Monday, March 31, 2014

Musing Monday: ten poems to say goodbye by Roger Housden

MusingMondays5
Musing Mondays asks you to muse about something related to reading/books each week…...

As most know, I am a poet and avid reader of poetry. I can read all kinds of poetry. Today I will discuss a poetry book where the author has taken ten poems by well known poets. Reading these poems help us letting go. That is what Roger Housdon has detailed here.


ten poems to say goodbye by Roger Housden covers 10 poems by well known poets which are steeped in spirituality. 

Each of the ten poems is followed by an essay where he analyses the poem, explaining its importance and meaning. The poems tell us how to go about saying goodbye. With our mind, heart and soul. 
My favourite poems in the book are "The Lost Hotels of Paris" by Jack Gilbert  and "How It Will Happen, When" by Dorianne Laux.   There are poems by Ellen Bass, Gerald Stern, Rilke, and few others which make such a pleasurable read. The explanation by Housdon at the end of each poem takes us to another world.


I quote from the closing lines of Jack Gilbert's poem:

". . . We see the memory
of when they were, once upon a time.
And that too is more than enough."


If that isn't goodbye then what is?

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Catching up with my 2013 Reviews....

Monday: Mailbox/What Am I reading?

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent  home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:

Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach

I received the following novel, thanks to the author/publicist:


The Moses Virus is a thriller primarily set in modern day Rome. Two American archaeologists die suddenly in an underground passageway in the Roman Forum leading to the buried rooms of Emperor Nero s Golden Palace. The Italian authorities conclude that the deaths were caused by a devastating and highly contagious virus. Tom Stewart, an NYU forensic archaeologist who was present when the deaths occurred, becomes entangled in the race to find the supply of the virus a race involving many powerful players desperately seeking the deadly contagion. Stewart must find and destroy the virus before others harness its sinister power. The Vatican, foreign groups, the world s largest genetically-modified seed manufacturer all have their reasons, and none will stop until they succeed, no matter what the cost or risk to millions of people if the virus escapes and causes a pandemic.
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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of BooksWe discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week. 

I finished reading the following:

54. The Officer and the Bostoner by Rose Gordon  (Historical Romance)
53. Winter Heart by Jane Bonander  (Historical Romance)
52. The Cowboy's E-Mail Order Bride by Cora Seton  (Contemporary Romance)
51. Heiress Without a Cause by Sara Ramsey (Historical Romance)


I am currently reading:

 ugly to start with by John Michael Cummings 
 The Elephant Tree by RD Ronald
 My Savior Forever by Vicki Green
 Pioneer Passion by Therese A. Kraemer

I posted the following reviews on my blog: 

Scandal's Child by Sherrill Bodine
The Civilized World by Susi Wyss
The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenoff
A Foreign Affair by Caro Peacock



Sunday, March 30, 2014

The Sunday Post/Sunday Salon: Weekly Update


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Another hectic week gone by.  All of us were buy preparing results which will be declared tomorrow. Next academic session starts from April 01, 2014. How the years fly!! New classes, new batches!! I have already got my time table and raring to go. 

I had signed for Spring Bloggiesta and made a to-do list as well. But I couldn't do any of it. Bad, bad me!!

However, next week we will have a couple of election training for the April 10 voting. Busy, busy, busy!!

 I downloaded the following free e-books:




I posted the following on my blog: 


Saturday, March 29, 2014

Saturday snapshot: Birthday pics!

My birthday was on 22 March but there had been no celebration. My young friend, Sanchita came over to my place on 25 March with a cake and flowers. We went out to the nearest McDonald's along with mom and Sanchita's 5 year old son. We were only four people but we had fun. Posting pictures....

THE cake!

