Hilton Garden Inn
St. Paul, Minnesota
My husband stayed at this hotel for two weeks and despite it was towards the end of March, the weather was still cold.
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 started reading Simon Van Booy's Everything Beautiful Began After a few days ago and I just find myself entranced by his beautiful writing. I've never read anything by this author but I do read a lot of glowing reviews about this novel as well as his short stories.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On the walk back home through the dusk, she's going to ask her father for the story of how he met her mother.
All she knows is that someone fell, and that everything beautiful began after.
(Pg 7, Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy)
So my daughters are into Toy Story lately. No, scratch that… they love watching the animations and in fact, my eldest daughter has even pointed out a few characters for us: my husband and I are Mr & Mrs Potato Head (because they are the only couple aside from Barbie and Ken, and she knew we are too old for that, ha!), my youngest one the space alien (the reason given was, she too makes that little ‘Oooh’ sound occasionally), and as for herself she wants to be Jessie just because she thinks she is cool. My husband and I always have a good laugh whenever we watch the DVDs, especially when the three space aliens begin to make that ‘Oooh’ sound, or even on scenes where Mr Potato Head being get squashed or bullied and our two-year-old would squeal with delight and yelled, “Daddy!”.
Anyways, that enthusiasm set our goal for searching the three space aliens toys because all of us think they are the most adorable and yes, the hardest to find in stores. Can you imagine our thrill when we found these three little guys in a box at a shopping mall last Friday and I just grabbed the box without first looking at the price. When that excitement died down a little, I then took a peek at the price tag and was happy to note that it was on sale (costs S$65 and it makes me wonder what the original price was) so of course we bought it. And thereafter, I saw another box that piqued my interest and grabbed that box too (see picture below - a pop up tent that can accommodate two kids, or one adult if you are the petite size).
And finally, not wanting to end this post without a book-related issue, I thought I’d share with you some of the books I bought along the trip:
Sweep Vol I and III by Cate Tiernan (couldn’t find Vol II as it was out of stock)
The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo
Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer (Nightshade Series #2)
I also picked up the latest copy of Entertainment Weekly after seeing Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson on the cover and I wonder what is in store with the first part of Breaking Dawn, which is to be released in November.
So there you go on my shopping trip last Friday. Hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead!
Anyways, that enthusiasm set our goal for searching the three space aliens toys because all of us think they are the most adorable and yes, the hardest to find in stores. Can you imagine our thrill when we found these three little guys in a box at a shopping mall last Friday and I just grabbed the box without first looking at the price. When that excitement died down a little, I then took a peek at the price tag and was happy to note that it was on sale (costs S$65 and it makes me wonder what the original price was) so of course we bought it. And thereafter, I saw another box that piqued my interest and grabbed that box too (see picture below - a pop up tent that can accommodate two kids, or one adult if you are the petite size).
And finally, not wanting to end this post without a book-related issue, I thought I’d share with you some of the books I bought along the trip:
Sweep Vol I and III by Cate Tiernan (couldn’t find Vol II as it was out of stock)
The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo
Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer (Nightshade Series #2)
I also picked up the latest copy of Entertainment Weekly after seeing Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson on the cover and I wonder what is in store with the first part of Breaking Dawn, which is to be released in November.
So there you go on my shopping trip last Friday. Hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead!
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 Staci of Life in the Thumb.
Here's what I received last week:
1) The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman (from the publisher)
2) Pompeii: City on Fire by T. L. Higley (from a dear friend, Violet)
3) The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy (from Violet)
What books came into your house last week?
ISBN-13: 978-1407121116
Publisher: Scholastic
Published: July 2011
Format: Paperback, 448 pgs
Source: Personal Library
Forever is the final instalment of Maggie Stiefvater’s Wolves of Mercy Falls Series and readers who had read Shiver and Linger would be able to understand my anticipation and enthusiasm of reading this long-awaited novel; a series which have enticed many readers into Maggie’s world of werewolves unlike the others.
