SeaSands in the Sun

  My amazing cousin (who is my source of books) had this trilogy and after YEARS I decided to read them. It was a pretty good trilogy with lots of twists and turns and Cassandra Clare is amazing (as usual) to keep the reader hooked on to the plot. Although there were some parts that I had to speed read cause she is excellent in describing the situation, etc and I just wanted to know what happened next! (yes, I'm the impatient one here). Mind you, there are many characters and at some point I get confused and the youngest sibling is supposed to be 7 or 8 but he was portrayed like he was 4 (he was being babied too much) - I suppose in the next trilogy or something, he was going to be shown in a different light (you'll see that more in the third book (maybe the books are out, I have no idea!😛😛) - OKAY I checked and wikipedia has the answer - it's going to be followed by The Last Hours Chronicles..BUT nothing to do with these characters - the ones that will be connected to t...

I read a few books.. and it's going to take a few photos to jog my memory! Thankfully I took photos of the books that I read. I have a feeling I have deleted some off my phone though..hmm.. here it goes, in no particular order (cause I really cannot remember!) The series that I was reading in January was the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. She also wrote the Mortal Instruments (review here ). I must say this series was really well written. This is actually the prequel to the Mortal Instruments (the series is not complete yet). I really like the protagonist - a girl named Tessa Gray - who actually isn't sure what she is, but later finds out she has a gift of shapeshifting. There are many elements but to make it simple, it is a novel that is adventurous, romance and sometimes lighthearted. I really like the way Cassandra writes these books; adding twists here and there that I did not anticipate and summing it up all at the end. Kudos to her. Now, to wait for Book 6 from...

Read a few series in the past couple of months. First one being the Mortal Instruments' Series By Cassandra Clare . It's pretty cool and the female character in the book is awesome :) It delves more into angels & demons in opposing to the regular vampire & werewolf duo being the main theme of certain popular books at the moment. *However*, there are vampires and werewolves in the plot, but they get supporting roles. Basically this is a series of bad vs good and a breed of "Shadowhunters" - a race of human + angel to protect the earth from demons. I like the action in the book and it is well written. It's a bit messed up in the beginning about siblings-relationship, but you can anticipate that it was just a red herring, so it wasn't that bad. The movie is out and it was not bad either :) The 6th book is ONLY out next year May.. too bad for the quick catch up =/ However, here are the Infernal Devices Series, which is set before the Mortal I...

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...

I am so behind time, initially I was supposed to complete reading this book in December, but with friends visiting, preparations for Christmas and also the New Year had made me a lazy butterfly :) The book that I read was the final book of the Inheritance Cycle - Aptly named Inheritance. Paolini really pushed himself in this one, in fact, it feels a little bit too much..and the ending is [too] neutral for my liking. A smart move as he opened leeway for the story to continue. [Perhaps a new series??] This would be the first book that I've read that I actually felt sick/pain when I read the battle scenes. Good job, writer >.< The story had some endings for some of the characters, but all in all I enjoyed reading it, but the story became a little flat after the climax battle ended. Thank you for writing this cycle as you have made me love dragons considering there are in actual fact a gigantic version of the house lizards that I dislike oh so much! :P

I read a couple of books - both belonging to my 11-year old cousin! I was really anticipating for Book 2 of Heroes of Olympus to come out (spin-off from Percy Jackson Series) and the wait was worth it. This time the story revolves around Percy - who is a Greek demi-god who gets switched into the Roman Camp by Juno/Hera. He has to work with the Roman Demi-Gods (kids who has 1 parent whose a Roman God/dess) on a quest to release Death and save all of them from being destroyed. Riordan still writes with the same flair that keeps your glued and wanting to know more. I enjoyed this read - only part is that *spoiler alert!*             it's somewhat a cliffhanger! The second book - I didn't really fancy - perhaps I'm too old to appreciate it. It was written by a 13-yr old French Novelist. I wonder if the beauty of the story has gotten lost with the translation. It's a story of 3 girls on a quest to save Fairytale. Oddly, Death is on strike here and t...

