2016 Year in Review: Top Reads

Jumat, 30 Desember 2016

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.

komentar | | Read More...

Someone's Been Scraping Off of My Blog!

Senin, 01 Agustus 2016

Yes. I had just learned that someone has been taking and re-publishing contents from my blog without my permission and post them as their own (this is the blog in question: http://readingmelody.blogspot.sg/ ) 

As of writing this I have checked that their latest update was in February 2016 and that their posts always dated one day before my original posts.) And most of all they didn't even change the blog name and decided to use mine, too. While it is flattering to have your work recognised, copying and re-publishing other people's work is totally uncool and definitely the wrong thing to do! 

Through this post, I want my friends and readers to know that all my original posts come through this link: https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/ 

However, I am not sure if feeds are affected though and I would appreciate it if you could feed back to me.

komentar | | Read More...

Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell | Misc. Musings

Senin, 16 Mei 2016

ISBN-13: 9781509820832
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Publication Date: February 2016
Format: Paperback, 96 pgs
Source: Purchased

This short story by Rainbow Rowell is part of a handful of selected short reads specially produced for World Book Day and the tale revolves around Star Wars fandom and how friendship/kindred spirits come about when one least expects it. 

Eighteen-year-old Elena is a Star Wars fan. To be exact, it was under her father's influence that she only saw the original trilogy. Anything other than that isn't exactly the "real" movies, at least this is what her father thinks. Well she doesn't mind it anymore if she did watch them now that their parents are separated. And with the new Star Wars movie releasing, she knew she wants to experience the excitement of camping outside the cinema and exchanging news and sharing thoughts with other fans till the opening night. Alas, the queue isn't what she has expected. She is aghast to find she is the last in line but truth be told there are only three people, including herself. 

The two guys in front of her, Troy and Gabe, may be out of her league but over the four days she was with them, she learned a few things about them, especially Gabe. 

Kindred Spirits may be a short story (62 pages) but the characters are quite well developed. I enjoyed the exchanges Elena had with Troy, who is such a huge Star Wars fan that his enthusiasm almost put her to shame. And then there is Gabe, a quiet guy who may not seemed to attract anyone's attention initially but he will grow on you the more you read about him. 

All in all, it was a sweet story about friendship (and potential relationship?) and not to mention Star Wars fandom (well, you don't need to be a fan to enjoy this book). Aside from the cute story, what I admire about Ms. Rowell is the way she could spin off stories out of our ordinary and sometimes mundane lives into something unforgettable and special. I just wished this story could be a bit longer.

And oh, there is an extract of Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard at the end of this book which I think is a story about friendship between two sixteen-year-old girls and how a girl named Suzanne, who is so different from them, will turn their lives upside down. Since it was an extract I wasn't sure where this story will lead but I'm hoping that it would be a book which has some intrigue (or a mystery) in it. 

Finally, before I end this review, I thought I would voice out my confusion over the book cover. The yellow sticker stated "For Older Readers" but it didn't contain any content which seem shocking or inappropriate to me. 

---

Misc. Musings:

I have been slacking in my reading lately. No, it isn't the book(s) but life as well as a few distractions which have kept my reading attention elsewhere. Last week was test week and I was so glad it was over. A few things also include playing Candy Crush on my mobile as well as re-watching Descendants of the Sun for the third time. This time around, I am watching it with my husband and I have a hunch it is his curiosity over the popularity that is speaking louder than the drama itself, ha. 

I am currently reading John Hart's Redemption Road and aside from the great storytelling, it is a book filled with suspense, emotions and questions which have me thinking about righteousness and justice. No, wait. There are many more issues which will set your mind thinking over what is right and what is wrong but yet they aren't really straightforward. This is my first John Hart book and I am enjoying reading it; his writing and his storytelling is excellent in my opinion and I am glad to have discovered an author whom I know I would be reading more in future. 

(My pic on Instagram. Come find me @melody_lee)

Once again, I am finding joy in writing and receiving snail mails. They are such a rare things nowadays (at least to me, aside from the book mails) that a letter would make me squeal in delight. To-date, I had received three mails (including a postcard which is not featured here) from Jenclair, who is a bookish friend from A Garden Carried in the Pocket. We share similar taste when books are concerned. :-) 

What are you reading? Hope you have a great week! 

komentar | | Read More...

The Masked Truth by Kelly Armstrong | Musings & Ramblings

Jumat, 18 Desember 2015

ISBN-13: 9780349002231
Publisher: Atom 
Publication Date: October 2015
Format: Paperback, 352 pgs
Source: Purchased

It seems like I couldn't get enough of Kelley Armstrong�s books lately. After finishing her first three books of the Cainsville's series, I was very glad to find she has a new standalone - a YA novel about hostage situation and survival. I have read several books about hostages but they are more to mysteries and police procedural, rarely YA so I was quite intrigued by this book. 

