Come read with me.. Jan - Sep 2013 :p

I have seriously abandoned blogging for a long time now.. but I'm happy to report that I have not abandoned my reading :) I just realised I only read ~4 books last year..which is TERRIBLE!!! So..atonement this year!

 

These books.. the Tiger's Curse series were practically shoved into my face by my 13-yr old cousin. She said.. You MUST read them, it's very nice. So I said fine.. I started reading the first book..hmm regular introduction of the protagonist, a 17-yr old American girl and then the introduction of a tiger. So I read further. So happened that this tiger was a Prince that had been transformed into a tiger to save his life from being taken a few hundred years ago, and he is supposedly of Chinese-Indian descent..and somehow this American girl is the key to unlocking his curse and freeing him from being a tiger. She has to go to India and visit certain locations to help him. There is of course, the villian, who wants to get his power from the Prince. There is also a Goddess that has a connection with this girl. I liked the concept, and there are many missions for them to complete to gain back his true form as a human. With each successful mission, his hours as a human increases.. 24 minutes, 6hrs, 12hrs, then 24hrs. It was really interesting BUT the downfall was..Kelsey, the main character was in a love triangle with the tiger, Ren and his brother,Dishan (who also is under the curse). There were so many facepalm moments, cause her emotions got in the way which really frustrated me, but the completion of the missions were what that really got me to continue the whole series. Well written, cause the author really made me angry with Kelsey! Too much petty romance, but the last book explained why everything that happened had to happen in that manner. There is also an issue with the time paradox. Interesting read and clever writing in incorporating the Indian culture into the story too.

April - Read this on my way to Cambodia. Nick is truly inspiring!!He shared about his life and his faith, and how to truly believe in God, no matter what happens. May God bless his ministry.

The Artemis Fowl Series. Now this one is LONG overdue. I read a few of the books when I was in Secondary School. I introduced this series to my cousin a few years ago, and thankfully, she had collected the whole series :D I finally read them all. CLOSURE! The first six books were well written. However the last 2 books seemed not to have the same strength as the first 6. Seemed rushed and not well thought of. This delves into the world of the Fairies (fairies, sprites, trolls,  and a child genius called Artemis Fowl. He wanted to tap into their gold to ensure his family's business and wealth will be sustainable. However. his adventures with these fairy folks somehow or rather will affect his conscience.Mulch Diggums, the kleptomanic dwarf was indeed an entertaining character.
I really enjoyed reading them.

Paulo Coelho..thank you for realigning my focus. Well I've to thank my sis for recommending his book. I re-read the Alchemist; read it many years ago. However, it means much more to me now. Manuscript Found in Accra is a very straightforward book - questions and answers. Great books.

 I just finished reading Eona tonight! I loved these books. (Yet again, another book series shoved to me by my cousin).

The story is set in a fictional kingdom which is ruled by the Celestial Dragons, but the setting is heavily influenced by Chinese and Japanese influence. I love it! Each dragon has a Dragoneye, a human companion. However, I love these books because it leads you to think that you have already guessed the plot, but then brings you a twist..sometimes a few twists and turns. Slightly reminds me of Mulan. However the love element in this is pretty straightforward (I think after reading the Tiger's Curse, everything else is straightforward.. seriously the amount of emotional roller coaster there can last me for a year!!) - at least here the main character does not deny her feelings (phew). I really enjoyed it and the way the battles were written was very good. Not much exposure of the dragons, but you will understand why when the story ends. The story follows the main character who is selected by the mirror dragon (she uses the Chinese Zodiac influence too) and the person's quest after the Emperor is slained and the only rightful heir is being challenged by his evil uncle who wants the throne too. The Dragoneye has to work together with the Emperor and a few Resistance Fighters to avoid power falling into the wrong hands. There is also the Rat Dragoneye, who is the villain. There is a fine line between friend and foe, and it shows how people work together for mutual survival. I really enjoyed these books! :)