Welcome to my E-library

I am building up my e-library providing a list of various books and authors that really inspired me to read more and be an avid fan of their characters.

Someday in my hometown back in one of the islands in the Philippines, I will be able to have a mini-library of my own where everyone could visit and of course to spend time to read my collections for free! Most of the time Im living abroad so I collected alot of these books and mags which give me headache when it comes to packing and sending home to Philippines. It costs me alot of money, BUT Im determined to collect more and share it with my kababayan...

If you want to donate books, I'm very please to arrange for partnership which will acknowledge your involvement and generosity to take part in my project. Please don't hesitate to contact me privately or you can leave your message in the comment box.
"Learning is a continuous process and reading is a lifelong learning experience...and books are our best companion to make it happen, ultimately to be treasured forever!"

Mega Book Sale at National

This is something not to be missed. I visited the store last night and unexpectedly, I saw a big crowd - busy browsing and reading from the huge files of assorted books and school supplies. After an hour, I brought home 8 books worth total 292 pesos only! Aside from pocketbooks there are academic books and reference materials, including children publications.

My personal donation to a community public library in the Philippines

I HAVE COLLECTED A NUMBER OF MAGAZINES during my residency in Northern Ireland. For almost 3 years, I did not subscribe to any publication, but I buy every issue per month. These magazines include: Stuff (the world's best-selling gadget magazines), Digital Camera, Practical Photography, T3 (The gadget magazine), Digital Photo, and many others. More than a hundred copies were collected and sent back to the Philippine after I completed my studies.

Lately, I decided to donate these magazines to our local community library, Quezon City Public Library located in Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila. Instead of keeping them in the box, it is more useful if these mags will be displayed and share to other local residents who regularly visit the library.

Aside from these mags, a number of pocket books are also donated. Some of these books were also registered at BookCrossing to track down their journey. The officer-in-charge was happy enough to accept my personal collection.

I am just hoping that this contribution to the library will increase the readership and inspire others to travel and take photos while traveling.

Note: I got an official letter from the librarian, thanking me of my donation. Some of the copies of the magazines will be displayed in the main library of the city. I also decide to donate copies of my postgraduate theses to the library very soon. 

BookFace: Battle Hymn of the tiger mother

The author, Amy Chua fearlessly concludes that a Chinese mother believes:

(1) Schoolwork always comes first; (2) An A-minus is a bad grade; (3) You children must be two years ahead of their classmates in maths; (4) You must never compliment your children in public: (5)  If your child ever disagrees with a teacher or coach, you must always take side of the teacher or coach; (6) The only activities your children should be permitted to do are those in which they can eventually win a medal; and (7) The medal must be gold.

She adds up that,

there’s another huge difference between raising dog raising and Chinese parenting. Dog raising is easy. It requires patience, love, and possibly an initial investment of training time. By contrast, Chinese parenting is one of the most difficult things I can think of. You have to be hated sometimes by someone you love and who hopefully loves you, and there’s jut no letting up, no point at which it suddenly becomes easy.

Discounted books and Kobo (Philippines) Launching: Courtesy of Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) 2013

THE RAIN POURED SO HARD but it did not stop me to catch the last hours of MIBF on its final day in SMX Convention Hall Complex last week. This is a 5-day event and still I did the last-minute visit to the venue despite the heavy rain pouring the metropolis. Thanks to MRT and I reached the venue 2 hours prior to closing!

One of the highlights of my visit was a friendly chat to the product representative of Kobo e-reader. Through National Bookstore, this latest gadget is introduced to the Filipino readers and officially launched in NBS website over the weekend. Technical features and specifications for Kobo Tablet and eReader are already posted for browsing and for possible online orders/purchases. I'm already a member Kobo-Hongkong using my playbook Blackberry since last year. Once in a while, it offers discounted rates thru its regular newsletter send to members. The Hunger Games (Part 1) is my first e-book purchased from the website. For easy access to Filipino ebooks with Philippine peso tag prices, I decided to open an account in Kobo-Philippines.

Unfortunately, it is currently experiencing technical problem after I upgraded the current version of the application in my playbook gadget. However, I can access my e-books library using other computer units in the internet cafe/shop.

