Thankful for the year 2009

I am thankful for the year 2009. 2009 brought for me a faithful reader by name Mridula :) I'm thankful for her comments on almost every one of my posts! She has always said something nice which inspired to go on writing my book reviews.

I'm also thankful that I could be active on this blog and have not left it midway. I have made many friends through the blog world and now am an avid blog reader. I discovered Google reader this year and hence am up-to-date on all the blogs that I love :)

Hope 2010 brings good news for all of us!

In the Convent of Little Flowers - Indu Sundaresan

Indu cleverly potrays various insights into Indian society through this compilation of stories. In one, it is the story of an Indian girl who is adopted by an American couple and her real birth mother's sister writes to her later on after twenty years or so. Another is about a couple and their weird son Bikaner and how he cheats on them. Another is about a old couple who have nowhere to live after their 12 kids do not care for them. Hence they are sent to a retirement home. Different stories like this make this book. I was hoping for more actually that maybe the stories will come together in the end. I liked it, but not too much!

First Darling of the Morning - Thrity Umrigar

This is a lovely book written by Thrity about her childhood as a Parsi in Mumbai. I really liked the way she started with her as a child and how she grew up at home. The tension at home with problems in the factory her uncle and father were the boss of, the sadness when her uncle died and how she had to grow up. The book ends when she makes a decision to go to US to study and to learn to be independent. Really nice novel to read

The Konkans - Tony D'Souza

I enjoyed the beginning of this book. It is a nice one with customs from Mangalore basically Konkan people (people who speak Konkani). Towards the end, it dragged out a bit. This is a story of Babu who is the firstborn son of his father (father is also a firstborn son) and of his brother Samuel. Babu marries a white lady and goes to the US after sometime. His two brothers follow along shortly. It is a tale of Babu through his son's eyes. Good one!

Tiger Moon - Antonia Michaelis

I liked this novel. It is about Raka, a young bride who tells her story to Lalit/Lagan, a lowly servant in her husband's house. The story is about a young thief Farhad who is commissioned by Krishna to save his daughter from the clutches of Ravan who is in human form. Nitish, a white tiger, helps him in this journey. At the end, the lines between the story and reality fade and the two stories blend together. Really good book!

Sold - Patricia McCormick

This novel really touched me. It was about a Nepali girl and how she is brought into India and sold into the streets as a prostitute. At the end, she gets a chance to escape and to find out whether she escapes or not,read the book!

The palace of illusions - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

After reading the reviews by Mad momma, Mamma of twins and Mystic Pizza, I had decided to read this novel. It sounded really good according to their reviews. And boy oh boy was I pleased that I read the novel. It is an amazing potrayal of Draupadi's viewpoint starting way from her birth to the end in the Mahabharata. I really loved the way Draupadi had her own thoughts and it was really good. A must read for everyone!

100th post

Woo hoo! I've reached 100 posts :) Feels great to have achieved it! I knew I read a lot of books but my blog helps me track how many. I do leave out some books that I read on my iPhone and elsewhere but mostly try to include all books I read. Please feel free to add suggestions as to what books you liked and I will try to read them too!

Six Suspects - Vikas Swarup

I really liked this novel. It is about the murder of Vicky Rai ( a politician's son) and the six suspects involved. He entwines the entire story of the six people who are suspected of murdering Vicky. Really nice novel :)

Earth Song - Catherine Coulter

Philippa de Beauchamp hears that she is to marry William de Bridgport, "a fat old man with no teeth, and a paunch," she flees from home but somehow ends up as a prisoner to Dienwald de Fortenberry. The young woman's spinning and weaving skills, as well as her ability to read and calculate, soon earn her the household's esteem and the position of steward. She soon falls in love with him but her cousin Sir Walter de Grasse learns a secret about Philippa's past and tries to marry her. I did not like this book because I found it very crude. I would not recommend this book to anyone!

The case of the missing servant - Vish Puri mystery - Tarquin Hall

Amazing story teller. I was surprised to see a UK writer to write so in tune with Indian stories. I mean I felt like I was in India with the detective Vish Puri solving the case. Vish is a detective who is solving the case of a missing servant. The twists and turns in the tale make it a interesting read :P Really enjoyed this novel.

