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| Close up of Tea Gardens |
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| With my brother, SIL and Mom |
Are there any fictional characters whom you have emulated (or tried to)? Who and why?
or
What literary character do you feel is most like you personality-wise (explain)?
My first thought was NO ONE. However, I have always thought Scarlett O'Hara and I have too much in common. We are both Aries, headstrong and can do to extreme, not caring about consequences. Yet I draw a line at not hurting others. O'Hara didn't give a damn.
There have been certain others characters with analytical minds, which I felt were kinda like me. Other than that, I don't really recall.
"I am going to have to insist that you give me the pottery shards," Ami called out. "There's no other way to ensure the safety of your sister."
~~~Page 275
Title: The Book of Lost Fragrances
Author: M. J. Rose
ISBN: 978451621303
Publisher: Atria Books/2012
Pages: 347
Jac L'Etoile has moved away from their family business of Fragrances, House of L'Etoile, in Paris to US. She has been haunted by her past and tries to be as far away from her home. She has made a successful career as a mythologist, television personality and author. She has no plans to join the family business with her brother Robbie.
Robbie finds something in the Archives and Jac is not very keen to know more about it. Then Robbie goes missing, a body is found in their perfumery, she has to come back to find him. She doesn't believe that he committed the crime nor that he is dead.
She, along with her past lover, Griffin North, tries to find Robbie and only then she discovers a world of intrigue, ancient memories and old fragrances. She can visualize her past life, going back and forth to the ancient Egypt, French revolution and the present time Dalai Lama. Then there are people interested in the old pottery shards, in the memory tools, to look into past lives, to know about their reincarnations.
With much detailing, the novel does not move fast but we learn a lot about fragrances, ancient Egypt, Cleopatra, French revolution and also about China and Tibet, regarding Dalai Lama. It has been weaved well. All these might not gel with some but for those who like intrigue, history, suspense, this book will work fine. M. J. Rose does know how to research, before venturing into writing. This is my third book by her and I look forward to read more.
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| M J Rose |
Guest Post - Âmes Soeurs, the Scent of Soulmates by M J Rose
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, we get a theme to list our top tens.
This Week's Pick: Top Ten Genre Books
I am listing Top Ten Love Stories of all times. Those are in no particular order:
1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
2. Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
3. Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
4. Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
5. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
6. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
7. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
8. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
9. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
10. Love Story by Erich Segal
There it gets a little hinky. At first they put out that he’d been shot because an employee who was on another level of the garage told responding police she had heard two popping sounds, like shots.
Title: The Fifth Witness
Author: Michael Connelly
ISBN: 9781455510313
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing/2011
Pages: 448
Micky Haller known as The Lincoln Lawyer has started to take cases on foreclosure and is successful in that. Mortgage loans bought by third party creditors impacts the home buyers and Haller can help them beat the system by charging a much less fee. One of his clients, Lisa Trammel, is arrested for a murder of a banker and he has to defend her.
Lisa, a former school teacher, has a small son, her husband has left her. She is leading a protest group, in streets and online too with lots of similarly placed people. Lisa is not a likable person but Micky has to fight for her to save her skin.
I loved the court scenes, the way Haller's mind works and how bigger people involved in foreclosure situation. Everyone wanting a piece of the pie! There are mobsters and Bikers gangs to enhance it. It is one perfect court case legal drama. In this recession hit times, one can understand Lisa's situation and sympathize with her. I think I will pick up more novels with Micky Haller.
I took a long time to finish this novel due to a massive reading slump but was very satisfied with the end result!!
Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. This month it is hosted by Anna of Diary of an Eccentric.
I received one book, thanks to the publicist.
The Book Of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose: Jac L'Etoile has always been haunted by the past, her memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up surrounded by as the heir to a storied French perfume company. In order to flee the pain of those remembrances--and of her mother's suicide--she moved to America. Now, fourteen years later she and her brother have inherited the company along with it's financial problems. But when Robbie hints at an earth-shattering discovery in the family archives and then suddenly goes missing--leaving a dead body in his wake--Jac is plunged into a world she thought she'd left behind.
Back in Paris to investigate her brother's disappearance, Jac becomes haunted by the legend the House of L'Etoile has been espousing since 1799. Is there a scent that can unlock the mystery of reincarnation - or is it just another dream infused perfume?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey
Finally I finished reading:
The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly
What book do you wish you were reading right now? Where would you take it to, if you could go anywhere to read for a while?
My reading is VERY slow right now. I wish I could just about pick any book and read it at one go. The time and place are irrelevant in a massive reading slump.
Which non-series book would you most like to read the sequel to? Do you have any wishes for what might happen in it?
The first book that comes into my mind is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I am not going to speculate but would like to leave that to the author how he wishes to take it further.
Wally tricked her into signing a contract for legal representation, promised her the moon, sneaked out of the room as quietly as he’d sneaked in, then proceeded to butcher her case. She netted $40,000, which her husband drank and gambled away in a matter of weeks, which led to a divorce action filed by Oscar Finley.
~~~The Litigators by John Grisham
David Zinc is sick of being in a big time law firm. He is tired of the work and one day he walks out of it and lands up with Finley & Figg, which is a non-descriptive law firm. They mainly deal with divorce cases and are ambulance chasers. They don't really need David but he offers his services and they just accept him.
Finley & Figg land up a big case, where they take on a very big drug company, which has produced a wonder drug for cholesterol control. But it is also supposed to cause heart problems. They think they are going to make a lot of money without much work. David is skeptical but he goes along. In the way he pursues another case on his own.
Small time lawyers going for big time keeps the story line in a good pace. Grisham can still keep our interest intact. I couldn't put it down once I started it. I recommend it all those who love legal thrillers.
Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. This month it is hosted by Anna of Diary of an Eccentric.
I received one book, thanks to the publicist.
The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen
In Grace McCleen's harrowing, powerful debut, she introduces an unforgettable heroine in ten-year-old Judith McPherson, a young believer who sees the world with the clear Eyes of Faith. Persecuted at school for her beliefs and struggling with her distant, devout father at home, young Judith finds solace and connection in a model in miniature of the Promised Land that she has constructed in her room from collected discarded scraps—the Land of Decoration. Where others might see rubbish, Judith sees possibility and divinity in even the strangest traces left behind. As ominous forces disrupt the peace in her and Father's modest lives—a strike threatens her father's factory job, and the taunting at school slips into dangerous territory—Judith makes a miracle in the Land of Decoration that solidifies her blossoming convictions. She is God's chosen instrument. But the heady consequences of her newfound power are difficult to control and may threaten the very foundations of her world.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey
I am still in the midst of reading:
The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly
When you walk into a bookstore — any bookstore — what’s the first section you head toward (what draws you)?
I usually gravitate towards Crime Fiction section. After that I go to the literary fiction section. I also sometimes check out the world fiction. It depends on my mood.
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Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character? Who and what about them did you love?
I have not fallen in love with any fictional characters as such but I have loved quite a few while reading the books. For their knowledge, acumen and empathy. Not all those in one person!!
