231. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, compiled by Alvin Schwartz

BOOK REVIEW: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, compiled by Alvin Schwartz

BOO! Halloween is just around the corner. What better way to spend this spooky time of the year by scaring yourself silly with tales that chill your bones...I read this book by the flickering light of a candleflame, got myself working up a sweat with shadows dancing in the corners.

In this first collection of chilling short stories, poems and songs, Alvin Schwartz delivers some well-known folklore through the ages that have never failed to send people screaming into the hills. Some of them are play-stories, it requires the involvement of the narrator and the listeners in the story for more frights.

Some of the stories have been re-written for clarity as many of them consist of same stories with varying storylines. There is even a story of the Wendigo, the mythical forest spirit/creature that whisks unsuspecting victims into the sky before dropping them from above. Another variation says that they eat up the puny humans (HINT: you can find this creature mentioned in Stephen King's Pet Sematary).

Though this book was meant for younger readers in mind, it was thoroughly enjoyable with whimsical and downright eerie illustrations. This book is lovely for the young and young-at-heart for a skipped heartbeat this Halloween. Happy Halloween and don't look back over your left shoulder dear readers...

230. The Power of Nunchi by Euny Hong

BOOK REVIEW: The Power of Nunchi by Euny Hong (courtesy of Pansing Distribution Pte Ltd)

Now this is a book that really made me more nunchi-ful of my surroundings. But first all you readers must be thinking what's with the nunchi thing. Too much reading caused a mental short circuit? You have poor nunchi then, build it up with the help of this book.

Nunchi is a Korean word which indicates the subtle art of gauging other people's thoughts and feelings in order to build trust, harmony and connection. Nunchi doesn't only focus on face reading but combines body language and tuning in to the emotions and incidences in the surrounding to reap the best in life.

Nunchi is the guiding principle of Korean life, but anyone can use this awareness to get ahead in any setting. Korean parents believe that teaching their children nunchi is as important as teaching them to cross the road. With great nunchi, it feels like the world is on your side. Without it, you might get hit by something you never saw coming.

From finding love to excelling at work, improving your nunchi will help you open doors you never knew existed. Maybe you may acquire that pay raise that has been elusive all this time (wink!). I found this book to be straightforward and had plenty of useful examples to tackle nunchi.

Definitely a 5-star rating from my side, this book very much tips the scale compared to many self-help books I've read. I'm going to test my nunchi skills this Deepavali to gauge the festivity levels in my own home. Thoroughly enjoyable.

229. Christmas Shopaholic: A Becky Bloomwood Novel by Sophie Kinsella

BOOK REVIEW: Christmas Shopaholic: A Becky Bloomwood Novel by Sophie Kinsella (courtesy of Times Reads)

Hello there ladies! Just like me, who doesn't love a spot of shopping. But what happens when shopping becomes somewhat a disorder, passing boundaries of normal purchase? Becky Bloomwood is shopaholic extraordinaire, always finding a ruse to shop for anything and everything. For those who have read the books in the Shopaholic series, you would be all-too-familiar with the quirky Becky who always ends up in turmoil due to her endless hilarious shopping sprees.

This storyline set in a backdrop of Christmas is perfectly in line with the need for shopping. Wonderfully heartwarming, with elements to tickle your funny bone through Becky's mishaps with shopping, this book is a must-read and must-have on your bookshelves.

Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) adores Christmas. It's always the same - her parents hosting, carols playing, Mum pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the next-door neighbours coming round for sherry in their terrible festive jumpers.  Now it's even easier with online bargain-shopping sites - if you spend enough you even get free delivery!

This year looks set to be different. Unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocado, Becky's parents are moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch and have asked Becky if she'll host Christmas this year. What could possibly go wrong?

With sister Jess demanding a vegan turkey, husband Luke determined that he just wants aftershave again, and little Minnie insisting on a very specific picnic hamper (which finally happens to not be a hamper but HAMSTER, laughs) - surely Becky can deal with all this, as well as the surprise appearance of an old boyfriend and his pushy new girlfriend, whose motives are from clear (almost ruining her Christmas altogether).

As with all of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic novels, her Christmassy novel is filled with mirth and the true meaning of Christmas. As in one of the lines from the book says, "What the Grinch can steal isn't Christmas". Bubbly and tear-jerking at the same time it is one frolic of a read that's best enjoyed with a mug of hot chocolate by an open fire with carols playing in the background. My rating for this book is a hefty 10/10!

228. The World's Best Brunches: Where to Find Them and How to Make Them by Lonely Planet

BOOK REVIEW: The World's Best Brunches - Where to Find Them and How to Make Them by Lonely Planet

Food is the epicentre of my life, not only literally but figuratively. With a hectic academic schedule, off days are spent with a late starting of the day. Between morning and noon, what's the best to chow down on? Brunch of course!

A term originally coined for Saturday night carousers who couldn't wake up for breakfast, brunch has evolved into a sunny, social meal beloved the world over.

In this book, a collection of mid-morning meals are accompanied by the origin of each dish, the best place to sample a bite, and an easy-to-prepare recipe for cooking it at home.

