Thursday 30 June 2016

When I Was Me by Hilary Freeman:opinion.

When I Was Me


The idea was good, not new but intriguing .The main character was more or less likeable at the beginning but I ended up disliking her. I didn't like the way she treated her friends nor her parents and she definitely complained a lot,which is understandable when you suddenly find yourself in a parallel universe, but I have the feeling she used to complain a lot in her actual universe as well. Her relationship with her boyfriend was a mystery to me, I just couldn't understand why she was interested in continuing with it.


To make matters worse the way(s) it ended was utterly disappointing to say the least.

Friday 24 June 2016

Stormy Cove by Bernadette Calonego: review

Stormy Cove

My first thought when I started this book and saw the long list of characters was a pleasant one, it reminded me of the novels by Agatha Christie.


The authors likes reading mystery novels and "sees her books as tales of adventure in which the characters, while perhaps searching for a murderer or love, become involved in the kinds of action that she would like to experience herself." Indeed,when I was reading this appealing story I felt like going to Newfoundland, find a little village full of secrets and discover them myself.

Bernardette Calonego has written a page-turner that won't disappoint readers. The characters are well developed and some of them may make you think of the people you know and what they may be hiding.

So pack up your winter clothes and your fishing gear and head for an exciting read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thursday 23 June 2016

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

Tell Me Three Things

Perhaps this novel won't be considered a masterpiece of modern literature but I truly think that it can help teenagers who are in the same situation as the main character. So read the blurb and if you have done that and been there , read the book and you will see that there may be some light at the end of some tunnels.

Saturday 18 June 2016

As It Seems by Jayne Conway : review

As It Seems

 Love is complicated and marriage is even more. Jayne Conway explores the problems of two  upper-class couples in her novel in a realistic way.

For both Truman, a stay-home-dad o and Libby, a part-time worker and full-time mother, their marriages are not what they envisioned when they got married. Their partners have taken different paths and Truman and Libby find it difficult to accept the fact that their love dream is not what it seemed and certainly not what they wanted.

I think that this novel is about disillusionment, being disenchanted , a charming prince (or princess) becoming a toad.



The book reminded me of this quote by Leon Tolstoy:All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”



However, this novel is also about picking yourself up and dealing with it, making choices and moving forward. Finding a strength within yourself  you probably thought you lacked.You may even be rewarded with true love in the end.


I would recommend this book to readers who like romance and second chances.

Thursday 16 June 2016

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, The Blue Mansion in Penang , Malaysia

The so called Blue Mansion located on 14 Leith Street, is one of the places you cannot miss in Georgetown ,Penang. There is a 45 minute daily tour at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3.30 p.m and the price is around 17 RM per adult. These tours are in English but there are  tours available  in other languages as well.

The only thing that you won't like about it, is that it is not permitted to take photographs inside the house, which is a pity because it's beautiful. In spite of this drawback the mansion is worth visiting .


The mansion is also a boutique hotel for those who want a traditional style accommodation and there is a restaurant as well.



















Tuesday 14 June 2016

The Sisters by Claire Douglas: opinion.

The Sisters
The blurb made it seem quite interesting but I guess my expectations were too high. I liked it but I soon figured out more or less what was going on and I had read similar stories before. This is one of the very few disadvantages of reading a lot : unfortunately is highly unlikely to surprise an avid reader.


I enjoyed the descriptions of the city of Bath, though and I would recommend the book to fans of psychological mysteries ,however, if you consider yourself widely-read ,the way it ends may not catch you unaware.

Laplatia by Alexandre A. Loch

Laplatia

In Laplatia the author introduces us to a very original concept: a city where imagination is used as fuel and citizens are therefore not allowed to imagine freely.

Written in a way that may remind you of classic dytopian novels such as "1984", Alexandre A. Loch gives the reader food for thought . As a psychiatrist , he knows the inner workings of the mind and creates compelling characters.

He " likes to make people think with my fictions". According to him: " A book should provoke catharsis; induce the reader to reflect about himself, his life, and the society he is living in. For that, I usually use a sharp style that touches directly the reader’s soul."

This book is not an easy read, you will suffer with the characters and feel suffocated by the harsh conditions they live in. Without imagination and fantasy there is little hope and the author describes the atmosphere so vividly that it is overwhelming at times.

I would recommend this novel to adult readers who like descriptive novels, psychology and miss classic dystopian literature.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Saturday 11 June 2016

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda : review

All the Missing Girls

When somebody is missing in a little town everybody knows something about the disappearance they don't share with the police and the people from Cooley Ridge are no exception.

