Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris


★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Book 9 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series

For Sookie Stackhouse, the day to day activities of the vampire and were communities in and around Bon Temps, Louisiana, are of vital interest, She’s blood-bound to the leader of the vamps, a friend to the local were pack, works for a man who is shifter, and has a brother who is a were-panther…

But for most of the humans in Bon Temps, the vamps are mysterious seductive creatures-and they don’t even know about the weres.

Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to follow the lead of the undead and reveal their existence to the ordinary world.

At first it seems to go well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found in the parking lot of the bar where Sookie works. The victim is someone she knows, so she feels compelled to discover who-human or otherwise-did the deed.

But what she doesn’t realize is that there is a far greater danger than the killer threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings–older, more powerful and far more secretive than vampires or werewolves– is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all-too human pawn in their battle…

http://sookiestackhouse.com

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris


★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Book 8 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series

After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the manmade explosion at the vampire summit, everyone—human and otherwise—is stressed, including Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who is trying to cope with the fact that her boyfriend Quinn has gone missing.

It’s clear that things are changing—whether the weres and vamps of her corner of Louisiana like it or not. And Sookie—Friend to the Pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, leader of the local vampire community—is caught up in the changes.

In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death, and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood finished flowing, her world will be forever altered.

http://sookiestackhouse.com

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris




★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Book 7 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series


Sookie is trying to put past failed relationships behind her and has a new man in her life: the handsome and mysterious shapeshifter Quinn. But in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, and with the entire Louisiana supernatural community still reeling, Sookie is summoned by Sophie-Anne Leclerq (the Queen of Louisiana) to accompany her to a historic regional vampire summit.

The summit is a tense situation. The vampire queen of Louisiana is in a precarious position, her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans. Entire power bases could be gained or lost — the summit is filled with friction and ill will; and when delegates are found brutally murdered, Sookie finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy-ridden power play where the unlikeliest of suspects could be a cold-blooded killer? And there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started.

Soon, Sookie must decide what side she’ll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.


http://sookiestackhouse.com

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris


★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Book 6 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series

Telepathic Louisiana barmaid Sookie Stackhouse finds out jaw-dropping information about her first love, 130-something vampire Bill Compton, as well as equally astonishing insights into her own ancestry.

After her only cousin, Hadley, is murdered by one of the undead, Sookie travels to New Orleans to close out the young woman’s apartment and collect her things. The unsavory job gets complicated quickly; Hadley was the “honeybun” of the bisexual vampire Queen of Louisiana, the seemingly ageless bloodsucker Sophie-Anne Leclerq. The queen has recently married another powerful sovereign in an attempt to forge a formidable alliance, and tensions in the supernatural community are running high. But when Sookie and her new love interest, a were-tiger named Quinn, are inexplicably kidnapped, the mind-reading waitress must unravel the mysterious circumstances of her cousin’s murder before she ends up dead as well.

http://sookiestackhouse.com

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris


★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Book 5 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series

The Witch War may be over, but there’s still danger aplenty for the supernatural citizens of Louisiana’s Renard Parish. Vampires and werewolves owe a debt to waitress Sookie Stackhouse, whose telepathic powers helped them triumph over the witches.

Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a were-panther for the first time. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population-and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks, unless the killer decides to find her first.So when bar owner Sam Merlotte is sidelined during a rash of attacks that leaves werefox Heather Kinman dead and werewolf Calvin Norris hospitalized, he sends Sookie to Fangtasia to ask vampire Eric to lend him a bartender. Sam, who’d love for Sookie to be more than just his messenger, doesn’t know that she’s been equally in Eric’s debt since he took the bullet Debbie Pelt aimed at her for ruining her relationship with werewolf Alcide Herveux. Eric doesn’t know either: the shotgun blast erased all memories of his brief but torrid affair with Sookie. But Eric obligingly sends ex-pirate Charles Twining to help Sam and short-order cook Sweetie Des Arts. Since Sookie still has the lightproof room Eric used during his convalescence, Charles stays with her, annoying both Alcide, who wants Sookie as his consort, and Bill Compton, Sookie’s first love.