Forever continues where Linger left off but unlike the previous instalments, this book focused more on the struggles that Grace and Sam faced and how they are finding ways to improve (or hopefully to solve) the tricky situation they have fell into, together with the help of Cole, a friend of both who has the looks and charisma to charm your socks off easily (including myself) and Isabel, who I think has character no matter if you like her or not. Then, there are also Sam’s feelings towards Beck, a father figure whom Sam look up to and goes to whenever he has problems.
The beginning of the story tends to be going on slow in my opinion, but the pace picks up towards the middle and then there is no turning back. The switching point of views enabled me to get into each character’s mind (in particular to Grace, Sam, Cole and Isabel) and to feel the emotions they are through. To avoid spoilers and for other readers who haven’t read this series, I had chosen not to write the premise of what happened to these characters so all I have to say is there is a call for wolves hunting and that the lives of some of these characters are at stake.
While I enjoyed reading the romance between Grace and Sam, I had hoped that there would be romance between Cole and Isabel even though the emotions they felt for each other are subtle. In any ways I felt there is potential between them and I hope the author will write their stories in the near future.
Like any other highly anticipated and well read series, the ending is always the hardest to read because you never know where the author would take you and also, would the readers be able to accept a sad ending should it call for it. Forever, however, is one of those stories that didn’t wrap up with a big red bow. By saying this, I didn’t mean it to be a sad ending but rather an ending which makes you think, hope and to look back on the experience which the characters have been through. All in all, I enjoyed reading this series and I am glad to note that Maggie Stiefvater has a new release, The Scorpio Races, to be out in October in which she will take us into her world of horses and racing.
Well my reading progress may be slow as of late but in a way this is better as compared to reading slump if you ask me. Anyway, I am always thrilled to receive emails from the publishers/publicists on their upcoming books and I thought I’d share with you on the books which have sparked my interest.
The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman – This is the fourth book by Alyson Richman and it is about the reunion of a couple who haven’t seen each other for sixty years for they thought their other half had died in the Holocaust. The author weaves an epic love story that brings her readers to the glamorous pre-war Prague to the horrific Nazi Occupation and I am very curious to know where this story will lead.
So Near by Liza Gyllenhaal – This is a poignant novel about a young couple’s road back from tragedy after their two-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident when the car seat came loose. Cal, the husband, decided to pursue a lawsuit against the car seat manufacturer but his wife, Jenny, has other reasons and this is where complications set in. Their relationship becomes more complicated when a new acquaintance enters their life as they are not sure if his guidance is meant to pull them together or pushes them further apart.
Dry Ice by Bill Evans and Marianna Jameson – This is an intense thriller set in the frozen heart of Antarctica where a secret weather research station is built to ‘create’ the weather to the likes of an agribusiness. But a deal and a replacement set the designer with a vengeful plan into sending fatal weather across the globe targeting the agricultural zones and the protagonists have to crack his code before all are destroyed by the so-called ‘natural’ calamities.
So what books are on your radar? Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman – This is the fourth book by Alyson Richman and it is about the reunion of a couple who haven’t seen each other for sixty years for they thought their other half had died in the Holocaust. The author weaves an epic love story that brings her readers to the glamorous pre-war Prague to the horrific Nazi Occupation and I am very curious to know where this story will lead.
So Near by Liza Gyllenhaal – This is a poignant novel about a young couple’s road back from tragedy after their two-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident when the car seat came loose. Cal, the husband, decided to pursue a lawsuit against the car seat manufacturer but his wife, Jenny, has other reasons and this is where complications set in. Their relationship becomes more complicated when a new acquaintance enters their life as they are not sure if his guidance is meant to pull them together or pushes them further apart.
Dry Ice by Bill Evans and Marianna Jameson – This is an intense thriller set in the frozen heart of Antarctica where a secret weather research station is built to ‘create’ the weather to the likes of an agribusiness. But a deal and a replacement set the designer with a vengeful plan into sending fatal weather across the globe targeting the agricultural zones and the protagonists have to crack his code before all are destroyed by the so-called ‘natural’ calamities.
