PURPLE QUEEN FAIRY READS

Year 2011 has been a busy and an interesting year. I did a total of about 118 posts for this year.  Very little for some but quite a lot for me.  Quite a fair bit (about half?) of them were committed posts with deadlines for publications as these are new releases that publishers depend on for online publicity. It would also be interesting to note that half of the books I read this year were e-books.  I still very much prefer a printed version but I guess this shows that I am also open to other forms of publications.  I also met a lot of interesting people through my blogging this year and even got to attend a seminar .  I look forward to learning from them as most of them are extremely experienced in this field which I am still very much a novice. I enjoye the networking opportunities and events that I cover for this blogs and the plans to expand this is very much a reality through this new site  and a revival of this old site .  While some might say blogging is history as they

Taken from the book jacket : Cat O’Nine Tales is the 5th collection of irresistible short stories from the master storyteller. These yearns are ingeniously plotted, with richly drawn characters and deliciously unexpected conclusions and with the added bonus of illustrations by the internationally acclaimed artist, Ronald Searle. I love the rich red cover of this book.  Very striking and attractive. A very much added appeal.  I wonder if the colour contributes to the sales volume of this book.  I wonder if any surveys were carried out on the appeal of covers vs sales of books.  Sorry, I digress. Anyway, there are a total of 12 stories in Cat O'Nine Tales.  Hm....shouldn't the title be Cat O'Twelve Tales then?  Perhaps it refers to nine lives a cat is supposed to have and I guess if you have been convicted of a crime and been behind bars, it meant that you have used up one life of the nine that you have. Is it? I don't know. Just thinking outloud.  Sorry, I digress

If you could wish for one gift this Christmas what would it be? That’s the question asked at the back cover of the book where the synopsis normally is and with that you have to take a leap of faith and leap into the book to find out more. Having had good experience reading Cecelia’s novels here and here , I jumped right in. The story of Lou Suffern is told to a boy by a police officer when the boy was caught throwing a frozen turkey into the home of his dad and his new family. While waiting for his mum to pick him up from the police station, Officer O’Reilly told him this story....everyday Lou Suffern battles with the clock. He always has two places to be at the same time and always has two things to do at once. One day on this way into work, Lou meets Gabe, a homeless man sitting outside the office building. Intrigued by Gabe, Lou gets him a job in his company. But soon, Lou begins to regret helping Gabe for Gabe’s very presence unsettles Lou – everyone likes Gabe and the things

Synopsis : When hotshot lawyer Elizabeth Brice turns up to collect her daughter Grace from football practice, the coach tells her she needn’t have bothered, as Grace’s uncle has already picked her up. The only problem is – Grace has no uncles. And so begins a furious race against time to save Grace from unknown kidnappers. Grace’s internet geek father John leads the search, forced to unite with his terrifying wife and even more terrifying father Ben, a battle-hardened Vietnam Veteran. Somehow they must find Grace before it is too late. But secrets from the past make the little girl’s survival more uncertain with every passing minute..... The Abduction is interesting and it’s not just about rescuing an abducted girl but more the unexpected circumstances surrounding her disappearance. The author is extremely talented in bringing the suspense forward and keeping it so real that you would just want to keep on reading. Just when you thought you know where the story is heading, anoth

In case you are wondering why boys are being left out after reading this , well, wonder no more because the publisher is also publishing a version for the boys. Entitled Triple Dog Dare , this one year devotion book follows the same format and concept as Truth & Dare (for girls) but the style are written to appeal to boys age 9 to 12. Even the cover has a boy shooting a sling against a gigantic robot. Is it the modern day version of David vs. Goliath or just a depiction of a boy going against worldly things or temptations of the world like internet, mobile phones, books (pornography?) which the giant represents? Anyway, here is what the back cover of the book says, So you think devotions are nothign but boring 'quiet times' for wimpy kids and Good Two-shoes?  Think again.  Being a young man of God is all about action. Really. Remember how David knocked down Goliah, Daniel faced those lions, Paul survived a shipwreck and Jesus stood up for a woman about to be killed? 

