Reading List as of April 2011

My sincerest apology for such a long gap between reviews, I had to juggle a lot of things that writing reviews took a backseat, way way back. I didn’t stop reading but writing reviews seem to become more of a luxury. In any case, here’re the books I’m currently reading.

Pacific Rims by Rafe Bartholomew

I’m more of a fan of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) games than basketball itself. But much intrigued by the premise of the book, the Philippines's undeniable love of basketball, I decided to purchase one and start reading. And so far, I’m enjoying it.

Sherlock Holmes, The Complete Novels and Stories Volume 1 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

I’m almost halfway into writing my review for this but I lost the book! I intend to replace it but I’d rather finish Pacific Rims first.

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

It’s a heavy read. It’s not so easy to finish as I thought. In almost every other page I would need to scan the dictionary. Don’t get me wrong, it is a masterpiece of word art, not the type that you do with Microsoft Word. Obviously, this would take some time to finish; I might (meaning probably) insert other books while reading it.

The other books that I might bump up the reading list are those that I’ve got my eye on:

a)     Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

b)    Rant by Chuck Palahniuk

c)     The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

d)    Tinkers by Paul Harding

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Reading List as of August 2010

It’s quite confusing right now, and with work and everything in between, it’s quite difficult to chance a satisfying lengthy reading. I’m lucky to get an hour to read, honestly. But I do read, I guess everyone should find time to do so. Though most would consider movies and TV as an effective alternative, nothing can replace reading. There’s this one guy at Starbucks, he had this novel propped open in one hand, don’t know what he was reading though, a cigarette on the other, and was having a conversation with a friend. It’s either he’s a really good multitasker or a ‘phony’, as what Holden would say. Maybe they were talking about the book, I have no way of knowing (unless I eavesdrop). Anyway, I still wish I could multitask without reducing my full appreciation of a storyline. But I do ‘multi-read’, try it! It’s like watching TV without the remote, the monthly cable bill and the scheduled programming.

I’m currently reading Book Four of the Percy Jackson and The Olympians Series by Rick Riordan, titled The Battle of The Labyrinth. So far, it began in the same fashion with its preceding instalments. 

I mostly read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. If you’re interested, you can find it in the children’s section because it has its little drawings and sketches by the author. My friends chuckled when they saw its illustrations. I can’t blame them. Because in contrast with The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, the two are very different, but only in terms of packaging. They partially have a similar concept about being an adult, and I am taking my time with The Little Prince. Its metaphors are overwhelming and very relative. So even if it’s quite a short read, I savor each and every page. I sound famished (haha).

At intervals, I’m also reading Sherlock Holmes, The Complete Novels and Stories Volume 1 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I’m a huge fan of Doyle’s work since high school. So you can imagine how enthused I was with the Sherlock Holmes movie. It wasn’t a letdown, yet it did disappoint at certain details, I guess that is to be expected, though Irene Adler was a perfect fit. Reading the compendium works best when you don’t have much time to spare but you don’t want to get cut-off with your reading.

After I have read and written reviews, for at least The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Little Prince, I’ll be finishing The Little Friend by Donna Tartt (Note: this is not a sequel of The Little Prince, haha!).  

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