So what books are on your radar? Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Hello, everyone! Do you miss me? I sure miss you guys, considering that my blog has been so quiet lately and I apologise for that. In case you are wondering, I am still up and reading. For my friends who follow me on Facebook, you must have known that I have been spending too much of my reading time on playing Gardens of Time and Puzzled Hearts and let me tell you that these games are addictive, especially the former! But... do I ever regret of playing it in the first place? Absolutely not. Aside from taking up part of my time, I have to say not only I have fun playing them but I have also made a few friends along the way. To make things better, I just discovered that one of them (Hello, Melinda!) is a reader too and the other day she asked about a book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett and we ended up having a little chat via the comments.
Despite the fact that I have been spending some time on Facebook games, that does not mean that I will be giving up on reading entirely. Absolutely not! For starters, I love reading too much to give it up completely. My reading progress may be slow lately, but let me assure you that I am reading and my reviews will be up once I have finished reading the books, as always!
Anyways, I am currently reading Forever by Maggie Stiefvater and for those of you who follow this series, you would know that this is the final instalment of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series and I can't wait to find out what happened with Sam and Grace, as well as Cole and Isabel, both whom I think have enough chemistry to sizzle the pages also! After this, I have no idea what to read next as I have too many choices in mind - should I read the review copies sent by the wonderful publicists, or should I indulge in those books which have been on my reading list like, forever? Also, I have heard so many good things about The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy, and Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series starting with The Redbreast. What do you think? Any ideas? And to all Jo Nesbo's fans out there, do you know that there will be a film titled Headhunters based on his novel? (Watch the trailer.)
Onto a non-reading issue, I tried preparing a vegan chicken teriyaki steak yesterday afternoon and I am sad to say my attempt was a half success. The preparation took up some time though, since I need to boil the soybeans thoroughly to make them soft so that I could mash them. Frying them wasn't a problem, but I have to say it is surely a challenge to me to get the sauce right. In the end, I find the sauce to be a bit sweet to our taste, but overall it was a great experience and I have my husband to thank for for helping me with the soybeans mashing and listening to all my rants. We both agreed that if we want to make this dish the next time again, we'd better get a mincer quickly, LOL. (If you are interested in preparing this dish, you may wish to check it out on this link.)
Before I end this post, I am glad to note that BBAW (Book Blogger Appreciation Week) is here again! You can be sure that I will be participating and that I have a few bookbloggers I have in mind for the nominations!
Well I hope you all have a great week!
Despite the fact that I have been spending some time on Facebook games, that does not mean that I will be giving up on reading entirely. Absolutely not! For starters, I love reading too much to give it up completely. My reading progress may be slow lately, but let me assure you that I am reading and my reviews will be up once I have finished reading the books, as always!Anyways, I am currently reading Forever by Maggie Stiefvater and for those of you who follow this series, you would know that this is the final instalment of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series and I can't wait to find out what happened with Sam and Grace, as well as Cole and Isabel, both whom I think have enough chemistry to sizzle the pages also! After this, I have no idea what to read next as I have too many choices in mind - should I read the review copies sent by the wonderful publicists, or should I indulge in those books which have been on my reading list like, forever? Also, I have heard so many good things about The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy, and Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series starting with The Redbreast. What do you think? Any ideas? And to all Jo Nesbo's fans out there, do you know that there will be a film titled Headhunters based on his novel? (Watch the trailer.)
Onto a non-reading issue, I tried preparing a vegan chicken teriyaki steak yesterday afternoon and I am sad to say my attempt was a half success. The preparation took up some time though, since I need to boil the soybeans thoroughly to make them soft so that I could mash them. Frying them wasn't a problem, but I have to say it is surely a challenge to me to get the sauce right. In the end, I find the sauce to be a bit sweet to our taste, but overall it was a great experience and I have my husband to thank for for helping me with the soybeans mashing and listening to all my rants. We both agreed that if we want to make this dish the next time again, we'd better get a mincer quickly, LOL. (If you are interested in preparing this dish, you may wish to check it out on this link.)
Before I end this post, I am glad to note that BBAW (Book Blogger Appreciation Week) is here again! You can be sure that I will be participating and that I have a few bookbloggers I have in mind for the nominations!
Well I hope you all have a great week!
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 Staci of Life in the Thumb.
