Book Review: Sundays At Tiffany's

Like the movie "Breakfasts at Tiffany", I can't understand why Tiffany appears in the title when Tiffany doesn't really have a significant presence in both the movie and the novel other than the fact that, I saw both heroines showed up at the world famous jewelry store very briefly. I just wonder why the book isn't called "Sundays at St. Regis Hotel" cause it's more relevant to the story.... but it probably won't sell as good.

The story was not too impressive. It's about the romance between a grown up woman with her childhood imaginary friend who somehow returned to her adult life as a real boyfriend... It's just that and the rest of the book is literally filled with the mundanes of the daily life of the heorine as a lonely and unhappy rich girl, then more mundanes of all the places she went, she ate, she visited (Tiffany is one of those places) and she went for her dates with her boyfriends. Many pages are devoted to describing what restaurants were the characters eating at and what they were eating. I find it quite lame..... cause you can easily write a story like that using a copy of the Los Angeles Magazine "dining" sections and the "places to hang" section and just connect the pages with any girl (model, student, single mother, etc, etc,) with any man (the mayor, the governor, superman, or a terminator) then just fill in some coversations, some kisses, and a sex scene, and wala, you get a book called "Afternoons in Hollywood"......

I wonder if the story is lame because James Patterson is no expert in the romance department like Daninell Steel or Nora Roberts. I thought he only wrote thrillers or mysteries, never knew he was branching out into romance too until now. But then, not sure if he wrote it himself or his assistant writer wrote it and he just edited it...

The book has a great cover and a great title (anything that draws on the success of both Tiffany and the movie "Breakfast at Tifanny" will sure sell).... and that's about it. It's a short book that can be finished in a few hours, I suggest you read it in a bookstore or the library if you really have nothing to do, cause it's really not worth the price.

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Book Club Discussion 1: Question #2

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"One can never tell the story of a marriage," Nora says to Harrison (page 151). "At the very least, a marriage is two intersecting stories, one of which we will never know." What does Nora mean by this observation? Are there relationships depicted in the novel that support her statement?

My answer:

I think Nora means literally just what she says, marriage is the very private business between the couple who are in it, and nobody outside the marriage can really tell what's going on behind the closed door of a married couple. Very often, outsiders can only see what the married couple choose to let them see for different reasons, for pride, for the career, for the children....Outsiders usually don't see a problem until a marriage finally comes to an end. But even then there are his side of the story and her side of the story. Since marriage is between two people, it's only natural that there are going to be two different points of views in about everything. When two different lives, which are seperate stories to begin with, are brought together in a marraige, of course there is the intersection of two stories. I think not only all the relationships in the novels supported Nora's statment, but all the relationships in the real world do support it too. Our former senator, John Edward's marriage, is the latest example.

If you're reading this book, please participate in this discussion by posting on your blog your answer and a link back to this post. Then put a comment below to let us know where your blog post is. If you don't have a blog, just put your answers in the comment box. Thank you for particpating in this book club discussion.

Obama Cuts Grant To School Libraries

I just came across this post about how President Obama is going to eliminate the "Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Grant Programs". I hear that the school libraries are upset. I can understand cause everybody who work in the school libraries are at stake here. The elimination of such programs can mean that school libraries will have less money to spend on book purchase, on salary increase etc., etc.

I never went to K-12 here in America, so I have no idea how the school libraries in this country are run, or are effective in terms of making an impact in improving the quality of public education here.

President Obama is cutting school libraries funding because he is increasing education spending by $400 billion (god, just the $$ makes me feel dizzy as a young taxpayer..). Obviously more money is going to spend on education, just not in the "school libraries". Since I haven't read the detail of where this $400 billion is actually going to go down the "education" pipeline, I can't really comment whether or not the school libraries should get a piece of this $400 billion.. I mean can't Obama afford to give the school libraries $10 billion for the "Improving Literacy Through School Library Grants Program" out of this $400 billion instead of "nothing'"??

