Books: To Read or Not to Read.

Just a quickie post on what I've been reading.

Two thumbs up: Overall Rating 8.5/10 Michael Scott's The Alchemyst: The Secret of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is wonderful. It's the first of a 6 book young adult series. Genre is fantasy which is not usually my cup of tea- but it was offered for free for a limited time for the Kindle and I just couldn't resist downloading it because of all the fantastic reviews.  Does the name Nicholas Flamel ring a bell Harry Potter lovers?? Ofcourse he is none other than Dumbledore's friend who finds the Secret of the Philosopher's stone (aka the secret to immortality).  The basis of these books are very similar to the Harry Potter series- there is a prophecy that predicts the posibile end of the human world because of the coming back of the "Elders" or magical ones.  The humani twins Sophie and Josh might be the twins of legend mentioned in the Codex. In this case the word humani = muggle. I find that this series is for the graduates of the Harry Potter series, meaning a slightly older target audience" because it introduces many true historical characters and envelopes them in the world of serious magic and not so much folly. The following books of the series "The Magician" and "The Sorceress" are equally as good (I finished all three books in 4 days). Unfortunately fans will have to wait until May of 2010 for the 4th installment, "The Necromancer".

One Thumb down: Overall rating 4/10 Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. In all honesty- I didn't finish the book. Who am I kidding? I hardly even started it!! I know that Dan Brown think that he has a winning formula. Robert Langdon gets a call about some mystery. He gets to the mystery and someone dies or is missing. He goes on a crazy chase for the answer to the mystery.  That's just all fine and dandy for Angels and Demons or the immencely popular The Da Vinci Code but doesn't he think that his fans would realize the pattern by now? It gets old real fast. Luckily I didn't actually pay for my copy of the book. I read the sample (thankgoodness for free kindle samples!) which was roughly the first 6 chapters of the book and I already felt that it was predictable. Ofcourse, there are going to be twists and turns- ala the Dan Brown formula- but then you expect that. Maybe I'll give the rest of the book a try some other time when the price goes down and maybe I'll have so many GOOD books to read that I won't.

Next up: Another kindle freebie: According to Jane by Marilyn Brant

Vee's Book Review: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Finally, a very satisfying read. I've read a couple of books since my last book review such as Time Traveller's Wife and The Nine Lives of Clemenza- but they both left me empty. The Time Traveller's Wife was extremely entertaining and a very good read- highly recommended if you are looking for a good love story. The writing style was a bit "Nicholas Spark-ish" - not usually my cup of tea. The Nine Lives of Clemenza was very interesting- about a soul that goes through 9 reincarnations- from air to human. It was more of a novelette though- short and sweet, whereas I was looking for something with more substance than these two novels could offer.

This is the description for The Forgotten Garden from Amazon: "A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book -- a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and with very little to go on, "Nell" sets out on a journey to England to try to trace her story, to fi nd her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell's death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. At Cliff Cottage, on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor, Cassandra discovers the forgotten garden of the book's title and is able to unlock the secrets of the beautiful book of fairy tales."

My overall rating: 8/10

I really enjoyed The Forgotten Garden. I am not going to get into any particular details of the storyline because it spans 3 generations with a different yet entertwined story for each of the 5 main females in the book. Morton does a great job of slowly unfolding the mystery of the Mountrachet family and adding the right amount of suspense to keep you hooked. It's like a modernized Pride and Prejudice meets the Da Vinci Code. With the granddaughter, Cassandra, acting as a sort of Robert Langdon trying to decipher Nell's secret past. The book does alternate every other chapter between the past and the present which takes a bit of getting used to but is a very effective way of storytelling in this case. I am a huge fan of period books because of the beautiful settings and grandeur of the past that isn't really present in books that take place in present day. There is a stark contrast given in the life of Eliza and her wealthy cousin Rose, as well as the contrast in their personalities.

I mentioned before that The Time Traveller's Wife was written in a very "Nicholas Spark-ish" manner- what I mean by that is that the writting style is very linear- what you read is what you get. Morton's writing style is somewhat different. Each word is chosen carefully for it's dual meaning- adding more depth in her storytelling. There is some reading in between the lines to really understand the characters. It's what reading is all about, in my opinion. The author also includes fairytales in the book- written by one of the main character's Eliza. These semi-autobiographical (to Eliza's life) fairytales are a real delight and add further depth to the storyline with their "lessons" learned. The main theme presented for each of the women is their loss of and search for family and sense of belonging. My main gripe is that the male characters are presented as afterthoughts.. don't expect any character development for any of them. A little dissappointing since getting to know the inner workings of the creepy uncle, Linus Mountrachet would have been entertaining.

Ofcourse this book is more geared towards women. It focuses too much on family and inner feelings to be enjoyable to most men I know. But if you are in the mood for a book that makes you think a little, envelopes you in the lives of English women in the Victorian era and a bit of scandal- then you will enjoy this book from the first chapter to it's bittersweet end.

If today was your last day... (an answer for Henry)

Gloomy weather here in the NYC metro area befitting the aura of the day. It's 9/11- and in the back of everyone's mind everyone remembers what they were doing when they heard the news.

I was presented with a question from Henry (to help with his research)- and although I answered in a tweet- 140 characters can not do my answer justice.

What would you do if you only had one day left to live?

A very fitting question on a day when people are thinking about the lives we lost.

Here's my answer:
It would be a blessing to know that it would be my last day- so that I could tell all the people that I loved how important they are to me and how empty my life would have been without them. I would also tell everyone that I have ever held a grudge with or am angry at- that I forgive them- because who wants to die angry?

