August 2014 Bookshelf Bucket List: Myths and Legends!

Whaddup, whaddup! Bet you thought I was not posting this, did ya? Just kidding! I'm sorry, by the way, for not posting this earlier but here it is! My Bookshelf Bucket List for the month of August! This month I have managed to gather three mythical and legendary books I want to read here on our list, hence the theme Myths and Legends! *cue dramatic orchestra music*

1.  The Colossus Rises

• Title: The Colossus Rises
• Author: Peter Lerangis
• Genre: young adult, fantasy, mythology, adventure
• Pages: 348 pages (hardcover)
• Published: 5 February 2013
• Series:  Seven Wonders #1

"One Boy

Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In a few months, he’s going to die.

One Mission

Jack needs to find seven magic loculi that, when combined, have the power to cure him.

One Problem

The loculi are the relics of a lost civilization and haven’t been seen in thousands of years.

Seven Wonders

Because they’re hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World."

Really? You would read another mythology series? HELL YEAH I WOULD! HAHAHA. If there was something wise that I learned when I began reading, it's to never say no to a mythology book! At least for me, of course, since I LOVE the genre. And I always find myself picking this book up in bookstores and checking it out. You see, I have always been fascinated with the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. I have read about them countless of times on books of facts and encyclopedias since I was a little kid. I loved how they came to be and how they were so iconic during the time of their existence. I also find myself wanting to visit these places although some of them are already extinct, that's why I think that I'd have a blast reading The Colossus Rises and its series.

2. The Sorceress

• Title: The Sorceress
• Author: Michael Scott
• Genre: young adult, fantasy, mythology, adventure
• Pages: 502 pages (hardcover)
• Published: 26 May 2009
• Series:  The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #3

"Nicholas Flamel's heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was destroyed by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of prophecy, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders.

But Nicholas grows weaker with each passing day. Perenelle is still trapp
ed in Alcatraz, and now that Scatty has gone missing, the group is without protection. Except for Clarent—the twin sword to Excalibur. But Clarent’s power is unthinkable, its evil making it nearly impossible to use without its darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it.

If he hopes to defeat Dee, Nicholas must find an Elder who can teach Josh and Sophie the third elemental magic—Water Magic. The problem? The only one who can do that is Gilgamesh, and he is quite, quite insane."

This book is somewhat more of an "I want" than an "I want to try", since I have read the 2 books before this one. I liked the first two books, especially the second one. The Magician left me wanting for more and here I am wanting to read the next book! 'Nuff said. (Portkey to my The Alchemyst review and Portkey to my The Magician review!)

3. Curse of the Bane

• Title: Curse of the Bane
• Author: Joseph Delaney
• Genre: young adult, fantasy, horror, suspense
• Pages: 480 pages (hardcover)
• Published: 29 August 2006
• Series:  The Last Apprentice #2

"Now it's the dark's turn to be afraid

The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, deal with the dark. Together they rid the county of witches, ghosts, and boggarts. But now there's some unfinished business to attend to in Priestown. Deep in the catacombs of the cathedral lurks a creature the Spook has never been able to defeat; a force so evil that the whole county is in danger of being corrupted by its powers. The Bane!

As Thomas and the Spook prepare for the battle of their lives, it becomes clear that the Bane isn't their only enemy. The Quisitor has arrived, searching for those who meddle with the dark so he can imprison them�or worse.

Can Thomas defeat the Bane on his own? Is his friend Alice guilty of witchcraft? And will the Spook be able to escape the Quisitor's clutches?"

Also not the first book of the series, Curse of the Bane is the second installment of The Last Apprentice series. For those who want a fright before going to bed, this book is perfect for you! With the cool spooky graphics and eerie stories, the first book, Revenge of the Witch, left me wanting for more, so Curse of the Bane is definitely on my BBL! (Portkey to my Revenge of the Witch review!)

So that was my Bookshelf Bucket List for the month of August! What about you? What books are on your bookshelf bucket list? Let me know in a comment! 'Til next time!

Book Review: Guardian by Alex London

Hello, people of the world! It's exactly 7 days 'til August 30 and you all know what that means... Only 7 days left until Alex London's book signing event! WOOHOO! I can't believe it's almost here! I remember writing about it just after it was announced which was more than a month ago. How fast time flies. Anyway, after reading Proxy, I read Guardian next. Although I read Proxy in a flash, I took it slow for Guardian this time and trust me, you would realize why.

• Title: Guardian
• Author: Alex London
• Genre: young adult, dystopia, sci-fi, thriller 
• Pages: 352 pages (hardcover)
• Published: 29 May 2014
• Series:  Proxy #2

"In the new world led by the Rebooters, former Proxy Syd is the figurehead of the Revolution, beloved by some and hated by others. Liam, a seventeen-year-old Rebooter, is Syd’s bodyguard and must protect him with his life. But armed Machinists aren’t the only danger.