Only four books I managed to buy from the event. Two books (Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less; Cat O'Nine Tales) by Jeffrey Archer at PhP20 each from Goodwill Bookstore; only one book from NBS entitled The God of Small Things (A Booker Prize Winner); and two books (Alex Cross, Run of James Patterson; and Building and Managing Ebook Collections) courtesy of iFlickPhotoBook as souvenir deals for a photo shoot (as shown above).

Warehouse Sale at Nationalbookstore (15-18 Nov 2012)



From 15-18 November at 10 am to 7 pm, get up to 80% off on books, supplies and gift items at the 4th Floor of National Book Store Quezon Avenue cor. Sct. Borromeo and Panay Avenue., Quezon City, Philippines. Visit their Facebook fanpage for details by clicking the image above. See you there!



Bookface: Skyworld - Filipino comic books



SKYWORLD tells the stories of a tikbalang prince who is in search of vengeance for the death of his father, a murdered Skygod that returns to present day Manila, and the Queen of the Asuang who unleashes the deadly Bakunawa (dragon) – all of these come together when Andoy, a crippled orphan, discovers that he has yet to fulfill a prophecy dating back to the time of Lapu-Lapu. The prophecy tells us of an ancient tribe that traveled to our lands through land bridges. This tribe was made of warriors known as the Sons of Heaven. They were “fearsome warriors gifted with strength beyond mortal men, ruled by a code that was not of this earth.” With them was an amulet that carried all the source of their power. The amulet was passed from one generation to the next. It was said that one day, a warrior of noble birth would rise and use the amulet to unite warring tribes. This warrior would be known as the Maharlika. (Extracted from http://komiklopedia.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/skyworld/).

Jennifer Hillier @ MIBF2012

This was my second visit (and last day) to the book fair just to catch up with one of the featured writers by National Bookstore's book signing event. Jennifer Hillier is a Filipino-Canadian novelist who released two books, Creep and Freak. Prior to the book fair, there were already press releases regarding Jennifer's visit in Manila. It was also revealed that she plans to visit her father living in one of the islands in the Visayas and not seeing him for almost 16 years.

Without a second thought, I decided to buy the first book (Php315 less 20% discount) during my first visit to the fair. As soon as grabbed the pocket book, I started reading it... until now while writing this journal, I am on the middle part of the book - enjoying Ethan's revenge against Dr. Sheila Tao.

While Jennifer was writing her dedication in my book, I quickly asked her motivation to build-up the personality of Ethan, considering that she is a female writer. Jennifer responded quickly to my query and without hesitation, she says: "Ethan is my favorite character...I have to read and read to get additional information in developing Ethan's character."

As parting kind words, I told her that I compared her writing style with Mary Higgins Clark. Clark is my first female writer who really inspired me to read more suspense-thriller stories. She smiled while thanking me of my remarks!

33rd Manila International Book Fair

Venue: SMX Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Philippines; 12-16 September 2012 As one of the longest-running book fairs in Asia, the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) is also considered one of the most accessible venues for showcasing published works. For book lovers, this event is something not to be missed!

The place where you could find all types of publications - from educational prints or just for personal reading interest. According to its official website, by joining or being present at the MIBF, it somehow paves way to  business opportunities for entrepreneurs to a wider audience of different generations, backgrounds and cultures. For more information, please contact PRIMEMEDIA ASIA, INC. (info@primediaasia.com) or CLICK HERE.

National Bookstore on sale now

STARTING TODAY 03 August, the biggest bookstore in the Philippines, National Book Store is offering a cut-price up to 70%  off on books until 19 August. Aside from this limited offer, the bookstore has been giving a huge discount on books as low as Php100.00 (US$2.4).  For additional information, please visit its Facebook account or just simply click the photo above.

Take advantage of their "Laking National" privilege cards to earn extra points from all purchases and eventually converted into cash. This is redeemable as the points reached the minimum cash equivalent of PhP10.00. For new applicant, you can pay the membership card in the store and immediately the card is issued bearing your name. I dont know if it applies to all branches, but last year when I renewed by card, it took more than a month for the issuance of the card. I got my first Laking National card in 2005. There is a membership discount for all students by showing a current school/university ID.

Book Fair 2012 at Market Market (Philippines)

MAD ABOUT BOOKS - This is the current book fair event at Market-Market in Global City, Taguig, Philippines. The fair started last 18 June and will end on the 24th June.

Amazingly, books prices range from PhP10pesos (24 UScents) to Php500pesos (12 USdollars).