Flowers, cake and moi!
Mom, the BOY, Moi

Moi, mom, Sanchita

Best foot forward!
Posting for Saturday Snapshot, hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy

Friday, March 28, 2014

Scandal's Child by Sherrill Bodine

“You cannot seek love, you cannot consciously decide to love. Instead love finds you and pierces your heart before you even realize what’s happening.”

~~~Posted for The Friday 56, which is hosted by Freda's Voice

Scandal's Child by Sherrill Bodine 

Kat Thistlewait's twin brother Jacko and younger sister, Mariah are making their society debut. Kat is told by godmother, Lady Tutwilliger to behave as a proper lady as the Thistlewait siblings are always getting into trouble. 

When Jacko does not turn up for his debut, Kat dreses up as a male and goes looking for him. She turns up at the inn he has been staying and the inn keeper, mistaking her for her twin brother leads her to Jacko's room where she falls asleep waiting for him. French nobleman Jules Devereaux, enters that room by mistake and undresses to sleep. Just then Lady Tutwilliger enters that room with Jacko's friends and Mariah. 

Found thus, Jules Devereaux offers to marry Kat. Lady Tutwilliger recognises the Frenchmen  and is delighted with the match. Kat is not keen to marry him but goes along with the plan. 

I liked Kat, her twin Jacko and Lady Tutwilliger along with Jules Devereaux's step grandmother Sybilla. Best part was Kat impersonating Jacko and killing the villain in a duel. There are too many characters but the fun element remains intact till the end.

The Civilized World by Susi Wyss


Adjoa had been going to Madame Janice's every week for the last three months, but she still couldn't put her finger on why her stomach clenched and her shoulders stiffened every time her twin brother, Kojo, drove her to the white woman's well-kept house. Madame Janice was a perfectly pleasant American lady who seemed to appreciate Adjoa's massages. Other than the African masks and statues displayed prominently in the living room, other than the rather rude night watchman, there was really nothing about Madame Janice or her home that could account for Adjoa's anxiety.

Title: The Civilized World
Author: Susi Wyss
ISBN: 9780805093629
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks/2011

Pages: 256 pages

The Civilized World is a novel set in Africa and told in stories. The beginning chapters speak about five women and how their life intersect in the last few chapters. Each story depicts the everyday Africa without any political statement or sensationalization. It is not about women who are driven by poverty or anything like that. These women are like us, with issues about children, in laws, finances and husbands. The end result can't be predicted as is true in real life. These women go through the path of life with all the complexities of life which includes social interactions.

Adjoa is in the midst of it and when she meets one of the women after many years, she can only ask for forgiveness and redemption. Is Janice ready to forgive and move forward? Will Adjoa get over her loss? 

Wyss' narration of Africa is so palpable that one can almost smell, taste and see the landscape and people clearly.  The author lived for a long time. That gives the narration a reality and makes it very readable.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenoff


"I mean, it's a lot to deal with, I know. I killed a man."
"You killed a Nazi," he corrects me. "To save your best friend."
"Sometimes it doesn't feel like that." I burst into tears.

Title: The Diplomat's Wife
Author: Pam Jenoff
ISBN: 9780778325123
Publisher: Mira Books/2008
Pages: 360

The Diplomat's Wife is a follow-up novel of  The Kommandant's Girl. The war is over and Marta Nedermann is trying to pick up the pieces. Paul, an American Soldier has come to free her from the prison. They fall for each other, plan to meet in London, and then get married to each other. However, Paul dies before they can meet and Marta marries a diplomat when she discovers she is pregnant. 

Her marriage is comfortable if not passionate. Two years later, there are more political changes. Communist loyalists have infiltrated British intelligence and there is one person in Marta's past who can help identify them. Marta goes back revisit her past and meets a few presumed to be dead. Her life is changed after that. 

This novel speaks of times after the war, in the time of peace. People find it hard to find love and difficult to adjust. The bodies might have healed but minds and emotions still are in a limbo. I found that the novel glossed over at times and did not cover the real hardships although it touched the issues. There are surprises but that didn't do much for the novel. It covered the period after the WWII and that redeems it.

A Foreign Affair by Caro Peacock


"Would you be kind enough to tell me where they keep people's bodies," I said.
