Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

I had a habit of standing at my window, looking out, and so did Nakajima, so we noticed each other, and before long we started exchanging nods. I guess it must have been pretty rare in a busy city like Tokyo for two people in two windows to nod to each other when their eyes met, but where I come from, out in the boonies, that was the most natural thing in the world, and Nakajima isn't the sort of person to bother about such things.

(Pg 27, The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

To save money, Ma made many of my clothes herself, even though she couldn't do it very well, so I had on a home-sewn shirt while the other kids were wearing cool T-shirts with English sayings like "Remember to Vote."

(Pg 36, Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

I told myself these were just random, unconnected blips, but I couldn't shake my suspicion, and before I knew it I was getting all worked up. I had to keep telling myself to calm down and be reasonable. It's crazy to suspect a guy of murder just because he lied about his job and has a bill stained with something that looks like blood.

(Pg 30, In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

She wanted to tell the abbess that it was a mermaid who had brought the man to her. She wanted to turn and shake her, cry out, I need to see him again!

(Pg 67, Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

Everyone had been certain that a friendship of two brothers and one woman could not last - that one brother, the better brother, would "take home the prize."

But Jonathan knew and took refuge in the truth - that even though Garret was so much more popular and accomplished and praised than Jonathan had ever been, they were equal in Thea's eyes.

(Pg 121, Slow Dancing on Price's Pier by Lisa Dale)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

I just started reading Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler after finishing reading Falling Under by Gwen Hayes today (review forthcoming). I enjoyed reading Holly's previous novel, A Blue So Dark, so I can't wait to find out what is in store with her latest book. I will be posting my interview with Holly this coming Friday (April 29th) so I hope you will check it out!

I stare at myself, wishing I could have paused my life here. Wishing I could have dangled in the air forever, and never had to endure the excruciating pain that followed.

(Pg 17, Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

Haden was out of my league, I knew that. If I was going to begin the kind of games boys and girls play in high school, I should have started with a nice boy who didn't make me feel like Little Red Riding Hood alone with a Big Bad Wolf.

(Pg 57, Falling Under by Gwen Hayes)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• 
  
  Please avoid spoilers!

She had just gone on a great first date with a handsome inernational movie star, and she thought something was missing. But she couldn't deny it, something had indeed been lacking in their date.

Because not a single kiss with Scott Casey had held a candle to her one almost-kiss with Jason.

(Pg 177-8, Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!
  
  

My understanding of the law is this: if I came to the U.S. on a tourist visa for the sole purpose of getting married in order to stay, that would be illegal. But if I came for a visit and just happened to fall in love - well, then it would be okay. The immigration people would let me stay.

The problem is, I did both.

(Pg 136-7, Dreaming in English by Laura Fitzgerald)

Teaser Tuesdays and a DNF book

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.


• Let the book fall open to a random page.


• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• 
  
  Please avoid spoilers!

I don't think I've ever posted a free verse format in my Teaser Tuesdays post before. No, scratch that, I don't even think I've ever read a book that was written in a free verse format, but there is always a first, isn't it?

~*~*~*~*~*

I have never been to
Japan alone
never traveled anywhere alone
except sleepovers
and overnight camp
for a week in Vermont

on the plane
flight attendants chat with me
unaccompanied minor
praise my language abilities
assume it's a
happy occasion
my returning
to the village of my mother's childhood
for the summer

but they don't know
what I know, Ruth -
that it's all
because of you (Pg 14, Orchards by Holly Thompson)

---

I'd heard so many good things about Frank Delaney's Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show that when I was asked by a publicist if I was interested to read the sequel, The Matchmaker of Kenmare, I didn't hesitate. Unfortunately, after two weeks later of reading the book (and having only read one-quarter of it), I've to say I'm giving up this book for good. There is no doubt that Frank Delaney's prose is lyrical and beautiful, but I find the story is progressing slowly and though the plot seems interesting, it didn't manage to capture my attention into reading more.

Narrated by Ben McCarthy (he's the main character from Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show) with a World War II setting, Ben related his tale of his life traveling around Ireland as a collector for the Irish Folklore Commission as he grieves for his wife, Venetia, after she has disappeared ten years earlier. During the journey, he met Kate Begley who is known as the Matchmaker of Kenmare. They became friends quickly, and at some point they are attracted to each other too but Kate ended up with a striking American military intelligence officer named Charles Miller. I think it was from that point onwards that I've began to lose interest in the story; I also mentioned earlier that the pace is slow and it seems the story isn't going anywhere whereas I was expecting something interesting or exciting to happen (perhaps it did, but I had already lost my interest before I get to it).

