brainPH Project: Sharing my Book Collection

Book Review: Shine of Candy Gourlay

Candy Gourlay is currently visiting the Philippine for series of book signing and talks about her latest novel, Shine. She will be at Glorietta 1 National Bookstore on Saturday, 27 September for the final leg of her book launching in the Philippines. Check it out.

23 April - World Book Day in the Philippines

The World Book and Copyright Day 2014 was launched by UNESCO eighteen years ago. This year, the Philippines thru the sponsorship of the National Book Development Board (NBDB), the event will showcasing creative performances, musical acts, exhibitions, workshops, seminars, and more!

The event will also features some of the Filipino artists and performers such as the UP Guitar Trio, Sipat Lawin Ensemble, slam poets from Speak! Philippines, the Balagstars Balagtasan group from Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), and comedian RJ Ledesma. This year's venue is the Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City and everyone is invited to participate in the promotion of reading and writing.

Click the image (top) for additional information. By the way, this is also coincides with the 4th year celebration of the World Book Night in the UK, Ireland and USA.

2014 World Book Night Invitation

Take part in this year's biggest celebration of book sharing and giving. If you are interested to join as a community book giver, click the image above for details or click Registration. As a prospective giver, you can give away any any book you want - one you already own, or one you buy specially, new or second-hand.  You can also choose whoever you want to give the book to – a friend, a member of your community, a complete stranger.  What the World Book Night organizer ask is that you give your book with the aim of helping someone develop the same love of reading that you have.

BookFace: Read my mind by Atty Mel Sta. Maria

My 6-year old niece browsing the book...

ONE OF THE FEW BOOKS I HAVE READ recently authored by a Filipino. The book contains essays and commentaries originally posted on-line (Interaksyon.com). The writer, Mel Sta. Maria is a legal adviser/lawyer, a professor and a radio/tv commentator (Relasyon at TV5).

Because of curiosity I bought the book from National Bookstore (Cubao branch). Even though, I am a regular listener of his radio program, I do not even read his regular column in Interaksyon.com. 

Just a few things about the book:
1. The book has 15 sections with timeless subjects with personal and national importance. Straight forward commentaries... The first section on Sabah is perfect to be in the first few pages of the book. Atty Mel's opinions are relevant and with substance that for ordinary people could understand and encouraging us to come up with our own judgment. His criticisms are not "below the belt", but witty, especially with sensitive issues;
2. I suggested that this book is a timely and special Xmas gift to our dear President, P-NOY and his advisers to address the Sabah conflict, and other political concerns. (If someone close to our President and Cabinet members wants to give a gift);
3. I am also an educator and do feel same with Atty Mel's teaching experience on how we inspire young kids to be of service to unfortunate kababayans and inspire them to be professional on their chosen careers;
4. I do agree with Atty Mel's stand concerning Carlos Celdran's case, and VP Binay for his future candidacy as President in 2016 election...and of course the author's advice on how the government will address Sabah's territorial conflict is commendable;
5. On a lighter note, there is something lacking in the author's commentaries regarding "Inspirational Loss" and "MVP-Ateneo Misunderstanding". Finally, I did smile while reading his Jesuit's anecdote - even GOD S.J. cannot help but to get a side! And finally, the author's hilarious teaching situations with his students... they were really funny but witty;
6. Finally, Atty Mel's collection of photos with big personalities/celebs are authentic, absolutely they were "not photo shopped"; and
7. By the way, just one minor suggestion. A list of references or bibliographies should be added in the book for readers familiarize with the various laws and legal documents (including original sources) referred/cited in the text. 

OVERALL, the book is an eye opener to current events and issues facing the country... Commentaries from Atty Mel provided a better understanding of the issues presented in each of the essays and much an appreciation of the Philippine legal system.

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).

BookFace: (Filipino) Ebooks for Kids...free download...

ONE OF THE POPULAR POSTS I shared in my blogsite was posted two years ago about free e-books in Filipino. How did I know it? Well, I have this icon in my sidebar that reflects the readers or visitors of the post: Filipino E-books for Free. This is a live traffic feed (Feedjit) in real time which shows the location who clicked/viewed and the title of the posts in my blogsite. This is an easy way to determine which posts I have popular or got more attention in the cyberspace.

Recently, I  received a comment from a reader: "Hello Reymos, I was hoping that you could help me.I have 7yrs old daughter. I want her to learn how to read Filipino books. Is there any books for kids that i can download from your books...Thanks."  My straightforward response is: "I do not have links for Filipino books online dedicated for young readers." However, I can help it out...this is the reason why I posted this journal to help the parent of this 7-yr old girl and hopefully other guardians to find time in telling stories to their children!

Few weeks ago, I visited a local library near my residence for personal reasons. This is a branch library being managed by a local government in one of the cities in Metro Manila. You might be asking me: why I visited this particular library?

