4E1 English Blog

Change of heart by Jodi Picoult

Twelve years ago, June’s husband, Jack, died in a car accident. Kurt Nealon, the police officer, showed up personally to inform June that the drunk driver, who ran down her husband, was caught. After that, he kept going to their house to ensure that June and her daughter, Elizabeth, were all right. Years later, June and Kurt got married and found that they were going to have a baby. They had contacted with many carpenters to build the additions in the new baby’s room, however, none of them was free. Shay Bourne just showed up unexpectedly one particular day and he was hired then.
Shay Bourne was nothing like everyone expected. He murdered both Kurt and Elizabeth. After many trial and conviction, Shay Bourne was sentenced to death. Eleven years later, Elizabeth's sister, Claire, had a heart defeat. She needed a new heart, if not, she would die. Her name was put on the list for a transplant. Soon, Shay decided to donate his organs after execution. He wanted to give his heart to Claire. It was the only way he could redeem himself. However, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection and lethal injection was designed to stop the inmate’s heart. So, Shay had requested to speak to the in-charged in order to hire a lawyer to change his way of execution such as hanging, that would left him brain-dead and the organs would then be viable for transplant.
In the end, Shay won the case. He could donate his organs at the time of his death. And Claire was saved in the end.

This is really a fabulous novel. I will dare to say that this is the best novel I have ever read before. There is a twist in the end of the story. As it turned out, shay was not intending to kill anyone. It was all an accident when Shay tried to save Elizabeth. It's so shocking when Shay said the truth out. I had never expected it to be like that. It is really interesting and exciting. No one would know what will happen in the end. Although it started a bit confused in the first few chapters, after reading the whole book, it makes me want to read this book again. It's a very addictive book. Everyone should read it.




The Betrayed by David Hosp



Elizabeth Creay was found murdered in her house. She was brutally murdered. The police believed that the guy who murdered her was looking for money. They were lucky to get a clean print off the pocket torch that was found in Elizabeth Creay’s apartment. It was Jerome Washington’s, a local drug dealer. He was arrested and assumed to be murderer. The case was closed then.
However, both detective Sergeant Darius Train and his partner, Jack Cassian had many doubts. Due to a corpse being found in the park, a piece of new evidence was found and it proved that Jerome Washington was not the murderer. In the mean time, Sydney Chapin, Elizabeth Creay’s sister, was attacked on the way back from the Jurvenile Institude for Mental Health. She was there to find out what her sister was investigating before her death. Then, they began to link the whole incident back. Elizabeth Creay visited the Institute a week before she was murdered and Sydney Chapin was attacked less than an hour after she left the Institute. In the end, many innocent people were killed. The mastermind was Irskin Elliot, a former governor of Virginia, a one-term senator and also one of the Chapin family‘s oldest friend. But, before the police could arrest Irskin Elliot, he commited suicide. Luckily, another man that was involved in the murderer was willing to cooperate with them.

This is a well-written novel with interesting story line and characters. Every little thing in the novel is specifically described. The story is fast-paced and interesting. David Hosp is good at keeping the readers to wonder from the first page of the novel until he revealed the murderer. He could make the readers believe that the particular person was the murderer, but as it turned out, the person that I least expected was the murderer. It’s a complete surprise. I’m now looking for more of David Hosp’s work.



Little Face by Sophie Hannah

Alice Fancourt was only out for 2 hours. When she returned, she found out that the baby that was in the cot was not her baby, Florence; it was a stranger that she had never seen before. Her husband was supposed to look after the baby but he was asleep when Alice returned. However, David insisted that the baby was Florence. He swore that Alice must be lying or mad.
Ignoring David, Alice phoned the police and reported that her baby was missing. She then phoned her mother-in-law, Vivienne, and her mid-wife, who both had seen Florence before, to prove that she was right. However, neither of them could tell an exact answer. They said that babies changed a lot in their early days. Coincidentally, all the pictures that were taken with Florence were all destroyed and deleted. Therefore, the police still did not believe Alice. They could not think of any possible motive that anyone would want to swap one baby for another.
In the end, the police found out that it was all actually a lie. It all started when Alice was pregnant. She found out that Vivienne’s behavior had changed totally. She began to think that Vivienne must be definitely involved in Laura’s, David ex-wife, murderer. She was supposed to tell the police about everything that she had found out about Vivienne but she could not risk it. If Vivienne was alerted by the police that Alice was suspicious, she would end up like Laura. Thus, in order to keep Florence away from Vivienne, Alice pretended that someone had abducted her daughter and that the baby in the house was not Florence so she could ran away with her to alert the police to look into Laura’s murder case again.

