"Angels and Demons" By Dan Brown

I have finally gotten around to reading the the second book, or rather the prequel, to "The Da Vinci Code"
I enjoyed it. It was very good.

Structurally, I found it very similar to "The Da Vinci Code" Same kind of story line, same kind of twists. In both he gets involved in the end with the woman he was helping. A fact that I find kinda hard to accept timewise, as there is only supposed to be about a year off stage between the two books.
Reading "The Da Vinci Code", I got the impression that the main character Robert Langdon hadn't been with anyone for a while. ... Maybe it didn't work out with Vittoria for more then about three weeks after "Angels and Deamons". Though I find that hard to believe, so maybe I'm just remembering the beginning of "The Da Vinci Code" wrong. A not entirely impossible possibility.

Fascinating stuff about history and religion. That is one thing I've enjoyed immensely about both books. No complaints from me there.

And there was one more thing I wanted to say. The thought seems to be playing hind and seek inside my brain at the moment. So I'll do an up date if and when/if I remember what it was.

Please leave a comment, tell me what you think. Or find me on my facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/SaaskiOFFICIAL
You can also take a look at my previous post on "The Da Vinci Code" here, http://opinionsstoriesbooksnovels.blogspot.com/2011/10/da-vinci-code-by-dan-brown.html

Thankyou for reading my post, Saaski

Laurell K. Hamilton

I have been reading Laurell's books since I was 15, and have read almost every single book she has ever written/published.
I love her imagination, and her talent for creating/keeping track of hundreds of different characters at a time.

A lot of people have given her some harsh reviews because of the content of her stories. And yes, she can irritate me too sometimes. With how she can fixate on a problem like a dog with a bone, going back to it again, and again, and again.
I tried not to pay attention to what most of them were saying for a long time, but (especially with Anita) it did get tiring after she "over came" the same issues for what felt like the 10th time.
Bullet was the worst.
It's a good sized book, about a inch thick. 360 something pages
After reading it, I felt like I had absorbed 70 pages at most. If that. The rest was mush that I worked my way through.
It nearly put me off reading her books at all truthfully. But you know, despite all that, I do love her story lines. I love her characters, (most of them anyway, a few I want to give a kick up the behind) and you know, there was a reason I had stuck with her until then. The latest few books not included, I really enjoyed being in her different realities.
So I gave her the benefit of the doubt. And I'm glad I did.
As I said in my earlier blog, http://opinionsstoriesbooksnovels.blogspot.com/2012/06/kiss-dead-by-laurell-k-hamilton.html , "Kiss the Dead" was like breathing that first breath of air after being under water for a while.

Laurell's writing style.
Laurell is an author that talks to her reader. She is not as obvious about it as other authors like C. S. Lewis or Terry Pratchett, but her main characters (her narrators) are definitely talking to someone. Not like they expect a response, but almost as if they are laying it out for a diary.
She can also be very factual. Anita and Mary will often be thinking " A is ___ so that means B." All in a very matter-of-fact way, as if there could be no other possibility. "2 is added on to 3 so that means 5".
I'm not saying she's close minded. She's not. 
In fact, her main characters are all surprisingly fluid and ready to accept that they were wrong fairly easily(though not always). Often done in the same but-of-course way that they deal with everything else.

Laurell's different books and series.
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series.
This is the series that I have mostly been talking about throughout the rest of this post.
All I want to add is a request that you not let my earlier harsh words decide you against taking a look at the series. There are currently 21 books in the entire series and my afore said rants only really apply to about 5 of them.
Every author has her bad day's, and, from what I can gather in the past years her publishers have been putting pressure on her to produce books at the rate hamsters have babies. (Ok, not quite, but you get what I mean)

As for what it's about. Close your eyes for a second and ask yourself "What if, what if Zombies, Vampires, Wears, and all other critters that you hear about in legends were real. What if they were an accepted part of our daily lives. What if, when you saw an animated corps walking outside you window, your automatic response wasn't to question your sanity or think leprosy. It would be to call the police to send in a fire squad and deal with the poor thing." There you go.
Anita, in the middle of all that, is a necromancer and legal Vampire Executioner with a messed up social life.
Great stuff. -No sarcasm intended.-

Merry Gentry Series
I have just now realised that I have not done any previous posts on any of Merry's books. I will change that as soon as I can.

Merry and Anita are as different as Strawberry Jam and Marmite.(That's the real, original thing that came before Vegemite)
Not to say that Merry is the epitome of sweetness. Far from it. But she was brought up by a father who expected her to know and understand the different customs of every different culture she might interact with as an adult. (As a Sidhe Princess to the Unseelie court, that's a lot.)
In other words, she was never as shielded as Anita was, and so came into the first book of the series with most potential issues already worked out.
Merry also knows that she isn't human, where as Anita is still in denial.

There hasn't been enough books in the series yet (8 total) for me to know if Laurell is going to get locked into a cycle like she did with Anita. (They may not have the same issues, but Merry's reality is far from perfect.)
Fingers crossed and looking forward to the next book.

