The first bite isnt good enough to follow Nessy's coven

THIS IS MY FIRST FREE SOFTCOPY from GoodReads giveaways. This is also my first read about vampire lives. Initially, I got excited about having it for free with the condition of writing a review for it. I dont expect a grandeur plot considering this is a sequel of Bowler's novel, Moon Rising. But I am still hoping that Sunrise to Sunset will stand as its own merit to provide us the continuing saga of Nessy's new life: half-Gulon-half-vampire adventures.

After awaken from unconsciousness, Nessy realizes that she could not remember anything about herself. With the help of her cousin, Hera and boyfriend Charles, she managed to regain her strength and memory, consequently discovered her identity. Her past life is recurring and blends with her present life as recounted by herself. With the new role in the communities of covens and Gulons, she confides that taking responsibilities in the protection of these different conflicting groups of the underworld is causing chaos and even brings bewilderment about her future. Then again, she also enjoying this acquired “dual” identity - exploring what her DNA is leading to, even it will risk her own life.

The story is different from the normal vampire love story. It deviated from the traditional type of the underworld battles between blooding-sucking vampires and werewolves. And for me, this is something original, however, there are few things that I am bit disappointed as the way the story was written.

Firstly, even though this is a stand-alone novel, a “prologue” seems necessary to allow readers (who haven’t read Moon Rising) understand the premise of Nessy’s adventures – highlighting some of the significant events that lead to the Sunrise to Sunset’s plot. Secondly, having it in a “first-person” narration/dialogue, the author deprived her readers to fully acquaint with other main characters like Hera and Charles. It is like I am reading a ”autobiography” of Nessy or a "memoir" of a vampire! Finally, there are few typo/grammatical errors that need editing/proofreading, including repetitive descriptions and dialogues as well as inconsistencies in time setting towards the end of the book. For instance, one chapter describes the sun is rising and suddenly the next/succeeding chapter is already night time.

DESPITE THESE minor discrepancies, the author brings very relevant and important lessons to be learned that we could relate to our real lives. Some of them are something to do with companionship, leadership, friendship, love, trust, loyalty, confidence and risk-taking. Being a leader does not only mean taking authority and power, but it also allowing ourselves to listen from our peers and act not for our own glory/gratification but for the welfare of the many. Building relationships and connections requires personal commitment and hardworks, and not an overnight affair.

"Our ways were beyond the marital boundaries that existed for humans. Our love for the chosen mate was like an elastic band, no matter how much it stretched, or was twisted, it would always remain" - Nessy

BookFaces in Red: Save lives courtesy of Penguin Classics - Set One

PENGUIN CLASSICS (UK) HAS PUBLISHED a selection

of classic stories that aims to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Having RED as the theme color, for every purchase of this new edition,

50 percent of the sales profit will be donated to the Global Fund.

Books Featured are as follows ( from top to bottom):Sons and Lovers (D H Lawrence), Silas Marner (George Eliot)Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte), Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)Vanity Fair (William Thackeray), Kidnapped (Robert Louis Stevenson)The Lady with the Little Dog (Antun Chekhov), andSentimental Education (Gustave Flaubert).
Some of these Penguin Classics bookfaces are links to the designers' interviews and others directed to the individual synopsis of the story.

Clicking the title of the post will automatically link to Penguin Classics Red Project.

Books Catcher 2011 Series 1 courtesy of HMV (UK)

HMV IS A UK-BASED MUSIC store/shop but few years ago it started selling books and ereading devices. The store is the leading distributor of records - from CDs to DVDs formats, including films and video games. HMV price tags for books are cheaper (free delivery for online purchases) than other bookshops like Waterstones or WHSmith.


What a coincidence that I grabbed two novels at 2 sterling pounds (originally tagged at 7.99 sterling pounds) written by authors sharing the same first name. Sarah Waters' The Night Watch was shortlisted for The Man Booker and The Orange Prize, while Sarah Dunant's Sacred Hearts was included in the 2010's The TV BookClub Best Read organized by UK TV Channel 4.

