tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91102404174069405082024-03-18T21:56:13.160-07:00booksalemanilabook reviews, book summaries, book sale manila, confessions of a book sale scavenger, bibliomania, book collectingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-12745807491384885512012-01-13T18:10:00.000-08:002012-01-13T18:14:08.873-08:00The Joy of Books: Hey Page Dancer!<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SKVcQnyEIT8" allowfullscreen="" width="560" frameborder="0" height="315"></iframe><br /><br />Ever wonder what books secretly do when we're not looking? Hah!? They have a party!<br />Shot on location at a Canadian bookstore, this video is just awesome page after page, frame by frame!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-58780332278562676832012-01-01T13:11:00.000-08:002012-01-01T13:20:53.233-08:00January 2 2012 is a Monday!<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">In my lifelong study of human beings, I have found that no matter how hard they try, they have found no way yet to prevent the arrival of Monday morning. And they do try, of course, but Monday always comes, and all the drones have to scuttle back to their dreary workaday lives of meaningless toil and suffering.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- Dexter</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay</span></span><br /><br />Well then, let's all enjoy the first Monday of the New Year! Happy 2012!<br /><br />C'est la vie! New beginnings for this book blog :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-1615026971476814642010-09-14T13:50:00.000-07:002010-09-14T13:50:00.292-07:00John James Audubon's Birds of America: World's Most Expensive Book<p><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUiE1T5GIjFv718tdTIhA1uSiTCYapMpF1m2dpl04zN5jrIE_BSyt56xkpjQ1ZXqjpjO3jG_NmmoID0v-B74FAihOs4dyWNRhNx9O81_OWZsCajPoj6qZI6TUWLZK-G2jJ9MEMGCbFe3o/s400/birds_of_america_book.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516271584389444018" /></p><p>Now up for bids at Sotheby's, John James Audubon's Birds of America now dubbed the world's most expensive book. <em>Or the priciest My Big Book of Birdies that would send any birdwatcher into an orgasmic frenzy- ornithological porn anyone? :)</em><br /></p><p><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8In1bh3ydiJxUOoX8QSB-QDnOcK4DMRGh8PA1qC9dLkuAnjnL2_XHXd65ai71JtI18l1nyfk_0zRXVXuSom3F3XUkUwVmLsIl5JMhRCdkNFv80WUl-jMvNnTDiVVQFuTuMw-gD_gJL3Q/s400/most_expensive_book_in_the_world.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516271571374214882" /></p><p>Note the delicate craftsmanship, the ornate engravings and the lock on the book, the tome definitely looks mysterious. </p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpJFUz4Ht5kbIsXhlxr-O4ivhPEuCJ9DgiMq63VESxwKCqzn_5LYGb52KLCKNA1SnZ25qF39E3RBtYpOv8rP-rZGO7HdUSHNlq-YlGqEjLPSz0PEdbtT8FS7pzeIEk_pk7muYMktbjk0/s1600/bird_book_sothebys_audubon.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpJFUz4Ht5kbIsXhlxr-O4ivhPEuCJ9DgiMq63VESxwKCqzn_5LYGb52KLCKNA1SnZ25qF39E3RBtYpOv8rP-rZGO7HdUSHNlq-YlGqEjLPSz0PEdbtT8FS7pzeIEk_pk7muYMktbjk0/s400/bird_book_sothebys_audubon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516271581911954354" /></a></p><p>Only 119 copies are known to have been made, each book contains 435 hand-colored prints created from engravings of John James Audubon's illustrations. The book size measures more than 3 feet by 2 feet because Audubon wanted to ilustrate an accurate depiction of the birds life size.</p><p> John James Audubon's Birds of America is expected make around $6.2 million and $9.2million. Whoa!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-25784797218426648302010-09-12T22:29:00.000-07:002010-09-12T22:48:49.126-07:00Agatha Christie: International Woman of Mystery<p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqASZMcKIAfpwL1QF1jonQy8GFN1-HCVxhmATR1oT8R0aq-yV2zBNOXE3cm-KPrG4HArj_P-AsGLVG6On5KnRcvC_iWdkPIZCchhYVsJ3dVO6J0DM7ITopRKDPSOuwoolC9Vr8Xdi7y5I/s1600/agatha_christie_mystery_crime_novelist.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 244px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqASZMcKIAfpwL1QF1jonQy8GFN1-HCVxhmATR1oT8R0aq-yV2zBNOXE3cm-KPrG4HArj_P-AsGLVG6On5KnRcvC_iWdkPIZCchhYVsJ3dVO6J0DM7ITopRKDPSOuwoolC9Vr8Xdi7y5I/s400/agatha_christie_mystery_crime_novelist.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516266036564561186" /></a><br /></p><p>If you're a big fan of the Dame of Crime and Mystery then you'll enjoy the BBC Archive's spotlight on <strong><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/agatha_christie/">Agatha Christie</a></strong>, one of the world's most successful crime writer. </p><p>Her books are often whodunits that keep readers guessing clue after clue (or at least reading the book till the end, if you're just gnawing to know if you got your hunches right. One of her popular novels , Murder on the Orient Express features one of her long-running characters, the detective Hercule Poirot.