Gleniz Da MenaceI forgot who or what influenced me to read this book but I’m so happy, and also lucky, that I picked it up. I have no expectations. I have no prior knowledge of Mary Oliver. But when I started reading the first few pages, I was captivated. Her writing is so delicate and beautiful. There were lots of moments where I needed to pause just to savor the words. Where I find myself smiling and taking a deep sigh. This book calms me and invigorates me at the same time.
Iba ang tama sakin ni Mary. Nakaka-ilang pages pa lang ako sa libro nya, bumili ako agad ng physical copy. Sobrang rare ko bumili ng physical copy ng libro. Nire-reserve ko lang sya sa mga librong sobrang nagustuhan ko at plano kong ulit-ulitin. Tapos Black Friday pa nun so ang mura nung hardcover, swerte.
This was our book pick last May. So more than 8 months ago na. Grabe ang bilis ng panahon. Since 8 months ago na, wala na akong masyadong maalala. Kaya dapat talaga nagno-notes ako habang nagbabasa. Dalwang bagay lang talaga yung nag-stand out sakin:
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May shinare yung author about sa lola nya:
She told me to enjoy my youth, to savor the feeling of being young. Adults, she said, always ruined things. Don’t grow up, she said. Never grow up.
Lola nung author
Wala naman ako masyadong realization about dun sa sinabi ng lola nya. Shinare ko lang kasi interesting and I kind of agree. Wag maging laging seryoso sa buhay. Minsan kelangan natin maging playful at mag-try ng mga bagay bagay. Kasi ang mga bata diba laging curious.
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Lately nagkaron ako ng ‘health and wellness phase’ so naghanap ako ng mga libro under this genre. Meron kasi akong mga karamdaman pero hindi naman malala. Pero ang dami. Yung isa medyo malala pala kasi twice na kong na-surgery dahil don pero manageable naman as of now. At ayoko nang mas dumami pa at maoperahan ulit so biglang isang araw na lang, sobrang naging aware ako dun sa mga existing medical issues ko kaya gusto kong mas maging proactive pagdating sa health ko.
Isang naisip ko nga ay magbasa ng mga libro about promoting health at ang isang napili ko ay ito ngang The Whole-Body Microbiome. Ang subtitle nya ay: How to Harness Microbes—Inside and Out—for Lifelong Health.
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Etong book na ‘to ay nominee sa Gleniz’s Best Read of 2021 Award. Ganun ko sya nagustuhan. Siguro right book at the right time din. Nung binabasa ko ‘to ang daming moments na gusto ko munang tumigil para namnamin at ramdamin yung impact nung sinabi. Short lang yung book pero medyo nagtagal akong basahin kasi ayokong matapos.
This book answers a lot of my personal questions. I’m so happy na finally naisipan kong basahin ‘to kahit feeling ko noon wala ako masyadong mapupulot. Tapos hindi pa nakatulong na hindi ko ganun kanagustuhan yung Eat, Pray, Love. Pero buti na lang. Eto yung mga tanong na nasagot:
Sa personal reading journey ko, yung non-fiction book na pinaka nag-cause ng mental strain sakin ay yung book ni Neil Postman na Amusing Ourselves to Death. Pero grabe ‘tong book na ‘to. Sobrang dense. Hindi ko kinakaya. Ang daming studies, experiments, statistics at word problems. Grabe talaga.
Nevertheless, eto yung mga natutunan ko sa librong ‘to:
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Already convinced? Click to buy on Amazon.
During the course of reading the book, I think I experienced equal parts of annoyance and admiration. There were a lot of comments about her being self-absorbed (and a ton other hateful adjectives) but in her defense, she didn’t travel the world to become a philanthropist (although did everyone forget about the fundraising she did?)
I think there’s nothing wrong with dedicating an entire year just for yourself if you’ve been through something that you feel is extremely painful. And whether people understand it or not (I know I didn’t), it’s none of their business.
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I discovered this book through a YouTuber. Interested ako sa money matters kasi ayaw namin na maging problema ang pera pag retired na kami. Gusto kong maging prepared sa mga pwedeng mangyari. When it comes to budgeting, lahat ng expenses namin up to the very last cent naka-track. Pero lumalagpas pa din kami sa budget. Dumating yung point na na-frustrate ako. Parang wala naman effect yung expense tracking ko. So mas lalo akong naging interested sa book na ‘to kasi parang kulang pa yung alam ko pagdating sa pag-manage ng pera.
Lahat naman tayo gusto na pag nag-retire tayo, sapat yung pera natin. Pero feeling ko kasi hindi pa ko sobrang knowledgeable para ma-achieve yung financial independence. Ang hirap nung gusto mo lang pero hindi mo naman inaalam kung pano. Kaya curious ako kung anong matuturo ng book na ‘to. And gusto ko rin yung title kasi hindi sya yung tipong, “How to be a Millionaire in 90 Days” (whut) or “How to be Filthy Rich”. Gusto ko yung The Psychology of Money.
To rephrase an old saying: everyone talks about retirement, but apparently very few do anything about it.
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Already convinced? Click to buy on Amazon.
Ang subtitle nya ay The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. I had high hopes dito sa book na ‘to. Kala ko more on about minimalism and simplicity sya. Well, tungkol naman sya dun pero akala ko holistic yung approach. Pero hindi pala.
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Naka-discover nanaman ako ng hidden gem sa book na ‘to. Lately, madami akong pinapanood na YouTubers na ang niche is self improvement. So na-recommend ‘tong book na ‘to. Ang subtitle nya is Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling. Lately ulit, mas trip kong magbasa ng mga non-fiction books. Halos hindi ako makausad sa mga binabasa kong fiction.
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Eto ulit yung book of the month ng book club namin at kakatapos ko lang syang basahin kahapon. Nakakaasar pa kasi nabura yung highlights ko dito sa Kindle. Nagspend pa siguro ko ng another 1-2 hours para i-scan yung buong book para hanapin yung mga hinighlight ko. Grr.
Eto yung backbone ng libro na ‘to. It’s a quote from Theodore Roosevelt:
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Reading about how humans and animals came about and how numerous species are now extinct because of humans, naisip ko sana hindi na lang naging super evolved ang humans. Para hindi tayo nag-cause ng major damage sa nature. Sana tulad na lang noong primitive times na nag co-exist na lang lahat ng creatures. Eh kasi nga since nagkaron tayo ng unique ability to be reasonable and logical, naging ang thinking ng humans noon ay “It’s us or them.” Kaso diba normal naman yung may predator and prey. So kung nagiging prey ang humans minsan, eh wala, yun talaga yung cycle of life eh. Natural naman na ipagtanggol ng humans ang mga sarili nila pero sana nagkaron ng control. Hindi sana naging greedy. Para hindi nagkaganito.
Ang complete title nya ay Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption. It’s a collection of love stories and based from the complete title, hindi lahat ng stories happy ending. Dun sa introduction part nagustuhan ko how the editor described love.
Kakatapos lang ng book club discussion namin kahapon about this book at naging makabagbag-damdamin ang naging usapan kasi nag-share din yung ibang members ng heartfelt stories nila. Sinimulan namin yung discussion sa favorite stories namin dun sa book. Eto yung sakin (in no particular order):
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This non-fiction book about the negative effects of television was published in 1985. It may seem irrelevant nowadays but not really. The reason why this book is still being read today is because it couldn’t be more relevant.
Gleniz Da Menace 