Just popping in to Wish Everyone a Happy Winter Solstice Festival!
What have we been up to..well...a lot of things.
If you wanna find out more, do drop by www.smallkucing.com.
Have a nice day!
Mamarazzi's Ranting
Happy Winter Solstice Festival To Everyone
Just popping in to Wish Everyone a Happy Winter Solstice Festival!
What have we been up to..well...a lot of things.
If you wanna find out more, do drop by www.smallkucing.com.
Have a nice day!
There You'll Find Me By Jenny B. Jones
Synopsis by Booksneeze.com
Grief brought Finley to Ireland. LOVE WILL LEAD HER HOME.
Finley Sinclair is not your typical eighteen-year-old. She’s witty, tough, and driven. With an upcoming interview at the Manhattan music conservatory, Finley needs to compose her audition piece. But her creativity disappeared with the death of her older brother, Will.
She decides to study abroad in Ireland so she can follow Will’s travel journal. It’s the place he felt closest to God, and she’s hopeful being there will help her make peace over losing him. So she agrees to an exchange program and boards the plane.
Beckett Rush, teen heartthrob and Hollywood bad boy, is flying to Ireland to finish filming his latest vampire movie. On the flight, he meets Finley. She’s the one girl who seems immune to his charm. Undeterred, Beckett convinces her to be his assistant in exchange for his help as a tour guide.
Once in Ireland, Finley starts to break down. The loss of her brother and the pressure of school, her audition, and whatever it is that is happening between her and Beckett, leads her to a new and dangerous vice. When is God going to show up for her in this emerald paradise?
Then she experiences something that radically changes her perspective on life. Could it be God convincing her that everything she’s been looking for has been with her all along?
My Comment:-
For the moment there I thought this would be just another Young Adult book with the usual Boy-Meets-Girl theme. However, I was dead wrong about it. As the saying goes, "do not judge a book by its cover" and may I expand it to " by it synopsis too".
The author, Jenny B Jones, did not only injected romance in the story but also loaded it with pain, humour and faith in God's will.
It was fun to read how the two of them, Beckett and Finley, met. Amazing to see how their path kept crossing. At first Finley wanted to avoid Beckett due to his Playboy reputation but slowly she discovered that what is reported is not what she sees.
I love Cathleen Sweeney. She is an old woman dying from cancer. She is full of bitterness and her past does not help with that. Nevertheless, she was assigned to Finley as a School Project. Their relationship begins and it gradually helps Finley with her grief.
Overall, this has been a good read. I love the author writing style and I hope to read more of her books.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”Waking Hours by Lis Wiehl with Pete Nelson
Welcome to East Salem: A deceptively sleepy town where ancient supernatural forces are being awakened.
A high-school girl is found murdered in a park in Westchester County, New York. The shocking manner of her death confounds the town and intrigues forensic psychiatrist Dani Harris, who is determined to unravel the mystery. All the suspects are teenagers who were at a party with the girl—yet no one remembers what happened. Could one of them be a vicious killer? Or is something more sinister afoot—something tied to an ancient evil?
But it's not just Dani’s waking hours that challenge her. Each night, her eyes open at 2:13 due to troubling dreams—dreams filled with blood, water, and destruction. Is it a clue—or a sign?
Across town, former NFL linebacker Tommy Gunderson finds his security system has been breached by an elderly woman who attacks him with preternatural strength. Before he can process the attack, someone close to him is implicated in the high-school girl's murder. He agrees to help—and finds himself working with Dani, the only girl who could resist his charms when they were in high school.
It will take astute analysis and forensic skills to solve the crime. But Dani and Tommy suspect there's more to the mystery than murder, more to their growing friendship than chance . . . and more to the evil they're facing than a mere human killer.
My Comments :
This is Book 1 of The East Salem Trilogy, highly recommended to me by a friend who had read this author's work before.
I was hooked from page one. Love the plot. It's cleverly woven to keep the readers asking "What's next?". It's not only a suspense and thriller type of book but the hint of romance in it makes the book more attractive; at least it was for me. Some may not like it.
Love the way the author throw in some unexpected twist in it.
