Ruin and Rising (Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo

Those four stars didn't come from this trilogy having a (sort of) happy ending. I liked this best of the three because Alina didn't sulk as much. The saint finally grew balls. Heh. Seriously, this was the most action-packed and at some parts I may have been on the edge of my seat trying to hold on until I found out what happens next. There were too many deaths, though. If some people can be resurrected from the dead then there shouldn't have been too many deaths. WHY WERE THERE TOO MANY DEATHS?!! 

Not to be a fanatic but I noticed some similarities between this and another famous series ... but I didn't want to ruin the experience when I'm finally enjoying the story so I let it go lol. Hmm I guess I also liked that they explained a lot of things in this book. Oh! Also! Also! Also! I was told how I will like this book depends on who I want Alina to end up with ... does that mean I was rooting for ***tooot***? I can't say yes. But it was okay what happened in the end. I guess it was ... fitting?

A Marriage Made In Heaven by Erma Bombeck

Weirdly, I think I already read some parts/chapters of this book in previous Erma Bombeck books I've read. I cannot confirm, of course, because I don't have time to look for my older books. Although I have never been married, I still enjoyed this book. Nevermind that this was written when I was only getting the hang of reading (lol) and a lot of these things happened before I was even born, I still had to laugh and chuckle a lot. Love her dry sense of humor.

Annabel Scheme by Robin Sloan

As much as I love Robin Sloan, I can't figure this one out. I was just lost half of the time when I was reading this. I get the artificial intelligence sidekick and thought it was kind of cute but ... what was the point of all of this I couldn't explain. Maybe I should read this again ... one of these days.

Siege and Storm (Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

I spent half of the time getting annoyed at Alina. If on the first book I couldn't decide whether I liked the main character or not, in this book I've decided I don't like her at all. Would I still read the last book? Yes. The story telling is very good. I like the story enough, I just couldn't warm up to a character who pities herself from the very beginning. I guess it's the same as every other orphan-savior character. The only difference is she's a girl. She has hormones. I therefore conclude she has an excuse. 

I liked Nikolai, I liked Mal better here than the first book, I liked Tamar and Tolya ... other than that, I can't say much. Maybe ill write a better review next time. Or not.

The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

This is like reading the Bible except I didn't find the Bible (at least the parts that I've read) dragging. 

It's a bit disturbing for a children's book, isn't it? I mean, a girl willingly strayed from her mother to go to a pilgrimage with an angel to see the Child-Christ in the manger ... and the angel let that happen why? Actually, the girl ran after the lamb because she wanted to stroke its soft fleece and she told the angel that and the angel just said, hey whatever you're coming with us. Dear angel, what very important part did that little girl play in the birth of Jesus Christ for you to have her tag along and not just return her to her mother like how you saved the drowning guy somewhere in the story? In the Bible, parents were known to be told to sacrifice their children to prove their faith to God (at least the petty, vindictive, old testament god) but at least they know what will happen to their child if their child disappears. Elisabet's mother was tormented for 50 years not knowing what happened to her little girl. Okay, let's not blame the angel because towards the end it was said she was abducted by people during the war ... yes let's make this a political thing as if it's not confusing to begin with. And then in the end the book still implied that the pilgrimage was what really happened so ... yeah. Psychological roller coaster? Anyone?

Is this a book I'd read to children? Eesh.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

I guess the hardest part to writing fantasy is introducing the new world you created? Despite the non-complicated prose and simple language, I had a slow start reading this because I couldn't follow the rankings and description of ... mostly everything. Of course, it could just be my slow brain, heh. It was easy once I got through the introductions. 

I loved the fast-paced story, most of all. I thought it didn't drag at all. I haven't decided if I like the main character yet but I like the story enough to read it. I'm not sure this should be under YA, too. Maybe just fantasy romance. I think it's a bit too twisted and ... romancey (I totally invented that word) for young adults but, oh well. There's a lot of fantasy, love triangle trilogies out but I like how the main character is sort of in love with the antagonist. However, I think part of its charm is lost for me because I already know the ending; someone accidentally told me because she thought I was done (she's evil, I know); but I'd still read it. 

This is a 3.5 at most.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

I have a very vivid imagination so I wasn't very happy reading how Mausami "had opened like a flower" while giving birth. Now that we got that out of the way can I just say OMFG this book is too long. Granted I've read longer books but OMG everytime I thought "THIS IS IT! This is the last page" there's still another chapter. This happened maybe 6 times I didn't know if I'd laugh or cry.

I try not to read reviews and anything about books except the blurb because I don't like expecting things so it came as a surprise that vampires brought us the apocalypse and not zombies. I mean, seriously, if zombies can't even run or climb and just groan like they do in most movies, how stupid can mankind be for our population to be wiped out just like that?

