http://sumanam.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/throwback-thursday-2/

http://sumanam.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/throwback-thursday-2/

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Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Jenny at Take Me Away who says, "It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

So, I'm pitching in this week with my selection: I've picked up books recently that have either been written by authors who have been compared to Douglas Adams of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fame or have quoted/made reference to the book(s). I'm excited to add that I received an email yesterday advising me of its imminent shipment! Considering that I've read so many of Kurt Vonnegut and Tom Robbins over the years and have recently added Christopher Moore and Victors Gischler to my repertoire, it's amazing I haven't picked this one up sooner. Now, I just have to locate some Thomas Pynchon books.

Leave me a comment below with your throwback pick and of course, head over to Take Me Away to give props to the host.

My ABC's

I was tagged by Issa at Fiction Does it Better and seemed it fun so, well, here are my ABCs. :)


Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you

2. Share your ABCs

3. Tag three people at the end by linking to their blogs

4. Let the three tagged people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website

5. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag


Here goes. . .


Available or single? Available

Best Friend? Melissa

Cake or Pie? Cake

Drink of choice? Twinings Lady Grey tea or Tazo's Awake

Essential item for every day use? Tooth brush, the day can't start until I've brushed my teeth.

Favorite color? Purple

Google? YES, I love Google!

Hometown? Whitby, Ontario

Indulgences? Books, music, movies

January or February? February...it's one month closer to spring

Kids and their names? 1, Jordan

Life is incomplete without…? my daughter

Marriage date? July 13th, 1991...no it wasn't a Friday, lol

Number of siblings? None.

Oranges or apples? Oranges

Phobias and fears? Roller coasters!

Quote for the day? "Whoever is happy will make will make others happy too." - Anne Frank (okay, I kind of cheated...it was the Google quote of the day...my blog has my fave book quotes on it constantly, lol)

Reason to smile? My daughter's singing...it's so bad! But the fact that she can sing now, where she couldn't 2 years ago, always puts a smile on my face :-)

Season? Spring

Tag 3 people:
I'm not sure if they already did this but here goes:
Eva at A Striped Armchair

Krista at Life or Something Like It

Mel at He Followed Me Home/

... and anyone else who would like to play!

Unknown fact about me? I played the clarinet for years in school...i don't announce that fact these days :-p

Vegetable you hate? Celery, It's the most useless, tasteless thing ever discovered! ( I do apologize to all the celery lovers out there, but try as I might, I just can't bring myself to like it, even when it's been doused with vodka in a caesar!)

Worst habit? Googling/blogging when I supposed to be working (just don't tell the boss, k?)

X-rays you’ve had? Chest, wrist, neck

Your fave food? Mushrooms

Zodiac sign? Leo

"Waiting On" Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday, hosted by Breaking the Spine, is a weekly event where we get to share what upcoming releases we just can't wait to read.


I am in need of some humour. After finishing The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks and The Divorce Partys by Laura Dave, both of which have heavy topics, I feel it's time for some good old silliness. Again, it's a two-parter for me, one book has already been released and has been getting great comments (plus has been sitting on my bookshelf for about a month now), the other comes out in October 2009:




So, what book is it you just can't wait to get your hands on this week?

Review: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

The first thing I'd like to say about Nicholas Sparks is that all of his books should come with a box of tissues. This should be a prerequisite to reading them.

In his newest novel, The Last Song, Sparks tells the story of Ronnie a teenager on the verge of adulthood. She has been going through a rebellious phase, arguing constantly with her mother and not speaking with her father for the past three years. This comes to a head when she and her ten year old brother are forced to spend the summer with their father, whom she blames for the breakup of the marriage.

Upon arrival in Wilmington, North Carolina, she continues her alienation of her dad while finding herself mixed up, once again, with the wrong crowd. Over the summer, though, she discovers that being an adult has deeper meaning than just independence. It means protecting those you love from harsh truths. It involves love, loss, forgiveness and ultimately the need to keep faith in yourself and those you love.

