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 risk a glance, and St. Clair stares back. Deeply. He has not looked at me like this before. I turn away first, then feel him turn a few beats later.

I know he is smiling, and my heart races.

(Pg 107, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins)

Mailbox Monday

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 Alyce of At Home with Books.

Here's what I bought and received from The Book Depository:

1) The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus

2) The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

What books came into your house last week?

Archon: The Books of Raziel by Sabrina Benulis

ISBN-13: 9780062069405
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: December 2011
Pages: 400

Source: Publisher

Angels and demons. I think they are the next 'IN' theme after the vampires and werewolves but honestly, I can't choose among these as I feel each has its own mythology and they are intriguing to me all the same.

As you can see from the cover, Archon: The Books of Raziel is a book about fallen angels and in this story, our protagonist, Angela Mathers, is a blood head who, like other blood heads, are known to possess mystical powers. Angela, however, is plagued by visions of an angel who seems to haunt her even in her dreams and above all, she has heard about the power of an Archon who is believed to be the human reincarnation of the dead angel, Raziel. And if the hearsay is true, that means the Archon will rule the supernatural universe upon his or her rising and the consequence might be horrifying.

Angela doesn't want to think about angels or the Archon, as long as she finds peace and her self at Westwood Academy; after all she has been locked in a mental institution for two years (not that she is mad but because she is different) and she has escaped death for countless times, not that she has the choice in this matter as whenever she tries to hurt herself, something (or someone?) is always around to protect her from hurting herself too much.

And then, there is the mysterious novice, Kim, who attracts and fascinates her both at the same time but even he has a secret agenda as he tries to hide his being a jinn identity.

As you can tell, there is a lot going about this book and while I liked the mystical world Sabrina Benulis has created, I have to admit that the beginning of the chapters took on at a slow pace and some parts confused me but the plot tightens as I read further and soon I got caught up with the story. If you are a fan of paranormal, I am sure this book will appeal to you.

Deep Pockets, Linda Barnes

Wilson Chaney, a Harvard professor, comes to Carlotta Carlyle for help finding a blackmailer.  Turns out that he had an affair with a student, who has since died in a fire.  He wants Carlotta to retrieve some letters that he wrote to her and protect his marriage and his reputation.  But as Carlotta starts tracking the victim, the last few weeks of the girl's life, and the probable blackmailer, she discovers there is much more at stake than one Harvard professor's reputation.  Wilson Chaney is working on a new drug for treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, one that shows the promise of help for millions of kids-and for lots of profits to whoever gets it to market first.

Barnes' character Carlotta Carlyle is one of my favorite female PIs.  Carlotta-private investigator, sometime cabby, and life-long Boston resident, shows a resiliency and independence that is common in the best written female lead characters.  With a new love interest in FBI agent Leon, her quirky roommate Roz, and her little "sister" Paolina, Carlotta has her hands full even without a troublesome client and someone trying to kill her.  Add former love interest and mob boss Sam Gianelli, and there is enough personal and professional intrigue going on to keep the reader interested for all 320 pages.  While the mystery itself is not as intricate as some (I did figure it out by about half-way thorough the book), it is an enjoyable popcorn book.

Movie: Friends with Benefits

Right, let me start off by saying that I'm not a fan of Justin Timberlake (at least not in the past anyway), therefore this is not a gushy post about him but more on his latest movie, Friends with Benefits. I am sure many of you must have came across romantic comedies which have themes like the leading characters being friends (or even strangers) before they fell in love and became a happy couple. The theme may be cheesy, but they do happen in reality and I love such theme all the same.

Jamie (played by Mila Kunis) is a headhunter in New York and she has found Dylan (played by Justin Timberlake) to fill in the position of an art director at GQ. Prior to fetching Dylan from the airport, Jamie had fallen off with her boyfriend who thinks she is emotionally damaged. Jamie, on the other hand, has swore off men and relationships after the break up and focused her mind into work and helping Dylan in settling down in his new job in New York, after all Dylan is LA based and their personalities and mindset is way so different from each other. Jamie is loud, vocal and is not shy in displaying her emotions in public while Dylan is much more level-headed and prefers to stay in a low profile.

A few outings lead them to become friends, and it is one night while watching a show which revolves around romance and relationship and this got them started on discussing issues like getting physical without all the emotions attached. They then decided to make a pact to be sleeping partners but without those emotional baggage that comes along with it.

Things are going on fine between them until Dylan brings Jamie back home to meet his family, not to introduce them as a couple but as friends considering that Dylan didn't even bring his ex-girlfriend home. Jamie is awed by Dylan's family, for they made her feel at home and most of all, this trip makes her see Dylan in a new light. It makes her understand Dylan a bit more after seeing how he treats towards his father who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Dylan, on the other hand, started to have feelings towards Jamie although he wouldn't want to admit it, in spite that he is being accused of emotionally unavailable by his ex-girlfriend.

