Spotlight author: Laila Lalami

Laila Lalami is a Moroccan writer. She was born and raised in Morocco and had her B.A. in Linguistics at Université Mohammed-V in Rabat in 1991. After that she had a scholarship and decided to complete her M.A. in University College London in linguistics.


Afterwards, she worked briefly as a journalist in Morocco but decided to go to the United States to the University of Southern California to have a PhD.


Her work as an essayist and a critic has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The New York Times, The Washington Post and elsewhere. She was short-listed for the Caine Prize for African Writing (the “African Booker”) in 2006 and for the National Book Critics’ Circle Nona Balakian Award in 2009.




Her debut collection of short stories, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, was published in the fall of 2005 and has since been translated into six languages. Her first novel, Secret Son, was published in the spring of 2009. She is currently Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California Riverside.



This writer is close to my heart because she is a Moroccan, obviously, which means that English is her third language. But she worked hard to be the person she is now and to achieve her goals, or at least some of them. I’m proud of her work and can’t wait to read her last book.

The birthing house by Christopher Ransom

This is the new supernatural thriller from St. Martin's Press, 'The Birthing House' by Christopher Ransom.

As the Publishers weekly said "A blend of supernatural horror and psychological thriller, Ransom’s impressive debut chronicles a couple’s descent into madness after they purchase a 140-year-old Victorian house in rural Wisconsin . . . this addictively readable ghost story will keep readers up all night, with the lights on, of course."

I read the first two chapters and i found it intresting and very well written.

Click here to read the two first chapters.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The book: The time traveler's wife

The author: Audrey Niffenegger

Pages: 373

A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant. An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come.

Review from shelfari.com

The time traveler's wife is a marvelous story showing how love can survive time and space. Faith plays a big role in the events since Clair couldn't resist a normal life without it. She waits for him everytime he disappears, everytime she wakes up to find the empty side of the bed beside her empty with only his clothes and smell. She struggles and fights but their love wins, their love survives.
It's a very touching story with very moving events some of them overwhelming with joy and some of them are heartbraking.
The story is written in a simple but very good way. It was told from the point of view of both Clare and Henry the thing that gave the events a deep and emotional side.
I very much liked the book and i can't wait to watch the movie. Enjoy the trailor!

Book review: Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea

The book: Girls of Riyadh

The author: Rajaa Alsanea

Pages: 300

Girls of Riyadh is the Arabic version of Sex and the city but censored. It’s about four girls that are trying to survive daily in the uptight and loose in the same time city; Riyadh.
Their stories vary between breaking laws, love and defining themselves into their traditional and strict society.
I enjoyed reading the book trying to analyse each of the main characters. Michelle; an open minded half American girl. She has a hard time adapting with the Saudi traditions and hopes she can go back to the United States where she thinks she belongs. Lamees; a kind girl who works hard for her studies. Sadeem; a naive girl who trusts people and lives in her romance novels’ world. Gamrah; an old school girl who couldn’t let go of her traditions even after watching sex and the city.

I found the book interesting because it opens on the secret behaviour of Saudi woman. I admit i was a little shocked when i first read it because i never thought that Saudi girls are living such a hard life; they can’t get into some places without man, they can’t drive and many other things that show that the country has a very conservative culture.
I am glad Rajaa is so brave to write about private lives of her friends’ and hers. I found it really brilliant.
The book caused a huge scandal in the country and Saudi people didn’t accept it and accused the writer to be very open and just trying to spread bad morals into the society.
For me, the things those four girls were doing to survive is a natural reaction to all the pressure and all the restraint they have been through all their lives so i wasn’t much surprised about the events in the book. Although the things they said about the book and the writer kind of shocked me because some reviewers was talking about it like it’s an erotic book that it should be banned.

I strongly recommend ‘Girls of Riyadh’ it gives you a great opportunity to explore another culture and go through different new minds and behaviours.

Book review: Undead and unwed by Mary Janice Davidson

The book: Undead and unwed

The author: MaryJanice Davidson

Pages: 100

Betsy had a boring annoying life; divorced parents, an evil step mother and a rich talkative friend. She joined the undead after a car accident and she just went back to her house after she woke up in her coffin.
The vampire community wasn’t okay with her letting her identity public, so they locked her with them before discovering that it was their lost queen; she didn’t burn under the sun, instead she yawned and dropped asleep.

After Sinclar; who ends up being the king; teaches her vamp 101 and persuades her to help them fighting some evil vampires as he brides her with her favourite expensive brand shoes, she finally accepts her status as the queen and tries to use it to convince other vampires to join them.

This first book of the Queen Betsy series is a lot of fun. It’s an easy read. It is weird at first to see a vampire mixing casually with human and spreading all over the news about her nature. But then she has a point, she doesn’t want to lie to her parents especially her mother, who takes the news very well, or her best friend, who was frightened at first but is happy to have her friend back.

