At First Sight

At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks.
Sequel to True Believer.

The book picks up from where True Believer left off, Lexie and Jeremy are newly weds, starting a family in Bonne Creek, North Carolina.
Jeremy has left his home in NY to come settle down in Bonne Creek with Lexie, hoping to start a family now that Lexie is expecting.
Before that, they went over to NY to help Jeremy pack up as well as to visit Jeremy's family.
While in NY, Jeremy's best friend, Alvin, tries to convince Jeremy that he was rushing into the marriage. Only upon telling his best friend that Lexie is pregnant, does Alvin stop hounding his friend.
On the way to visit Jeremy's family, Lexie was eager for Jeremy's family acceptance. She is worried about their opinions about her, considering that they barely knew each other.
Jeremy also proposed to Lexie on the top of the Empire State Building.
After moving back to Bonne Creek, they got to work preparing the wedding and their new home.
During which, Jeremy suffers from a bout of writers' block. Unable to produce articles, coupled with the massive expenses that they are incurring from the new purchases, Jeremy begins to get stressed out.
On the other side, Lexie also has her fair share of problems. Mood swings and a particularly tricky situation between 2 friends does nothing to alleviate the increasing frustration between the couple.
To make matters worse, Jeremy begins receiving cryptic emails that threatens to sow discord between Jeremy and Lexie, straining their relationship further...

Ok decided not to continue to spoil the book..go read it yourself.
I finished this book in 1 day. It's a particularly short book, nonetheless I took great joy in reading this book.
This book narrates the problems newly weds face..coupled emotional fights and makeups that leads to a bittersweet ending..produces an delightfully written book.
I loved the characters..Lexie, Jeremy and Doris in particular..
I really disliked the ending though..Lexie didn't have to die =(
But I guess her death was necessary to trigger the emotions within the reader..

Very good book..

Kisses from Hell + HoN: Fledging Handbook

Ok..covering 2 books..
First, Kisses from Hell.
It's basically an anthropology of 5 short vampire stories.
It includes writers like P.C. Cast(HoN) and Richelle Mead(VA).
This got to be the worst book I bought ever.
Personally, I disliked this book because the stories are too short. Not much of any kind of development before the story ends.
It's practically like a narration of a script.
Saving grace for this had to be the short story by Richelle. It's a short story that covers how Lissa's parents met. At least that provided some salvation to the book..but it was still too short =((

2nd Book, HoN Fledging Handbook.
Wouldn't consider it a book..it's more of like an artbook. Featuring illustrations, and some lore to the House of Night Series..it's quite boring actually. It has stuff like rituals and their origins. Their origins is kinda like a short story of their own...however, it was too short to really make sense of stuff.
Thumbs up for how they make famous characters to be vampyres though..

Strange Angels: Jealousy

3rd book of the series.
I guess it's an OK book..not fantastic, just easy reading.
Not much on action too...should probably get it to continue the series.

Time to clear my backlog..

Gonna put the millenium series together..since they are a trilogy.

Millenium Trilogy, consisting of the girl with the dragon tattoo, the girl who played with fire and the girl who kicked the hornets' nest.
Wicked series overall.
Didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I would.
Intense and thrilling all the way till the end.

Definite must read!
I love the first book the most though..followed by hornets' nest.

Safe Haven
Spark's latest novel.
It's the usual sparks stuff..but I'm a sucker for it.
Hahaha it's quite a tame book.
It's an enjoyable book to read on a holiday.

The Choice
I kinda forgotten what's this story about.. I had to wiki it to remember the story.
Nevertheless, it's a good book.
This has an ending kinda like The Notebook.
This has a potential to be a rom com in the movies...hahah it's hilarious and sweet at the same time.

The following books are birthday presents from my colleagues.
Not really my type of books..it's all vampire related, but it's leaning more towards horror which I'm not a fan of.
Too much details on the surrounding..perhaps that's what the horror genre is about.
Deviating a little, I don't get how readers could get spooked out by a horror book.
How do they build the suspense..I'm talking about the surprise kind of suspense..not the thriller type..


The Strain + The Fall
This is part of a trilogy.
The last book is titled The Fear coming out in 2011 I think.
Anyway, this book is about a plague that destroyed the world.
Long ago, vampires had a truce with humans.
However a vampire went rogue and started to spread this vampire plague.
Turning humans into blood sucking monsters.
So yea..boring stuff..and it's damn hard to read too.
Alot of descriptive words.
I would probably get the last book just to finish the trilogy..but not recommended to buy.