Note: I am one of the book givers of Sarah Waters' third novel entitled, Fingersmith and the book will be distributed on the 5th March 2011 in Belfast, Northern Ireland being organized by World Book Night.

BookFace: Free ebooks for downloads in Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

ANOTHER TWO EBOOKS for free downloads if you are in the US and UK regions using Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk websites. Normally, these books are offered at discount prices in other regions.


I already started reading Matt Rudd's story, William Walker's First Year of Marriage. So far, it is very interesting read as the main character, William recounted his personal experience on his early marriage. It is fun and entertaining as he explained his relationship with his wife as well as the people close to them. Both of these books got high ratings from Amazon. Excellent catch, indeed!

Page to Screen: when texts become moving images

NOVEL ADAPTATIONS ARE POPULAR NOWADAYS. Im sure that the medium transition is not easy as transforming these book pages into a wide screen film, trying to cover hundreds of pages into 1-2 hours (sometimes it reach 3 hours) viewing. But there are quite a number of successful stories that also become blockbusters and entertained us as much as we read these stories on paper.

Sometimes we are disappointed when the adaptation is not perfectly done especially when the plot or the ending are drastically changed! I love watching films and personally it is quite interesting and convincing to read first the original stories before they hit the screen. Ironically, I have not read some of the adapted films that I loved most such like the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter adventures series.




Last year, I watched two of the adapted films: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult and My Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Unfortunately, I was bit disappointed with My Sister's Keeper considering that the ending of story was totally changed! Overall, watching these films also enhanced our understanding about the books and get a clearer picture of the stories as a whole.

BookFace: Ang Sandali ng mga Mata (The Moment of the Eyes) by Alvin B Yapan

Synopsis: Alvin B. Yapan looks through the characters in the folk stories of the past and the Bikol people of the present. He uncovers what so long has been concealed about their lives and deaths and changed them into more practical people. The use of folk stories to complete the action marks a striking technical innovation, blending past and present while keeping the narrative moving into the future...Like the old ways of storytelling, the reader has to infer from the description of events and situations as Yapan runs together the time of the epic with contemporary time. Thus, this, too, is the story of contemporary Bikol. - Ma. Lilia F. Realubit

About the Author: From Pili, Camarines Sur (Philippines), Alvin B. Yapan teaches at Ateneo de Manila. He was involved in the 26th and 33rd U.P. Writers Workshops in Baguio(1996) and Los Baños(1998), including the Heights Annual Writers Workshop (1996). He received several recognitions through his short stories from various awards, namely: Dean's Award for the Arts for Creative Writing of Ateneo de Manila (1997), Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (1997, 2002,2003), and NCCA (National Commission on Culture and the Arts) Writer's Prize (2005). "Nabulag ang Tagapagsalaysay" is the title of his first-ever short stories collection and it is included in the NCCA's New Authors Series summary. He was also the winner of the Juan C. Laya Award for Best Novel in a Philippine Language, 2006 National Book Awards.

I miss my old room... together with my three brothers without a TV

INITIALLY, I WAS PLANNING to read this book in my white Kindle3G but I was lucky to grab a hardcopy from my favourite charity shop for 1 pound only! So, I spared a few schellings instead of purchasing its ebook version from Amazon. I was intrigued by the title and cover design of it, not to mention that this is one of the popular and recommended reads in GoodReads and to date, Room is still one of the best selling books in UK. Without a doubt, this book is also included in the 2011 Booklist of UK Channel 4's The TV Book Club.

However, I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars. Overall, I like the story, but not suitable for all ages! If I will recommend this for my mother (she is now 67 yrs old) to read, she might NOT be able to understand Jack's favourite children TV shows. On the other hand, I think the author is somehow able to manage enough to describe effectively of what a 5-yr old boy feels and thinks in embracing and enjoying life, together with his mother in a limited controlled environment. The planning and execution of Jack and Ma's escape are the best parts of the story! Unfortunately, Jack's new life outside the Room is not fully explored.