Another good thing about this book is that it's clean. No four letters words like some others nor violent sex scene. Just a hint of blossoming romance.
The downside of this book that at certain place, I find it a tad long winded. Maybe more editing needed?
Overall, this has been an enjoyable book and I look forward to the next two books. Hope they will be available soon.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”The Realms Thereunder by Ross Lawhead
Uncover a land that has been hidden for over a thousand years.
Beneath the land of Britain, a great army is sleeping. On a visit to an old church, Daniel Tully and Freya Reynolds awaken two ancient knights from a centuries-old slumber. They are kidnapped and taken to an underground city that stands in peril, besieged in all directions by a vicious warhost. Nidergeard is the only thing protecting the upper world's blissful ignorance of mythical forces that have been held at bay since the creation of the world. In order to return home, Daniel and Freya must strike at the heart of the opposer's power.
Fast forward eight years. Daniel, now homeless, still wages what he believes to be a righteous war against those he judges to be evil. Freya has tried to put the past behind her and concentrate on getting an education, a job, and a life. When they reconnect in Oxford, unseen forces begin to ally against them. Daniel is pulled through a portal and into another world. Freya is abducted by someone—some thing—posing as her professor and drugged to keep her in a delusional state. After they finally break free, neither can deny the truth . . . they must return to Nidergeard and resume the battle.
With a thrilling narrative that draws heavily upon British mythology, The Realms Thereunder will quickly establish Ross Lawhead as a major new voice in fantasy.
My Comments :
This is the first book of The Ancient Earth Trilogy by Ross Lawhead.
First of all am not really a fan of fantasy fiction and I find that fantasy novel are hard to follow and relate to. What made me request this book was the synopsis sounded great. Well, am happy to say this book did not disappoints me.
Initially, I find that it was rather hard to for to start reading this book as there are several stories being revealed simultaneously. It was rather confusing for me
However, once I have grasps who is who in the story and what timeline the story being told, I found that it's a really exciting book to read. Still, I finds the constant flash back was a bit disturbing.
The positive side is that there were a few unexpected twists in the story. I love that in a book.
I found that the characters are well developed. It was really heart warming to see them showing concern for each other well being.
Although this book is classified as Christian novel, am glad it's not preachy sort. In fact, there were a few instances where some crude language are spotted. In my opinion, this can't be help as that was what being called in that situation.
After reading this Book 1, I hope to be able to read the other two books when they are published.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
The Book That Changed My Life "Alien Snow by Dahl Pares"
Mamarazzi is a bookworm. She makan books for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even before I was born, she already tried to infect me with this disease.
Books everywhere. Books within ones grasps instead of the TV remote control is the best way to encourage someone to start reading.
See! She went borong so much from BookXcess. Bought these even before am born!
Very dahsyat punya. Mamarazzi said, reading will give you opportunities to see the world in different ways and can go to many places in the world without taking the car or plane.
Hmmm... good also... by reading can travel to so many places without using car. Save petrol and less environmentally pollution. Can avoid accident summore!
Some driver really ganas one. Drive like F1 racer or drive like in an amusement park Bumper Car game.
*YAWN* I am very sleepy. Usually, Mamarazzi will read me a bedtime story from Enid's Blyton books or one of the books that she grabbed from warehouse sales
which I had to drag home.
But today, I want something different. Papa bought a "Share Share Computer". Mamarazzi said it's a "Tarak boleh" coz I kept monopoly the "Share Share Computer". Papa said it's a "Tabulet".
I don't care la. I want Mamarazzi to read the e-Book which Auntie Little Bird sent me for my "Share Share Computer".
This book is fairly new. It was just published on 1st August 2011 by Capstone Publisher. The author's name is Dahl Pares. The cover looks a bit scary, isn't it? But the story is really interesting.
It is about a young boy who visits an antique shop.The shopkeeper then shows the boy his snow globes collection, but the boy is not interested in it.
Yuck! snow globes.. That's for girls lah. For me, I'm only interested in toy cars, but Mamarazzi said am so "ganas".
Never appreciate the toy cars she bought for me.
Anyway, back to the story.
