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Showing posts from November, 2013

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster

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Summary from Goodreads : Paul Auster's signature work, The New York Trilogy, consists of three interlocking novels: City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room— haunting and mysterious tales that move at the breathless pace of a thriller. I had a hard time composing my thoughts regarding this book. I don't think I can even tell you what the book is about because I am not entirely sure myself. Coming into this, I can't say I wasn't forewarned. I knew this would not be your straight forward detective story. And strange as this book was, I latched onto to in a way that I never thought I would.  The three stories are separate from each other, but are connected in the sense that they all share the same tone and mood and theme.  This trilogy still very much reads like a mystery novel. There are detectives and stake outs and disguises and shady people and supposed crimes and conspiracies. But what makes it different is that it deals with a case that seems unsolvable.

Filipino Friday 5: What Do Readers Want?

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1. What’s your favorite genre/reading material? Fiction, specifically, fantasy. It is my favorite genre because it's a suspension of reality, an escape. Where else can I experience riding a hippogriff, or fighting a dragon, or flying on an eagle's wings, or casting spells? Where else can I bring myself to be in fantastical places such as Hogwarts, or Middle Earth or Westeros? But it is more than an escape, fantasy stories have truths in them too, just like your literary fiction, it is only that they are handed out in a different manner. Let me end this answer with a quote from Lloyd Alexander:   “Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.” Chos. 2. Who is your favorite author (local or foreign)? I have always had trouble about the favorite author question. I have this thinking that for one to have a favorite author, he or she must have read most of the author's writings. For example, I love Harry Potter. But beyond that series, I

Required Reading: November 2013

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I had a grand old time last October, at least, reading wise. I got lost in the worlds of two massive fantasy books and it was epic. Plus, I squeezed in two light and funny reads to keep me from being bogged down by all that aforementioned epicness. Anyway, here's how I did last October: 1. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - (5 Stars)  Ah, GRRM, I thought you couldn't take it anymore higher but you did. You sly dog you. 2. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay - (5 Stars) An absolutely grand, epic, sweeping tale of redemption and vengeance, of love and loss, of grief and hope and courage. 3. Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman , illustrated by Skottie Young - (4 Stars) It's nice to see Neil Gaiman doing something not dark or grim and I must say he did a gret job of it. It's a funny, silly, whimsical book that kids and adults will love.  4. William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher - (4 Stars) Shakespeare and Star Wars. Who would

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

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Summary from Goodreads : Eight of the nine provinces of the Peninsula of the Palm, on a world with two moons, have fallen to the warrior sorcerers Brandin of Ygrath and Alberico of Barbadior. Brandin's younger son is slain in a battle with the principality of Tigana, which the grief-stricken sorcerer then destroys. After sweeping down and destroying the remnants of their army, burning their books and destroying their architecture and statuary, he makes it so that no one not born in that province can even hear its name. Years later, a small band of survivors, led by Alessan, last prince of Tigana's royal house, wages psychological warfare, planting seeds for the overthrow of the two tyrants. At the center of these activities are Devin, a gifted young singer; Catriana, a young woman pursued by suspicions of her family's guilt; and Duke Sandre d'Astibar, a wily resistance leader thought dead. Meanwhile, at Brandin's court, Dianora, his favorite concubine and--unkno

Filipino Friday #4: This is Still Reading Right?

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Do you read (or have at least tried to read) books in other formats aside from print? How was your experience with these different book formats? I used to think that I would never like reading e-books, and thus would never consider investing on an e-reader. But my sister convinced me for some reason, to give it a shot. She said that a friend of hers is coming over from the States, and now was our shot to have the friend bring us both a Kindle. And so, we did. I guess, I had to eat my words because I love my Kindle, River, and I love e-books now. Although, there is absolutely nothing that beats actually flipping through pages of physical books, the smell, and the feel of it. Still, I think e-books are pretty great. Well, I think e-readers are the ones that's pretty great because I don't think I would take much to e-books if I had to read them on a laptop or a desktop computer.     Aside from e-books, I have tried audiobooks. My first one was an audiobook recording of