Luckily for Sookie’s admirers, Charles is on the scene when her house is set afire by Jeff Marriott, whose grudge against Sookie is as mysterious as his origins. Sorting out her suitors leaves Sookie scant time to worry about why she’s become a target.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris


★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Book 4 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series

Sookie Stackhouse, makes a New Year’s resolution: to not get beaten up by supernatural beings. Yeah, right!Sookie’s life is at a crossroads. Her former boyfriend Bill, a strikingly handsome 137-year old vampire who has arguably been the source of most of her problems, has left for the country on a fact-finding mission for the vampire Queen of Louisiana. For the first time in a long time, Sookie has control of her own life. She duly resolves to stay out of trouble with supernatural beings, but on the way home from work, she sees a naked blond man running down the road. Being the kind-hearted soul that she is, Sookie stops to help. The man turns out to be Eric, a powerful vampire who not only owns Fangtasia, a popular tourist bar in Shreveport, but is also one of the most influential vampires in the region.After taking him home, Sookie quickly realizes that the blond vampire has amnesia. She calls Eric’s trusted subordinates and is stunned by what she hears — the area has been invaded by a coven of shape-shifting witches bent on controlling all supernatural groups! To complicate matters, Sookie’s only brother, Jason, is missing. Can Sookie keep Eric safe and find her brother without breaking her New Year’s resolution? Of course not!

http://sookiestackhouse.com

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris


★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Book 3 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series

There’s only one vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with (at least voluntarily) and that’s Bill.But recently he has been a little distant.Bill informs Sookie that he has to go somewhere on a top-secret mission for the queen of Louisiana (vampires have a strict territorial hierarchy) and promptly disappears. Later, Sookie is informed by Eric, the charismatic head of the local vampire territory, that someone has kidnapped Bill in Mississippi and that his life may be in grave danger. Sookie also learns that her undead boyfriend was actually summoned by one of his ex-girlfriends, a vicious vampire named Lorena, who was hired to seduce, abduct, and torture Bill to obtain his top-secret information. Eric believes that Russell Edgington, the powerful king of Mississippi, has Bill somewhere on his sprawling compound. Sookie decides to do anything to rescue him.

http://sookiestackhouse.com

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Book 2 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series

Cocktail waitree Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of bad luck. First, her coworker is murdered and no one seems to care. Then she’s face-to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn’t enjoy it).Point is, they saved her life. So when one of the blood-suckers asks for a favor, she complies. And soon, Sookie’s in Dallas using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She’s supposed to interview certain humans involved. There’s just one condition: The vampires must promise to behave – and let the humans go unharmed. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly….

http://sookiestackhouse.com

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris


★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She’s quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn’t get out much. Not because she’s not pretty. She is. It’s just that, well, Sookie has this sort of “disability”. She can read minds. And that doesn’t make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He’s tall, dark, handsome–and Sookie can’t hear a word he’s thinking. He’s exactly the type of guy she’s been waiting for all her life . . . But Bill has a disability of his own: He’s a vampire with a bad reputation. He hands with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of–big surprise–murder. And when one of Sookie’s coworkers is killed, she fears she’s next . . .

http://sookiestackhouse.com

Friday, April 3, 2009

A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Book - ★★★★☆
Movie - ★★★★★

Compared to The Notebook, this is really well written. As for the movie, i think the book is much better as it gives more details with regard to the feelings Jamie and Landon shared. The best "book" so far from Nicholas Sparks. The best "movie" is still The Notebook.


Every April, when the wind blows from the sea and mingles with the scent of lilacs, Landon Carter remembers his last year at Beaufort High. It was 1958, and Landon had already dated a girl or two. He even swore that he had once been in love. Certainly the last person in town he thought he'd fall for was Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's Baptist minister. A quiet girl who always carried a Bible with her schoolbooks, Jamie seemed content living in a world apart from the other teens. She took care of her widowed father, rescued hurt animals, and helped out at the local orphanage. No boy had ever asked her out. Landon would never have dreamed of it. Then a twist of fate made Jamie his partner for the homecoming dance, and Landon Carter's life would never be the same. Being with Jamie would show him the depths of the human heart and lead him to a decision so stunning it would send him irrevocably on the road to manhood...

http://www.nicholassparks.com

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead


★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Book 1 - Vampire Academy
Book 2 - Frostbite
Book 3 - Shadow Kiss
Book 4 - Blood Promise (Aug 2009)
Book 5 - Spirit Bound (April 2010)
Book 6 - TBA

This is about friendship, maturity of a person, family, love and loyalty. The ending of Frostbite and Shadow Kiss made me cry. :(

The series is incredible, with non-stop action especially the third book. *BUT* i would recommend you to start reading the series close to August when the fourth book Blood Promise is released.

