Book Review: Letters to Katie by Kathleen Fuller

You only hurt the one you love. This is the exact case with Katherine Yoder and Johnny Mullet. When Katherine passed out due to her severe headache that has been happening to her for several weeks, Johnny finally realised her importance in his life. However, she doesn’t remember what the man of her dreams said to see her before she collapsed. As the female protagonist struggles to recall her recent memories of Johnny, a man named Issac suddenly arrives. He claims that they had been writing letters to each other, before her illness. This is a story with a great premise.

My view

I was mildly surprised to find out that this is the third book in the Middlefield Family series. When it comes to reading book series, I would prefer to read them in chronological order. Then again, who doesn’t? So I was a little bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to understand some parts. At one point, I felt that I should check out the first two series before devouring myself in Letters to Katie. But I did not, because the author did a fantastic job in piecing together and breaking down the story.

There is a frequent use of Pennsylvania Dutch, which was why I kept going back to the glossary to find out the meanings of these special words.

One minor downfall of this book: I expected more excerpts of the characters’ letters. I mean, the book is titled ‘Letters to Katie’ after all.

Letters to Katie is a book filled with enduring characters. Katherine, Johhny, Anna, Laura, Sawyer- and many more- are such likeable characters. Their headstrong, never-say-die attitude makes me want to root for them for their happiness.

The book has great space and depth. Some romance novels can get rather slow-going and commonplace. Fortunately, this is the opposite case for Letters to Katie.

My overall reaction: A book rich with humanity. A pure and heartwarming read.

Verdict: 4/5 stars

National Service

One of the hot topics in Singapore. This probably explains the popularity of this movie. Fine and all the best to the cast and crew, I just never understood the hype around it. Am I the only one???

It sends you to a weird place when you witness your mother crying. My brother, the baby of the family was enlisted to the Home Team Academy (HTA) on Tuesday. I expected my mother to be emotional about it. It’s her baby after all. I think that’s the difference between mothers and fathers. Unlike the mommies, the daddies are usually acting tough about it.

A pity we weren’t allowed to take pictures of the Academy. It was really pretty. Strange huh? You don’t normally associate the police force with pretty. But pretty was the first word I thought of when I saw the design of the building. The sky was also misty in the morning so the chilly weather showed the brilliance of it.

When my brother received his enlistment letter, we were dazed. Instead of joining the army, he was placed in the police force. It’s very rare. Then again, my dad too was in the police force during his enlistment. My guess is that the ministry probably digged out the enlistees’ family records. Maybe they were all,

‘ Since the dad served in Singapore Police Force, the son shall too! ‘

The HTA put up a nice performance for this event. There was even a saxophone performance of The Beatles. Strong pipes, that’s all I have to say for the saxophone players.

It wasn’t until when we saw the fighting sequence performance when my mom got teary-eyed (the poor woman must have gotten a shock).

To me, it was like this:

To my mom, it’s Halo and Call of Duty. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re seriously missing out.

So these past few days with the absence of my brother have been relatively odd. He’s practically a human version of the GPS. My dad can even get lost driving in a shopping mall car park.

I hate to admit it. Just the idea of it makes me want to barf in disgust (very sure that my brother will feel the same way if he were to know), but I do miss my brother. It’s funny the way human beings work.

I think the proudest moment for all was during the affirmation of allegiance. It’s over-whelming to hear the enlistees’ loud booming voices. You can almost hear their parents’ heart bursting with pride.

Pictures of Botanic Garden Part II

Related blog post:Botanic Garden

Giveaway: Dressy Suede Bowling Bag by Zara

credits: getgumball.com

Always share good things with everyone, right? Gumball is currently hosting a free giveaway for you people! This sweepstake depends on the number of eligible entries (think twitter, facebook etc), so you need not make any necessary purchase.

 

credits: getgumball.com

Function and fashion all in one.

And it’s easily one of the most attractive-looking bowling bags I’ve ever seen.

 

credits: getgumball.com

However, this is only open to legal residents of the 5o United States including the district of Columbia and Canada with the exception of Quebec.

The dream stops here for me now. Too bad I live in Singapore… Still,  I hope you guys win!

 

Click here to join in the fun!

