Naa naa m not here to talk about the chewing gums or mints of Chiclets

Its about my fetish for Chic-Lits read as chic-literature… it’s a genre of novels that most gals would swear by…But I was not one of them at least not until I moved back to Mumbai…

I don’t know how this transformation came by.. But well it has…

I always the mystery/thriller/drama intrigued gal…That doesn’t mean my interest lies in Robert Ludlum or Isaac Asimov.. that’s another genre I have never been able to get myself to read up but in my book shelf(which means my bed, my dressing table etc ) you would only find books of Sidney Sheldon – yep I have the whole collection

Jeffry archers, a couple of John Grishams and maybe a couple of astrology/horoscope books too stuff like Linda Goodman’s, Cheiro etc… even Sherlock Holmes and Perry Mason

But Chick Lits were never my thing… I don’t know I used to never get the impetus the urge to read it… whilst most of my friends and peers (ladies) would immerse themselves in the world of romance and sensuality with Mills N Boons, I would be busy being a woman entrepreneur with Master of the Game or  a successful business tycoon in the saga Stars Shine Down or the that of a mother whose lost her second son on the Christmas eve in Silent Night or about single  mother who realizes that the Plastic Surgeon to whom she had taken her daughter for a minor injury seems to be re-creating the face of his own dead daughter on every woman who enters his clinic requesting him for a perfect face in Let Me Call You Sweetheart…. The former 2, I guess most of you know are by Sidney Sheldon… the latter are by Mary Higgins Clark..

In between all this I even read a collection of short stories with Twists in the TAIL and the mighty famous Kane and Able…the epic saga of power,  rivalry and success… both by Jeffrey Archer…

Those were the kinds of books that would keep me engrossed for hours on end… and then came the magical fantasy world of  Harry Potter and LOTR series… and that’s when I fell in love with books all over again..

But Chick-Lits still hadn’t entered my life till Aarthi did.. Yes Aarthu as I wud call her… one of the boons of Chennai to me.. A close friend…Confidante…My friend, philosopher, guide..The only actual Sunshine for me in Chennai…. And she gave me Devil Wears Prada… yes the same that was later made into a film with Anne Hathway and Meryl Streep and as with most books turned movies,… the book was def way too good compared to the movie… and that’s how my love for this genre of books began… from Devil Wears Prada I moved on to Memoirs of Geisha… which was I must admit the most heart wrenching book I had every read…

Well.. my love for chick Lits dint end with just those 2 books…  well… a debacle in my personal life made me move back to my hometown Mumbai and from then on my fetish for these books have increased leaps and bounds.. I find myself staring at the rows of books in crosswords practically every weekend… or latest every other weekend poring over their collection and wondering which one to buy… I have already read and stocked up my book shelf—oh this time I really mean a book shelf with all the books by  Lauren Weisberger, sadly she has written just 3..The other two being Everyone Worth Knowing and Chasing Harry Winston…. C’mon Lauren I’m desperately looking forward to more of your stuff… and off late I’ve taking a liking to Sophie Kinsella too.. oh if you’re wondering who she is… remember the successful chick flick Confessions of a Shopaholic… Well…that’s hers

But apparently that was not the first book in the Shopaholic series… which I realized only when I barged in on the chick lit section of crosswords..Though my hands were itching to get themselves on to a copy of Confessions of a Shopaholic I decided I first need to test the waters before I plunge in and hence the first Sophie Kinsella book I picked up was Can You Keep A Secret.. And I must say I have got hooked on to her as well.. So much so that the next 2 weekends saw me heading straight to her sections and got myself 2 more Remember Me and the first in the Shopaholic series called The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic… and well I must say Mom more or less agreed with me when she saw the Shopaholic copy and said “yes you must read that cos it fits perfectly for you and I hope someday you wud quit being a shopaholic…” Well mom shopaholic or not I’m def a Bookaholic….

I soon plan to go on to complete the whole Sophie Kinsella novels collection and maybe hunt Crosswords for more of the Chick Lits stuff

The best part about these chick Lits are that you can identify with these so called female protagonists therein… you laugh with them… You cry with them… you yearn for love the way they do… you swear at the other bitches at work with them,.. And yet when you finish them you feel great.. They are like those feel good movies that you see… you watch them and enjoy them… at the end of the day you feel satisfied and yet they help to keep the fire to achieve something burning…

I hope someday I soon shall be able to write a chick lit book too….

Sigh… what’s the harm in Dreaming… someone has said Dreams are the first Step that you can take towards the reality that awaits you…. So let’s see if my dream can lead me to the reality of tomorrow

Till then signing off from Megzone…

Keep Smiling..!! Keep Rocking..!!! Keep Blogging…!!

Cheerios..!!

1. Belle de Jour 2010 power planner

2. Jimmy Choo shoes

3. Nokia E71

4. Balenciaga Bag

5. Technomarine Watch

6. Cosmo Magazine Subscription

7. Sophie Kinsella Books

8. Steve Madden flat shoes

and to top it all -

A loving, caring, and gorgeous boyfriend

TIA!

The most unpromising first sentence of a book I’ve read this year …
“Of all the crap, crap, crappy nights I’ve ever had in the whole of my crap life.”
– The first sentence of Sophie Kinsella’s novel Remember Me? (Dell, 2009)

Since I’ve already written enough about Eid as far as a full-blown experience, and the purpose behind the holiday I thought I’d just write a stream of reflections of this year’s Eid celebration which was very similar last year but also had some unique moments.  Morocco celebrated on Saturday, a day later than most of the rest of the world- go figure.

We left for El Jadida on Thursday afternoon with our sheep from the Palace in tow.  My eldest and youngest brothers-in-law picked us up so we didn’t have to bear the busy packed trains.  We didn’t arrive until 5-ish in the evening and we were all famished- a chicken dinner from the medina for us!

Our sheep rested comfortable in his room on the roof lounging on a blanket eating hay and sipping water.

The new kitten that was just a little fuzzball at Ramadan is now a toddler that is actually kind of amusing to play with.  His mother is still a grouch though.

We ate our favorite gamila with beef and prunes for lunch on Friday and our other favorite meal of fried peppers, kefta, fries and tomato and onion salad for dinner.  Nothing like home cooking!  I read an entire book- Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella the rest of the day.

On Eid, we waited until almost mid-day before making the sacrifice as everyone was determined to find a better butcher than the one we had last year- one who would treat our animal with a little bit of dignity. 

I went to the roof to watch, but kept my eyes closed during the actual slice across the throat and barely watched the rest.  Truthfully, I just wanted to feel the warmth of the sun on my face.  It was worth the wait and our sheep passed quickly, and their was no stepping on the head or throwing it to the side once it was removed from the body.  All around, the whole slaughter was a much better affair this year- was it just because I was prepared?

