Princess Lilue

Out of the Blue by Belinda Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Surprisingly i really liked the book.. Initially i was interested in another of Belinda Jones' book, Cafe Tropicana, but somehow never managed to pick it up. By chance i came across this book, so thought i'd give her a try and i was not disappointed.

The story revolved around Selena Harper, who works on a cruise ship, going from one port to port and loving it. As her latest 2-month leave came around, she finds herself deserted by her newly-engaged best friend. Surprised to find herself feeling homesick, when she has no home to go to in the first place, she agrees to go along with Alekos, to the beautiful island of Crete. She believes him to be a terrible womanizer and only pursuing her because he could not believe that she would reject him. However, the more time she spends with him, she begins to question whether he is truly the person she thought he was..

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My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

i was drawn to the book mainly due to the trailer of the upcoming movie featuring Cameron Diaz. plus i've heard of the book for quite some time but it never got to the top of my tbr list before.

If you still haven't heard of the storyline, it's about how a family with a terminally ill child, genetically engineered another to be the Saviour. However, it came to a point where the child, Anna, no longer willing to be her sister's donor, files a lawsuit against her parents for the rights of her own body.

The book did touch on a few difficult topics and given the situation, a very heart-wrenching storyline. However, the book just didnt grab my attention the way it should.

Anyway, i have to say it was an interesting read. i don't hate it, but at the same time, it won't be part of my all-time favorite either.
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Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about reading trends… Do you find yourself forming trends in your reading? Is this a conscious act, influenced by either your own interests or current publishing fads?

Hmm.. that's a tough one.. i guess a little of both.. i like the supernatural related books - fairies, magics, vampires, time travelling etc .. so i tend to be more interested in those.. (think Harry Potter, Time Traveller's Wife, Twilight, Nora Robert trilogies).. but it also depends on what i felt like reading at the time.. i'd go from romance to thriller to religous to motivational, with no reason whatsoever..

However, if i find an author that i like, i'd try out his/her other books.. how i came across these authors could be due to current publishing fads like Dan Brown (i finished all 4 of his books in matter of weeks, but by his 3rd book, the plot was getting too obvious.. or maybe it was coz i read them all in 'one' sitting? )... or promotion of a new movie (currently reading My Sister's Keeper, Cirque Du Freak).. or these days i just pile up my TBR via recommendations by Goodread pals or from book bloggers'review..

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I usually go for the mass market paperback, but if it's a book i really2 want (eg Harry Potter), i'd buy the hardback. Not sure what's trade paperback though.. ;p

Waterstones, Borders or Amazon? or MPH, Kinokuniya, Times or Popular?
I used to love going into Waterstones back when i was in the UK. But they were a little pricey, but loved the atmosphere there anyway. I like Borders (The Curve - havent been to any of the other branches). MPH works too. hehe.. But Popular depends.. I havent been to Popular for quite some time, but recently i've been going to Popular coz MPH doesnt have the book that i wanted. Definitely worth checking out. I dont go to Times, mainly coz there's no branch nearby to me. Same goes for Kino, but somehow, i like Kino more than Times.. hehe..

Bookmark or dog-ear?
Sometimes bookmarks, but never, never dog-ear'ed my books.. it's a no, no for me..

Amazon or bricks-and-mortar?
I havent managed to go into the whole online bookstore thingy. I rather take the time to go over to the store to find what i'm looking for. Where i'd end up buying other than the book i was looking for in the first place.. haha..

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?
Random, by size. Unless they are part of a series or by the same author, they stick together, but not alphabetized at all.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Forever keeping. I havent managed to find a way to sell any even when i dont want them anymore.. :(

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep. Why would you want to throw out the cover?

Short story or novel?
Novels. I'd read short stories, but i prefer a full length novel.

Buy or borrow?
I borrow when i can, which is not much. So i end up buying most of the time, causing my pocket to cry endlessly....

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
I normally go by browsing, but since i've join Goodreads and reading loads on Book Blogs online, i've been buying a lot of books based on recommendation from Goodreads and book reviews that i find via various blogs. and my tbr list has been growing exponentially since then.. haha.. too many book, to little time.. ;p

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Both. I love to have a closure, tidy endings. But there is something to be said about cliffhangers. It allows you to make your own theory on how the story ends. and have potential follow ups...

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
That's difficult to answer.. haha.. i read at any time.. i guess i dont really do afternoon reading..i can do morning, but mostly bedtime reading. which with a good book, end up with me not getting any sleep at all.. ;p

Stand-alone or series?
I love both. I've answered this as part of Musing Monday questions.

Favorite series?
Harry Potter, Nora Roberts trilogies, Twilight saga

Favourite children’s book?
Anything by Enid Blyton, Neverending Story, Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys series.. etc..

Favourite YA book?
Harry Potter, Twilight saga, Vampire Academy

Favourite book of which nobody else has heard of?
The Adriana series, which i totally cant recall the name of the book... it's all about ballet, which i'm surprised no one seems to have heard of..

Favourite books of all time?
Harry Potter, Time Traveller's Wife, etc

Favourite book to recommend to an 11-year-old?
Err not sure..

What are you reading right now?
Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak and Hari Pertama di alam kubur

What are you reading next?
I just got myself some new books - My Sister's Keeper, The Book Thief and The Last Summer (of you and me)...

My fave at the moment..

Haven't met you yet

By Michael Buble

I'm Not Surprised
Not Everything Lasts
I've Broken My Heart So Many Times,
I Stop Keeping Track.
Talk Myself In
I Talk Myself Out
I Get All Worked Up
And Then I Let Myself Down.

