2011 book-related resolutions totally slipped my mind. So Hello 2012, time for new reading resolutions! :)

1. Make a reading list for 2012. -Still on the works. I’d like more or less to have an overview of books to read this year. Planning to incorporate all buddy reads and monthly reads from TFG. :D

2. 150 Books Read. -Yes, I didn’t make the 150th bookmark in 2011. I got to around 139/150, not that bad. Why not give it another chance this 2012? :)

3. 5 Book Reviews. -I aimed for 15 last year and came out with none. So I’m gonna aim a reachable number and hope that I can finally push myself to write down my thoughts. :)

4. Book Quotes and Insights. -Be more consistent in jotting down fave book quotes with insights if possible. :)

5. 5 Books Read = 1 Book Purchase. -Might be a bit far fetched I know especially since I’m such a book hoarder but it’s probably about time to conquer my Mt. TBR! :D

Happy reading to all this 2012! :D

11:51 am  •  1 January 2012  •  1 note

MACARTHUR by Bob Ong

Read: July 2010

Repost: Original Review at my Goodreads Account 

It’s been awhile since I’ve read anything in Filipino so I felt that I was slow in enunciating the Tagalog words in my head. 

I never expected this from Bob Ong. Ang nabasa ko lang kasi na libro niya noong high school pa ako ay yung “ABNKKBSNPLAKO!.” All the while, my impression of him was he gets his messages across via humor. This came as a good surprise though. 

Bob Ong was able to give a glimpse of what a typical Filipino living in the squatters area go through just to survive on a day-to-day basis. 

After reading the novel, I felt sadness. 

Sa tuwing madadaan ako sa squatters area at sa maingay na palengke, makasalubong ang mga nanlilimos at nagpapagod na mga kapwa Pilipino, maaalala ko sina Jim, Voltron, Noel at Cyrus. Pati na si Mang Justo. 

Tapos sasambit ako ng maikling dasal, na sana kumapit lang sila ng mahigpit, patuloy magpursige at umasang balang araw…aayos din ang lahat. 

6:32 pm  •  16 January 2011  •  3 notes

Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Read: July 2010 (Filipino Group Monthly Book Read)

Repost: Original Review at my Goodreads Account 

** spoiler alert **

 I’ve never written a book review before or anything of that sort, so this is a first. Here goes. =) 

Coincidentally, this is the first novel of Haruki Murakami I’ve read. (Although, I’ve read his short story, the 100% Perfect Girl online here. Loved the visual portrayal.) 

Moving on. 

I found the main characters in the novel distinctly unique and similar at the same time. The main characters (Kafka, Nakata and Miss Saeki) are all set with a mission which they know not of, yet willingly takes the risk of pursuing it no matter the consequences. 

The supporting characters (Sakura, Hoshini and Oshima), on the otherhand, are in a sense all well-settled in their own lives yet craving for a spark of unusualness and adventure which pushes them to lend a helping hand. 

The forces of evil and good as portrayed in the image of Johnnie Walker and Colonel Sanders which somehow marks that destiny can mold circumstances up to a certain extent only. 

Not bad for my first Murakami read. =) I’m looking forward to exploring more of his works. 

6:31 pm  •  16 January 2011  •  1 note

Because I’m loving my bookshelf :”) (Part 2)

11:34 am  •  9 January 2011

Because I’m loving my Bookshelf. :”) (Part 1) 

12:16 am  •  9 January 2011

I was able to reach the 100th mark of books read I initially aimed for. :) Cheers for me!!! :D

I even exceeded a little as I am currently reading my 117th book. :P 

The list to which may be found here: http://listography.com/frustratedangel/books/2010_reads.

So, with that.. I feel the need to challenge myself a bit further for the coming 2011. 

1. I will aim for the 150th bookmark. Go! go! go!

2. I will try my best to write at least 15 book reviews for the next year, if not more. As I feel the need to write down my thoughts on books read thus also allowing me to relive the memory the book had wrought upon our encounter.

3. I will consistently rate books from now on. I’ve started with this one already which have proved quite hard actually.

Rating goes as based on the goodreads meter (parenthesis is my interpretation):

5 stars - It was amazing! (I love it, I recommend it and I would read it again in the future.)

4 stars - Really liked it! (Great read. Good plot, good writing. Definitely enjoyed it!)

3 stars - Liked it. (There’s something here I liked I think but there is an evident feel of something lacking.)

2 stars - It was ok. (Passable but we didn’t click.)

1 star - Didn’t like it. (Hands off! Not worth reading at all.)

I am a merciful rater so you would usually find my ratings between 3 and 5. I feel that the mere act of being able to publish a book and entice a reader into actually opening it is already an accomplishment in itself. Each book I also believe has something good in it in one way or another that we can carry with us, a lesson maybe or a happy thought.   

4. I have to control my compulsion when it comes to book hoarding, I mean book buying. This I know I won’t be able to keep but there’s no harm in trying. :D 

5. Lastly, I wish to keep this book blog of sorts active for the following year. 

Let’s see what 2011 have in store for the book geek in me. ^^

11:16 pm  •  30 December 2010

1. I only drink cold coffee as in iced coffee or frappes. Somehow, I feel that as long as I don’t drink hot coffee, it’s not the real thing. I believe that this lessens the possibility of me being addicted to coffee since wanting it cold means it’s not as easily available. :P

2. I think I’m a bibliophile. I loooove to read. I loooove to collect books as well. I literally hoard books since I started working. :P Right now, I have almost a 100++ books in my to-read pile. Mostly they are mine, but some are my sisters’.

