BOOK REVIEW: Angelology by Danielle Trussoni

Alright, so I picked up Angelology a few weeks ago and started reading this book during my lunch hours at work. I like books that delve into Christian theology, often the more obscure aspects such as angelology and the hidden books, scripts, and "history" that christian religions evolve from. The summary of this book was right up my alley...what the world would be like if the Nephilim existed among us...if there were descendants of fallen angels and humans that walked the earth and they weren't here to play nice.

I think much of my expectation about how complex a book should be is heavily influence by the fact that I'm a fantasy reader, world of epic recycled trilogies, and ridiculously overwritten sagas (i.e. Robert Jordan - RIP). And while I often complain about fantasy and science fiction writers overwriting a book (rather a series of books), I almost always find general fiction to be vastly underwritten. Books like Angels & Demons and The Davinci Code by Dan Brown, were so intriguing and promising in concept, yet I found so disappointing in it's written simplicity.

So with that said (sorry, I'm overwriting again), getting back to Angelology, I love the premise. I love the concept. But like all singular books that try to cover so much...I wanted so much more from this book. Angelology had pages and pages of intricate backstories that overlaid each other. The author did so well in allowing us different perspectives of the book's timeline without getting overly repetitive or boring. In contrast, the action, climax, and ending are sadly lacking in comparison.

However, 'lo and behold, I discover a second book called Angelopolis is being written, and it made me so very happy. As much as I complained, it's not because Angelology is a bad read at all, but because the author left me wanting more, which is exactly what she wanted if she's making a series, right? So at this point, I will rate Angelology around 3.5 chewy Nibs out of 5. A pretty good read, but definitely not a standalone.

My precioussssssss...

Okay...so I'm a self-confessed magpie. I love shiny things. I wouldn't drape myself in shiny things, but that doesn't mean I won't hypnotically stare at someone who does.

I know that this is not an unusual affliction. At work, I know quite a few magpies, guys and girls. Granted, female magpie-ism is more of the gem notion, while male magpie-ism is more of the gadget genre (or gold teeth...arrrrr matey).

Anyway, znyga games, makers of the intensely annoying Farmville and Mafia Wars mini games on Facebook have come up with yet another annoying game of the same make...except it's specifically geared towards magpies like myself. And irritatingly enough...it worked. ARGH! While the basis of Treasure Isle is essentially the same as other zynga games (find something, add it to your space, add friends, get help, etc.), the fact that I get to hunt for gems and treasure makes me forget just how annoying this application really is.

Don't underestimate the irritation factor either. I mean, if I was to step back from the allure of hunting sparklies, I would be annoyed by the sheer amount of times the game asks me to add someone, post something, share something, ask for something, give something...gah!

Of course, the day that znyga thinks of adding overflowing treasure chests as items I can leave on my island, or letting me use my extra treasure as decorations...I'll be lost to the dark side forever...

Mmm...Subway...I love how you saved my lunchtimes...

I've found my favorite sub (and I'm not even a huge fan of subs)at Subway. I've settled on the 9-grain whole wheat, with turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers, with mayo. While I'm ravenous after a workout, the 6-inch sub is just enough to take about 85% of my hunger away. I don't feel full, but neither am I hungry or stuffed. Yay! Maybe the Jared Subway nerd really did have something going on there. Ha...

I give myself until the end of the week before I get sick of it though... :P

Tiny Temptations...

Yesterday I got a package in the mail. I was so excited, I had to bring it with me to show my boyfriend my new find, and all he could do was laugh at me.

Every since I was young, I have been fascinated by the world of miniatures. While I had a vast collection of Barbie dolls, the dolls themselves were what I was least interested in. I liked their earrings, or shoes, or the cool little accessories better. I still remember carefully wrapping prized translucent glittery Barbie shoes in a piece of kleenex so I wouldn't lose them, only to have my mother mistake it for garbage and throwing it away. Oh,...the agony.

By the way, I've only recently discovered that Towne Shoes has a Barbie shoe collection. Hmm...I don't remember my Barbie shoes looking quite like these...

The problem with tiny things and tiny toddlers is the inevitable fact that tiny tots will lose said tiny things, and before long, you'll have a tiny fork poking out from the bottom of your foot having carelessly trod through the tiny tyke's space. My mother did that enough times that she would snap and start vacuuming everything in sight.

I couldn't tell you the innumerable amounts of cutlery, jewelery and other bits that got sucked up in the bottomless void. Funny enough, my mom lamented the lost toys decades later when she started collecting vintage Barbies...and she had no one to blame but herself for their loss.

Anyway, I digress. As I was saying, I had a thing for miniatures, but I didn't allow myself to collect them, knowing that it would spiral out of control and I would eventually need the equivalent of a nicotine patch to ween myself off the addiction. Once in a while, I would get one or two things, like a set of teenie Japanese cat figurines (no bigger than 1 cm high), or finely glass blown miniature vases from Italy.

A few years ago, I came across a Japanese toy collection from a company called Re-ment. Re-ment specializes in highly detailed plastic miniatures of everyday items and objects. It was like hitting a jackpot...or like an alcoholic finding a bottle of whiskey after going dry for a year.

Re-ment puts out collections that will include anywhere from 5 - 12 separate sets. They're sold in a manner similar to trading cards; enclosed in a box with no way of know what set is in the box unless you open it. My very first purchase of Re-ment was a complete collection called Stationery Favorites, which contained incredibly wee replicas of pens, pencils, notebooks, and other supplies I remember from my childhood.

The detail is astounding and the movable parts are endlessly fascinating. I don't know if you can sympathize or not. I'm actually shocked that this didn't create a snowball effect of Re-ment compulsive shopping. Somehow it didn't, and I was able to forget about the miniature world for a short while.

Needless to say, I've recently gotten hooked on it again. I blame it on nostalgia, remembering the fabulous toys I once had. I am most definitely still a child at heart. My recent purchase is what is called a "secret set"...self-explanatory really. Most collections will have 1 or 2 secret sets, either completely new items, or colour variations of existing sets in the collection.

So the secret set I got is the #11 set of the Elegant Sweets collection. It's a double layer box that measures 3 x 4.5 cm, 2 cm high, filled with bitty chocolates and a Valentine's Day card, rendered in perfect, microscopic detail, each piece of chocolate separate and unique.

So yes, like the little dweeb that I am, I squealed a little when I opened my package. I poked and prodded the little chocolates, removed them, put them back in the box multiple times. It now quietly resides in a little wooden box where I store my other Re-ment collectibles.

I've bought a few more items too, before I must put my foot down and shut the door on this particular bout of splurging. But it's okay...thankfully this little addiction doesn't take up a lot of space...and the silly little things make me happy, so what the hell, eh?