In Between the Covers: Verabear's Book Case

Book Shopping Playdate

2016-09-27T12:34:00.000+08:00

On a video chat with Amir and my Mom last week, I'd asked Amir if he wanted to hang out with us on Sunday. I thought of luring him with promise of getting books and it worked! He said he wanted to get colouring books. I knew how much he liked Activity Books but I wanted something he would read so I asked if he was interested in a book to read - he said yes, and about dinosaurs.

He was up early on Sunday morning and my Dad sent me a text:

At the mall, he held on to Kuya Dodong and raced me all the way to the National Book Store. Of course there was no contest! I almost couldn't keep up.

At the store, I had my own shopping to do so the hubby helped Amir pick the books he wanted. He ended up with 2 activity books on Dinos, a book of trivia on the same subject, and a 4th book on - you'd never guess it - Angry Birds The Movie!

That last one he picked right off the shelf all by himself. Each book he chose, he thumbed through before deciding. We showed him other books and he said "No, thanks," for those he didn't find interesting. He seemed content with just getting one, and he didn't ask for more than what he was offered.

It was such a pleasant shopping experience.

Look at that happy face:

I am currently reading a book about Bookshops and book sellers, and it brought back memories of bookstore trips with my parents. I am always grateful for being born into a family of readers, and this is my way of passing it on to my nephew.

All in all it was a happy Book Shopping Playdate, of course I didn't leave the bookstore without my own happy haul:

Another win for Philippine Publishing! I got The Big Fat Book of Self Love by the editors of body-positive blog Plump.Ph, The ABCs of Had Lettering by Abbey Sy (she recently launched a book on journaling which I would love to get too), and Chic by Daphne Osena-Paez. I also snagged this carry-all tote from the NBS x Chuvaness line - I used it at work today and got compliments on it. I love how roomy it is and it's made of canvas.

What have you picked up from the bookstore lately?

The Black Pearl by Scott O'Dell

2016-08-07T18:38:00.002+08:00

My 3rd book for the 2016 is another Newberry Honor Book this time from the year 1968, Scott O'Dell's The Black Pearl.

Cover art, no copyright infringement intended

This book tells the kind of story that captivates a young one's imagination and keeps him/her turning the page to find what happens next. It had somewhat of that effect on me, but being two or three times the age of the target demographic, I didn't quite finish reading in one sitting. I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

Ramon worked with his father in trading pearls. They owned a fleet that went out to sea to get pearls, and then come back to sell them. Apart from what their fleet brings home, other people also come to their shop to sell their finds.

At 16, Ramon felt that it was time for him to take a more active role in the family business. One day, he demanded his father take him with the fleet so he too can go out and seek the pearls. His father agreed but he didn't get to do the tasks he thought he would do.

He wanted more. And if his father wasn't about to let him learn to dive for pearls, he was going to find a way to do it on his own.

He succeeded and was able to bring home the Pearl of Heaven - a magnificent large black pearl. But the Indian Soto Luzon warned him that it belongs to the Manta Diablo who will demand it back one day.

This was just the beginning of an adventure for Ramon. The founding of the Pearl of Heaven brought in a new era for Ramon and he was never the same since.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

2016-06-01T20:38:00.000+08:00

What would you do if you were the lone survivor of a plane crash, and the landing site was in the middle of nowhere?

I wouldn't know what to do. I don't know how long I will survive. Days could probably pass before I starve to death because I have a lot of adipose fat that my body can use for fuel. But when that is no longer enough, I wouldn't really know what to do for food.

Image from Amazon

In this Newberry Honor Book, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, 13 year old Bryan is able to survive in the Canadian wilderness aided by his hatchet - a present that his mother gave him just before he left for the trip that would forever change his life.

This is a relatively short read, and targeted for children and young teens. It is a coming of age story of a young boy struggling through life as a child of newly divorced parents - and then living alone in the forest. One minute he was given a chance to handle the reins of a Cessna, then next he was witnessing the pilot have a heart attack. He then had to land the plane on his own minutes later.

He is bruised and battered. Then hungry, and very hungry. He learns to drink from the lake, pick berries (and eat in moderation), avoid bears, eat turtle eggs. He also makes a shelter, and builds a fire. He is resourceful, and his senses are heightened - he didn't used to be those, but he had to change. His environment and circumstances forced him to change. Forced him to grow up.

I bought this book not because I was interested in reading an adventure story but really because of the Nebwery Honor seal. It didn't disappoint. Maybe I just have good imagination, but you couldn't help but have a mental picture of the setting while reading. It's also a good way to initiate conversations around man vs. nature, positivity, navigating the world around you, and coping to change.

You are doing a Freaking Great Job

2016-05-24T17:06:00.000+08:00

For Christmas 2015, I received this small gem of a book from my colleague Amor. You are doing a Freaking Great Job and other reminders of your AWESOMENESS.

I love this book. It's a compilation of lines and quotes to remind you that all will be well. Each page is done beautifully, sometimes I feel like tearing it off and giving it away as a card or putting it up on display at my desk. The only thing that keeps from doing that is my selfish desire to keep them all in one place so I can look upon them again some other time.

Here's a sample page:

Every day at our Operations Team Huddle, we end our session with a quote off this book. I just flip through until everyone says STOP and read on. This is what we got today. Make Yourself Proud - Peter W. Smith

I truly truly appreciate this book. It helps me remind my team why we do what we do, and to keep on going. And in case you need a reminder - YOU ARE DOING A FREAKING GREAT JOB!

Buy it from Amazon, or from the National BookStore.

Amy, My Daughter by Mitch Winehouse

2016-05-02T19:00:00.000+08:00

Amy Winehouse was a singer-songwriter from the UK. She was multi-awarded and very talented. She also died young.

