Steam punk romance are the H-bomb!

I have always enjoyed reading Meljean Brook stories in anthologies. Her short stories are tightly plotted, well-paced with peopled with awesome characters you fall in love with. However, I found her Guardian series disappointing, but who cares when her steam punk romances are like totally awesome?

Hero: 5/5 stars

Heroine: 5/5 stars

Storyline: 5/5 stars

Pacing: 5/5 stars

Fun Factor: 5/5 stars

Repeat Reading Factor: 5/5 stars

Basically, it's about two damaged people drawn together in an adventure fraught with megalodons and kraken monsters, zeppelin airships and nanoagents. Can't say much more without massive spoilers, but seriously, read this. Guys will enjoy the adventure and technology aspects, the romance addicts will be swept away but the grand passion. 

All in all, a fabulous time was had while reading this.

Of damaged heroes and cynical heroines

Hidden Honor by Anne Stuart

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is the first book I finished in 2012! Let's see how good I am at cataloguing all the stuff I read for this year. *grin*

Emotification

I love the honesty in her vocal expression. What music rocks your world? Do share.

Pity wishes aren't horses ...

... because, Freddie, I want someone to sing this to me in the morning, hehehe.



I love the 80's pop soul sensibilities. Very the Hall and Oates, no?

Violins and moonbeams

One of the sweetest and most romantic songs ever.

I give you Hujan's "Dikala Bulan Bermain Biola"



I hope you enjoy it.

On how I freaked out my friend at the movie theatre

It started really innocuously. I went to watch this movie with Naz ...

And I was a sobbing mess at the end of it. Haven't cried like that watching anything; not since the staging of Lantai T Pinkie and Erma Fatima's amazing monologue way back in 1997. That one was really bad in that there were 4 of us watching the theatre with only 2 pieces of Kleenex between us. FML.

Anyway ... most of my friends know that I have been frothing at the mouth to watch this movie thanks to this man,

who is not only dastardly attractive and massively talented, but also warm and kind and just bloody adorable as seen on his interviews.

But I have to say that I was absolutely ecstatic with how Gavin O'Connor crafted a family drama with mixed martial arts as a sport as a background.

Mad fangirl squeals and massive spoilers ahoy!

Ear candy but sweet on the lips too ...

If you perceive music more than just a single sensory indulgence, when you listen to this, you may have the sensation of sinking your teeth into a sinfully luxurious Boston creme pie on a lazy Sunday afternoon.



And if that was Boston Creme, the one below is more along the lines of dark chocolate mousse.

Traipsing down memory lane ...

I was eleven the first time I listened to this song. Although I was a callow child with little understanding of romantic notions, but the sincere emotions illuminated by a sweet melody and illustrated by prosaic lyrics really struck me. The song evoked a visceral reaction in me and I remember going to school, humming this song and trying to recapture the sensation I experience even from the opening bar of the song.



Since then, I have been a fan of Robert Palmer and am working towards collecting his discography. He was a talented musician and singer who delved in genres from pop to progressive rock to swing and jazz. But I love him best when he croons love sweet nothings.

Now, I all I need to do is find a guy who will dedicate this song to me. *grin*

Rhythm mechanical

I have a tendency of loading video clips without watching; when immersing self into auditory bliss, visual input is not needed. When I listen to this video, I just get this strangest floating sensation ... pleasant and yet eerie.

And then I actually watched the video.

Video below cut for disturbing theme. You have been warned.

Swing it!

For those who enjoy steampunk novels, here is the genre that would be the perfect soundtrack to your reading pleasure. Caravan Palace is a marvelous example of the melange that is electro swing. Big band sensibilities with electronica edginess, this genre is whimsical and magical with an underlying darkness like hidden teeth.





*is swinging away to the beat*

Relationship manifesto

(Un)healthy relationships ... if you are in one or are looking for one, this is the song for you.



I give you the delightful Emily Haines and DJ Tiesto. Lyrics can be found here.

Ah, l'amour ...

I have a fondness for Malay songs that were produced in the 70's and 80's; I think the melody and lyrics resonate with the closeted romantic in me.



Noor Kumalasari was a model, actress and singer in her heydays. She was well-known for her stylish attire that complements her tall and willowy figure. As an actress, she specialised in tearjerker films like Tiada Esok Bagimu, Abang, Matinya Seorang Patriot and  Esok Untuk Siapa. I loved her in the movie Rahsia, where she played a grieving mother haunted by the ghost of her child. It was one of the scariest movies I've ever seen.

She had produced around three albums and one greatest hits album. Noor didn't restrict herself to a single genre, singing romantic and even comedy songs. Her voice is distinctive and is capable of decent range; but to me, her greatest strength as a singer is the sincerity of emotions that she can convey. It breathes life into her songs; plucking your heartstrings with emotions or making you laugh out loud. 

It was reported that she is now content to stay out of the limelight to devote herself to God and her family. Bless her for having shared her talents with us.

Don't take it lying down, girl!

