Cooking Books

Jewel is expected to be a modest Hasyenda Mangubat heiress but she is addicted to erotic novels. She would buy those books in secret and hide them in her room, away from her parent's eyes. She agreed to marry the Mayor's son, Gideon Manasseh, in the hope that Gideon would tolerate her vices. But to her surprise, her new husband appears to be stricter than her parents. Not only do her vices need to be hidden from him, but so do her sexual nightmares. Because those wet dreams are crawling out of her fantasies into her reality... and it is scarier than she thought.

Vivian Harper has always been invisible—a shy, introverted high schooler who prefers books to bullies at Westbridge High. But when Tyler Grayson, a dangerously handsome transfer student with eyes that pierce through her defenses, arrives, her quiet life unravels. Tyler whispers of werewolves and mates, secrets Vivian can’t comprehend. As Vivian grapples with the truth of her hidden werewolf nature, Tyler reveals his own: he’s a future alpha, bound by pack duty, and Vivian is his fated mate. But with every secret unveiled, a new threat emerges—will their mate bond survive, or will the shadows tear them apart?

The novel is mainly about the forgotten British poet/writer named C. J Richards who lived in Burma/Myanmar in colonial times and he believed himself as a Burmophile. He served as I.C.S (Indian Civil Servant) and when he retired from I.C.S service, he was a D.C (District Commissioner) and he left for England a year before Burma gained its independence in 1948. He came to Burma in 1920 to work in civil service after passing the hardest I.C.S examination. He wrote several books on Burma and contributed many monthly articles to Guardian Magazine published in Burma from 1953 to 1974 or 1975. Though he wrote several books which had much literary merit to both communities, Britain and Burma (Myanmar), people failed to recognize him. The story has two parts: one part is set in the contemporary Yangon (then called Rangoon) in 2016 context and a young literary enthusiast named “Lin” found out unexpectedly the forgotten writer’s poetry book and there is surely a good deal of time gap that led him into a quest to know more about the author’s life. The setting is quite different comparing to colonial Burma and independence Myanmar (Burma), early twentieth century and 2016 which is a transitional period in Myanmar. The writer’s life is fictionalized in the novel and most of the facts are taken from his personal stories and other reference books. It is a kind of historical novel with a twist and it has comparatively constructed the two different periods in Myanmar history to convince readers, locally and abroad more about history, authorship, humanity, colonialism, and transitional development in Myanmar today.

I thought marrying him would be my fairy tale ending. Instead, I became invisible. For three years, I played the perfect wife to David Chen, cooking, cleaning, and donating blood whenever his first love needed it. I gave up everything: my identity, my family, my pride. All for a man who never once looked at me like I mattered. Then came the photo. He was sleeping peacefully next to her. The text called me a homewrecker in my own marriage. That’s when I realized I wasn’t his wife. I was just a convenient blood bank with a marriage certificate. So I walked away. Signed the papers. Took back my life. Now David’s calling, but I’m not answering. His mother’s threatening, but I’m not scared. Because I’ve got a secret that will shake this city to its core. I’m not just Maya Lawson, the nobody who married above her station. I’m Maya Lawson, heir to the Lawson empire, the richest family in the country. And I’m about to show them all exactly what they threw away.

I have to admit that my husband's true love is a charming and charismatic woman. After she returns to the country, my husband, who always says he knows nothing about being romantic, racks his brains to think of ways to please her. Even my son wants her to be his mother—he says it to my face, too. To my husband and son, I'm only worthy of cooking and cleaning for them. Later, an autistic little girl tugs on my shirt and says firmly, "Zach might not want his mommy, but I do!" It's only then that I realize flowers can bloom in parched land. When I'm finally living the life I want, my ex-husband and son come to me, telling me they regret their actions… My ex-husband calls and says Zach misses me. I answer, "I'm not his mother anymore." Then, he says he's made a mistake—he's realized that I'm the one he loves. The man beside me kisses the back of my hand, sounding jealous as he says, "Do you think you deserve to be with her when I've yet to win her heart?"

On my birthday, the dining table was loaded with all my favorites. My mom had been cooking and baking the entire afternoon, insisting everything be perfect for when Mike got home from work so we could celebrate together. But then, he called and said his first love had been drugged at a bar, and he had to go help her. I stopped him and begged him not to go. Mike snapped at me. "Jesus, Em, don’t pull this jealous wife crap. She’s alone, defenseless, and unconscious—I can't let some random dude take advantage of her!" My mother heard those words and was so enraged that she had a heart attack. She died on the spot. Just like that, my mom died on my birthday. I called Mike, asking him to attend my mom's funeral. But before he could reply, I saw Cathy Miller's latest Instagram post, captioned: [Mikey… after all these years, it was always you.] Mike had liked it. My thumb moved before my brain caught up, typing out the only words that mattered: [A homewrecker and a lying bastard. Hope you rot together.]

"Rather than serving you, I prefer to die." The Outsiders have been subjected to the oppression of the king's soldiers for centuries, especially during the annual Purge, where every fifteen-year-old person - now an adult - is kidnapped. Ystal is only a child when, during his tenth Purge, is bought by a mysterious man. He says his name is Sylien and that he is an Alchemist, the only known survivor of a population that has now been destroyed. He claims to be looking for an assistant, and that Ystal is the right person. Through mysterious spells, ancient books of lost history and unknown feelings, Ystal will make a journey, in search of true freedom, against a tyrant who, for years, has reigned supreme.

Since young, Dione Amaris has always been fascinated by supernatural creatures; vampires, fairies, werewolves and many more. Her mother always read her stories about them. Until she turn to a fully grown woman, she has collected a lot of books about them and would still read them time to time and she ends reading a book, she can’t help but think if they really do exist. And what if… they really do exist? And one of its kind has been by her side all along? Will it be a start to a something new to her life? Or… it’ll start a havoc in her life?

After reclaiming the throne that is rightfully hers, Morrigan's name went down in the history books of Hymir as the youngest and the queen who spilled blood the day of her coronation. Everyone knows about her ruthless act when she finally reclaimed the throne causing fear all over the kingdom towards her. But the facade of a ruthless and fearsome queen is a defense mechanism she built for no one to use and abuse her again. After all the traumatic experiences she had behind the tall walls of the castle, she will never let people use her again and the only person she trusts in her life is her loyal aide, Colfre.

It's Thanksgiving, and I'm waiting for Zeke Jones to come home after cooking up an extravagant meal. When Zeke returns, he doesn't even glance at the meal I've prepared for him. Instead, he proceeds to pack a bag. "I can't celebrate Thanksgiving with you this year," he says. I take another bite of my turkey and say nothing. At the stroke of midnight, Zeke's first love posts a new photo on her social media page. In the photo, she's lying on Zeke's back with a bright smile on her face. The moon outside the window is bright. "Happy to spend Thanksgiving with good company," her caption reads. Instead of hysterically questioning Zeke about the post, I just tap on the "like" button without reacting in any way. Zeke calls me. His voice sounds panicked as he tries to explain himself. "Please don't misinterpret the post. I will definitely spend Thanksgiving with you next year…" I freeze for a few moments, letting out a small laugh. I don't offer him a reply. Next time, he says? Oh, Zeke, I'm afraid there won't be a next time.