I Tried So Very Hard Not To Loose It
I Came Up With A Million Excuses
I Thought I Thought Of Every Possibility

And I Know Someday That It'll All Turn Out
You'll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out
And I Promise You Kid That I'll Get So Much More Than I Get
I Just Haven't Met You Yet

Mmmmm ....

I Might Have To Wait
I'll Never Give Up
I Guess It's Half Timing
And The Other Half's Luck
Wherever You Are
Whenever It's Right
You Come Out Of Nowhere And Into My Life

And I Know That We Can Be So Amazing
And Baby Your Love Is Gonna Change Me
And Now I Can See Every Possibility

Mmmmm ......

And Somehow I Know That It Will All Turn Out
And You'll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out
And I Promise You Kid I'll Get So Much More Than I Get
I Just Haven't Met You Yet

They Say All's Fair
And In Love And War
But I Won't Need To Fight It
We'll Get It Right
And We'll Be United

And I Know That We Can Be So Amazing
And Being In Your Life Is Gonna Change Me
And Now I Can See Every Single Possibility

Mmmm .....

And Someday I Know It'll All Turn Out
And I'll Work To Work It Out
Promise You Kid I'll Get More Than I Get
Than I Get Than I Get Than I Get

Oh You Know It'll All Turn Out
And You'll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out
And I Promise You Kid To Get So Much More Than I Get
Yeah I Just Haven't Met You Yet

I Just Haven't Met You Yet
Oh Promise You Kid
To Give So Much More Than I Get

I Said Love Love Love Love Love Love Love .....
I Just Haven't Met You Yet
Love Love Love .....
I Just Haven't Met You Yet

I was just listening to the radio on my way home and there's this new campaign using that F1 guy, Mika Hakkinen as their spokespersons. He was promoting the "Don't drink and drive" campaign, saying that he's supporting it by becoming the designated driver when he comes over here.

I think.. why do we need the "Don't Drink and drive" campaign in the first place? Why can't we have a campaign for "Don't drink" ?! 'nuff said..

I mean, think about it.. what do you get by getting drunk anyway..? Sedap sangat ke benda tuh? We could always adopt the Malaysian way of "partying" all night.. lepak at the Mamak's place all night, with endless supplies of teh tarik (pulled tea), roti canai & tosei (local pancakes), surrounded by friends & large-screen tv... now that you can do every night & no worries about driving (except for probability of falling asleep before you reach home of course).. hehe...

That makes more sense, doesn't it.. ?

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about audio books…

What is your preferred method of listening to audio books? Where and when do you listen to them?

I've actually never tried listening to audio books before.. mainly because audio books are not very popular in my country and not as easily accessible. I would love to try, although i can foresee that i might just get easily distracted on other things, rather than concentrating on the book.. haha.. i do that a lot with music as it is.. i liked to have some "noise" in the background, especially when i'm driving etc, but i don't always "listen" to it..

If there are any recommended audio books out there, i would love to hear them..

I've been meaning to answer the BTT questions for a while now.. didnt realised i missed so many questions.. ;p But since they're all along the same theme, i thought i'd just compile them here..

What’s the biggest book you’ve read recently?(Feel free to think “big” as size, or as popularity, or in any other way you care to interpret.)
Most recent big-sized book i've read is The Bookwomen's Last Fling (Cliff Janeway novel) by John Dunning that i got from Bookexcess's last sale. This is my first experience of Cliff Janeway novels and i quite like the book. Heard that this one was not even the best of the lot, so i wouldnt mind reading more of this author in the future..

What’s the lightest, most “fluff” kind of book you’ve read recently? What’s the funniest book you’ve read recently?
I'm combining these 2 questions to one book - Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowen.. It's too fluffy for me really, but really funny.. a good fast read when u need it..

What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
Probably Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book and the Vampire Academy series.. I've been looking forward to read Neil Gaiman's book after reading the comments from fellow Goodreads and i wasnt dissapointed :) .. Now, I cant wait for the final instalment of the Vampire Series to know what happens to Rose & Dimitri..

What’s the worst book you’ve read recently?(I figure it’s easier than asking your all-time worst, because, well, it’s recent!)
If we're talking about recently, it would have to be Linda Lael Miller's book, I'll be home for Christmas. I dont know what was missing in the 4 short stories in the book, but it's definitely missing something that would have made it at least a good read.. quite a let down...

What’s the most serious book you’ve read recently?(I figure it’s easier than asking your most serious book ever, because, well, it’s recent!)
I've yet to finish reading Malam Pertama di Alam Kubur (First Night in the Grave) discussing about how ready are we to face death. Travelog Haji & Travelog Dakwah, both books depicting the author's journey to redemption (i guess that's the best word for it), in renewing his faith and getting closer to Allah..

Wow.. now that is a loooonngg list.. heheh..

Found this daily meme at http://thatsmyanswer.com/

Are you looking forward to the release of Dan Brown’s newest novel, The Lost Symbol, on Sept. 15th? Did you read, and enjoy, The Da Vinci Code?

I found this meme at Ceri's Not in the Pink. It is harder than it looks, especially since i havent read that much books yet this year.

Using only books you have read this year ( 2009), cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It’s a lot harder than you think!

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Share your ABC’s
3. Tag three people at the end by linking to their blogs
4. Let the three tagged people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website
5. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so there is a
big network of bloggers doing this tag

A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I've been meaning to read Darren Shan books for a while, especially since the movie is coming out soon.. So far the first book is quite interesting.. it's about a boy named Darren Shan and how he got involved with the mysterious Mr Crepsley from the Cirque du Freak. Will be saving my comments til i read the rest of the series.

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