Dog Handling, a novel by Clare Naylor

Yesterday, Liv Elliot had it all: a great flat in London’s Notting Hill, an actual career (okay, as an accountant), and a coveted fiancé. Every girl’s dream, right? But then Tim declared that the wedding was off—leaving Liv shell-shocked. Luckily, she’s got her best friend’s fab Australian beach house in which to recuperate.

The restorative powers of the Sydney sun, sand, and sea soon have Liv feeling wonderfully anti-accountant. Then she runs into old flame Ben Parker. It’s been years since they fooled around during a summer fling, but Liv never forgot that genetically blessed face. Raring to help her land beautiful Ben, Liv’s friends teach her the Rules of Dog Handling: Treat a man like a dog and he’ll be eating out of your hand. But surely this can’t actually work? Liv is about to find out that it can—but she’s hardly prepared for the results.

Treating men like we playing with dogs. It’s interesting and I never think about it. Before, I hate when I read the male character throw the female protagonist (or women, commonly) away like rubbish. In this story, women take control.

We can look Liv’s character develop. She’s just broke up, very desperate and do her job halfheartedly. She goes for vacation, have fun with her friends, have relationship with wrong guy again and learn how to treat them like dogs. She make her business well. She’s successful but not in her love life. There’s no one good point in lying – though it’s white lie.

I can imagine Australia in Liv’s point of view. The market, pubs, Mardi Gras parade, the beach. It’s like traveling promo to attrack tourists. And I can’t believe Ms. Naylor put homosexual characters. But, it’s ok. I think they make the story alive and even funnier. I laughed when I read Dave and James transformed to Cher or whoever they wanted to. I imagine handsome and tall guys (yeah, make me happy) but they wear and do women stuff (wig, makeup, waxing, OMG!) It’s look like my eyes hopped out of its place. Make me “Wow!”

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Septimus Heap: Magyk, a novel by Angie Sage

The 7th son of the 7th son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son, Septimus?

A different magical world from the one that stuck in our head (Harry Potter sagas). Wizards and witches live with human, ghost and soldiers in ancient country which was lead by a queen. They live in castle, tower or barracks. They wear robes and tunics and hunt animals for food. The spells are unique. We hold the charm and then say the incantation. It’s in English, tends to poem style with modification in writing. For example: Magyk for Magic, Darke for Dark. Half Harry Potter, half Chronicles of Narnia. This story is full of imaginations.

Good story, but I feel a little bored especially before Boy 412 started to talk. After that, the intensity grow bigger and bigger. A child knows nothing about magic and he doesn’t realize there is super magic inside of him. I can’t stop reading. I see their world, I see their journey, I see many weird creatures. In the end of the book, Ms. Sage gives us surprise (actually I can gues what it is and I’m right).

I can’t wait to the second book, Flyte.

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Shopaholic and Baby, a novel by Sophie Kinsella

Becky’s life is blooming! She’s working at London’s newest big store, The Look, house-hunting with husband Luke (her secret wish is a Shoe Room)...and she’s pregnant! She couldn’t be more overjoyed—especially since discovering that shopping cures morning sickness. Everything has got to be perfect for her baby: from the designer nursery…to the latest, coolest pram…to the celebrity, must-have obstetrician. But when the celebrity obstetrician turns out to be Luke’s glamorous, intellectual ex-girlfriend, Becky’s perfect world starts to crumble. She’s shopping for two…but are there three in her marriage?

Ms. Kinsella is genious. What Becky thinking of is different than Luke’s. Readers are influenced to think like Becky and wondered what is happening with them. She thinks like that because Luke is mysterious. And with affair symptoms, Becky’s suspicious is complete. When I think it is clear, the antagonist is back.

Becky have to face problem she had made and the consequence is her marriage. I like the ending (although The Brandons still don’t have their own house). I let my tears flow when Becky feels Luke has cheating on her (thank God he is not).

All the female characters are brand-minded, though not so crazy as Becky. They help and support Becky when her husband is not around with their own way. Luke is the best male character from all the book I’ve read (so far). Very kind, gentle, caring, dedicated to his work, clever and rich. Perfectly perfect. I will be very happy being his wife.