Then I would sit down and write a letter to my son, Nolan, to read when he grows up. I would tell him all the important lessons that I've learned in my life, I would tell him about my mistakes and my triumphs and about the importance of surrounding yourself with good hearted people who really care about you. I would also tell him that getting to know him and learn about him was the single most important thing in my life. (And yes.. I'm in tears as I type this out now - I'm such a sap)

I then would do two things that really make me happy- First I would take one ski run in Telluride, CO and go straight down without stopping- feeling the rush and cold air in my face. The second thing I would do is to throw a big BBQ and invite everyone I know and love to have steaks and a seafood boil long into the night.

If I could fit all this into one day- it would be my perfect last day.

The Beat It Girls! video @ Sarah and Stephen's wedding.

So I am the most awful bff ever.. I didn't take any pictures at Sarah's wedding. Which- if you know me- is weird cause I am always with camera in hand at weddings. Couldn't help it - I was busy doing MOH stuff and dealing with my son who was extremely cranky because he missed his nap. Luckily my sister took a couple of pictures and video..

So here you go world- the BEAT IT GIRLS DANCE! on Youtube. I had a horrible experience late night trying to upload to FB- I just had to give that up. So now it shall be on Youtube forever!





Enjoy! (Recap pictures up later!)

Sarah's Bachelorette Dance Class- pics!

I love Angel.

Angel is my hero- and I've only met him today. Angel has shown me that there is hope for me yet. In two hours- he has taught me and 16 other girls a cute little dance routine! YAY!

So the idea of doing a dance class for Sarah's bachelorette was a no brainer. If there is one thing anyone knows about Sarah- it's that she loves to dance. I personally believe that she was a spanish dancer in a previous life but that is besides the point.

Lovely Tang finds Angel, our dance instructor and a great studio to rent out for the class. Did I say great studio? Ok- well Ripley Grier Studios was friggin awesome and we were surrounded by people auditioning for shows and practicing for broadway musicals.

Let the pictures speak for themselves: (Click for pictures)

Book Review: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

I finished reading Pillars of the Earth about a week ago. I just got around now to write a review about it- why?- because I still really don't know how I feel about the book.

This book was a selection in Oprah's Book Club back in 2007- and although I do like Oprah, I don't always agree with the books that she chooses (well, other than Middlesex which was a great thought provoking book) But I only found it that it was a previous Oprah book after I already started reading it.

The plot of the book is about the building of the Kingsbridge Cathedral.. which may not seem too interesting at first but it represents the dreams of a builder and a priest. The cathedral also represents the constant struggle for power in England between earls, kings and monks.

There are too many characters and too many subplots to go into the book in detail without revealing too much- so I am not even going to try. I was swept up in all of the emotions and hardships that the characters had to endure to build the castle. There were hidden loves, impossible loves and loves lost. The story moved fast and spanned 40 years with villians that you grow to loathe and suffering heroes that you know will somehow conquer in the end. There were many many twists in the story which made it sometimes frustrating but worth it in the end.

So why did I not throughly enjoy such an engaging book? Too many characters and strange plot twists. Follett tried very hard to let his reader in the mind of each and every character but can you really do that to the fullest when you have at least 10 main characters and 15 more supporting characters? Each section of the book focused on specific characters- but there was enough material in each section to write a novel in itself. I found myself dissappointed by the end because I wanted to know more about Ellen, Martha and even Walderan but knew too much about Aliena, Jack and Phillip. There were many many plot twists in the book- some that added interest to the story and some that were just far fetched. The love that Aliena and Jack shared was a great story but was Aliena's hunt for Jack through several countries in Europe really necessary? Did this really mesh in with the rest of the book?

So all in all- Pillars of the Earth was a very engaging book. It has love, drama and war- all the elements of a good book. But sometime less is more. I would have prefered a less complicated plot and just a few main characters instead of an army of them.

Sarah's Bridal Shower Pics.. finally

I'm actually quite shamed of myself that I didn't take more pictures of the shower. I'm usually the ubiquitous picture taker at most events- but eh- I was busy organizing (and chatting away..) making sure everything and everybody was fine.

Date: July 19th, 209


Time: 11:30am-4pm


Place: La Bonne Soupe @ 55th St between 5th and 6th Ave


Occasion: A bridal shower in honor of my BFF Sarah :)

This is Sarah in her bride-to-be sash shortly after arriving to the shower after her massage at Spa Ja surrounded by her Bridesmaids... Sandra in the white, Tang sitting in the middle, and Me and the orange and purple. That cute little girl is Isabella- Sandra's daughter.





All the guests were on time to the restaurant (Wow!!) and our bride arrived refreshed yet teary eyed at the sight of all her guests. I must say that I did have some reservations about the restaurant because of the fire they had back in February. They had to undergo extensive renovations and opened only 2 weeks before the shower. (Yes- it was nerve racking!) In my experience, restaurants are never the same after renovations. The food is usually not quite the same. But I'm so glad that I was proven wrong! Our four course meal was nothing but delish. My sister is still dreaming about the spinach quiche and I'm still thinking about that chocolate mousse.

We had some fun games lined up for the guests and 14 prizes in all to give out. Hopefully Sarah enjoyed them as well! By the end of the afternoon- we had papers, markers and pens flying everywhere. Good times!



But the crowd pleaser was definately the gorgeous cake that Amy graciously made for us. Raspberry and passion fruit mousse inside- nothing was left by the end of the shower.

And did I mention that it was sooo beautiful that we almost didn't want to eat it? I wish I had used my SLR camera to take the pictures for more details but oh well...



A big thanks to everyone who attended and everyone who helped out with the shower. Especially Danielle of La Bonne Soupe- this lady is great and so quick with responses. She really wanted to make sure that our afternoon was perfect. Big Thumbs Up to La Bonne Soupe!


For more shower pictures clickTO MY SMUGMUG PAGE.