</p><p>Her book sales totalled over an estimated 300 million books throughout her life as a detective novelist. She died in the ripe old age of 85 on January 12, 1976. <strong><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/agatha_christie/">Enjoy BBC interviews and features on Agatha Christie.</a></strong></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-60442488714527932042010-09-01T03:57:00.001-07:002010-09-01T04:09:42.455-07:00Paul Auster's City of Glass<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CdrSZ3oKZueQ-_MKb2P0lj28R9gKLsjGAEzXxyeuYjGZzZhtrVPMzNnBVsK_6fIwznm5IogpYkJ5qlIb3poc_xP40TGZ2SxguLpCAmUoGDoBdiJ0PkoM4CdvSPe2WGwsMFiMAh8OCNM/s1600/paul_auster_city_of_glass.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CdrSZ3oKZueQ-_MKb2P0lj28R9gKLsjGAEzXxyeuYjGZzZhtrVPMzNnBVsK_6fIwznm5IogpYkJ5qlIb3poc_xP40TGZ2SxguLpCAmUoGDoBdiJ0PkoM4CdvSPe2WGwsMFiMAh8OCNM/s400/paul_auster_city_of_glass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511897650322564994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I will now begin my reading spree into <span style="font-weight: bold;">Paul Auster's New York Trilogy</span>- the first novel <span style="font-weight: bold;">City of Glass</span> is not what it seems to be. Noir? Pseudo-Noir? Existentialist noir? or simply narcissistic?<br /><br />A lot of self-importance is placed on finding the mystery caller named Paul Austere. Yeah, the author who turns out to be paranoid about his father. Yeah, Paul Auster has daddy issues.<br /><br />Now let's see how this turns out, the first few chapters are very engaging to say the least!<br /><br />The copy I got from booksale had a lot of<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>dog-ears<span style="visibility: visible;" id="search"><em></em></span>, proof that this is one book people can't get their hands off.<br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-20623705203023307192010-08-17T07:59:00.000-07:002010-08-17T08:08:07.972-07:00Professional 16/35mm Cameraman's HandbookToday I found a gem, the Professional 16/35mm Cameraman's Handbook by Verne and Sylvia Carlson and it feels like a bible. Well, it is for film school and camera enthusiasts. The cover I mean has the texture of the Holy Bible and the inscription is engraved in gold.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfolvCVWGLwrVmfggJb11k9SPPY20GMTYLAy1locLAggSoOI18zP4wcb3cQNLR_F5WalMwtmnREaxo5d6iyzJM0CvBy0FUU67ezNkuF90eQiSqDgyOpFp02cEs6R_7Mmgedt6r_Cbm9w/s800/professional_16mm_35mm_handbook.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 607px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfolvCVWGLwrVmfggJb11k9SPPY20GMTYLAy1locLAggSoOI18zP4wcb3cQNLR_F5WalMwtmnREaxo5d6iyzJM0CvBy0FUU67ezNkuF90eQiSqDgyOpFp02cEs6R_7Mmgedt6r_Cbm9w/s800/professional_16mm_35mm_handbook.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3o7AapcY57EAMh_TqfuRNnStVqb16kfBWK4OuX7xc_Z995xA4BjVNRfQMsLFXaV6fV5JTbNJPVoGC-zfjTCGA3mwDo1Xxu-KS4GEZumZWxZLSppxsT9zSD_fOykPuzqkm5sCyC4Pw1qs/s1600/unit_take_camera_roll.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3o7AapcY57EAMh_TqfuRNnStVqb16kfBWK4OuX7xc_Z995xA4BjVNRfQMsLFXaV6fV5JTbNJPVoGC-zfjTCGA3mwDo1Xxu-KS4GEZumZWxZLSppxsT9zSD_fOykPuzqkm5sCyC4Pw1qs/s400/unit_take_camera_roll.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506393924679825042" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMPa_L-YsH_tSdu4w5jffrO1LXSCI3u5Tu0KKe1KffjymPOIi9qLcSgD7PXGLw0wNwjXHSAlwUoX7X5dqti9FfKauPiGw0pDpWAEyqt5gfVAvOHc8z5UiSM1-sBOS80AdnEb-CMcoqYM/s1600/tooth_sprocket_shaft_16mm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 324px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMPa_L-YsH_tSdu4w5jffrO1LXSCI3u5Tu0KKe1KffjymPOIi9qLcSgD7PXGLw0wNwjXHSAlwUoX7X5dqti9FfKauPiGw0pDpWAEyqt5gfVAvOHc8z5UiSM1-sBOS80AdnEb-CMcoqYM/s400/tooth_sprocket_shaft_16mm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506393917627277138" /></a><br /><br />The book has a lot of diagrams on the mechanisms of the arriflex and bolex cameras. It also has a tsep by step guide on loading on loading your roll. Yup all manual from here, nothing digital, nothing automated and that's the beauty of it. Now if only the book came with a 16mm camera. Maybe I have to check out Quiapo for that!<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5B9dwkMAGVALBiuKztulUYiyC8d7VoVM9NwuMVNWUMS4T2fM2eZHtbfIdXDhh65-wFyUjfxCEqhMZTkpTexARvwFOs3l0yGjnLHbCgw7D9vlZtX0ReYrYAgubS6krDH7aEomD-79Qno/s800/16mm_book.jpg" border="0" alt="" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-88644095774762063792010-05-08T11:15:00.000-07:002010-05-08T11:37:09.394-07:00Tubthumping the Thumb Thing: The Best Gift for BookwormsJust found the best invention created for bookworms. A soft plastic ring that keeps book pages open.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsZZW5ykjt0L5uRZA_Ud0MZj55OLeXiCJ7mmQjc2C8QVvP0hLkG6iF6AJPS2FcsFCavmYUWQ-WIDy-44iKVFmyNi0NNOjSnrnydspNo0c7kOif4UtjRUGX398Kbdbk-Bp9QlbJPGysg8/s1600/thumbthing.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsZZW5ykjt0L5uRZA_Ud0MZj55OLeXiCJ7mmQjc2C8QVvP0hLkG6iF6AJPS2FcsFCavmYUWQ-WIDy-44iKVFmyNi0NNOjSnrnydspNo0c7kOif4UtjRUGX398Kbdbk-Bp9QlbJPGysg8/s400/thumbthing.