Series on My List

I don’t like it if I don’t have spare time to read. I hate that. I feel like something is missing—no hyperbolistic, it’s real. But, I can’t just read and read without doing anything else. So little by little I use my spare time to read—sometimes I read in office hour, too.

I’m collecting good novels, most of them are in series. now, I was thinking they’re to long in my list. So I’m gonna finish reading them as soon as I can.

Series I’m gonna finish in 2010:
1. Inkspell and Inkdeath (Inkworld)
2. The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood and The Diamond of Darkhold (Book of Ember)
3. Queste and Syren (Septimus Heap)
4. School’s Out Forever, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, The Final Warning and Max (Maximum Ride)
5. The Golem’s Eye and Ptolemys’ Gate (Bartimaeus Trilogy)
6. The Titan’s Curse, the Battle of Labyrinth and The Last Olympian (Percy Jakckson and the Olympians)
7. The Lost Colony, Time Paradox and Atlantis Complex (Artemis Fowl)
8. The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials)

A lot of books, huh?! Though I say so, I can’t close my eyes from other good series. So, meanwhile I’m finishing my old series, I’m gonna start new ones.
Series I’m gonna start:
1. Blue Blood Saga by Melisa de la Cruz
2. Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong
3. Faery Courts by Melissa Marr
4. Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson

And honorary mention to In Death Series by J.D. Robb. I will keep on reading that series—I’ve read 4 books so far.

2010 Resolutions

This is a must do when new year is around. My resolutions are simple.
Here they are:
1. Finish series I read and start new one
2. Continue my writings—2 books on schedule
3. Read more books –I hope I’m gonna hit 60
4. Be more creative and better in getting ideas and writing

Septimus Heap: Physik, a novel by Angie Sage

When Silas Heap unSeals a forgotten room in the Palace, he releases the ghost of a Queen who lived five hundred years earlier. Queen Etheldredda is as awful in death as she was in life, and she's still up to no good. Her diabolical plan to give herself everlasting life requires Jenna's compliance, Septimus's disappearance, and the talents of her son, Marcellus Pye, a famous Alchemist and Physician. And if Queen Etheldredda's plot involves Jenna and Septimus, then it will surely involve Nicko, Alther Mella, Marcia Overstrand, Beetle, Stanley, Sarah, Silas, Spit Fyre, Aunt Zelda, and all of the other wacky, wonderful characters that made magyk and flyte so memorable.

A little difficulties here. When Septimus trapped in Ancient Time, the language changed to Old Language. I felt dizzy reading those. Old Language is far difficult with it’s words, spellings. And I think the accent, too, if I listen to audio book of this Physik book. Aargh! My brain have to work twice harder than usual.

Half book is set in Ancient Time. It’s fun imagining this that our protagonists are know but yet not know. I mean they were in their own town with passages and places from their Time. They can walked everywhere they wanted because they knew the way. But the Ancient people and the language got them frustrated. Near the climax, the story is more fun. I like it.

As previous Septimus Heap books, I feel bored in the first few chapters, because I don’t know where the story will take me. But after the middle of the book, the Septimus’s adventure became interesting.

Other thing that made my forehead creased. The title “Physik”. Physik was not took part in most of the book. It was told almost at the end of the book. I think “Alchemie” suit well.

Indeed, giving title is a difficult thing. I appreciate Sage for giving unique words in this series. Physik instead of Physic, Darke instead of Dark, Magyk instead of Magic. I don’t know if these words are in old languages.

Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters, a novel by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson's seventh-grade year has been surprisingly quiet. Not a single monster has set foot on his New York prep-school campus. But when an innocent game of dodgeball among Percy and his classmates turns into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, things get...well, ugly. And the unexpected arrival of Percy's friend Annabeth brings more bad news: the magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and unless a cure is found, the only safe haven for demigods will be destroyed.

On few pages I realized, the story was moving fast. Or is it just my thought? And it was like reading narrative story. But, after several chapters, it is getting interesting.

Riordan mix Greek mythologies with a little science. The Sea of Monsters where Polyphemus, the Cyclopes lives and the origin is on Mediterranean, now is on Bermuda Triangle. Genious trick to show us the mystic about Bermuda and Polyphemus’ habit: anything comes around Bermuda is missing because Polyphemus eats them.

Sorry for you guys, who haven’t read this book yet. A liitle spoiler: the climax is not too tempting. I can’t feel the up and down. The adventure to the Sea of Monsters is plain and have just a few thrilling parts. But the best part is the ending. Riordan gave us a surprise!

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception, a novel by Eoin Colfer

His memory wiped, Artemis remembers nothing from his previous adventures.
But now he needs his memories back. A certain evil pixie is out for revenge and Captain Holly Short is on the run, charged with murder. To save her, he'll have to prove her innocence and break a kleptomaniac tunnel dwarf out of jail. Even then, there's still the pixie and her henchfairies to deal with. Everyone is depending on Artemis Fowl.

And he's depending on a flatulent dwarf.

I felt a little difficult reading this. The language was went in circle so I had to read it couple of times. Plus, many sophisticated gadgets without images (of course no images because it is a novel, not a comic book, stupid me!) so made me think harder to imagine how they looked like.

Each chapter is longer than in other books. Though this book is 200 pages, I can finish it in just, say it, below 5 hours. But I don’t read it all in once. I have to do other things. Besides, I’ll hurt my eyes and neck. Believe me, you won’t stop because the story flowed fast. It’s so intense. Without realizing, I was on the middle of the book. And the next time I continued, I can finished it.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, a novel by James Patterson

Strap yourself in for the thrill ride you'll want to take again and again!

From Death Valley, California, to the bowels of the New York City subway system, you’re about to take off on a heart-stopping adventure that will blow you away...
Your faithful companions: Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel. Six kids who are pretty normal in most ways - except that they're 98% human, 2% bird. They grew up in the lab, living like rats in cages, but now they’re free. Aside, of course, from the fact that they're prime prey for Erasers - wicked wolf-like creatures with a taste for flying humans.

First, I thought the book is awesome. Kids with bird’s DNA (they have wings and can fly!) and they have to fight an institute to find their origins. But it’s not that awesome. Very good (Patterson’s writing always good) but not too superb. The adventures are thrilling. I could feel their blindness finding out the truth. Didn’t know where to go, what to do. But the existence of mutant wolfs are not scary enough. The fighting are too soft. On the climax, Ari died in a sudden (ups, SPOILER!).
One character I like the most: Fang. I always like character with his style and personalities (no matter he or she). Cool, talkless, dark skin and eyes, a little mysterious. It’s as if s/he has a bad side or on the gray area.