The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

I rarely buy new books. Second-hand book shops are my go-to whenever I wanted to buy books. I get excited whenever I'm going to these book stores since I feel like I'm on a treasure hunt whenever I browse different titles, check out the back covers for the story's gist, and see how much I could save.

The Book Jar

If you're like me who loves to read and hoard books at home, chances are, you have tons of books on your shelves still left untouched. Maybe you've forgotten what titles you own. Books purchased months ago, or even years ago, are left behind the shelf or under the bed, collecting dust.

Before the start of the year, I list the titles of books I would like to read for the new year. I have my list for 2014 until I saw a wonderful inspiration on how to pick the books to read -- by having a Book Jar.

On each piece of scratch paper, I wrote the unread books I have on the bookshelf. Much to my surprise, I had lots of books that are awaiting for me to read them. So far, I have 40 titles on my Book Jar. I feel sorry for these books since I haven't had the chance to open their pages after I bought them.

Now, instead of my annual book list, I will pick one whenever I've finished reading one book. This brings excitement to my book reading addiction.

And today, I picked: White Fang by Jack London. I wrote down the date so I know when I started reading this book. I'm pretty happy with my pick.

Book Haul - September 2013

I've discovered a Book Sale branch that offers second-hand books cheaply; I saw books worth P5! Instead of going to the mall's Book Sale, I went to this branch to get my monthly book haul. 

It was a Sunday when I went there so the store closes earlier than during the weekdays. I spent an hour browsing through the titles, holding in my hand the books which I would like to purchase.

 

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The first book that caught my eye was "Heat" by Bill Buford. It tells about the adventures of the author as he worked in superstar chef Mario Batali's Italian restaurant. I know Batali from Iron Chef and I was intrigued as to what goes behind the scenes of a famous restaurant owned by him.

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I have two novels by Alice Hoffman which I haven't read yet but I can't stop myself from getting another one. I don't know why. Maybe I just trusted that Hoffman's a good author and her stories such as the "Blue Diary" would be worth reading.

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"A Recipe for Bees" by Gail Anderson-Dargatz had a cute cover. Novels about bees interest me, after reading Sue Monk Kidd's "The Secret Life of Bees." The story is about Augusta who learns about beekeeping which helps her reconnect to the world and strengthen her marriage.

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"Basket Case" by Carl Hiaasen is about a former investigative journalist turned obit writer, Jack Tagger, who tries to resurrect his name by solving a murder case of an infamous rock band vocalist. Praises written on the book's back cover said it was a fun and hilarious read, so I bought it. It wouldn't hurt to have something comical in my book haul.

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I've read a Mary Higgins Clark mystery novel before from a former roommate and I bought one which seemed intriguing. The plot of "Where are the Children?" is about a woman who changed her identity to get away from a hurtful and disturbing past only to realize that the same nightmare is happening to her and her children again.

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"The Bridges of Madison County" is a best-selling novel of all time and became a major motion picture. I hope it is a good read as what most reviews say.










I can't say enough about my love of Book Sale. The total of my purchase, P95 only! I have to double-time reading since unread books keep on piling on my shelves.

Book Bucket List

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I love reading books. Ever since I was a child, I preferred receiving books as gifts. In the past few years, every January, aside from creating my resolutions, I make a list of which 12 books I will read for that year. One book in each month. When I've finished reading one, I proudly check it in my list. Sometimes I read books not in the list, sometimes I'm not able to read all those in the list. But that's alright. The important thing is that I make a conscious effort to read. It pains my heart for those who know how to read but don't do it.

My college friend and I were chatting and we thought of creating a list of books to read before we die. Like a bucket list but this one will be all about books. I searched the Internet and Goodreads, a website for readers, has its Bucket List Books. It consists of more than a hundred books! Gasp! I browsed through the list and saw that I've read a few of them. (pat on the back)

Back in college, we had a subject on World Literature where we were required to read novels such as The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (most chapters, not the whole book, though), and Inferno by Dante Alighieri, not Dan Brown. I've been reading contemporary novels for years now and this inspired me to create my 2014 book list on classics. Sometimes, when I'm on my book haunts, I usually buy classic books, thinking I would be reading them soon, but these books stay on the shelves, collecting dust.

Can I do this? Prioritize reading the classics next year? I have some hesitations. Most classics are too wordy which could make me lose interest. I should be determined. I should embrace this Classic book list. AJA!

