Coffee With Oscar Wilde: A Book Blurb


COFFEE WITH OSCAR WILDE
A fictional dialogue based on biographical facts
by Merlin Holland

The Blurb 


Buy Oscar a coffee and he'll inspire you to brilliance with his worldly wit...


The most illustrious figures of the past would have much to tell us if only we could borrow an hour or so of their time. The COFFEE WITH... series of dramatized biographies enables us to do just that. A relazed chat with Oscar Wilde turns into an eyebrow-raising journey through the extraordinary life and opinions of one of our most eminent and colorful literary figures... and we can even ask questions!


Renowned for his memorable bons mots, Oscar Wilde cut a dashing figure in late Victorian London... until his tragic downfall resulting from an ill-judged libel action. We remember him not only for his famous trial and imprisonment, but also for a "devil's dictionary" of timeless aphorisms and for the enduring brilliance of plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest.



The First Line 
A meeting with Oscar Wilde over several cups of coffee one rainy afternoon in Paris has been a delight.


Why I Decided to Take on the Read

I first saw the book in a Coffee Table Book Section of a prestigious bookshop in the Metro. I was thrilled upon seeing the title for Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite writers. His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is something that I haven't read though. I first encountered Oscar Wilde through my notebook; his quote was plastered on the cover. It was about passion. Shame that I have forgotten the exact quote. That single line and the name was tattooed in my mind. I've came across his quotes and the exaltation that I felt afterwards is wonderfully enigmatic. I fell in love with his every word. That started my love affair with Oscar Wilde. 
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Gossip of the Starlings: A Book Blurb


GOSSIP OF THE STARLINGS
by Nina de Gramont

The Blurb 


When Catherine Morrow is admitted to the Esther Percy School for Girls, it's on the condition that she reform her ways. But that's before the beautiful and charismatic Skype Butterfield, chooses Catherine for her best friend. Skye is in love with danger and the thrill of taking risks, breaking rules, and crossing boundaries, no matter the stakes. The problem is, the stakes keep getting higher and Catherine can neither resist Skype nor stop her from taking down everyone around her. 


De Gramont's chilling novel is a portrait of adolescent seductions in all their beauty and terror. Caught in a world that is both alluring and astonishing, the girls of Esther Percy are optimistic and willful, loving and selfish, daring and cruel -- all the while believing they're utterly indestructible. 

The First Line 
Now, when I see teenage girls laughing.


Why I Decided to Take on the Read

The almost metallic book cover sheet, the monochromatic bird silhouettes and the sparkling title drew me to this book. The reviews sealed the deal. The corrugated and irregular edges made me love the book even more. Another reason is that I think my youth has slowly eluded me and I wan to taste it again through the Esther Percy girls journey.
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Odalisque: A Book Blurb

 

ODALISQUE
This book is a work of fiction. In real life, make sure you practice safe, sane and consensual sex.
by Fleur Reynolds

The Blurb 


Set against a backdrop of sophisticated elegance, a tale of family intrigue, forbidden passions and depraved secrets unfolds. 

Beautiful but scheming, successful designer Auralie plots to bring about the downfall of her virtuous cousin, Jeanine. Recently widowed, but still young and glamorous, Jeanine finds her passions being rekindled by Auralie's husband. But she is playing into Auralie's hands -- vindictive hands that drag Jeanine into a world of erotic depravity. 


Why are the cousins locked into this sexual feud? And what is the purpose of Jeanine's mysterious Confessor, and his sordid underground seet?




The First Line 
'How wicked I am', thought Jeanine, as she removed the severe black band that held her thick blonde hair securely in place.




Why I Decided to Take on the Read

Me knowing me, the book cover would have swept me off my pumps. Nope, I wasn't wearing pumps when I took this controversial paperback upon my frail hands. Just to add glamour, I suppose. The title spells sophistication and so does the image on the cover. And, when I turned on the first page, I figured out I can tolerate the words and so off did the book from the shelf. It has chosen an owner. Odalisque, by the way, is a current slave, a concubine in training. Yes, there's a warning that this book ought to be sold to adults only because it has sensual parts. I always wanted to write sensually, but not in an audacious way. I want  innocent sensuality dabbed all over my future work. Yes, I am serious.
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