And for all the fantasy fans, this is an absolute gem! The TV series grabs your attention from the very first scene and does not quite let go. The episodes leave you gasping and asking for more. The cast is excellent, the visual effects supreme and before you know it, you are engrossed in the story, rooting for your favorite characters and passionately hating the scheming, evil ones.

This is a true “Lord of the Rings” of the 21st century!!!

First of all, the action was a bit slow to pick up tempo. It finally did (about half-way through the book) and then it was quite in Dan Brown’s style.

Secondly, for an author of Brown’s caliber, “The Lost Symbol” failed to deliver in the controversy department. Now, I was not expecting another “Da Vince Code’ but this one lacked the guts to take a step farther, which not only would have made it a great read, but also could have started an interesting and possible explosive discussion. As it is…

The only thing I took from reading this novel were the few bold statement about the god-like potential of the human mind, which sparked my interest enough to do some more research in the field.

Is it a book worth reading? I leave that decision up to you, my dear readers.

This video broke my heart. I cannot understand why people are so cruel and have this insane drive to slaughter these majestic animals. I wish for our race to wake up one day and realize that we are all connceted and killing the wolves ultimately will kill the humans. Tha Natives knew that and respected the wolf for its spirit and its beauty. Why can’t others?

Moreover, I seem to have a few bones to pick with it. I find it quite difficult to see Langton as a credible character at times. For first time readers or the first installment to this series, it would have been fine for Robert to be so close-minded. However, after all this character has been through in the previous novels with all their life-shattering discoveries, it simply does not ring true. And I find it quite annoying, to be honest. Perhaps because I expected a lot more from Dan Brown.

So whenever Langton is adamant in his claims that it can’t possibly be anything but a myth, it makes me cringe. Robert Langton, who discovered some of the greatest well-guarded secrets of the Catholic Church, now claims that, despite what intelligent people tell him, certain facts are simply too far-fetched to be plausible? Really? Dan Brown, I must say, you didn’t quite think that one through, did you?

My only hope remains that the story will pick up pace and turn out as a pretty good read, in spite of those little mishaps. Although I can tell you right now that “The Lost Symbol” has nothing on “The Da Vinci Code”.

Take “Dancing with the Stars”, for instance. Now, how appropriate is it to start speaking about such morbid issues on a show that is supposed to be purely entertaining? Do I want to hear about the updates while I am watching people dancing or do I want to just enjoy the dancing? Do I like my favorite show disrupted so the media can show the coverage of Bin Laden’s death ad nauseum?

And it seems like the issues regarding Bin Laden just keep coming up. It makes me wonder how long this story is going to last….

But never mind that. I have another bone to pick with Americans; one that was brought up by this whole Osama matter. The simple statement “the president of the free world”, refferring to the American president, nearly infuriates me. It is extremely presumptuos, to the point of arrogance, to say that the American president is also president of all the democratic countries. Becauses essentially that is what this statement means.

Now, I am Polish and I know for a fact that in my country we have our own president and we don’t recognise the authority of another nation’s head of the country in any shape or form. Not even American. Moreover, I know it to be true for all European nations. I would even hazard a guess that this would be true for any free country in the world, be it the western or the eastern cultures.

So what are you really saying, my dear Americans? That we, Europeans, are not free? Are you really that arrogant? Or simply ignorant?

“Eclipse”, the third part to the “Twilight” saga, directed by David Slade and starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Dakota Fannig may just be the best one yet…

It is action packed (as far as the story allows it) and although some of the scenes featuring Bella and Edward are slightly too cheesy and a bit prolonged (I’m assuming to satisfy the love-struck teenage viewers), one can still enjoy watching the film.

In this installment of the saga, we get to learn Edward’s family members past and what made them who they are as well as how the warewolves (actually shapeshifters, but nobody seemed to notice that little slip) came about. However, here the film losses in comparisson with the book because we never get to see the tormented Leah (a new additon to the pack) and the role she will later play in the battle. Morever, the battle itself, although not too badly shot and edited, still leaves you wanting more. More of the action, which unfortunately ends too soon… And the culmination of the movie seems too abrupt, almost as if the team ran out of steam…

All in all, it is worth watching for the fans (who, as it is their perogative, are totally partial), for others- well, if you don’t mind a few borderline boring scenes (which are not so in the book but lack the same intentisty in the movie) and ejoy the conflict between the supernatural creatures, go for it… You may find that the money spent on the ticket might have been worth it. The desicion is entirely yours…

“Breath and Bone” is a second part to a two-part saga telling a story of a rebellious magician and diviner, Magnus Valencia de Cartamandua, who refuses to conform to the limitations and restriction his parentage and the long lines of diviners have established for him.

In “Flesh and Bone” (the fist volume of the saga), we get to meet Valen (as he prefers to be called) and witness his struggles with an addiction to an enchantment that turns pain into pleasure and his mothers prophecy foretelling his doom. And we get to see how, despite of himself, Valen learns that friendships and loyalties are sometimes far more important than his own feeble life.