For a paranormal comedy book, undead and unwed is not so bad, it has a lot of events going on. But the style is very simple that you can barely add any new linguistic forms into your brain.

Book review: Chocolat by Joanne Harris

The book: Chocolat

The author: Joanne Harris

Pages: 86




Chocolat, by Joanne Harris, apprises the story of Vianne Rocher and her daughter Anouchk. They spent their entire life going from town to town, from country to country, exploring new places and experiencing new relationships. It was particularly a tradition that Vianne and her mother used to do.



In her new town vianne opened a chocolaterie, and tried to make it a way to blend in and adapt into the new environment. But the reigning ambiance wasn’t welcoming the single mother. The town was a religious one, women were supposed to take care of their houses and husbands, and go to church. The things that Vianne wasn’t doing and was never willing to do. They considered her chocolaterie as the devil’s messenger.



Vianne fought with the narrow minded people and proved to them that chocolate is a pleasure that everyone is allowed to feel.
She made them realise that religion is not depriving its followers from the pleasures of life and that the person got its needs and craving for some fun and amusement.

Vianne decided to leave many times, but the kindness of some friends, and her need to settle down and have a stable life, made her overcome the challenges and make the change in the small town.

The plot is good, although a little boring but i feel that the movie did a great job fixing the flaws. I like the writing style. It is really mature but clear and an easy read.

Spothlight author: Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris was born in Barnsley in 1964, of a French mother and an English father. She studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and was a teacher for fifteen years, during which time she published three novels; The Evil Seed (1989), Sleep, Pale Sister (1993) and Chocolat (1999), which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. 

Since then, she has written seven more novels; Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange, Coastliners, Holy Fools, Gentlemen and Players, and, most recently, The Lollipop Shoes and Runemarks, plus; Jigs & Reels, a collection of short stories and, with cookery writer Fran Warde, two cookbooks; The French Kitchen and The French Market. Her books are now published in over 40 countries and have won a number of British and international awards. In 2004, Joanne was one of the judges of the Whitbread prize (categories; first novel and overall winner); and in 2005 she was a judge of the Orange prize. 

Her hobbies are listed in Who’s Who as: “mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion of the system”, although she also enjoys obfuscation, sleaze, rebellion, witchcraft, armed robbery, tea and biscuits. She is not above bribery and would not necessarily refuse an offer involving exotic travel, champagne or yellow diamonds from Graff. She plays bass guitar in a band first formed when she was 16, is currently studying Old Norse and lives with her husband Kevin and her daughter Anouchka, about 15 miles from the place she was born. 

In my Mailbox #1

All the books were bought. 

1- Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

2- A tale of two cities by Charled Dickens

3- New York stories by various authors

4- Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella

5- The alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Book review: Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

The book: Marked

The author: P.C. Cast and  Kristin Cast

Pages: 197

Zoey Redbird was going to be one average high school student before being marked. Zoey’s life changed upside down, everything was new and weird to her. Her friends abandoned her, her family wanted to control her. She only found refuge at her grandmother that took her to the house of night that was her home from that day. She was a third former fledgling but not a regular one.

Her mark was different from the others, her affinity was powerful, and her determination to follow Nyx’s path clean and strong as it is, made her a perfect match to be a training high priestess. 

I find the story very interesting since it shows the change and the suffering of a teenage toward being a vampire. It gives us an idea about how much the change can be difficult, and how much strength and belief are needed to go through it. Friendship has a huge part in the story, the whole sticking together in good and bad helped Zoey to win her battle so far against the ex leader of the Dark Daughters.

Zoey’s holding to her family’s traditions was another point that I liked about the story. She actually turned to the Cherokee’s with prayers to help her come up with a plan; I found this brilliant because many of nowadays teenagers grow apart from their traditions and beliefs even when they need them the most.

I couldn’t help but compare the House of night series with the Harry Potter ones. The whole school thing, the fitting issue, and then the typical enemy blond people, for me that is just the same thing, this is really Harry Potter vampire version. I would love to watch it as a movie, it would be fabulous.

The style is easy to read, it is a very simple one, merely like the fanfiction’s. Which can make you bound with the book more, and feel that it was written by your close friend.

I can’t wait to read the other books of the series. It was a great deal to write what Zoey had been through and make you understand her pain and hard times because you can feel the bound between you and the main character. That certainly makes you wonder what will she do next. What changes will she do in the Dark Daughters? And if her relationship with Erik Night will be developed or not?

All that and more will be discovered in the next book. I recommend “Marked”, it’s a very catching and eventful story.

Spotlight author: P. C. Cast

Ms. Cast is a New York Times Best Selling author. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath.