I cant imagine that I bought 26 books from the fair and tagged as low as PhP100 (2.5 USdollars), almost 91 percent discount from the original selling price.

Aside from selling books, the fair also came-out with daily program for children.

Manila International Book Fair 2011

VENUE : Exhibit Halls 1 – 4, SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Metro Manila

EVENT DATES: September 14 - 18, 2011

EVENT HOURS: 10:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.

ORGANIZERS: Primetrade Asia, Incorporated
5th Floor Accelerando Building,395 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Bry. Bel-Air, 1209 Makati City, Metro Manila
Telephone Nos. (632) 896-0661, 896-0682 • Fax No.: (632) 896-0695; Website: www.primetradeasia.com

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS: Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP); Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. (ACCI); Philippine Booksellers Association, Inc. (PBAI); Overseas Publishers’ Representatives Association of the Philippines (OPRAP)

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS: Association of Special Libraries of the Philippines (ASLP); Medical & Health Librarians Association of the Philippines (MAHLAP); Ortigas Center Library Consortium (OCLC) Inc.; Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians (PAARL); Philippine Association of Teachers of Library Science (PATLS); Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI); University of the Philippines Library Science Alumni Assn. (UPLSA).

Bjorn Lomborg: the skeptical environmentalist

I MET HIM IN PERSON WHEN I WAS A POSTGRAD STUDENT at the University of Queensland (UQ), Brisbane (Australia). He gave a free public lecture on 01 October 2003 at the UQ Centre, and who wrote a book-selling book, The Skeptical Environmentalist - Measuring the Real State of the World. The book became controversial among the communities of scientists and environmentalists arguing that the "book's litany of errors and misinterpretations can be explained by the fact that the author has no qualifications in any area related to it." Some groups also cricitised Cambridge University Press for publishing and promoting the book which is an "error-filled, poorly referenced and non-reviewed work."

I purchased the book at A$50.95 and Bjorn got it signed after his lecture at UQ. Surprisingly, almost one-third of the book content is pages of Notes and Bibliography, and still it is referred as "poorly-referenced" work.

I do share with Bjorn's ideas on the real state of our environment. He states that: "the key idea is what we ought not to let the environmental organizations, business lobbyists or the media be alone in presenting truths and priorities. Rather, we should strive for a careful democratic check on the environmental debate, by knowing the real state of the world - having knowledge of the most important facts and connections in the essential areas of our world."

Global warming is one of the hottest issues of the present time and Bjorn clearly explained three important lessons that everyone should know about it: (a) First, we have to realize what we are arguing about - do we want to handle global warming in the most efficient way or do we want to use global warming as a stepping stone to other political projects; (b) Second, we should not spend vast amounts of money to cut a tiny slice of the global temperature increase when this constitutes a poor use of resources and when we could probably use these funds far more effectively in the developing world; and (c) Third, we should realize that the cost of global warming will be substantial...since cutting back CO2 emissions quickly becomes very constly, and easily counterproductive, we should focus more of our effort at finding ways of easing the emission of greenhouse gases over the long run. AMEN TO THAT!!!

Only at the middle of this year that I bought another book authored by him entitled, COOL IT at discounted price of 200 pesos (hardbound, less than 5 US dollars) only. Again, one-third of the book contains notes and reference list! Bjorn supported my understanding about Global Warming, or now it is popularly coined as "Climate Change" because the earth is totally cooling at the moment! The book argues that: "(a) global warming is real and man-made; (b) statements about the strong, ominous and immediate consequences of global warming are often wildly exaggerated; and (c) many other issues are much more important than global warming."

FINALLY, I do share Bjorn's sentiments that his books can help us to better understand the various environmental issues that our Mother Earth is facing... be smarter about solutions to solve them, and also to regain our perspective on the most effective and efficient ways to make Mother Earth a better place that all of us desire to achieve!

Note: Cool It is now a motion picture...watch the trailer below!

National Bookstore (Philippines) sales still goin' on...

BEING A "LAKING NATIONAL" cardholder, I get points for every purchase and turn to peso equivalent from this biggest bookshop in the Philippines. National Bookstore is currently offers cut-off prices of books up to 75%. This offers started last 29 July and will end on the 21st August.
Since I arrived Manila last May 2011, I already bought dozens of books of my favourite authors as low as 75 pesos (approx 1 pound/1.7 US dollars)! It seems that it is already a habit to visit this bookshop during weekends and I can not help to grab one or two pocket books to be added to my personal collection.

