[MPOV] Where the Crawdads Sing

My rating: 5/5

Goodreads rating: 4.39/5
Published: August 14, 2018
Author: Delia Owens
Genre: historical fiction, romance

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.

But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.

This book reminds me of Tarzan, a female version with a different premise. It may sound unrealistic at the start but as the story progressed, it turned out to be an amazing one! Indeed, a great book to kickstart my first read of the year 2024!

In summary, Kya was abandoned by her family when she was young and has been surviving on her own in the marsh. As she grew older, Tate comes along and befriended her, teaching her how to read since she didn't attend school. When Tate did not return as promised during his university breaks, Kya was devastated as she had been abandoned again. Along came Chase who tried to woo and eventually bedded Kya successfully. Unfortunately, another sad turn as she found out that Chase was getting married from the newspapers. As the story unfolds progressively, it shows the strength and will power of a young girl who survived her childhood to adulthood on her own.

Go as far as you can - way out yonder where the crawdads sing.

The overall story was bizarre and there were gaps initially but as the story progressed once she hits adulthood, it definitely felt relevant. The little flaws do not maketh the story poor and it sure was an engaging journey learning how a little girl survived on her own. It may not sound as logical, similarly to Tarzan, and yet it was intriguing enough. I am just glad of the outcome at the end, though I had my own suspicions, I was still amazed at how it ended albeit a little rushed/short. 

I have read lots of rave reviews of this novel, so I was a little skeptical initially as I didn't want to be disappointed and felt that it's overrated. I have experienced such sad outcome of late, so I have lowered my expectations lah. Thankfully, this novel just got better and better! I liked how the author has written and paced the journey which do keep me interested. I was anxious to know how it ends and yet I did not want to flip the pages. I wanted to read it continuously until the end, not wanting to miss a thing! I'm just glad to have completed it and rated it 5/5 according to my satisfied palate. 

And I'll hide the maid in a cypress tree, when the footstep of death is near.

I understand that it has made it to the big screen, but I have yet to watch it. If you have read the book and watch the adaptation, was it as good as the book? I have gotten my copy from Revitalize Books, an online books-for-rent shop. I'm happy to be able to read more and not own as many books. The lesser the hoarding, the better lah LOL! My reading target for this year is 30 books, an increase of 5 from 25 last year. I sure hope to read more from my TBR this time and not buy any more books *fingers crossed* LOL! What is your reading goal this new year?

Penang - Hatyai: my take on our recent road-trip

Recently, we went on a road-trip to Hatyai again, our second one and this time, hubs planned for a stopover at Penang. This way, it isn't as tiring driving as we get to rest before continuing the journey the next day.

I haven't been to Penang in a long time, so I was looking forward to all the sumptuous meals Penang has to offer. As we were there for a night only, we chose to stay at Sunway Hotel as there are many food stalls nearby. Needless to say, we don't have to walk or travel far, just a stone's throw away. I was glad to see the many local delicacy and had the chance to try each of them! There were even long queues at some of the stalls! I'm not the kind who would queue for food, so I didn't try those lah. The ones I've tried were as good and definitely no regrets with a tummy full of goodness! 

Here's my take on our stopover in Penang:

1. Food prices in Penang are comparable to Kuala Lumpur, some were even more expensive!
2. Taste wise, it is as good both ways with the exception of the authentic local delicacy.
3. Traffic is as bad and driving in Penang is definitely confusing with the many one-way streets and ''fancy driving'' of the locals.
4. The local council is very efficient as we had just parked and we were trying to figure out the app to pay the parking zone but by the time we found it, there was a compound on the car!!! All within 5 minutes!!! Our mistake was to walk away looking for network, it was that bad ya. So please have someone to stay with the car to avoid such unnecessary compounds!!!
5. Sunway Hotel was still the same as it was years ago except that it looks more rundown on the outside. Thankfully, though dated, our room seems to have been refurbished with nice toiletries. Service is still as good with ample parking space. The only thing we didn't know was the way the aircon works. Apparently as it is very old, we were supposed to tune it lower like 18'C so that it will be cooling. We didn't know and maintained it at 22'C so halfway through our sleep, we were drenching in sweat! We only got to know when we were checking out. Our bad lah for not checking with front desk and continued sleeping LOL! Anyway, Sunway Hotel should be more proactive and stick a note about it near the aircon instead of having us to call the front desk lah.

