From the monthly archives: July 2009
I know, I know, I should post more. Sorry for the delay in reviewing this book — work is eating me alive again! Anyway before we go to the review proper, the winner of my Deadly Intent giveaway contest is (drawing is care of random.org :D)…
Drawing c/o random.org
Congratulations! I’ll be sending you an email after I submit this post. :) Enjoy your new book. :D
Okay, now for the review. :D
Rating: 
SCENE OF THE CRIME
The Grant family’s exclusive Sonoma spa is a place for rest and relaxation—not murder! Then Naomi Grant finds her client Jessica Ortiz bleeding to death in her massage room, and everything falls apart. The salon’s reputation is at stake…and so is Naomi’s freedom when she discovers that she is one of the main suspects! Her only solace is found with the other suspect—Dr. Devon Knightley, the victim’s ex-husband. But Devon is hiding secrets of his own. When they come to light, where can Naomi turn…and whom can she trust?
Camy comes back with a new book, this time not with sushi but with a spa, a new spa owner, a handsome doctor and a murder! It’s no secret that I love Camy’s books (see the reviews here, here and here) and having a chance to read this book is really exciting. :D
In this book, Naomi is taking over their family spa, and is not expecting it to be an easy job, but she also never expected that she would have to deal with the murder of her client! Naomi wonders what God has in store for her and if he really wanted her to be where she was. Not only that, but there’s also handsome Dr. Devon Knightley who always seems to be around ever since the murder…and it’s making Naomi not so comfortable because of her crush on Devon. I think Naomi definitely wouldn’t mind giving away wedding invitations with their names on it, but not at this time, when they’re both accused of murder!
This is a fun and quick read — just the right amount of mystery, suspense and dead bodies and it kept me hanging until the end. I was actually quite surprised to find out who the culprit was, and kind of sad to know why she did all those things. Naomi is a strong protagonist though, and I found myself rooting for her all through out the novel. The faith aspect is nicely tied in as well, and it never felt like it was too preachy — everything felt natural.
Another great book by Camy! :D
Rating:
Barangay Paltic, Dingalan, Aurora - 2005
A few years back, I volunteered for Kalinga Luzon, a summer immersion program for school sponsored by Gawad Kalinga. I was no stranger to GK because I used to volunteer for them, but it was my first time to go to a GK site that is outside of Manila.
The immersion brought me to a place called Dinggalan, Aurora. It’s a remote place near the mountains of Sierra Madre, and this was the relocation area for the survivors of the flash flood that happened in the previous year. Through that trip, I was given a chance to visit Barangay Paltic, their original hometown, and I was humbled by how much Mother Nature has unleashed her fury. My friends and I found ourselves standing and looking down at the vast disaster area where rocks, earth, logs and random pieces of clothing were scattered all over the place. I found myself looking down at the roof of one of the houses, half-buried in dirt and a car-sized boulder blocking the door way. I can’t help but wonder: was anyone trapped inside?
In the two years that I visited that place, I never forgot the sight that greeted me in the disaster area. I could only imagine what actually happened in that place — how many parents lost their children and how many children lost their parents, how many people lost their homes and everything they owned because of the floods?
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Noli at Fili Dekada 2000 Poster
PETA’s Noli at Fili Dekada 2000 was a walk in memory lane in more ways than one. While I never really read Noli and El Fili as a whole (my high school provided summarized versions of the novels), I’ve always had a soft spot for those two novels because of the fact that, well, they are novels, and they’re written by a Filipino. Other than the play reminding and challenging me of my knowledge of the two novels, it also reminded me of that day a few years ago, where I saw the aftermath of a very big calamity.
Noli at Fili Dekada 2000, written by Nic Tiongson and directed by Soxie Topacio, is a modern take on Rizal’s two novels, stitched together to form one tighter and shorter story. The cast of characters in Rizal’s novels were present there: Ibarra, Elias, Damaso, Salvi, Florentino, Victorina, Basilio, Isagani, Tasyo and Maria Clara. There were a couple of changes to make the story fit to modern times: Crisostomo Ibarra is now Ibarra Marasigan, the town’s new mayor who wants to make big changes to their community, Salvi is no longer a thin priest but a corrupt colonel who uses the law for his own personal gain, Tasyo is a school owner, and Maria Clara is now Clarissa, still the daughter of Damaso and still engaged to Ibarra.
The story still contains the main essences of the two novels, to form a more compact and fluid story. The play opens with a very heavy scene, with stories of what happened during the flash flood (complete with waterworks!). After the disaster where three thousand people died, we see the new mayor Ibarra in his engagement party with Clarissa, all optimistic with his plans for the town of Maypajo. Once he mentions the total log ban, though, you can see a couple of people flinch: Tiago, Salvi and even Damaso. We know from then that there’s going to be trouble for Ibarra. We also learn from there that Ibarra was not only optimistic, but also idealistic. We meet his best friend Elias, who ironically is the head of the rebel army. Just like Crisostomo Ibarra in the book, Mayor Ibarra tries to make changes in his town, and he is met by challenge after challenge — from the small things like when Clarissa’s aunt Victorina planning a grander wedding for the two of them, to Tiago not supporting their total log ban bill to Salvi trying to steal Clarissa and trying to stop Ibarra’s plans to stop logging altogether. We see how Ibarra loses his idealism and eventually everything else: his position, his best friend, and even Clarissa. Ibarra later returns as Ka Simoun, a part of the same rebel army that Elias was a part of, embracing violence to make changes. He then uses his position here to exact revenge on Salvi, but fails as he uses the group for his personal gain. And, like Simoun in El Fili, he reaches his end, asking for forgiveness because he lost his way.
