Book Lounge

[SilverMoonTea]

 

Back with another John Grisham. 

 

The lawyer as the lead in the story, was wrongly accused for money laundry by US government. He was trapped by some shady character and need to serve for 10 years. His marriage collapsed, but he survived the prison and also on the process, still managed helping other inmates with their lawsuit. 

 

While still serving in prison, one day famous judge & his secretary found murdered. The lawyer mentioned to FBI that he know who did it. Get me out of here, and I give you the name. 

 

The introduction was a bit slow, but once the judge murdered, the story start to moving well. I always love to read JG's novel. He has a way with his words & story that I couldn't put off reading his novels.

 

Tag @MayanEchowho also love JG.

[ssteph]

Chicken Soup books. One of my favorite nonfiction books. People share their real story in life. There are so many topics. One book one topic : for writer, for teen, for dog lover, etc.

 

•••

 

Chicken Soup - flavorful series

People share their story related to coffee, tea, chocolate, and wine.

 

Wine Lover's Soul isn't published in my country.

 

It reminds me of @SilverMoonTea @Chocolate - flavorful members 😅

 

 

 

[Chocolate]

@ssteph Chickensoup books are too wholesome for me. I read hardcore smut hahaha 😂

 

@SilverMoonTea Have you tried Elizabeth George - police and crime? She is a British author too but the book's not difficult to read. Her first few books were fantastic. You can fall in love with Inspector Lynley - tall and blond lol. But in the last few years, I find the plots have gone a bit haywire so I have stopped reading her later ones.

 

[SilverMoonTea]

@ChocolateThanks for the suggestion, haven't encounter these writer. Probably will check if library have it. But right now I havent even clear my own books collection 😅

 

@MayanEchoI bought The Rainmaker JG, as you mentioned its your fav. Since its old title, it's a bit cheaper. The new one, A Time for Mercy the price almost triple of it. I'm tempted but I decided not to. As it seems this novel part of trilogy? 

 

@MouseBtw did you manage to buy Lang Leav poem book? We talked about it when we were in S Forum lols...

 

[Mouse]

4 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

MouseBtw did you manage to buy Lang Leav poem book?

I actually haven’t.  It’s still in my shopping cart! 

[Maya]

19 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

bought The Rainmaker JG, as you mentioned its your fav. Since its old title, it's a bit cheaper. The new one, A Time for Mercy the price almost triple of it. I'm tempted but I decided not to. As it seems this novel part of trilogy? 

 

Hope you enjoy reading it!

 

Yup, A Time for Mercy seems to be the 3rd of the trilogy. The first book is A Time to Kill. I liked reading that one. Second is Sycamore Row, which I haven't read yet. Have you?

 

Another old time favourite would be The Firm. Also The Testament. I first read about holographic will from this book, LOL!

[SilverMoonTea]

@MayanEchoI also havent read Sycamore Row. But I think the trilogy not really connected, just that the main lead is the same. 

[Maya]

Eight years after the two volume story of Tang Qi's The Pillow Book was concluded, here comes The Pillow Book: Back to Chaos in the Dream novella!

 

Tang Qi is the author of the novel the 2020 Cdrama Eternal Love of Dream is adapted from. In The Pillow Book: Back to Chaos in the Dream, Bai Feng Jiu and Bai Gun Gun accidentally travels 260,000 years back in time! What is the world like during the Age of Antiquity, when Dong Hua Dijun is the Master of the Universe? Will his wife and son from the future find him?

 

Cr: Tang Qi's WeChat

 

Published in Mandarin, all the nine chapters of the novella are translated to English in this blog site and halfway through in this other blog page. 🙂

Edited March 28, 2021 by MayanEcho

[SilverMoonTea]

 

Another British novel that I pick up recently. 

The lead is a retired DC Chicago cop that move to small village in Irish. He hope to have a peaceful life there and don't want to take care the crimes like he used to be. 

 

But case came to him one day as one of the villager teenager asking him his help to find his missing brother. Their own local police can't be bothered by this and they're a bit unprofessional. 

 

My take : The first few pages felt slow, as he's trying to adapt to gossipy idle small town. But it get better after he starts to settled down. I did feel envy to his retired life, it seems so carefree and relax. 

 

@JenLWhat book is on your lap now? 

[JenL]

On 3/27/2021 at 12:44 PM, SilverMoonTea said:

 

@JenLWhat book is on your lap now? 

 

Oh man, I have not read anything else since Donna Tartt's The Secret History. It was like a reverse murder mystery where you knew a character had been killed from the first pages, so you kept reading to find out how the main character came to be involved in the murder. It was an interesting read, but one of those stories where none of the main characters were particularly likeable. 

 

I was pretty consumed by that for a week or so and found it hard to put down! But...been busy lately so haven't picked anything new. I'll probably go to the library tomorrow though so will update what I borrow!

[SilverMoonTea]

@ktcjdramaI literally bought a book just because of the pretty cover, as I saw it on Vlog above. 

 

The book title is Before The Coffee Gets Cold. The idea is for the cafe guests to be able to transport back to past time. But whatever they do it won't change the present time. There's also some ghost staying in the cafe. 

