Blog Feed: Book Rhapsody

Let me first say that I did not love this just because David Mitchell wrote it. If you really want to know, I think this novel is a departure from [...] > read more

A Preparation – The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Published on 2012-05-22 22:53:46

I didn’t expect to read this as soon as now. I have always been curious what is it with The Lord of the Rings but I never really got around [...] > read more

Spoiler Alert! – How to Read Novels Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

Published on 2012-05-21 23:33:55

I’ve borrowed this book from a bookish friend more than a month ago and I’ve been reading a few chapters of it whenever I’ve already met the minimum reading quota … Continue reading → > read more

The Importance of Having a Book Buddy – The Land of Green Plums by Herta Müller

Published on 2012-05-20 21:26:07

Okay, I’m already done with this so it doesn’t really fit in the category of “Reading”, right? I’m making an exception with this book since I’ve read this along with … Continue reading → > read more

The Importance of Having a Book Buddy – The Land of Green Plums by Herta Müller

Published on 2012-05-20 21:26:07

A Bum’s Life – Ironweed by William Kennedy

Published on 2012-05-17 22:00:09

Before the title page of the novel is a description of the ironweed. What is it? It is a kind of plant that resembles a sunflower, blue-purple in color. What’s … Continue reading → > read more

A Bum’s Life – Ironweed by William Kennedy

Published on 2012-05-17 22:00:09

Before the title page of the novel is a description of the ironweed. What is it? It is a kind of plant that resembles a sunflower, blue-purple in color. What’s … Continue reading → > read more

TFG’s Book of the Month for April – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Published on 2012-05-14 22:52:11

I am always reminded of my planned write-ups regarding our book club’s discussions when the next one is just a few days in the offing. So yes, this is, again, … Continue reading → > read more

TFG’s Book of the Month for April – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Published on 2012-05-14 22:52:11

I am always reminded of my planned write-ups regarding our book club’s discussions when the next one is just a few days in the offing. So yes, this is, again, … Continue reading → > read more

The necessity of these books

Published on 2012-05-13 20:55:08

Dream Angus by Alexander McCall Smith – It is necessary to have this book because the Celtic god is my namesake. I’ve been longing to have a copy of this … Continue reading → > read more

The necessity of these books

Published on 2012-05-13 20:55:08

Dream Angus by Alexander McCall Smith – It is necessary to have this book because the Celtic god is my namesake. I’ve been longing to have a copy of this … Continue reading → > read more

The black slaves and their blacker master – The Known World by Edward P. Jones

Published on 2012-05-10 21:31:43

There is a tall stack of literature that deals with slavery. There’s Toni Morrison, there’s William Faulkner, there’s even Mark Twain. So when I was looking for something to read, … Continue reading → > read more

The black slaves and their blacker master – The Known World by Edward P. Jones

Published on 2012-05-10 21:31:43

How often do you visit the dentist? – White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Published on 2012-05-09 20:08:19

“But like all things, the business has two sides. Clean white teeth are not always wise, now are they? Par exemplum: when I was in the Congo, the only way … Continue reading → > read more

How often do you visit the dentist? – White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Published on 2012-05-09 20:08:19

“But like all things, the business has two sides. Clean white teeth are not always wise, now are they? Par exemplum: when I was in the Congo, the only way … Continue reading → > read more

I always knew I would be a foster parent

Published on 2012-05-08 21:09:05

Our bookish friend Aldrin recently asked people whether they’d be interested in his books. Knowing the type of books he hoards and getting one pile of them myself during his … Continue reading → > read more

I always knew I would be a foster parent

Published on 2012-05-08 21:09:05

Am I exploring young adult fiction too late? – Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Published on 2012-05-07 19:40:13

I just recently entered the late twenties and I find it strange to be reading young adult fiction. Just to clarify things, I have nothing against YA fiction or people … Continue reading → > read more

Am I exploring young adult fiction too late? – Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Published on 2012-05-07 19:40:13

Surely, a monster does not speak that eloquently? – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Published on 2012-05-06 18:51:32

I always thought of Frankenstein as a green-skinned monster with giant screws at his temples. This is what I gather from video games. So it baffles me why my edition … Continue reading → > read more

Surely, a monster does not speak that eloquently? – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Published on 2012-05-06 18:51:32

