Reading in the dark has not been the same for me since my trusty Harry PotterLumos 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.
I’m rarely absent for the Flips Flipping Pages monthly book discussions (I think I’ve only missed three so far), and the April book discussion on The Hunger Gameswas one of those I didn’t want to miss. You all know I’m a big fan of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series, and I’m one of the thousands of fans eagerly waiting for the final installment, Mockingjay, coming out on August 24.
Peter was assigned to moderate this month, and he did an A-1 job, lining up a paintball tournament a la Hunger Games, which, from the looks of it (check out the cover photo collage), was a highly exciting affair, where Marie’s team triumphed.
The discussion was already well under way by the time I got to R.O.X (Recreational Outdoor eXchange) on Bonifacio High Street, Asia’s biggest outdoor superstore which proved to be a fitting venue for our discussion — HG fans, think of it as your ultimate cornucopia! — and we were glad they very kindly accommodated us for the discussion.
U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Counselor Patrick Wall, National Book Store general manager Socorro Ramos and U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Leslie A. Bassett check out the wide selection of American literature on display.
From May 1 to 8, selected branches of National Bookstore will hold an American Book Fair, mounted in partnership with the U.S. Embassy – Commercial Service to introduce new American titles to the local market.
“The book fair focuses on small and independent American publishers without local representation, that have never been exposed to the Philippine market,” states Xandra Ramos of National Book Store. “We are showcasing choice titles from 24 American publishers so they can try and test the market, and we plan to reorder the titles that do well at the fair.”
Over a hundred titles are showcased at the American Book Fair, including children’s books, health books, work books, reference books, biographies and memoirs, religion and spirituality, world events, business books, and fiction. Among the titles to be found at the fair are: Graphic Biography: Barack Obama (Saddleback Publishing); Democracy is a Good Thing (Brookings Institution Press); Balikbayan: A Filipino Homecoming (Bess Press); children’s book My Senses: Mis Sentidos (Me+Mi Publishing, Inc.), and the Essential Skills series (Teacher Created Resources).
National Book Store showcases the American Book Fair at eight branches, including Trinoma, Glorietta 5, SM Mall of Asia, Superbranch-Cubao, Power Plant Mall, Quezon Avenue and Shangri-la Plaza Mall until May 8, 2010.
When my mom arrived from the US early this year, I finally got the two Meg Cabot books I’d mooched from the US, and I finally got around to reading them: Pants on Fire and Airhead.
I’ve been reading Meg Cabot for what seems like ages now, and she’s a steady choice for my chick lit fix, judging by the fact that one layer of my shelf is filled with her books. I have some favorites among her books (All American Girl, Every Boy’s Got One and The Boy Next Door); some I didn’t care for (Heather Wells series, the Princess Diaries after book 5, Nicola and the Viscount, Victoria and the Rogue); some I found horrid (Ready or Not) and some I don’t want to read at all (Mediator series and the 1-800 series), but all in all her repertoire is a good mix for girls of all ages — hip and easy-breezy books perfect for vegging out on the couch on a lazy Saturday afternoon (or procrastinating on a weeknight for that matter!).
Just a short plug about a fundraising project initiated by Ex-Libris Philippines, a SEC-certified, non-stock, non-profit organization of book enthusiasts. Concert for a Cause is Ex-Libris’ 3rd fundraising project; their first two fundraisers have sent deserving but financially challenged students to school at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
Concert for a Cause features performances by soprano Gabriela Francisco (BM Voice Summa cum laude and Valedictory Address Speaker during the UP Centennial Commencement Exercises 2008), her twin sister Tata Francisco, together with faculty, alumni and gifted students of the UP College of Music. All funds to be raised will go to the Scholarship Project. The concert will be on May 21, 2010, Friday, 6 p.m. at the UP College of Music, Nicanor Abelardo Hall.
Tickets are at Php 300.00 each. For tickets, please contact Tata Francisco at 0920-9470861, or Gabi Francisco at 0920-9470835. You can also email them at teachertata[at]gmail[dot]com, or gabitwin[at]gmail[dot]com.