As I walked around the roof and peered over the ledges I saw people charing sheep heads in the square, people washing the sidewalks in front of their homes, and butchers in rubber boots wielding long sharp knives and air pumps drive two by two on mopeds around the neighborhood. I smelled cumin in the air* as people lit up their barbecues and starting grilling the liver, lungs, and hearts.

I ate one piece of liver which I still don’t like- even when it was over seasoned with salt and cumin.  I ate two pieces of heart which actually tasted just like a  nice steak, but I couldn’t get over that I was eating a heart and didn’t consume any more.  I ate a mandarin and some chocolate the rest of the day until dinner.

For dinner, we ate brochettes from leg meat which were delicious- even better than last year.  Spiced with red pepper, salt and pepper, onion and parsley and grilled to perfection.  We slid each bite-size morsel off the skewer with a piece of bread wrapped around it and dipped it in cumin and salt before it hit our tongues. We drank nice fat Coke (as in non-diet) to wash it all down.  Later, everyone ate steamed meat.  I didn’t want to ruin the nice brochettes in my belly so I opted not to try any and just ate a couple of cookies instead.

It was a short trip due to Monday work commitments, and we had to leave yesterday, but we at least stayed for lunch more brochettes prepared by my brother-in-law.  They were better than the day before.  Dare I actually say I like mutton?  Yes, but only when well spiced and grilled.

It rained hard on Sunday so we delayed our trek to the train station until it was too late and went to the bus station instead.  It was such an uncomfortable ride that when we got to Casablanca to change buses we opted to take a taxi to the Casa Voyagers station and ride back to Rabat via train- a good choice. 

Everyone, including us, was nervous about us leaving the safe haven of El Jadida where food was plentiful in the house as so many places stay closed down for days after Eid.  We were sent home with a water bottle full of olive oil, a loaf of homemade bread and 3 kilos of meat already cut up for brochettes.  We don’t have a grill or skewers so that should be interesting.

When we arrived to Al Kamra by taxi, we got dropped off in front of our favorite chicken place which was wide open and roasting chickens- we picked up some dinner.  Plenty of the hanuts in our neighborhood and some fruit sellers were also open for business and all our fears were laid to rest.  We may take a little trip to Label Vie to get a few items until the souk opens up later this week though.

All in all, my memories of my last Eid Al-Adha in Morocco are wonderful and happy.

*I never really believe people when they say they smelled something like cumin in the air.  I think they are just writing it for the imagination of the story, but I literally smelled cumin wafting through the air.

Martes 24 de noviembre del 2009.- Prepárate para enamorarte de la adorable Becky Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) en esta divertidísima comedia romántica. Viviendo en el sofisticado mundo de Nueva York, Becky busca desesperada un trabajo como reportera en una revista de modas y logra dar sus primeros pasos hacia su sueño con su nuevo par de zapatos, cuando consigue trabajo redactando artículos de finanzas personales en una publicación de la misma editorial. Para su sorpresa, su columna “La chica del pañuelo verde” no sólo se convierte en un gran éxito, sino que además se enamora por completo de su jefe (Hugh Dancy), tan atractivo como obsesionado con el trabajo. Pero Becky tiene un secreto que la llevará a vivir graciosos enredos que podrían echarlo todo a perder. Basada en la exitosa serie de novelas best-seller del New York Times escritas por Sophie Kinsella, y protagonizada por un elenco cómico perfecto (Kristen Ritter, Katherine Sigismund, Joan Cusack, Leslie Bibb, Kristin Scott Thomas.

Para que la puedas disfrutar una y otra vez, PINK CARPET MAGAZINE y DISNEY, te regalan 3 DVDs de esta pelí. Sólo tienes que enviar un mail con todos tus datos (nombre, mail y teléfono) a pinkmagazine@mail.com

The irresistible heroine of Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Takes Manhattan is back!-in a hilarious tale of mothers and daughters, mothers and sons, and one blushing bride who just can’t say no to saying “I do.”

Life has been good for Becky Bloomwood: She’s become the best personal shopper at Barneys, she and her successful entrepreneurial boyfriend, Luke, are living happily in Manhattan’s West Village, and her new next door neighbor is a fashion designer! But with her best friend, Suze, engaged, how can Becky fail to notice that her own ring finger is bare? Not that she’s been thinking of marriage (or diamonds) or anything…

Then Luke proposes! Bridal registries dance in Becky’s head. Problem is, two other people are planning her wedding: Becky’s overjoyed mother has been waiting forever to host a backyard wedding, with the bride resplendent in Mum’s frilly old gown. While Luke’s high-society mother is insisting on a glamorous, all-expenses-paid affair at the Plaza. Both weddings for the same day. And Becky can’t seem to turn down either one. Can everyone’s favorite shopaholic tie the knot before everything unravels?

Universally beloved by readers, Sophie Kinsella’s national bestseller, Confessions of a Shopaholic, introduced the irrepressible one-woman shopping phenomenon, Becky Bloomwood. Now, in this hilarious follow-up, Becky and her credit cards are headed across the Atlantic….

With her shopping excesses (somewhat) in check and her career as a TV financial guru thriving, Becky’s biggest problem seems to be tearing her entrepreneur boyfriend, Luke, away from work for a romantic country weekend. And worse, figuring out how to “pack light.” But packing takes on a whole new meaning when Luke announces he’s moving to New York for business–and he asks Becky to go with him!

Before you can say “Prada sample sale,” Becky has landed in the Big Apple, home of Park Avenue penthouses and luxury department stores.

Surely it’s only a matter of time until she becomes an American TV celebrity, and she and Luke are the toast of Gotham society. Nothing can stand in their way, especially with Becky’s bills miles away in London.

But then an unexpected disaster threatens her career prospects, her relationship with Luke, and her available credit line! Shopaholic Takes Manhattan–but will she have to return it?

Rebecca Bloomwood just hit rock bottom. But she’s never looked better…

Becky Bloomwood has a fabulous flat in London’s trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season’s must-haves. The only trouble is that she can’t actually afford it — not any of it.

Her job writing at Successful Savings not only bores her to tears, it doesn’t pay much at all. And lately Becky’s been chased by dismal letters from Visa and the Endwich Bank — letters with large red sums she can’t bear to read — and they’re getting ever harder to ignore.

She tries cutting back; she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Becky’s only consolation is to buy herself something… just a little something….

