Thursday 31 March 2016

MONTHLY READS - MARCH

I am reading, but not all the books I read make it to my blog, not all of them are given their own space. I would feel a little bit guilty, though, if I didn't mention them at all, because they all have something about them and they deserve some attention. I was thinking about a decent way to give a shoutout to these without having to make very short posts, so I decided to dedicate one post for all the stories that have been keeping me accompanied through the month. At the end of each month I'll make a post about my reading progress, and add a little review on each book. I'm really excited about this, guys!

In March I've read seven books. Read on and join me in my March reminiscing!


Sunday 27 March 2016

REVIEW | The Bride of Lammermorr by Walter Scott

The Bride of Lammermoor
Sir Walter Scott
Genre: historical novel
First published: 1819
Pages: 356

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis
Dark prophecies and ominously symbolic events beset the romance of Edgar, Master of Ravenswood, and Lucy Ashton, the daughter of the man who has displaced the ancient Ravenswood family from its ancestral home.




Thursday 24 March 2016

HOW NOT TO "HURT" YOUR BOOKS

Hello my fellow bookworms!

I moved the house about two months ago, and when I was moving the books, I was unpleasantly surprised about them turning very yellow-ish (which is obviously not a good thing for a book to be). And since I'm an awful human and have just recently realised how badly I had been treating my books for months, I've decided to do some research and share some of the information I found about storing and taking care of our little paper friends.



What to do to keep your books nice and bright? Here are a few tips that can help a LOT.


Friday 11 March 2016

REVIEW | The da Vinci Code by Dan Brown



Dan Brown

Genre: mystery, detective fiction, conspiracy fiction, thriller
First published: 2003
Pages: 590

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries... unveiled at last. While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.


Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.




Since I’ve read and loved Brown’s “Inferno”, I was really excited to read the Da Vinci Code to see if it lives up to my expectations. It did. In fact, it surpassed them. Brown had me at the first word and I simply couldn’t put the book down! Words cannot describe how incredibly written this book is and how enjoyable it was for me.

Reading the Da Vinci Code, I’ve learnt so many things. I couldn’t shut up about it for days. I was overwhelmed by all the conspiracies and facts and I was throwing it all in the faces of everyone who didn’t hide from me. This book enlightens us not only on the topic of art but also on Christianity. It’s delightfully researched. Brown is able to convey so much information without the book being boring and textbook-like. The pace doesn’t lag because of it. He brings up all the facts through dialogues or retrospective stories, and each and every new information brings the storyline further. The delivery of those facts, although sometimes really detailed (which, in my humble opinion, is a positive thing), is still simple enough for everyone to read and understand.

Brown is a master of keeping you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Cliffhanger could be his middlename. Every time you think you figure out the plot, he assures you that you, in fact, do not know anything at all. Every time you think you'll finally find out the informaton you've been longing to find out for the past five chapters, Brown cuts the chapter and you just have to read another, and another. And it's amazing.

And Robert Langdon? Robert Langdon is a brilliant character. Brown’s writing is so good that Langdon feels as real a character as if he were an actual living, breathing person. He’s funny. He’s pretty smart. He’s flawed. He’s afraid of things (like come on, he’s claustrophobic). He owns a Mickey Mouse watch and wears it to remind himself to stay young at heart. I mean, how could you not love that man?


This book is simply one of the best things that I’ve happened to read so far. I recommend it to everyone who likes history, art and mystery. Everyone, who is a slut for conspiracies and loves the #feels. Just read the book, that's it.


REVIEW | The da Vinci Code by Dan Brown



Dan Brown

Genre: mystery, detective fiction, conspiracy fiction, thriller
First published: 2003
Pages: 590

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries... unveiled at last. While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.


Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.




Since I’ve read and loved Brown’s “Inferno”, I was really excited to read the Da Vinci Code to see if it lives up to my expectations. It did. In fact, it surpassed them. Brown had me at the first word and I simply couldn’t put the book down! Words cannot describe how incredibly written this book is and how enjoyable it was for me.

Reading the Da Vinci Code, I’ve learnt so many things. I couldn’t shut up about it for days. I was overwhelmed by all the conspiracies and facts and I was throwing it all in the faces of everyone who didn’t hide from me. This book enlightens us not only on the topic of art but also on Christianity. It’s delightfully researched. Brown is able to convey so much information without the book being boring and textbook-like. The pace doesn’t lag because of it. He brings up all the facts through dialogues or retrospective stories, and each and every new information brings the storyline further. The delivery of those facts, although sometimes really detailed (which, in my humble opinion, is a positive thing), is still simple enough for everyone to read and understand.

