness
Friday's Feast
Booking Through Thursday


