Overbooked Reader

Only now am I discovering the wonder of book blogger-hosted reading challenges. Today, I've joined two challenges: the Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2015 and the Re-Read Challenge 2015 . Source: So Obsessed With This year's Re-Read Challenge is hosted by book blogs Belle of the Literati  and So Obsessed With . "No book is worth reading that isn't worth re-reading," reads a quote from Susan Sontag that absolutely agree with. Every time I read a book I find epic or amazing, I always feel compelled to read it again. This is why I've found myself re-reading favorite books like Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami and Carrie by Stephen King. My goal for this challenge is to re-read 24 books that I've read in the past. I'm only committing to two books per month because I've already committed to reading 30 books for the Flights of Fantasy Challenge , and I'm a slow reader. Completing these two challenges alone will require me to read...

I was browsing through my Twitter feed today when I stumbled upon this Tweet from book blogger Chachic of Chachic's Book Nook : Thank you for the rain of comments on my blog, @alexalovesbooks ! Will reply to all of them later. :) — Chachic (@chachictweets) January 23, 2015 Curious, I visited Alexa's Twitter page, and found out she had a blog called Alexa Loves Books . I also recognized her, from her profile photo, as one of my batch mates from the Ateneo de Manila University. I recalled we were classmates in one of my Communication electives, and confirmed that she actually is a graduate of AB Communication from the Ateneo. Source: Alexa Loves Books As I scrolled down her profile page, I noticed on her left sidebar a 'challenge' section, where there was a button for Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2015 , hosted by book blogs Alexa Loves Books and Hello, Chelly . I love reading fantasy novels and I want to read as many of them as I can this 20...

Philippine Speculative Fiction Volume 2 , edited by Dean Francis Alfar, is an anthology of 19 short stories written by established and debuting Filipino authors. Theirs are stories of speculative fiction, which Alfar describes as "the literature of the fantastic" in his introduction to the compilation. He also describes these stories as being told from "the Filipino perspective, the Filipino point of view, the Filipino lens," making them different from speculative fiction written by foreigners. I'm a fan of fantasy and science fiction stories, so I was eager to read such stories written by Filipinos. As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the anthology. Some stories I enjoyed more than others, but all of them were great reads, for various reasons. I loved the stories so much, that I bought the remaining eight volumes of Philippine Speculative Fiction. I found a paperback copy of Volume 6, but had to buy electronic copies of the rest. I can't wait to read t...

Last Argument of Kings is the third book in The First Law trilogy by British fantasy writer Joe Abercrombie. An action-packed, fast-paced read, the novel concludes the stories of Logen Ninefingers, Superior Glokta, Jezal dan Luthar, and their many companions in a satisfying yet utterly unexpected way. The Union will soon fight a war on two fronts, as it attacks the barbarians in the north, and defends against the Gurkish from the south. The heart of the Union is practically defenseless against the Gurkish army and the Eaters, but can their army make it back from the north in time? And can they defeat Bethod and his Northmen, before they retreat? What I liked: This novel is chock-full of surprises, some more surprising than others. I expected Jezal to end up becoming King of the Union because there were plenty of hints leading towards. Bayaz's magically helping Jezal win the fencing competition. The wizard's helping Jezal pacify the farmer rebellion, without Je...

AlphaSmart Dana is a battery-operated keyboard with screen word processor manufactured by NEO Direct, Inc. (formerly Alphasmart, Inc.). It weighs a hefty 2 lbs. and features a full-sized keyboard. When it was first released in 2002, the Dana was a pioneering device in its category. It featured a Palm OS operating system, a a back-lit (can be switched on and off) touchscreen with stylus, 8 megabytes of internal storage (plus 2 SD card slots). It could sync with personal computers and laptops. And it could connect directly to printers. Today, these specs may seem frivolous. The production of the Dana has, in fact, been discontinued by its manufacturers. However, demand for this, and other similar devices, has experienced a revival as budding and professional writers search for new avenues toward writing without distractions. I discovered the AlphaSmart Dana during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Participants from the Philippines were discussing what devices t...

In Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage , protagonist  Tsukuru Tazaki is a young man, traumatized by a great loss. When he was 20, Tsukuru was abruptly—and without reason given him—ejected from his group of five friends, composed of three boys and two girls.  Four members of the group had names that mean colors: ‘red,’ ‘blue,’ ‘white,’ and ‘black.’ But Tsukuru’s name means ‘colorless.’ He is aware of this distinction, and sees himself as someone who contributes no value to the group, and to the world. No wonder his friends abandoned him. Preoccupied with thoughts about dying and death, Tsukuru is depressed for months after his abandonment. But he is made of stern stuff, and manages to pull himself together. He now manages railroad stations, which has been his dream job ever since he was a child. Still, he is unable to find true meaning and happiness in life, as his troubled past continues haunting him. When Tsukuru’s girlfriend gives him an ultimatum—to ta...

Finally, some action! No, correct that. Plenty of action! Before They Are Hanged, book two of The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie is filled with plenty of wars and battles, more than making up for what the first book lacked. I imagine the wait would have been truly worth it, but I already had a copy on hand and was able to continue with the story immediately. I usually don't read book series in succession, but I don't regret making an exception for The First Law trilogy, so far.       Book two begins where book one left off, with the Union preparing for war on two fronts: attacking Bethod and his legions in the north and defending against the Gurkhish Empire and their Eaters in the south. Colonel West is assistant commander of the northern army, while Inquisitor Sand dan Glokta is given the impossible task of defending Dagoska, the Union's only remaining land in the south.  Meanwhile, a party of unlikely companions embark o...