An age I don’t want to live in – The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Published on 2012-05-03 22:12:41

I know I am incurring some form of literary sacrilege by failing to appreciate this novel. I remember reading this holding my breath at every stop of a conversation because … Continue reading → > read more

An age I don’t want to live in – The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Published on 2012-05-03 22:12:41

Book Sale Tour

Published on 2012-05-02 20:56:43

I noticed last week that most Book Sale branches were displaying new books, so yes, I went through five cities visiting some of my favorite stores. Unfortunately, since I am … Continue reading → > read more

Book Sale Tour

Published on 2012-05-02 20:56:43

There are places darker than a prison cell – Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler

Published on 2012-05-01 21:12:00

Reading the blurb reminds me so much of George Orwell’s 1984. Keywords like revolution, torture, Party, and totalitarian are enough, but this is not a dystopian novel. It’s a political … Continue reading → > read more

There are places darker than a prison cell – Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler

Published on 2012-05-01 21:12:00

Books To Read: May 2012

Published on 2012-04-30 20:30:02

Argh. When will I ever finish my monthly reading plan? I’m always behind, and this time, it’s worse. I’ve only finished two of my required readings last month, which is not really alarming because these two are quite thick. The other two I can finish easily, probably within a week? And what of Ulysses? I [...] > read more

Books To Read: May 2012

Published on 2012-04-30 20:30:02

Argh. When will I ever finish my monthly reading plan? I’m always behind, and this time, it’s worse. I’ve only finished two of my required readings last month, which is … Continue reading → > read more

So who’s the winner?

Published on 2012-04-29 20:38:19

Before we examine the entries and announce the winner, I’d like to say thanks to everyone who sent greetings through WordPress, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, and SMS. Now, let’s proceed to business. We have four entries, three qualified and one not. As I mentioned, only WordPress followers as of April 24, 2012 or previous commenters may [...] > read more

So who’s the winner?

Published on 2012-04-29 20:38:19

Malignant – Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

Published on 2012-04-26 20:47:23

I bought my copy of this from a sidewalk vendor who was asked by someone, probably a distant aunt, to sell a stack of books. There’s something cool and bohemian in buying such stuff, so yes, even if it was exorbitantly priced despite the major crease at the back, I bought it. I immediately attended [...] > read more

Malignant – Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

Published on 2012-04-26 20:47:23

I bought my copy of this from a sidewalk vendor who was asked by someone, probably a distant aunt, to sell a stack of books. There’s something cool and bohemian … Continue reading → > read more

I have six units in Art – My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

Published on 2012-04-25 20:41:07

At the close and beginning of two seamless chapters in my so-called life, I find myself halfway through this book, which is, mostly, about art. Make that Art. I only have three units in Art back in college, and I feel like I have just enrolled in three more. I am exaggerating because this is [...] > read more

I have six units in Art – My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

Published on 2012-04-25 20:41:07

At the close and beginning of two seamless chapters in my so-called life, I find myself halfway through this book, which is, mostly, about art. Make that Art. I only … Continue reading → > read more

And today is…

Published on 2012-04-24 20:30:32

My birthday! God’s nightgown! My age is now officially one notch higher than it was yesterday! Which isn’t so bad, so long as I don’t look like it. Please don’t react violently. Indulge me just even today. Anyway, instead of asking for gifts, I am going to give away freebies. Yes, all you need to [...] > read more

And today is…

Published on 2012-04-24 20:30:32

My birthday! God’s nightgown! My age is now officially one notch higher than it was yesterday! Which isn’t so bad, so long as I don’t look like it. Please don’t … Continue reading → > read more

April is the cruelest month

Published on 2012-04-23 20:45:29

It’s surprising that I haven’t bought any books for the past couple of weeks at sale bins because I couldn’t find any books that I like. Cruel, no? I feel like something’s not right when this happens, so I took advantage of the summer sale at National Book Store. It’s almost the end of April, [...] > read more

April is the cruelest month

Published on 2012-04-23 20:45:29

It’s surprising that I haven’t bought any books for the past couple of weeks at sale bins because I couldn’t find any books that I like. Cruel, no? I feel … Continue reading → > read more

What’s your relationship status? – A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

Published on 2012-04-22 20:14:50

As always, I was never the one to be deterred to read the book from which a film is based. This time, it is A Single Man. One of my bookish friends has been forever raving about, asking me, rather forcing me, to watch it. Since I could not find a copy and since I [...] > read more