Finally a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life — and the lives of those around her — forever.

yippieee,,buku ke empat seri sophaholic,

awal buku ini nyeritain tentang honeymoon nya becky  kliling dunia ampir setaun,, (dia mampir ke indonesia loohh,,dan beli gamelan buat oleh2 hohoho)

dan ketika dia pulang, tiba2,,dia punya kakak!!

sang kakak totally different sm becky,,smua sifatnya berkebalikan,,

becky yang awalnya excited berat punya kakak sampe jd stress (sama hal nya dengan si kakak, stress punya ade kaya becky)

dsamping stress karena si kakak,,suze, sahabat baek nya becky juga uda nemuin sahabat baru,,(jadi si becky merasa ditinggalkan)

cuma  sang suami, luke, yang becky punya,, dan ternyata pernikahan yang belum berumur setaun itu pun terancam bubar,,(apa penyebabnya?bukan becky namanya klo masalah nya bukan belanjaan,,yepp akar masalahnya adalah sebuah TAS!!)

laluu bagaimanakah cara becky memperbaiki pernikahannya? apakah becky jd punya kakak? apakah suze bener2 uda ninggalin becky?

cerita seru tentang nafsu belanja becky yang kayanya udah mendarah daging di buku ini bakal menjawab semua pertanyaan diatas,,

selamat membaca

]]> http://inthecity2.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/un-week-end-entre-amis/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:31:07 +0000 aurelia http://inthecity2.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/un-week-end-entre-amis/ http://nishitak.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/certain-girls-a-book-review-with-some-mild-spoilers/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:04:08 +0000 Nish http://nishitak.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/certain-girls-a-book-review-with-some-mild-spoilers/

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner

If you have not read “Good in Bed”, do read it if you get a chance. It is a really good read; and far better than it’s rather suggestive title and cover would imply. It is also far better than this rather tepid sequel.

Certain Girls takes place about 15 years after Good in Bed ends. Cannie Shapiro (the heroine in Good in Bed) is now happily married to her dream guy, and she has a 13 year old daughter (from a previous relationship). She spends her time ghost-writing some science fiction novels and planning how to organize her daughter (Joy’s) upcoming bat mitzvah.

Cannie’s husband Peter is dreaming about having another baby and convinces his wife to try out for another baby. Following the trauma of Joy’s birth, Cannie’s not able to have more children, so it means finding a surrogate.

Joy is struggling with an identity crisis. She feels stifled and embarassed by her mother’s over-protectiveness. She has also stumbled across an old book written by her mother, which reveals certain family truths that disturb her.

The story alternates between Joy’s and Cannie’s points of view, so it makes it easy for the reader to understand their motivations.

Eventually, this is a family story that revolves around how mother and daughter resolve various issues that are tearing the family apart, and the life lessons they learn along the way.

My take on this novel:

I don’t know what I was expecting when I checked out Certain Girls; but it definitely wasn’t this.

The first half of the story was quite predictable and I found the mother-daughter fights to be a wee bit on the hysterical side – way too much drama for very trivial things.

For example, for half the book there is an ongoing drama about a Badgley Mischka dress that Joy wants to wear for her bat mitzvah and to which her mother strenuously objects. I just didn’t get why there was so much fuss over what seemed to be a non-issue. Cannie objects (not for financial reasons, which might make sense), but because it is too party-like for what is essentially a religious ceremony. I really felt that she was being quite unreasonable there. A young girl on the brink of a ceremony that symbolizes her entry into adulthood would definitely want something a llittle grown-up. Also, the dress sounded prefectly lovely and perfectly suitable to me.

In addition, I was quite disappointed by Cannie’s character. She was very lively and witty in Good in Bed, but here, she seemed to have settled down into becoming a suburban and somewhat whiny mum. She is unable to forget and forgive the people who have done her wrong in the past. I found that rather childish; I mean it’s been more than 10 years for God’s sake. Surely, you can’t still be holding a grudge against people!!

Well, anyway the hysteria builds up to a point where Joy decides to run away from home. And I must say, that is the point onwards where the story direction starts to move in a very unexpected manner. The end of the novel is a complete shocker; I just did not see it coming and neither will you.

In the end, I think the final bits of the novel redeemed it for me. I know the ending would have disappointed some other readers who were looking for something more upbeat, but for me I felt it was the only way to end the story in a strong manner, which gives enough substance to the rest of this otherwise lukewarm novel.

Be warned, it is a tearjerker though. Just perfect for those rainy days when you just want to curl up with a book under a blanket and go sob, sob, sob. I must say, I ended up with a rather runny nose after reading this one!

novel sophie kinsella lagii,,ceritanya tentang cewe yang tiba2 terbangun di rumah sakit dan mengalami amnesia,,tapi amnesia nya unik,,dia inget smua kejadian dr lahir sampe 3 tahun yang lalu,,jd dia ga inget apa2 aja yang terjadi mule tiga tahun terakhir,,

dia di bawa shock bertubi2 dengan kenyataan bahwa :

1. dia uda menikah!!

2. dia uda punya anak (kata ade nya)

3. ade nya yang dulu manis jd mirip anak2 punk

4. kenyataan pahit tentang ayahnya

5. ada orang yang mengaku selingkuhannya

6. punya rumah mewah serba mahal seperti impiannya

7. karir yang sangat cemerlang

dan yang paling bikin dia shock adalah kenyataan bahwa dia ngga mengenal kehidupannya, bahwa itu smua bukan dirinya,,

jd disini diceritain bagaimana dia menyatukan kepingan2 selama tiga tahun itu,,

seperi biasa, Sophie Kinsella selalu membuat buku kaya aer (**bukan dalam arti harfiah looh**) mksdnya bukunya enak dibaca

dan gw suka akhir ceritanya

This is my Amazon account where it has a gamut of things recommended for me. If you see closely, its a very diverse out whack set of recommendations. There’s children’s books, then zombie books and chic literature. When I met John, we shared the same gusto for Anne Rice novels. Its raunchy, seductive and darn right entertaining. We wanted to instill in Peewee the love for reading at an early age that’s why we started reading to him by the time we got home from the hospital.

My love for reading started late in my life. I hated books when I was in elementary and high school. I finished my book reports with a heavy heart (Have you read the unabridged version of Les Miserables? All 1000 + pages of it?). I started reading leisurely when I was about to enter college. My first book for leisure was “Choose Your Own Adventure”. It was the kind of series of books that you make the decision how the story takes its course. Then I progressed to classics like East of Eden by Steinbeck, Sonnets of Shakespeare, Mark Twain and Wuthering Heights. By college sophomore, I started reading Anne Rice, Stephen King and biographies of  the Elephant Man, Siamese Twins, Robert Ludlow and began purchasing Guinness Book of World Records. As you can see my interest in book subjects does not include romance. I was fascinated with weird subjects and factoids only now that I enjoy reading Chic Literature.

My Current Reads

John on the other hand loves reading scary stuff like zombies, apocalyptic events and biographies. And Peewee likes Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter books and David Shannon’s Too Many Toys.

Some of John's Books

Peewee and some of his books

Some of my family's books

Does your family like to read too?

Peewee reading his favorite book "Too Many Toys" by David Shannon

I’m happy to report as of 7:40 pm this evening I managed to type up the rest of my manuscript (book 2) The Calamity Girl for the Nanowrimo contest.  As it stands I’m at a word count of 49, 225 words.

