strangely out of place

Booking Through Thursday:

What’s the last book you were really EXCITED to read? And, were you excited about it in advance? Or did the excitement bloom while you were reading it? Are there any books you’re excited about right NOW?

The last book I remember being very, very excited to read that I was ready to bargain with my aunt if I could buy her copy, was “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”. I never managed to pre-order it, or even get in line for any events for it, but I wanted an early copy so badly. My aunt said she was getting one and I begged her to let me read it as soon as she got it, even before she could read it.

I remember reading the last few chapters while we were in a party at her home. No one could talk to me because I was so busy reading. I was waiting for the book even before it came out. I was a fan of the series from the beginning, and I eagerly waited for the next book as soon as I finished the last.

Right now, I don’t think I’m looking forward to reading anything. If J.K. Rowling’s going to be releasing anything new (even if it’s not in Potterverse), I’d gladly read it.

I’m so excited. I finally got to sign up for the watercolor workshop in UP Diliman College of Fine Arts. Classes will run for four consecutive days, from 9 AM to 4 PM. As I failed to get into CFA last school year, well, this is the best I can.

Why only now? First off, most of the classes I find are far more expensive than this. Worse, it’s usually for just a weekend class. Second, it’s based in a place that’s near my place (all others were in Makati or way south). Third, well, I’m biased. It’s UP. :p Now if the UPB profs were teaching summer workshops I’d be more than happy to go to Baguio for a week just to study art. Hehe.

I’m also giddy because I was given a list of materials I need to bring. I love getting stationery and art supplies. Sometimes I get them and hardly use them. I’ve got the brushes and the other stuff on the list, but I may need to get a new set of paint because my current set is already dry inside the tubes. I can still use them, but maybe not for this. I browsed through the usual sources for these materials, and I’ve found what I need so far. With the exception of the paper (which I already knew would be expensive), everything was right on the money. I’ll probably go buy what I need this weekend.

Meditation
Doing a regular (if rather mundane) task such as washing the dishes can be relaxing. Before you write me off as a loon, think about it. Washing the dishes isn’t really a brain activity right? Your body moves automatically, freeing up your mind to wander. Of course you have to take care that the dishes won’t slip, or you won’t get hurt if you’re washing sharp objects. Still, it’s not like you need to really engage your brain unlike in cooking.

Wala lang. Naisip ko lang habang nag huhugas ako ng mga plato kagabi.

Booking Through Thursday: Age-Appropriate

Do you read books “meant” for other age groups? Adult books when you were a child; Young-Adult books now that you’re grown; Picture books just for kicks … You know … books not “meant” for you. Or do you pretty much stick to what’s written for people your age?

When I was a kid, my parents never really said I couldn’t read certain books. I never heard “That’s not for your age” or something similar. I guess that made me open to reading everything I can get my hands on. I’d think a book isn’t “for me” halfway through reading it. Usually, it’s more on how I feel that determines it.

At the age of eight I was reading Edith Hamilton’s Greek Mythology and loved it. At the age of thirty I still browse through the YA section of the bookstore to look for good reads. The openness and lack of restrictions when it comes to reading made me realize early on what I liked and what I didn’t. I didn’t care if it were age-appropriate or not. So long as I liked it, I’d read it.

And this week’s impulse buy is also book related (as seen also on my Project 365)

Today’s BTT question is:

If you could see one book turned into the perfect movie–one that would capture everything you love, the characters, the look, the feel, the story–what book would you choose?

Off the top of my head, I would say it’s Jostein Gaarder’s “The Solitaire Mystery”. I think it’s got the right amount of adventure and whimsey that would appeal to a lot of people. Plus, it’s a story within a story (which is something we’ve seen in recent movies like Inception and Sucker Punch).

Personally, I think it would look great as an animated film, a la Hayao Miyazaki. Then again, if it were something like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland it would also work.

I haven’t participated in Booking Through Thursday for a long time! I’ve missed it, so here I am again.

All other things being equal–do you prefer used books? Or new books? (The physical speciman, that is, not the title.) Does your preference differentiate between a standard kind of used book, and a pristine, leather-bound copy?

I find this question really fitting as my “comeback” to BTT. I love books, no question. New or old (secondhand), I love them. However, the cost of books often has me reaching for secondhands more than brand new ones, especially since I can buy four books to the price of one brand new paperback.

I don’t collect first editions or those leather-bound books, so I’m set with my choices. That isn’t to say that I don’t want to have first edition copies, especially if it’s of my favorite titles. Since my need is to read, I’m good with used books. Also, I find a lot of very good condition paperbacks in used book stores. I’m very good at sniffing them out, much to the delight/ire of my friends (their reaction depends on whether they have the budget to buy the book or not).

Then again, if I really want a book so bad and I can’t wait for a used copy, I’ll shell out the amount I need to get a new copy. Hey, I’ve stood in line for new book releases, and I’ve reserved a lot of books even before the release date. I’m not so very picky… not really.

To know more about my fascination with used books and used book stores, you can read “The Art of Book Hunting“. Some things may apply not just to the Philippine setting.

How about you?

Booking Through Thursday

What items have you ever used as a bookmark? What is the most unusual item you’ve ever used or seen used?

Here are a couple of bookmarks I’ve used.