This is an originally and beautifully written novel. I like this novel because it will keep you guessing about what could have happened to the baby, whether David or Alice was telling the truth. Besides, the ending is also very interesting. But, I don't think that this novel is the best as I do get annoyed by some of the things in it. However, it's still worth reading.

Perfect mistake: A privilege novel by Kate Brian

Ariana Osgood faked her own death and got herself a new identity- Briana Leigh Covington. She had murdered Briana Leigh Covington and assumed to be her so that she could attend APH, Artherton- Pryce Hall. All her troubled past was dead and buried.
However, Kaitlynn Nottingham’s arrival changed everything. She wanted to get everything that Ariana had. She had taken Ariana’s money and was supposed to migrate to another country, but she used the money to secure a place in APH instead. She had a new identity too- Lillian Oswald. Ariana was going to see her, talk to her and deal with her every single day. Although they had been this way before, but back then she had not known that Kaitlynn was an evil girl. Ariana had always wanted to kill Kaitlynn. However, she could not risk it. If Kaitlynn was killed, the police would find out that there was no such person as “Lillian Oswald” and would also discover Ariana’s real identity and everything about them.
Kaitlynn wanted to get into the Stone and Grave society because the members of society would help “Lillian Oswald”, who had no background, to create one. But only four among the five of them that were selected could enter the society. Thus, Kaitlynn asked Ariana to get rid one of them so that both of them could enter the society. Kaitlynn even threatened to kill Ariana or hurt her friends. In the end, after two attempts to sabotage her friends who were selected were failed, one of Araina’s friends was killed. And Kaitlynn was the one who did it.

This novel is interesting. I never know that this is actually a novel with many series and this is already the 3rd series until I read the first few chapters and found out that I had many doubts about it. This is the first time I have read this kind of novel, which I think is really interesting. But there is one thing I do not really like about this kind of novel is that you will not be able to know the ending as soon as you want and you will have to wait for another series to know it. But I’m definitely looking forward to the next series which will be released in June 2010.

The cluttered corpse by Mary Jane Maffini

Charlotte Adams, a professional organizer, would not have believed that Emmy Lou Rheinback had organizations issues. It was until she got upstairs and found out that all her rooms were overflowing with stuffed animals. Emmy Lou’s collection of stuffed animals was getting out of hand.
Her neighbor, Kevin and his friend, Tony, both were development disabled, were pulling all sort of horrible pranks at Emmy Lou. But no matter how horrible their pranks were, Emmy Lou did not want to report it to the police.
A few days later, Tony was found dead in Emmy Lou’s house. Emmy Lou claimed that she had killed Tony and she was arrested then. However, Charlotte could not believe what Emmy Lou had said was true for she was so fragile and vulnerable. She came up with many theories that Emmy Lou might be feeling guilty because Tony had tripped onto one of the stuffed toys on the stairs or Emmy Lou might be protecting her husband who had killed Tony. But when Charlotte found out more about Tony and Emmy Lou’s husband, it showed that all her theories were wrong. And the more she found out, the more trouble she was causing for herself. She and one of her friends, who had helped her, ended up injured and being hospitalized.
The truth, as it turned out, Kevin was actually Emmy’s Lou’s son and Emmy Lou was just trying to protect Kevin, whom she thought had killed Tony. It was actually Emmy Lou’s neighbor, Bonnie, who pushed Tony down the stairs when she was searching all over Emmy Lou’s house for a toys that contained a safety deposit key.

I truly enjoy reading this book, especially with the fun and likable protagonist. The plot contains many twists and turns. I reckon that everyone who read this book would not have guessed that Bonnie, the one who discussed the most with Charlotte about who might be the murderer, was actually the murderer. It’s definitely worth reading.

Hush, Hush

by Becca Fitzpatrick

♥Main character:

Nora Grey

Nora is an intelligent sixteen year old high school student who dreams of going to an Ivy League college. Her best friend is Vee Sky and even states that she is her “un-twin”. She and her mother live in a drafty 18^th century farmhouse on the outskirts of Coldwater. They have a housekeeper called Dorothea. Nora's mother works for the Hugo Renaldi Auction Company and her job requires a lot of travel so she hired Dorothea to not only cook and clean but to keep a watchful, parental eye on her daughter. Nora suffers from anemia so she has to take iron pills regularly. After her father's tragic death, she has been going for counselling sessions.