Lesson learned? Well, Jack's story reminds us that sometimes we created our own private Rooms which have limited access to other people or we do not want that every one could dwell inside. Maybe these Rooms provide us comfort, strength and encouragement to move on with our lives. Ultimately, these Rooms become our refuge and to some extent, we do not want to get out from these "comfort zones" and not taking risks to explore outside our Rooms, afraid to confront our fears to fail! In terms of child development, our parents play an important role in shaping our personalities and to prepare us in embarking with so called – life! Early development is a crucial stage in our young lives to be socially and psychologically prepared to embrace life. Of course, there are external forces that influence our young behaviours, but again with the proper guidance from our parents, the negative impacts/effects from these forces can be minimised or can be handled accordingly!

Speaking of externalities, television and other media/entertainment devices (interactive games, computers, DVD players, etc.) are major influential factors in growing-up. For instance, my cousin's youngest son (turned 3 last December) manages to operate an iPad and watched his favourite heroes cartoon programmes in Youtube! Consequently, he does heroes stuff – doing heroes iconic moves while wearing Batman, Spiderman and Ironman costumes in a day! Believe me, he is not crazy and being an Uncle, I am amused while watching him. Of course, there is limitation about this and when his parents come into picture, he does his tantrums – manageable to handle just diverting his attention.

A 2006 US survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that 75% of children under 6 years old watch some TV in a given day (www.ehow.com). Moreover, the study found out that children age 6 and under who watch television spend an average of one hour, and total "screen time" with these media gadgets goes up to nearly four hours and 30 minutes per day. There is a "misconception" among parents that allowing kids/babies to watch TV is educational. But according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), no screen time for children under 2 years old to prevent a reduction in communication and language skills. In addition, study also revealed that each hour of television per day results in a 2.68 decrease in a baby's language score. It is recommended that after the age of 2, parents could try to 1 or 2 hours of quality programming. On the other hand, the Nemours Foundation observes that, "in moderation, television can be educational in addition to entertaining - preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public television [and] grade-schoolers can learn about wildlife on nature shows." I think that "moderation" is the key when it comes to allowing young children to watch TV and other screen media. It is viewed that excessive viewing habits (more than four hours per day) can hamper with other aspects of a child's life development – physical activity and socialisation.

By the way, I took the Channel 4 TV Book Club's quiz and I got 83% (two mistakes out of 12 questions). I thought got it all right. Well, Jack thinks I'm clever as his Ma! I took it again and of course I answered them correctly – Jack's thinks I'm so clever but he will probably be that clever (like me) when he turns six!

If you want to know more about the author's inspiration to write, then visit this link: Emma Donoghue.

FINALLY, THIS STORY also reminded me of the American girl, Jaycee Lee Dugard being captive for 18 years. After her disappearance at age 11, her story became a world-wide sensation in August 2009. Maybe majority of us book fanatics thought that Donoghue's novel is based on her captivity experience. Unfortunately, Donoghue reveals that she got the inspiration to write Jack's life from the Austrian Fritzl's case.

"In Room we knowed what everything was called but in the world there's so much, persons don't even know the names" - Jack

Featured Bookreader: Norah BD

MY FIRST FEATURED BOOKREADER is a retired nurse and one of the active members of BookCrossing (Northern Ireland) and GoodReads. Norah BD shared some of her recent reads as well as her recommended books for others to read.

Q1: What book are you currently reading now? The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Kim Edwards)

Q2: Why did you choose to read this particular book? It is a popular title and I received it through Bookcrossing 'First Lines' Xmas game in December 2010.

Q3: Would you recommend this book to others? Why? Not really. Poor reviews on Goodreads.com. Well written, but poor characters, sad people who couldn't handle emotions, but didn't develop the story well.