Again, this can only be answered when we can look at what areas are the $400 billion going to be spent, compare the relative benefits of them with the ones of the "Improving Literacy Through School Library Programs"

As a taxpayer, I of course support any cut of goverment spending, I even hope the government isn't going to increase education spending to $400 billion, period. But since President Obama is going to spend $400 billion of tax dollars on education anyway, why not apportion part of that to the school libraries? But since we already have the public libraries in every city and town, is it really necessary to spend more money on school libraries? I don't know since I didn't grow up here in America. May be those of you who did, can tell me. Do you like your school libraries, how do you feel about President Obama's funding cut to school libraries?

The Blade Itself

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Book Description: Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he's on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian - leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.
Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glotka a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood. Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is noir fantasy with a real cutting edge.

Marie Antoinette: The Journey

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Book Description: France’s beleaguered queen, Marie Antoinette, wrongly accused of uttering the infamous “Let them eat cake,” was the subject of ridicule and curiosity even before her death; she has since been the object of debate and speculation and the fascination so often accorded tragic figures in history. Married in mere girlhood, this essentially lighthearted, privileged, but otherwise unremarkable child was thrust into an unparalleled time and place, and was commanded by circumstance to play a significant role in history. Antonia Fraser’s lavish and engaging portrait of Marie Antoinette, one of the most recognizable women in European history, excites compassion and regard for all aspects of her subject, immersing the reader not only in the coming-of-age of a graceful woman, but also in the unraveling of an era.

The Gigantic Book of Fishing Stories

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Book Description: This one-of-a-kind volume has something for everyone who fishes, whether he or she fondly remembers fishing with worms as a child or hurls the fanciest flies toward great prey like Atlantic salmon and tarpon. Its selections celebrate fishing for bass, catfish, trout, striped bass, crappie, tarpon, muskie, Atlantic salmon, bonefish, pike, and many other species. If it swims and can be landed with a rod, line, and hook, it's featured here—as are locations all over the world, from the greatest rivers of Montana to Southern lakes to shores of all American coasts to far-off locations around the world.

Anglers will find their favorites here, writers who have made a living writing on the joys of fishing and renowned names of literature who have shared their tales and wisdom: James Henshall, Mark Sosin, Rudyard Kipling, G.E.M. Skues, Roland Pertwee, Henry Van Dyke, Dave Barry, Bill Barich, Ted Leeson, John Maclean, James Prosek, Lefty Kreh, John McPhee, Zane Grey, Joan Wulff, Howell Raines, and so many more. There are also wonderful little-known pieces by virtually unknown authors, and special discoveries—like the famous painter of birds, John James Audubon, writing about cat-fishing in the Ohio River. Fishermen nationwide will love this gigantic compendium—and it will make an ideal gift.

The Night Watch

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Book Description: The Night Watch series has caused a sensation never before seen in Russia -- its popularity is frenzied and unprecedented, and driven by a truly great, epic story. In 2005 Fox Searchlight announced it had acquired the Russian film adaptation for an American release. Interest in the books here is now set to reach a fever pitch.

Set in modern day Moscow, Night Watch is a world as elaborate and imaginative as Tolkien or the best Asimov. Living among us are the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce. But an ancient prophecy decrees that one supreme "Other" will rise up and tip the balance, plunging the world into a catastrophic war between the Dark and the Light. When a young boy with extraordinary powers emerges, fulfilling the first half of the prophecy, will the forces of the Light be able to keep the Dark from corrupting the boy and destroying the world?

An extraordinary translation from the Russian by noted translator Andrew Bromfield, this first English language edition of Night Watch is a chilling, engrossing read certain to reward those waiting in anticipation of its arrival.

Inspirational Quote I Last Read

"A respectful man will always respect any job he does."

Author is unknown to me, translated from a Chinese book I last read. Did you come across a quote that inspires you today? What is it?

