Monday, October 31, 2011

Comics ordered via Comicx Hub


I'm a big X-Men fan since way back in the Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, Whilce Portacio and Jim Lee days and recently I began enjoying again the latest storylines of my favorite mutants (Prelude to Schism and Schism).  I was thinking that it is the right time for me to jump back into comics. But sadly, there are no nearby comic stores in our area. But then I stumbled upon Comicx Hub where you can order your comics online and have them delivered the next day. So that solved my problem. Imagine my joy when I saw their ad on a Regenesis Starter Pack for only P650 with free shipping.  That is, as the Godfather would say, an offer that I could not refuse. So I logged in, purchased the Starter Pack and now I'm counting the days till my order arrives. 


Thanks Comicx Hub for this online service! :)

For your comics needs, please check out Comicx Hub's official site: https://comicxhub.com/

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Latest Haul from Book Sale: The Mist (Movie Tie-In)


Here's my latest haul from Book Sale's Walter Mart, North EDSA branch: a movie tie-in version of Stephen King's excellent novella, The Mist.

I first read The Mist as part of the Skeleton Crew collection and it was one of the most enjoyable Stephen King stories that I've read.  I've also seen the movie and I also liked it even with the modified ending. I think I liked the theatrical ending more than the ending from the book, but that's a topic for another day.

What I liked most about the movie tie-in version of The Mist is the outstanding cover art by the legendary Drew Struzan (who also did the famous movie posters for the Indiana Jones series).  You can check out his works at http://www.drewstruzan.com and check out below for the actual Drew Struzan art of The Mist:


A classic story by a legendary writer. A classic cover by a legendary artist. What more can you ask for?

Sources:
http://www.drewstruzan.com
http://www.drewstruzan.com/illustrated/portfolio/?fa=large&gid=1069&mp&gallerystart=101&pagestart=1&type=mp&gs=1

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Stephen King's The Stand to be directed by Ben Affleck


Stephen King's The Stand is memorable to me since its the first Stephen King book that I bought when I was in High School. I've read the book and became one of SK's Constant Readers ever since.

When the mini series came out, I watched it but I was underwhelmed. Something was lacking like most of Stephen King adaptations, with the exception of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and, at least for me, The Mist.

Upon reading that Ben Affleck is now tasked to bring The Stand to the big screen I was a bit apprehensive. But who knows, Ben Affleck might be the man to do the job. We just have to wait and see.

Source: http://www.totalfilm.com/news/ben-affleck-is-the-top-choice-to-direct-stephen-king-s-the-stand

Monday, October 24, 2011

Latest Haul from Book Sale: 1984


Yesterday, I bought my second copy of George Orwell's classic, 1984, at Book Sale, Walter Mart North EDSA. I like the cover of this edition better than my first book.  It's simple but full of impact. The big eye says it all.  The cover of my older edition of 1984 is somewhat outdated:


Upon googling 1984, I found this cool retro cover, which I think would surely be now hard to find:


If you're interested in other covers of 1984 check out this site:
http://www.artnewsworldwide.com/flavorwire-art-news/38969-george-orwells-1984-a-visual-history.html

Amazon.com Review:
Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell's nightmare vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff's attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell's prescience of modern life--the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language--and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Latest Haul from NBS: Hunter's Run

Yesterday while checking out books at National Bookstore's TechnoHub branch, I saw a science fiction book by George R. R. Martin entitled Hunter's Run. I never knew that George R. R. Martin also write science fiction.  Actually he wrote this book with two other authors: Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham.  After enjoying Martin's Game of Thrones series, I'm excited to read another tale from Martin so that sealed the deal (plus the 50% discount surely helped) and I bought the book.  I plan to read it after The Resort.

BTW, I just noticed that National Bookstore is now using paperbags for our purchases.  I'm not sure when this practice started but it's a good one nonetheless.  Kudos to NBS for being green but I'm sure that I'm going to miss those red plastic bags.

