Tagged: contemporary fiction
Jul
15
Fiction
First Published in 2009
Publisher: Penguin Viking
Click to buy Brooklyn by Colm Toibin with free delivery
Book Synopsis:
Work in 1950s Ireland is hard to find. Eilis Lacey does what she thinks is best and makes the long and arduous journey across the Atlantic to Brooklyn, America. For the first time, Eilis is on her own, in a strange city, living in a boarding house filled with other working girls and a scrutinizing landlady. Eilis is isolated and far away from home.
Gradually, however, as Eilis gets used to her new life, her job working in a department store, taking evening classes in book keeping, Friday night dances in the church hall, and maybe an American man… Eilis starts to realize, she’s found a kind of happiness.
But where does Eilis belong? In Ireland with her family or in her new found home, Brooklyn? Read more... (876 words, 7 images, estimated 3:30 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews contemporary fiction Fiction Immigrants Ireland USA
Jul
01
Fiction / Light Reading
First Published in 2004
Publisher: Rupa & Co
National Bestseller in India
Click to buy Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat with free delivery
Book Synopsis:
3 friends, Hari, Alok and Ryan, are students at IIT, India’s most prestigious technological university. Instead of mugging their lives away like the rest of the cohort, they decide to have the time of their lives.
All the things not to do at university and more: mess up your grades, drink vodka on the faculty rooftop, date a professor’s daughter…
A funny and dark story of friendship and trying to survive IIT with a five-point something GPA. Will they make it?
My Book Review:
I picked up this book at a bookshop in Mysore, India, when I was attending a wedding there last week. I thought, I’ve experienced this country, so I should experience more of its contemporary fiction. Chetan Bhagat is apparently a lauded writer in India having written 4 novels to date: Read more... (466 words, 7 images, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Light Reading contemporary fiction Fiction Humour India Light Reading
Jun
04
Fiction / Science Fiction
First Published in 1966
Publisher: Harcourt, Brace & World
Flowers for Algernon won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960
and was joint winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1966
Click here to buy the book Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (free delivery worldwide)
Book Synopsis:
With an IQ of 68, Charlie Gordon works as a sweeper in a bakery. He thinks has friends, but little does he know he is the butt of their jokes, an amusing plaything.
Charlie’s life changes radically when he undergoes an experimental operation that to enhance his intelligence. Charlie becomes a genius.
However, Algernon, the mouse who had been successfully enhanced before Charlie, dies. Charlie has to live with the knowledge that his new life and his insights into the world are only temporary. Read more... (911 words, 7 images, estimated 3:39 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Science Fiction contemporary fiction Fiction Genius Science Fiction
May
12
(3/5)
Chick Lit / Light Reading / Fiction
First published in 2009
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Click here to buy Nanny Returns by Nicola Kraus & Emma Mclaughlin (free delivery)
Book Synopsis:
Nan from the Nanny Diaries is back in New York twelve years after the ill-fated nanny-cam night, the night Nan was fired. She is now married to HH (Harvard Hottie) who how has a name, Ryan. Nan is finally settling down and renovating her new (falling apart) home, and is trying to get her consulting business up and running. But is surprised at Ryan’s sudden desire start a family. What startles her the most is her resistance to the idea.
Then, Nan gets a drunken visit in the middle of the night from Grayer X, now 16 years old. He has found the nanny-cam tape…
Read more... (676 words, 9 images, estimated 2:42 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Light Reading Chick Lit contemporary fiction Fiction Humour Satire USA
Mar
29
Click image to enlarge
ART is an hilarious comedy about three men and a white painting.
Starring: Jason Chan, Andrew Keegan and Glynn Connop
Black Box at Centre Stage 15 Woking Road (off Portsdown Road), Singapore
How much would you pay for a white painting?
Click here to buy the play ART by Yazmina Reza
Have a great night of theatre with your friends. It opens real soon, so book your tickets now. I’ll see you there!
x Julie
Book Reviews – Reading Like Rabbits
Posted in Authors, Plays Comedy contemporary fiction Drama Fiction Humour Plays Theatre
Mar
17
(3.5/5)
Fiction / Vampires
Launch Date: 31 May 2010
Publisher: Firebird Press
Click here to buy the book Blood On The Moon by S.M. De Silva (with Free delivery)
Singaporean buyers can click here to order their copy (free delivery and gift wrapped!)
