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.

World After (Penryn and the End of Days 2) by Susan Ee

Previously on Penryn and the End of Days lol ... I gave 2 stars to the first part of this trilogy because, among other things, I only liked the last 25% of it and it was a hanger. I was expecting something of the same sort here but was surprised I liked World After. I'm glad I read this even if I gave 2 stars to Angelfall.

It's still a hanger (lol) so that part's annoying but the dialogue exchange that I found trying-hard to be sarcastic before isn't there anymore. I was happy it didn't take forever before Penryn and Raffe found each other again but I have to say I still didn't gush. Lol. I do admit to chuckling at some point. 
I liked the story and the story telling better here. What's up with the angel swords, eh? I still stand by my "predictions" on my Angelfall review about Penryn's ... abilities. That's what I've been hoping to find out but I guess I have to wait until the last installment.

I read reviews saying Angelfall was better. I think World After is better. Waaaaaay better, actually. So there.

Easy Peasy Leftover Recipe

Fusili with Broccoli and Chicken Casserole

This was originally a leftover recipe but I sometimes just saute and season chicken, and also make a new batch of alfredo or carbonara sauce when I feel like eating this. Lol. I think best left over chicken would be grilled or fried? I'm not sure if it would work with adobo but if you wanna try then go ahead ... please let me know how it turns out. Lol.

Ingredients:

Leftover chicken, cut in bite size pieces

Leftover Alfredo/Carbonara sauce

Cooked pasta

Cooked broccoli

Shredded cheese (I used mild cheddar)

Procedure:

Mix all of the ingredients together.

Put it in a baking pan.

Add more shredded cheese on top (makes it colorful lol).

Chuck it in the oven for 10 minutes.

Easy peasy.

Not a review, nerd problems, new book loot, March books ... and random ramblings

A quote I read online said, "when all else fails, write what your heart tells you." But my heart never did make any sense ... so now I will write without sense. Right.

I'm in a pickle. Few posts ago, I wrote about my Goodreads target for 2014. That being: I'm going to read at least 2 authors I've never read before each month and their initial(s) should start with the month's initial. I've been doing okay so far and now it's March so time for M authors. I dug through my book pile and these are the choices I have. 

M Authors to choose from for March (and May)

Now, every time I finish my goal of the month early, I have room for any book I want to read. Enter Terry Pratchett. This is only my 10th book of the Discworld series and reading it last week made me want to read the other 30 I haven't touched ... but that would mean I will have to forget about my reading challenge. That's the problem. Do I continue with the challenge or with Terry Pratchett? Yeah ... this is me writing what's in my heart. I did say it didn't make sense.

So anyway, I've book scavenged a few times and haven't posted them here and I haven't back tracked to check so I'll just share the latest stuff I have. So, The Whisperer, Luuurve is a Many Trousered Thing, and Icy Sparks I got for 25pesos each at my favorite BookSale branch and The Baker's Wife I got for 115 pesos. I will have time to read all of these ...

 ... or Ill die trying.

John Saturnall's Feast by Lawrence Norfolk is my latest purchase. I have to admit the main reason I picked it up is the cover and the rough edges (that I didn't take a photo of and it's not with me right now so just imagine it, mkay?) and I mean rough, uneven edges it drives my friend crazy. This is Php680 at FullyBooked ... or is it Php640.

The Imperfectionist by Tom Rachman. Here's another book I initially picked up for the cover but ironically, this isn't even the cover that I like. Well, sort of. The one I first saw was paperback and has the same art but it had review blurbs filling up the rest of the cover. This one is hardbound and I have no idea how much it is because it's a present and I never really checked.

So there ...

The House of the Scorpion

You know the right side column that lists the genres a book belongs to? I never pay attention to that so this wasn't the first time I was surprised to realize the book I'm reading is not what I thought it would be. Like I thought The House of the Scorpion would be of the supernatural genre from the blurb. Yes, it clearly talked of a clone but ... work with me here, k? It wasn't a big deal when I realized it was SciFi. What I made me say "oooooooh ..." was the fact that it is Dystopian. Yes, I'm slow.

So! I liked this. A lot. I first saw the book over a year ago at the award-winning shelf of the store I often go to and been meaning to read it but I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it. The blurb didn't say much. But since this year I set a goal to read authors I've never read before (and that their initials, or one of their initials, should match the first letter of the month, heh) I finally got to reading it. Thank you, February. I still had inhibitions in the first couple of chapters because I didn't understand what was happening (I'm really that slow sometimes) but Nancy Farmer is a great story teller and The House of the Scorpion is actually a great story.

The story had politics and all sorts of relationships (from affairs to family to friendship) and the whole underdog rising to take the platform he deserves (yes I made that phrase up) and the works and a pretty good twist towards the end ... and also in the middle. I kid you not. In the middle. The end got a bit predictable, though, except for that sad part that ... I don't want to say here because that would be a spoiler ... and it really makes me sad.

Please excuse me as I curl up in bed and cry myself to sleep.