So it goes and so on – Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Published on 2012-04-19 21:22:07

Listen! This is the story of Billy Pilgrim, a war veteran who survives the bombing of a German town and who is able to live a comfortable life after it. How did he do it? He hid at the storage room of a slaughterhouse where he was taken as a war prisoner when the sky [...] > read more

In which disinterest called for a hiatus – Ulysses Diaries, I

Published on 2012-04-18 21:00:09

I am concurrently reading Ulysses with Jane Eyre, but since I got so absorbed with the story of the headstrong lady protagonist of the latter, I deprioritized the reading of the former. At least I got myself to episode 5, which is a measly 70 or so pages. I will definitely go back to this [...] > read more

TFG’s Book of the Month for March – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Published on 2012-04-17 21:05:38

This is super late, and I only remembered to write something about it had I not imagined seeing the group photos somewhere. I asked my bookish friends if they have seen these photos on social networks only to find out that these haven’t been uploaded yet. Is that strange or what? In addition to that, [...] > read more

A Literary Symphony in B Major – Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Published on 2012-04-12 22:08:05

> read more

Literary Blog Hop for April

Published on 2012-04-11 21:51:19

The Literary Blog Hop is hosted at The Blue Bookcase. I’ve always been checking this one out, but this is my first time to participate. I’ll try my best to make this a regular thing. I remember telling one of my bookish friends that I’ll be joining this on my birthday month, and I think [...] > read more

An affair last Good Friday – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Published on 2012-04-10 20:53:45

This book formally commences my five-year long engagement with The Classics Challenge of The Classics Club, hosted at A Room of One’s Own. Yes, it’s both a club and a challenge. We have a Goodreads group wherein participants get or receive an invitation once their list of classics is submitted as an announcement to take [...] > read more

A neurotic support system – The Echo Maker by Richard Powers

Published on 2012-04-09 21:36:10

Hello, how’s everyone? I miss blogging, and I am kind of hoping at least someone missed me, hahaha! I did some serious reading during the holidays, and here’s one of them: The Echo Maker. I am No One but Tonight on North Line Road GOD led me to you so You could Live and bring [...] > read more

A Pretty Good Book Hunting Week

Published on 2012-04-03 20:34:04

Here’s a summary of the books that I got for the last week of March. Just to let you know, I’ve been to around five second hand book stores. If you continue reading, you can conclude which one is my favorite branch. Book Sale – Makati Square March 26, 2012 Middlemarch by George Eliot (Php [...] > read more

Quarterly Rhapsody: Signed Books

Published on 2012-04-02 20:23:55

Recently, I joined three of my bookish friends, Kwesi, Maria, and Rollie, for the book signing of a young adult author. The author’s name escapes me now. Lauren Oliver? I am sorry. Regular readers of this blog, which I am confident must be at around five or at most ten, must know that I am [...] > read more

Books To Read: April 2012

Published on 2012-04-01 21:30:03

It’s April, and as usual, I have not finished the March reading plan. I am one book behind. It sucks, I know, so I am making a few adjustments to make this month’s reading plan achievable. No drastic changes though. I’ll still stick to five required books per month. I’ll just start including our book [...] > read more

It’s not evil to describe a flaccid penis – The Gathering by Anne Enright

Published on 2012-03-29 20:25:39

The narrator is Veronica. She is middle-aged, married, with kids, and says penis a lot. I wouldn’t have noticed the last detail had I not been warned by a friend, asking me to count the word penis. Not that the narrator is sexually deranged, it just so happened that she watches her husband sleeping naked [...] > read more

In the countercurrents of the Pacific – Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Published on 2012-03-28 21:28:43

I am currently reading this with two friends, LS and Maria. We are now halfway through it, at least I am, and I’ll just post my daily inputs for the first three days to make things easier for me. *** Day 1: Welcome to Zookeeping 101! The first 50 pages felt like nonfiction. It was [...] > read more

The Font, the Font – The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch

Published on 2012-03-26 21:34:35

Staring at the font size of my edition intimidates me. Sure, I’ve read the gigantic 2666 months ago, but somehow, I was more frightened at the prospect of reading this Booker winner. And reading the mini-bio of the author at one of the front pages further scares me: Murdoch is a philosopher. Most probably, philosophical [...] > read more

