186. Refuge, Gillian White

When i finished reading this book, i was like "huh???? ngeh??". Predictable and VERY VERY cheesy thriller.
The comment on the book covers includes 'a dark disturbing tale' and 'truely frightening' by Sunday Telegraph... and I finished reading this book, i feel cheated and lied to. I am convinced those comments were made for other book, and not this one.

185. From There to Paternity, Matt Dunn

My fav male 'chick lit' writer.

184. Sushi for Beginners, Marian Keyes

Insult after insult was heaped upon Freida Kiely, except from Ashling who had heard somewhere that she really was mad. Apparently she was midly schizophrenic and discinclind to take her medication.

'But,' Ashling interrupted, feeling someone should defend her, 'don't you think before we give out about her, we should walk a mile in her shoes?'

'That's right,' said Jack, who'd emerged to see what all the commotion was. 'Then we'd be mile away from her and we'd have her shoes. Sounds good to me.'

183. The Glass Lake, Maeve Binchy

I've always loved Maeve Binchy's books. They're always so interesting, entertaining, enjoyable to read, page-turner.. and it makes you readers feel like you're part of the story. Her books very often doesnt just concentrate on one main character. They usually focus on the other people in the main character's life too, which makes it alot more interesting. It makes you, the reader, feel like you're part of the story/ group too.

This book is about a girl who lives in a small town in Ireland. Her mom, who wasn't happy in her marriage with the girl's dad, disappeared one night, presumed drowned in the lake. She grew up with a terrible secret, as she thought she was the only one who knows that her mom comitted suicide. Only to find out five years later that mom was alive and well, and had abscounding the small town with another man.

The story also explores other characters in the girl's life, which include the mom and her lover, and their circle of friends. And of course, the girl's widowed father, brother, her best friend, her crush, her bestfriend's sister, the hermit nun who acts as her confidante ... in fact, i think pretty much everyone in that small town.

A page turner. Marvelous read. She's such a talented story-teller.

182. The Men's Guide to Women's Bathroom, Jo Barrett

Interesting chicklit, about a woman who just got divorced, and quite her job as a lawyer and decided to write a book about well... men's guide to women's bathroom. It's pretty entertaining, the main character is very witty and funny.

181. Come Away With Me, edited by Sarah Macdonald

A compilation of short 'journey story' of many well-know Australian authors in a different countries. I enjoyed reading all of them, except the very last one, which was written by the editor herself. I dont know why she bothers, as it wasnt even a travelling story. It was about her coming home to Australia and her pregnant and having baby story. As her chapter was the last one, it makes me finishing this book on an angry/ annoyed note.

180. Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilber

Quite a page turner. I enjoyed reading the woman's experience in her self-seeking and recovery journey. But the woman's abit annoying though.. kinda self-absorbed and abit of a drama queen. At many points that i was reading the book, i wish i could tell it to her face to get over it and not to make a mountain out of a molehill.

I really like the Eat and the Love chapter. Eat, because it was my fav subject :D. Love because it was set in Indonesia, and read it with eagerness because i want to know someone else's experience of this country that i have love/hate relationship with. The 'Pray' chapter was abit .. ngeh. I couldn't identify with the woman at all in this chapter. She's too self-absorbed, and everything is about her, which put me off reading. But i do like this part:

"A Sankrit word appeared in the paragraph: ANTEVASIN. It means 'one who lives at the border.' It indicated a person who had left the bustling centre of wordly life to go live at the edge of the forest where the spiritual masters dwelled. The antevasin was not one of the villagers anymore... not a householder with conventional life. But neighter was he yet a transcendent, not one of those sages who live deep in the unexplored woods, fully realised. The antevasin was as in-betweener. He was a border-dweller. He lived in sight of both worlds, but he looked toward the unknown....

In a figurative sense, this is a border that is always moving.. as you advance forward in your studies and realisation, that mysterious forest of the unknown always stays a few feet ahead of you, so you have to travel light in order to keep following it. You have to stay mobile, moveable, supple.