Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

George Heffley will be facing the worst threat in his life yet and that is the possibility of being sent to a military training camp during the summer vacation. That is the wimpiest possibility in his life yet.

The Last Straw is the fourth book of the Wimpy Kid series. Just like the previous books in the series, The Last Straw is still funny and many of the fun parts were delivered via the comics on every page. However, like what I said in my review of the previous books, this installment of the series lost its wow factor simply because I got sated with the wimpy problems of George Heffley. The characters are still shallow for me to identify with them. I get some laughs at this book, however, after that I generally forgot what is in the book.

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Maybe this is the main objective of the author, Jeff Kinney. His objective is not to give readers deep appreciation of the characters. The author just wants to give the readers a few good laughs. If this is his objective, then he is quite successful.

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A Song of Ice and Fire

…is the greatest fantasy novel I ever read.

American author George R. R. Martin really caught my interest with the first novel of the Song of Ice and Fire series, which is entitled as “A Game of Thrones.” Reading the novel’s epilogue is enough for me to say that “A Game of Thrones” is a novel that will not waste my time.

“A Game of Thrones” flared up my interest and made me crave for the next two novels of the Song of Ice and Fire series, which are “A Clash of Kings” and “A Storm of Swords.”

The Song of Ice and Fire series centers about the power struggle in the fictional continent of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms that composes it. The series opens with the novel “A Game of Thrones” that are focused on my favorite clan in the series, who are the Starks who rules the northern part of Westeros in the city of Winterfell.

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After beheading a deserter, Eddard Stark and his sons discovered a dead direwolf with six pups. Each pups were given to each of Eddard’s children: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Tommen and the bastard Jon. The direwolves have important role in the whole series.

“A Game of Thrones” ended at the death of Westeros’ king Robert Baratheon and the capture of the King’s Hand, Eddard Stark.

The “Clash of Kings” concentrates on the war between the different claimants of the throne of Westeros and the King in the North Robb Stark. Battle ensued between Tywin Lannister (head of the House of Lannister) and the troops of the Riverlands (House of Tully and its banner men) and the north men. Robert Baratheon’s brothers Stannis and Renly also declared themselves kings. In the end of this novel, Robb Stark and Renly were killed and Stannis was defeated in the battle in King’s Landing, Westerosi capital. King Joff, supported by the Lannisters is in a precarious position.

The third novel, “Storm of Swords,” focused on the characters Cersei, Jaime, Sansa, the Greyjoys, Sam Tarly and Arya. I don’t like much the third novel because I think the characters and their stories are lightweight compared to the stories of Bran, Daenerys, Jon Snow, and Tyrion Lannister. My only favorite in the third novel is Arya and her travel to Braavos. My favorite part of the novel is the exciting last chapters when Cersei was caught in her own webs of lies and deceit and captured by the High Septon (priest) and made to stand up of adultery.

The Song of Ice and Fire is a great series. I am looking forward to read the next book, “Dance of the Dragons.”

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In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

What does a young child feels when she left her home in Asia and live in America? What are the hardships? What are the experiences? What are the happiness?

These are the questions that the book “In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson” tried to answer and this book presented the answer in a heartwarming and enjoyable way that made it one of my most liked books when I was in college.
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In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord.

The book is about a Chinese girl named Shirley Temple Wong. She and her mother left their close relatives in China and live with her father in USA. Through the eyes of the child, we saw how she struggled to be part of the new world. She tried to learn the new customs, made new friends, and became a fan of the baseball legend Jackie Robinson.

What I like about this book is that the author managed to tell the story through the child. The pretenses and the biases of an adult person were removed. USA is shown through the eye of an immigrant Chinese girl. The author let the character tell the story.

The book is warm and at some points funny. It is really hard to live in a new country, especially in the USA, but does doesn’t mean that there are no light moments. So whenever I want to have a quick read, I would just flip the pages of “In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson” and enjoy the story of Shirley Temple Wong.

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Valley of Horses

 Valley of Horses, Jean Auel

The Valley of Horses continues the life story of Ayla, which was started in the first novel Clan of the Cave Bear.