♥Other characters:

Patch Cipriano

He is a mysterious transfer student with a smouldering gaze and a penchant for the color black. His clothes reek of cigars, but that’s the least of Nora’s worries.

Patch is Nora's new partner at Biology class. Nora has to work with Patch for a “get to know” assignment. Through this, Nora finds out that Patch has never really gone to school and he claims that their school was his first school. Patch is very comfortable with being partnered with Nora, actually, he is quite glad to be her partner. On the contrary, Nora feels “threatened” and has such a dislike for their partnership to the extent that she requested the Coach to make her seat with Vee again, stating that “By law, no student should feel threatened on school property”. Patch’s relaxed and flirtatious manner makes her blush as often as she becomes frustrated.

Vee Sky

Vee is “green-eyes, minky blond, and a few pounds over curvy” as described by Nora, her best friend. She shows some interest for Patch at first (just to push Nora) and she likes teasing Nora by claiming that Patch is her stalker at one point in the story. Vee has a car , the 1995 purple Dodge Neon.

♥Content:

At Biology class, Nora is partnered with “Patch”, the new transfer. Coach McCoaugny, the varsity basketball coach, who is also the tenth-grade Biology professor gives them an assignment – find as much as you can about your new partner. Since Nora's worst subject is Biology, she has to do a good write-up about Patch in order to get at least an A grade. Patch shows some reluctance at giving personal information to Nora and on the other hand, it seems that Patch knows a lot of things about Nora. By the end of the class, Nora only knows his name... Nora calls him up and meets him at Bo's Arcade where he is playing pool. Their meeting gives Nora little information about Patch. The next day, she requests the Coach to let her seat with Vee and even proposes that she will tutor any student from his Biology classes. The Coach does not directly decline and just advises Nora to adjust to the new seating arrangement. Nora borrows Vee's car to drive home. Unexpectedly, she is attacked by a ski-masked man. He smashes the car window and causes it to shatter. Strangely, this ski-masked man has the same black eyes that Patch possesses. Nora escapes and drives back to Vee's house, traumatized. Vee inspects the car , only to find a small crack on the hood........

♥Evaluation of the book:

Hush, Hush is a well-written book with characters that one can relate to.

Becca Fitzpatrick wrote a great debut novel.

I particularly like Nora's character mainly because she is not a weakling most of the time and she can stand up for herself. Moreover, she has her own well-defined strengths, weaknesses and interests, and her voice as the narrator was pleasant to read. (The book is in 1^st person) I actually like Vee and I think she is hilarious although sometimes I found her annoying. The chemistry between Nora and Patch grew as the story progressed although at first, I thought that Patch was merely treating Nora like his play thing.

I fell in love with the cover at the bookstore <3>

It is not until 294^th page (of the 391 pages) that Fitzpatrick dives into the Nephilim myth, which is actually rather interesting. I love the twists and revelations after the 294th page or so. I never expected the revelations. I wrongly guessed who was stalking Nora and who was trying to kill her....

Hush, Hush is a dark, rich romance which also revolves around a heart-pounding mystery..... (someone repeatedly tries to kill Nora)

Can't wait to read the sequel!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

My favourite quotes:

"Hang on, did you just call me Angel?" I asked.
"If I did?"
"I don't like it."
He grinned. "It stays, Angel."
— Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush, Hush)

"All this time I've hated myself for it. I thought I'd given it up for nothing. But if I hadn't fallen, I wouldn't have met you."
— Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush, Hush)

I have the novel so feel free to ask me if you want to read it :)

This book has won many awards, and was even made into a movie! Holes is a Winner of The Newberry Medal, Winner of The National Book Award, Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and many more. Its author, Louis Sachar, writes in a way, that is able to make his stories fun and interesting. In my opinion, reading the book is much more enjoyable then watching the movie. During the Perth School Immersion Trip, an English teacher was even using this book as a project for his pupils to do. They were to read finish reading the entire book, and make a board game, relating it to the story. Plus, the teacher also gives his students assignments such as comprehensions, based on the story. Holes tells the story of Stanley Yelnats, who always seemed to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time, leading him to be falsely accused and sent to a detention center, since he was too young to go to jail. At this detention center, Camp Green Lake, its boys are to dig a hole everyday, being told that it was good for discipline. However, are they digging holes for discipline, of for something else? Read the book and find out! By the way, there is no lake at Camp Green Lake, except a seemingly endless desert.