I'm not really her fan - I hardly knew her music. I've listened to a few and liked what I've heard, but at the height of her career I didn't really know a lot about her or her music. When she died though, I knew it made headlines. I remember seeing her photos on TV and that she had been called alcoholic and a drug addict.

This book was written by her father, Mitch Winehouse, and has been pretty straight forward. It's a narrative of a father who watched his only daughter zoom to the top, and also spiral down because of one addiction after another.

It seems that the family, her management, and even her record label, were all very supportive of her and were consistently around to help her quit her bad habits. They consulted specialists, they brought her to hospitals, but what puzzles me is why didn't they get her psychiatric help? If not for medication (she took replacement drugs for her coke habit), they should have sought therapy for her.

Based on what I've read, she had a lot of issues do deal with. She seeks attention. She harms herself. Her husband seems to love her but is so deep in drugs that he can's do right by her. She wanted to get better, but she just wasn't strong enough to do it on her own.

Her family setup the Amy Winehouse Foundation to help addicts and their families deal with this very complex problem. I hope that the Foundation is able to help others like Amy, so their story need not end so abruptly.

This was an easy read because the author's voice was quite easy to follow. But it was also quite sad too see such talent go to waste.

Breaking Bad

2016-03-07T15:47:00.000+08:00

I finally finished all 5 bad-ass seasons of Breaking Bad!

Wallpaper image from: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2014/04/27/breaking-bad-wallpaper-iphone-ipad/

Both the husband and I got hooked on Breaking Bad very late in its TV run. We actually didn't hear much about it until its last season, which is no surprise because it wasn't shown on Philippine TV. Not even on cable.

So in 2013, the husband downloaded the first season and we watched the episodes back to back to back during one of our rest days off work. We finished the first season and a few episodes from Season 2, and then we stopped.

Thanks to Netflix, I got to watch all the rest under a month's time.

I won't go and spoil the story for those who may be interested in watching the show. It is the story of a Chemistry teacher Mr White, diagnosed with fatal lung cancer who goes into the Meth business with his former student Jesse, to pay for his treatments and build up a fund to leave to his family when he dies.

What was to be just a few cooks ends up becoming a whole empire. And the rest is history.

You will be amazed at his brilliance, his intuition, and his... grit. He is like a bida-kontrabida in Pinoy teleseryes. You don't know whether to love him or to hate him. At times I felt like - this is so impossible, he gets away with everything! That doesn't happen. It just doesn't happen. But it does for him.

And oh how I hated his wife Skylar! And his sister-in-law Marie who was so annoying at times. But my favourite character has got to be Jesse Pinkman, such a softie Jesse was. He who lost his loved ones. Sigh.

Anyway, I still have major hangover for Breaking Bad that I'm diving right into watching a spin-off series - Better Call Saul.

Who else is a Breaking Bad fan here?

Aloha (2015)

2016-02-07T15:04:00.000+08:00

The movie Aloha was released in 2015 and it stars Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams.

Cooper is ex-Military who now works as a private contractor. He is coming back to Hawaii for another deal, and apparently, to also confront his past.

McAdams is his ex-girlfriend, now married to a US Air Force pilot. They have two children but pretty soon you are left wondering whether or not Gracie is actually Cooper’s daughter! Well is she, or isn’t she?

Stone is a Jet Fighter Pilot assigned to chaperone Cooper for this mission. She had such an insight into him, it's almost as if she was instantly smitten. At first, Cooper seemed annoyed by her but she wiggled her cute self right into his heart. And really, who wouldn't fall for Emma Stone, er Allison Ng?

Now Cooper's character has quite a job. He needs to convince the King of Hawaii to let the US Government use their land for a new space station. And succeeding in this job means a second chance for him. A second chance to work with his former boss - billionaire Carson played by Bill Murray - and a chance to redeem himself in the face of former colleagues.

It's an okay movie. Almost a romantic comedy, not quite a drama. The story isn't really much interesting, which is probably why this movie didn't make it to our shores. You just would stick with it because of the actors, they are quite endearing.

Anyway, here's the trailer:

2016 Reading Challenge

2016-01-12T18:22:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year fellow book lovers!

Over at Verabear I have declared that 2016 will be the year that I do the things that my heart yearns for. And we all know how my heart reaches out for books.

In 2015, I set a very low target of 15 books for my Goodreads Reading Challenge. Guess what happened?

I was short by one book. ONE BOOK! No!!!

Wait, that can't be.

A day before my 12-13-14 wedding I started reading Ten Christmas Brides, an Ebook collection of 10 separate novels about Christmas brides. By the end of 2015, I had already 4 of the 10 books, and at least one of those should count towards my 2015 goal. So, I rather say - I met my 2015 Reading Challenge! Yay, me! Haha.

Still, that's quite embarrassing for a book lover like me. Just 15 books? Seriously. But it is what it is. Let's just say there were other things on my plate and I didn't make time. I should have reviewed my own post and taken my own advise on finding time to read.

But as we turned a new page and just started 2016, so do I start on a new challenge: The 2016 Reading Challenge! This time, I'm pledging 16 books. Let's go for it!

How much reading do you plan to do this year?

Her Sister's Shadow by Katharine Britton

2015-08-10T14:56:00.001+08:00

This is the first Katharine Britton title I've ever read and on Goodreads, I gave it 4 stars.

Her Sister's Shadow is the story of two estranged sisters - Lilli an artist based in London, and Bea, who still lived in their family home in Whitehead, Massachusetts.

It started off a little too slow for me. It took 6 chapters before the author talked about the death of their youngest sister but you already kinda know that's what was going to happen - but you kept waiting how it would.

The sisters were estranged for 40 years. Yes, they talked occasionally, but they managed NOT to have a real relationship. I just couldn't imagine how they could let that happen to them for so long. And they had one more sister! I wonder why she didn't make them kiss and make up. I mean, if you were their sister, wouldn't you do what it takes to get them to resolve things?

