A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

Year Published: 2001

My Rating: 5 stars

272 pages

Weight: 9.4 ounces = 0.5875 lb.

This is the first book in the Cirque Du Freak series. It is a young adult fiction.

I have heard quite a bit about this series but was kind of skeptic to start it, I was imagining something like a horror movie!

But was I wrong!!

It's a very fast read and so enjoyable, I couldn't imagine how it flew.. It's about this boy called Darren Shan (the author) who is telling his story.. his TRUE story that is..
Darren is a kid in school with a lot of friends but the closest are 3 and from those three is his best friend Steve.

One day they find a flyer about a circus for freaks and are very interested in going, they pool their money and get ticket..
The show was great but their problems start after the show.. very exciting and fun to read..

Very recommended series for vampire lovers like me :)

Stalked by Brian Freeman

Year Published: 2007

My Rating: 5 stars

432 pages

Weight: 7 ounces = 0.4375 lb.

(Serial Killer Thriller)

This is a first for me by this author and surely it will not be the last.. I will hunt his other books as soon as I can.

Maggie is a cop and a partner to Stride for over 10 years, when her husband Eric turns out murdered in her house with her own gun with her in the house with him, all the evidence points at her.Stride is at the scene first, and although he thinks she might be innocent, he knows she is hiding something from him..Then he discovers that it's more than just simple domestic secrets that Maggie and some others are hiding.Then other bodies start to surface and other crimes reveal themselves.. Filled with murder, deceit, blackmail and betrayal what a book!!!

It is a fast action packed read, with a lot of surprises, just when you thought you solved the crime something turns up!

I loved it and would highly recommend it to any mystery/crime reader and will be looking for more of Freeman's books!

Wordless Wednesday!

This is my Wordless Wednesday

This is a picture I took while we were in Kuala Lumpur in the summer of 2007.. I just love Malaysia.. I feel like it's my second country :)

It was taken from the cafe on the 26th floor of the Boulevard Hotel in the MidValley area.. Great hotel, great shopping and great view!

It's a really quiet cafe which I regard as my haven that I love to go to to read and admire the view.. specially on Saturdays and Sundays.. I hate crowds :)

How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

64%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I saw this at Bella's and couldn't just let it pass :) I had to go take the quiz to see how addicted I am.. well I truly expected it to be more.. but it's fine like this :) I'm trying to convince myself that I'm not an addict LOL

Musing Mondays #2

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about book reviews…

Do you read any non-blogging book reviews? If so, where (newspaper, library etc)? Do you have any favourites sources you'd like to share?

Actually I read reviews anywhere I could find them, be it on blogs or other different sites.. I check Shelfari, Amazon and sometimes the author's web page.

Sometimes my non blogging friends or family members recommend something so I go look on the net to check the storyline and then it might end up on my virtual tbr shelf on Shelfari.

I don't really care about the rating, I read the review to check if it's my type of book or not, what kind of genre it is and if the storyline is something that is interesting to me..

Why I do that?! Because I believe that everyone's opinions are different, me liking the book does not mean that everyone else is going to like it and the other way around is true..

One of the books that was recommended to me by a friend/collegue of mine was Harry Potter that was around 2002/2003. She introduced me to Harry's world when she was reading the forth book, convincing me to try out the first book and that it was very good and saying a lot of things about it.. so I went to the bookstore (Jareer) and bought the first book.. I've been a fan ever since!!

Then I recommended it to my sister-in-law, which resulted her and my brother being fans.. then my neice-in-law, which resulted with her and her sister being fans..

It was really nice to have discussions with people about the books that you all enjoy.. making speculations and assumptions till the next book comes out!! It was so much fun!!

I love getting recommendations from anyone who is willing to give it, it's not a guarantee that I would read it but it would be high on my list of choices..

Acting Like Family by J.J. Massa

Year Published: 2005

My Rating: 2 stars

164 pages

Weight: 6.4 ounces = 0.4 lb.

This book is the first in the Montgomery Family Legacies, it was recommended to me by my blogger friend Erotic Horizon.

I really had trouble remembering the name of the book, I keep thinking it's All in the Family, no it's Always a Family.. then I go back to look at the book to remember the name.. don't know why?!

