the ninth stone by kylie fitzpatrick

A jewel thief is on the loose in old London town and is murdering his victims; Sarah O’Reilly, who works as a typesetter in a newspaper office, becomes embroiled in the mystery that will eventually lead to India and a jewel with terrifying and occult powers.

In 2010, this was the second book I read, in January. Seven months later, I still cannot manage to write properly about it. In my experience blogging about books, I seem to find it hardest to write about books I loved.  I loved this book, giving it five stars on Shelfari. A relatively obscure title with a Gothic-looking cover, it captured my attention when I saw in the blurb that it follows a street urchin as she strives to make it as a newspaper journalist in the midst of a crime spree that saw several close friends dead.

With sheer guts and smarts, she kept the worst of the violence from touching her family, her sister. Later I found out that despite them the world did leave a mark. There was nothing she could have done. There is little  I could do also if the world decides to touch with a heavy hand my loved ones, only hope to God I can make things better–or He will.

I was more than impressed by the combination of mysticism and gritty reality in this book. But now I think I couldn’t write because I was reeling from its impact. Who knew I would see myself in this historical mystery? From London to India, from childhood to young adulthood, Sarah never gave up on following her dreams, even if it led her to a painful truth. If I can be as brave, I can conquer the world.

I finished this post; I guess am brave enough. And that gives me hope.

cemetery dance by douglas preston and lincoln child

Smithback is murdered.

But no zombie did it, as his wife Norah, cop-friend de Agosto, and suave FBI agent Pendergast seem to think in the beginning. For shock factor, a callous disregard for the connection made by the series fans to characters from the first thriller, Relic, over Reliquary to Book of the Dead, authors Douglas and Lincoln kill off NY Times journalist Smithback, and things will never be the same again in Pendergast universe.

Masama ang loob ko, huhu. Pinatay ni Douglas at Lincoln si Smithback.

Going downhill at the Wheel of Darkness, the series reaches a slump with this ninth installment. Where is the sense of connection to previous adventures? What is this detachment that infects the book from page one? I only see token efforts at continuity. In previous books, Pendergast as a character is vibrant with promise. Here he is dead. The entire story lacks energy.

Maybe it suffers in comparison, in particular to the monster factor in Relic, the complex mystery of Cabinet of Curiosities, and amazing thriller of the Stillness of Dead Crows–but for rabid fans looking ever for more and better, how is this an excuse?

For murder, the gallows may be too good. For a lackluster book,  the penalty is death. Of my interest.

——
Ok, I wrote this in the heat of my ire over Smithback’s death. One gets attached. Sorry. Cemetery is still a good thriller, which capitalizes on elements proven wildly successful in previous books. A thriller is afoot, possibly a monster. The heroes crawl through dark passageways searching for clues. Red herrings are thrown left and right. A maddened crowd complicates things and becomes additional fodder for monsters running around. The reader is sufficiently befuddled. The answer is sufficiently logical. Why the heck did they kill off Smithback?! Oops.

in the zen of a lazy blogger’s list

I’m Artseblis and I’m a lazy blogger but here is a list to keep my blog not so Zen.

The spirit is willing but the list is long. And Zen can only take us so far if there is nothing to work with. So I’m resorting to lists. As of 18 August 2010 I am a lazy book blogger and I am behind 12 books in my TBR challenge with eight books in my blogging backlog.

Have books, Need blogs

• Weddings from Hell by Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith – four short stories where the bride meets the groom from hell, and a monster may just be the man to the rescue
• Soulless by Gail Carriger – Victorian steampunk; fantasy romance; funny
• If Angels Burn by Lynn Viehl – very intelligent and dark paranormal romance/thiller
• Private Demon by Lynn Viehl – sequel to If Angels Burn
• Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child – Zombies ran rings around FBI special agent Pendergast. The weakest link in the series. Or maybe I’m just being unfair because my favorite character is killed off.
• The Physick Book of Deliverance by Katherine Howe – Historical mystery centers on the Salem witches. Riveting.
• Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen – Magic realism or just the ordinary world filled with extraordinary miracles? five stars!
• The Ninth Stone by Kylie Fitzpatrick – relatively obscure historical mystery set in Victorian England. Features a girl-urchin who grows up to be a journalist. I loved it. five stars!

Cobwebs on my blog, but no spiders

Notice the cobwebs by the upper left-corner of the site near the blurb? I’m afraid I’m very behind in my TBR challenge and book blogging, and this site is looking more abandoned by the day.

I am tempted to say that real life gets in the way of my book life, but I review that thought and I realize how inaccurate it is, and how unworthy. Reading and all the bookish activities such as book hunting, participating in online and face-to-face discussions, book swaps, and blogging that have taken up much of my time these recent years have enriched my life and made it more interesting.

From all the cool people I met, I got all these cool ideas, from where the best food is to where the best book discounts are. Best of all, in my off days and stressed moments, I never despaired because I knew that whatever happened I have my books and I have this, a community of readers, a gathering of like-minded souls, and I know we’re making a difference.

Here’s a list of online communities. I like them, maybe you will, too.

Flips Flipping Pages – A community of people who love to read, collect, swap, mooch, talk about, sell, touch, smell, look at, give away books. A support group for book addicts. Though most support groups help addicts quit, this group enables them, encourage them to get more, buy more, read more, learn more!

On Shelfari.com – main site, talk boards
On Multiply- blog
On Facebook- announcement of events

Bookmooch – Give books away. Get books you want. BookMooch is a community for exchanging used books. It lets you give away books you no longer need in exchange for books you really want.

On Shelfari.com – forum for BookMoochers Pilipinas
On Facebook- announcement of events and bookswap

The blogroll on this site, with links to Filipino book bloggers. Or check out the directory at Filipino Book Bloggers. Click on the links to pay them a visit. Leave a comment or two. Wait for the excited, Welcome!

There, I hope I swept some of the dust and cobwebs away. Hatsoo!

Not quite.

book blogging? add your site here

Breaking up the angst, The Filipino Book Bloggers is a wonderful blog  for all bookworms and book bloggers. If you’re reading and blogging, why not pay this site a visit? Add your blog if you’re a Pinoy book blogger, wherever in the world you are currently.

Let’s join together to help spread the love of reading. Enlightened minds are less likely to eat dogs, our sweet and loyal best friends (segway in connection with my current mood–read post on other blog).

Kamusta?
Welcome to Filipino Book Bloggers! This is a directory of Filipino book bloggers from all over the world. It doesn’t matter what genre you blog about or where you’re located, as long as you’re a Filipino, you’re welcome to have your blog listed.

*This book blog directory is managed by Chachic,reading and writing about YAs and fantasy fiction.

To be listed, send an email to filipinobookbloggers@gmail.com with the following details:

• Blog Name
• Blog URL
• Location
• Brief Description
• Favorite Authors
• tags for what genre your blog caters to

Also send an image if you want it to be included in the post dedicated to you.