New Movies

There are a number of movies coming soon that I am interested in watching. 
Ghost in the Shell, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Alien: Covenant, Wonder Woman, The Mummy...
Now the issue is how and where to find time to watch them?!

New Adventures Needed

I need new adventures! To read!! :)
I finished reading 8 books in the Event Group Adventure series by David Goleman in one and a half month. There is a 9th Event Group book but I can anticipate that I will finish it no time. I need to find other thriller/ adventure series to read. Ok, James Rollins has a new book out, The 6th Extinction but I still need new series to read so that I can be occupied while waiting for the new release(s) from my favourite series. :P

Recap

James Rollins' new book "The Eye of God", which is the latest in the Sigma Force series, was released in June. However, I cannot recall what had happened in "Bloodline" which was the previous novel in the Sigma Force series. No harm reading Bloodline again to recap so that I can read "The Eye of God". :)

The Blood Gospel by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell

I finally got my hands on The Blood Gospel, the first-ever collaboration between James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell. It is the first novel in The Order of the Sanguines series and only released recently on 8 January 2013! I better make sure my Kindle is fully charged so that I read through the night! Lol :)

Post-Rollins Reading

To fill up the void created after finishing Rollins' latest book, Bloodline too quickly, I started reading Andy McDermott's Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase novels! I have not read his novels before and they are the same genre as Rollins' novels - action, thriller. :) There are 8 novels already out, with 2 more on the way. They should be more than enough to keep me occupied for a few weeks at least and "cure" me of my Rollins withdrawal syndrome lol. :P

Bloodline - Read!

I have finished reading Bloodline by James Rollins! It has only been less than 48 hours since I got the e-book and it was in between work, having meals and sleeping when I could read it. Rollins, as usual, has written another page-turner book that compels you to finish it. 

It is the usual team from the Sigma Force, with the addition of two new characters, a former Army Ranger Captain Tucker Wayne and his military war dog, Kane. What's really interesting and unusual are the depth of these two new characters and the POV sections from Kane. Tucker and Kane definitely brought another new dimension to the novel. I hope to see more of them in future Sigma Force novels. :)

Bloodline is a non-stop thrill ride that just leaves you wanting more. Gosh, it is going to be such a LONG WAIT before the next Sigma Force book. That is the consequence of reading Rollins' books too quickly!

Bloodline by James Rollins

James Rollins has a new thriller out, Bloodline. It is the latest book in the SIGMA series. I can't wait to start reading it!! :)

Catching Up

I have been catching up with my reading. Haven't read a fiction book for ages. Took over six James Rollins books that my friend wanted to give away. Although I have my Kindle, nothing beats having a physical book in my hands and turning the pages eagerly one by one to find out what's next, especially adventure thrillers by James Rollins lol. Although I have read all of Rollins' thrillers, they still hold the same excitement as when I first read them.  I am having such a field day re-reading Rollins' thrillers! :) 

The Joe Ledger Trilogy by Jonathan Maberry

At the moment, I am reading a new trilogy by Jonathan Maberry. This is the first time I am reading his books and it is a blast reading Maberry's Joe Ledger novels! :) Both Patient Zero (Book 1) and The Dragon Factory (Book 2) are fast moving, gripping and intense with lots of action and excitement. His books kept me on the edge and made me just want to read on and on and on until the end. :)

Maybe while waiting for the 3rd book for this Joe Ledger trilogy, I will read Maberry's The Pine Deep trilogy. :)

Pleasure Reading

I am reading this book, The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chunk Hogan. Yes, Del Toro, the director of The Devil's Backbone, Hellboy, Hellboy II, Blade II and Pan’s Labyrinth lol. The Strain is Book 1 of The Strain trilogy. Gosh, the book is really gripping. I haven't finish reading it yet but I know I can't wait to read the next 2 books!

I am also waiting to read the 6th Sigma Force thriller, The Doomsday Key by James Rollins and the latest Pendergast thriller, Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. :)

Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child

I have finished reading Terminal Freeze. :) Although it is predictable in the usual style of Child lol, it is still really engaging. I just couldn't stop reading the book, one chapter after another, wanting to know what happens next lol.

