Book Review: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Review on: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Rating: 4/5

Almost everyone who has read Pride and Prejudice, or any of the other Jane Austen books has dreamt of being in the story of their favorite characters. That’s what happens in this story when one day Courtney, a modern-day Austen addict, suddenly wakes up to find herself in Jane Austen’s England, in the body of a young English woman named Jane Mansfield.

Courtney finds herself confused in her new world, especially after hearing from “her” friends and family that she had fallen from her horse and had probably temporarily lost her memory. She knows she doesn’t belong in that time, and can clearly remember herself living as a modern American citizen, yet memories of the girl whose body she’s suppose to be claiming, arises every now and then which makes her Courtney wonder who she really is. Is she Courtney, or is she becoming Jane Mansfield? Throughout the story, the main character struggles with who she really is, and how she is suppose to act in her present England.

In the story, Courtney meets Charles Edgeworth, the man courting Jane and whom Jane had declined. Courtney becomes close to Charles as the story progresses, but later on, memories from Jane begin to confuse her and her feelings. Courtney knows Jane feels something for Charles, but at the same time, she knows that Jane is telling her to keep away from him. Eventually, Courtney finds a diary of Jane’s that  reveals a lot about Jane and why things are happening the way they are.

An interesting read, I was thoroughly amused with the story of the book. Like all time traveling stories go, it is always a plus to include into the book, the lifestyles of the present time into which the character is thrown. I was very glad to read Courtney’s modern-day reactions to her mother, friends, and environment, as she struggled to fit into a society she was clearly not born into. It was also quite comical to see how Courtney seemed aloof at times, especially towards Charles.

What made the story interesting too was how Courtney reacted to Charles, in a way that reflected that she was both one and two personalities in one.

The thing I found most lacking in the story though was a stronger presence of other characters. Also, the ending, felt very lacking. Indeed, the epilogue was a nice read, but as to how the ending eventually moved into it, was something that the ending did not meet. Also, I wish I could have seen more conflict between Courtney’s present-day needs and Jane’s time. But then again, that’s just me.

A very interesting read. A good way to while away the time~

Book Review: The Runaway Princess

Review on: The Runaway Princess by Christina Dodd

Rating: 4/5

The story of a young abandoned girl, twice orphaned – once by her parents and another by her foster mother. Evangeline has always dreamed of living a life in luxury, so when her foster mother disappears without a trace ( and is assumed dead), she takes the money that has been left with her and runs away to fulfill her dream, at least temporarily.

At the start of her adventure, she becomes the mysterious lady who has made many names for herself. Always distancing herself from the people around her, Evangeline gets used to the whispers and looks she gets from everyone, except one – the one she meets at this certain inn in Spain, whose eyes stare at her intently. His eyes frighten her because of their intensity, and she flees to the comfort of her own room. Soon after, that same man forces his way into the room announcing himself as her fiancee, and that she is the runaway princess from his neighboring kingdom. Though Evangeline declines this, the prince finds her statement hard to believe because she replies to them in their own native language.

What eventually occurs throughout the story is the adventure towards their two kingdoms – a journey fraught with peril. It turns out, there are those who want to kill both the prince and the princess, in order to prevent them from eventual marriage which will lead their kingdoms to unite. Throughout their journey, Evangeline begins to fall in love with Prince Danior, who continues to claim she is the princess. Yet how can she be his princess when she knows she didn’t grow up the way he said she has. She can’t deny knowing his language, his history and everything else related to their two kingdoms, since it was a story she had been told, and which she thought had just been a fantasy.

As their story progresses, they both fall in love with each other, but how can a simple girl like her fall for a prince like him, and what if he fell in love with her only because he thought she was the princess. An interesting romance novel that involves so many comical situations between the two lovers who eventually uncover the truths that lay hidden throughout their journey.

One of the few fantasy-related romance novels I’ve read so far, The Runaway Princess involves many thought-provoking events throughout the story that make the readers wonder who Evangeline is in the story. What I liked about the book was the comical dialogues between Evangeline and the prince as they went through their adventure. It was funny and interesting to read how Evangeline reacted to the prince’s statements about the kingdom, the princess, the events, everything. As well, the imagined kingdoms in the story, though not extremely creatively given descriptions in the story, were clear enough to imagine as the story unfolds.

What I didn’t  like about the story is how quick the story seemed to go. Maybe, it was unavoidable since the events did require a quick-paced plot, but personally, I would have liked a slower-paced story for the two main characters. Also, there were many explanations in the story that seemed too run-on, and parts of the story were a bit confusing to follow. Now that I think about it, the required quick-paced flow of the plot could be the reason why everything was too hard to take in all at once. If I were the female character in the story, I’d probably feel the same way as well.

Even so, this book had many note-worthy points that made it an interesting read. Honestly though, it’s not my kind of story; maybe it is for some other people, but not for me.

Event: Dokissaten Maid and Butler Cafe

Our 4th Event.

Visit our site here.

Event: Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration and Chinese Painting

Event: Sweeney Todd

Event: Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe

Inihahandog ng Ateneo Sanggunian

para sa

Fiesta Ciento Cincuenta

Student Initiatives for 500@150

Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe

ni Alvin B. Yapan

Setyembre 15, 16 at 18 | 6 ng gabi

Leong Hall Auditorium

P150 bawat tiket*

Bumili sa Kostka Extension

*May bawas sa presyo ang mga bibili ng higit sa 20 tiket

Para sa mga karagdagang detalye at mga tanong: 09266184820

As posted and forwarded by email.

Contest: Photo Haiku Guidelines for JSP Week 2009

As posted from the Toujin Club yahoogroups.

PHOTO HAIKU GUIDELINES

1. The Photo Haiku Contest is open to all enrolled students of the Ateneo de Manila University, whether in undergraduate or postgraduate courses.

2. An entry to this contest consists of one piece of paper, cartolina, or illustration board measuring 9″x12″ (oslo paper size), with one photograph (color or black-and-white, using film or digital printing) printed or pasted on it, with a haiku printed within, beside, or below the photograph, but in any case within the abovementioned dimensions.

3. With each entry, the author and the photographer should submit his/her full name, year and concentration, on or before 12:00 noon of Monday, September 7, 2009 to the Japanese Studies Program, Room 209, 2nd Floor, Leong Hall, School of Social Sciences, ADMU. Late entries will automatically be disqualified, although they could still be exhibited during the JSP Week.

4. The haiku must be written in any of the following languages: Japanese in Japanese script, English, or Tagalog. There is no required theme for the photo haiku.

5. All entries, including the haiku and the photographs, must be original works. Nonetheless, once they are submitted to the Japanese Studies Program (JSP), they become properties of the JSP, which will duly acknowledge the authors and photographers whenever the works are exhibited. A work (whether haiku or photograph) that is discovered to be made by another person(s) without his/her consent shall warrant immediate disqualification from the contest and possible sanction by the university for plagiarism and/or dishonesty.

6. Judging will be done in two ways – through a panel of judges, whose decisions will carry 60% weight, and voting by students, which will carry 40% weight. Voting by students will commence on Tuesday, September 8, at 8:30 a.m. and will finish on Thursday, September 10 at 5:00 p.m.

7. A student may enter more than one work, whether as a writer or as a photographer (or both), but in any case, not more than three works.

8. In case of a tie, both or more of the works will be awarded first prize.

9. Prizes will be given on Friday, September 11, 2009 during the culminating activity of the JSP Week.

10. Inquiries about the contest may be directed to the Japanese Studies Program, School of Social Sciences, Ateneo de Manila University c/o Ms. Marian Salvador, Tel. 426-6001 loc 5248.

Hopefully after reading these guidelines you’ll all be ready to take photographs and start writing.

Cheers,
Tessa Villanueva
Toujin Secretariat

Event: Press. Dokissaten Maid x Butler Cafe

The third appearance of the maid and butlers from the Dokissaten Cafe (originally the Doki Doki Kissaten Cafe). With new maids and butlers for another round, it’s sure to be an interesting event.

In partnership with Fully Booked PowerPlant.

Prices.

Event: Cosplay Fusion (at Power Plant Mall)

Cosplay Fusion
June 27, 2009 (Saturday), 4pm
South Court, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell
There will be a cosplay competition that will be held within the Powerplant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City. June 27, 2008. So block off this date on your calendars! Dokissaten Maid & Butler Cafe in partner with FullyBooked’s PressCafe will also be there!
Cash Prizes:
1st Place – P12,000
2nd Place – P8,000
3rd Place – P5,000

+ prizes from sponsors: Powerplant, Maxicollector, etc.

Cosplay Fusion Contest Guidelines

Cosplay Pre-registration

Limited to 40 pre-registered cosplay contest participants. So watch out for the reg forms.

(As posted from Alodia’s facebook and deviantart)

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Also, the Dokissaten Cafe (formerly known as the Doki Doki Kissaten Cafe) will be partnering with Fully Booked to give you another experience to join the cafe. The cafe has been present at Kourtyard Caffe (along Katipunan Ave. – last March), at the Shizen Orchestra convention (at SMX last April) and will now be at Powerplant. With new additions to the cast, a wider variety of butlers and maids, there’s a lot more to look forward to.

Other event details will be posted as soon as they are finalized and come out. Watch out for more advertising soon.

Book Review: The Wife Trap

Review on: The Wife Trap by Tracy Anne Warren

Rating:  4/5

Are you a fan of Irish/Scottish accents? I happen to be a very big fan, and adore books that have characters such as them, since one can almost imagine the way the accent is spoken while the dialogue is being read out on paper. One thing I love about Irish/Scottish characters in books or movies, is that most of them almost seem untamed, proud, free, mischievous and daring. It just so happens that the Irish character in this book is just that.

One thing most novels that discuss English society talk about, are the rules of high society that come with being a lady or gentleman. One must act a certain way, think a certain way, believe in a certain way and behave in a certain way. Lady Jeannette Brantford, the main character of the story decides to escape from all that for a few weeks by convincing her more logical twin sister to take her place. This inevitably leads to problems when Jeannette’s twin ends up marrying and falling for her husband. Her rebellious and independent decision leads her parents to the conclusion that she should be temporarily exiled to the country where some family members live.

Being a woman of high society, Jeannette is not used to the more provincial country life, away from balls, men, London talk and fashionable everything. It is during her stay in the country that she meets a man who teases and taunts her, and makes her “almost” forget about the rules of society. This dangerous flirtation eventually leads to both of them being spotted in an undesirable situation which forces them both to wed each other. What makes it even more interesting is that Jeannette thinks her husband is merely a commoner, when he is in fact a man of status. Their flirtations and teasings throughout the story is a funny but also romantic way of showing their love for each other, even in the end when they are apart and are forced to realize the truth within themselves.

If there’s one thing I love in this story, it’s the dialogue between our English lady and her Irish man. There’s a competition between the two, which show how feisty they both are (and proud), but which also shows their weakness for one another. Wonderful descriptions of the locations describe the simple beauty of the settings each character is present in and how this inevitably affects their personalities within the story. There is a variety of characters which of course keep the story quite interesting, with the inclusion of not only an Irish man but also the inclusion of twin-switching twins. Many parts in the story are surprising and will keep one on their toes, with even the ending giving readers a surprise.

One thing that does not please me in the story though is the freedom which Jeannette acts on throughout the story. She is quite rebellious in the story, but also somewhat quite “primal” in how she proceeds with many of her decisions. It can be quite surprising at times to see how a lady might act if she chooses to do so, and how easy it is for her to let go of some things or beliefs that a lady of her time would hold dear. Of course, I don’t think it’s wrong since the author has her reasons for putting such things in the story, for her character and the plot and flow of the story as well.

If there’s one thing I love about Jeannette’s rebellious nature (despite what I mention in the previous paragraph) is that it leads Jeannette to interesting observations and realizations at the end of the story that give it an ending flair. I’d have wished the story’s flow was more uniform, since some gave too much detail to the present time (within the story) and others (like weeks/months) were summed into short paragraphs that wasn’t enough to stimulate more interest in the character’s relationship to one another.

Quite an interesting perspective though, and the dialogue of course gives life to the story and to the characters. Another interesting read.

Book Review: Naked in Death

Review on: Naked in Death by Nora Roberts (writing as J.D. Robb)

Rating:  2.5/5

Naked in Death is a mystery-filled thriller story, not the usual type of books that I read from Nora Roberts. It basically takes place in the not-so-far-off future where many traditional concepts have been put aside, such as the presence of a gun ban and the distinct change of the term prostitution. The story is about Eve Dallas, a cop who is put in-charge of the murder of the granddaughter of a known traditional senator. What makes the murder even more interesting is that the weapon used to kill this “licensed companion” as they are now known, is a gun, which is owned only by licensed collectors. To top it all off, the murder is done while the scene is being recorded and sent to the police.

Eve is tasked with this case, and becomes the contact person for the Senator, who is intent on finding out the murderer of his granddaughter. The severity of the murder, the intensity of the case, it becomes an obsession for Eve who feels there’s a lead in the steps that she takes. On the path to trying to solve the case, she meets  Roarke, a very rich businessman who catches her eye She eventually gets involved with him, but it becomes a problem when almost all her leads to the case lead back to him. Her involvement becomes an issue as more murders occur, all involving a licensed companion with all deaths showing the same method for the deaths. It involves issues that strain her physically, mentally and emotionally.

Naked in Death is a very interesting mystery thriller, very different from Nora Robert’s usual romance novels. Though not my usual cup-of-tea, this book deserves props for the complexity and detail put into the settings of the story, which is of course the foundation of a good book. As the reader goes along reading the story, he is also able to involve himself in the story, trying to figure out the murder along with the main character. The flow of the story is easy enough to follow, and each turn of the story is always a mystery waiting to unfold for the reader.

The book in itself is not an easy read, and the difference in the time period of the setting becomes a bit confusing as one gets used to the different terms and such. The book is definitely a mystery-thriller book, so mystery-thriller lovers will find this book to their liking. The books for me seems rather short, or rather hurried but for those even more interested, this book has some follow-up stories which fall under the In Death series, which also involve Eve Dallas.

An interesting read and an interesting series to look out for if you’re very much into mystery-thrillers which involves a more sci-fi setting for the story.

Cheers and enjoy.

Game Review: Harvest Moon (Back to Nature)

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature

Recommended

Harvest Moon is a wonderfully addicting game about farming life. There have been many versions that have come out since I first played the PS1 game, with the gameplay being fairly uniform, except for some changes in some of the different versions. Back to Nature (PS1) is very similar to the Friends of Mineral Town and More Friends of Mineral Town version which can be played on the Gameboy Advance, while the Boy and Girl version is it’s counter-part for the PSP. The PS2 also has some other versions of the game such as A Wonderful Life and Save the Homeland.

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature begins with the main character (you), a boy whose grandfather used to own the farm that you spent one of your best summers in. Since your grandfather passed away, the farm has not been taken care of and there are weeds growing all over the field. It’s your job to have to bring the farm back to its original state (within 3 years) or else it’s good-bye Mineral Town (the town you are presently in). For the girl version of the game, there are of course minor differences, like the character’s history and such, but the story still runs the same way.

You start the game by trying to get your run-down farm back to it’s former glory, by cleaning the field up and filling the farm with life. Slowly and bit by bit, from the money you earn from selling herbs on the mountains and later on from money you earn selling crops you grow on the farm, you’ll be able to buy animals (chickens, cows and sheep), upgrade your tools and upgrade your infrastructure on the farm. The game is not entirely about farming life, since one of the basic necessities in the game still lies in your ability to be friends with the townsfolk. One of my favorite features in this game is the ability for marriage (to one of 5 girls) and if you’re playing a girl, it’s to one of 5 boys. You have to court the girl (or boy) that you plan on marrying, though it’s a common tactic  to court everyone and then take your pick, since you eventually have to get-along with everyone anyways.

Courting the girl (or boy) of your dreams is not the only additional requirement, since villagers will be important if you wish to be able to survive the story. Villagers will also be very helpful in giving you recipes and helpful tips throughout the story. For the girls (or boys), if you wish to know your progress, a heart will appear at the end of the dialogue box when you talk to them, which will determine your relationship. Building up relationships also unlocks special scenes throughout the story.

Of course, as a town, one of the things the story’s fun revolves around is the town festivities. There are various festivals throughout the story, for example the Goddess Festival, or the Harvest Festival, the Sheep Festival or the Cow Festival and many others. There is also a Cooking Festival, which will be fun later on when you’ve upgraded your house and unlocked the kitchen, which you can use when you’ve collected ingredients, utensils (which you can buy from TV Home Shopping) and recipes (which you can get from the TV, villagers, and various other sources).

Other interesting features in the game is the ability to fish (once you’ve found a fishing rod), to mine for ores that not only upgrade your tools but allow you to create accessories, the changes in weather, the variety of crops depending on the season, dialogues between the different characters throughout the story, and other such features.

It is a wonderful game that can be very addicting, but also can be very monotonous. With 4 months per year (equal to 4 seasons) and 3o days per season, the game may seem like it passes quite quickly but in fact, it doesn’t. This is based solely from experience. For some days, it seems like there isn’t enough time to do everything you want to do: from gathering herbs, to watering plants, to taking care of the animals and to courting the girls and the villagers. Eventually though, you can unlock the Harvest Sprites who will be able to help you with tasks such as watering and harvesting your crops, and taking care of your animals.

There is a lot of variety and monotony in the game. If you are determined to finish the game, it can be a challenge to a lot of players. The game is wonderfully done, with it’s variety of music throughout different parts of the game, wonderfully done characters and character profiles, and other such things. The scenery throughout the village are wonderfully done as well. My problem may lie solely on it being just a village, without the ability to leave or mingle with people outside of the town. It can also be very tiring and daunting to have to do so many days every year. But one thing can be admired from all of these. If one marries, one can eventually live with their spouses and even have children, though endings differentiate for the girl and boy characters, with the girl character’s stories ending earlier than that of the boy’s. If you play the boy character, you can watch your child grow into a toddler, which can be very cute.

This game comes well-recommended, and even an impatient person like me finds a lot of fun in games such as these, devoting a lot of hours to playing the game.

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This review does not include walk-throughs, character summaries, or tips for the game and such.