She was born in Illinois and grew up being shuttled back and forth between there and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with quarter horses and mythology 

Her first novel, Goddess by Mistake, was published by a small press in 2001. Thoroughly shocking the author, it won a Prism, a Holt Medallion and a Laurel Wreath, and was a finalist for the National Readers' Choice Award. Since then Ms. Cast has gone on to win numerous writing awards. Ms. Cast is thrilled that with her Parthalon series for LUNA Books she has been given the opportunity to continue the world she created in her first book.


P.C. Cast is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. She lives in Oklahoma with her fabulous daughter, her spoiled cat, and her adorable Scotties!

Book Giveaways!

There's a lot of great books had been mentioned in some blogs and some of the bloggers are giving away some of them...

Here's some book Giveaways that i entered this week.

Here's a chance to win a copy of the great book in too deap by Jennifer Banash. The giveaway is hosted by my beloved friend Princess Neveen.

Another great book is given away by Taylor in her very first contest is Wintergirls By Laurie Halse Anderson.

Em's winter book giveaway contest is the huge one. Go and win 7 books that you will chose from her list.

Something, maybe by Elizabeth Scott is one of the great books of this year. Want to win a copy? Hurry to Carol's contest.

And, last one, The stand Birthday contest will give you the uniqueness to choose your own books to win.

Book review: New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

After I read Twilight, and as for many readers, I grew attached to Edward. Bella in the other hand was just one normal character for me, even though she was the main character and the one telling the story, I had a hard time sympathizing with her. 

Bella Swan, the daughter of the town’s sheriff, fell in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. She went through many problems because of her boyfriend’s nature. The Cullens decided to leave town to make Bella safe and get her normal life back. That's how the second book of the Twilight series begins and left me in big disappointment as Edward had to leave the pages and left me and Bella face to face. 

When I started reading more, I found that that's how Bella succeeded to get my attention, and make me feel her pain during what she was going through. I actually had been drowned by those pages, and attracted by the style and the use of the description. 

But after thinking things through, I could see that Bella was over reacting during the absence of her vampire. She was a lot negative and suicidal than it should be. And she didn’t calm down until another guy came giving her care and attention. It was bad example for teenage girls, to make them believe that they can’t live without the one they love. 

As for Edward, he was one dependant vampire that I’ve never seen anyone alike. Usually vampires are not that attached to their lovers, even the ones that are mainstreaming. But Edward broke the tradition and grew more dependant and attached to his “prey”. He put it the right way when he said “The lion fell for the lamb.” For me that's not a bad thing, but for other vampires... that is breaking the law. But Bella had already made up her mind when it comes to crossing to dark side and entering the mysterious world.

Jacob, the werewolf from La Push, couldn’t get me to like him. Him being a werewolf was another reason for me not to like him. I’m more a vampire girl. 
The events were expected but the smoothness of the story made it enjoyable and pleasant. 

Edward and Bella, the famous couple, had moved me by the sacrifices that they did for each other. The death was going to be the price for not living without each other. 

The scenes were touching, and the events were in row that you can’t let go of the pages to do anything else. It was like nibbling on a piece of an ice cream bar not willing to let it finish.
To sum it up, I really enjoyed the book more than I expected. The story is easy to read and the events made it easy to follow.

Princess Neve's 2009 Reading Challenge

This a great challenge that was intresting to me amongst all the challenges i've seen. The 50 books challenge was made by my beloved friend Lady Neveen. She's a great writer and a fabulous reviewer and she thought of this challenge since she noticed that she, and many other people, can't finish the 100 books during the year due to the busy school schedule, which i thought it's a very smart move. Anyway, i'm definitely joining it, and it's going to be a great one since it allows all kind of books.

The rules are:

1. You must comment here if you want to join.

2.You must link to the post.

3. Any kind of books you have are count on.

4.You have to review your top 10 favorite books from the 50 book.

5.You must finish reading the 50 book before the midnight of 31th. Of December 2009.


Good Luck >_< ...Challange hosted by: http://thebooksroom.blogspot.com/
And
http://princessnevereviews.blogspot.com/

Spotlight author: Stephanie Meyer

Stephenie Meyer is the American author of the bestselling young adult Twilight series, which revolves around the relationship between mortal Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen. The Twilight books have sold over 40 million copies worldwide, with translations into 37 different languages around the globe. A film adaptation of Twilight was released domestically on November 21, 2008. Meyer is also the author of the adult science-fiction novel, The Host.
Meyer was the biggest selling author of 2008, having sold over 22 million books in one year alone, with Twilight being the best selling book of the year.