I understand giving people space and time - but 40 years? Really?

Lilli left home and stayed away for so long because, in her mind, she wanted to step away from her eldest sister's shadow. Well, she found out, when they were so old and gray, that it wasn't her sister's shadow she needed to get away from - it was her own.

She was so full of anger, and perhaps some guilt too, that she kept herself from being happy. She looked at her eldest sister, she who always seemed to have it all together, and resented her. She felt that she was being controlled. And then betrayed.

But all along, she was really just being too selfish. Not everything was about her, and she didn't always have all the facts. She made up her mind anyway. And she kept her distance from her home.

Oh how I love their home! The author described it very beautifully. It seemed like a wonderful place to grow up in. I felt so sad that Lilli had wanted to stay so far from it, and how quick she was to decide it had to be sold. To have a home like that!

In their family, the responsibility to keep the home and preserve the memories went to the eldest sister. Traditionally, that role goes to the youngest Filipina sibling. Normally, it is the bunso that gets left at home - because everyone else comes of age and marries earlier. Not so with the Niles sisters.

In a way, I feel bad for Bea. She only meant well. Perhaps, she was too strong-willed. She also could have said something. She could have taken the first step so Lilli would come around. But I felt worse about Lilli. She grew old, but she didn't change much. Well, we all have a bit of Lilli in us - that bit that refuses to understand other people's perspectives. The lesson there for me is to learn genuine empathy, and to be open to understanding where others are coming from. And that some secrets shouldn't be kept so, at least not for long.

I didn't grow up with sisters but I had cousins. They don't always get along with each other, but I don't think they can go a whole year not seeing each other. What about you?
Do you have sisters? Can you imagine 40 years of not being in good terms?

Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (Newbery Honor 2008)

2015-07-30T18:24:00.000+08:00

One rainy day, while having my hair done, I had the pleasure of reading a Newbery Honor book - Feathers, by Jacqueline Woodson.

Hope is the thing with feathers...

Frannie learned a new poem in school and it had got her thinking. What does it mean? I was stuck on that for awhile too - what does it mean?

This short story is set in 1971. There was a new boy in Frannie's 6th grade class and he was white. The kids took to calling him Jesus Boy and he has longer hair than the other boys.

The school bully decided to pick on him, of course, but Jesus was not one to just let himself be bullied.

You can tell that Frannie was torn about doing the right thing and making it easier for the new guy. She was after all, the new girl once too. She knew it was right to invite him to sit at lunch together - or during break. But she couldn't do it. Well, at least not right away. I don't remember the way I think when I was that young. Do kids really hesitate to approach the new boy or girl? Aren't kids normally curious?

Anyway. Frannie knew how to do hand signs because that's how she communicated with her older brother Sean. It looks like he is a handsome, and is really good at basketball. Girls always had smiles for him, but when they realize he couldn't hear them, they tend to walk away. Frannie hates that. She thinks they are stupid girls. But she knows it's just because they didn't know her brother the way she does.

At a very young age, Frannie understood that we tend to look at people who are different from us a certain way - but that's just because we don't understand everything about them. She had a conversation with her brother about bridges across two worlds. A bridge from the African American side of the tracks to the other. A bridge between the hearing and non-hearing world.

At first Frannie couldn't get that Sean sees her as already living in both worlds - the hearing, and the non-hearing world. Sean didn't want to be confined to just his side. He wants to be able to live the normal life too.

Their mother got pregnant, and this worried them a lot. She had had miscarriages before, and those experiences took her away from her living kids because of how sad she was. But this time was different. Mom was getting better and the baby was thriving. Frannie learned that there is hope.

Hope is the thing with feathers... It always comes. It flies around. Up and down. All it needs is the right timing, an upwind. And it soars again. Hope is like that. It is never truly lost.

Cancer is a Bitch by Gail Konop Baker

2015-07-14T15:46:00.001+08:00

Cancer is such a bitch isn't it? This novel by Gail Konop Baker says just that. It shows us what goes on in a mother's mind as she struggles through the discovery of lumps in her breasts, a diagnosis, and the subsequent recovery.

It isn't always easy - what do you say in front of a person with cancer? What do you say to her family? It doesn't matter what we say - unless it's about a cure. So I guess we shouldn't worry and just be there for them.

In one of the chapters, the couple goes to a dinner party and she notices how different some people treat her now - after the diagnosis. And it can get overwhelming. She welcomed this one person who didn't know yet because he treated her exactly like he used to. And I guess that is important too. Although we make them feel special, or let them know that we care about them - it's also important that they feel normal. Some kind of normal.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I tend to agree to other reviews that say it is more about the woman's midlife crisis, more than it was about the cancer. While I was reading, I kept thinking about the 5 year old girl from the book Notes Left Behind, another family's journey with childhood cancer. No two stories are alike, of course, and one's experience isn't more valid than another's. So it's not that I want to compare the two stories - but I can't help but recall Notes Left Behind because it so touched my heart.

I really don't think there is any family out there that is completely untouched by Cancer. Somehow, each one of us is related to or knows someone who has been affected by any of its form. What else is similar among these experiences? That feeling that life is suspended - until recovery, or death. But that shouldn't be the case, no? No one means for it to be that way, it just happens.

I guess when you set out to read a book that deals with a life-threatening illness, you expect to come out learning a lesson or two. About how we should live the life we are meant to live now, instead of waiting. And how our choices determine our future, but that ultimately, we aren't in control of everything. In it's own way, this book tells you that, and a bit more.

Save Me by Lisa Scottoline

2015-06-30T15:54:00.001+08:00

Thank you, Lisa, for saving me. I had been in a reading rut and you just rescued me.