People are falling ill—their veins show through their skin, they find it hard to speak, and sores erupt all over their bodies. Guardians, the violent enforcers of the old system, are hit first, and the government does nothing to help. The old elites fall next, and in the face of an indifferent government, Syd decides it’s up to him to find a cure . . . and what he discovers leaves him stunned.

This heart-stopping thriller is packed with action, adventure, and heroics. Guardian will leave you breathless until the final page."

SPOILER ALERT! Well, not really. Just a little. *evil laughs* 

You know what I thought about Guardian? Well first, remember Proxy? Proxy was the sci-fi dystopian book that started this story. But after reading Guardian, I thought that Proxy was more on the sci-fi side. Guardian, on the other hand, was brimming with dystopia. In the first book, we were taken to a world where people were almost semi-robotic with their program-written blood. But this time, Guardian had the word DYSTOPIA written all over it. With the network taken down, the once systematized community of Mountain city was destroyed by the supporters of the Revolution. What was left of the once beautiful Mountain city is now nothing but deserted ruins and abandoned buildings. But that's just the tip of the iceberg! With the network gone, people start to fall ill due to an unknown disease that slowly kills them. With these events, you are taken to a world where society is crumbling. I thought it was a very depressing environment. I had to take it slow because I was overwhelmed with all the suffering and violence (but not in an OA way). But that's just dystopia doing its job, people! No need to worry about me haha. 

Anyway, on the bright side some of our old friends return but some are... well... let's just say that they won't be returning once they go away again, if you know what I mean (I'm looking at you, Allegiant). But my favorites lived until the end, I'll tell you that much. What I loved about Guardian was how cunning the bad guy is. I found myself sharing the anger when the bad guy succeeds on his devious plans (or if he simply still lives, really). The antagonist in this novel is somewhat naive and I think he's going to be one of the book antagonists that I am going to remember, simply because he pissed me off so much. Good job, Alex London! 

Another thing I ought to add is that I thought the story was slow during the first half of the novel. But the other half was where all the good stuff was. If you halved the pages, the right part is where all the action is and the left part is where everything was just still falling into place. But apart from that, I still loved Guardian. It was full of action and Michael Bay explosions that I enjoyed it so much! There was so much emotion, too. It wasn't too complicated as well. There were no confusing parts that some novels always have. I was okay with the sudden ending but I think Guardian ought to have an epilogue, just so we could clear everything up. Or is there going to be a third book??? Remind me to ask Alex London about that on Saturday. Haha!

THE VERDICT:

Guardian is excellent! (but not perfect-excellent) It is certainly one of the dystopian novels that had really affected me. I suggest that you read this if you get the chance! But read Proxy first, of course. I think that you would experience the same roller coaster ride of emotions that I have experienced with Guardian. And maybe you could go to the book signing, too! I hope to see you there! Hope you liked my book review! What are your thoughts about it? Let me know in a comment! 'Til next time!

Bookshelf Bucket List!

Good morning World and all who inhabit it! It has been a long time since my last update and I apologize for that but the good news is that I thought of something new to share with you guys on this blog. And as you may have already figured out with the title and the banner, every month I am going to share my own Bookshelf Bucket List! 

Every month I am going to feature 3 books which are on my, well... bookshelf bucket list! These are the books that seem to be worth a shot that I find during bookstore visits and as well as in browsing goodreads. And of course, being the non-working student that I am, I don't earn money and can't buy these books whenever I want. #toopoorforbookhauls Haha! So until I actually start earning money, I will be featuring these interesting books in this new blog segment. 

I have decided to do this monthly because I thought if I did this weekly I would have a whole month with just Bookshelf Bucket List posts since college just started for me and I expect to be very busy these coming months. But 3 books per month is not bad, right? I plan to do this every last week of the month, so expect August's Bookshelf Bucket List to be out next week! If I end up finding books with similar characteristics, I'll try to come up with a theme for that month. 

That's it for now! I just wanted to introduce the idea and I thought I could get some suggestions from you. Have you thought of some ideas that could make this idea of mine better? Let me know in a comment! Peace! :)

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

Greetings, fellow Earthlings! I come in peace to give you my review of the latest Marvel film, Guardians of the Galaxy! Thanks to the awesome peeps from Nuffnang, I had the opportunity to watch Guardians of the Galaxy in not just boring ole' 2D but in dynamic thuureeeeeee-deeeee! (3D) To the Marvel fans out there, I apologize in advance if I unknowingly say or point out a wrong detail regarding the Marvel universe because I am not an avid Marvel fan and I could be ignorant to how the Marvel world works. Sorry! Now without further ado, let's get down to business.

To start off, the CGI was amazing. Period. The movie mostly takes place in out-of-this-world locations (all that alien and ET stuff), and I thought they did a pretty good job of rendering it on the Big Screen. Plus, Groot (tree guy) and Rocket (raccoon) really looked real. I could say that the team behind the movie graphics really used their movie magic well and took us to places we could only imagine. Also, the music score won't alienate you since it features some (thankfully) Earth throwback hits. 

