166. The Girl with the Lost Smile by Miranda Hart

BOOK REVIEW: The Girl with the Lost Smile by Miranda Hart

As grown ups, we are so bogged down with life's many worries, stresses, sadness, and a host of other negativities that being happy is a rare occurrence. Smiling has become something of a strain to our normal facial features, being replaced with permanent frowns and smiles turned upside down. Sometimes all we need is a fun and gentle reminder that smiling and happiness is much needed and this children's book (yes, I read them for review purposes, but probably I'll read them more from now on because it reminds me to be me) is just the thing to read.

Chloe is and always has been a cheerful, smiley kind of person. Unfortunately, she has lost her smile. She's looked everywhere for it, under her pillow, under her bed and even under her nose (where her mouth is obviously). Chloe has tried everything to bring it back, from her favorite cake, to her favorite grandmother to her favorite joke. But nothing seems to be working!

Until one night, something utterly magical happens and Chloe finds herself on an adventure that is out of this world. Her imaginary land, Chloe's Magic Land, comes to life and two of the characters from that land, Godfrey and Hoppy, whisk her into a host of adventures that end up with her finding her lost smile.

This book is meaningful in the sense that it portrays how as adults, we stop smiling and become more unhappy. It also portrays that grown ups tend to find solace in fake settings like how Mrs Long, Chloe's mother, loved to escape into an untouchable world of posh magazines. It also teaches us how to face our deepest, darkest fears bravely and come to terms that not everything around us happens because of us but because it is just meant to be that way. Chloe faced the Shadow Bandits in her Magic Land which signifies facing fears while she finally gets over the fact that she isn't the cause for her parents making a decision to divorce.

However, as in all beautiful and heart warming story lines, all is well that ends well. Chloe's parents decide to stay together and her grandmother weds Trevor, a character that Chloe met in her Magic Land. This book is a 10/10 and I highly suggest that adults read it together with the kids as it's a wonderful read. Even I shed a few tears reading this as it was so touching. Three cheers for Miranda Hart and this wonderful tome!

165. The Burnings by Julian Lees

BOOK REVIEW: The Burnings by Julian Lees

Crime, thriller and mystery books have been jostling for space among the many authors of these genres. My favorites growing up were Nancy Drew and classics like Sherlock Holmes. But I soon lost interest in this genre because I didn't like the gruesome crimes committed and the rough treatment that many of these novels encased.I was given a fresh feeling once again by Pansing Malaysia when they gave me an opportunity to review The Burnings by Julian Lees.

A killer hides in plain sight on the crowded streets of Jakarta. When Australian Jillian Parker's scorched remains are discovered in her burnt out car, Ruud Pujasumarta and his team are brought in to investigate what appears at first to be a routine homicide. But when Canadian citizen Anita Dalloway's charred body is found a few days later, Ruud finds a banner unfurled by the corpse's feet.

A verse from the Quran is scribbled across it, calling for unbelievers to be burned. The killer is targeting Christians. And the team's suspicions are confirmed when a third body, that if English backpacker Emily Grealish, turns up with the same M.O. (modus operandi).

But who is responsible? Is it the senior Australian diplomat who was obsessed with the first victim, the Imam who preaches Sharia law, the military general taking backhanders and living a life of luxury in Jakarta or the local drug dealer with a score to settle?

But Ruud is suspicious that the killer may be someone much closer to home, someone Ruud has trusted for many years. What unravels is a terrifying chain of events for Ruud. And what he discovers puts his life and those around him in danger. 

Finally, the pig killer happens to be the son of the military general taking backhanders and living a life of luxury in Jakarta. Beware of the gruesome details though. It's not for the squeamish...I highly enjoyed this book with it's unexpected twists and turns. It also has plenty of Malay words that proved to be a fun addition to an English crime thriller novel.

Highly engaging, I personally give this tome an 8/10. It has personally opened up my thoughts of picking up a crime thriller the next time around. Happy reading my dear bookworms!

164. Food: The History of Taste by Paul Freedman

BOOK REVIEW: Food - The History of Taste by Paul Freedman

Many branches of anthropology have cropped up through the years as various filed of study. Biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology and many more have made people more interested in the history and origin of various subjects. However, nothing piques peoples' interest more than the subject of food. What better way to fall in love with your food more than to delve into the origins of its movement around the world.

This book is the first to apply the discoveries of the new generation of food historians worldwide to the unashamedly romantic appeal of the subject: to the culinary accomplishments of diverse civilizations, past and present, and to the pleasure of dining. The result is truly a history of taste: our most elevated, elegant and pleasurable thoughts about food - ingredients, preparation, presentation - since prehistory.