      The porter blinked. The edges of his eyelids were pink in a brown face, lashes sparse and painful-looking like the bristles on a gooseberry. Odd the things you notice when your mind's trying to shy away from a large thing.

Title: A Foreign Affair
Author: Caro Peacock
ISBN: 9780061445897
Publisher: Avon/2008
Pages: 331

1837. England now has new queen, eighteen year old Victoria. Our heroine Liberty Lane has just lost her father, supposedly in a duel. Liberty does not believe it. She tries to follow trails leading to her father's death but find obstacles at every step. She is contacted by secret agents and is asked to pose as a governess in the Mandeville Hall. She has to spy on Sir Herbert Mandeville who is planning overthrow the new queen.

Libby is more concerned about finding her father's killer. Therefore, she agrees to the subterfuge. And falls right in the midst of conspiracies, horses, spies, duels and elopement. 

I enjoyed the dialogues, the ridiculous characters, misplaced plots and Liberty's quirky way of thinking. There is not a single dull moment. Justice comes in the end and how. That is fun part of it. Liberty Lane is a wonderful character and I really loved Amos Legge, a giant of a man with heart of gold. Such a rollicking ride in a mystery/suspense novel in 19th century England. I am gonna pick the next two Liberty Lane novels.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Monday: Mailbox/What Am I reading?

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent  home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:

Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach

I received the following novel, thanks to the author/publicist:

White Ginger by Thatcher Robinson

Armed with Buddhist philosophy and wicked knife skills, Bai Jiang works at being a better person by following her conscience, while struggling with what she likes to think of as "aggressive assertiveness."

     When a girl goes missing in San Francisco's Chinatown, Bai is called upon as a souxun, a people finder, to track down the lost girl. The trail leads to wannabe gangsters, flesh peddlers, and eventually to those who have marked Bai for death.


     Enlisting the aid of her closest friend and partner, Lee--a sophisticated gay man who protects her, mostly from herself--and Jason--a triad assassin and the father of her daughter--they follow the girl across the Bay and across the country. Bai confronts paid assassins and triad hatchet men, only to find that being true to her beliefs as a Buddhist and staying alive are often at odds. At the same time, fighting a faceless enemy who seems committed to having her killed fills her with anger and fear that sometimes turns into a burning rage with deadly consequences. 


     Flavored with dark humor, White Ginger serves the perfect cocktail of wit, charm, sex, and violence.


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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of BooksWe discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week. 

I finished reading the following:

50. Voltaire's Calligrapher by Pablo De Santis (Historical Thriller)
49. The Sekhmet Bed by L. M. Ironside (Historical)
48. The Civilized World by Susi Wyss (Literary Fiction)
47.  The Wedding by Lorhainne Eckhart (Contemporary Romance)
46. Scandal's Child by Sherrill Bodine (Historical Romance)
45. A Foreign Affair by Caro Peacock (Suspense/Mystery)


I am currently reading:

 ugly to start with by John Michael Cummings
 The Elephant Tree by RD Ronald
 My Savior Forever by Vicki Green
 Pioneer Passion by Therese A. Kraemer

I posted reviews of the following:

Sunday, March 23, 2014

The Sunday Post/Sunday Salon: Weekly Reading Update/Bloggiesta Spring 2014 to do list


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Another hectic week gone by. Election training in mid-week.Interesting. And too much work. But I am not much worried. Reading is going good. Look forward to the tablet that I have ordered! That means more reading!!I had a good birthday yesterday. With family, friends and at work! 

I downloaded the following free e-books:


I posted the following on my blog: 


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http://www.bloggiesta.com/2014/03/bloggiesta-spring-2014-sign-ups/

Spring Bloggiesta is almost here! Here is my to-do-list:

1. Catch up with my 2013 reviews (at least two)
2. Schedule at least two posts in advance
3. To do at least two mini challenges
4. To post reviews on Goodreads, by copy/pasting from my blog
5. Comment on other Spring Bloggiesta bloggers
6. change or fix one thing on my sidebar

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Saturday Snapshot: Birthday Girl!

My birthday today! A friend came over!


Posting for Saturday Snapshot, hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy

Friday, March 21, 2014

Friday 56: The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff

"One of the wolves leapt at me and I fell, screaming.
 I awoke with a start."