Prozac Nation – Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Published on 2012-03-23 01:00:39

Not really Prozac, but Soma. Not exactly an anti-depressant, but a drug for instant gratification. This is a novel about a society peopled with drugged and genetically engineered citizens. A dystopian novel, yes, much like another version of 1984 where the future is speculated. What happens if the state manipulates the society using the advancements [...] > read more

Don’t ask why – Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion

Published on 2012-03-20 21:01:28

People ask Maria, Mar-eye-ah, what makes Iago evil. She doesn’t know, because she never asks. That is sort of paraphrasing the first line of this novel. She then proceeds to tell us a little about herself. An actress, early thirties, married, divorced, one kid named Kate. And then a few more things that meander through [...] > read more

The Undercover Women

Published on 2012-03-19 20:17:48

I can’t remember the last time I bought a book at a regular book store, not counting the time I bought books for the nonprofit organization and the exchange gift during our book club’s Christmas party. Look, I haven’t taken these splurges out of their plastic covers yet because I don’t know when I would [...] > read more

I need a ride – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Published on 2012-03-18 19:03:06

I just don’t dig this. I don’t get where the craze is coming from. This book has a high average rating, but I think I am missing something. Or perhaps I am among the minority who doesn’t find this a tad enjoyable. Sure, there are funny moments, thanks to the sarcasm that I am inclined [...] > read more

Pretty little literary liar – Atonement by Ian McEwan

Published on 2012-03-15 20:30:41

This is the first book of the month that I read back when I was still a newbie at our book group. I am not sure if I would have read this soon otherwise. It was April then, a hot month in our country, and, like the opening chapter of the novel, the first event [...] > read more

Joining The Classics Club

Published on 2012-03-14 22:04:27

Most people think that I am a huge classics reader when in fact, I haven’t read a lot of hardcore classics. Sure, I’ve been reading literary fiction and contemporary classics, but classics in the lines of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, or Henry James: not yet. I even checked the number of classics that I finished, [...] > read more

Where’s the smut in this? – The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek

Published on 2012-03-13 21:54:57

I’ve seen the film adaptation of this novel by accident. So why am I reading this? Of course, the book is always superior to the film adaptation, and the latter is just the director’s interpretation. I want to have my own interpretation of the novel. The disc is lying on the lone chair of the communal [...] > read more

I don’t think I know what books to buy

Published on 2012-03-11 20:05:07

Here’s a round-up of my Book Sale tours for the first dozen days of March. March 6, 2012: Book Sale – Alphaland South Gate Mall Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich (Php 20.00) – I already have this, but this cheap trade paperback is welcome to replace my battered mass market. Which is, by the way, [...] > read more

Jesus Christ is just another man – The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by José Saramago

Published on 2012-03-09 01:30:22

A retelling of Jesus Christ’s life not as the holiest man in the universe but as a man, an everyday man, who is reluctant to take on the duties imposed to him as mankind’s savior, this novel has to be read putting aside your religious biases. If you are a hardcore Catholic and cannot stomach [...] > read more

TFG’s Book of the Month for February – The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Published on 2012-03-07 22:37:40

It’s most probable that the attendees overthought and overanalyzed this short book. Yes, anybody can read The Little Prince in one sitting. In fact, it’s so short that it’s hard to write something more than 500 words about it if you decide to do that right after reading it. But writing about it right after [...] > read more

An artist, an escape artist, a comic book artist – The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

Published on 2012-03-05 19:39:01

This is cool. This is sheer nerdiness. This is about comic books! Are you expecting the cynical me to diss this art form? Of course not, you! I was reared into comic books myself, not during the heydays of Superman, but that of the X-Men, their latter, waning years. I at least had a taste [...] > read more

A bookish book – The Book Group Book by Ellen Slezak

Published on 2012-03-04 19:51:18

Several years ago I sat in a café with a friend. “The people I work with think Kierkegaard is a comic strip character,” she complained. “If I mention John Donne, they want to know what kind of rock music he plays.” Sarah, fifteen years younger than I, was experiencing the post-academic depression that often envelops [...] > read more

There isn’t always a reason behind the things that we do – The Stranger by Albert Camus