Lyon's gate - Catherine Coulter

Jason Sherbrooke flees from England when something bad happens and he can't forgive himself for it. He returns back to his homeland after five years and decides to try to live again. When he shows interest in buying Lyon's Gate, Hallie Carrick also wants the place. Finally, both of them end up being owners of the same place :) It's a love story then between both of them. :)

Jade Star - Catherine Coulter

Dr. Saint Morris reencounters a young girl from his past in Maui in an unlikely situation. He soon becomes her husband, but in name only. She loves him, but he sees himself as her protector and brother. They encounter many exciting trials in San Francisco. Ultimately, he gets married to her to save her name from being tarnished. It was an okay novel. I didn't like it much though

Mistress - Anita Nair

I really liked this book. It is about four people, Shyam, his wife Radha, an American Chris and Radha's uncle. Chris comes to India to meet Radha's uncle and to write about his life. The story unfolds that uncle is a Kathakali dancer and the way the book is written in stages of different poses in Kathakali. I really liked the way the book was written. Amazing! The emotions of Shyam when he knows Radha is seeing Chris was really good!

Cooking with my Indian mother-in-law - Simon Daley

I really liked going through this book. The pictures of Roshan's food was amazing! The recipes are very simple for a beginner and the guidelines were nice. Good book for learning to cook Indian dishes :)

The splendour of silence - Indu Sundaresan

A young American woman,Olivia, receives a trunk from India that contains secrets of her mother’s past. The letters in the trunk tell her the story of her parents Sam and Mila and their brief affair in 1942 India.The heart of the story takes place in pre-Independence India and war-torn Burma. Splendor of Silence is about love, secrets, and the tension between Indians and the British raj. I had read this novel quite sometime back and thought about including this here.

A good Indian wife - Anne Cherian

I really liked this novel a lot. It was so touching for me. It's about a young Indian doctor Suneel Sarath who was studying and now staying in the US. He has a sort-of girlfriend Catherine. He goes to visit India to visit his "ailing" Thatapa but on landing in India, realises that his mother tricked him into coming to India to see girls for marriage. Through an unfortunate mistunderstanding, he somehow gets married to Leila. Leila is a sweetheart in this novel. She is a typical Indian girl and comes to US with dreams. She is independent and soon realises what her husband was upto with Catherine. So the story goes on about how she and Suneel in the end ultimately reconcile. A really nice novel :)

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

I read this novel yesterday and was quite happy reading it. It starts off very vaguely in the first few chapters. It is the story of the author as she takes off to travel for four months each in Italy, India and Bali. She starts her travel after she has divorced her husband and decides to take time off. In Italy, she has a lovely time learning Italian and tasting food :) She also gains a happy 23 pounds and is happy about it heheh I would never be. But in retrospection, she went through a bad divorce and hence would have lost a lot of weight.

In India, she goes to a Ashram and learns to pray and has unbelievable experiences. I wish I could talk to God like her.

In Bali, she gets a balance between everything. She goes to meet the medicine man she had met earlier, falls in love with a nice person and the story is so sweet!

First year anniversary

Oh my God! How could I miss my blog's first anniversary :( It was on October 21 that I first started blogging!

I now find it very therapeutic and helps me keep myself organised on which books I have read. It's easy to maintain too and also helps me out when I need to find a good book to gift!

A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 More Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen

A lovely book! I am a big fan of the series of these books. I have even heard that they have come out with an Indian version of the Chicken Soup for the Soul. Lovely, delightful short stories which inspire you, make you cry, make you want to be a better person.

Rebellious Desire - Julie Garwood

Caroline Richmond has been living in Boston with her uncle and his family since she was a small child. Suddenly, her father sends word that she must return to him in England. Caroline meets Jered for the first time when she saves his friend :)

She meets with her father and doesn't still know why he sent her away that long ago. Someone is trying to kill Caroline and Jered is trying to find out why with some not-so-good consequences

Cocktails for three - Madeleine Wickham

This book was suggested to by Mridula :) I had a lovely time reading this novel. I loved it! heheh It is a total chick novel. It's about Maggie, Roxanne and Candice. They are three close friends who meet up every first of the month to have cocktails. Roxanne is dating a married man and is in love with him. The other two don't know who the man is but know that Roxanne really loves this man. Maggie is on pregnancy leave in the country and doesn't like staying in the country, just next door to her mother in law. Candice tries to make amends for her father's misdeeds to Heather's family and tries to get Heather a job in her company. The story goes on and it's quite dramatic :) All in all, a good chicklit novel :)

Lola Carlyle Reveals All - Rachel Gibson

I liked this novel too. It was about a model Lola who has taken a sort of leave because her not-so-good photos were on the net. She was sleeping on a yatcht which was then taken over by undercover agent Max. She is on the yatcht with her dog Baby and over time, after a lot of misunderstandings, falls in love with Max :) It's a good novel for a boring afternoon with tea :)

