TOMBS OF ATUAN is my second Ursula K. Le Guin book. Again, I’ve enjoyed it immensely. Like the first book, this is a also short book at 192 pages but a good read nonetheless. The synopsis above gives a good overview of the book.

Here, the magical journey continues where a young girl named Tenar is identified and chosen as the High Priestess of the Tombs of Atuan.

Angels & Demons is my first Dan Brown book and will certainly not be the last.

The novel had me glued to my seat turning those pages furiously and playing the guessing game right until the end. You wouldn’t believe who the culprit will be. It is a little over-the-top but still. . . Set in the Vatican City, this is one intriguing thriller that is full of drama. Robert Langdon is a Harvard specialist on religious symbolism (those who have read The Da Vinci Code would be familiar with him). He is called in by a Swiss research lab when Dr. Leonardo Vetra, the scientist who discovered antimatter, is found murdered with the word “Illuminati” branded on his chest.

BEDTIME FOR BONSAI is Elaine Fox’s latest novel. No, it has got nothing to do with the plant but everything to do with a cute dog (and romance). In this one, the highlight of the story is the socialite-looking, beautiful and good girl, Penelope Porter. Penelope plans to get back together with her no-good ex-husband and she also wants a baby. But it was for that very reason her ex-husband left her for another woman (he does not want any babies).

Penelope gets herself a cute puppy and she names him Mr Darcy. The problem with Mr Darcy is that he keeps sneaking over to the shop across the street owned by the new-guy-in-town, Dylan Mersey. Dylan is a very good looking bad boy […]

THE PAGAN STONE by Nora Roberts (NR) is the third book of the Sign of Seven Trilogy.

This one—the third book—is my favorite. It is Gage Turner and Cybil Kinski’s story. Both are able to ‘see’ and both saw a lot of visions—frightening ones. I really enjoyed the signature NR dialogues in this book and I like seeing these two kick each others’ backside for the fun of it. Things are getting intense just as evil gets stronger.

A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA is my first Ursula K. Le Guin book and I enjoyed it immensely. The synopsis above gives a good overview of the book. It’s also a fairly short novel with 197 pages only.

Ged (his true name) is destined to be an Archmage but he does not yet know that. As a child, he is called Duny. He is wild and quick, loud and proud, and full of temper. One day by accident he repeats aloud the rhyme that he heard his aunt uses to call a goat that has strayed, and the other goats come to him. That is how he is ‘discovered’ and is sent to learn from a mage named Ogion.

I must admit when I was a young girl, I slept with my books. I would tuck my Nancy Drew mystery (or any other book) and slid an arm under my pillow to prop it up a little bit while at the same time felt for it to ensure that it was still there. So when I read that sentence at the start of Inkheart, I got really excited. I am sure a lot of book-lovers are like that as well. Come on, admit it! *GRIN*

In Inkheart, Meggie’s father, Mortimer Folchart (Meggie calls him Mo for short), has a peculiar ability. Characters literally come to life when he reads aloud from books.

Charlie, a teenage boy, begins writing a series of letters starting on August 25, 1991 addressing them to his ‘friend.’ Coincidentally in 1991, I was 14 and probably the same age as Charlie. I put on the mindset of a teenager and began to read THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER.

Friendship, family, death, sex, alcohol, drugs: I could relate to what he’s trying to convey that affects young adults at that stage of their lives. The only difference is Charlie’s a boy and I’m a girl. One thing that is unusual (or perhaps not) about Charlie is that he cries very easily. He is also quiet. The way he writes almost makes me think of him as a girl. […]

When I first saw the Ip Man movie billboard starring Donnie Yen, I was intrigued by the title, which is the name of the legendary Wing Chun grandmaster. I must admit I was attracted to the fact that Donnie Yen (my favourite martial arts star) is playing the role of the grandmaster. I decided I must read the grandmaster’s life story before I watch the movie to appreciate it better.

I did some research and found this book, IP MAN: PORTRAIT OF A KUNG FU MASTER, written by his son, Ip Ching, who is now the grandmaster. The book is co-written with Ip Ching’s disciple, Ron Heimberger. I also decided to write this review only after I watch the movie. The book offers stories of the great Wing Chun Master’s life. It also provides a set of fifteen principles as a guide to mastery but none of the actual Wing Chun moves. […]