2012 in Books

Image source: 

http://sheisdallas.com/growing-young-readers-with-teenya-blogs/girl-reading/

The year in books! Had less time to read this year, compared to previous years. (Am kinda looking forward to retirement already, haha! Because I think that's the only time I'll be able to polish off my TBR pile)

I noticed that this year, I gravitated more towards "light" and "fluffy" novels as opposed to the heavy books I read in previous years. I should remedy this surfeit by choosing what to read more wisely this year.

1. Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide by Andrew Rankin
2. Untangling My Chopsticks by Victoria Riccardi
3. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami
4. To Dance with Kings by Rosalind Laker
5. The Ritual by Adam Nevill  (Scariest book I've ever read!!! Aaaaaargh!!!)
6. A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson (Thank you Dom for lending it!)
7. Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading by Maureen Corrigan
8. Apologia Pro Vita Sua by John Henry Cardinal Newman
9. Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (A particularly scary Y.A. book)
10. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
11. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
12. The Boticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato
13. A Walk With Jane Austen by Lori Smith
14. Prague: A Novel by Arthur Phillips (Tried to answer the question: "Why do we long to live somewhere, sometime else?")
15. Morning Star by H. Rider Haggard (My first e-book!)
16. The Gourmet by Muriel Barbery
17. The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James
18. Iceland by Betsy Tobin
19. The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips (A well-written mystery!)
20. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
21. Other Kingdoms by Richard Matheson
22. Batman: Black & White (thanks Nicole for lending it!)
23. Constantinople 1453: A Place Called Armageddon by C.C.Humphreys
24. Dialogues with Silence by Thomas Merton
25. The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco (MOST disappointing book I read this year!! Grr)
26. Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith
27. Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
28. You Say More Than You Think by Janine Driver (very insightful book on deciphering body language... and very useful for my line of work!)
29. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
30. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The books that really stayed with me (as in, I found myself thinking about them weeks after reading them!) were:

Life of Pi - Can't wait for the movie! Who else has read this? There are two possible outcomes and I would REALLY appreciate it if you gave me your thoughts as to which ending you think really happened!

Caleb's Crossing - Geraldine Brooks does it again! One of the best historical fiction authors out there. She wrote this gorgeous novel about the first Native American graduates of Harvard.

Daniel Deronda - It is a very wise and moving love story!

Not included in the list were the books I started but for unfathomable reasons didn't get to finish... hopefully they'll make it to next year's book list! :)

Previous Years:
2011 (Total: 62 titles read)
2010 (53)
2009 (102)
2008 (66)
2007 (the last quarter = 29)

A Discourse on Scrabble

   Lots of changes have happened in the school where I teach, hence there is even less time for me to blog nowadays. But these changes are for the better, and I am really grateful that this fifth year of my teaching life is proving to be even more challenging and fruitful than the previous years!

    One of the new hats I'm now wearing is that of Scrabble Team Coach. Full disclosure alert: I was never a huge fan of Scrabble as a child. I was more into Chess and my personal favorite board game (which I fully believe is THE most exciting board game EVER!!): Game of the Generals. And in my elementary and high school years, I was into more physical sports like Swimming and Taekwondo, so I was never really immersed in Scrabble... until this year.

     I was tasked to take charge of the RMM Scrabble Team and prepare for the Milo Little Olympics in Marikina. Sadly, we weren't able to find enough grade school members in time for the contest, but we were blessed to have five adorably geeky high school students come on board for the high school team:

That's newly-turned-14 Jericho, brother and sister Isiah and Gian, silent-but-deadly Mel Rey, 

and team captain Eric with his younger brother and biggest fan, Evan.

      Over a period of a few months, I watched (with a great deal of admiration and respect) as these teenagers played Scrabble for hours at a time, non-stop. Their love for the game was such that they would keep on playing until I practically forced them to go home! THAT is how much they loved playing Scrabble.

     I've been wondering about the secrets of this humble board game, and why it can make people obsessed (but in a good way). And because of our exposure to other Scrabble teams from all over NCR, I think I'm beginning to understand why this game fascinates people so much. Scrabble is just like life!

      In Scrabble, as in life, you don't really know what tiles you're going to get. Sometimes you get vowel dumps, and sometimes you get a rack full of nothing but consonants. That's when preparation counts for a lot.

     Some Scrabble players rely on stock knowledge and natural intelligence. These aren't the ones that win in the major leagues. The ones who come out on top are those who take the time to memorize the seemingly never-ending list of two letter and three letter words that rarely get used in day-to-day conversations, the ones who memorize all the possible words containing J,Q,Z, and all possible seven letter combinations in order to get as many "bingos" as they can.