Stephenie Meyer was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in December 24, 1973 to Stephen and Candy Morgan. She grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, with five siblings: Seth, Emily, Jacob, Paul, and Heidi. She attended Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she received a B.A. in English in 1995. Meyer, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, met her husband Christian, nicknamed "Pancho", when she was growing up in Arizona, and married him in 1994. Together they have three sons: Gabe, Seth, and Eli.

One of Meyer's short stories was published in Prom Nights from Hell, a collection of stories about bad prom nights with supernatural effects. Other authors who contributed to this collection are Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, and Lauren Myracle. Prom Nights from Hell was released in April 2007.

In May 2008, Meyer's adult sci-fi novel, The Host, was released by the adult division of Little, Brown and Company; it follows the story of Melanie Stryder and Wanderer, a young woman and an invading alien "soul," who are forced to work as one. The Host debuted at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list, and remained on the list for 26 weeks.
Meyer has stated that she is "almost done" writing a possible sequel to The Host, entitled The Soul. If she were to continue the series, the third book would be called The Seeker.
Meyer mentions having several other book ideas on file, including a ghost story titled Summer House and a novel involving time travel, as well as another about mermaids.

On August 28, 2008, it was revealed that Meyer had written the treatment for the new Jack's Mannequin music video, "The Resolution", which she co-directed the following week.

Book Review: Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Dead until dark is the first book of the Southern Vampire Mysteries. The story is told by Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress that lives in Bon Temps a small town in northern Louisianna. The young lady is in a relationship with Bill, the only vampire that was tempted by that town because it happens to be his hometown.

The vampire is trying to mainstream so he could live in his father’s house, but some crimes were occurred in that quiet small town the thing that made all the suspicious eyes around him.
Being capable to hear people’s thoughts got Sookie to not feel much as a human and meeting Bill got her the consolation that she needed especially that she can’t hear his thoughts, so she found the peace and relief that she always missed.

I liked the line of the story and the way Bill treated Sookie, I just loved it. Even with all the problems and the disapprovement that Sookie’s friends and colleagues had expressed towards their relationship, Bill didn’t seem to be intimidated, he showed his love in different ways and so did she.

At the end of the book, a very supernatural fact happened that made the story be less believable, and that made me feel uncomfortable at first, because I was starting to believe the story and I am not into supernatural things very much.

Charlaine Harris is one of the best writers that write about vampires in a very deep way, and the Sookie Stackhouse series are one of the series that are believable and make you feel like it is real. The story makes you love vampires through Bill’s trusting character and I personally grew attached to him as the story was going on.

Sookie’s character in the other hand doesn’t influence the readers even if she is the one telling the story from her point of view; I just didn’t sympathise with her.

Dead until dark treats the classical problem of relationships between two races and the issues that they get from both races and how they stand in front of them for their love. A very important matter that is real yet common that Harris expressed it in a very well written, smooth reading novel.

Second Challenge

I signed up for this challenge
Here's the main page

WHO: Anybody

WHAT: Read 4 books by authors that you have only read one other

WHERE: Mister Linky will keep track of monthly books read on "Thoughts of Joy..."

WHEN: September, October, November and December, 2008

WHY: Because we love to read...why else?

Here's my list of Books:

Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Ink exchange by Melissa Marr
I'm the Vampire that's why by Michele Bradsley

Book Giveaway

Between all the book giveaways, i found one that actually accepts international entries, and for sure I was happy.


Joshua Henkin has kindly offered to send a signed copy of the newly released paperback of his New York Times Notable book, Matrimony, to one lucky winner. Surely you've all heard of that book and you want your own signed copy.


To enter, simply leave a comment on the post in this blog .
For an extra entry, post about this giveaway on your blog and make sure to come back and let me know you've done so.
And for another entry, tell us where you met your significant other and/or best friend. In Matrimony, the main characters met at college. How about you?
So you could have three chances to win!
The name of the winner will be drawn on Sunday, September 21st. And international entries are welcome as I already mentioned.


For more informations about the book and the author you can visit his website.

Book Vs Audiobooks

I have never thought of using audiobooks until few weeks ago when I couldn’t find a book on paper. When I listened to the first track I simply liked it. So I just put it in my IPod and played it in the car, while I’m shopping or while I’m cleaning around. It was just amazing.

I admit that audiobooks might be addictive especially when you like the book very much. I was trying to create spare time so I could run to my IPod, not for music but for the audiobook, or simply not take my headphones off while I’m doing things I have to do.

Audiobooks can be useful when you can’t use books that means while driving, while you are in the gym, while shopping or cooking.

But the thing is nothing could replace books. Nothing could replace that feeling that you get when holding the book, caressing the cover, reading word after word, reading again the sentence that makes you laugh or touches you.

We can’t give up, or replace books but we can add audiobooks to our shelves to complete our collections. Honestly, I know I will buy the book that I listened to, and I will read it again. However, that doesn’t mean I won’t get audiobooks again.