The Book I read for October was excellent.Thanks Summer for lending this book to me. She couldn't put it down, and I can understand why! The book has 2 parts to it and it tells of the struggle of a Chinese woman who has a dream of being a scholar, just like her mother was. Being in China at that time, women were degraded and reading and writing was something only meant for the men. She gets sold to a rich man who owns a silk business.Thus unfolds a journey of her perseverance to learn how to read and write and how her wit saves her on numerous occasions.  Second part tells about the life of her child and the struggles she endures. It gets a little bit repetitive as it might seem that she has the same fate as her mother, but read on as her life story is all about seeking and finding closure.  It will take you on a very visual journey as the author has a great flare of describing things perfectly. It really feels like you're with the protagonist collecting the sil...

I have been tied up most of my September that I did not get to update my book of the month! I didn't get much reading done. A good friend of mine sent me a book that they used for one of his English classes (or something). I must say I enjoyed reading it a lot.    It's a compilation of short stories that talk about Indian expatriates living in the United States. Lahiri has the ability to make you glued to the story till the end. I must say it is a bit too much if you read it all in one read (for me personally), cause it's too much culture at one go. hehe She tends to leave the ending hanging and lets you make your own conclusions. I do know some people are not too keen on that but I think that's a way of adding a sense of unknown. There's one story in it (there's 9 in all) that has the same title as the book. I was taken aback at how literal it really meant, yet it held some mystery to it. Very interesting read and it gives an insight of ho...

Sorry for the delayed post! I read 2 books during August, couldn't get to do much reading because I was busy Holiday-ing (woot!) First book I read brought me back to my early teen years.. Someone donated a storybook for our Office Library and when I saw it..I reminded myself to read it when I could. One evening I left the office late and took the chance to read it. It's a typical, straight-forward teen love story. What can I say? It was nice reading it - sans the complication and the pain some books tend to have. Oh the good 'ol days! Second book I read was Book 11 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series (also known as Trueblood - the series are aired on telly..real good!~). This book I must say I was a little disappointed. I kinda forced myself to complete reading it. I read book 10 some time back, so i kinda forgot what the plot was. And with the author throwing in new characters and relationships - fairies, werewolves..shifters,uncle cousin niece,fairy grandfather..I got a bit c...

I had a wonderful time reading books 2 and 3 of the Inheritance Cycle. Book 2 (Eldest) talks more about Eragon moving on and accepting his role as a Dragon Rider and getting his training with the Elves. I will not elaborate further as there are some surprises and unexpected twists in it. Book 3 (Brisingr) exposes more on his responsibility and also touches more on his cousin Roran and their quest to fight Galbatorix (the main baddie). They need to defeat him, save the dragon egg(s) that he stole and set the whole Kingdom of Alagaesia free :) Excellent books and I absolutely love the way he writes! Paolini's description of the dragons are...... wow :) The way he infuses character into them is amazing. I really want a dragon right now! :D Book 4 - Inheritance; the final book of the cycle will be coming out in November 2011 and I absolutely cannot wait!! More information: Alagaesia

Yes I made the deadline!! Just about completed reading my book for May. I was quite tied up with work and a project I was working on in May. I read Book 1 of the Kane Chronicles . It is written by the amazing Rick Riordan ; the author of the Percy Jackson series and Heroes of Olympus . Kane Chronicles - The Red Pyramid (1st book of out 3) focuses on 2 siblings who are on a quest to rescue their father who mysteriously disappears in a web of spells, magic and Egyptian Gods. The book is pretty light to read, but sometimes I do get a little confused with all the names of the Egyptian Gods. It does pose as a good introductory for Egyptian Gods 101 ;) Sadie & Kane (the siblings) go off on an adventure that they did not bargain for and they are forced to undergo certain obstacles and a big dilemma is placed on their plate: Save their father or save the world? Read the book to find out. It's wonderfully filled with wit, humour and adventure. It has the right amount of sarcasm...

The book I read in April was an extension of the Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan. It's a new series called the Heroes of Olympus. It is a really good first book for this series. It starts with an introduction of a new 'demigod' and a new adventure with new found friends. The way Rick wrote, once again, is perfect; very smooth and easy to read. I haven't got excited in reading a book since..well since Percy Jackson series! The 2nd installment will only be out in Autumn..so I have a long wait! I hope everyone had a Blessed Easter. We have Labour Day holiday here, so it's a long weekend :) Also, Oreja's friend went to Spain and bought me this amazing FairyTale Book! :)

This is my book for the month of March. Many of you must've heard of Cecilia Ahern for her bestseller - PS I Love You. I read the back of that book, and didn't want to read further.. I don't like sad stories! If You Could See Me Now is my first book from this author. I must say I am pleasantly surprised. The story revolves around Imaginary Friends. You know how Imaginary Friends are normally seen by children? But this time a grown woman sees one! It shows a different and innocent side of love which is really beautiful. The only thing that I don't really like about it would be the over-excessive description of things..I zone out at those parts and scan through them. You will still be able to get the storyline even if you miss those. I'm currently reading another book by the same author now - A Place Called Here. I will feature that one for April :) *Update* I wasn't feeling well today, so I stayed home to rest. Managed to finish reading A Place Called Here :) The...

