"Waiting On" Wednesday

Hey Readers !! "Waiting On" Wednesday is weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine . This spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Those We Love Most by Lee Woodruff
Publication date: September 11


From Amazon: (Hold ur mouse n drag down in the white box)

Life is good for Maura Corrigan. Married to her college sweetheart, Pete, raising three young kids with her parents nearby in her peaceful Chicago suburb, her world is secure. Then one day, in a single turn of fate, that entire world comes crashing down and everything that she thought she knew changes.

Maura must learn to move forward with the weight of grief and the crushing guilt of an unforgivable secret. Pete senses a gap growing between him and his wife but finds it easier to escape to the bar with his friends than face the flaws in his marriage.

Meanwhile, Maura's parents are dealing with the fault lines in their own marriage. Charismatic Roger, who at sixty-five, is still chasing the next business deal and Margaret, a pragmatic and proud homemaker, have been married for four decades, seemingly happily. But the truth is more complicated. Like Maura, Roger has secrets of his own and when his deceptions and weaknesses are exposed, Margaret's love and loyalty face the ultimate test.

Those We Love Most chronicles how these unforgettable characters confront their choices, examine their mistakes, fight for their most valuable relationships, and ultimately find their way back to each other. It takes us deep into the heart of what makes families and marriages tick and explores a fundamental question: when the ties that bind us to those we love are strained or broken, how do we pick up the pieces?

Deeply penetrating and brimming with emotional insight, this engrossing family drama heralds the arrival of a major new voice in contemporary fiction.

Review: UnEnchanted by Chanda Hahn

Usually people when they r on thier holiday they download music in their Apple devices, but I download books on my device. Boring me. I m on my 2 weeks vacation in States. Visiting my awesum brother n sweet sis-in-law. As usual took out time to read a book on my Apple iPod Touch via Kobo. Though I downloaded quite a few books but was happy to start one and even finish it in 2 days. This book is amazing. Didn't feel like putting it down, but had to cuz of 2 adorable children whose my first priority. The name of the book is "UnEnchanted" by Chanda Hahn. Here's the review.

When I saw UnEnchanted in the ibooks store I thought….What the heck?!?! It’s only 99 cents. But i got this book for free on Kobo App on iPod Touch. After reading it, I know that this is the type of novel that deserves to be on the shelf of every Paranormal Romance and YA Literature fan.

As I read UnEnchanted I was completely immersed in the story. Chanda Hahn managed to create some of the most likeable and relatable characters I’ve read about in a long time. I felt like I was on the journey with Mina. Mina is every girl! She’s quiet and likes to blend in but she born to stand out.

I was impressed with the flow of this book. I couldn’t stop reading until I finished Mina’s story. I needed to know what was coming next! I was so drawn to her character…every time Mina felt pain, I did too. Every emotion she felt, I was with her.Readers will want to be Mina. They’ll want to have a best friend like Nan. And they’ll definitely want a Brody Carmichael! They’ll even want a Jared.


I’ve read things about the spelling and grammar errors in UnEnchanted….Keep in mind that this is a self published book. Chanda Hahn is a rock star for releasing UnEnchanted to the world! Those little flaws are easy to forget when the story is great and this one is! Also, her blog says that UnEnchanted edits are pending and will be corrected soon.


Buy this book! Read it, fall in love with the characters, and dream about what’s next for Mina. I know I did and will! I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

How Do I Read A Book

Last night at a dinner table, myself, my hubby n my son were having a chat on the Reading Club my kid joined in the library yesterday. My kid is 9 1/2 yera old. He is a very gud reader n when it cum to completing the challenges in the reading, hez is worst than I m. In Reading Club he has to finish reading the book, rate it and review it. I let him join in Goodreads. Though he gave couple of reviews, but they r not impressive,m teaching him how to give reviews and stuff. Atleast its better than Facebook and those Wii, iPhone, iPod Touch n iPad that he has. I taught him the other use of these devies that he has and can make the better use of them than just playing games, and that is, downloading iBooks, Wattpad, and other reading apps. And m glad hez taking interest in these things.