3.I don’t watch horror films. I don’t see the point of scaring myself to death or I’m just a coward. O.o

4. I got inspired to take up BS Psychology in college because of my high school guidance counselors, and now I am proudly one. :) I handle the grade school department. :D

5. Aside from an actual bookshelf at home, I have 3 online bookshelves: Shelfari, Goodreads and Livingsocial. This takes my book addiction to another level.

6. I don’t rate books. Why? I feel that I’m being unfair to the author, one way or another I believe all books has something to it. But I do rave about books I really looove or books that got me really disappointed. (Maybe I’ll take heart one day and rate books.)

7. Chicken is a staple food of mine. You can serve me chicken in different forms on a daily basis, as long as it’s not raw. 

8. The ultimate dessert for me is ice cream. Heavenly. Need I say more?

9. Aside from books, I also collect pens and at times stickers. :D

10. I don’t have trouble sleeping. The idiom “Masandal lang tulog” applies to me. I can fall asleep in the middle of reading a book or watching a movie and in a moving vehicle. I only have trouble sleeping when something major is bothering me or I am anticipating something important to happen the next day. Otherwise, I’m dead to the world. :P

11. My sisters can attest to the fact that I like taking pictures of… (I’ll let them finish the sentence). But I think I’ve li-lowed for a bit now. :P

12. I am following several reading lists. Books from the 1001 Books To Read Before You Die and Newberry Honor and Medal Books. I don’t strictly stick to them and I’m very open to recommendations.

13. I have the complete Twisted Series of Jessica Zafra. 

14. I never had the courage to join the school newspaper back in high school and even in college. I have mixed feelings of relief and regret.

15. I read when I commute in the morning. I know I should not but I still do.

16. Currently in search for a lot of things. The Big ‘Whys’ and ‘Hows’ of Life.

17. It takes a while for me to open up to certain types of people.

18. I feel naked when I sleep without a blanket.

19. My sisters keep me sane and insane at the same time. For that, my love for them is extraordinarily crazy as well. :) :) :)

20. I get attacked by the middle child syndrome at times. I’m the third among four. We’re all girls by the way.

21. I love stars.

22. I have a videoke phobia. My voice gets lost and if sound is emitted it can shatter ears. Trust me.

23. Trust is something I deem valuable. Break it and it will be hard to mend.

24. When I visit a mall, it is a must that I drop by a bookstore. Most of the time, that’s the main reason I went in the first place.

25. There are times when I feel happy feeling sad. Labo. :(:)

***This list was inspired by “wiane” from a tag in facebook and from “tuna’s” 9 things. I opted to post it here since I feel facebook is too open a place for such divulges. :)

6:37 am  •  21 August 2010  •  1 note

Pulitzer Prize Award, National Book Award and Man Booker Award Winners: Prestigious award giving bodies. 

Logic or rather non-logic behind this. Awards must mean something, therefore books that have awards must be something. Ha. Yeah, I know I’m a sucker for such things. That’s how I get by, on hearsay and whatnot, for the most part. I won’t deny such a fact. Shoot me. But at least I try.

I suddenly remember that an OC fellow writer’s guild member back in college followed such lists which got me thinking along the same lines. He was an awesome poet by the way. And I believe that his judgment was to be trusted.

Also, Oprah’s Book Club list. I feel most of the books Oprah chooses are heartfelt ones and might be good sources for inspiration. :)  

I know. Too many lists. I don’t even know for sure if I’ll be able to follow all of them faithfully. Well whatever, at the moment, all I know is I’m happy collecting books from these lists and yes reading them too. :)

9:39 pm  •  13 August 2010

Newberry Medal and Honor Books

Books bearing this seal are those awarded with the John Newberry Award. The one on the left for the Newberry Winners and the one at the right for Newberry Honor Books/finalists. This award has been given since 1922 and is the very first children’s literary award in the world. 

What acquainted me with this award would be one of my favorite children’s book, “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. Somehow, this book set itself apart from previous children’s book I’ve read since it is book with a lot of depth in it. It tackles life questions that children go thru as they are forced to accept the circumstances they’ve been set upon by their parents and by the society. It left in me an impression that it is a book for both children and adults. My trust towards the Newberry Award was further strengthened as I read “Holes” by Louis Sachar. This time it is a much lighter book but with a moral lesson hidden behind the bizarreness of events experienced by the main character. 

I feel that reading children’s books occasionally would help me take time off from truly serious and heavy reading. Delving into children’s stories also gets me inside how a little child’s brain works. Sometimes we tend to complicate things in interpreting responses from little children. Sometimes we tend to be too simplistic about it. It is actually a balance of both because children are truly the wisest. :)

10:26 pm  •  10 August 2010

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (Compiled by Numerous Literary Critics)

In my hopes of having a guide on what books to read, I came upon this list online. I printed out a hard copy for myself. My sisters saw me and just shrugged their shoulders saying that I’m yet again in one of my weird phase. 1001 books before you die? Yeah, right? — what with my overly slow pace in reading. But I took courage and pursued the dream. I know for myself that there is a very slim chance of me ever reading all those books but then it wouldn’t hurt to explore on other things, ayt? Besides, this opened up my world into different literary genres and authors. I learned about Ishiguro, McEwan, Coetzee and the likes. Most books from the list are quite challenging to read as they dwell on heavy topics such as different moral issues, war, family dramas and topics which are usually labeled as taboo. Wish me luck as I tread through the list. :)  

10:28 pm  •  9 August 2010