Dylan's sister thought Dylan and Jamie make a fine couple, but Dylan brushed it off and said they are nothing but friends. Being a cliché and all, we all know where this is leading to but still we want to see the chemistry sparks and their confession towards the end.

Friends with Benefits may have an old and cliché plot, but what I liked about this movie is the great chemistry between Mila and Justin, and not to mention their witty dialogues at times. Aside from these, I think supporting characters like Jamie's mom, Dylan's father and Dylan's gay colleague, a sports editor, all add entertainment to this movie and make it even more interesting. It was great having a few of those laugh-out-loud moments when you thought this movie is a tad cheesy, in which I wish to reiterate that I enjoyed watching the chemistry between Justin and Mila being onscreen lovers. Heck, I even have to admit that it was far off better as compared with No Strings Attached (starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher), another movie which has the same theme of friends became lovers and in my opinion, it somewhat lacks the poignancy and also that I felt the characterisations are a tad weaker.

And before I end this post, I have a question for you. Do you think a man and a woman can remain friends, especially in the long run?

Wordless Wednesday

In the mood for Chinese New Year . . .

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!

"Do you think I'm the Archon?" she whispered, almost afraid of what the answer might be.

"I think that there are better reasons Stephanie should be nervous right now."

Kim took her by the hand.

Then, with a cautious slowness, he covered her mouth with his own, gently relinquishing his kiss only so that the next one met her even more softly.

(Pg 94, Archon: The Books of Raziel by Sabrina Benulis)

I Still Don't Like Hemingway, But...

...if The Paris Wife is an accurate historical portrayal of his early literary life, then I feel like I can forgive some of his macho, sexist writing.

In case you lived under a literary rock for the last 12 months, The Paris Wife is the fictionalized story of Hadley Hemingway ne Richardson, who was Ernest Hemingway's first wife (out of four total).  Based on extensive research into the Hemingways' time in Paris, the novel starts in Chicago, where a young Hadley meets an even younger Ernest at a party.  Instantly drawn to each other, the two start an affair that eventually leads to marriage.  Despite the disapproval of both families, Ernest and Hadley set off for Paris, the happening scene for writers and artists in the very early 20th century.  Surrounded by such literary giants and Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein, Ernest sets about the serious business of writing.  Hadley, left to her own devices most of the time, loses herself in his career.  Over time, their relationship cannot withstand the darkness in his own soul, or his affair with a young editor at Vogue.

I've managed to read one and a half Hemingway novels, and a few of his short stories.  The one I remember best is Hills Like White Elephants,  about a woman who wants to have a baby with her husband but he wants her to have an abortion so he doesn't have to change his rather selfish lifestyle.  Not exactly endearing.  I've always been put off by his very violent ideas about manhood, and his rather apparent disrespect for women.  Having read The Paris Wife, however, I am better able to put his ideas in not just a historical context, but a more personal, emotional one.

What I didn't know about him before reading this book was that he was injured in the first World War, and that he spent most of the rest of his life trying to stare down death, terrified by his own morality.  Constantly afraid of being seen as cowardly or weak, he actively sought out experiences, like the bullfights in Pamplona, to convince himself of his own strength.  His war experiences, coupled with his depressive nature and the history of mental illness in his family, suddenly I see his overly-macho definition of what it means to be a man in a new light.  And while I still don't like his fiction, and I still think that he was a philandering sexist, at least now I have a context to put it in.  I now have compassion where before was only contempt.

Books Read in 2012

Here is a list of books I read in 2012. They are sorted in alphabetical order by the authors' last name.

B

Archon: The Books of Raziel by Sabrina Benulis

C

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

F

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Broken Harbour by Tana French

The White Pearl by Kate Furnivall

G

With My Body by Nikki Gemmell

H

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

J

Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James

L

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy
Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere by Lauren Leto

M

A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

Asylum by Patrick McGrath

The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook by Ben Mezrich

O

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

P

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

R

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman
Sleepwalker by Karen Robards

W

Overseas by Beatriz Williams

The Golden Hour by Margaret Wurtele

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

ISBN-13: 9780425244135
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Publication date: September 2011
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher

The Lost Wife opens with the ending, where readers get to read about the reunion of a pair of long lost couple being separated from WWII as they meet by chance when attending the wedding of their grandchildren. The subsequent chapters then bring readers to pre-war Prague and introduce us to these star-crossed lovers and how they fall in love and the difficult situations they encountered while they tried to escape the horrors of the war.