So yeah, I liked this book. Maybe I even loved it because I want to finish reading the others I have in line just so I could get to the second book. Why three stars then? I feel like this should've been two books not because it was too long but because when I got to the part where the virus already ruled the world I had to stop and get used to the shift in narration and character which actually happened a couple times. I instantly liked the first 30% whereas the rest of it had to grow on me and it took a while to do that. If you could get past that then good for you.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Audiobook)

I think any book trying to give its two-cents on religion, sexuality, racism and people getting immersed in virtual reality in the age of the almighty internet is very ambitious. This is one of those books although it was disguised in a SUPER AWESOME scifi, virtual reality game/treasure hunt and it.SUCKED.ME.IN.

The book's hype came from the use of 80s pop culture which was the same reason I was hesitant to read it. For a non-gamer 90's kid, this wasn't very appealing. I thought I might have problems relating to whatever was "in" in the 80s. I was born early-mid 80s but I was too busy running around in diapers and later on trying to learn how to spell my name that I didn't bother with TV or anything else until the 90s. I know of Monty Python, the game Joust, the album 2112 etc but I didn't watch/play/listen to them over 4 dozen times to be able to memorize the words ... okay maybe I played Joust one too many times but you get the drift. Surprisingly, I loved this book. I think it helped that I chose to get the audiobook instead of getting it on print. The book might be very descriptive but that worked for me too. It's the only way I (again, a 90s, non gamer kid) can understand what everything was all about. The author took his time and painstakingly described each game's rules and how you played it as well as the scenes and lyrics of songs. The little facts about the game developers, the musician, etc also didn't hurt. I think it made up for me not knowing every detail of what was popular then.

This is one book I would absolutely LOVE to see on the big screen … provided Hollywood doesn't mess it up. I could do without the cheesy love thing dialogue at the end of the book, though. Spoiler, I know but that was already a given, right? In the love interest regard, this book got predictable. 

Teenage Love Spell by Gabrielle Dela Cruz

This reminds me of the stories I wrote in high school. I wrote a ton for my friends to read and I was always so happy when they liked whatever it is. I wouldn't want anyone I know now to read any of them. Good thing I don't have them anymore. Termites. Lol. Not saying this isn't something people shouldn't read, I just think that the author needs to look for the right audience to be able to get the right reviews. I guess nobody-teenager-falls-in-love-with-popular-guy-who-she didn't-know-is-crushing-on-her-too doesn't work for me anymore. For the record, I do know this would be a teenage love story (it's in the title ... im smart like that LOL) but I read almost anything that's fiction so when the author left a comment on my post on Instagram I went ahead and got it on Amazon Kindle. It was free at that time so what would I lose? So yeah, if you're into that kind of thing this costs $2.99, I think. Not bad.

Also (and more importantly), I think this needs a bit more copy editing/proofreading but ... still, it's amazing that aspiring novelists are given an opportunity to publish easily. If anything, this actually inspired me to write fiction again ... although it wouldn't be something so highschool. 

Oh, Never Mind by Mary H.K. Choi

It's nice to find a quick, non-fiction read you can relate to. I'm not from NY nor am I an Asian with a green card/living in a foreign country, and I'm not planning on moving anywhere (at least within the next 365 days). I am, however, single, in my 30s (not young but not old, heh), was (ok, still am sometimes) a freelance writer and have, at one point or another, ended up saying "Oh, Never Mind!"

All biographies should be this short. Personally, I'd rather read a short one about the subject of growing up and being matured rather than something that started when the person came out of their mother's womb only to find out on page 793 that it's all about justifying something the said person regrets.

Favorite part: "These days, if I make an appearance at a party or event, there's a solid chance I'm wearing at least part of an outfit I wore to bed. I owe myself that much."

Cool cover too!

Excuse me while I drown my sorrows in a venti latte

I grew up reading my dad's books because 1) there are no bookstores in my hometown, 2) even if there was I probably won't have the money to buy books, and 3) there are libraries at school but why risk paying for overdue books when there's a ton at home? Erma Bombeck was one of the authors my dad read. She's an American humorist and columnist whose works were published from the 60s to the 90s. A former boss told me he didn't think I'd be into her because she wrote stuff about the rants of a housewife/mother in a 60s-80s American household ... none of which I can relate to. I don't know why but, in a gist, she's super funny and I love her.

Now, I very rarely see Erma Bombeck on the shelves of any bookstores so imagine how excited I was to see this hardbound copy under one of the piles at Booksale Makati Square for only 60pesos. Turns out my happiness would be short lived. This is not a review of the book. I haven't read it. I will try, though. 

I said try because it has at least 10 leaves missing. As in ripped off, literally. Case in point:

This makes me want to cry. My first reaction was a few seconds of nothingness. I was speechless. After that came the question: Why would anyone do thisssssss??? Whyyyyyy? Then I got depressed. 

The only reason I can think of is the person who previously owned this had kids in the house because if not ... there's no excuse for this. 

