Escape into the serene farm house in Sorrento with Summer in Sorrento by Melissa Hill. I managed to grab a free copy of this short story from B&N two weeks ago and finally sat down and finished it. There are actually three different stories in this book based on the different guests of Villa Azalea.
Each of the character had some troubling stuffs with them and Maia, the hostess of Villa Azalea, had managed to talk to them and gave them advices. Everyone managed to leave the farmhouse a happy person.
As this is a short story of about 60 pages, I find that we managed to get a good and clear image of Maia, the main character, in this book. I loved how she used her own experience to open up the heart of her guest and how they became her friend and their lives intertwined with each other during their stay at the farmhouse.
I am hoping that Melissa Hill would continue this short story in a full length novel where we can see more of Villa Azalea and Maia. I would definitely be interested to know if Maia will be able to find her second love in Sorrento.
When I first saw this book, the impression that I've got was that I am in for a teary romantic short story. The cover is beautiful and it attracted me immediately.
After I have read the book, I actually felt cheated. There wasn't any tears nor was it a beautiful love story. There were too many characters to start with and since I have not read the first book in this series, I have completely no idea who they were. The book then tell us about how a guy named Ander had to give up a girl called Eureka. Again, no background about them that I know of.
This is definitely not a book that one should read if you have no idea what the main story is about. Reading the prequel, it is assumed that one already have the understanding of the main story.
I honestly did not enjoy this book but it wasn't bad either. At the very least, it made me curious about the real story between Ander and Eureka.
Roald Dahl is one of my favorite childhood author and I was surprised when one of my bookclub member shared that he actually wrote adult books! I immediately went in search on the books he had written and OMG, I was in for a surprise.
Switch Bitch consists of four short stories. I read on wikipedia that these were works that Roald Dahl had written for the playboy magazines. Can you believed that?
Before I started reading the book, I had thought that it would be an erotica read but I am pleased to tell everyone that it is NOT. There are plots in each stories and although they are pretty dark, the plots are captivating and interesting enough to make me want to know more.
The Visitor
The first story in this book is about Uncle Oswald (fictional uncle of Roald Dahl). The author received a set of diaries written by Uncle Oswald and decided to publish them. In this story, Uncle Oswald was stranded in the desert when the fan belt of his car was cut off and lucky him got invited to a beautiful mansion by a man driving a Rolls Royce.
Oswald did sound like a very selfish man here but I can totally understand about the particularities on cleanliness. I myself couldn't stand those smelly humans (especially on a crowded train!) and also dirtied sheets in a hotel. And that hair on the poached eggs! I would definitely have asked for a refund for that.
I like how Roald Dahl twisted the story at the end and made us wonder who is the lady who actually visited Uncle Oswald that night. Was it the wife? The beautiful daughter? Or was it someone else. However based on the small introduction at the beginning of the story, it was understood that this was the last entry in Uncle Oswald's diary and nothing was ever heard from him after this. This made me wonder if the lady was who I thought to be.
Tell me what you think if you have read this story! I want to hear from others too!
The Great Switcheroo
This story didn't really leave much impression on me as it is mainly a story that fulfils a man's fantasy in exchanging wife for sex. However, it was done in a secret manner here without the wife realising that they were actually having sex with another man. It's pretty unbelievable but I guessed man do fantasized about it.
I like the tiny twist at the end of the story. It made me laugh out real loud.
The Last Act
Now this is one disturbing and sad story. This lady couldn't get over the death of her husband and was having thoughts of committing suicide. Luckily, the people around her were smart enough not to leave blades for her to do so. Things took a change when a friend called her up and asked her to work for her. She walked out of her depression once her mind was on other stuffs. I was smiling while reading about this.
But Roald Dahl didn't left her happy for long. Again, she was alone on a business trip and being alone brought up her depression again. What luck for her to find an old lover to chat with.
Then I got pissed at the lover.
He could have saved her but instead he left her to die. I was really angry about that. For a woman who he claimed to have loved, after she rejected him because of him spoiling the mood during sex with medical terms, he choose to leave and had nothing to do with her suicide instead of banging on the door and calling in the ambulance? What a bastard!
I would say that this isn't a story everyone would loved because of the dark element and the unhappy ending.
Bitch
Uncle Oswald is back! This time he brought back a liquid that could drove a man wild and make senseless sex with another woman he first laid his eyes on.
Another fantasy of man spotted here. In this book, I also spotted some of the fantasy elements that could be found in Roald Dahl's children book but written as an adult version. This story is really interesting and I was laughing by the end of it at Uncle Oswald's retribution.
All in all, this is an interesting read but nothing something that everyone would like. I would not recommend you picking this up just because you are a fan of Roald Dahl. Pick it up only if you enjoy dark humor, fantasies and disturbing stories. I enjoyed it but still it is not a book for everyone.
I was really excited when I found Sarah Addison Allen's new short story, Waking Kate, free on Amazon and B&N! I have been a fan of hers since I first read The Peach Keeper.
Waking Kate is a short prequel to the upcoming Lost Lake (expected publication: 21 Jan 2014). It is only 38 pages long but it will filled you with emotion by the end of it.
Honestly, this book is pretty hard to rate for me as the book started slow and you won't know what you will be expecting. However, by the middle of it, you will be captivated by Mr Reginald Donbeet's love story. I was caught by surprised on how Ms Allen managed to make that one sided love so touching.
The end made me wondered if the encounter with Mr Reginald was real or did Kate dreamt about it? The last sentence of this book made me wanna screamed out loud. Why can't the story be longer! I want to know if that's what Kate would have done instead of just pondering about it.
Now, let me put in some quotes that I like in this book:
“It’s hubris to think you’re the only person who can make another happy. Some people simply have the ability to make it seem like they need you. All they really want is the attention.” Excerpt From: Sarah Addison Allen. “Waking Kate.”
“There’s no pain in the world like loving someone who doesn’t love you in return. But it disappears, almost like it wasn’t there at all, the moment you find the person you were really meant to be with.” Excerpt From: Sarah Addison Allen. “Waking Kate.”
One thing that stayed on my mind all day after I have read this book is butter coffee. I ended up googling on it and found lots of recipes on it! I might try it one day. LOL!
There is a chapter of Lost Lake included in this book but I didn't read it as I didn't want to start something which I couldn't finish. I knew how Ms Allen would have my attention just with one chapter. I can't wait to read Lost Lake in Jan 2014!
