Lisa Scottoline's Daddy's Girl

If you need to get to bed but would like to catch up on some light reading just before you turn in, then don't read this book.

I'm saying don't because that's exactly what I did. On Thursday night (more like Friday wee hours of the morning) last week, I came home, was online for hours and then headed up to to bed at daybreak. I noticed Scottoline's Daddy's Girl on the shelves right outside the bathroom. I figured my Mom was done reading it, and since it mine and it's been on my TBR pile for months, I decided to read the first chapter before I went to get my much needed sleep.

I lay down, propped the book open, and didn't stop reading until I finished all of it. So much for the much needed sleep.

I don't regret it though. Imagine: I was already sleepy but she kept me awake. It was definitely a good read. I think I went through this one in about three hours or less.

As you can see here, I have read other Scottoline books and I could really tell that this was one of her latest books. Her style is the same but you could sense that she has also improved (not that she wasn't already great). Plus, the scenes and some details in the novel are also current.

Nat Greco, the main character, is a law professor who lives a quiet life. She has a boyfriend who seems to be so much a part of her family - he actually seems to belong with them more than she does. Her lifestyle and character is so different from her parents and siblings - not to mention her physique.

Her almost predictable life changes forever when she finds herself inside a prison during a riot. Nothing exciting ever happens to her - then all of a sudden something does. And having her life threatened at that riot wasn't even the worst (or best, depends on how you look at it) of it.

I must admit, I was developing a crush on that Angus character - pony-tailed, passionate for his work, does pro-bono stuff to seek justice. He really was much more appealing than Hank...

Honestly, I was a bit puzzled by the choice for the title. While reading, I couldn't help but think that she didn't seem like a Daddy's Girl. I'm still not a hundred percent sure that I got that part of it. But I do think that more than finding herself (Nat), the most important realization that she got from the events that have happened, is finding herself in relation to her family.

There are many people out there who feel that they were born to the wrong family. Some resent what their family members do, or even resent just the way they are. But what Nat found was that this family actually did know her, and accepted her and loved her. And they would be there for her in every way that she needed them - if she only let them.

*This is a repost from my personal blog http://verabear.net

THE job a million girls would die for!

The book and the movie versions of The Devil Wears Prada, though sharing the main plot and principal characters, are independent of each other.

One could already feel the difference in treatment from the beginning of the movie - the interview scene. There was no attempt to lead Andy into thinking that Miranda was the sweetest person and the greatest boss. Andy had the same job and did pretty much the same insane tasks she did in the book version. Seriously, feels like Andy (and Emily for that matter) needed a streaming supply of energy pills just to survive. I'm surprised Miranda didn't have pill-popping staff.

They gave Miranda's character a redeeming feature in the movie - something she didn't get in the novel. The book Andy was constantly smoking; and her relationship with her bestfriend Lily and boyfriend Alex was more central to the story than it was portrayed in film. Movie Emily was snooty through and through whereas they had shared some moments in the book version.

Ugh that writer Christian character was as yummy on paper as he was on film. But I'd prefer how Andy handled that part in the book. Just that the film version didn't give Alex a fighting chance. Perhaps maybe that's why they came up with a totally different character in Nate for the movie?

Reading Prada reminded me of Lisa Armstrong's Front Row, probably one of the first books of this genre that I've read. Front Row's fashion mag EIC is so different from Miranda - polar opposites! :)

It's a good read and an entertaining movie. :)

*This is a repost from my personal blog http://verabear.net

Bella and Edward: Twilight

I guess it is no surprise that my topic this week for the Online Book and MovieFan Club is about the first half of the Twilight Saga. I have mentioned too many times on this blog (as well as over at my other blog) that I have picked them up, and was surprised that I did actually find them entertaining.

You see, I was prepared not to like Twilight.

I first had my hands on an actual copy of the book from some of the girls at work. I didn't read it at the time - it didn't look like any book I would usually pick up from the store. I had then read from different people's blogs their various Twilight experiences. More of them liked it, but there are those too who found it lame. This was the most interesting review critique of Twilight that I've read; it's what convinced me to go on and read.

I read Twilight twice. And I decided that I liked it enough to move on to the next. I must admit though, I didn't particularly like learning the story from Bella's point of view. The first chapters were dragging - I felt that the author was trying too hard to setup the climax. It got more interesting though from the middle, until the end. That made sense to me after visiting Stephenie Meyer's website.

