Zyrin's Bookshelf

D.M. Cornish - Foundling

2012-02-02T15:53:00.001+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE
Condition: Trade paperback size, B5

Synopsis taken off Amazon;

Meet Rossamünd—a foundling, a boy with a girl’s name who is about to begin a dangerous life in the service of the Emperor of the Half-Continent. What starts as a simple journey becomes a dangerous and complicated set of battles and decisions. Humans, monsters, unearthly creatures . . . who among these can Rossamünd trust? D. M. Cornish has created an entirely original world, grounded in his own deft, classically influenced illustrations. Foundling is a magic-laced, Dickensian adventure that will transport the reader.

Mary Balogh - Irresistible

2012-01-31T15:49:00.002+08:00

Price: RM8

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off Amazon;

Mary Balogh reconfirms her reputation as a superlative writer of Regency romance in this well-drawn, ultimately moving love story between a war hero's widow and her longtime friend. Nathaniel Gascoigne knew Sophie as a colleague's supportive wife when he fought in the Peninsular War. Now, meeting the widowed Sophie in London after a long separation, Nat is surprised by her unexpected agreement that they share discreet lovemaking, no strings attached. But a secret involving Sophie's former marriage has left her vulnerable to a blackmailer, and just when the satisfaction she offers to Nat makes him most eager to prolong their dalliance, Sophie decides she has no choice but to break it off. Nat's gradual insights into Sophie's character, and the couple's struggles to act honorably yet remain true to themselves, are beautifully handled. As a delightful contrast, there's the barbed repartee between Nat's independent-minded cousin and his marriage-shy best friend, which develops into a witty and satisfying secondary romance. Balogh's masterful command of the Regency period, and her skill at dramatizing subtle nuances of character, endow her books with rare and rich rewards. --Ellen Edwards

Cecelia Ahern - The Book of Tomorrow

2012-01-29T15:36:00.000+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE
Condition: Bought it from a warehouse sale. Has a black mark. Please refer to picture. Is the trade paperback version, size B5.

Synopsis taken off the author's website;

This is a story about how tomorrow can change what happens today...

Tamara Goodwin has everything she ever wanted and she never has to think about tomorrow. But suddenly her world is turned upside down and she has to leave her glamorous city life for a new one in the country. However, Tamara is soon lonely and longing to return home.

Then a travelling library arrives in the village, bringing with it a mysterious leather-bound book locked with a gold clasp and padlock. What Tamara discovers within its pages takes her breath away and everything starts to change in the most unexpected of ways...

John Case - Eighth Day

2012-01-27T13:21:00.000+08:00

Price: RM8

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off the author's website;

For Danny Cray, a struggling artist and part-time private investigator, the offer is too good to be true. A wealthy, enigmatic lawyer, Jude Belzer, would like to retain Danny for a little damage control. His client, an elusive billionaire named Zerevan Zebek, is the target of a vicious campaign in the Italian press that threatens to destroy his reputation. Belzer wants Danny to find out who is responsible –-- and he will pay handsomely.

Danny’s only lead is the meager estate of a recently deceased professor of religious studies, a man so deeply terrified that he buried himself alive in the basement of his isolated farmhouse. And the more Danny probes, the more apparent it becomes that nothing is what it seems. From the powerful world of Washington to the grandeur of Rome, from the mysteries of Istanbul to the high-stakes drama of Silicon Valley, Danny is embroiled in a conspiracy as dark as the far side of the Moon.

"Short-listed for the Hammet Prize!"

"Deliciously sinister...a breakneck yarn of good vs. evil." People (Page-turner of the Week)

"John Case has outdone himself. The Eighth Day is a harrowing novel of suspense...that plunges a clever, ingenuous, and engaging young man into a web of mystery and international deceit." Tampa Tribune

"Readers of John Grisham, James Patterson, and Robert Ludlum will find Case right up their alley... (He) is all about pace. it's as if the word 'relentless' were invented just for him." BookPage

Barbara Michaels - Other Worlds

2011-12-14T00:52:00.001+08:00

Price: RM8

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off Amazon;

Those present include Harry Houdini, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, psychoanalyst Nandor Fodor, and a writer who rivals them all with her sleuthing talent. These masters of mystery are about to put their minds to a pair of ghoulish stories--of families beset by poltergeistly pranks and bewitched by inexplicable horrors. Gripping puzzles, yes, but the terror of these tales is all too vicious and all too real.