Ugh. Excuse me while I go drown my sorrows in a venti latte.

Insatiable: Porn - A Love Story by Asa Akira

Generally, in porn, there's gonzo (straight up sex) and feature films (think glamour/erotica with a script so that means everything else that has anything more than just sex). I would say this book falls under gonzo for the reason that it's just straight up I'm-a-porn-star-and-this-is-what-I-do (which we already know). There's a lot of "scenes" of her describing what she does and how she feels during her porn shoots as well. It's pretty entertaining and I can't help chuckling at how corny and scripted a guy (who'd pay 5k USD to be with her for half an hour) could be about his fantasies, but I guess that's how it really is.

I half-knew what to expect from this because a friend already read it ahead of me and had already told me what he thought of it but I'm still a little disappointed. I'm not well-versed with autobiographies (having read only 2 or 3 before this) but I was expecting it to be, well, an autobiography. Turns out it is and it isn't. 

The whole book is a journal, bits and pieces of things (with no order whatsoever) the author felt like talking about in a very conversational tone (too conversational they managed to say this other porn star is also a NY native over and over like "hey I'm just talking and I can't edit what already came out of my mouth"). Overall, it's a loop between how she loves sex and how she's in love with the porn industry with a spattering of her drug dependency, abortion, swinging, justifying being in a relationship with a guy who everyone thinks/knows to be gay etc. here and there, and in that way, it's a memoir. A lot of times, though, you'd also feel that she's writing "in character" so it may not be all ... real. In the end, I decided this is something you would purchase for the same reason that you would want to watch her in one of her porn movies except, here, you'd have to use your imagination more.

Bubba and the Dead Woman by C.L. Bevill

You know how sometimes you've been reading too much heavy and -- err ...serious stuff that you want to take a break from all the heaviness and seriousness? Not that I've been reading anything heavy and serious lately (heh), I just don't want to read anything along those categories so I looked for something light ... and not serious. Enter Bubba and the Dead Woman. It's an easy read and it was funny so I thought it was perfect to bring the reading streak back (I've been really bad lately). 

The best thing about this is that it's free (I'm not gonna lie lol) so look it up on Kindle. The next books cost $0.99 to $1.99 so it's a good deal. Story-wise, it's a no brainer. Guy gets framed for a murder he didn't commit blah blah ... pretty straight up. Some parts are hilarious but some parts that are supposed to be hilarious drag. Like the dog bits. Dog characters are either cute or funny. Too much dog references that doesn't have anything to do with the story makes you just want to "say stop it with the dog references already and get on with telling us who killed who."

Overall, it's easy to read (wait I already said that) and very entertaining (that too). Three stars.

Good Girl Bad Girl by Christopher Finch

For someone who likes fast paced mystery novels this didn't work out for me. I'm not sure where it went wrong; it could be the testosterone or the 60s setting but I thought I'd enjoy it and get through it fast cause it's less than 200 pages. I didn't. It got a bit interesting in the end and the cover's pretty cool.

Truckers (Bromeliad Trilogy #1) by Terry Pratchett

I know ... I almost always give anything Terry Pratchett a 4 if not a 5. I haven't read all his works but I think I only gave two of them a 3. Couldn't help it. Even though I didn't laugh out loud at this book like the others, I chuckled at a lot of it. I was trying to read another fantasy/satire the same time as this but I couldn't ... grasp ... the humor. I get what it was trying to say and why it was supposed to be funny but ... I think what I'm trying to say is I think Terry Pratchett is still the best fantasy/satire writer there is. 

Story-wise, although Truckers doesn't leave you hanging, it's a bit open-ended. I'm actually glad the trilogy was already published when I started reading. So off to the next book.

Malice in Wonderland by Lotus Rose

Didn't know what I signed up for when I got this from Amazon for free lol. I thought it was a great concept and an easy read (prose-wise). I love fairy tales and twisted fairy tales, of course, but this wasn't as engaging as I thought it would be. That was probably the reason why it took a few days for me to finish something I'd read in half a day. I kept finding more interesting things to do. 

Probably the most entertaining parts were those with the double meanings ... as in Humpty Dumpty tells Alice to "come bend over my lap and I'll give you a spanking, you bad, baaaaad girl" ... or something of that sort.

The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis ... and New Book Purchase

A lot of times, for me, the maker and breaker of a novel is the main character. Whether I like them or not. For The Boy in the Suitcase, it's both. Nina Borg is seriously flawed and I loved that the hero of a series is that. No hidden powers or special abilities or out of this world IQ. On the contrary, she's very unstable emotionally ... and I would say mentally. I liked how it makes it possible for anyone to be the hero. Now, to be able to keep a straight face and a clear head in times of distress when you're with OTHER people is awesome but if you can't do that when you're with your family, your kids and your own blood, that doesn't quite sit right with me. I don't know. Helping other people without asking for anything in return is good but it seems like this person has a hero syndrome. Not to the point that she's creating a situation to rescue people but still ...

