Sunday, November 08, 2009

my favorite book



If there ever was a book that changed my view of life then it is "Cyrano de Bergerac" by Edmond Rostand. Some say that his story was a tragedy because he lived as a pauper and never took the courage to claim his happily ever after with Roxanne. But I find myself admiring his zest for life, his integrity and eloquence. In today's world, where beauty and fame is overrated, it's comforting to know that people with real talents, knowledge and inner strength can make their mark. So everyday I strive to live with integrity and belief in myself because I know in my heart that I am making Monsieur De Bergerac proud.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009


it's been a long time since i've read a great story. one that really made me say, "Wow! that's really good." or made me pause and exclaim, "Why didn't I think of that?"

small servings. that's what i call my love for short stories. i enjoy getting just a taste of a writer's work. a novel for me is an entire meal that requires commitment, time and attention to digest the work properly. unless i trust the author to fill me up or if the novel's subject is truly delectable enough then i'm not going to invest in reading it, which is why anthologies are the best version of "tapas" for short stories.

i love anthologies the best because i get to be introduced to new writers and different writing styles. if not for "best SF writings", i would not have know fritz lieber, ray bradbury, robert heinlen, william gibson, and orson scott card. if not for "alfred hitchcock presents", i would have never met john lutz, roald dahl, robert bloch, hal ellson and their fellow writers. my literary world would have been confined to neil gaiman, stephen king, anne rice, edgar allan poe and conan arthur doyle.
--

so what's that one great story i've read lately? it's orson scott card's "ender's game" from the book, "Novel ideas: Science Fiction ed. by Brian M Thomsen". the story was where the entire novel sprang up and i found the concept of training children for interplanetary warfare in the guise of games absolutely fascinating. although the story was able to stand on its own, it left enough "what if's" to allow the writer to expound on the story into a full novel. now i am quite interested in getting a copy of the novel itself to see how it turned out.

the good thing about anthologies is the range of topics that writers can explore without boring the reader. i suppose that's my problem - i bore easily. so far i've read portions of The Ultimate Frankenstein ed. by Byron Preiss, More Twisted: Collected Stories vol. 11 by Jeffery Deaver, Return to the Twilight Zone ed. by Carol Serling, The Twisters ed. by Jean Rabe & Martin H. Greenberg and Murder on the Menu ed. by Waugh, Greenberg & Asimov. i hope to finish these books while i devour The Judas Strain by James Rollins, Misery by Stephen King and The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry at the same time. whew! my nose must be bleeding from too much information.

and yet i am loving every minute of it!

Sunday, May 03, 2009

look mama! i'm writing


here i am writing my coffeeshop stories in a, well...coffeshop! location is a big factor in setting the mood for me to write. ambiance dictates the tone of my works so i try hard to set everything up. as Goldilocks would say, "Not too hot, not too cold. Just right!"

Thursday, March 26, 2009

book crazy!



ok. i admit it.
i am a bookaholic.

i bought 13 books this month! 70% from book sales and at discounted prices (from P325 to P30!). i just couldn't stop myself. i thought, "i might never find them again at such low prices." and so i buy them, my precious little babies...

this adds to my long list of book reads. i'm already stretched thin being in between 6 to 7 books (meaning i've started on it and my bookmark is halfway in its pages). what sucks is i've got books way in the back of my bookshelf and i'm unable to see them so sometimes i forget. really wish i could build my personal library already.

no more bookstores or bookshops for me until the next quarter. i'll have to resort to drastic measures. will employ my buddy system. wish me luck!
  1. Murder on the Menu ed. Waugh, Greenberg & Asimov
  2. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
  3. Burning Chrome by William Gibson
  4. Novel Ideas: Science Fiction ed. by Brian Thomsen
  5. Wicked: Sexy Tales of Legandary Lovers ed. by Mitzi Szereto
  6. Brothers Grimm "The Complete Fairy Tales"
  7. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
  8. Minority Report by Philip K. Dick
  9. The Flip Reader ed. by Jessica Zafra
  10. First Love ed. by Faye Ilogon
  11. A walk on the Darkside: Visions of Horror ed. by John Pelan
  12. Black Order by James Rollins
  13. The Ultimate Frakenstein ed. by Byron Preiss

==

but i honestly love reading my books!

Friday, March 06, 2009

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

reading again




had a great year when it came to my reading list. for 2008:

  1. The Skin Trade introduced by Douglas Winter
  2. The World’s Greatest Serial Killers
  3. The Best of Frederick Pohl
  4. The Whisperer and other voices by Brian Lumley
  5. The Best of Fritz Leiber (Del Rey)
  6. Ships to the Stars by Fritz Leiber
  7. Between dinner and the morning after by Tara FT Sering
  8. Wandergirl by Tweet Sering
  9. Twisted 8: The night of the living twisted by Jessica Zafra
  10. Daughter of God by Lewis Perdue
  11. Crimes of Passion edited by Jeff Gelb and Michael Garrett
  12. Citadels of Mystery by de camp and de Camp
  13. True Phil. Ghost Stories 23 by PSICOM publishing
  14. After Midnight ed. by Charles L. Grant
  15. Fragile by Neil Gaiman
  16. The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra
  17. PB 20 by PM Junior
  18. Life's work by Francis J. Kong
  19. Follow your heart by Andrew Matthews
  20. The Vintage anthology of Science Fantasy ed. Christopher Cerf
  21. True Philippine Ghost Stories 24
  22. David Copperfield's Tales of the Impossible ed. by David Copperfield and Janet Berliner

was able to read a lot of new authors and explored new writing style especially with historical mystery. it inspired me to write something similar from our culture. unfortunately, when i did my preliminary research, it looks like it's going to take me years to complete it.

for 2009, i've started reading these:
  1. The Reel Stuff ed. by Brian Thomsen and Martin Greenberg
  2. Map of Bones by James Rollins
  3. Gallery of Horror ed. by Charles Grant

still have a long way to go since i bought a lot of books. but i am not worried one bit. also i'm highly enjoying the use of my laptop. so the great news is...i'm writing again and loving every minute of it!!!