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Behaving Badly, a novel by Isabel Wolff

All men are beasts…

…or so Miranda Sweet believes. As an animal behaviourist, she can get inside the heads of deluded Dalmatians and introverted iguanas, but she can’t work out why the men in her life behave so badly. Animals are braver kinder and a lot more reliable. So Miranda’s given up on love to open her own clinic and work her magic on neurotic pets and their grateful owners.

But can she keep the whole male species at bay for ever? Her best friend, Daisy, an incurably romantic wedding-planner, doesn’t think so. When a delicious photographer comes into her life, even Miranda starts to wonder if she’s been a bit hasty. But, just when she’s letting her guard down, her past starts to catch up with her. Now, she has to face up to her own behaviour, which hasn’t always been as sweet as she’d like to pretend…

It’s a good story (with very few sex scenes , I like it). The main character is not too cheerful, yet not too shy. She’s average. Miranda is a pet psychiatric and she receives email from her patients that asks about their pets. From the story, now I know pet’s behavior. Why my dog likes bulying other dog, why my cat likes water, etc. I’m sure pet lovers love this book. Ms. Wolff also wrote about photography. Though a little, I know what they’re doing in the dark room (is it its name, isn’t?). I know they go to places and takes landscape photos, feel the wind and see themotion of the cloud and capture the dawn or twilight.

Miranda’s guilt makes her brave. She look for the one she wants to see, she finds him and she asks for forgiveness. I can say the story is rather black because Miranda tell readers she did bad thing in the beginning of the book. Readers know Miranda’s feeling and how she can’t tell the truth. Nevertheless, Miranda hates her ex-fiance, so her feeling is more stress than before.
The story is so me. When I read it, I realize, “Wow, it’s me”. No, no. I never do bad things like Miranda. But what they say, feel, think, do; their behavior, their relationship, it’s like me. The book is my other life that people can consume. I feel like I’m the role model of the character. Yeah.

The rarer action is in virtue, than in vengeance…

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Vampire according to... (3)

Twilight Saga (Stephenie Meyer) – 2005-2008
- Nomads and hunt people, except The Cullens who live in Forks and hunt animals
- Gods-like human
- Don’t sleep in coffin, even don’t sleep at all
- No need ordinary food though they can
- Sunlight doesn’t hurt them but make their skin sparkling. Not afraid of cross and garlic
- Live forever
- Pale, cold and hard skin
- Can run fast and have strong power
- Don’ turn into bats
- Charmed people without purpose and they don’t even know they do that
- Many of them has special ability. Mind reader like Ewdard and precognition like Alice
- The color of their eyes change according to their mood
- Werewolves are their enemies ... End

The Tales of Beedle The Bard (J.K. Rowling)

Out Now!

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers’ attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger’s new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J. K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly imaginative tales: “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot,” “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart,” “Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump,” and of course, “The Tale of the Three Brothers.” But not only are they the equal of fairy tales we now know and love, reading them gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.

The stories are accompanied by delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by Ms. Rowling herself, featuring a still-life frontispiece for each one. Professor Dumbledore’s commentary—apparently written some eighteen months before his death—reveals not just his vast knowledge of Wizarding lore, but also more of his personal qualities: his sense of humor, his courage, his pride in his abilities, and his hard-won wisdom. Names familiar from the Harry Potter novels sprinkle the pages, including Aberforth Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy and his forebears, and Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington (or “Nearly Headless Nick”), as well as other professors at Hogwarts and the past owners of the Elder Wand. Dumbledore tells us of incidents unique to the Wizarding world, like hilariously troubled theatrical productions at Hogwarts or the dangers of having a “hairy heart.” But he also reveals aspects of the Wizarding world that his Muggle readers might find all too familiar, like censorship, intolerance, and questions about the deepest mysteries in life.

Scholastic Inc.

