.book review.

  

.my library.

will be updated! ^___^

for anyone out there who reads these reviews, thank you...
and anyone who have waited for quite some time for me to update this page,
i'm so sorry for the lateness.
i don't know what went wrong with the image setting!
and i can't just update without properly-aligned images now, can i?
eheh alasan.


credits to http://www.fanikatun.com/

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the post mortem by patricia cornwell


Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta, #1)
.photo taken from here.

as the title shows, it’s all about opening up corpses and looking into small but significant traces on them. the author is famous for this mystery cum crime stories and the main character for her novels is kay scarpetta, a medical examiner (M.E) based in richmond, virginia. apparently, this is cornwell’s first novel but i’ve read several others of her writings such as unnatural exposure and the body farm (yang ni je ingat eheh)


this time, the case revolves around a serial killer who strangles, tortures, rapes and kills (spoiler alert!) his victims. the plots are interesting enough to make you glued to every pages while the author seeps clues on who the killer is. there are a few obstacles that kay has to encounter to solve this case such as a breach of the case’s data at her office that could affect her reputation as an M.E and the killer’s break-in at her house!

the pace of the story is quite fast and would manage to command readers’ attention. however, some factors are a bit too fitting. the breach of kay’s computer at the office for example, is developed from the fact that at the moment the case is rampaging, kay’s 11-year-old niece who is also a genius in computer programming is visiting.

although the whys and hows the killer chooses his victims are stirring, i still find the ending quite unsatisfactory. the novel loses it’s steam. not because all my guesses of who the killer is was wrong but because it ended too abruptly. imagine a train at full speed and is stopped by spiderman. boleh bayangkan?

4/5 stars

syitah. 20th may 2011.


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the boundless deep by kate brallier

The Boundless Deep
.photo taken from here.

although this is only the author's second book (meaning, she’s not a famous writer or an experienced one yet),  i still find it very intriguing. maybe because “in her other life, she edits book” ergo she gains all the skills she needs to produce a good story.

everything happened in one summer where liza, the protagonist, must solve the mystery of her blackout episodes that became more frequent when she followed a friend to her aunt’s home. the aunt lived in an island which originated from a whaling town.

i love how she brilliantly blends the two sides of the story, the present and the past. liza was reincarnated see. anyway, by blending that well, it left me with a great deal of anticipation and eagerness of what’ll come next.

but that just me. i'm such a sucker for romance ^__^

4/5 stars

syitah. june 2011.


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lightning by danielle steel


















Lightning
.photo taken from here.

such a disappointing ending! please don't read the last two chapters. just read until the third last and if you feel what i felt, stop. how would you know what i felt? you'll have this gut feeling that there's where it should end, how she should have ended it. your expectation will be crushed if you're stupid enough (like me!) to go on until the last page, terribly and desperately hoping that somehow there's a twist and steel would actually end it the way i wanted it to end. panggung boleh pecah okay!




what kept me going:
1. enamored by the protagonist's relationship with her colleague.
2. generous description of "intimacy" between characters.
3. well sculptured plots.

despite these good points, the ending spoils it aaaaalllll.

2/5 stars

syitah. 8th july 2011.


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dark secret by elizabeth atkins bowman

Dark Secret
.photo taken from here.


oooh this story would make a great movie! such drama. rich people getting richer, rich people getting into politics and try to give back to the people, rich southern folks still looking down on other races. that kind of stuff.

the protagonists are Karen Bradley and Sharlene Bradley aka Camille Morgan who was born from a mixed-race family. Sharlene felt she received lesser than Karen in everything; love, opportunity etc. hence, she decided to ran away from her family by pretending to further her studies in the big apple but she actually used her charms (sex, beauty and body) to transform herself to Camille.

Karen was desperate to find her sister because their mother was dying and in need of a new kidney. Sharlene's kidney is needed because of the same blood type. as fated, Karen found Camille through Ginger. but Camille ain't gonna just give her kidney to the mother who didn't love her, right? she actually misunderstood her mother's affection and the mother did have a little grudge on her.

