Book Comment: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbrath

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Title: The Cuckoo's Calling

Author: Robert Galbraith
No. of pages:455
Published: 30th April, 2013
Read: October 24, 2014
★★★

A brilliant debut mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide.

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this. 

Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

As I began reading it I already had the idea who the real antagonist is and DISAPPOINTEDLY found out at the end of the book that I WAS RIGHT! It was a good feeling but I was looking for a real twist making me comment that the plot is somehow predictable. It is a book that made me interested on how the author would expound on the plot but it did not really have me hooked. There were parts that were dragging and I feel like there were loopholes. I was hoping for more gravity on the different characters of the book. I was expecting a better ending – one that has more impact. I didn’t even feel the climax of the book but I must say this will again be one of those that would be adapted in movies or TV series.

Bought this upon reading the back of the book review. To be honest, I wasn’t aware that it was J.K Rowling in pseudonym who wrote this. Her writing is still commendable coming from children to young adult genre. This book series, Cormoran Strike, looks promising. BUT Rowling has a really long way to go in this category.

Overall, it was still a good read. It is worth buying because it is still J.K Rowling and who knows when she will also be able to penetrate this genre, with this novel as her starting point.

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Fashion Friday: The LAST Oscar Dela Renta Spring RTW

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Funny how I was thinking of posting my favorites of his latest runway show and then I read the sad news. I like Oscar Dela Renta for his dainty and feminine, polished and youthful designs. It is just saddening that this world lost another creative soul.  

 

His Spring 2015 RTW collection is to my liking because of the simple silhouettes and yet combined with the right pop of colors and patterns, they were joyous to the eyes. Below are some of the pieces and my favorites.

I'll miss his works definitely. :(

 

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SAVED Festival 2014

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October 11, 2014

Smart Araneta Coliseum

My third time to attend Saved Festival and finally with my churchmates!! :) 

Booked our tix as early as its first day of release! And not to be dismayed it was an awesome worship night!!! It's the only Christian event I've been to that noone screamed "mooore moooore" towards the end, not because people are bored or bitin but because this event gave us a glimpse of how worshipping in heaven would be like - non-stop!! Victory Worship and Esterlyn bands lead the first part of the worship. A short message was delivered by Francis Chan. Finally, Israel Houghton lead the worship for the rest of the night. Waaahhhh gave me the same feeling of hearing them on my player. Such an anointed band! Blessed to have experienced this night.

With this pretty bunch! Wasn't able to see the rest of my churchmates!

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September Lunch and Coffee Dates

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Okay so I ran out of excuses for all the backlogs in my blog hahaha! Sometimes I still wish I could have the luxury of time I used to have on those active blogging days. Oh those were the days indeed. Moving on to what this post is about...

A compilation of my eat-out's with the people that matter last September! Ever since I started working in Alabang, spontaneous coffee and lunch dates declined significantly and so each time I had the chance to meet and eat with people I feel giddied. Haha!

September 20 - Cafe Adriatico and CBTL date after Manila Book Fair slash client meet-up with Arianne and Sy (who is not in the picture). It's an in-between book club session! We had fun (of course) at the MIBF2014 and the catching up too! 

 

September 26 - Yabu with the parents, my Fridates that night. It was their first time and they enjoyed it!! I like it when they enjoy restaurants other than those that offer Filipino dishes. My parents are typical. They especially enjoyed the unli cabbage and fruits hahaha! That night I felt like an only child! Hihihi. 

September 28 - The night prior to this, I already had steak but still craved for something meaty and so ta-daaaa! Racks!!! Happy tummy!! And the Coldstone dessert right after. Made sweeter having it with boss amo Luke. :)

September 30 - What a way to end September --  with my lovelies. A night of catching up as it's been a while. Hmmmm we should plan our next travel already. We tried Teddy's Bigger Burgers at Greenbelt, and we all got disappointed. Too pricey for a burger that was not really that big, too salty patty and dry buns. To compensate our dismayed taste buds, we had Gelatissimo gelato!  So blessed with this bunch of ladies. I will forever be grateful for having them.

And there goes some eat-outs, as I may have missed some eat-out, for September. 

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Fashion Friday: Some Picks on Spring 2015 RTW

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With the fashion calendar just beginning, and the just ended series of fashion weeks (NY, London, Milan, Paris) it was so hard to catch up on them all. Ya know stuck up in my corporate workstation for eight hours a day Haha! Anyways, here are my top picks on just a few collections. Ah not really top as I always find it hard to trim down my choices to a few. Haha! Starting from the latest fashion shows. Hayyyy I wish I have an extra 24 hours just to catch up, something like October 3.5 but it still has 24 hours in it, an invisible day between Friday and Saturday sort of. 