The Trouble With Valentine's Day - Rachel Gibson

Kate is a detective who has taken a break from solving cases and is now looking for some rest at her grandfather's home in Idaho. She stops en route in Sun Valley and meets a guy with whom she tries to have a one night stand. But the guy refuses to do so. She goes home rather angrily and unfortunately realises that the guy is Rob Sutter who is the owner of the ski lodge at her grandpa's place. Now Kate is out to prove to Rob that she is not like how he thinks she is. Ultimately they both do fall in love after numerous obstacles :)

Lady of Desire - Gaelen Foley

Lady Jacinda Knight tries to run away from home and is finally caught by Billy Blade in midst of a gang fight. He knows her brothers and returns her home. Billy Blade must return to society as Lord Rackford in return for his friends to go to a better place rather than rot in jail. As Lord Rackford, Billy tries to woo Jacinda. The novel is a lovely one with Jacinda and Billy as the true starts

Lord of Fire - Gaelen Foley

Alice Montague comes to "rescue" her sister-in-law from the clutches of Lucien Knight :) and ultimately ends up staying there because of a clause put by Lucien. Lucien is intrigued by this paragon of honesty and falls in love with her. In the end, Alice does fall in love with Lucien but after lots of insecurities :)

The fortune hunter - Diane Farr

Lady Olivia is an independent spinster who takes care of an orphanage with her mother's money which was left to her. George Carstair has spent most of his life behaving like a rake and is in desperate need of money. He now has to work under Lady Olivia to earn his money as per the terms of an unusual will by his friend :)

Shelter me - Juliette Fay

Oh I really loved this story of Janie, a recently widowed lady, with two young children Dylan and Carly. She misses her husband so much during the year since his death. Her husband had given out a contract for building the porch before he was killed in an accident. The building of the porch by Tug, the priest Jake, her friend Shelly, her aunt Jude, her mom Noreen and many other personalities all come in and play their part. The book is so touching and so true to life. It's really a heart pull.

To wed a wicked prince - Jane Feather

Livia Lacey is pursued by Prince Alex Prokov of Russia relentlessly. She ultimately falls in love and marries him. She is confused about the hidden nature of her husband and suspects something is amiss. Slowly, she digs out what is the answer to her questions about his past and his loyalty to Russia

I think I love you - Stephanie Bond

This was a really weird storyline with three sisters Justine, Regina and Mica whose parents are bohemian( i.e. they live together and don't get married). There was a murder that the three girls were a witness to and didn't tell the police that time. Around 10 years later or so, the case is re-opened and the police are trying to resolve the case. In between of all this, there is another murder :) the girls fall in love too ;) hehhee read the story and find out what happens in the end

The bride - Julie Garwood

By the king's order, Alec (Scottish lord) must take an English bride. His choice was Jamie, youngest of four daughters of an English lord. The trials that Jamie undergoes in understanding Scotland and its people is really interesting. In the end, everyone loves Jamie as their lard's wife :)

Come the Spring - Julie Garwood

A bank robbery takes place and seven people are killed. Through evidence, Marshals Daniel and Cole find out that a witness was there and it was a woman. They come to know there were three women in the bank that day. All three women Rebecca, Jessica and Grace confess to being the witness. The judge orders them to be brought to another place where the trial takes place to find out who the real witness is. Good story line!

For the roses - Julie Garwood

Oh I really loved this tale where Mary Rose is raised by four boys in a alley who find her in the dumpster. The four boys band together as brothers and move to a better place to give something good to Mary Rose. Harrison is an attorney/works for Elliot whose daughter is missing since around 24 years. A chance tip leads Harrison to check Mary out and he falls in love with her. The story becomes interesting as we come to the end of it. I loved it!

Some girls do - Leanne Banks

Responsible Katie Collins has taken on a job where she has to find a suitable match for Wilhemina, her boss's daughter. Michael is assigned with the security of both girls while on this adventure. :) Katie's boss has gone for a vacation with his newly wedded wife when this assignment begins. One day after a bad party and incident, Wilhemina runs away to Texas to find love. Does she find her cowboy or not? Read the story to find out! ;) It was good one. I liked the reality of the characters potrayed.