When I saw this picture:

I thought of this song:



which was featured in the Quentin Tarantino movie, Death Proof. I love April March's music style; I was surprised that she's actually a contemporary artist and not one from the swinging 60's.

For those ladies who want to warn their man who has a wandering eye (and other body parts) tendency, send him this song.

*grin*

Lyrics under cut.

The scariest book I ever read

No, it was not Twilight. Nor did it feature any of the usual monsters of the week hunted by the Winchester brothers *dreamy eyes* (even though reading it may scare the crap out of Dean).

Did not feature these darlings.

Eric Schlosser wrote a frank and engaging examination of one of the biggest icons of Americana: Fast Food. Its history unfolds in early 20th century and helped produce some of the biggest self made men in the US, the perfect embodiment of the American dream.

This book exposed the nightmarish side to these success stories.  From unfair business practices that ruins small businesses, fatal food contamination,  hideous and slave-like working conditions, to the globalisation of obesity via fast food and even exploitation of children through advertisement, Schlosser exposed any number of issues that we do not think about when we unwrapped our burgers. Although most of the companies featured in the book refused to officially cooperate in his research, Schlosser was able to persuade a number of the employees of those companies to speak to him; giving him first hand accounts of what lay behind the shiny facade of the big corporations that made the fast food machinery what it is.

Naturally the corporations featured in the book did not take it lying downand fought back with threats of lawsuits and such. Boldly, Schlosser invited them to conduct fact checking and prove any of the allegations in his book as untrue. Although there was much blustering and threats, none of the corporations named in the book took legal action against him. Instead, they launched an online campaign that petered out like a deflated balloon.

What I find most interesting in the book is that even though the successes of the individuals that built these giant corporations underscore the possibilities promised by the American Dream, it came at the expense of the iconic Western cowboys and the freedom promised in the frontiers. As small and medium sized ranches disappear to the pressures of economy, it also diminished the mythical tough men of the West: suicide rate of the American cattle ranchers and farmers are three times the average in the country (refer to page 146). The legendary West featured in films and dime novels are now lost in the mist of history.

Books like Fast Food Nation makes one pause and contemplate one's decisions over things that were previously taken for granted. I don't think a reader of the book would immediately swear off McDonalds and KFC. But perhaps you would scrutinise the fine print even more after reading this. After all, caveat emptor.

Like Dean Winchester often said; it is people who are the worst monsters, not the demons and ghouls and beasties that stalk in the night.

Amazing Diamond

I have always had a thing for Shara Worden's (aka My Brightest Diamond) voice. She is a trained opera singer with an amazing range and depth as well as texture, though I do not know if she's a coloratura soprano. I first fell in love with Gone Away, one of the best songs to slash your wrist by when pining for a former lover. But what she executed in this video is both cute and awesome and I think you will agree with me that it takes amazing lungs to sing this flawlessly while stamping as hard as she did.



*chin-hands in admiration*

Book rec!

I bought this book on an impulse last Sunday (also driven by the 20% off sticker, hehehe); I usually rent my books. Funds and storage restriction can be such a bitch.

Lisa Kleypas is one of my favourite authors; particularly her historical novels. She has an amazing gift for painting such evocative pictures with words, with well-crafted plots and wonderful characters you would cheer for. However, as much as I enjoy her contemporary novels, they lack a certain something that is redolent in her historicals.


I am happy to note that the je ne sais quois that I adore in her historical novels is in full force in this one. This is the first time she wrote a contemporary novel about real, ordinary people (her Travis series are peopled with millionaires). The banter is deliciously agile; a Kleypas trademark. The only thing I feel sorry for is that it is too short. I finished all 211 pages in a little over an hour (I took a break to shower).

Go on, give this book a shot.

Anthem: Lisbeth Salander

(Do not worry: this post is NOT a book review.)

I had finally finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Not knowing Swedish means I have to read the translated version by Reg Keeland. Some of the odd expressions littered in the book made me suspect that he made an effort to make sure that the original expression in Swedish is maintained.

It was a difficult first 60 or so pages for me; like a chemical reaction, the frenzy for devouring the book had a high activation energy threshold. But once I met Lisbeth Salander,  it was like a napalm firestorm; I was ignited to consume to book in a single sitting. This was not possible as real life has a way of interfering with obsessions and a wage has to be earned.

Salander is completely out of my realm of experience. Damaged, brilliant, cunning, naive, dispassionate and yet vulnerable, Salander is a contradiction within a puzzle wrapped in an enigma (or however the expression is). She is quite the archetypal anti-hero(ine)  who lives in the fringes of society; her wary forays into mainstream society often underscoring her prejudices of the  bourgeoisie.

To my mind, this song by Fiona Apple perfectly illustrates Salander. Lyrics can be found here.



The conclusion of the book was very satisfying and yet I was ambivalent about getting the next book in the series. Salander (and Blomqvist) is not a character that I find comfortable to read; (I usually stick to happily ever afters) but somehow, as I left my rental book store, I found The Girl Who Played with Fire in my hands.