Saturday, February 28, 2009

This week headlines!

Still not ready to write about Gregory Maguire. I have another two of his books on hold in the library and can’t wait to start. So bear with me here!
Have been reading latest books of some great series:
Brisinger” by Christopher Paolini was perfect. But I was expecting this one to be the last book of Inheritance series, sadly it is not! OK, I’m becoming a little bored with this series!
The story was full of brave actions of Eragon and Sephira, also Eragon learnt a lot about his family and is becoming a strong force against emperor.
One night of Passion” by Elizabeth Boyle is another book in Danvers family series. Colin is a captain who has been discharged from service with shame and Georgie is an orphan with a money hungry uncle and a careless guardian. She wants to get rid of her virginity in order to avoid getting married to an old man, he wants to forget honor and duty and have fun for just once! Read the book, although I liked Ms. Boyle’s later books better, this one was entertaining too. I specially liked Georgie’s sharp wit and her sharper tongue!
One Fifth Avenue” by Candace Bushnell was not my type. I didn’t read “Sex and the city” but I have tried in vain to read “Lipstick jungle” and “Four Blonds” and have not gone passed third or fourth chapter. The same should be said for “One Fifth Avenue”. I put the book down after third chapter and for the life of me; I couldn’t pick it up again! That says a lot about her writing, doesn’t it!
The Tale of Briar Bank” by Susan Wittig Albert is of the series The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. It was the fifth book and had a children story/fairy tale format which I enjoyed. Talking animals and village life go hand in hand and make a very peaceful story.
If you are a fan of Beatrix Potter this series may appeal to you specially!
I bought my copy of “The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter” from an antique shop in New Orleans almost two years ago and I love it dearly!
Then my favorite this week: “The Temptation of the Night Jasmine” by Lauren Willig. Lady Charlotte (Henrietta’s friend) is welcoming back her long lost cousin, Duke of Dovedale; Robert. But the reason Robert is back in family home is not to take up his responsibilities but to find the killer of his mentor in India. After charlotte’s disappointment with Robert, She takes up her mandatory position in the court of King George III right when King’s madness is back. With the help of Henrietta and Miles, Charlotte and Robert look for French agents and spies whom try to take advantage of confusion and …. Well go get your own book!
I had waited so much for this book and it was too short in my opinion. Also Pink Carnation was not directly involved which kinda disappointed me! Other than that, loved it!
Also finished Annette Blair’s third book of Triplet witch Trilogy: “Never Been Witched”. The third sister Destiny and King’s third friend Morgan get together and work out their issues and fell in love. I read the book out of a sense of completion and obligation (somehow!). Well it was not that great, a simple love story with a little spell and a few ghosts and angels and an ex catholic priest…
Why should all witches make ridiculous lyrics and have multiple tattoos and at least one suitcase full of sex toys?! I have read six of Ms. Blair books and all of them had these in common! Can’t you be a witch without tattoos and sex toys (Bad poetry optional!)?
Makes me mad!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Books, at last!

I’ve been reading very little this past… um, month (?!)! Although I have discovered a great author and I’m going to tell you about him in a separate post and after I finished all of his books!
Aside from that here is the list:
Found “Bone crossed” by Patricia Briggs a couple of days after release and finished it in five hours! I adore Ms. Briggs Mercy Thompson series. Right after her rape, Mercy is facing hard decision of choosing a mate and entering the pack of werewolves for good. Then her mother shows up and dried corpse of Stefan ends up in her living room. The mistress of vampires is furious and looking for revenge. In the middle of all these, Mercy’s old college friend is contacting her from another city and asks her to help with her ghost problem. Poor Mercy, everything is turning for the worse as she learns of all the hidden agendas everyone is harboring. At least she knows how to multitask!
I loved the book, it was action packed and Mercy appeared very capable and strong but also more human. She accepted help and admitted weakness when she needed help. She has grown and evolved. Somehow that rape incident has made her stronger. I loved the story. What I didn’t like was why the publisher switched to hardcover mid-series! I had to buy a hardcover and I can’t fit it beside the rest of the series on the bookshelf!