It's the story of actor Riker Montgomery who happens to have trouble keeping young fans out of his bed, till one night he finds Bet there sleeping.. Right away he knows she is the one and they live a night of bliss..

In the morning Bet is afraid he might think her a loose woman, she disappears, only to realize her mistake when she realizes her love for him. So she tries to contact him and fails, then she discovers she is pregnant so she tries again, but his lawyer tells he that Riker wants nothing to do with her and her baby!!

Then after she delivers the action starts, and she is chased around the country by people who want her and her offspring!! Will she find Riker and will he save her? Or will he just turn his back on his family?

True that it was a reasonably short book and reads fast but so is the details.. The main idea is good but the writing is just not my style.. The plot was also good but really needs some more developing, the information is given in bits and pieces, the way she accepted that Riker is a werewolf was actually no reaction at all.. I did like the sibling joking between Riker and Lakon.. it should have been more.. I guess if the same story was extended another 100 pages it would have worked better for me..

As for the rest of the series, I might and I might not continue.. It really depends on my mood, but for now I'm going to go read something quite different.. Although I do want to know what happens with Lakon, he was really cute!!

It was supposed to be erotic and I don't mind that but it was not my kind of erotic it was more on the mild side :)

Other points of view about this book :)

Erotic Horizon

Tag You're It: The Fifth Photo

I was tagged AGAIN :) Thanx Sandy !!

Sandy Nawrot of You've GOTTA read this! tagged me for this really fun meme: Find your 5th photo file folder, then the 5th photo in that file folder. Then pass the meme to 5 people.

So, since the last time I did this meme my picture folders have kinda shifted so I get to put another photo here..

This pic is in my backgrounds folder, just a random picture I saved from somewhere from the Internet which I can't remember from where..
I love collecting and saving nice backgrounds for my desktop, so it could reflect my mood for the day :)

Now for the tagging!!

1. naida at the bookworm

2. Erotic Horizon at Erotic Horizon

3. Karen at Over the Backyard Fence

4. *~Ange~* at Mama... I Married A Masri

5. Ruth at Bookish Ruth

What's in a Name?

For this week's edition of Weekly Geeks, we're going to take a closer look at character names. What are some of your favorite character names? Go to Google or a baby name site like this one or this one, and look up a favorite character's name. What does their name mean? Do you think the meaning fits the character? Why or why not?If you'd like, look up your own name as well and share the meaning.

Well, the first names that popped into my mind are these..

From the Southern Vampires series by Charlaine Harris.. Eric and Quinn..

Eric:

Meaning: Its source is ei rikr, an Old Norse name meaning "Complete ruler."

Well Eric the Northman is the sheriff of Area 5 and is very old.. and he is a very strong leader to his followers and employees!

Quinn:

Meaning: Its source is Conn, an Irish Gaelic name meaning "Wise Leader."

Quinn is calm and wise I would say, because he is holding his cool most of the time unless the situation calls for action! He still acts wisely through and through!

From the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay..

Dexter:

Meaning: Its source is a Latin expression meaning "Fortunate."

Hmm, fortunate?! well maybe because he is taken in by people who care for him and his "father" accepts his desire to kill and channels it to a "right" direction.. according to them!

From the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.. Jamie..

Jamie:

Meaning: Its source is Iacobus, a Latin name meaning "One who grasps by the heel or supplanter."

I guess this also applies since Jamie took the place of Clair's husband, not intentionally but it just happened..

From the Dark Ones series by Katie MacAlister.. Dante..

Dante:

Meaning: Its source is Durante, an Italian name meaning "Enduring."

I guess for him to be enduring over 900 years of lonliness while looking for his Beloved makes him deserve the name..

So I see that the meanings of the names of the characters I choose seem to match the characters perfectly :)

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Your Candy Heart Says "First Kiss"

You're a true romantic who brings an innocent hope to each new relationship. You see the good in every person you date, and you relish each step of falling in love. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic dinner your sweetie cooks for you Your flirting style: friendly and sweet What turns you off: cynics who don't believe in romance Why you're hot: you always keep the romance alive

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

Year Published: 2006

My Rating: 4 stars

352 pages

Weight: 13.6 ounces = 0.85 lb

This is the 6th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series (Southern Vampires).