Vampire according to… (2)

The Saga of Darren Shan (Darren Shan) – 2000-2003
- Have organization with princes as the leaders and have many generals
- Almost look like human (not always good looking)
- Sleep in coffin
- Cut the victim’s skin (not only human, but animals as well) and drink their blood they need to then seal the wound with their saliva. Still eat ordinary food
- Have marks in finger tips. They change human to vampire with flowing their blood into human’s and vice versa
- Afraid of sunlight, but not cross and garlic
- Live longer than human but still can be killed with knife, wood stake, guns or fell from high ground
- Have human-sized canines
- Strong and can move fast, have better senses
- Can’t change into bats although bats (and rats) like them
- Vampaneze is vampire’s enemy. Vampaneze is vampire’s counsin with purple skins, red eyes and love killing people for blood ... Continued

Star Craving Mad, a novel by Elise Abrams Miller

Maddy Braverman is addicted to celebrities. She spends her free time (at thirty and single, she has a lot of it) reading and fantasizing about famous people. A teacher at an elite Manhattan private school, Maddy nearly falls in a faint when she finds out that Lola Seabolt, daughter of her biggest movie star crush, Nick Seabolt, will be a student in her class this year. Maddy manages to keep her wits about her most of the time because she knows she doesn't have a chance - Nick is happily married to another Hollywood superstar, Shelby. With help from her scruffy but handsome teaching assistant, James Wilkins, Maddy is able to separate doing her job from her celebrity passions. Then Nick begins to make moves toward becoming more than just friends. Will Maddy achieve her dreams of landing a celebrity lover? Or will she realize that true love is closer than she imagined?

The book tell us Maddy’s madness about celebrities. She dreams life (and fall in love with celebrity) that she can’t have. She searched too high and fell from above. She doesn’t see what’s in front of her: friends (and a man) that care for her. They give her pure love, not fake one and vanish after the director said “Cut”.

Ms. Miller is author, actress and ex- elementary teacher. She wrote this story according to what she felt and faced. She really knows how to teach 5 years old kids. She really knows what happened behind the scene of films. And she really knows the power of copyright. Maddy Braverman faced those and I can feel I almost know those. At least, I’m writing novel. So I try to save my stories well.
I know how hard to publish books through publishing house. We have to wait few months for response. If they accept, we’re happy. If they say “No”, we have to send other story or try again to other publishing house. But Maddy is very lucky. Publishing house published her first story after she faced complicated conditions. Even without her sending it.

I want that too. Not the complicated conditions, but my story being published. My books are displayed in book stores. What a long way to see that…

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Love, Hate and Hocus-Pocus, a novel by Karla M. Nashar

Hate at first sight. Exactly those are words to describe Troy Mardian and Gadis Parasayu. They are good partners – as good as their rivalry.

According to Gadis: Troy Mardian is a perfect human figure who forgets his roots. He is Indonesian, but why he acts like western people? Brunettes, speaks English, brand-minded and do whatever he can to show himself as metrosexual people so The Indonesia Most Eligible Bachelor is still him.

According to Troy: Gadis Parasayu is the funniest name he ever heard. He spent most of his life in America and there are no crazy parents named their daughter Beautiful Face Girl. So narcissistic! Yeah, her face is exotic and her body is as perfectly as JLo, but she is local minded, isn’t she? Come on, that’s not cool!

They have one in common. Don’t believe in hocus-pocus, fortune telling, psychic, astrology, tarot card, feng shui or whatever in world of fortune reading.

But what happen when they woke up in a sunny Sunday and got themselves in the same bed like Adam and Eve expelled from Eden – naked, ring in their fingers and blurry memories from their marriage 13 days before?!

It’s very funny story. I can’t just smile. I laughed a lot at Gadis’s and Troy’s life after their sudden marriage. They are so different. One of them is Indonesian minded, the other is western-style minded. The woman doesn’t care with body treatment while the man do care so much. He has his own cosmetic bag. Ckckck… All I say is “Oh. My. God.” I can’t imagine there is a man like him. So narcissistic and he do realize he has the look and brain to get fans.

It’s an interesting and amusing story. After reading this, I guarantee tears come out of our eyes because of too much laughing. Unfortunately, I read this book after incidentally, I watched TV movie few weeks before. That film had the same theme and plots. I think it is “Jamu something” with an old man as medicine man instead of gypsy woman in the book.

Actually, it’s decreasing my 4-star rating into 3-star rating. If he production house wanted to make this book into film, why didn’t they ask the writer or the publishing house? Why they imitate the story? This is plagiarism, isn’t it? *shake head* But, maybe the production house had asked permission and Ms. Nashar or the publishing house didn’t say OK. So they did this. Who knows?

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