"In the hollows of Tennessee, a family is threatened by a dire spirit whose warnings of despair and death come frighteningly true....

In a small Connecticut town, a newly married widow and her children move into her second husband's home to find their lives possessed by an unimaginable demon...."

Were these villains phantom spirits or evildoers of flesh and blood? Dare to find out in this masterful delight from Barbara Michaels--a tale as frightening by daylight as it is by darkness."

Marion Zimmer Bradley - Ghostlight

2011-12-13T09:21:00.000+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off Macmillan;

Thorne Blackburn claimed to have magickal powers, to be able to tap into ancient wisdom. Others claimed he was a fake, cheating his many followers out of their money and destroying their free well.

The truth may never be known . . . one dark, climactic night thirty years ago, Blackburn’s most powerful ritual went horribly awry, leaving his flock shattered and one woman dead. Blackburn himself vanished.

Now the scattered remains of Blackburn’s followers have rallied around a new leader, the charismatic Justin Pilgrim. Hearing this, Thorne Blackburn’s daughter, Truth, returns to the site of her mother’s death and father’s disappearance.

Truth has many unanswered questions. Where are her long-lost half-siblings? Was her mother’s death accident or murder? Is Pilgrim a charlatan, or are his claimed powers real? If he completes Thorn’s ritual, will someone else die?

The answers will lead Truth to deeply powerful truth of her own, one that will change her life forever.

Kelley Armstrong - Dime Store Magic

2011-11-29T00:43:00.002+08:00

Price: RM8

Status: AVAILABLE

Condition: Pages slightly yellowed with age. Please refer to picture.

Synopsis taken off the author's official site;

Leader of the American Coven, guardian to the preteen daughter of a black witch … it’s not the lifestyle twenty-three year-old Paige Winterbourne imagined for herself, and it’s wreaking hell on her social life.

But she’s up to the challenge. When half-demon Leah O’Donnell returns to fight for custody of Savannah, Paige is ready.

She’s not as prepared for the team of supernaturals Leah brings with her, including a powerful sorcerer who claims to be Savannah’s father. Cut off from her friends, accused of witchcraft, Satanism, necromancy, murder…Paige quickly realizes that keeping Savannah could mean losing everything else. Has she finally found a battle she isn’t willing to fight?

Katie MacAlister - You Slay Me

2011-11-28T00:11:00.001+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off the author's official website;

The first book in a sexy, humorous paranormal thriller series featuring Aisling Grey, an apprentice Guardian, and her sometimes boyfriend, sometimes foe Drake Vireo, wyvern (leader) of one of the four dragon septs.

Aisling finds her true calling when she travels to Paris to deliver a medieval object that is part of a set sought after for the power it wields.

There she meets the handsome Drake, a man who is not at all what he seems. Implicated in the circumstances of two murders, Aisling, the demon she summons for help (and subsequently can’t get rid of) named Jim, and Drake find themselves caught up in a web of lies and confusion that could well result in the demon lords of hell ruling the mortal world.

Steve Berry - The Templar Legacy

2011-11-27T23:11:00.001+08:00

Price: RM8

Status: AVAILABLE

Condition: Slight marks on pages, please refer to picture #1. As for the cover, there is nothing wrong with it, that's just the artwork - refer to picture #2.

picture #1

picture #2

Synopsis taken off the author's official website;

Cotton Malone Series Book 1

The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes—until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost. But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was–and its true nature could change the modern world.

Cotton Malone, one-time top operative for the U.S. Justice Department, is enjoying his quiet new life as an antiquarian book dealer in Copenhagen when an unexpected call to action reawakens his hair-trigger instincts–and plunges him back into the cloak-and-dagger world he thought he’d left behind.

It begins with a violent robbery attempt on Cotton’s former supervisor, Stephanie Nelle, who’s far from home on a mission that has nothing to do with national security. Armed with vital clues to a series of centuries-old puzzles scattered across Europe, she means to crack a mystery that has tantalized scholars and fortune-hunters through the ages by finding the legendary cache of wealth and forbidden knowledge thought to have been lost forever when the order of the Knights Templar was exterminated in the fourteenth century. But she’s not alone. Competing for the historic prize–and desperate for the crucial information Stephanie possesses–is Raymond de Roquefort, a shadowy zealot with an army of assassins at his command.

