Oct 31, 2009

HALLOWEEN Spooks

I may be too late for a Halloween post, but I'll shoot nevertheless. 
I'm curious about what you guys have decided to BE tonight. I mean, with the traditional vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches and fairies being given glorified new dimensions to themselves and blending in with the common folk, they've kinda lost their appeal as Halloween, um, Monsters? 
It's supposed to be a Scarrific night, if I'm not mistaken (not that I should be, atleast out here).
Like this, maybe?
 But, heck, you gotta agree it's gotta be weird trick or treating in a vamp's costume when the current popular belief has etched a picture of a gorgeous, long-lashed gentlemanly male or an even bewitching female in your next door neighbour's mind.
So what exactly would be an apt costume?
A tennis star?
A loony toon?
The homecoming queen?

What was YOUR costume?
Shoot.
Looks like Halloween itself is going for a makeover of sorts. 

HOPE THE SPOOKINESS LEAVES ITS TOUCH ON YOUR HALLOWEEN

Muhahaha! 

Oct 30, 2009

Hide and Seek with the Inspiration Fairy


My Inspiration Fairy is a smart, cheeky nymph. She knows she is beautiful and she knows she can get her way with her clients a.k.a. writers, so she loves to take them for a ride. Playing games. Sneaking away. Paying a surprise visit in the middle of the night or when you've just settled for a long, slow bath. Then of course there's her trademark giggle as you struggle to wipe sleep/water out of your eyes, hunt around for the pen, grope for the notebook to pen down the magical words she's whispered into your ears. She draws you into a lovely reverie, filling your mind with images and a steady splatter of words...ah, bliss. You love her. Reveries, sadly, are short lived *long dramatic sigh*. Another mesmerising giggle from her. Then out of the blue the magical words start disappearing from your head. In their place there are sequences that make no sense and words that would drive even the local farmer's ass insane. You pick up your ears hoping to catch the chiming of bells in your head (which could be her insouciant giggle) or the the free flow of words like a gurgling river. Bottom line is, she's disappeared. Yes. And just like that too. 
No clue to where. 
Maybe to the Goddess Inspiration Fairy Park
 
Or perhaps to her abode among the clouds which she shares with her equally quirky friends. Possibly called Inspiration Castle.








While she's on her holiday (mostly short unless she's planning some revenge game on you), you bang your head against the walls, tear at your hair and basically look for ways to end the the torture your sadistic muse has left you to. Even death would be pleasant then. Your notebook lies blank or ruined with useless ramblings (like this one) and your mind molested. Urgh! You'll kill her when she arrives, you swear. Oh yes! She's not getting away next time! But thing is, she does. She keeps up her cheeky games. She hides and you have to seek her. Because until you find her, your work lies tattered.
You have to admit, you love her. Grudgingly so. Inspite of her driving you up the wall sometimes, if not always. You cant do without her. Because she gives you your escape in the form of the magical tinkle of words she filters into you. *The girl's smart*


Food for thought: You have to seek her right? A ginormous Troll just hit me and said that she (yes, SHE, the cheeky lady) is probably seeking us out. *Cough cough* Maybe its my head. Bloody troll. Setting off thoughts in directions I didn't expect. Argh. Now where's my pen? Ah, lovely, the notebook! And the blank page. Now to write. Okay, the blank page...ahem, the blank page...INSPIRATION FAIRY, WHERE ART THOU??!!

Oct 29, 2009

READER BUZZ: Quick Snips of Random Reads

My net conked so I was off for sometime. Got so much to talk about, so much to write but now that college's restarted, it's taking up all the time...argh!! Oh why, oh why cant there be 72 hours a day? Then I'd have time for my book, other books, a romcom/drama/musical, my blog, the guitar, bloody college, assignments, a long, long bath (instead of the usual quick shower), facebook, twitter, youtube, author websites, daydreaming, night watching, looking for my very own vampire/werewolf/fairy king/merboy EVERY SINGLE DAY. Ah, life can be so sadistic *long sigh*....
Okaaaaay, now here are some quick snips of some recent and some not-so-recent reads. JLT (maybe 'cause I just cant stop rambling :-P)
Here goes.
Arguably WHEREVER NINA LIES has to be one of the best debuts of the year. When sixteen year old Ellie sets off in search of her sister, Nina, who disappeared two years ago, with hot guy Sean for company, you know it's going to be a fun ride.What you don't know is that the breezy will give way to the pulse-racing. I was so engrossed I read it in one sitting. I'd definitely suggest you pick this up. It's a great holiday read, especially if you're on a roadtrip with your friends, Phantom Planet screaming "California" from the stereo...bliss.

