Book Galore
Last Saturday, instead of watching the latest Harry Potter movie which truly sucks (you can find my review here, please be noted that it’s full of spoilers) I decided to finish Mitch Albom’s latest book, For One More Day, which I have started to read last year. It took me months to finish reading it because the first part was really boring to me.
If I just didn’t miss reading so badly and school was not hell to me, I wouldn’t be able to finish it until now. The book was great (except for the first part). I liked it, it’s one of my favorites. For One More Day is about Chick Benetto’s experience. In the book, he tried to commit suicide, but instead, to his astonishment, he saw his mother… her mother’s ghost. (Yes, Mitch’s latest book has a touch of death again) According to the author, this story of Chick is true. I don’t know if I would believe it, what I know was that I was touched with Chick’s story. The last part was really saddening. Okay, no more spoilers.
Yesterday, when I got back home from a tiring day at school, my father asked me if I wanted to go to the mall. Though my prelim exams started today, I decided to go with them without thinking twice. As usual, I went to the local bookstore. The first book that I have seen was “Chinese Cinderella” by Adeline Yen Mah. I’ve seen it years ago but I wasn’t really interested with it because the book looked so plain. Months ago, I’ve read, if I’m not mistaken, in Kathrin’s blog that it was a good book. Since then, I’ve been wanting to get a copy of my own, but it was only yesterday that I have seen a copy of it again, and so, I bought it.
And now, despite that I sat my very hard 30-item PolSci prelim exam this morning, and I will take my English and CF exams tomorrow afternoon, I have already finished reading the 200 plus paged book. I can’t believe it, I’ve already finished reading it in only a day (I might as well go to the store where I bought it and demand to replace it with another book. Lol). I suppose I just really missed reading, that I can’t stop reading.
Chinese Cinderella is the story of the author herself, an unwanted daughter who struggled throughout the years while she was under the guidance of her stepmother and father who even forgot her name and the date of her birth. She was a very studious girl, desperate to be noticed and loved by her father. And in the end, she proved not only to her self, but to her father, stepmother, and siblings as well that she can reach her dream even though there are so many hurdles in her life. Now, she is a writer and physician.
Her story was really captivating, it would have surpassed the standards of Maalala mo Kaya1 and Magpakaylanman2in choosing the stories of people that they want to dramatize and be broad casted nationwide. It’s really a good read. [EDIT] You can read a full review of this book in It’s my Choice. [/EDIT]
Ah, three more days and I can have the last Harry Potter book in my hands. I can hardly wait! My father told me that we’ll go to Manila on Saturday, and I guess I’ll get my copy there. Unfortunately for me, there had been some changes in the schedule of our prelims, we’ll sit our exams in our major subjects next week, but that does not mean that I will not read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Saturday and Sunday. I may not be able to finish it this weekend, but I’ll make sure that I will be able to read at least half of it before Monday.
And before I’ll look for something else to do (I still haven’t reviewed yet for my exams tomorrow, I guess I’ll go early to school tomorrow and stay all morning in the comforts of the library) I want to say that I really hate the only decent local bookstore in our place. As what I have written in an entry here in my blog, it’s not really a bookstore because it also sells other things like school supplies, toys, and during the Christmas Season, Christmas Trees. And now, they’ve put signs that says “No Private Reading.” No wonder why almost all of the fiction books that they sell are covered with plastic. That’s totally insane! How am I and even the other customers would know if we like the author’s style of writing and the story is good (even just the first part of the book, the synopsis usually found at the back of the book is not enough and sometimes, quite misleading)? That’s why I don’t want to buy Mark Haddon’s latest book, “A Spot of Bother,” though it’s in their bestseller list and I know the author. I want to read its first two or three pages first. Luckily, we will go to Manila this weekend. There, I can find a real bookstore that only sells nothing but books and does not prohibiting “private reading.” I might as well add “A Spot of Bother” on my book list.
Any other books that you can recommend to me? Btw, I’ve provided a list of the books that I’ve already read.
PS: I want to share to you this photo that I took during our excursion last Sunday with my family to the place where a piece of land that turned into a fish pond owned by my grandmother.
That was the boat that we used to get to that place.
- A program here in the Philippines that features anthology of stories of various people. [↩]
- Same as Maalala mo Kaya. [↩]
July 18, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
Truth be told, I haven’t read a single book of Mitch Albom yet. I do have e-books, but I easily tire reading PDFs and printer’s broken so I haven’t read them yet.