With Heart - Dorothy Garlock

Kathleen Dolan becomes a partner in the Gazette in Rawlings, Oklahoma. She gets hijacked while coming to the town but is saved by a rancher Johnny Henry. She soon learns that there is a Doctor Herman who seems to be behind all the threats to her because he doesn't want her to know the town secrets. Johnny starts falling in love with Kathleen and vice versa too :) There's a murder case to be solved along with many pregnant women from out of state delivering in the town. But it was a good read for a rainy evening :)

Around the World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne

It is a story of Philaes Fogg along with his servant cum valet Passepartout who undertake a journey around the world. Philaes has placed a bet with his friends that he can go around the world in eighty days for £20,000.

While reaching India from Europe, they come across a sati due to happen. They manage to save the lady Aouda and convince her to come with them to Hong Kong where she has an uncle and can stay with him. Upon reaching Hong Kong, they come to know that her uncle has moved back to Europe. So Philaes and Passespartout convince Aouda to travel along with them since their end destination is London. In between of all this, there is a detective Fix who suspects that Philaes is a robber :) Amidst all his efforts to try to delay Philaes so that he can arrest him, Philaes still manages to win his wager :) Really good book! I liked the story line a lot

On Tall Pine Lake - Dorothy Garlock

Nona along with her sister Maggie and friend Mabel move to a fishing camp. They move there since they get a job to manage the camp. Nona also has a half brother who they learn later on has robbed a bank of money. Simon Wright, the hero, arrives later and says taht he has bought the camp and hence is the owner. There are a lot of strange things happening in the camp where a pregnant lady's husband gets killed, two people get kidnapped separately. I liked the novel because you never knew what happens next.

The Rome affair - Laura Caldwell

Rachel goes with her friend Kit to Rome sometime after she learns of her husband Nick's infidelity. She calls him up from Rome and doesnt get through and hence thinks that he is again having an affair. So she roams the streets of Rome alone and ends up sleeping with a man. She is sorry afterwards but hesistates to tell Nick because they are just getting back and things are going well for them.

Suddenly out of the blue, Kit starts blackmailing Rachel ( threatening to reveal Rachel's infidelity to Nick) for money for her mother's treatment. Rachel initially gives in to the demands thinking it is for Kit's mother. But she comes to know later on that Kit is using the money for herself. She is confused as to why Kit has changed so much. Later on in the story, Nick comes to know everything and is enraged as to why Kit is blackmailing Rachel and pushes her off the balcony leading to Kit's death. Then follows a big court case where in they are arrested and then released. Later on in the end, Rachel finds out that the person who Nick slept with for a week was Kit. This devastates her and she leaves Nick. I was so shocked by the story. It was so sad that these things happen in real life :(

Forever Victoria - Dorothy Garlock

Victoria McKenna is distraught to hear that her half brother has sold the land, deeded to her in her father's will, to Mason Mahaffey. Mason sends a letter that he is arriving to take possession. While awaiting the outcome of the legal dispute over the property, the Mason and his siblings take up residence at the McKenna Ranch. After a lot of resistance, eventually Victoria falls in love with Mason :)

Sweetwater - Dorothy Garlock

Oh I liked this concept of the book. Jenny flees her town with her two sisters Cass and Beatrice along with Mabel ( friend) since the two girls were being tortured at the place they were. She comes to an Indian reservation to be a teacher and falls into the politics of the town. She falls in love with Trell. Trell gets Colleen and her granny to help Jenny with her work. Travor, Trell's twin brother comes along later and falls in love with Colleen. There are a lot of problems for all of them to overcome :) That's how the book ends with all of them overcoming their problems

Snow Angels - Stella Cameron

Libby a rich widow who is living in the Italian Alps after the death of her husband. Old friend Aaron Conrad tries to convince her to come back to the States to care of her sister who is under high risk during pregnancy. He also tries to get her set up with another person but ends up falling in love with her. Hmm I wasnt very impressed with this story line unfortunately. I felt the author could have done better.

The impostor - Celeste Bradley

Clara is a young widow who draws reformist cartoons as Sir Thorogood :) Dalton poses as Sir Thorogood to find out who Sir Thorogood is. Clara is upset and wants to find out why he is posing as Sir Thorogood. She poses as a maid Rose and meets Dalton as a thief :) So in the end the story straightens itself out with various twists and turns.

In the groove - Pamela Britton

It's a story about Sarah and Lance (famous car racer). Sarah comes to work for Lance as his motor coach driver and fails to recognise him initially :) Then once she starts working for him, they fall in love but Sarah has some past issues that need to be worked on before they get together. All in all, it gives an insight into a car racer's life and ambitions

Coming home - Shirlee Busbee

This novel is a traditional romance novel where in a model by name of Roxanne aka Roxy returns back to her home town to settle down. She used to argue with the now-Deputy Sheriff Jeb during her young childhood days and now falls in love with him. The story line concentrates on the feelings between Shelly and Jeb and each one's doubts about the other.

