The sisters of Isis

The series I am blogging about is the Sisters of Iris by Lynne Ewing. I have also read the Daughters of the Moon which is also by Lynne Ewing and the Sons of the Dark which I am hoping to read. But unfortunately I have yet to finish that series but it was really good and I am more than half way through the series so I will continue. But on the underhand the series I am typing about right now I have finished all four books because this series was prematurely ended. Which is such a shame because I really liked this series and such a waste that it was never finished.

The story is basically about this three girls, Sudi, Meri, and Dalila who are gathered together by this ancient Egyptian priest who tells them that they are the descents of Horus. They are also given the difficult task of stopping this cult called Anubis from bringing destruction and chaos to the modern world. These three girl are nothing a like Sudi is popular and loves to party. Meri is a tomboy and the daughter of a well-known senator and Dalila was raised by her overprotective and thought to be brought up to marry a King or Prince. The girl who are nothing alike have to team together and fight against the ancient gods and along the becoming the best of friends despite their difference. Maybe it' because of what they went through and that they were able to conquer these obstacles or maybe it’s the fact that three normal teenage girls having to deal with real life issues while their having their lives threatened every other week and having big bad monsters perhaps that is the real reason why I like this series so much.

Gregor the Ovalander

 

 

                This blog is going to be about Gregor the Ovelander by Suzanne Collins a name you would have known if you were familiar with the hunger games she is the author of that trilogy and this series. The series has about five books but I only have read up to the fourth book and I’m not really sure why I stopped at the fourth book. I think I was juggling several series at the time and had to stop to focus on other book series and forgot to finish the last book. This series is not alike with the Hunger Games it was actually several years that I realize they were by the same author.

                The plot is quite original and has different themes as the Hunger Games. The story start with the main character Gregor who follows his little sister, Boots  through a gate in their apartment building to entire new world called the Underland that is beneath the city.  In Underland there is an entire culture of humans that live in the city of Regalia and along with giant bats that are bonded to every human. Also they can talk along with giant rats who are the bad guys most of the time and giant cockroaches, snails, moles, scorpions, mice, ants, snakes, fireflies and spiders. They also don’t call them by those names instead bats are called fliers, snails as slimers, rats as gnawers, cockroaches as crawlers and so on and on. After Gregor arrives in the Underland the people of Regalia view him as the warrior of the prophecy and Boots as the princess that all the Crawlers worship. In the first book Gregor goes on a quest to rescue to save his father who is lost in the war between the human Underlanders and the gnawers.

                Even though this book is very less known as the Hunger Games it is still very good and has qualities that are similar like warfare. And if you give it a try I'm sure you will like it as much as the Hunger Games even more so. Because I read more from this series than the Hunger Games which reminds me that I need to finish the last two books of the trilogy.

1984

 

            The book I am going to blog about is a very iconic one and that has affected pop culture today. The book I am blogging about is 1984 by George Orwell and it is set in a totalitarian dystopian future. This book is very interesting and utterly depressing but still interesting because it was written in 1949 and viewed the future in perpetual war against each other.  The book starts with our protagonist Winston Smith who is a clerk that works in ministry of truth and what he does for his job is that he rewrites historical documents so that they match what the party says. Which is completely ironic but then again ministry of peace deals with making war and ministry of love deals with torturing those who are in any way show disloyalty to the party. But anyway Winston decides to keep a journal and starts to write in the date 1984 even though he isn’t certain if that is even the true date. But the thing is that in the book he doesn’t know what to write in the journal because in Airstrip One (formally known as Great Britain) a providence of the super state Oceania and perhaps other parts of the world is individual not allowed and those who show any kind of individual have a high chance of being erased. But that it how this world is they even have the slogans WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. Which is completely comradery but the majority of the population has been brainwashed into thing this way just..you know this is exactly like the third Reich which is when the Nazis took over Germany. The future of this book is like a vision of the future in which the Nazis won but the war kept continuing until the history of the past became completely warped.

But anyway what happens more in the book is that a young women named Julia writes a note to Winston proposing her love to him. They both became lovers and they both have a shared loathing of the party. But they are eventually are taken by the Thought Police and taken to the Ministry of Love. Winston and Julia are being cured of their insanity and taken to room 101 to be reeducated and it is one of the most feared room in the Ministry of Love. In the end they both survive the reeducation but....that is all I will say because if I do say anymore the book is ruined. But anyway in the beginning I mention cultural impact one of the things I didn’t mentioned in the short synopsis is Big Brother who is the figure head and the embodiment of the party. Big Brother has affected pop culture an example is the BBC show called BigBrother which will be airing again in 2015. Another concept introduces in the book is room 101 which is a term meaning of a place of where unpleasant and terrible things are done. Other examples of hoe this affected pop culture is the movie version of 1984 which was released in 1984. There is also the episode of Doctor Who called "The God Complex" which has an alien space ship that has room 101-like places. So yes this book is a very big deal and I really liked reading it but not the book part of the book and if you read the book you would know what I was talking about.

