Overbooked Reader

Filipino ReaderCon 2014 is just around the corner so it's time for Filipino Friday. Here is my second entry for today: Here is this week's topic: As a reader, have you ever thought about writing a book? What kind of books/stories do you want to write? Or are you now a published author, and what compelled you to go fulfill this dream? How was your journey from reader to writer? How did you go about getting your book out there? As a reader, have you ever thought about writing a book? YES. I've always wanted to be a published fiction writer. That's the reason why I took up creative writing in college, instead of a more practical course like mass communications or journalism. What kind of books/stories do you want to write? Over the years, beginning with my thesis year in college, I realized that I have an inclination towards writing contemporary romance stories. So I'd like to write fiction (short stories, novellas, and novels)...

Filipino ReaderCon 2014 is just around the corner so it's time for Filipino Friday. I forgot to write a blog post last week, so I'll be posting two entries today. Here is last week's topic: Surprise, Reader! Hello, it’s the first week of Filipino Fridays 2014! Whether it’s your first time to participate or not, tell us a bit about yourself. More specifically, tell us about your favorite book discoveries for this year. Any author you started reading this year that you can’t get enough of? A book you didn’t think you’d like, but you ended up liking/loving? Any book series that you just have to get your hands on? Have you discovered anything new from Filipino authors this year? So, Hi! My name is Verne. I work as a writer and researcher for the Ayala Museum. This year is a big one for me. I recently submitted by MBA thesis, hence the lack of blog posts over the past few months. To celebrate this accomplishment--and finally get some writing done--I'm joining ...

I was working for the Filipinas Heritage Library back i n 2012, when the 2nd Filipino ReaderCon (filreadercon) was held there. A literary event catering to the growing community of Filipino readers, the filreadercon features numerous talks, book discussions, an awarding ceremony for Filipino authors, and a meet-and-greet for everyone at the end of the day. Unfortunately, I was part of the organizing committee back then, and wasn't able to attend all the talks and book discussions I wanted.  Fast forward to 2013, and the filreadercon was held at a new venue: the Rizal Library at Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). I was excited to attend the 3rd Filipino ReaderCon with the theme What Do Readers Want? as a participant this time around. Besides being an avid reader, I also just started this book blog a few months back. Although the event was moved from November to December 7, 2013 because of a typhoon, the change in schedule didn't really bother me. I also wanted to see ...

Last Saturday, I attempted to leave three books-- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey (very used), Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (brand new), and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (brand new), but my plan was thwarted by the staff of Starbucks 515 Shaw. The photo's a bit glared, but here's where i was supposed to leave  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens That particular Starbucks being my second home ever since my college years (when it was still located in Lee Gardens a block away), I decided to ask the barista (whom I knew) for permission to leave the books on empty tables. He said 'yes,' but a few minutes later his superior said 'no.' She said I had to have permission from their head office prior to doing the book drop. I didn't want to argue, so I just let the issue go and sat down to read The Dome by Stephen King. John Green's The Fault in Our Stars is one of my favorite novels ...

As part of the POPtastik Pinoy! program of activities held in celebration of Text in the City: The 4th Philippine International Literary Festival , Ayala Museum will hold City Fiction 100 , a flash fiction masterclass, on November 15, 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m. This workshop is open to professional and budding writers of all ages. Participants will get feedback from acclaimed writers Sarge Lacuesta and Krys Lee , and the country's first literary agent Andrea Pasion-Flores , with travel writer Kristine Fonacier as moderator. Korean-American writer Krys Lee is our special guest for this year's LitFest. She will be discussing and launching her book Drifting House on the morning of November 15. She will also join the City Fiction 100 panel in the afternoon. The goal is simple: in 100 words or less, write about a city, real or imagined. More than a dozen people have already submitted their works of flash fiction, less than a week after the masterclass was announced! ...

Filipino writers will discuss folk and popular literature as shown in komiks, TV, and film as the National Book Development Board ( NBDB ), Filipinas Heritage Library ( FHL ), and Ayala Museum hold POPtastik Pinoy! this November. P leas e click to enlarge poster. The event is part of the 4th Philippine International Literary Festival. Titled Text and the City , the LitFest will take place in the major universities in Metro Manila from November 11-14 and at the Ayala Museum on November 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Lit Fest will feature local and regional writers. Xu Xi, Hong Kong-based writer of Access: Thirteen Tales will speak in UST; Singapore-based writer Kamini Ramachandran and London’s Jasmine Anne Corray, writer of Everything We Don't Say will speak in DLSU; Peter Swirski, Canadian scholar, literary critic, and writer of From Highbrow to Nobrow will speak in ADMU; Singaporean Suchen Lim, author of The River's Song , will speak in UP; and American ...

The Books of My Childhood If there's one thing I like more than reading, it's playing video games (especially role-playing games), and that's what I spent most of my leisure time doing as a child. Of course, my parents, especially my mother, didn't want me glued to the PC monitor or TV screen all day, so she encouraged me to read books. She gave me all The Chronicles of Narnia novels by C.S. Lewis, of which I have only read Prince Caspian and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe , to this day. She also bought me several of Roald Dahl novels of which I remember reading Esio Trot , The BFG , and James and the Giant Peach . There were others, like Matilda and The Witches , which have lain dormant on my bookshelf form more than a decade. I also remember reading several Hardy Boys and combined Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew mysteries, with encouragement from my mother. My uncle gave me the first three X-Files novels , which I thought was really cool. Goosebumps a novel...

This is my first time to do a Filipino Friday post, ever! I'm so excited. For those who don't know what Filipino Friday is (like me, until recently)--"Filipino Friday is a meme series that encourages the participation of Filipino readers everywhere." - Source: Filipino ReaderCon Blog . Introductions, with a twist, is this Friday's theme. The question: "What Reader Species Are You?" based from this appropriately wordy and detailed infographic by Laura Kelly   (click to view full-sized image): Visit Laura-e-Kelly.com for more about books, reading, and authors. Reading the inforgraphic, I realize that I fit into a number of different species, like:  The Reluctant Reader I'm a reluctant reader because I only started to enjoy reading during first year high school. Josh, my best friend at the time, was an avid fan and reader of Stephen King. He got me curious, so I asked him what SK novel would be a good introduction to the master of...

This is a late post (and you'll probably end up reading this much later than today, since my blog is new and all), but I had lots of fun at the 2013 Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) in SMX. I came home with almost a dozen books, mostly bought from the Fully Booked and National Book Store booths. Welcome to the MIBF!  The NBS booth was right across the entrance...and it's huge. The FB booth was more subdued, with a maze of books. It was like going on a treasure hunt. My book loot from the 2013 MIFB consists of the following (refer to photo from top to bottom): Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn  The story seems interesting, and I thing there's a movie of it showing soon. Foundation by Isaac Asimov I'm trying to get into sci-fi novels and Asimov is one of the greats. I recently read Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and thought it was great.  Peace and War by Joe Haldeman I was a bit wary of this sci-fi tri...