Actually, scratch all that, my main issue was that I didn't know how to pronounce the names of most characters here. Kidding.

I like thrillers and I like "cultural" books, I learn a lot from them. I like that this is fast paced and didn't drag.

So yeah, I liked it a lot. I'd give it a 4 except if I give it a 4 it means I'd be in a hurry to read the next couple of novels but I'm not so it's more a 3.5.
===
Got a couple Terry Pratchett books from BookSale. These are a bit expensive from the usual second hand books I like to buy but the quality is almost new so I'm pretty happy about it. I got A Hat Full of Sky for 180php and Wings for 145php. 

Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett

I'm liking Granny Weatherwax better in every Witches novel I read. She really grows on you. Or me. Not that I didn't like her before. I did. It's just out of the all the Discworld series my favorite were the Watch novels with Rincewind coming to a second close. The rest, I see as equal. This, however, made me want to read her more than Rincewind.  Yeah ... girl power and all. Lol. 

This third installment of the Witches novels is all about making your own destiny and all that shizz. It makes a great deal about how stories and the Grimm's fairy tales so everyone should be able to relate to the humor. I might have said it before but I'll say it again, Terry Pratchett writes the best satire-fantasy novels. I don't think I'll ever write reviews good enough to give this series justice.

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

I thought the story was good in a way that it was realistic. It challenges a person to say "I wouldn't do such a thing". If you're on the brink of insanity because of grief, who can tell what you can (or cannot) do whether or not you were raised in a "proper" environment. I think it teaches how it's easy to judge based on our own situation. It was interesting to read about how it was in a small town in Australia after WWII. I liked how it showed culture and tradition ... whether the culture or tradition is good or bad isn't an issue.

Moral issues aside, I think this is a good book because of the way it was written. I read a few reviews that says it was poor writing but I have to disagree. If it wasn't for the story-telling I probably wouldn't be able to finish this. I had to keep reminding myself this is not an adventure book but the delivery made me feel that way. I guess it depends on a person's preference but even if the writing wasn't my cup of tea I wouldn't go as far as telling people not to read it. Having said that, this isn't the type of story I normally read because there's so much feelings in it. Lol. I still enjoyed it, though.

Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson

I think for a seriously fucked up case, this book is a modern-day fairy tale. Not in a love story kind of way but because the "hero", actually, was able to save the day. I was expecting the usual ending for cases like these. A hopeless one. An it-is-how-it-is ending or an I-can't-do-anything-to-change-things ending. 

Had this book ended the way I thought it would, I would've given it 4-stars. The author's ending pretty much changed my mind. Err, mostly because it made me cry. Although it's disturbing and very sad, the ending made me feel ... hopeful that there are still people out there who are trying to make a difference in the small ways they do. And it's not just because it's their job or so they can say on Facebook or Twitter to "Look at me! I'm helping people!" I guess what I'm trying to say is here's a seriously messed up guy who turns to alcohol and drugs when he's really down, whose friends are a bunch of happy-go-lucky guys, who had to hit rock-bottom to be able to forgive his brother and who can't even help his own family but he went out of his way to help Cecil, Katie and the Pearls. Also the family in the end. There's your modern-day super hero, right? And, yes, I think I might be a little bit in love with Pete Snow. Heh.

For the most part, it seemed like this book mocks religion and their avid followers but then it also shows how religion can bring solace to those who needs it. Actually, I think the book has a passive-aggressive relationship with religion and the government. It builds up a person, a law enforcer, for example, as someone who has a bad character. Someone who's going through all the lengths to do his job even if he ends up harassing other people and then suddenly he's all, "OMG this happened? I didn't know! Poor Pearl."

If you're anal about it, there are a few more things that don't add up. Like how much does a social worker in a small district earn? How can he afford to fly or drive around the country looking for his own daughter with his salary especially since he, apparently, doesn't want to receive anything from his rich, deceased, rancher dad? Also, please note that I'm not from the US so I don't know how these things work exactly but this guy broke a bunch of rules (big-ish ones) to be able to help Cecil and the Pearls. Is it possible for social workers to do that? Does no one check on their work and how they do it? Or is it just because he has connections with the judge? Then again, would you really focus on things like those when there are more pressing issues that should be addressed?

Texts From DOG by October Jones

I needed this after a very stressful novel. I'm not a dog person (or a cat person) but this is hilarious. Well, most of it is hilarious. Like 90% of it. I think this would be a nice, quick read for anyone. It took me maybe 30-minutes to finish this so it might be good to read while waiting for the ... I dunno, rice to cook?