Rose McKenna went from stay-at-home Mom, to volunteer Mom, and then Hero Mom. But very quickly, she also found herself in the middle of a controversy - and it was her family versus the whole town.

This latest novel from Lisa Scottoline isn't the gripping legal thriller like all her other novels that we've read so far. It took awhile for the story to warm up to me, but it eventually did. It wasn't as page-a-turner as Daddy's Girl was, but it doesn't mean that it's not worth your time.

Central to the story was social media and how quick we are to judge someone without listening to their side of the story. A few months back, I had it in my head to write a post with this title: I am scared of Social Media. I couldn't articulate it well so I didn't get around to writing that article, but I thought of it after we figured in a car accident. While I was sitting in the driver's seat, collecting my wits, I was also thinking about what the people passing by must think about me. After all, my car was upright and we were not injured. While the delivery van that slammed into me was on its side, with the driver bleeding with wounds on his arm. To an outsider, it would have been so easy to judge that it was my fault and that we caused the accident. But it really wasn't. And there was my hubby and his ill-temper raising his voice at the other driver and his companions. Remember Amalayer? I didn't watch her video and only learned the full story when they featured her on MMK. That's how harsh social media could be.

Another thread that got me hooked on this novel was how Rose's predicament was related to the problem of peanut allergies. No, her daughter wasn't allergic to peanuts.

Have you heard of anyone in the Philippines being allergic to peanuts? I don't know anyone who is. And I'm pretty sure we don't have training that tells teachers to have kids with such allergies eat away from the general population. It sounds like a really challenging situation to have to deal with. Like we saw in the movie Horrible Bosses, simply touching an empty zipLock container of Peanut Butter Sandwich may cause a lethal allergy attack.

I've seen those on chocolate labels and labels of other food products, something that goes along these lines: "produced on equipment used to manufacture nut products." I never used to pay attention to them, but reading Save Me, I realize that those labels are life savers. And if companies fail to disclose that information, they could cause many deaths.

But Rose's near encounter with death, or the death of her daughter, wasn't because of peanuts. It was because of an explosion that causes a fire in the school cafeteria. Now that's all I'm going to say about it. You'd have to read the book to know more. :)

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

2015-05-04T17:29:00.001+08:00

I’d been seeing Nick Hornby’s books before and I’ve always known that High Fidelity was what the John Cusack movie was based on. I don’t know why I never got around to reading it. And when I did read it, I have mixed feelings about it.

Rob Flemming owns a record store. Is that what he’s wanted to do all his life? It was hard to tell. It’s actually hard to tell if he knew. In fact, it doesn’t seem like he knows much about what he wants out of life. Reviews of this book have him described as a spectator on the sidelines, Laura (the girlfriend that recently dumped him) says that he’s not living his life, and that he’s forever waiting for what’s going to happen. He cannot commit to anything or anyone because his afraid to miss what else might come along. Do you know anybody like that?

Typical guy, huh?

I think I didn’t take to this book right away because Rob was really a loser. And not an endearing loser at that. He was a snob who judged people based on their record collection. OMG. What would he think of me? I don’t have a proper record collection, and I don’t really have a top 5 of anything. Really. I thought of myself as a music lover (a long time ago) and I still do love music, I’m just not into remembering everything all the time and not into making lists (did I just justify myself there?). That’s how crappy Rob made me feel. Hah!

Oh well. Watching the movie was better. I’m not saying that I liked the movie version over the book lest book lovers the world over wage war against me. It was a better experience for me though because I’d already known the characters, and I like John and Joan Cusack. I also liked that Jack Black played Barry, Rob’s annoying staff at the Championship Vinyl.

It was a sign of how much Laura understood and loved Rob that she was able to do something for him that Rob really liked – deep down inside him. He would probably never have realized it for himself, or if he did, he might not have done anything about it. Bringing back the Gaucho for Rob to DJ was a great idea. Owning a record store turns out be one of the top 5 jobs ever. He was living a life he wanted after all, he just had to realize it.

Now let’s look at my life. I’m a senior manager at a BPO. Was this was I thought what I’d end up doing? Definitely not. I used to want to be a rebel. To go up the mountains, take arms, and fight for liberation. Things changed. I got involved in the Children’s Rights movement and I thought that that was going to be my life’s work. Things changed again. And ten years later, here I am somewhat successful in a career path I never thought I’d take. Am I happy? I’d have to say yes. Would I rather do something else? A month and a half ago I’d have said YES! In fact I was on my way to discover for myself what that something else was going to be. But things changed up at work and I’m busy again and liking what I’m doing. So I guess I’m staying put for now.

All that’s left is to have a Gaucho revival for me. I need an event or an activity that would make me feel that all those years haven’t been wasted. That I am making a contribution to the world. Now what could that event be? But seriously, even without one, I think I’m good. I have no doubt that what I do daily actually impacts other people’s lives in a big way. Or something. Hah!

Paano Ba ‘To?! by Bianca Gonzalez

2015-04-05T17:02:00.001+08:00

What do I not love about this book? Maybe it’s the fact that we are nearly the same age (I’m likely two to three years older than her), or that we were both December 2014 brides, or it could be because I watch her so much on TV, but I found her words relatable. Her intended audience seem to be the younger girls – late teens, early twenties – but that doesn’t stop me from smiling and recounting my own experiences as I flip through the pages.

The book has eight chapters: Family, Friendship, Love, Career & Money, Failures, Fashion & Beauty, Purpose, Self. Each chapter starts off with a Q n A, and then followed by Real Stories. Then there will be something from a celebrity/ies, before closing with 10 Things from Bianca that’s specific to the topic. At the end of each chapter is a page where the reader can become part of the book: there is a prompt and ample to space to write. I think I love that about the book – along with the sticker sheets. Soon, I will be using those prompts for blog posts over at Verabear.Net. Watch out for that.

