Reading something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue
It’s been a week, but I still can’t believe the 3rd Filipino ReaderCon is over after many long months of preparation! There was, of course, the (now) annual Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards, which ensured our lean, mean, little machine team had more than enough work to do in the last six months, but we were totally excited for the rest of ReaderCon, too!
(Still waiting for ReaderCon pictures for my ReaderCon post, so here’s a roundup of some Ender Saga books in the meantime).
After ReaderCon and dinner last Saturday, I went to watch Ender’s Game on IMAX with Flipper friends Joko, Jeeves, Vlad, Art and Mike. I’d been looking forward to watching it ever since it was announced, and while it was a spectacular visual feast, I think I’d have enjoyed it more if I had not read the books. I just felt it was rushed, trying to compress everything in one film, and it glossed over key moments in Battle School which showed how Ender rose through the ranks and gradually earned the respect of his peers.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card was the best book I read in 2012 – I brought it along on a trip to Sagada, started reading (with a book light!) it in the van as everyone started drifting off to sleep, and I literally could not put it down, zigzags and all. I distinctly remember a moment of panic: the van hit a rut and I lurched forward, knocking off my book lamp somewhere on the floor. Everyone else was asleep and the space was too cramped for me to go crawling around for the book light, so I was euphoric when, minutes later, the van climbed uphill and the book light came rolling back towards me (Success! And yes, a van making its way through a zigzag road poses no impediment to my reading).
Yesterday at the Filipino Readercon, we unveiled the winners for the 2013 Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards, honoring 2012 titles that engaged the Filipino reading public.
It’s the second year that we’ve executed the awards, and as chair of the organizing committee, I can say that it’s been a constant learning experience. Even as we worked double time to address the setbacks we encountered the first year, new challenges were constantly presented to us, and it’s no small feat, but ultimately, it has been so rewarding.
Not only have we seen the FRCA seal on the covers of last year’s winning titles; we’ve also received over 8,000 responses during our public voting phase, signifying the growing support of both the book industry and the reading public. The FRCA (and of course, the Filipino ReaderCon) was created precisely for that purpose. It is an exercise in discovering who the Filipino reader is, to establish that yes, there is a Filipino reader, that Filipinos do read, and that we Filipino readers would like to make our voice heard in the Philippine book industry — to complete the cycle, so to speak.
Again, a big thank you to all those who made another year of the FRCA possible: our judges, who took time to read the finalist works and deliberate the results of each category; the publishers, who provided generously provided review copies of their books for our judges; and of course, all the Filipino readers who actively participated in the process.
Continue reading “Winners: 2013 Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards”
I’ve been working really hard on my booth for the Book Reco Fair at the Filipino ReaderCon for weeks now, and I can’t believe it’s finally happening on Saturday! Squee! Finally, the work of my poor cramped hands (!) over many sleepless nights will see the light of day.
Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll find at my booth.