It starts with Quinn paying a visit to Sookie in her house for two reasons.. the first is to ask her to go out with him and the second to inform her of the Queen's wish that she goes to the vampire conference with her.. Then she is requested to go to New Orleans to close down her former cousin Hadley's apartment who has been murdered weeks before by a fellow vampire..

She is attacked twice, both times with Quinn with her!! Making her wonder who the target for the attack is.. her or Quinn or both? Or is Quinn behind these attacks?!A lot of action and bloodshed occurs..

I liked this book although I didn't like Quinn in the beginning then I kinda got used to him.. he seems sweet.. or is he?!

The tiger thing started to appeal to me.. creepy eh..?!

Bill turns out an even worse JERK than he was before.. if that is even possible!! You just want to light him up for hurting Sookie!

A lot of action happens, with some surprises here and there ..

I'll be starting the 7th book very very soon :)

BTW, I really like this cover of the book, it describes my imagination for the story and I just adore the tiger :)

A favorite quote from the book..
Quinn was drying himself off, and he turned around to show me his muscular derriere. "Fur-free," he said. "Can I share the bed?"

These are my reviews for the books I read from this series in order:
1. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
2. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
3. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
4. Dead To The World By Charlaine Harris
5. Dead As A Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Other Reviews .. :)
Alaine at Alaine's Reading Blog


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Wordless Wednesday!

This is my Wordless Wednesday!

This is my lovable, adorable Dexter :)

Dead As A Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Year Published: 2005

My Rating: 4 stars

320 pages

Weight: 4 ounces = 0.25 lb.

This is the 5th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series (Southern Vampires).

It's the full moon and Jason joins the shifters in Hotshot, then the shootings start!!

A girl shifter is shot dead, then Calvin Norris, the Sam! So it seems that a serial killer is on the loose and looking for shifters in specific.

The shifters in Hotshot suspect Jason, and Sookie is afraid for his life..

Now Merlotte's has no bouncer with Sam being injured so he asks Sookie to ask for Eric's help as a favor, so Eric sends them a vampire bouncer/bartender.

Then Sookie's life becomes endangered and trouble seems to look for her in every corner, as usual!

The were's have an important ceromony that Sookie is asked to attend and is dragged in to were politics unintentionally!

Then she meets a new kind of supe that intrigues her like no other!

A lot of action and events take place in this book, although it seems that every supe that lays eyes on Sookie goes nuts over her, she gets kissed by most of them too!

I mostly liked this book like I liked the whole series, Sookie has become really familiar to me, and she kinda grew on me.. I got addicted.. I already started book 6.. although this is not my favorite book of the series it has it's good moments.. what I didn't like was Quinn.. I mean the way he looks (I mean the way he is described), over 6 feet tall, bare chested bald guy.. come on I can't shake the vision of a genie or Mr. Clean from my head.. he just needs a gold earring!! YUCK!

I don't know why he shaves everyday and sometimes twice a day!! Does that mean he is not really bald just shaving his head!! I hope so.. I mean this is fiction why not make guys perfect :)

This is what ended me giving the book 4 stars instead of 5..

The 6th books starts with Quinn.. God help me!

A quote I liked by Eric.. it just made me laugh..

"Sookie, you have to understand that for hundreds, thousands, of years we have considered ourselves better than humans, separate from humans.” He thought for a second. “Very much in the same relationship to humans as humans have to, say, cows. Edible like cows, but cute, too.”

These are my reviews for the books I read from this series in order:
1. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
2. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
3. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
4. Dead To The World By Charlaine Harris

Other Reviews ..
Alaine @ Queen Of Happy Endings

Musing Mondays #1

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about bookmarks…What do you use to mark your place while reading? Do you have a definite preference? Do you use bookmarks, paper, or (gasp) turn down the pages? If you use bookmarks, do you have a favourite one?

This is my first time participating in th Musing Mondays but I saw it at Yvonne's blog and I thought it was interesting.. If you are interested to participate too just click here ..

My Answer ...

