The Confession by John Grisham

Synopsis at www.goodreads.com

An innocent man is about to be executed.

Only a guilty man can save him.

For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.

Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.

Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what’s right and confess.

But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they’re about to execute an innocent man

My Comments:

Bought this from BookXcess last week. I can say that I am some sort of a fan of John Grisham despite some of his recent books were a miss for me. 

Anyway, just finished reading this book yesterday. Not bad. I like it although the story seems just barely touching the surface. Did not really whet my appetite. 


Plot and pace of the book was fast enough. However, there was a lacking of "feel" when I was reading it. I did not get the "rush" when reading it. 


Anyway, it's still a good read for those who likes story about law and the chase against time.


I wonder why he wrote this book. From what I see it seems that this book is written to advocate against the law of Death Penalty. It centered around how the Death Penalty could be missed handled and that innocent man could be executed. For this I applause his efforts. 


I am no angel if you are thinking, "oh ..that's good. She is against Death Penalty". Nope, for me, it's better for the criminal to rot in behind bars rather than adding sin of killing to our life. We have enough burdens on our shoulders as it is. 

Yes, "life time" does not really mean the criminal will be jailed till the day he die but maybe the juries or judge could make it a few life time imprisonment that runs consecutively instead of concurrently?

Anyway, good job to John Grishan. 

 

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Summary from www.goodreads.com

A reimagining of the world-famous Indian epic, the Mahabharat—told from the point of view of an amazing woman.

Relevant to today’s war-torn world, The Palace of Illusions takes us back to a time that is half history, half myth, and wholly magical. Narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the legendary Pandavas brothers in the Mahabharat, the novel gives us a new interpretation of this ancient tale.

The novel traces the princess Panchaali's life, beginning with her birth in fire and following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father’s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war involving all the important kings of India. Meanwhile, we never lose sight of her strategic duels with her mother-in-law, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands' most dangerous enemy. Panchaali is a fiery female redefining for us a world of warriors, gods, and the ever-manipulating hands of fate

My Comments : 

Bought this book from BookXcess at Amcorp Mall last month. It was a day before their World Book Day promotion. If I had know earlier, I would have waited for the promotion coz then I would get extra 20% off the shelf price.

Nevertheless, I am glad I bought this book. To me this is indeed an interesting and engrossing read.

But I have to caution you that this book is not for everybody. Some knowledge of Mahabharata is required for optimum enjoyment of the book. Those who have no knowledge about Mahabharata would find it hard to understand some of the things mentioned.

This is not the first book of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni which I have read. All a long I have liked her books but up to now this is the book that I like the most.


The story is unusual as is it being told from the point of view of a woman. It saws Draupadi as a girl/woman/wife with feeling of her own instead of a single dimensional character. Some would say this book is too slow or too much female wails but to me these wails and woes are what made this book interesting.

Overall, I rate this 5 stars out of 5.

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium #2) by Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland (Translator)

Synopsis at www.goodreads.com

Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government.

But he has no idea just how explosive the story will be until, on the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered. And even more shocking for Blomkvist: the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander—the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker who came to his aid in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and who now becomes the focus and fierce heart of The Girl Who Played with Fire.

As Blomkvist, alone in his belief in Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation of the slayings, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous hunt in which she is the prey, and which compels her to revisit her dark past in an effort to settle with it once and for all

My Comments :

I picked up this book from  Subang Jaya Book Exchange Programme(SJBEP). It's the community book exchange programme which is held every fortnight on the 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month at the USJ 2 Community Hall, Subang Jaya.

Personally, I have heard many people raving about works by this author. I didn't know that this book comes in 3 and this is Book two of the 3 books. 

Hence I was a bit confused in the beginning. However, it did not hinder my enjoyment of this book. It was full of suspense.

Love the plot which was fast paced. Love the way the author using the words. Genius.

I found myself rooting to Salander to beat the system. There was a surprise in the ending. It's certainly an enjoyable book.

However, I would not recommend this as reading material for young adults as it's quite violent in my opinion. There were description of rape and brutality. 

 

The Wedding Dress By Rachel Hauck

Book Description from Booksneeze.com

Four brides. One dress.

A tale of faith, redemption, and timeless love.

Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift—and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can’t she find the perfect dress—or feel certain she should marry Tim?

Then Charlotte purchases a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new, shimmering with pearls and satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it? Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet? Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl? And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been “redeemed”?

Charlotte’s search for the gown’s history—and its new bride—begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny. And each with something unique to share. For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte’s heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the beauty of finding true love.

My Comments:

I have read the author, Rachel Hauck, work before and like her writing style very much. 

After finishing The Wedding Dress I felt that she had exceeded what she had done so far in the previous work. 

I like the way the author stacked the odds against Charlotte and Tim's relationship.

In the beginning when I was reading the story of Charlotte and Tim, I did not give much chance between the two of them. 

After all, it was a whirlwind romance in which after the proposal, Tim seemed to have cool down a lot on the idea of getting married. Charlotte was also hounded by Tim brother's wife, Kathrine, who is a know-it-all type and over bearing. Then, in came the ex-girlfriend. Well, lets just say it's juicy enough to  keep the pages turning.

I love the way how she switch the story from Charlotte who is the latest recipient of "The Dress" and Emily who was the first owner of "The Dress". The switches were adequately spaced out. I did not loose track of what I was reading and of who is who in the story. 

Only one down side which I can comment about this book is that I felt that the other two recipients of "The Dress", Hillary and Mary Grace,  should have been given more space too. 