~~~Posted for The Friday 56, which is hosted by Freda's Voice

Title: The Kommandant's Girl 
Author: Pam Jenoff
ISBN: 9780778323426
Publisher: Mira/2007
Pages: 395

Emma Bau is 19 and has been newly married to Jacob when the Nazi tanks enter Poland. Jacob has to go into hiding as he is part of the underground resistance. Emma goes to the Jewish ghetto where her parents have been taken. One night she is smuggled out of the ghetto and is taken to live with Jacob's Catholic aunt, Krysia. Three-year old son Lukasz too is taken out to live with Emma and Krysia. Lukasz is the son of an imprtant rabbi who has been taken by the Nazis and his mother was killed in front of him.

Emma is given a new identity, Anna Lipowski, a gentile with a younger brother Lukasz. She catches the eye of Kommandant Richwalder and is made his personal assistant. In order to help the resistance, Emma has to compromise on her marriage vows. 

Emma has conflicting feelings towards the Kommandant. The ending was totally unexpected and powerful. Jenoff wrote a beautiful love story, the backdrop being the WWII. The holocaust is implied without the gory details. 

Blood Harvest by S. J. Bolton

'She's been watching us for a while now.'
   'Go on, Tom.'
   'Sometimes it's like she's always there, behind a pile of stones, in the shadow at the bottom of the tower, under one of the old graves. She's good at hiding.'
    'She must be."
    'Sometimes she gets very close, before you have any idea. You'll be thinking about something else when one of her voices jumps out at you and, for a second, she catches you out. She really makes you think it's your brother, or your mum, hiding around the corner.'

Title: Blood Harvest
Author: S. J. Bolton
ISBN: 9780312600518
Publisher: Bantam Press/2010
Pages: 421

In a small Lancashire village, the Fletchers have just moved into a new house very near to the moor. Their house is built on the ground that used to be part of the abbey, and overlooks the graveyard. The Fletchers have three young children, Tom (10), Joe(6) and Millie (2). Tom is bullied by older boys at his school and has visions of a young girl among the graves and fields. 

One day, due to heavy rains, one of graves collapses and two extra bodies are found in that grave which should have contained only one body of a infant girl. The two bodies found belong to two girls, one of which had gone missing and the other supposedly burnt in a fire. Harry is the new vicar who gets involved in the village activities. He is close to the Fletcher children too. Evie is a psychiatrist treating unstable Gillian, the mother of the child who was supposed to be burnt in the fire. Gillian is always roaming about in the moors trying to find her little girl. 

Tom somehow believes that the mysterious person he sees is involved with the deaths. He knows that his brother Joe too can see that girl but is not willing to share it with Tom. We find Millie too knows the The Girl. Tom is paranoid about saving his sister from being taken away. Harry, the vicar, too hears voices in the church. 

Who is this Girl? How is she connected with the killing of the infant girls? Why is she after Millie? Bolton has woven a wonderful story about paranoia, with the suspense element being intact. Very atmospheric and I totally liked the way the brothers care for their younger sister. For one so young, they know how to protect her and also protect each other. The supernatural element enhances the the novel. 

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Booking through Re-reading

btt button

Did you, for example, reread more as a child and your access to new books was limited by how often you could convince your mother to take you to the library? Has the economy affected your access so that you’re forced to reread more often now? Have you grown to look at old books as old friends so that you’re happy to spend time with them rather than rushing the next new thing?

I seldom reread now. There are too many books to read and too less time. I prefer to read new books rather than visiting old ones. But there are times when I go back to reread a favourite page or two!!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Velocity by Alan Jacobson



He was not going to kill her immediately. No—if there was one thing he had learned, it was to savor the moment, to be deliberate and purposeful. Like a predator in the wild, he would waste no energy. He needed to be careful, efficient, and resourceful. And above all, he needed to be patient.


That’s what he was now: a hunter who satisfied his hunger by feeding on others.
He sat alone in the dark parking lot, drumming his fingers on the dashboard, shifting positions in the seat. Talk radio hosts babbled on in the background, but he remained focused on his task. Watching. Waiting.

