Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
From Twinkle, with Love is a young adult book by Sandhya Menon. It is really a thick one and it took me three weeks maybe before I finished it, since I tend to be a polygamist reader sometimes. I bought this one from the nationwide National Book Store Sale last year. It is a hardbound book and got it for only 195 pesos.
Sandhya Menon generously offers us a sweet love story and an inspiring journey of pursuing your dreams and finding your voice in a world where you feel like the invisible ones. It has multiracial characters which make it relevant and revolting all at the same time. The main characters Twinkle and Sahil are a dynamic couple with all their insecurities in life who took a chance of showing their true self to the ones who matter to them the most.
There is no single character in this story whom I didn't like. They are just all so lovable and likable, even the bad ones at the beginning of the book. They make the story so welcoming and relevant. They are not just minor characters, they are pieces of a puzzle that perfectly fit the picture. I like how Menon intended to put these individuals together to create a diverse culture in a single plot.
It is told from such a personal point of view which makes it more heartfelt and sincere. Even though I think I am a little too old to read young adult books, I still enjoy this book, maybe it's just my age that is getting old. haha.
That's it, From Twinkle, with Love
And here's another reminder to boost that courage and confidence you always have in and through Him.
So always trust the Lord
because he is forever
our mighty rock.
~Isaiah 26:4
I wonder if you still remember what I mentioned from my previous blog about my NBS 99 Sale. I thought that would be the last set of books I would buy this year, but 8.8 Shopee Sale came and Pandayan Bookshop joined. The discounted prices of the books are such a steal and I was also eyeing the books since the other month, but they were out of stock. So Pandayan Bookshop refilled their stocks and I couldn't resist the offer. haha.
I would like to try the books written by Marcelo Santos III, so there I got two books by him for 50 pesos each. My interest to try Santos' books brought out the "marupok" in me, and here I thought it is only in love that people can be "marupok" so I was wrong, so, so wrong. And just to justify my purchase, since August is the month of Pambansang Wika in the Philippines, it can be a gesture of my support to the works of the Filipino authors, since all my purchases are written in our national language and again written by Filipinos. Salute!
I am excited to read them especially Mahal mo siya, Mahal ka ba? and Para sa Hopeless Romantic, but I still have a book to finish the ones from the other book sale events I willingly got myself into. I don't want to leave them unread, please, for the love of books.
So, this time I will not say that this will be my last haul for this year. I'm a little embarrassed that I wasn't able to keep it. Let's just enjoy our books and read them haha
Ramona forever and ever!
This is my second book from Beverly Cleary and I got this one from the NBS 99 Sale recently. I first encountered Ramona from the movie adaptation "Ramona and Beezus" and it was a good feel movie. Selena Gomez was there so I kinda like to watch the movie, but looking back it is a film worthy of a rewatch just by seeing the trailer it takes me to that blissful and refreshing happy childhood I had.
Ramona Forever is one of the eight books in the Ramona Quimby Series and as I read some information from Wikipedia about the children's book novel series, it amazes me that Cleary takes me back to the year 1955, which was a long long time ago and it shows me a glimpse of what it was like way, way back then. I intend to read the whole series and am frugal as I am, I look for 2nd handbook shops or during book sales for the other installments of the novel.
The Family Quimby just brings a lot of fun in the world. I like how Cleary shows the reality of life in this series in the lives of ordinary people like the Quimby's. Her simple, clear, and straight-to-the-point narratives engage readers like me into Ramona's thoughts and feelings. It is a heartwarming story even for the not-so-children anymore. In my early 30s, it still wells my heart and it has taught and reminded me with life lessons about the importance of family with good and proper communication. Roberto and Dorothy as parents are portraying such a good job in dealing with the antics of their daughters. It appears to me that they and the rest of the Quimby family along with their friends and neighborhoods live a modest life while living it to the fullest and making the most of it.
This is such a good feel book I would never regret getting my hands on and a legacy left behind by Beverly Cleary. And as always, I was reminded of this verse by the upbringing of the Quimby sisters by their Quimby parents. Quimby, Quimby!
Train up a child in the way he should go,
[a]And when he is old he will not depart from it.
~Proverbs 22:6 New King James Version
What is true love?
It would be difficult to answer this question. Maybe in my early years as a human being, it would be a simple question to answer. But this kind of query had evolved and became a complex one as life gives its best to the feeble time I have here on earth.
In this book by Jenny King, true love is that one person who will spend his or her life with you, for better or for worse, until death do you part. I must say that I had the same interpretation and perspective of true love. That must be the reason, why I had always been looking but not really intentionally getting or entering into a relationship with the opposite sex. I thought I could find true love in boys or in men. Though I was not specifically fond of interacting with them, I did have that longing or yearning to be crush back or love back by a boy or a man whom I was interested in. I was always waiting on the receiving end without even giving, ironic wasn't it.