Click here to visit The Daywalker Chronicles official site
Book Synopsis:
Sleet City: decadent and alluring, but infinitely dangerous. A city where crime, cruelty and glamor reign supreme. Vampires and were-creatures have come out of the closet and now mix openly in human society. Vampires are the new breed of celebrities, the glamor gods of Sleet City.
Alegria, a Singaporean supernatural species consultant, receives a package. A package that contains a ring. A ring attached to a severed finger. A severed finger belonging to Alegria’s sister. Read more... (697 words, 7 images, estimated 2:47 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Fantasy contemporary fiction Fiction Gift Singapore Vampire
Mar
10
Fiction / Vampires
Launch Date: 31 May 2010
Publisher: Firebird Press
Click here to buy this book from Amazon
Click here to visit The Daywalker Chronicles official site
Book Synopsis:
Sleet City: decadent and alluring, but infinitely dangerous. A city where crime, cruelty and glamor reign supreme. Vampires and were-creatures have come out of the closet and now mix openly in human society. Vampires are the new breed of celebrities, the glamor gods of Sleet City.
Alegria, a Singaporean supernatural species consultant, receives a package. A package that contains a ring. A ring attached to a severed finger. A severed finger belonging to Alegria’s sister.
And from here the relentless action begins. Alegria is on a mission to save her sister from Sleet City.
Read more... (240 words, 3 images, estimated 58 secs reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Uncategorized contemporary fiction Fiction Singapore Vampire
Mar
08
(3/5) 
Fiction / Chick Lit / Light Reading
First Published in October 2009
Publisher: Orion
Chicklitreviews.com 2009 Book Awards: Book of the Year and Debut Novel of the Year
Click here to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Synopsis:
Lucy Brown is about to marry a wonderful man. Dan is handsome, caring and funny. Lucy has never been happier, she is about to get everything she has ever wanted.
But, on the eve of her wedding, Lucy dies in an accident.
Lucy has a choice to make: she can go to heaven and be separated from her soul mate, or she could be with Dan forever…as a ghost.
Lucy will not leave Dan, and she makes her choice. But things are not quite so easy for Lucy. She has a task to complete before she can become a ghost. First, she has to find true love for a total stranger. Read more... (416 words, 8 images, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Light Reading Chick Lit contemporary fiction Death Fiction Ghost Light Reading London Love Story
Mar
03
(3.5/5)
Fiction
First Published in 2002
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
International Bestseller
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Synopsis:
Pennsylvania, 1973, fourteen year old Susie Salmon is brutally raped then killed. Susie tells her story as she watches her family from heaven. Susie’s killer was her neighbor, and still lives next door. Susie’s family is desperately trying to cope with their loss. But with no body found and her killer still on the loose, they cannot rest. They become isolated from each other, each member dealing with their grief in their own way.
As the years pass, Susie’s siblings and friends grow up, fall in love and experience things that Susie never got to experience herself. However, Susie is not quite finished with life yet… Read more... (616 words, 7 images, estimated 2:28 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction contemporary fiction Death Fiction Ghost Grief Heaven
Feb
07
by Jonathan Safran Foer
(4/5)
Adult Fiction
First Published in 2006
Publisher: Mariner Books
New York Times Bestseller
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Synopsis:
Oskar Schell is nine years old, and had begun a vital and secret mission that will lead him through New York’s five boroughs. Oskar has found a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died on September 11th in the World Trade Centre. In his search for the lock that fits his key somewhere in New York, a task that seems like looking for a needle in a haystack, Oskar meets survivors of all kinds. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a moving, funny and healing journey.