And on top of this, I have yet to read Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show so I think I might have missed something which may be of related to this book. Nonetheless, I was disappointed with the overall experience because I had wanted to like this book but I didn't. That said, don't let this post deter you from reading this book as I've also read several reviews which are full of praise about this book.

Once Upon a Time Challenge

So I mentioned before that I would not be participating in any more reading challenges, after all I haven't been reading many books for the challenges I had signed up, plus my reading progress has been slow lately. However, I have to make an exception for this particular challenge - Carl V's Once Upon a Time Challenge (OUAT) since I have not participated in this before, plus Carl is a great host and I always have fun with his R.I.P Challenge (which I'm always looking forward to it). And then of course there is always this opportunity to explore new authors and get to know new fellow bookbloggers.

Anyway, OUAT runs from March 21st through June 20th and you have a few options to choose from for this participation. Given my slow reading progress, I decided to sign up for The Journey which I will read at least one book out of the four categories (fantasy, fairy tales, folklore and mythology). As of writing this, I have no idea which title to read but I do have a few in mind:

• Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
• Sisters Red by Jackson Pierce
• When Rose Wakes by Christopher Golden

However, the reading list might change as I can be fickle minded when it comes to my reading, thus we shall see how. If you are new to this reading challenge, I hope you would join in the fun; and if you are not then what are you waiting for?

---

Note: There won't be a Teaser Tuesdays post today as I'm still reading The Matchmaker of Kenmare by Frank Delaney. Aside from my snail pace reading progress, I also find that the story is a bit slow in my opinion and that it doesn't engage me as much (although I have to say Frank's writing style is lyrical and beautiful!). This book is the sequel to Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show and since I haven't read that book yet, I wonder if this is part of the reason why it affects my experience of reading The Matchmaker of Kenmare. That said, I wouldn't want to call it a DNF at this stage so I shall read a few chapters and see how it goes.

Hope you all have a Happy Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

To tell the truth, I had intended to follow the Teaser Tuesdays rule to share two teaser sentences this week, after all I had broke the rule for the past two weeks in a row. However, when I flipped through Frank Delaney's The Matchmaker of Kenmare for a teaser, my eyes rested on these words - 'Referred Passion'. I thought it sounds interesting, but of course I knew it wouldn't do just to post two sentences, so there you go.

~*~*~*~*~*

"Do you know what I mean by 'Referred Passion'?" she said one day about a year into our relationship. And, as usual, not waiting for my hopeless stab at a reply, she went on. "Do you know what a referred pain is?"

Is it when I feel so stupid that I could kick myself?

"I'll explain it," she said. "Your shoulder is injured, but you feel it in your chest. Or you've hurt your spine, but your hip is carrying the ache. That's referred pain. Well, Referred Passion is when you're in love with one person, but you fiercely embrace another. That's us," she said. "That's me and you. Friendship is a choice," she said. "Love isn't."

(Pg 5, The Matchmaker of Kenmare by Frank Delaney)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you'd know that Mo Hayder is one of my favourite authors. In fact, I'd be the first to buy her books once they hit the shelves, no matter if they are hardcover, tradesize or paperback. Yes, her books just have this kind of effect on me. Anyway, I should've read this book long time ago when it was released last year in February under the UK edition (US edition was released last month with a different cover) but I figured since it takes a while to see a new Mo Hayder book, I'd take my time to devour this little gem but alas, that little time has now turned into a year. With her next release, Hanging Hill, to be released in April (UK), I figured it is about time I read Gone and here it is.

Oh, if you haven't read her books yet, I think Hanging Hill would be a great one to start with since it is not part of her Jack Caffery series and is a stand-alone. As like last week, I decided to share not two sentences but the whole paragraph from a page. Happy Tuesday, and happy reading!

~*~*~*~*~*

No one spoke. She took a few steps forward. The torch beam danced in nothingness, picking up dripping walls and the odd hunched shapes of fallen earth like the humped back of an animal protruding out of the water. She stopped, turned sideways in the tunnel and put her head back as if she was trying to open her ears. Wellard left the boat and came slowly through the water, going carefully so his boots didn't make a noise. 'What is it?' he mouthed. 'Did you hear something?'