Q4. What is your favorite book? Briefly describe the story. I dont have favourite.

Q5: Give at least three (3) books you would like to recommend for others to read. The Book Thief (Markus Zusak), Pompeii (Robert Harris), and The Road less travelled (M Scott Peck)

Q6: Do you collect books? If yes, how many you have kept? Yes, lost count!

Q7: If you were stranded on an island, and you have only one book to carry, what would it be? A blank notebook to write in!

Q8: What is your favorite online social network for people who love books? Goodreads.com

Q9. What is your favorite film/movie adapted from a book? I dont have favourite.

Q10: What is your favorite quote/quotation from a book or author? None.

Norah BD also posted a review of The Memory Keeper's Daughter of Kim Edwards at GoodReads.Com. As quoted from her review:

"Good start, dragging a bit in the middle, ... I did enjoy it and thought it was well written, though I didn't really like the characters, with all their secrecy and inability to be honest with each other. It was certainly quite gripping and un-put-downable!"

She adds that, she's planning to release the book somewhere in London area during her forthcoming visit. Regarding her three recommended books, Norah BD has also reviewed one of them:

"Hugely enjoyed this historical novel, which reminded me of some of the tales my Latin teacher used to recount, of the days of the Roman Empire. Lots of interestingly and seemingly factual detail, with human interest too, most of the characters being well described, and a romantic element as well, ending 'happy ever after', though veiled as part of the myth..." (Pompeii by Robert Harris)

THANK YOU NORAH BD for accepting my invitation to be featured in my blog. And of course to my readers who want to share your passion for books, drop me a line at the comment box and be my next featured bookreader!

BookFace: Room by Emma Donoghue

Synopsis: Jack is five, and excited about his birthday. He lives with his Ma in Room, which has a locked door and a skylight, and measures eleven feet and eleven feet. He loves watching TV, and the cartoon characters he calls friends, but he knows that nothing he sees on screen is truly real - only him, Ma and the things in Room. Until the day Ma admits that there's a world outside.

When a disability is under legal scrutiny

THIS IS THE BEST EVER STORY from Jodi Picoult (gauging it from my previous reading of My Sister's Keeper, Perfect Match and Second Glance). At first, I was a little bit disappointed of the pacing of the story. Picoult has her own way of presenting the characters which quite effective to fully understand each of the personality involved in the story. If you have already read some of her books, you understand what Im saying here. Normally I want variations of presenting the plot even with the same authors, and this is the reason why I tried to avoid much of Picoult's stories.

House Rules is an engaging novel that allows readers to understand the emotional and psychological conditions that confront the characters which is very effective to get the interest of finishing the book (I think so...). For the first 100 pages, I was tempted to temporary abandoned reading it but then reaching the middle part of the book, my enthusiasm is building-up considering that I initially did some preliminary conclusions of what happened to Jess' disappearance/death; consequently I found out that, well almost 100 percent I got it right! At that point of my initial assessment of the events, I jumped to the conclusion that Picoult is not clever enough to sustain the suspense element of the story that I was able to predict the outcome of the investigation.

On the other hand, Picoult is perfectly intelligent enough to motivate her readers to bring their own initial investigations and validated at the end of the story. The focal point of the story is whether a person suffering from Asperger's syndrome can be convicted of a crime or can be acquitted because the suspect is not capable to validate that his action is right or wrong? As the story progresses, I cant resist to do my own judgment from the evidence presented, and Picoult perfectly crafted the story in such a way that readers, like myself who doesnt have any background in forensic or criminal investigations will embark and hold on to find the truth! Unfortunately, Picoult did NOT explicitly described the outcome or the verdict but somehow readers will have their own interpretations...maybe acquittal or conviction.

