august book challenge

I've been more selective with my book list lately (so as not to waste my time). My current practice is to search Amazon for the book description and star rating. I would only read books that have at least 4 1/2 stars and above (though I sometimes make an exception for 4 stars if i like the plot or the author).

53. Susan Mallery - Accidentally Yours
It's been a long time since I've read any of her books but I'm glad I did. This book is a wonderful mix of romance and family drama. 4 1/2 stars.

54. Sarah Mayberry - Anything for You
First time reading this author but I like her. I've always loved the best friend-turned-lovers plot (i've read quite a few). The only thing i didn't like is the girl thinks too much that it leaves the guy confused. It's not his fault she is so hopelessly in love with him and it's unfair to suddenly just get out of his life because she can't control herself. No wonder the guy felt betrayed. But of course the guy is also dumb to not realise his feelings for her too. 4 1/2 stars.

55. Carly Phillips - Kiss Me If You Can
I've read her previous books and they mostly sucked (Hot series was so-so) but this new series is quite good! I love the 2 characters, Coop and Lexie but I also love grandma Charlotte and Sylvia and their back story! I think Carly has been watching Grey's Anatomy.. as Charlotte refers to Sylvia as her person (like Meredith and Cristina.. she similarly wrote that "Sylvia will help her bury a dead body if needed").. Looking forward to the next series with Sara and Rafe! 4 1/2 stars.

56. Ally Blake - Getting Red Hot with the Rogue
4 1/2 stars. Though this book was a bit similar to Accidentally Yours (with the female going to extreme lengths to get noticed by the hot male), I love their gutsiness that matched well with the male lead's strong masculine appeal.

57. Lori Wilde - All of Me

There was something wrong with the ebook I got that the chapters were all jumbled.. so at first i was confused with the story but it was good enough that it did not keep me from finishing the book. I love both characters and the side characters but nothing really special. 4 stars.

58. Sarah Mayberry - Her Best Friend
i love this book!! it's not of my fave themes to read. i love amy and quinn. the whole time i felt like crying coz the story was sweet. the characters were not perfect and that's what made it seem real. the only thing i didn't like though was that it felt like quinn didn't have his own decision - he liked amy when he was young but he didn't make a move, and then the other girl made the move and then they became a couple and were together for several years until hs, college and even gotten married. then years later, he comes back and realises he loves amy? i hope he didn't settle for amy but still it was a beautifully written love story. 4 1/2 stars.

59. Gemma Halliday - Scandal Sheet
Tina reminded me so much of the people in TMZ (the author did say she was inspired by TMZ) so it was a bit funny reading that Tina was a gossip columnist. The book also had a nice whodunit mystery though it was light, it still made me keep guessing all throughout the story. I also like the bodyguard - though i didn't really feel the chemistry between them. My only comment is how bad gossip columnists really twists their words just to sensationalise news. It feels bad sometimes for the celebrities but i'm guilty with reading these tabloids too! 4 1/2 stars.

60. Leslie Kelly - Play with Me
I love the story.. the role play was funny, the romance was sexy, the characters were fun.. my only problem here is that it's too sexually graphic... too many sex scenes that i just skipped the other parts so i'm giving this 4 stars instead of 4 1/2 stars.

61. Maddie James - Perfectly Matched
4 stars. the book was too perfect.. it was like love at first sight for both characters and there were no real conflicts and the book was too short.

62. Kay Hooper - After Caroline
4 1/2 stars. after a slew of feel good romances, i thought i'd change a bit to romantic suspense, and i'm glad i did. kay hooper's story is similar to sandra brown's older novels about a small town and the secrets kept by its residents. i love the lead heroine, i thought she was strong and independent (and a little bit nosy.. hehe) and i love the sheriff (well i love reading books about small towns and sheriffs.. i find them hot). nice emotional story and also kept me guessing til the last chapter who the killer was. looking forward to reading her other novels (though i read in amazon that her other novels are just 4 stars).

63. Rachel Gibson - Truly Madly Yours
i have been a big fan of gibson ever since i discovered her 2 years ago.. i have read all of her books (and have copies).. and i can't believe that all this time, i forgot to read this novel! i thought i read them all. i love this book so much. i couldn't stop reading this (i was enroute to hk) and didn't sleep until i finished this book! i think this is one of my fave book of hers (afte see jane score and true confessions). now i can't wait to read her newest novel! 4 1/2 stars

64. Jamie Sobrato - The One That Got Away
another could have been 4 1/2 stars but fell flat in the middle. i guess i was hoping it would be similar to mayberry's novel but it was not. i didn't really feel that marcus really really liked the ginger.. i thought it was more one sided and i thought the ending was also a bit rushed. 4 stars.

