Categories
Books Insights Ramblings

Letting Go of My Reading Goal

Lately, nawawalan na ko ng time and energy magbasa. And nafi-feel bad ako about it until narealize ko na hindi naman dapat. Initially, I felt bad dahil baka hindi ko ma-reach yung goal ko na 50 books this year. Napatigil ako bigla and napaisip. Sa mga bago at interesting information na natutunan ko from reading this past few months, ilang percent yung na-retain sakin? Parang ang konti lang. Hindi kaya sa sobrang dami kong nabasa, na-jumble na masyado yung utak ko which resulted to less retention? Hindi ba mas maganda kung I read less books pero mas madami akong naaalala?

At yung isa pa, I already read 27 books this year and I have to remind myself that it’s nothing to scoff at. For a lot of people, it’s already an achievement. So parang ang useless nung pagka feel bad ko. But I would still like to be able to read more than I usually do. Pero siguro less pressure from myself na lang.

I’m currently reading The Healing Self (my non-fiction pick) and Tokyo Ever After (our book club book of the month). So far nag-eenjoy ako pareho sa kanila and malapit ko na matapos yung The Healing Self. I chose this book dahil baka makatulong sa chronic condition ko. I’m taking meds pero gusto kong samahan ng ibang approach para holistic yung pag-improve ko.

Konti na lang

Ayun. Kelangan ko nang mag-exercise para makaligo na ko para makakain na ko para makapag farm na ko ng SLP. Good morning!

Categories
Books Humor Insights Mystery

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman | Book Review

READ THIS IF…

  • You don’t want to miss out on a really really amazing, brilliant story
  • Kung gusto mong magkaron ng madaming feelings (mostly matawa)

QUICK AND TAMAD SUMMARY

A bank robber has taken hostage a group of strangers. Bank robber sya pero sa apartment viewing naganap yung hostage situation. From an outsider point of view, kakabahan ka kasi baka kung anong mangyari, but what happens inside that apartment is something else.

Funny and heartfelt. Memorable and quirky characters.

Our April BOTM

Akala ko, Big Magic na ang top book ko for 2021. Pero after ko ‘to basahin, wala na. Sobrang nalito na ko. Sobrang ganda!!! Book of the month namin ‘tong Anxious People and ang dami rin nila na na-inlove sa story, sa writing, sa cleverness, sa characters at kung ano pa mang namiss ko. Ang galing talaga.

Categories
Books Non-Fiction

The Whole-Body Microbiome by B. Brett Finlay and Jessica M. Finlay | Book Report

READ THIS IF…

  • You’re interested in learning how probiotics contribute to quality of life and can increase lifespan
  • You need a detailed reminder why eating a healthy diet and regular exercise are good for you
  • You don’t mind the book being too medical or scientific-y (?) sometimes

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.

Categories
Books Classic Horror Insights

The Picture of Dorian Gray | Book Review

READ THIS IF…

  • You’re curious why this became a famous classic
  • You’re interested in themes revolving around beauty vs morality
  • You want to read about a despicable lead character

QUICK AND TAMAD SUMMARY

Yung libro ay patungkol sa isang napaka-poging bachelor (si Dorian) na sobrang na-obsess sa kagwapuhan nya. Pumapasok din sa horror genre yung book kasi meron syang painting ng muka nya tapos imbis na sya yung tumatanda, yung painting yung nagiging matanda at pumapangit while he remains youthful and pogi.

Categories
Books Creativity Non-Fiction Personal Development

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert | Book Review

READ THIS IF…

  • Your creativity is important to you
  • You’re struggling with your love/hate relationship with your art
  • You need a reminder why you’re pursuing an art career

Convinced? Click to buy on Amazon.

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:

Categories
Books Insights Non-Fiction

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman | Book Report

READ THIS IF…

  • Curious ka kung bakit sikat ‘tong book na ‘to sa mga productivity gurus sa YouTube
  • You appreciate endless explanations detailing countless studies and experiments from decades of research by a Nobel Prize winner author

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:

Categories
Books Insights Personal Development

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey | Book Report [Habit #1]

THE 7 HABITS

  1. Be proactive
  2. Begin with the end in mind (soon)
  3. Put first things first (soon)
  4. Think win-win (soon)
  5. Seek first to understand, then be understood (soon)
  6. Synergize (soon)
  7. Sharpen the saw (soon)

There’s no shortcut in self improvement. Most of the time we do things just because we know it’s the right thing to do or because we think that it’s the appropriate response (like saying sorry just to shut someone up). Hindi bukal sa loob kumbaga. Naalala ko tuloy yung isang tao na kilala ko na mukang religious pero may mga ginagawa syang mga bagay na hindi naaayon sa mga pinagsasabi nya. Sabi dito sa book, you can get by and make people believe that you are a good person; but sooner or later, what’s really inside you will eventually present itself.

Our level of development is fairly obvious with tennis or piano playing, where it is impossible to pretend. But it is not so obvious in the areas of character and emotional development. We can “pose” and “put on” for a stranger or an associate. We can pretend. And for a while we can get by with it—at least in public. We might even deceive ourselves. Yet I believe that most of us know the truth of what we really are inside; and I think many of those we live with and work with do as well.

Categories
Books Fiction

The Chicken Sisters by K.J. Dell’Antonia | Book Review

READ THIS IF…

  • You think a family drama that revolves around two competing chicken restaurants is something you’d enjoy
  • You want to read about two sisters whose feud is deeper than serving the best fried chicken in town
  • You want something that’s a bit fun and sometimes heart warming (but eventually things will get out of hand)

Already convinced? Click to buy on Amazon.

SUPER QUICK AND TAMAD SUMMARY

Two rival chicken restaurants. Two sisters who hate each other. Amanda is team Chicken Frannie’s and Mae is team Chicken Mimi’s. The feud will escalate when they compete in the popular TV show, ‘Food Wars’.

Ingredients: spilled family secrets, deliberate sabotage, and a $100,000 cash prize for the Food Wars winner.

Aside from being a Reese’s Book Club pick, I got attracted to the beautiful, bright yellow book cover and the title. And so I read the blurb and I find the premise really interesting. I think this book could be an entertaining movie or tv show.

Categories
Books Insights Memoir Non-Fiction

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert | Book Review

READ THIS IF…

  • You feel like you’re the only person who haven’t read it and you’re curious
  • You want to read about a woman who travelled across Italy, India and Indonesia to eat, pray and love 😅
  • You want to read about a person who you may fall in love with or totally hate (or both, like me)

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.

Categories
Books Romance

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert | Book Review

READ THIS IF…

  • You’re in the mood to read an adult fiction with explicit sexual content
  • You’re into awkward dirty talks and cringey e-mail exchanges

QUICK AND TAMAD SUMMARY

This is a romance novel na may halong erotica. It’s about a rich girl (Chloe) na nagkaron ng near death experience so naisip nyang gumawa ng bucket list kasi feeling nya ang boring ng buhay nya. Sample nung items na nasa checklist nya ay ‘Go camping’, ‘Have meaningless sex’, and ‘Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage’. Enter this guy (Red, an artist) na tutulong sa kanyang ma-accomplish yung list nya.

Already convinced? Click to buy on Amazon.

📷: nerdybooknurse.com

Ang misleading ng book cover and blurb. Kala ko sweet and romantic yung story. Na may konting adventure kasi ang interesting nung list nya. Well, adventure nga naman kaso sexual adventure pala.