Sophie's Choice

After many, many weeks, I was finally able to finish reading Sophie's Choice. At first, I was intrigued with the novel's title and luckily, I saw a copy (second-hand, of course) for P25 only. I was wondering what was Sophie's choice. Another thing that made me curious was why the book was banned for sometime in many US libraries.

The novels has 16 chapters and the book I got has 626 pages (!). It was a bit too wordy for my taste with lots of minute descriptions of people, outfits, and environments. At the latter chapters, I skipped paragraphs to get into the dialogue parts.

The novel is about Sophie, a Polish immigrant who survived the Nazi concentration camps. There are flashbacks on what happened to her during those years, the multiple tragedies that she endured, and finally, the heart-wrenching decision that she had to make.

Halfway through the book, I was wondering why this "choice" hasn't appeared yet, or anything that suggests about it. It reminded me of Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" wherein the protagonist wasn't even mentioned until a few chapters into the book. I can't say what the Sophie's choice was since I don't want spoil it for those who would want to read the book.

In the future, I may read again Sophie's Choice to see details which I have missed and to understand it more. It's a lengthy read, I tell you, but worth it. It's a novel that makes you think, lets you learn about that horrible part of human history, and makes you hope that that war never happens again to your country, or to any other country.

Another Second-hand Book Haul

Since working from home, going out is now limited, and I don't mind. I only go out when paying bills and banking errands and during this day, I try to get the most out of my so-called "day-off." I list all my errands so I can do them in one go. After paying the bills and stuff, I go to the mall and second-hand book shops. I still have lots of unread books but I can't help buying low-priced good books whenever I'm in the book shop. I have more second-hand books than brand new ones and these new ones were mostly given to me as gifts.

I discovered another Booksale branch and that's where I went for my book shopping trip. The books were priced way lower than the mall branch and the titles were kinda older than those at the mall. I was able to snag these wonderful books for a total of P70.

I don't mind if a book is not in pristine condition, as long as the content is readable, it's alright with me.

Commitments

I plan to make a list of commitments and I hope I can do them.

For February, I commit to the following:

1. Meditate for 11 minutes every morning. I want to destress after the infertility treatments I went through last year.
2. Be active -- may it be walking or aero/cardio exercises in the morning. I found a fitness program on cable. Free fitness for me. Wee!
3. Read a book at night. I waste my time watching TV after work and I plan to lessen the time I spend time on the TV.

Okay, just three commitments. Short and sweet. I don't want to list tons of commitments and not be able to do any of them.

What commitments do you have for yourself?

National Book store Cubao

For book lovers out there you know that the Cubao branch of National Book store is the biggest among its family of stores. Taking up four floors filled with books, it is every book lover's Disneyland.


It was 2004 when I last stepped into NBS Cubao. I got a chance to go back one weekend. I went straight to the 4th floor where there were books on sale. Half of the floor was home to books on sale! Prices ranged from P15-75. I was not familiar with the titles but still spent 1 1/2 hours scouring the shelves and tables for interesting books. Yeah, it was like looking a needle in a haystack.


Finally, I was able to grab these two:

At P30 each, they were a steal!

1000 Awesome Things



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Heard about the blog and book "1000 Awesome Things"? I just learned about it recently (*facepalm*). As the name says, it lists the small, taken-for-granted yet AWESOME things around us. I visited the blog and it makes me grateful and happy where I am.

#25 Awesome thing: Kindergarten class photos. Remember your first ever class picture? :)

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

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Just finished reading a borrowed copy. There are three things that made my juices flowing.

1. Do not say "I can't afford it." Instead, ask "How can I afford it?"
2. Be an "Indian Giver."
3. Assets buy luxuries.

Mr. Robert Kiyosaki advises us to stop saying "I can't afford it." when seeing items that we want to have or actvities that we want to do. This statement stops a person's thinking process. It's a dead end. Unlike asking "How can I afford it?," it makes a person think of ways on how to acquire these things.

Be an Indian Giver means getting something from nothing.It's not stealing, cheating or anything bad like that. It means investing your money, letting it grow for a period of time and then pulling out your initial investment, leaving your gains in the investment. For example, Mr. Kiyosaki said in investing in stocks, with the guidance of a broker, he buys stock of a company. After a week or a month, when stock prices move up, he pulls the initial amount while leaving his profit in the stock market. Regardless whether the prices fluctuate, he's not worried since he got his shares for free, so to speak. He got his initial investment money and has left the profit to grow and work for him. Now it got me thinking that I should also have that principle in investing. I have to have earned my initial capital and let the profit work for me. I can use the capital in another investment. Ka-ching!