Each chapter, and all over the inside front and back covers, you can find quotes and hugot lines. Kudos to the author for getting calligraphy artist Abbey Sy to work with her. Apart from the wonderful type found all over the book, the doodles (I assumed they are the author’s own) all over encouraged me to write on the book too. Maybe it’s because of all the marginalia from the book I read before this one (Ex Libris), but it just felt right to react real-time by writing down my thoughts on the white space around the text.

There is not much more to say, in terms of a review, other than to recommend it for others to read. I think that there is so much we can already learn from other people’s experiences and if it saves us from having to make the same mistakes – then that’s the real bonus.

One more reason to recommend this book to young women is that she sounds and feels genuine. Authentic. She owes up to the celebrity status, but she also uses that status to spread good. She does not try to convince us that she was perfect as she was growing up, and definitely didn’t try to come off as if she knew exactly what she was doing. That’s what makes her credible. She experienced life the way many of us did/do. Throughout the book there is also the sense of gratefulness – she acknowledges that she has been given a lot of opportunities and that what she has achieved now is a combination of her hard work, and the help of others around her.

I really like her, I like her example. And I would love for my nieces to get to know her thru this book, and maybe have her as one of their life pegs. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with absolutely everything that’s mentioned in the book, but I support the overall message that it tries to convey.

I do hope she writes another book, although I’d imagine I’d get bored if it would be exactly the same. As a follow up project she should release the type art that served as dividers for the book. I actually want to tear them off now and hang them in frames. (I just looked at the new Get To Work Book by Elise Blaha and her calendar page illustrated text are perforated so you can easily detach and hang as art print! That's exactly what they could have done with the lovely type pages on this one.)

Congratulations to Bianca Gonzalez-Intal on the success of her first book. I believe it’s been reprinted. In fact, I’m really happy about the local publishing industry as a whole. There’s been a number of books released recently that out sold really quickly. And it’s nice to see people at work toting a familiar book and reading during breaks. I have at least two more locally published books on my list to read. Make Your Nanay Proud was something I really enjoyed flipping thru earlier this year. Truly inspiring.
Are you reading Paano Ba ‘To?! Share your thoughts!

Where do you find the time to read?

2015-03-23T19:54:00.000+08:00

If it isn't obvious yet, I am a reader. :) Even at my busiest time, there is always space for books. However, this is not to say that I have read every book I own, or every book I wanted to read.

And I know that there are many of you out there, who are just like me who often say:

So many good books. So little time.

And when people are new to the fact that I read a lot, this question is sure to be asked:

Where do you find time to read?

Some just flat out declare:

I'd love to read, but I just don't have the time.

Here's the truth. I don't often have the time either. In fact, I didn't get to read much last year.

Was I busy? Stressed at work? Preparing for a big life event?

No. Not really. And, Yes.

My days were full, so I guess I was busy in a way, but it doesn't feel like I was too busy I couldn't pick up a paperback. In fact, I picked up a new game - FarmVille 2 on the iPhone. I also spent lots of time with my Loom Bands.

There were days when work was stressful, but it's a far cry from three or so years ago when I was spending long hours at work. Last year was actually the first time things got lite. So no, I can't blame work for not having had time to read.

Yes, I got married last year! But no, the wedding preparations didn't make me too busy that there was no time for an ebook or no space for a book in my bag.

Fact is, I tried to read more and just couldn't. There is no other way for me to explain this. Many times I'd pick up a book and I'd read a few lines, a few pages, but I get nothing. No reaction. Nothing clicks. So I put it down and try again another day. Or I try another book. And so on.

It was frustrating, but it taught me something: You have to be ready to read. It's not enough to just want to read. For me, it wasn't about not having time to read. It was as if there was a barrier to reading.

So what is one to do?

MAKE time to READ

Does it sound like I'm contradicting myself? This is for those of you who feel that the barrier to reading is time. Schedule reading into your daily activities. It could be 15 to 30 minutes after each meal. Or it could also be part of your night-time routine when you wind down for bed. Get in 5 pages before breakfast. Pick a schedule and stick to it.

For those really, really busy with WORK, errands, and house chores, this means always toting a book along with you so you can use the pockets of time when you do nothing but wait -

Read a few pages at the waiting area at your doctor's appointment, or anywhere you need to wait in line.
Scan a few lines while your food cooks
A chapter or two during your commute to and from work
Read while the little one watches Hi-5 or is busy building a tower, or setting up a road rally.
While the husband is out shopping, I read in the car, or at a cafe. He doesn't need fashion advise from me (be sure to regulate the cash he has on hand!)

If you find yourself mindlessly clicking thru online articles, one after the other, evaluate whether you'd rather finish your book instead. You have time.

Don't force it

If it doesn't spark your interest after a few pages. Let it go. It doesn't mean it's a bad book, or that you don't have to ever read it again, it just means that now's not the time for you to read it.

That's how it was when I read Wicked, which turned out to be one of my favorites. Same thing with Revolutionary Road. And again last month while reading Love Walked In.

So if you and your book don't click, just move on to the next one. Don't force it. That's why it's also important to -

Have more than one book accessible to you

If it's still reading time when you realize that book 1 isn't your thing, pick up another book. Or open your reading app and start actually reading one of your ebooks.

If you are a true bookworm, even if you're more of the old-school reader like me who prefers the touch of the page and the smell of books old and new, you already have a growing digital book collection. Now's the time to open that Kindle app and get reading.

Setup your reading space

I read while sitting upright, but I can be just as comfortable lying down. Find your own spot where there isn't a lot of distraction.

While vacationing for the first time with my husband's family last year, my spot turned out to be a lounge chair at the second-floor balcony. At home, I can sit anywhere. I also find that I really like reading at the driver's seat - while parked of course.

