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review: rooftops of tehran

book info: on sale: now copy from: public library pages: 348 review written: 21.12.17 originally published: 2009 edition read: Penguin NAL 2009 title: Rooftops of Tehran author: Mahbod Seraji In a middle-class neighborhood of Iran's sprawling capital city, 17-year-old Pasha Shahed spends the summer of 1973 on his rooftop with his best friend Ahmed, joking around one minute and asking burning questions about life the next. He also hides a secret love for his beautiful neighbor Zari, who has been betrothed since birth to another man. But the bliss of Pasha and Zari's stolen time together is shattered when Pasha unwittingly acts as a beacon for the Shah's secret police. The violent consequences awaken him to the reality of living under a powerful despot, and lead Zari to make a shocking choice... my thoughts: This book was first published in 2009 and I remember adding it to my list around that time but never actually reading it since I preferred checking out library books to ...

The Secret

DNF: Chosen for Power by Kathleen Brooks

Chosen for Power by Kathleen Brooks
Series: Woman of Power #1
Source: Free kindle copy
Publisher: Laurens Publishing
Publication Date: April 21st 2014
Age Genre: Adult
Somebody is out to destroy Elle Simpson and everything she’s worked hard to build. As the CEO of a corporate conglomerate, Elle is used to fighting off challengers. However, this new threat comes at a time when she finally lets her guard down to meet Prince Charming. And it’s unlike anything she’s been up against before.

Drake Charles’s work on mobile technology has made him a wealthy, powerful man.
But he quickly sheds the fame and publicity for a more private life, which earns him the label as a man of mystery. Drake adds to that mystery every year when he hosts a masquerade ball for charity. It’s also his best chance to find the one thing he really wants . . . true love.

Having met behind masks of anonymity, Elle and Drake enjoy a whirlwind night of romance that leaves them both wanting more. But Elle must question everything and everyone as she battles to save her life and career. Can Elle trust Drake to help get her life back or will she lose everything?
A le sigh. Another DNF review, mere week apart. I don't seem to be having too much luck with books this month. At least I got this one for free...

And yes, I'm rating this one. Just so you know, I rate about 50% of the books I don't finish. The ones I don't rate are those I acknowledge are good, for other people. Those I do rate are those I just couldn't stand. I'll you to figure out which one is this.

The premise for Chosen for Power sounds good enough - a female CEO fighting for her company, finding love along the way. It even started good - the book is readable. Fact is, I reached 27% even though the sheer ridiculousness of this book started at about 10%. So, it was good enough to make me give it another try... until I really, really couldn't.

Because this book is INSTA LOVE. All capital letters insta-love, which is doubly ridiculous considering both of them are hot-shot young billionaires who've been burned countless times before. They know each other five hours, give or take, before both of them are confessing love.

Yes, that's right - love. And they don't even know each other's names. All they know is that his boy part and her girl part fit nicely together... That's ridiculous enough, but the fact that after being separated he finds her, and she jumps into his arms happily... I don't know about you, but I'll be slightly wary if a guy I met yesterday managed to find where I live and meets my family. Which is, indecently, where I learn who he is. And I only learn that because my mother knows him.

Am I the only one seeing how stupid this entire scenario is? This is where I called quits.

Not to mention the actual fighting for my company plot has still not shown itself.

And this book tries very hard to say "these are not your normal CEOs! They're not ruthless, heartless human beings! They volunteer! they have tragic pasts! people are always trying to use them! they're just looking for someone to be themselves with! and I don't mind that, it's just that it tries too hard.

I mean, they should be a bit ruthless and tenacious to hold on to their companies at such a young age. Why is that wrong? Why must you show them in such a positive, sickeningly bright light? Maybe we'll see that farther into the story, but the way the book was being handled made me think not so much (just because a magazine says they're ruthless does not mean the book shows it...)

Nitzan

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Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff Series:   The Lotus War #1 Source:  gifted hardcover Publisher:  Thomas Dunne Books Publication Date: Sep 18, 2012 Age Group: Young Adult A DYING LAND The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever. AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death. A HIDDEN GIFT Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun...

topic: nasty or noble?

source: tumblr " And he understood human nature so deeply, not just our great capacity for virtue and for goodness, and for love, but our capacity for pain and destruction and anger." Tom Hiddleston on Shakespeare There's something about the way Mr Hiddleston (Mr Hiddleston, haha, why am I so formal? I don't know him personally, so I don't feel like I'm privileged to address him on first name basis) says things, about the characters he plays or on human nature itself, but whenever he says something like this, I get very inspired. Mind you, I haven't taken psychology or studies on human nature at all, so I don't speak from professional knowledge.  "I believe we are born clean slates, and we all have a capacity to be nasty or noble" Nasty or Noble? They're two halves of a whole, I think, and we have to embrace both parts in ourselves. A person that is completely nice, completely passive and serene, is empty. He that never yells, or spea...

topic: happy books or sad books?

This blog post is prompted by a discussion I had at lunch on Friday with my table of friends. We're all book lovers, so it became a passionate discussion. I make myself happy, even when I'm not. If someone were to ask me "Are you happy?" I wouldn't know what to respond. I think because I'm quite bubbly at school, people automatically assume that I'm just always happy all the time. I'd beg to differ: I'm not a very cheery person when I get home. It's because of my introverted-ness. I know you're thinking "What? Then why is she bubbly at school?" Because I like being friendly, but school usually drains out all my social-ness and I recover over the weekend by staying in room all by myself and doing things alone. Back on topic. We asked a question: "Which do you prefer, sad books or happy books?" I said, "I like sad books" And that fired off into passionate "argument". A friend (let's call her C) told...

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