The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey

This book makes me want to stock up on dish washing and anti-fungal soap … okay maybe that's not how you kill this kind of fungus but it's a start. Apparently, the apocalypse will be brought upon us by a new breed of fungi that will somehow enter the human system and turn us all into zombies and you know what they say about prevention versus cure. Seriously this concept is scary. It doesn't help knowing that fungi have a completely different kingdom of their own. It makes sense, right? These aren't plants or animals … and they will take over the world. Wait-what? What's even scarier is these zombies (the book calls them "hungries") can run ... fast. Like World War Z (the movie which I never watched, BTW) run. And you can't outrun them. They're faster than foxes! I didn't like the term "hungries" at the beginning and I was gonna take a star off for that but it kinda grew on me. Lol.

Now, I'm not a big fan of zombie ... stuff (except for WWZ because that's a whole different level of awesome). I watched the first season of The Walking Dead and that's about it but THIS! Normally I zone out when they talk biology and sciences but I really tried to understand the explanation for the fungus ... thingie. That's how much I loved this book. 

And the feelings! There's so much of those in here. I liked all the characters. Even the, supposedly, antagonists are not completely hate-able (I'm too lazy to think of a better word) because they make sense. I actually thought the ending would be different. ***SPOILER ALERT*** Like Melanie, I thought, would die at the end since the hungries grow whole trees out of their heads. And in a perfect world (which is my version of the ending) Parks would live and help Helen do ... I dunno. whatever. Although yeah, that's asking for too much.

Dark Bayou (The Dark Trilogy) by Nancy K. Duplechain

"A supernatural trilogy set in Cajun Country? I'll take the lot, thank you very much. And no, no need to wrap. I'll read it right... oh, sorry, I already started." I would've said that if I bought this in print but I bought it from the Kindle store so I read it right away anyway. Lol. I might be a bit biased here since I love stories set in Southern America specifically Mississippi and (especially) Louisiana ... history goes way back so let's not dwell on it. Let's just agree I might be a bit biased. Lol.

I was looking for something to get my reading streak back. This one is short and it's not the most complicated story so I thought it would be perfect. In general, the author goes straight to the point. The genre said paranormal/ghosts/fantasy so she didn't beat around the bush. I liked this a lot because of the setting. I already made that clear. It talked of how people in that part of the country live. The language, their history, the food etc. I am biased, yes, but I had to take down a star because I found parts of this (specifically the beginning) a bit awkward. I think it's mostly the prose. It shifts. I'm not an expert, I just read a lot, but I think when describing ghosts and paranormal activity, she hit the spot. The fillers, though ... 

"Rhythmic beats of popular songs thumped through my body, pounding in my chest. "

... I don't know about that. It sounded a bit out of place.

Other than that, I liked that there's more to it than ghosts. If it was just that I probably won't be interested in reading the next 2 books.

Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician by Daniel Wallace

Wait-what?! 

That's the summary of my review for this book in case you don't want to go over the whole thing. Not that it's going to be very long. I can't say much about something I don't understand. Well, I do understand but kind of not and really ... I stared at the last page for a few minutes after I read it. Okay maybe just seconds. Normally, I don't like writing a summary of the book in a book review because that's what a blurb is for but just so I can prove I understood (lol), I'm going to write one along with why I found the stuff confusing.  

***SPOILER ALERT***
This is a story of a colored (but not really) magician, Henry Walker. It's narrated by different characters whose lives were touched by (or at least who encountered) Henry. (That in itself can be confusing. In this book it is especially confusing because one narrator isn't confined to one chapter. You just have to be quick on the uptake and if you're not then I'm sorry.) The series of events from the day her mother died went from bad to worse for him. Henry was taught Magic by the devil (or so he believed), Mr. Sebastian, who also took his sister from her. He believed that was the payment for the "knowledge and power" he gave him which is actually just a few card tricks. It turned out his sister, Hannah, was given by their father to Mr Sebastian (real name Callaghan) for adoption and Henry was the only one who wasn't in on the secret. The only thing that this explained was why his father was so nonchalant about his daughter missing and why he didn't get angry at Henry for it because it's supposedly his fault. From then on, it has been his mission to find him and kill him and maybe retrieve his sister too. That was when he traveled the world and became famous and joined the circus in the end. That was when he met all these people narrating in the book.

I thought at this point I was catching up but the most puzzling part for me came towards the end. Was the private detective able to talk to Henry or not? Because he was supposed to be missing, that was what the circus/carnival people told him. It was even dated at the beginning of the chapter but then those dates were also messed up. <spoiler>And then they suddenly knew where he can be found, which was some watering hole, so the detective came for him and "talked" to him which was how he found out about Mr. Sebastian and how Henry apparently killed him. And then he was back with the kids who beat him up.</spoiler> Normally (again), I'd go back to the pages that I think might answer my question but I just feel so tired and emotionally drained after reading this sad, sad story.

I'm not even fussing about Henry supposedly killing Mr. Sebastian. Everything that took place in Henry's life was because of that lie. He couldn't explain how things happened and this, I think, made him just create an explanation for it. One that he could understand. One that would help him cope and keep going on. 