Nightseer
This is the first book that Laurell ever published. She didn't make a series out of it, and I'm sort of on the fence about whether or not that is a sad thing.
I wont go into to much detail about that here, as I already posted a blog on this book when I first read it.
Here http://opinionsstoriesbooksnovels.blogspot.com/2012/05/nightseer-by-l-k-hamilton.html

Micah and Strange Candy.
Micah
"Micah" is a sweet little short story that comes into Anita's series just before "Dance Macabre". The two of them (Anita and Micah) are alone together for the first extended period of time.
I read this whole book a while ago now, but I remember that I liked getting to know Micah a bit better.
Strange Candy
"Strange Candy" is a series of Laurell's short stories that she did before getting her first major publication. Some she sent to magazines, some not.
I think there was even one that she did in her early teens. Though I could be wrong about that.
I'll tell you more when I read it again.

Other works.
Laurell has also done a number of other things, including a few compilations with other authors that I refuse to go through one by one.
For the full list, and anything else you want to know about Laurell, you can go to her websight here, http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/


That's it. Please leave a comment to tell me what you think, or find me on me facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SaaskiOFFICIAL

Tamora Pierce

Ok, today I've decided to do something a little bit different.
Instead of talking to you about a specific book or series, I'm going to talk to you about one of my favorite Authors, and all her books in general instead.

I already talked somewhat about Tamora's writing. I was trying to describe what what her Alanna series was like, and what I said then is still true now. So, rather then repeat myself, I think I'll just take out a quote from there for the benefit of those who haven't read it yet, and give you a lick where you can check it out for yourself here: http://opinionsstoriesbooksnovels.blogspot.com/2011/10/song-of-lioness-quartet-by-tamora.html

On her writing..

"...The best way I can describe Tamora's writing, I think, lies in telling you how I myself was first introduced to the books.

I had just finished reading half of "the Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan, and anyone who has read them can tell you just how mind numbing that series can be, even if taken in s slowly. Let alone at the almost inhaling pace I'd been going. So, needing a break but still wanting to read something, I asked my friend if she knew of a series or book that didn't force you to think too much, but at the same time wasn't boring or predictable. She showed me Tamora Pierce, and I fell in love. (Cheesy line yes, but none less true.)..."       I relise that by saying "doesn't force you to think", I might have put a few people off by implying that the books are simple, or even unimaginative. That's not what I mean at all. I just mean that you're not constantly banging you head up against the wall wondering just how much more twisted it could get, and wanting to scream at the characters for many reasons half of which haven't even happened yet. No. None of that. Her books are incredibly fun to read and very interesting, but they don't give you a headaches.

The truly brilliant thing about Tamora though, lies not in the fact that she doesn't give you headaches, but in the way that her male and female characters act toward each other. That is not to say that there is no such thing as gender discrimination within her worlds. (For some of main her characters, that is their biggest hurdle in getting to where they want to be) But among the strongest/most prominent characters, the idea of females being weaker because they are females is almost foreign. 

One of my most favorite lines out of her books is, "What do they think their lady mothers do when their fathers are at war and pirates are attacking. Sit there embroidering?"

At the same time, she doesn't lessen the strength in her men in order to make the gril's "seem" stronger. King Jonathon of Tortall, and Briar from the Winding Circle being only the two most obvious examples. 

Briar especially, as he grows up with 3 incredibly strong minded girls, and is raised my two of the most powerful women in the country. 

As a young adult, he is becoming a powerful mage in his own right, and is very secure in his masculinity.

How many authors ever pull that off hmm...?

... On the different reality's Tamora has created....

Tamora has two main realities for her books. One with Tortall in it, the other the Winding Circle. Neither of witch is the only place is either if their respective worlds, but are where the main characters spend most of their time.

Tamora has, in fact, created other realities. In her book (short story compilation), "Tortall and Other Lands" we see quite a number of different ones.

So far, she has written and released 28 books all together, and co-authored two more.

Namely;

White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion with Timothy Liebe as co-author, and Phil Briones as illustrator.

Young Warriors: Stories of Strength with Josepha Sherman as co-editor.

She apparently has another book coming out soon with Briar as the main character. 

Now, as I don't want to give away any spoilers, I'm going to get cryptic.

Those of you who have read all the Winding Circle books out so far would have noticed that there is certain ... information ... missing between "The Circle Opens" series and "The Will of the Empress". Almost as is if you skipped reading an important book. I have reason to believe that it is that book. (Yay!)

If you want to look Tamora up yourself, her websight is here: http://www.tamora-pierce.com/

And, yeah. Leave a comment to tell me what you think, or find me on my facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/SaaskiOFFICIAL

"The Gathering" By Kelly Armstrong

Kelly is best known by her "Women of the Other World" series.
All though, she has three different series, they are all based in the same reality, and are more or less parallel to each other. (So far as a am aware, non of the characters in each series have met each other yet.)
"The Gathering" is the first book in Kelly's most resent series, "The Darkness Rising Trilogy". I am unsure of exactly where "The Gathering" is in the timeline Kelly has for all three books, because I haven't yet read the other two books and the characters start off very isolated from knowledge of whats actually happening around them.
In fact, the only reason that I know for sure that they are actually in the same reality as the other two series, is that two of the characters happened upon the word cabal. And because it's been a while since I've managed to get my hands on any of Kelly's books, I actually carried on reading one or two paragraphs before my eyes snapped back up to the word and I realised I'd seen something very significant.

