Books, Books and More Books

You can’t really tell if a person is a bookworm at first glance, unless she/he is holding a book or makes an impromptu discussion of Moby Dick, even then you can’t really be certain. But a sure-fire way to detect bookworms is by placing them in an area that could make and break their composure — the bookstore. No matter how unfamiliar the bookstore is, bookworms have a built-in GPS system that allows them to  navigate through the maze of shelves. Actually, bookworms are very much like moths drawn to open flame. Scientists say moths use the moon or sun’s light to get their bearings, but introducing another source of light disorients them, resulting to a kamikaze dive into the flame. Bookworms are very much like that, except the suicidal plunge. Bookworms, and that includes me, behave normally, but when books are in sight a tingle runs through our spine and that undeniable twinkle in our eyes shine like brightly polished pennies. So imagine placing thousands of books, along with nearly all publishing houses from across the Philippines, in a single spot for all bookworms to see. What would happen? Chaos…beautiful chaos.

The 34th Manila International Book Fair drew the attention of all book lovers in the country. Thousands of visitors flocked the event with different agendas in mind, some were merely curious of what the hubbub was about, while others were scavenging for discounted items for their collection or for their early Christmas gifts. Whatever the reasons are, I bet they all had quite an experience, be it good or bad. The event started September 11 and ended on September 15 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay. Despite the moderate to heavy rains, I was able to explore the fair for two days.  So yeah, I trudged the fair twice with aching feet and clothes that were seemingly glued to my skin because of the pouring rain. Good thing I didn’t get sick, so thank you Mr. Flu Vaccine.

The book fair offered a wide variety of literature, but I was a bit disappointed because a booth I saw last year that sold Reader’s Digest collections of facts, momentous events in history, mysterious tragedies and crimes, you know the geeky historical must-have that I MUST HAVE, was not in sight.  However, I did make numerous purchases, including discounted sticker boxes, children’s books for my niece, and cooking magazines for my Mom.

On its last day, the book fair was on heightened alert with the arrival of three best-selling international authors – Melissa Dela Cruz of the Blue Blood series, Alyson Noel of The Immortals series, and Margaret Stohl of the Beautiful Creatures series. As promised, I accompanied my cousin for the book signing event. I admit I haven’t read any of their books, I was simply there to support and take pictures of my cousin. But with a funny twist of fate, I ended up actually meeting the authors. Although all the authors were nice and friendly, I was especially fond of Margaret Stohl and I find her warmth infectious, so much so that I was ready to purchase her first book just to get me started, unfortunately it was sold out.

The days I spent at the fair were both exhausting and surprising. In fact. there were many chance meetings that were hilariously surreal. Only bookworms can cap the day off with a smile, despite the hours of aimlessly walking and searching. The books, the company of my friends and family really made the visit worth it.

“Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent. What I wonder is why everybody doesn’t carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.”

– Stephen King

Must Love Books

book·worm [book-wurm]
noun
1. a person devoted to reading or studying.
2. any of various insects that feed on books,  especially a booklouse.

In case you’re wondering, I fit the first definition. Rightly so because last Sunday’s events have proven my devotion to books. Along with a fellow book lover, we braved the stormy weather to check out the 33rd Manila International Book Fair at the SMX Convention Center. Judging on how early we arrived at the venue, you can safely say that we were very very excited.

The moment we stepped inside the hall, our eyes were beaming like a couple headlights, trying to take it all in. Books with 50% discounts are the biggest turn ons. When it comes to books, my discipline really deserts me. So yeah, I splurged and I’m happy I did. No regrets there.

We were fortunate enough to meet Pol Medina Jr., a Filipino cartoonist who gained immense popularity for his comic strip Pugad Baboy. I’ve been reading his works since I was in grade school, so meeting him was a surreal experience.

We got soaked by the rain, our arms flexed a muscle or two after lugging all our new books (including an almanac) around Mall of Asia, and we would probably have the sniffles the next day. But hey the visit was worth it. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a lot of reading to do.

In Search of a Perfectly Good Book

“What book/books changed your life?”

This question is addressed to anyone willing to share their expertise. I admit I am stepping out of my comfort zone in the blogging community by posting such a question, but I am truly interested in what you have to say. For months now, I’ve grown fond of reading your blogs because they took me places I’ve never been before, taught me things I didn’t learn from school, and gave me a chance to glimpse a life different from my own. Everyone has an opinion to share, and I wish to know yours, particularly the book/books that you would like to recommend.

According to a Chinese proverb, “He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.”So here’s my five minutes. I thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts.

 

How Readers and Writers Fall in Love

These entries were posted on my Facebook wall and I found them really insightful and true.

YOU SHOULD DATE A GIRL WHO READS

by Rosemarie Urquico

“Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes, who has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she has found the book she wants. You see that weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a secondhand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow and worn.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas, for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry and in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who read understand that all things must come to end, but that you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.”

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH A WRITER?

by Anonymous

Lots of things might happen. That’s the thing about writers. They’re unpredictable. They might bring you eggs in bed for breakfast, or they might all but ignore you for days. They might bring you eggs in bed at three in the morning. Or they might wake you up for sex at three in the morning. Or make love at four in the afternoon. They might not sleep at all. Or they might sleep right through the alarm and forget to get you up for work. Or call you home from work to kill a spider. Or refuse to speak to you after finding out you’ve never seen To Kill A Mockingbird. Or spend the last of the rent money on five kinds of soap. Or sell your textbooks for cash halfway through the semester. Or leave you love notes in your pockets. Or wash your pants with Post-It notes in the pockets so your laundry comes out covered in bits of wet paper. They might cry if the Post-It notes are unread all over your pants. It’s an unpredictable life.

BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A WRITER FALLS IN LOVE WITH YOU?

by Anonymous

This is a little more predictable. You will find your hemp necklace with the glass mushroom pendant around the neck of someone at a bus stop in a short story. Your favorite shoes will mysteriously disappear, and show up in a poem. The watch you always wear, the watch you own but never wear, the fact that you’ve never worn a watch: they suddenly belong to characters you’ve never known. And yet they’re you. They’re not you; they’re someone else entirely, but they toss their hair like you. They use the same colloquialisms as you. They scratch their nose when they lie like you. Sometimes they will be narrators; sometimes protagonists, sometimes villains. Sometimes they will be nobodies, an unimportant, static prop. This might amuse you at first. Or confuse you. You might be bewildered when books turn into mirrors. You might try to see yourself how your beloved writer sees you when you read a poem about someone who has your middle name or prose about someone who has never seen To Kill A Mockingbird. These poems and novels and short stories, they will scatter into the wind. You will wonder if you’re wandering through the pages of some story you’ve never even read. There’s no way to know. And no way to erase it. Even if you leave, a part of you will always be left behind.

If a writer falls in love with you, you can never die.

Quenching My Thirst for Words

Recently, I’ve stretched my budget to a point of near bankruptcy because of books. Okay that’s a little over the top, but yes I’ve spent more on books now more than ever. Although I’ve always loved reading books, lately this love turned to a form of hunger that needs to be appeased regularly. And I mean regularly. For those who are in a mission to learn as well as re-learn life (like me), book therapy can  be the best distraction and source of inspiration. That much I can guarantee.

My recently acquired books, along with those given by my friends who’s feeding my addiction

“Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent. What I wonder is why everybody doesn’t carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.”– Stephen King

I agree completely, Mr. King. So if you happen to see a girl who has her nose in a book, it’s probably me.