Yipee!

I took a few hours to work on my blogs and have some fun.

Manuscripts are fun to write, but horrible to type.

I need to find someone who loves to type.

And get them to do it instead.

In the meantime I’m the one for the job.

Somehow I find doing my blogs and websites so much more fun!

I do have an idea though.

I think I’ll try to do this every month.

I’ll work on the rest of The Munroe Series, and just get those books all written (rough draft.)

And tomorrow I start doing some research and decide how am I going to end this book?

I think The Calamity Girl should write a few books, maybe two or three.

Kind of like Rebecca Bloomwood in Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic Series.

Her real name is Madeleine Wickham.

That is an inspiration to moi!

SophieKinsella

What if .. you remember yourself living in 2004, working in a crappy job with no Christmas bonus, with bad teeth and nails, cheap boots that murders your toes .. and suddenly wakes up in 2007 in a hospital bed with a Louis Vuitton bag, a gorgeous, multimillionaire husband, a stylish loft, free carb diet, and  a Mercedes?

Just imagine Lexi Smart’s reaction and feelings. Imagine yourself in her shoes. Me? I’d be the happiest. But not until I step inside the office again with no memories of previous meetings and of important people and places.

In business, three years is long, very long. And it’s no easy job to learn everything that happened in the past three years and keep your chin up and position away from predators who try to take advantage of your situation.

How much more if you remember your self hanging out with your best friends and then find them way different from what you remember them? How do you win their trust back without feeling stupid? How do you prove that you weren’t the bitch-boss-from-hell?

And then some hot Architect named Jon spills the biggest bean in your life? That you have a secret affair with him, that you planned schemes to hide the truth, that you weren’t happy with your gorgeous multimillionaire husband, that you used to have dates together, that he knows more about your life this past three years. But how would you trust someone you remember wasn’t part in any page in your life? How would you know if he’s lying or saying the truth?

Poor Lexi has to deal with all these.

Remember Me? was a beautiful story. It was thrilling to read about how Lexi was once down there is now up here. I was rooting to know more about how Lexi would regain her memories and who would help her. I wanted to know how she’d regain the lost friendship with Fi and the others. I wanted to know she would prove herself to the heads in her office.

Eric, her husband, was a weird man. He gave Lexi a Marriage Manual so she’d remember how they do things together. He is weird in bed. His Mont Blanc was the weirdest. He is so uptight about cleanliness and that Lexi should follow their carb-free diet.

Jon on the other hand was suspicious but cool. On his first meeting with Lexi, he was obviously hurt for Lexi does not remember one bit about him. Probably because he was the most important memory, that was the most affected. I was surprised when Jon showed up and straight forwardly told Lexi that he loves her and that she loves him. I was surprised with all the revelations that Jon spilled. It was the most bizarre. Like he could be lying or he could be sincere.

Another surprising things that Jon revealed to Lexi were her possessions on his house. Lexi knows for herself that the toaster was hers. That the other things she found in his room were hers. That the Sunflowers meant something. That surely, these things did. But she couldn’t comprehend why he would cheat and be untruthful to a man she vowed she’d love for ever.

Would she believe Jon? Or would she not?

Remember Me? was a fun read and I most enjoyed it. From the beginning of the book until the last when she remembers a vital piece of memory which involved Jon. With 430 pages, I finished it in 6 hours for I really cannot put it down. As if I’d lose my head too if I put this book down. I wanted to know more.

For sure, Remember Me? are already one of the books standing on your bookshelves. After all, it’s one of Kinsella’s babies. If not, then what are you doing?

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5!

After having the flu and being down in my bed for a whole week, then each girl taking their turn with it, it seems like I will never get caught up.  In between being sick, Halloween and Trick-or-Treating, and parent-teacher conferences, we’ve had a dental emergency (Sam’s tooth broke while she was eating a sucker and the dentist has made a fake one to replace it), the dog has fleas, cats that went missing and were found, and the pizza man not only can drive to our house blindfolded, but also knows all our names and who ordered which food item and drink… and even brings a treat for the dog, whom he knows by name.  *Sigh*  So, it is NO surprise that our house looks like the city dump was relocated to our interior. 

It would seem that cleaning the house without being told is NOT an innate quality in children.  It would also seem that we were too much for our house elf, who has either ran away or committed suicide.  Alas!  I stand in the doorway of the kitchen, staring at the sinks, counters and table overflowing with dirty dishes and debate whether to clean it up, buy new dishes, or set fire to the room and declare it a total loss.  Should I clean the house?  or move…. hmmm….

Well.. I’ve been trying to clean it… though, frankly, the furry oatmeal monster growing in a bowl keeps giving me the evil eye and threatening to kill me in my sleep.  Equally frightening is the pot with what I’m guessing once was spaghetti… though, I can NOT remember the last time we had spaghetti… that the plague of orange lady bugs have claimed as their promised land and are prepared to defend it to the death.

On the upside, while I was sick I managed to finish Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper, which I absolutely loved.  AND while cleaning, I managed to finally finish Confessions of a Shopoholic by Sophie Kinsella, which was meh… okay, I guess.  I keep sitting down to write the review for Homer, and I just don’t know where to start.  I look at the screen for  a second, then click over to a game site.  I’ve just not felt up to writing a review, I guess.  Or, more to the point, doing the WORK of getting links, book cover, and thinking about what I want to say and then putting it into something that makes sense.

Okay… lol… so my confession’s over.  I’m off to start writing the reviews.  Or do dishes.. or just burn the kitchen down… still not decided yet.

Who doesn’t love reading? Everyone loves reading! Okay, maybe not everyone, but I am sure most of us love reading. This post is dedicated to all book readers, everything about what I think of my books.

I have this idea of making “book reviews” on all my novels and my sisters’ novels when I was re-arranging my novels. So, enjoy reading!

I would like to start with, Sophie Kinsella’s books (some of the books are yet to be found!) and not in order, just so you know.

1. Shopaholic & Baby This is the time when Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) got pregnant. This book would be one of my all-time favourite! It’s just funny to read about her life being pregnant, shopping for all those branded baby items, clothes, baby strollers. There’s also some “conflict”. She went to the celebrity, must-have obstetrician who happens to be Luke’s – her husband – glamorous, intellectual ex-girlfriend. There’s also part when she went house-hunting with Luke, when they were interviewed by this magazine about them living in the house (when they hadn’t even bought the house!). Oh about the shirt! The Red-haired girl. MUST READ! I won’t tell you everything here!

Becky’s life is blooming! She’s working at London’s newest fashion store The Look, house-hunting with husband Luke (her secret wish is a Shoe Room) … and she’s pregnant! She couldn’t be more overjoyed – especially since discovering that shopping cures morning sickness. Everything has got to be perfect for her baby: from the designer nursery, to the latest, coolest pram, to the celebrity, must-have obstetrician.

