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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

AutocardAnywhere


Yesterday I came across this plugin for internet browser that recognizes names of cards and creates a pop up when you hover over the name. It not only shows the image of the card but also shows the prices from TCGPlayer. If you click on the name of the card it will take you directly there (TCGPlayer).

Well, I just wanted to say my thanks to the author of the plugin it comes handy and is faster than typing magiccards.info and finding the card! Now pricing the cards is much easier^_^

Sunday, March 11, 2012

(Book) Mazalan Book of the Fallen

After 12 years Erikson wrote and published the last book of the series. It took me some time to read it as I did not have time for it. Anyway I waited long till I could finish the second half the the Dust of Dreams.

The first 3 books where awesome and really grandioze. What followed was good as well but there were two styles and different groups of protagonists in each book. In the end everything started to converge. After I managed to get through the 8th tome I really wanted to know what will happen. This book for me was the worst. I wasn't prepared for a change of tone and more philosophical thoughts, it seemed the whole book was screaming how bad our society and urbanization is. At least I felt like that. Kruppe's words were good though.

The last book was much easier to read and much more paced and we finally found out why everyone was heading for Kolanse. A really good book. I was sad the story ended, but the characters will live on - Esselmont will most probably write more books and stories and maybe even Erikson will. Looking forward to it.

Personal Rating: 4/5

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

(Book) Songmaster by Orson Scott Card

disclaimer: too personal to be considered a review or something.

Orson S. Card is someone who managed to make me feel completely chilled and made me cry when reading his books. I knew about this for quite some time but I never read it until now...

I entered the city's library and I had about 4 minutes to choose a book. I went through the whole Fantasy and Science Fiction part and choose this book.

I started reading few minutes later and 12 hours later (after doing quite a lot of other things) I finished this story about a boy who became a song master - a person able to relate and change (or make stronger) mood.

I... can't describe how this book impressed me. Don't take me wrong, there are surely better works of this author, but this book was probably something I really needed to read. In the last few weeks I'm trying to figure out what role music has in my life. Since my early childhood I was humming melodies mine and of other composers. According to what I was humming one could easily know what mood I was in. I rarely spoke, but the melody was how I was expressing my feelings. After years and years of passing for a person without emotions (which is not true, but many people hardly see that) I'm trying to find a way how to show them. Maybe this was what I was looking for so long.

I'm not sure if anything will come out of this - of all that I found out and realized. But I start to sing or hum a melody once again, just like that... without a logical reason. But when I do, I feel something.

Personal Rating: 4/5
I wouldn't call this a book^^ It's rather short but still impressive and comprehensible. Some of Card's works are more complex as they require knowledge of history and politics and I'm not really fan of neither of those. Anyway if you like OSC and haven't read this yet, do it. And if you are looking for something short but still very good and unique grab a copy. You won't regret it.