It was a heavy play from the start until the end, made lighter only by some of the lines (“DKD” – Diyos ko ‘day!, “BCK” – Basta Crush Kita!), and I have to admit that it was kind of depressing. It’s definitely not like the musicals I used to watch…but then again, Rizal’s novels weren’t fluffy and light novels either. But to compensate for that, the play ended with a poem and a song number, that tells everyone that there’s still hope. That the change that Ibarra desired is possible without the use of violence, if each individual is up to it. Like what a friend had in his YM status before: “Be the change that you want to be.”
Although that bright light and Clarissa going out bringing that plant was kind of too much for me…it reminds me too much of the stageplay that we had back in high school. But maybe it’s just me. ^^;
I left the PETA Theater remembering Barangay Paltic in Aurora, and remembering the people I met during my stay there. And yeah, in a way the play also gave me hope that one day, we’ll be able to rise as a nation, and well, be the change that we want to be. :)
Noli at Fili Dekada 2000 (Dos Mil) continues through August 9, 2009, with shows on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am and 3 pm, at the PETA Theater Center, 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City; 7256244, 4100821, 7226911, 4100821.
SCENE OF THE CRIME
The Grant family’s exclusive Sonoma spa is a place for rest and relaxation—not murder! Then Naomi Grant finds her client Jessica Ortiz bleeding to death in her massage room, and everything falls apart. The salon’s reputation is at stake…and so is Naomi’s freedom when she discovers that she is one of the main suspects! Her only solace is found with the other suspect—Dr. Devon Knightley, the victim’s ex-husband. But Devon is hiding secrets of his own. When they come to light, where can Naomi turn…and whom can she trust?
From her successful Sushi Series (Sushi for One?, Only Uni, and Single Sashimi), Camy is back with another sure-hit novel! This time she takes a different route from her first three chick lit novels, bringing in a world of suspense, mystery, romance and well, God, into the quiet-turned-deadly spa.
Okay, so that’s my effort at trying to make a good intro. :P But I’m seriously honored to have Camy here on my blog again. I just love her books, with all the action and the solid characters that stay in my mind long after I read them all. I’ve decided to interview Camy this time to pick her brain about her characters:
1. Today is my character Ruth’s birthday. :) Do you give your characters birthdays too, even if it’s not mentioned in the story? If so, when are they?
Um…not really, unless I want to use the birthday as a scene in the story. But I always know how old my characters are. Naomi is 27 years old and Devon is 35.
2. Was Naomi’s character based on anyone (or any people) you know? What about Devon?
Naomi isn’t based on anyone I know, but I always thought being a massage therapist would be a cool job, so I did a lot of research for Naomi’s career and for the spa.
Devon’s personality isn’t anyone I know, but his job is borrowed from the orthopedic surgeon who repaired my ACL (twice). Dr. King is the official orthopedic surgeon for the Oakland Raiders. He’s totally nice.
3. You mentioned in your previous blog posts about which archetypes your previous characters (Lex, Trish, Venus and Jen) fall into. What archetype did you use for Naomi?
Naomi’s a maiden or Persephone archetype. They tend to be easygoing and carefree, but Naomi has been thrust into a more responsible role by her father, who just had a stroke. Worried about the future of his spa, he puts Naomi in charge as acting manager and is grooming her to eventually take over the spa when he retires. Naomi does it to please him, but she doesn’t really want to take over the spa—she’s happy as head massage therapist, because she likes giving massages, not managing a business.
4. All of your novels give us both the point of view of the hero and heroine. I often have a hard time getting into my male character’s heads. How do you do it?
I usually talk to my husband to get his perspective on things. And when I’m writing, I think to myself, Would Captain Caffeine use this word or phrase? How would he say this?
5. If Naomi were to meet any of the Sushi cousins, who do you think will she be friends with?
I think she’d get along with Trish the best. The two of them would know how to have fun, but at the same time, both of them know what it’s like to have responsibility thrust upon them.
6. Who is your favorite female character outside of your books? How about your favorite male character?
My favorite female character is Anne Elliot from Persuasion by Jane Austen. Anne is intelligent, calm, and organized. She withstands her horrendous family with strength and insight, yet compassion—all of which I lack. I think a part of me wants to be Anne.
My favorite male character is Sir Percy Blakeney from the Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. He’s just always so clever, and yet he has such a passionate love for his wife, which makes him terribly romantic.
7. Who is the next heroine that you are writing about? What can we expect from her?
My next heroine is December (isn’t that a cool name? I borrowed it from a woman who was taking one of my online classes). She will be my toughest heroine to write so far, because her struggles will be so close to home. I’ve always struggled with my weight, and recently I completed the Couch to 5K running training program. I’m going to have December do the Couch to 5K, too!