Challenge yourself

Goodreads has really helped jump-start my reading year 2015. In January, I decided to read along with the monthly book discussions with The Filipino Group. We are reading High Fidelity all through April.

I also set a goal of reading 15 books this year as my 2015 Reading Challenge. Since I didn't read much last year, I figured 15 is achievable. I hope to read more though. You can check the widget on my sidebar to know how I'm keeping up. :)

So I hope I've helped convince you that you can read more, NOW. Do you have other tips to cultivate a reading lifestyle?

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman

2015-03-13T19:19:00.000+08:00

Have you ever heard of a Traveling Book? I am a member of The Filipino Group on Goodreads and we currently have three of them. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman is the 3rd traveling book, but the first one I've been fortunate to receive and read.

It took me five days to finish the 162-page book, but I probably would have finished sooner if I really wanted to. This is a collection of essays and each one, to me, was relatable. So relate-able that I was compelled to write a response to the essay, or to the marginalia from previous readers.

As you will see in this photo, readers before me have enriched the book with their comments. I followed suit and enjoyed the exercise. Truly enjoyed it.

Ex Libris is a book about books and reflect much of how I feel about reading, and about my books. As for my own confession, there was a time that I was wont to be jealous or envious of the kind of books in Ms. Fadiman's library. I am not as acquainted to the classics as I would like to be, and much of the authors and great writers she mentioned I have never read. Does that mean she is a better book lover than me? Is she a better reader?

I quickly corrected myself. As much as there are body image issues, it occurred to me that there may be, among book lovers, a book collection image issue. No matter what trash one might find in my library of books, if I choose to keep it in my library, then it means that in one way or another, that book struck a chord in me. So perhaps I should also rethink about my tendency to look at another's collection of books only to turn up my nose at all the Tagalog romance novels I see there. Just because I don't read those books means they are not good ones.

Our home is overflowing with books. One thing that needs to be done is to curate our growing library. In the book, Fadiman wrote about the marriage of her library to her husband's. In my case, it won't be a difficult marriage. Alfred, my husband, is not as much a reader as I am. Still he has gathered a small collection of photography books and magazines, along with some graphic novels and short stories by Filipino writers. My parents are readers, but they have long learned to part with books they've already read. Perhaps it's all the moving we've done thru the years.

Already on my wish-list of home improvements is to curate our book collection.

List all the titles in every nook and cranny of our two-storey home.
Categorize between keepers and non-keepers.
Find the proper home for the keepers in the limited shelving available.
As for the non-keepers, that is yet another project to undertake. List them for friends to freely choose from; sell them for a bit of profit; or leave them on the sidewalk; or build a little free library and put them on display. Non-keepers don't mean bad books, they're just not going to be part of our collection because we have to admit that we can't hold on to every book and magazine we buy.

Anyway. How's your library?

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

2015-01-27T19:04:00.001+08:00

This book has been sitting on one of my TBR piles since the NBS book sale in January 2014. Anticipating having to wait in line for errands we had to take care of over the weekend (I first started writing this post back in November – don’t get me started on that), I grabbed it off the shelf and shoved it into my bag. As it turned out, I didn’t have a lot of waiting to do but I still found time to read. I was quite happy to have started and finished a novel over the weekend.

The book was published in 2011. At the time of its release, the book and its author, Samantha Sotto, had been featured on blogs that I’d been following. More than the mystery that her character Shelley had to solve, I was more interested in reading a novel set in Europe, written by a first-time Filipina author.

There were no dull moments in Before Ever After. It wasn’t just the story of Isabelle and her ancestors that got me hooked. It was the virtual tour of Europe that was even more interesting. I had visited Pere Lachaise (a famous cemetery in Paris) before I turned 18, but I didn’t get to know much about the events that took place there. I also took that arduous walk up the steps of Sacre Coeur Cathedral and its tower – so while Shelley was describing it, I felt like I was rushing to keep up with her. I still dream of going on trips to Europe, and the story took me for a ride that further fueled my longing.

Apart from my bias for the setting, I was gripped by the sadness, the emptiness, that the main character felt after having lost her husband. It brought to mind writings of another blogger who counted the days since her world was turned upside down by the sudden death of her husband, and her transition from happy parents of two kids, to single mom of two. It was something i couldn't, and wouldn't, grip.

What’s gripping is the story. I can’t explain it. I can’t say that it was well-written. It actually felt rough around the edges, in a manner of speaking. But it was good. What’s conflicting to me was that it felt like reading serious historical fiction, but with a chick lit vibe. You know what I mean? I won’t even try to explain.

It is a recommended read though. I wonder when her next book comes out?

To know more about what the book is really about, here’s the book trailer.

Mini Library at Papemelroti

2014-11-10T18:14:00.001+08:00

While waiting for lunch to be served at RUB a few weeks ago, I took the time to finally checkout the mini library outside the Papemelroti flagship store at Roces Avenue. I see those shelves often when I pass by, but this was the only time I got to get up close and personal.

I was right! Just like the Little Free Library, those two bookshelves were free for all. People are encouraged to take a book or leave a book. Or both. Of course, I had to take one!

My pick was a children's classic - Laura Ingalls-Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods. I hadn't read it before though I've heard of the author and the Little House series in the past. There was a good variety of books on those shelves, definitely something for everyone.

I'll have to go back one of these days to drop off a book from my own stash.
I really wish I could have my own free little library outside the house. It's a wonderful way to share the love for reading.

Have you seen this mini library? Would you take or leave a book?

The Ladies Farm by Viqui Litman

2014-04-13T16:13:00.001+08:00

The book’s description over at Amazon starts with this line, and I immediately found out why:

Steel Magnolias meets The First Wives Club in a touching and hilarious novel of friendship, love, sex, dreams, and good hair.

