Peter Lerangis in Manila!
May 12th
Forgive me for the unexpected hiatus. This summer has been busier than I anticipated, but there was absolutely no way I would miss Peter Lerangis in Manila!
Peter Lerangis is a prolific author of over a hundred books, including three (and a quarter) books in Scholastic 39 Clues series, “The Sword Thief” (my personal favorite), “The Viper’s Nest,” one story in “Vespers Rising” (with other stories written with Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson), and “Dead of Night.” His new series, “The Seven Wonders,” ties in the Atlantis legend with the seven ancient wonders of the world, starting with “The Colossus Rises” and a second book, “Lost in Babylon” due out later this year.
What I found most interesting (and the cause of my excitement), is that before Peter Lerangis broke out on his own, he ghostwrote for many series for young readers — all the books I grew up on, in fact! – The Three Investigators (my all-time favorite kid detective series) Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley Twins, and The Babysitters Club!
Bookish Shoes!
Mar 24th
I’m officially on vacation for the coming week — no work, no tutoring — and I’m basically filling the week with all the things I don’t have time for during the work week, including blogging.
Ajie, my very talented FFP ‘seezter’ (you may have seen her work here and here) has been running a successful arts and crafts business for some time now, and she does customized sneakers (among other things). I finally found a plain white pair of sneakers I liked, so I decided to get Ajie to do them (those are her preliminary sketches above).
Tahereh Mafi + Ransom Riggs in Manila!
Mar 4th
I was scheduled to interview Tahereh Mafi (author of “Shatter Me,” “Unravel Me”) last Saturday prior to her bloggers’ forum at Powerbooks, and was delighted to find Ransom Riggs (author of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”), who had flown in with her, had come along to check out her events as well. When I asked if I could interview him with Tahereh, Ransom graciously agreed, so I had a lovely hour chatting with these two YA authors!
Doing a joint interview was a great idea, not just because of the limited time before the start of the bloggers’ forum, but also because Tahereh and Ransom are friends, so they were very candid the whole time! From their books to their writing, down to what they’ve experienced of the Philippines so far, we certainly had a lot to talk about, and it was an amazing experience.
A two-sided love story
Feb 17th
As my book club friends would know, I judge books by the cover. I’ll buy a book that pops out on a shelf and catches my eye, if only for that reason.
Such was the case with Theodora Goss’ The Thorn and the Flower, a one of a kind accordion-fold binding in a vintage-y floral scratchboard slipcase. It was a chance find — I have never seen a novel in accordion (or concertina) style before (normally picture books, hand-crafted books, and sketchbooks) , and all I could think of was how good this book would look on my bookshelf!
International Book Giving Day
Feb 14th
I’m down with a cold (or possibly an allergy), but I didn’t want the day to end without writing about the International Book Giving Day.
The International Book Giving Day is a wonderful initiative that aims to get books in the hands of as many children as possible. Those joining in the celebration can either give a book to a friend or relative, leave a book in a waiting room or lobby, or donate a book to a charity.
The Woman who Died a Lot
Feb 11th
I’ve been following Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series for years now, so I got the 7th book, The Woman Who Died A Lot (TN-7), as soon as it hit the shelves in Manila late last year.
The holiday rush was setting in, and I had a demanding client on my hands so I was determined to lose myself in a good book (pun intended), and Thursday Next has proven to be an old reliable.
Lemony Snicket roundup
Jan 22nd
I realize I’ve read a lot of Lemony Snicket in the last few months, without really meaning to. I must confess that I was not a fan of A Series of Unfortunate Events (although I loved the movie), so I didn’t feel compelled to read more than the first few books.
This Lemony Snicket phase started when his collaboration with illustrator Maira Kalman caught my eye: Why We Broke Up (not as Lemony Snicket but as Daniel Handler) and the picture book 13 Words. Then I remembered I also had a copy of the picture book, The Composer Is Dead, illustrated by one of my new favorites, Carson Ellis. And then I saw Lemony Snicket’s latest book at the bookstore and figured I might as well review these books all together, so I also got a copy of Who Could That Be At This Hour?
Odds and Ends
Jan 15th
I love books and everything to do with them — bookmarks, book plates, reading implements, book-related toys and accessories and other bookish ephemera.
I’ve amassed a veritable loot over the holidays, thanks to some very thoughtful people.
Recent Comments