About the genre, this is a fantasy, I was thinking this should be some sort of psychological ... mystery ... genre ... something. But then there's the part when Henry's mother's ghost was narrating too. And the thing about the magician's assistant I don't even remember her name she was sort of uneventful for me.

So there. Even my review is confusing. And it turned out long-ish after all.

2.5 stars?

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

It seems, for a children's book, this one is full of goodbyes. Not to mention graphic, morbid deaths and then there's a little bit of divorce too. It's funny how the ending bothers me more than the beginning, though. I mean his whole family was murdered brutally in at the beginning of the story but I was more sad when he had to leave the one he grew up with. And yes, I took down one star because of that lol.

This is a coming of age story told in a paranormal setting and has lots of adventures, big and small. The character, Bod, is cute and endearing and I fell in love with him and I liked that there's no you're-not-my-real-parents scenario because it gets old. I fell in love with Silas too ... heh. I would've wanted a bit more peek into the honor guards' duties and how they came to be. I dunno, something more. ***SPOILER ALERT*** Also an explanation of why Scarlett was scared of Bod. I didn't think it was because he let the Sleer's take Jack Frost. I kept thinking she saw something else but the book didn't say so.

I'm not over analyzing but the book left me with a lot of questions. I can't decide whether it's good or bad yet. Lol.

Booked To Die (Cliff Janeway #1) by John Dunning

I've always wondered whether authors ever get "competitive" to the point of being catty. This book might have answered that question but it's kind of funny in a way that I expected it from a female author and obviously John isn't a woman's name. Okay, I'm stereotyping but ... work with me here, k?

I picked this book up partly because it's a mystery crime, partly because it's cheap (think I got it for 30php on a second-hand book shop) and partly (but also mostly) because it's a book about books (and I later realized book scouts who I didn't know exists). This edition has a foreword of some sort from the author himself. I didn't read the whole thing but gist is that he was talking about book scouts and about how he himself is one, etc. Let's just say that it gives us (or at least me) an inkling that the author put a LOT of his personality in this book (maybe even the whole series). That being said, I would say that the author is a book snob. Nothing wrong with that, I'm just saying. Lol. It was funny how the character would say he wouldn't pick up a book by so and so or how so and so's books are a dime a dozen compared to so and so. I guess when writing something you always put yourselves on whatever it is but what I'm trying to say is that this is based in a world that he (used to?) live in so he already knows how things work and only has to do (maybe) a little research. So ... yeah, he put a lot of himself in it. I had to chuckle when one of the characters mentioned how Stephen King is too nice he always builds up other authors and their books but never his own. Lol.

Story-wise, I think the world Mr Dunning created using this series is an interesting one. One that book lovers *coughhoarderscough* like me would like to live in-- if you take away the murder parts. Lol. In general, I liked this first book of the series and I might even hunt down the rest of them. I only gave 3 stars, however, because I couldn't ... feel ... for the character Janeway and it's not because he's a guy. I liked that he's a book man, I liked that he's persistent as an investigator ... I don't know if I like to know him more than that. I particularly didn't care about his involvement with that woman (please read the book as I do not want to say more in case it's a spoiler), it's like it was put there for the Hollywood effect. There has to be a leading lady of some sort. I don't know if I like his personality and most people need to "like" another person for them to follow-up on said person, right? I guess I'm "most people" in that regard. He is arrogant, yes but what protagonist isn't? You wouldn't want to read about a meek character. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that there is something off about the character but I can't place it lol. 

So yeah, overall this is an interesting read for book lovers. 

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne ... and a little more

Am I allowed to say a book is beautifully written if it's this sad? And also this controversial? I might be a little late jumping in the bandwagon but I don't watch a lot of movies so I never knew they made one out of this until I saw the cover. Also, for some reason I decided to watch the movie before finishing the book. It might have ruined the shock value for me but the sadness and everything that goes along with the word sadness was still there. It's actually still here, ugh! 

I bought this book just because I wanted something to read while waiting for a friend and when he saw me reading it he said, that's a kids' book. I just shrugged. In a way he was right. The way it was written was made to be something you would read to kids but the content, the heaviness of it, wasn't. I knew it was about the holocaust and I've read a few books about the holocaust and know of it so of course I already know it's not going to be a happy one. 

On a more technical note, if I hadn't read stories based on the holocaust before, I wouldn't have completely understood what took place in the end of this story unless I do a little research. In the movie, the guards were heard saying "it's only a shower". In the book they weren't even asked to strip. The were crammed in a room but how do I know that they were burned alive?

