Author: Sumthinblue

Beatrice and Virgil


Life of Pi by Yann Martel will always be a memorable book for me, after we read it for the first Flips Flipping Pages book discussion in 2008. I was really sad when my brothe r borrowed my copy of the book and it ended up getting eaten by termites at his college dorm, but I got a surprise from bookish friend Triccie who gave me a deluxe illustrated edition for my birthday last year.

I enjoyed Life of Pi for its rhetoric on perception and Martel’s intelligent humor, which came unexpected for me — I wouldn’t have picked it up if not for my book club’s discussion. I also enjoyed Tomislav Torjanac’s vibrant illustrations.

I got to review Martel’s new novel Beatrice and Virgil recently, and found that I really enjoy Martel’s writing. Read on for my review, first published on Manila Bulletin.

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Guilty Pleasures

I have a confession to make: books are not my only vice.

Novelty candy, slurpees, microwavpe popcorn, best and worst dressed lists, foodie reality shows, Merrie Melodies, Disney Channel, rom-com movies, ABBA, Madonna, pop-art shirts — the list goes on and on.

This is why I was instantly drawn to this delightful book: The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures: 1001 Things You Hate to Love by Sam Stall, Lou Harry, and Julia Spalding, sent by a kind moocher from abroad.

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Disney + Robert Sabuda

I got a new book for my growing pop-up collection — I just couldn’t resist a mashup of two guilty pleasures: Disney and Robert Sabuda (and you can see I couldn’t resist the Happy Meal either; that’s my talking Gingy figure guarding the book!).

It’s a pop-up alphabet book featuring stylized Disney characters and Robert Sabuda’s fabulous paper engineering.  But enough said — I will let the photos do the talking.

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Summer Reading

I haven’t read any local chick lit in years now, so when Summit Books offered some review copies of their latest releases, I quickly jumped on the chance.

I’m no stranger to Summit Books; I’ve read them since they first came out when I was back in college, although I haven’t been able to keep track of the later releases. They’re quick, well-written reads, with contemporary characters in realistic situations. My favorites include Drama Queen by Abi Aquino (the first one I ever read!) and Have Baby, Will Date by Andrea Pasion.

I got a whole new bunch sent to me by Ro Manalo of Summit Books (thanks!), and they provided much relief in this stressful summer filled with work-related travel:  My Imaginary Ex by Mina V. Esguerra; 12 Steps to Quitting AJ by Faye Ilogon; and the two later installments of Vince’s Life by Vince O. Teves: Getting Over Andrea and The Wedding.

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Life, according to Nancy Drew


In fifth grade, after I’d exhausted the library’s supply of Three Investigators titles, I discovered Nancy Drew a couple of aisles away, and then proceeded to exhaust the titles on that shelf. Most of the Nancy Drews I’ve read are the 90’s paperbacks, though, and I’ve only steadily made my way through the yellow-spined hardcover classics (1-56) in the past few years.

Last Christmas I got myself a nifty Nancy Drew book from Book Sale for only P140 (under $3!) — Clues for Real Life: The Classic Wit and Wisdom of Nancy Drew, which goes well with the Nancy Drew Address Book I found on sale at another bookstore.

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