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I most recently finished reading Changes in the Dresden Files (Book Twelve) by Jim Butcher. The series follows Harry Dresden, a detective who also happens to be a wizard, in the city of Chicago. He began his life in an orphanage only to be adopted later by the wizard Justin DuMorne. However, a dream come true soon becomes a nightmare as Harry realizes that Justin wants to make them his slaves, and Harry ends up killing his adopted father. Harry is soon captured for the illegal practice of black magic but the White Council, the ruling wizard body, spares Harry's wife. Despite this, Harry is viewed to be an ticking time bomb, and all the wizards are wary of him. Meanwhile, Harry makes a living by protecting Chicago from all sorts of supernatural monsters while solving magical cases for clients. Along the way he makes countless enemies that are all out to kill him, but he does have several close friends such as a the mortal cop Karrin Murphy and the Christian Knight Michael Carpenter.



In the book Changes, Harry's old love Susan Rodriguez (a reporter who was nearly turned into a vampire) comes back and asks for Harry's help. The vampire Duchess Arianna Ortega is out for revenge after Harry killed her husband. To prevail, she has managed to find leverage against Harry and Harry's stakes are higher than ever. For, this time, he's out to save his daughter.


It's obvious that there has been changes ever since the start of the series. The humor has gotten much darker and it rather disappoints me that there was few incidents of humor in Changes. It has always been a characteristic of the Dresden Files and has been what kept me reading. The book, overall, sets a fast pace (I was able to finish this in a few sittings) but it does have its slow parts as Harry must maneuver his way through a world of Faerie politics. Can't wait for the next book as this book ends with a cliffhanger.

I'm quite sure many are familiar with Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. The book has been made into several film adaptions, the most recent being the one made in Britain in September 2009, featuring Ben Barnes. The plot follows the life of a young gentleman named Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes). He soon becomes the source of inspiration for the painter Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin), and Basil manages to paint his best picture yet: a portrait of Dorian. However, due to the philosophical teachings of Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth), Dorian soon falls into a state of corruption. He trades his soul so that he will never age and all his sins and aging will be transferred onto the painting.

How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS in 2005. In essence it is a series of stories recounted by Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) as he tells his two children (now in the year 2030) the events that led up to him meeting their mother (as the title suggests LOL). Accompanying him in his life in New York are his friends: the womanizer Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), the Canadian newscaster Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), the kindergarten teacher Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan) and her husband Marshall Erikson (Jason Segel). There are currently five seasons and it is said that there will be a sixth season.

 I really love this show (and so do all my other friends). It's quite humorous and amusing to watch. It's easily one of the funniest shows around. Everyone does an awesome acting, especially Harris. His varied expressions convey the emotions intended powerfully, and Barney's one-liners add a quick to each episode. All the actors have great chemistry together, and it's nice to see Lily and Marshall as a fun-loving and healthy couple. Meanwhile, Ted's almost hopeless love life and his puppy-dog cuteness keeps the story going.

 A Companion to Wolves is written by a partnership between Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear. The book details the growing relationship between a boy and his wolf. In a world where villages are protected from bloodthirsty trolls by strong men who are connected "telepathically" to wolves. Njall, who was once the son of a jarl, is taken to their encampment as a result of a tithe, fulfilling his family's duty to the wolfheall. He later changes his name to Isolfr and is bonded to a female wolf who is destined to become the leader of her own wolf pack. As a result, Isolfr is thrust into a strange, brutal, and fascinating world full of violence and sex.


I did not like this book at all. The bond between man and wolf was a rather interesting idea, and, when I first read the blurb at the library, it didn't seem to be quite bad of a book.The unusual character names made comprehension rather difficult. Often times I would find myself flipping back every couple of pages in an attempt to remember who this one character was. Also, there are several scenes of extremely graphic male-male sexual intercourse and in such a way that it can almost be considered as rape because Isolfr isn't quite eager. He is being forced to do things that he doesn't want to do, all because of his wolf. In the end, it leaves an unsatisfactory feeling because Isolfr has not found his happiness.

One of the more recent books I read was Poison Study by Maria V Snyder. It is the first book in the Study series. The next two books are Magic Study and Fire Study. Poison Study details the life of Yelena who goes from a murderer about to be executed to the palace's food taster. Every times she tastes the Commander's food she'll be at risk of dying from poison. Not only that but the Chief of Security Valek has given her a poison called Butterfly's Dust. Yelena will need to see Valek every morning for the antidote or else she will die a slow and painful death. Along the way, Yelena meets several friends in the palace, from Rand the prodigy cook to Ari and Janco the power twins, as she runs errands for Valek and soon uncovers a plot that her old nightmare plans to use to take over the kingdom.


