Dinara Tengri

Just because my reviewing career is on hiatus, doesn't mean I can't still buy books, right? Last week I had some free time after lunch and I went to the local book store. And I got this: Intercept: The Secret History of Computer s and Spies, by Gordon Corera I'm promised a behind-the-scenes look into the real world of surveillance and espionage. Very excited to dive into this book. I also celebrated my going back to school by getting the X-files Season 10 Comics, Volume 1.   Finally, this last goodie was baught by my Mom, who went out and got me a special edition of Classic Pop Magazine. It's Michael Jackson! Thanks, Mom, you know me.    

For the past couple of months, I've been experiencing this reading fatigue (for lack of a better word). After doing some looking around on the Internet, I found out it's not an uncommon thing among people who read and review full time. You read one book after another, often in the same genre, and after a while they all start to resemble each other. The same old tropes, the same old archetypes. The same predictable endings. You're thinking, I read this before! And you did, only it was a completely different book. I love books. I love to read . But being fed up with something, even if it's a good thing, is inevitable, I guess. I've been blogging for a year now. When I started out, I didn't think that I could grow tired of reading. I thought it would be the little tedious side chores such as editing and template design that would get to me first. But I've come to find these little things more enjoyable with time. The last five or ...

We interrupt this week's Top Ten Tuesday for a special announcement! The final book in the Scythe Wielder's Secret series - Daughter of Deaths - is coming out on e-book today, September 20th.          You can read my reviews for all the three books in the series, School of Deaths , Sword of Deaths and Daughter of Deaths . You can also read my interview with the author, Christopher Mannino.     And if you're curious about Susan Sarnio's last adventure, here's a mini-excerpt:     Michi smiled, her lips pulled tight across her teeth. “We’re friends. I’m an Elemental, just like you. You can come out.”  A scrawny girl, perhaps seven years old, emerged from the darkness. Her clothes were disheveled, her face pale, and her eyes shone bright red. A mane of long, tangled raven black hair trailed behind her, reaching to her knees. Her face was scarred and dirty, and she clutched a doll in one hand...

Title: Daughter of Deaths (The Scythe Wielder's Secret, #3) Author: Christopher Mannino Publisher: Muse it up Publishing The wait is (almost) over! Daughter of Deaths - the final chapter in the Susan Sarnio saga is coming out on e-book on September 20th , so be sure to check out this page on said day for some delicious details. I received an advanced copy of DoD (that's the abbreviation I'm going with from now on) from the author, in exchange for an honest review. As much as I loved the first two books, this won't affect this review. You can also read my reviews of the first two books - School of Deaths and Sword of Deaths - as well as my interview with the author, Christopher Mannino. SPOILER ALERT if you haven't read the second book, Sword of Deaths. Two years ago, Susan Sarnio was brought to the World of Deaths. Fighting sexism and bullying, the first female Death helped reinvent the College. Now, her friends journey deep into the heart of ene...

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Of all the books that I have read, there have been some stinkers. Some pretty bad books. But I don't regret reading any of them. Even a bad book can still turn out to be valuable reading experience.  And if there's anything I can learn from reading a terrible piece of fiction is that sometimes a promising idea can be ruined by sloppy execution, and that most authors of bad books still have a passion for what they do. So to honour those overrated dookies and those unfortunate misfires, I'm listing nine of my least favourite books of all time.  1. Hurricane Moon by Alexis Glynn Latner Here, an interesting premise is ruined by stale writing, boring science and the most wooden, generic and uncharismatic characters that graced the pages of any book. You really shouldn't judge a book by its cover, especially if the cover is pretty. You can read my full...

Today, I want to talk about three books that I've been reading for the past few weeks. Even though I took a book blogger's oath (which I just now made up) to review everything I read, I sometimes find it difficult to review certain books. Sometimes, I simply don't understand what the author is trying to say, and sometimes I just don't have anything profoundly interesting to say about the book in question.   Nevertheless, I want to cover these three books so that my guilty reader's conscience will let me sleep at night. Twelve Years a Slave By Solomon Northup (and David Wilson, ed.) First published in 1853 Source: Aldiko Reader Perhaps the best written of all the slave narratives, Twelve Years a Slave is a harrowing memoir about one of the darkest periods in American history. It recounts how Solomon Northup, born a free man in New York, was lured to Washington, D.C., in 1841 with the promise of fast money, then drugged and beaten and sold into slav...

 Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday - a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish . This week's topic is TV shows. I already wrote about the ten shows that I've binged on Netflix . Now, I want to list all those shows that I have on my watch-list, but that I haven't had the time to finish yet.    1. Firefly   As a born-again Buffy, the Vampire Slayer - fan (I binged all seven seasons in less than two weeks), I think it'll be fun to check out the rest of the shows in the Joss Whedon Universe, aka Whedonverse.   2. Aquarius   A dark and violent period piece about a cop who's solving crimes connected to Charles Manson? Not really my cup of tea. But throw in some David Duchovny in the mix, and you just might catch my attention.    3. Outlander   I'm halfway through the first season. The story is exciting as hell (it's got time travel, rebellion and  kilts), but I simply cannot stand Claire. ...

As many other movie fans, I was very saddened by the death of actor, director and writer Gene Wilder last Monday. Sometimes, you feel like some people will live forever, and will never stop creating. I first saw Wilder in Blazing Saddles all the way back in the 1990's, and his movies have always been a warm and welcome presence in my life. He surprised me with his versatility as an actor and charmed me with his endless charisma. Today, I want to share with you my favourite movies that star Gene Wilder. Blazing Saddles "My name is Jim but most people call me... Jim." To ruin a western town, a corrupt political boss appoints a black sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary. This was one of the first American comedies I have seen as a child. I loved it. It was funny, silly, clever, dirty and daring. And how can I not mention the amazing chemistry between Wilder and the talented Cleavon L...