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468966626252949138" /></a><br /><br /><p>Whether you're on the tram, at the park, reading at an awkward angle or missing an opposable thumb, the <a href="http://www.thumbthing.com/index_e.htm">ThumbThing</a> is certainly handy to keep those pages at bay. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-38885248308923999762010-02-22T01:50:00.001-08:002010-02-22T02:09:15.272-08:00Quirk Books: Ben H. Winters & Seth Grahame-Smith Reinvent the ClassicsWish I could get these in my neighborhood bookstore, they are to die for! <span style="font-style: italic;"> How postmodern and post apocalyptic ey?</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyPmaMdvqtejc7QZ-9bEyh_613scbt491aMnCjz35Or1J6r8NhjQcU2936_kQnkO3nBbdbny23NznNg0E6XsfpQbyTAbKVHKPVS5W9zf9mfqDvSc7zybIUv9lEJirkHlukb7afjWyuZ8/s1600-h/android_karenina.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyPmaMdvqtejc7QZ-9bEyh_613scbt491aMnCjz35Or1J6r8NhjQcU2936_kQnkO3nBbdbny23NznNg0E6XsfpQbyTAbKVHKPVS5W9zf9mfqDvSc7zybIUv9lEJirkHlukb7afjWyuZ8/s400/android_karenina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441003781873057202" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The cover for Android Karenina</span><br /><br />If only these were out when I was in High School then the classics wouldn't have been a total bore. Silas Marner could have been Silas Mechwarrior Robot! and I could have read that in one go.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabGJL2feBr7DoG8USXXwyMvXSLSy96kXbF0kt_cbNOmDIkrueZsUB091c9pA0BXDIMRXjLn5yTldNXiFYM7rejRtrVeKJwCnzebDOEWFbhyphenhyphenk1ZCEdxMH7nJtHeIooFbGY0seiTXe15-s/s1600-h/sense_and_sensibility_and_sea_monsters.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabGJL2feBr7DoG8USXXwyMvXSLSy96kXbF0kt_cbNOmDIkrueZsUB091c9pA0BXDIMRXjLn5yTldNXiFYM7rejRtrVeKJwCnzebDOEWFbhyphenhyphenk1ZCEdxMH7nJtHeIooFbGY0seiTXe15-s/s400/sense_and_sensibility_and_sea_monsters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441003646224264034" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters</em>. <span style="font-style: italic;">Winters shares a byline with Austen</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2etMfYHFyJwp3mq7_n7ctiH8J8Rh1wlXior0UWLilBlw1YT45gjSvjaVNfxvMu2DKCs-e08yZUtgnasI4SEbvL5Hn3NfuxA3DJlWPPo6TUMnDZNeBMbtOuHHNk6-2_0y2xpRsij5XuiE/s1600-h/pride_and_prejudice_and+zombies.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2etMfYHFyJwp3mq7_n7ctiH8J8Rh1wlXior0UWLilBlw1YT45gjSvjaVNfxvMu2DKCs-e08yZUtgnasI4SEbvL5Hn3NfuxA3DJlWPPo6TUMnDZNeBMbtOuHHNk6-2_0y2xpRsij5XuiE/s400/pride_and_prejudice_and+zombies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441003553113663986" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</em>, by Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith<br /><br />The HuffPost talks about writers like Ben H. Winters on how he co-authors with dead people particularly Jane Austen. And how he upsets the literati and the purists. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-h-winters/i-write-with-dead-people_b_347365.html">Read More</a><br /><br />To date there are rumors of a movie deal for the books. Yeah I would like to see Elizabeth Bennet take a bite out of Mr. Darcy! A nod to the strict feminist approach<em></em> <em></em><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-3875285968735702392010-02-01T10:56:00.000-08:002010-02-23T10:54:47.782-08:00The Recluse Has Left the Building: The Death of JD SalingerThe legendary novelist whose novel Catcher in the Ryle became the signature voice for the angry and alienated youth, it was almost like reinventing adolescence.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Fo0PAyOLixBVfbdFd7OGpYrKfrpFArZNssKVOnlZVYzg9dnrzIOZecxhDqH97_l7NLWWlJgJooiF9WT9XdMpTnd7Uwz_SXO4PKazwGoY0OqM7_-msycQbqiUfUmFOazUl7aiq3YrCGE/s1600-h/jd_salinger_death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Fo0PAyOLixBVfbdFd7OGpYrKfrpFArZNssKVOnlZVYzg9dnrzIOZecxhDqH97_l7NLWWlJgJooiF9WT9XdMpTnd7Uwz_SXO4PKazwGoY0OqM7_-msycQbqiUfUmFOazUl7aiq3YrCGE/s400/jd_salinger_death.jpg" width="287" /></a></div><br /><br />The whole world catches its breath and mourns the hermit Salinger.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jan/28/catcher-in-rye-salinger-dies">Catcher in the Rye author JD Salinger would not be caught in the public eye</a><br /><i>Writer whose seminal work still sells 200,000 copies a year withdrew from public life in the 1960s</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.spikemagazine.com/splinters/2010/01/jd-salinger-rip.php">J.D. Salinger RIP </a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/feb/01/secret-history-jd-salinger">The Secret History of JD Salinger</a><br /><i>The Catcher in the Rye's voice of postwar teenage disaffection seems to me to articulate the experiences of an earlier generation</i><br /><br /><a href="http://gawker.com/5460489/reviewed-dave-eggers-remembrance-of-jd-salinger-in-the-new-yorker">Reviewed: Dave Eggers' Remembrance of J.D. Salinger in The New Yorker</a><br /><br />So where has he been hiding all these decades?