Camille being mixed, could pass as a white woman. she met a white guy and they fell in love. he even called her Lady Godiva, oh how sweet was the romance. but this was the rich guy. from the rich southern family who was in politics. behind closed curtain, this family have a distinctive dislike towards the other race because of a certain occurrence and would do anything to avoid contact, relationship or marriage with that race.

and the plots thicken!

the funny thing is, Karen was described as such that i think the author based it on her own looks (author's image is on the back cover). hah!

4/5 stars

syitah. march 2012.


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mommy's day by max allan collins


.photo taken from here.

it is actually a sequel to Mommy. i just grabbed these novels off the shelves of secondhand-book stores in chowrasta and not taking my time to read all the small details like 'bestselling author of Mommy'. duh.

anyhow, the story managed to keep me hooked but i find the ending quite frustrating. i particularly like the bits where Beth, the aunt, when angry seemed to have the same psychotic tendencies as Mrs Sterling/mommy. i also expect Jessica Ann would somehow be responsible for one of the killings. you know, like mother like daughter. i believe the author chose the easier way out to end the plots.

although some plots were bad as one could predict what comes next but i sure like to watch the cult movie!

3/5 stars

syitah. june 2012.


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touch of heaven by michelle branden

Heaven on Earth Mass Market Paperback
.photo taken from here.

why do women fall head over heels for rugged, in-the-moment, strong men? if you can answer that, you can surely answer this. why do men find voluptuous, stubborn but playful women attractive?


this is how i find most of characters in romance novels. usually the men would be richer than the women. and they would at first exceedingly detest each other, go through series of struggles before sparks ignite their deepest desire and willingly collapse into each other loving grace.

but still i never can get enough of the much predictable-plot romance!

however, the breath of fresh air for this one is that, the heroin is helped by a fairy godmother, named Tabitha. she’s actually a distant relative to Susan who has to redeem her place in heaven (thus the title!) by helping another being. in this case, for susan to keep her land and family inheritance and of course love of her life.

she would also occasionally appear in the real world to poke here and there, nudging susan towards achieving her own goals, even when she’s not supposed to!

will Susan manage to keep her land and wealth?
will Hunter surrender to Susan’s captivating bosom..err beauty?
will Tabitha succeed in securing her rightful place in heaven?
                                                                             
it’s a good, fast read. Tabitha reminds me of the mischievous Danae :)

5/5 stars

syitah. may 2013.


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the obsession by catherine cookson

Image result for the obsession by catherine cookson
.photo taken from here.

i have a vague memory of how this story goes. it’s not that it bores me. just that i’ve read it quite a long time ago and flipping through it again to write this review doesn’t bring much to light. so much for a review, huh?

it’s a historical novel about four sisters; Beatrice, Helen, Marion and Rosie, and the eldest’s obsession towards their family home. Beatrice is so eccentric that i wish i could just slap her to senses. that’s how intense her character is. my favorite character is Rosie ^___^

there are..
sweet, unfeasible romance
(just because the society said so),
conniving plans to murder
and also to separate lovers
(by Beatrice, of course)
and moments of confess-your-love-already!

the down of the novel is, because there are too many characters and changing of plots, readers might get side-tracked of who is who and what happens to whom.

hmm..i think i’m going to give this novel another go. till then!

4/5 stars

syitah. may 2013.


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under the dome by stephen king

.photo taken from here.

finally! took too long to finish this book. not because of its 1074-long-pages but because of its slow-paced plots that made me lose interest quite easily and struggled to pick it up again.

however, i love how he developed every character and how terrifying the thought of someone in power could simply become the villain just by manipulating simple-minded townspeople. there was enough gory details from Junior's doings and i'm happy with what karma served Big Jim.

i think the ending was quite abrupt despite the fact that he took time to explore each scene so meticulously.

there was a TV series by CBS in 2013 but it was cancelled in 2015 after only 3 seasons. it was loosely based on the book and fans find it frustrating. heard that King suggested to netflix to make an adaptation. hopefully it will be better?

3/5 stars

syitah. october 2020.


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.dot dot dot... by ...dot dot dot.?

hmm..what's next?