This is how I read my book and I thought him the same. First of all, make your goal massive and unreasonable so that you freak out a little. :). The average book I read is maybe 250-300 pages. Some are larger, some are smaller. I break this down to 40 pages a day, which I read early on so I can get it over with. It’s an easy, manageable goal, which doesn’t seem nearly so daunting as 52 books in a year. This is critical to managing your emotional state, making it feel like it’s totally reasonable. Than break down these 40 pages in a day, according to my convience, But it SHOULD be 40 pages or more but not less. This way I know I can complete this book within a week or in a week. . This eventually encourages me to reach my goal n finish the challenge. I use every moment. I wake up very early in the morning, sleep late, when I take kids to swimming, while they r swimming I read, In the park, or even when I my husband is driving I read.

I told him, "Sometimes its OK to give up on it - just for now. You can do this when you’re ahead of schedule and it won’t screw with you too badly, and then you can go back to that book every little while until you finish it." I did this a number of times this last year, which means the number of books I started was probably in the 60-65 range (I finished 54.)

If I think m cuming close to deadline, I cheat. I cheat in the sence, I read small books. You might say, "This si cheating", I would agree. But the short term cheating to help yourself succeed in the long run on this goal is more important than hard-headed idea that every book you read has to be frikkin War and Peace. It doesn’t. This is to enrich your life, not to make you feel like crap. By the way, small books r also incredible.

To conclude, reading has made me a much better, more complete, and happier person, quite person. All the world’s wisdom is contained in books– most of it is not on the internet or known by people in your social group, so this can really help you expand, if you let it. Try it !!

HAPPY READING !!!

13 1/2 by Nevada Barr

Through my long voracious reading habits, I continue to find that writers can generally be classified in one of two groups: fine literary writers or terrific storytellers. Because the skill set and high level of artistry required is quite different for each group, rarely do the two groups meet and mesh. But Nevada Barr stands neatly balanced, with one foot inside each of these two groups. She is a fine writer, with literary finesse, and she is one heck of a storyteller.

Barr kept me awake with her storytelling, but not before messing with my head a bit, along with my sleep patterns. When I first opened the cover of 13 ½, I was thrown into a horrific scene of sexual molestation. Polly, a girl not yet nine years old, is being raped by her mother’s whiskey-chugging boyfriend. Rather than protect and defend her daughter, Polly’s alcoholic mother gets jealous and angry with her. Too frequently, this scenario is all too real. Victims become victimizers, and Polly’s mother, her own self-esteem nonexistent, allows her daughter to become victimized. At such a very tender age, this child understands the male psyche far beyond what she should.

Enter another main character: Butcher Boy. This child, Dylan, wakes into a family massacre, his parents murdered with an axe, his baby sister dead, his older brother badly wounded. He alone is whole, however dazed. Eleven years old, he is dragged to court and prosecuted for the vicious murder of his family. The boy hardly seems able to function as his mind and emotions shut down under the weight of something so immense, so incomprehensible. Only his surviving brother stands by him.

 Barr does a wonderful job of describing a juvenile justice system that is highly dysfunctional. Children who end up in juvenile delinquent homes, more often than not already coming from abusive homes, are often subjected to more abuse by the very staff who is supposed to help them rehabilitate. Reality, alas, matches fiction, and Barr has shone an important spotlight on a growing problem in our society. Dylan is thrown away, with no one caring enough to deal with his problems, and he spends years in a world where guards beat and rape little boys, psychologists and social workers conduct unethical experiments on their young prey, and wardens look the other way. The only person left who seems to care that Dylan is even alive is his brother Rich.

Another character to whom we are introduced is the Woman in Red. She reads Tarot-cards and is big, and loud, and impossible to miss. Almost no one notices that inside this woman is complete emotional devastation—another victim of abuse. Barr excels in her literary descriptions when Polly and this woman meet.

Although I do have to confess here that I had the mystery solved long before the conclusion of the novel, it did not slow my eager reading by one half of a page turn. I did not want to miss any of Barr’s pulsing-with-life descriptions, deep dives into the most shadowy parts of human nature, and the intricacies of dance between victim and victimizer. I wanted to see justice done. And I wanted to read exactly how Barr would put it into words. The images she created are lasting long beyond the final page. The important messages she illustrates remain even longer: abuse of any kind causes unspeakable damage, and those of us who do nothing about a broken juvenile justice system, or the increase of domestic violence, or look past the suffering of the battered, make such crime possible. This novel is more than a thriller.