Here's what I received last week:
1) Love Story by Jennifer Echols (bought from The Book Depository)
What books came into your house last week?
The San Antonio River WalkTEASER 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 climbed back behind the wheel, laying the dress in the back seat, and then I cupped my hands over my nose and mouth, breathing the same breaths over and over again, my elbows braced against the wheel. I sat there for several long moments, looking out over the dash at the left-behind set of shoes.
It had been so much easier when I was the wolf.
(Pg 27, Forever by Maggie Stiefvater)
ISBN-13: 9781442403734
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: April 2011
Format: Hardcover , 320pp
Source: Personal Library
I have read many glowing reviews on Deb Caletti’s books but just haven’t got around to reading them yet. Thus I chose Stay while browsing through my bookshelves for my next read and how I wished I had read her books earlier!
Stay is about obsessive love and though it is a fiction, this happens in our everyday’s life and I think it is great that authors create awareness of this issue and not to mention as to tell the victims that it is all right to let the relationship go and to seek assistance should the other party made threats or became dangerous.
Clara Oates thinks she has found the right guy after she first met Christian at her school during a basketball game. After all, Christian is so unlike her ex-boyfriend. Christian is not only attractive but he is also a neat and organised person; and on top of that he always shows much attention towards Clara. At the beginning, Clara is flattered by his attention but the more she spends her time with him and get to know him better, the more she wants to escape from their relationship and most frightening of all, his obsessive love towards her.
Told from Clara’s perspective and with alternating chapters shifting between flashbacks and the present, Clara shares with the readers her close relationship with her single father who is a well-known crime fiction author, her new-love Finn and his family while they are staying in a rented house by the sea in Bishop Rock to escape the past (most of all, from Christian) and the secrets that her father has kept all the while relating to Clara’s late mother. From the opening of the story, Clara keeps the readers intrigued through her captivating voice and the prose used for her story:
In any way, Stay read like a suspenseful story, not the kind where we wonder about the bad and/or evil protagonist but that feeling is just the same. I could sense Clara’s fear and her strong intention of finding freedom and escaping from Christian’s grasp. From stalking Clara and tracking her at Bishop Rock, Christian’s behaviour is considered scary and viewed as a threat to Clara’s life. However, Bishop Rock is not entirely a cheery place either as Clara has heard too many ghost stories surrounding the sea and the lighthouse; are they simply rumours or are they not? And there of course, is the secret that Clara’s father harbour all this while…
Not only I find Stay is well-written but I think what makes this book a must-read is the message behind it - that no victim should feel guilty for the other party’s behaviour and she should seek assistance as quickly as possible should she sense something is wrong with the relationship. Obsessive love is not love and it could endanger one’s life should the other party decides to turn violent and causes harm.
Another thing I wanted to mention is, aside from Deb Caletti’s writing style I also loved she put footnotes on some pages for elaborations/explanations from Clara’s POV, in which I find both original and refreshing for I don’t think I have ever come across any books which did that for fictional purpose. You can be sure that I will be checking out the rest of Deb Caletti’s books in the near future.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: April 2011
Format: Hardcover , 320pp
Source: Personal Library
I have read many glowing reviews on Deb Caletti’s books but just haven’t got around to reading them yet. Thus I chose Stay while browsing through my bookshelves for my next read and how I wished I had read her books earlier!
Stay is about obsessive love and though it is a fiction, this happens in our everyday’s life and I think it is great that authors create awareness of this issue and not to mention as to tell the victims that it is all right to let the relationship go and to seek assistance should the other party made threats or became dangerous.
Clara Oates thinks she has found the right guy after she first met Christian at her school during a basketball game. After all, Christian is so unlike her ex-boyfriend. Christian is not only attractive but he is also a neat and organised person; and on top of that he always shows much attention towards Clara. At the beginning, Clara is flattered by his attention but the more she spends her time with him and get to know him better, the more she wants to escape from their relationship and most frightening of all, his obsessive love towards her.