Adeline Yen Mah has been one of my favorite authors since…well, I’ve forgotten. I cried throughout Chinese Cinderella when I read it 2 years ago. My then housemate couldn’t even finish the book because the first few pages already broke her heart. I made a review of the book then but I couldn’t find it na.
Funnily enough, when I was younger I thought that people really read books within a day…so I did. I rarely ever let a book unfinished, no matter how busy I am, for more than one day. Maybe it’s because I easily forget things.
Adeline Yen Mah’s Falling Leaves is also a must-read. A lot of people seem to like Wei Hui’s Shanghai Baby, but I was gravely disappointed by the storyline. But then, I don’t know what defines a good book for people. I mean, geesh, I don’t even think that Harry Potter is good. I hate series, but I love the stories: Nancy Drew, Body of Evidence (Christopher Golden), Janet Evanovich, etc. Dean Koontz, Mary Higgins Clark, V.C. Andrews, lots more. I’ve been reading them since I was in grade school. They think it’s (my reading “serious” books at such a young age) the reason why I dislike HP.
July 19, 2007 @ 6:54 am
I let slip the chance to read Chinese Cinderella. I used to see a copy a NBS but ngayon…ala na. Mitch Albom..I dunno…I never found his novels very very interesting. It’s not bad, it’s just that there aren’t many twists in his stories. I’m not sure if I’d be getting his latest. I saw a copy at NBS pero hardbound naman siya at almost PhP 1000 lang naman ang presyo. Gusto ko pa man din ng novels na maraming twists! Akala ko ako lang hindi mahilig sa HP…pati si Shari rin pala. I read book 1(sayang naman kung di ko babasahin yung binigay ng nanay ko)
I don’t really like MMK or Magpakailan man… it’s supposed to be nice pero masyadong na-eexage ng mga behind the scenes people ang true story. Pangit na…
July 19, 2007 @ 7:45 am
Kris: Neither do I. Nasama lang ang mga TV programs na yan sa post ko. Hehe. Yep, meron din mga taong hindi gusto ang HP. Kahit na gusto ko ang HP, that does not mean that it’s the best book that I’ve read. Maraming books na ang nabasa ko na mas maganda pa sa HP.
July 19, 2007 @ 9:25 am
di pa ako nakakabasa ng mitch albom.. although i saw the movie “tuesdays with morrie”. im still coercing my mom to buy me mitch a’s books.
hihi.
uhmm im into different genres.. i read all kinds of books… but the books i dont like are those who go into unnecessary details. you can check my review blog http://espressobreak.blogspot.com hehe di ko alam anong genre sa iyo eh…..
maybe the chronicles of narnia? ?
hehe. maganda yun. super.
July 20, 2007 @ 6:21 pm
I love Mitch Albom books… haven’t read this one pa nga lang. Nasa list ko na sya hehe… Didn’t read the first part pala, yung first few sentences lang kasi I don’t want to know what the book is about.
And the photo was amazing! Ang ganda!
July 22, 2007 @ 12:03 am
Aw. You did not love HP5? But I did… *sniffs*
Anyway, Albom’s last book, For One More Day, almost made me cry, really! I could have, if only I wasn’t in National Bookstore then. Imagine, I read it for free! Ow, I really love those areas where you could read. Read it for two hours there, sitting for the whole time.
Hmmm. I’ve heard about that Cinderalla book. Would buy that once I get rich. Harhar. LOL.
July 22, 2007 @ 1:55 pm
Wow, you actually have a list of the books you’ve read!
I recommend books by Haruki Murakami, John Grisham, James Patterson, and Sidney Sheldon. Don’t ever go near Daniele Steel.
August 11, 2007 @ 7:24 am
naalala ko tuloy dito yung bahay ng lolo ko sa pampangga, napakalapit ng bahaynila sa ilog, actually tabing ilog na pala. ayun nagbabangka bangka din kami kapag nagagawi kami doon, halos ganyang ganyan din at itsura.
August 12, 2007 @ 2:06 pm
For One More Day was really touching. BUt I think Mitch Albom should start writing about other things. Pahiram naman nung HP book 7.. Wala akong pambili, hehe. Btw, nice photo. Sinave ko nga eh.. ok lang?..