Review: The World Without You

It's been a long time since my last post. The reason being, my kids summer vacation. And you all know, with kids the time is always running. Their swimming lessons, karate lessons, library visits n wat not. So was kind of very busy, but some how managed to finish my TBR books in between, late nights. They used to swim n I used to read. So here I cum with a review of "The World Without You" by Joshua Henkin.

This story is abt FAMILY. A family comes together to their summer home for their son Leo's memorial.

I loved this book...it drew me in from the very first page. First of all...it takes place mostly in the Berkshires...an area that I love. Then the book tackles the issues each member of this family face as they come together for Leo's ( brother/son/ husband ) memorial service.The flashbacks are huge in this book. Everyone has baggage and everyone has issues and no one is really coping very well at all.Marilyn has decided to leave David. One daughter is desperate for a baby. Another daughter lives in Israel and has no clue who she is or why she married her husband. Leo's widow is there... lost, sad and worrying about telling everyone about her new relationship. Another daughter is in a long term relationship with no plans to marry or have children.Those are the small stories within the big story. And sort of always hovering in the background is Gretchen...the 94 year old matriarch with tons of money who rigidly supports everyone. 

This book was very touching, moving, and has a very thoughtful ending. Give it a go, u won't b sorry.

Happy Reading !!!

Father and Son

An old man lived alone in a village. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard-work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison.

The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation :

Dear Son,

I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden, because ur mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.

Love,
Dad

Shortly, the old man received this telegram :

"For Heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up the garden !! That's where I buried the GUNS !!"

At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.

Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and asked him what to do next.

His son's reply was :

"Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad... It's the best I could do for you from here."

     No matter where you are in the world, if you have decided to do something deep from your heart you can do it. It is the thought that matters not where you are or where the person is.

Apology

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail to each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same.

When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. "A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

Father and Daughter

"Right at the birth, the bond between father and daughter happens instantly,
When he first laid his eyes on me,  his love for me was more than anything on this earth,
(Mom told me this, and continued saying ...)
When a daughter grows older her father is the first man she will love,
And the last one her father will have trouble letting go of,
In her eyes he is the closest thing to God, in her eyes he is a King,
To her father she means the world, she means everything.
When a daughter grows up to be an adult and mature,
Her father will always be there anytime she still needs dad to care for her or help her,
To give her advice or just-for anything she will ever need,
The bond between father and daughter is the most important bond indeed,
It cannot be broken when she finds a man, and become his wife,
It cannot be broken even in the ending of either ones life,
A daughter will always have the memories of her father, her best friend
This bond has a beginning, but there is never an end.
The bond between a father and daughter is so profound
The love shared is well renowned,
From the beginning of his daughters life, he is a changed man,
At that moment his life really just began.
From the moment their eyes meet,
two souls instantly become complete."

Happy Father's Day Dad. Miss U !!

Review : I've Got Your Number

I long waited for this book. I entered the Giveaway but didn't win. Then I searched in the library catalogue, but there were over 50 people waiting for this copy. I still ordered and waited for a month. So, finally got it n finished reading. I finished this book in 5 days, cuz this copy was under "Lightning Loans" and cannot be renewed. Anyways , ....

I can never stop laughing while reading Sophie Kinsella books. And I’ve Got Your Number didn’t disappoint.
At the beginning of the book, our protagonist, Poppy finds out she has lost her ring. Now she is looking for it…
Not only does she not find the ring, she manages to get her phone stolen, too. So in a moment of desperation grabs a phone she finds in a bin. It’s a company phone. It belonged to Sam’s PA…

I’m not sure law states that, but ok. She gives out her new number to all of her friends and pleads Sam to keep it for a while. He agrees and they start sharing a phone.She is nosy, so she reads and responds to some of his e-mails, but just to help him. Yeah, the road to hell is paved…

Anyway, we soon find out more about Poppy and her engagement. She doesn’t feel comfortable with her soon-to-be-in-laws, and her fiancée isn’t that helpful. Pretty soon she and Sam are texting on a regular basis and things start happening between them, between one disaster and another.