A – an erasing sheet
B -A napkin holder made out of cardboard and ribbons. It was originally in a tube form but I opened it up to how it looks now
C – calling card (any)
D – a playing card
E – an actual bookmark from Kinokuniya

Other bookmarks I’ve used: Photos, laminated photocards, receipts, bills, money, my finger, other books, a pencil (but I never push it to the spine, just leave it between the pages), a sheet of Post It… quite a lot

Booking Through Thursday

When’s the last time you weeded out your library?

Been a while since I last answered this. Usually, I’m the first haha.

Hmm, I think it was some few months ago, when I was looking for books that I could add to my online store.

I’ve moved around a bit in the last five years: from my grandparent’s house to a boarding house to this condo. In the last move, I decided to leave all my books in the province, but occasionally, I’d bring a book or two here. I’ve managed to build a collection of additional books, so the ones I have in the province plus this… let’s just say that if I have my own house, I need a room just for the books.

Before, I’d rather not get rid of any of the books because there’s a certain attachment to each and every one of them. Plus, there’s the thought that “I’d read/use this again one day,” which somehow stops me from chucking away any book. Except perhaps the textbooks.

But I still have the encyclopedia sets we had when I was a kid. Hey, it’s a Charlie Brown Encyclopedia set! I can’t let that go, ever.

When I feel like I have to let a book go, I read it one last time and I try to remember why I liked it in the first place. If I couldn’t, it goes to the “must go” pile. As I mentioned, I add it to my “for sale” pile. Thankfully, quite a few have gone to good homes.

Booking Through Thursday

Follow-up to last week’s question:

Do you keep all your unread books together, like books in a waiting room? Or are they scattered throughout your shelves, mingling like party-goers waiting for the host to come along?

In times when I purchased more than one or two books at a time, the books are usually stacked somewhere on the floor by my bed. I have no bedside table, unfortunately :p But that isn’t because of any preference. I do most of my reading in bed, so it’s more for my convenience so as soon as I finish one book, I can easily grab the next one.

An idea I got from The Toddled Dredge (via K for Kat). Here’s what she said:

“So here today I present to you an Unread Books Challenge. Give me the list or take a picture of all the books you have stacked on your bedside table, hidden under the bed or standing in your shelf – the books you have not read, but keep meaning to. The books that begin to weigh on your mind. The books that make you cover your ears in conversation and say, ‘No! Don’t give me another book to read! I can’t finish the ones I have!’”

I don’t know if this will make me sound weird or what, but I don’t have a to-be-read pile. When I say TBR, I mean the actual books that I already have and have lined up to read. See, when I buy a book, I immediately read it and finish it in a maximum of three days. When I buy I book, I set aside time to read it. That’s why I can finish more than a hundred books in a year.

I do have a list of books I want to get and read, but since I can get only a book or two at a time, I have enough space in between books to finish them all.

I’m currently reading Nora Robert’s “Black Hills” and Diana Wynne Jones’ “The House of Many Ways”. I’m looking for something to read after I finish them.

Booking Through Thursday

This week’s question from Debbie: One of my favorite sci-fi authors (Sharon Lee) has declared June 23rd Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Day. What might you do on the 23rd to celebrate? Do you even read fantasy/sci-fi? Why? Why not?

I think that everybody has read at least one sci-fi and fantasy book once in their lifetime, sometimes not even knowing that they did. Look back into your childhood reads and the familiar stories of Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan would count as fantasy works. As for sci-fi, well, that may be a little hard to think of haha.

I definitely read fantasy. I read sci-fi too but I’m more into the realm of the magical and mystical than the technical and industrial (although there are many books that wonderfully combine the two).

Among my favorite fantasy writers are *drumroll please!* Neil Gaiman (Stardust, The Graveyard Book, Coraline), Diana Wynne Jones (Howl’s Moving Castle, Castle in the Air, The Magicians of Caprona), J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter series), David and Leigh Eddings (The Belgariad, The Mallorean, The Elenium), Jostein Gaarder (The Solitaire Mystery, Sophie’s World) and even Isabel Allende (City of the Beasts, Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, The Forest of the Pygmies).

I suppose my sci-fi readings belong mostly to the manga and comic book section. Somehow, I never really enjoyed reading those kinds of stories but if its accompanied by illustrations, I’m more liable to read it. One of my favorite manga is Moto Hagio’s They Were Eleven. My favorite mangaka Rumiko Takahashi also delves into the world of sci-fi and fantasy with many of her works.

And that has yet to include the paranormal and sci-fi themed works that the other authors I read write. Nora Roberts for one, and Sherrilyn Kenyon.

What sci-fi and fantasy works do you read?

Booking Through Thursday

What niche books do YOU read?

This question made me realize that I actually grew up reading niche books on various topics.

My mom is fond of buying books (when she can afford to) on various subjects that she’s interested in. When I was a kid, that was mostly about gardening, houses, interior design and cooking. Over the years she’s added books on travel, art (this is further broken down to painting and drawing), language and music, all of which I’ve read one time or another growing up.

Myself, I love reading books on web design, graphic design and manga (I have an academic interest in them). I’ve inherited my mom’s love for the languages and have contributed my own language learning books to the mix (she has French, I have Japanese & Spanish). Her art and design books have also become helpful for me in learning more about illustration.

And these are the sections I often go to when I pass by the bookstore.

What are your niche books?