Terminal Freeze tells of a group of scientists who found something astonishing up in the Arctic Circle. But the find was not what they thought and things started to go wrong... Child combined science and Native American mythology to great effect and makes Terminal Freeze a chilling thriller. No puns intended lol. :P

If you like Relic, you will enjoy reading Terminal Freeze. :)

Sci-fi and Supernatural Galore

I am really glad that I am now subcribed to Sci Fi and AXN Beyond! It is a real sci fi and supernatural galore on those channels! All my favourite series in just 2 channels, such as Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The X-Files, Roswell, Mysterious Ways, The Dresden Files, Firefly, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Eureka and many more...!!! :) Yes, I know I am such a sci fi and supernatural junkie, hahaha. :P

Fortunately (or unfortunately?!), I am working. If not, I think I would be glued to the tv the whole day, not that I would mind, LOL. :P

A Tale of Two Movies - Cloverfield and The Mist

Before I went off to Australia in late March, I saw two movies almost back to back - Cloverfield and The Mist. Both movies are of the same genres - horror, sci-fi and thriller all rolled into one. I couldn't really decide which one I like better...

Cloverfield is a movie about a monster attacking Manhattan all seen through the camcorder. It is like The Blair Witch Project. Everything is shaky (as seen through the camcorder) and you are thrown into the whole experience the characters were faced with and thus, getting involved in the movie itself. You realised that you only know as much as the characters do. You don't know what is going to happen next or who is going to die next. You are kept at the edge of your seat. Throughout the movie, you can't really see the monster but yet the terror is present... That's what I liked about the movie, the suspense created. By the end of the movie, there isn't really an ending. I was left guessing if the survivors survived... that is part of the charm of Cloverfield.

The Mist is a much more straight forward movie. You are thrown into the story pretty quickly with a freaky storm knocking out power and the characters heading into the town's grocery store where it all happened - the mist. The characters realised that there are strange ceatures in the mist and deadly too. The town folks soon found themselves having to fight against what is out there - the creatures and to fight against what is within - human fear and irrationality. In between the fighting against the creatures, the differences in handling stress which resulted in the raw display of emotions and chaos seemed to me, far worse than the creatures outside the store. The ending is a tragic twist. I like The Mist, not just because there are deadly creatures, but also for the emotions depicted in the movie. The Mist is an emotional piece of movie for a horror movie.

Cloverfield and The Mist are both movies that left me thinking. Cloverfield made me think about why it happened and how would it end for the survivors. The Mist made me think about human emotions and the vulnerability/ strength of humans in the face of fear.

Fear is a major element in both movies. But I think in The Mist, fear has a much deeper purpose than that of scaring us silly. The fear in The Mist showed us how easy it is to destroy the structure of society. The fear in The Mist showed us that it can make us do things which we could or would never do in normal circumstances. That leaves alot to think about, for me at least, it does. Hey, maybe I do like one of the movies better...

Here's the trailers for Cloverfield and The Mist respectively.

Cloverfield - Theatrical Trailer

The Mist - Trailer 2

Cell by Stephen King

Since I am sleepless tonight, I thought why not I do my book review since there is a backlog of them (have completed reading quite a few books), lol. Oh dear, I am really a librarian at heart hor, doing book reviews, trying to interest people to read, lol. Ok, getting sidetracked here from the book review... :P

A recent book that I have read is Cell by Stephen King. I haven’t read many of his books (only Carrie and Christine) as I chose instead to watch his novel adaptations/ & screenplays (e.g. Sleepwalkers, The Shining, Pet Sematary, Storm of the Century, Nightmares and Dreamscapes). It is easier that way. But the book, Cell, happened to come my way. So I thought why not?

Cell went straight into action on its first page and it is non-stop till the end. However, I thought the ending was a bit … lacking or MIA (missing in action). This could be my personal bias. The story was exciting and good throughout, without a doubt. Maybe I have been too pampered, so used to stories telling me a good ending (to me, good ending = must have a conclusion, never mind if it is happy or sad or bitter-sweet, must tell me what happened!) that I have refused to accept anything else. King is no doubt a Master. He is able to use a very simple idea, a commonplace thing such as the cell phone to create a horror and thriller out of it! As I read the book, I got increasingly uneasy. I have only begun to use the cell phone more frequently in the last 2-3 years. Before that, I was most reluctant to use one because I think it would make one stupid (evidence: the girls' father, lol). Now King has got me thinking again if it is such a good idea to use the cell phone so frequently. Hahaha. Yes, King is that good!

Cell is a fairly easy read, not heavy going, totally unlike The Swarm, which I once read. (I still can't believe I actually read The Swarm, all 881 pages, lol) One can finish Cell in no time. I finished reading it within two days. Go ahead, read it. It may change your world. :P