 

I have not finished reading it yet. Just share with you, as you also love pretty book cover. There's actually some small glitters in that cover too.

[ktcjdrama]

47 minutes ago, SilverMoonTea said:

The book title is Before The Coffee Gets Cold. The idea is for the cafe guests to be able to transport back to past time. But whatever they do it won't change the present time. There's also some ghost staying in the cafe. 

Story sounds interesting. If I see it, I might buy it too... haha... tell me if it's good or not.

[SilverMoonTea]

On 4/18/2021 at 1:25 AM, ktcjdrama said:

Story sounds interesting. If I see it, I might buy it too... haha... tell me if it's good or not.

@ktcjdramathe book is good. I just reach page 40 only, but its quite mind blowing. No wonder its famous.

[stroppyse]

I heard that there was a giveaway of 1 million points by @SilverMoonTeafor a book review? So, thought I would submit one of a book that I loved as a child. It's actually a fantasy trilogy called The Deed of Paksenarrion consisting of 3 books: Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, and Oath of Gold. Written by Elizabeth Moon, it's a coming of age tale.

 

The main character is a woman named Paksenarrion who is 18 when we first meet her. She is a bit headstrong, somewhat of a tomboy, physically gifted, and frequently in conflict with her strict father. She longs for a different life than the traditional life for a woman in her rural village. So, she runs away to join a mercenary troop where she learns military skills. More importantly, she comes across a diverse set of people and characters who challenge her naive viewpoints and causes her to grow up and refine her sense of right and wrong. She eventually becomes a paladin who is a gifted protector, and fights and sacrifices herself to seat a rightful king to a throne.

 

The interest I had in this book was not in the level of writing, but in the plot itself as we follow Pak's journey of self-discovery. There are many times when she is hurt, both emotionally and physically in this story, but she learns from each even both good and bad until she is able to ascertain her own moral compass.

 

There is also a religious element to this story in that there are gods and that they can manifest into lives and influence actions. For instance, paladins in this story are chosen by the gods, and thus they are religious knights who take up the cause of doing the gods' will on earth. Paks will feel compelled to go somewhere in anticipation of actions that she is to help or to contain, however, it is up to her to decide what actually needs to be done in any given circumstance, or even whether she is going to obey the compulsion. It's an interesting working of religious compulsion and free will.

 

Perhaps this series also spoke to me because I am also not a traditional woman, and chafed at the restrictions in my younger days? Anyway, I enjoyed reading this book, and it's the first one I thought of writing about when I about @SilverMoonTea's bequest.

[SilverMoonTea]

6 hours ago, stroppyse said:

I heard that there was a giveaway of 1 million points by @SilverMoonTeafor a book review?

 I don't even have 1 mil? Ahahaha... 

It's only 120 pts for 3 lucky winner lols. Just hope no more people posted before Sunday, then it will be a certain win ?  

 

Thanks for your submission, I never heard about the book before. The book seems have a good message. 

[stroppyse]

4 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

It's only 120 pts for 3 lucky winner lols. Just hope no more people posted before Sunday, then it will be a certain win ?  

 

Wait! It's only 120 pts??? Hmm, maybe I'll delete my submission? Just kidding.

 

4 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

Thanks for your submission, I never heard about the book before. The book seems have a good message. 

 

Because it's fantasy fiction with a military flavor, except centered around a female warrior, so not sure how big a following it had. Still, I liked it a lot. I may try to post another book review when I can. Perhaps something a bit more modern. Thanks for hosting. I hope a lot more people will submit reviews.

[SilverMoonTea]

On 4/24/2021 at 11:18 AM, stroppyse said:

 

Wait! It's only 120 pts??? Hmm, maybe I'll delete my submission? Just kidding.

 

 

Because it's fantasy fiction with a military flavor, except centered around a female warrior, so not sure how big a following it had. Still, I liked it a lot. I may try to post another book review when I can. Perhaps something a bit more modern. Thanks for hosting. I hope a lot more people will submit reviews.

Stroppy seems its a certain win for you? Haha... do you want to write 2 more book reviews ? Then you can claim all 3x120 lols. 

 

Not sure if anyone will come before 8pm KST...😅 Not bad save my money 😆

[Chocolate]

Wait wait! I'm trying to get inspiration to write one 😂

 

[Chocolate]

Agatha Christie

 

 

Before I was sucked into romance and erotica, I was a big fan of murder mysteries. From young, I read Nancy Drew (which taught me that Istanbul was formerly Constantinople) then progressed to the much loved Agatha Christie series, which is age-proof. So many were re-read so often that they are all dog-eared and the covers are dropping off.

 

Until today, to me, there is no other series that compares. Not even Sherlock Holmes. In recent times, people have recommended Harlan Coben and I have read Jeffrey Deaver and similar, but they are a far cry.

 

Agatha Christie, the grand dame of the crime genre. Her books follow a fixed formula - the least likely person is the murderer 🤣 So as you read and try to guess who did it, just pick the one most unlikely, even if it doesn't make sense! Her plotting and details are so precise that the whys and hows will be perfectly explained. Some books may start slow, but the great reveal is always exhilarating to read. Amazingly, considering the great number of books, the plots are never duplicated.