The criminal process somehow validates my on-going personal discovery about American justice system. Currently, I do regular readings on this subject matter as part of a personal assistance to my cousin's university degree in Criminal Justice and Picoult did well to convince me about the judicial proceedings without going to the real trials. Not only the technical aspect of coming-up with the conviction, but most importantly, Picoult provided an excellent argument to look at, not only the justice system but also the physical, financial, emotional and pyschological impacts to the parties involved. Specifically, the author brings a new dimension of bringing these vulnerable offenders or those with disabilities into trial that could bring "reforms" or challenges to the current criminal system. With my final note, Picoult also wanted to confront us and stir our values and principles especially for those families or individuals who are facing the same dilemma of bringing their loved ones with disabilities that cause a long term effect to the carers which is the hardest thing to accept!

BY THE WAY, the other thing that I like finishing Picoult's novels is that she encouraged readers to interact with her, through her "Reading Guide" presented at the end of the book. Being a part-time academician, this kind of book presentation will encourage educators to bring her stories in the classrooms or any debate for that matter.

"Sometimes the hardest thing to hear is the truth" - Emma

Making a difference...

The Make A Difference Movie - The Teddy Stallard Story

by Mary Robinson Reynolds

A time honored classic story. What a little third grader says to his teacher bypasses the head and goes straight to the heart of any issue. You can re-energize your personal relationships and workplace culture--and inspire greater loyalty--using the power of compassion.

Not the kindest thing...

A STORY THAT COULD HAPPEN to anyone but there is no suspense, no excitement at all. For Deborah, this is her roller-coaster and life-changing story but this situation might be avoided if she has a different spiritual view in life! I dont know but if she has a strong faith in God, despite the love towards her husband, she will NOT do it and not suffer the consequences before God's judgement and with the law!

Why we have to blame someone for what turned out of our relationship or what we are now? We are the one who take charge of our lives, despite what happened in the past!

Unfortunately, I dont have kids, but my parents brought up my other 9 siblings successfully, and as the author described Deborah's parenting, I think what happened to Adam and her relationship with Sophie, are just a manifestation of "bad" parenting! With this serious family problem, I do believe that children and close relatives should be informed and be aware of the situation. Sorry maybe because of my cultural background and Im very upset of the outcome of the story which could be avoided if Deborah and Neil have a strong spiritual connection. Im happy of the jury's verdict but still she has to serve some few years in prison.

In fairness, the author was able to bring a very controversial social issue of the present time and somehow she managed to provide the reader a good understanding on how the court proceedings are conducted.

THIS STORY ALSO REMINDED me of last week's health topic featured in This Morning ITV (UK) noontime show. Two daughters appeared in the program to share their dilemma to terminate the life of their father who is suffering from locked-up syndrome after a massive stroke in 2005. Unfortunately, it is a life imprisonment in the UK if convicted for assisting someone to die or commonly known as "mercy killing". It is a heartbreaking story - showing the support and strength within the family members to move on and still hoping that someday they will be able to give what the father is wishing for to end his suffering.

"You were just being kind, really. Anyone'd do the same, if they really loved someone. It shoudn't be counted like murder" - Patsy

The true spirit of Christmas...it is happening every day in our lives

DO YOU KNOW WHO IS THE FATHER OF CHRISTMAS? Maybe, you are thinking about Santa Claus - who always ready to answer our wishes! Unfortunately, Santa is not the father of Christmas, Im referrring to Charles Dickens who first introduced to us the true spirit of White Christmas.

Honestly, I dont know him until I downloaded his novel entitled, A Christmas Carol using my ebook reader - AmazonKindle3G. Coincidentally before Xmas, I watched three films adapted from the novel: 1951, 1999 and 2004 (the musical). Honestly, I have difficulty reading the book but these adaptations somehow provided me to understand the deeper Dicken's talent, sense of humor, and a glimpse of his life.

