Year: 2009

A Bookworm in Cebu

IMG_6890

I didn’t have any posts up last weekend because I had to fly to Cebu on Friday night on a business trip, to cover the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo Festival hosted by the provincial government at the Cebu International Convention Center.

I’ve been to Cebu at least once a year in the past four years (second time this year), but always for work, with a bit of leisure crammed in. Always hopeful for some reading time, I packed three books, although to no avail. For some reason, when I have several books with me I never find the time to read, and when I don’t have any books with me I end up with absolutely nothing to do!

I didn’t have much time to go around because our activities were packed (I wish I can go to Cebu for fun next time!), but I managed to squeeze in some bookish time– finished one book, went to a couple of Book Sale branches and got a bunch of books, scoped out some bookish items at the trade fair, and met up with a Flipper friend!

Continue reading “A Bookworm in Cebu”

The Ravenmaster’s Secret

tower
When  I first saw Elvira Woodruff’s The Ravenmaster’s Secret: Escape from the Tower of London, I couldn’t help thinking how terribly interesting and ominous it appeared to be, and I wanted to buy the book, but it was a bit expensive so I decided to pass on it first.

Then some months later, I mooched a book from abroad that needed an additional mooch to help defray shipping costs, and I found a copy of this book in the member’s inventory so I decided to finally get it.

A couple weekends ago, I went out of town for a board meeting with one of my clients and brought this along to read while traveling, and it turned out to be one of the best historical middle-reader books I’ve ever read.

Continue reading “The Ravenmaster’s Secret”

A shiver through the spine (The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold)

shoe

I’d been avoiding reading The Lovely Bones because for a while everyone seemed to be reading it, and it wasn’t really my type of book. I don’t like dramatic fiction, especially domestic dramas. I find them very stressful to read, sometimes even traumatic, like a A Heart of Stone. Sometimes, it’s just nothing spectacular for me, like The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.

The trade paperback I mooched had been languishing in my TBR for over a year already, and I dreaded reading it, but it was taunting me (yes, it all happens in my mind) so I decided it was time to conquer this book.

It surprised me, actually, because as much as I was prepared not to like it, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, which goes to show how going out of your comfort zone once in a while can be rewarding.

Continue reading “A shiver through the spine (The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold)”

A bunch of bookmarks

mark

I never dog-ear pages — it destroys the fibers of the page — but I rarely go out of my way to buy bookmarks because I tend to forget them inside the book I’m reading. I have a small pile of freebie bookmarks, too — my sister collects for me from various counters in Singapore, I get a lot of bookmarks from the annual Manila International Book Fair, and a lot of BookMoochers send bookmarks too (aside from the official Bookmooch bookmarks)

When I don’t have a bookmark on hand, I can pretty much use anything thin enough to slip in between the pages — a tissue, an old receipt, clothing labels, or I commit the page number to memory, so I really don’t need to buy bookmarks.

Once I interviewed someone for an article I was writing, and I completely forgot that I used his business card as a bookmark! I’d turned my bag inside out, and rifled through my work desk looking for it because I needed to get back to the person I interviewed, and it wasn’t until a couple of nights later that I remembered I had tucked it inside the last book I finished. Hehe. After that, I’ve been careful not to use  business cards (or cheques) as bookmarks.

On a visit to one of my favorite book sale branches last week, I chanced upon some great bookmarks at really great prices, and I couldn’t resist getting some.  I ended up buying two books (for mooching, none for me) and a whole bag of assorted bookmarks!

Continue reading “A bunch of bookmarks”

Wining and Dining in Provence (A Good Year by Peter Mayle)

vineyard

I’ve always been a fan of Peter Mayle, because he’s a wonderful foodie writer, and I love books set in the idyllic South of France.

I haven’t read any of Mayle’s fictional works since Chasing Cezanne, though, as lately I’ve been reading his non-fiction: Acquired Tastes, A Year in Provence, and A Dog’s Life.

I was yearning for something light and soothing one night, so I picked up one of Mayle’s novels, A Good Year.

Continue reading “Wining and Dining in Provence (A Good Year by Peter Mayle)”