Here you will find Zhang Dai's lovingly recorded memories of the crabs, clams and junket enjoyed in China before the fall of the Ming; the first celebrity chefs in the Classical world; how sugar from the West Indies profoundly changed European taste; meals recalled by Proust in detail - far more interesting than the mere madeleine; and how two journalists discovered nouvelle cuisine.

This book is unique in that it is organized by what people thought was good and how food was a part of distinctive societies. It is profusely illustrated with works of art that can be truly be called mouthwatering. From beginning to end these pages provide an enthralling and richly illustrated story of one of the most vital clues not just to what keeps us alive, but to what makes us feel alive.

Many a night I have spent tucked in a corner with this book and felt pangs of hunger just reading about descriptions of taste and food. Hahahahaha.... So if you ever pick this book up be sure to have a few munchies on hand. (Psssssttt, I purchased this book from Book Xcess Starling Mall. So if you want to buy it you can check it out here if it's still available).

163. The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

BOOK REVIEW: The Language of Thorns - Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo; preview sampler courtesy of Pansing Malaysia

We all grew up with fairy tales, of wily foxes tricking crows into giving dropping grapes from trees, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. All of these stories mesmerized us and held our rapt attention with its sheer imaginary worlds and the possibility of talking animals and other flora and fauna. What if these stories were given a whole new sinister light, a grown-up light that we never imagined could lurk in an innocent fairy tale?

Since this is just a preview copy, it contained three out of six short stories from the original. Just these three kept me rooted to my seat. The first short story, The Too-Clever Fox, has influences from Red Riding Hood as well as the fairy tale I mentioned earlier about the wily foxes wanting grapes. An ugly but intelligent fox tries to find out the reason that a hunter and his sister are able to hunt down his friends without leaving a trail or even letting out a sound. The fox comes upon the sister of the hunter crying in the woods and takes pity on her. The fox even gives a plan to steal away the spell that is kept by the hunter that helps in his hunting. Little does the fox know that the sister is about to turn the tables on him and the fox almost loses its life.

The Witch of Duva is the second story in this preview with influences from Hansel and Gretel. Nadya, her father, Maxim, brother, Havel, and Nadya's mother are living together happily until a famine leads to starvation and the death of Nadya's mother. Karina weds Maxim soon after that and she becomes Nadya's and Havel's stepmother. Havel leaves for military service so Nadya is left behind with a wicked stepmother, or so she thinks, without realizing that Karina is trying to safe her from a dark secret. Nadya takes refuge in an old witch's house and after a few days, Nadya wants to return home. She finds out that her father is behind the disappearance of many young girls and that he has been raping and killing them. This short story ends morbidly with the gruesome death of her father. Nadya return to the old witch and learns the ropes of magic.

The last story in this preview is Little Knife. This story tells about how a duke tries to find a suitor for his daughter who is unnaturally beautiful and is the apple of every man's eye. A water magician (who is able to control water) commands the river to do his bidding in order to complete all the tasks set by the duke to marry his daughter. However, the magician incurs the wrath of the water spirit who then magically convinces the duke's daughter to marry it and it whisks her off to a far away shoreline.

Inspired by myth, fairy tales and folklore, the author has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice and love. I personally would give this book a 9/10 even after reading just 3 stories out of it. Highly recommended for those who want a taste of childhood with an injection of darkness.....

162. The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

BOOK REVIEW: The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell (GRAB IT IN A BOOKSTORE NEAR YOU)

As a teenager and even through my young adult years, I get perpetually fascinated with the world of magic and the unknown. Let it be the Harry Potter Saga or even the Hunger Games, magic has a certain way ofkeeping you gripped in your seat no matter how old you are. If you are one for magic, this book is going to bring you far, far away....

What happens when the world of magic and the human world collide? Obviously, all hell breaks loose! In this story, the humans who deem themselves the Warriors view all those who practice magic to be evil and are intent on bringing them down. The magical people on the other hand feel that it's injustice as except for Witches, all other magic is pure and harmless.

Xar happens to be the son of Encanzo the Enchanter, a great magician. However, Magic hasn't come to him yet although he has passed the age. This makes him a laughing stock among his family and an embarrassment to his father. To hide his disappointment, Xar turns to mischief to prove that he can do just as well without Magic. This time, he intends to capture an 'extinct' Witch to derive Magic for his own use.

Wish is a Warrior Princess but just like Xar, she is deemed as an uncouth Warrior by her own mother, Queen Sychorax, Queen of the Warriors. What makes it even worse is that Wish's personal bodyguard, Bodkin, knows she has an even bigger secret. Wish has stolen her mother's witch-killing sword and has her own pet spoon (enchanted of course)!

