5 Books Meme

I noticed this bookish meme has been circulating around the blogosphere (meme originated by Simon of Stuck in a Book) and I decided this is too fun to let it pass so there you go. Plus, I figured I haven't been posting too many book reviews considering I have been slacking in my reading (thanks to my shortened commute time ever since I moved office last November and my lately addiction to Gardens of Time, one of the games featured on Facebook) so this little meme helps to fill the void, even if it is only for a day.

1. The Book I'm Currently Reading:

In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami. Don't you just love the cover and the title, but let me tell you that there is nothing pleasing or cute to the story. Set in the backstreets of Japan and with a plot that evolves around the sex industry there, this psychological thriller never let your attention wavers even though you know the places where the author take you isn't pretty.



2. The Last Book I Finished:

Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon (my review here). This is one of those wonderful classic which I would never get tired of reading it over and over again. What makes this retelling tale a wonderful reading experience to me is the writing style and the two narratives so it is refreshing to read the other side of the story from Princess Margrethe's point of view aside from the mermaid's.

3. The Next Book I Want to Read:

I have a long list of books I want to read but I suppose I will choose this book for now - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I don't think I have ever read a negative review of this book so I really look forward to reading it (I'm just waiting for the right mood to strike).

4. The Last Book I Bought:

The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto. I fell in love with this author's prose and writing style after reading Kitchen and Goodbye, Tsugumi. Also, there is just something about her stories that will make you pause and think about them.

5. The Last Book I Was Given:

Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax. This book was given to me by a publicist for review. I read The Accidental Bestseller and Magnolia Wednesdays by the same author awhile back and enjoyed them so I can't wait to see what is in store for this one.

Puzzled Hearts

Well I can't really remember when I first signed up on Facebook. It seems like everyone I knew have a facebook account and not wanting to feel left out, I became a member. I wasn't really active then, and at that time I thought it was kinda silly to update my status now and then for I don't think anyone would be interested to know what I'm doing or where I go.

However, that mindset changed after seeing many of my blogger friends updating and voicing their opinions there, and I began to think it is a great platform to play catch up with one another on top of those. But that is not all, I also see myself addicted to one of their games there: Puzzled Hearts (PH). I know there are a lot more games over there but I'm trying hard not to participate in too many as I know once you are in it, it is hard to get out (see how PH has done to me).

Anyway, here is a collage of pictures I collected from PH. The method is actually very simple: You send and receive hearts from your friends. Once you have completed collecting the hearts you want, a love quote will be unlocked and it would prompt you to another stage where you get to collect and solve jigsaw puzzles. Below are some of the pictures I collected after completing the jigsaw puzzles, and don't you think they are lovely?

Top Row (from L to R): Old Castle, Magic Garden and Foggy Forest.

Bottom Row (L to R): Dreamy Fairy, Fairy Tale and Iron Heart.

Happy Sunday!

Hi everyone! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Mine was great! We had a fun time going house visiting since it is Chinese New Year! Needless to say, I took several pictures both indoors and outdoors, ha. Above is a collage of the flowers arrangements (except the bottom right since that was taken at my in-laws' place) and our CNY goodies (e.g. egg rolls, pineapple tarts, cashew nuts, pistachio nuts etc) at home.

Well I'll be back to work tomorrow. Life is finally back to normal after the 2-days holidays (and not counting the weekend as well); how time flies, huh! I didn't do any reading or read all your posts on my Google Reader since I was too busy house visiting and/or watching TV, but I definitely look forward to reading all your posts once I'm back to the office tomorrow.

My New Bookshelves!

I have always wanted to buy some bookshelves for awhile; after all my TBR piles are piling high up in our storeroom, and a few of my books are stacked in my living room's TV console and coffee table as well. These may be a pleasing view for all booklovers, but I do wonder what other visitors might think should they step into our house and see books lying about almost anywhere.

Anyway, my husband and I had finally decided on buying from a furniture store which is within the neighbourhood. We bought our first bookshelf from them so we know the quality and the workmanship. Plus, the store owner is friendly and she did not charge us for the delivery fees.

