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The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet

"When you're thinking, please remember this: excessive pride is a familiar sin, but a man may just as easily frustrate the will of God through excessive humility"

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

As a new age dawns in England's twelfth century, the building of a mighty Gothic cathedral sets the stage for a story of intrigue and power, revenge and betrayal. It is in this rich tapestry, where kings and queens are corrupt - and one majestic creation will bond them forever. 

Rants & Raves

I love it. There are no dull pages. It is absolutely gripping. After each chapters, I still linger with the story in my head and after I finish reading it, my mind did an instant playback. It's like watching a movie without the visuals.

The novel is etched with power, corruption, treachery, love, hate and faith.

Favorite parts: Every time the Hamleighs and Waleran Bigod plots a scheme against Prior Philip. Just as when they thought everything's going their way, it all blows back right into their face. (I was like cheering "In your face!" lol)

I love the constant conflict of the Church and monarchs; how power corrupts the officials of the Church ;and Prior Philips struggle to remain faithful as a true servant of God in spite of always being in a conflicting situation.

The All-TIME 100 Novels

You can never go wrong picking a next read from this list.

As compiled by the Time Magazine, this list is on top of my to-be-read shelf.

The All-TIME 100 Novels (100 Best English Language Novels since 1923)

1. The Adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow  (synopsis) 
2. All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren  (synopsis) 
3. American Pastoral - Philip Roth  (synopsis) 
4. An American Tragedy - Theodore Dreiser  (synopsis) 
5. Animal Farm - George Orwell  (synopsis) 
6. Appointment in Samara - John O'Hara  (synopsis) 
7. Are You There God? It's me. Margaret  (synopsis) 
8. The Assistant - Bernard Malamud  (synopsis)

Classic Books Quiz

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Looking for Books

I am a book hoarder and that's why my to-be-read shelf is growing almost everyday. This is my addiction. I love the smell of books especially the old, used with yellowish pages. It only means that they are always read and loved by its owners. That's one reason why I refuse to read ebooks. With ebooks, I cannot savor the feel of each pages on my fingertips.

When I was on my third trimester of pregnancy, going to bookstores became uncomfortable. So I gave ebooks a try. My first ebook is a classic Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and its a loooong read. Good thing  about reading on my Android is the light and font adjustment. Bad side is every time I accidentally touch the screen, it goes to the next page. After two more books, I finally got used to it. I started to stock ebooks on my device which saved me a lot of shelf space.

Anyway, I'm always on the lookout for great book deals, and so far, here's the list of what I found out:

• Amazon - partnered with Kindle. My dad is an avid Amazon customer. Since he bought most of his books here, we split on the shipping and taxes fee on my paperback buys. I also browse for ebooks on my laptop and it automatically sends my bought books to my device. Most of the ebook Classics are free. I stumbled on some good reads from new aspiring authors.If it's a series, the first book is free then the second book will cost about $2. 
• Alibris - this is a great place to look for First Edition, collectible, signed and antiquarian books. 
• Barnes & Noble - your choice if you have a Nook.
• eBay - where I buy secondhand books cheaper than Amazon and Alibris.
• The Book Depository - They offer free shipping worldwide but the books are a bit pricier.

                                                       Happy book hunting!

Android or Apple

This is a common question in my Facebook news feed. I previously semi-owned an Iphone and I thought, what's the big buzz other than it is an Apple? So when my sister took it back,  I had no qualms about it. Then last October when I heard of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S3 release, I checked it out and boy, was I impressed. It's sleek and classy with its smooth curves. The functionalities are indeed user-friendly. I may be impressed but not my brother-in-law who just recently bought an Iphone5. I believe it has got to do with brand loyalty. He has been an Apple user ever since, so no matter how awesome other products are, he will only stick with Apple products.

Unlike my brother-in-law, I'm quite neutral with both products, but since Samsung Galaxy S3 is cheaper, I bought it and I'm glad. Other than I saved a lot of money, the phone itself is really astounding.

Here are the awesomeness of Samsung Galaxy S3:

• Smart stay - This is important to all ebook readers. Also, I like it when the lights won't die off when I think while texting. 
• S Beam - Sharing files and photos has never been easy. All it need is a tap.
• Burst shot and Best Shot - It simultaneously takes shot and picks which photo you look your best. Pretty smart huh.
• Direct Call - I'm always using this. Just when I think I'd rather call than send an sms, I put the phone on my ear and it dials automatically. No hassles.
• 4.8 HD Super Amoled - Everything looks immaculate in my phone. The colors are sharp, almost real partnered with an ultra-fast response time. I thoroughly enjoyed all my downloaded applications with its screen.

I think Samsung did a great job on this. I heard they're going to release an S4. Hmmm..let's see.

The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy

"And the air was full of Thoughts and Things to Say. But at times like these only the Small Things are ever said. The Big Things lurk unsaid inside."

Synopsis (from Amazon)

Compared favorably to the works of Faulkner and Dickens, Arundhati Roy's debut novel is a modern classic that has been read and loved worldwide. Equal parts powerful family saga, forbidden love story ,and piercing political drama, it is the story of an affluent Indian family forever changed by one fateful day in 1969. The seven-year old twins Estha and Rahel see their world shaken irrevocably  by the arrival of their beautiful young cousin, Sophie. It is an event that will lead to an illicit liaison and tragedies, accidental and intentional, exposing "the big things" that lurk unsaid in a country drifting dangerously toward unrest.

Rants & Raves

I started this book a year ago but stopped at the middle. Took it out of my shelf days ago and started reading it again from the start and I'm thankful I did the right thing.

I loved its melancholic air. Roy's play of words are amazingly amusing, which, somehow lessens the sadness that creeps within each character. What really made this book hard to put down is its backward chronology. Like, he started with Estha, who just suddenly stopped talking at the start of the novel and unfolds the tragedy at the latter part.