The rogue - Celeste Bradley

Hehehe this novel I read while on a very long flight of four hours. Thank God for this novel, else I would have had nothing to do. The Liar's Club wants Ethan to spy on Jane's uncle's home since Jane's uncle Harold is suspected to be a traitor. Ethan falls in love with Jane and is confused whether to spy for the club. There is a funny twist in this story which is revealed in the end :)

Desperately seeking a duke - Celeste Bradley

Phoebe can inherit a family fortune only if she marrys a duke according to a stipulation in her grandfather's will. She has two cousins who are competing for the same fortune. She meet Rafe Marbrook and receives a marriage proposal from the Marquis of Brookhaven. believing it to be from Rafe's, she accepts it since she thinks Rafe is going tobecome a duke.

Later she realises that the proposal is from the elder brother Calder. The remaining part is the story of what Phoebe does :) Whom does she choose - Rafe or Calder?

To wed a scandalous spy - Celeste Bradley

Nathaniel Stonewell is accused to be a traitor to the Queen and is ridiculed and ignored in public. He is actually a spy for the Queen and is quiet because he wants to find out who started this rumor out. He was following a lead when he comes upon Willa Trent, who is having very bad luck with men who plan to marry her. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Willa married Nathaniel and the story is how Willa is smart and manages to make everyone like Nathaniel back again

Testing Miss Toogood - Stella Cameron

He he when I read this one, it reminded me much of myself when I was a kid. This lady Fluer constantly asks questions of Dominic who is supposed to be the person who introduces this belle to society. He does so reluctantly because of his mother's wishes and ends up falling in love with her himself. There is a crime too in between that is being committed which Dominic must solve before it endangers ladies of the Ton

Secrets of the Heart - Candance Camp

Oh I really enjoyed the twists and turns of this tale where in the wife Rachel learns about her husband Michael on how he used to work with the Bow Street Runners. Unfortunately in the beginning the marriage is off to a rough start because of Rachel had ran away with another person. But the story is exciting with a lot of crimes to be solved :)

Very truly yours - Julie Beard

This was a really nice read. Different kind of romance where the hero Jack Fairchild and heroine Liza Cranshaw fall in love. Jack ends up reading one of Liza's letters and finds out that she is being forced to marry a horrible viscount due to family matters. The way he tries to help her and resolve is the crux of the story

A soft place to fall - Barbara Bretton

I really liked this novel. I dont know but I always have a soft spot for a wife who tries to hide her husband's faults from the world and ends up suffering for it. This story is about Annie Galloway and how she keeps the gambling habits of her husband Kevin from their family. Annie falls in love with Sam Butler and her mother-in-law Claudia doesnt approve of this. The story is very delighting and has a lovely smooth narration.

Once and for always - Stella Cameron

Caitlin McBride returns to her hometown in Wales and meets her childhood sweetheart Trevor Morgan. Caitlin is married and is unhappy in her marriage and has a child Mary. Trevor is a widower. This is a story of how childhood sweethearts reunite after a long gap of around 12 years I think. It is a light nice romantic novel and I enjoyed it.

Record Time - Beverly Brandt

This is a nice novel about David Gamble and Kylie Rogers. David is a records music company CEO and Kylie ends up working in his office. They both fall in love and somehow Kylie manages to get into trouble every single time without any fault of hers. :) The storyline has a mystery plot into it - the records of her sister get pirated and are on the market even before its release. Kylie somehow gets blamed for it and now has to find out the culprit.

Room service - Beverly Brandt

This is about a rich girl Katya Morgan who ends up penniless due to her father's will. The dad leaves all his property to his young wife and nothing for his daughter. The daughter is so angry and the mother tries to convince Katya to get a job. Alex Sheridan, the general manager of the hotel that she usually stays in is convinced by the mother to give Katya a job, unbeknownst to her. Katya then takes the job and how her life is transformed is the story :)

The Pretender (The Liars Club) - Celeste Bradley

This is part of the series The Liars Club. I enjoyed this novel about Agatha Cunnington and Simon Rainnes. Agatha comes to London disguised as a married woman to find out what has happened to her brother James who is a spy. Simon is part of the gang who thinks James might be a traitor since he hasnt reported in to base from 2-3 months and the gang's people are being targeted. He thinks Agatha is James' mistress and spies on her. The story goes on :) But it was a nice weekend read for me

The cat's meow - Emily Carmichael

I really liked this novel :) It is about this workaholic Mckenna and her cat Titi. Mckenna meets with an accident and hence has temporary amnesia. Her friends Nell and Jane help her out. Our hero Tom also helps her out and in the end, she likes her new self compared to the old self which was workaholic and very sarcastic.

