Everyone's read their books but me.

Aside from my 2013 Reading Challenge...


I'm pushing myself to read at least half of any of the books these authors have written:

1. Rick Riordan
2. Cecelia Ahern
3. Ann Brashares
4. Jodi Picoult
5. Sophie Kinsella
6. C.S. Lewis
7. Neil Gaiman
8. Amy Tan
9. David Mitchell
10. Mitch Albom
11. John Grisham
12. Dean Koontz
13. Paulo Coelho
14. Nick Hornby
15. Chuck Palahniuk

Because, believe it or not, I haven't read any of their books! Haha.

For starters, I already have the following physical books (real photo to follow):

Labels: Bibliophilia, book, book worm, bookish, bookish monday, challenge, meme, monday

For my first WoW post, a meme started and hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine...

I'm featuring Philippines' very own, Kate Evangelista


Sometimes, even the best-laid plans can unravel.

It's spring break, and Tamara Winters would rather stay on campus and read romance novels than flaunt her size-fourteen body on a beach. But her best friend, Ronni, has other ideas. Against her wishes, Tamara is whisked away to picturesque Maverick Bay, where she's wrangled into waiting tables with Ronni at the Shore Shack for its busy week leading to Maverick's Surf Invitational. There she meets fellow schoolmate Xavier Solomon, the Invitational's organizer and campus womanizer by reputation. From the moment Tamara sees him emerging from the waves like a hero in of one of her romance novels, all she wants to do is run away from the feelings he inspires in her.

Little does she know Xavier has been watching her for weeks now. In fact, after failed attempts at asking her out on campus, he's concocted a crazy plan: fabricating romantic situations straight out of her favorite books. Xavier quickly realizes that if Tamara gets a whiff of his designs, he might as well spell CREEPER across his forehead. Yet as they grow closer, he's convinced it's a risk worth taking. What he hasn't planned on, of course, is his drug-addicted, alcoholic stepbrother, who decides to join the fun and put a wrench in Xavier’s scheme.

Spring break is proving hotter than Tamara expected. Will her romance novels be able to compete?

Labels: Bibliophilia, book, bookworm, breakthespine, filipiniana, kate evangelista, waiting on wednesday, wow

Exported this review from Goodreads to my blog because it caught the author's attention.

"Hi! Thank you po sa mga reviews niyo tungkol sa book ko. Haha :) thanks din kay sir KD at kay Biena. At least, ngayon alam ko na yung mga reaksyon ng ibang tao sa libro ko. Haha. Perstaymer kasi ako. Pero sa susunod kong libro, sana mejo ok na yung reviewa niyo haha at sana magustuhan niyo na :) "Para sa Broken Hearted" naman yung susunod na libro ko. Naks! May susunod agad :) pasensiya na rin sa mga "mas better" at "nakacivilian" like words sa book ko, ganun po kasi ako magsalita. Para natural. :) mas better diba? Haha."

- Marcelo Santos III

Para sa Hopeless Romantic by Marcelo Santos III
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Don't judge. I'm a Marcelo Santos virgin.

I think the storyline is quite okay. I just kind of hate it sometimes, because you can feel that the author is kind of trying to be funny, whilst attempting to state something profound. Channeling Bob Ong, eh? Hmmm. Meh. At some point, I think the author is actually aiming for a Ricky Lee. I just don't know. Maybe, it's just me.

I won't say I didn't like it, over all, I think, Marcelo captures the heart of his audience and his stories are really targeted to his readers and this novel is his answer to the 'strike while the iron is hot' cliche. My very close friend Boado would like this, love this book even. (I recommended it to him and he just bought a copy, one book down, Marcelo!) I just know it.

Unfortunately and sadly, I don't belong to the teenage circle clamoring for this kind of storytelling anymore, let's just say, I already grew up and matured. (Caveat, this doesn't mean, I'm calling Marcelo's fans young and immature.) For an instance, I don't use very cute and colloquial student terms like: nakacivilian and magvandal anymore.


P.S.

Here are some lines that sort of ticked me off:

"Hindi ako nanonood ng telenovela, yung nanay ko at mga kapatid ko yun. No choice lang ako."

-- Really now, Marcelo, really now, why'd you have to quip such thing? I have nothing against people not watching telenovelas, albeit, I think it's kind of strange and poseurish not to watch even one, I actually am acquainted with someone who doesn't really pay much attention to these things, it's just that... hmm, how can I put this? Okay, let's be honest, this line is kind of pretentious, there, I said it.

"Hindi mo deserve ang tulad ko."

-- Okay lang ang Taglish, I actually like Taglish. But, the truth is... ang FAIL lang nito.


"Nakamoved on"

"Napublished"

"Mas better"


-- I'm not a grammar nazi (I'm no expert, hey), but I think this is grammatically incorrect. Grammarians, where art thou?