Welcome or not, Cotton seeks to even the odds in the perilous race. But the more he learns about the ancient conspiracy surrounding the Knights Templar, the more he realizes that even more than lives are at stake. At the end of a lethal game of conquest, rife with intrigue, treachery, and craven lust for power, lies a shattering discovery that could rock the civilized world–and, in the wrong hands, bring it to its knees.

Brandon Mull - Fablehaven

2011-10-30T01:15:00.001+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE

Taken off the author's website;

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely! Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite . . .

Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischevious satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most.

Anne Fortier - Juliet

2011-10-10T00:41:00.002+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off the publisher's website;

Juliet, an ambitious, utterly engaging historical novel on the scale of The Thirteenth Tale and The Birth of Venus, follows a young woman who discovers that her family’s origins reach all the way back to literature’s greatest star-crossed lovers.

When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told it will lead her to an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a winding and perilous journey into the history of her ancestor Giulietta, whose legendary love for a young man named Romeo rocked the foundations of medieval Siena. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in Shakespeare’s unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorious curse—“A plague on both your houses!”—is still at work, and that she is the next target. It seems that the only one who can save Julie from her fate is Romeo—but where is he?

Catherine Alliott - The Real Thing

2011-10-08T00:31:00.000+08:00

Price: RM8

Status: AVAILABLE

Condition: Pages a bit yellow with age. Sticker on cover. Refer to picture.

Taken off Amazon;

Product Description
A glorious tale of love and hilarity from No. 1 bestseller Catherine Alliott.

'What do you think I am, Laura? Some bored Putney housewife with seven-year itch who's just ripe for bumping into her glamorous ex-boyfriend on holiday, ditching her nice, safe, comfortable husband and embarking on a steamy affair with him? This isn't one of your Aga sagas, you know, this is me, Tessa Hamilton, happily married mother of two, and apart from anything else I went out with him years ago…'

Everyone's got one – an old boyfriend with whom they never fell out of love, they simply parted because the time wasn't right. And for thirty-year-old Tessa Hamilton it's Patrick Cameron, the gorgeous, moody, rebellious boy she met at seventeen; the boy her vicar father thoroughly disapproved of; the boy who had left her to go to Italy to paint. And now he's back.

Peter David - Sir Apropos of Nothing

2011-09-24T00:16:00.000+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off Amazon;

From Publishers Weekly
An antihero for the 21st century, Apropos springs from his mother's womb with a full set of teeth, ready to bite anyone who gets in the way of his survival in this fast, fun, heroic fantasy satire. Serious issues are bound to concern a child born of a gang rape conducted by knights who wouldn't know the Holy Grail even if it was filled with mead and emptied over their heads. David, author of more than 40 novels, primarily Star Trek- or Babylon 5-related, knows how to spin a story, entertaining the reader with pathos, bathos, mythos and psychos. When Apropos sets off to rescue a bratty, Hecate-worshipping princess named Entipy, he's an angry young man, lame of leg and spirit. As a reluctant hero he must endure a wicked phoenix, the Outer Lawless Regions and the Screaming Gorge of Eternal Madness, not to mention the annoyingly brave Tacit, who claims he was raised by unicorns. In the course of his quest he also discovers his father and learns how to turn lemons into a high-octane lemonade. At times repugnant, at others delightful, but never boring, Sir Apropos wants to "break out of the little box that I had been placed in, first by society, then by the knights, and now by destiny itself." Of course he blows the box into smithereens, as does David, who appears to be planning still more adventures (and hopefully, misadventures) for his cranky, crazy knight.

Agent, Andy Zack. (July 10) FYI: This book is the author's first non-tie-in novel since the '80s (Knight Life and Howling Mad).
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Matthew Reilly - The Five Greatest Warriors

2011-09-16T11:58:00.000+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off Amazon;

From Publishers Weekly

In the thrilling third installment in bestseller Reilly's series to feature Jack West Jr. (after Seven Ancient Wonders and The Six Sacred Stones), the adventurer from the Australian outback and his band of merry men, women and children race against several nefarious groups to defuse a disastrous celestial event. The planetary entity known as the Dark Star, the evil twin to our sun, is set to return to our solar system, igniting a massive negative energy source that will destroy all life on earth. It's a tough challenge, but if anyone can save the world, it's Jack. There are riddles to solve, bad guys to kill and derring-do to be done, all of which flashes by as one action scene piles onto the next. Readers should leave their thinking caps behind, hang onto the panic bar and be prepared to be flung hither and yon.Plenty of maps and diagrams add to the fun. (Jan.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Jennifer Blake & Emilie Richards - Southern Gentlemen

2011-08-29T01:12:00.000+08:00

Price: RM8

Status: AVAILABLE

Condition: Slight mark on cover, please refer to picture.