All in all, an awesome book, if you’re looking for something hilarious with a side dish of romance. Bon appétit!

Busy Life : My Haiku-2

I

try

to open
the mind's door

and peek through stagnant ideas

with all my might trying to activate them

letting them flow freely without a hiccup, without a full-stop, onto the blog

how the hustle-bustle of life had paid a toll on my writing, tying me up from keeping
updates, denying my passion

I am so trapped in the world of "busy-ness", with limited hours

grasping the moment though work grows into mountains

but for the fuel of life
precious rice bowl
vital need

sustaining
life

10 Beautiful Libraries Around The World

These are THE MOST BEAUTIFUL structures of the world. My favourite 10 libraries around the globe.

1. Library of Congress: Washington D.C

The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States (1800). Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and number of books (22.19 million).

2. Belarus National Library | Minsk

The National Library of Belarus, founded on 15 September 1922, is a copyright library of the Republic of Belarus. It houses the largest collection of Belarusian printed materials and the third largest collection of books in Russian behind the Russian State Library (Moscow) and the Russian National Library (St Petersburg).

It is now located in a new 72-metre (236 feet) high building in Minsk, Belarus. The building has 22 floors and was completed in January 2006. The building can seat about 2,000 readers and features a 500-seat conference hall. Its main architectural component has the shape of a rhombicuboctahedron. The library’s new building was designed by architects Mihail Vinogradov and Viktor Kramarenko.

3. Abbey Library of St. Gall | Switzerland

The Abbey Library of Saint Gall was founded by Saint Othmar, the founder of the Abbey of St. Gall. The library collection is the oldest in Switzerland, and is one of earliest and most important monastic libraries in the world. It holds 2,100 manuscripts dating back to the 8th through the 15th centuries, 1,650 incunabula (printed before 1500), and old printed books. The library holds almost 160,000 volumes. The manuscript B of the Nibelungenlied is kept here.

4. Geisel Library, University of California, San Diego

The Geisel Library is the main library building on the University of California, San Diego campus and contains four of the six libraries located on campus. It is home to the Arts Library, the Mandeville Special Collections Library (SPEC), the Science & Engineering Library, and the Social Sciences & Humanities Library.

The building is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) for the generous contributions they have made to the library and their devotion to improving literacy. The Geisels were long-time residents of La Jolla, where UC San Diego is located.

5. TU Delft Library | South Holland, Netherlands

The TU Delft Library, constructed in 1997, was designed by Delft-based Mecanoo architecture bureau. It is located behind university aula. The roof of the library is covered with grass, which serves as a natural insulation. The structure lifts from the ground on one side allowing to walk to the top of the building. The library is topped by the steel cone, giving its unique shape. The wall, opposite to the Aula is completely filled with glass. The library has won the Dutch National Steel Price in 1998 in the category buildings of steel and hybrid constructions.

6.  Stockholm Public Library | Sweden

Stockholm Public Library is a rotunda library building in Stockholm, Sweden, designed by Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund. The library was prepared from 1918 and onwards by a committee in which Asplund himself took part. Construction began in 1924, and the library was completed in 1928. It is one of the most notable buildings in Stockholm and one of Asplund’s most important works. In fact it was Sweden’s first public library to apply the principle of open shelves.

7.  Bibliotheca Alexandrina | Alexandria, Egypt

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina or Maktabat al-Iskandariyah is a major library and cultural center located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. It is both a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity, and an attempt to rekindle something of the brilliance that this earlier center of study and erudition represented.

8. British Museum Reading Room | London, England

The British Museum Reading Room, situated in the centre of the Great Court of the British Museum, used to be the main reading room of the British Library. In 1997, this function moved to the new British Library building at St Pancras, London, but the Reading Room remains in its original form inside the new British Museum.