I think it's important to mention that I came from a faraway (heh) country and from a time (now) that's much much better than that era. I don't have any relatives or close acquaintances who suffered during that time. Now, there was a little issue about something that people, that I know, wrote a few years back that offended a few people within our professional circle. I mentioned "close acquaintances" because I never knew these people worked within arms reach. They had relatives who lived (some didn't) through that time. The argument of the involved parties was that what was written was only distantly related to this issue. I think it's essential that authors write about what happened for that reason. And I think it's essential that people, like me, read them. Because we need to have at least a little idea of what took place so we can try to understand why certain people react about something that happened a long long time ago. That way we can be a bit more sensitive, or at least thoughtful, about it.

The author's note at the end of the book says: "... only the victims and survivors can truly comprehend the awfulness of that time and place; the rest of us live on the other side of the fence, staring through from our own comfortable place, trying in our own clumsy way to make sense of it all."

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

Five stars because ... really, who doesn't like making up stories in their head about a co-worker they despise or have a crush on or just someone you see around everyday but you don't know the name of. I work in a place where people have frikkin code names for everyone, I shit you not. This book is just like taking it up a notch.

Anyway, this a "cover-love" purchase that didn't disappoint, well it was a present so ... lol. Actually, the fact that I wasn't sure what to expect from this book might have helped. Yes, I read the blurb but, again, I wasn't paying attention to genres so I was a little surprised (in a good way) to find short, slightly related stories inside. I've always said that I'm a sucker for short stories but this series of short stories is one of the most quirky and entertaining that I've read in a few months.

At first I thought it might be interesting to read because I had a brief stint with a newspaper ... long ago ...when I was younger. I was a bit intimidated, though, because it's categorized as literary fiction and I don't like going anywhere near critically acclaimed pieces because I end up not liking them and then I end up feeling so ... uncultured. Just kidding. I think what really pulled me was that these are real life situations of working people. Nothing romaticized or anything. Just stories that can happen to anyone written with dry humor.

Normally I'd pick a favorite story or a favorite character. I can't do it with this one. I see a mixed reviews so I guess this isn't for everyone but I would recommend it. And I don't really do that lol.

Room by Emma Donoghue

If you can get past the fact that this kid talks in metaphors but can't use definite articles properly, then this is a fairly fast read. I couldn't get over it. And I quote:

There's a few more around the whole book. I understand he wasn't raised in a proper environment but he was raised with books (albeit a limited number) and his mother corrects him when he uses the wrong words? Also maybe because they treat "door" and "wardrobe" and "toilet", etc as a person? Not a person person but a ... being. Like Door is Matt or Toilet is Andy or something so you don't have to use a ... specifier or something. Err, yea I couldn't get over it. Other than that ...

I liked the story, it's not overly complicated (the prose and storytelling, I mean, because, yes, the plot is sad and twisted) and there's a little bit of suspense in it and I said a little bit because there's really just that one part that wasn't too predictable (t's human nature so it's pretty much predictable). I guess it's the story-telling in the eyes of a 5-year old that's the hardest to do but it she pulled it.

Rating: 3 stars

John Saturnall's Feast by Lawrence Norfolk

COVER LOVE!!!

This is one of the books I got for the cover and in that aspect I don't regret buying it for the full price which is almost the same as a hard cover. For the cover and overall packaging alone I'd give this a five-star rating. Alas, you should never judge a book by its cover. Lol. 

I'm not saying this is not a good book. It is. I liked that it was ambitious in a way that it talked about religion and that it's a historical fiction but I thought it had a weak ending. I suppose it was my fault because the plot and the blurb (and the cover!!!) was so promising I expected way too much from it. Especially when John's mother said ... "there's more." I waited (!!!) for that more! Lol. John and Lucy's love story dragged too. I get the whole it's a family thing but ... Yeah. Haha! I also thought there were too many characters here and I can understand the part that the story ran for years but some were probably unnecessary?  

Overall, the book had a good start ... and that was it. The most I can give this is a 3.5.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (and my brand spanking new self inking stamp!!!)

The whole time I was reading this book there's a small voice at the back of my head whispering that, in summary, this book is saying that a golem, who makes perfect servants, is the epitome of a good wife and that its opposite is a polygamous, devil-may-care, MALE jinn. Lol. How stereotypical is that? I didn't know a lot about the true nature of golems or jinns until this book. But then again it's fiction so the author has the power to alter stuff. Here's what I knew before the book. Golems were strong and are made of clay and you put a paper in them to animate them (I think) so I thought at first that the golem was the guy and the jinni was the girl because jinns are beings of air and fire (mostly fire in this book) and more fickle ... now who's stereotyping? Kee-hee.

At first I thought, what are the odds that a Jinn would end up in a Syrian community and a Golem in a Jewish one? I mean, the flask could've been lost in time or sold to an antique shop or there could be a non-Jewish person who is knowledgeable about what golems are and how golems work who could've spotted Chava before the Rabbi did. But I guess it's significant to what the author wanted to define. Which I can't really say what lol. I'm not the author so I don't know if the book was written to tell people that we could live in harmony with people of different cultures and traditions and beliefs but it sounded that way and also kind of ... not ... that ... way? Haha! I thought she was very casual about talking about the traditions of the two communities. That was one of the things I loved about it too. 