Den...tup tup tup.... suddenly the boy found himself trapped inside the snow globe! Just like me trapped in the "kandang" last time.
Gosh! the shop owner is a bad fella and likes to collect human inside the snow globe. So the boy's adventures begin, and he have to find a way out from the snow globe or be trapped inside of it forever!!
The story is very interesting. It got me hooked, and can see illustrative picture from the "Share Share Computer".
There's two version of the story. One on the boy's side, another one is on the alien's side. Hmmm... good vs. evil. Interesting. This book tells the story from both side. Good right? Like that reader wun be biased and simply judge who is good and who is bad.
Personally, I think this is a good story. It makes me think that sometimes, good people can be bad, and bad people can be good and have their own reasons for doing things.
People always kesian those good people who seems to kena bully all the time. But in truth, you cannot just look on the surface. Sometimes, bad people in those stories are just misunderstood.
This book is a thought provoking read. It teaches me not to simply judge people. I highly recommends this book to little boys like me. It is a fun, easy and exciting book to read.
I give this book full stars because I think this book will change my life forever.
Okay, maybe that is exaggerating, but in some ways, it does change my taste for books.
Now I like adventure kind of books more.
I am going to ask Mamarazzi buy this kind of books more for me from the next Big Bad Wolf Sale and/or BookXcess.
Food For Thought
Saw this in a friend's Facebook status.
6 - When you stop laughing, type this in your profile so others can laugh too!
Have tried it....indeed it's funny. I wonder who was the person who asked for the direction in the first place.
Life Support By Robert Whitlow
This is the first book of Alexia Lindale Series by Robert Whitlow. Alexia is a young and prominent lawyer who specialise in divorce cases.
One day, she was approached by Rena to help her with her case. Rena does not want and divorce. Instead she want her husband to be taken off the Life Support system. She told Alexia that is what her husband Baxter Richardson would have wanted. Standing in her way was her father in law.
At first I thought this book is something like John Grisham or Sue Grafton sort of book. However, it's not. I guess each author will have their own style of writing.
It was interesting to know that who pushed Baxter over the cliff in the beginning. However, I wished I know what's the motive.
It's very frustrating to see Alexia being duped into helping the murderous Rena. And I understand how Baxter's father must have been feeling.
Along the way, Alexia encountered the Lord. It was interesting to see how the plot changes from then.
Overall, this has been quite a good read. There are still room for improvement.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Appeal for Syahidah Ishak
Mamarazzi was blog hopping just now and she noticed a blog post by Joanne
It's and appeal on behalf of her ex-colleague and friend, Syahidah Ishak. She was diagnosed with Acoustic Neuroma last year, a rare brain tumor. It's not cancerous. However, it need to be operated on. Otherwise it would cause major obstacles in her daily life.
Joanne, in her blog have appealed for readers to show support to her friend Syahidah Ishak. I hope you can too. Do pop-over to Joanne's blog and see how you may help. Here is the address http://samydy.blogspot.com/2011/07/she-is-my-friend-her-name-is-syahidah.html
Thanks
The Final Hour by Andrew Klavan
Synopsis from Booksneeze.com:
The Homelanders are attacking—and it's Charlie's last chance to stop them.
Charlie West was an ordinary high school kid who went to bed one night and woke up in the clutches of terrorists and wanted by the police for murder. He also woke up with no memory of the events of the last year.
His memory is returning now and has brought the terrible realization that he knows when the terrorists are going to strike next.
Whatever it takes, Charlie knows he can't give in or give up until they're stopped . . . even when the final hour is ticking away.
My Comment
This is book is indeed a God sent for those who love action and suspense type of book. It's a page turner. It's action pack from the first page.
What I really like about this book is the determination and the courage shown by Charlie. Well, you can say it's just fiction. Any Tom Dick and Harry can write one thing and act another. But then for the author to have the heart of the thing it is something to be commented on. More people would take and take instead of making sacrifices.
What I dislike about this book is that the book I was supposed to received was a hard copy. But then I received an e-mail that it was being replaced by an e-book. Those who knows me knew that I dislike reading e-book. Yup, I preferred paper I had a hard time trying to download a copy of this book. My home computer kept giving error message. Frankly, I have yet to successfully download this book.