Josef Kohn and Lenka Maizel meet each other through his sister. Lenka and Veruska are classmates in an Arts Academy and Josef is a medical student then. They fell in love shortly but their hopes for the future was shattered when the Nazis invaded Prague. With the pressure of the war and not to mention that they couldn't bear to leave each other, they decided to get married. Josef's family even have plans to leave Prague and through Josef's cousin's assistance, they managed to get tickets to America but the sad truth is, the cousin could only sponsor Lenka but not her family considering she is Josef's wife and it is natural that they are to leave together.

However, Lenka refuses to leave her family despite Josef's begging. Josef has no choice but to leave with his family without her, but he promised her that he would try every means to get them to leave Prague. With this promise and hope in mind, they separated but fate got into their way and each believed the other was dead under some unfortunate circumstances.

Despite the sad belief, Josef and Lenka couldn't stop thinking of each other as they grit their teeth and try to move on with their life. Lenka faces fear and death every day, as she and her family are being transported to the concentration and labour camps and are forced to work for the Germans, be it hard labour work, painting postcards or even drawing plans for the Germans. However, Lenka's nightmare doesn't end there for they are later transferred from Terezín to Auschwitz where they are faced with more brutality treatments. Lenka is lucky to survive but her family and many of her friends aren't that fortunate as they are either gassed or shot to death.

At its core, The Lost Wife is a heart-wrenching love story that tells not only the unforgettable relationship between Josef and Lenka but also the love within family and friends as well. Through Alyson Richman's skillful writing, I felt every emotions evoke in me (I still do) as I read about Josef's and Lenka's love story as well as the misery and pain the characters have to face and endure during the Holocaust. This story has the ability to smile and cry at the same time; and what I liked most about this story is aside from the love story between Josef and Lenka, it is the courage and the resilient spirit of Lenka which what makes The Lost Wife such a memorable reading experience for me. On the other end, I was also moved by Josef's patience and determination of seeking Lenka throughout the years without fail (and his letters to Lenka, in which most of them are returned mails, made my heart melt).

Finally, and most important of all, this story reminds me again the history of the Holocaust and the horrors behind all. Needless to say, The Lost Wife will stay in my mind for a while.

Wordless Wednesday

Chinese New Year is especially early this year (23 - 24 Jan) according to the lunar calendar. I love shopping for this occasion, but I hate the crowd! Here are a few pictures of the decorations at the mall. And oh, this year is the Year of the Dragon!

Live to Tell, Lisa Gardner

Lisa Gardner writes psychological thrillers that show some of the darkest places that the human mind can go.  Most of her novels, whether stand alone or part of her D.D. Warren series, explore the complicated relationships we often have with our parents, spouses, or children.  Live to Tell is no exception.  In this fast paced, fairly creepy thriller, D.D. Warren and her team are called in to investigate the apparent murder/suicide of a family of five.  However, there are things about the scene that don't add up, and it soon becomes apparent that what was staged to look like a family annihilation was in fact the cold-blooded murder of a happy couple and their children.  When another family is killed in a similar way, D.D. knows that they are looking for someone truly disturbed, who appears to be reenacting a family annihilation from the past.  Tying all of the victims together is a child psych unit for the most acute cases-children who have psychoses so severe that they are a real danger to themselves and their families.  Danielle Burton, one of the psychiatric nurses, was the lone survivor of a family annihilation herself, and soon D. D. come to believe that she may be the key to solving the whole  case.

A word to the wise-this book is not for the faint of heart.  The description of he troubled children and the things they are capable of was chilling.  As horrific as the crimes themselves were, reading about a little boy who is so cunning and violent that he lies in wait for his mother in order to follow through on his threat to kill her was worse.  But the setting of the locked children's psych ward was fascinating, and the mystery itself had enough twists and turns that there is more than the slightly creepy draw of the psychotic children.   This popcorn comes with a side of crazy, but it is an enjoyable ride nonetheless.

Mailbox Monday

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 Alyce of At Home with Books.

Here's what I bought and received from The Book Depository - 2 more books by Daphne du Maurier. I just love her writing!

1) Jamaica Inn

2) Frenchman's Creek

What books came into your house last week?

Reading Challenges for 2012

Last year hasn't been a favourable year to me, at least when reading is concerned. Thus, I make it a point to read more books this year and unlike the past years, I won't be participating in too many reading challenges but the following three challenges fall into my most-read category so needless to say, I'm a participant for these three. Here they are:

Merely Mystery Reading Challenge 2012

Here are the rules:

The Merely Mystery Reading Challenge will last the entire year (January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012), giving participants a chance to read at their own pace. In addition, to make things easy, participants can complete one of two levels. One is for those of you who want a more relaxed challenge while the other is for those more serious about exploring the various sub-genres (click here for more info on the sub-genres):

Down on Her/His Luck Gumshoe - Read two or more books falling into any of the above sub-genres. Each book can be from the same sub-genre or can be varied among the different sub-genres. You pick the combination and the number of books.

