Welcome 2018, Bye Bye 2017!

(Credit Source)

Hello! I hope you had a wonderful holidays. I still can't believe that 2017 had gone by just like that. Nevertheless, a new year means a new beginning and I wish you all the best and that 2018 would be a fruitful year for you no matter what you do. And of course, a great reading year for us book lovers! 

So, I took a short break off of blogging the last week of December and had a short vacation at Malacca, Malaysia. Have you been to Malacca? It is dubbed "The Historic State" and is a state in Malaysia (more info here.) Though a short trip, it was a refreshing one for me - lots of shopping and eating. I attached a few pictures of the places I visited for the inquiring minds. :-)

Christ Church Melaka

Colourful wall art, isn't it? It had certainly brightened up my walk along this street.

Jonker Walk is a place filled with ethnic and cultural flavour. The street here is filled with historical houses dating back to the 17th century and it has shops selling various items, such as textiles, antiques, handicrafts, local food, etc. I bypassed the above store which sells traditional wooden clogs as well as a few other miscellaneous stuff. Wooden clogs are such a rare sight nowadays and seeing it has definitely reminded me of the olden days as I remember seeing my late mother wore it when I was a girl (why, I even wore it myself for fun!)  

The Airbnb we were staying had a wonderful view. Our unit was on the 35th floor and this was taken from the balcony. 

I think one of the best thing about our stay is this pool, in which one could swim while enjoying the picturesque view of Malacca.  

Now back to normalcy (ha!) and reading-wise, I finished reading Without Merit by Colleen Hoover (review forthcoming) the last week of December and am currently reading One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards (buddy read with Lark) and The Caller by Chris Carter. Both are intense and I can't wait to find out what happened next. 

So, what are you reading? 

© 2018 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Top Favourites List of the Year - 2017 (Part 2)

Here's part two of my top reads of 2017. In case you have missed my previous post, here's the link. 

(Not in any particularly order)

7) Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Great story and an unforgettable one. Celeste Ng's writing and her storytelling skills are superb. (Review here)

8) Final Girls by Riley Sager

Read like a horror yet it isn't one. Fast-paced, intriguing and filled with intensity. A real page-turner. (Review here)  

9) The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

A beautiful, moving story with a great setting. Lisa See sure knows how to move her readers with her writing and her unforgettable stories. (Review here)

10) The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter 

Karin's books are always emotionally intense. Loved the premise behind that suspense. (Review here)

11) Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

A refreshing read from the other psychological thrillers in the market. And the ending totally blew me away! I dare you to read it and guess the ending correctly. (Review here)

12) The Lost Girls by Heather Young

A great debut by this author; skillfully crafted and beautifully written. Suspenseful and emotionally driven at the same time. (Review here)

There you have it. What are your favourite books of the year? 

© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Top Favourites List of the Year - 2017 (Part 1)

It's that time of the year again in which you will sit in front of your laptop and trying to figure out which books would make it on your favourites list. As usual, I'd had a hard time picking on ten twelve books as I think I have a good reading year this year. I had read more books as compared to the last and I think my reading momentum sped up a lot due to the many good books I read, not that I'm complaining. 

Without further ado, here is part one of my favourites list of the year (not in any particular order):

1) Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

Because it's Wonder Woman, enough said. (Review here)

2) Right Behind You by Lisa Gardner

Emotionally driven and intense plots. A book which made my heart race and ache at the same time. (Review here)

3) The Dry by Jane Harper

Good writing and an unputdownable read. And I WANT her next book like... NOW! (Force of Nature to be released in February 2018) (Review here)

4) Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

An unexpected read but oh one which filled me with tears and joy. Eleanor is one extraordinary character. (Review here)

5) He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly

Just wow. Great characterisations, great plot. Totally blew me away. (Review here)

6) A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas 

A great fantasy series which had my heart race and ache at the same time. (Review here)

(To be continued...)

© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

'Help Me Select A Book' Poll Result

Thank you, everyone, for helping me decide what book I should read for my vacation. The list I'd put up consists of six books which I want to read badly but couldn't decide on one so I thought I'll leave it to you to help me with the decision. And here's the result:

(Top Choice)

Blurb from back cover: 

It all started that night in the woods. Cass Anderson didn't stop to help the woman in the car, and now she's dead. Ever since, silent calls have been plaguing Cass and she's sure someone is watching her. Consumed by guilt, she's also starting to forget things. Whether she took her pills, what her house alarm code is, and if the knife in the kitchen really had blood on it.

(2nd Choice)
Blurb from back cover:

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:

1. I'm in a coma

2. My husband doesn't love me anymore

3. Sometimes I lie

So I'll be reading these two books during my trip and I can't wait to devour them and share my thoughts with you when I'm done reading them. Once again, thank you for voting! 

Happy reading and hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead! 

Help Me Select A Book

June is coming soon and that means school holidays and a short vacation is in order. I'll be taking a short break off of blogging next week for a short trip and I need your help in selecting a book for this purpose. I'll read the top TWO choices (just in case I finished one, well you never know, right?) based on the most votes. And as for the rest, I'll still get to them at some point. :-)

Here is the list of books to choose from (click onto each link for more info of the book):

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle

The Breakdown by B.A Paris

Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard

The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances

Thank you and happy reading! (You may also wish to cast your vote under the comments section if you like.)  

2016 Year in Review: Top Reads

As the year comes to a close, I took a look back at the books I read and remember those reading moments which evoked various emotions in me. There are some excellent books which left me in thoughts till present, and there are some not-so-good books that I wished I'd liked them better but glad that I read them nonetheless. Without further ado, here is a list of my top reads this year (sequence not in any order and not necessarily published in 2016):

The Trespasser by Tana French
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
I See You by Clare MacKintosh
Yesternight by Cat Winters
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
When She Was Bad by Tammy Cohen
Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton
Redemption Road by John Hart
The Longest Night by Andria Williams
The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Favourite Cover:

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

New-to-Me Authors I discovered and liked this year:
Dani Atkins, Tammy Cohen, Jeannette de Beauvoir, John Hart, Jeannie Lin, Clare Mackintosh, Gilly MacMillan, Emily St. John Mandel, Nicole Mones, Naomi Novik, Andria Williams, Ashley Weaver and Cat Winters

Summary Stats:

Total Number of Books Read: 64
Total Number of Female Authors: 48
Total Number of Male Authors: 9
Total Mystery/Thriller: 35
Total YA: 9
Total Historical/Fiction: 13
Total Graphic Novel: 3
Total Romance: 4

Happy New Year & Happy Reading! 

© 2016 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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.