 

The YA Column

As a self-proclaimed bibliophile, I’m constantly on the lookout for good books, be it at the library, or at a local bookstore. Reading not only expands our vocabulary, it also helps us understand the different ways of our everyday life. That said, it is the probably the most rewarding activity- other than exercising- that one can do. As William Nicholson once said, ‘We read to know that we are not alone.’ However, with the rising popularity of Harry Potter and Hunger Games, one can’t help but wonder,

Are all young adult books only about wizards, dystopian fiction and mystical creatures?

Well, not all young adult novels are filled with killing games and vampires (yes Twilight, I’m looking at you). Here is a short list of some great Y.A. reads!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just for Teenagers

This is not my thumb by the way.

There’s a reason why the Chicken Soup for the Soul novels have sold over 130 million copies around the world. Full of short and inspirational stories, they never fail to make me feel better about myself. Everyone knows that it’s not easy being a teenager. You go through many obstacles in life like social issues and stress from school work. This self-help book series always reminds readers that even if we feel lonely, we are not alone.

Totto-chan The Little Girl at the Window by Teksuko Kuroyanagi

Granted, this is a children’s book. In spite of this, I find myself re-reading Totto-chan over and over again. Set during World War II, the book follows Miss Kuroyanagi‘s (it wouldn’t feel right if I address this fine actress/host/writer/Goodwill ambassador by her first name) childhood memories in Tomoe Gakuen. Maybe it’s got to do with the late Chihiro Iwasaki’s artworks. With the pretty pictures accompanied, I find myself drawn to this simple, yet spell bounding book.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

I tend to avoid chick-lit books at all costs. It wasn’t until I came across this attractive-looking novel at a local bookstore that I decided to give it a shot. I mean, I’ve got nothing to lose, so why not? Set at Cousin’s Beach, the trilogy follows Isabel “Belly”, with her mom, and older brother, Steven. Along with them are her mother’s best friend and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Even though it can be a wee bit corny, I find it to be delightful. If you like contemporary fiction/romance, I’ve got a piece of good news for you: this is it.

Tribes by Catherine MacPhail

I took approximately 2 hours to read Tribes. I’m no expert, so I could be wrong. Kevin thinks that gangs are stupid, and even proudly proclaimed that he would never join one. Alas, one thing led to another (I’m not going to spoil you), he decided to give in and joined the tribe, the best gang in town. Tribes talks about friendship, family and well, gangs. Tense and engaging, the book left me speechless. Recommended for pre-teens (judging by the age of the characters), but if you enjoy reading provoking books, this will be worth it.

The Third Eye by Lois Duncan

I am a hardcore Lois Duncan fan, so it’s no surprise that The Third Eye will always be one of my favourite books. Karen Connors is eighteen years old and has a popular boyfriend because she’s in a young adult novel. Connors, a high school student, has a gift- a psychic gift, that is. After a series of strange happenings, she is asked by Officer Wilson if she would be willing to locate a missing girl. If you like suspense and mystery like I do, you definitely don’t want to miss this great read.

I’ll end my post with the ever popular Keep Calm meme:

Keep Calm, and read on.

Note: This article was emailed to an entertainment and gossip forum. So I guess it wasn’t a surprise I haven’t heard back from them. I figured they weren’t going to publish it. Still, it’s a waste deleting this article. These books have helped me got through my school life, and I hope they would do the same for you lovely readers too! What are some of your favourite YA reads?

Picture it & Write: A Short Story XII

ermiliablog click to join

 

“ You know, tattoos are really cool. ” That’s what I often hear whenever I meet people in bars. How are they cool? James Dean is cool. Lamborghinis are cool. No, not tattoos.

I had my first tattoo when I was 16- to honour my late granny. Even she was cool. She had a total of 7 visually stimulating tattoos on her body.

The second tattoo on my back was a ‘spur of the moment’ decision. I’ve always been insecure with the way I look. Sure, I’m not hideous. It’s just that whenever I look in the mirror, all I see is an ordinary nineteen year old girl. I have nothing special. I’m plain.

 

But it all changed when I met her.

 

” Excuse me, miss,” said she.

 

“ I just want to say you’re beautiful. “

 

She was dressed in an all white – blazer, pants, even shoes. One look at her, you know that she’s a woman who walks to the beat of her own drum. In an odd way, she was like a dove who never got to fly, stuck in this massive yet small world.

