Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

I didn't intend to, but I finished this book in one sitting.

In short, Edenbrooke is a romance novel set in the Regency Period (all of a sudden, I miss my Dummies Guide to Jane Austen, which I left in Singapore :/). It stars Marriane, a not very ladylike lady who's sent to live with people she doesn't know (to you know, turn her into a lady). But on the way there, she runs into a little trouble. And from that, she meets Phillip, whom she quickly discovers is part of the family she's going to stay with. To make matters bigger, he's the head of the house (which means that her sister Cecily is aiming to marry him) and she's falling in love with him.

While I'm not that much of a romance fan (so many have explicit scenes :/), this story was touching and captivating. I kept on reading because I wanted to find out what happened. And I wasn't disappointed. Plot-wise, the book is fantastic.

Character-wise, I really like the book too! Phillip and Marriane are fantastic main characters, and their interactions were very entertaining. Marriane isn't just un-ladylike, she's also a very considerate sister. She holds back on loving Phillip because she considers him her sisters. Most of the other characters were also expertly characterised. But there were two (Louise and Cecily), that gave false impressions.

False impressions because I honestly thought that the sister-rivalry concept was going to be explored in this book. There was this lovely quote that convinced me of it:

"I had to be different from Cecily so I would not be inferior. We could not occupy the same space together. Like horses in a race, I was tired of jostling for position and losing. I chose a different course so that losing would not be an option."

But there was no conflict, no resolution. At the end of the book, both sisters live happily ever after (even though Cecily doesn't win Phillip, she doesn't seem the least disappointed. Strange, considering that she's supposed to be determined to marry him). This book is slightly more than 250 pages, so I think that more could be written on this.

Still, this is only a small quibble. I have no complaints about the book, I just want to read more of it.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

I don't know why, but the two Irish books that I read all have unique narrative voices. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha uses something that approaches stream-of-consciousness at times, and Angela's Ashes doesn't have any quotation marks, which just makes the prose flow and flow and flow. Both books are quite similar.

For one thing, both them are about the Irish Childhood. But while Paddy Clarke focused on one year (with flashbacks), Angela's Ashes ranges from birth to about twenty (when Frankie goes to America). And Angela's Ashes is also set in America.

And, both of them both quote the same poem (I'm quite sure). In particular, they both quote this line:

"And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew,/ That one small head could carry all he knew."

I love those two lines!

Angela's Ashes is sometimes funny, sometimes sad and always wonderful. I'm not sure why, but I have this impression that this book has dark humour. Of course, I may have mixed it up with another book :p Apart from the fact that Frankie (Frank) McCourt lived an interesting (but somewhat sad) life, the writing is fantastic! I'm not surprised that this was chosen as my unseen prose text, there's so much to say about the writing style, about the, OH YEAH, I said something about oversharing more.

So basically, after I got this as an unseen prose in MG (the teachers have such good taste!), I've been looking for the book after that. I don't think I actually attempted the text (I'm terrible at poetry, but somehow, I score better at it), but it left a deep impression on me. So imagine my surprise when I found it at BookOff? Well, the first copy was large print and quite expensive (about 800 yen), and not in very good condition. So imagine my surprise when I find an almost pristine paperback for 200 yen. I did not let go of the book after that.

This book didn't disappoint. You definitely have to read it, it's fantastic!

Teaser Tuesday - 30 Days to a New You by Steve Cioccolanti

Personally, I find the title and
cover misleading. 

It's Tuesday again so you know what that means! Teaser Tuesday! Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. All you have to do is post two "teaser" sentences from your current book and share it's title.

I didn't start any new books so far (sadly, I have mid-term exams starting from Friday. Good thing I wrote some spare reviews during the Summer Break/Before this week). But I am reading this devotional titled "30 Days to a New You." So here's my teaser:

"To be a Christian means far more than changing religions, joining a Church or being forgiven of sins. It means Christ has transformed us to be so much like Himself that we can legitimately be called His Body and we can truly represent Him on this earth." (page 23)

So, what do you think? Does this quotes sound like it comes from a book that is titled like a self-help book?

What are your teasers this week? Leave a link in the comment and I'll make sure to visit your blog!

Samurai Awakening Giveaway!

I don't normally do giveaways (in fact, this is my first time participating in a rafflecopter giveaway :p), but I really loved Samurai Awakening, and I hope that one of you gets this fabulous prize - a signed copy. If you're unsure about whether to join, you can read my review of Samurai Awakening to make up your mind.

Ganbatte~


a Rafflecopter giveaway