bookworm

just a sample of the books on my shelf, not necessarily the books mentioned in this entry. the nazgul and hobbits were a gift from my bro.

I have book phases. There are times when I have to plod through one book for weeks and weeks. While there are days when I can devour in just a few hours and move on to another one. Most of the time, such a phase is brought about by book sales. Though I often buy old books from second-hand stores, there is still nothing like the sound of the crinkling of the plastic as you undress a new book. And there is nothing like the smell of a new book, the smell of ink and paper tickling my nose. Nothing like the touch of crisp news print, pages still untouched and unread. Experiencing that revives my desire to devour new book after new book.

And I have my quirks when it comes to books. Same authors and series books should be the same size. I started my Paulo Coelho collection with the paperback edition. So I was a bit frustrated when “Eleven Minutes” came out in pocketbook size instead of paperback. But I bought it anyway because I heard it was good. And true enough, it was.

I’m more rigid when it comes to series stories. They HAVE to be the same size! And same publishing company too. Thus, I’m having a problem with my Inheritance Trilogy (Book 1: Eragon). The only available ones in National Bookstore are in pocketbook size (which is actually silly because the book is too thick to be merely a pocketbook) and my Eragon is in paperback. And I’m so sure, I’ve seen the paperback version somewhere, either Powerbooks or Fully Booked.

Since September, I’ve been devouring book after book.

For the last three months, I’ve read:

“In Her Shoes” by Jennifer Weiner recommended by Toni. Good, fun read.
“On the Road” by Jack Keroac, borrowed from Jerry, recommended by Tristan. Hard read, but gave me lots of insight.
“The Animal Farm” by George Orwell. Quick, easy read. But ended up feeling revulsion against Napoleon who reminded me too much of the GRP.
“Requiem” by a Japanese writer. Short story, quick read. Sad story but beautifully translated.
“The Best of 2004 Fantasy,” an anthology of fantasy short stories, including one by Neil Gaiman. Some I loved. Some I didn’t enjoy too much.
“The Devil and Miss Prym” by Paulo Coelho. Strangely, this is the first book of Coelho that I couldn’t decipher what he really wanted to say. His past books, he was pretty straightforward with his ideas. This time he has learned to make the reader think for himself.
“Eragon” by Christopher Paolini. The first of the Inheritance Trilogy. A fine fantasy! Complete with dragons, elves, dwarves, bards, and of course, the reluctant hero. I love it! And can’t wait to see the movie. The poster is my current desktop wall paper. Jeremy Irons is hot!
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” by Mark Haddon. What I thought was a detective story turned out to be one that was very touching and sentimental. It was very interesting seeing the world through the eyes of a brilliant yet autistic teenager.
“The Outsider” by Albert Camus. Surprisingly an easy read for book full of philosophy.
“Inkheart” by Cornelia Funke. I’ve been meaning to get this for months and months, but I realized it was a series and I wanted to get out of that already. Unfortunately, it was going to be a movie soon. And it would be starring Brendan Fraser, so I just had to read it. My inclination for pop culture forces me too. Funny though, I figured out the ending even before I was halfway which made the book feel longer that it is. And it’s pretty long with 500 pages! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book and I liked the premise. One I’ve imagined some time in my past, but never thought someone could actually write about it. So I hope Inkspell (Book 2) isn’t as predictable. It’s still in hard cover though. So it will be a while before I get to read that one.

There are still piles and piles that are unread on my shelf.

“The Zahir” by Paulo Coelho
“Fever Pitch” by Nick Hornby. I tried to read this first, but it wasn’t a novel like a thought but just his insights on baseball. Not pretty excited about it but Hornby is one of my favorite writers so I’m sure I’ll appreciate it eventually. Maybe I’ll bring that to the area next.
“Unexpected Magic” by Dianna Wynn Jones.
“Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man” by Fannie Flagg.
“Faerie Wars” by Herbie Brennan.

Books, books, books! Can’t ever have enough of it!!!

And there are some that I keep looking at in National Bookstore. I won’t list it because it’s going to be a long one! Sigh. More books, more books! With dragons, and butterflies, and faeries, and lawyers who become dog walkers…. Gimmeeeee!