Assets buy luxuries. I like nice things. I like new clothes though I seldom buy. I love to buy books. I want to travel and eat. Mr. Kiyosaki teaches us to use our assets, not our savings, when buying things that we WANT. We have to plump up our assets first before buying any luxury. If I get a windfall such as a bonus, 13th month pay, leave conversion, etc., I shouldn't go to the mall and buy whatever things I've been fantasizing about. I have to invest the money and when I get 100% profit from my investment, then that is the time to buy my luxury. Sounds difficult right? Well it is. That's why we go back to the "How can I afford it?" mantra.

Reviewing this post showed me that these three things are tied up together. :)

BookCrossing

The Correli's Mandolin which I bought in Booksale recently has something interesting in the first page.

A sticker which says:








Intrigued, I went online and searched for the BookCrossing website. After typing the BCID code, I learned that the book I'm holding was once owned by a reader in Minnesota, USA in 2006. Amazing!

What is BookCrossing?
BookCrossing is the act of giving a book a unique identity so, as the book is passed from reader to reader, it can be tracked and thus connecting its readers. There are currently 933,357 BookCrossers and 8,011,671 books travelling throughout 132 countries. Our community is changing the world and touching lives one book at a time.

This is a new thing for me, owning a book and then releasing it for others to read. You can release a book by leaving it in a bus, park, airport, anywhere where someone could "catch" it. I admit, I cannot think of letting go of my books yet. Maybe someday when my future house cannot contain all the books I've read and collected.

BOOK REVIEW: Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

The Daughter of Fortune is Isabel Allende's fifth novel which took her seven years of research. Set in 1840s in Chile, the novel tells the story of a young Chilean girl named Eliza Sommers who, at the first struck of love, follows her first love out of the country. A girl trained to observe the rigid rules and ettiquette of women in high society, Eliza defied all odds just to track her lover, Joaquin Andieta, who was struck with gold fever. It tells the tale of Eliza's journey from Chile to California with the help of a Chinese zhong yi (physician) Tao Chien, her battle with mental, physical and emotional problems as she search for Joaquin in a foreign land and a decision she has to make in the end.

I like reading the Daughter of Fortune. Allende's writing style is lyrical with a touch of history. She will take you to the place where the story is happening. I could see the Sommers' mansion in Chile, the network of shanties where Joaquin lives, the darkness of the ship's belly and the dusty California land as miners frenetically search for gold like madmen.

My favorite part of the novel is the chapter about Tao Chien. It tells his story of being a Fourth Son, his training as a physician and his love for his arranged bride Lin. I liked how Allende described Tao's love for Lin. It tugged the romantic side of me. I hoped that How Tao sees Lin is how Hubby sees me also. Here's a part of the novel:

"She made him laugh like no one else could, invented impossible stories, provoked him with word games. In Lin's presence, everything seemed to be lighter with an irresistable glow."

Sigh.

The novel also touched on the lives of seamen. People living most of their lives at sea are lonely wherein women are scrace and their physical needs cannot be denied for so long. This struck a chord in me. Wives of seamen hope that their husbands will remain faihful and loyal to them despite the distance and longing for each other. I can only pray that Hubby use all his willpower to restrain himself when temptations arise.

I definitely recommend the Daughter of Fortune to those who love stories of adventures and finding true love. If I'm in my younger years, I'll read this type of novel instead of the ubiquitous paperback romance novels in bookstores.

Booksale!

The big sale in Megamall attracted tons of people over the weekend. I planned on buying (comfy and sturdy) office shoes. But, the reader in me cannot resist taking a look inside Booksale. :)

I am now five books richer! The book that I'm most excited about is the Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen which I got for P115 (about 50% off from its regular price). I've been wanting to buy this book since December and its movie is showing in theaters this week. Luckily, I found the book and immediately grabbed it!

Date A Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

If you're a bookworm and would love to read the rest of this article, then go to Ms. Urquico's site. We don't know each other but I share her sentiments.

Fit for Fertility

This book is full of information about preparing your body for conception. I'm glad I bought it since I learned alot about what food to eat, what to do to obtain optimum reproductive health, how to relieve stress, etc. The wording of this book is very positive and very encouraging that's why I kept on reading every page (well, almost).

Here's what I picked up from this book:

• Create SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Related.
• 3 months seems to be the magic number for preparing your body for pregnancy. So, three months before you actively try to have a baby, you should quit smoking, drinking and recreational drugs and start eating healthy foods.
• "Diet is the single biggest controllable factor in getting yourself fit for fertility."
• Keep things simple and listen to your body.