Title: Velocity
Author: Alan Jacobson
ISBN: 9781593156213
Publisher: Vanguard Press/2010
Pages: 400

FBI profiler Karen Vail is on a holiday with her boyfriend, Detective Robby Fernandez in Napa Valley. One evening, he goes missing. A serial killer is on a spree of killing people in uniform in that wine country. He is caught yet the killings continue. The killer leaves the bodies of the victims in public places. Karen is very much worried about Robby and fears he might be in grave danger. 

Just when they think, they are in the right trail, FBI orders Karen Vail to return to Quantico to handle an important case. Karen is not keen but she has to go back. There she meets convert government operative Hector DeSantos to find out what happened to Robby. It seems some people are trying to stall the investigations. The question is who? And why?

This is third Karen Vail series. However, it does stand alone. I liked the way Karen Vail goes about it investigations. She is emotional about Robby yet she is rational. She is not afraid of anyone. The last half of the novel is very good. All the loose ends are tied rather well and I learnt so much about the risk the people in uniform go through to save peoples lives. A wonderful thriller for all those love a fast paced novel. Government operative Hector DeSantos is a very resourceful and likable character.

Hurrah's Nest by Arisa White

We alone together is me, one egg in the pigeon’s nest
between my rusting ten-speed and brick wall.
The wind blocked my body from her.

Night and day we were audience
to feathers tossed and shit about.
It’s hard to listen to courtship.

She tells me, 
With children you will never be lonely.

-from “Disposition for Shininess” from Hurrah's Nest by Arisa White

Hurrah's Nest: poems by Arisa White

This book of poem speaks of a family, their interactions, hardships and everything in between. There is identity crisis, scars of being a family. One might feel that there is no love between them but it is not so. Poems are built from moments, memories and just being there. Each poem is a story in itself yet we don't feel anything is disjointed. 

The family consists of a mother, six brothers and one sister. There is a sense of abandonment by the mother but that too is just a passing feeling. Closeness is the end result, no matter what experiences one might have gone through in ones's family.....

I can go on but poetry has to experienced by the reader, felt in his/her heart....

Monday, March 17, 2014

Mini Reviews of Three Karen Robards Historical Romance Novels

Dark Torment by Karen Robards


Dominic Gallagher has been sent to Australia for Crimes against the Crown. Sarah Markham insists that her father buy him when she sees him being flogged by the Captain's Whip. In a way, she saves his life but the rebel is in no mood to be in her debt. 

While working in her father's land, Sarah and Dominic find themselves in close proximity and passion blossoms. Sarah is in a dilemma for feeling like this for an indentured servant. Then they discovered that someone wants Dominic dead....the big question is why?

Lady Gabriella Banning is devastated when she learns that her half-brother, the Earl of Wickham, has died on his tea plantation in Ceylon. She and and her two younger sisters are now penniless. Gabby has to think fast! 

Without letting her sisters know, she pretends that the Earl of Wickham has allowed for the London season for her beautiful sister Claire. She thinks that as soon as Claire finds a match, the truth will have to come out.

When she arrives in London, she finds Marcus, the Earl of Wickham is already in residence at their home. But both know the truth. That  the Earl of Wickham is very much dead. She can't expose him now with so much at stake. 

When sparks fly, Gabby and Marcus seem to be an odd pair of siblings wrongfully in love with each other. London society is buzzed with the scandal....the big question being....how is it going to affect Claire's future prospects?


It is second in the series of the Banning sisters. The very beautiful Claire Banning is now married to a rich nobleman. However, he turns out to be a wastrel. She has been left alone in one of his estates but she wishes for her rightful place in society by being near her husband, 
While travelling to her husband's estate on the coast of Sussex, she is kidnapped and confined in a cabin of ship with her kidnapper.

Hugh Battancourt, who works secretly for his country, realizes he had kidnapped the wrong person as soon as she tells him who she is. But he can't let her go without endangering both their lives. Claire thinks she has found true love in Hugh Battancourt but she knows they have no future as she is married. He makes sure she goes home safely. And then he turns up after a few months, now as a nobleman. He knows that someone is trying to eliminate her....

Karen Robards sure knows how to write Historical romances. Her heroines are strong characters. They have guts and are unafraid. The suspense element is good too. The edge is all there and one enjoys reading her novels.