My Book Review:
I had heard wonderful things about Extremely Loud and Incredible Close. Friends of mine had said it was one of their top 10 books of the year, so I was really looking forward to reading it. Read more... (397 words, 7 images, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews contemporary fiction Fiction Immigrants New York USA War surviviors
Jan
08
by Eoin Colfer
Fantasy / Fiction / Children’s Book / Light Reading
First Published in 2001
Publisher: Puffin
International Bestseller
Shortlisted for the Whitbred Children’s Book of the Year
Winner of the WHSmith ‘People’s Choice’ Children’s Book of the Year
Winner of the British Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Synopsis:
Artemis Fowl, a genius criminal mastermind has succeeded in establishing the existence of fairies, and is determined to catch one. After staking out over 100 fairy locations, Artemis succeeds in kidnapping LEPrecon Captain Holly Short.
But these aren’t the toadstool-dancing creatures of fairy tales, these are trained law enforcement fairies, and they are ready to fight back. Just when Artemis Fowl thinks he has them cornered, the fairies stop playing by the rules.
FYI: Artemis Fowl is a twelve-year-old. Read more... (375 words, 3 images, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Children's Fiction, Gifts, Light Reading, Teenage Fiction Action books for teens children's book contemporary fiction Fairy Fiction Gift Light Reading Teenage
Dec
30
by Elisabeth Robinson
(5/5) 
Fiction
First Published in 2004
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
International Bestseller
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Synopsis:
This novel is told in the form of letters from Olivia Hunt to her sister with cancer, Michael her ex-boyfriend, her parents and her best friend. Along the way we find out about the progress or non-progress of Olivia’s feature film that she’s trying to get off the ground in Hollywood.
Through Olivia’s letters we track the progress of her year, and are privy to her thoughts, the varied way she communicates with people, her highs and lows and also just the plain usual things that happens day to day that find themselves into her letters. Simply yet powerfully told, this novel simultaneously funny and sad, tragic and heart warming. Read more... (435 words, 7 images, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Gifts, My Favourite Books contemporary fiction Fiction Gift USA
Dec
23
by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
(2/5)
Fiction / Chick Lit / Light Reading
First Published in 2007
Publisher: Atria Books
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Synopsis:
How would you get your revenge if your ex-boyfriend vanished on the night before your prom, then reappeared with a song detailing your first sexual experience (which by the way topped the Billboard charts), then proceeded to write chart-topping personal songs about you for the rest of his career?
Kate finally has the opportunity to confront Jake. But how is she going to confront the man who has messed up her life? The man who constantly chased by millions of adoring fans? She has a plan. But things don’t always go according to plan, do they?
Read more... (804 words, 8 images, estimated 3:13 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Light Reading Chick Lit contemporary fiction Light Reading Revenge USA
Dec
17
by Mohsin Hamid
(4/5)
Fiction
First Published in 2007
Publisher: Penguin Books
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2007
International Bestseller
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Synopsis:
Seated at a cafe in Lahore, a mysterious stranger tells you his story. He invited you to join him, and though the evening, you come to know what led the stranger to approach you. Well educated, well traveled, he seems to know more about the ways of the West than you do. He embraced the Western ideal and a western woman, and was let down by both. However, you soon find out the real reason for this meeting…
My Book Review
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is an extremely readable novel. It is also surprisingly gentle. The political and religious seem to take a backseat to the life story of the Pakistani protagonist, Changez. This book is really one long monologue with the reader only getting to see one side of a conversation, dominated by Changez, with an American, whom we suspect to be a very reluctant listener.
Read more... (410 words, 7 images, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews 9/11 contemporary fiction Fiction Pakistan USA
Dec
06
by Michael Cunningham
(5/5)
Fiction
First Published in 1998
Publisher; Fourth Estate, A Division of Harper Collins Publishers
Set in: London, New York City and Los Angeles (1920s/1940s/1990s)
Won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Won the 1999 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Synopsis:
Three women.
1920s London. Virginia Woolf attempts to begin her new novel, but she is struggling to settle her unruly mind.
1940s Los Angeles. In the stifling heat, Laura Brown, a young mother and wife aches to abandon her domestic life to escape to the solitude of reading Mrs Dalloway.
1990s New York. Clarissa Vaughan hosts a party for a dying friend.