Eoin Colfer, another one of my more favourite authors. I find that most of his books are full of excitement and adventure, and the way he writes his story, makes you feel like you are actually there! Besides Airman, Eoin Colfer may be vetter known for being the author of the Artemis Fowl saga. Airman tells the story of a young boy, Connor Brokeheart, son of the captain of the Great Saltee's army of sharpshooters. The story starts with the birth of Connor, and all his adventures and misadventures, all the way till adulthood. I loved this book, and would definately recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading books full of adventure.

Two friends - Derek Scully and "Outspan" Foster - get together to form a band, but soon realise that they don't know enough about the music business to get much further than their small neighbourhood in the Northside of Dublin. To solve this problem, they recruit a friend they'd had from school, Jimmy Rabbite, to be their manager. Jimmy named the band "The Commitments", as "All the good 60s bands started with a 'the'."

He witnesses a young man singing drunkenly into a microphone at a friends wedding and is struck by the fact he is singing "something approximating music". He decides the band should play soul music.

Jimmy places an ad in the local paper reading

"Have you got soul? Then Dublin's hardest working band is looking for you".

Eventually, he gets together a mismatched group with seemingly no musical talent, led by mysterious stranger Joey "The Lips" Fagan, who claims to have played trumpet two famous stars. They quickly start learning how to play their instruments and started to perform in small events.

With Jimmy Rabbite, a music-fanatic, as their manager the Commitments seek to fulfil their goal of bringing soul to Dublin.

The story shows the joys and sorrows the band members experienced and how each of them overcame their problems and obstacles. Arguments surfaced when it came to choosing certain costumes, songs and crops for their performances. It was hard to please everyone for the decision that was made. At times when the band faced competition and criticism from other bands, Joey acted as the source of spiritual motivation to drive his members to focus on their goals rather than getting involved in unnecessary problems.

After reading this book, i have understood that musical instruments are like precious to the musicians. They take great care of their instruments by ensuring they are well tuned and the strings are in good conditions. Occasionally, the musicians will send their instruments for repair and repaint if it's needed.

The Commitments was adapted into a movie in 1990 and had won the largest selling winner in the history of the prize and has been published in nineteen languages.

'This is a charming, truthful and immensely funny story which leaves you gasping for more'-Sunday Times
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Delilah White, producer of Domestic Bliss-highest rated lifestyle TV program, loves herself just the way she is: a perfect size 12. At a departmental store with her best friend, Sofia, Delilah had difficulties looking for a garment of her size while a size 2 for Sofia was always hung at the front of the rack among the bevy of other size 2s. Sofia is a natural beauty who has striking green eyes and honey-blonde mane . She has the figure of a petite vixen with shapely legs, full breasts and a tiny waist that she appears diminutive next to Delilah.

Soon, Delilah found herself pitted against her rival at work, Margo Hart, after her boss announced that she's taking an early retirement. And at last, Delilah met her guy, Jack, and both felt the inevitable love between them.
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The story is told from the point of view of the owner's dog. Enzo knows he is different from other dogs. He has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Denny is an expert in racing car in the rain which is a lot tougher than on dry roads.

Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition.

The unexpected loss of Eve, Denny's wife, caused the three-year battle over their daughter, Zoe, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody.

On the brink of death, Enzo recalled all that he and his family had been through and held in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoe at his side. During his last breath, Enzo wished to return as a man in his next lifetime.

This is definitely an inspiring and entertaining book recommended not just for dog-lovers or racing fans. It talks about life lessons and provides a lot of depth about family relationships. It is basically about loyalty, kinship, love, values and hope.

After reading this story, I begin to wonder what my dog is thinking... ;)
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Seventeen year old Veronica Ronnie Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie hates her selfish father for ruining the family and abandoning it for his interest. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.

During summer, Ronnie and her brother Jonah are sent to North Carolina to spend time with their estranged father. As soon as she sets foot in her father's house, she's determined to plan her return back to New York. To show her unwillingness, Ronnie puts distance between them by spending her first night away from his home. It was on this night that she first meets Will followed by Blaze. It was this night that changed her summer.

