Dinara Tengri

What's up guys! It's been over a week since I got back from Montreal and I can't believe it's all over now. But life goes on, and I sure have a lot of stuff to cross off my list before the end of summer. First, there's Campnanowrimo, which I do every July (and April). I took this opportunity to finish the first draft of my new novel. I'm also moving! No, I don't mean like to a new city (or Canada). I'm moving this blog to Wordpress. I've been wanting and planning to switch to Wordpress for a long time, and now finally seems like the right time. Nothing will change. I will be posting book reviews, discussions, and an occasional Top Ten- list. But I will be doing it on a platform that will allow me to be more creative, and to grow as a writer. I want this to eventually become an author website, with that author being... well, me. The official date for the move will be announced as soon as I'll finish building my Wordpress site and transport

I'm back! Last Saturday, I attended the Montreal Comic Con with a friend of mine. I left for Canada on Friday and I came back last Wednesday. This was my first trip across the Atlantic Ocean, and my first vacation abroad in several years. First things first, Montreal is a beautiful city that looks very European which helped me a great deal with my homesickness. My friend and I stayed there for four days, and after the Con, all we did was roam the city, see the sights, and eat poutiné. And what trip to a new city would be complete without a visit to a bookstore? Montreal has an abundance of bookstores, and we chose Indigo, Canada's biggest book and gift store. My main mission was to find a French copy of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 . Well, mission accomplished and I now have this book is five languages, thank you very much. I may also have gone on a little shopping spree (the books were on sale, though). But what I liked the most about Montreal was

When I was a little girl, my favourite singer of all time was Michael Jackson. For my fifth birthday, I requested my aunt who worked at the radio to play one of MJ: s songs for me. That song may or may not have been The Way You Make Me Feel but this is where my memory deceives me.  What I remember vividly is me and my friend going to the kitchen because we were too shy in the company of all the relatives and then dancing our faces off. This is the earliest memory I have of myself dancing. I'm a 90’s kid and Michael Jackson with his dazzling outfits, his electrifying dance moves, and his in-you-face, larger-than-life stage persona became one of the symbols of my own childhood, and my introduction to the Western pop culture. June 25 th , 2009 is a day that has long ago made its way into the history books. The news of the sudden passing of the King of Pop literally broke the Internet, and the media circus that followed, not to mention the legal charges against MJ: s per

Before there was Katniss Everdeen to topple an nightmarish government, even before there was Harry Potter to stop an evil wizard, there was Ender Wiggin, who had the gruelling task of saving the Earth from aliens. In his hit novel Ender's Game , Orson Scott Card tells us about a world where “buggers” – an insectoid alien race had twice tried to invade Earth, nearly destroying our civilization. The “bugger” wars would change not only the world politics and technological progress but the way of life of every family everywhere. The political map has been re-drawn between two superpowers – North America and Russia, with a fragile peace kept between them out of fear of a third bugger invasion. Card later revised the novel due to the collapse of Soviet Union 1991 to give it a more updated political profile. The fear of a third invasion not only keeps the superpowers from blowing each other up, but it also serves as means to maintain total control of the civilians, as the m

First, a little announcement. I will be going to the Montreal Comic Con this July. David Duchovny, William B. Davis and Pileggi will be among the guests. As well as James Marsters, a.k.a. Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer . To say that I'm excited is an understatement. This will be my first visit to North America, and my first real Comic Con. I still haven't decided if I'm going to cosplay or just go as myself.  And now to the review. It's the grand finale, baby!  Just like the previous three obligatory mythology episodes, "My Struggle IV" opens with a monologue by one of the main characters. It's William's turn to tell his story. In Ghouli, we were introduced to a complicated young man who had trouble controlling his superpowers. And here we learn through flashbacks just how much trouble William's superpowers have caused him and his loved ones. William is now on the run from the law, wrongfully accused for murdering his adopted

So, we've come to this: the bottom of the barrel. Season ten had "Babylon". Season eleven has "Nothing Lasts Forever". Luckily, neither does this episode. Written by Karen Nielsen and directed by the show veteran James Wong, this second to last X-file takes us to the Bronx where a series of what looks like ritualistic murders attracts the attention of our heroes. The victims were surgeons who were harvesting organs when they were staked through the heart by a young woman – Juliet, who was quoting from a biblical psalm. The woman then left the harvested organs at the door of a nearby hospital with a note that said, "I will repay".  Turns out, the surgeons were part of a cult of cannibals who have been prolonging their lives and fixing their physical deformities by consuming human flesh and blood. One of the cult's latest recruits is Juliet’s sister, Olivia, and now we know the cause behind Juliet’s crusade.  All the mystery is thrown ou