Insomnia and Bondage

Can't sleep, go figure. My mind's running rampant with thoughts. This is even keeping me from reading the Pauline Réage erotic classic, Story of O. I've attempted the read years ago, but failed to keep up with it, partly because of school and mostly because of apathy. I know, that sounds wrong. In my senior year of college, I also picked up a copy of The Illustrated Story of O with photographs by Doris Kloster. I'm still to own the film, however. I also need to pick up a copy of the sequel, Return to the Chateau. I should attempt to sleep. I don't see it happening, however. 

Holy Awesomeness, Batman!

If you haven't read Batman: Cacophony, I strongly suggest that you do before picking up the first volume of Batman: The Widening Gyre. Like Cacophony, The Widening Gyre is written by Kevin Smith with art by Walter "Tell 'Em, Steve Dave" Flanagan. 

The volume - the hardback to be released on 14 December 2010 - features a cast of infamous and not-so famous Gotham villains. However, there isn't a single one that is a singular in the story arc. The focus is on the hero in town. One called Baphomet, which has Batman and the boy wonder at odds whether this shady crime fighter's intentions are pure. 

But Batman's guard is down when Silver St. Cloud returns to Bruce Wayne's life. Flashing back to every relationship he ever held as Batman - nonromantic, that is - Bruce begins to wonder if Gotham is safe without him. Assured that both Robin and the newcomer can take care of things, Bruce allows himself something he hasn't in years - peace of mind. 

With the light at the end of the tunnel becoming brighter, Bruce is forever looking behind his shoulder. But will his guard be up when the one that go away returns to his life? 

I'd like to say as usual but considering that Cacophony is the first story arc by Smith that I've read, I think it's a moot to even think it. However, Kevin Smith doesn't disappoint with the first of two volumes. Along with him, returns Walter Flanagan whose art amazes me. Both are able to blend humor with the seriousness expected of Batman. It won't say it's canon, but The Widening Gyre is essential to any Batman fan out there. Just be sure to read Cacophony first. You'll lost without it. 

Collins delivers the absolute ending for a trilogy

Picking up where shortly after Catching Fire left off, Mockingjay opens with Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, whom the citizens of Panem fell in love with at the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, standing in the charred remains of District 12. Confusion is still looming over her as the realization of all she was raised to believe were lies. But mostly because while she was rescued from the last arena, Peeta wasn't. His fates lies in the hands of the Capitol and the loathsome snake president, Snow.  

The survivors of District 12 have become refugees of thought-to-be-destroyed District 13, whose citizens have resided underground for the last seventy-five years. Armed with their greatest weapon, Katniss Everdeen - the Mockingjay - who stood up and defied the Capitol twice, in two different arenas, the rebels are ready to take on the Capitol one district at a time. 

But what looms over Katniss's thoughts is - who is the enemy in all this?

After reading the last book, I was on edge that Suzanne Collins wouldn't be able to capture my attention like she did with The Hunger Games. And after Aaron Guerra's constant reminder that this book would piss me off, I wasn't looking forward to reading it. But I did. The moment I put down Catching Fire and picked up this book, I was sucked back into the world that Collins first introduced. While the elements of "who will Katniss pick" still lingered, foul smelling like Snow's roses, the book was motivated with plot and action, leaving you turning the page at the edge of your seat. 

While I can understand why several readers found this book disappointing, the turn of events (no spoilers here) were a necessary evil. And if you're a true reader, you would've seen it a mile away. The book was thought provoking, as well as, heart wrenching. Collins' gift doesn't leave her side as each word carries you through the world of chaos and confusion. 

My only anticipation now is the adaptation that is coming soon of the first book. If done right, we'll have something that blow both Harry Potter and Twilight out of the water. But then, again, it's Lion's Gate that's releasing the film(s). 

Also in the mail today

The last eBay win arrived along with Batman: The Widening Gyre, my copy of Anne Rice's (written as A.N. Roquelaure) Beauty's Release. For those of you keeping tabs, this is the conclusion of the Erotic Adventures of Sleeping Beauty, which is made up of The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty's Punishment and this book. I inherited the first two parts back in the day when Monica was working in reference and her office buddy, Karen, brought a big old box of books to claim. Of course I came out with the naughtiest pieces because the erotic has been the center of my attention for years now. However, because I'm strange, I never picked up the first two books because I didn't own the last one. Now that I have it in possession, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to start exploring the world of this BDSM fairy tale. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Batman: The Widening Gyre

Forgive me for the shotty photograph, but it was the best of the lot. Kevin Smith and Walter "You Tell Them Steve Dave" Flanagan returned with a new Batman storyline, The Widening Gyre (the hardcover trade to be released on 14 December 2010, according to Amazon). This follows the three-part series, Batman: Cacophony.

The Widening Gyre is a twelve-part series, split into two six-part volumes.  The first volume, photographed above, was supposed to run from August 2009 through January 2010, with volume two running from July 2010 through December 2010. However, issue six of the first volume was released in July, leaving fans to wonder when the second half will be released. 

Health & Fitness

Got my copy of The Belly Off! Diet by Jeff Csataris and the editors of Men's Health in the mail today and hopefully the book would do more than just sit on my shelf, looking pretty. Because let's face it, a large amount of us who read for leisure aren't the most athletic people in the world. And this isn't the first time I've picked up a book brought to us by Men's Health. There was The Abs Diet that I purchased at Hastings some years back that sound and felt like a great idea, but in the end was thrown in the pile of failed attempts to lose some pounds. 