 

Like most people, my favourite books are the ones with Hercules Poirot. He is Belgian, arrogant (but thoroughly deserves to be since no one has a mind like his), has OCD 🤣 and is so proud of his moustache (which we learn at the end of the series, is fake 😭). Of all the actors who have played him, David Suchet most accurately portrays Christie's Poirot, both in appearance and demeanor.

 

 

Spoiler

 

It was a sad day when I reached the last book of the Hercules Poirot series, with the aptly named "Curtain". They are all good but these 3, I remember them for the major twists:

 

And Then There was None

 

This book is also known as Ten Little Indians, like the nursery rhyme. One by one, people were killed until there was no one left. So who could be the killer if they are all dead? Hahahah!

 

Murder On The Orient Express

 

Most everyone knows this story, even if they are not a fan. Don't read the spoiler if you have not read the book or seen the movie, and plan to.

 

Spoiler

This was the mother of all classics. An American businessman is stabbed multiples times and dies on the Orient Express. Poirot investigates. At the end, everyone had a hand. He deserved to die and the killers did not deserve to go to jail. For once, Poirot concluded that justice would not be served by catching the killers. Everyone disembarked and went on with their lives.

 

There is this beautiful song "Never Forget" by Michelle Pfeiffer, from the 2017 film.

 

 

Death On The Nile

 

This was a murder for love. Mistaken love. One part I always remember when Poirot was revealing the killer was that "one female body lying in the sun looks much like another female body" (not exact quote). So true but we never think about it.

 

Poirot saw it coming and tried to warn her. 

 

“Motives for murder are sometimes very trivial, Madame.”

“What are the most usual motives, Monsieur Poirot?”

“Most frequent—money. That is to say, gain in its various ramifications. Then there is revenge—and love, and fear, and pure hate, and beneficence—”

 

“Love is not everything, Mademoiselle,' Poirot said gently.

'It is only when we are young that we think it is.”
 

*****

 

“But then, how do you know?"
"Because I am Hercule Poirot I do not need to be told.”
― Agatha Christie, Death on the Nile

 

❤❤❤❤❤

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Chocolate

[SilverMoonTea]

@ChocolateAnd Then There Was None also my favourite. I read it in middle school and it was quite mind blowing. I think I need to try Death in the Nile when I remember. 

 

I was laughing on your first sentence. I thought you're going to submit your smutty novel 😆

 

Since only @stroppyse& @Chocolatesubmit before the time limit. Congrats!!! ❤❤❤ 120 pts credited.

[Chocolate]

27 minutes ago, SilverMoonTea said:

I was laughing on your first sentence. I thought you're going to submit your smutty novel

 

LOL I was going too! But I had nothing good to write about those 😭 that deserved 120 points.

 

Thank you for the points!

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Chocolate

[stroppyse]

6 hours ago, SilverMoonTea said:

 

Since only @stroppyse& @Chocolatesubmit before the time limit. Congrats!!! ❤❤❤ 120 pts credited.

 

Thank you for the points!

[SilverMoonTea]

Inspector Imanishi Investigates 

 

 

The book was first published in 1961. It's amazing how it can stay relevant even after 60 years have passed. The lead here is Imanishi, a middle aged detective, who love bonsai and have wife & a son. He's a hardworking & seasoned detective and also have hobby writing haiku (short Japanese poem). 

 

He got tangled with a murder case which the body was found on the railway train. The identity of the body stay mysterious. Even after he went to other city to investigate, upon hearing a lead from witnesses, he still unable to solved it. 

 

Somehow also there is a group of nouveau riche that seems to be running in the background of this story. The group consist of criticist, musician, stage director, and they have girlfriend and mistress that I believe will get involved on the story later. 

 

My Review :

I enjoyed reading this, as the words easy to understand and the author very good at describing all the little things that happening with all the characters. 

 

As Imanishi need to travel with his junior detective, they also have some mindless chatting about the haiku or what they want for retirement. I found this small details quite refreshing. 

 

The case progressed well, and slowly will have more revelation. I have to admit I haven't finished until last page. But I think I soon will do. 

 

As I really like this author, I also bought The Quiet Place, and now it's on my stack book queue. 

 

@40somethingahjummaDo you also reading book recently? 

@ChocolateRecommending this novel for you.

@jenWelcome. Seems you like to read book too. Hehe...

[40somethingahjumma]

@SilverMoonTea
Yes I am presently reading 2 books. Non-fiction books actually. One is on health: It’s called Breath by James Nestor. Fascinating book about how to improve health through better breathing. The other is a book about Christian theology.

 

This is what happens when you have a Kindle. I jump from book to book. 😉

 

I read usually before bed. Helps me relax.

 

Thanks for asking. Your book sounds interesting.

[SilverMoonTea]

@ChocolateI managed to borrow Death On The Nile from local library. I will let you know if I like it or no. Thanks for the recommendation btw. 

 

I checked first few pages and I already need to check dictionary lols. As I always found reading British novel more challenging than the American counterpart somehow.