<br /><a href="http://gawker.com/5459891/this-is-jd-salingers-house">This Is J.D. Salinger's House </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-45450863647321635332010-01-20T11:34:00.000-08:002010-01-20T11:34:11.351-08:00Happy Reading this 2010!<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">— Alan Bennett, The History Boys</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-29740388337567701292009-11-15T07:35:00.000-08:002009-11-15T07:35:00.452-08:00On Books and Reading<p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiU0XGOJC3ITJ7Eu-Zf83uGcPdnViMM4eTwrUSLVwdhwY0eXEc9c_cUU56khQ9ypGVb2tA24eQveuEjggQagI637BfwIBStSEV3dN79o3I_fexK3xsJYOQKdZ7ur13o5utzX7EBsociBE/s1600-h/bookflip_ivybaldoza.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiU0XGOJC3ITJ7Eu-Zf83uGcPdnViMM4eTwrUSLVwdhwY0eXEc9c_cUU56khQ9ypGVb2tA24eQveuEjggQagI637BfwIBStSEV3dN79o3I_fexK3xsJYOQKdZ7ur13o5utzX7EBsociBE/s400/bookflip_ivybaldoza.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401386800673400802" /></a><br /></p><p><em><span style="font-size:130%;">These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves. From each of them goes out its own voice.</span></em><br />- Gilbert Highet</p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">I divide all readers into two classes; those who read to remember and those who read to forget</span>.<br /><em>- William Lyon Phelps</em></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-86857150084099720162009-11-13T01:02:00.000-08:002009-11-13T01:02:00.642-08:00Sharp Teeth by Toby BarlowAnother gem from my Booksale hunt.<br /><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlg1QXndfYSZt6JkZBAAp0x0AuUhW7euh1w8foEWGMDmFvp5KwPq-MrTvEN_ML_Hh_D0m1r7RkR9UIn3AjCoOAqgvoBAK83rjF1oZKMncXCUV-0zNdn2U4FBPNMqrYZOE_wUhAjSEnweg/s1600-h/sharp_teeth_bookcover.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 273px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlg1QXndfYSZt6JkZBAAp0x0AuUhW7euh1w8foEWGMDmFvp5KwPq-MrTvEN_ML_Hh_D0m1r7RkR9UIn3AjCoOAqgvoBAK83rjF1oZKMncXCUV-0zNdn2U4FBPNMqrYZOE_wUhAjSEnweg/s400/sharp_teeth_bookcover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401377273377769266" /><br /></a><br /><em>This book has bite and it won't let go of any rabid reader.</em></p><p><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUC0AA7nT3lPvK2HsVt1aDUPf_DTjylJv5SEqQTgEWhQ21CSeDTpn6tmBjeT6rfiubie7jwHzBUL3HB8TNi_RhTX4lDVzbMvJWZEG8E6jGcwfU6-sTkdcMjmRZ_j-hxVDyc9EFnIyWTw/s400/sharpteeth_tobybarlow.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401377499443715378" /></p><p><strong>Sharp Teeth</strong> has gone rogue with werewolves in LA. Barlow weaves the lycanthrope myth in free verse and flows evenly like spoken word poetry.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-67687594913107134542009-11-11T06:26:00.000-08:002009-11-12T02:26:01.022-08:00The Girl Who Played Go by Shan SaThis find really made my day. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-K3TSft0vJOpWGjpsX_zba3zKw2hlW37Q7UYbullmNTULwCbfhhrYVElnzVXocLkAXPJChTM_2rzKS1bt9adpk5-Gilr6FRcXpwFqPg-K9uyZbmFroCbDrM6z3yYV2CVkhzW6ZxSTjx4/s800/the_girl_who_played_go_shan_sa.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-K3TSft0vJOpWGjpsX_zba3zKw2hlW37Q7UYbullmNTULwCbfhhrYVElnzVXocLkAXPJChTM_2rzKS1bt9adpk5-Gilr6FRcXpwFqPg-K9uyZbmFroCbDrM6z3yYV2CVkhzW6ZxSTjx4/s800/the_girl_who_played_go_shan_sa.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 496px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
I remember being at Bibliarch once and 9 Asian fiction novels were on display, they were released with similarly styled covers. I guess they were being marketed as a novels having the same theme and feel. Three of them were quite popular already and one, Norwegian Wood being a common favorite of the literati. I bought one of the eight - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Since Dai Sijie the author is also a filmmaker. But I also have my eye on Yukio Mishima's<span style="font-style: italic;">The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea</span> in my bookworm radar.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSAPjR2KNo6QkBsZfbFNQDdGdrobyRFY_zA4wM2jWB3ks3v9oOPWtYi6PGAfsTTXkSK6EcN8jA3HWEhG1L9lVyRvXtUwmfZmzfqKUmZmxJiN5YHnaPgyVXmkVD5TWlX66e2V1QClmEbI/s1600-h/the_girl_who_played_go.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401368312978132194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSAPjR2KNo6QkBsZfbFNQDdGdrobyRFY_zA4wM2jWB3ks3v9oOPWtYi6PGAfsTTXkSK6EcN8jA3HWEhG1L9lVyRvXtUwmfZmzfqKUmZmxJiN5YHnaPgyVXmkVD5TWlX66e2V1QClmEbI/s400/the_girl_who_played_go.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 225px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<b>Synopsis:</b> <i>In war-torn Manchuria of the 1930s, a young girl and a Japanese soldier briefly find peace over a game of go.</i><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PTAgpmqaH8pWf03bHSFWCFD8Y5YXobFRmTrZMhGvw8WpAYNbRaU2HwGDq17fQXUe2DacrhWGyf0DJUeBDdvUxAh4xqCSSNwycUoW8sjypTA8C6_Tbg1HFLGnmLg3I41mD2AkwDISHjA/s1600-h/the_girl_who_played_go_excerpt.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401368257543104386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PTAgpmqaH8pWf03bHSFWCFD8Y5YXobFRmTrZMhGvw8WpAYNbRaU2HwGDq17fQXUe2DacrhWGyf0DJUeBDdvUxAh4xqCSSNwycUoW8sjypTA8C6_Tbg1HFLGnmLg3I41mD2AkwDISHjA/s400/the_girl_who_played_go_excerpt.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 225px; width: 400px;" /><br />