Written by food writers from across the globe, this tantalizing tome has a glossary of exotic ingredients with suggestions for easy-to-find alternatives.

I give this book a whopping 5-star rating for its food photography and luscious food descriptions that would have you planning for tomorrow's brunch.

227. Crystal Cove by Lisa Kleypas

BOOK REVIEW: Crystal Cove by Lisa Kleypas

Shoutout to all you cumbu fans out there! I know you gals (and maybe some guys, shhh) simply adore romance novels, not only for the raunchy bits but also how the hero and heroine have the happily-ever-after ending of love and its beauty.

Will sparks fly when an unlikely hero (an RPG game designer without a soul) and an unconventional heroine (a witch who runs an inn on a quaint island and is cursed never to find love) run into each other? Well, as they say, opposites do attract.

Jason and Justine meet in a small island town in the Pacific Northwest, where magic is in the air and fate is a force too powerful to defy.

Justine Hoffman has made a comfortable life for herself on the island of Friday Harbor. She is the proprietor of a successful boutique hotel, and she has the safe, predictable life she has always wanted. Growing up with her flighty, nomadic mother, Marigold, has instilled in her a deep longing for stability. But in spite of everything Justine has achieved, there is still something missing. Love. And after years of waiting and dreaming, she is willing to do whatever it takes to change her destiny.

What Justine soon discovers is that someone cast a spell on her when she was born, with the result that she will never find her soul mate. Determined to change her fate, Justine finds a way to break the enchantment, never dreaming of the dangerous complications that will follow.

When Justine meets the mysterious Jason Black, she accidentally unleashes a storm of desire and danger that threatens everything she holds dear because Jason has secrets of his own, and he wants more than fate will ever allow.

A truly magical read of undying love and the emotions involved, it was a touching read from page to page. Do keep it away from younger prying hands though as certain scenes are not suitable for translation if you get what I mean.

226. Frankly in Love by David Yoon

EXCERPT REVIEW: Frankly in Love by David Yoon (Courtesy of Times Reads)

As I promised, here it is. Times Reads had a generous heart to provide an avid reader as me an excerpt from David Yoon's newest release, Frankly in Love. As a young adult myself, YA novels always resonate with my life and its many trials and tribulations.

This book from David Yoon discusses on the adversities faced by a Korean individual brought up by truly Korean parents in a westernized society that is America. as you can already guess, a string of funny misfortunes begin to line up when you try to swim against the flow of the norms.

This candid, romantic and original coming-of-age YA contemporary debut about a Korean-American teen falling in (and out) of love is perfect for fans of The Sun is Also a Star, Eleanor Park and Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda.

High school senior Frank Li is a Limbo - his term for Korean-American kids who find themselves caught between their Korean parents' traditional expectations and their own Southern California upbringing. Frank is ready to fall in love, but his parents have one strict rule when it comes to romance: "Date Korean".

His love story takes a complicated turn when he falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful - and white. Fellow Limbo Joy Song is in a similar predicament, and so they make a pact: they'll pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. Frank think it's the perfect plan, but soon enough, Frank and Joy's fake dating maneuver leaves him wondering if he ever really understood love - or himself - at all.

This book heralds the arrival of a sensational new YA voice that explores the ties between love, identity, and race for a generation that wants to love and let love. After reading this excerpt, I just can't wait to get my hands on this funny and heartwarming novel of what love truly means and of adhering to tradition.

225. Scream to the Shadows by Tunku Halim

BOOK REVIEW: Scream to the Shadows by Tunku Halim (Courtesy of Times Reads)

If the movie IT 2 didn't already give me the heebie jeebies then this book definitely did. Times Reads certainly put a smile on my face considering I'm a stickler for all things horror. Malaysia's very own Stephen King, my all time favorite king of horror, Tunku Halim, has outdone himself once again.

Tunku Halim is one of Malaysia's most acclaimed authors, and yes, I would like to stress it once again, especially in the horror genre. His scream-inducing tales of terror will set even the bravest heart screaming for the hills.

20 shadowy tales from Asia's Stephen King will make you tremble under the covers (and this is barely a joke, I had many a sleepless night after reading the stories). 

Within these quivering pages you will encounter the beautiful wife who keeps returning from the dead,a book seller with a cursed book collection, a bewitching hermaphrodite, a terrifying demon unknowingly unleashed, a village where were-tigers abound and many more spine-chillers of the night.

Written over a period of 2 decades, these dark stories are feats of mystery and imagination that will keep you turning the pages, until you scream to the shadows....

Masterfully spun to ignite the flames of fear, this is one book that will certainly make you shed tears of unrelenting fright. If this book were to be given a rating of 5 stars, I would give it an exceeding 100 over 5 stars. It was that good!


Times Reads also never fails to appreciate their reviewers and this time they have given book lovers like me an extra reason to be joyful. I was gifted with an excerpt from David Yoon's upcoming novel, Frankly in Love (which I will be giving a brief run-up in my next blog post) and also 4 beautiful bookmarks to place in each of my books. Thanks Times Reads!