I haven’t been out and about too much, and I haven’t been doing any blog-worthy stuff lately. I’ve been reading a 541-page book, which is why I haven’t even been doing any “What I’m Reading” sections lately either.

What I’m Reading

Almost a month after reading the second book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, I finally got a hold of the third book, City of Glass.

I actually have a completely random story to share about this book that has nothing to do with the actual book.

When I scrolled through my public library’s online catalog, I noticed that this book was available, and put it on hold so nobody could check it out while I was going to the library. About three or four hours later, I went to the library to pick up the book from the shelf and saw that it wasn’t there. I thought to myself, “maybe they moved it to the hold area for me,” and went to the Items on Hold shelf near the circulation desk. I saw that it wasn’t there either, so I hopped on one of the library computers and looked it up again. To my astonishment, it showed that it was checked out, and my hold was still pending.

I went to the circulation desk to ask them why they permitted someone else to check out a book that was on hold, and nobody could give me an answer. Which is why I had to wait about three weeks more than expected to even be able to check out this book.

Back on topic. In City of Glass, the main character, Clary, continues her journey to try and break the spell cast on her mother that put her into a deep state of unconsciousness. Along the process, Clary tries to solve her other problems, including the relationship issues she has with her friends and family, the dangers brought to her and the people around her by demonic forces, and the restrictions placed on her due to her young age and inexperience. By the end of the book, we learn something revolutionary about another main character, Jace, and we find out if Valentine in fact succeeds in taking over the Shadowhunters.

City of Glass was originally intended to be the last installment in the Mortal Instruments series, but the author decided to add three more books to the series due to its massive popularity. Back when I read the first book, City of Bones, I said that it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be, but for some unexplainable reason, still made me want to keep reading; at the end of the first book, I liked it. The same situation slightly continued during the second book, but it got better and better, and by the third book, it had secured my interest. I still don’t know why I feel so attracted to this series, and still cannot explain lucidly why I like this book so much. From its literal value, it seems like an average book, but it has something mysterious about it that makes it far superior than many other books I’ve read.

Like the other books in this series, I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in fantasy themes, and recommend it to just about anyone that wants to read an enigmatically good book. Like all other series, I suggest that if you decide to read this book, you should start with the first book in the series so you understand the background of all the characters; the third book makes references to things that happened in the first and second books that are necessary to fully understand what is happening.

The Daily Shoot Assignment of the Day

Please note that all three of the following pictures were taken in low-light environments, and are not as high-quality as they could have been.

Thursday, August 19, 2010: Make a photograph of something you eat today. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack. Make it look tasty.

Friday, August 20, 2010: Make a photograph with a shallow depth of field today. Get in close if you need to force it with the lens you have.

Saturday, August 21, 2010: Make a photograph from a high point of view. Get on top of a building, use a ladder, or just look down at a small object.