Seventh son and Last Apprentice

Recently I saw the movie trailer of the Seventh son which was based on the book series The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney. The trailer didn’t resemble the books whatsoever. If you have read the books and have seen the movie trailer you would know what I’m talking about. Because the trailer did not look like it was based on the book. It even took me several times to watch the trailer to see any similarities between the books and the movie. Although I am not that appreciative of the move I am glad that they finally recognize the book as movie worthy. But still I would have liked them to put more of the book into the movie. But I can’t judge the movie before I have yet to see it. I just hope it’s not like what they did with the city of Ember movie because I loved the book but hated the movie. It didn’t make any sense like in the book and the story line was really rushed and there was no sense of character.

But anyway this blog isn’t about the City of Ember movie is it now. But instead it is about the Last Apprentice Series. There are only thirteen books of the series and I have recently found out and that really makes me sad because this one of my favorite book series. But you know what they say “all good things must have an ending”. But anyway I actually have yet to read all thirteen books but I have finished up to number ten. But right now me ‘m a nearly a quarter of the next book Slither. I have also read the A Coven of Witches and The Spook’s Tale: and other horrors and both are Short stories. Also I have read the Spook’s Bestiary which is an encyclopedia of all creatures and entity’s inside the series.

This a really good series but back on the subject of the movie trailer. Is that it was describes seventh son of the seventh son as Knights in an old order that fight incredible evil. But in the book it starts out that Tom Warden who is a seventh son of seventh son was given to Old Gregory as his last Spook apprentice. And unlike the knights shown in the movie, Spooks are seventh sons of sevenths that have the ability to sense the supernatural and they used this ability to capture malevolent witches, unease the dead and stone boggerts. I was disappointed with the knights’ part but at least the movie had the characters from the book in there even if there not exactly alike. But I do wish if they had Grimalkin who my favorite character from the series. I mean who doesn’t like Grimalkin. I mean she is a witch and an assassin and a total badass. But anyway I think this all for now on the Last Apprentice and its new movie. I just wonder if I’ll be able to like it since it seems very different from the book but who knows I might come top like it.

Guyland

This is a nonfiction book based on the documented life of guys transiting to early adulthood so about 16 through 26. It is called Guyland: The perilous world where boys become Men by Michael Kimmel who has also written Manhood in America. I guess you’re wondering why in the world I would read a nonfiction book about guys even though I am girl. But I couldn’t help myself i mean it was always there on the table near my desk and one day I was curios enough to pick it up to read. You know what? The first page that I landed on said something about porn. Ok now I bet that perked your ears a bit but no I’m not that perverted it just I didn’t expect to see something like that in the book which stupid because this book is about guys in that are around that raging hormonal ages. But isn’t the point because the more I read the more I became interested in this book.

                The parts I was very focused on was bullying and hazing. Because I couldn’t believe the thing that guys would do to each to prove there real men. But I really shouldn’t just say that about guys because it also had short excerpt of the things that girls would to get accepted as well. That isn’t all I got an impression from this book is that guys are more what they seem from the outside. Because what I have read had made guys look...pitiable I mean it seem that many guys can’t handle having their ego's bruised. But it seem guys have to go through a lot to prove themselves it make me glad that I am a girl and an incredibly oblivious one as well. This book isn’t a handbook exactly about every males on the globe but it’s still in depth study of parts of the male psyche. I have yet finished this book but I will read more of it because I find it intriguing and some other people out there will agree with me too.

The Secret of Bees

                The first time I read this book was in the sixth grade, usually during math class. I know that is really irresponsible but math is so boring and the book was really good. But anyway what I want to say is that I loved reading this book and it is one of my favorites of all times. The reason why is because I like reading books that are during the height of racisms in America which is somewhere around the sixties. I like reading the perspective of both blacks and whites of this period and it really intrigues me of the kinds of things that were happening in the south but it is really saddening to read this kinds of racism in America during those times.

