Coffeespoons

This was a momentous year. I started this blog, met the wonderful people of the book blogging community, and even got shortlisted for the national blog awards . Our house sunk under 8 feet of flood water , washing away not just appliances and furniture, but irreplaceable pictures, books, and mementos. I left the only career I knew to begin a new one. And life goes on. A wonderful thing about occasions of great moment is that they give you perspective. For instance, I learned that things in my life will come and go, and that is all right. We only really need a few constant things. In my case, it's my family and my love for reading. And so, that is what 2009 looked like; I now look forward to 2010. And I am truly grateful, reader of this blog, that you were part of it, whether I knew about you or not. Here's an excerpt of T.S. Eliot's Little Gidding . It's something I used to show to my class when I wanted to talk about beginnings and endings and the journey of life. Let ...

When I started this blog this year, I noted down certain reading goals that I had. In the course of the year, I believe I forgot about most of these goals or just kept them at the back of my mind. Except for my 100-book goal this year. That, at least, I wanted to finish. And, I'm glad to say, I have.:) A couple of months ago, I listed down the 83 books I'd already read. These are the books I've read since then: 84) The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness (Nov. 2) 85) Storm Front - Jim Butcher (Nov. 6) 86) Trese 3: Mass Murders - Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo (Nov. 18) 87) Voices from the World of Jane Austen - Malcolm Day (Nov. 18) 88) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (Nov. 20) 89) Julie & Julia - Julie Powell (Nov. 28) 90) Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians vol. 2) - Rick Riordan (Dec. 1) 91) Vampire Knight, vol. 4 - Matsuri Hino (Dec. 6) 92) Arthur and George - Julian Barnes (Dec. 13) 93) Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick (Dec. 14) 94) T...

Read: 30 Dec 2009 Jasper Fforde takes a break from his post-modern romp through Anglo-American literature to explore the world of color in his new book. And, my, how vibrant it is! I've been a fan of Fforde for several years now. In a previous post , I mentioned how I've read his entire oeuvre and was eagerly awaiting this new book. I was fully expecting to see it in our local bookstores by next year still, but it seems I should've put more faith in our local bookstores because I was able to buy the book a couple of days ago. The extent of my fanhood is revealed by the fact that I finished this book just a day and a half after purchasing it, and that was amidst work and family demands. So, what's the story? In Fforde's new dystopian tale, we have a futuristic England ruled through Colourtocracy, where the social hierarchy is dependent on what color of the spectrum people can see. As with most dystopias, there is a stringent set of rules, embodied in the teachings of...

Read: 28 June 2009 How I got it… Also lent by my book pimp Why I read it… A former co-teacher, Eric , raved to me about this series before. I wanted to complete the 20-book reading challenge that I set for co-faculty members. What's the story? In this first volume of Fables , you're introduced to characters from traditional fairy tales exiled to New York; they were thrown out of their homes by the Adversary, an as-yet unrevealed entity. The fairy tale characters keep track of their own, with Snow White, currently divorced from Prince Charming, acting as deputy (something like a mayor) for the bunch, and Bigby Wolf of Red Riding Hood fame giving up his grandma-eating days for the sheriff's badge. The mystery begins when Jack (of Beanstalk fame) discovers his girlfriend's, Rose Red, apartment spattered in blood and Rose Red herself missing. Snow White is concerned about the disappearance, especially since Rose Red is her sister; she puts Bigby on the case. That's it w...

image from ijm.nl I do not ask family members to give me books for Christmas anymore. Not for the past couple of years. In fact, I tell them that they can give me anything BUT a book. I have a simple reason for this: though I often scrimp on many things I might need and want, I hardly ever scrimp on books. So, I tell my family to go ahead and buy me that kitchen gadget I've always wanted but won't spend money for because I probably spent too much on books already. (Besides, it's also kind of embarrassing to ask my family to buy books for me when they know and can very well see how many books I have yet left unread.) So, my family buys me the other stuff I want, while I just go on buying myself books. Case in point--I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more books until the New Year, Christmas being a very expensive season for me. However, I dropped by the Fully Booked mothership earlier and saw Jasper Fforde's new book, Shades of Grey , which I've been waiting f...

Read: 28 June 2009 How I got it… My book pimp lent it to me She was the only one willing to lend me a copy of Sandman. She says guys don't lend out their Sandman graphic novels. It's supposedly a guy-thing. Why I read it… I am a big fan of Neil Gaiman I've always, always wanted to read a Sandman graphic novel. I was thinking of including it in one of our school reading lists. What's the story? The Endless--Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, and, of course, Dream--gather for a family meeting which will supposedly be pivotal in causing terrible events in motion; the family meeting descends into a family squabble. Death accuses Dream, or Morpheus, of pride for sending his former lover to hell simply for refusing him; Morpheus realizes his mistake and seeks to rectify matters by trying to release his former lover, Nada, from hell--a no mean feat considering Morpheus' enmity with Lucifer. Morpheus is prepared for battle as he enters hell, but he is surprised...

