Thursday, October 21, 2010
Incredible happy
I just realized that some people out there actually read the stuff I write. I can't say how excited I'm about this. Words fail me.
Romance novel by Sadam ????
Where is the world going?
I was surfing the net when I came across the news that Saddam Hussein had written a romance novel ???
For those of you who are interested in Saddam's literary accomplishments, you can search the book in Google Books. It's called Zabiba and the King (no way I'm going to put a link to that!)
I skimmed through it, and it basically tells the story of a king (Saddam's alter ego?) who meets this girl, among a lot of praise for Irak. The story is told in the style of the Arabbian Nights, with a grandmother telling the story to someone (sorry, as I said, I just skimmed it).
I was surfing the net when I came across the news that Saddam Hussein had written a romance novel ???
For those of you who are interested in Saddam's literary accomplishments, you can search the book in Google Books. It's called Zabiba and the King (no way I'm going to put a link to that!)
I skimmed through it, and it basically tells the story of a king (Saddam's alter ego?) who meets this girl, among a lot of praise for Irak. The story is told in the style of the Arabbian Nights, with a grandmother telling the story to someone (sorry, as I said, I just skimmed it).
New Lisa Kleypas interview in AAR
I recently read the new Lisa Kleypas interview at the All About Romance website.
http://www.likesbooks.com/blog
It's very interesting. She talks about her new book, "Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor", which is the story of Mark Nolan, who's a normal guy who recently got the responsability of taking care of her orphaned niece. He plans to marry his longtime girlfriend to give her niece a mother figure, but he gets distracted by the new widow in town, Maggie Conroy. This is going to be the first book of a contemporary trilogy featuring the Nolan brothers.
Lisa also said that she's going to take a break, so there won't be any books coming this 2011. I totally support that, Lisa! Get a well deserved rest, and come back when you're ready!
I'd rather wait for good quality novels than have the authors produce books like a factory.
http://www.likesbooks.com/blog
It's very interesting. She talks about her new book, "Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor", which is the story of Mark Nolan, who's a normal guy who recently got the responsability of taking care of her orphaned niece. He plans to marry his longtime girlfriend to give her niece a mother figure, but he gets distracted by the new widow in town, Maggie Conroy. This is going to be the first book of a contemporary trilogy featuring the Nolan brothers.
Lisa also said that she's going to take a break, so there won't be any books coming this 2011. I totally support that, Lisa! Get a well deserved rest, and come back when you're ready!
I'd rather wait for good quality novels than have the authors produce books like a factory.
Ice, by Linda Howard
Ice
Published 2009
Protagonists: Lolly Helton & Gabriel McQueen
In 2 words: whirlwind romance. Not my fav kind.
Lolly (what a stupid name) and Gabriel were school enemies. Now it's 15 years since they last saw each other, but the Christmas holidays catch them on the same town, Lolly having to get her childhood home ready to sell, and Gabriel visiting his folks and his son.
The catch: Gabriel's dad is the town's sheriff, and he's concerned because an ice storm is heading their way and Lolly Helton is all alone in her mountain's home, where she could get stranded for weeks. So, he sends Gabriel to fetch her.
Gabriel is not too thrilled to go all the way to the mountaintop to rescue his school enemy, specially when the ice storm starts when he's halfway to Lolly's house. His truck gets stuck, and he has to walk the rest of the way to her house.
Do they get cozy together, trapped in a warm house in the middle of a storm? This is a Linda Howard, so of course not!
Lolly is being held hostage in her own home by a couple of meth addicts. Gabriel helps her to get out of the house, and then they have to run for their lives in the middle of the ice storm, chased by the druggies, who worked themselves into a meth rage.
I've never read so many times "Ice storm" and "Hypothermia". I've never been in an ice storm, but, is it really that serious?
Anyway, the romance was completely rushed. This is not one of her best stories.
Published 2009
Protagonists: Lolly Helton & Gabriel McQueen
In 2 words: whirlwind romance. Not my fav kind.
