Book Baton
I saw this message being passed around where people describe the books they’ve read. Maybe it’s being done so as to convince people to read more. Or it could have been started by geeks who just wanted to share their bookworm-ish life. Either way, it suits me well. So I decided to answer it and I hope some of my friends will make a list of their own.
Number of Books on the Shelves
Oh boy, a rapid appraisal confirms that we have eight main book shelf areas. A wall-to-floor shelf area in the living room, two inside the spare room downstairs, this main book pit at the computer area, one at Daddy’s study, two more inside my room, and a small one inside Ella’s room.
Because I don’t mind counting books, I went around the house and counted them one by one. As of today, we have 1,216 books on our shelves. And that’s not counting the books we have at the work place, the books we lent out to friends, the books we have borrowed from friends, and the magazines, journals and digests we have lying around. Also, I gave away quite a lot of books since I was younger. Some of it was donated to fund raising activities, some to classroom libraries and book corners, some to friends who just plainly never returned the books and I left it at that. I remember giving away one balik bayan box full of pocketbooks which I thought I was too old or to mature to read anymore. If I only knew how wrong I was. Hay. I wish I could have those books back.
Last Book Purchased
I just bought a couple of books yesterday. One entitled Hard Laughter by Ann Lammot which is about a 23-year-old girl whose father is dying of brain tumor. It sort of deals with how the family handled the situation with heart and humor.
The other book is Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. I’ve wanted to read this since my college days, but I found the book very expensive. I’m so glad to have found a copy that cost me P 40 only.
Books Reading Right Now
Hard Laughter. So far, it doesn’t suck.
Last 5 Books Read
Okay, I’m not sure about my accuracy, but vaguely, I think these were the last 5 books I read (aside from the one I’m reading right now and my Spanish Language textbooks):
5. Lyonesse by Jack Vance
This is a high-fantasy story, with princes and princesses double-crossing each other, and sorcerer’s hurling dangerous magic at each other. I know Jack Vance is a revered author in the fantasy genre, but to me, his work reads like Melrose Place in a medieval setting. But it wasn’t half as bad, because it did catch my attention enough to get me through the whole thing.
4. Whistle While You Work – by Dr. Shapiro
It had a very promising premise; it says it can help you find out what you want to be now that you’ve grown up. It’s a good read, and the psychology they presented was insightful and sometimes inspiring. But the end of the story is, as always, change and acceptance begins with us. Did it convince me to love my job in PBSP? Yeah, maybe a little. Because I have a feeling I love my work to start with, it’s just the people who makes it look difficult. By people, I mean me. Hehehe.
3. Simple Wicca by Michele Morgan
I have refrained from buying witchcraft-related books, because: 1) I’m scared I’m violating a Catholic Christian dogma, making it an occasion of sin (yes, I can be this petty-minded); and 2) Most of the Wicca books are crap anyway.
But when I opened this book at Book Sale, its simplicity struck me. Finally, here’s a book that can explain some of the things I feel about magic. Here’s a book that captures the way I feel about praying, about rituals that fortifies the soul, and about my connection to the world.
I still am very much a Catholic. But there are things that feels natural to me, that defines my relationship with God, that strengthens me and comforts me, that aren’t always smiled upon by the Church. Sometimes when I browse through other related books, I find myself reading about certain rituals which I didn’t know were rituals but I have been instinctively doing anyway. Like praying for protection of the house, setting up wards against spirits (I sort of had to find my own way to do this because I can get sensitive sometimes), certain movements which calms me and gives me the feeling of warmth and grace. I don’t know. I am sure it’s related to my faith; the Bible inspires me the same way. It’s Catholic prayers I say as I go through my meditations and my movements. The songs I sing are songs I learned from my convent school. It’s a bit confusing, but I believe I may have a bit of time just yet on this world and I vow to figure it out in the end.
2.) A Dog’s Life by Peter Mayle
Peloy lent me this book and it’s amazing how entertaining it was. I mean, the bottom line is, it’s about a dog. I never imagined I’d be so engrossed about the life of a mongrel. But the dog, called Boy, had some very funny stories to tell. He is narrating the things he sees (aided with a very satiric sense of logic), and he mostly sees humans of course. It’s seeing our species through new and very canine pair of eyes. Funny, and even insightful, at some point. Read it, if you find a copy.
1.) The Shape changer’s Wife by Sharon Shinn
I read through this book in one sitting mainly because it’s a very short book, and because it was a good read as well. What if we can change inanimate objects and make them human? That’s basically the premise of the book. A bit of battle against good and evil. And of course, it has a grand old ending that is out of the ordinary. It wasn’t exemplary work, but it was good enough to entertain me one rainy Sunday, a couple of weeks ago.
