Start a Blog Meme, Maybe?

What is a Blog Meme?

Based on my personal experience as a blogger (been blogging since 2008 and has changed blogs multiple times), Blog Memes are those posts by bloggers centered around a common and recurring topic, the purpose of which is to foster interaction with fellow bloggers. Blog Memes are usually posted regularly, and some even include blog hops.

Since I run a book blog, the most common Blog Memes I've seen around are:

Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's reviews. In this blog meme, you share the books (ebooks & actual books alike) you've acquired within the week. This blog meme is usually posted during Sundays.

Waiting on Wednesday hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine. In this blog meme, book bloggers share the titles of books that they are looking forward to reading. Most of the books featured in this meme are yet to be released or published. And as the name suggests, this blog meme is posted during Wednesdays and also includes a Blog Hop.

Feature and Follow Friday hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. This one includes a Blog Hop. This Blog Meme has two-fold features. First, Alison and Parajunkee each feature a book blogger. Second, there is a question that book bloggers who participate in this meme must answer in their own Feature and Follow post. The participants of this meme is also encouraged to follow the featured bloggers by Alison and Parajunkee. I've participated numerous times in this blog meme myself. And it's an interesting way to be able to meet other book bloggers.

Now, I'm thinking of making my own blog meme. Since I can't post regularly due to my ever inconsistent schedule, I'm thinking of having a monthly meme to recall all the books I've read and reviewed within the month.

Hmmm... Still thinking about it though. =)

Anyways, here are the seven books I've read and reviewed for the month of April!

★★★★★

★★★★★

★★★★★

★★★★★

★★★★★

★★★★★

★★★★★

Oh, and yes, I do have a voracious appetite for reading. Left to my own devices and free from academic responsibilities, I would most likely spend all my time sprawled on my bed with my handy-dandy tablet, devouring my to-be-read pile like a huge bag of Lays. =)

[Book Review] The Uninvited

Title: The Uninvited
Author: Liz Jensen
Date Published: January 8th, 2013
Source: ARC
Genre: Sci-Fi, Suspense, Adult Fiction
Rating: ★★★★★

Links:

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

About the Book:

A seven-year-old girl puts a nail gun to her grandmother's neck and fires. An isolated incident, say the experts. The experts are wrong. Across the world, children are killing their families. Is violence contagious? As chilling murders by children grip the country, anthropologist Hesketh Lock has his own mystery to solve: a bizarre scandal in the Taiwan timber industry.  

Hesketh has never been good at relationships: Asperger's Syndrome has seen to that. But he does have a talent for spotting behavioral patterns and an outsider's fascination with group dynamics. Nothing obvious connects Hesketh's Asian case with the atrocities back home. Or with the increasingly odd behavior of his beloved stepson, Freddy. But when Hesketh's Taiwan contact dies shockingly and more acts of sabotage and child violence sweep the globe, he is forced to acknowledge possibilities that defy the rational principles on which he has staked his life, his career, and, most devastatingly of all, his role as a father.  

Part psychological thriller, part dystopian nightmare, The Uninvited is a powerful and viscerally unsettling portrait of apocalypse in embryo.

Review:

A haunting and spell-binding book that pushes the reader to think and examine the world in a whole new perspective. Hesketh Lock shall seduce you with his awkwardness and amaze you with his origami prowess! (LOL. I've always wanted to say that when I was reading the book. And it actually rhymes!)

The beginning of the book is gruesome as it paints a young child murdering her own grandmother with a nail gun. There was no motive, no warning and the whole thing was unprecedented. Then, we delve into the story through Hesketh Lock's point of view. 

Hesketh Lock has Asperger's Syndrome, making him a cut above the rest. He's not very good with personal relationships and with social interactions as a whole. The fact that he's attractive and good-looking cannot compensate for his weirdness, but his talent in spotting trends and patterns makes him an asset to the company he works for.

Personally, reading the story through Hesketh's thoughts took some time to get used to, but after a while, I found him adorable. He's awkward, weird and different, but I think that's part of Hesketh's charm as a character. Despite his highly logical nature, he's loyal and caring, especially to Freddy.

I also appreciate how Hesketh was portrayed consistently throughout the book. Some of his comments to other people could seem impolite and improper but they sound completely normal to Hesketh, and this was one of the things that I really found hilarious. (And I admit that this sounds odd because this is a suspenseful book. All I can say is that I have weird taste.)