</a><br />
A lovely photo of the author Shan Sa.<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401376754338578066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMNWd9CyUYPJhXPLTz5LrKxK99XKR49ZvIRRUmUfZhKIoi54W4ciqFVbIKpm54t3ZC6135XoCAzIQ2qRn1SvKXd6k9PbsECUU0QUVSUywHtV30W6_kZdYNLESbTZx9_GUGzpmXAfVBgg/s400/shan_sa_novelist.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 400px; width: 273px;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-70276303101839046782009-11-09T01:02:00.000-08:002009-11-09T01:02:00.122-08:00Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician<p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s622F1y714zPMWP6zBbOa2HO7U1cdBCWSy1RWsWXibcAQ-ncfqUgixjjDqAav-LS1utaBSu1ULwvS1y_zUF2Y5ogEuFcpZEZ1DgiGpzFRcLaiA1dvvdBFy1bF-jiQTnJh66fmiQdH6Q/s800/mr_sebastian_and_the_negro_magician.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 525px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s622F1y714zPMWP6zBbOa2HO7U1cdBCWSy1RWsWXibcAQ-ncfqUgixjjDqAav-LS1utaBSu1ULwvS1y_zUF2Y5ogEuFcpZEZ1DgiGpzFRcLaiA1dvvdBFy1bF-jiQTnJh66fmiQdH6Q/s800/mr_sebastian_and_the_negro_magician.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><p>I loved the magic realism of <strong>Big Fish</strong>, this is what lured me in taking a chance in this book by <strong>Daniel Wallace</strong> and best of all the copy is in large print. Oh my poor eyes...<br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfqTmUgxaqFqXfGjmHM-rbTpt1Rc7jCN-LI-CLyqugMxJa0bmh7giQjRGIwAfdPAPM9r3tE6iQHC7aLyaVJO4AMqESboyQwtmXk8rI67978q1Tjb60hLzaOg-wzVxXoc-oEudU2X_ZgfM/s1600-h/mrsebastianandthenegromagician.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfqTmUgxaqFqXfGjmHM-rbTpt1Rc7jCN-LI-CLyqugMxJa0bmh7giQjRGIwAfdPAPM9r3tE6iQHC7aLyaVJO4AMqESboyQwtmXk8rI67978q1Tjb60hLzaOg-wzVxXoc-oEudU2X_ZgfM/s400/mrsebastianandthenegromagician.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401361840224041650" /></a><br /></p><p><strong>Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician</strong> is a multi-layer fantastical feast told by all the surrounding characters in reference to the main ones in the title, both whom we never really get to hear from. This book has just has too many tricks. Deceptive at times, this novel distorts its own reality like a fun house mirror.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-27394472473659184082009-11-07T04:34:00.000-08:002009-11-07T05:49:40.832-08:00The Virgin Suicides and Middle Sex<p>Two books by Jeffrey Eugenides acquired two years apart from the same Book Sale branch in MCS Makati. Woohoo!</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjVIkmZ3zraKoM9r8CqlXW5UCAizSgeIh-6kIFJUOwhLK6wo-PKruhxbY6cEGBpbMAJlg90vr1MN5EYnMJGBMgBGn6QLZGwhKdfWFQ6pzLlc8nF22LmEec9pe29DB5FTsNWMzubkt9WI/s1600-h/thevirginsuicidescover.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjVIkmZ3zraKoM9r8CqlXW5UCAizSgeIh-6kIFJUOwhLK6wo-PKruhxbY6cEGBpbMAJlg90vr1MN5EYnMJGBMgBGn6QLZGwhKdfWFQ6pzLlc8nF22LmEec9pe29DB5FTsNWMzubkt9WI/s400/thevirginsuicidescover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401343760307683234" /></a><br /></p><p><strong>The Virgin Suicides</strong> is one of the most unforgettable and lyrical coming-of-age tales ever. Tender and heartbreaking, the dreamy narrative recalls the Lisbon sisters as the objects of desire and fascination of several young boys in a quiet little suburb.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm7yo6v_JzICMvCrmRCgHUXyU_VgH3PVJr0tFd3Keb71Rmp1HE3yM7Kc5N576Li62UweVrqdaelbS22VZtbJ750wbRenGsmZMknZzPNFwzJn2bP2F1OzZl2PYLYYSWWqvq7BvXlzLBn8/s1600-h/virgin_suicide_pages.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm7yo6v_JzICMvCrmRCgHUXyU_VgH3PVJr0tFd3Keb71Rmp1HE3yM7Kc5N576Li62UweVrqdaelbS22VZtbJ750wbRenGsmZMknZzPNFwzJn2bP2F1OzZl2PYLYYSWWqvq7BvXlzLBn8/s400/virgin_suicide_pages.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401342431130966018" /><br /></a><br />Notably, the film version by Sofia Coppola was successful in capturing the foreboding mood and the dreamy, nostalgic essence of Eugenides' novel.</p><p><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKgslSW4PmnifwQrqizPY6vuX57B65f3xtZL6QH3jELg6KEOdVhi9okb-YfxDl8-Aa6k_vvM3FM7DAI5PrchmeSR2pwxODyRdHU46GctelmnryUblJFBCD5YEvnj_MEI3msDS_vrYOiY/s400/thevirginsuicidesbook.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401342506874833314" /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGRe9CJv1xkaH27rfVvixKoxV4-I35YCdzmpzEX2O4Oo7qVQNRzce1ojtnQs6UdH5ZkKtk4sF3tEcJ0EGrwYaekQV1jvXTzDSWQPVVo3ounlbAMvRrCOX4kS8XdZF7QtrJ5IgyclIB48/s1600-h/tripfontaine.