Actually, this is my second free ebook downloaded from ManyBooks.Net and it is also accessible from Amazon as well. I decided to read this during the Xmas holiday just to have a perfect setting of Dickens' story as first published in 1843. As we all know that the story started on Xmas Eve when Jacob Marley's ghost visited his business partner, Ebenezer Scrooge. Then followed by visits from three other ghosts: Ghost of Xmas Past, Ghost of Xmas Present and Ghost of Xmas Yet to Come that took Scrooge to his past (childhood/youth), present time, and his future life. Looking at these various scenes, Scrooge was moved and promised to change his attitudes towards the people around him and for his life as a whole.

Im not forgetting the true essence of this celebration in the Christian community that a Saviour was born to save the world, but Dickens' main character showed us the other side: the truth or reality of living - poverty, greediness, power, and the influence of wealth (money) which are still relevant today!

As my two Irish friends wrote an easy in Verbal magazine featured Dickens' story and they commented that "the current recessions, with its slippery bankers and corporate corruptions show that Srooge is still with us, and his story has acquired a fresh, if not frosty, bite when read in the context of today's news."

Aside from this story, Dickens has written a number of novels and Im hoping that I could read them in due time like: Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities.

The video clip above is the 1951 film adaptation starring Alastair Sim.

BookFace: Short stories compiled by Andrew Lang (courtesy of Feedbooks)

The Blue Fairy Book ***The Yellow Fairy Book

The Violet Fairy Book *** The Arabian Nights

Free copies for me! (courtesy of BookReads and LibraryThing)

I STARTED MY MEMBERSHIP WITH TWO ONLINE BOOK CLUBS, GoodReads in June 2010 and Library Thing just few weeks ago. Aside from sharing my favourite authors, I met new online friends who have the same passion for books and I do write book reviews which are posted here in my blog.

In December 2010, I was selected as one of the GoodReads' First Reader in the regular giveaways promo for a copy of Laurie Bowler's Sunrise to Sunset (Moon Rising) published in 2010. The book is available in Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk (Kindle format) and Smashwords.

(Sunrise to Sunset Synopsis) Nessy wakes from her unconscious state to find she can no longer remember who she is or her purpose in life. Charles battles to try and tell her as much information as he can about her former life, and eventually submits to telling Nessy her true immortal state. Hera takes Nessy back to the past into the form of the Gulon, where she meets the other Gulon packs who have come to aid them while the covens have gathered hoping to glimpse their new queen and ruler of the underworld, little does Nessy realise that person is her! The continuing threat from the detested sinister Tellis coven fight back with the remaining members and they join forces with another coven that have long since been known for their massacres and barbaric ways for feeding. Nessy has to battle to protect the human race from extinction and to protect her title for the good of races, the immortal race and the mortals that surround her, with Charles and the Gulon they must succeed.

On the other hand, I also got my first free ebook copy from Library Thing after I joined the Member Giveaway Group few days ago! I got an e-copy of Dirty Little Angels written by Chris Tusa and published in 2009. I will write a review in exchange of this free ebook. This is available in Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Smashwords.

(Dirty Little Angels Synopsis). Set in the slums of New Orleans, among clusters of crack houses and abandoned buildings, Dirty Little Angels is the story of sixteen year old Hailey Trosclair. When the Trosclair family suffers a string of financial hardships and a miscarriage, Hailey finds herself looking to God to save her family. When her prayers go unanswered, Hailey puts her faith in Moses Watkins, a failed preacher and ex-con. Fascinated by Moses's lopsided view of religion, Hailey, and her brother Cyrus, begin spending time down at an abandoned bank that Moses plans to convert into a drive-through church. Gradually, though, Moses's twisted religious beliefs become increasingly more violent, and Hailey and Cyrus soon find themselves trapped in a world of danger and fear from which there may be no escape.

Well, thank you very much for these early giveaways and maybe you will be the next lucky one! Try a look and be a member of these book clubs... Hope to meet you very soon and dont forget to drop me a line! Oops, I forgot to give the website links if you are interested: GoodReads and Library Thing to get additional information.