It is during this summer when Ronnie soon realizes despite her behavior, her father's love remained unconditional. Ronnie slowly understands and tries forgive her father. The story shows the struggles Ronnie had to forgive herself and her father.

The tale reveals the first love Ronnie has and the love between parents and children. This is an emotionally charged novel which can move a reader to tears at the last part of the story. It is surely worth to read it.
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The Christmas Secret is the story of a young single mother, Christine, who is constantly struggling to make money to feed, clothe and take care of her beloved young children(seven year old Zach and five year old Haley). To make matters worse, her ex-husband is a vengeful man who tries to make Christine's life more stressful and worrisome with threats of taking over the custody of the kids.

Christine hopes to see and feel the beauty of Christmas once again, but unfortunately life and unexpected events have harden her. She loses her job for being late umpteen times due to the untimely teenage sitter she was forced to employ.

One day, she saved a woman who worked in Wilson's departmental store. The owner of the store wanted to thank and show his gratitude to Christine but she was nowhere to be found. The grandson of the owner, Jason, was sent to look for Christine. It was at the bakery shop where Christine's new workplace was, Jason met her and there seemed to be a special sort of connection between the two of them.

A Walk to Remember. Does the title ring a bell?
Yes, a movie had been produced quite some time ago from this book and it is a wonderful movie.
The book and movie is a classic.
Many have read the book and watched the movie, and many were moved.
Sadly I was one of those people who watched the movie before i read the book so I already knew the story line.
However the way it was so well written still touched me deeply.
I was teary-eyed by the end.

It tells the story of Landon Carter, a popular rich kid who flies through
school on his looks, charm and popular connections.
Jamie Sulliven is everything he laughed at with his friends.
She carried a Bible everywhere, she worked at the orphanage and of course
she was famous for her 'stylish' brown sweater.
They were the two people that no one saw getting together in the real world.
But this beautiful story throws these two unlikely people together and tells
a story far beyond anything you could have hoped for from the cover.

Jamie turns Landon from a naive, aimless boy to a strong and caring man.
The way the story was written, would break your heart in the process, and could leave even the most unmoved and unaffected reader to tears.

This book warns you from the start that it will make you cry and it certainly will.
Same thing with the movie.
Both the book and movie made me laugh, smile, cry and above all it touched me so much that it gave me hope about the presence of true love.

And if you aren't in the mood to read, or you haven’t seen this wonderful film yet,
i suggest that you go online and watch it.
The movie is equally as amazing.

I summarise this story as an innocent and beautiful read that really inspires and gives you hope that true love can still exist.
I love this book.

As teenagers, sometimes we fall in and out of love too many a time.
Sometimes, we break our hearts before we're even ready to.
And each time we’re heartbroken, it hurts just like it did the very first time.
When we feel like we can’t cry a single tear anymore,
reading can help a great deal.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do is a collection of four short stories all about
the angered, pained, and revenge-seeking broken-hearted.

First up is Burnham's story about Toby,
who is always trying to please everyone else.
But when he puts his foot down with his girlfriend, things don't quite work out.
His girlfriend only wanted one thing from him. His virginity.
Weird as that sounds, (since it’s supposed to be the other way round)
that’s the way the story went.
Toby tries to please her, but soon realises that he is not ready.

The second author, Terri Clark, talks about a girl called Dee
who thinks she scored the social lottery when her goth self hooks up
with a major jock.
But when the two get into a car accident, Dee starts hearing people's thoughts
and realizes her boyfriend is one great actor and liar!
She is incredibly hurt by this, but she stands strong
and even seeks revenge for his actions! Will she succeed?

Next, we have Ellen Hopkins, who wrote a short story in a form of poetry
about a girl named Lisa who feels that she's just plain.
But when she scores her first real boyfriend, she was over the moon!
The trouble is, he is not who she thinks he is and she would
soon find herself falling into a deep hole.

The last author, Sandoval delivers a great story of Mia,
a gay girl who falls in love with a straight girl, Paige.
They are in love all summer long when school is out.
But when the holidays start to come to an end, and Paige realises that her relationship with Mia would have to “go public” soon,
she starts having second thoughts.
Just before school starts, Paige blows the whole thing out of proportion
in a public way.
How will a very hurt and confused Mia face her peers, let alone Paige?

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do is a truly meaningful book to read.
Even though you know from the start that all the stories would
end up with a break up, they still left much to be surprised by.