I don't like Bella. I felt like she was self-centered the way she treated Charlie and her new friends (were they really her friends?). Then I realized she wasn't self-centered, no not selfish. She was just so unwilling to like anybody, so unwilling to care. So bent on having a miserable time - on punishing herself. How many times did she mention tuning out while her new friends were around her? It annoyed me. If she didn't want their company, she should have just said so.

Could there be really anyone as clumsy and accident magnet as she is? I am used to being called lampa. I've never been into sports as a kid. I'd trip and fall a lot, and that's why I have scars all over. I hardly ever really enjoyed PE in school - I welcomed any way I could get an exemption (which wasn't easy to get). But I was not/am not an accident magnet.

Back to Bella. I felt the author's conscious effort to paint a picture of Bella that would be such a mismatch to the perfection that Edward was. But I could also see the hints of personality and traits that would make her his perfect fit. Strip Edward of his immortality and Adonis features, and I guess they would be a match. They complement each other.

Anyway, from the first book, Twilight, these are my favorite quotes, both uttered by Edward:

For almost ninety years I've walked among my
kind, and yours… all the time thinking I was complete in myself, not
realizing what I was seeking. And not finding anything, because you
weren't alive yet.

and

just because we've been… dealt a certain hand… it doesn't mean that
we can't choose to rise above — to conquer the boundaries of a destiny
that none of us wanted.

The first one is so cheesy, but the second is inspiring, I guess. Makes me remember the line: Rage against the dying of the light. Did I get that right? Haha.

It wasn't really the love story of Bella and Edward that I particularly liked in this book. It's how the Cullens have bonded together. It's how they've all of a sudden worked to protect Bella - not necessarily for her sake, but out of love for Edward. If I had one person who would do that for me - protect who/what I loved because they couldn't endure seeing me without that love - I'd consider myself very lucky. I think I only really appreciated how deep their bonds are after reading this:

Alice interrupted this time, touching my cheek with her cold fingers.
"It's been almost a century that Edward's been alone. Now he's found you.
You can't see the changes that we see, we who have been with him for so
long. Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next
hundred years if he loses you?"

Anyway, I could go on really. But it's time I stopped myself.

So Alfred is reading Twilight now. He likes it - not because of the lovey dovey stuff, but because he likes vampire stories. I know he will enjoy New Moon and Eclipse even better. I've been trying to convince him to drop the book because he'll go so much faster if I just told him the story. We can even go chapter by chapter if he wanted. Hehe. Looks like he'll be reading this through from cover to cover though. Go for it my love :)

Now, go visit other players at the online BAM fan club HQ, or start by reading what movie Detter recommends.

Until the next Twilight post. Oh, and I might read the last book tomorrow.



*This is a repost from my personal blog http://verabear.net

Circle of Friends - Maeve Binchy

I have joined yet another of Dette's clubs - the Online Book and Movie Club or BAM. If you enjoy reading books or watching movies, then you will most probably enjoy being part of this group :)

Here's my belated first ever BAM post and yes, I am posting on a Saturday early morning rather than Friday. But, you don't mind do you? ;)

First off, I had a friend asking me about James Frey's first novel that I may have mentioned in my previous post. The novel's title is A Million Little Pieces and it's James' retelling of his experience recovering from his addictions in a drug treatment center. But it isn't just about drug treatment really, it's about so much more. It's a brutal story and well embellished, but worth the read.

Now, on to the book I've been wanting to tell you guys about since last week:

Maeve Binchy's Circle of Friends. I've got a very old and worn copy of the book that has Chris O'Donnell and Minnie Driver on the cover. I didn't see the movie version but I am definitely going to hunt it down one of these days.

This has only been my second Maeve Binchy title, the first being Tara Road, but I've decided that I like her as an author. I think I'll fit in in 1950s/60s Ireland. :D

I brought this book with me to Bohol thinking that this may be the first book I'll be giving away or reselling on my blog -  but because I liked it so much, I don't think I'd actually be parting with it anytime soon.

I liked it so much that I was compelled to relay the story to Alfred. I gave him updates as the story progressed. I enjoyed that too.

The story revolves around the friendship and coming of age of two girls Eve and Benny, and the circle of friends that they have built to surround and support them.  For years it was just the two of them, until all of a sudden, an accident throws them together with a merry mix of other young people from Dublin.