The Ladies of THE Ladies Farm are what you’d call experienced ladies. They are past middle-age, and have been married once (even twice) before, maybe even widowed. It’s like chick lit for older chicks And it was a fun read.

Together they built a wonderful home for themselves – a forever home, really – as well as a transient home for other ladies (young and old) where they could rest, nourish their spirit, relax, and have fun.

The clincher is that more than one woman in the story was in love with the same man, and they didn’t know about it until after he died. How they stayed friends despite it, is what makes the story quite interesting.

When I picked this book up to read last week, I didn’t know what to expect. I flipped it over to find out where and when I had bought it, and saw this price tag:

Pick A Book. This means I’ve had this book since before November 2010, which was when I posted about missing that old place. Good thing I finally got to read it. Now it’s time to give it away. No, not for free. But if you’d like to have it, I’m selling this copy for PhP 100.00 plush shipping fee of Php 50.00. Just leave me a message.

Summer Reading Camp 2014

2014-03-29T19:55:00.001+08:00

I’ve never heard of a reading camp before, but it sure sounds fun.

DiksyonaryoAtbp is a non-stock, non-profit organization that aims to encourage love for reading, and help raise literacy in the Philippines. They collect storybook and dictionary donations, as well as support scholars in Benguet schools.

Here are the details of the reading camp (lifted from an announcement in Facebook):

• READING CORNER –read all the books they want from Filipino writers c/o Adarna House Publishing
• ART CORNER – unleash their inner artist by engaging in art activities related to their favorite stories
• STORYTELLING CORNER – listen as your favorite Filipino children’s literature comes alive in the voice of the best storytellers around

Aside from participating in these events, parents/ children can also avail of Adarna House books on site, which they can donate for DiksyonaryoAtbp 's future projects or take home for themselves.

To register your child, please visit http://projectdiksyonaryo.com/summer-reading-camp-registration/

(Official Poster designed by Risa Angela Rodil)

This really looks like my kind of event. I wonder if Amir would be interested? Since this is a Saturday I doubt if Alfred can join us, so maybe I’ll ask the grandparents if they’d like to bring Amir. I’ll tag along but I’ll try to get some reading done under the trees myself rather than watch the little boy. Hehe.

Marie Forleo interviews Arianna Huffington re “Thrive”

2014-03-26T15:51:00.001+08:00

What is our definition of success? Marie Forleo and Arianna Huffington discuss it in this insightful interview revolving around Huffington’s latest book: Thrive.

Well-being, wisdom, and wonder.

Sleeping. Being in the moment. Dropping things off your perpetual to-do list. And much more. Already, I’ve picked up tips I’d like to work on in my life.

The interview, specially Marie’s excitement, got me really interested in owning the book and reading it. I know my birthday isn’t for months yet, but if you’re getting me a gift, would you kindly choose this one please?

Anyway… do watch the video, it’s 15 minutes and well worth your time. Let me know if and how it inspires you too

1001 Movies You Must See (Before You Die)

2014-03-22T06:24:00.001+08:00

I really like watching movies, but I’m not the type who remembers so much trivia about the movies years later. That’s why I find it hard to pick when asked what my favorite movies are.

One thing I also find hard to do, is recommend what movies one absolutely must see. Unless I recently watched the film. Anyway. I stumbled on this video today, and now I want to see all those films I haven’t seen yet.

If you have the actual 1001 titles, please share.

Starting Over Again (2014)

2014-03-03T16:45:00.001+08:00

It was a cool Saturday morning. The sun was up, but it was a cool and sunny kind of day. I had met up with my friend Vanette at the Amoranto Sports Complex Pool for a much needed swimming session. We hadn’t seen each other in a year and a half, but it was like no time was lost.

The pool closes for lunch, and we were the last swimmers out of the water. Truth be told, I required the help of the Lifeguards to get out of the pool. I’d be ashamed of it, but shame isn’t an emotion I invest any energy into. So moving on… We were getting out of our swimsuits and into dry clothes when we decided to see a movie. We both haven’t seen the latest Star Cinema movie offering and it seemed like the best time to see it.

We dashed off to the new mall along Quezon Avenue – Fisher Mall. There are hardly any shops open yet, but the cinemas were in full blast. They’re good cinemas too, I hope they can maintain it.

Anyway, about the movie.

I have always loved seeing Toni Gonzaga in the big screen. She’s a great comedian, and she does drama just as well. And Piolo, well, much is always expected of Piolo and he always delivers onscreen. We see a different Toni here – she allowed herself to have a kissing scene, for one, and she also had a bed scene! Whew. Haha.

But seriously, I loved the film.

I liked the Mama Mary scene where Ginny, Toni’s character, was crying over having been rejected for the Mama Mary role in the school play. Her reaction upon learning that Marco (Piolo) already had a new flame, and was planning to propose. And again her reaction to seeing how she looked like.

Fueled by the words Marco used in his four-year-late email, Ginny was determined to win him back. It was unreal seeing a very well dressed celebrity looking lady brave our railways, and take the bus, and fight for a cab. You just don’t see that everyday. Yet she did it, in her quest to spend face time with the guy she still loved.

I like how the film showed us both perspectives – that of the man that was left behind, his heart broken into a million pieces – and that of the girl who left, her young heart just as broken.

I began to root for Ginny – they were good for each other. Marco supported her in her dreams, and she supported Marco in his. It seemed like such a waste of good history having had a chance to meet again and not get back together.

I’ve heard a lot say that the scenes between Ginny and her friend (played by Beauty Gonzales) was a favorite. It’s not hard to like it, seeing as they were alternately laughing and crying their hearts out. We’ve all done that at one time or another, with or without the influence of alcohol.