Meaningful Books
I am not sure what “meaningful” means. Does it mean a book that has “changed my life?” If that’s the case, there’ll be too many to mention here. A lot of books change us, sometimes in minutiae and sometimes in a grand, passionate way. But definitely, all the books we read change us inside. So my list here includes just those that stuck with me throughout my life, and sometimes, guide my thoughts and decisions. I won’t be including the Holy Bible anymore, because It constitutes my basic moral make-up and given. So aside from the Bible, here are the other books that have inspired me and made me whole: (Funny, they aren’t by any chance religious at all)
The Giver by Lois Lowry
I read this when I was about eleven or twelve. It taught me most of what I believe in when it comes to seeing the real world. It told me there was no perfect one. I made a book critique of this and it can be found in my link: Geek’s Guide to Books. Basta, this book grabbed me and turned my head around completely. You’d be hard-pressed to find a fiber inside me that isn’t in some way touched by this book. The Giver was a landmark inside the realm of my childhood. All directions sprout from there.
Night by Elie Wiesel & All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
The first story is an account of the life (a memoir) of a Jewish boy caught in the horrors of a Nazi camp. The other is the story of a German boy enlisted in the army for WWI. It’s two takes on one tragic period in history and together they taught me about peace by telling me about war.
The horror can never be allowed to happen again.
Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho
Coelho is more famous for his work The Alchemist. The latter was a very good book, and it endeared him to me. But his work that touched me the most this book, Warrior of the Light, which he packaged as a manual on how to accept failure, embrace life and rise to your destiny. This book isn’t a narrative story; they are more of short paragraphs of wisdom. But when you put them together, you get to see the vague outline of the story of a Warrior who lived his way according to the precepts of the Light. I believe there are people who are Warriors of the Heavens, put to earth to mend a wrong and to give light. Sometimes, I pray to God I am one of them – that He’s got a divine purpose for me to fulfill. We all have purposes, of course, as engineered by the Creator. But I find myself wishing He has something very special for me. Reading this book gave me a bit of heart to proceed when those days come. Through the hardships and the stormy seas, I can just imagine myself as a warrior of light who fights against the darkening night.
Romancing the Ordinary by Sarah Ban Breathnach
Aahhh, this book altered my life. I mean really. It helped me see the magic in the ordinary, to get in touch with that whimsical side that keeps my heart young and my perspective fresh. It showed me that I don’t have to have a license to be child-like, to see differently, and to accept change more nobly. It’s not exactly a self-help book. It’s more like a series of affirmations of what you already know. It doesn’t claim that it will change your life, but it does, because it changes your heart. Breathnach doesn’t claim to know all, but that we know all, and the challenge is to find our own authenticity and live it passionately. Passion is seeing color in the drab and drudgery. And color isn’t just pigmentation. It’s a way of seeing things beyond their size and shape.
Well, there it goes then. I hope some of you will also take the challenge, grab the book baton and run with it.
Have fun!
Number of Books on the Shelves
Oh boy, a rapid appraisal confirms that we have eight main book shelf areas. A wall-to-floor shelf area in the living room, two inside the spare room downstairs, this main book pit at the computer area, one at Daddy’s study, two more inside my room, and a small one inside Ella’s room.
Because I don’t mind counting books, I went around the house and counted them one by one. As of today, we have 1,216 books on our shelves. And that’s not counting the books we have at the work place, the books we lent out to friends, the books we have borrowed from friends, and the magazines, journals and digests we have lying around. Also, I gave away quite a lot of books since I was younger. Some of it was donated to fund raising activities, some to classroom libraries and book corners, some to friends who just plainly never returned the books and I left it at that. I remember giving away one balik bayan box full of pocketbooks which I thought I was too old or to mature to read anymore. If I only knew how wrong I was. Hay. I wish I could have those books back.
Last Book Purchased
I just bought a couple of books yesterday. One entitled Hard Laughter by Ann Lammot which is about a 23-year-old girl whose father is dying of brain tumor. It sort of deals with how the family handled the situation with heart and humor.
The other book is Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. I’ve wanted to read this since my college days, but I found the book very expensive. I’m so glad to have found a copy that cost me P 40 only.
Books Reading Right Now
Hard Laughter. So far, it doesn’t suck.
Last 5 Books Read
Okay, I’m not sure about my accuracy, but vaguely, I think these were the last 5 books I read (aside from the one I’m reading right now and my Spanish Language textbooks):
5. Lyonesse by Jack Vance
This is a high-fantasy story, with princes and princesses double-crossing each other, and sorcerer’s hurling dangerous magic at each other. I know Jack Vance is a revered author in the fantasy genre, but to me, his work reads like Melrose Place in a medieval setting. But it wasn’t half as bad, because it did catch my attention enough to get me through the whole thing.
4. Whistle While You Work – by Dr. Shapiro
It had a very promising premise; it says it can help you find out what you want to be now that you’ve grown up. It’s a good read, and the psychology they presented was insightful and sometimes inspiring. But the end of the story is, as always, change and acceptance begins with us. Did it convince me to love my job in PBSP? Yeah, maybe a little. Because I have a feeling I love my work to start with, it’s just the people who makes it look difficult. By people, I mean me. Hehehe.