When she goes in search of her run-away pet spoon one day, she gets caught in a witch trap set up by Xar. What happens when two like sides of a magnet see each other? That's right, they instantly dislike each other. But as they go through adventure after adventure, they begin to become thick friends and as all magical stories go (for this first book at least), all's well that ends well.

I love this young reader book for it's simple yet interesting story line that had me gripping the edges of the book. I especially liked Wish as she reminded me of myself when I was younger, odd but loveable at the same time. Highly recommended, I'd give this book a 10/10!

161. Amelia Fang and The Barbaric Ball by Laura Ellen Anderson (TO HIT BOOKSHELVES SOON)

BOOK REVIEW: Amelia Fang and The Barbaric Ball by Laura Ellen Anderson (TO HIT BOOKSHELVES SOON)

Nowadays, more and more exciting books for young readers are being published which are both wholesome and make for a good read. One such book is Amelia Fang and The Barbaric Ball written by Laura Ellen Anderson.

The Fang Family (a vampire family) consisting of Countess FrivoleetaFang, Count Drake and Amelia Fang are about to organize the annualBarbaric Ball. Amelia disapproves of the ball as she has nobody her age to hang out with. They invite the King of Nocturnia, King Vladimir and his son, Prince Tangine to the ball. The only situation is that the king has been morose on the disappearance of his wife where citizens of Nocturnia have been saying has been eaten by a fairy.

Amelia and her friends Florence (a yeti) and Grimaldi (a Grim Reaper) meet Prince Tangine (he enrolls in the same school as them) who happens to be around their age. However, he seems to be a stuck up spoilt brat who ends up being on the wrong side of Amelia and her friends.

Countess Frivoleeta then invites the king and prince to a pre-ball dinner. Being the spoilt brat that he is, he just takes away Amelia's pet pumpkin, Squashy and even the Fang family's heirlooms. Absolutely enraged,Amelia and her friends hatch plan after plan to get Squashy back.

Along the way, Amelia finds out that Prince Tangine is part fairy (a Creature of the Light, highly misunderstood and feared by the Nocturnians) and part vampire. She soon understands that Creatures of the Light do no harm andthat Prince Tangine behaves the way he does because he feels lonely.Amelia makes her friends and family understand about the royal family's predicament. All of them join forces to go find Queen Fairyweather in Glitteropolis.

My favorite chapter was Chapter 14: King Vladimir's Secret when Ameliafinds out that Prince Tangine is a half-blood. It portrays pity and concern of a kind person like Amelia for lonely Prince Tangine. Kids can take a leaf out of this book for good examples.

Even as an adult reader, I found this book highly imaginative and lots of fun with the many creative names that had references to vampires and other creatures that go bump in the night. Highly recommended for younger readers between the ages of 7 - 12 and easy to read, do look out for this book on shelves soon! Happy reading werewolves! Awooooooooooooooooooooooo.......

160. Get Laid or Die Trying: The Field Reports by Jeff Allen

BOOK REVIEW: Get Laid or Die Trying - The Field Reports by Jeff Allen

WARNING! Women with strong heart read ahead or just stop after reading the cover. To me, this book is highly controversial as it leans on the side of men more than the fairer sex. It also serves as a warning beacon to women when it comes to men and their wily ways.

What you're holding in your hands is a detailed and highly instructional manifesto on how a dude from Northern California went from being a lonely, angst-ridden maniac to making love (I actually had to make it sound less offensive, but this book was really on THE OFFENSIVE!!) with nearly two hundred women. Is Jeffy the coolest guy ever or an immature self-pitying idiot, who indulges in a half decade sex rampage at the expense of all other areas of his life?

Being that this book records a period before 2009, some of the external pickup techniques would be considered old school compared to what's out there today. The ideas in the pickup community are constantly evolving, and so it's obvious that the methods popular 6 or 7 years ago have been updated and improved.

You're about to read a story, a graphic account and manifesto, by one of the most lethally effective players to ever "pick up a chick". A dude who at times is so good at what he does it's scary. It teaches men how to walk like a pimp and talk like a mack, rock the karaoke mike like a belligerent Japanese tourist, kick ass like Van Damme and take names like a two dollar MySpace participant. 

I had reservations with most guys but after reading this book it has made my reservations into a heightened sense of wariness. Every word or move a guy makes now seems to be a hidden motive for something sinister. Great for women who are wanting to unravel the mysterious minds of crafty men and terrible for men who are already that way, it's a book that can either make you or break you.