I like the way the book is written. Although there were many mention of Lord God, but it was inserted with such grace that it become part of the natural flow of the story without making the book  too preachy. I like the mysterious man in purple that kept making appearance in the story.

This is not just another romance fiction. It give a mysterious feel and there is an unexpected twist in the end of the story.

And to the author, Rachel Hauck, if you are reading this review, I what I would like to say is keep up the good work and I am looking forward to reading more books of yours.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from the publisher through the BookSneezeThe opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

China Ghosts: My Daughter's Journey to America, My Passage to Fatherhood by Jeff Gammage

Synopsis

This is the story of journalist, Jeff Gammage and his wife Christine, journey across the world to adopt a child from China.

It line out how he felt about the adoption process in his country which leads to their decision to adopt a child from China. It tells how they fell in love with their daughter, Jin Yu and the worries that they had about her health.

later, it tells the story on how the challenges they faced with when they came back to their home country

It also out line how much their life had changed due to Jin Yu and it led to adoption of a second baby from China

My comments:

Picked up this book from Popular Bookstore Sale last year.

The thing that I liked about this book that the language is easy to understand and the author had describe some things that readers might not know. For example the plague that happen in one orphanage which lead to change of policy in China.

Love the photos accompany with the story.

However, I felt that the title of the book does not really match with the story as it highlighted. It's more on what the author went through instead of the daughter, Jia Yu.

Some parts makes me felt that the author had gone poetic.

For example in page 114 where the author wrote that "I wonder, who took the time to find the likeness in our faces and in our hearts?How did this person know that Jin Yu was a good fit for us, and us for her? How did he or she create a family as similar as a family could be, consistent  and alike but for DNA?"

When I read this paragraph, I was thinking, "Gosh! I don't think the officials in China have the time to do this although there were a lot of stories floating in the printed and non-printed media about China's thoroughness and the red tapes there."

In page 165, the author was talking about how guilty he felt when he was wasting time in going to doctor's office and fertility clinic while Jia Yu was in China all alone, waiting.hurting, wanting and wasting her life. Where he wrote "she needed warmth and food and medicine. She needed laughter and love. She just needed just a little of what I had in abundance, and I did not offer. More appalling, it never occurred to me to do so. Not until I needed something from her, not until I wanted something from China, did I even think to ask."

I my opinion, the author was laying too much guilt trip on himself. How could he had known that Jin Yu was there waiting to be adopted when he and his wife were going through the process of trying to have a baby of their own? They had enough to think about at that time without thinking about the poor children in China, famine in other parts of the world, or child labour or green movement and other stuffs alike. 

All these section, makes me feel that this book is more about what the author had gone through and felt rather than about his daughter's journey. This must have been a hard book for him to write.

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

Synopsis from www.goodreads.com

One miscarriage too many spelled the end of Max and Zoe Baxter's marriage. Though the former couple went quite separate ways, their fates remained entangled: After veering into alcoholism, Max is saved in multiple senses by his fundamentalist conversion; Zoe, for her part, finds healing relief in music therapy and the friendship, then romantic love with Vanessa, her counselor. After Zoe and Vanessa, now married, decide to have a baby, they realize that they must join battle with Max, who objects on both religious and financial grounds. Like her House Rules and several other previous Jodi Picoult novels, Sing You Home grapples with hot button issues. The novel also includes a CD of songs, each matched with a chapter in the book. Perfect for book clubs


My Comments

This is the most frustrating book by Ms Jodi that I have ever read. It simply draws out all sorts of emotions from me.

Most of all is my hatred against Max(the ex-husband), Pastor Clive and Wade Preston. Would you not feel anger against Max who walked out on Zoe and preach to her of her sin for being involved in a lesbian relationship while he, himself did the same thing though it's the opposite sex.

Then Pastor Clive and Wade, talked about God and twisted God words as a way to get what they wanted. Fame, glory and in Wade's case $$$. Pity those poor blind sheep that follow them and listen to their twisted words. I really can't stand their double standard and their holier than thou attitude. Thank goodness, these are just fictional characters.

I think Ms Jodi is very brave to write about this. There might be such people in real life. They preach one thing and does another thing or does not practice what they preached. Maybe they thinks that those things is not applicable to them.

Another kudos to Ms Jodi is her bravery in highlighting the plight that are encountered by gay couples. Hope she won't get much bashing from it.

Yes, I love her writing. Her writing is has become more daring from her previous books. I can say that some may not like this book as it brings out anger in them and Ms Jodi had portray some characters to the extreme end where some people like me would happily give them a piece of my mind if they are real people.

I give this book 5 stars out of 5.

If Today Be Sweet by Thrity Umrigar

Synopsis:

Tehmina is a 66 years old Parsi woman who have to make a tough decision in her life after the death of her beloved husband Rustom. That is whether to live with her son, Sorab and his wife, Susan in Ohio which meant to leave everything that she is familiar with or to live in Bombay.

Her hesitation causes a lot of tension between herself, her son and his wife.

Story is told from Tehmina point of view. She worries that she might not be able to change and grow accustome to living in Ohio as the way they do thing here is simply very different from what's done in Bombay.

My Comment :

I have fell in love with Thrity Umrigar works since the first time I got it from BookXcess and I was very happy to find this book at the last Big Bad Wolf Sale.

Some may not like this book as Tehmina seems to be dragging her feet in deciding what she wanna do. But for me it was interesting as many things are not black and white as ones may perceived.

We get to see thing from Tehmina point of view. I am sure each of us have things that they fear.

Anyway, I guess, you will have to read this book to understand it better. Not an easy read but it certainly is an eye opening read.