Ten years ago there were three girls and three boys: Nicolette, Corinne and Bailey who where inseparable friends and Tyler, Jackson and Daniel who were tied to them.

Corine, a young and lively girl suddenly vanished into thin air on the last day of the fair, leaving her family and friends behind.

description

What happened to her? Don't you want to know? Then, you will have to travel with Nicolette back in time and back to the place where it all happened ; the problem is... that it is about to happen again.

In the city Nicolette has a happy life, a flat , a job and a ring on her finger but a letter from her elderly father written in a moment of lucidity claiming to have seen that girl makes her return to Cooley Ridge, her home town . There she has to face the memories of her lost friend, a strained relationship with her brother Daniel, an ailing father and her ex-boyfriend's bright blue eyes.

description

There is this brilliant literary twist in which the author makes us go fifteen days into the future and then back again day by day.
Another girl has gone missing and the book becomes a page turner as the reader just cannot wait to find out the truth.Each day comes with a new and shocking discovery and not until the very end do we know what really happened .

This is what I felt:

Anticipation:
• : a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen
(a truth revealed in this case)
• : the act of preparing for something (I was afraid it wasn't going to be good)

(Merriam Webster)

The characters are well developed. My favourite character from the very beginning was Everett, Nicolette's Ivy League fiancé who has good listening and problem solving skills. He is someone she can rely on when push comes to shove. Not blue-eyed but reliable and the one who put the ring on her finger, but was he the first one?
description

Then there is Daniel, her brother, who is difficult to read. I usually dislike people whose faces show little emotion.He's married to Laura and will be a father soon.
Jackson, Corinne's boyfriend ,is somebody who could get away with anything and the prime suspect in her girlfriend's disappearance.
We also have Tyler, Nicolette's blue-eyed high-school sweetheart who has been waiting for her forever in spite of going out with Annaleise, the second girl who disappears and the one who plays a pivotal role in the story.
Many possible suspects and two missing girls, a puzzle Megan Miranda unravels brilliantly because in the end people have to pay their debts.

For many authors whose names shall not be spoken ,the transition from YA literature to adult literature and vice versa is not a successful one. However, Megan Miranda has done it perfectly; if you liked her previous YA books you will definitely love this one.If you like mystery and suspense, if you like to be surprised and if you like reading ,this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.


Tuesday 7 June 2016

Buzz Books 2016: Young Adult Fall/Winter : review

Buzz Books 2016: Young Adult Fall/Winter

This book is definitely a treat for avid readers. It is like going into a cake shop and being allowed to sample all those mouth –watering cakes. I felt the same way when I opened this book, I could start reading some of the most anticipated novels of the fall. These are just some of the many books you can enjoy:

If you feel like a thick slice of red velvet cake you probably like witchcraft, sorcerers, magic and fantasy, read THE HAWKWEED PROPHECY by Irena Brignull and A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING by Jessica Cluess.

If you are in the mood for something more exotic like Maruya (banana fritters) SOMETHING IN BETWEEN by Melissa de la Cruz about an illegal Filipino family in the US may appeal to you.

In THREE DARK CROWNS by Kendare Blake three sisters must fight to death for the crown, just like in a three chocolate cake, you never know until the end which one you’ll like the most.

REPLICA by Lauren Oliver Lauren is a different book with special instructions on how to read it. A modern approach to satisfy sophisticated Macaron lovers.

One of my favourite ones was THE HUNDRED LIES OF LIZZIE LOVETT by Chelsea Sedoti with all the ingredients of a good YA novel, just like a buttery sponge cake all the fruits you can think of.

These books are just an appetiser for a hungry bookworm like me; I will certainly work up a big appetite by the time they are published to read as many of them as I can.

Thanks to NetGalley

Monday 6 June 2016

The Love that Split the World by Emily Henry : review

The Love That Split the World
It is hard to believe this is a debut novel , according to the author Emily Henry "this book is about windows: standing in one place and looking out beyond it"and there are indeed many "windows" in this book. "Windows" into the past ,the future and into different lives which make the novel quite complex with many subplots: abusive parents, neglectful parents, growing up, romance, feminism, emotional health ,cross-cultural adoption...everything taking place in a wonderful Kentucky summer because the writer "wanted to write about a place where time doesn’t mean quite as much as it does elsewhere".

As to the characters ,I must say that I truly admired Natalie in many ways, her resilience was outstanding.

What I liked most about the book was the somewhat disturbing traditional stories from the First Nations: Iroquois, Natchez,Sioux, Seneca,Caddo,Onondaga-Iroquois and Kwakiutl. What happens in the book is explained in those traditional stories and so is the end of the novel.


I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for something more than a YA romance/paranormal/coming-of-age novel .