Books that I did not finish..
1. Christie Craig's Gotcha! - the story was okay, a bit like Jennifer Crusie with the romance slash mystery but i couldn't get invested in the characters to finish the story. i stopped halfway and moved on to Carly Phillips's Kiss Me If You Can (which i managed to finish in just a few hours as compared to trying to finish Gotcha for the entire week)
2. Elizabeth Bevarly's You've Got Male - i couldn't even finish the first chapter.. total snooze..
3. Lori Foster's Causing Havoc - the story started interesting enough but the guy being the UFC fighter didn't really get my attention and thought that the plot was just going the usual boring way so I stopped after chapter 2 (or 3).
4. Marie Ferrarella - Plain Jane and the Playboy

Rain in Manila

I'm not a die hard fan... but I WANNA WATCH!!!! LOL!!!

should i go alone or miss this? i want to watch him sing Love Song and It's Raining.. woohoo!!

fall tv 2010 preview

yay! my fave shows are back soon!

taken from televisionwithoutpity.com

Castle (returns Sept 20) We've heard of star-crossed lovers, but star-crossed partners? ...Okay, we've heard of those, too. It's actually pretty common. But, while we all knew that Detective Kate Beckett and author/honorary cop Rick Castle were totally into each other, it took them until last season's finale to realize it themselves. Unfortunately, Castle decided he couldn't compete with Kate's detective boyfriend and asked his ex-wife/editor to come to the Hamptons with him for the summer... just as a newly-single Beckett was about to take him up on the same offer. Something tells us this show will find a way to keep these two in flirty mode for at least another year.

Grey’s Anatomy (Returns September 23) Mandy Moore is coming back to the show for a visit. We're not sure why, but it hopefully won't involve sitting around watching another doctor die. James Tupper (formerly of Men in Trees) will be a new love interest for Teddy, Derek will give the old Chief his job back and Meredith's miscarriage will have a major impact on the season.

The Mentalist (Returns September 23) While we're still wondering if Kristina is Red John, or what exactly the connection between her and the serial killer is, we're not sure when that mystery will be resolved (wild guess: not soon). However, Grace is getting a love interest in the form of Eric Winter, and Malcolm McDowell will be returning as a mysterious church leader.

and some of the new and interesting shows:

Boardwalk Empire (Premieres September 19) We're waiting with bated breath for this highly touted HBO series from Sopranos scribe Terence Winter and producer Martin Scorsese. This period crime drama literally looks fantastic, with Steve Buscemi at the center of the action in a Prohibition-era Atlantic City. If it's half as good as we think it will be, it'll still be the best show of the fall.

Lonestar (Premieres September 20) We don't like this show just because it co-stars Friday Night Lights alum Adrianne Palicki, but that certainly doesn't hurt. We were actually won over by the concept, which sounded iffy on paper, but succeeds on screen. James Wolk is a con artist who lives a double life, wheeling and dealing and dating one girl while married to another. He swaps identities with ease since he's been doing it for years at the behest of his con-man father David Keith. But when trying to scam the uber-wealthy father of his wife, played by Jon Voight, he ends up trying to be a good person instead of taking the money and running. The pace may feel a little slow at first, but the tricky nuances and character development definitely pay off.

The Whole Truth (Premieres September 22) Yes, it's another courtroom drama, but it's actually got a novel twist: it focuses equally on both the defense and the prosecution and their overlapping trial prep, culminating in a suspenseful verdict pronouncement. The great cast includes TV vets Rob Morrow as the laid-back criminal attorney and Maura Tierney as the DA. Here's hoping that this procedural show ups the ante throughout the season like The Good Wife did last year.

Hawaii 5-0 (Premieres September 20) Remakes... they can either be Battlestar Galactica or they can be Knight Rider. This probably falls somewhere in the middle, as it doesn't have the lofty scope of BSG, but it does the original justice while adding some fun modern elements. Noted showkiller Alex O'Loughlin is surprisingly serviceable in the lead role, but his partner Scott Caan is much more charismatic and we love that the show is rounded out with the geek-friendly Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and Grace Park (BSG). We're hooked, even if it means potentially having to hear the catchphrase "Book 'em, Danno" for seasons to come.