In the first novel, Ayla was condemned by his the new clan chief and her sworn enemy to be cut off from the clan. Shaken and depressed by the turn of events, Ayla had to leave his son to the care of her clan mates and journey on to live to place that is far away from her clan. In her journey, Ayla reached a valley and chose to settle their. She persevered and learnt to live on her own in that valley until he found another man, named Jondalar of her own race, who taught her that she is not alone and she could live again.

Once again, I was amazed by Ayla. Her struggle to continue leaving despite her being cut off from the clan is worth reading for. Her determination to live kept the story moving and the very thing that kept me interested in reading this novel. However, this book is not about Ayla only but is also about [Insert name here] whose story runs parallel to Ayla’s story. I found the story of Jondalar uninteresting so I skipped all chapters that are about him.

All in all, this novel is another good work from Jane Auel. My only wish is that she should have modified the story of Jondalar to make him as interesting as Ayla. Ayla’s character is too strong than Jondalar character.

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Clan of the Cave Bear

The novel Clan of the Cave Bear is a unique saga written by Jean Auel that was set during the Ice Age at edge of the glacial ice in pre-historic Europe. If the setting is not enough, Jean made the plot of this novel to be also as unique as its setting.

The Clan of the Cave Bear follows the life story of Ayla who is of a different race than his adopted tribe. Ayla belongs to the race which is the predecessor of the Homo Sapiens while the tribe that adopted her is of the Homo Neanderthal race. Ayla was adopted by the clan after an earthquake that killed her parents. She was adopted by Iza, who was the clan’s medicine woman, and was taken in the clan through the help of Creb, who is the clan’s greatest shaman. Iza and Creb are siblings and they served as Ayla’s new parents.

The difference between Ayla and the clan is so much that clan members distrusted her at first. She was even considered ugly because her face is different from that of the women in the tribe. Through the help of Iza and Creb, Ayla begun to learn and love the tribe that adopted her. The clan, who believes in spirits, eventually accepted her because they believe that she is protected by great spirits.
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The Clan of the Cave Bear is great novel because of its uniqueness and the storytelling is not boring. Ayla’s character is interesting and there plentiful of conflicts that the readers can follow. The reader’s mind will also be filled with the imageries of the ancient flora and fauna and the tradition of the Clan, who worships cave bears. The other characters also give full color to the life of the clan.

Clan of the Cave Bear is an interesting novel. It is great from the beginning until its dramatic end.

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Eldest

Eldest is the second book of the author Christopher Paolini for the Inheritance Cycle. The first book is titled as “Eragon” and the book that followed Eldest is Brisingr.

The novel follows the adventure of the Dragon Rider Eragon and his dragon, Saphira. After the battle in the dwarves citadel of Farthen Dur, Eragon realized that he have much to learn so as to be able to defeat Galbatorix and assure the victory of the allied forces of the Varden, Kingdom of Surda, and the Dwarves.

The book opened and ended in tragedy. The first is the death of the Varden’s chief, Ajihad, and the lost of Murtagh to the enemy. The last tragedy is the death of Hrothgar, the king of the dwarves in the hands of the traitor Murtagh and his new dragon.

In the second book, Eragon discovered many things in the land of the elves and he also learned many things aside from magic that may become useful in his future battle with Galbatorix. The book also focused on Eragon’s cousin Roran and their odyssey from Carvahal to the battleground of the Burning Plains.

The second book of the Inheritance Cycle is as riveting and as interesting as the first book of Paolini. The focus on Roran is also refreshing since it adds new perspective to the story. So to Eragon fans there, this book is not a disappointment. Also, readers of the fantasy genre will also love the Inheritance Cycle of Christopher Paolini.

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An Unholy Alliance

 

An Unholy Alliance, Susanna Gregory

This is a whodunit novel set in the backdrop of the Middle Ages, right after the time when the whole Britain is reeling from the effects caused by the plague. The setting is Cambridge after the Black Death ravaged the city.