So here is a picture of my bookshelves. I bought two shelves; one with two columns, and another with three since that's the most our study room's space could allow. This time around I bought the bookshelves without the doors as I think it is easier to clean and maintain, and most of all it resembles library shelves. I spent the whole Saturday afternoon cleaning the shelves and arranging my books onto them. I have never felt so happy doing chores, ha!

I apologise for the poor picture quality though since I took them from my mobile phone (I was too excited and I think downloading pictures from camera take up some time).

Tada! Most of the shelves are already filled up, and I have fully maximised the space by filling two stacks of books front and back in one cubbyhole. The first column on the left (from top to bottom that is) is where I put all the YA novels (the last cubbyhole isn't filled as I have more YA novels which I need to sort out from our storeroom), fiction are on the second (again I need to go through my TBR piles), and the third is thrillers, mysteries and romance. The fourth row is where my Chinese novels and manga are, and finally I left the last column for my daughter's school textbooks and some studying materials from my husband during his Master's Degree days. Those thick files which you see piled up on top of the shelves are his too. I can't wait to see all the shelves are nicely filled up!

So this is how I spent my weekend. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend too!

Old Town Holiday Cookies Recipe by Mary Burton

Have you read anything by Mary Burton? She writes romantic suspense and I am glad to hear from her publicist that her upcoming releases, Senseless and Merciless will be released in January and February 2011 respectively.

And that's not all, Mary Burton is happy to share her annual holiday recipe, "Old Town Holiday Cookies" with her readers. Her recipe is inspired by her two upcoming releases, both set in and around Alexandria, VA, including the city's famous Old Town section.

Old Town Holiday Cookies

2 sticks of butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups of All Purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
4 cups corn flakes
1 cup chocolate chips
White Chocolate

- Heat oven to 350 degrees.

- Cream softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar.

- Mix in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Slowly blend dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture.

- Fold in corn flakes and chocolate chips. Drop rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. When cooled, drizzle with melted white chocolate.

Happy Holidays!

Monday Ramblings

Strawberry Shortcake has been one of my favourite cartoon characters when I was a little girl, despite that Strawberry Shortcake and her friends had revamps over the years as each got a makeover with a complete new looks, clothes and style.

Anyway, when I knew that Strawberry Shortcake and her friend will be performing in one of our neighbourhood shopping malls as part of their holiday season celebrations, I was exhilarated and felt like an eight-year-old girl all over again. And what makes me happy is that my seven-year-old daughter likes this character too so the more I should go watch their performance, isn’t it?

I was lucky that I was able to get into the line so that we would have the chance to take a picture with these characters after their performance. The event was so much fun as it was filled with great music and loads of interactions between the performers and the children. Though it was only a 20-minute show, still I was glad to be there and that I had a wonderful time with my daughter as well as with the other children (their shouts of joy was simply contagious!).

Reading-wise, I had just finished reading Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn on my way to work this morning. What can I say? It was a delightful read and the premise is so, so clever! I hope to have the review up this week.

I can’t believe that it is already December and that Christmas is approaching. Have you done your Christmas shopping already? I have not; I am such a slacker but then again, there have been a lot of things on my plate lately (I suppose this is a valid excuse, no?).

Well, I hope you all have a great week!

A Surprise Package From A Wonderful Blogger Friend

I had a wonderful surprise when I returned home from work on Wednesday and found a package waiting for me (my husband was the one who opened the mailbox). The back of the package shown that it was sent by Violet (of Violet Crush) and inside the package contains the following items:

~ A book titled Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan (Violet said this is a famous Indian Short Story collection, set in a town called Malgudi and it's all the more famous due to the TV series which was a huge hit in India.)
~ An antique-looking mirror
~ An anklet
~ A set of hairpins for my daughters (Isn't Violet sweet?)

She bought these items when she returned to her home in India some time ago and I am truly, truly touched by her gesture.

Thank you, Violet!