 

Sarcasm? Like Sheldon Cooper, I could never get the hang of it.

 

“ Umm… Thanks, I guess. “

 

” No. You don’t understand. You really are… beautiful. “

 

Teary-eyed, the woman gave me a fresh-cut rose and walked away.

 

I began to see myself in a new light. The rose, like me, blushes with beauty.

 

 

 

Short story was inspired by this.

I selected this post to be featured on Creative Writing Blogs. Please visit the site and vote for my blog!

Picture it & Write: A Short Story XI

ermiliablog.wordpress.com

Warning: mild coarse language

 

” Mum, my hands…”

” It’s only your first day in school. My gosh, you’re acting like a bride on her wedding day! “

…

Breathe, just breathe Fantasia thought to herself. Just this morning, she was obsessing with her clothes while standing infront of the mirror by her dressing table. Is it the top too chessy? Too geeky? Maybe I should change it… Oh no, the shoes! What shoes am I going to wear? Should I let my hair down? No no no, is that a zit on my forehead?!

In the end she settled with a slim cut jeans and a pink tank top that adds a pop of pretty colour. As for her zit, turns out it was just a harmless mosquito bite.

As Fantasia walked down the freshly painted hallway, she began working on her introduction. She initially thought of Honey Bunny from Pulp Fiction, which goes something like this:

 

” Any of you fucking pricks move, I’ll execute every motherfucking last one of ya! “

 

If she doesn’t want any friends, and risk being sent to the counsellor then sure, this is the way to go. But no, Fantasia immediately gave up this ludicrous method. Best to keep it short and sweet.

The first day in school, in Fantasia’s opinion, is the most important day. This is the day to establish a tone with your teachers and schoolmates. The day where there’re new beginnings and new friendships.

Standing outside the door of room 7, she could hear the giggles and chatters of her future classmates. Breathe, just breathe. You can do this.

 

 
If you would like to join in the fun (which you most definitely should), click here.

Start the week with free clothes: An international giveaway

Reblogged from :

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Call me a social late-bloomer (is there a term like that?), but I recently got addicted to online shopping. Last Monday, I had sealed an order for five items in an online shop and got the products four days after. Fast? For me, yes. Some of the items I ordered before (mostly books), take two to four weeks before arriving in my doorstep.

Read more… 703 more words

Botanic Garden

#nofilter

try and spot the majestic swan!

 

 

makes me wanna go ‘Tarzan’.

 

 

 

Edward Cullen in flower form

 

 

 

I don’t just take pictures of books you know.

 

An apology for the dearth of posts

I know. I’m a terrible blogger, but just hear me out.

Just last week, I had a nasty migraine attack. Head was pounding and threw up 5 times. All in all, it was plain misery. To add on, my 6 year old niece came over for a visit.

Now, there’s only one hyper active kid but somehow I felt like I was babysitting three of them. The highlight of the visit was definitely her asking me to scrub her bottom after she took a dump. Obviously I refused (so to all the mothers out there, I salute you ladies).

She’s a sweetheart, an absolute cutie. It’s just that the idea of her hanging around for 3 days, 3 nights is simply, how should I put this delicately… right, extreme. If I could use 4 words to describe her, it’d be:

Angel face, devil laugh

Literally. I wish I’ve recorded a video or an audio clip of her laughing. Picture this:

babyboomerme.com

She worries me sometimes. She would ask the exact question 4-5 times a day.

‘Is her memory really that bad?‘ was all I could think about.

It appears that I was worrying for nothing; she was messing with me. Aren’t kids just wonderful?

Having her here is bad for my self-esteem as well.

‘Why do you have pimples?’ is another frequent question.

With my constant headaches, you could say that I was feeling grumpy with her around. I know I shouldn’t feel this way since she’s just an innocent kid, but still.

It wasn’t until when she said,

‘My mummy and daddy are good friends.’

Turns out that her parents weren’t wearing their wedding bands anymore. Some part of me thinks that it’s best for her to know it early, so that she’ll know that this is not going to be the biggest curveball life is gonna throw at her. Yet, another major part of me feel that it’s better to keep her in the dark. She’s only 6. Let her have that, even though it’s going to be a short one. I only wish that things won’t be too nasty, and that her parents would give reassurance and love to her.