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGRe9CJv1xkaH27rfVvixKoxV4-I35YCdzmpzEX2O4Oo7qVQNRzce1ojtnQs6UdH5ZkKtk4sF3tEcJ0EGrwYaekQV1jvXTzDSWQPVVo3ounlbAMvRrCOX4kS8XdZF7QtrJ5IgyclIB48/s400/tripfontaine.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401342370847047794" /></a></p><p><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 289px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWcWn_vpPDnXbZQSnnoGbYucH6LFq4PYKl5DuWLOwxqNZnSWhN5sGcaT7SPeKJHiCkmnI3u784HxD6L-jVqoBkg_YJYlde-nRDdB66iFYcz6ws_F7wH4Xr5rd9TFi0bida3q7wWNLSy8/s400/middlesex_cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401343703765443586" /></p><p><strong>MiddleSex</strong> is a nosedive into the fluidity of sexuality, a tale of two sexes from the point of view of <strong>Cal</strong>, a hermaphrodite.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTe4S1djDNwAKVg23h4sQxUXMfSHIN1uldEgEgpJSEs7bFMkQDUsrK5beT_-jXOw_VKq6gJMT6myTFKFHahTfC2qzENg49xZlN9QleFfF5RGY06dZ4qUKxxsXNmwLRUeL7OT2bRm3za_I/s1600-h/middlesex_jeffreyeugenides.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTe4S1djDNwAKVg23h4sQxUXMfSHIN1uldEgEgpJSEs7bFMkQDUsrK5beT_-jXOw_VKq6gJMT6myTFKFHahTfC2qzENg49xZlN9QleFfF5RGY06dZ4qUKxxsXNmwLRUeL7OT2bRm3za_I/s400/middlesex_jeffreyeugenides.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401339174994535298" /><br /></a><br />These books weren't easy to hunt down, but good things really come to those who wait.</p><p><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjf39kC_GT4M2vCwczznKZYDo1ek0qxBcNLScWBMKKYhl86r3VYeh63sstWHwU6j6W7MZVjQmAkRXrF5cH-JtEFw8bgBc36kMX0h32IXKsTHAOpFmWUd3MXY7zFlDnHjNVDV_IN4X-Oo/s400/jeffrey_eugenides_books.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401343637323208546" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-16981276530415701822009-07-26T19:53:00.000-07:002009-11-07T05:51:16.685-08:00The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide: Complete and Unabridged by Douglas Adams<p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZz3DWBH8rgrictoxgyYs_00KHM-usVp8wMw0J9bVdVhfZDS55rMFkKILzsd5RGSmFXowKrnrckdPpCAcIkFltVOQGeZ_Ot7aZsCB9J7xOn6HLdpprkiLlnv67s1PydKv7cbQo2NFWLtk/s1600-h/hitchikersguidetothegalaxy_cover.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZz3DWBH8rgrictoxgyYs_00KHM-usVp8wMw0J9bVdVhfZDS55rMFkKILzsd5RGSmFXowKrnrckdPpCAcIkFltVOQGeZ_Ot7aZsCB9J7xOn6HLdpprkiLlnv67s1PydKv7cbQo2NFWLtk/s400/hitchikersguidetothegalaxy_cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362968106931743698" /></a></p><p>Now I can read the whole series in one go!</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEg3RJO6i2WEQypHeFVQHsusN6gNhAijaRPYSALkj8sUo6hecXz_xMu2VeYvxHNLPAzeorVIpFONmc6M2BoCSQZSpWTac14smOiTv6oCPjqh38mJLCbT5K0bnHqSLzipzEekQcB2zqcdI/s1600-h/hitchikersguidetothegalaxy3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEg3RJO6i2WEQypHeFVQHsusN6gNhAijaRPYSALkj8sUo6hecXz_xMu2VeYvxHNLPAzeorVIpFONmc6M2BoCSQZSpWTac14smOiTv6oCPjqh38mJLCbT5K0bnHqSLzipzEekQcB2zqcdI/s400/hitchikersguidetothegalaxy3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362967861194778178" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFpv5N88mjY6s9yR7JDKaYudNdYYixeEpUWU-bV2Y7GJSVuW8SJuEzOnVDXG5W1kXR861HIGM-1pYiMFD8_MkFhdSK6GvJ2WPhm4wQGvNC1EeA8EvEliFmJdwuemJojkNUTKRZ16j4hs/s1600-h/hitchikersguidetothegalaxybook.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFpv5N88mjY6s9yR7JDKaYudNdYYixeEpUWU-bV2Y7GJSVuW8SJuEzOnVDXG5W1kXR861HIGM-1pYiMFD8_MkFhdSK6GvJ2WPhm4wQGvNC1EeA8EvEliFmJdwuemJojkNUTKRZ16j4hs/s400/hitchikersguidetothegalaxybook.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362968161867659922" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXVaxMJV684UGD9gOYMPPe14cV-D2lDvzvlOUrJxHG0RtbKTq2tW46GZ4-HXJZxbuJmjbRWTNwSkkYtcZgTjHXb_Za8MITqpIoJ8sHOOd3dPJ6coUnTGjpYMlXrI0klvdsZsFKFlpSAc/s1600-h/hitchikersguidetothegalaxy2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXVaxMJV684UGD9gOYMPPe14cV-D2lDvzvlOUrJxHG0RtbKTq2tW46GZ4-HXJZxbuJmjbRWTNwSkkYtcZgTjHXb_Za8MITqpIoJ8sHOOd3dPJ6coUnTGjpYMlXrI0klvdsZsFKFlpSAc/s400/hitchikersguidetothegalaxy2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362967915227459890" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-xGnvu384Vq6KZnXA3b9fh5NeChyphenhyphenRhMvExHLsQo7PmD8jZOROAcChFTdTUyM0hOWiiVIZZLrLwlRZhxNCe1bh2NjAr4TBWr68TYGRj8AZ5MHRCZLHBcEkICw7nKWRhYtuDO8uqQr264/s1600-h/hitchikersguidetothegalaxy.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-xGnvu384Vq6KZnXA3b9fh5NeChyphenhyphenRhMvExHLsQo7PmD8jZOROAcChFTdTUyM0hOWiiVIZZLrLwlRZhxNCe1bh2NjAr4TBWr68TYGRj8AZ5MHRCZLHBcEkICw7nKWRhYtuDO8uqQr264/s400/hitchikersguidetothegalaxy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362967982523051442" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3Fkb1dx3Oi62aXbl0Pjle0HrIYmz_wtolu4CnRoLnWatMyWijxkafory-c7wqTpWdB7n8TfMoVT4Lo3cQMUk-HqlM4zRlKQV-iuPnOUrynYt8Ok3-N-BOelDN1WqecGJNZ4-udJLVkQ/s1600-h/solongandthanksforthefish.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 251px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3Fkb1dx3Oi62aXbl0Pjle0HrIYmz_wtolu4CnRoLnWatMyWijxkafory-c7wqTpWdB7n8TfMoVT4Lo3cQMUk-HqlM4zRlKQV-iuPnOUrynYt8Ok3-N-BOelDN1WqecGJNZ4-udJLVkQ/s400/solongandthanksforthefish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362968054822806658" /></a><br /><br />A steal for P60! ($1.10)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-24175116963419639412009-07-26T00:06:00.000-07:002009-07-26T20:02:00.265-07:00Malinche by Laura Esquivel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDKuJEk-HchEZOEWmuJ2SL12EutLSCkjK8IRFOdhpUYFEhGMs12dMcvvabLk8eLsqVGh2_MlkqjMYZbPpXRsIB8CDjaExsCTBnMny8VQXEcMLKdCi4_AhR250Vj-s2ThkC3BUBPADlKc/s1600-h/malinche.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 296px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDKuJEk-HchEZOEWmuJ2SL12EutLSCkjK8IRFOdhpUYFEhGMs12dMcvvabLk8eLsqVGh2_MlkqjMYZbPpXRsIB8CDjaExsCTBnMny8VQXEcMLKdCi4_AhR250Vj-s2ThkC3BUBPADlKc/s400/malinche.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362663204585361138" /></a><br /><br />I first saw Malinche at Powerbooks, one of the new releases at that time. It cost around P900 or so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6XdCxxpvOjuGv1oIXOzFURYYg8KY-5Pzhx3wLiE9_FRshIbV8FIKZSZBd-cYYU_y5JalM-_zQ5dM3AYJoHc2WOqHSpNE9VOK-_qn-K7O-eruTBrSKBVPyp4F9iJVUiQgIEAsko-sH9o/s1600-h/malinche_laura_esquivel.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6XdCxxpvOjuGv1oIXOzFURYYg8KY-5Pzhx3wLiE9_FRshIbV8FIKZSZBd-cYYU_y5JalM-_zQ5dM3AYJoHc2WOqHSpNE9VOK-_qn-K7O-eruTBrSKBVPyp4F9iJVUiQgIEAsko-sH9o/s400/malinche_laura_esquivel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362663371142994450" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPJXVqeByy1pFbgOgaiI3NRRdz7WfURrqnvgz-2UUCBSB1jY1nUtEPfVyDhnhEQqCs-5FBQR6TE-s1P-BCfjSTh5rgh2d-oRoHqztPQ4ToWuqOoHBfMI9nf0M7LX67WPNht0lDlLcRpU/s1600-h/malinche_booksale_philippines.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPJXVqeByy1pFbgOgaiI3NRRdz7WfURrqnvgz-2UUCBSB1jY1nUtEPfVyDhnhEQqCs-5FBQR6TE-s1P-BCfjSTh5rgh2d-oRoHqztPQ4ToWuqOoHBfMI9nf0M7LX67WPNht0lDlLcRpU/s400/malinche_booksale_philippines.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362663316190461282" /></a><br /><br />Imagine my delight finding it at P75 bucks! ($1.50)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzjVCY6wDWY6kEJRfYrxlYhK-8eBWraTROEQSVDtOj5_khLwZyRrbeeWqs3axK3DMLd8L5u1XZxgxDKIKU-96eodgMoX0351HOedwR4r5Cm0vOf_1dh9b-GoazyQ3T0Q47ZY-0If84uw/s1600-h/malinche_bookcover_art.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzjVCY6wDWY6kEJRfYrxlYhK-8eBWraTROEQSVDtOj5_khLwZyRrbeeWqs3axK3DMLd8L5u1XZxgxDKIKU-96eodgMoX0351HOedwR4r5Cm0vOf_1dh9b-GoazyQ3T0Q47ZY-0If84uw/s400/malinche_bookcover_art.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362663266227328034" /></a><br /><br />The cover unfolds into this ancient diorama!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9-fdmNizY8NN6aYOHATmgjDP_7mwK6q0HrtU8nlLJlJYgBRV0VK0V_KCJlBvTiEJ2DnARaBcwdX-xtIL4lLh8VJQ4si5ZDed3_X5X7c2V-6Levc_AS8muH0I65rcnMx71jPRpnXzKdI/s1600-h/malinche_lauraesquivel.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9-fdmNizY8NN6aYOHATmgjDP_7mwK6q0HrtU8nlLJlJYgBRV0VK0V_KCJlBvTiEJ2DnARaBcwdX-xtIL4lLh8VJQ4si5ZDed3_X5X7c2V-6Levc_AS8muH0I65rcnMx71jPRpnXzKdI/s400/malinche_lauraesquivel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362663433759123298" /></a><br />Love the feel of the illustrations! It matches the tone and mood of the novel ;><br /><br />Laura Esquivel provides a chapter long tell-all about how she wrote the whole book and the history and myth behind Malinche.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-85840553172399115942009-07-25T23:51:00.000-07:002009-07-26T07:33:01.605-07:00Geek Love by Katherine Dunn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SsRDWpGWs46IwpCoBtqL6PtWBi-jvDjjetBbVmY90THh8-G8BX8LZXDy-LS9brKjAzD67-CScHJ648nM3zsFdp408REoaxvni3soj82nQzrK87KqxurnzyO55NBBvTUi9ziC-h1X2BU/s1600-h/geeklove_katherinedunn.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SsRDWpGWs46IwpCoBtqL6PtWBi-jvDjjetBbVmY90THh8-G8BX8LZXDy-LS9brKjAzD67-CScHJ648nM3zsFdp408REoaxvni3soj82nQzrK87KqxurnzyO55NBBvTUi9ziC-h1X2BU/s400/geeklove_katherinedunn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362660815899305474" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My greatest find, a worn-out well-read copy of Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. The cover and typography is misleading though, at first you might think it was a cyberpunk novel, something William Gibson might churn out. But hell no, this is a 100% macabre page turner. This isn't some bloody mess or gore or Clive Barker. <br /><br />Something worth its merit, Geek Love has well-developed characters and an intriguing plot-driven tale, a noteworthy house drama mind you that delves on deformity and the worst of sibling rivalry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUWkE49PUbDsS3uRv9HRNfVirakTrcQ1rvVJRlznboJrYLXEE2F6LYB7XW9v557ZbMvPSG-O0iKxBtQveuXo1pVD6SmSoqbmeaVE9SXrPK-gOjM3B7k1yDAXKfecPELmOPzXm2fefquE/s1600-h/booksale_tag.