This book would have you agreeing in sadness, but in the end,
you would be cheering with victory!
If you are really going through a break up and you happened to
have just finished reading this book,
i suggest you get dressed, grab your cash, and head out with your
friends to have a night of fun!

I borrowed this book from a friend of mine, whom sadly,
i’ve now lost contact with.
Anyway, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but my friend Adelyn,
recommended it to me.
I decided to pick it up, since the movie seems to be a blockbuster favourite as well.
I thought it would be a boring story but i was wrong.
It is nothing boring.
It is a heart-breaking novel that had me in tears on quite a few occasions.

The story tells of a girl, Kate being diagnosed with leukaemia at age 2.
Her parents decide to have a 'designer' baby, Anna,
whom they hope will save Kate from the certain death.
Within hours of being born, Anna has donated stem cells from her umbilical cord.
This was the first of many procedures.
Thirteen years later, Anna’s body is still being used to keep her
sister, Kate, alive.
This is when suddenly, Anna decides to fight for the right to
have control of her own body.

The ending has a sudden twist which will leave you teary.
All in all, it is a thought-provoking novel that is truly heart-wrenching.
I don’t think this book has been made available in libraries yet, but you can purchase it at any bookstore island-wide.

This is my first Melissa Hill novel and i admit that when,
after having looked through a list of her novels and due to some of the covers,
I did expect a typical chick lit kind of book.

However, i realised that i was wrong!
This is an exceptionally wonderful novel to read.
After an accident, the main character, Abby is seriously injured and looses part of her memory. She experiences blackouts and forgets things happening to her.
Trying to accept her new situation, Abby starts writing a diary.
She also collects photographs and other memories, in order to hold on to her life before.

But trying to build a new life and preserve new memories before she forgets,
proves to cause both Abby, her family and friends a lot more problems
than they thought would come.

Written with intelligence, tenderness and understanding, the author,
Melissa Hill, knows exactly how to both entertain and present the realities of the situation. "Before I forget" is an intoxicating novel of facts and dreams,
all sealed in a nice package for us readers.

If you’re interested, i suggest that you check out all the other novels written by Melissa Hill.
You won’t regret it. I didn’t!

This is the second book that i’ve read from Melissa Hill.
The reason why i picked this book up is partly because of the cover page.
I know it isn’t right to judge a book by its cover but let’s all admit it.
We do that all the time don’t we?

Anyway, this book entitled Something You Should Know,
focuses around Jenny and how a nasty man from her past, Roan Williams,
could threaten her present relationship with her present boyfriend, Mike.
This seems like a typical storyline, but the difference with this novel is that the author's style of writing is totally entertaining and original.

Something happens in every single chapter and the story
moves forward at a cracking pace.
It reminds me almost of a thriller/mystery type story because you are simply dying to know what happens next.
Then, just when you think you've figured out where the story's going, the author leads you off in another direction and blows the whole thing out of the water.

This book is like a rollercoaster ride.
It is brilliantly written, so much so that i reread the book again and again after the first time, to indulge in Melissa Hill’s brilliance of “decepting” the reader.

This novel has the whole package.
The plot is page-turning, and you’ll be promised a lot of laughs.
There is also a lot of emotions and feelings written in a clever writing style that made shivers run up my spine.
This book was one of the books that made me stay up all night to finish too!
Highly recommended!

By Bernhard Schlink .


                                                                                                                                                                     

A humorous book that follows Holling Hoodhood, seventh grader and future architect/owner of Hoodhood and Associates, as he passes Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, because he is the only Presbyterian student. The rest of the class is attending religious services, either Jewish or Christian, and so Holling gets off on the wrong foot with Mrs. Baker from day one. But through their interactions, revolving around manual labor at first, then Shakespeare, and finally baseball, Holling and Mrs. Baker come to know and understand each other better.
The book is funny, especially at the outset, but the tone is often inconsistent. Sometimes it was a very believable seventh grader and sometimes it was clearly the author speaking.