But thank God to a good Samaritan who have requested the same book, forward her copy for me to read so that I can do this review. Thank you, "pal".
I would recommend this book for boys and girls from age 12 onwards.
Note: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”A Signature for A Pencil
Are you a follower of Angel Bear's blog? I f you are you would have known this good cause she is rooting for.
There is one company name Dynamic Teen Company together with HotelwithHeart.com launches a project called "Pencil Project".The aim of this campaign is to raise 10,000 pencils to support DTC's "Kariton Klasrum Project". Through this endeavor, children in the slum areas will get a decent supply of pencils to help them learn the basics of writing, reading and arithmetic.
You can help simply by going to their Facebook HERE. "LIKE" their page and filling-up the sign up form which would appear after you "LIKE" their page.
HotelwithHeart.com will donate one pencil to DTC's "Kariton Klasrum Project" for every digital signature collected. One successful digital signature is equivalent to one pencil and one happy child.
My apology as Mamarazzi is not good with word. For a clearer picture, do hop over to Angel Bear's blog.
Do spread the word. Your help is just a click away. Appreciate all your help.
The Promise of an Angel by Ruth Reid
Book Description
In Mescota County, Michigan, an angelic visitor's words inspire Judith to a future she never imagined. After a barn raising accident, Judith Fischer’s convinced she’s met an angel. However, her attempts to convince others end up frustrating her Old-Order Amish community. Only Andrew Lapp believes her, but the rest, including Levi Plank, the man’s she’s waited to marry, demand she forget the nonsense. Meanwhile, her younger sister Martha has taken a fancy to Levi and sees her sister's controversy as a perfect distraction for turning Levi's head.In a dream, the angel tells Judith she must choose her path. As her faith continues to grow, so do her feelings for Andrew. Will she continue to place her hope in the angel’s message, even if it means losing all she knows and loves?
My Comments :
This is the 1st book of Ruth Reid's "A Heaven On Earth" series. There are 3 books in this series
She had done an amazing work on this first book as the book certainly give a refreshing twist to the usual Amish fiction. Just imagine, nobody believes that Judith have seen an angel. Instead f supports, she was in fact frown upon and thought to be sowing discord among the community.
The character of were quite well developed and it shows us how important to held on something that you believe in inside of just going with the flow. Though our faith may waver sometimes but God would come knocking at our door to lead us back to his folds just like Jesus Parables on the Lost Lamb.
I finished this book in one reading as the story was good and easy to read.
There is only one complaint about this book. Well, actually it's two. I find that the cover looks rather dull. Without reading the synopsis, I don't think I would pick up this book in the stores. But this is only my personal opinion for each person taste is different.
My second complaint is, this book may have spoilt me for the second instalment as I would have higher expectation for the second book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through theBookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
School Holidays Is Here Again!
Hey! School Holidays is here again! Today is the last day of school. Planning anything special?
Papa said he might bring us to Ipoh Ipoh
Papa said he will have to send the car to the "car doctor" again for a check up before he decide whether we are going to Ipoh
The car movement seems to be shaky since these dents miraculously appeared out of no where. The car tend to wobble left and right if the car is moving fast and it is getting worse. Hopefully, it is just the alignment that needs fixing. I wonder how much it will cost to fix the problems.
It is very scary to send the car to the workshop as we won't know how much it will cost to fix the problem until the mechanic tells us. It might cost a few hundreds to a few thousand.
I wish we have something like Repair Pal at this side of the world. Repair Pal not only helps car owner to get an estimate of how much they can expect to spend for a car service or a repair but also helps car owner to identify what might have caused the problem for they have a large Encyclopedia section.
Gnomeo & Juliet
Photo credits to www.tescoentertainment.com
Have you watched "Gnomeo & Juliet" the movie yet? If you haven't, you ought to run to your nearest cinema and watch it. It's a highly captivating movie.The movie is loosely based on Shakespeare’s well known play, Romeo & Juliet".