Lolly (what a stupid name) and Gabriel were school enemies. Now it's 15 years since they last saw each other, but the Christmas holidays catch them on the same town, Lolly having to get her childhood home ready to sell, and Gabriel visiting his folks and his son.
The catch: Gabriel's dad is the town's sheriff, and he's concerned because an ice storm is heading their way and Lolly Helton is all alone in her mountain's home, where she could get stranded for weeks. So, he sends Gabriel to fetch her.
Gabriel is not too thrilled to go all the way to the mountaintop to rescue his school enemy, specially when the ice storm starts when he's halfway to Lolly's house. His truck gets stuck, and he has to walk the rest of the way to her house.
Do they get cozy together, trapped in a warm house in the middle of a storm? This is a Linda Howard, so of course not!
Lolly is being held hostage in her own home by a couple of meth addicts. Gabriel helps her to get out of the house, and then they have to run for their lives in the middle of the ice storm, chased by the druggies, who worked themselves into a meth rage.
I've never read so many times "Ice storm" and "Hypothermia". I've never been in an ice storm, but, is it really that serious?
Anyway, the romance was completely rushed. This is not one of her best stories.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Movie's Night
Yesterday I went with Hubby and some friends to watch "The Social Network". I must say I had very low expectations, because I wasn't interested in how Facebook was created.
However, the movie was very interesting. First of all, the guy who played the principal role - Mark - acted brilliantly. I was lead to think that Mark has some variant of Asperguer's syndrome - he's so brilliant, and at the same time, so socially inept. The way he speaks and interacts with people is bound to alienate them.
The story unfolds while Mark sits through 2 law suits against him: one is lead by Cameron and Tyler W., who said come up with the idea first; the second is lead by his former best friend and business partner, Eduardo, who was cheated out of his share of Facebook stocks.
The story is entertaining. Justin Timberlake plays the role of Sean, the founder of Napster, who teams up with Mark to promote Facebook, and he also blew me away.
However, the movie was very interesting. First of all, the guy who played the principal role - Mark - acted brilliantly. I was lead to think that Mark has some variant of Asperguer's syndrome - he's so brilliant, and at the same time, so socially inept. The way he speaks and interacts with people is bound to alienate them.
The story unfolds while Mark sits through 2 law suits against him: one is lead by Cameron and Tyler W., who said come up with the idea first; the second is lead by his former best friend and business partner, Eduardo, who was cheated out of his share of Facebook stocks.
The story is entertaining. Justin Timberlake plays the role of Sean, the founder of Napster, who teams up with Mark to promote Facebook, and he also blew me away.
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follet
Today I finished this book. I had been wanting to read it for a long time.
I practically couldn't put it down, even though it's almost 800 pages long. It's one of these meaty epics that are so hard to find now.
The pillars of the earth are the cathedrals, and the story is set when the first cathedrals were being constructed, around 1150. The center of the story is Kingsbridge Cathedral, and the lives of the people who constructed it. It's also set during the fight between Maud and Stephen for the throne of England, a time when there was no law in the country and the powerful could get away with murder.
The story is focused in 4 people: Father Philip, the new prior of Kingsbridge, who wants to construct a new cathedral; Tom Builder, a mason whose lifelong dream has been to construct a cathedral; Jack, Tom's stepson, who is highly intelligent and develops a passion for cathedrals, and Aliena, the earl's daughter.
They have to fight against the most evil villains: Waleran Bigod, the new bishop, who hates Philip and has sworn to prevent the cathedral's construction; and William Hamleigh, Aliena's former suitor, who is obsessed with her and wants to destroy her and her family.
As the power shifts between Maud and Stephen, so changes the monks and the noblemen alliances.
After finishing it, i'm gonna read "World without end", the sequel.
I practically couldn't put it down, even though it's almost 800 pages long. It's one of these meaty epics that are so hard to find now.
The pillars of the earth are the cathedrals, and the story is set when the first cathedrals were being constructed, around 1150. The center of the story is Kingsbridge Cathedral, and the lives of the people who constructed it. It's also set during the fight between Maud and Stephen for the throne of England, a time when there was no law in the country and the powerful could get away with murder.