Sparks has remarkable insight into the mind of a struggling teenage girl faced with many obstacles as she embraces maturity. He is consistent in making us open our eyes, through all of his characters, to see the big picture and realize what should be most important in our lives.

So go out, pick up this book and get ready for the emotional roller coaster that The Last Song will inevitably take you on.

Review: The Divorce Party by Laura Dave

The first and only time I'd heard about a divorce party was on an episode of CSI:Miami. Of course one of the participants is murdered and cheesy sunglass removal ensued. This translates to zero knowledge of what to expect at an actual event.

In The Divorce Party, Laura Dave tells the stories of Maggie, a former writer turned, along with her fiance, Nate, future restaurant owner, and of Gwyn, Nate's mother, who is preparing to celebrate the end of her thirty-five year marriage to Thomas.

Maggie is the proverbial rolling stone, having stayed in eight cities over eight years. She must look at her life and her history to find out if she can finally settle down with Nate.

Gwyn is the woman that has been taken for granted. Everyone thinks that, in her, what you see is really what you get. But she has a few things up her sleeve.

Maggie sets out to meet Nate's parents for the first time, on the night of their Divorce Party (what a strange night to be introduced to you future in-laws, no?) and instead finds out truths about Nate and about herself that could jeopardize their future together.

As the two woman take a good hard look at themselves and at the others in their lives, Dave gives, through them, voice to the question most people in relationships have - whether we can ever truly know someone, regardless of how much time you've been spent together, or if knowing everything about someone really matters in the end.

The book was an easy read, quick yet still thought provoking. At times the writing was a bit repetitive, but this was the method the author choose to get her points across. Overall, fairly enjoyable.

Click here for an excerpt.

Review: Vampire a Go-Go by Victor Gischler

In Vampire a Go-Go, we have the story of a modern man, our intrepid hero, Allen Cabbot, whose greatest ability to date is his uncanny ability to research anything, "Imagine a superhero whose mutant power was prying out library's secrets...Perhaps in his youth he'd been bitten by a radioactive librarian." A self proclaimed geek with a penchant for having his heart broken by the wrong type of girl, he unwillingly gets mixed up in mysteries, folklore and magic . Then again, what do you expect when you attend a school named Gothic State University?

On the other side of things, we hear tell of a couple of alchemists who, long before Harry Potter and his involvement with the Philosopher's Stone, made it their mission to find this notorious item, namely Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley. The story is generously narrated by none other than Edward Kelley, or at least the author's approximation of him (Dee and Kelley were actual alchemists, back in the day). Having been abandoned by Dee then left behind, spiritually, at Prague Castle since the late 16th/early 17th centuries, Edward is now the man in the know.

Visiting internet cafes and bars, ancient libraries and the former seat of the Roman Empire, this cast of characters are all in search of the "stone" that will finally allow its possessor to turn lead into gold. Well that should help out the world economy, right? In addition, it is thought that perhaps the stone could bring eternal life, and who doesn't want that?

The novel delves into deep issues like can a large Jesuit priest be left in charge of purchasing a bra or if zombies have a shelf life and if so, how best to contain them; hard pressed matters that I'm sure we've all encountered at times in our lives.

With several organizations working towards the same goal, it's unclear who we should be rooting for but, of course, each group has their own agenda. Perhaps a conference call amongst the groups would have alleviated some of their struggles from the beginning, uniting them in the battle against the true bad guys, but where would that have left us with a story?

Lycanthrops to a Freemason based society of witches and wizards, the story is a mixture of National Treasure meets Harry Potter , with a dash of the Southern Vampire Series . We're taken on a fast paced romp around Prague, where no stone is left unturned (pun fully intended!)

Gischler has finally voiced warnings that members of my generation have known all along about dealing with the supernatural, "Split up?...I've seen enough episodes of Scooby Doo to know that's a bad idea."

Vampire a Go-Go is fun, gruesome, smart and well worth the read.