Taken off Amazon;

From Publishers Weekly

Boys from the wrong side of the tracks fall in love with girls from the town's wealthiest families, while girls marry within their own social groups before finding happiness with the town's bad boys and true Southern gentlemen. These are the twin plots at the nucleus of this engaging pair of stories from veteran romance authors, Blake and Edwards. In Blake's offering (after Kane), Rip Peterson, ex-con turned electronic mogul, returns to Montrose, La., intending to carve himself a place in society with the help of beautiful Anna Montrose. In exchange, he'll restore her beloved ancestral home (which he now owns) to its original grandeur. If she fails, she must agree to marry him. Edwards (Rising Tide) pits attorney Billy Ray Wainwright against the most powerful judge in the county when he offers protection and council to the judge's widowed daughter-in-law, Carolina Grayson. The judge is as crooked as they come, and will stop at nothing to gain custody of his grandchildren, including branding Carolina a murderess. Fans of Blake and Edwards will be rewarded two-fold with these richly textured, heartwarming stories, and first-time readers will be hooked.

Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ryoko Mitsuki - Doors of Chaos #1 (Manga)

2011-08-27T01:08:00.003+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE

Taken off Wikipedia;

Twin sisters Mizeria and Clarissa Rezelput are Harmonizers, able to manipulate the harmonies that exist in all living things. Confined to a locked garden, they have been raised by their guardian Rikhter Eintetta, trained and guided by his nurturing hand. The girls eagerly await their 16th birthday, practicing for their coming of age ceremony, when they will finally be recognized as true Harmonizers. With the passing of the ceremony, they will also gain new freedoms, and finally be able to leave their garden. However, when dark forces interfere during the ceremony, not only are Mizeria's dreams of freedom are destroyed and her sister kidnapped by turned-traitor Rikhter - the fate of the entire world is now at stake.

Mary Balogh - No Man's Mistress

2011-07-27T10:23:00.000+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off Amazon;

From Publishers Weekly

Fraught with all the misunderstandings and misadventures typical of a Regency-era romance, this heartwarming sequel to Balogh's debut hardcover, More Than a Mistress, is a fun but familiar tale that fans of the period will savor. When Lord Ferdinand Dudley visits the small village of Trellick to examine Pinewood Manor, a small estate he won in a card game, he is surprised to find that the property hasn't been neglected or abandoned. Viola Thornhill, the "country lass" whom Ferdinand had met during the town's May Day celebration, has settled in Pinewood, and she has no intention of surrendering her home to a gambling London dandy. Viola insists that the late Earl of Bamber left her the estate, and she determines to stay put until Ferdinand produces a copy of the earl's will that proves her wrong. Meanwhile, Viola tries everything possible to make Ferdinand's first country experience unbearable including setting the villagers upon him with complaints and having a cockerel wake him before sunrise. Ferdinand takes everything in stride, however, and he slowly begins to realize that he doesn't want Viola to leave; he's falling in love with her. Viola harbors feelings for Ferdinand as well, but her checkered past keeps her from entertaining hopes of a future with him. Although Ferdinand and Viola seem like mere stereotypes at first, it becomes clear midway through that Ferdinand is not the rake he appears to be and that Viola is no innocent country lass. Balogh's prose is simple and straightforward, and few of the novel's twists and turns are uncharted. Nevertheless, her charismatic characters and swift pacing will keep romance enthusiasts riveted to the page.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Barbara Taylor Bradford - Hold The Dream

2011-05-28T00:08:00.001+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE
Condition: Plastic wrapped cover.

Made into a tv miniseries.

Synopsis taken off the author's website;

Hold The Dream
1985

In A Woman of Substance, Barbara Taylor Bradford captivated millions of readers with the enthralling and triumphant tale of Emma Harte and her remarkable rise to the top of her own international business cartel. Now in this exciting and mesmerizing sequel, Emma's story -- and her legacy -- continue.