Matthew Bartholomew is just a doctor, who shocks his colleagues with the unconventional medicine he learned from an Arabic teacher. But when an unknown monk was found dead inside the chest containing the university’s precious documents, Matthew Bartholomew got tangled up in a murder case that involves not just the whole university but the whole town. The murder of prostitutes, the rise of demonic cults, and the sudden disappearance of a University chancellor are few of the mysteries that Matthew Bartholomew have to unravel.

An Unholy Alliance is a unique book because it is set during the Middle Ages. The setting made the novel unique since most of the whodunit or mystery novels have setting in the modern age. There are so many mysteries in the novel that will keep any readers interested. The storytelling is good and the characters are interesting. Susanna Gregory got the atmosphere of that era and the characters conform to the setting.  In the end of novel, Susanna Gregory convincingly resolved all the mysteries and problems and created a satisfying ending for an interesting whodunit novel.

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Eragon

"Eragon" by Christopher Paolini, Knopf

“A boy and a dragon and a wonderful, but dangerous, set of adventures”

Those are my words for the book Eragon that I have just finished reading recently. Eragon is a poor farm boy who luckily found a shiny stone in a magical forest near their hometown. Food for the table that would last for the whole winter, these are thoughts of this poor farm boy as he carried the stone back to his dilapidated house. The stone is more valuable than food, however, as a dragon came out of the stone and chose Eragon as its rider, opening up a new life and opportunities for to become the person who will save the world or continue its destruction.

This book is the latest of the novels in the genre of fantasy that I had read. Though very far away from the works of J.R. Tolkien, this novel is quite refreshing to read and will keep the readers in turning the pages until the end. Novels in this genre are flooding the bookstores and some of the characters and creatures seem to repeat from one fantasy novel to another. In spite of this, Eragon managed to create its own unique world that are different from the other ones in other fantasy novels. Although some of the creatures like elves, dwarves, and humans are still present. One of the villainous creatures in this book are called Urgals, which somewhat represent the Orcs of Tolkien's novels. What set this book apart are its plot and the possibilities that may arise in this novel.

So if you are hungry for a fantasy novel, then Eragon is recommended for you.


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Like Water for Chocolate

Like Water for Chocolate, Lara Esquivel, Anchor Books

Love against all odds is a nice story to read. The story of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is one and Esquivel’s Tita and Pedro is the other.

Tita is the youngest of the three daughters of Elena. Family tradition dictates that Tita, as the youngest daughter, is not allowed to marry and should care for her mother until the latter’s death. Because of this, Pedro was forced to marry Rosaura so as to be close with her as much as possible. The result is a tense atmosphere inside their home that is expressed by the author in magical narrative and exaggerations.

The book is presented like a cookbook that contains recipes, romances, and home remedies. The story is unfolded along with the preparation of the food in the recipe was cooked. The book has 12 chapters that correspond to the months of the year. Some of the recipes in this book are Christmas rolls, Northern style chorizo, Champandongo, and Chiles in walnut sauce. Food lovers and enthusiasts will definitely love this book.

Like Water for Chocolate is the story about love and its complexities. Loneliness and longing due to love abounds this novel as well as the triumph of true love as the lovers fought all the odds that blocked their way.

The Eyes of the Dragon

Eyes of the Dragon, Stephen King

How would you defeat an ancient evil that keep on coming back to bring doom to a kingdom? This is the question that struck me when reading Stephen King’s “Eyes of the Dragon.”

So far, this is my most favorite of all the works of the novelist who is known to be the master of terror. What I like about this novel is its element of fantasy which is like the books of the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In this novel, Stephen King acts like an ancient bard imparting an ancient history of a kingdom that was terrorized by an ancient devil. The incorporation of the devil in this novel is common in the works of Stephen King and it relates the book with other novels of Stephen King.

The novel is about the struggles of the two princes against the court magician who want to destroy the kingdom of Delain. When their father was murdered, the court magician Flaggs imprisoned the elder prince (Peter) and installed the younger prince (Thomas) as his puppet king. In his incarceration, Peter discovered that Flaggs was an ancient person who keeps on returning in the kingdom under different guises to create chaos.

