Lord of the White Castle (Elizabeth Chadwick)

I was really looking forward to reading this book, the reviews are quite good in Amazon, and one reviewer even compared it to those of my favourite writer -- Diana Gabaldon.

The initial part is ok, I like it. I kept on wondering how Chadwick can make this outlaw fit in back to the system. (I didn't know Fulke is a real historical character.)

Then after the intial 400 pages, I can almost guess what is going to happen... I kept on thinking how can you put Clarice and Fulke together??!!! Again that's history, but... I can guess what is going to happen even when Clarice is just a young girl and I just flipped over the pages to see the ending...

Diana's books are incomparable. However, if I want to read another straight historical novel, I'll choose Sharon Kay Penman's over Elizabeth Chadwick's.

New mobile phone finally...

As some of you may remember, I lost my phone early this year... I have been talking about buying a new one for... ahem... more than half a year....

Finally, I got a new one.

A few days ago, while reading newspaper, I noted a mobile phone with my fav color... (and NOT from Motorola, I've seen plenty from Motorola, but I don't like the brand...) I was acting like crazy that day and asked my colleague (holding the newspaper), "what color do you think this is... ?" hehe... my colleague said (puzzled), "burgundy, I think..." (probably thought I'm crazy...)

Then I went on to the Nokia website, but I couldn't find it... thought something was wrong with the printing maybe...

However, I saw it in mobile phone shops!!! A few days ago, my fav color was sold out. Today, it is available!!!

Bad news is while I was walking to the mobile phone shop, I took out my old phone (in fact, the phone I've been using was my gift to my mom), and found it could not be turned on... arrggghhhh... Now it still cannot be turned on... sigh...

False Prophet (Faye Kellerman)

Again, I read this book out of order because I've read most of the series already, just filling the missing gaps.

This one is a much better mystery compared to the Ritual Bath, there're many twists & turns and I didn't know who the culprit was. The problem with this book is that it ended the same way, I still don't know who the culprit is after reading the last page... Though the mystery kept me turning the pages, but the ending is really lousy.

Another problem with this book is that there're not much Jewish stuff in it. The most special thing with this series is the religious aspect. Without it, it'll be like an ordinary mystery. Or maybe romantic suspense, like the "In Death" series, which I think are becoming more & more boring, I kept on skipping pages till I reached the end in the recent few books.

And the only development in the relationship aspect in this book is between Decker & his stepsons. I do like reading about Decker and his stepsons, esp. with Jacob in the later books. This book doesn't have a lot of relationship development either.

For me, a good book is one that I can re-read again and again. That's why, for me, merely a good mystery can never be considered a good book. Well, this one can't even be considered a good mystery because of the poor ending.

Mid Autumn Festival

Mid Autumn Festival 06

Christiane Amanpour

I've watched this TV programme called Iconoclasts on Christiane Amanpour. I recognised her instantly as a reporter, though I wouldn't have kept on watching if Renee Zelleweger was not also in the show. I'm glad I've watched it.

I'm most surprised by the intensity of emotional attachment she had on her work. She blamed herself for failing to bring the genocide in Rwanda into the attention of people around the world. There were some other news like OJ Simpson at that time, so people were distracted. She thought the apathy led to inaction of governments around the world. And because of that, the genocide that resulted in the death of a million people, a tragedy that could have been stopped easily, was allowed to happen.

It's kinda like the work of a doctor. People always say doctors need detachment in order to do their work. However, if a doctor doesn't care about his patients, he won't be able to do a very good job. Journalists are the same, I guess. I'm stunned by her degree of self-blame, and the weight of the emotional burden she is carrying, though.

For me, I would never think that way. Life is in God's hands, not in mine.

Handbag

I saw this purple handbag a couple of months ago, liked it a lot, but the price could not be considered a bargain... so I hesitated... (For all of you who don't know me well, I'm the queen of bargain stuff. For all of you who don't know me well AND not observant enough, I LOVE purple.)