Told from Clara’s perspective and with alternating chapters shifting between flashbacks and the present, Clara shares with the readers her close relationship with her single father who is a well-known crime fiction author, her new-love Finn and his family while they are staying in a rented house by the sea in Bishop Rock to escape the past (most of all, from Christian) and the secrets that her father has kept all the while relating to Clara’s late mother. From the opening of the story, Clara keeps the readers intrigued through her captivating voice and the prose used for her story:
“First off, I’ve never told this story to anyone. Not the entire thing anyway, and not entirely truthfully. I’m only telling it now for one reason, and that’s because an untold story has a weight that can submerge you, sure as a sunken ship at the bottom of the ocean. I learned that. This kind of story, those kind of things kept secret—they have the power to keep you hidden forever, and most of all from yourself. The ghosts from that drowned ship, they keep haunting.”
In any way, Stay read like a suspenseful story, not the kind where we wonder about the bad and/or evil protagonist but that feeling is just the same. I could sense Clara’s fear and her strong intention of finding freedom and escaping from Christian’s grasp. From stalking Clara and tracking her at Bishop Rock, Christian’s behaviour is considered scary and viewed as a threat to Clara’s life. However, Bishop Rock is not entirely a cheery place either as Clara has heard too many ghost stories surrounding the sea and the lighthouse; are they simply rumours or are they not? And there of course, is the secret that Clara’s father harbour all this while…
Not only I find Stay is well-written but I think what makes this book a must-read is the message behind it - that no victim should feel guilty for the other party’s behaviour and she should seek assistance as quickly as possible should she sense something is wrong with the relationship. Obsessive love is not love and it could endanger one’s life should the other party decides to turn violent and causes harm.
Another thing I wanted to mention is, aside from Deb Caletti’s writing style I also loved she put footnotes on some pages for elaborations/explanations from Clara’s POV, in which I find both original and refreshing for I don’t think I have ever come across any books which did that for fictional purpose. You can be sure that I will be checking out the rest of Deb Caletti’s books in the near future.
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 A Sea of Books.
Here's what I received last week:
1) Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (bought from The Book Depository)
2) The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo (visited MPH Bookstore on Saturday and found this! I've got The Snowman in my pile so I figured it is best to read in order)
What books came into your house last week?
I found this Harry Potter meme at Rebecca’s and Tasha’s blogs and thought it sounds fun (originally from Tif Talks Books). Plus, I am feeling nostalgic now that the Harry Potter movies instalments are over but I know he and the rest of the characters will stay in our hearts forever.
When and Where (when you first discovered the series): Believe it or not, it was actually the first movie that made me take notice of this series. Till today, I still regret that I didn’t read the books first before watching the movies.
Favorite Character: Hermione Granger. She is intelligent yet humble, and not to mention she is furiously courageous and loyal too!
Most Hated Character: Delores Umbridge and Bellatrix LeStrange. Both women are different characters wise but they are equally annoying and hated.
When and Where (when you first discovered the series): Believe it or not, it was actually the first movie that made me take notice of this series. Till today, I still regret that I didn’t read the books first before watching the movies.
Favorite Character: Hermione Granger. She is intelligent yet humble, and not to mention she is furiously courageous and loyal too!
Most Hated Character: Delores Umbridge and Bellatrix LeStrange. Both women are different characters wise but they are equally annoying and hated.
Favorite Book: Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. I thought the premise is very, very clever!
Favorite Movie: Can I say I loved all of them?
Rank the Books (1 = favorite, 7 = least favorite): Can you believe that I haven’t read the whole of the instalments yet? As to date, I have only read till Book 4 and I think one reason for this is that I didn’t feel the rush of reading the books after having watched the movies. I know, the books are supposed to be better and more detailed but… oh well. I guess it is a matter of time that I will get to the rest of the books.
Most Memorable Scene: Professor Dumbledore’s death. How could a wise and humble man like him (and not to mention being Harry Potter’s mentor) be dead?
What You Will Miss the Most: The characters, as well as the anticipation of waiting for the new book or movie to release. Oh the excitement!
What You Are Looking Forward To (even despite the end): Pottermore. And I hope J.K. Rowling will write a new series quickly!
