Updated Book List ( at last )

“We read to know that we are not alone.” - C.S. Lewis

Since the start of this year, I put it upon myself to make a list of all the books I've read in a month. And I was able to do so, at least for the first quarter of the year, though. You can check it out here.

I think I'm lazy. Once I started to get engrossed in a book, I just completely zone out everything ( except my work, of course ) I have this thing of sticking a POST-IT note on the first page of the book I will read and jot down the title, author's name, date started and date finished. It's my way to keep track of the books I've read and the time it took me to finish them.

Somehow, I muster enough willingness to come up with the list and update it diligently. It's not much actually. I usually get the books I read from the library ( which has become my favorite haunt during my days off ) and some I buy from discount stores ( if and when I want my own copy of a book that I particularly like) And so, here it goes...

APRIL 2011 

1. The Help ( Kathryn Stockett )
2. Up Island ( Anne Rivers Siddons )
3. And Thereby Hangs A Tale ( Jeffrey Archer )
4. Mirage ( Soheir Khashoggi)
5. Water for Elephants ( Sara Gruen)

MAY 2011

1. The Mermaid Chair ( Sue Monk Kidd )
2. False Impression ( Jeffrey Archer )
3. Someone Knows My Name (The Book Of Negroes ) ( Lawrence Hill )
4. World Without End ( Ken Follet )

JUNE 2011

1. Roots ( Alex Hailey )
2. The Kite Runner ( Khaled Hosseini )
3. Life Without Limits ( Nick Vujicic )
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns ( Khaled Hosseini )
5. The Book of Awesome ( Neil Pasricha )

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.”  - Oscar Wilde

JULY 2011

1. The Distant Hours ( Kate Morton )
2. Sarah's Key ( Tatiana de Rosnay )
3. Marathon Woman ( Kathrine Switzer )
4. Any Known Blood ( Lawrence Hill )
5. To Be A Runner ( Martin Dugard )
6. The Hours ( Michael Cunningham )

AUGUST 2011

1. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan ( Lisa See )
2. Let's Take The Long Way Home- A Memoir of Friendship ( Gail Caldwell )
3. A Cup of Friendship ( Deborah Rodriguez )
4. Dreams of Joy ( Lisa See )
5. Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone ( J. K. Rowling )
6. The Splendor of Silence ( Indu Sundaresan)

SEPTEMBER 2011

1. Ancestor Stones ( Aminatta Forna )
2. Burnt Mountain ( Anne Rivers Siddons )
3. Kabul Beauty School (Deborah Rodriguez)
4. A Fine Balance ( Rohinton Mistry )
5. Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets ( J.K. Rowling)
6. Running on Empty ( Marshall Ulrich)
7. Prisoner of Tehran- A Memoir ( Marina Nemat)

My reading experience for the past few months has been wonderful and excellent. I cried when I read "The Kite Runner" and "Sarah's Key". I'm always transported to a different time and place whenever I start reading. I read about various subjects. Slavery, conflict between the Nazis and the Jews, and the ongoing struggle in Afghanistan. Then there's about India and China. And there's also about running.

I'll look forward for more great reads in the future. Many thanks to the South Cowichan Library here in Mill Bay!

Let's keep reading.:-)

...of books and notebooks...

Thought it would be fun to share my intense joy of finally getting my hands on the book which I look forward to reading. Since I started blogging, I develop this keen interest on learning more about improving my blog. I have several sites I regularly visits, to read about posts on various subjects, ranging from writing good content to developing traffic ( I tell you, this is good traffic ) on your blog and such other stuff. So in one of my usual prowl on the web, I chance upon a site which mentioned about this book, The Huffington Post- Complete Guide to Blogging. It is available in Amazon.

Yesterday, I finally get to hold it. I was ecstatic and smelled it, as I turn pages. And just this morning, I finished covering it with plastic. Mansfield Park has to be put on hold again or I could read them alternately. Whatever. :-)

a sample page

Another thing that somehow manage to get my " I want to have this" craving in motion is a Moleskin notebook. Again, I learned about this particular notebook on the Internet. Then later on, I found out that National Bookstore, just recently, offered this product to the public here. When I went to SM yesterday, I proceeded to National Bookstore and checked it out. Lo and behold, the notebooks were enclosed in cabinets with glass sliding doors. I did not bother to ask the lady in charge if I could take a look at it. The notebooks and planners were tiny. There were large ones too. The price ranges from P400-P2,650. That got me, scratching my nape, obscurely. Joy pointed out that it's impractical to shell out that much for just a notebook. Yes, I could only nod in agreement. But then if it's up to me and if money is not an issue, I will get one for myself. Ah, the life of a destitute wannabe writer.....

Will I ever get to hold it?

...i'm this kind of book...

From my constant browsing on the Internet, I found this cool site The Blue Pyramid . I decided to take the quiz, just for kicks.:-)

You're Adventures of Huckleberry Finn!

by Mark Twain

With an affinity for floating down the river, you see things in black
and white. The world is strange and new to you and the more you learn about it, the less
it makes sense. You probably speak with an accent and others have a hard time
understanding you and an even harder time taking you seriously. Nevertheless, your
adventurous spirit is admirable. You really like straw hats.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

...reading list...

I'm currently reading. Mansfield Park has to wait for now.

I will be lost in this in no time.