Oh I remember too my first day at University, even if it wasn't as eventful as theirs was...  :)

In a way I related to Benny, being a big girl (though I am plump, and she seems to just be big), and having a family that was always there for her. No, my parents were never too strict and didn't baby me as a teenage girl. Neither am I an only child. Still, I kinda identified with Benny.

I've always thought that I could get any boy/man I like.  Growing up, I've had my fair share of admirers. But because I gained weight as I grew older, I guess I started thinking that pretty boys won't look at me and think that they want me. I was resigned to the fact that the only way I could get Mr Popularity was if he really got to know me. I knew I was sexy, but they had to see beyond my body. I don't resent the Nan Mahons of the world, because I always believed that the Benny Hogans and the Eve Malones could achieve anything they wanted - including getting the men of their dreams. Haha.

Though I grew up in a city, living within the St. Andrew's Seminary Compound is somehow like growing up in a small town like Knockglen where Benny and Eve were born and raised. I wouldn't mind going home to Knockglen on weekends and holidays.

So what did Circle of Friends speak of to me?

Women and the different ways we behave.

Friendship, loyalty and betrayal. Family. Relationships, and what really matters.

It's about dreaming and what people do to make them happen. Embracing change while still staying true to one's nature.

It's about growing up. Finding strength within. And conquering the odds.

*This is a repost from my personal blog http://verabear.net

Thursday Thirteen #14 - Books!

For this edition of my Thursday Thirteen, I list the books on my current to-read pile.



There are plenty of other books in the house that I haven't read and would love to read too. It just so happens that I bought the ones on this pile myself - mostly second-hand.

1. New Moon - Book 2 of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. I just finished reading Twilight for the second time and I'll probably start this one in a day or two. I gotta post about the recent two books I finished reading before I start another though.
2. Eclipse - Book 3 of the Twilight Saga. Okay, it's obvious that I already own all four books in the series. I figured I'd buy them at once while Fully Booked at Gateway still had paperback stocks. I actually had to reserve these via email. The first three books were picked up for me by my friend Vanette, while Breaking Dawn in paperback was restocked only last weekend. The CS peeps over at Fully Booked were kind enough to inform me that it was already available so I picked it up on Monday.
3. Breaking Dawn - Book 4. Alfred is interested in reading the saga and I am encouraging him because it is rare that he shows interests in books. I'm not sure how he'd react to the cheesy stuff though.
4. My Friend Leonard - James Frey. I had read A Million Little Pieces and was moved, sometimes disturbed, by the story. I don't care if he embellished and if it wasn't 100% truthful, he had very powerful words and he painted pictures that people should see. I am looking forward to this one, and I am assuming it will revolve around the same Leonard that was part of the first book. While I was at the bookstore, I found out about a third novel that Frey wrote. If I still like this one, I'd most probably be getting that too.
5. Lirael - by Garth Nix. Book 2 of the Abhorsen series. It's been years since I read the first of the trilogy: Sabriel. It's a Young Adult Fantasy and I love it!  The main character in the first book is a young girl. Lirael will continue on with what had happened after the events in the first book took place. I'm hoping I can dig out the first book so I could jog my memory a bit before I start on Lirael.
6. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo. I've seen the concert, loved the songs and even sang them, but I've never read the book. I must admit it's thickness is quite intimidating, but I think I can handle it  :)
7. Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey. You gotta take one when you take the other right? Haha. I wonder if I'll understand much of what is written in these two books?
8. Anna Karenin by Leo Tolstoy.
   
9. PS I Love You by Cecilia Ahern - Loved the movie, I'm sure I will love the book even more.
10. The Nanny Diaries by Emma Mclaughlin, Nicola Kraus. Here's another title whose movie adaptation I enjoyed watching.
11. The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg - I had read two or three of her novels before and I truly enjoyed them. So full of heart. I've already forgotten what this one is about, but I'm sure I will like it.
12. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella - I have missed her writing and woulld love to just sitback and enjoy some light reading again :)
13. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger - Can you believe that I didn't see the movie? I'll read this, and then watch.

There are at least two more titles upstairs that should be on this pile, including Scottoline's Daddy's Girl. I'd love to skip work and just spend entire days reading and then blogging about them (and maybe even giving them away if I could figure out the logistics for that). Then I'd have visits to the bookshops to look forward to again. I really love walking into bookshops and letting titles draw me in. I have not tried book shopping online because I know I'd be addicted.  Maybe it's a blessing that Amazon doesn't deliver to the Philippines. ;)

Checkout my previous TT’s here and here. Also don’t forget to sign Mr Linky, and leave a comment so I can go visit you too.