Finally finished “Night huntress” by Yasmine Galenorn. It was action packed and fast paced, also kinda rushed. Delilah is not the same spoiled little girl and the darling of her sisters anymore. Chase is taking up with another woman and Delilah calls Zach for back rub, sorry; back up! The fourth seal is found, that awful demon Karvanak is killed and Delilah finds about her strange heritage and still stranger responsibilities. I like the series but at the end I was becoming fed up with all the strangeness crammed into the story!
Deja Demon” (Kate Connor, Demon Hunter) by Julie Kenner is book 4 of the series and I had read books 1 and 2. It is not a series I want to follow further. Kate was a retired demon hunter from Vatican who lost her first husband a follow hunter in an accident, had married a politician and was raising her teenage daughter and toddler son in a peaceful small town until demons started to show up and her old life came crashing back. She is doing her wife duties by throwing parties for her husband campaign, driving her daughter to cheerleading practices and killing the pesty demons, whom are all looking for something or someone in her family; on the sly until apparently in book 3, when she brings her dead husband back in the body of a high school teacher.
OK, honestly this is getting too weird for me and I read the fourth book more like daydreams of a very bored middle aged housewife (or soccer mom, may the case be!).
Cat playing cupid” by Shirley Rousseau Murphy was the nth book of Joe Grey Mysteries. This series about the talking cats in a small village and how one of the cats is playing detective and helping local police department. Way way boring! I read only for my love of cats!
Then two books by Christopher Moore:
Coyote Blue” is the story of a former Indian (yeah, former!) and how he learns to get back to his roots and finally becomes the local shaman.
The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove” is about a small town (very much like Carmel!) and how a weed addict local policeman, an obsessed biologist, local bar owner, town shrink and town’s crazy lady join forces and solve town’s most important problems including finding and dispatching a drug ring, solving a murder, feeding and saving a five thousand years old dinosaur and curing the residences’ severe depression.
I love Moore’s satirical writing style. He looks at life with such a funny and light hearted humor that you forget you are being made fun of because of your mindless habits! Love it!
And then finally four books by Gregory Maguire who has become my favorite of the month which I’m going to write a separate post about! Keep tuned!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Chocolates and Hearts

With Valentine’s Day comes chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate. Many of these love signs have cute and tempting packaging but the quality of chocolate is bad. Too much chocolate butter and not enough cocoa and lots of sugar make for a very unhealthy gift.
I personally prefer to get a regular box of good quality chocolate and nice card than a heart-shaped red box of bad chocolate! But to each, his/hers own!

Check these chocolates for nice pakaging. (I don't know about the quality though!)
Recently I’ve got chocolate from friends far and near, and been wondering about quality of chocolate a lot!
A friend brought us a box of Macadamia nuts covered with milk chocolate from Australia (the box had a picture of Qualla bear on it) and it was phenomenal! Not too sweet, not too oily and very tasty. Australian chocolate lovers, you have a gem in your hands!
Then dear hubby picked a box of chocolate from “The Fudgery” in Banff, Alberta, Canada. These chocolate pieces are huge! Although the quality of chocolate is great, the sweets have only a chocolate shell and are filled with a very sticky caramel taffy too sweet and sugary to eat. The box is still sitting half full in the cabinet!
Later another friend gave us a huge box of “Kirkland” chocolate cover biscuits. Although titled with premium quality Belgian, these chocolates are not better than Hershey bars. I think I’m becoming a chocolate snob because I didn’t like any of the chocolates in the box. They are all too sweet and too oily for my taste. The thick biscuit adds to overbearing sweetness of these chocolates. Half a box is still full and whenever friends are dropping by I beg them to eat as much as they can!
My recent discovery though is keeping my faith in chocolate industry. Truffles from Starbucks come in four different flavors, Coffee, Chai tea, Vanilla and Caramel; and taste great. I’m in love with coffee truffles and chai tea ones, high quality chocolate, great flavor and nice packaging; all good! These chocolate truffles are almost as good as Godiva in fraction of the cost.
Speaking of Godiva, dear hubby had ordered two box of Godiva for Valentine but made a mistake and the boxes were delivered a month earlier! I finished the last truffle last weekend, now he has to go out and hunt chocolate!

Happy Valentine and enjoy your chocolate!

Friday, February 13, 2009

I’ve got Cabin fever!

Last week it rained almost non stop. As I have lots of cat-like qualities, I don’t like cold and I don’t like getting wet either; so I stayed home the whole week surfing web! But finally this week despite cold, I braved the elements and headed to school. I so missed all my unsocial grunting office-mates! Just sitting at my desk, shivering in the cold (there are lots of equipments and chemicals in our building so AC is set somewhere around 60-65 degree for the whole building!), staring at my computer, I was feeling … like crap! Worse is getting dressed each morning. It is not warm enough to wear tops and a light cardi, let alone skirts and dresses! (I wonder how some undergrads are wearing shorts and minis!) I have to layer at least three tops and usually add another one to it in the office and then wear a coat over it all! I feel so stuffed! Am so tired of winter and cold and heavy fabrics and knits! I want light flowy tops and cotton skirts… a couple of outfits in white and ivory, made of chiffon and silk… oh, when is it gonna get warm?! I need to get out and walk around, preferably somewhere with lots of shops; enjoying the sunshine and blooming trees!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Well economy is bad, what do you think? Should I list my recent sins? Yes? No? OK, truth is I’ve been trying to spend less this past couple of months; I’ve been sooo goood… I controlled my urges to buy a couple of new handbags. Boy, oh boy, it was hard! Specially that sweet one from Betsy Johnson at half price; I still lust after it!
To reward myself for my good behavior I bought two cheap handbags and a couple of belts! Well you get more work out of belts and two bags than one bag, right?! I feel very proud of myself! I’m so money savvy! (Yeah, right!)
And there was that silk top for only 25 and that silk dress for 30… I mean it is a bargain, right? You shouldn’t miss it! My advice: Head to “Heritage 1981” stores and check their stuff. They have some cute pieces with prices close to “Forever 21” but with better quality.
Anyway I’m thinking of what I need to complete my spring wardrobe and the list is getting longer and longer! How am I suppose to hold on to my new found sainthood and not over spend?