The Really Tiny Book Light

Reading in the dark has not been the same for me since my trusty Harry Potter Lumos Lightwedge went out of commission — two of the batteries have leaked shut down both of the narrow terminals and I still haven’t found a way to take them out without destroying the device. I’ve contacted the Lightwedge people and they said it’s outside the warranty and they don’t even make the Lumos anymore.

In my search for a substitute, I came across “The Really Tiny Book Light” at National Book Store and decided to get the Tiny Pink so I could get some nighttime reading done once again, especially since the past two months have been crammed full with out of town business trips.

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Undergoing Maintenance

Hi everyone!

Please bear with me for the moment as I’m currently fixing the layout for the blog. My old theme got corrupted and so I’m using a temporary theme while I find a new one.

I’m also buried under a ton of work at the moment, but I’ve got some posts lined up already; I just have to work the layout first before I post anything new.

XXXOOO,

Sumthinblue

Mina (Marie Kiraly)

One of the books I had to read in 2009 to complete my book club’s Diversity challenge was something I kept putting off until the last weeks of December: a Dracula spinoff entitled Mina by Marie Kiraly (Book #234 of 2010).

It was a partner-recommended book and not something I’d pick up on my own — I’m wary of  literary adaptations and I cringe at the thought of paranormal bodice-slashers. Even though I’d mooched two copies of the book (one hardcover and one trade paperback), I had my apprehensions about it.

But the deadline was looming, and I’d run out of reprieves, so I decided that I might as well get it done with.

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A Louisa May Alcott Christmas

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“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

“It’s so dreadful to be poor!” sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

“I don’t think it’s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,” added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

“We’ve got Father and Mother, and each other,” said Beth contentedly from her corner.

The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, “We haven’t got Father, and shall not have him for a long time.” She didn’t say “perhaps never,” but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.

Who can forget these first few lines from the opening chapter of the much-loved classic, Little Women?

Louisa May Alcott really has a knack for writing Christmas stories, and I discovered a couple of them this week (erm, while getting my hair done at the salon) — The Quiet Little Woman, and The Abbot’s Ghost (books 204-205 of 2009) .

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Pride and Prejudice and Flippers

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Towards the end of the year I get so bogged down with events that I end up missing a book discussion! Last year it was the Halloween discussion, and this year, it was the Pride and Prejudice discussion, which, incidentally, was also originally scheduled in October (moved to November, due to the storms).

The task was to read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and read an offshoot book based on the classic for the discussion that our resident Austen fan, Honey, was moderating at the Raul Roco garden and library in Antipolo.

I made sure to finish the books (Pride and Prejudice, Darcy’s Story by Janet Aylmer and Lost in Austen, a create your own Jane Austen adventure, by Emma Campbell Webster — books 167-169 for 2009) for the discussion, and was all set to go when plans went awry. Sigh. So there, that photo on the cover (taken by Jeeves de Veyra) is from the discussion slash tea party, which looked mighty fun (waah!). I hope they post a recap soon, as I’m dying to hear about what happened.

I’m posting a review of the books I read for the discussion here, anyway, to make up for missing it (waah again!).

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