The book Discover & Keep True Love shared a lot of practical tips on how to find a partner with whom you intended to be married with. I am already talking about marriage here where in fact I haven't had a boyfriend, well it's never wrong to be prepared just in case. haha. Spare me with your teasing, I know, I know, but I just want to take a chance on this book. I remember my co-teacher saying that by reading the books I bought from her I may increase my chance of getting a boyfriend and be married. I laughed at her jokes, or maybe she was serious. I don't know. This book just interests me and the other two books are Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris and To Know Him Completely by Jenny King. So in total, there are three books to read to have a bigger chance in the sea of fish.
I was looking at the wrong places and the wrong persons. True love was never found, only fleeting feelings. There was pain and struggles because of unrequited love or crushes and those made me feel antagonistic towards couples who were head over heels with each other. I was bitter at some point in my life, but I am glad that I found Him, or more like He found me before it's too late, or maybe He found me at the right time because his timing is always perfect.
It is never wrong to desire or to want someone with whom you can build a family of your own or exchange the undying oath of "Till Death Do Us Part". I still do, I desire to be with someone. I surrendered it to Him, and I think it is a moment-by-moment thing. I just pray that He prepares my heart for the will He has in my life. I believe I am in my waiting season, so by faith and strength that are from Him, I patiently wait. But until when? God only knows.
Who is true love?
Let me rephrase the question, who is true love? Let me leave the answer below, and may you seek Him because He wants you to receive the truest true love:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ~Romans 5:8
NBS 99 Sale is extended until the end of August 2021. Despite doing some major budgeting for the two months, I was able to squeeze in at least 6 books, 5 of them are from the National Book Store Shopee account and 1 from their branch at Pavillion Mall Biñan. These are the books I got online and their discounted prices:
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach - P99
Desert God by Wilbur Smith - P100
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon - P99
Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary - P50
Sword of Destiny by Justin Hill - P100
It was packed pretty well and got more discounts via Shopee coins and vouchers, so in total, I spent 336 pesos for 5 books. I thought that was a pretty good deal I guess. hehe. And this is the biggest sale with huge discounts I ever experienced from the National Book Store plus the mode of payment is COD or Cash-on-Delivery via Shopee platform, I didn't want to miss it. I got nothing from BBW 2021 online sale since they have a payment first policy and the delivery could take months.
Then, just the other day after claiming our loot bags from Gabay Guro with my co-teachers, we also dropped by at the NBS branch of Pavillion Mall. I wasn't able to resist the charm of the books though I was really trying my best not to be tempted, I decided to buy one book by Sophie Kinsella. Shopaholic and Sister was such a steal for a price of 63 pesos from 351 pesos. So why not squeeze another book on my tight budget. hehe. Justification. haha. I am hopeless.
Men have always been a mystery to me. For sure I had a lot of ideas about them based on the environment I grew up in, books I read, movies, and series I have watched, I thought I knew them well enough. But now, here at the moment, I realize that it is only a peak of an iceberg and some are biased or stereotyped or even a fabricated version of what a man is or can be or should be. I was clueless, out of footing, and in a bliss of ignorance.
The male type of human species was a threat and a danger to me. They are enemies. Violent, angry, and abusive were only a few of the impressions I had towards them. Though I had a few crushes and infatuations from the male type species, it didn't diminish the bad impression I had with the group. I guess it was the idea of a perfect or fictional image of a man that I created based on them that made me fall for or like them, which most of the time were too ideal to be real.
I reconciled this off feeling towards men when I surrendered it to God. There are still times I get too conscious and suspicious towards men, but I am aware that it is a moment-by-moment surrendering, it is not a one-time thing for me for now. I am looking forward to that time when this ill-feeling will completely vanish in my heart, and I am glad that I am in that process.
When I accepted how sinful and imperfect I am, and how Jesus Christ paid for my sins and that through Him I was forgiven, I was able to forgive him, them, those who did something to me, to my innocence. And also through the redeeming power of Jesus Christ, my dark past no longer has its grip on me. He freed me from shame and guilt that haunted me for a very long time. He made me anew. He brought peace to my life. He accepted me and transformed my life.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17
So the recent book I read, Know Him Completely by Jenny King, gave me some practical tips or information that can be or may be useful in understanding or at least have a little idea on how to deal with M. Again, I agreed and sometimes disagreed with the author as I read the book. There are some ideas that I think are outdated, that's for me, and there are also a few helpful tips that I appreciated so much. Better yet, try reading this book by Ms. King, and you may tell me what you think by commenting down below or sending me a private message. See you.