I guess people who are old-fashioned at heart would like this not because it's a historical fiction but because it was specific on folklore and traditions.

===

In other news, I just got a self-inking stamp to use for all my books. Haha! Cheap thrills.

The Golem and The Jinni was the first book I stamped. I think I'm going to have fun this weekend. :p

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by M.G. Buehrlen

Ironically, the thing I hated most about this book is also the part that had the best prose (in the book). The ending. 

In summary, the ending was good but it was a hanger. I said good because I liked that the narrator was literally talking to the reader. I liked how it was delivered; but no one wants to be left hanging. I felt cheated because I liked the book and the story a lot and then I found out that I had to wait another year before knowing what's going to happen next. To be specific, who Blue is in Base Life (shallow, I know) and how they will defeat Gesh and what happened to Levi ... and the list goes on.

Now, I'm not a big scifi person. I took off one star not because of the ending, it was because I zone out every time they explain how the "Limbo" and soul travel works. I think people who are into vintage stuff might like this in a way that the author took time to describe Alex's dresses in detail. Although I have to say I couldn't help but think ... "Heh. Pinterest."

Some books are meant to be a stand-alone. Some should be in a series ... this is what I kept repeating to myself just so I don't throw my Kindle out the window.

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I like Fermin's character and I love that this book is mostly about him. I also love that it answered some of the questions I had. I didn't like that I still didn't know the significance of sugar cubes to David Martin's case. Heh. The ending of the book implies that there is another book after the 3rd installment because it leaves a lot of questions (about Sofia, about Isabella, about Valls, etc ... and don't forget the sugar cubes lol). On one hand, the sort-of hanger was annoying, on the other hand, I love the idea that there will be a 4th Cemetery of Forgotten Books installment.

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (with a little bit of spoiler)

So what are the odds that when you're in a hide-and-seek scene with a sadistic character it happens in a room full of limbs of old mannequins? Now that I got that out of the way (haha!), I'll go straight to saying I was glad to know that the mother of beating around the bush has a sister.

Although I had to make it clear that I don't believe that this book does not, in any way, pale in comparison with its predecessor, I had a couple of wait-what?!-moments when reading the story.[Like how did David know where to find Christina? One moment I was reading about how he was contemplating about Corelli's love of sugar cubes, next thing I know he's on his way to the sanatorium. What did I miss? I feel stupid. Skipping forward, I didn't get the ending I was prepared to get. Just when I was ready to accept that everything that was happening was nothing but the ravings of a raging lunatic (and even when he met up with the witch of Somorrostro to explain what the curse was all about), Irene Sabino enters and confirms David isn't alone if it's just lunacy we're talking about. I mean, I feel for Captain Grandes. 

I also couldn't get over the fact that Andreas Corelli loves sugar cubes ... and then nothing. I feel like it means something that's significant to the story. There's so many missing things that I can't let go of. Having said all that (haha), I think the ending was still fitting. It just wasn't enlightening. It leaves more questions than answers. 

A few things that stuck (I mean other than the room full of mannequins part): I loved this from its very first paragraph (it might be safe to say that any aspiring novelist would). I also loved the dialogue exchange between Don Basilio Moragas and ... well, pretty much anyone he talked to in this book which is David and the archives guy Jose Maria Brotons. Don Basilio sounds like he could have been a gangster boss from the 50s. It was cute. Overall, I still love the prose, the gothic setting and the fact that this is about books AND authors so ... there.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone) Laini Taylor

This is beautiful. It's one of the few trilogies that I think is beautiful from the first book to the last one. Except for the Eliza parts. It kinda dragged. I had to admit I was happy how she turned out. Actually I was HOPING I would be happy about how she would turn out. Otherwise I have to give this a 3 and I REALLY don't want that. I took off one star because of the Stelians. Not the Stelians as a whole or individually but the explanation of who they are and how they are and how this "issue" with them should be dealt with. It's kind of hard to explain the same way I don't feel the explanation of the Stelians and their Anake and yoraya and that other thing was enough. Well, at least it would be hard to explain without giving spoilers. I had to say it was anti-climactic but not totally so that was good. I loved the fact that when I was reading all three books I wasn't so focused on the Karou/Madrigal-Akiva love angle. The war, the friendship, the alliances, the twists are a whole different stories apart from the love angle and that's cool. It revolves around the original plot, yes, but it can stand on it's own. I mean I love the love story too The book is ambitious, too, in a way that it tried to discuss science and religion and its impact on the society. It was pretty evident in the Eliza parts but in Zuze and Karou's parts I'd have to say it was a bit subtle (yes i know the whole thing talks of war but it's just different! lol). So yeah, pretty happy about this ... and sad since there will be no more smoke and bone books so I guess I have to read other Laini Taylor books now.