2010 In Books (UPDATE: Now Complete!)

The 2010 obligatory book list! I found the notebook which kept the first half of the list! Yay!

Titles in BOLD are highly recommended! :)

January 2010

1. Media Education by Cary Bazalgette

2. C.S. Lewis: Spirituality for Mere Christians by William Griffin

3. God As He Longs For You To See Him by Chip Ingram

4. The Soul of Kierkegaard: Selections from his Journals (Ed. Alexander Dru)

February 2010

5. Esther's Inheritance by Sandor Marai

6. The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage by Paul Elie

7. God Said That? So What? A Bridge to Confidence in What the Bible Says by Harold J. Sala

8. The Sandman: World's End by Neil Gaiman

9. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

March 2010

10. 88 Days in India by Chet Espino

11. Kitchen Chinese: A Novel About Food, Family, and Finding Yourself by Ann Mah

12. Nagueños by Carlos Aureus

13. The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton

14. Rome Sweet Home by Scott & Kimberly Hahn

15. Mama Mary And Her Children: True Stories of Real People by James Reuter

16. The Spirit and Forms of Protestantism by Louis Bouyer

17. The Catechism of the Catholic Church

April 2010

18. Conjectures of A Guilty Bystander by Thomas Merton

19. The Honey Moon House and Other Stories by Grace Livingstone Hill

May 2010

20. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by T.E. Carhart

21. The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoy's Final Year by Jay Parini

June 2010

22. Everything is Connected: The Power of Music by Daniel Barenboim

July 2010

23. Parallels and Paradoxes: Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said

24. Letters of C.S. Lewis (Vol. 2)

25. The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld

26. Booknotes: America's Finest Authors on Reading, Writing, and the Power of Ideas

27. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

August 2010

28. A Mind at A Time by Mel Levine

29. Furry Logic: Don't Worry! by Jane Seabrook and Ashleigh Brilliant

30. The Relic by Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child

September 2010

31. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

32. Mini-Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

33. The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child

34. A Feast For Crows by Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child

35. Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child

36. Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church by John Allen, Jr.

October 2010

37. Thunderhead by Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child

38. Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child

39. The Viking Portable Library: Emerson

40. Dance of Death by Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child

41. The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax

42. Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack: A Boyhood Year During WWII by Charles Osgood

43. The Armchair Conductor: How to Lead A Symphony Orchestra in the Privacy of Your Own Home by Dan Carlinsky/Ed Goodgold

44. God's Way: Teachers (Living A Life to Inspire) edited by John M. Thurber

November 2010

45. Teacher in America by Jacques Barzun

46. My Sister, My Spouse: A Biography of Lou Andreas-Salome by H.F. Peters

47. Persuasion by Jane Austen

48. Reliquary by Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child

49. The Strain by G.Del Toro/C.Hogan

December 2010

50. Geraldine, the Music Mouse by Leo Lionni

51. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand

52. Conversations in Bolzano by Sandor Marai

53. An Accomplished Woman by Jude Morgan

I've been busier this year, so I only read around half of my 2009 total. *sigh* At least I was able to average one book a week.

Previous Years:

2009 in Books (Total = 102 titles)

2008 in Books (66)

2007 in Books (the last quarter = 29)

Reflections from a Teacher's Retreat: The LEPI Manila Conference, Dec. 3-4, 2010

Top: Dr. Ma. Victoria Carpio-Bernido and Dr. Christopher Bernido

Bottom: Dr. Josette Biyo

Once in a while, one gets to attend a conference that's really special, one wherein you meet people whose lives and deeds are so heroic and inspiring that you can't help but be infected with their passion, self-sacrifice and nobility of heart. Tata and I were extremely fortunate to have been sent on such a conference by our employers.

The LEPI (Leaders In Education Programme International) Conference was held in the Ateneo, and Tata and I left for two entire work days earlier this month in order to learn from the best teachers of the country, including some from Singapore, Germany, Australia, Brunei, etc. And boy oh boy, did we learn!

But more than the newfound knowledge that filled our brains, we got to interact with real-life heroes and let their passion touch our souls. And among all the leading educators from the different countries, the ones who stood out were undoubtedly the three Filipinos whose pictures are featured above.

The Bernidos and Dr. Biyo are three of the world's most outstanding teachers. I've read of them and their achievements, and actually, THEY were the primary reason for my being so excited to go to the LEPI Conference!! It makes me so emotional to think that people like them exist, and it makes me so proud to be a Filipino teacher. Meeting them in the flesh... exchanging words with them... was an experience I will never forget. (To read about the Bernidos, click here. For more on Dr. Biyo, go to this site)

I will always remember what Dr. Christopher Bernido told me when we spoke for a bit:

"You (young teachers) are the hope of the country."

Not your students, but you.

Whenever I get a bit stressed and bummed out from the emotional rollercoaster job of teaching, I'll look back on the two days of the LEPI Conference, and I just KNOW that it has given me reserves of strength and inspiration which will help me through rainy days ahead. :)