The Passage
Ok this book totally BLOWS.
Basic summary, the US Army is toying with a vampire virus. But they screwed up and unleashed it upon the world, destroying our world in the process.
Then, fast forward 100 years to the new world.
If you watch rain of fire, this part is kinda like that.
Where humans built a garrison and try to survive.
But shit happens! So the people start leaving the colony and stuff..it's so boring.
I can't continue. HAHAHA.

Ok..cleared my backlog.
Boring books...

Coming up, Strange Angels: Jealousy.
Part 3 of the Strange Angels series.

BACKLOG!

Read alot of books, but didn't have time to review them yet.

Safe Haven
The Choice
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

True Believer

Finished this today..another great book by Nicholas Sparks.
I can't ever get enough of this guy. lol.

A simple story really, but made awesome by the quirky characters and the whole setting of Boone Creek.
Maybe it's just me, but I really enjoyed reading sotries revolving around small communities...it just feels so cosy. A neighbourhood where everyone knows each other and treat each other as family.
Some people would probably find it boring and who knows, I probably would find it boring too after staying there for awhile.
But until that happens, I'll continue wishing to want to stay in a community like that.
Maybe it coz I've stayed in Singapore all my life..all I ever known was the hectic city life.

I'm having my wish of going to study in Australia again..in ANU probably where it's a sleepy town.
The perfect place for me.


I think why I love Spark's books..is partly coz they are all mostly set in a cosy small town.
I would really like to visit North Carolina someday..go visit all the places he mentioned in his books.


Anyway, back to True Believer..
It's truely a simple story. The whole sequence of events took place within 2 weeks.
With the bulk of the stories focused on the first week. It makes you wonder, how could someone make a book for a story that last 2 weeks. But Spark's has done it!
I have to say though, the emotion quotient I felt in this book is subtle...not as intense as his other books like Dear John. But it's nice in a way..it's enough to keep u satisfied and to want to keep go on reading.

Overall, I must say I really enjoyed this book.

P.S. I just found out that there's a sequel to True Believer.
I'm so psyched to read it..I mean I always wanted to know more. Like what happens after they fell in love. What happens after they get married and stuff.
The sequel tells exactly that =)

I know why some people find these sorta books boring..I mean it's quite mundane actually.
It's narrates mostly, the mundane life the characters has. But I'm just intrigued to it.
If I could spend my life being a ghost, being transparent, and just observe how people go along their normal routine, I think I would be very contented.
It would be almost the perfect job actually.

A Walk to Remember

Ahhh 1 of my favourite authors..Nicholas Sparks.
He never fails to make me feel like crying.

His books are awesome!
A Walk to Remember is also another darn good book.
A pity that it's kinda short though.
But nonetheless, it provided me 6 hours of joy and sadness.

Jamie is just such a lovable character, while Landon is a typical wise ass teenage boy.
I loved the way Sparks wrote Landon's part. It is exactly how a 17 year old would speak.

Part I loved most? The ending. The ambigularity the ending presented represented a sense of hope, at least for me.
I would like to interpret the ending as, Jamie lived. =)

Some gripes about the book, I thought it could be longer...to further develop the character's feeling and make the ending that much more impactful..
But thinking again, would it have left the same effect on the readers if Sparks was to extend the book and further develop the story?

=))

Bob is veyr satisfied now..2 great books in 2 days.

Next up, another Sparks novel. =))

VA: SpiritBound

Ok. I finished this in 2 days.
Before everything else, I have to say, this book is AWESOME!!

I had high expectations of this book..thank goodness, it didn't disappoint. In fact it exceeded my expectations.
I love how Richelle mixed in love, action and suspense. Throw in a dash of vampirism(is there even such a word??) in there and u get a damn good book.

Spiritbound picks up where Blood Promise last left off.
Rose failed to kll Dimitri, and now he is out hunting for her.
Shall not spoil the story..get it for yourself if you want to find out.

Vampire Academy is one series that I absolutely adore.
Unless House of Night, VA is so much better illustrated.
Better storyline, better character development, better plot.

I can't wait for the next book! VA: Last Sacrifice. Coming out in DEC 2010!!

Must Read book!!!

The Ice Cream Girls

Finally finished this book. Been stuck on this book since July.
Been reading up for my DM theory..so didn't have time to read..