My first Jill Mansell and I can't say I was particularly impressed. At seventeen, Lola was made an offer in exchange for her boyfriend, Doug. Though circumstances forced Lola to take up the offer, she never really got over him. Now years later when she accidentally stumbles upon him again, she knows she has to get him back. Except this time she's dealing with a different Doug. What do I say about this one? It was fun but very, very predictable. Mansell's characters are a cheery lot and you'll fall in love with them...but (there's always a but) a lot of the storyline seemed forced. The natural flow of things falling into place was not there. Instead, a lot of the characters ended up with each other simply because they had been single and Mansell decided they needed a partner. Forced.

Baby (yes that's the protagonist's name) lives sometimes with her absent druggie dad, sometimes in foster homes and sometimes with the local pimp. This is the story of her journey from innocence to the loss of innocence and finally the attainment of higher innocence (I get I'm sorta talking Blake..blame college influence). I loved this book. I love Baby. She goes through the worst possible things in her short life. Yet hope doesn't falter in her. Because she's still a child. She's 12. She refuses the ugliness of her life to haunt her even though it does haunt the reader. It's obvious that Heather O'Neill borrows a lot from her own life. The interview at the back of the book speaks for itself. A great debut, I'll be looking forward to more from this writer.

Believe it or not, the writer of STAR-CROSSED is just sixteen and yes, I'm jealous (ah, to have your name on the cover of a paperback/hardback *drool*). This one's a contemporary take on Romeo and Juliet, set in high school. What is unique about this book, aside from the writer's young age, is the unusual second-person narrative (first one I've read). That is an effective tool for drawing readers into the story at the word 'go'. It was kinda neat. Apparently, Rachael Wing's also written a contemporary A Midsummer Night's Dream called LOVESTRUCK. Set at a rock concert. No kidding.

My first Carole Matthews and such a delightful read too! I enjoyed it so much I didn't want to put it down (however much of a cliche that sounds). A bit impractical but her quirky sense of humour more than made up for it. Emma, in all her craziness, is one of my favourite characters ever. I want a sequel of this one. Definitely awaiting more from Matthews' pen.

Like I mentioned in the previous posts, the paranormal obssession's definitely here to stay. And, I, for one, am all for it. Raven, the sole Goth in "Dullsville" has always dreamt of becoming a vampire. Things heat up in town when a vampire in shining sunglasses, Alexander, moves into the haunted mansion at Benson Hill. A very quick read and an engrossing one at that. The first of the Vampire Kisses series (Ellen Schreiber has 7 books in mind), this one is for pre/younger teens, I'd say. Perfect for a delay at the airport.

I don't have much to say because what I say will not justify it. NINETEEN MINUTES is a gripping, edge-of-the-seat psychological thriller chronicling a school shooting while delving deep into the mind of the teen killer. Extensively researched, at times traumatic,although it does have its share of light moments (very few though) it's one of those books that haunt you (in a good way) long after you've turned the final page.And, yes, there's a twist toward the end. My next Picoult read will most probably be MY SISTER'S KEEPER (triggered by the movie, but only partly). Not worth a miss.

Adrian Mole was a legend in the 80s and rightfully so. I LOVE Adrian. He is your usual 15 year old teenage boy, drooling over his love, Pandora, and musing about his parents (and their respective lovers). Well, almost usual, except for the fact that he thinks, rather knows, he's an intellectual and mails poems to the BBC hoping to get his own personal show on air. THE GROWING PAINS OF ADRIAN MOLE is a brilliant stick-in-the-eye on adult morality. If you don't read this, you'll be missing a gem. I don't know what to say to Sue Townsend but...hats off. A genius of sorts.

I have tons else to talk about but as the owls hoots and the bats start their nocturnal days, I have to return to my writing (not the blog, the book), if I can avoid falling asleep on the keyboard itself (tiresome academia has it's price...seriously, what's the point?). So goodnight or goodmorning, depends on which part of the world you're from, and wicked dreams. For a change. *Chuckle*
Bee --xoxo 

Oct 26, 2009

Quick Bite

This is just a quickie since I'm going to be out all day. So here's what I grabbed last night




And well, I'm reading it right now. The paranormal obssession's definately getting the better of me!! Anyway, from the buzz that's been going on, this book's been on my TBR pile for long..now's to reading it finally :D

Oct 23, 2009

READER BUZZ: Everyone Worth Knowing

Sophomore book talk...