The ending in Shadow Kiss had me biting my nails and i am doing my very best not to think about it. I am trying to find some distractions because .... i just can't get over the ending!!! However, if you are already reading the series, DO NOT read the reviews as there are a lot of spoilers there. I wished i hadn't read the reviews first before reading this but of course that is impossible because i do not read books without reading reviews first hehehe So if you finished the last book, I recommend you visit Mead's website to help cure your addiction :)

There are 3 types of vampires in VA:

1. Moroi. They are born vampires, mortal. They drink blood but not enough to kill anyone.
2. Dhampirs. Half human and half vampire, guardian of Moroi who protects them from Strigoi. They do not need to drink blood as they are half human.
3. Strigoi. The undead vampire, powerful, immortal who kills Moroi as its blood will make them more powerful. There are two ways to become Strigoi, it's either a Moroi who killed from feeding or Moroi, Dhampirs, and humans who have been forcefully turned by exchanging blood.

Vampire Academy

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires--the ones who never die.


The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir; she is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.


After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking hearts.


Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's--but their world is fraught with danger both inside and out of the Academy's iron gates. Here, the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever...


Frostbite


Rose Hathaway's got serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason has a huge crush on her, and she keeps getting stuck in her best friend Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian. (So not cool).


Then a massive Strigoi attack puts St. Vladimir's on high alert, and the Academy crawls with Guardians--including the legendary Janine Hathaway...Rose's formidable, long-absent mother. The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy's not taking any risks. This year, St. Vlad's annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.


But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only provide the illusion of safety. When three students run away to strike back against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. Only this time, Rose--and her heart--are in more danger than she ever could have imagined...


Shadow Kiss


It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all...might be seeing ghosts. As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line--and choose between the two people she loves most.

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Pop culture reporter Cannie Shapiro writes about other people in the Philadelphia Examiner. One day she opens a women's magazine and finds her ex-boyfriend has chronicled their ex-sex life together. She had not known Bruce thought her a "larger woman," or that he felt loving her had been an act of courage. Life wasn't always easy.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?userid=bc6RqrwBIn&pwb=1&ean=9780743418171

Accidentally Yours by Susan Mallery


★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Another good read. This book made me laugh, cry and want to be a super mom! I thought I can't read more of this book because of the story line. Son is dying, mom has no money, no husband...can't do anything.... Well im glad i did read a few more chapters and i can say i super liked this book.

WANTED:

Single mom seeks billionaire's pocketbook to fund dying son's research cure. Will seduce if necessary. Blackmail is not out of the question. Miracles welcome.

Cynical billionaire seeks working mom with a heart of gold for PR campaign to improve his standing in the community. Must be willing to attend social events. Anyone looking for love, need not apply.

It seemed like the perfect match...until the unthinkable happened.

http://www.susanmallery.com/archived_books.html

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown


★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Book 1 of Robert Langdon Series

I've read this book after the The Da Vinci Code. I've read this because people were saying that this is better than TDVC and yeah, well let's just say I liked this because I enjoyed the suspense and mystery of this book, but then refer to my review of TVDC for more review.

That's it. I don't think I'll ever buy the third book even if it's on sale.


"An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target. World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization—the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra. Together they embark on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth…the long-forgotten Illuminati lair." http://www.nationalbookstore.com.ph
 

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

★☆☆☆☆


Book 2 of Robert Langdon Series

I started reading this book not because the reviews are good but because this was the most controversial book ever written (I guess?!) You see there are a lot of things mentioned in this book that will make someone believe that these are true. I just didn't like the historical lies in it and as I am a Catholic, i just don't want to recommend this to other people. Thought a review is really necessary for this book.

"While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body and the floor around him covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci – clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion – an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others – and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle – while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move – the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever." http://www.nationalbookstore.com.ph/
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