9.   Seattle Public Library | Washington, USA

The Seattle Public Library’s Central Library is the flagship library of The Seattle Public Library system. The 11-story (185 feet or 56 meters high) glass and steel building in downtown Seattle, Washington was opened to the public on Sunday, May 23, 2004. Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus of OMA/LMN were the principal architects and Hoffman Construction Company of Portland, Oregon, was the general contractor. The 362,987 square foot (34,000 m²) public library can hold about 1.45 million books and other materials, features underground public parking for 143 vehicles, and includes over 400 computers open to the public. Over 2 million individuals visited the new library in its first year.

10. Vancouver Public Library | British Columbia, Canada

My Friday Poem: Power of My Words

The power of words,
That makes me laugh and smile,
Fulfilling my days.


The power of words,
That gives hope and promises,
Excitement growing.


The power of words,
That makes me sad and solemn,
Everything's so bleak.


The power of words,
That pierce through my heart sharply,
Pain to my whole being.


The power of words,
Mixed feelings and emotions,
Lesson to my life.

Review : Betrayal by Danielle Steel

Ok, Danielle Steel's novels r very predictable. U'll know wats going to happen next. No twist n turns, no thoughts required, very fast n easy read, but it definately keeps u engaged, the lead character was likable, but the entire premise was unrealistic. That anybody smart enough to be this successful would be so gullible and BLIND to what was going on was far-fetched. This isn't my main gripe with the book, though. My main gripe is that this 320-page story could have been told in 100 pages, if not for all the repetition. I used to believe that Danielle did this for emphasis - saying the exact same thing a different way two sentences later. Now, I'm wondering if she does it to fill pages, because this book had SO much repetition that it became painful.

I've started reading Danielle Steel's ROGUE , m on pg- 47. Looks like its the same as Betrayal. Again fast n easy read, repetition everywhere. Even though m on pg-47, m still in the same scene. I think we won't b wrong if we skip couple of pages. With Large Print book, it's even easier read...lol... we can finish it in one night... I'd still give 4 stars for the time I gave to this book. .. :)

Happy Reading !!

Wattpad

I love reading. I make reading possible anywhere, everywhere, anytime. I carry my current  reading novel everywhere I go. Besides books, I like to read on my devices too. Kindle, e-reader, iPad, iPhone n Blackberry. Many people feel uncomfortable to read on iphone, but if I don't want to turn the pages, I make myself comfortable with my fingers on my phone.

When I was browsing for different site to upload my book, I came across this Wattpad. It has nice stories. People write their fiction and non-fiction stories and call it a book. Some books are like their Diaries. They update them almost daily, atleast the once I'm following. They r easy reads.

I've been reading this book called "My Wattpad Love". Its a Teen-Fiction. Its hilarious. OMG !! I don't have words to express. Jules Jones seemed just like a gurl next door. It's a Internet  love story with all misunderstandings n curiosities. Knowing the fact that I had to wake up very early in the morning to make it to World Partnership Walk 2012 - Toronto , I slept very late and I missed my Walk. All thanks to my unhealthy sleeping n reading habits.

Anyways, other than Wattpad, I'm almost at the end of completing Danielle Steel's Betrayal and will be reviewing soon.

My this weeks read:

Happy Reading !!!

The Fisherman and the Businessman

There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Brazilian village. As he sat, he saw a Brazilian fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite a few big fish.
The businessman was impressed and asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?” The fisherman replied, “Oh, just a sh...ort while.”

“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” The businessman was astonished.

“This is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said.

The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?”

The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife, and evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink — we play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.”

The businessman offered a suggestion to the fisherman. “I am a PhD in business management. I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you should spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible. When you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon you will be able to afford to buy more boats, set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this village and to Sao Paulo, where you can set up HQ to manage your other branches.”

The fisherman continues, “And after that?”

The businessman laughs heartily, “After that, you can live like a king in your own house, and when the time is right, you can go public and float your shares in the Stock Exchange, and you will be rich.”

The fisherman asks, “And after that?”

The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire, you can move to a house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!”

The fisherman was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Each week we feature the books we received for review, bought at a store, or from the library.

Book given to me by the publisher to review :

Bitter Legacy by H.Terrell Griffin

Books from the library :

Betrayal by Daniel Steel. ( Currently Reading)

Dead of Night by Barbara Nadel ( to-read)

Thunder and Rain by Charles Martin ( to-read)

What's in your mailbox ?