The Scar

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Book Description: A mythmaker of the highest order, China Miéville has emblazoned the fantasy novel with fresh language, startling images, and stunning originality. Set in the same sprawling world of Miéville’s Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning novel, Perdido Street Station, this latest epic introduces a whole new cast of intriguing characters and dazzling creations. Aboard a vast seafaring vessel, a band of prisoners and slaves, their bodies remade into grotesque biological oddities, is being transported to the fledgling colony of New Crobuzon. But the journey is not theirs alone. They are joined by a handful of travelers, each with a reason for fleeing the city. Among them is Bellis Coldwine, a renowned linguist whose services as an interpreter grant her passage—and escape from horrific punishment. For she is linked to Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin, the brilliant renegade scientist who has unwittingly unleashed a nightmare upon New Crobuzon.For Bellis, the plan is clear: live among the new frontiersmen of the colony until it is safe to return home. But when the ship is besieged by pirates on the Swollen Ocean, the senior officers are summarily executed. The surviving passengers are brought to Armada, a city constructed from the hulls of pirated ships, a floating, landless mass ruled by the bizarre duality called the Lovers. On Armada, everyone is given work, and even Remades live as equals to humans, Cactae, and Cray. Yet no one may ever leave.Lonely and embittered in her captivity, Bellis knows that to show dissent is a death sentence. Instead, she must furtively seek information about Armada’s agenda. The answer lies in the dark, amorphous shapes that float undetected miles below the waters—terrifying entities with a singular, chilling mission. . . .China Miéville is a writer for a new era—and The Scar is a luminous, brilliantly imagined novel that is nothing short of spectacular.

Free Books February

Want a free book? Check out the links below! Or, you've got books to give away this month? In the link box below, please enter the book title in the "Your Name" blank, and the post url (if you have a blog or website) where you posted your book giveaway:

Free Books February Giveaways Participants

1. Dream Makers-ends March 2 2. Unexpected Blessings-ends Feb 9 3. Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet-ends Feb 5 4. The Swan Thieves (Audio)-ends Feb 5 5. The Swan Thieves (Audio)-ends Feb 6 6. Alice I Have Been 7. Government Girl 8. Unamed 9. O, Juliet 10. American Rust 11. The Rose Of Sebastopol 12. Lone Star Ledgend 13. Drood 14. The Secrets of Eden-ends Feb 2 15. You Are Here-ends Feb 16 16. Secrets of Eden-ends Feb 28 17. Keeping The Feast-ends Feb 28 18. Crazy Heart-ends Feb 16 19. Through The Triangle-ends Feb 15

20. Split Kiss-ends Feb 28 21. Night of Pleasure-ends Feb 14 22. Death of Valentine-ends Feb 15 23. Nefertiti-ends Feb 15 24. Ashamed of The Gospel-ends Feb 17 25. Thirteen Years Later 26. My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions-ends Feb 25 27. Black Hills-ends Feb 28 28. Rose Hill-ends Feb 23 29. Morning Glory-ends Feb 23 30. Simply Quince cookbook-ends Feb 28 31. Countess of Scandal-ends Feb 13 32. The Truth About Lord Stoneville-ends Feb 13 33. ROSES-ends Feb 26 34. The Swan Thieves Audiobook- Ends March 1st 35. I am Ozzy Audiobook-Ends March 1st 36. The Last Surgeon-ends Feb 23 37. 101 Things To Do With Meatballs-ends March 2 38. Still Life - ends March 2

39. The Body Finder-ends March 16 40. First Daughter-ends Feb 19 41. The Dark Divine-ends Feb 21 42. The Moon Looked Down-ends March 5 43. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt-ends March 4 44. The Girl She Used To Be - ends March 12 45. Corked - Ends March 4 46. Totally Toned Arms - ends March 6 47. Last Snow - ends March 1 48. Try Darkness - ends March 7 49. The Imposter's Daugther - ends March 19 50. How Not To Look Fat - ends March 10 51. Shadow Tag -ends March 12 52. Connect The Dots - March 19 53. When Turtles Fly - ends March 11 54. Worst Case - ends March 13 55. Chicken Soup For The Soul: Count Your Blessings - ends March 23

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