Michael Cunningham uses the life and works of Virginia Woolf as inspiration for a moving reflection on love, failure, despair and artistic behaviour. Read more... (309 words, 7 images, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Gifts, My Favourite Books contemporary fiction Favourite Books Fiction Gift
Dec
02
by Jhumpa Lahiri
(4/5) 
Fiction / Short Stories
First Published in 1999
Publisher: Flamingo
Set in: Various countries: USA, India, London
Won The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2000
Won the Hemingway Foundation / PEN Award 2000
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Synopsis:
9 short stories that reveal the lives of Indians living at home, or abroad, but nevertheless isolated, steering their way through the murky path between tradition and the new world that has evolved around them. These stories which are eloquently and subtlety told by Indian-American writer Jhumpa Lahiri, will speak to anyone who has experienced the longings of exile, or the isolated confusion of an outsider.
Read more... (321 words, 7 images, estimated 1:17 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews contemporary fiction Fiction Immigrants India Love Story short stories
Nov
30
by Helen Fielding
(5/5)
Fiction
First Published in 1996
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Set in: London, present day
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Cover Synopsis:
Bridget Jones wants to have it all – and once she’s given up smoking and got down to 8st 7lbs, she will. Bridget Jones’s Diary is about a year in the life of a single girl on an optimistic but doomed quest for self-improvement. A dazzling urban satire of modern human relations? An ironic, tragic insight into the demise of the nuclear family? Or the confused ramblings of a pissed thirty-something? Bridget Jones is everyone’s favourite Londoner. This is your chance to reacquaint yourself with the funniest, most heart-warming young lady ever to grace the pages of a Picador book. Read more... (384 words, 8 images, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Gifts, Light Reading, My Favourite Books Chick Lit contemporary fiction feel good Fiction Gift Humour Light Reading Love Story
Nov
29
by Audrey Niffenegger
(2/5)
Fiction
First Published in 2009
Publisher: Random House
Set in: London, present day
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book Cover Synopsis:
Julia and Valentina Poole are normal American teenagers – normal at least for identical ‘mirror’ twins who have no interest in college or jobs or possibly anything outside their cosy suburban home. But everything changes when they receive notice that an aunt whom they didn’t know existed has died and left them her flat in an apartment block overlooking Highgate Cemetary in London. They feel that at last their own lives can begin… but have no idea they have been summoned into a tangle of fraying lives, from the obsessive-compulsive crossword setter who lives below them, and even to their aunt herself, who never got over her estrangement from the twin’s mother – and who cant even seem to quite leave her flat… Read more... (735 words, 8 images, estimated 2:56 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Book Reviews contemporary fiction Fiction Ghost London Twins
Nov
29
by Stephenie Meyer
(4/5)
Fiction
First Published from 2005-2008
Publisher: Little Brown and company
Set in: Forks, Washington, USA. Present day.
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book cover Synopsis:
When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret.
What Bella doesn’t realize is the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And, it might be too late to turn back. . . .
Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight will have readers riveted right until the very last page is turned. Read more... (405 words, 7 images, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Teenage Fiction books for teens contemporary fiction Fiction Love Story Teenage Thriller USA Vampire
Nov
29
by Nakano Hitori
Translated by Bonnie Elliott.
(4/5)
Fiction / Biography (Train Man is supposedly based on true internet chat forum conversations)
First Published in 2004
Publisher: Del Ray Books (USA), Shinchosha (Japan)
Set in: present day Japan
Click to buy this book (free delivery)
Book cover synopsis:
“The story of the Train man who fell in love with the girl, Hermes.
The best selling internet-generation love story from Japan.’
Train Man is lifted directly from Japan’s 2-Channel chat forum, the world’s largest message board and the most popular website in Japan, handling a million posts every day.
On the web you can say what you feel and be who you want, no strings attached. But sometimes the web escapes into reality and the truth becomes more amazing than fiction.
Read more... (623 words, 7 images, estimated 2:30 mins reading time)
Posted in Adult Fiction, Biography Biography contemporary fiction Internet Japan Light Reading Love Story Teenage