The Time Machine by H.G.Wells

Here again H.G. Wells let us dwell in futuristic landscapes with our feet still in the present. It is amazing how this author manages to bring actual and current topics to fiction and future and mixes them to make you think about reality, it all with the perfect touch of entertainment, good narration, incredible stories and amazing characters you can relate to.

I like the way he tells the story in this book, that first person telling us what he's seeing and how he deals with the situation he find himself into. in my opinion a good piece of science fiction has foundations in reality and Wells is a master on that. I can't give a proper opinion on this book without giving spoilers, so I'll limit myself to say: this is one of the best books you could ever read if you're in love with fantasy, science and philosophical traits that leave a seed on your brain and generate incredible and new ideas on your possible future. He was a visionary. I loved it.

Time or Money

Father was a hardworking man who delivered bread as a living to support his wife and three children. He spent all his evenings after work attending classes, hoping to improve himself so t...hat he could one day find a better paying job. Except for Sundays, Father hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard because he wanted to provide his family with the best money could buy.

Whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

The day came when the examination results were announced. To his joy, Father passed, and with distinctions too! Soon after, he was offered a good job as a senior supervisor which paid handsomely.

Like a dream come true, Father could now afford to provide his family with life’s little luxuries like nice clothing, fine food and vacation abroad.

However, the family still did not get to see father for most of the week. He continued to work very hard, hoping to be promoted to the position of manager. In fact, to make himself a worthily candidate for the promotion, he enrolled for another course in the open university.

Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

Father’s hard work paid off and he was promoted. Jubilantly, he decided to hire a maid to relieve his wife from her domestic tasks. He also felt that their three-room flat was no longer big enough, it would be nice for his family to be able to enjoy the facilities and comfort of a condominium. Having experienced the rewards of his hard work many times before, Father resolved to further his studies and work at being promoted again. The family still did not get to see much of him. In fact, sometimes Father had to work on Sundays entertaining clients. Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

As expected, Father’s hard work paid off again and he bought a beautiful condominium overlooking the coast of Singapore. On the first Sunday evening at their new home, Father declared to his family that he decided not to take anymore courses or pursue any more promotions. From then on he was going to devote more time to his family.

Father did not wake up the next day......

If you only have one life to live.. How do you want to live each day?? What are we really living for?? Are we working to live? Or are we living to work?

Review: The Book of Lost Fragrances by M. J. Rose

Brillant! Can't speak highly enough of this book! Such a great story and so well written. So many aspects that I love and am intrigued by - Egyptology, aromatherapy and reincarnation - all rolled into one riveting story.

For those of you who cannot stand a story without a love story - it's there. If you want a thriller - it's there. If you want history, ancient and more contemporary - it's there. So is science and a host of other issues that all wind around each other to create one of those intricate Chinese decorative knots, each strand necessary and holding together the whole.

Towards the end, I began to wonder about why not as background had been given for one character in particular, and why two other past-life memory aids kept being mentioned. It finally occurred to me that the author had a previous book entitled The Reincarnationist, and that is the term used to describe the troubling character. I need to do a bit of digging, but I bet he showed up in some of her earlier work. Rest assured, however, this book can and does stand on its own quite well.Will most certainly be seeking other books by this author.

Moms Are Always Right

There were many words of wisdom I heard from my parents growing up. I’ve recently managed to forget my Mom’s wise advice a couple times and unfortunately suffered the consequences. She always told me not to drop sharp knives into the soapy dishwater but instead hold them by the handle while washing them. Well the other day I reached into the dishwater to retrieve a sharp knife I was letting soak and promptly cut my finger. Ouch!

She also warned me never to leave the kitchen if I had something on the stove. That’s a tough one for me since I love doing more than one thing at a time. I was cooking jelly and decided to go in the basement and continue with the laundry while it came to a boil. You guessed it … I totally forgot about the jelly until I smelled it burning on the stove after it boiled over! What a mess!

Although my mom is out of  my reach, my Mom may have heard me proclaim “Mom, you were right!” I now have a strongly renewed desire to heed her advice! The influence parents have on their children lasts a lifetime.