From Dead to Worse Read: 27 June 2009 How I got it… borrowed it from a smart and talented poet friend who is hooked on Harris Why I read it… check out my other Charlaine Harris marathons here and here . those should explain it What's the story? something about how they coped with stuff after the big explosion something about Alcide and a play for power something about Bill and Eric, I think Oh, and a surprise about Sookie's background What I liked about it… More Sookie and Eric ...what can i say? I'm a fan. What I didn’t like about it… the fact that i can't remember the story and I had to Google it the fact that, after Googling it, I still can't remember much of it. it's just one of those books you have to read because you've invested in the entire series already and you can't not read one of the books in the series. Rating: Dead and Gone Read: 28 June 2009 How I got it… Again, borrowed from my paranormal-romance-as-a-metaphor-loving poet fri...

image courtesy of AllPosters.com In thirty days, according to my widget down there in the right column, it'll be my blogoversary. Now, to prevent me from getting sentimental and maudlin, which I occasionally get when I have an opportunity to look back on the past, I shall endeavor to turn a blind eye to how I've been keeping this blog (badly...) and look toward the future! (cue Back to the Future soundtrack) And so, on to explaining what I intend to do (God help me, God help me)... My main goal for this year is to read 100 books. Then, because I like listing things down and, really, because I had time, I started this blog to note down the books I read and the thoughts I had about them. So, eventually, my covert goal became to read 100 books and to blog about them. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way--let's say around June--I couldn't keep up with the blogging regularly. Now, it has come to the point that I have 37 books that are read but unreviewed. My temporary-tho...

(What's a 555 Review ?) Read: 25 June 2009 1) How I got it... Lent by the father of my tutee 2) Why I read it... Because I had read and loved Child 44 . 3) What's the story? A woman from Leo’s past shows up to take revenge. Formerly the wife of a pastor Leo sent to jail, the woman has become a Vory leader and threatens the security of the newly established state. She also threatens the security of Leo’s family, specifically the future of Leo’s adopted daughter. In any case, Leo's adopted daughter has become unpredictably rebellious--not surprising given her background (which you'll have to read in the first book). 4) What I liked about it... It's set in Russia, a country I'm totally a sucker for. The pleasure of finding out what happens to the old characters, like Leo and his wife. The pleasure of finding out what happens in post-Stalinist Russia. The wider scope--more about the state and more about politics 5) What I didn’t like about it... Plot seemed episodic...

Hi and welcome to Coffeespoons! Thank you for your interest in having your book featured in this blog. I accept books for review and am also happy to do author/book promotions, interviews, contests/giveaways, and blog tours. I am an eclectic reader, and my reading interests are primarily the following: literary fiction young adult genre fiction (fantasy/speculative fiction, mystery/suspense, chick lit) graphic novels Because I am Filipino and Asian, I will give priority to  Filipino   and  Asian  fiction books (i.e., books published in the Philippines and Asia; or set in the Philippines or other Asian countries; or about Filipino or Asian characters.) Please email me at  fantaghiro23 (at) gmail (dot) com  for review requests or other book-related promotion inquiries. Please don't forget to include a description of the book, the genre, its title, your affiliation to the book (author/publisher/other), and your contact info. I accep...

October is ending, and around this time of the year, I like taking a good long look at where I am in my life. I think it has something to do with December creeping up, signalling the following things: Christmas, the end of another year, and the celebration of another birthday. Yup, I love December and its significance that, months before it, I like getting psychologically prepared. So, with two months left in the year, I thought I'd take a look at my reading progress. When I started this blog, I set out my general reading plan . Basically, I had pretty fluid goals--read a lot of books from my awards lists (Booker and Pulitzer) and other distinguished lists (1001 Books to Read before you die, BBC Big Read, Time 100 Novels). No time limit on the reading, and I do not intend to compel myself to read every book on these lists. Just the ones I am interested or vaguely interested in. I'll summarize my progress on these lists by this year's close, but now, I'm checking my stat...

I finished! Albeit a few minutes after zero hour, but I finished, in between all the interruptions of life.:) 1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I'd say the last. Only because I was rushing reading my third book. Granted, my third book is very thin.:) 2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Among the three I read, I'd suggest Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. But in general, I'd strongly suggest the following: the Sookie Stackhouse series the Hunger Games series the Hitchhiker's Guide series the Mortal Instruments Trilogy series 3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Televise it? Just kidding.:) Then again... 4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Well, as usual, I loved the Cheerleaders. Oh, and this time, I was keeping track of all the #readathon tweets. It was highly encouraging to read them. 5. How many books did you read? Three!...

My apologies for doing the Hour 13 survey at Hour 16. My only excuse is I was reading!:) 1. What are you reading right now? Still Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. After posting my review of Vampire Knight last night, I curled up in bed with my book and promptly fell asleep! Oh well, sleep is a good thing to have. 2. How many books have you read so far? One and a half. I think I'll make my goal of reading more than two and a half books this time, though.:D 3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Death of a Salesman. Because it's short and because I've been waiting for an excuse to read it for a while now. 4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Ah, I wish. But Sundays are partly workdays for me since I do some tutoring on the side. Plus, it's when I usually have play time with my kids. So, I grab reading time whenever I can. 5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those...