But when the celebrity obstetrician turns out to be Luke’s glamorous, intellectual ex-girlfriend, Becky’s perfect world starts to crumble. She’s shopping for two…but are there three in her marriage?

2. Shopaholic & Sister

This book, I would say, funny but.. stressful? It’s worth to be read too.

There’s too much troubles here, I suppose. She becomes on a strict budget, she doesn’t have a job, her best friend Suze has a new best friend. Not until she knew that she has a long-lost sister. She’s so excited that she thought of going shopping together, do everything together. Until she meets her sister, she became totally shock. Her sister hates shopping, always recycle things, buy some cheap things on a cheap store. It’s funny, seriously, except when you read the part about her sister, which is just… stressful. You can’t stop reading this because you’ll be so eager to read what will happen next, blablabla. I wouldn’t tell much. Must read yourself!

Becky thought being married to Luke Brandon would be one big Tiffany box of happiness. But to be honest, it’s not quite as dreamy as she’d hope.

The trouble started on honeymoon, when she told Luke the tiniest little fib, about the teeniest little purchase. Now she’s on a strict budget, she doesn’t have a job – and worst of all her beloved Suze has a new best friend. Then she receives some incredible news. She has a long-lost sister!

Becky has never been more excited. Finally, a real sister! They’ll have so much in common! They can go shopping together… choose shoes together… have manicures together..

Until she meet’s her – and gets the shock of her life. It can’t be true. Surely Becky Bloomwood’s long-lost sister can’t… hate shopping?

3. The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic

I don’t quite remember much of this book. It’s about her being a financial journalist….. I’ll re-read this book! Hhaha. I think this was the book that they made into movie (Confession of a Shopaholic) because I saw something about the green scarf (?) inside.

She’s a journalist. She spends her working life telling others how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time… shopping.

Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can’t. She tries cutting back, she tries making more money. But neither seems to work. The stories she concocts become more and more fantastic as she tries to untangle her increasingly dire financial difficulties. Her only comfort is to buy herself something – just a little something…

Can Becky ever escape from this dream world, find true love, and regain the use of her Switch card?

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic… the perfect pick me up for when it’s all hanging in the bank balance.

4. Can You Keep a Secret?

Not a shopaholic series.

This book is a total must-read book.

It started on the plane. She’s scared of flying. So gets so nervous that most of her secrets came out from her mouth to the man next to her who happens to be the company’s elusive CEO. There’s this time when he mentioned about it LIVE on TV and things happened. Okay, I’ll stop here. Go and buy this book!

Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets:

Secrets from her boyfriend:

I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.

Secrets from her mother:

I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur.

Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world:

I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is.

Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger…

Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her…

5. The Undomestic Goddess

Another good read

Samantha is a high-powered lawyer in London. She works all hours, has no home life, and cares only about getting a partnership. She thrives on the pressure and adrenaline. Until one day… she makes a mistake. A mistake so huge, it’ll wreck her career.

She walks right out of the office, gets on the first train she sees, and finds herself in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she is mistaken for the interviewee housekeeper and finds herself being offered the job. They have no idea they’ve hired a Cambridge-educated lawyer with and IQ of 158 – Samantha has no idea how to work the oven.

Disaster ensues. It’s a chaos as Samantha battles with the washing machine… the ironing board… and attempts to cook a cordon bleu dinner. But gradually, she falls in love with her new life in a wholly unexpected way.

Will her employers ever discovered the truth? Will Samantha’s old life ever catch up with her? And if it does… will she want it back?

6. Remember Me?

It’s about a girl who lost her memories after an accident and woke up at the hospital as a brand, new person who she never knew who she is. I read this last year. 346 pages worth of reading. I found a smaller version of this in Best Eastern. This was bought by my first sister in UK.

Lexi wakes up in a hospital bed after a car accident, thinking it’s 2004 and she’s twenty-five-year-old with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life. But, to her disbelief, she learns it’s actually 2007 – she’s twenty-eight, her teeth are straight, she’s the boss of her department – and she’s married! To a good looking millionaire! How on earth did she land the dream life?!

She can’t believe her luck – especially when she sees her stunning new home. She’s sure she’ll have a fantastic marriage once she gets to know her husband again. He’s drawn up a “marriage manual”, which should help.

But as she learns more about her new self, chinks start to appear in the perfect life. All her old friends hate her. A rival is after her job. Then a disheveled, sexy guy turns up… and lands a new bombshell.

What the **** happened to her? Will she ever remember? And what will happen if she does?

7. Twenties Girl

I haven’t read this. Will prolly read ASAP. It sounds interesting.

Lara has always had an overactive imagination.

Now she wonders if she is losing her mind. Perfectly normal twenty-something girls just don’t get visited by ghosts! But inexplicably, the spirit of Lara’s Great Aunt Sadie – in the form of a bold demanding, Charleston-dancing girl – has appeared to make one last request: Lara must track down a missing necklace Sadie simply can’t resist without.

Lara’s got enough problems of her own. Her startup company is floundering, her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, and she’s just been dumped by the love of her life.

But as Lara spends time with Sadie, life becomes more glamorous, and their treasure hunt turns into something intriguing and romantic. Could Sadie’s ghost be the answer to Lara’s problem – and can two girls from different times end up learning something special from each other?

Well, guys, I’ve got something to do now. I will continue this post tomorrow. So, you can rest your eyes a bit before continue reading these, alright? I still have 25 or more books to be reviewed!

Book lover,

Já tinha dito aqui que sou suuuper fã da Sophie Kinsella. Desde que li Os Delírios de Consumo de Becky Bloom, vivia esperando para ler os próximos lançamentos da autora. Li toda a saga da Becky (e quero mais), Samantha Sweet e Emma Corrigan. Agora, o último lançamento da autora nos apresenta Lexi Smart, uma menina de vinte e poucos anos, que sofre um acidente e acorda sem lembrar dos últimos 3 anos da sua vida. E, ainda descobre que tem um marido lindo, um apartamento dos sonhos e vários terninhos Chanel!

A leitura, como sempre nos livros da Sophie, é simples, rápida e gostosa. O livro é daqueles que prende e você devora rapidinho! Vale a pena e é uma ótima pedida pra listinha de verão. Eu gostei bastante. Fica a dica!

Quem mais leu? Gostaram?

Beijinhos,

B.

If there is anyone to blame for putting thoughts of finding the perfect dream Londoner into my mind, that has to be Sophie Kinsella.

I have to proclaim to the world that I’m NOT a fan of chick-lit.