Brown is a master of keeping you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Cliffhanger could be his middlename. Every time you think you figure out the plot, he assures you that you, in fact, do not know anything at all. Every time you think you'll finally find out the informaton you've been longing to find out for the past five chapters, Brown cuts the chapter and you just have to read another, and another. And it's amazing.

And Robert Langdon? Robert Langdon is a brilliant character. Brown’s writing is so good that Langdon feels as real a character as if he were an actual living, breathing person. He’s funny. He’s pretty smart. He’s flawed. He’s afraid of things (like come on, he’s claustrophobic). He owns a Mickey Mouse watch and wears it to remind himself to stay young at heart. I mean, how could you not love that man?


This book is simply one of the best things that I’ve happened to read so far. I recommend it to everyone who likes history, art and mystery. Everyone, who is a slut for conspiracies and loves the #feels. Just read the book, that's it.


Tuesday 8 March 2016

REVIEW | The Lord of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien

Genre: high fantasy
Pages: 1530
First published: 1954

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a genuine masterpiece. The most widely read and influential fantasy epic of all time, it is also quite simply one of the most memorable and beloved tales ever told. Originally published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings set the framework upon which all epic/quest fantasy since has been built. Through the urgings of the enigmatic wizard Gandalf, young hobbit Frodo Baggins embarks on an urgent, incredibly treacherous journey to destroy the One Ring. This ring -- created and then lost by the Dark Lord, Sauron, centuries earlier -- is a weapon of evil, one that Sauron desperately wants returned to him. With the power of the ring once again his own, the Dark Lord will unleash his wrath upon all of Middle-earth. The only way to prevent this horrible fate from becoming reality is to return the Ring to Mordor, the only place it can be destroyed. Unfortunately for our heroes, Mordor is also Sauron's lair. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is essential reading not only for fans of fantasy but for lovers of classic literature as well.








I have to say, it’s not at all easy to write a review that would be good enough for such an epic and legendary trilogy. Anything that could be said has been said already. To adequately express the feelings I had during and after reading the books is not at all possible. From the start to the very last page I was enchanted by Tolkien’s imagination and his ability to put all of it on the paper and pass all his thoughts onto us with such a beautiful usage of words. He created a completely new world with its own rules and issues and affairs and creatures. He created languages and a whole history of this fantasy world. Middle-earth is thoroughly thought through; Tolkien provides us so many information to get to know every little part and every creature that could be found there, and makes us feel as if Middle-earth was our second home.

To praise the story about a Hobbit who fought his way into Mordor is not something my words would be enough to do. I fell in love with many characters, and with each one in a bit different way. The crownless king is the apple of my eye, honestly. This is the kind of a character everyone needs in their life. But I don’t want to speak only of Aragorn, for there were many others that made me feel things. The evolving friendship of Legolas the Elf and Gimli the Dwarf made my heart extremely happy because they overcame prejudice and showed me that the truest friend can be found even in the most unlikely being. The Hobbits, the little and fragile Hobbits, who showed me that sometimes the greatest strength is not necessarily linked to physical appearance. And the Wizard, who overcame his death and came back to fulfil his purpose and to help his friends in need.


Also there were many Men I felt personally attached to, Faramir to mention my favourite one. I had to say his name because if you haven’t read the books and only watched the film versions, then you were robbed of such an intense feeling towards him, because in the film, he’s pictured as quite a bad character when meeting Frodo for the first time, although in the books he’s being really kind and polite to him and Sam. I myself had seen the films first and then read the books, so I was kind of expecting him to be a jerk, but it turned out he was actually really a nice guy and I was so pleasantly surprised that I immediately developed positive feelings towards him in the Two Towers. Obviously, I also disliked some of the characters. And as much as I liked Faramir, Éowyn, for example, was really getting on my nerves persuading Aragorn not to go towards the Paths of the Dead. Brave and fearless as she was, casually breaking gender roles with her “but I am of the House of Eorl and not a serving-woman. I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death.”, I still couldn’t really bring myself to like her as much as the others.


I definitely consider this series as something everyone should read because it’s a masterpiece and it made me feel so many different feelings. It’s beautifully written and I never had the urge to skip a paragraph, not even once. I am desperately in love with these books and I am pretty positive this series will always be something I’ll enjoy coming back to.