Pandemonium : Lauren Oliver book signing in Manila---March 25, 2012

Pandemonium : Lauren Oliver book signing in Manila---March 25, 2012

Awesome Lauren is awesome. 

The Brooklyn based author made her debut with Before I Fall and we may know her now as the author of the dystopian series, Delirium.

Frankly, on her book signing I wasn't finished reading Delirium, yet. And I was afraid of spoilers. Moreover, the inevitable came. I was at the back of the crowd covering my ears and babbling the first paragraph of the Gettysburg address and I think someone was glaring at me.

Okay, so let's venture to the interview of Lauren.

I may have paraphrased her words... but this is what I can recall:

"I got the idea of Amor Deliria Narvosa from the epidemic in America... When with had that swine flu scare and the epidemic after that [A(H1N1)}"

That's all. :) Well, I'll do better next time there'll be a book signing.

I'll talk about her. Ms. Oliver is very down-to-earth to her readers. She's a good speaker. She even signed my book with "Happy Early Birthday" with a birthday hat and a gift box! How cool is that?

Thirst No. 3 by Christopher Pike

Review:

This is the 3rd Book of the Thirst Series and its catching up with my questions fron the second book. There are new sets of characters and a whole new plot about immortality. It gave me the conclusion of how the story went with Seymour Dorsten, having AIDS, ending the last six books of the Last Vampire(novels that tell the life of our beloved Sita).This book satisfied me as it did not make me brood over unanswered questions.

Since I wasn't alive during the publication of the first six books of The Last Vampire series, I am happy that I did not have to wait for fifteen years for the unanticipated continuation of a good story.

I had a problem when following page-long conversations, they did not have pointers to which who talks. I got so confused I started the whole conversation until I get who's saying what and which.

I've got to give my thumbs to Pike as to how he revealed that Seymour was the one who was really telling the story to the first six books of the Last Vampire not Alisa.

This book made me accuse a lot of characters of who did this to him/her. Matt is simply gorgeous and talented but when it came to the end it made me realize that this book is totally unpredictable and has good taste of identities.

When I realized that the book remains 34 pages behind the end, I wanted to weep for the good story would end and continue until it reaches the release which would take long to reach the Philippines. I am ravished of the story of Sita in a new body (If you know what I am talking about, you'd probably agree).

Jurisdiction:
I would recommend this book to readers who adores breathtaking fights, unexpected twist of story, and amazing characters.

The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo

Synopsis from Goodreads:
PAULO COELHO'S enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom points Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find wordly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transformation power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

Review:
I am really psyched into reading this but I was underwhelmed while reading its pages. I know that the translation may have altered the creativity of Mr. Coehlo but I seriously felt dull while reading this book.
I was expecting that the Hidden Treasure of Santiago would be an abstract thing but rather, it was the stereotype of a treasure.
The thing that awed me is the philosophy of ones personal legend.

Source: HFS's Library

*This is our book-report-to-be. Might as well give it a thumbs up for being not so nonchalant.

Thirst No. 2 by Christopher Pike

Synopsis from Goodreads:
What Alisa has desired for five thousand years has finally come true: She is once again human. But now she is defenseless, vulnerable, and, for the first time in centuries, emotional. As she attempts to reconcile her actions as a vampire with her new connection to humanity, she begins to understand the weight of lifeand-death decisions. Can Alisa resolve her past and build a new identity, or is she doomed to repeat her fatal mistakes?

Review:
The book is amazing. I adore Pike's imagination and his perception of Vampires relating it to Indian literature. Albeit, his syntax escalates. The book foretells how Sita(the protagonist) conceived a child when she turned from Human to Vampire. We know that Vampires cannot bear a child... Sita conceived her child by becoming human through the alchemy of Arturo, Sita's past lover. Knowing that Ray, the believed reincarnation of Rama, is the child's father they raised it. Unfortunately, Ray is only an illusion, a maya, soon she discovers that Arturo is really the father of Kali Ka. I believe that you are now confounded by my review... But I prefer that you need to read the book to see how the transitions occured. I will leave you there hanging.

Jurisdiction:
I would recommend this book to Vampire fanatics. The twist with the charaters of Ramayana and Mahabarata is breathtaking. Just watch out for the ending, you may get flummoxed by a certain death.