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUWkE49PUbDsS3uRv9HRNfVirakTrcQ1rvVJRlznboJrYLXEE2F6LYB7XW9v557ZbMvPSG-O0iKxBtQveuXo1pVD6SmSoqbmeaVE9SXrPK-gOjM3B7k1yDAXKfecPELmOPzXm2fefquE/s400/booksale_tag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362660874365801202" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Bought it for 75 pesos, something like a dollar and ten cents, loved every page of it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JTZt2oKlFgvDCUhe1WL-eXIHZG4-dEpn6sPEcEPQSRL5Ka56cdIG8E8QNtJLkq3THea9e_HlaTeVQt7y6Mf9QicLKz6l_7HxmPP18uybVVQ3UyKg4cA1k6XgttPI0T4U65muHr_Y6MA/s1600-h/geeklove_dunn.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JTZt2oKlFgvDCUhe1WL-eXIHZG4-dEpn6sPEcEPQSRL5Ka56cdIG8E8QNtJLkq3THea9e_HlaTeVQt7y6Mf9QicLKz6l_7HxmPP18uybVVQ3UyKg4cA1k6XgttPI0T4U65muHr_Y6MA/s400/geeklove_dunn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362660936301507506" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A taste of the prose!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaY-wm1cBedxKAlJ1Ce3uJVqYEVpTTwpw-THikfYdr4ZjkXKq5OOBgRjFQ0Orh0wqKlyazsPtiJMdha0USd77i6ZdbU_JyTgISRQGXUKgA8LHHLJXBHQ_6W7BrkeD7LTdATA_hIHxErg/s1600-h/geeklove_dunn2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaY-wm1cBedxKAlJ1Ce3uJVqYEVpTTwpw-THikfYdr4ZjkXKq5OOBgRjFQ0Orh0wqKlyazsPtiJMdha0USd77i6ZdbU_JyTgISRQGXUKgA8LHHLJXBHQ_6W7BrkeD7LTdATA_hIHxErg/s400/geeklove_dunn2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362661027564788434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Some Spoilers below:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Do not read beyond this point if you haven't read the book!</span><br /><br />I guess I felt really disappointed for Oly. I expected some strong turnaround and resolved from her character in the end. I just so wanted Oly to confront her daughter and let her know the truth about the family, the Arthurians, her tail. I wanted Miranda to have a good look at her midget albino mother - accept or reject her on the spot. Perhaps it would have been more cataclysmic and satisfying to see whatever Miranda's reaction was. Instead of having Oly go down with Mary at a swimming pool showdown with a newspaper cut-out to unravel the details of her demise. I think its a weak cop out for the novelist. And a bummer for me!<br /><br />On Chick, it was predictable in a graphic novel kind of way that Chick would blow the hell out of everyone. It felt like King's Firestarter or the final apocalypse in The Stand (Or well some recent hollywood CGI effects movie) But the book was written in the early 90s, I guess going up in smoke isn't as cliche and common as it is now.<br /><br />Arthur Binewski remains the strongest character in the book. His megalomania, cunning and cutthroat manipulative ways do leave an indelible mark post-read.<br /><br />I am just glad Katherine Dunn wasn't afraid to explore all the possible territories for this dark modern fairy tale, redefining our sense of perversion. I couldn't just stop reading and visualizing the Bagman, Iphy and Elly's sexual and overt nature, Dr. P's self-mutilation, etc. The book has a very David Lynch feel to it, the reverse norm and familial ties, the onslaught of carnies that come and go, can hold their very own story threads.<br /><br />Those who like their stories dark, this one is the primo variety :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110240417406940508.post-10483285310675763052009-07-25T22:54:00.001-07:002009-07-26T07:30:57.622-07:00Confessions of a Book Hunter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FZfA6av7_T4aA5m6ywY7gT_Zk6furdzvafj6MMMR7foVC0UVAhjzyN8MNQvRDmSSLNant5XPRRonVsDNH_RefbpAoBXVXTdEGGJOFJBT3Y2g-99f3CFTA2yLMkVu8Al_6zqZmRMCxy0/s1600-h/booksalemanila.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FZfA6av7_T4aA5m6ywY7gT_Zk6furdzvafj6MMMR7foVC0UVAhjzyN8MNQvRDmSSLNant5XPRRonVsDNH_RefbpAoBXVXTdEGGJOFJBT3Y2g-99f3CFTA2yLMkVu8Al_6zqZmRMCxy0/s400/booksalemanila.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362657643303117282" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I love books for a variety of reasons. I like collecting them, and I would never read a novel in ebook form because I love the tactile feel of paper on my fingers. I like the company of books, I love being surrounded by them and I'm a bit surprised I didn't end up a librarian.<br /><br />Though my Aunt Baby is a librarian at the biggest University library in Iloilo; my uncle Herman, a lawyer, was a voracious reader who up to his death was reading classic spy pageturners. My parents never read for leisure and would often dissuade me from reading books, they fear reading would damage my eyesight. Perhaps it has to a degree.<br /><br />I'm not the Academic literary sort, nor am I a book critic or a teacher among other things. So forgive me, if my book selection may not be so ideal. I just want to blog about my book finds, share my treasures. I frequent Book Sale (all possible branches) and Bargain books (Waltermart and Market! Market! Mall). I take my 5 year old son with me and I leave him looking for his own set of books at the children books section. He drags me home by sundown.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0