I really enjoyed this book, giving it about four and a half stars out of five. It is a perfect blend of adventure, fantasy, suspense, and romance. There's humor along the way too, to lighten up the mood when necessary. Snyder does a good job of characterizing the silent killer Valek (who, by the way, is my favorite character) but I find Yelena to be quite annoying. All she can reminiscent are her childhood acrobatics. The brief mentions of rape are not necessary. We already know just how evil a man Reyad is without emphasis on rape. These things set aside, I do plan on finishing the stories. The next book is Magic Study.

Vampire Diaries is a television show produced Kevin Williamson, which is based on the novels of the same name by L.J. Smith. The series follows the life of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) as she falls in love with the vampire brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. The series also focuses on the lives of Elena's friends.


When I first saw this show, I was sorely disappointed. The storyline so far is bland. The actors are hardly attractive. It really annoys me when all the girls in the show are drooling over Stefan when I don't think he is handsome at all. His brother Damon, on the other hand, is somewhat more attractive but not by much. The girls all look the same and the acting is terrible. The characterization is stereotypical too. You have the high school "slut" Caroline who hits on every boy she sees and then you have Jeffrey the "drug-a-holic". Meanwhile, Stefan is every bit the "emo-vampire" as he abstains from drinking blood. In other words, most of the things in the show are cliched, from characterization to plot.

Recently I've been watching the American television series "Legend of the Seeker", which is based on "The Sword of Truth" series by Terry Goodkind. The show stars Craig Horner as the Seeker Richard Cypher, Bridget Regan as the Confessor Kathlan Amnell, and Bruce Spence the Wizard of the First Order Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander and Craig Parker as the evil overlord Darken Rahl. The story takes place in a world separated into three main provinces: Westland, the Midlands, and D'Hara. Westland is separated from the Midlands by a magical border erected hundred of years ago.The story begins after Darken Rahl plans to invade the Westland. Meanwhile Kathlan crosses the border to search for Zeddicus and the Seeker he was supposed to harbor. Prophecy has it that one day the Seeker will kill Rahl, and Richard is soon forced into his role as the Seeker. Together with Kathlan and Zeddicus they journey across the land in search of Rahl.


I really like the series. There is adventure, action, and magic. The actors/actresses are handsome and beautiful and I am rather glad that they did not quite follow the traditional stereotypes of choosing ugly actors for villains. I love the clothing, from its rich fabric to the vibrant colors to the elegant designs. The music is noble and the battle movements are an expert combination of grace and ferocity. There's not much humor in the show due to its seriousness and the few times there are it's somewhat dark in nature. I personally don't have too much of a problem with that as humor would only betray the seriousness of the show.

Craig Horner and Bridget Reagan have great chemistry together and they seemed to be very enthusiastic in their roles. I am amazed by Horner's ability to mask his Australian accent; he is a very talent actor (let alone, HOT! <3). Parker makes for a rather believable and dynamic tyrant. It's rather enjoyable to see the actors/actresses grow into their roles and mature as the series continue.

However, there are a few things that I find annoying. The fact that Kathlan and Richard both love each other but refuse to show it is rather annoying. The entire time I'm thinking "Confess your love already!" Spence's acting isn't quite that good. I find his expression contradicting what his character is supposed to feel. For example, when Zeddicus is supposed to be angry, the mood is ruined by the creepy smile on his face despite his tone. Not only that but Zeddicus's role is unclear. He's supposed to be a Wizard of the First Order, one of the most powerful wizards, but he appears almost useless in the show other than imparting a few words of wisdom. He waits until the last minute to throw wizard fire and sometimes he even gets himself captured. However, his role in the later part of the series seem to magnify as he take on a more active role in helping the Seeker accomplish his quest. Also, minor characters tend to disappear and never be seen again. It was in Episode 02 that we last met Chase and I haven't seen him at all after eight episodes. In one episode, I forget which, they made a big deal about about a boy who was a Listener, who is basically a mind-reader, yet they seemed to have forgotten about the boy too. In the end, I feel that there are several loose-ends left unexplained--What happened to those minor characters the Seeker worked to save only to forget about them? What's the remainder of the stories of those characters?

Other than this I find the series to be quite enjoyable. I wouldn't recommend it to children though because there's bloodshed and cruel tactics involved. But, for the fantasy and adventure lover, it's a great series to watch. I can't wait to finish the first season and move onto the second. I've yet to read the books, but I look forward to getting my hands on them. Judging by the reviews other people have given, the show seems to delineate from the books in several details. Ah well, I like surprises.