The story is focused in 4 people: Father Philip, the new prior of Kingsbridge, who wants to construct a new cathedral; Tom Builder, a mason whose lifelong dream has been to construct a cathedral; Jack, Tom's stepson, who is highly intelligent and develops a passion for cathedrals, and Aliena, the earl's daughter.
They have to fight against the most evil villains: Waleran Bigod, the new bishop, who hates Philip and has sworn to prevent the cathedral's construction; and William Hamleigh, Aliena's former suitor, who is obsessed with her and wants to destroy her and her family.
As the power shifts between Maud and Stephen, so changes the monks and the noblemen alliances.
After finishing it, i'm gonna read "World without end", the sequel.
I'm baaack!
I can't believe I haven't written anything for almost 2 months. I've been awfully busy, first with work, then with visitors, and finally I went on vacation - but the kind of vacation that leaves you more tired than when you started it!
Nevertheless, I managed to read a lot of books. However, one stands out: "For my lady's Heart", by Laura Kinsale.
I had read a couple of books by L.K. before, and even though I recognized her as a good writer, her books left me cold. Not with this one, though! I believe this is one of the best medievals I've ever read.
I often rant about how romance novels don't have that meaty epic feeling they had in the 70's, and how many of them are light reads, where it's almost like a couple from the 20th century was transported to whatever century the setting is. I like to read history and biography too, so it's physically painful for me when I read a story that has a king/queen that behaves completely out of character, so the hero and heroine can end together.
None of that happened in this novel. It's wonderful, a mixture between the knights stories of Camelot, and the devious and machiavellian politics of the medieval kings. It even has corrupt clergymen!
The chivalrous and epic part of the story is represented by the hero, Ruck. He is a knight who was wronged by the church and was saved once by Princess Melanthe, so he swears to her as his liege lady. He loves her from afar, and swears to be hers forever to command.
Princess Melanthe is a damsel in distress, but she deals with her problems the way kings did: with treachery and cunning politics. After her husband's death she is the sole heir of Monteverde, a place that gives her endless problems because it's coveted by the powerful Riata and Navona family. One family tries to murder her, while the head of the other wants to marry her. Melanthe has developed a plan to trick both families and escape to her lands in England, where she intends to live in peace.
When you're reading this book you feel transported to medieval Europe. The author also wrote the dialogues in Middle English, and it adds another layer to this complex characters. They don't sound transplanted for sure!
Nevertheless, I managed to read a lot of books. However, one stands out: "For my lady's Heart", by Laura Kinsale.
I had read a couple of books by L.K. before, and even though I recognized her as a good writer, her books left me cold. Not with this one, though! I believe this is one of the best medievals I've ever read.
I often rant about how romance novels don't have that meaty epic feeling they had in the 70's, and how many of them are light reads, where it's almost like a couple from the 20th century was transported to whatever century the setting is. I like to read history and biography too, so it's physically painful for me when I read a story that has a king/queen that behaves completely out of character, so the hero and heroine can end together.
None of that happened in this novel. It's wonderful, a mixture between the knights stories of Camelot, and the devious and machiavellian politics of the medieval kings. It even has corrupt clergymen!
The chivalrous and epic part of the story is represented by the hero, Ruck. He is a knight who was wronged by the church and was saved once by Princess Melanthe, so he swears to her as his liege lady. He loves her from afar, and swears to be hers forever to command.
Princess Melanthe is a damsel in distress, but she deals with her problems the way kings did: with treachery and cunning politics. After her husband's death she is the sole heir of Monteverde, a place that gives her endless problems because it's coveted by the powerful Riata and Navona family. One family tries to murder her, while the head of the other wants to marry her. Melanthe has developed a plan to trick both families and escape to her lands in England, where she intends to live in peace.
When you're reading this book you feel transported to medieval Europe. The author also wrote the dialogues in Middle English, and it adds another layer to this complex characters. They don't sound transplanted for sure!
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