Love Finds a Way consists of 3 rather cheesy and short Christian romance novella. First, you have Blueberry Surprise which tells how love comes to Lorna, a young widow who’s not really ready to move on after her husband’s death a year ago. She’s still staying with her in-laws and working 2 jobs to keep herself occupied. Upon encouragement by her colleagues and in-laws, she went back to school and there she met Evan Bailey, her new coursemate who’s looking for a Christian wife in a Christian college. How stereotype is that? I mean there’s no harm in wanting to be equally yoke but to purposefully look for a wife like that, sorry, I just can’t accept it. The second story, called Grandma’s Doll is about Sheila who travels to her grandma’s hometown to choose something from the attic as a keepsake. She particularly wants her Grandma’s doll that she played with when she was young. However, grandma might have already sold the doll off to an antique dealer whom on the other hand had sol

Dare to Put Your Faith into Action! Truth & Dare is a devotional book targeted at girls from age 9 to 12. It is very thick as it caters for 365 days. The usefulness of this book is that it doesn’t start of any particular day or month of the year. Instead it started with a ‘weekend’ and users can start using it any weekend they choose to whether it’s in December, January, February or any time of the year. Truth Every devotions start with a verse that would be relating to the topic of the day. For example, on the topic of ‘ Who’s living your life? ’ the bible verse is Galatians 2 : 20 which says ‘I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.’ That would be followed by a couple paragraph of explanation on this title and the related verse. Dare Then comes the dare, which for this topic is – Give Jesus control of your li

Synopsis : What makes a good husband material? Someone who’s kind? Someone who’s brilliant in bed and puts the rubbish out afterwards? After 16 years of marriage to the charming but unfaithful Giles, Amanda’s sure of one thing : she isn’t going to make the same mistake twice. So when she, literally, bumps into charismatic property developer Angus Day in his cobait blue sports car there’s no way she’s going to fall for that charm baloney again - even if he does offer to pay for her damage. This time she’s going to choose someone suitable. Like the delightful Luke Knight, a caring, sharing new man who helps old ladies across the street – rather than throwing them into it. Amanda is smitten and despite the misgivings of her daughter Clio, she wants him to be her very own knight in shining amour. Amanda is in her 40s and she is looking into dating again after her divorce. Her 16 year old daughter encourages her to and even put a singles advert for her in the paper. She finds hersel

Synopsis : She stared into the speckled mirror, wondering how she had come to this. How could she, Holly Love, apple of her parents' eye, competent manipulator of invoices in Gorgon Office Supplies, have ended up alone and starving in a dead man's flat? How indeed? Most reluctant heroines would throw in the towel at this point. But Holly Love is made of sterner stuff. She's sworn to track down the cheating swine who ripped her life apart, and make him pay. But as she tries to keep her head in the face of a bizarre mystery, a gloomy old house, a hearse driving Elvis impersonator and a gang of vengeful thugs not to mention a garrulous and possibly possessed parrot Holly is forced to come to terms with a great truth. However bad things seem, they can always get worse. This is a rather refreshing book. First, it was set in the Blue Mountain in Australia and not in any towns or cities in the United States that you would come to expect. For the fact that I have been to Blue

Have you read Hope Underground ?  Are you inspire by the stories of the miners?  Here's an interview with Pastor Carlos Parra Diaz that was sent to me by B&B Media Group.  May you be further inspired. Q : In Hope Underground, you mention several instances that suggest God’s intervention. Did you personally experience God’s presence while there and, if so, how did it affect you? A : This recognition of divine intervention throughout the entire process of the rescue has been the consistent perspective of the miners, their families, the rescue personnel and millions around the world. For myself, I had always believed that God is real, a living God who chooses to be close to those who love Him. But during my weeks at Camp Hope, I experience for myself just how real God is and how deeply He loves the human beings He has created. And how directly involved He is in the daily lives of His children. Q : Through no fault of their own, all 33 miners were thrust into the world spotli

Synopsis : On the verge of resigning from the D.C. police force, Detective Alex Cross knows he can’t refuse this case. His partner John Sampson has a friend who has been framed for murder and is facing the gas chamber. His accusers? The United States Army. As a new woman in Cross’s life brings him hope in the face of a devastating loss at home, Cross and Sampson go up against codes of honour and silence and three ruthless killers. But a bigger threat lies in wait : their controller, a lethal genius who will introduce Cross to new depths of terror...the last of the FOUR BLIND MICE. It always gives me the quiver to share my opinion on books by such mega author. It gives me extra quivers if I don’t like the book. James Patterson has more books under his belt than most authors. He’s practically a brand rather than a person. Four Blind Mice is part of the Alex Cross series and it was first published 9 years ago. What can I say, it’s as expected as can be from an Alex Cross thrille