With my present commitment at work, it is difficult to update my blog or even write a journal on books that Ive bought and read. Despite this, my enthusiasm to share my passion for books is not fading but thriving every day! Even I seldom write on my blog, it does not mean that I dont read or buy books... believe me, it is addictive to read stories! Of course, dont forget that I have my best companion, Amazon Kindle that gives me the convenience to read while travelling - inside the MRT or just sipping a coffee at Starbucks! I am currently reading three books - one before I sleep, one from my Kindle and another copy in my office bag!

By the way, National Bookstore near Getaway/Araneta Coliseum has a whole floor dedicated for second-hand books at very reasonable prices. So, if you have the chance to visit Cubao, then why not spend time to find out by yourself of what I've discovered!

Go...share your passion in reading...to lead...

WBN 2011 Read-Release Challenge Part 2

I STARTED THIS PERSONAL CHALLENGE in March after the World Book Night launched on 5 March 2011. This is a commitment to read and release books every month. My first release was the book written by Candy Gourlay, Tall Story and a reader from the Philippines won the two paperback copies of Tall Story with an inclusion of a bookplate. For details, CLICK HERE.The releases are recorded using BookCrossing ten-digit tracking system.

For this month of April 2011, Im releasing one of the short stories' collections of Jeffrey Archer, entitled Cat O'Nine Tales. It is a hardcover which contains 12 stories, including drawings by Ronald Searle. The difference for this month's release is that I personally given this book as a bday present to a friend from Nigeria who just started her PhD programme at my university in Northern Ireland. Since it is a gift, my friend can keep it or she can release or pass it to her friends.

Note: Jeffrey Archer is one of my fav British authors. I really enjoyed these short stories which reminded me that MONEY is the root of all evils but it also serves as an inspiration for people to change their lives for the better. Majority of these stories were came to Jeff during his two years imprisonment. My review will follow very soon!

BookFaces from the Book Depository: My first online purchase

WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT THE BOOK DEPOSITORY is offering free delivery any where in the world, without a second thought I placed my first order online. But why children's books written by Morris Gleitzman? It is a long story but... seven years ago, I lived in Brisbane, Australia as part of my postgrad program and this was the time that my passion for books started.

For two years, I collected different books - from fantasy to children's books with authors that are unknown to me. At that time, I was collecting and reading books not based on bestseller's status, but guided by films or friends' recommendation. Surprisingly, I collected books that required me to send 6 balikbayan boxes to Manila for door-door delivery. Until now, these books are still kept inside the boxes - waiting for me to release them and maybe they are excited to feel the fresh air and some touches from dust!

Since I was busy with a research project at the university, I concentrated on children's books which are more manageable to read and less time consuming to finish the books. And this the reason why I was captivated with Morris Glietzman's stories and introduced the adventures of Limpy, the toad... I loved his Limpy and Goliath tandem stories - from Toad Heaven to Toad Rage!

Then few weeks ago, I decided to buy Gleitzman books from the Book Depository - a trilogy (Once, Then and Now). Once and Then are previously published separately but the latest edition contained both of them. With excitement, I immediately read them all in a matter of less than a week... I finished reading Now few hours ago!

Book Catcher 2011 Series Four courtesy of BookCrossing Meet-up

IM A MEMBER OF BOOKCROSSING NORTHERN IRELAND(BCNI) Book Club, unfortunately, I dont have time to attend the monthly meeting. But this month I was able to catch up with the group inside a bar in Belfast. As usual, every member brought their own books to swap with others, and for my share, I brought the remaining copies of Sarah Waters' novel, Fingersmith that I've also distributed during the World Book Night (WBN) last 05 March 2011.

At the end of the meet-up, I brought home three books: A Life Like Other People's (Alan Bennett), Memoir of Geisha (Arthur Golden), and Beatrice and Virgil (Yann Martel). Bennett's book is included in the WBN 25 book titles and one of the members of the club swapped with my book, Fingersmith. Geisha was published in 1997 and became a major motion picture, while Beatrice and Virgil was published in 2010 with the same author of the winner of the Man Book Prize, Life of Pi.

My life in books...

I VISITED MY FAVOURITE BOOKSTORE YESTERDAY after watching the parade at Belfast city centre in celebration of St Patrick's Day in Northern Ireland. Having a quick chat with the owner (he's very kind), and again I explored his shop - dreaming that someday I will have a mini-library as big as this secondhand bookshop!