Shamus Who Has Seen It All - Read at least one book from each of the sub-genres for a total of 12 books. If you are feeling ambitious, read more than one book from each sub-genre.

Making a reading list ahead of time is not mandatory, but it'd be great if you could share a few of the titles you are considering reading.

*Audio books and graphic novels are welcome.

*Crossover books from other challenges are okay.

*Cross-genre books are perfectly fine.

For this reading challenge, I'll be choosing the option of "Down on Her/His Luck Gumshoe".

Romance Reading Challenge 2012

Here are the rules:

1. The challenge runs from January 1st, 2012 through December 31st, 2012.
2. "Romance" isn't limited to steamy Harlequin novels. There is a huge selection of books in this category such as contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense and paranormal romance to name a few. As long as the story has romantic love between the two main characters your selection will fit this challenge. The novels do not need to have a happy ending either, there can also be unrequited love.
3. Choose at least 5 novels to read. You can change your choices at any time. Crossovers between other challenges are fine. All kinds of books count such as eBooks, Audiobooks ... etc. If you are looking for suggested reading see Best Romance Novels Today, Romance Novels on Wiki or Best Romance Stories. In Naida's opinion, you can't go wrong with Jane Austen, Nora Roberts, Nicholas Sparks and Georgette Heyer.
4. Read the books at your own pace in 2012 then post the link to your review(s). You don't need to have a blog, posting your reviews on Goodreads and LibraryThing counts as well.

2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge

Here are the rules:

• Anyone can join. The challenge runs from January 1st, 2012 through December 31st, 2012.
• You don't need a blog to participate.
• Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post on The Eclectic Bookshelf.
• Audio, eBooks, paper, re-reads all count.
• No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

There are four levels:

The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.

The "Fun Size" YA Reading Challenge – Read 20 Young Adult novels.

The Jumbo Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 40 Young Adult novels.

The Mega size YA Reading Challenge – Read 50+ Young Adult novels.

For this reading challenge, I'll be choosing "The Mini YA Reading Challenge".

Well, I hope that I'd be able to complete all the reading challenges this year. What reading challenges did you join?

Wordless Wednesday

I hope you all had a wonderful holidays! Here are a few pictures I took when we visited the East Coast Park during the New Year's Eve.

A Duty to the Dead-Popcorn from World War I

Take a soldier's dying wish, an independent battlefield nurse, a decades old secret, and a madman in an asylum, put them together into a deliciously engaging story, and you have A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd.

Here's what Goodreads has to say about the plot:

           England, 1916. Independent-minded Bess Crawford's upbringing is far different from that of the usual upper-middle-class British gentlewoman. Growing up in India, she learned the importance of responsibility, honor, and duty from her offi­cer father. At the outbreak of World War I, she followed in his footsteps and volunteered for the nursing corps, serving from the battlefields of France to the doomed hospital ship Britannic.
         On one voyage, Bess grows fond of the young, gravely wounded Lieutenant Arthur Graham. Something rests heavily on his conscience, and to give him a little peace as he dies, she promises to deliver a message to his brother. It is some months before she can carry out this duty, and when she's next in England, she herself is recovering from a wound.
        When Bess arrives at the Graham house in Kent, Jonathan Graham listens to his brother's last wishes with surprising indifference. Neither his mother nor his brother Timothy seems to think it has any significance. Unsettled by this, Bess is about to take her leave when sudden tragedy envelops her. She quickly discovers that fulfilling this duty to the dead has thrust her into a maelstrom of intrigue and murder that will endanger her own life and test her courage as not even war has.

I loved the character of Bess.  She was independent and strong-willed, traits I especially like in my heroines.  But what really made the book for me was the very British-ness of is all.  You've got the references to serving in India that always remind me of The Secret Garden, family estates, the whole upstairs/downstairs vibe, the country rectory, and the whole asylum thing.  Plus lots and lots of tea.  Todd brought a Victorian sensibility to the Edwardian era-change the war they are fighting and the reference to motor-cars and this book could have taken place 50 years earlier.

One of the things that drew me into the novel was the examination of the family dynamics that led to the tragic events that unfold.  So much of British upper class life was kept under wraps out of propriety's sake that figuring out exactly what is going on in any given family is a bit like opening one of those gifts within a gift-you know, where someone wraps a small box inside a larger box and so on-except usually what is discovered when you get to the final layer of these family dramas is not nearly as nice as a present.

This is the first of a new series by Todd with Bess as the main character, and I look forward to following her on many more mysteries.