The Wedding - A Review

After reading four consecutive thriller novels of John Grisham, I found The Wedding a little bit boring. Nicholas Sparks has always been my favorite love story writer but a sudden twist from the action-packed, exciting plots of legal thriller books to a simple and sweet love story has somehow made the feeling not the same. Reading Sparks' novels had always brought a kilig feeling back then. While I was reading this one, however, brought a feeling when I wanted my hands to let go of it but I just can't because I had this need to finish it. I was just actually reading the dialogue and scanned passed the unnecessary paragraphs, something that I don't do when reading. The last part, though, has made the book still worth-reading. The ending was, well, magical, a true touch of a romantic Nicholas Sparks. Unlike his previous books which usually has a tragic ending, this one has this heart-melting ending, indeed a great consolation for me finishing the book. Nicholas Sparks has made me cry once more.

Rating:

The Chamber and The Rainmaker

The Chamber and The Rainmaker
in one volume for only
P107.00 at Booksale.

Funny how those two big men stared at me when I handed this book down to the cashier to pay for it. Could they be thinking as to how nerdy I am for buying a 3-inch thick book? =p








Are you a bookworm as well? Let me share to you this very nice post in I ♥ Books.

Date a girl who reads...

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.  

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.  

She has to give it a shot somehow.  

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.  

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.  

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.  

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.  

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.  

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.  

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.  

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

by Rosemarie Urquico

Bookworm's Eye View

I am a self-proclaimed bookworm. I learned to read since I was born (as you can see I am also a self-proclaimed genius and a total liar [and my humor sucks]). I was surrounded with books since I was a child, dictionaries, encyclopedias (those that were sold by door-to-door agents, and can be paid thru monthly basis), bible story books, and textbooks. That, and the fact that my parents cut my hair and inserted some strands on one of the books (an old superstition to have a smart kid...superstition indeed.hehe), was the reason why I have this intimacy for books. I began loving novels when I was in high school. I started with Philippine Hearts Romances pocketbooks, and the likes of Helen Meriz. I used to exchange pocketbooks with my classmates way back then, rented pocketbooks for P5/book for 3 days, and if my savings would allow, would buy one for P25.00. We were so hooked with those fairytale-like love stories and of the characters with whom the authors make as perfect and as gorgeous or as handsome as possible. I find it so ridiculous now that those authors spend almost one whole page to describe how the protagonist's eyes were so nice, how white and perfect their teeth are, how smooth their skin are, and all those god-like characteristics (cge na, kayo na ang perfect.haha!). And when I ran out of PHR novels to read, I attempted to read a novel of Danielle Steel.

The thickness of the book itself, and the fact that it's written in English, are just some reasons why high school, or even college studs, are afraid to even touch them.

I finished the book in maybe just two weeks. That started my addiction, and got interested with other American novels, and the rest was history. I didn't have enough money to buy novels from famous authors, so all I did was to stare at them, with their shiny tag prices on, and went on to buy those that are worth P25-P80 from not-so-famous authors. I was also a regular tambay at our school library (nerd!).

Now that I have a salary to spend (evil laugh), I am now a usual customer of National Books Store, Power Books, and of my favorite Booksale. I don't buy these books by impulse. I am a wise spender, and I usually think twice in buying books that are way beyond my budget. Some of my books are gifts from officemates (guess what I always write on my wishlist). But if there is one book that is really to die for, I bet you I won't eat just to buy that book. But well, you'll forget that you've spent a fortune once you start flipping those magical pages of the book you've been dreaming of.

I have a handful of favorite authors (and mind you, not all those with "National Bestseller" labels are good reads, some are actually boring). Nicholas Sparks, Paulo Coelho, Sidney Sheldon, John Grisham, Stephen King, Robin Cook, and a whole lot more...

Nganong naay Philippine History?

I am addicted to these! Illuminati, The Holy Grail, and all those conspiracy theories. But still, my faith is strong.

I love to read the novels and later on watch their movie version. I am fond of comparing books vs. movies, and yeah, books are ALWAYS better than movies.

I've been eyeing this book for months because I so wanted it but 'twas so expensive (for someone like me). And ha! When I finally was able to buy this, my roommates's reaction were like "That was so rich of you to buy that book" (Yeah, and how much is that Jag jeans of yours?..hehe, harsh). I put my name and the date of purchase for every book that I buy, covered the edges with Scotch tape, and never removed the price tags.

I have hundreds of ebooks in my computer that are on the waiting list. I wish I can buy myself a Kindle (-.-)

I have to list here some books that I highly recommend but I have to go. I am currently reading "The Firm" by Josh Grisham. I have to finish it now. Til next time then. And oh, by the way, my birthday is on August. Ahmm, you know, hehe...