*DRUMBEATS*
...EVERYONE WORTH KNOWING, the second book to come from the bestselling author of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, Lauren Weisberger.

Bette Robinson, 27, shares her apartment with Millington, a dog, works within a shower sized cubicle at CWK Hoffman and hangs out with her best friend, Penelope, and her gay Uncle Will. In short, her personal life is a monotony, her social life nil. Then one fine day she quits her job and lands the opportunity to work for a PR Agency that boasts of Hollywood's A-listers among its clientele. Now Bette gets paid to party with the rich and famous, a far cry from her old boring job. Sometimes though, keeping up with 'everyone worth knowing' has its price. As Bette turns up in the tabloids with a notorious British playboy and is drawn deeper into the world of glitz and glamour, she finds herself far away from her known world of Harlequin Romances, 80s music and the place where truth mattered. As Bette struggles to find her true calling, is there her own Harlequin Romance hero waiting to sweep her into his arms? Moreover, where does that leave her?

EVERYONE WORTH KNOWING takes a long time to take off. For me the long time was about a 100 pages. Seriously. Even though I've only watched THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA movie I do think the premises of the two books are kinda similar. I liked Bette. I found her more relatable than the characters of CHASING HARRY WINSTON, Weisberger's third outing (which I might take up later). Among the male characters Sammy was the only one I really liked (though Uncle Will/Simon were almost equally likeable). Infact, I have to admit, Sammy was the reason I clung on to the book. My problem was with the writing which I felt was inconsistent and the font which gave me a headache. While some parts got me excited, others dulled in comparison. It might have been a better work had some of the details been cut down, in turn reducing the number of pages. However, having said that, i do feel the author did a good job with the ending, wrapping up Bette's story in a justifiable manner.

Have you read the book? If so, what did you like/dislike about it?
Let me know. Until next time,

Bee

xoxox 

Oct 21, 2009

READER BUZZ: Taken By Storm

Okay, hold your breath.
Here's the first book I'm going to talk about.

TAKEN BY STORM -- by Angela Morrison

*Applause*

So here goes.
Belonging to the only Mormon family in a tiny town means saying "no" to a lot of things. Seventeen year old Leesie Hunt learns it the hard way. She is harrassed by the jocks and mocked as the "Mormon Ice Queen". Her salvation lies in poetry; the Lord above; and BYU, her dream school, her escape.
Michael Walden, a free diver, arrives in Tekoa to live with his grandmother after a devastating tragedy snatches away his parents' lives. Disillusioned in a desolate world, Michael need Leesie to save him from losing himself.
But how can she give him what he wants when abiding by the Mormon rules she has to keep her feet firmly on the ground?

TAKEN BY STORM is beautifully written. A compilation of Leesie's poems, Michael's dive journal entries and chat logs, it's like a breath of fresh air drawing the reader in instantly. The characters are well fleshed out and relatable. It is easy to understand why Leesie wants to protect Michael. He is beautiful and broken, drowning in his own tragedy. Inspite of the religious undertones TAKEN BY STORM doesn't come across as preachy. Leesie isn't a fanatic. She is sensible, trying to hold on to her beliefs.
Angela Morrison writes like a dream. Lyrical and poetic, Leesie and Michael's story is heartrendingly touching as their very different worlds threaten to tear them apart.

This book is special. I loved it so much that I had to write a justifiable review which is why I started this blog in the first place.
Leesie and Michael might have two more books to them -- UNBROKEN CONNECTION and CAYMAN SUMMER. Here's wishing this exciting new author congratulations on her lovely debut and good luck for her writing career.

If you're interested in knowing more about the author or if you simply want to read the first chapter, log on to www.angela-morrison.com

So there's my first review. If you're reading this I hope you enjoyed it and will stick around for some more.
Until next time :D

The Inaugeration

I should have started this ages ago. Honestly.
Books have been my nourishment as long as I can remember. And banter. And random musings.
Don't know why it took so long.
Blame it on the flippant internet connection.
Or school/college that all-encompassed my life (still does).
Or my own writing aspirations that require all the free time I can get.
Or simply, my own ignorance.
Whichever was the biggest reason, the thing is, now that I'm here, I'm planning to stay.
So whether you've accidentally stumbled upon this page or you've really been searching for random blogs, blow a kiss and wish me luck on my blogging life.

I NOW DECLARE BOOKS, BANTER & RANDOM MUSINGS OFFICIALLY OPEN!!

Read on.
 
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