Well, for good reasons... Firstly, this is part of my future feature in my blog - to introduce local libraries in the metropolis...Secondly, I want to donate some of my old magazines in photography and travel to the library as part of its collection. These mags are just stored inside the balikbayan boxes for years now! These are old issues but I believe the information written in the publications are still relevant nowadays. Thirdly, I want to offer my knowledge in blogging and photography thru the library. I can volunteer myself in the library's regular outreach programs such as computer literacy tutorials.

The librarian was so enthusiastic to listen to my suggestions and proposals...She even introduced the library's website. This was the reason why I can help it out to find free e-books for children! Why? The librarian informed me that the library has a collection of e-books for Filipino young readers and old ones who can still read stories to kids. So now, I am sharing this to you!

The International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) contains a collection of books from around the world, including from the Philippines. Aside from ICDL, there are additional e-books for international readers. Check it out by clicking the logo below.

NOTE: For other Filipino e-books for free reading, CLICK HERE...

BookFace: Cut-price at National Bookstore (Philippines) - Part 1

Another set of books written by my favorite British writer, JEFFREY ARCHER. Only Time Will Tell is the first book in the Clifton Chronicles - a new series about the story of a family across generations and oceans, from heartbreak to triumph...I haven't read this book but hopefully, I need to grab the rest of the copies of the series before I could embark myself in the epic tale of Harry Clifton. 

And Thereby Hangs a Tale and The New Collected Short Stories are all excellent collection of short stories of Archer. I enjoyed the latter, while the former were extracted from his three previous published collection of stories...

All of these books were 70% discounted, courtesy of National Book Store! 

Book sale ends on 8 September 2013.  

3 Main Reasons why you have to visit Manila International Book Fair 2013

There are good reasons why you should attend or visit this annual event at SMX Convention Center, near Mall of Asia (MOA), Pasay City (Philippines) from 11 - 15 September.

1. This is the  biggest bookselling event of the year in the country. More distributors, publishers, bookstores participate, including popular writers for book signing.

2. Thousands of books at one place. It is showcasing the largest and varied  collection of books - from academic to reference materials, from magazines to graphic novels, and even e-books to multimedia products and services.

3. This also offering special events for book fanatics - from quiz bee competitions to storytelling, and poetry reading to book launches, including conferences for academic, professional and personal interests on social media, and math and science competency, and classroom management. Several activities to increase the awareness of the Filipinos towards a different level of reading experience.

To get free passes for the book fair, visit the nearest National BookStore branch at your locality. As one of the major exhibitors of the event, National Bookstore (NBS) also organized a book signing for three popular female writers: Melissa de la Cruz, Alyson Noel and Margaret Stohl on 15 September at 2pm. They will also visiting other NBS branches on  13 September, 6pm - Activity Center, Ayala Center, Cebu City, 14 September, 4pm -The Podium Atrium, Mandaluyong City.

Shine - the second book of Candy Gourlay (Tall Story's author)

 He lives his life on the front page; hers is one big secret. They both want one thing. To escape.

Rosa has lived her entire life on Mirasol, an island where the rain never stops falling. She is suddenly plunged into a new world on the dark streets of London and must find a way to survive…

Nick's mother has become a celebrity overnight. Nick is thrown into the public spotlight when he really wants nothing more than to turn back the clock…As the two teenagers' lives collide, they are given the chance to choose their own destiny for the first time. But choices are never that easy.

... it is an action-packed tale of friendship, family, bravery and betrayal...

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!



Book Launching: Trese Five at National Bookstore



This is the fifth series of Trese Comic Book by Filipino writers Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. Trese 5 is different from the previous four series considering that it contains one plot of Alexandra Trese's adventures, including prominent Philippine personalities. The book launching highlighted the booksigning and a raffle draw of t-shirts and print of one of the characters in the story - Maliksi. The launching was held on 10 November at Bestsellers Bookstore (sister store of National Bookstore) located at Galleria Mall, Ortigas. Budjetter and Kajo will have another date for booksigning at Alabang Center on the 24th November. Excerpts of the interviews will be posted soon!



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!

Now showing at MIBF 2012

National Bookstore joins Manila International Book Fair 2012

Not to miss the book signing sessions of local and international writers. Personally, I am looking forward to meet the Fil-Canadian author, Jennifer Hillier and hopefully grab a copy of one of her suspense-thriller novels, Creep and have it sign. Aside from booksigning, National Book Store is also giving away an iPad unit for valued customers who visited its booth during the book fair. 

Visit its Facebook fanpage or click the image above for details. 

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.

BookFace: Room by Emma Donoghue

Synopsis: Jack is five, and excited about his birthday. He lives with his Ma in Room, which has a locked door and a skylight, and measures eleven feet and eleven feet. He loves watching TV, and the cartoon characters he calls friends, but he knows that nothing he sees on screen is truly real - only him, Ma and the things in Room. Until the day Ma admits that there's a world outside.