From Publishers Weekly (Amazon.com)
Starred Review. Martin (Song of Ice and Fire series), Dozois (Strange Days) and Abraham (A Shadow in Summer) revisit classic themes of exploration, exploitation and what it means to be human in this gritty SF adventure. Humanity has finally reached the stars, only to find that all the best spots have been claimed by other races—the Silver Enye, Turu, Cian and others. Human colonists serve as world-building crash-test dummies, dropped onto empty planets deemed too dangerous or inconvenient for other races, to pave over whatever marvels and threats evolution had put there. On the misbegotten colony planet of São Paulo, ore prospector Ramon Espejo has no illusions, especially about how the Enye view humanity. Then Ramon murders the wrong man in a drunken fight and takes off into the wastelands to avoid the Enye authorities. Once in the outback, he discovers he's not the only one trying to hide from the Enye—and that the deadly cat-lizards called chupacabras are far from the worst dangers on São Paulo. This tightly written novel, with its memorable protagonist and intriguing extrapolation, delivers on all levels. (Jan.) 
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Want to write a Novel this November? Join NaNoWriMo!


Ever dreamed of writing your very own novel but felt the task too daunting? Most of us do. But why not give it a try? Next month is the perfect month to do this since it's the National Novel Writing Month. So what is NaNoWriMo all about? The goal is to write a 50,000-word novel from Nov. 1st to Nov. 30th. Sign-up first in  the official site at http://www.nanowrimo.org then start writing your novel there. I've been a member for 2 years already but I've yet to write my own novel. Hopefully, I would be able to do it this coming November.

For more info, check out the following links:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/about/hownanoworks
http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/faq

Hope to be writing with you next month! :)

Monday, October 17, 2011

Latest Haul from Book Sale: X-Men Proteus & The Resort

Yesterday, I truly had a wonderful purchase at Book Sale's Walter Mart North EDSA branch. Upon browsing their rows of books, I discovered an X-Men: Proteus Marvel Premiere Classic hardcover (by two of my favorite X-scribes of all tie, Chris Claremont and John Byrne) for only P340! That's a real bargain. Plus, you would hardly find any graphic novels in Book Sale. The last time I bought a graphic novel from Book Sale was years ago --  several CrossGen TPBs and a Doctor Mid-Nite compilation.

Product Description from Amazon.com:
One of the X-Men's greatest allies must face her darkest secret when a child born of violence bends reality to his whims! The paranormal Proteus battles the X-Men in body and soul, shaking the psyches of even their strongest! But as Marvel's mightiest mutants face one world-threatening wonder, an even worse one awaits as the stage is set for the debut of Dark Phoenix! Collects X-Men #125-128, and Classic X-Men #32-33, #36.

Source: http://www.amazon.com/X-Men-Proteus-Marvel-Premiere-Classic/dp/0785137688

In addition, last Saturday I was also able to buy a Bentley Little book entitled The Resort.  I was immediately intrigued by the plot of a family vacationing at a mysterious resort out in the desert of Arizona.

Product Description from Amazon.com:
Welcome to The Reata, an exclusive spa isolated in the Arizona desert.

Please ignore the strange employees and that unspeakable thing in the pool. And when guests start disappearing, pretend it isn't happening. Enjoy your stay, and relax. Oh...and lock yourself in after dark.

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Resort-Bentley-Little/dp/0451212800

Friday, October 14, 2011

Stephen King & Joe Hill will collaborate to adapt Throttle into graphic form


Stephen King & Joe Hill fans would be excited to learn about this great news from iFanboy:
This afternoon, IDW Publishing announced a father-and-son team-up between famed novelist Stephen King and Locke and Key/The Cape scribe Joe Hill to adapt their story Throttle into graphic form. Throttle will be half of a four-part series, Road Rage, which will also adapt the story that inspired it, Richard Matheson’s Duel.
Read the rest of the article by clicking on the link below. I'm definitely adding this to my Wish List.

Source: http://ifanboy.com/articles/stephen-king-and-joe-hill-share-road-rage-for-idw-this-february/

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

COMICXHUB's X-Men Regenesis Launch Party on Oct. 12th


Calling all X-Men fans!  COMICX HUB is inviting you to the X-Men Regenesis Launch Party on Oct. 12th, from 12NN to 12MN at the COMICX HUB Warehouse, Shaw Blvd., Pasig City.

Sadly, I won't be available tomorrow since I've got a prior engagement :(  But for those of you who can make it, don't miss out on this special event.