If this book wasn't a part of a series, I think I would be very annoyed with it's end. I'd be going 'Nothing's really happened yet! The climax is only beginning.'
It's very much a book that is a first book. Like a really big introduction to the characters and whats going on in there lives. Giving you just enough to know that there HAS to be more. But not so little that you want to ask what the point of the book was.
Definitely engrossing, I enjoyed every minute of it. But if Kelly hadn't already had the next to books up in book stores, I currently be muttering about how there better be a sequel.

That said, it's not one of my favorite books of hers, mainly because I don't feel like I've finished it yet, so maybe after I've gone through the whole series I'll give you an overview of all three of them. See what I think then.

Rose Quartz and it's spherical form Rossele

This is a video I made a while back on Rose Quartz. It's my first ever video, so it's fare from perfect, but I thought it might be interesting those people out there who are wondering just what makes Rose Quartz different from Quartz. Other then it's colour ofcourse. 

The video is in no way in depth, and I don't pretend to be a stone expert, but I did do my research on this. I promise. So think of it as a quick overview rather then something to base your studies on.

So, I hoped you liked it. I'm hoping to do more, better video's like this about other stones and/or things.
Though it might take me a while as I want to get better software to do it with before I do. So I need to save up my money first.
Please leave a comment, tell me what you think, or you can find me on my facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SaaskiOFFICIAL .
It's very new. I just put it up there less then 10 minutes ago.

"Wings" By Aprilynne Pike

"Wings" is a good read.
It walks the thin line between traditional folklore belief's and the Authors own imagination, balancing perfectly.
I liked the story line. It's one of the few ones that I can honestly say hasn't been done before, and that's saying something.
The only problem I have for it would be the triangle going on between Lauren, David and Tamani. That definitely has been done before. I swear, the second I realised there was a second guy I felt like banging my head up against the wall and groaning. Why? Why is there always more then one. Maybe this is just me but I intend to make sure that the next book I read involves monogamy or no such relationships at all. I've had enough. For now anyway.

And that is all I'll say for this morning. I'm a bit tired as I couldn't sleep last night. (I ended up picking up "Wings" and reading through the night just to stave of boredom. I can however tell you that this book took me 5 - 6 unbroken hours to read.)
It is now 7:37am and sleep has decided to come calling at last. .... I am so lucky I don't have work today.

"Deadlocked" By Charlaine Harris SPOILER

SPOILER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ THE EARLIER BOOKS!

Deadlocked is the latest book in the TRUE BLOOD series.
Another series where I wish the main character wasn't so miserable all the time.
I do like Sookie. Part of me wishes she'd get together with Sam already. He's great for her. And she could be good for him if she'd just see whats in front of her. They'd be great together.
The other half of me knows that if they did that then something bad would undoubtedly happen to either force them apart or make them unhappy with each other.
What happened to happily ever after? There are so many interesting things that people can get up to without being miserable.
That's the problem with so many modern writers these days. I think anyway.
People need to realise that there is no lore against happiness.

But sadness aside. I did enjoy "Deadlocked".
Charlaine's book's are always a pleasure to read. She has such a ready imagination, and it's never hard to picture the story as she tells it.
I liked what happened on the forth to last page. And I want to knock Alcide and Eric's heads together. They're both ridiculous. And not in a good funny ha ha way.
Felipe too. I'm quite disappointed in him actually. I expected more of him. Something that didn't include him acting like a spoiled toddler with super powers. I mean really. Oh well.
I know that at minimum he's going to try and get Sookie to work for him again. I hope she looks him in the eyes and tell's asks him what he he has to offer.
Protection? So that she can make a target of herself for his rivals? People who might try to torture her again?
Money? For what? Sookie is happy with her house. She doesn't want a fancy car as far as I can tell, and she has a good income. Enough to live happily off.
Fame? ... Oh, you mean the thing that makes people never want to leave you alone and insist on knowing all your darkest secrets? Talk about nightmare for someone with Sookies abilities.
And if she doesn't do his bidding. He'd hurt her and the ones she loved? Ahh. I see. When he said protection, he meant "Not let them get to you so that I'd have the pleasure of hurting you myself." Of course. That is just the thing to make someone want to agree to work for anyone else. A guarantee that if she wasn't perfect she'd get hurt. And if she IS perfect she'd almost definitely get hurt.
Oh Wait! I apologise. There is a third option. She could give up her freedom entirely and go to live in a strange city with Felipe, then stay in a locked and windowless room under heavy guard without ever coming out except when Felipe wanted her. BRILLIANT!

I guess you can tell I think highly of the vampire King huh...