Wednesday, July 29, 2009

My favorite books

I love books. Love them. I spend too much time reading actually. I used to make my parents angry because (a) they blamed my poor eyesight on reading too much, (b) Mama told me a girl should fill her days with chores and not her head with ideas, and (c) Papa said men are never attracted to smart girls. This is one time I'm glad I was such a disobedient daughter! Life has happened in such a way that I now know that (a) I'm myopic because of genetics and I do abuse my eyesight with too much TV--on my current gadget lust list is a Slingbox--and, yes, too much reading, (b) Mama may have disapproved but her little girl's head of ideas made me a woman she was proud of, and (c) Papa was, thankfully, very wrong!

So since I'm discovering a lot of books because of my ongoing Moleskine giveaway (deadline is tonight!), I just want to share my most cherished reads:
  1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, both by Lewis Carroll
  2. Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye
  3. Lord of the Rings trilogy and Silmarillion, all by J.R.R. Tolkien
  4. On Writing by Stephen King
  5. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
  6. Watership Down by Richard Adams
  7. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
  8. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
  9. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace
I have just finished reading The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman and I am eager to read the next two books. It's made me extremely fascinated with parallel universes!

I've also enjoyed these over the past year: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox, the Twilight series by Stephenie Mayer, Watchmen by Alan Moore, The Graveyard Story by Neil Gaiman and Just After Sunset by Stephen King. Oh, and how can I forget Vince's Life: Getting Over Andrea by Vince O. Teves!

I know I've read more than these listed (a lot of trashy novels--empty but fun all the same!) but I'll let you go now. I'm off to read Makeup Manual by Bobbi Brown. I promised to give this book to my friend Mariel but I want to learn some beauty tricks from it first!

13 comments:

  1. "A lot of trashy novels--empty but fun all the same!"

    Haha. Same here. They're my favorite buys at thrift bookstores. Some people still raise their eyebrows that I'm still fond of reading these kinds of books, but they're mindless fun, and nothing makes the time go by faster than mindless fluffy romance. (Best books for when you're waiting for something. Haha.)

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  2. My parents always said I was going to ruin my eyes too!

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  3. Oh you must read Kindred by Octavia Butler. Please do and let me know what you think!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_E._Butler

    "She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant."

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  4. Do you keep your books neatly stacked in a shelf, cover them with plastic if it's in paperback, read them them by just opening it slightly so as not to get creases on the bind and lend them ONLY to people who you trust and know that they'll guard it with their life?

    I do. :-) Books are just almost sacred.

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  5. Hi Miss Frances! The last book Ive read is My Imaginary Ex by Mina Esguerra. And its a Summit book! :) You might enjoy reading it too. :)

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  6. Haha! My mother used to tell me I'd ruin my eyesight by reading so much (especially late at night with poor lighting) too!
    Watership Down was one of my favourites as a child. I also enjoy 'chick-lit' books, especially by English authors, and one of my all time favourite books: Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

    Happy reading!

    Duni

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  7. "Para kay B" by Ricky Lee is also a good read :D

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  8. I also like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I read it a long time ago in school. :) I also read Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame in school. And I absolutely love the Harry Potter series. Wait. I'll enter your contest again. :)

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  9. Oh. Chick Lit is heaven sent to us who need a little pick me up every time the going gets tough. They never fail to make us laugh, yes? :)

    I love love love The Time Traveller's Wife, too. It made me cry like a baby.

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  10. Hello, Frances!

    What a refreshing little blog you have here! I've been blog-hopping and stumbled upon your blog, albeit a little too late for your Moleskine contest.

    I'm adding you up on my Google Reader, ha?

    ~Dea

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  11. Maris, I know! I feel guilty for reading trashy novels now, though--all those trees! They should sell trashy novels for the Sony eBook Reader!

    WendyB and Duni, our parents are so silly =D

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  12. Okay, freaky but in a nice way: 3rd 'alignment': I was at Border's bookstore earlier and got a latte and a receipt that had a 10% off coupon and a 30% off sale announcement and I immediately thought of finally buying the Bobbi Brown book. Ok lang, hold on to yours, Bobbi Brown books are makeup treasures :) But thank you :)

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  13. I love Water for Elephants! Sara Gruen gives life to The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth beautifully. Same goes with The Time Traveler's Wife. Though i'm not sure if Eric Bana will give justice to Henry. Hmm... :)

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Thanks for dropping by my blog! It really means a lot that you spare the time to read... and comment!