According to our favourite friend, Wikipedia,

Chick Lit is…

Chick lit is a term used to denote genre fiction within women’s fiction which addresses issues of modern women often humorously and lightheartedly.^[1] The genre sells well, with chick lit titles topping bestseller lists and the creation of imprints devoted entirely to chick lit. It generally deals with Although sometimes it includes romantic elements, women’s fiction (including chick lit) is generally not considered a direct subcategory of the romance novel genre, because in Chick lit the heroine’s relationship with her family or friends may be just as important as her romantic relationships.^[2]

You have to ask my friends. I chastise Jien all the time for reading trashy novels. haha. My taste for books is more erm, high-brow, I guess? That said, I only, and I hope I maintain this record, I only read chick-lit books by Sophie Kinsella.  This is as far as I could go! (;

So if you wonder why I even splurged $30++ on “Twenties Girl”, the story goes like this:

I was in a bookstore with my friend, Jien. I had the urge to buy a book. I know some people couldn’t resist buying shoes, clothes, etc. For me, when the temptation to purchase a book arises, I have to fight very, very hard to tame it.

So, I was very torn between purchasing Norwegian Wood by Harumi Murakami and Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. I could defend myself by saying that the day of purchase was a the-rest-of-the-world-doesn’t-matter day,  (I have been having too many of such days that the frequency starts to worry me — I mean, how long can I get away with the excuse that I have only two exams.) so it called for a need to read a book that wouldn’t possibly wring up too much emotions or have me drawing parallel, or contemplating about life. I paid for the book with a grudging nod.

ah, am I glad that I had a few hours of pure bliss and enjoyment in return! (Goh Jien, you’re right!) I was quite riveted by the characterisation of Lara and Sadie — the protagonists in the tale. Sadie was endearingly annoying and Lara, like any other heroine in Sophie’s stories, learns from the trials and tribulations of life and at the end of the story, she has gotten herself an intense and intelligent man! What a wonderful twist of the story. (Hey, no sarcasm intended!)  Kinsella writes in a light-hearted, breezy style with a twang of Brit wit that makes you crave for more of the idealistic, silly but fun-loving characters.

If you just want to slouch around, or if you just want to be not distracted for a few hours, “Twenties Girl” can be a easy and captivating read before your afternoon nap and your midnight blues. I know now that Chick lit is quite addictive. I’m already searching for other books by Sophie Kinsella…

First, a few ground rules.  When I pull something out of the little inspiration box that is in the Writer’s Kit, I have to write about it.  No matter how much I stop my feet, cry or bargain, that’s the deal.  Every day, without exception, I need to find 60 seconds to do the OneWord.com challenge.  If I can’t find 60 seconds in my day, something is seriously wrong. 

So here goes… pulling the first circle-shaped card.

Project: Retype your favorite short story or a chapter from a beloved novel.  Get a feel for how the words flow through your fingers and think about what they look like on the page.  This will demystify the idea of “The Great Writer.”

Wow… what a way to start.  I guess the best way to start any exercise is with a warm up, get the blood flowing in those typing fingers.  Although I don’t have any beloved classics on my shelves currently, they are boxed away and in our storage space until we are able to afford a better place to live, I did pick a book.  This author has been incredibly successful in a genre that I would like to enter someday, chick lit.  You know, those fluffy airplane/beach reads that make you laugh, cry and feel better in general about the world around you. 

Sophie Kinsella is better known for her Shopaholic series of books.  But the book that I will be typing from is Can You Keep a Secret?.  It builds off a simple scenario: if you were in a plane that was going down and spilled every little secret you have to the stranger sitting next to you, and survived, what would happen? 

I’ve had a lot of very heavy stuff happen in my life.  To write a book like this and make the New York Times Bestseller list, like Sophie did, would be a dream come true.

 I’m going to retype the shortest, chapter 12.

I have never seen Jemima look so appalled.
     “He knows all your secrets?” She’s looking at me a though I’ve just told her I’m going out with a mass murderer. ”What on earth do you mean?”
     “I sat next to him on a plane, and I told him everything about myself.”
     I frown at my reflection in my mirror and tweak out another eyebrow hair.  It’s seven o’clock, I’ve had my bath, and now I’m sitting in my robe, putting on my makeup.
     “You are joking, aren’t you?” says Jemima. “Tell me this is a joke.” She’s standing at the door of my room, wearing a new, dark green dress. Tonight she’s got a date with the guy who bought the seventy-thousand-pound painting. Apparently he loves green.
     “Of course I’m not joking!  What’s the problem?”
     “You’re going out with a man who knows everything about you.”
     “Yes.”
     “And you’re asking me what’s the problem? she says incredulously. “Are you crazy?”
     “Of course I’m not crazy!”
     “I knew you fancied him,” says Lissy for about the millionth time. “I knew it. Right from the moment you started talking about him.” She looks at my reflection. “I’d leave that right eyebrow alone now.”
     “Really?” I peer at my face.
     “Emma, you don’t tell men all about yourself! You have to keep something back! Mummy always says you should never let a man see your feelings or the contents of your handbag.”
     “Well, too late. He’s seen it all.”
     “Then it’s never going to work,” says Jemima. “He’ll never respect you.”
     “Yes, he will!”
     “Emma,” says Jemima in a pitying voice. “Don’t you understand?” You’ve already lost.”
     “I haven’t lost!”   
     Sometimes I thing Jemima sees men as alien robots who must be conquered by any means possible.
     “You’re not being very helpful, Jemima,” puts in Lissy.  “Come on.  You’ve been on loads of dates with rich businessmen. You must have some good advice!”
     “All right.” Jemima sighs and puts her bag down. “It’s a hopeless cause, but I’ll do my best.” She starts ticking off on her fingers. “The fist thing is to look as well-groomed as possible.”
     “Why do you think I’m plucking my eyebrows?” I say with a grimace.
     “Fine. OK, the next thing is, you can show an interest in his hobbies. What does he like?”
     “Er… dunno. Cars, I think. He has all these vintage cars on his ranch, apparently.”
     “Well, then!” Jemima brightens. “That’s good. Pretend you like cars. Suggest visiting a car show… You could flick through a car magazine on the way there…”
     “I can’t,” I say, taking a sip from my pre-date relaxer glass of Harveys Bristol Cream. “I told him on the plane that I hate vintage cars.”
     “You did what?” Jemima looks like she wants to hit me. “You told the man you’re dating that you hate his favorite hobby?”
     ” I didn’t know I would be going on a date with him then, did I?” I say defensively, reaching for my foundation. “And anyway, it’s the truth! I hate vintage cars! The people in them always look so pleased with themselves…”
     “What’s the truth got to do with anything? Jemima’s voice rises in agitation. “Emma, I’m sorry; I can’t help you. This is a disaster. You’re completely vulnerable. It’s like going into battle in a nightie.”
     “Jemima, this not a battle!” I retort. “And it’s not a chess game! It’s dinner with a nice man.”
     “You’re so cynical, Jemima!” chimes in Lissy. “I think it’s really romantic! They’re going to have the perfect date, because there won’t be any of that awkwardness. He knows what Emma likes. He knows what she’s interested in. They’re already compatible!”
     “Well I wash my hands of it,” says Jemima, still shaking her head. “What are you going to wear?” Her eyes suddenly narrow. “Where’s your outfit?”
     “My black dress. And my strappy sandals.” I gesture to the back of the door, where my black dress is hanging up.
     Jemima’s eyes narrow even further. She would have made a really good SS officer, I often think.
     “You’re not going to borrow anything of mine.”
     “No!” I say in indignant tons. “Honestly Jemima, I do have my own clothes, you know.”
     “Fine. Well. Have a good time.”
     Lissy and I wait until her footsteps have tapped down the corridor and the front door has slammed.
     “Right!” I say, but Lissy lifts a hand.
     “Wait.”
     We both sit still for about five minutes.  Suddenly there’s the sound of the front door being opened very quietly.
     “She’s trying to catch us out,” whispers Lissy. “Hi!” she says, raising her voice. “Is anyone there?”
     “Oh, hi,” says Jemima, appearing at the door of the room. “I forgot my lip gloss.” Her eyes do a quick sweep of the room.
     “I don’t think you’ll find it in here,” says Lissy innocently.
     “No. Well.” Her eyes travel around the room again. “OK. Have a nice evening.”
     Again her footsteps tap down the corridor, and again the front door slams.
     “Right!” says Lissy. “Let’s go.”