tess gerritsen-the apprentice

It’s a boiling summer in Boston. Adding to the city’s woes is a series of shocking crimes that end in abduction and death. The pattern suggests one man: serial killer Warren Hoyt, recently thrown behind bars. Police can only assume an acolyte is at large, a maniac basing his attacks on the twisted medical techniques of the madman he so admires.
At least that’s what detective Jane Rizzoli thinks. Forced again to confront the killer who scarred her – literally and figuratively – she is determined to finally end Hoyt’s awful influence. Rizzoli isn’t counting on becoming a target herself. Yet once Hoyt is suddenly free, he joins his mysterious brother in a vicious vendetta.
I love the character of Jane Rizzoli. She’s a good cop, intelligent and insightful, who’s almost buried in a male-dominated hierarchy. Her need to impress her colleagues and earn the social distinction of “equal” is compelling. I’ve known women like Rizzoli who struggled to survive in those kinds of worlds, for exactly the same reasons.
I also love the way Rizzoli fits into her family. Everyone there seems to dismiss her job as a homicide detective, even after she was nearly killed bringing in Hoyt. Despite Rizzoli’s hard-as-nails exterior, the author shows how vulnerable her lead character is on the job, with her family, and when she’s by herself. Rizzoli is a fully realised personality, equipped with strengths, weaknesses, and the seeds for her own potential self-destruction.

Tess gerritsen-Vanish

A blessed event becomes a nightmare for pregnant homicide detective Jane Rizzoli when she finds herself on the wrong side of a hostage crisis
A nameless, beautiful woman appears to be just another corpse in the morgue. An apparent suicide, she lies on a gurney awaiting the dissecting scalpel of medical examiner Maura Isles. But when Maura unzips the body bag and looks down as the body, she gets the fright of her life. The corpse opens it eyes.
Very much alive, the woman is rushed to the hospital, where, with shockingly cool precision, she murders a security guard and seizes hostages…one of them a pregnant patient, Jane Rizzoli.
Who is this violent, desperate soul, and what does she want? As the tense hours tick by, Maura joins forces with Jane’s husband, FBI agent Gabriel Dean, to track down the mysterious killer’s identity. When federal agents suddenly appear on the scene, Maura and Gabriel realize that they are dealing with a case that goes far deeper than just an ordinary hostage crisis.
Only Jane, trapped with the armed madwoman, holds the key to the mystery. And only she can solve it, if she survives the night.

Enjoy~

Being Nikki
By Meg Cabot

Being Nikki is the perfect novel for one who loves to read books with a touch of science fiction mixed together with romantic suspense. This novel is about a straight-A student and gaming geek Emerson Watts who has had her brain transplanted into the body of teenage supermodel Nikki Howard. She's supposed to keep limited contact with her biological family and her grades are slipping because she's constantly missing school for fashion shows. And, she figures her life can't get much worse since her crush, Christopher, doesn't know she's alive.

But she's wrong, her life does get worse. Em soon discovers that Nikki has a brother no one knew existed and that their mom has been missing since Em's and Nikki's accident. To top it off, Em discovers she has to wear a diamond bra and panty set in a televised lingerie fashion show. Adding to that, Em also has to cohost a holiday party with her socialite roommate Lulu. Which is when she realises that being Nikki isn't easy.

The plot is intriguing, and it urges the reader to read on to the end. It's a good book for teens, and anyone who loves a romantic science fiction story filled with suspense and couture.






Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
By Jonathan Safran Foer

This book is set shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City and focuses on its direct effect on a particular family. It is narrated by a highly intelligent, nine year old boy named Oskar Schell, who loses his father on the 9/11/ terrorist attack. However, despite his intelligence that gives him a better understanding of the different aspects of the world, Oskar still has the emotions, confusion, and exasperation of a typical 9-year old.

Oskar lives with his mother, and his mother now has a new friend, Ron, who offers to buy a set of drums for Oskar.

"Money can't buy me love, obviously, but I asked if it would have Zildjian cymbals. He said, "Whatever you want," and then he took my yo-yo off my desk and started to walk the dog with it. I know he just wanted to be friendly, but it made me incredibly angry. "Yo-yo, moi! I told him, grabbing it back. What I really wanted to tell him was, "You're not my dad, and you never will be." "

Oskar then discovers a key in a vase that belonged to his father and this leads him on a mission all around New York City, in search of his fathers secret, to help him understand his father better, and thereby being closer to him even after death.

I feel this novel was really an eye-opener, uplifting and yet soul searing at different times, and being able to see how an event can greatly impact a family and ones life, really made me look at things in a different perspective. Also, beyond the pain that Oskar and his family felt, there was still hope, inspiring me to have great courage, one like Oskar's.





