"Women hold up half the sky" - Chinese Proverb The book I would like to share with all of you this month is called Half the Sky written by Nicholas Kristof & Cheryl Wudunn. This couple are actually journalists who have covered stories worldwide. This book is a must-read for everyone. It shares candid stories of women all over the world and the difficulties that are faced by them. Prostitution, Sex-trafficking, Rape, War, Childbirth , Education - and how you can help. By reading you can understand a little bit more of how people are living in countries like India, Pakistan, Africa..makes you feel really blessed and fortunate. Most importantly, it makes me realise I should do something to help these women, and not just by donating. Sure the world is free from slavery, but these women are still tied down as 2nd class citizens; the book calls them the 21st century slaves. Unable to have a say in anything decisions, forced to do what their husbands/societies ask them to, it...

Hello! I just finished reading a graphic novel given to me as a Christmas present :) It was written from the viewpoint of the lead male character. I must say the Illustrations by Hoang Nguyen are excellent. They managed to compress a 900+ pages long book into less than 50pages. The transitions sometimes are not that smooth, but if you've read the First Book of the Outlander series, you won't get lost. I would recommend for those who are interested to read this to read the first book. Having said that, I hope you had a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

I must say that I did not complete any books for November! Was busy moving homes and I got lazy But I'm currently reading Diana Gabaldon's 7th installment of her Outlander Series - An Echo in the Bone. Super thick..it's going to take me a while..since I don't get to read it often! Christmas is coming! Have you started your shopping yet?

Hello hello! I read 2 books this month, and the third one that I'm reading..well it's 1000 pages long..so I'm going to write about it next month (Hopefully). Tried reading a romance novel..it's really thin, but it took me so long to finish it. The topic is very straightforward. If you like New Zealand, you might want to read this book revolves around people who live there and she explains a fair bit about NZ. I finally completed my Sookie Stackhouse Series! It was a good read and I heard that the author is writing book 11 as we speak. I truly enjoy reading this series as it's light and humourous at times. As opposed to Anita Blake series, this one sheds a less serious tone on supernaturals. I like!

I just wrote my entry and something happened!! Well I'm going to make it a short one. I failed to read a non-vampire book this month. I continued reading the Sookie Stackhouse series. I read book 8 & 9. It was mainly focused on werewolves and ..fairies. Trust me, you do not want to mess with these fairies. Book 9 told about the Fae war and there were lots of bloodshed. They're all not like Tinkerbell. I am currently reading book 10 but I'm procrastinating! That's all for now. Book #8 Book #9

Here's my monthly installment :) The first book I read in August was yet another one of Anita Blake series - this is the 6th book of the series. I didn't really enjoy it, it just got too twisted for me (vampire and werewolf lusting after the same woman). I read it gets more confusing in further books, so I'm giving this series a break for a while. You can read about the plot here: Wiki Second one I read was Stephen Clarke's A Year in the Merde . It's an account of an Englishman staying in France for a year. I enjoyed it thoroughly..and learnt some interesting French facts :) I thought the way he writes is very witty and he injects humour and sarcasm at the right spots. He covers language (how the French speak English, and how he speaks French), getting an accommodation (his apartment hunting stories are funny), how the French take their cuisine seriously to finding love to ways on how he evaded dog poop (top notch method!). I might consider reading his Merde series ...

I managed to finish 2 books in my time limit. I have to admit that I was a little lazy this month due to the World Cup (Sleeping and waking up at odd hours of the night). The books I read are book 3 and 4 from the Anita Blake series. Book 3 Is called Circus of the Damned and it introduces werewolves and some other weird creatures. I particularly like this book because when you think the worse is over..it gets worse! Lots of surprises. Me likey :) Write up Here . I just finished book 4 - The Lunatic Cafe today (phew!) and it focuses more on the werewolves and not so much on the vampires and waking up the dead. I still prefer book 3 to this one. Write-up on this book can be found at Anita Blake's website. Click Here .