We unpeel the Sellotape from Jemima’s door, and Lissy makes a little mark where is was. “Wait!” she says as I’m about to push the door open. “There’s another on at the bottom.”
     “You should have been a spy,” I say, watching her carefully peel it off.
     “OK,” she says, he forehead furrowed with concentration. “There have to be some more booby traps.”
     “There’s Sellotape on the wardrobe, too,” I say. “And… look!” I point up. A glass of water is balanced on top of the wardrobe, ready to drench us if we open the door.
     “That cow!” says Lissy as I reach up for it. “You know, I had to spend all evening fielding calls for her the other night, and she wasn’t even grateful.”
     She waits until I’ve put the water down safely, then reaches for the door. “Ready?”
     “Ready.”
     Lissy takes a deep breath, the opens the wardrobe door. Immediately, a loud, piercing siren begins to wail… “Wee-ooo, wee-oo, wee-oo…”
     “Shit!” she says, banging the door shut. “Shit! How did she do that?”
     “It’s still going! Make it stop! Make it stop!”
     “I don’t know how to! You probably need a special code!”
     We’re both jabbing at the wardrobe, patty it, searching for an off switch.
     “I can’t see a button or a switch or anything….”
     Abruptly the noise stops, and we both stare at each other, panting.
     “Actually,” says Lissy after a long pause.  “Actually, I think that might have been a car alarm outside.”
     “Oh,” I say. “Oh right. Yes, maybe it was.”
     Looking a bit sheepish, Lissy reaches for the door again — and this time it’s silent. “OK,” she says. “Here goes.”
     “Wow,” we breath as on as she swings the door open.
     Jemima’s wardrobe is like a treasure chest. New, shiny, gorgeous clothes, all neatly folded and hung on padded hangers, the belts are hanging neatly from hooks. All the bags are neatly lined up on a shelf. It’s been a while since I borrowed anything from Jemima, but every single item seems to have changed since then.
     “She must spend about an hour a day keeping this tidy,” I say, thinking of the jumble that is my own wardrobe.
     “She does,” says Lissy. “I’ve seen her.”
     Mind you, Lissy is even worse. She has all these good intentions — but when she’s working hard on a case, her wardrobe basically ends up being a chair in her room, on which all her garments get heaped.
     “So!” says Lissy with a grin, and reaches for a white sparkly dress. “What look would Madam like this evening?”
     I don’t war the white sparkly dress. But I do try it on. In fact, we both try on quite a lot of stuff, and then have to put it all back, very carefully. At one point another car alarm goes off outside, and we both jump in terror, then immediately pretend we weren’t fazed.
     In the end, I go for this amazing new red top with slashed shoulders, over my own black DKNY chiffon trousers (twenty-five pounds  from the Notting Hill Housing Trust shop), and Jemima’s silver high heels from Prada. And then, although I wasn’t intending to, at the last-minute, I grab a little black Gucci bag.
     “You look amazing!” says Lissy as I do a little twirl. “Completely fab!”
     “Do I look too smart?”
     “Of course not! Come on — you’re going out to dinner with a multimillionaire!”
     “Don’t say that!” I exclaim, feeling a clutch of nerves. I look at my watch. It’s almost eight o’clock.
     Oh, God. In the fun of getting ready, I’d almost forgotten what it was all for.
     Keep calm, I tell myself. It’s just dinner. That’s all it is. Nothing out of the –
     “Fuck!” Lissy’s looking out the window in the sitting room. “Fuck! There’s a great big car outside!”
     “What? Where?” I hurry to join her. As I follow her gaze, I almost can’t breathe.
     An enormous posh car is waiting outside our house. I mean enormous. It’s all silver and shiny and looks incredibly conspicuous in our tiny little street. In fact, I can see some curious neighbors looking out of the house opposite.
     What am I doing? This is a world I know nothing about. When we were sitting in the plane, Jack and I were just two people on an equal level. But now, look at the world he lives in — and look at the world I live in.
     “Lissy,” I say in a tiny voice. “I don’t want to go.”
     “Yes you do!” says Lissy — but I can see she’s just as freaked out as I am.
     The buzzer goes and we both jump.
     I feel like I might throw up.
     OK. OK. Here I go. “Hi,” I say into the intercom. “I’ll… I’ll be right down.” I replace the phone and look at Lissy.
     “Well,” I say. “This is it!”
     “Emma.” Lissy grabs my hands. “Before you go. Don’t take any notice of what Jemima said. Just have a lovely time.” She hugs me tightly. “Call me if you get a chance!”
     “I will!”
     I take one last look at myself in the mirror, then make my way down the stairs.
     I open the front door, and Jack’s standing there, wearing a jacket and tie. His hair is brushed. He looks tidy. For an instant, I feel even more nervous.
     Then he smiles — and all my fears fly away like butterflies. Jemima’s wrong. This isn’t me against him. This is me with him.
     “Hi,” he says. “You look very nice.”
     “Thanks.”
     I reach for the door handle, but a man in a peaked cap rushes forward to open it for me.
     “Silly me!” I say with a nervous laugh.
     I can’t quite believe I’m getting into this car. Me. Emma Corrigan. I feel like a princess. I feel like a movie star.
     I sit down on the plushy seat, trying not to think how different this is from any car I’ve ever been in, ever.
     “Are you OK?” says Jack.
     “Yes! I’m fine!” My voice is a squeak.
     “Emma,” says Jack. “We’re going to have fun. I promise. Did you have your pre-date sweet sherry?”
     How did he know –
     Oh yes, I told him on the plane. “Yes, I did, actually,” I admit.
     “Would you like some more?” He opens the bar, and I see a bottle of Harveys Bristol Cream sitting on a silver platter.
     “Did you get that especially for me?” I say in disbelief.
     “No, it’s my favorite tipple.” His expression is so deadpan, I can’t help laughing.
     “I’ll join you,” he says as he hands me a glass. “I’ve never tasted this before.” He pours himself a deep measure, takes a sip, and sputters. “Are you serious?”
     “It’s yummy! It tastes like Christmas.”
     “It tastes like…” He shakes his head. “I don’t even want to tell you what it tastes like. I’ll stick to whisky, if you don’t mind.”
     “You’re missing out.” I take another sip and grin happily at him.
     I’m completely relaxed already.
     This is going to be the perfect date.