The following review was done last year but got lost in the draft folder (the irony of it!). I’m posting it as I wrote it last year. The book belongs to an ex-colleague. I have since, returned the book to the owner. Thank you, dear friend for lending it to me. :) Sypnosis  In April 1992, a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked into Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burnt all the cash in his wallet and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a hunter…. With anticipation from such an intriguing synopsis, I ‘delved’ Into the Wild about 6 months ago. 6 months later, I am still In the wild and it looks like I might not make it out. The book is only 200 pages, so no, it wasn’t the thickness, the prints were small but it wasn’t un-readable. So, what happened? It’s

Do you remember my wish in this post ? Well, talk about being at the right place at the right time :).  While in Singapore over the weekend, I made it a point to drop by Bookfest @ Singapore 2011 which is currently being held in Suntec Convention. It opens daily from 10 am onwards.  Admission is free. Entrance to the hall I reached there around 11 am on a Sunday.  It wasn't very packed.  The event felt more like a huge bookstore rather than book festival. It is very well sectioned and systematic with English language books on one side of the hall and Chinese books on the other end. The whole set up reminded me of Popular Warehouse Sales that I have attended but without the discounted books. There’s a huge range of books and stationeries available but unfortunately, the books were not very cheap and the most discount given was around 20% only. For example, I bought a Geromino Stilton book (for YA) at 20% discount but the same book is being retailed at 15% cheaper in Singapor

Synopsis : It was the longest underground entrapment in history. For 10 weeks the faith and endurance of a group of Chilean miners, their families and rescue workers were severely tested as the miners reminded trapped 700 meters below the Atacama Desert. Many feared the rescue effort would be merely a body-recovery process. Yet instead of abandoning hope, the miners’ families chose to place themselves at the mercy of the elements and camp around the mind – in what later became known as Camp Hope – uniting in their prayers for a miracle. The Chilean Government and the rescue team, despite several major setbacks, never gave up. On the contrary, President Pinera reaffirmed his country’s commitment to saving the miners while at the same time acknowledging that only God could help them succeed in this impossible mission. For their part, the trapped miners clung to the belief that this was not to be their end, and with faith and hope fought against almost certain death. And God di

Synopsis : Ride the rollercoaster of Shiloh Jacobs’s life as her dreams derail, sending her on a downward spiral from the heights of an AP job in Tokyo to penniless in rural Virginia. Trapped in a world so foreign to her sensibilities and surrounded by a quirky group of friends, will she break through her hardened prejudices before she loses those who want to help her? Can she find the key to what changed her estranged mother’s life so powerfully before her death that she became a different woman—and can it help Shiloh too? Shiloh Jacobs thought she's on top of the world with her dream job as an award winning journalist with Associated Press in Tokyo, Japan and a dream man in her Argentinean boyfriend, Carlos. Unfortunately, those dream turned into nightmare shortly after she arrives in the states to attend her estranged mother’s funeral. She lost her job (due to her own mistakes) and broke up with her cheating boyfriend and things are just not looking up for Shiloh and her

Synopsis In the kingdom of Geall, the scholarly Moira has taken up the sword of her people. Now, as queen, she must prepare her subjects for the greatest battle they will ever fight – against an enemy more vicious than any they have seen. For Lilith, the most powerful vampire in the world, has followed the circle of six through time to Gaell. Moira also has a personal score to settle. Vampires killed her mother – and now, she is ready to exact her revenge. But there is one vampire to whom she would trust her soul… Cain was changed by Lilith centuries ago. But now, he stands with the circle. Without hesitation, he will kill others of his kind – and has earned the respect of sorcerer witch, warrior and shape-shifter. But he wants more than respect from Miora – even though his desire for her makes him vulnerable. For how can a man with an eternity to live love a woman whose life is sure to end – if not by Lilith’s hand, then by the curse of time? Valley of Silence is the third and