At ang daming typos. Grr. Joke lang, di ako galit. :D

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Labels: Bibliophilia, book, book review, book worm, bookworm, filipiniana, hopeless romantic, marcelo, marcelo santos, para sa hopeless, para sa hopeless romantic, pshr

“My books are water; those of the great geniuses is wine. Everybody drinks water.”

― Mark Twain, Notebook

Last Summer, I was able to use one of the facilities I'm paying for in the condominium I'm living in.

Labels: Bibliophilia, book club, book worm, condo living, filipiniana, summer, swimming

“So many books, so little time.” 

― Frank Zappa

Here are the books I'm planning to read this month. Hope I finish them (on time)!

I'm now shying away from ebooks because I still have too many unread physical books not to mention the pre-loved books I just ordered (16 of them - my poor, poor wallet. Why I never had the discipline to DIET, I don't know...)



1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë


2. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

3. Death by Garrote by Ambeth Ocampo

I love reading history-related things, back when I was in elementary, I'd pick a random volume in any of our Encyclopedias and will just read anything history. I've lost that drive nowadays, so I just hope that with this little newsprint book (which I got on sale, if I may add!), the history buff in me will resurface.


4. Walong Diwata ng Pagkahulog by Edgar Calabia Samar


This is Pinoy Reads Pinoy Books, my beloved book club's book of the month/s. Our discussion leader is Berto so, it actually is kind of exciting (knowing how crazy Berto can sometimes be). We will culminate the online discussion with a field trip to San Pablo, the setting of the book. Join the book discussion here.


5. Girl Meets World by Claire Betita de Guzman

Maybe, by now, you already know that I'm an ardent supporter of Filipino books. I've had this copy with me since God knows when, my office mate  even borrowed this from me, but I don't know why I never had the time to read it. (Blame it to Phoebe's review ha ha) Now, I hope I'd finish this. ♥

Labels: ambeth ocampo, Bibliophilia, book club, book haul, bookworm. book bunch, classic. buddy read, edgar samar, filipiniana, june, laguna, rainbow rowell, summit books, wuthering heights, young adult books

“Books are to remind us what asses and fools we are.” 

― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Never had I imagined that I'd be able to say aloud that I'm a bibliophile. Simply because... I used to be such a lazy reader, been engrossed in my writing (for the campus paper) that I sew myself shut and steered away from book stores. Perhaps, because I've always been so broke as well. Or... maybe, just maybe because I've always want to project myself as someone so slick and cool that I try to mask my inner addiction, sniffing books.

Labels: Bibliophilia, books, bookstore, bookworm

Labels: Bibliophilia

He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a self-help book. That I didn't know until I started reading it, you see, I don't read blurbs and the back covers of books even its goodreads's description most of the time perhaps because I want a book to surprise me, and this book did just that.

I saw the movie first so I was under the impression that this is the novel equivalent, nevertheless, I liked this book better. Better because I learned a lot from it than from the movie. It made me laugh all the more laugh at myself, because at 23, I must say that I've tricked myself as well into thinking of too many excuses when in fact I know the truth that's breathing under my neck... he is just not that into me.

So, from this day onward (and let this be my covenant), I will follow Greg and never will I waste the pretty EVER again!

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Labels: Bibliophilia

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The novel started off very tedious for me, too poetic, very flowery (and not that flowery is not all good, it's just that, it's just too much, and too much really isn't good most times).

Then, I realized, maybe, just maybe this kind really isn't my thing, considering, I'm used to reading just romantic novels. But just because I don't give up on anything that easy... I tried to endure it. It fascinates me more and more as I continued, it naturally became sort of like a comic book to me, Good vs Evil, Strong vs Weak...

It eventually became a little dragging throughout the second chapter. It's as if Bradbury's prolonging the ending we are yearning for, I don't know about you, but I didn't expect it to end like that, I felt that as a reader, I needed so much more.

And then it hit me... yes, that's what Bradbury wanted me to do... that one very thing his modern age world did not... to think, to live life with a meaning, to drift away from spoon fed information, and to continue reading.

Or not? I don't know... But for now, let me think that way. :D

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Labels: Bibliophilia

My brother and I used to love this story, we have this Disney book of fairy tales back then and we read and sing it to each other. And because I suddenly remembered him (and yes, missed him) I searched for a copy of this book and find it at Gutenberg. It's not the Disney version though, because that's the one we really liked, it's a nice story of siblings, a testament that blood is thicker than water, that brothers and sisters must help each other and care for one another through thick or thin, and of course, protect each other in every way.

I miss you so much, Odin! :)

(And because we are the THREE LITTLE PIGS... yes, Tita Davic, you and I. Hahaha)

Labels: Bibliophilia