Hermes

Paul & Joe

Paule Ka

Valentina Yudashkin

Chanel

Alexander McQueen

Valentino

Emanuel Ungaro

Leonard

Elie Saab

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Thankful Thursday: September Edition

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01 Thank you, Lord, for allowing this day to happen. A lot of lack on my part and still you gave me a chance. Thank You for allowing me to have no regrets at the very least. Thank You for paving way to meet new people who I know would be justifications of Your sovereignty.

02 A surprise visit from an architect and friend. What a night of catching up. So blessed with this young lady who never forgets.

03 My kit has arrived. Almost a month of design and layout approval and delays it’s nice to see how good it turned out to be. Thankful for patient contacts and generous feedback. Praying for these that it would lead back more clients.

04 As a Filipino, I feel thankful for this milestone of a win. The Philippines is blessed with talented and skilled people who pour their hearts out on whatever craft they have. Just like Gilas Pilipinas, a very good representation of our nation. Blessed that the whole world recognizes such talents.

05 The time of the month I am reminded of being blessed by a man like my boyfriend. I love him more every month. Days have been busy for the both of us and I feel thankful for his usual understanding.

06 What a Saturday. Thankful for today’s overall productivity - meeting my dressmakers, breakfast with my family, teambuilding and dinner, and a date with my boss amo, chilling catching up at my favorite coffee shop, played in Game Zoo and sang our hearts out. Saturdays like this may be tiring but worth it.

07 Sunday was comprised of another set of random events. Blessed to have spent more time with boss amo, see good family relationships, squeezed in a collab meeting, and this book haul. It’s my guilty pleasure to shop and spend for books and I like it even more when it’s on a cover not published here locally.

08 Monday’s productivity. The day started to be unkind at work, but thank God for I know He made me feel better. Prayers are really helpful.

09 Stayed until midnight at work. Crazy working on 2015-2017 budget. Crazy system shutting down during the time it was most needed. Thankful for this Hansel Premium which seriously helped me survive having no lunch and dinner full meals. Crazy day.

10 To again surprise a colleague on his special day, one of the things I feel really happy and grateful doing.

11 Putok-batok birthday treat! I enjoyed eating liempo!!!

12 Orders.

13 Finally my hair’s much needed treatment and trim and recolor. Salon bonding with my Mom, too!

14 Cheap staycation and another opportunity that lead to this.

15 Today, I wanna thank the Lord for guiding me past the exam and job interview and acing them, amidst my really under the weather feeling. Whatever the result of the upcoming interview will be I would not regret anything. Also, I thank whoever is behind this Amber’s pichi-pichi recipe. It’s been my favorite ever since and today’s comfort food for the sick lady.

16 Felt a little bit better. Also blessed for some “investment talk” with my uncle, dinner and coffee night with the family, despite feeling sick, was able to go by today.

17 It’s that time of the year!!! Book haul during day one of Manila International Book Fair 2014!! More books the merrier haha!

18 Three-month lag recognition! Haha! Funny how I wasn’t expecting anything at all.

19 Mini gathering with my aunts and uncles. Thankful for moments like this. My relatives are my treasures too! Thankful for my uncle who finally will give the support I need!! Thankful for my aunts who also provided support in another way!! So blessed, thank You Lord!!

20 Saturday spent well and productively: bonding with relatives before they fly home. Bonding with my parents. Fabric sourcing. Client meeting. And book fair again! Catch-up date with fellow book club members. Quality time with boss amo. Fun long day!

21 Things that God definitely purposed to light up people’s moods. Just noticed these daisies in bloom as I enter our little garden. Simple joys.

22 Monday and I read a book at work. My report won’t allow me to multitask on the background. It’s a blessing in disguise!

23 Grateful for my father and an additional knot to his rope.

24 Seeing just this katya make my heart skip with joy! I can’t explain the feeling. Praying for the final outcome!

25 Two days ago I started reading this book and now finished it. I feel blessed with the lives and testimonies of the people mentioned in and with the fullness of this book. I learned a lot and I feel more motivated now.

26 Date on a Friday night with my parents. Took them to Yabu, a not so familiar restaurant to them and glad that they liked it. Oh the simple joys of unli-cabbage and fruits made our night haha! I love it that I was able to spend time with them!

27 I feel so glad and excited seeing my first ever bride fit the wedding gown in katya form. I still pray for the success of the final outcome of the whole wedding entourage dresses.

28 Glad that I was able to attend church service today, meeting for the collab and spend time with my boss amo over Racks dinner and Coldstone!!

29 House tripping with my boss amo today and lots of quality time with him! Praying and excited but of course let His will be done.

30 What a way to endmy September - date night with my lovelies. How I missed them. Glad and blessed to know that I have them always.
 

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