*This is a repost from my personal blog http://verabear.net

Mistaken Identity - Lisa Scottoline

How would you feel if you met someone who was your complete opposite (in personality and social stature) but who looked exactly like you? Then that person tells you she's your twin?I would probably freak out and then run to my mom and dad! 


That's what top notch lawyer Bennie Rosato did when it happened to her. She also took on the reponsibility of being the alleged twin's defense counsel in a capital murder case.


The last Scottoline book I read was Legal Tender where Bennie was accused of murder herself. In Mistaken Identity, Bennie has already established the all-girl law firm of Rosato and Associates and is living with her boyfriend Grady (who I thought was the murderer back in Legal Tender, hehe). Mary and Judy were in this book too and the former was shown as having second thoughts about her chosen career. Doubts that were later dispelled.

This case represented a turbulent time in Bennie's life: she learns that she has a twin, finds her dad, loses her mom, and she is almost killed. It is as if she loses her family - but in the end also learns what family really is all about - just not what she has always thought a family is or should be.

Mistaken Identity somewhat challenges our perceptions of family - is it merely blood and genes or something less tangible? I grew up with a loving family and I have good relationships with cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents too. Without a doubt, they are family to me. But I know that my heart also considers family, people who have no blood relation to me. I have lots of kuya's (elder brother), manangs (an older female), uncles and aunties because I grew up in a very close knit community. When Alfred and I started talking about wedding plans I had to explain to him that for my side, close family and friends is still a lot people.

Because I had read four of even five other Scottoline novels before this, I felt like I already knew Bennie, Mary (and her parents), Judy, Marshall, Grady and even Lou. I was even waiting for Anne until I realized that her story comes much later. This is what's great about her books, you can feel the familiarity as if you were part of the firm, of Mary's family, yet you wouldn't be lost if it was the first book you read.

While preparing for this post, I stumbled upon the author's website and found that she has a Tote bag promo. She sends you a tote bag if you send her proof that you bought two copies of her latest novel, one to give away to a friend. I have been thinking of giving away/reselling-for much less- books that we have here. Maybe I'll launch that project by purchasing two copies of Lady Killer. The thing is, I don't think it's already available locally. I would love to get that tote though. Hehe.

Oh, more book news... I am getting the Twilight Saga. I finally decided that I do want to read the whole series. I found a book store that still had paperback editions of the first three books and my friend will be picking them up for me this weekend. Breaking Dawn will have to wait - I'm not as hard core a fan to get the hard bound edition. :)

*This is a repost from my personal blog http://verabear.net

Daughter of Fortune - Isabel Allende

Daughter of Fortune is great material for a telenovela. It's a story that spans the life of Eliza Sommers who grew up in Valparaiso, Chile not knowing who her real parents are. She was brought up to be a lady fit to be wed to a man of good stock and good money. But it was not to be her fortune.

Allende did a fine job in painting a picture of 19th century Valparaiso: the sights, the sounds, the smells. Even the social climate. No surprise there.

What was even more captivating was her illustration of the same: sights, sounds, smell, and sociology, but this time of two other cultures: Chinese and the California Gold Rush.

I couldn't help but feel as if I were reading a history book. The difference is that this one was actually a joy to read.

I envy Eliza, not because she experienced a great love; I envy the many adventures she found herself having throughout the years that she was following the ghost of that love.

She is fortunate in some ways, but you've got to give her credit for surviving those years too. Yes, she was a stupid teenage girl who ran away from home. She was insane to have gone on that boat. But after the ordeal in the darkness of the ship's hold, she emerged as a budding  woman - ready to take on the rest of the world. It is ironic that it was while she was pretending to be a boy that she showed her many strengths as a woman.

On the other hand, I was empathizing with Miss Rose while all that was happening and I felt her world collapse around her even before I read Allende's words describing how changed she was due to Eliza's disappearance. I also never suspected that there was a deeper secret than that of Rose's one true love.

The times when Eliza was wondering that Miss Rose wouldn't approve of her conditions in California, I disagreed. She may not have grown up to be a traditional English lady, but she was exactly like Miss Rose: strong willed, passionate, a lady ahead of her time.


*This is a repost from my personal blog http://verabear.net