When I was younger and so oblivious of what really matters in life, I thought beauty is only skin deep. that beauty can only be achieved only if you are perfect, if you aren't, then being beautiful is too far from your reach. And this kind of mindset pestered me unceasingly during my adolescent years and early and late 20s, I thought I can only be called beautiful, only if I am perfect, free from all flaws and imperfections. I wanted to be a good example of the manufactured beauty of society. I did the best I could in my own way to be perfect, but in the end, I was far more than being perfect, even light-years away. The sad part during those times of insecurities and dissatisfaction with my physical appearance is I took for granted some people who appreciated and accepted me the most, the real me, the imperfect me, with a beauty that I failed to recognize because of the unrealistic expectations from myself.
It is only in recent years that I finally accepted that true beauty is more than meets the eye. That anyone and everyone can be called beautiful. The true beauty that we all possess within us is something that we fail to recognize most of the time. I thought beauty is something that I see physically from celebrities, models, and the likes. They are all gorgeous and I thought I wanted to become like them, look like them, but I was so wrong trying to copycat them. I may not look like any other celebrities or models out there, but I am glad that it is never too late for me to accept and appreciate the imperfections I have and recognize the true beauty God has given me.
You can be beautiful outside but completely rotten inside. Cliche and supernatural it may sound, I feel most beautiful when I have peace and contentment, and when I said peace, I mean "the" true peace.
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4
You Can Be Beautiful by Diana Reyes is another preloved book that I got from my co-teacher. It took me more than a month to finish this book. I have to be honest I disagree with some of the ideas I encounter from this book. You may want to read the book to know exactly what I mean. In general, it is a self-help book that showcases practical tips on how to be beautiful, especially for women. You have all the right to apply or not to follow the recommended tips that you may come face to face from the book. It is helpful in its own way and you can get some helpful reminders to improve or add light to the way we see beauty.
If I'll be honest, this book definitely got tons of tears from me. It is not about a drama, but this book made me realized of the wrong things this I have been doing and worldly perspective of being in a relationship. It hurts a little, but really I must say it hurts so much to be convicted of how wrong I was in the past. I was self-centered and wanted a relationship that was centered on me. I imagined a very unhealthy and ungodly relationship. I was always looking for the wrong kind of relationship which thankfully never transpired or even migrated to the next level. I now consider those unfruitful longing as God's way of protecting me from the worst.
Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship by Joshua Harris is a self-help Christian book about dating and relationships. It is a pre-loved book I got from my co-teacher who persistently asked me to buy the book along with other titles, and I am so glad I gave in to her and bought them. She even lured me by saying that if I buy those books I would be able to get a partner right away and I knew that she was just bluffing, and honest to goodness, I didn't give in to her because of that (hehe). I just genuinely like to get the books even though I was hesitant at first since I just recently bought a few titles from NBS Sale at that time, so I was trying to cut my expenses with book buying and didn't want to got beyond the budget.
So again, as I mentioned I am happy to have this book and finally read it since I have always been curios about this title because I have seen it many times from some of the book themed group page on Facebook. Unlike any other books that I sell after reading them, this one is for keeps I have no intention of selling it even thought it has some misprints particularly on chapter 7, there are two chapter 7 in this edition. But if I get to buy a better edition then I might change my mind.
Boy meets girl, but when will my turn come? Hmm... I no longer dwell so much on that question these past few years. I learned from my D-Group leader to pray for it, to pray for him, if he is part of God's plan in my life. I even prayed that if it isn't His will, please remove or take away this desire in my heart, but guess what He hasn't. I already surrender this to the Lord and through His grace I try to live a life that is glorifying to His name and I am still trying until now. I desire to have a relationship that is wholly God-centered. I may doubt my faith in Him sometimes, but He remains faithful.
"God's way really is best. His timing is perfect. Waiting on Him is more than worth it. Honoring Him and practicing His principles as you walk the path to marriage will lead you to the greatest joy and fulfillment." ~Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris
Page 211 got me sobbing and reflecting hard, and I was greatly reminded of God's love and grace. I super recommend this book. It offers a holistic approach to dating and relationship and covers everything you need to know before getting ahead of yourself if you are "under the influence".
Read this book and tell me what you think, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Finally, alas! Our waiting is never in vain. The Big Bad Wolf is coming to town.
This is what we all have been waiting for my fellow bookworms. For those of you who do not know what or who is the Big Bad Wolf. Let me brief you a little. According to their Facebook page, Big Bad Wolf Books (The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale or BBW Books) is a Malaysian book fair frequently held in Malaysia, Thailand Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. The books were majorly taken from the stocks of BookXcess, a book store dealing in excess or remaindered books from international distributors. The Sale was the brainchild of BookXcess founders Andrew Yap and Jacqueline Ng. It was first held on 13–18 May 2009 for 5 days at Dataran Hamodal, Petaling Jaya.