The Spy (The Liars Club) - Celeste Bradley

This was a nice novel involving mystery and romance. I liked the character of Phillipa (heroine) and Robbie, James' son. James is the hero who has adopted James as his heir and takes in Phillipa as his tutor thinking her to be a man since she has dressed like a man. Robbie recognises Phillipa to be a lady the first day and the things that Phillipa endures to find out the truth behind James' work is very interesting.

The Bridemaker - Rexanne Becnel

I really liked this novel. It is about Hester Poitevant, who is called the "Bridemaker" since she helps young girls who debut into society for the first time. She teaches them how to be graceful, hold conversations, dress fashionably. The plot of the story was really good and the secrets that Hester holds from Adrian Hawke are really interesting :) All in all, a nice novel!

Also this is my 50th post! Feels great :)

Becoming Georgia - Emily Carmichael

Nice novel. It is set back in time where Chicago was a big city and Arizona is a old kinda place. The heroine Georgia has come to Chicago to get some claims from her grandfather which she had given to Cougar Barnes. Her granddad wants her to become a lady and get married to Alexander and Elizabeth is given the task to reform Georgia into a lady. The story is how Georgia becomes a lady and what happens after that is the twist!

Diamond in the Ruff - Emily Carmichael

:) I really liked this novel. It's about Piggy who is a dog but is actually a trapped human who was put in the dog form for some past mistakes. She has to sort out the things between Joey,Ben, Pat and Alicia. Ben and Alicia are getting married and Joey is the wedding consultant since she is Alicia's high school buddy. And how it unravels is the story :)

Simply irresistable - Kristine Grayson

I loved this book. This is another one in her series and it is about Vivian and Dexter Grant who have to help the Fates in this book :) Nice one! Very much different from her other novels.

Girls of Summer - Barbara Bretton

I really liked the book, especially the cover page of it :) It reminded me of my childhood days in summer where kids just run around, have Rasna and just enjoy life. The book is about the life of three sisters, Mary Pat, Deirde and Ellen. But it is mainly written a bout Deirde and Ellen. Ellen is a half sister to Ellen and Mary Pat and how this affects their lives now is how the story proceeds. It's a lovely soft romantic novel and I enjoyed the author's style of writing.

The deep end of the blue ocean - Jacquelyn Mitchard

Lovely novel. The author has so closely described the feelings of a mother when her youngest son is kidnapped/taken/gone away from her at a high school reunion. The book tells of the anguish and mental torture that she undergoes and the various people who offer sympathy, accuse her of being careless. I really loved the book and style of writing is a bit different from others. A good read. :)

Night Moves/Night shield - Nora Roberts

It's a book with two stories in it.

Night Moves is all about Maggie and Cliff. Maggie is a celebrated singer who comes to settle down in a small town. Cliff is the landscaper who is called in for her garden. And it's a story about a dead man found in the garden, who was murdered 10 years ago. Old skeletons tell some tales! :)

Night shield is about the detective Allison who is assigned to a case involving crimes at Jonas' club. She has to enter as a waitress and has to find out who is the inside man :)

Both stories were good! As always, Nora keeps her readers delighted

After Dark - Haruki Murakami

It's a very different style of writing. One I haven't read before. Was suggested by my friend and I thought what the heck let me try his writing. I can't say I liked it a lot. But I did enjoy the book.

There is a main character Mari and people who she meets , out which Takahashi also plays a major role. The story describes the events on a single night and how the night ends with the dawn approaching. I don't want to give out details of the book then you would lose the interest to read it. :)

The three fates - Nora Roberts

I really loved this novel :) It starts out with the statue of the three fates - Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. The thread of life is spun upon Clotho's spindle, measured by the rod of Lachesis and finally snipped by the shears of Atropos, the inevitable one.

The family of Sullivans tries to unite these three statues together which are missing since quite some time. All in all, lovely novel and a good mythology woven together.

Beyond compare - Candace Camp

Nice romance novel :) I like romances so I liked this book too :) It is between Rafe ( an American) and Kyria ( Scottish or Irish I forget ) and how they both must be together and help unravel the mystery of a box mysteriously delivered to her by a man who was killed while delivering it to her.