In “Breath and Bone” we see Valen sold to the terrible prince as a part of his heirloom while the land of Navronne sinks deeper into war and bloodshed. While Valen risks both  body and soul to save an innocent child in the surrounding chaos as well as heal the dying land and bring it to its rightful king, he runs into many that would like nothing more than put their hand on this one of a king sorcerer. And what is the secret behind his extraordinary powers? Will he discover where his abilities come from and how he can use them in time to heal the land of Navronne and help his king? Or will he fail, unable to resist the constant hunger for nivat and the release it brings?

Both books are written in a beautiful English that resembles the 19^th century novel writing, which makes reading them an exciting and pleasurable experience. Berg’s narrative is intense and suspenseful while the characters are well-developed and three-dimensional, which is an important detail for the fantasy novels.

“Breath and Bone”, as well as “Flesh and Spirit” are filled with sorcerers, magic, intrigue, dark secrets and characters both noble and weak. One of the most endearing qualities to the novels are the vividly depicted details. AS Sharon Shinn (author of “The Thirteenth House”) writes: “Berg brings to life every stone in a peaceful monastery and every nuance in a stratified society, describing the difficult dirty work of ordinary life as beautifully as she conveys the heart-stopping mysticism of holiness just beyond human perception.”

“Lies and illusions”, directed by Tibor Takacs and starring Christian Slater and Cuba Gooding, Jr., tells a story of a self-help book writer whose long-time girlfriend gets kidnapped and killed. Upon her death, Slater’s character finds out that not only did his fiancée had a house he knew nothing about but also an account and a safety deposit box, which one of the mob bosses is after.

Yet again, we have the story of a poor schmack, who is dooped into thinking he knows the woman he plans to spend the rest of his life with only to find out that the person he fell in love with did not exist. This time, however, the story is told in such boring fashion that you feel like poking your eyes out 20 minutes into the movie!

While the beginning is somewhat promising with its similarities to the ‘50s Bond movies and the French detective films, one quickly realizes it is not to be so… The story drags, the actors fail to portray the dilemma and the tragedy a person would experience in such situations and there is nothing there to keep you from turning it off.

And if you think that both Slater and Gooding will make a good movie, you are sorely mistaken. I’d say: don’t waste your time and two thumbs down!!!!

Yesterday I had one of the most surprisingly good days. It started awful…

I woke up congested and with a terrible headache and simply did not feel like getting out of bed at all. It took me about half an hour to convince myself I should (since I already paid for the trip I was supposed to attend). I finally dragged myself out of my warm and comfy bed and somehow got ready for this trip (which, at this point, I started to dread). And off I went…

As it turned out, my friend (who, by the way, convinced me to go in the first place) was also not feeling too chipper herself (we both shared symptoms of either common cold or flu, who knows…). And thus, we found ourselves sitting at the back of a van, sneezing every so often and drinking water to stay hydrated…

Perhaps it helped because by the time we got to the orange farm, we forgot about the cold or flu (or whatever it is) and actually started having a good time. However, the good time was just beginning…

The nice farmer and his wife welcomed us to their home as if we were part of their family. Then we went orange picking–the whole reason for the trip. It was an experience in itself, especially for someone like me, who likes nature but more form the distance than first hand. And here I had a chance to experience it first hand, not only covered nearly up to my knees in mud but also walking in weeds almost hip high just to get a chance to pick my own Sicilian blood oranges. Crazy, isn’t it? How I didn’t end up covered in ticks is simply beyond me… But I did end up having a time of my life,even though I had to carry my bag of oranges (that most likely weight about 10 lbs) up the muddy hill!

As if that wasn’t fun enough, we had this wonderful Sicilian lunch, which included lots of home-made wine and freshly-squeezed orange juice waiting for us at the farm. This was the perfect ending to a very adventurous morning. And the day that began dreadfully, turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.

The funny thing is, I think you can only experience something like that only here in the Mediterranean. People are simply so friendly and they welcome you as if you were not this stranger but part of their family, which gives it a different meaning. And makes it far more special…

Since I am currently oversees, I have been trying to keep up with some of my favorite series online (“Brothers and Sisters” among them). Luckily, I have been able to catch up with “Brothers and Sisters” and OMG!

First of all, I can’t believe Kitty has cancer. The episodes when she found out she had lymphoma and was battling it made me cry like a baby. And then her problems with Robert… Thank God he saw the light and came around. I would hate to see them split. They make such a wonderful couple… And the fact that Rob Lowe is so incredibly hot has nothing to do with it (oh well, maybe just a little…)

Then there are Scottie and Kevin trying to have a baby..   Tell you the truth, I don’t quite know how I feel about it… Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against gay couples having children… It’s just that Kevin has become a bit of a control freak and I’m just not sure I like that side of him. And Scottie is simply way too understanding… But I suppose that comes with love, right?

The one thing I am still wondering about is Holly and whether she will fall for Dennis’s trap or perhaps ahe will find out what the heck he’s up to… That may be interesting to watch. i only hope that Walkers will not suffer on the power struggle between their nemesis… Although I really thought that Holly came around… But I guess we will ahve to wait and see…