* * * * *
Now that we are on the topic of Harry Potter, I saw a Lego box last night while shopping for a shirt for my daughter for her school play. I wanted to buy it because it has a Harry Potter theme but then I was hesitant because the price said S$129.90. My husband shook his head at me and said, “Well, it’s a Lego. What do you expect?”
Ended up we left the store empty-handed, except for the shirt we bought for my daughter. But the thought of having a Harry Potter Lego never leave my mind, so earlier this morning I visited Lego’s website and found the same model which cost US$49.99 excluding shipping and handling. I will then make a decision whether or not to buy it after getting a response from their customer service regarding the shipping cost outside the US.
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 A Sea of Books.
Here's what I received last week:
1) The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy (bought from The Book Depository)
And the following books are bought from Books Kinokuniya which I visited on Saturday:2) Forgotten by Cat Patrick
3) Chain Letter by Christopher Pike
4) Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist
What books came into your house last week?
For all the Haruki Murakami's fans out there, his much long-awaited new release, 1Q84 would be published in October (Yes, I'm so excited and I'm sure many of you do too!). I also checked out the covers from the UK and US publishers and think that both editions look absolutely gorgeous! What do you think? Which edition would you buy?
(US edition)
Book 1 & 2
(UK edition)
There is another cover for Book 3 under the UK edition so click the link below (Haruki Murakami's site) to view it.
Blurb from Haruki Murakami's site:
The year is 1984. Aomame sits in a taxi on the expressway in Tokyo.
Her work is not the kind which can be discussed in public but she is in a hurry to carry out an assignment and, with the traffic at a stand-still, the driver proposes a solution. She agrees, but as a result of her actions starts to feel increasingly detached from the real world. She has been on a top-secret mission, and her next job will lead her to encounter the apparently superhuman founder of a religious cult.
Meanwhile, Tengo is leading a nondescript life but wishes to become a writer. He inadvertently becomes involved in a strange affair surrounding a literary prize to which a mysterious seventeen-year-old girl has submitted her remarkable first novel. It seems to be based on her own experiences and moves readers in unusual ways. Can her story really be true?
Both Aomame and Tengo notice that the world has grown strange; both realise that they are indispensable to each other. While their stories influence one another, at times by accident and at times intentionally, the two come closer and closer to intertwining.
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 should have stayed in that moment and moved on from that moment, when Shakti grabbed my arm and squeezed. Instead, I watched him as he headed through the crowd, and he looked back at me and our eyes met again before he disappeared.
(Pg 5, Stay by Deb Caletti)
ISBN-13: 9781933633770Publisher: Melville House Publishing
Published: May 2011
Format: Hardcover, 208 pgs
Translated by: Michael Emmerich
Source: Personal Library
I first came across the name of Banana Yoshimoto when I read about Iliana's review on one of her books, Kitchen. Intrigued by the three factors (Iliana's lovely review, the author's name and the title as well) I decided to pick it up and read it. The end result of that decision have made me fallen in love with Yoshimoto's prose and I began to seek her books thereafter.
In this novel, Yoshimoto delves into the relationship between a mural painter and a student. Before your mind wanders anywhere else, let me assure you that the relationship between these two protagonists didn't fall into the 'forbidden' category. In fact I want to share with you that the encounter and the relationship between Chihiro and Nakajima is one of the most unique and 'strange' among all the books I read thus far.
30-year-old Chihiro paints murals and she has been living with her mother all the while until her passing. Being born out of wedlock and raised single-handed by her Mama-san mother, it is no surprise that Chihiro's childhood isn't all that happy. Although she still sees her father occasionally, there is no deep bonding between them as she knew her relatives, in particularly her father's family, don't treat her as their own. Despite this, Chihiro didn't feel much sense of resent towards them but she does feel sorry for her mother. The death of her mother affected her much in a way that she lives her life numbly, until she befriends a young man who lives across the street. You can say their encounter is rather special as they knew each other after they caught each other staring out from their windows.