Later, after some thinking, I decided to go back and buy the bag, as you probably can guess, it's already gone...

then I have been searching for a bag for two months... today, I continued my search...

Initially, I saw some really cheap bags, and wanted to settle for them, coz I'm tired of searching...

Then I saw a bag, very similar to the one I saw last time...

but almost $100 more expensive...

And I bought it...

Ritual Bath (Faye Kellerman)

I have actually already read most of the books in her Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus series, then went back to the first one in the series.

This book is more like a romance than a mystery (though it is not a complete romance, coz in the end the couple is still not together), yet it is a very unconventional one. Romantic suspense is a very popular genre, this one is special in the religious aspect. And this is what attracted me when I read my first Faye Kellerman book-- Prayers for the Dead. (If you haven't read it, READ IT NOW, or after you read the intial few books, it's the BEST book in this series.)

Rina Lazarus is a VERY devout Jew, and she met Peter Decker in this first book when her friend got raped and Peter is the detective in charge of the case. She fought their attraction as Peter is not an Orthodox Jew.

The mystery part is quite weak in my opinion, maybe that's because I have already knew who the rapist was from the start as I have read about it in the later books of the series.

It doesn't matter though. I love the series for all the Jewish custom and the characters, and the evolving relationship of Rina and Peter. (The story carried on long after they got married. Some writers believed getting married is the end of the story and that's stupid.)

Also, it's such a rare thing to read about the heroine with such strong religious principles (though she did something really out her character in the later books, hmm... I don't think Kellerman should write that, anyway...) I can really understand her need to find someone with the same religious principles, though I am not Jewish. And I have never read this sort of storyline in another book, but this is a struggle faced by so many people I know.

I strongly recommend this book. If you love mystery, the reviews are quite good (it's just me who don't like the mystery part, though I have to admit mystery has never been my favourite genre). If you don't like mystery, the character development is quite good too. I just read the book for the characters myself.

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt (Anne Rice)

I had finally finished reading this book. I had stumbled upon this book while surfing on NT Wright's website. (He's a New Testament scholar, and the Bishop of Durham)

The beginning and the end of the book are quite good, but the middle portion is quite boring, sounds like a Jewish customs manual, detailing on how to make offerings, how to celebrate the various festivals. I had to flipped through them. I think she had far too much information, but did not know how to incorporate them into the novel interestingly.

Back to the good parts, I think her work helped me understand how Jesus grew up to die for us. Why Jesus would grow up this way and see dying on the cross as salvation to all? Instead of doing it in the way we mere mortals can imagine.

I liked the scene where Jesus saw the man being murdered at the temple, and also the scene where Jesus understood men were born to die.

The best part of the book is the author's note. Ha! What Anne Rice would have thought about this! I know the story itself has been created with meticulous research, the quest for Jesus and the love of God. However, in the author's note, I can really see Anne Rice's own personal experience with God. How God used everything, every way to change a person. (Even one who's turned an atheist.) It's just like the sermon I had heard earlier and wrote about. God choses His own people and sees them.

Listen to both NT Wright & Anne Rice talking about their writings here.

Started reading Anne Rice's book

When I first saw the book, I thought Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt was written by someone with the same name as the Anne Rice who wrote Interview with the Vampire (and thought who would use the name of an already famous writer to publish a book??)

In fact, it was written by the same person!! I read Interview with the Vampire (Chinese translated edition) years ago, and did not like it. Never read another vampire book until Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series.

Really interested in seeing how this vampire-creator-turned-Catholic handled the re-creation of the historical (and fictional) Jesus.

Family - forwarded to me by a friend

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.


He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."


We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.


But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.


Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.


When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.


He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.


While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,


"While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.


Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.


Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.


He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."


By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.


I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.


"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.


I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."


I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."


I said, "Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."


FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company
that we are working for could easily replace us in
a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss
for the rest of their lives.


And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
into work than into our own family,
an unwise investment indeed,
don't you think?
So what is behind the story?


Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU