The Strain Trilogy is now complete. Fit for Halloween.

The Strain Trilogy is now complete after the release this week of book 3 “The Night Eternal.” I read the first two books “The Strain” and “The Fall” by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.

I am still in the imaginary world of Westeros and Winterfell (A Clash of Kings) and I am itching to open new book and read it first! Fit this Halloween and All Souls Day on Wednesday. Any how, I might finally crack in and read it later tonight.

Here is the synopsis from Amazon.com:

From the authors of the instant New York Times bestsellers The Strain and The Fall comes the final volume in one of the most electrifying thriller series in years

It’s been two years since the vampiric virus was unleashed in The Strain, and the entire world now lies on the brink of annihilation. There is only night as nuclear winter blankets the land, the sun filtering through the poisoned atmosphere for two hours each day—the perfect environment for the propagation of vampires.

There has been a mass extermination of humans, the best and the brightest, the wealthy and the influential, orchestrated by the Master—an ancient vampire possessed of unparalleled powers—who selects survivors based on compliance. Those humans who remain are entirely subjugated, interred in camps, and separated by status: those who breed more humans, and those who are bled for the sustenance of the Master’s vast army.

The future of humankind lies in the hands of a ragtag band of freedom fighters—Dr. Eph Goodweather, former head of the Centers for Disease Control’s biological threats team; Dr. Nora Martinez, a fellow doctor with a talent for dispatching the undead; Vasiliy Fet, the colorful Russian exterminator; and Mr. Quinlan, the half-breed offspring of the Master who is bent on revenge. It’s their job to rescue Eph’s son, Zack, and overturn this devastating new world order. But good and evil are malleable terms now, and the Master is most skilled at preying on the weaknesses of humans.

Now, at this critical hour, there is evidence of a traitor in their midst. . . . And only one man holds the answer to the Master’s demise, but is he one who can be trusted.

I wanna watch TRAIN!

After last night’s Jason Mraz concert, I wanna watch Train’s concert in December. From the band that give you the hits like Hey Soul Sister and Marry Me, and other notable hits, Im sure that this will be another excellent concert. Not to be miss.

Special Acoustic Evening with Jason Mraz

It was a good night last night as I watch the special acoustic concert of Jason Mraz and his buddy Toca Rivera at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The whole coliseum is jampacked, and was full up to the roof. An affirmation, indeed, that Mr A-Z has huge legion of fans here. This is actually a four-city Asian trip and Manila is his first in the itinerary. He will perform tomorrow (Nov 1) in Taipei, then Thailand and Bali, Indonesia.

The energy is really awesome, and the roar and thunder inside makes you deaf. And once he starts going to the stage, and plays his guitar, damn, the audience can’t stop joining him singing! Especially to his famous songs like The Remedy, You and I Both, Lucky and I’m Yours.

He looks like a travelling shaman donning a PEACE shirt, and a bandana. Which is true to his acoustic theme concert, which is more appropriate in a beach setting while the audience is holding an ice cold beer and cocktails.

Now, I am syncing all his songs in my iPod. Hangover.

*from imogen_ph

New records I’m listening to

This week, Coldplay’s highly anticipated CD debuted. It is called “Mylo Xyloto” and when I listen to the songs, two tracks became an instant favorites: Us Against The World and Princess Of China feat. Rihanna.

Another good record that came out is Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger”. As always, excellent vocal pipes for the original American Idol winner. Lea Michelle of Glee even tweeted that she listens to this new record.

So there, if you are looking for new sounds to put into your iPod or music player, you might consider these two albums.

He’s back.

I love James Morrison. That voice, damn, I want to swap my brain for! I am happy because he has a new album The Awakening. It is now sync with my iPod so I can listen to the songs wherever I am.

The tracklist.

1. In My Dreams
2. 6 Weeks
3. I Won’t Let You Go
4. Up (featuring Jessie J)
5. Slave To The Music
6. Person I Should Have Been
7. Say Something Now
8. Beautiful Life
9. Forever
10. The Awakening
11. Right By Your Side
12. One Live
13. All Around The World (Bonus Track)
14. In My Dreams (Acoustic Version) [iTunes Pre-Order]

I want to watch this movie!

Footloose 2011 OST

I don’t know if the remake movie is good, but the soundtrack I like. Mostly country songs. Here’s the trailer of the movie:

The new Kindle family.

“There are two types of companies: those that work hard to charge customers more, and those that work hard to charge customers less. Both approaches can work. We are firmly in the second camp.” — Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, on the release of Amazon Kindle Fire

I love Kindle, and it is a must for serious readers. I own an old Kindle, international 3G version and I was satisfied with it. It is very convenient to use, especially if you are travelling where you don’t have to bring thick books in your luggage (and eventually erase your worries about excess baggage charges).

So when Jeff Bezos announced few weeks ago the new variants of Amazon Kindle, I was delighted even if I don’t live in the US where most of the features of the new batch will be (initially) available. Of course, the darling of the launch is the Kindle Fire, a colored touch screen tablet that will compete with Apple’s iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. During its release, I was in a hotel in Ortigas (it was nighttime in Manila) and I was busy tweeting about it cause its just beautiful.

The most enticing part of it is its price, at US$199. Very much cheaper than the cheapest iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab. Amazon is now entertaining pre-orders, and will be available for purchase and delivery by November (?).

Drooling here.

1Q84

When you read a Haruki Murakami novel, you are easily transported to a dreamlike storyline. The plot seemed like no beginning and no end—like a dream.

His new novel (actually released in Japan as a three-part novel from 2009-2010) is now translated in English and will be released few days from now. This is a thick book, 994 pages in all, but that’s your nightly dose of dreams.

I. Am. Excited.

————–

This is the description from Amazon.com.

The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.

A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.

As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.

A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s—1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.

Person Of Interest

Put Jonathan Nolan in the screenwriting credit and you had me. The Dark Knight writer is a genius. His new baby is the CBS series “Person Of Interest” starring Jim Caviezel. I just saw the premiere episode and I like it. It’s like Big Brother, for good. I know that its too early to review the series (it has just release its second episode) but I like the concept. I hope the writers will sustain this.

Screen Rant said that “Person of Interest is one of the most exciting new shows on broadcast TV this year. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking thriller with solid action and storytelling, look no further – especially if you’re a fan of Nolan’s flavor of caped vigilante”.