The movie is about garden ornaments. They comes alive when their owners are not around. And like their original "Romeo and Juliet' counterparts, the Montagues and the Capulets despises each other. Fate, on the other hand, have other things planned for them. Their respective children, Gnomeo and Juliet crossed path and fell in love with each other.
Unlike the original "Romeo and Juliet", bloodbath did not occur following the event where Gnomeo and Juliet fell in love with each other. Instead of having the characters killed off, humorous predicaments were placed on both Monatagues and the Capulets.
I was not expecting much from this movie as the synopsis says it's based on "Romeo & Juliet". I thought there would be sickeningly sweet romantic scenes where only girls would like to watch.
Alas, I was wrong. Even though the movie is loosely based on Shakespeare's play, it's not exactly a pure fluff or a chic-flick. It's aimed to entertain viewers of all age.
Young audience like me would definitely love this movie as it's filled with not only good humour, but packed with action and moral values as well.
Lovely Hoard From BookXcess
Very sorry for the long silence. Mamarazzi have been very busy with her books.
Last week we went to BookXcess again and bought a whole load of books for me.
These are just so cheap! I love This Dora Play-A-Sound book
It's RM9-90 only
There are 4 card board pages in the book. Size just small enough for my hand. I love it.
For herself she bought this book. It took her about one week to finish this book. She said she love it. If you are interested on the review of this book, check out Mamarazzi's review at Mama Kucing Meow
Please Stop Laughing at Me: One Woman's Inspirational Journey by By Jodee Blanco
Book Description
While other children were daydreaming about dances, first kisses, and college, Jodee Blanco was trying to figure out how to go from homeroom to study hall without being taunted or spit upon as she walked through the halls.This powerful, unforgettable memoir chronicles how one child was shunned--and even physically abused--by her classmates from elementary school through high school. It is an unflinching look at what it means to be the outcast, how even the most loving parents can get it all wrong, why schools are often unable to prevent disaster, and how bullying has been misunderstood and mishandled by the mental health community.
You will be shocked, moved, and ultimately inspired by this harrowing tale of survival against insurmountable odds. This vivid story will open your eyes to the harsh realities and long-term consequences of bullying--and how all of us can make a difference in the lives of teens today.
My Comments:
I requested this book because I wanted to know more about bullying. There are more and more case of bullying reported in school in this country and I wanted to find out more on what is the cause of it. Any prevention or how to avoid these case from happening.
From this book, I found that that bullying can happen for not much reason at all. It can be a simple peer pressure or just that they don't like who you are friend with.
I am shocked at what Jodee Blanco had gone through trying to fit in with the popular crowd. The bullying was so bad till she had to change school. Although she said she managed to come in terms her past it when she attended her high school reunion but based on how this book is written, I feel that she had yet to fully let go of her past.
Would it have been better if she had not tried so hard to fit in? Maybe find her own group of friend?
My disappointment in this book is that it did not much solution on how to stop or prevent bulling from happen. Neither provide much information on how the school authorities could have helped. This books feels more like a memoirs instead of and inspirational book
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
The Final Summit by Andy Andrews
Book Description
David Ponder is back. This time the fate of mankind is in his hands.This is mankind’s last chance. Centuries of greed, pride, and hate have sent humanity hurtling toward disaster, and far from its original purpose. There is only one solution that can reset the compass and right the ship, and it consists of only two words.With time running out, it is up to David Ponder and a cast of history’s best and brightest minds to uncover this solution before it is too late. The catch? They are allowed only five tries to discover the answer.Readers first encountered David Ponder in The Traveler's Gift. Now, in The Final Summit, Andrews combines a riveting narrative with astounding history in order to show us the one thing we must do when we don’t know what to do.Comments:The question is "What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the path towards successful civilization?"This is an interesting book. Have the element of time travelling and holy intervention in the form of an Angel Gabriel. It is interesting to read what historical figure like Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and even Joan of Arc have to say about this. I love this part. There is just too many possible answer to the question. It kept me reading on and on till I could not stand the suspense and I did a very bad thing. I flipped to the last page and looks at the ending.yes, for me this is a good book to read. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
