A Cross - Post : The October Round Up

(Original post to be found at our book club's Instagram!)

It’s the end of October! For those readers who set Goodreads Goals, we only have two months left! Here’s an October round-up pic of what I bought (and read! Gasp!) this past month, which will go down in history as THE MONTH WE DISCOVERED AMAZON SHIPS TO MANILA IN AS LITTLE AS SIX-TO-TEN DAYS.

Goals are all well and good, but ultimately we shouldn’t rush this form of magic: how a writer’s metaphysical blood and soul poured onto the page can mould our hearts, expand our consciousness. Letting one’s self be renewed, be changed by a book is a time consuming process, and it’s why we read, after all! To be changed, and thus, be inspired to change our world for the better.

I’ve been setting myself a goal of one book a week ever since I started keeping track of books read in 2007. You’d think that the busier I got, the less I read, but that wasn’t the case back when I was juggling two jobs and studying at night for a licensure exam! More predictable was the surge during the pandemic and a series of family medical crises, when reading became not just a treasured pastime, but a way to cling to sanity.

Through the shadowed valleys and joyous summits of life, books are there for us. Through heartbreak and the ecstasy of first love, they help us put grand truths in words, making them more real. Giving us perspective on what feel like singular, all-consuming passions, to remind us that we are not alone, that all of us are fellow travelers joined in this incredibly rich journey. It humbles us, and makes us grateful for it all, sorrow and smiles alike.