Sisterchicks say ooh la la,Sisterchicks down under - Robin Jones Gunn

Lovely novels :) These are the kinds of things that I would want to do too! The novel usually starts out with a woman having some kind of a situation and how another lady helps her out with it and they become sisterchicks! Sisterchick is sort of a friend cum sister cum buddy with whom you could confide in and the adventures that they have together is something that I always wanted to do with my girl friends :)
Going out probably camping or to a new touristy place where the language spoken is not English eheheh those would be the sort of adventures I am looking forward to

Secrets, Whispers, Sunsets - Robin Jones Gunn

Lovely series of novels. I liked this series because the person connects with God in this. Someone faces a problem and the problem is resolved through normal ways and connection with God. It really felt like something that happens in daily life

The White Tiger - Arvinda Adiga

I ll be frank :) When this novel was suggested to me by one of my friends M, I was excited to see a Mangalorean author :P heheheh so ran and grabbed this book from the library. Well, the book is written in a weird way :)

The style is so much different from the authors I usually read. But I persisted and read along. And I really liked the way he evolved the story about the driver Balram Halwai and his master. The driver narrates a series about his life and how he came to kill his master. All in all, a good novel, if you can overcome his different style of writing

The Kitchen God's Wife - Amy Tan

This novel I really liked :) Although I guess not for the same reasons as everyone. I wouldnt say it is one of my favorites.. but the book was good. It was based in China and the story is told by Pearl's mother Winnie.

It is also is about the tension between Winnie and Pearl and also between Winnie and her friend. It is about the struggles in China during the World War. I mean being a person of today's generation, we don't know much about how people lived during war and how it was. It provides a sad insight into this part.

Waiting - Ha Jin

Well, all in all , the book was really good :) Keeps you guessing till the end as to what will happen next. It is a story of a Chinese military doctor Lin and his wife Shuyu and his so-called girlfriend Maana Wu. Lin and Maana want to get married and so Lin go every year to meet his wife Shuyu to ask for a divorce. They go every year to the court for the divorce but at the end, Shuyu always answers No. This happens atleast 3-4 times in the book.

Well, the funny thing is after reading the entire book, I almost felt so angry on the three characters. About Maana for being such an idiot and waiting for almost 18 years, about Lin who is roaming around with Maana and ignoring his wife Shuyu just because she is not good looking ( but Shuyu is the one who took care of his ailing parents and did everything for him) and Shuyu for being so patient. Well that's life I guess. Different people with different personalities! But it's a nice novel to read about China and Chairman Mao and the cultural revolution

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With open arms - Nora Roberts

Song of the West
Unfortunately , I dont remember this story line :)))

Her Mother's Keeper
Gwen Lacrosse comes home to save her mother from being enticed by Luke Powers and ends up falling for him. Watch for what happens - does the mother come to know of it or does Gwen
sacrifice for her mother :)

Two of a kind - Nora Roberts

In "Impulse," a young woman who is so cautious about life, decides to take a chance and live
life to the fullest. She falls in love with a handsome Greek stranger.

And in "The Best Mistake," a single mother finds out that her new tenant stirs up feelings
she thought long forgotten.

The Reunion - Nora Roberts

It consists of two short stories - "Once More with Feeling" and "Treasures Lost, Treasures
Found" . The first one is the story of a musician who is given a chance to work with her old
love again and how love overcomes even the silliest of all obstacles.

The second one is of a teacher who finally comes to peace with herself and her dead father
and accepts the help of a person whom her father would have disapproved.

The Reef - Nora Roberts

I recently read this novel and was fascinated by the Angelique's curse and how the people
involved as so taken up by finding this amulet which was cursed by a witch :)

Delay in posts

I humby apologise for the delay in updates :) Just shifted to a new place and was getting settled and trying to find where the library is and all that stuff. Finally got one and was too lazy to search for novels so just picked up the tried and tested author - Nora Roberts heehhhe :)

Falling For Rachel & Convincing Alex - Nora Roberts

Man how I so love her books! This deals with Ukrainian family and it is, in essence, two novels but combined in one book :) So it's like ek lo ek muft ( Buy one, get one free)

It's about the lawyer who is assigned to the hero's brother and who has to make sure that he is reforming and trying to become better. One interesting aspect is when the hero and hero's brother both fall for her :) hehhehe interesting, ain't it?