The book fair sells all kinds of book genres, for example, fiction, non-fiction, novels, literature, children's literature, and young adult fiction. It also sells merchandise including collectible books and posters, wallpaper, movie posters, tin-plated signs, and their own merchandise.
Big Bad Wolf first arrived in the Philippines in the year 2018 and has been going on since then. We are so used to physical displays of thousands and thousands of books and for me, it is always a sight and a paradise to experience BBW at the World Trade Center, Manila. I am glad that despite our situation right now, the team behind BBW made it possible to bring us the book fair we all have doubted to come into reality this 2021. But here we are now, it is happening again, finally!
Our most awaited book sale will go online this year and we will all experience and enjoy discounts up to 99% OFF for everyone in the Philippines, nationwide. Isn't that a lot better compared to the other years? The book fair will be OPEN ONLINE from June 30 - July 7 in the BBW's exclusive portal: https://signup-ph.bbwbooks.com/. Sign up now, because I already did!
Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith is a young adult novel about Al with her two other friends Leo and Teddy. It is a story about luck and how it brought change into their lives.
It is a book about first love and first major luck, which brings us to Al and Leo's funny gift for Teddy's birthday. Leo gave him a pack of cigarettes, and Al gifted him with a lottery ticket. The most unexpected thing happened when the lottery ticket gift won a whopping one hundred forty-three million dollars.
Teddy hit the jackpot and had his life turned a hundred eighty degrees, all thanks to Al's gift on his eighteenth birthday. But it is not always a bed of roses when you've got yourself a lot of moneybags, the fortune he received also has its backlash which he finally realized later in the story.
Al, on the other hand, tried to keep it all together expecting that the huge fortune they won had the potential to turn her normal life upside down and it was something uncalled for. She didn't want any of it. What she wanted was a normal life with her family and friends. Everything seemed to slip away within her grip and she didn't like the changes that were happening before her eyes, Teddy was getting further and further away to someplace she didn't want to be in.
Alice Chapman a.k.a Al was a girl who brought luck to the person she loved when she thought nothing better could ever happen to her life as she was blinded and paralyzed by the sad past she held dearly in her heart. She never thought that luck could find her or any of her closest family and friends.
Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith reminds us that maybe, just maybe, luck will find us one day, and probably win a huge fortune like Teddy or in Al's case, find where she truly belongs.
P. S. In a world where luck is nowhere to be found, let God find you.
I don't know where to start, all I can say is that I was hooked.
Hooked by Ernie Hollands with Doug Brendel is a book testimony about transformation. The kind of transformation that is only possible through Jesus Christ.
A man's life that once was lived and rejoiced in the evil and darkness transformed drastically when he met Christ. His life journey was never easy just like how most of us made it through before knowing Jesus.
Reading Ernie Holland's story will remind us of Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. That in hopelessness there is hope in Jesus Christ, and we have an assurance that all things will fall into their rightful places in God's perfect timing. He is sovereign, in control. He can make all things new in our lives just like how many of us were transformed through Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
All in Jesus' name!
Everyone can be creative so says the author, Merlee Cruz-Jayme, of the same title of the book. I had this narrowed understanding of creativity in the field of fine arts. I thought being creative is just for people who have talent in drawing and putting color on the blank canvas, that one should produce a painting to be called creative. Thankfully, my limited understanding of creativity came to an end when I was catapulted to the grown-ups world. As an adult, I discovered that being creative could not be boxed within the corners of a frame of the world's most famous painting.
The author, Merlee Cruz-Jayme, put it simply that everyone can be creative in their very own way. Life has offered everything to us to think outside the box, or even inside the box to find the talent of creativity within us. For sure, it will not be an easy journey finding your own creativity, but life has its ways to always take you back and keep you on track. The simplest thing within our reach can be a catalyst of creativity. Jayme's experience as an ex-nun definitely helped her in fortifying her creativity and it served her well in choosing a career in the field of advertisement. But we do not have to enter a convent and be an ex-nun, so we can find our creativity and a career. We have our own moments of realization and sometimes it takes patience, discipline, and fervent prayer to find what we are looking for.
The book, Everyone Can Be Creative, is a good companion in discovering and rediscovering the creativity within you that may be hidden or just stuck in the corner covered with dust. This book will definitely take you on a step by step journey in claiming back the passion of creativity you may have lost in the process of organizing and fixing your life. It is never too late to get back on track to living a creative life. Be bold and be you.
But first, do not forget to pray and ask for guidance in the new chapter of your life in finding and honing the gift of creativity from above, from the One who makes everything possible, from the source of creativity, the Creator of all things in heavens and in the earth. Get ready and fight a good fight and let your creativity shine like it has never before.
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