But I wasn't looking for a set of perfect abs, I just wanted to feel better about myself. This summer alone I've managed to lose ten pounds working at the stadium, which would be a great feat had I not gained them back in the end. 

Maybe The Belly Off! Diet is for me. Just in case I feel like it's pointless, I'm going to do my best to keep up with a blog (which I'll make later) to track my progress. 

During the process of typing up this blog, my aunt called and asked if she could use the microwave. She was reheating shrimp kabobs that she made yesterday. I'm now eating three. Oh boy, this is going to be a tough one. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

"Catching" extinguishes my fire

Leave it to Suzanne Collins to make me eat my words. I praise her over the first book of her amazing trilogy, The Hunger Games, and what does she give me in the second book? The same thing I said she lacked in the first one. 

Catching Fire isn't at all on par with the crapfest, damsel in distress theme of Twilight, but it's painfully near. Nine months after the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss is adjusting to life of luxury as the rest of District 12 is still starving and barely making ends meet. Gale has started work in the mines and her uncertainty towards Peeta has severed their relationship. Having to still play lovers for the camera, Katniss feels that nothing will ever be the same between her and her friend again. And this makes her long for him even more. 

Caught in a love triangle, she is confronted by President Snow - the only person in the capitol who doesn't believe in her undying love for Peeta and  who sees the berries as a symbol of rebellion than of love. So starts the wheel of events that brings both Peeta and Katniss back into the arena for the third Quarter Quell, along with other victors from the other eleven districts. But something strange is going on within the arena, something even Katniss cannot fathom or put together. What's worse is that something is going on outside, where Katniss cannot reach those she loves in time.

The book starts off slowly, building little momentum at times. I told Aaron Guerra, who suggested the book to me, that it was work that was keeping me from finishing it as fast as I did the first. Really, it was because the events were taking so long to get to the action that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get past the first section. Collins manages to ruin the trilogy for me by adding in the problem of who will Katniss choose, but in the end it's clearly an inevitable, unavoidable force that her target audience wanted to know. It doesn't move the plot for me, just makes the character's decision that much harder to make in the end.

The action in the arena is much more bloodier than the first, but isn't lasting. The twist ending, however, makes the book worth the read. And trust me, if you can get past the adolescent nonsense, you get a pretty good read.

I'm moving onto Mockingjay now, which Aaron promised me I'll hate. There's something to look forward to, no? Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Screen Shot #1

Earlier this year, I posted a link to a bookworm friendly website called What Should I Read Next?, which provides a list of books related to the one you just put down. As a bit of research, I decided what the list would include if I plugged Lolita into it. While all the books seem interesting, it was the third book that caught my attention. Apparently, Ramona Quimby Age 8 is the Nabokov classic's bosom buddy.

It was an offer I just couldn't refuse

I just might be depressed because I've been doing a lot of e-shopping lately. Mostly on eBay and Amazon. And my book e-hunting led me to shopping eBay one night, leading me to find a four-book lot of a Mario Puzo collection. It included The Godfather, The Last Don, The Family and Omerta. The price was $3.99 plus $4.39 shipping, a total price of $8.38. 

Other recent purchases include Beauty's Release and the collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes (the miniseries, not the book, which I own already) from eBay, plus purchases from Amazon include Let the Right One In, Cities of the Interior and The Belly Off! Diet, which will probably sit on my shelf, looking pretty. 

The Pleasures of Heaven and the Forbidden Fruit (and also, Batman)

I've tasted the forbidden fruit and I enjoyed its juices. Back in February - if you read this blog - you'll recall I posted about how Amazon advertised a free Kindle app for Blackberry. I was also let down when I learned that my Blackberry Curve model wasn't compatible for the Kindle app. About a month or two ago, I discovered that Amazon was now offering more free Kindle apps for iPad and PC, plus more apps for phones. So I downloaded the app for my Acer Aspire One netbook. While I still love the idea of holding onto a book and turning pages, I also like the idea of free ebooks that I normally wouldn't buy a hardcopy of. 

And while life continued on with my Kindle for PC app, I was still feeling sullen that I couldn't download the one for Blackberry. Then the worse happened. My Blackberry Curve died - well, the trackpad anyway. Having to replace it and every app I downloaded, I spied the Kindle app mocking me. Still, I decided to download it and try out - and guess what! It worked!

So now I can kill time with a copy of an H.G. Wells classic while I wait in line anywhere I go. Which is more than I can say with the copy of Heaven by Lisa Miller, which I received in the mail yesterday. The book sparked my interest when I read an article by the author shortly before the book was released. Not to mention my ever growing anxiety of dying and pondering what happens after. I didn't buy the book as a way to seek enlightenment, but to understand our obsession fascination with the idea of an afterlife. 

I also learned I won two bids on eBay: a four book collection of Mario Puzo books and all six issues of Batman: The Widening Gyre by Keven Smith. I'm also bidding on a 26-book lot of erotica books which some asshole keeps outbidding me. Which is okay. Because that's money saved and less books I have to worry about.

That, by the way, is my way of coping with the loss. Until next time, keep on huntin'.