      In short, it's not how smart you are that determines success. In Scrabble, as in life, it's the smart AND hardworking people that succeed. Scrabble teaches us that there is no short cut to getting to that highly coveted position in Table 1. Only a great deal of hard work can get us there.

      Hopefully, next year, RMM Scrabble Team will get to Table 1. We can do it guys! GO RMM Scrabble!

Call for Scholars 1st Sem AY 2012-2013

THE AVENGERS: Watch a movie for a cause!

It's only THE most awaited film of 2012. And it's being shown in THE finest cinema in Metro Manila. We're selling tickets for a cause!

Buy a ticket and help send U.P. students to school! Our NGO, Ex Libris Philippines, is inviting you to attend a special blocked screening of "The Avengers." We're holding this movie fundraiser in order to help send U.P. "iskolars ng bayan" to school. Our past three fundraisers have helped fund the education of eleven (11) U.P. students!

"THE AVENGERS," showing at April 25, 2012. Wednesday. 7:00 p.m.

Rockwell Power Plant Cinema 2.

Tickets are at P500.00 each! For tickets, please contact me at 0920 947 08 35.

Be cool, and help someone go to school!

See y'all there!

__________________________________

Ex Libris Philippines is a nonstock, nonprofit organization for book enthusiasts. We believe that the nobility of ideals and great vision should not just exist in the pages of books or in the minds of authors long-dead and gone, but in reality. Our organization’s Scholarship Project helps send deserving but financially needy U.P. students to school.

In March 2007, we held a special screening of Frank Miller's"300" in the Powerplant Cinema, Makati. The proceeds went to Gerico Prince Punzalan and Hanna Keila Garcia (Mr. Punzalan graduated on April 26, 2009, BA Speech Communication, cum laude). In April of 2008, we held an opera production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale held at the UP Engineering Theater, Melchor Hall, UP Diliman. The proceeds went to Mikael Angelo S. Francisco (BA Communication Research), Vincent B. Parrenas (BA Philosophy), Maricar F. Verano (BA History), Jessa Chryzl R. Orosco (BS Statistics), and Dave Capule (DCPMA Piano). More recently, in May 2010, we held a concert in the UP College of Music, the proceeds of which went to fund the education of Frederick G. Precillas (B.A. Fine Arts), Claudine V. Enduma (B.S. Tourism), Mark Bryan F. Manantan (B.A. Broadcast Communication), and Dancille Villarey (B.S. Nutrition). Mark Bryan Manantan graduated this past 2011 magna cum laude, and was also nominated for the Best Thesis Award.

http://exlibrisphilippines.multiply.com/

2011 in Books

Ta dah!!! The obligatory annual book list! :) Titles in bold are highly recommended.

January 2011

1. Run To The Mountain: The Journals of Thomas Merton Vol. 1

February 2011

2. Running the Millionaire Lane: A Novice Runner's Spiritual Journey in the Material World by Ma.Leilani Andres Relucio

3. Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey

4. Surprised by Truth: Eleven Converts Give The Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic (ed. Patrick Madrid)

5. God Has Made A Bethlehem by Enrique Monasterio

6. Entering the Silence: The Journals of Thomas Merton Vol. 2

March 2011

7. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

8. Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton

9. The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia

10. Angelology: A Novel by Danielle Trussoni

April 2011

11. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

12. Intellectuals: From Marx & Tolstoy to Sartre & Chomsky by Paul Johnson

13. The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga

14. Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

15. A Search for Solitude: The Journals of Thomas Merton Vol. 3

16. Fever Dream by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

17. Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop

18. The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop

May 2011

19. Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop

20. The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

21. Who Are You, Filipino Youth? by William Henry Scott

22. Chips by William Henry Scott

23. Dinotopia: The World Beneath by James Gurney

24. The Playbook by Barney Stinson and Matt Kuhn

25. The Catholic Church by Hans Kung

26. Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder

27. Catholics & Protestants: Separated Brothers by Leon Cristiani and Jean Pilliet

June 2011

28. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

29. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

July 2011

30. Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

31. Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory by R. balmer

32. My Dream of You by Nuala O' Faolain

August 2011

33. French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano

September 2011

34. The Thoughtful Dresser by Linda Grant

35. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

36. Almost Like Heaven by Julia Quinn

37. When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

38. Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

October 2011

39. The Magician by Lev Grossman

40. The Codex by Lev Grossman

41. Waiting for God by Simone Weil

42. Diaries of A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke (Florence, Schmargendorf, and Worpswede Diaires)
43. Every Book Its Reader: The Power of the Printed Word to Stir the World by Nicholas Basbanes