We were blessed with good weather throughout our road-trip! It was heavenly in Hatyai, from visiting the temple and the mall to scouring for good food and souvenirs, I was so sad when we had to return to Kuala Lumpur, return to reality. Unfortunately, it rained throughout our journey back home so we couldn't stopover in Ipoh for dinner. I can't wait for our next trip there, honestly! I've heard of many places to visit in Songkhla so a different itinerary maybe the next round.

Here's my take of our road-trip to Hatyai:

1. Buri Sriphu Hotel was still the same from the last we came but with more outdoors, we failed to enjoy our bathtub. We should have taken the Oriental suite which is cheaper and without bathtub.
2. This time around, we stick around the places we know best, and we shopped more so we were thankful of the many tuktuks, making it very convenient for us to travel to/from our hotel. Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous drivers of late where they tried to charge more than THB100 per trip. This is actually against their law, and they can be charged/fined. So be aware and always asked for the price upfront to be safe.
3. We even visited Homepro just to see their well displayed products! They were unbelievably in sync with everything in the right places and easy to search. Also properly aligned and displayed that it looks inviting LOL! Unlike in Malaysia where all the products are, typically, scattered everywhere Malaysian style. Hubs says Thais are OCD like that, LOL!!!

Anyway, I have updated quite a fair bit of photos on my Instagram so you can check it out there. My IG handle is Susan Lee (@sholeesphere) • Instagram photos and videos 

This trip, we've been to Big Buddha Temple, Kim Yong Market, Lee Garden, Central Festival Mall and Asian Night Bazaar. If you are a frequent traveler to Hatyai, do recommend where I should visit next, so that I can add them to my itinerary for my next visit there :-)

[MPOV] Piranesi

My rating: 2/5

Goodreads rating: 4.23
Published: September 15, 2020
Author: Susanna Clarke
Genre: magical realism, mythology fiction, sci-fi fantasy

Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

I'll admit it, I am not a fan. I practically speed read through it! Definitely one that I nearly DNF but continued just to see how it ends. At the start, I thought it's a Circe (Madeline Miller) kinda story but as it progressed, I find it a little confusing and it got me yawning mostly. This book reminds me of Tom Hank's Cast Away, a movie which I have not watch until today. It truly isn't my cup of tea. 

In a nutshell, this is my take btw, it's a story about Matthew who has been missing for more than 6 years and the police was still trying to locate him after getting a tipoff. He has been kidnapped and brainwashed into thinking he's from a different world. When he was found, he was reluctant to go home to his family thinking that the real world was not real. He sorts of becoming like Jekyll and Hyde i.e.  having 2 personalities in one body.

The author does have a way with words, as such I have rated it a little better. I would have thought that Piranesi is real until it got weirder and weirder. The story was mostly from 1 narrative until he discovers there are others in his world. That's when it slowly digressed away and I wasn't as interested, only wanting to know how the story ends. If you had enjoyed Cast Away and I am Legend, then this novel might suit your tastebud.

''The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; it's Kindness infinite.''

[MPOV] The Midnight Library

My rating: 3/5
Goodreads rating: 4/5

Published: August 13, 2020

Author: Matt Haig

Genre: Magical realism, fantasy fiction, mental health related

Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets? A novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

Nora is feeling depressed and wanting to end her life. She finally gets her chance to die but she inadvertently ended up in a limbo. She is stuck between life and death, at 12 midnight in a library with Mrs. Elm who used to be her school librarian. Here she sees her regrets and also get to enjoy lives she has never chosen. She can then pick the one she wants to live in. Will she ever feel contented with that decision?