Ok review.
I bought the wrong book.
I thought this book would be similar to My Best Friend's Girl, afterall it's by the same author.
Apparently I'm totally mistaken.

This is nothing like My Best Friend's Girl.
This book is more like a psychological thriller.
I felt that this book is a waste of time. Nonsensical ending if you ask me.
Then again, I'm totally biased because it wasn't the type of book I was looking for.
I was practically struggling to turn the next page..took quite an effort to finish the book.

Next up, Vampire Academy: Spiritbound.
High expectations for it! VA is one of the best vampire series book I've read.
I'm so looking forward to read this book..I thought it was not published yet.
But it was out since May..=(

Busy Busy!

No time to read my books these days...
I'm still stuck on The Ice Cream Girls.
I think I bought the wrong book =(
Turns out it isn't like My Best Friend Girl..it's more of a crime thriller..
But who knows, maybe the story will turn out fantastic.

Been busy with diving now..don't have much time to read.
Reading PADI manuals =P.


Will review once I'm done with The Ice Cream Girls.

My Nicholas Sparks is waiting for me omg...

Meanwhile, I need some solitude back =(
I would so love to have only me myself and I for afew days..

Turns out my personality test quite accurate ar...Introverts lose energy in a group, while gain energy when alone.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Ok, Stephanie Meyer's novelle of esclipse.
This was a very short book. I finished this in 1hour.

A very simple, no frill story meant to provide more background info for esclipse.
I kinda forgot the story of esclipse, so reading this brought back some inkling of it.

Nothing much to comment, easy book to read. Quite nice I guess.

House Rules

Ok. Finally a decent book to blog about.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult.
Damn I just love her stories.

Typically Jodi Picoult writing, POVs from different characters.
Surprisingly there a strong moral dillemma in this book.
Though all other elements of her trademark style is present. (weird medical condition, antagonist involves a family member, etc etc)

This book covers Asperger's Syndrome. Which happens to be the same medical condition as Nicholas Spark's book, Dear John. (John's father has asperger too)

The ending for this book did not knock me off though.
In fact, of all her books so far, House Rules probably has 1 of the most predictable ending's ever.
No heartbreak and surprises here =)

Decent read, though her previous book, Handle With Care, was better.

House of Night: Burned

Ok the latest novel of the House of Night series.
The book picks up from where it last left of, where Zoey's soul has been shattered following Heath's death.

This book is draggy. Probably cause HoN has always been about Zoey and her friends. With Zoey in the Other realm, the series just lose a chunk of substance.
Applaudable effort to keep the story flowing, but Zoey really is the essense of HoN. Without her, the book seems very flat.

Worth reading, only for the sake of continuing the series.

Speaking of which, I can't wait for the latest VA book to hit bookstores.
Please come soon. T.T

WOW: Stormrage

Ok..latest world of warcraft novel.

I didn't really enjoy this book alot.
Probably cause it involves the messy Emerald Dream.

This book is kinda closes up the gap that has been the Emerald Dream/Nightmare.
In WoW Lore, it has always been said that Ysera is fighting the Nightmare, thus she is always missing from the key plots of the various lore.

This book wraps up her side of the story. Not for the average reader, only die hard warcraft lore fans would really appreciate this book.

Alot of mystery and deception here. Not my kind of story.

Long time no blog

Jialat last book review was Dear John.
I've probably read another 4/5 books after that..
Ok try to recap..

Books read:

WOW: Stormrage
House of Night : Burned
House Rules
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Ok..I think that's about all..of all 4, House Rules is the nicest imo =P.

Reviews up soon.

Dear John

Ok. I think this book deserves a review rather than some slip shod post =S

An easy book to read. It's the kinda book that you could take to the park/beach and just read away under the sun =)
Then again, most of the books I read are like that. =P
Dear John has simplistic characters with a simple storyline.
But Sparks has somehow added enough life and character into them to make it an enjoyable read.
Though it is a short book, you still feel satisfied after completing it. But more than that, it left me with alot to think and ponder about for the remainder of the day.

Unlike The Last Song, or Message in a Bottle, Dear John did not come across to me as a tear jerker.
I didn't get the intense feelings like the other 2 books, but I did experience heartache and regret for the characters.

