Sunday 23 November 2014

Atlantia by Allie Condie : Review

Atlantia

Having started this book with considerable misgivings , I must say I am not enthusiastic about sirens, the new novel my Allie Condie greatly surprised me .I expected a romantic fairy tale and instead I found a compelling story about love,sacrifice and the never ending human thirst for power.

The novel depicts a world divided between the citizens living above on the ground and the ones living below the surface of the sea.The descriptions of the submerged city of Atlantia , the temple with its metal trees, the deepmarket with stalls selling saffron scented pure air, the gondolas and the plaza conjure up images of an underwater Venice.A wonderful place to live in ,except for the lack of sunlight ; a miracle of engineering and collaborative work which unfortunately is on the brink of extinction.

Rio, the main character , whose name means river in Spanish ,is a strong-willed girl who has lost everything and everyone that mattered to her. She is the last siren in a world where being a mermaid is considered threatening.However, after spending her whole life in silence to keep her secret , she finds the strength to speak up and fend for herself .It is difficult to explain the learning process Rio goes through without giving away too much, I will only reveal that she overcomes prejudices and misconceptions that abound both in our society and in our own families.


What fascinated me about this novel ,apart from the beautiful setting, was the idea that despite evil and greed humankind has a chance to live peacefully, that enemies can manage to live together and help each other. Neither the ones above nor  the ones below  are  defeated , they find a way for both societies to thrive.I guess I am a dreamer!

Ally Condie has written a novel worth a film adaptation, that will appeal to readers of many genres , a tale told by a siren ,full of sea water and hope.

I bought this shell when I was a foolish tourist travelling around in Cartagena de Indias, I keep it as a reminder of how the greed of some and the stupidity of others can destroy the environment.

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano : Short Review

Perfect Ruin (Internment Chronicles, #1)


I liked the beginning a lot and also the originality of the world they lived in, but towards the end, due to the appearance of some annoying characters I found it less interesting.

Saturday 22 November 2014

Vietnam: Life in the Mekong

Imagine a market place on a busy day, vendors and shoppers carrying goods around, bargaining , shouting and rushing home to prepare the daily meal.

Picture the houses around the market , families with children doing regular household chores ,washing up, cleaning, having a bath, cooking and eating.

Think of a busy road packed with traffic during the rush hour, vehicles going to and fro ,speeding up and slowing down. Everything full of people waving at each other, busy citizens minding their own business, naughty teenagers hanging out with their friends...

 Now , all of this in a river, boats instead of houses and cars, everybody is a sailor.The Mekong is  full of life .Tourists watch this incredible display with their mouths open, it is impossible to capture in a photograph or in a hundred how mundane and at the same time incredibly beatiful the river is.

By P.B.























Monday 10 November 2014

Pivot Point by Kasie West :Review

Pivot Point (Pivot Point, #1)
After a very bad DNF I needed something easy to read in order to forget about the previous book. Pivot Point is entertaining and as a matter of fact ,it is like two novels in one. There were times when I just couldn't choose which one I liked most.

The characters are likeable and the paranormal powers the author describes are interesting.I thought the words the author made up at the beginning of each chapter were funny as well. However, the ending was the best, the book gained pace quickly and things turned out much better than I expected. I couldn't help starting the second book Split Second as soon as I finished the first one.

Saturday 8 November 2014

Cargument

Cargument definition from the Urban Dictionary

Hawaii Five-0 100th Episode Celebration

This is one of my favourites shows ever, I love the location, the actors,the theme song, and I never miss a chapter. I hope they make it to 200.