Read: 25 Oct 2009 My first book for the Readathon ! Vampire Knight is about the only manga I read and buy. I just bought this third volume not three hours ago, and now I've read it. Pretty quick, eh. But then again, it's manga. I wrote about the first and second volumes of Vampire Knight previously. My fascination for the series has even led me to buying the DVDs. I've seen the whole first season, which was why, when I read volume 3, I had a feeling that I'd read it before. Turns out I haven't; I'd only seen it on DVD. In this volume, more is revealed about the backstory of Yuki, Kaname, and Zero. It's not surprising that Yuki's fascination for the pure-blood vampire Kaname stems back from her childhood. What is surprising is that Kaname seems to have been equally entranced by her, even when she was a child. And Zero--well, it's also predictable that Zero's aggression towards Kaname existed from the moment Zero starts living in Yuki's hous...

It's Readathon day! And guess what? I'm only starting now and it's already Hour 4. Darn it. I was actually out with book club friends, including Blooey , who's also participating in the readathon. The difference is, while we were at the restaurant and later, in a coffeeshop, Blooey just kept on reading and making headway with her books, while I was just chatting with our other friends. So, no reading done yet, but here I am, raring to get into the thick of things. Oh, here's my first hour meme: Where are you reading from today? From Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. So, right now, hour 4 actually translates to 1AM.:) 3 facts about me … I have two beautiful children, a five-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl who has Down syndrome. I adore both of them that it breaks my heart.:) I am about to undergo a career change. I do not peek at the endings of books I read. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? I had 7 books, but I just bough...

Read: 12 Sept. 2009 5/5 stars What can I say about The Hunger Game s that hasn't already been said? Not much, I think. But since I'm blogging to enter into the greater discourse that blogging allows me, here are my two cents... The Hunger Games storyline might already be familiar to readers of Koushun Takami's Battle Royale . In The Hunger Games , as in Battle Royale , teenagers fight to the death in an arena. The lone person left alive is the victor. However, whereas in Battle Royale , the purpose for the brutal game is to discipline the lax youth, in The Hunger Games , it is to commemorate the defeat of 12 states against the autocratic Capitol. This commemoration takes the form of a sacrifice of 24 youths--one boy and one girl from each district. Except for the lone victor, of course. If this, too, sounds a bit like the story of Theseus and the fourteen youths sacrificed each year to the Minotaur, that's because Ms. Collins does acknowledge that she takes inspiration...

So, I signed up again for Dewey's Read-a-thon , to be held this October 24. And I find my inner critic saying "No, you'll barely have enough time to read one book." My inner critic is probably saying this because I only finished 2 and a half books last Read-a-thon, one of them a really short middle-reader. Nevertheless, I am choosing to ignore my pesky inner critic and am determined to join this Read-a-thon. I think my thoughts after last April's read-a-thon aptly explain why. More than the reading of several books, I loved the sense of community the read-a-thon creates--imagine, book bloggers everywhere reading and cheering each other on. There's nothing more enjoyable than having a bunch of like-minded people engaging in the thing they love at the same time AND being supportive with each other about it. :) And so, in preparation for October 24, I'm coming up with my reading list. From experience, I think I will just stick to the shorter reads. That way,...

The Kindle has gone worldwide ! So, they'll finally ship to my neck of the woods, and I can get my own Kindle! Of course, soon as I work up the budget for one and figure out the other tech stuff which I barely understand. My take on whether the popularity of the Kindle will signal the demise of books: No. I myself really prefer ink and woodpulp. I can never give up on owning my books or adding to their already unmanageable number. And given the convenience and beauty of books that even a reader like the Kindle cannot match (books don't need power, books can have fantastic layouts and designs), I don't think that the book is one technology that will go away easily. So, personally, I don't mind purchasing another type of reading repository. I figure it's just another aspect of book collecting.:) The Man Booker Prize winner has been announced . This year, it's Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall , a historical fiction novel featuring Thomas Cromwell. Let's add that...

A few days ago, I was desperately looking for something to read that would distract me from worrying about another storm threatening to hit Manila. So, I went on Facebook to ask people for book recommendations. As I posted the same thing on Twitter, I noticed that Neil Gaiman (whom I follow) started a hashtag called #comfortbooks . The whole thing started when Gaiman tweeted that he was feeling awful because he was sick, prompting the following reply from one SOCMusic: "I always re-read 'Good Omens' when I'm sick. It always makes me feel better. Good chance that won't work for you, though." And so, the #comfortbooks hashtag took off. People started listing their comfort books--books one reads "when one feels down or stressed out." Of course, I browsed through the tweets right away, and I got some wonderful recommendations. Gaiman himself says: "At different times of my life, my 'Comfort Book' has been Narnia, LOTR, Glory Road, ...