The truth was, I was expecting some sort of magical explanation about the erratic behavior of children from all over the world. I expected the plot to be something along the lines of Hesketh finally letting go of his overly logical nature and accepting something that science cannot explain. Then he'll do something that could actually reverse what was happening. In the end, though he did realize that he was the last one to accept what was happening and that everything could not be explained by science, he simply remained as another casualty in a war to save the Earth.

Oh, and the best part about this book is how everything fell into place. How everything must succumb to the children and revert back to the old ways in order to save the Earth from man's greed and abuse. I cannot overemphasize how much I enjoyed this book. Not only is it suspenseful and haunting, it also sends an important message about Earth and nature.

[Book Review] The Temple Dogs

Title: The Temple Dogs
Author: Warren Murphy and Molly Cochran
Date Published: August 23, 1989
Source: ARC
Genre: Adult Fiction, Action, Suspense
Rating: ★★★★★

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

About the Book:

When Susi Haverford and her husband are gunned down at their wedding reception by members of the notorious DeSanto crime family, Miles Haverford, Susi's brother, determines to retaliate. He heads to Japan to find Nagoya, leader of the Yakuza, the only mobsters capable of destroying the DeSantos clan. Originally a spoiled, feckless WASP, Miles is transformed into a fierce warrior of the Yakuza, whose greatest challenge is to survive the pathological hatred of Sato, Nagoya's heir apparent. Sato is jealous of the American's influence with the other warriors, not to mention his fiancee, the porcelain-complexioned--what else?--Tomiko.This situation occasions the most bizarre episode in the novel--a brawl in a heap of manure. Afterward, Miles returns to New York to lead the Yakuza against the DeSanto mob and the fun begins: heads are decapitated, arrows fly, necks are snapped, knives with oriental tassels are thrown at the faces of unsuspecting mafiosi, hands chop spinal cords. The final shoot-out in Central Park is a muddled orgy of mindless bloodletting.

Review:
A suspenseful and riveting intermingling of Western and Eastern culture in an action-packed and thought-provoking story-line.

The first chapter of the book really got my attention and pretty soon, I was devouring the whole thing with much gusto. There is something masterful about the way the authors narrated their story and even the way they presented their characters.

For one, I am a huge fan of action and suspense. Second, I have always been fascinated with the Japanese culture. Hence, this book was a total treat for me. And come on, you have to admit, Japanese Yakuza versus Italian Mafia is really just all kinds of awesome. I just had to give it five stars out of five!

The story-telling itself reminded me of Robert Ludlum, but it was written in a much simpler voice. The transitions were smooth and the characters were fascinating. The action scenes were awesome, too!  I could just imagine this book being made into a movie. I would definitely watch it!

The best part about this book are the 'temple dogs', or Miles and his sworn brothers. Their friendship and respect for each other is admirable. They're not entirely heartless, but they could kill. The violence with which they dealt with the people who killed Miles' family was pretty gruesome, but I liked it. I have no qualms about the violence in this book because what is being portrayed is mob business, and violence is sort of part of the whole package.

Another thing I really liked about this story is Miles Haverford himself. From the on-set, he was a spoiled rich kid. He's weak, mediocre, and pathetic even. But by the end of the story, he grew a backbone. Although his motivation wasn't exactly pristine (it being vengeance), but the thing is, he knew exactly what he was getting into when he started his vendetta. He may not have any idea of just what he was getting into when he flew to Japan and ask for help from Nagoya, but he perfectly understood everything when Nagoya and the others finally acknowledged his strength. His growth as a character was really drastic, and I applaud him for it.

I also appreciate the back stories given to the other side characters. These stories gave a glimpse of just what the other characters had to endure. It gave them depth and realism. The history lesson as Nagoya's back story was also interesting since he had to adjust from having a rich lifestyle to having nothing at all. Personally, I'd say that Nagoya is one of my most favorite characters in this story.

To be honest, this book is a welcomed break from all the romance novels I've been reading and reviewing. I don't know much about other reviewers, but personally, I would appreciate more action and suspense stories to read and review.

All in all, this book is a perfect mix of Western and Eastern culture dealing with mobs and underground organized groups. I think that fans of action and suspense genre would find this book highly entertaining.