The five people you meet in heaven
By Mitch Albom

This book is of a man named Eddie, simple and dignified, feels that he has not accomplished everything in life that he should, works as the head of maintenance at an amusement park. Today is Eddie's birthday, and he goes about his daily routine, he hears the scream of a young girl. He manages to save her life, by paying for it with his.

Eddie then finds himself in heaven, which looked like the amusement park during his childhood days. And there in heaven, he would meet five people, specially appointed for him, and the first of whom he meets, is the Blue Man.

The Blue Man then explains that Heaven is not the Eden, like atmosphere often imagined, but rather, it is a personal journey in which you learn a lesson from each of the five individuals and in turn discover your meaning and purpose in life.

Upon meeting Eddie's last appointed person, he finds his true meaning to life, “Children. You keep them safe. You make good for me. Is where you were supposed to be. Eddie Main-ten-ance.” .

The new concept of heaven - a place where you can gain insight into your life after you have died through people you have loved, encountered, or never met in your life, in this book is truly inspiring. It is a very different concept of which many perceive these days. The lessons each person teach to Eddie are touching, meaningful and it made me reflect upon my own life. This book taught me to see the world and the things I do each day in a very different manner, and also to appreciate people I meet each day; no matter how insignificant they are to me, or how insignificant their job may sound, (E.g Eddie the maintenance man) that actually their jobs each each have their own significance and importance. Also at the same time, it teaches me to treasure the people I have around me, for life is fragile. I highly recommend this book to all readers, despite age and gender.





Double Act
By Jacqueline Wilson

This story is about Ruby and Garnet who are ten-year-old twins and have always been close despite their differences. Ruby is an extrovert and Garnet is an introvert, who is content to let Ruby dominate their relationship. Soon their father gets a new girlfriend and a new job, and their once stable relationship is thrown into turmoil. Ruby and Garnet don't fit into their new lifestyle, and they hardly have any friends. Then, the twins find an article about auditions for a television movie, and hence they both run away to London to audition. Although Garnet isn't keen on the idea, whereas Ruby wanted it badly. However, in the end, only Garnet qualifies. Garnet's decision not to go off without her sister allows the pair to reaffirm their love and connection. This story ends with a happy heart.






For one more day
By Mitch Albom

This book with starts a young sports reporter approaching former baseball player Chick Benetto. Chick's first words are, "Let me guess. You want to know why I tried to kill myself." When Chick tried to commit suicide, he woke up in a world between life and death where he gets to spend one more day with his mother, who died years ago. Chick was supposed to be with his mother the day she died, and he still harbors guilt over the fact that he wasn't. The story moves back and forth between memories of Chick's childhood and events with his mother. Ultimately, this is a story of redemption and making peace with one's past. It is a story of love, mistakes and forgiveness.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading childhood hardships stories.

Jane Elliott fell into the hands of her sadistic and brutal stepfather when she was 4 years old. Her story is both inspiring and horrifying. Her family and neighbourhood were all terrified of Jane’s stepfather so no-one held out a rescuing hand. Hence, she had to help herself, alone.

What I like about the story is that, it goes on to detail most of the mental, physical and sexual abuse that Jane has to endure almost every day of her life, and come to accept it as normal. The abuse is such that the whole family is abused in some way or another.

This book is interesting as it goes on to show how even when Jane leaves home, her step father still has a tight hold on her.

The book is set into 12 chapters with an epilogue at the end. The story is set out so that it is in lots of short paragraphs which makes it easy to read and easy to stop at any time. (This means that you will not have to rush through the entire chapter just to get a natural break, like pouring yourself a cup of water.) Although as mentioned, the story is anticipating.

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In My Darling, My Hamburger, they talk about many topics amoung teens today. In the book a senior named Liz faces problems like: I love my boyfriend, but do I love him enough to have sex with him; and if I do get pregnant what will I do? Will I have the baby or get an abortion? Paul Zindel did a great job writting this book. It expresses many problems that teens face today like dating, sex, teenage pregnancy, and many others.

The story setting is more on the western side, also Zindel writes from the viewpoint of Liz, the female lead character. For me, some part of the story is predictable and cheesy. Nonetheless, the story goes out to teenagers.

I would recommend this book to teenagers who like reading about typical romance (Something that is not to difficult to figure out) Yet towards the end, the story moved me.

Want to find out more?

GO BORROW THE BOOK. Under [ZIN - teenager section]

Currently I will stop with the 2 book reviews. Will continue soon!!