Whew… end of excerpt.  That was a lot of typing.  I certainly have a whole new appreciation for what it takes to write a chapter of a book.  I have been typing for over two hours now.  I did learn some things from doing this.

1) Dialogue: I’ve always had problems with dialogue, the whole he says, she says thing.  It’s so hard for me not to get repetitive.  But Sophie Kinsella makes it very clear who is speaking and when by breaking up her paragraphs utilizing good punctuation.  She also doesn’t restate who is talking when its obvious who is talking.  Lesson learned.

2) Painting a picture: This whole interchange of time was maybe an hour.  But during that hour, the reader can see everything, her room, the awesomeness of Jemima’s closet and the massiveness of the limo that Jack drives up in.  Every emotion is explained in a way that makes you feel it versus just being told about it.

3) Using italics:  I don’t know if this was the work of her editor or Sophie Kinsella, but you can really feel the emotion through the strategic use of italics here.  Reading it without the italics would have conveyed a completely different feeling.

What did you learn through your retyping exercise?

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Yuitton. Having survived a car accident-in Mercedes no less-Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed.

Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband-who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in revers, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly, Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?

My sister bought this book out of impulse. Powerbooks was having a 20% sale that day and really, the world today is just too expensive. We just have to take advantage of sales and freebies.

My sister, and even me, didn’t read any reviews for this or receive any recommendations for the book and author. Which is why my expectations for this book is kind of low. Very low, in fact, that I thought of just reading it later rather than sooner. I received an electric shock after reading the first two chapters. I found it good, beautiful, even.

What really made me love the book is its ability to make me feel the embarrassment and stress of the character. It’s like I am actually her. Like she’s a close friend that I have to keep advising because I don’t want her to get embarrassed.

She lost her memory and I had a hard time trying to imagine how I would react if I was to wake up one day and find my life totally altered. To find people I care act differently towards me and to have to remember things that I thought never happened or will never happen. And the fact that Lexi managed to still live despite all this confusion well, made her a good heroine for me. As I have already said before, I usually don’t like heroines but Lexi is just so adorable and strong that I have to like her.

I also like the idea that nobody in the book is really the cause of her sufferings. At first I thought it would be Eric or her new ‘bestfriend’. But they are not actually the antagonists. They are just very different compared to Lexi and they cannot get along well. But other than that, I find them actually good people that are just too uptight. The real antagonist is herself. The person she came to be and sometimes, her memory loss is to blame.

But in the end she solved it. She changed herself. And ironically, the aforementioned antagonists became the factors to change her life again, but now, for the better. If she wasn’t a bitch-boss-from-hell before, she wouldn’t be able to put up that act altogether. And if she didn’t have memory loss, her life would still be the same sad, stressful, boring and friendless life. Which just shows that everything has their reasons and every bad thing will turn out to be not half-as-bad in the end.

Remember me? is a book not just worth reading but should also be recommended to any bibliophiles that you know. True that the story isn’t that deep at first glance but if you will yourself to think deeper then you will realize that there’s more than what’s meet eyes.

Rated 5/5

It’s another important event for the last quarter of the year. Yep, it’s Halloween.

Halloween is not actually just a time for costumes and parties. It is also a time to remember the departed loved-ones and to value those that we still have. So, in case you are just stuck at home and can’t go to the province to visit cemeteries due to bad weather, why not read?

I have here some recommended books that would really fit the season. A thriller type and a humorous ghost story. Well, don’t underestimate them for they are written by Best-Selling authors: Dan Brown and Sophie Kinsella. Now, allow me to give you the titles and a short summary.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Robert Langdon, the famous Harvard symbologist has received an invitation from his friend Peter Solomon to deliver a lecture in the National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. Since Peter is his friend and mentor, he went to Washington D.C. without any idea that his trip is not just an ordinary visit. When he arrived, he was more than shocked by what greeted him. There were no audience at all for the lecture and the severed right hand of Peter is there at the place, tattooed and transformed as the Hand of Mysteries. From there, a series of events took place and a lot of puzzles surfaced. Will Robert Langdon be able to solve the mysteries and save his friend? And who is this tattooed man who kidnapped Peter?

Know more on The Lost Symbol here >>

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Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Lara has been undergoing the gloomy days in her life. Everything has been going beyond her control from her relationship with her boyfriend to her newly-launched head-hunting business. So she thought that because of these stress, she has been starting to see things like a ghost. But, she’s wrong. Sadie, her great-aunt has come to seek her help. They have to find a necklace who has been in Sadie’s posession for more than seventy-five years. Sadie said that she couldn’t rest without it. And so, the hunting and haunting began. As they go into the journey in finding the necklace, they started to discover things about love, about each other and most important, about their family.

Know more on Twenties Girl here >>

Have a great weekend. Enjoy reading!

Acabei de ler, no meu Kindle , Twenties Girl, o mais recente livro da Sophie Kinsella (que ficou famosa com a série da Shopaholic).

Eu já falei Sophie Kinsella e dos seus livros várias vezes aqui, pois ela tem um jeito de escrever que faz a leitura uma coisa extremamente leve e agradável. É a versão impressa das comédias românticas…

Como em todos os outros livros dela, a “heroína” é mais uma vez uma mulher na casa dos 20 e poucos anos, que dessa vez se chama Lara. Lara vai ao enterro de uma tia que ela não conhecia em vida e que morreu aos 105 anos, e é surpreendida quando consegue ver o “fantasma” da tia no velório. Como Lara é a única com quem a fantasminha, Sadie, também de 20 e poucos anos, consegue se comunicar, ela é “recrutada” pela tia para procurar um certo colar que lhe pertencia e que desapareceu.

E a busca pelo colar faz as duas jovens descobrirem juntas um montão de coisas, entre elas uma grande amizade.

Acho que Twenties Girl é o melhor dela até agora, melhor até do que o The Undomestic Godess.

Fica aqui a dica…