The story opens with our protagonist, Riley Vasquez, being haunted by a brutal murder of the Porters' family she was babysitting for. At the time of the murder, she had her attention on the child in the room upstairs so the moment she heard gunshots, she hide under the bed with her. Though she was viewed a hero after the tragedy for saving the child, Riley couldn't help feeling guilty for hiding under the bed doing nothing while the murder took place within the house. Her mother and older sister thought it would do her some good if she is to spend a weekend away at a therapy camp, alongside with five other teens who have 'issues'. 

The camp is actually an isolated building which used to be a warehouse; it is then restored with metal steel doors for security and there are no windows. Handphones are not allowed and the exits are all sealed shut. The group's real nightmares begin when three masked men burst into the building and take them all hostage. Max Cross is one of the other victims; a guy who is suffering from Schizophrenia and his condition is controllable under medications. Riley thinks he is full of himself at first, but when dangerous circumstances force them to be together when the others are either hurt or dead, she realised that looks can be deceiving and most of all, they have to rely and trust in each other, issues and all, to get out alive. 

Once again, I found myself engrossed in Kelley Armstrong�s storytelling and the way she writes well-developed and layered characters who made me care for them. Aside from the intrigued plot, what also makes this book stand out is these characters struggle with their own mental issues and how the hostage situation has made them stronger despite their conditions and weaknesses, especially Max. Max isn't a character whom I feel warmed up with at first glance but he grew on me the more I flipped through the pages. I also liked the interactions between Riley and Max; their exchanges could range from humorous to sarcasm, and from honest to sincerity but ultimately it is worthwhile to 'watch' them battle their own demons and the real 'demons' as well. I wouldn't say this story is entertaining given the dark elements but it provides an insightful look at the challenges the mental illness patients are going through and how the society view them. 

---

December is usually a busy month for us all - not only because of the festive season but also it is school holidays; the time whereby many parents would take their time off to spend more time with their children. This December, my husband decided Taiwan would be the destination for our vacation so that was where we were last week. 

We went for a 8-days guided tour package and the journey covered the following provinces: Taichung, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Nantou, Hsihchu and Taipei. We had been to Taipei a few years ago but the other places are new to us. And since we covered these places for merely a few days, the schedules were all pretty tight so it goes without saying we changed hotels every night. 

I took a few dozens of pictures and while it is impossible to share them all here, I created some photo collages highlighting some of the places we had went to. 

Night markets everywhere. One wouldn't go hungry even late at night outside. 

Some of the places we went (clockwise to centre for all collages):

• Beautiful painted walls (situated near the Beimen Crystal Church)
• JingZhaiJiao Tile-Paved Salt Fields
• Sun Moon Lake - this is the only structure which survived the earthquake which had ruined Sun Moon Lake back in 1999
• Beimen Crystal Church
• Wen Wu Temple, that is dedicated to Confucius, Guan Gong and Yue Fei 

• Miaoli's Schokolake, where we made some DIY chocolates
• A vampire-themed restaurant (which I'd failed to note down the name due to my enthusiasm in joining the group to call out a "password" before getting into the restaurant (which is a rule, so the reception staff said)
• Taipei 101 World Building
• Green Green Grasslands, famous for its picturesque natural setting and of course, sheep
• Leofoo Village Theme Park

A few picturesque shots I took: 

• Short cruise around Sun Moon Lake
• Inside Green Green Grasslands
• Inside Green Green Grasslands
• Sun Moon Lake
• Inside Miaoli's Schokolake

A few random shots I took:

• Taiwan High Speed Train
• A beach at Cijin Island
• A beach at Cijin Island
• Kaohsiung Rail Station
• Blue sky filled with cotton-candied clouds (couldn't remember where)

The things we ate: 

• One of our vegetarian meals
• Seaweed wraps
• Vegetarian burgers at Leofoo Village Theme Park
• Cheesy baked rice at Miaoli's Schokolake
• Honey Star honey & butter snacks from Korea. Korean snacks seem to be the "in" snacks in Asia

Some of the attractions at Leofoo Village Theme Park 

Some animals which we saw at Guanshi Leofoo Resort (we stayed for a night there; it was a great experience waking up with the animals, so to speak.)

We travelled via SilkAir to and fro for our trip. The top two pictures were taken by my 7-year-old daughter, who had the privilege of taking the window seat. 

So that is all on our vacation. Reading wise, I have to admit I only read a few pages during the flights and needless to say, no chance to read during the trip. Our Taiwanese tour guide was a man in his mid forties and he was one of the best tour guides I have met throughout our travelling journeys. Funny, knowledgeable and deeply patriotic towards his country, he shared with us lots of insightful things about life (and of course, the history and political stuff of Taiwan), his few working experiences as well as other informations which had either keep us intrigued or entertained. All in all, it was an enjoyable trip. My two daughters said they would like to visit, again. 

komentar | | Read More...