Will Flaggs be victorious in installing a reign of terror in Delain? Or will Peter reveal the truth and return peace in his kingdom.

Stephen King’s excellent writing is evident in this novel, though quite divergent from his usual works of horror. The horror in this novel is minimum but the suspense is great. This book is recommended for those who want to read a nice novel of kingdoms, princes, and magicians.

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The House of Spirits

The House of Spirits, Isabel Allende, Bantam Books

“Barabbas came to us by sea…,” these are the words that started and ended this wonderful book of Isabel Allende. These are the very same words that captivated me to read this novel.

I encountered this book as a required reading for one of my subjects in college. This book is a rare find and gave me a hard time looking for it. Luckily, I found it in a second hand book dealer as the last remaining copy. The search for this book had paid off well since it introduced me to rich writing styles of Latin American authors.

The novel is about the epic story of the Trueba family as told by Esteban Trueba and Alba. Esteban is a cruel landlord, while Alba is his granddaughter. The story started off with the diary entries of Clara, narrating her childhood stories and revealing her mystical powers. The story was then taken off by Esteban Trueba, which narrates his life in his hacienda and his married life with Clara. The last part of the book is narrated by Alba. Played in the background is the history of Chile progressing from the age dominated by landlords; to the rise of the democratic society, the climax of which is the election of the first socialist president; and the demise to a brutal military rule.

What I like about this novel is I got to connect with the people affected by their History. It is unlike retelling the history of Chile from a boring history book. I got to see their happiness, their anguish, their desperation for a better tomorrow. I got to connect the novel with the story of my country, the Philippines.

The House of Spirits is a good novel to read and a good example of an excellent writing from a Latin American author. Isabel Allende spun history, emotions, and magic into a one engaging book.

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The Tales of Beedle the Bard

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, J. K. Rowling, Scholastic

“The Tales of Beedle the Bard” is one of J.K. Rowling’s latest addition to the Harry Potter saga. The book was purportedly translated by Hermione Granger from the ancient runes, as written by a certain wizard named as Beedle. The stories within the book is accompanied by notes written by Hogwart’s headmaster Albus Dumbledore and was completed around eighteen months before we was murdered in the Astronomy Tower of Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling also added her own notes for the benefit of muggle (non-magical) readers.

The book is a collection of five short stories, which according to Rowling is the equivalent of our fairy tales. The story has various themes that aims to teach young wizards and witches a piece of life’s lessons.

The short stories within the book are:

The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, which is about a young wizard who inherited a magical pot from his kind father. The pot never leaves the young wizard’s side, all the while emulating the townsfolk hardships and illness, until the young wizard was forced to help the needy townspeople.

The Fountain of Fortune which is about the adventure of three witches and a luckless knight to the magical fountain that gives eternal fortune to a single adventurer once every year. In the end, each of them received what they wished in an unexpected way.

The Warlock’s Hairy Heart is about a certain wizard who chose to hide his heart and avoid suffering the weakness which is love. It is a tragedy which tells us the futility of human desire to making himself invincible.

Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump is about a foolish king who desired to gain immense magical power, but in the end was revealed as a fool by witch named as Babbitty.

The Tale of the Three Brothers is the story about three brothers who received gifts from Death after successfully escaping him. The story was already told in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the seventh  and last installment in the Harry Potter series.

I like this book the way I like fairy tales, especially the original versions collected by the Grimm brothers. Reading a story in this book makes me think of the stories of King Arthur and the adventures of the Knights of the Round Table. It is magical, as if it was really written by some bard ages ago.

What I also like about this book is the way it supplements the Harry Potter series. Here, Albus Dumbledore speaks directly to the reader. Some mysteries are explained like the reason why Rowling’s wizards and witches chose to hide themselves from the world.
The only problem that I have is its price. I believe that the book was steeply priced at around 800 Philippine pesos (or roughly around $ 16), since it only contain around five short story. The pricing is too much. Maybe they pegged the book’s price at this amount so as to adequately help the Children’s High Level Group.

However, sans the steep price, the book is quite excellent. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is truly a J.K. Rowling masterpiece.