The story was simple yet remarkable. You do not need to be an uber Marvel fanboy/fangirl to go with the flow of the story and you'll get it easily. The story wasn't complicated and the motives of our heroes were clear. Also, the movie was action-packed! For Guardians of the Galaxy I could say two things: it was action-packed with just the right amount of humor. Some movies overdo it, while others do the opposite and add humor just for the sake of comic relief. However, Guardians of the Galaxy had just the right amount. And let's not forget the romance factor. I could say that this movie had its eyes focused on teamwork rather than romance. If you are brewing up some chemistry between Peter Quill (only human on picture above) and Gamora (green gal) in your head, well let's just say that friendzoning isn't exclusive to humans. And speaking of friendzoning, you'll probably witness one of the greatest friendships of all time between our two CGI heroes, Rocket and Groot. I think I'm missing someone... Oh yes! Muscular tattooed blue bald guy! (a.k.a Drax the Destroyer) All I can say about him is that anyone could be good, even if he/she is known by the name "The Destroyer". This group of diverse heroes will show you what working together can accomplish.

I think that Guardians of the Galaxy deserves 5 stars!

I enjoyed every second of it and I thought that it was one of Marvel's best films. Guardians of the Galaxy took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions while making sure I learn that there is no "I" in "team". With a well-written plot, unique and diverse heroes, and an almighty bad guy, I left the cinema craving for more. I can't wait for the sequel since some questions were loosely left unanswered. But I think the sequel won't be coming out in a while and I'm leaving it to you to find out why. Just remember the almighty rule when watching a Marvel movie, never leave the theater without finishing the credits. Also, let's see if you can spot the creative mind behind Marvel himself! Stan Lee does it again in this Marvel installment. Hope you enjoyed my review! What are your thoughts about Guardians of the Galaxy? What are you expecting from the film or if you have seen it, what can you say about it? Let me know in the comments! 

Thanks once again to Nuffnang and Kit Kat for hosting this special movie screening! :)

I Am Groot,

Product Review: GEAR4 Espresso Bluetooth Speaker

Happy August Everyone! Good things come in small packages. And last week I have just received what could be the smallest yet most awesome package ever! Introducing the GEAR4 Espresso Wireless Bluetooth Speaker! Now that's a mouthful! If you think the name is awesome, you ain't seen nothing yet because this iddy-biddy speaker packs a punch with its hardcore music.

The speaker came in this transparent box which I thought was cool because you get to see a view of the whole speaker before even opening it. 

The unit came with a quick start guide and a micro-USB cable for charging. Did you know that despite its small size, the GEAR4 Espresso sports a whopping 4-hour battery life with its rechargeable lithium-ion battery? 

The GEAR4 Espresso may be small but don't let its size fool you. Its sound quality, especially the bass, is just unreal since the main driver of this speaker is boosted by an additional passive radiator ported out of the base (unlike other same-sized speakers) for that rich bass tone. I honestly don't know what that radiator mumbo-jumbo means but it doesn't take a tech expert to say that this speaker delivers an exceptionally huge sound despite its teeny-tiny size.

The power button is located at the base of the speaker. All you have to do is push the button and the speaker will automatically search for a device to pair with. Just connect your device to the Espresso and you're all set! The GEAR4 Espresso is complete with a feature called Advance Audio Distribution Profile or A2DP which provides quality delivery of audio from whatever media you are playing. By the way, the base of the GEAR4 Espresso is rubberized which I thought was a nice touch.

At the back of the unit is where you can find the micro-USB port between the Bluetooth indicator LED (left) and the charging indicator LED (right). Worry not when it runs out of power because charging is a piece of cake. Just plug the unit (using the micro-USB cable that comes with the unit) into your computer/laptop or into a USB power adapter and wait until the LED turns off and you're good to go! You could also use the carabiner handle clip (mug handle) to attach your GEAR4 Espresso to wherever you want to carry it (perfect for music-lovers on the go).

Blastoise approves. 

If that Blastoise size comparison wasn't enough, let me show you another size comparison and this time to an object most people are familiar with.

Sorry I couldn't find anything else in my room to compare the GEAR4 Espresso's size to and I figured at least most people know how big a tissue roll is, right? 

So that's pretty much all you need to know about the GEAR4 Espresso Wireless Bluetooth Speaker. Almost forgot! It also comes in black, magenta, green, and cyan colors. So what are you waiting for? For the reasonable price of PHP 1,350, this beauty could be yours. This item is made available by Digits Trading at these stores: Digital Walker, Astroplus, Astrovision, Beyond the Box, Digital Hub Burgos, District 32, iGig, iStudio, Mobile 1, Technoholics

I would also like to give a massive thank you to Digits Trading and Digital Walker. You guys are the best. :)

Have a cup of music,