Category: Book Reviews

39 Clues: Vespers Rising

The first book I read for the FFP 24-Hour Readathon was Vespers Rising, book #11 of the 39 Clues series, which I was reading for the launch party organized by Scholastic Philippines and National Book Store the next day.

I was eager to read this book after I finished book 10, Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix, because I wanted to see Dan and Amy return for their next adventure! I originally thought Vespers Rising was the first book in the second 39 Clues series, but it turns out it’s actually the “bridge book” that links the two parts together.

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39 Clues: Into the Gauntlet

Sorry this is a bit delayed — I’m swamped at the moment; it’s been a very busy week!

Spent the weekend prepping for the upcoming 39 Clues: Vespers Rising launch party with three books: 39 Clues #10: Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix; The 39 Clues Black Book of Buried Secrets; and The 39 Clues Agent Handbook.

I realize I wasn’t able to post reviews of the last three books in the series (that I read last year — ooh, that brings my 2010 total to 209!), so let me bring you up to date.

More Cahill family secrets are unraveled in books 7, 8, and 9 as Dan and Amy continue their worldwide quest for the Cahill family treasure, launched with the passing of their beloved grandmother. Grace Cahill, the last Cahill family matriarch, offered all her heirs a choice between one million dollars and the starting clue to uncover the Cahill family legacy, which has produced the source of power and wealth of the Cahills, a family line which has produced prominent personalities in world history and culture, such as Galileo, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Mozart, Van Gogh, Beethoven, Winston Churchill, Mao Zedong, Rasputin, Neil Armstrong, Christopher Columbus and George Washington.

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Reckless


I’ve been reading Cornelia Funke for years now, and there’s something about her work that always appeals to me. The Thief Lord is one of my favorite books, and her best work, I think; but I’ve also enjoyed Dragon Rider and Inkheart, although I think the Inkworld trilogy would have been better as one book (and yes, I still haven’t read my copy of Inkdeath).

I’ve been meaning to read Cornelia Funke’s latest book, Reckless since last year, but like I said, I’m pacing myself in tackling the new releases of my favorite authors — most are already on my shelves, still sealed, but I’m planning on getting the lot of them finished throughout the year (in particular: Shades of Grey, Heroes of the Valley, Inkdeath, The Ring of Solomon and The Last Dragonslayer).

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Blindness (FFP March Book Discussion)

I’ve never read any Saramago, but my copy of Blindness (mooched over a year ago) has been sitting in my  TBR for over a year.  I knew some of my book club friends count this book as one of their favorites, and I’ve been told this particular novel is a good starting point for Saramago, but I put off reading it because I wanted a fresh reading for the scheduled book discussion (in other words, I habitually cram for the book discussions).

Flips Flipping Pages‘ selection for this month was Blindness by Jose Saramago, moderated by Peter and Gege, both big fans of the novel.

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Victorian Doll House

I didn’t have a dollhouse when I was a kid — the closest I got were haphazardly stacked boxes with cut-out doors and windows for my Barbies, with mismatched furniture made from odds and ends scavenged around the house. Eventually I got Polly Pocket playsets, which I loved too, but a dollhouse that can fit in the palm of your hand isn’t exactly a proper dollhouse.

Last year around the holidays, I scored this wonderful find from Andy, a friend who sells books online: A Three-Dimensional Victorian Dollhouse, which brings me one step closer to my dream dollhouse.

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