Synopsis : Blair Murphy has always worked alone. Destined to be a demon hunter in a world that doesn’t believe in such things, she lives for the kill. But now, she finds herself the warrior in a circle of six, chosen by the goddess Morrigan to defeat the vampire Lilith and her army. Learning to trust the others has been hard, for Blair has never allowed herself such luxury. But she finds herself drawn to Larkin, a man of many shapes. As a horse, he is proud and graceful, as a dragon, beautifully fierce, and as a man...well, Blair has seen her share of hunks, but none quite so ruggedly handsome and playfully charming as this nobleman from the past. In two months’ time, the circle of six will face Lilith and her army in Geall. To complete preparations and round up forces to fight, the circle travels through time to Larkin’s world, where Blair must choose between battling her overwhelming attraction to him – or risking everything for a love that can never be... Dance of the Gods

Synopsis : She wanted her husband to attend the town's society-driven church.  God answered her prayer in a radical way. After achieving what few believed possible, Mary Lynn Scoville felt empty, an emptiness that no shopping trips, European vacation or social calender can fill. Married to a handsome real estate developer and mother to three accomplished daughters, she is one Debutante Society invitation away from fruly having it all. When a surprise encounter leads her to newfound faith, Mary Lynn longs to share it with her husband but Jackson wrote God off long ago.  Mary Lynn prays for him on Christmas Eve and her husband undergoes a life-altering Damascus Road experience.  As Jackson begins to take the implications of the Gospel literally, Mary Lynn feels increasingly isolated from her husband and betrayed by God.  She wonders if there really is a more abundant life that Jackson has discovered, richer than any she's every dreamt of. Sunrise On The Battery was prett

Synopsis : In the last days of high summer, with lightning striking blue in a black sky, the sorcerer stood on a high cliff overlooking the raging sea... Belting out his grief into the storm, Hoyt Mac Cionaoith rails against the evil that has torn his twin brother from the family’s embrace. Her name is Lilith. Existing for over a thousand years, she has lured countless men to an immortal doom with her soul-stealing kiss. But now, this woman known as vampire will stop at nothing until she rules this world – and those beyond it... Hoyt is no match for the dark siren. But his powers come from the goddess Morrigan, and it is through her that he will get his chance at vengeance. At Morrigan’s charge, he must gather five others to form a ring of power strong enough to overcome Lilith. A circle of six : himself, the witch, the warrior, the scholar, the one of many forms and the own he’s lost. And it is in this circle, hundreds of years in the future, where Hoyt will earn how strong his

The Circle Trilogy by Nora Roberts consists of  : Book 1 – Morrigan’s Cross , published in September 2006 Book 2 – Dance of the Gods , published in October 2006 Book 3 – Valley of Silence , published in November 2006 I find this a pretty clever move to publish the books almost at the same time. Readers are able to follow the trilogy rather quickly, one after another, a month after the previous book(s) rather than wait for a longer time frame like most series. Dance of the Gods and Valley of Silence have been in my collection these few years. However, I never have Morrigan’s Cross and for quite some times, I have been thinking if I should just read Dance of The Gods and Valley of Silence without Morrigan’s Cross . Because it wasn’t an urgent decision, I didn’t make any. However, the intention was always there and I always would be on a look out for  Morrigan's Cross whenever I did any book shopping or when I’m at the library. Such, it was a moment of joy when I saw

Logos Hope is finally in Kuching . It was a rather warm afternoon when we decided to visit the ship after a rather scrumptious lunch in Puzzle Cafe. Part of me was rather apprehensive as there might be a crowd and I’m not too fond of crowds. Anyway, someone announced that most of her friends have been onboard already so kiasu-ism kicked in and off we went to Pending Port. As you can see from the pictures, it was a wrong move as the crowd really built up and we have to queue for at least half an hour to get on board. crowd started at the parking area There were some people that tried to jump queue right in front of me as I was taking photos. Do you think I allow that to happen? Some of the crew members were interacting with the crowd as they help with crowd control so that was rather nice. Still a long way to go. Anyway, as we entered the ship, we have to sit through a 2 mins presentation on Logos Hope which I totally forgot the minute the presentation ended. Sorry, with the crow

All these books arrived more or less at the same time, within days only although they were requested at different times.  It does make me wonder how the local postal system works as some of them were being held up in the post office for quite a while.  Perhaps Mr Postman enjoys reading too? My homework are : 1. Hope Underground - The 34 Chilean Miners. A story of faith & miracles by Carlos Parra Diaz 2. Sunrise on the Battery by Beth Webb Hart 3. Triple Dog Dare (1 year dynamic devotions for boys) by Jeremy V Jones 4. Truth & Dare (1 year dynamic devltions for girls) by Ann-Margret Hovesptan Much as I look forward to start them, I don't know which to start first!?  Perhaps all at once and confused myself in the process?  At the same time, I want to go to Logos Hope .  I haven't been yet, have you?