Thanks for having me here, Tina!
Camy
Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. She used to be a biologist, but now she is a staff worker for her church youth group and leads a worship team for Sunday service. She also runs the Story Sensei fiction critique service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every week, and she ponders frivolous things like dumb dogs (namely, hers), coffee-geek husbands (no resemblance to her own…), the writing journey, Asiana, and anything else that comes to mind. Visit her website at http://www.camytang.com/ for a huge website contest going on right now, giving away fourteen boxes of books and 30 copies of her latest release, DEADLY INTENT.
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OH AND BEFORE I FORGET!
I’m giving away a copy of Camy’s new book! Just leave a comment on this entry with your name and email address so you’ll be a part of the raffle. :) Deadline of entries is Monday, July 27, 2009. I’ll be announcing the winner by Tuesday, July 28, 2009. :D
Okay, so I don’t really know if this will post at exactly 56 seconds past 12:34 (because WordPress’ scheduled posts doesn’t have a seconds feature), but I’m hoping by the time anyone reads this, it’s 12:34:56 on 07/08/09. Or past it. But whatever.
I know, I’m a geek. When I read Dane’s tweet about it, I knew I just have to blog about it, and blog on the exact time.
Say it again: geek. It’s like when I posted about Happy Numbers a couple of years back.
Anyway, I’m on day shift today because of an LJ girls dinner tonight, and I’ll be spending the night at the condo so I wouldn’t be able to go to the gym tomorrow morning. I honestly don’t feel like it either — my legs hurt! And tomorrow is supposed to be cycling day, and I have a feeling I wouldn’t be able to walk by Friday if I force myself to do it tomorrow! So Friday. Toni, sorry! At least you’ll be sleeping in tomorrow? Haha. I swear, going to the gym with a friend is better than any weight loss product. :)
I also really need to go to the dentist downstairs in a while for cleaning as well as check up because I have a bad feeling that I have a cavity and one of my molars have been hurting since the other day. Hm. I hope I can finish early with the dentist today…if not, I’ll be going tomorrow, I guess.
Oh, and if you want to see something geeky and funny? Well, here’s Lola Techie. She’s the grandmother in Bayantel’s new commercial for their DSL, the one who knows her Facebook. :P You can even follow her on Twitter. :P This new commercial of her is simply hilarious:
Have a great Wednesday everyone. Off to the dentist!
I’m writing this down on TextEdit because my Internet connection refuses to cooperate (of course by the time I post this online, my Internet is obviously better), and I just need to let these thoughts out or else I wouldn’t be able to sleep thinking of all the things related to this.
So I just finished reading Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos, her follow up novel from Love Walked In. I loved Love Walked In, for all its seemingly old-fashioned scenes and the lovely characters. I especially loved the fact that Teo Sandoval was half-Filipino, somehow making it feel closer to my heart.
Belong to Me is a different story from its prequel. More characters, more conflict, more stories. I saw a couple of reviews that it wasn’t as good as the prequel, but because I can’t stand not reading all books in a series and because I was curious to what happened to Cornelia and Teo and Clare, I got the book.
In Cornelia’s words: I was slammed. Hard. Belong to Me is probably one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s a different tone from the first book, but it was simply (and very) charming. The chapters were long, the stories were complicated but never did I feel bored with the entire story. I devoured every page, with all its lyrical prose and smart characters. My heart burst in sadness at the particular part of the story where all things came undone, and I celebrated victory with them when I got to the end.
I think it’s a given for any reader to love Cornelia, but what I really loved about the book was (and still), Teo. I could easily imagine how Cornelia could call him her sun and moon and stars. I tried hard to find a flaw in him, and I know there was something but it’s became a part of his character as a whole that you’d end up forgiving it because you know it won’t be the same without it.
And maybe the reason why I love Teo so much because I want someone like him. Not exactly a half Filipino hunk of a man with golden brown skin and bottle green eyes type (but hey, that sounds really handsome, haha), but someone who treats me the way Teo treats Cornelia. Like how he had an almost secret and sacred nickname for Cornelia that meant “heart” in Latin (Cor), or how his face changes whenever he talks about his wife (as observed by Piper). I want someone like that, someone who I’d think of as my sun and moon and stars but would also think of me the same way too. Someone whose heart could expand with love for all the people that matter to me, and teach me to make my heart be like that too, for people he cares for and people I have a hard time liking or loving. Someone like Teo, who stuck with Cornelia for fifty-six hours to try to fix the mess that exploded in their faces and not lose patience but remind her that love is not “I” or “you” but “we”.
*sigh* It’s got me smitten, really, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget about this book too easily. I love every single bit of it, and I kind of feel sad that it’s the last book on them. I really feel like I’m saying goodbye to good friends, people who have kept me company over the weekend. But it’s comforting to know that I could always visit them, and draw strength from them, and maybe, someday, talk about them to someone who will be my own Teo someday.
Oookay, and that last line is really cheesy. Enough cheese here, or else you may be better off reading mdclearreviews.com. :P It’s time for me to go to bed. :P