(Pg 119, Gone by Mo Hayder)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

He smiled, and she couldn't help it, she smiled back. She was pathetic. Even when she knew he was trying to trick her, she still liked him. She was like some brainless girl in a horror movie, the kind of girl you scream at from the sofa because she can't see that she should leave right now or she'll be turned into mince.

(Pg 164, You Against Me by Jenny Downham)

---

This isn't the first time I broke the rules and share not two sentences but the whole paragraph from a book. Sometimes, two sentences are enough to capture a reader's attention but other times having read two sentences are just not enough. It isn't because they are not good, but on the contrary they are so good that you simply want to read the whole paragraph, the whole page, the whole chapter, the whole book. . . you get the idea. I think You Against Me is such a book; I just wish time could stop now so I can read to my heart's content without worrying about work or anything else. Yes I could only wish!

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

Spinning Tropics is a story about a young Japanese woman, Hiro, who has decamped to Vietnam from Tokyo to work as a language teacher. She met beautiful Yun, a local young woman studying Japanese who wants to find a better life for herself as well as for her family. The blurb behind the book stated that "this is a lush and evocative story of an intoxicating love affair" and "a love triangle with very complicated, ultimately devastating, results". I can't wait to find out what happened.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

When I first arrived in Vietnam, I had expected the young women to be shy and wary of strangers, so Yun immediately stood out as someone special. Not ony does she love to talk, but she has a way with words that can charm anyone.

(Pg 9, Spinning Tropics by Aska Mochizuki)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

I couldn't help but to cheat this week. I had to share the whole paragraph instead of the requested two sentences because it was just too good! I hope you are teased after reading this.

I get up, insomniac that I am, and peruse Auntie's shelves in her tiny living room. A draft whooshes in through an open window, ruffling the pages of a book perched on the sill. The House at Pooh Corner. Scrawled inside the front cover are the words in black ink,

Jasmine, don't be afraid to start again. . . . A. A. Milne

The handwriting leans backward, and a couple of small ink blotches mar the page. Auntie must have written this. A. A. Milne could not have penned the words. He died years ago and left only his books, his characters, his imagination.

(Pg 120, Haunting Jasmine by Anjali Banerjee)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

I started reading a few pages of A Blue So Dark on Sunday; this is a story about the relationship between a 15-year-old girl and her schizophrenic mother, as well as the girl's search for hope and healing through creativity. The premise sounds compelling and emotional intense isn't it? I look forward to reading the rest of the book.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

But the thing is, there are times that the line between what Mom sees and what she imagines is completely gone. Because Mom's a stark raving lunatic. And that's not some figure of speech, either. No, my mom, Grace Ambrose, is a schizo. A real-life crazy woman.

(Pg 11, A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

I just started reading The Man from Saigon by Marti Leimbach on my way to work this morning. I wish I could say more about the book but at this moment let's just say I look forward to reading the rest of it. What are you reading?

Shall I take a photograph? Son asked her, nodding up at the chopper, at the scar in the metal that held her attention. It seemed so innocuous now, the bullet hole, like the head of a lion mounted on a wall.

(Pg 6, The Man from Saigon by Marti Leimbach)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

It was the flowers that made it an herb beyond price, for their crushed petals, when mixed in specific proportions with vinegar and oak ash, produced an ink of rich hue, a splendid deep purple favored by kings and princes for their most regal decrees and beloved of bishops for the illustrated capitals in missals and breviaries. The capacity to produce a supply of heart's blood ink could make a man's fortune.

(Pg 25-26, Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier)

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

Where shall I begin? There are simply too many thought-provoking issues in Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (the same author who wrote Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) that I wished I could share them all with you here. Anyway I chose the following extracts which I feel we should be well aware of, especially the first extract.


A University of Chicago study recently found that our food choices contribute at least as much as our transportation choices to global warming. More recent and authoritative studies by the United Nations and the Pew Commission show conclusively that globally, farmed animals contribute more to climate change than transport.
(Pg 58)

What does organic signify? Not nothing, but a whole lot less than we give it credit for. For meat, milk, and eggs labeled organic, the USDA requires that animals must: (1) be raised on organic feed (that is, crops raised without most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers); (2) be traced through their life cycle (that is, leave a paper trail); (3) not be fed antibiotics or growth hormones; and (4) have "access to the outdoors." The last criterion, sadly, has been rendered almost meaningless - in some cases "access to the outdoors" can mean nothing more than having the opportunity to look outside through a screened window.
(Pg 70)