''Like I still wanted to die. I have wanted to die for quite a while. I have carefully calculated that the pain of me living as the bloody disaster that is myself is greater than the pain anyone else will feel if I were to die. In fact, I'm sure it would be a relief.''

The overall premise of the story dwells on Nora's mundane life and suicidal thoughts, how she finally overcame it and wanting to live her life in the end. It sure is enlightening looking from Nora's point of view, as I would never have thought of dying. It is so true that we should surround ourselves with family and friends who truly loved us and understand us, who will listen and not judge us. Suicidal topics are usually a taboo, but it is a good reminder that such mental illness must be taken seriously. It is a silent killer, and we just have to stay alert to be on the lookout of any subtle changes within our family and friends. 

Oops, back to the book. This book has received many rave reviews as such I was kinda intrigued since it's about suicide. I have enjoyed the story, but I didn't think it should be as long. At some point, I did find the process repetitive with a similar outcome. I guess the adventure should be as it is in order to fully grasps Nora's difficulty. It was also a well written book that I was able to finish it albeit a little longer time taken. I liked the clarity and easy to understand prose that I hope to pick The Radleys which is in my TBR pile.

 

I'm glad to finally read it as renting popular books are as easy as 123 nowadays. My TBR is filled with older books LOL! I've gotten mine from Revitalize Books, a local book rental shop.

My take from this novel: no matter how many lives or choices we are given, it is up to us to live it to the fullest, appreciate it, don't be judgmental and stop comparing it or we will never ever feel contented or happy. Whichever choice we make or choose, it is up to us to live it as it's a decision we made consciously.

[MPOV] The Cat Who Saved Books

My rating: 3/5

Goodreads rating: 3.72/5
Published: February 5th, 2017
Author: Sosuke Natsukawa

Translator: Louise Heal Kawai
Genre: Magical realism, fantasy fiction, Japanese young adult

The Cat Who Saved Books is a heart-warming story about finding courage, caring for others – and the tremendous power of books.

Grandpa used to say it all the time: 'books have tremendous power'. But what is that power really?

Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.

After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone . . .

Sosuke Natsukawa's international bestseller, translated from Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai, is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper.

A magical realism about a boy who inherits a bookshop after his grandfather passed away. A quiet person who keeps to himself, Rintaro felt lost and has been moping around ever since. Even his classmate, Sayo, was not able to get him out of the bookshop until one day, a talking cat appears out of nowhere and asked for his help to save some books. The adventures Rintaro experienced with the cat finally sets him free and he is able to decide for his future.

There are timeless stories, powerful enough to have survived through the ages. Read lots of books like this - they'll be like friends to you. They'll inspire and support you.

This is one journey that I have somewhat enjoyed and yet felt a little underwhelmed. I can empathize with Rintaro, being a bookworm myself and yet wished the adventure he embarked on were more engaging, more challenging and more exciting. It did relate to every bookworm's weakness such as book hoarding and speed reading which was so spot on! As it was translated from Japanese, maybe that is why it was not as livelier as it should be. 

A book that sits on a shelf is nothing but a bundle of paper. Unless it is opened, a book possessing great power or an epic story is a mere scrap of paper. But a book that has been cherished and loved, filled with human thoughts, has been endowed with a soul.

This book is suitable for young adult book lovers as the magical realism is akin to a children's fairytale with a simple, straightforward book related adventure. I can imagine it being adapted to the big screen whilst reading it. If you like John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things, then this book is for you.

A shoutout to Revitalize Books, an online book rental shop, where I can rent books instead of buying and hoarding more books LOL! It sure helps on saving more space at home and definitely pocket friendly saving more $$$!

Books teach us how to care about others.

