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Showing posts from September, 2013

A Lifetime by Morris Fenris

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Summary from Amazon :  “A Lifetime” is the story of a struggle. Of one man born into nothing and who fights to make his way through life, to leave the place of his birth – a place of suffering and strife – and to create a new life elsewhere. To find himself a wife, to start a family and to achieve the things he thought unachievable.  It is a story of success, loss, delight and grief; a story of what it means to have everything and what it feels like to have nothing. It is also a story of the very special bond between a father and his daughter.  From the synopsis of this novella, I was anticipating that it would somehow be a rags to riches story or an underdog story of sorts. Well, at least, that the majority of the pages would explores the hardships the character went through in the plantation, and the experience of stowing away on a cargo ship, and how he was able to work his way up the corporate ladder. Yes, those things are mentioned, but only as an introduction. It is sti

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Best Sequels

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For more info on this meme go to The Broke and The Bookish 1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - Since the games already ended and Katniss and Peeta have been declared winners, I thought, well, the excitement might fan down in book 2. But I was mistaken. The Quarter Quell is much more nail-bitingly intense. Plus, it has really great character developments and just as much of an emotional roller coaster as the first. This ended up as my favorite among the trilogy.   2. Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - Book 1, while good, was a bit of a sleeper for me. And then comes Queen of Attolia with amazing political intrigue and a plot that never goes where you think it would. It's like having the rug pulled out from under you, over and over. 3. Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud - This has just more of everything from the 1st book. More magic, more political intrigue, more mystery, and the characters become more layered too.  4. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien - This is

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

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Summary from Goodreads : Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead. Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for? First off, let me say that the Prologue  had me absolutely hooked. It tells the story of a very young Scarlett and Rosie, livi

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

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Summary from Goodreads: The haunting, humorous and tender story of the brief lives of the five entrancing Lisbon sisters, The Virgin Suicides, now a major film, is Jeffrey Eugenides' classic debut novel. The shocking thing about the girls was how nearly normal they seemed when their mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear. One of the things that I picked up right after reading the first few pages of The Virgin Suicides, is the mood. There is that melancholy, mysterious, and foreboding atmosphere. Eugenides also seems to put out a tone of eerie calmness, you know

The Kobayashi Maru of Love by Carljoe Javier

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Javier’s post-breakup essays, universal in scope and galactic in magnitude, trace the chronological arc from the lover’s disconnection notice, the final severance, and the getting by- which, depending on one’s predilections, can be the road to ruin or the ultimate fast track to freedom. By turns elegiac riff and breezy romp, these essays are the work of an original mind at play - From the introduction by Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta I got tickled pink when I first came across the title of this book. I am no Trekkie (Trekker?) but I am an voracious consumer of pop culture and all things geek. So I know that, more or less, this is a book that takes a hackneyed theme like love and treat it with the same passion as geeks do their own fandoms. Okay so here's the breakdown: Part I consists of two stories when the author is still with his girlfriend.   Both stories are light hearted and humorous, largely in part because a geek guy thrust into situations that he is not accustomed

Required Reading: September 2013

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August flew by fast. It was a good month. I had three local literature lined up as my required reads and was able to finish them. So, here's the lowdown: 1. In My Mother's House by Joni Cham - (4.5/5) I am not big on literary fiction. This is actually my first local literary fiction, I think. And I was very much surprised at how much it blew me away. I rated this 4/5 in Goodreads only because they don't have half stars. It was just so compelling and potent and just...good. 2. Love Your Frenemies by Mina Esguerra - (3/5) I had fun with this novella. I still love Fairy Tale Fail more but it was still an enjoyable read nevertheless. 3. The Kobayashi Maru of Love by Carljoe Javier - (3.5/5) I enjoyed this geeky take on love. It's not only funny and witty but quite earnest and honest as well. (review post to follow soon)   Okay, so I recently went out with two of my friends and both happen to be the only child in their respective families. They tell me how somet