The other one deals with a detective and a lady writer who tries to find out more material for soap operas by going to the street and acting the part :)

But both books were awesome :)

Homeport - Nora Roberts

Man this novel was too good. I was waiting till the end. It's sort of a thriller and romance entwined into one :)

It's about someone who is out to set up/frame our heroine in the art world. And the hero is an art thief who helps her out in clearing out her name. I just couldn't wait to finish the novel. Read it in the flight, train and even when I reached home. I couldn't stop :)

Can You Keep a Secret? - Sophie Kinsella

This is such a tempting book. Reading the title itself made me curious. It was such a pink cover for the book. It just said "Pick me up" to me :) hehheheh Guess I'm still a girl at heart! Haven't lost it yet :)

The heroine Emma in this by mistake thinks that she is going to die while flying and accidentally tells all her secrets to a complete stranger in the plane. Unfortunately, for her, the person ends up to be the CEO of her company and the plane doesnt crash :)

This is the story of their romance and so many misunderstandings take place between this couple. Lovely read! I really enjoyed this and wasnt ready to keep the book down until I finished it

In Name Only - Janet Bieber

Funny romance! :) Here the heroine takes up the role of mother for her dead sister's children and literally hates her brother-in-law :) hehehhe How mistaken she is about the hero's character is revealed in the end.

Such novels make me laugh where people get married within the family :) I guess it must be interesting! But all in all, a good romance read.

Time and again - Nora Roberts

This lady is one of my favorite novelists. Simply because of the stories that she weaves and the fantasy along with it. I just loved her Irish series :)

This is somewhat different from her usual. It is about a man who comes from future and lands up in the past and how he falls in love with a lady and doesn't want to go back to future.

How he finds us , meaning to say the present funny is cute! There is another story also about his brother who comes to take him back to future, but the brother too falls in love with the heroine's sister. Lovely novel :) Two in one!

I Wish I Had a Red Dress - Pearl Cleage

Lovely novel. It's basically about social issues with a romance entangled in between.

The book starts out with our heroine Joyce who has started the Sewing Circus for women who need help. She tries to encourage them to be stronger women and not take abuse (sexual or otherwise) from men who are important to them.
Along comes our hero Nate who is the school Principal who falls in love with Joyce and tries to make her understand that you need both women and men involved in such activities if we need to be successful.

I enjoyed reading this novel because of the simplicity and straight forwardness in writing by the author.

Castles in the Mist - Josie Litton

This is the last part of this trilogy series. It is about the story of the Vanax Atreus and Brianna who fall in love. Atreus who has seen Brianna as part of his visions when he was under trials to become the Vanax ( ruler) of Akora. Delightful novel :)

I enjoyed it a lot. Good one for romance readers.

Dream Island - Josie Litton

This is first part of a trilogy series by Josie Litton. Nice narration with a strange country Akora being invented out of the writer's imagination.

It's a love story and deals with many things. It starts with Joanna looking out for her brother Royce who had gone to this forbidden island, Akora and who has not yet returned. She seeks the help of Alex who is the only "foreign" person allowed on this island. He is reluctant to help her but somehow ends up falling in love with her.

Delightful storyline and lots of fun for romance readers :)

The Walking - Bentley Little

Ohhh a really good horror story heeheh sent some shivers up my spine for sure. :) I usually don't read horror novels but somehow in a hurry, picked this up from the library and had nothing else better to do while flying. But was I glad to finish this novel.

The story is narrated in two timelines. One chapter would be Then and the next one would be Now. And in the end, they both merge. Nice narration style. The story is basically about witchcraft and how they were not accepted in early days of America. And how it relates to today's lifetime. About a curse of a witch Isabella and how our hero Miles has to investigate the series of weird things happening today.

Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

Very very touching, heart breaking novel. I just loved the ending scene, it was really a tear jerker :(

Seeing the cover of the book, I got a bit frightened. It looked too serious for my liking :) but I enjoyed the book thoroughly.

The storyline is about a Joad family in Oklahoma and how they migrate to California for work. The story is of their struggle on daily things like food, baths, clothes etc. The central character I feel is the mother of the family who takes on a lot and knows how to push buttons of every person in the family to get things done.

It's a lovely story and definitely a must read.

Two Lives - Vikram Seth

Lovely novel. I really liked his style of writing. Simple, clear and concise. To the point. Vikram writes about his Uncle Shanthi (Indian) and Aunt Henny (German) respectively.

Aunty Henny's entire family is destroyed during Hitler's reign and how they deal with it. The book talks about perspectives from Uncle and Aunty's side, also with insight from the author. I really liked Aunt Henny's letters to her friends. The way she writes is really good.

All in all, it takes patience to complete the book since at the end it becomes a little too long. But it is truly a tale of two lives, intertwined in ways unknown. They say Love crosses all barriers and this is a proof of it. :)