Chihiro and Nakajima eventually live together in her apartment, but their romance is rather hesitant and a distant one. There may be times they feel they knew nothing much about each other, but yet they also feel they need each other at the same time. Chihiro has not much idea about Nakajima's past life except that he excels in his advanced program in genetics studies. It is only one day that he mentioned about visiting his two friends living in the countryside that Chihiro began to catch a glimpse of Nakajima's past and understand the trauma that he has gone through during his childhood which what shaped his life and make him what he is today.
Without spoiling the story, I won't indulge you with the details but I have to say hearing his side of the story astounded me. But aside from this (which I feel is the core of the story), it is also very much about redemption, the love of a mother and well, loneliness. I didn't mention much about my mother or her passing in 2006, but I just want to say that reading this book has evoked all the memories and emotions I had of my mother. Through Chihiro's narrative, I can totally relate to her and shared her grief. Towards the end, there is also a scene which made me think of the great love of a mother towards her child. However, is too much love and being overprotective a good or a bad thing? Will it lead to self-defeating results? (And no, this is not a spoiler.)
The Lake is a powerful story filled with emotional depth and will haunt you after finishing the book. Once again, I was mesmerised by Yoshimoto's lyrical prose and her ability in weaving a terrific, thought-provoking story out of the mundane, and that is no easy feat in my opinion.
I tend to forget my blogiversary for the past few years but not this year; after all today marks the 5th year of my blogging with this blog and though it may not deemed to be a long time, it means a lot to me throughout these years. When I first started blogging in 2006, I didn't know there is such a bookblogging community. At that time, all I thought was to put my thoughts into words on the books I read since I don't own a journal. Plus, I am not particularly a journal person so I thought turning to an electronic tool would be ideal to me. That first book I mentioned on this blog was Unleash the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It is not even considered a review but merely my thoughts after finishing reading the book and looking back, I just want to cringe at my writing. However, the thought of blogging is both new and exciting to me, so I figured I would continue to blog my thoughts on the books I read and to hone my writing at the same time.
Although I didn't give much thoughts on readership then, but still there are times that I felt a bit self-conscious by the overall blogging stuff but that feeling was overcome by time and the fact that I have came to know many bookbloggers as I go along. This is what a book community is, and what most matters to me is many of these bookbloggers who I have not met have become my friends. Because we share the same passion in books and that I trust your opinions on the books you read, my TBR pile has now grown to a horrendous tower and I am sure no matter how many bookshelves I acquire now or in future, they will never be enough.
I wish I could express my feelings more eloquently, but at this moment all I can say is: Thank you, thank you and thank you! To all my bookblogging friends, thank you for your book recommendations and for being you! To the publishers/publicists/authors, thank you for sending the books to me for review! And to the readers who lurk at my blog, thank you for reading and I hope that after reading this post you will decide to leave a comment (a simple "Hi" will do if you have nothing to say).
Happy reading all!
Although I didn't give much thoughts on readership then, but still there are times that I felt a bit self-conscious by the overall blogging stuff but that feeling was overcome by time and the fact that I have came to know many bookbloggers as I go along. This is what a book community is, and what most matters to me is many of these bookbloggers who I have not met have become my friends. Because we share the same passion in books and that I trust your opinions on the books you read, my TBR pile has now grown to a horrendous tower and I am sure no matter how many bookshelves I acquire now or in future, they will never be enough.
I wish I could express my feelings more eloquently, but at this moment all I can say is: Thank you, thank you and thank you! To all my bookblogging friends, thank you for your book recommendations and for being you! To the publishers/publicists/authors, thank you for sending the books to me for review! And to the readers who lurk at my blog, thank you for reading and I hope that after reading this post you will decide to leave a comment (a simple "Hi" will do if you have nothing to say).
Happy reading all!
My husband told me he took these pictures from a restaurant but he couldn't remember the name of it. I thought the view was beautiful!
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 A Sea of Books.
Here's what I received last week:
1) Shadow of a Quarter Moon by Eileen Clymer Schwab (from the publisher)
2) 在晴朗的日子分手 - 陳德賢作品 (from the author)
Self translation: Breaking Up on a Sunny Day by Takyin Chan
3) 愛在三度空間 - 江澄作品 (from the author)
Self translation: Love at Three Dimensional Space by Jiang Cheng
What books came into your house last week?
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