While moving slowly along the narrow spaces between the shelves, I could feel that these books are inviting me - to touch them and bring them home. I wish I could bring them all, but I only got three books, including John Boyne's fable, The Boy in the Sriped Pyjamas. I did not know that the author is an Irish until I watched the film (with the same title) few days ago. It is a brilliant adaptation and I thought that the book is an excellent read not to be missed. So, having the book in mind, I immediately asked the owner of the shop, if he has copies of it. Well, I was surprised that he stood up and within few seconds of scanning in the shelf, he got it - 214 pages/2007 edition!

My life in books is getting exciting...even inspired to write another short story. By the way, I've written my first story (in Filipino/Tagalog language) entitled, Loto (Lotto). Unfortunately, the electronic version was missing in my laptop, so I need to type it again in few weeks time, so watch out for that! To find more, CLICK HERE.

BookFaces in Red: Save lives courtesy of Penguin Classics - Set One

PENGUIN CLASSICS (UK) HAS PUBLISHED a selection

of classic stories that aims to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Having RED as the theme color, for every purchase of this new edition,

50 percent of the sales profit will be donated to the Global Fund.

Books Featured are as follows ( from top to bottom):Sons and Lovers (D H Lawrence), Silas Marner (George Eliot)Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte), Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)Vanity Fair (William Thackeray), Kidnapped (Robert Louis Stevenson)The Lady with the Little Dog (Antun Chekhov), andSentimental Education (Gustave Flaubert).
Some of these Penguin Classics bookfaces are links to the designers' interviews and others directed to the individual synopsis of the story.

Clicking the title of the post will automatically link to Penguin Classics Red Project.

Free copies for me! (courtesy of BookReads and LibraryThing)

I STARTED MY MEMBERSHIP WITH TWO ONLINE BOOK CLUBS, GoodReads in June 2010 and Library Thing just few weeks ago. Aside from sharing my favourite authors, I met new online friends who have the same passion for books and I do write book reviews which are posted here in my blog.

In December 2010, I was selected as one of the GoodReads' First Reader in the regular giveaways promo for a copy of Laurie Bowler's Sunrise to Sunset (Moon Rising) published in 2010. The book is available in Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk (Kindle format) and Smashwords.

(Sunrise to Sunset Synopsis) Nessy wakes from her unconscious state to find she can no longer remember who she is or her purpose in life. Charles battles to try and tell her as much information as he can about her former life, and eventually submits to telling Nessy her true immortal state. Hera takes Nessy back to the past into the form of the Gulon, where she meets the other Gulon packs who have come to aid them while the covens have gathered hoping to glimpse their new queen and ruler of the underworld, little does Nessy realise that person is her! The continuing threat from the detested sinister Tellis coven fight back with the remaining members and they join forces with another coven that have long since been known for their massacres and barbaric ways for feeding. Nessy has to battle to protect the human race from extinction and to protect her title for the good of races, the immortal race and the mortals that surround her, with Charles and the Gulon they must succeed.

On the other hand, I also got my first free ebook copy from Library Thing after I joined the Member Giveaway Group few days ago! I got an e-copy of Dirty Little Angels written by Chris Tusa and published in 2009. I will write a review in exchange of this free ebook. This is available in Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Smashwords.

(Dirty Little Angels Synopsis). Set in the slums of New Orleans, among clusters of crack houses and abandoned buildings, Dirty Little Angels is the story of sixteen year old Hailey Trosclair. When the Trosclair family suffers a string of financial hardships and a miscarriage, Hailey finds herself looking to God to save her family. When her prayers go unanswered, Hailey puts her faith in Moses Watkins, a failed preacher and ex-con. Fascinated by Moses's lopsided view of religion, Hailey, and her brother Cyrus, begin spending time down at an abandoned bank that Moses plans to convert into a drive-through church. Gradually, though, Moses's twisted religious beliefs become increasingly more violent, and Hailey and Cyrus soon find themselves trapped in a world of danger and fear from which there may be no escape.

Well, thank you very much for these early giveaways and maybe you will be the next lucky one! Try a look and be a member of these book clubs... Hope to meet you very soon and dont forget to drop me a line! Oops, I forgot to give the website links if you are interested: GoodReads and Library Thing to get additional information.