Here are just some of the highlights according to the newsletter sent by COMICX HUB:
  • All X-Men and X-Men related compilations in paperback and hardcover are on sale for up to 50% off! Have your collections complete as we even have "X-MEN: PRELUDE TO SCHISM" for only Php500.00!
  • Lucky ones will get the chance to win a variant edition of X-Men Regenesis #1! All purchases within the day qualifies for the raffle draw at the end of the night for a chance to get a varant edition cover of "X-MEN: REGENESIS #1"
  • Plus, witness the launch of our newest service: "In-Store Pick up" where everyone can get their new releases picked up from our warehouse every Tuesday afternoon at an exclusive 20% off until Friday, every week!
  • Drinks and Snacks will be served. All attendees automatically get 50 REWARDS POINTS credited to their accounts, to use when purchasing online.
Contact COMICX HUB at:
The COMICX HUB Team
“I’ve Got Mine Online”
3F Bloomingdale Plaza Bldg.,
Shaw Blvd.
Pasig City, 1603
T+632 477 8508
F+632 477 8583

Source: http://comicxhub.com/

Monday, October 10, 2011

Another point for Printed Books in the ongoing face-off between E-books and Printed Books

I started to read The Eye of the World e-book on my Android device before I went to sleep last Saturday.  It was a fun chapter but since I'm already tired from the whole day's activities I started to doze off and down went my hand along with my Android device which eventually crashed on the floor.  It was a good thing that it was enclosed in a protective cover and that ensured its safety.

Which brings me to my point.  If I've been reading a printed book it would just be perfectly OK if I dropped it on the floor even after I dozed off (Well, not really since I'm somewhat OC and I don't want the corners of my books to be damaged, but that's another story for another post.) and not be worrying about a damaged gadget. So that's another big point for printed books!

So what do you guys think?  E-books or printed books?  Can there be only one?  Or will they be able to co-exist?  I'm rooting for the latter since both e-books and printed books have each of their own advantages.  BTW, I saw this cool Tale of the Tape graphics from Newsweek:


Further Reading: http://mashable.com/2010/07/19/reading-faceoff-e-books-vs-print-books/

Nicholas Sparks Live in Manila on Oct. 28th


I must admit that I'm not a big Nicholas Sparks fan since I haven't read any of his books (Although I have to say that I love the movie adaptation of A Walk to Remember starring Mandy Moore and Shane West) but I am thrilled that he is coming over here to promote his latest book, The Best of Me, on Oct. 28th at the Podium.  Who knows, this might pave the way for other authors to promote their new books here in the Philippines.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Steampunk Week at Tor.com


Ever since I've read Alan Moore's excellent series, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and ever since I've watched Katsuhiro Otomo's excellent anime, Steamboy,  I have become fascinated with the steampunk genre and I'm glad that Tor.com is celebrating Steampunk Week.

From Tor.com:

Packed to the brim with contributions from both established and up-and-coming voices in the steampunk community, Steampunk Week on Tor.com features a diverse range of worldwide voices worldwide who offer a look at steampunk from various angles — from Eurocentric to multicultural, artsy to lowbrow, politics to fandom, and everything in between.

Check out all the steampunk goodness at http://www.tor.com/features/series/steampunk-week?WT.mc_id=0

Friday, October 7, 2011

Read Chapters 1 & 2 of John Grisham's The Litigators


Can't wait for the latest John Grisham legal thriller to come out?  Wait no more since you can now read the first two chapters of The Litigators for free.  That will satiate us Grisham fans, at least for now, till the book's release on Oct. 25th.

Check it out at John Grisham's official site: http://www.jgrisham.com/chapters-1-2-from-the-litigators/

Book description from Amazon.com:

The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.

And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him.

With their new associate on board, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money.

A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions—a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg has to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom!

It almost seems too good to be true.

And it is.

The Litigators is a tremendously entertaining romp, filled with the kind of courtroom strategies, theatrics, and suspense that have made John Grisham America’s favorite storyteller.

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Litigators-John-Grisham/dp/0385535139

Pooch Café: From Comic Strips to the Big Screen


Around two years ago I was able to this Pooch Café book at a bargain price at Expressions, Walter Mart North EDSA.  I didn't know about Pooch Cafe until I bought this book but I enjoyed it at once.  Who can resist a cute little dog named Poncho.  But Poncho is not your typical pet dog.  Poncho is greedy and self-serving.  And that is the fun part.