[MPOV] Struck Dead (Forensic Instincts #10)

My rating: 4/5

Goodreads rating: 4/5
Publish: March 5th, 2024
Author: Andrea Kane
Genre: Fiction, thriller, suspense

The fragile line between life and death… Families that will never be the same…

When a tragic hit-and-run takes the life of a hardworking family man, multi-millionaire Christopher Hillington becomes the prime suspect, and the whole city of New York alights with speculation as to what happened.

But before the NYPD can establish Hillington’s guilt, he himself is brutally murdered in his own home. As he lays dying, he scrawls the name Casey Woods with his own blood, and the Forensic Instincts team is drawn into a complex mystery that has placed its president in the sights of a desperate killer.

A millionaire’s life is full of secrets and suspects. So as the baffled NYPD investigates Casey for the murder, and the body-count ratchets up, Casey herself becomes another potential victim. The FI team’s hardcore investigation has them twisting and turning through suspects and secrets, where the stakes intensify―and so does the collateral damage. As Casey and the team get closer to finding the killer, the unthinkable happens, and the life of one of FI’s own hangs in the blood-stained balance.

They say dead men tell no tales, but blood doesn’t lie. Peeling back layer after layer of deception, the team will cross whatever lines are necessary to solve the case, get justice for the families, and make their team whole again…unless the relentless killer gets to them first.

Firstly, my gratitude to Bonnie Meadow Publishing and Edelweiss for granting me access to this awesome thriller! I have always read historical fiction from this author hence this is my first read of this genre and also my first Forensic Instincts. 

No doubt Andrea Kane is a wonderful author and I would not expect anything less. This being the 10th book of the series, I can totally read it as a standalone, not worrying of getting loss in the hype / suspense! It was engaging from the start to the end and I did not get confused even with the many characters involved. I am partial to some of the characters especially the claircognizant one! I won't mind having such natural intuition.

This novel somehow reminded me of this TV series, Unforgetable, with a mix of Criminal Minds. With the mind game leading from one case to another, it truly had me guessing on who did it. In the end, I was half right LOL! If private detective thriller is your vibe then do give this Forensic Instincts a try.

[MPOV] The Forty Rules of Love

My rating: 4/5

Goodreads rating: 4.13/5
Published: January 1, 2009
Author: Elif Shafak
Genre: Spiritual, literature, historical fiction

Ella Rubenstein is forty years old and unhappily married when she takes a job as a reader for a literary agent. Her first assignment is to read and report on Sweet Blasphemy, a novel written by a man named Aziz Zahara. Ella is mesmerized by his tale of Shams's search for Rumi and the dervish's role in transforming the successful but unhappy cleric into a committed mystic, passionate poet, and advocate of love. She is also taken with Shams's lessons, or rules, that offer insight into an ancient philosophy based on the unity of all people and religions, and the presence of love in each and every one of us. As she reads on, she realizes that Rumi's story mir­rors her own and that Zahara—like Shams—has come to set her free.

In this lyrical, exuberant follow-up to her 2007 novel, The Bastard of Istanbul, acclaimed Turkish author Elif Shafak unfolds two tantalizing parallel narratives—one contemporary and the other set in the thirteenth century, when Rumi encountered his spiritual mentor, the whirling dervish known as Shams of Tabriz—that together incarnate the poet's timeless message of love.

My gratitude to Revitalise Books for this copy of Elif Shafak's The Forty Rules of Love. This is my first read from this author and I'm in between 3 to 4. In the end, I've rated it 4/5 as it was well written, it was easy to navigate between the past and the present. I liked that it has been tagged or titled for each chapter, so I didn't get lost at all.

Ella's story is from the present where she is living a typical housewife with 3 kids kinda life. She was given an assignment to read and report an unknown author's book, Sweet Blasphemy, which has slowly intrigued her and changed her way of life. Sweet Blasphemy brings us to the past with the likes of Shams, Rumi, Kimya, Aladdin and lots more.