November 2011

44. Eon by Alison Goodman

45. Eona by Alison Goodman

46. Hagakure (Manga Edition) by Yamamoto Tsunemoto, illus. Chie Kutsuwada

47. Bushido: The Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe

48. Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro

December 2011

49. Oishinbo: A La Carte by Tetsu Kariya/ Akira Hanasaki

50. Unpacking my Library: Writers and their Books (ed. Leah Price)

51. Lafcadio Hearn's Japan: An Anthology of His Writings on the Country and its People

52. Rashomon and 17 Other Stories by Ryonosuke Akutagawa

53. The Monstrumologist: The Terror Beneath by Rick Yancey

54. The Monstrumologist: Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey

55. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

56. The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto by Pico Iyer

57. The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin, SJ

58. A Geek in Japan: Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and the Tea Ceremony by Hector Garcia

59. Eating in Japan by Japan: Japan in Your Pocket Series No. 3 by Japan Travel Bureau (JTB)

60. Salaryman in Japan: Japan In Your Pocket Series Vol. 8 by JTB

61. Who's Who in Japan: Japan in Your Pocket Series Vol. 9 by JTB

62. Japanese Inn and Travel: Japan in Your Pocket Series No. 14 by JTB

Previous Years:

2010 in Books (Total = 53 titles)

2009 in Books (102)

2008 in Books (66)

2007 in Books (the last quarter = 29)

Sojourn in Japan

(The Tres Muchachos and beautiful Hikone Castle)

“All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

I've just come back from ten days in a country so different from my own... a country fascinating in its paradoxical existence, merging ancient tradition with cutting-edge technology, Asian values and Western modernity. The land of the rising sun. Japan.

I now understand why there are people who save up and live meagerly just so they can have the funds to travel. I now feel exactly the same way! It's not just about seeing the sights and meeting the people, though of course, I enjoyed all of it tremendously. It's about the self-growth, the self-knowledge that comes as a result of challenging experiences that are an integral part to any journey.

I've been reading about Bushido as a way of life, and it was just so fascinating to see it enacted even today! For instance, it is visible in the remarkable politeness, etiquette and grace of the Japanese as a manifestation of inner spiritual discipline.

Inazo Nitobe writes: "Look under the skin of a Japanese with the most advanced ideas and you will see a samurai... What Japan was she owed to the samurai."

(I'd like to think that if you look under the skin of any Filipino, you'd find a warrior-poet equal to the best of any other nation. We've just forgotten our own greatness, as a people.)

It was extremely humbling to compare myself to the Japanese. I thought I'd been hardworking before, that I was disciplined before... but dang! All my illusions of grandeur were dashed to pieces. Everywhere I looked, from the humblest waiter to the well-off "sarariman," I saw what Tom Cruise's character in The Last Samurai saw: "From the moment they wake they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seem such discipline."

I could go on and on, but let this short entry suffice as a summary of what struck me the most about this great nation.

MIBF 2011 and the First Pinoy Reader Conference

I'm very proud of my twinnie! She was invited to be a panelist at the first ever Pinoy Reader Conference, recently held at the Manila International Book Fair. She joined a distinguished group of book bloggers and book club representatives as she spoke about Ex Libris Philippines. Many thanks to Charles Tan for uploading the mp3 file of the panel! Click here to listen.

Reading is something I love but nowadays get very little time to do... Reading for pleasure, that is, and not required texts or essays written by students. So the MIBF was a very welcome breather, in that I got to immerse myself in an idyllic world surrounded by people who are every bit as crazy as (if not crazier than) myself!

It's always a pleasure to meet with people who love the same things you do. You feed off each other's passion, and it can translate not only to good times, but hopefully, also to good deeds that will contribute towards making our country not only a literate one, but a literature-loving one.

Among the many issues raised during the conference was the one of literacy vs. love for reading. In the Philippines, we have a high literacy rate, indeed. But being able to read is very different from choosing to read, for fun!

Some people may think reading is for the elite minority whose intelligence is above the norm. My book club and I beg to differ.

Those of us who have the resources have an obligation to look for our own little ways to "spread the corruption," as Tata jokingly put it.

It's like what I told my preschool students today, when the birthday celebrant gave away one book per classmate instead of the usual loot bags.

5-year-old: Teacher, nasaan yung candy?

Me: Books are even better than candy! Once you eat candy, it's gone forever, but when you read books, you become smarter forever!!!