A must read, if you ask me. =)

Personal reflections,
There's so many kinds of romantic love in the world.
But how do you choose between them??
On one side, there's your true love. The person who you so passionately love.
Whereas on the other hand, there's also the love that stood beside you when you most needed someone.
The perfect scenario would always be that these 2 person are the same.
But reality is far from perfect. So how do you choose between them then.
Either way will leave you with regrets, as in the case of Savannah.
But you have to make a choice. Savannah made hers, though she faltered in the end over her decision. I would be hard pressed to have a decision actually..
Either choice is justifiable by reasons. But that only increases the difficulty in making the choice.

Dear John

Ok. Very nice book.
Finished it in 6 hours flat. =S
2nd best book from Spark's imo.
The Last Song was still better.
Haha.

The movie blows btw.
I tried watching it after reading the book, and I couldn't finish the film.
Sucks big time.

The Lovely Bones

Finally finished this book.
It was a very abstract book to read to be honest.
Almost gave up reading it half way through.

Initially I thought that the book has lots of unnecessary information in it..especially the first half of the book.
But ironically enough, after finishing the book, those little things actually ties the story together.
The wonder of text =P

Well, I would recommend giving this book a skip if you aren't a avid reader.
It's definitely not for the casual reader =P

Back to Nicholas Sparks I guess.
Dear John and The Rescue coming soon =)

The Guardian/The Notebook

Been awhile since I updated..
Gonna do 2 books today.

First 1 is The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks.
It's abit like Marley and Me.
He wrote this as a love story + Thriller.
A nice read, but I rather he stick to writing love stories =P

It's a nice read overall, but it just doesn't invoke those feelings within me to rate it a darn good book.

Next book, The Notebook.
Supposed to be his best selling book.
But after reading it, I felt that it didn't live up to my expectations.
It's probably another case of expecting too much from it.
It is a nice story, but nothing too emotional to really make u feel for the characters.
This story is like a overview of the character's life rather than a full fledge story.
More like memoirs of Noah.
It would be nice to really know what happened after Allie made her choice, the wedding, the kids, stuff like that.
So, I would say it's a normal book, skip it if you want. You won't lose out much..


So fast and I'm done with 2 books..work is getting less hectic, expect more reviews more often now =P

I'm left with 1 sparks book, followed by Lovely Bones and 2 books from Dorothy Koomson.
I read one of her books before, My Best Friend's Girl. It was a great book. Hopefully her 2 books are good.

Oh ya! I have Jodie Picoult's newest book also. House Rules. So hard to decide which to read first T.T

Strange Angels/Betrayals

A new vampire series. There's only 2 books in the series now. 3rd coming out soon I think.
Overall, a decent read.
Crow(the author) likes to describe the surroundings alot. To the extent that it gets very hard to visualise where exactly Dru is.
Of course. there's the funny visions that blur reality too.

But it's still a good story. There's alot of secrets in between though. Creating a story that has alot of missing gaps that kinda spoils the book.


Ok I've ran out of books. Heading down to Borders this weekend.
Been awhile since I've stepped in there. I'll probably get 1/2 Nicholas Sparks..and maybe a new vampire series =P

The Last Song

Nicholas Spark's latest book.
I think it's nice.
I like this book alot.
Maybe cause the characters are younger.
And it's something I could relate to I guess..

Must read!

Anyway, have not been reading lately.
Too busy. Busy season is about to finish. Hopefully I could get back to my books.

I'm finally a rescue diver!
Open season dive was ok I guess.
Personal Best depth of 25metres.
It's about managing expectations for this trip. I expected more, but didn't deliver.
Oh well, like they say, not all dives will be enjoyable.

Now. Time for big decision.
PRO or LEISURE.

I think I chose PRO already.

Message In A Bottle

Been long since I blogged.
Well, busy season is back. Hardly have time to read.
Today caught some slack wind and managed to finish this book.

Longest book I read in awhile, took me 2 months to finish it due to work commitments.
Work totally puts me off the mood to read.

Anyway, nicholas sparks book.
A good novel. Though I regretted reading it at such a time.
Because I took a 2 months break before reading the 2nd half of the book, I couldn't really feel the intensity of the novel.

If I had read it all the way through, I think the feeling would be better amplified.
The office setting with lots of new boys doesn't help generate the atmosphere too.

I would re read the book again.
This is really a great book, one of the better reads.

Next up, I have The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.
Of course, I bought the Strange Angels Series too.
Doubt I have time to read them till busy season is over though.


On a side note,
Diving season is opening!
I still have rescue diver to go.
I think I shall go PRO.
Not really decided yet though.