"Although it clearly says in the Qur'an that slandering is one of the gravest sins ever, most people make hardly any effort to avoid it. They always condemn those who drink wine, or are on the lookout for adulterous women to stone, but when it comes to gossiping, which is a far more serious sin in the eyes of the God, they take no notice of any wrongdoing."

This may not be a popular opinion as I did find the religious teachings incorporated into the story kinda dragging as such I tend to skip more. However, the overall story is actually quite interesting with each individual sharing their side of the story. This is where I find myself more engrossed especially when they share their thoughts of Shams and his relationship with Rumi. Who would have known, bromance from way back then!

The one thing which is hard for me to grasp was Ella's choice after reading Sweet Blasphemy and having communicated with the author, Aziz. It's a little hard to accept that each time we read something enlightening that will lead us to a life-changing decision. A little too farfetched in my opinion. It was her decision to get married in the first place and also her choice not to question her husband's infidelity. So, to suddenly follow Aziz after having read Sweet Blasphemy was more of Ella running away IMO. 

Other than that, it was an interesting read with much of its religious context differed from the local ones which was eye-opening for me. I thought it should be universal but then again, many preachers have preached it differently, so it has changed through the years. If you are looking for something spiritual, unorthodox historical, this is a choice for you. 

"Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire!

The universe turns differently when fire loves water."

[MPOV] The Lives Between Us

My rating: 4/5

Goodreads rating: 4.86/5
Published: August 15th, 2023
Author: Leah Omar
Genre: Romance, women's fiction

Can two shattered survivors find healing in one another?

Carrie is a survivor, and if there’s one thing growing up with an eccentric mother taught her, it was how to chase her dreams. After beating cancer, things are finally looking up for her. She buys a fixer-upper on the idyllic Lake Traverse with plans to convert it into a bed and breakfast. When her hometown crush, Dax Abram, begins to notice her, Carrie is starting to believe that her future is full of hope.

Dax is lost and shattered. When the confident, successful, and charismatic basketball player became a widower, he threw himself into being the best single dad possible. His daughter, Kylie, kept him going when he lost all hope. Now, he’s sworn off relationships, thinking he could never find the happiness he had before cancer ripped his life to shreds. Dax is caught entirely off guard when he starts to notice Carrie in a new way. He’s known her his entire life, but after losing the love of his life, he can’t fathom having feelings for another woman.

Carrie and Dax fall into an easy friendship, but they must heal from their pasts if they are to find happiness together.

Thanks to Bronzewood Books and LibraryThing for this reader's copy. I'm glad I have requested for it as The Lives Between Us turns out to be an enlightening and engaging read. 

Carrie is a cancer survivor. Her best friend Malik pushes her to create and fulfill her wishlist in lieu of her beating cancer. Everything turns out to be good for her until Dax, her crush from high school, started to look her way and tumbles her life upside down. Dax has not recovered from the loss of his wife to cancer as such having difficulty in committing to a relationship. With his daughter in tow, he tries to be a good dad. When he started having feelings for Carrie, he became more cautious and paranoid that flips both his and Carries lives.

This novel reminds me of Nicholas Sparks - John Green type of books. Grief. Sickness. Love lost and love found. I do enjoy Leah Omar's version but with each dilly dally, I became a little more anxious to know how it ends! The self-discovery of their own individual fault was very slow indeed, thus added a little depth to the climax of the story. I liked how it ended and glad that it is a HEA one.

"You'll always be grieving, but you don't always have to be sad. You get to live life, Dax. Why waste that? What happened wasn't fair. But you're here. And there's a reason for that."

The story is told in alternate views of Carrie and Dax. Carrie is headstrong and yet vulnerable to Dax. Dax is such an insecure guy that I truly felt like shaking him up LOL! It truly was an engaging read and with the alternate views, I didn't get lost through both Carrie and Dax journey. It sure felt like the author has experienced both sides of the story, keeping me so in tuned to their plight and grievances. Definitely one to pick up if you are looking for a HEA romance fiction.