Logos Hope in Kuching - photo courtesy of Jerrick Studio After an exciting wait, Logos Hope is finally in Kuching, Sarawak. The ship will make Kuching its home from 28th October – 13th November 2011 . It will be berthed at the Sim Kheng Hong Port, Pending. Everyone in Kuching should know where that is. For those interested to go, please note the following opening hours : Tues – Sat : 10.00 am – 10.00 pm Sun : 1.00 pm – 10.00 pm Mon : Closed With exceptions : Mon, 7th Nov : 10 am – 10 pm Tues, 8th Nov – Closed Entrance fee is RM1.00 per pax and it’s free for children 12 years and below but must be accompanied by an adult. a brochure which I picked up a while ago The ship promised a total of 5,000 titles of books. I can’t wait to go. If you see someone going absolutely royally loco over the books, that would be the Purple Queen Fairy! :) See you there.

AZAM is loosely translated as Sarawak Movement for Progress Blogging is still something very new to me. It all started with me loving to read and having no platform to express my opinion on what I have read. A blog serves that purpose. However, the more I blog, the more my interest grow (and still growing) and such, it was a lucky moment when I was selected to attend a seminar on ethics and responsibility of blogging recently. I arrived super early for this event as I received numerous messages to be there by 8 am so I actually arrived before that as an act of being responsible! Anyway, I brought Tami Hoag along to keep me company so time passed pretty fast while I waited for the seminar to start. It was supposed to start only at 9.30 am!  I also had time to post on my FB and that made me felt real savvy indeed! hah! Tami came along for the ride The seminar had a pretty interesting mix of speakers. Actually, any mix would be interesting to me at this point! I super loved Dr Danilo

Synopsis : Growing up in 1930s America, Sidney knew what it was to struggle to get by. Millions were out of work and the Sheldons travelled America in search of employment. Grabbing every chance he could, Sidney worked as bus-boy, a clerk, an usher but dreamt of being so much more – a writer and what’s more, a writer in Hollywood. By a stroke of luck, he found work as a reader for a top Hollywood producer. Then, writing through the nights, he slowing built a reputation and found himself in demand. Although the war and pilot training for the US Army Air Corps interrupted things, Sidney returned to work with the hottest producers and starts in Hollywood including Cary Grant, David Selznick, Irving Berlin and Judy Garland. And his future was brighter still.... This is the self biography of Sidney Sheldon which he entitled The Other Side of Me . Sidney told his life story in the same way like how he told the stories that many loved... Naked Face, Rage of Angels, Master of the Games,

This image was in a forward email I received.  You might have received it too. Would you like for your books to be housed in this?  I certainly would!  It's so innovative and I can imagine how happy my books would be in such a shelf. :) I'm not sure whom to give the credit to but it's certainly a wonderful design. Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Synopsis : So your car has been blown up (again). A local gang has put a contract on you. There’s a psycho on the loose. When did going out for nachos get so complicated? When you’re Stephanie Plum, kick- ass bounty hunter. Life is never easy for this super-sassy Jersey girl and when Stephanie witnesses a robbery on her lunch break, things start to get a whole lot tougher. She must not only keep the local bail-jumpers in line but also find a ruthless killer known as the Junkman, before her finds her. And then there’s the mother of all challenges – staying faithful to her cute cop boyfriend, Joe Morelli, by resisting the charms of her seriously sexy mentor Ranger. Sounds like a tall order but this is Stephanie Plum. And when your partner’s an ex-hooker with a penchant for lurid spandex and your grandma likes to pack heat, you take it all in your stride. She’s sassy, she’s tough and she kick ass. At the same time, she’s vulnerable and can get real soppy. That’s Stephanie Plum for