The Fit for Fertility Program has 10 core themes:

1. Diet
2. Exercise
3. Stress Reduction
4. Lifestyle
5. Positive approach
6. Team approach
7. Goal setting
8. DR AID (Diagnose, Review treatment options, Agree the plan of treatment, Implement the plan, Demonstrate that it is working)
9. Planning the journey
10. Education

These are just a few of the information from the book. There are many more I want to write but it would take a very long post. Just try to grab a copy from your bookstore. Or your second-hand book shops (just what I did!).

I've written my SMART goals and thought about the conception plan. Some will say that I'm OC about this havin' a baby thing. I know that nobody can plan for conception, only the Lord has the say on things. I say, I can prepare my mind, my body and my whole being as Hubby and I wait for the Lord's blessing of a baby.

Books

images from Amazon Books

I was at Booksale again, even though I told myself not to buy any more books since I have lots of books at home left unread. It was a Friday and it seemed there was a new delivery of books. Sales personnel were busy stacking, organizing and displaying books. Books on the floor, books piled high on cabinets, truly a haven for readers.

The "Book of Ruth" is P45 and "Goodbye Sweetwater" is P20 only. Woohooo!

I also got a copy of Isabel Allende's "Daughter of Fortune" (P75) and "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker (P70).

Now, I really have to get serious reading these books. I read somewhere that books which are not read are only ink on paper. Unless you read them, you cannot call them books.

Books from Ninang and Ninong

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Thanks to Ninang F and Ninong G for these gifts! They will truly inspire me this 2011. Maraming salamat po!

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Paper Gift

We celebrated our First Wedding Anniversary two weeks ago. It's our Paper Anniversary and I'm thinking of giving a gift to Hubby which is made of paper. Can I pull off giving gifts according to the anniversary symbol? I hope I do.

A wonderful idea hit me on what "paper" gift I can give Hubby. I'm thinking of something he will always use and treasure.

And...my gift will be...

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Or,

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Hubby loves the cooking style of Jamie Oliver which is less frill, no pretensions. Just dishes cooked deliciously whether you're at home, in a garden or outside a hotel. In the TLC cable channel, Hubby enjoys watching Mr. Oliver's show "Jamie at Home" since he cooks from his vegetable garden. He uses fresh veggies straight from the garden to the cooking pan to the table. It's so basic, so fresh and so lovely to watch. Hubby loves that!

Taking Charge of your Fertility

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The book explains about the Fertility Awareness Method or FAM. It encourages women (and men) to know their bodies to be able to achieve or prevent pregnancy in the most natural way of just monitoring your body. No artificial methods, no medicines, no invasive interventions, etc.

I like this book because it's non-judgemental. The content is worded to be sensitive to women. No terms such as "defect", "failure", etc. It gives lots of insights and ideas about a woman's "private" life.

Here are some of the things I learned:

1. FAM is monitoring the following:

• BBT - basal body temperature - to know if you're ovulating
• Cervical fluid - to know if you're fertile
• Cervical position (optional)

2. BBT should be taken at the same time and at the same way (oral, vaginal or rectal)

3. BBT must be taken after at least 3 consecutive hours of sleep

4. Digital thermometer is the simplest, quickest type to use in BBT charting. Get a thermometer which can store the last temp and is accurate to at least 1 degree F.

5. What is often referred to as "infertility" may not necessarily be "sterility".

6. Sperm die within a few hours of intercourse when a woman is not in her fertile phase.

7. Minimum 18% of body fat to maintain normal ovulatory cycles.

8. FAM should always be the first step to achieve pregnancy.

9. Taking ovulation drug Clomid should be an informed decision, rather than a routine first step. Clomid increases a woman's fertility but it dries up the cervical fluid, thus hampers pregnancy.

Books by Color

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As I was watching a show on cable about green homes (forgot the title), I saw a house wherein they arranged their books by colors of the rainbow. The owner said it is more interesting that way. And I thought that's a great idea!

I have books at home that are kept in different cabinets and tables. They're not organized. They're just there. Wherever a book fits. I know I should be penalized for doing these to my precious books but I have no proper book shelf at home.

So, when Hubby and I build our house, we will most definitely have lots of bookshelves. And I would do the "color blocking". Instead of filing my books by title or genre, I will use the color of their spines to organize. I'll try to do this over the weekend, just to try it.

Sounds like fun!