3. Simple Wicca by Michele Morgan
I have refrained from buying witchcraft-related books, because: 1) I’m scared I’m violating a Catholic Christian dogma, making it an occasion of sin (yes, I can be this petty-minded); and 2) Most of the Wicca books are crap anyway.
But when I opened this book at Book Sale, its simplicity struck me. Finally, here’s a book that can explain some of the things I feel about magic. Here’s a book that captures the way I feel about praying, about rituals that fortifies the soul, and about my connection to the world.
I still am very much a Catholic. But there are things that feels natural to me, that defines my relationship with God, that strengthens me and comforts me, that aren’t always smiled upon by the Church. Sometimes when I browse through other related books, I find myself reading about certain rituals which I didn’t know were rituals but I have been instinctively doing anyway. Like praying for protection of the house, setting up wards against spirits (I sort of had to find my own way to do this because I can get sensitive sometimes), certain movements which calms me and gives me the feeling of warmth and grace. I don’t know. I am sure it’s related to my faith; the Bible inspires me the same way. It’s Catholic prayers I say as I go through my meditations and my movements. The songs I sing are songs I learned from my convent school. It’s a bit confusing, but I believe I may have a bit of time just yet on this world and I vow to figure it out in the end.
2.) A Dog’s Life by Peter Mayle
Peloy lent me this book and it’s amazing how entertaining it was. I mean, the bottom line is, it’s about a dog. I never imagined I’d be so engrossed about the life of a mongrel. But the dog, called Boy, had some very funny stories to tell. He is narrating the things he sees (aided with a very satiric sense of logic), and he mostly sees humans of course. It’s seeing our species through new and very canine pair of eyes. Funny, and even insightful, at some point. Read it, if you find a copy.
1.) The Shape changer’s Wife by Sharon Shinn
I read through this book in one sitting mainly because it’s a very short book, and because it was a good read as well. What if we can change inanimate objects and make them human? That’s basically the premise of the book. A bit of battle against good and evil. And of course, it has a grand old ending that is out of the ordinary. It wasn’t exemplary work, but it was good enough to entertain me one rainy Sunday, a couple of weeks ago.
Meaningful Books
I am not sure what “meaningful” means. Does it mean a book that has “changed my life?” If that’s the case, there’ll be too many to mention here. A lot of books change us, sometimes in minutiae and sometimes in a grand, passionate way. But definitely, all the books we read change us inside. So my list here includes just those that stuck with me throughout my life, and sometimes, guide my thoughts and decisions. I won’t be including the Holy Bible anymore, because It constitutes my basic moral make-up and given. So aside from the Bible, here are the other books that have inspired me and made me whole: (Funny, they aren’t by any chance religious at all)
The Giver by Lois Lowry
I read this when I was about eleven or twelve. It taught me most of what I believe in when it comes to seeing the real world. It told me there was no perfect one. I made a book critique of this and it can be found in my link: Geek’s Guide to Books. Basta, this book grabbed me and turned my head around completely. You’d be hard-pressed to find a fiber inside me that isn’t in some way touched by this book. The Giver was a landmark inside the realm of my childhood. All directions sprout from there.
Night by Elie Wiesel & All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
The first story is an account of the life (a memoir) of a Jewish boy caught in the horrors of a Nazi camp. The other is the story of a German boy enlisted in the army for WWI. It’s two takes on one tragic period in history and together they taught me about peace by telling me about war.
The horror can never be allowed to happen again.
Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho
Coelho is more famous for his work The Alchemist. The latter was a very good book, and it endeared him to me. But his work that touched me the most this book, Warrior of the Light, which he packaged as a manual on how to accept failure, embrace life and rise to your destiny. This book isn’t a narrative story; they are more of short paragraphs of wisdom. But when you put them together, you get to see the vague outline of the story of a Warrior who lived his way according to the precepts of the Light. I believe there are people who are Warriors of the Heavens, put to earth to mend a wrong and to give light. Sometimes, I pray to God I am one of them – that He’s got a divine purpose for me to fulfill. We all have purposes, of course, as engineered by the Creator. But I find myself wishing He has something very special for me. Reading this book gave me a bit of heart to proceed when those days come. Through the hardships and the stormy seas, I can just imagine myself as a warrior of light who fights against the darkening night.
Romancing the Ordinary by Sarah Ban Breathnach
Aahhh, this book altered my life. I mean really. It helped me see the magic in the ordinary, to get in touch with that whimsical side that keeps my heart young and my perspective fresh. It showed me that I don’t have to have a license to be child-like, to see differently, and to accept change more nobly. It’s not exactly a self-help book. It’s more like a series of affirmations of what you already know. It doesn’t claim that it will change your life, but it does, because it changes your heart. Breathnach doesn’t claim to know all, but that we know all, and the challenge is to find our own authenticity and live it passionately. Passion is seeing color in the drab and drudgery. And color isn’t just pigmentation. It’s a way of seeing things beyond their size and shape.
Well, there it goes then. I hope some of you will also take the challenge, grab the book baton and run with it.
Have fun!
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