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Showing posts from August, 2012

In My Mailbox: Marvel and Gaiman

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In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Story Siren .  It features books you have bought or received during the week. A friend of mine took me to NBS and let me pick a belated birthday gift. It's been a long time since my last Neil Gaiman read (The Graveyard Book) so I chose Stardust and we got it at 20% off too. The 4 pcs of Marvel Comic books though, I bought myself over at BookSale. It's on sale at P 100 for 4! I have never read any of the Marvel (or DC) stuff ever, so this is a first. I realize that it's not the Mark Millar, Scott Snyder, Warren Ellis, Alan Moore, or Frank Miller ones, writers whose comic books have garnered a lot of fanboys and fangirls. But right now these reprints from PSICOM would be the closest I can get to reading Marvel comic books without killing my wallet. Someday, maybe I'll be less cheap and spring for those big names. What are the odds of finding an Allan Moore in BookSale I wonder? How about you? What's in your mailbox? :)

NPR's 100 Best Ever Teen Novels List

I first came across this list called  Your Favorites: 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels: NPR   through Celina's Books and Magazine Facebook Page . Being a huge YA fan, I was intrigued. NPR, as quoted directly from their web page is  "A thriving media organization at the forefront of digital innovation, NPR creates and distributes award-winning news, information, and music programming to a network of 959 independent stations. Through them, NPR programming reaches 26.4 million listeners every week." (Go directly to their web page by clicking THIS .) This list of theirs was voted by 75, 220 people has received much buzz, positive and otherwise. An article over at the web page of  The Guardian entitled   NPR's young adult novel poll: happiness and roars of rage by Allison Flood is a testament to that.  I thought I'd try my best to read the titles from this list, a s much as I can manage at least. Call it  a sort of self enforced reading challenge.  And I'll make

Filipino Firdays #5: Celebrating the Best

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I have discovered a lot of wonderful reads this 2012 and most of them earned a spot on my list of favorites. Here they are (in no particular order): 1. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier - A lovely, heartbreaking, fantasy read based on the Six Swans Tale. And has a bit of Czech lore in it too. 2. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly - This is my favorite hands down. It made me appreciate words and books even more. 3. Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - An absolute page turner, I couldn't put this down. Smart and brilliant fantasy read. 4. The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness  - A great second installment and I never doubted for a moment that I wouldn't love this. I'm excited (and a bit sad, since it's the last) for Monster of Men.  5. The Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandel - A lovely novel in prose that made me fall in love with Chivalry and Arthurian Legends all over again. 6. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E.

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

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Summary from Goodreads : The first time Melanie Ross meets April Hall, she's not sure they'll have anything in common. But she soon discovers that they both love anything to do with ancient Egypt. When they stumble upon a deserted storage yard behind the A-Z Antiques and Curio Shop, Melanie and April decide it's the perfect sport for the Egypt Game. Before long there are six Egyptians instead of two. After school and on weekends they all meet to wear costumes, hold ceremonies, and work on their secret code. Everyone thinks it's just a game, until strange things begin happening to the players. Has the Egypt Game gone too far? Back when I was a kid, I was many things. A doctor, a mother, a cook, a waitress, a pilot, a stewardess, a vendor, an X-Men, a Planeteer. I've been in these role playing games that provided hours of endless entertainment. But none that is as imaginative as The Egypt Game. I was amazed at how creative these kids were about the setup of their g

Filipino Fridays #4: Books and Friends

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Books and Friends. Two of my favorite things in the world. So far, I am a member of three online book-related community. The Filipino Goodreads Group , Filipino Book Bloggers , and Read Philippines . I participate from time to time via comments and poll votes but I haven't really been in a book club face to face meeting because I don't live in Manila. And there aren't any book clubs in our community here in my province, not that I know of at least. I would love to be in an actual meet-up. I do see posts of book club meetings TFG's meetings and they all look like fun, with games and food and books! But I have to be content with online ranting and raving with fellow readers and bloggers and the face to face ranting and raving with the few bookish friends that I have here at home, which I would be introducing to you. 1. My eldest sister - She has had a hand in my being a reader and we have fairly similar tastes in books. It could be because of the fact that she is a

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

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Summary from Goodreads: She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place? Get ready for a fine adventure tale full of danger, suspense, surprising twists, and a satisfying conclusion. The engaging plot can certainly carry the tale, but Hale's likable, introspective heroine makes this also a book about courage and justice in the face of overwhelming odds. The richly rendered, medieval folkloric setting adds to the charm. I got familiar with Shannon Hale's writi

Filipino Fridays #3: Reading Habits and Book Formats

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Majority of my reading time happens in the morning while having breakfast and at night before going to bed. I occasionally bring whatever I am reading and read it in the car, although reading in a moving vehicle is bad, I know. Meh. I find it nice to always have a book in my bag so that I can just resume reading whenever I find me some free time. I can't read when I lack sleep. I prefer hard covers if only money was of no object. I like my books to be in the same condition as when I bought it. So, if it's brand new, no spine creases, dog ears, scribbles or dents, to the exasperation of my sister and cousin who borrows books from me. I am also, into the old habit of wrapping them in plastic. I also seem to not remove the price tags of the books that I buy, for fear of ruining the cover. I have had a long standing debate about whether I should acquire an e-reader and about my feelings towards e-books vs printed ones. After much deliberation, I still go for printed ones. I lo