[Book Talk] What Makes A Good Winter Read?

17:26 Cilla 10 Comments

image source: Crinity @ Flickr


Having grown up in a place where it was either rainy or dry, the four seasons never really mattered to me. It certainly didn't affect my reading choices; it's silly to wonder about 'the best summer reads' when it's summer all year round. Then I moved to a four-season country, and... it still didn't matter. xD

Now that I'm blogging, however, I'm more aware of the listicles that come around at this time of year, the ones that talk about summer reads. It seems to me that 'summer reads' equals 'beach reads', and these are often books in the contemporary genre. Now, I don't know if this is a real thing for bookworms or just a trend the media make up, but this leads me to wonder: what makes a good winter read?

10 comments:

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3 Ups and 1 Down - Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

11:39 Cilla 2 Comments

Title: Under a Painted Sky
Author: Stacey Lee
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Source: Borrowed
Synopsis: Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—not an easy thing if you’re a girl, and harder still if you’re Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life. With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier. But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys headed for the California gold rush. Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past, and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. But when they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe turn out to be unexpected allies. With the law closing in on them and new setbacks coming each day, the girls quickly learn that there are not many places to hide on the open trail.


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2 comments:

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Conversations #3: Online Friends are Real Friends too

12:46 Cilla 4 Comments


Conversations is a new meme created by Geraldine and Joan to encourage more discussions in the book blogging community. Every fortnight, they post a question to respond to. Every fortnight, they post a question to respond to. I thought it would be fun and I'm looking forward to read everyone's response!

This week, the question is: Are real life friendships different from the ones you have online?

4 comments:

Thanks for reading! It makes my day to hear your thoughts and I will respond asap. :)

The Get to Know Me Tag

16:40 Cilla 8 Comments

image source: wyldraven @ deviantart


The lovely Mara gave me permission to be narcissistic for one post, so get ready to know a little more about me!

8 comments:

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ARC Review: The Calamity Cafe by Gayle Leeson

15:07 Cilla 2 Comments

Title: The Calamity Cafe: A Down South Café Mystery 

Author: Gayle Leeson
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Source: NetGalley

Synopsis: First in a new cozy mystery series featuring Southern cooking that is to die for.

Aspiring chef and small-town Virginia native Amy Flowers is ready to open her own café offering old-fashioned Southern food. But her dream may go up in smoke when someone kills the competition...

Tired of waiting tables at Lou's Joint, Amy Flowers doesn't just quit—she offers to buy the place from her bully of a boss, so she can finally open the café of her dreams. Amy can't wait to serve the kind of Southern, down-home treats and dishes that her grandmother always loved to the kooky cast of regulars at the restaurant. She knows her comfort food will be the talk of the sweet, small town of Winter Garden, Virginia.

At first Lou Lou refuses to sell, but when she seems ready to make a deal, she tells Amy to come see her.  Showing up at the eatery ready to negotiate, Amy is shocked to find her former employer murdered. As the prime suspect, Amy will have to clear her name by serving up the real killer—and with Lou Lou's stack of enemies, that's a tall order.

Includes delicious Southern recipes!

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Review:

 Plenty of things about the premise of The Calamity Cafe appealed to me: a persevering leading lady, small-town whodunnit, the inclusion of comfort food. In those ways, it was a nice, cozy read. It didn't, however, quite manage to surprise me.

2 comments:

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May 2016 Rewind

15:03 Cilla 9 Comments



It's starting to feel like someone's put their feet down on the gas for 2016. I feel like it was only the other day that I've just started a new semester, and suddenly I'm studying for finals again. Probably the biggest shock to my system is the fact that it is now winter here in the southern hemisphere! I'm in a weird conundrum of really enjoying being cold for a change but not at all used to it after growing up in a tropical place. But hey, winter is a good excuse to drink as much hot chocolate as I like, which is exactly what I do. (I'm on my second mug for the day as I type this up.) 

Before I dive into June, let's look back on May. 

9 comments:

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