I love nice bookmarks. So when I go to the bookstore specially if it's a new one to me I have to check out their bookmark rack to see if something attracts me.. I like the ones with quotes or cute quirks on them, sometimes cats or roses.. I have 2 Harry Potter bookmarks specially for reading my HP books one I bought and the other a dear friend custom made specially for me :)

Lately I bought some book-thongs .. believe it or not that's what they called them.. I got them online and they are GORGEOUS.. they are beaded and stunning, two are inspired by the Twilight series.. One with a crystal heart and another with a wolf :)

The others just looked nice and I just couldn't NOT buy them too :) what do you think?!

BUT, if by any chance I get reading a book and I don't have a bookmark handy, I'll look for anything to stick in the book, a reciept, a business card, anything that is available in my handbag!! If I can't find anything I'll just put a clean tissue in there! But I NEVER EVER do that doggy ear thing to a book, it's too precious to me to be creased in that inbooky (like inhumane) way! I even hate seeing books that have suffered this torture :)

Judge a Book By Its Cover!

Today's Weekly Geeks : Judge a Book By Its Cover!

This week it's all about judging books by their covers! Pick a book--any book, really--and search out multiple book cover images for that book. They could span a decade or two (or more)...Or they could span several countries. Which cover is your favourite? Which one is your least favourite? Which one best 'captures' what the book is about?

I chose "Guilty Pleasures" by Laurell K. Hamilton, so here are the covers I found..

This one is the US 1993 edition

UK 1994

Russian 2000

US 2000

UK 2000

US 2002

Hungary 2003

Greek 2003

US 2004

Spanish 2005

Belguim 2006

Brazil 2006

Czech 2006

Netherlands 2006

German 2006

Poland 2008

My favorite cover is the German one, then the US 2000-2002 then the US 2004.

The least favorite is the Russian!

The one best 'captures' what the book is about in my opunion is the the UK 2000 cover.

Tag You're It !!

I tagged myself after checking out Bella's blog with the little photo meme, since I was the first to comment there AND I do have more than 5 picture folders..

The rules for this meme is:

1. Find your 5th photo file folder,then the 5th photo in that file folder.

2. Post that picture on your blog.

3. Tag 5 others to do the same.

that's it!!

So here is my 5th picture in my 5th folder :) It's a Juicy Couture keychain I saw a picture of somewhere on the Internet, could be Ebay but not sure.. I just liked it and saved the picture.. You could find a lot of these pictures on my computer, actually it was in a folder called (Bags) since I love bags and save the pictures to admire them ;) Some I bought too :)

Ok now the tagging!!

I hate to tag only 5 people but I'll try to pick new people to tag!! here goes..

1. His Sweetheart at His Sweetheart

2. Pabast at reading mama

3. Becky Workman at My thoughts...your thoughts?

4. Marta at Marta's Meanderings

5. Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews

My "M" List..!

I saw this meme at Ramya's blog and couldn't help asking her to assign me a letter, so she assigned me the letter 'M'..

So here are my top 10 favorite 'M' things!!

1. Mom: need I explain!!

2. Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him): my beloved prophet :)

3. Makkah: My Kiblah (Qibla) for my prayers :)

4. Movies: I love watching a good movie!

5. Mickey and Minnie Mouse: my favorite mice!

6. Music: I love listening to music on my Ipod or my PC

7. M & M's: specially the chocolate ones, melts in your mouth not in your hand. mmmmmmmm

8. Malaysia: my favorite vacation spot!

9. Mystery Novels: I love reading them what can I do :)

10. Macaroni: one of my favorite foods!

These are the things that came to my mind, I'm sure there are more but this is what I could think of right now..

Anyways if you are interested in this meme, just leave me a comment saying so and I will assign you a letter so you could list your top favorites, don't worry no Q's or X's :)

Friday Fill-Ins #2

This week's Friday Fill-Ins

Questions courtesy of YellowRose this week; thanks, friend! And...here we go!

1. Please don't tell I have to go to a formal party.

2. Can you function without washing your face in the morning?

3. The color Pink makes me want to have fun!

4. I have a craving for Chocolate all the time.

5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it on my wedding night.

6. Eyes are the windows to the soul.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching TV, tomorrow my plans include blogging and reading and Sunday, I want to go to a family gathering!

A Girl's Guide to Vampires by Katie MacAlister

Year Published: 2003

My Rating: 5 stars

384 pages

Weight: 7 ounces = 0.4375 lb.