                In this book the setting is happening in the south during the sixties especially in 1964 in Sylvan, South Carolina. The heroine of this story is from a fourteen years old white girl named Melissa Owens. She lives on a peach farm with her father who she calls T. Jay who usually ignores her or is abusive. But she also lives with her nanny and housekeeper Rosaleen Daise who is an African American women that has a lot of sass in her. But she has cared for Lily for the last ten years of her life since the death of her mother. The story really takes off when Rosaleen went and tried to vote. But then she is sopped by some white men who started to bother Rosaleen. So Rosaleen retaliated by pouring out her spit in a jar on their shoes in turn making the men beat her up in front of Lily. The police arrives and arrested Rosaleen. But when Lily hears from T. Ray that they might kill Rosaleen she decides to sneak away and free Rosaleen and run away from the law. But an important factor of the story is that Lily has a clue about her mother that leads her to the family called the Boatrights. They are a local black all female family that are beekeepers and live in a pepto- bismol colored house. But the thing is that Lily doesn’t tell them the truth of about her and Rosaleen of where they came from and why were there.  As wells as the bit about Lily's mother who might have stayed with Boatrights for a short stay.

                This book is incredible and I felt so connected with the story and fell in love with the characters in it. I especially loved August who was the beekeeper in the family who was acting as the matriarch of the family. I loved her strong but gentle personality especially when she became like a mother to Lily in the book. There are other parts of the book that I love but anymore and I will ruin the entire story for those who have yet read the book for which I encourage you to read.

I heard that Song Before

Back in middle school when my family was visiting my mother's side of the family. One of my mom's aunt gave me a copy of I heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark. I really was excited to obtain the book because I am a really big fan of Mary Higgins Clark. She is one of my favorite’s mystery authors of all times.

                In this book is about Kay Carrington and that her husband is a suspect of a murder of a girl that happened a long before they met. But an important factor of this murder case is that was that Kay was near the present scene of that murder and she remembers a whistling sound during the murder. So either her memory will her help her husband out of this situation or condemn him of this crime. Another surprise twist in this book is that her husband has a condition that causes him to sleep walk and not remember anything so he may have done this crime but not remember doing at all.

                I could not guess the murderer throughout the book and I was really surprised on who was murder. But then again I have almost never guess an identity of a murder in a Mary Higgins Clark book. Which must be why I enjoy reading them so much because I am so eager to guess out the person who committed the crime. For anyone who is a big mystery fan I recommend you I heard That Song Before or any Mary Higgins Clark's novels because they are the best addictive reads.

Speak

This book is by Laurie Halse Anderson. The reason why I was intrigued enough to read the book was the cover was really interesting to me so I decided why not lets read this book. I was sucked into it right away to the story and especially to the main character Melinda Sordino. Because in the book she called the cops to an end-of-the summer party because a certain incident that toke place there. The incident which isn’t spoken out loud in the book is something that I won’t reveal in this mini review. But anyway the consequences of her action resulted being shunned by everyone even her friends. So she then becomes a complete loner but the tragic part of her ordeal is that she has become mute because she doesn’t want to talk about what happened at the party. But even if she hides within her head the truth won’t go away which she tried desperately to hide.

            I was really caught up with this story because on one hand I found this story funny because the fact the main character has a very sarcastic sense of humor that goes on her thought. But on the other hand this story is very dark and I feel so sorry from all the pain that Melinda has to go through in order to redeem herself for something that was not her fault. But in the end I was cheering her on for finally standing up for herself and finally speaking the truth regardless the pain it caused her for bottling it up. But I think the reason why this book is very good is the fact that the character is endearing and really wish for her happiness through the book and applauding her for discovering this better version of herself in the end.

The Secret Garden

The Book the Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett was one of my favorite books back in Elementary School. It was during a family Christmas party that I received this book from one of my aunts as a present. The book back then was in a pristine shape and it came along with a pretty key necklace. But nowadays the key is completely lost along with the front cover of my copy of the Secret Garden.

            The first time I read the book was nearly three years after obtaining it because the first time I was given the book. I didn’t actually like to read books very much. But it turned out that I became I really big fan of this book, But anyway I would like to recommend anyone who has yet read these book to give it a try. The main character of the book is not exactly a hero-type you would usually read in a children's book. Because Mary Lennox the main character has none of the usual protagonist. Because in the beginning she was a complete selfish brat and was described earlier as being unattractive and being sad and lonely. But through the book she and her friends Dickens a boy who could talk and charm animals and her cousin Colin who is as nice as herself and who is also stuck in a wheelchair. But together they find a secret garden and help bring it back to life.

These book was really sweet and a real mystery behind it that I really enjoyed reading. This was one of my favorite books when I was so much younger and I still enjoy excerpts of it time to time. The Secret Garden is a truly heartwarming book that anyone from nine to ninety would enjoy.