Published on 2012-03-02 01:38:29

I seriously don’t know what to say about this book, so this is going to be one of those nonreviews where I babble incoherent stuff that appear to be sensible, solid stuff when, in fact, it lacks glue to hold everything together. I am even reluctant to write this because I fear of blaspheming Camus, [...] > read more

Books To Read: March 2012

Published on 2012-02-29 21:39:39

March! The last month of the first quarter. And a new set of reading plan. Okay, now I really, really have to follow this reading plan. I know, I shouldn’t be too austere with reading; it takes away the joy of reading, yes? But I beg to disagree. I actually enjoy the imposition of rigorous [...] > read more

number1stupendous number2cherishable number3gripping number4aaargggh – Number9Dream by David Mitchell

Published on 2012-02-27 19:56:58

So this is how I die, minutes after midnight on reclaimed land somewhere south of Tokyo bay. I sneeze, and the swelling in my right eye throbs and nearly ruptures. Sunday, 17th September. I cannot call my death unexpected. Not after the last twelve hours. Since Anju showed me what death was, I have glimpsed [...] > read more

Let’s itty and viddy if we could translate some nadsat slovos – A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Published on 2012-02-26 19:42:28

For the benefit of those who didn’t get this post’s title, it directly translates to “Let’s go and see if we could translate some teenage words. Nadsat talk is the language employed by the teen gangsters of A Clockwork Orange. Reading its first chapter is disorienting, because one is not yet used to this strange [...] > read more

Of sheep, lungworm, coffee, and poetry, and God, and a lot, lot more – Independent People by Halldór Laxness

Published on 2012-02-23 20:13:21

For some time now, I’ve been itching to write something about this wonderful, funny, lyrical, all-encompassing book. And now that I have a few moments to devote on it, I realize that I cannot put into words my love for this. The only thing that I can do is to keep shoving this to people [...] > read more

What was the Little Prince doing on Earth? – The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Published on 2012-02-22 19:03:23

01. Getting a tan at the deserts of Sahara. 02. Moonlighting at the deserts of Sahara. 03. Contemplating bouquets of roses. 04. Contemplating bouquets of wild flowers. 05. Contemplating fox fur. 06. Doing some charitable construction work. 07. Reenacting Humpty-Dumpty, for a cause. 08. Distinguishing the stars from each other, particularly that star where his [...] > read more

Oh please, excuse my French

Published on 2012-02-21 19:15:04

It’s a challenge to spell Houellebecq. It’s a challenge to pronounce it as well; the eleven letters only take up two syllables. And so is Gide. I always thought it sounds like “giddy,” but I recently found out that it has a silent e and the g is pronounced like a j. Sure, almost everyone [...] > read more

More Tales of American Jews – Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth

Published on 2012-02-20 19:44:20

This is quite a break from my readings, but really, it’s not one that I would call a guilty pleasure. The only pleasure that I have from this book is that I can start anywhere. Not exactly anywhere; I mean I can choose any story to read without losing the essence of this collection of [...] > read more

Of boats and, what? – Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald

Published on 2012-02-16 19:33:06

After almost a year of reading this, I am still confused whether to like this or not. You have to somehow give the author credit for the sparseness of the text. The book is like a pamphlet; one could use it to swat a hardheaded fly. One could even finish this in a couple of [...] > read more

I’m giving these books away

Published on 2012-02-15 21:01:06

Not to you, but to the teenagers of Virlanie foundation. I am giving away To Kill a Mockingbird bird for reasons that you could read about at the pilot post of The Spark Project. The three Jostein Gaarder books, I haven’t read them yet. But I trust Mr. Gaarder, my sole basis being Sophie’s World. [...] > read more

Waiting For My Poet

Published on 2012-02-14 20:01:27

You can interpret that however you want, what with post-Valentine’s celebrations still going on. I treated yesterday as a normal day, but of course, it’s not as normal as I want it to be, given that the storekeeper across the street greeted me like the day was a legal holiday. Which is funny because nobody [...] > read more

TFG’s Book of the Month for January – 1984 by George Orwell

Published on 2012-02-13 20:25:30

I figured I should write something about this. I figured that I should do this monthly feature because I have both the fortune and burden of being one of the moderators of an online-offline book club. I have mentioned this book club in passing in some of my past posts, so let’s do a little [...] > read more

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