This is the first book in the Dark Ones series.

Joy Randall's Top 5 Tips for Vampire Hunters:

1. Location, location, location. Remember, if you wouldn't be there, neither would a bloodsucker.
2. Trust your eyes. You know the handsome, annoyingly arrogant, self-assured man in the shadows with long hair and a cleft in his chin? He's your vampire.
3. No matter how tempting it might be, do not "accidentally" acquire a paper cut and suggest YOUR VAMPIRE kiss your finger to make it better.
4. From here on out, play it cool. Don't offer to accompany your prince of the night on the talk show circuit and whatever you do, don't offer him your heart.
5. And most of all, remember?being a vampire is nothing to laugh about.

Joy and Roxy and two American best friends, planning on going on a dream vacation to Europe together and hoping to find their soul mates on the way.

Before leaving for the trip they meet up with the witch Miranda to ask for the help of the goddess to find their soul mates.. Skeptic as she is Joy doesn't believe any of what Minanda has to say about finding a Dark One in her path that could be her soul mate.. since she does not believe in vampires as Roxy does..

So of they go to the Czech Republic, where they find the castle of their favorite Moravian Vampire series author CJ Dante next to the hotel they are staying in and plan to meet with him. Meanwhile a vampire fair is to start and they get to meet some of the fair people including Raphael the head of security, Christian who becomes a close friend, Arialle, Tanya, Dominic and Milos.

Then the visions start, so joy tries to blame them on the beer but they become more vivid and disturbing. Not knowing who is sending her these images and starting to believe there really might be a Dark One doing this to her, she starts investigating. Could it be the sexy gorgeous Raphael or the cool smooth Christian or fang face Dominic?

While doing so, a murder occurs on the fair grounds and Joy and the love of her life are on the list of prime suspects. But she knows who the murderer is so she is determined to prove to the police who he is and prove her lover innocent!

Although I read this book out of order since I read the second book in the series first I kinda knew who would be with who in the end, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

The friendship between Joy and Roxy is so adorable and lovable! The love scenes are HOT! The guys are GORGEOUS! I LOVED it!!

I will be continueing in this series very soon!

Sex And The Single Vampire by Katie MacAlister

Year Published: 2004

My Rating: 5 stars

371 pages

Weight: 4 ounces = 0.25 lb.

This is the second book of the Dark Ones series. Actually I didn't realize that until after I finished it and was considering picking up the next in the series that I realized that I have started the series from book 2 and that I did not read book 1. I hate doing this but it was my fault, so now I HAVE to read book 1, I just have to!

Alegra Telford is a summoner from the USA travelling to London since there are a lot of ghosts and paranormal activity there and she has not been successful so far. Although she should be summoning ghosts she has not summoned anything yet and her boss is getting finicky and has already threatened her that if she doesn't change that she would be jobless.

Then she gets the hang of it and starts summoning ghosts here and there.

She meets with the famous CJ Dante, who claims that she is his Beloved, having trust issues of her own she panicks and tries to change his mind.

But love is something that can not be denied and they must unite for them to defeat a very mean demon or else get destroyed.

Will Alegra put her past behind her and trust Christian, or will she turn her back and go back to the USA?

I loved this book, it was fun, fast and so entertaining. I didn't even realize that I was reading the second book in the series since I didn't feel left out. The characters were funny and cute, spacially Christian friends Joy and Roxy they are such a pair you could laugh out loud at there bickering.

The only thing that I didn't really like was the name of the book.. It was the least attracting thing for me and what made me put off reading it for so long.. But now that I read it I don't mind it anymore :)

Now I'll go start the series proper and read the first book..

Friday Fill-Ins #1

I know it's not Friday but I just found this out and liked to try it out at Friday Fill-Ins .. so here goes..

1. I'd really like to read right now.

2. AWWWW is the word you'd most often hear me say if I stubbed my toe.

3. Possession is having your favorite book in your possesion.

4. The best pirate in movies is Captain Jack Sparrow.

5. Marshmallows and fire go together like Ice Cream and Caramel Topping

6. I love to watch FRIENDS on and on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading, tomorrow my plans include reading and Sunday, I want to read!