Blue Bloods (Premieres September 24)  It's a cop drama headed up by Tom Selleck as the patriarch of a family in which all the members of his family are in some branch of law enforcement. Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan and Will Estes are among the offspring. Expect skeletons in the closet, sibling rivalry and, of course, some backstabbing.

july book challenge

i was in mumbai for 1 1/2 weeks so wasn't able to read that much books... like my boss said, productivity of the team is high when we are in mumbai.. it's because everyone wants to go home asap! that's why we worked our butts off until 8pm then have dinner and i would be so tired, i would just go to sleep.

46. Jeff Kinney - Dog Days
still a cute series but i feel like he's ripping people off, writing a short book about what Wimpy Kid did for just one summer. 4 stars.

47. Julie James - Something About You
i have to thank my friend C for introducing me to this author. her books are always a breezy read with fun characters and lovable romance! 4 1/2 stars.

48. Cindy Gerard - To the Edge
i used to love buying her Harlequin/Silhouette books whenever I see them in booksale. This is my first time reading her stand alone novels and it's quite good. A bit of romance and action. This is the first of the Bodyguards series. 4 stars.

49. Eleanor Herman - Sex with the Queen
I've always been fascinated about history, esp if it involves a bit of interesting tidbits and behind the scenes tale of kings and queens. The first few stories of the queens were fascinating, but there were so many queens in the book and it's sad to actually read that they all suffered the same fate and went on the same path of destruction and power. The last bit on Princess Diana was a bit shocking. Didn't realise that behind the sad and pretty facade lies a needy and manipulative b*tch. but of course these maybe half-truths and she may have led a miserable life so who are we to judge? 4 stars.
50. Laura Griffin - Thread of Fear
My cousin C recommended this author to me. Her writing kept me interested to finish the series except she was like Lisa Gardner, the killer was so out of the blue and unexpected. It was like she just needed a plot to start the ball rolling and focused entirely on the romance part and then wham! last chapter they finally figure out the killer and it's nobody important. But still a good read. 4 stars.
51. Leslie Kelly - Suite Seduction
For a while I've stopped reading Harlequin and Silhouette romances but have recently gone back to my habit. The plot is nothing new but she kept it fresh by injecting lots of funny scenes and romantic moments. I would love to read the rest of her books. 4 1/2 stars.
52. Marie Force - Line of Scrimmage
I love reading about sports romances (Deirdre Martin, Susan Phillips, Rachel Gibson) so I tried this book... and loved it! 4 1/2 stars.
actually, not bad. i was able to breach the 50th book mark! Hooray!! 48 books to go!

amazon is p1ssing me off

it's bad enough that they dropped the price a few months ago when iPad came out... now there's even the improved versions with 3G + WiFi and black color? Arrghh!!

need you now

Picture perfect memories, scattered all around the floor

Reaching for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now
Said I wouldn't call but I've lost all control and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now

Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door
Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time

It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now
Said I wouldn't call but I've lost all control and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now

Woah, woah

Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now
And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now, I just need you now

Oh baby, I need you now

- Lady Antebellum

gotten

by Adam Levine & Slash

So nice to see your face again

Tell me how long has it been
Since you've been here
(since you've been here)

You look so different than before
But still the person I adore
Frozen with fear
I'm out of love but I'll take it from the past
I'll let out words cause I'm sure It'll never last

And I've been saving
These last words for one last miracle
But now I'm not sure
I can't save you if
You don't let me
You just get me like I never
Been gotten before

Maybe it's the bitter wind
A chill from the Pacific rim
That brought you this way
(that brought you my way)

Do not make me think of him
The way he touch your fragile skin
That hunts me everyday
I'm out of love but I can't forget the past
I'm out of words but I'm sure it'll never last

And I've been saving
These last words for one last miracle
But now I'm not sure
I can't save you if
You don't let me
You just get me like I never
Been gotten before
Like I never been gotten before

So nice to see you face again
But tell me will this ever end?
Don't disappear

And I've been saving
These last words for one last miracle
But now I'm not sure
I can't save you if
You don't let me
You just get me like I never
Been gotten before
Like I never been gotten before