Ginny’s confrontation scene with Patty is also one for the books. Patty’s grace and restraint was remarkable. I don’t think I can muster that.

In the end, what can we learn from that love story?

Love has no room for fear. Yes, there are so many things we can be fearful of, but we need to trust in love. Trusting in love means coming out about what we fear, so something can be done about it. Even if it means possibly hurting the one we love. A little hurt isn’t so bad from time to time, specially if it means you come out better and stronger together.

In our early years as a couple, I would not be happy about something that the boyfriend does or says. But I would shut up about it thinking it would just hurt him to hear what I’d have to say. I’d rather keep it, than cause a rift between us. But doing that actually makes a bigger rift. And it does nothing to make us better versions of ourselves.

Like Ginny, there was also a time when I felt that my partner wasn’t applying himself enough. That he could be so much more than what he’s willing to expect from himself. Instead of fearing that it’s what all he could ever be though, I tried to be patient and supportive until he found something he could be passionate about. After all, we need to find it within us to really apply ourselves, no one can tell us what or how. I am so glad I stuck around.

One mistake cannot define a whole relationship. Love can be greater than a single mistake. But there must be mutual love, and respect, and understanding. I have learned this too.

If there’s anything we deem important, let’s say it. Now. There’s no point in waiting for a later time. Later won’t be the same. Later might be too late.

And finally, no matter how life events seem like the end of us, we can always start over. Always. It’s not always easy, and it’s not like it can be just the way it was before, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It is just as well.

I’d love to watch it again, but until it’s replayed over and over on CinemaOne, I’ll have to be content with the full trailer. Sigh.

Always and Forever by Cathy Kelly

2014-02-25T05:03:00.001+08:00

If there was anything positive about having sick days it would be not wanting to be in front of a computer and being in the perfect mood to curl up with a book. Oh and being pampered if there was someone available to pamper you.

Just this weekend, being down with some kind of stomach flu meant crossing one book off my endless To Be Read list.

I've read only one Cathy Kelly book before this - Best of Friends - and she instantly became one of my favorites. She writes of women, friendships, small towns, and the Irish.

Always and Forever is set in Carrickwell, just outside Dublin. Daisy, Mel, and Cleo, were each on their own paths that eventually diverge as they embark on even better and happier versions of their lives. What brings them together? The new spa in town - Cloud's Hill, and it's enchanting proprietress Leah.

I can identify myself with Daisy - curvy, has been in a long term relationship with a sweetheart she met while still in college, successful in her chosen career, wants to have a baby. But I don't have her inferiority complex. I also identify with young Cleo - fiery, confident, and speaks her mind like nobody's business. But I've learned to control my temper and be mindful of my words long ago. For Mel it was a juggling act every single day. She was hard put to find the balance between finding self fulfillment as a career woman and rearing her two daughters both under five years old. I can see myself in her too - although I find some fulfillment at work, my heart is mostly somewhere else. And when I get blessed with my own children, I will struggle each day to keep everything up in the air.

They each went thru a crisis that I hope to never have to go through. But if I do, it's good to know that all will be well. That I can overcome, like they did.

Leah believes that "The secret to surviving... Was opening your eyes and seeing the world and yourself for what they both were." She helps the women to take a step back and re-evaluate the situation with fresh eyes. It sounds so simple, but I do understand why it isnt always so easy to do. We each have a lens with which we view the world so we interpret things, actions, and words differently. And when we are set in our own ways, it's a challenge to un-set us.

The three women came to Leah and Cloud's Hill to relax and unwind. They left having been renewed and reenergized to face life head on and with more clarity too. It is true, we are only as beautiful outside as we are inside

Til now, as I write this post sitting up on a bed at the ER (sick day, remember?), I can't quite understand why the novel is entitled Always and Forever. I guess it's because the story reminds us that those we love and cherish, no matter what happens, will remain in our hearts always and forever. And knowing that, well, allows us to face each day with a brave face and a heartful of courage.

Frozen (2013)

2014-02-09T00:31:00.001+08:00

Almost three months after its release, and after hearing good reviews about it, I finally got to watch the Disney animated movie – Frozen.

I really thought that the older sister, Elsa, new Queen of Arendelle, was the main character in the story. After all, you’ll see the posters featuring her in the middle. And the hit song “Let it go” was hers too (love the song, by the way).

What I realized though, is that it’s her younger sister Anna, Princess of Arendelle, that deserved the limelight.

In the beginning, Anna was the picture of a young girl, insisting on her kind of fun without thinking about consequences. When an accident prompts their royal parents to keep them apart, Anna wonders why her elder sister refuses to see her when they used to do everything together. When all grown up, she is still a giddy young girl, who falls in love with a Prince she just meets.

Elsa, on the other hand, was a dutiful daughter. More than anything though, I think she was terrified at what her powers were really about. She lived in isolation, hardly speaking or seeing the outside of her room, unless absolutely necessary. She is crowned Queen the day she comes of age, but she dreads the coronation, and having to welcome everyone into the palace.

Elsa shows us that sacrifice is loving too. She knew she could hardly control her power, so she chose isolation rather than hurt anybody.

Anna teaches us that no matter the odds, we should never give up on family. She braved the cold to find her sister and bring her back. And when confronted with a choice of saving her own life versus saving her sister, she made the ultimate sacrifice.

So many lessons in that movie. Elsa even tells Anna that she can’t marry someone she just met! That one was really funny, and true too. This was also the movie where Prince Charming wasn’t all he seemed to be, and a smart, independent, young woman, rises to the top and rules a kingdom. I’m not sure what kind of lessons kids actually get, but it is a fun and entertaining movie, for sure.

Another thing I really loved about the movie is its soundtrack! Can’t help but feel proud that Filipino-American Robert Lopez and his wife were behind it.

Check out some of the songs from Frozen