Having achieved the pinnacle of success, the elderly Emma relinquishes control of her vast empire to her beloved grand-daughter Paula McGill Fairly. Though Emma asks Paula to hold her dream, she knows that the young woman must also have one of her own -- a vision that will see her through future hardship.

Devastating greed, heartbreaking betrayal and ruthless enemies will put Paula to the ultimate test, as she faces shattering losses, discovers a grand love, and strives to be all that her grandmother was... and more.

Rich with all the passion, intrigue, and emotions that made A Woman of Substance so wonderfully satisfying, Hold the Dream once again showcases the brilliance of Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Penny Jordan - Love's Choices

2011-05-24T23:34:00.003+08:00

Price: RM5

Status: AVAILABLE
Condition: Slight mark on cover.

Synopsis taken off Amazon;

Product Description
Sheltered Hope Stanford had once become the victim of Alexei Serivace's vengeful plot, and now that Alexei is back, asking Hope for her help again, she makes sure that he will be the one to pay the price. Reissue.

David Gemmell - Ravenheart

2011-05-22T23:26:00.000+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off Amazon;

From Publishers Weekly
The third book in Gemmell's popular heroic fantasy saga, the Rigante series (The Sword in the Storm; Midnight Falcon), puts a host of characters through a load of action without much resolution. Centuries ago, after the capture of the Rigante hero, Connavar, Varlish troops subjugated the Rigante highlanders. In recent times the great-hearted warrior Jaim Grymauch promised to care for the infant son of his best friend, Lanovar, who was betrayed by the local lord, the Moidart. Now with Lanovar's son, Kaelin Ring, on the verge of manhood, the highlanders once again chafe under the Moidart's rule. While even the Moidart's son, Gaise Macon, can see the injustice in the situation, he has little influence over his single-minded father. Then the rape and murder of a young Varlish woman stirs up violence and raises questions. Kaelin and Jaim find the murderer with the help of the sorceress known as the Wyrd of Wishing Tree woods, but when Kaelin gives in to his bloodlust and kills the criminal, his aunt Maev sends him away to distant Black Mountain, near the mighty Rigante clan lord Call Jace. As each man accepts the fate laid out for him by the Wyrd, it's hard not to notice how Gemmell seems more intent on setting up the plot for his next book than on telling a balanced story. Plenty of loose ends most notably the future of Gaise clamor for expansion, but this novel seems mostly to be a place-keeper in the series.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

David Farland - The Sum of All Men

2011-05-10T16:08:00.001+08:00

Price: RM10

Status: AVAILABLE

Synopsis taken off the author's official site;

The first book of the saga of The Runelords

Young Prince Gaborn Val Orden of Mystarria is traveling in disguise on a journey to ask for the hand of the lovely Princess Iome of Sylvarresta. Armed with his gifts of strength and perception, Prince Gaborn and his warrior bodyguard stop in a local tavern along the way. Immediately, they spot a pair of assassins who have their sights set on Princess Iome's father. As the prince and his bodyguard race to warn the king of this impending danger, they realize that more than the royal family is at risk, the very fate of the Earth is in jeopardy.

Terry Brooks - The Sword of Shannara

2011-05-08T16:06:00.000+08:00

Price: RM8

Status: AVAILABLE

Condition: Slight marks at the corners, due to age. Please refer to picture. So sorry for the blurriness!

Synopsis taken off Amazon;

Living in peaceful Shady Vale, Shea Ohmsford knew little of the troubles that plagued the rest of the world. Then the giant, forbidding Allanon revaled that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destory the world. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness was the Sword of Shannara, which could only be used by a true heir of Shannara--Shea being the last of the bloodline, upon whom all hope rested. Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of Evil, flew into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. To save the Vale, Shea fled, drawing the Skull Bearer after him....

The First Post

2008-09-22T12:41:00.002+08:00

Halllooo!!! I'm Zyrin. I'm a certified bookworm.

I'm letting go some of my books to make space for new ones on my bookshelves. So here's hoping I can find loving homes for some of my 'friends' that I have to let go.

Do browse and drop me a line at muzieryn[at]gmail.com if you see something that catches your eye.

Happy browsing!