About Pooch Café by GoComics.com:
Pooch Café is the story of a cheese-loving, squirrel-fearing, kibble-desiring, break-dancing, toilet-drinking mutt named Poncho. Dogs, like certain barflies, want to go where everybody knows their name (other than the vet’s office.) So they gather at the Pooch Café to compare notes on such weighty issues as avoiding baths, zebra-flavored kibble, toilet breath, and the construction of a giant catapult with which to hurl all the Earth’s cats into the sun. Don’t look for it out on the main street -- its actual location is a canine top secret that was only compromised that one time they got a pizza delivered.
So I was thrilled when I read that Pooch Café would be produced by Sony Pictures Animation with Gnomeo and Juliet director Kelly Asbury as writer.  I can't wait to see this!

BTW, here's a sample of the Pooch Café comic strip by Paul Gilligan:

Sources: 
http://www.movieweb.com/news/pooch-cafe-opens-at-sony-pictures-animation
http://www.gocomics.com/poochcafe/2011/10/04
http://poochcafe.com/

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Stephen King receives Mason Award


Congratulations to my favorite author, Stephen King, for receiving the Mason Award during the recent 2011 Fall for the Book festival!  A great award and a well-deserved one.

BTW, here's an interesting surprise from the article that would surely delight us Constant Readers:
King read a preview of the book he's currently writing, titled Dr. Sleep.  "I've always wondered what happened to that kid in The Shining," he said of his book published in 1977. Dr. Sleep will tell.
Wow, a sequel for The Shining where Danny Torrance is all grown up.  Can't wait for that.  For the complete article please check out the link below:

Thoughts on The Eye of the World


I just read the monthly Tor/Forge Newsletter for October and this post entitled Firsts in Fantasy: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (and Why You Should Read It) by Leigh Butler caught my attention.  It is just so fitting since I've also just started reading The Eye of the World and although I'm still in the beginning chapters, I, like the author of the post, also feels that The Eye of the World is really good.
The Eye of the World, in fact, was almost a throwback, when it was originally published, in how directly and unabashedly it fulfilled (and exemplified) the fantasy tropes we all know and love. It is not a deconstruction of fantasy or a post-modern commentary on fantasy, it’s just — fantasy, straight up, no chaser. With all the portent, intrigue, battles, prophecies, magic, fantastic creatures, heroes, villains, cast-of-thousands, good-vs.-evil, Fate-of-the-world-itself drama that implies. And that is why it is awesome. -- Leigh Butler, Tor.com
Check out the complete post at: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/09/firsts-in-fantasy-the-eye-of-the-world-by-robert-jordan-and-why-you-should-read-it?WT.mc_id=0

Monday, October 3, 2011

Book Readers: Aldiko

Here's the ebook reader that I'm using for my Android device right now: Aldiko eBook Reader


I love Aldiko.  I love the Library view where your books look like they are on display on a bookshelf.  It's fast and has great features.  Check out the free version at the Android Market: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.aldiko.android&feature=search_result

Here are some screenshots:


For more info, check out Aldiko's official site: http://www.aldiko.com/

#NowReading The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

After watching the very successful Game of Thrones series by HBO, I am now ready to dive in and lose myself into my first fantasy epic.  At first I decided to read Game of Thrones but since I only have the first book I decided to read it later until I have the rest of the series.  So I looked upon my library to check out a fanstasy epic to read.  I have some books in The Sword of Truth series, some books in the Wheel of Time series and the complete books in the ultimate fantasy epic of all time, The Lord of the Rings.

I was still deciding on which fantasy epic to read when I saw this post on the official Tor.com site about the redesigned covers for the Wheel of Time ebooks.  That got my attention right away and ultimately sealed my decision on which fantasy epic to read.  I will now be reading The Eye of the World, and hopefully I would be able to read the rest of the series.

Dune by Frank Herbert


After the storm abated Tuesday last week, I was still able to drop by and browse the Book Sale at SM San Lazaro after dinner.  Not much are new except for the big LotR coffeetable books which I plan to buy on my next payday.

I was about to go home when I discovered a newer version of the SF classic, Dune.  I think I already have the older version but I liked the cover of this better so I bought it.  Dune is highly-regarded as the Lord of the Rings of the SF genre and it has won numerous awards (Hugo and Nebula Awards) and is frequently cited as the world's bestselling SF novel.

It's sad that I haven't really read any of the Dune novels but I plan to change all that soon.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...