Books has this effect on me that can sometimes be downright peculiar for someone who's not really into reading and does not appreciate books, for that matter. I am content to stay in my corner with a book and you can pretend I'm not there.

The release of Dan Brown's new novel, The Lost Symbol, created so much hype that I can't help but be curious too. I've read his Da Vinci Code and I was captivated. Then Angels and Demons was release, followed by the movie. From my search on the Internet, I found out that there are only five novels written by Brown. That created in me a challenge to read all those books ( of course, not in one setting) Fortunately, National Bookstore has this sale of almost 70% off on the selected books, including Brown's The Lost Symbol. You can guess what happen next.

For the next few days, I will be pre-occupied with work, updating my blog and of course, reading. I purposely set my alarm early this morning so I can read the first few chapters of Angels and Demons. Yes, I am addicted. :)

save for later

long overdue from my favorite author

...picture perfect...

1. “ You don’t take a photograph, you make it. - Ansel Adams

2. “ Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. – Henri Cartier-Bresson

3. “ Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph. – Matt Hardy

4. “ Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times…I just shoot at what interests me at that moment. – Elliott Erwitt

5. “ Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow. – Imogen Cunningham

6. “ You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe deeper. – William Albert Allard

7. “ If I saw something in my viewfinder that looked familiar to me, I would do something to shake it up. – Garry Winogrand

8. “ I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good. – Anonymous

9. “ Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop. – Ansel Adams

10. “It can be a trap of the photographer to think that his or her best pictures were the ones that were hardest to get. – Timothy Allen - On editing photos

( NOTE: from Digital Photography School)

My foray into photography was out of curiosity and to keep record of some significant moments in my life and my family's. I never cared before about the technical side of it, all that mattered to me was that when I pressed down the shutter, I captured the picture. ISO, aperture, shutter speed, noise, etc. were alien terms to me. With the advent of digital photography and my access to a dslr camera, I was enthralled to a whole new world of taking pictures. Pressing down the shutter is no longer enough. I'd spent countless times in front of the computer searching for more information about digital photography. I even went to the extent of buying a book on the subject. This is another hobby I would like to indulge more if my means permits me because it can be costly too....

...books got me...

I begun my "fling" with books during my high school days. A classmate introduced me to the world of Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. ( Strange though that Sweet Valley High never find its way into my must-read list). I devoured every book about the "detective" brothers I could find in the library at that time . But it was when my aunt gave me a novel entitled "The Hotel" by Arthur Hailey that really piqued my interest in reading. That was when my "love affair for reading started. After reading that particular novel, I was instantly hooked. I even asked my aunt if she had any other books for me to read. As it turn out she has. I've been reading since then. In between doing homework, I managed to squeezed in time for my reading. There was a time that I cried over one novel of Danielle Steel; forgo dinner just to finish Sidney Sheldon's "Doomsday Conspiracy and for one brief moment, contemplated on pursuing a career in law, after I read John Grisham's "The Rainmaker". With each book I finished, I crave for more. I did not necessarily settle for fiction. As I grow older, I ventured into reading nonfiction too. I am equally delighted with it. So delighted in fact, that I bought a book on photography worth almost a thousand. My biggest splurge. I already have several nonfiction books in my collection, thanks to my generous friend.

Reading has given me immense pleasure, besides for someone who thrive on being alone, its the perfect hobby(or whatever you may call it) for me.Nothing makes me drool more than anything but the display of neatly covered and arranged paperback or hard-covered books at National Bookstore( where I frequent), Fully-Booked and Powerbooks. Its always a sight to behold and every time I came to this places, I felt like a child inside a big toy store. And it is during these times that I am made painfully aware that I'm broke when I badly wanted to buy a book.( well, enough of my mawkishness) Just so you know, I rather prefer to be inside bookstores than out shopping for clothes and what not.....

...keep walking...

my trusted companion on lonely walks ahead

The tug of war between my sensible and not-so sensible side ensues by the time my alarm gave out an annoying shrill. It's tough not to succumb to the inviting warmth of my bed, beckoning me to go back to sleep when it's still dark outside. But then, I made a commitment to myself and that is--to start exercising even if it's just a 30 minutes worth of walking and a slow jog in between, on the high school oval track. The battle is half won when I'm up and heads to the shower. Finally, when I step outside, I am good to go. Walking my way to the school, I'd take in the sights and sounds of the early morning. The street is not yet that crowded with vehicles and commuters. After a 10 minute walk, I arrived at the track then proceeded to start my warm-up then for my walk. Of course, I make it a point to bring along my MP3 player and listened to the songs I have selected for my walk, to rev me up...

...new additions...

My biggest splurge so far when it comes to books. I just want to learn more about photography plus I am fascinated with all those photos shot by National Geographic photographers.

I saw this at BOOKSALE while I was browsing over a vast assortment of books and magazines. I want to improve my vocabulary so here it goes.

I got interested to read Jane Austen's novels since I saw the movie The Jane Austen Book Club. This is the first novel I bought. I planned to read all her novels though.

I've been an avid reader since high school. And I don't limit myself to just fiction. From time to time, I also set my sights on nonfiction works that interests me. Reading give me some sort of high. A few days ago, I bought books again to add to my stash.

...i love reading...

getting familiar with magic
with vampires and werewolves
Books is something I'm always comfy with. I will always be grateful for my Aunt who introduced me to this wonderful activity. This is one pursuit where I don't need to be with anyone--just me, something that suits me fine...