Oh My Janey

This Is A Crazy Planets Book Signing

Last Saturday, September 10, I attended my first book signing. It was surreal but incredibly exciting, too.

Ayessa and I went to Fully Booked at Global City for Lourd De Veyra’s The Best of This Is A Crazy Planets book signing. That day marked a lot of firsts for me. It was the first time I attended a book signing. It was the first time I saw a published author in real life. It was the first time I went to Global City and was awed by how big Fully Booked is.

5 floors of hundreds of books that made me salivate! I was only there for the book signing but I ended up buying Jonathan Safran Foer’s hardbound copy of his two-books-in-one erm, book. There are so many things I wanted (A Series of Unfortunate Events boxset!)  but I had to remind myself that I should save a little for the book fair the following week. Heh.

We arrived at around 3PM. We spent about an hour roaming the place, waiting for the book signing to start. But we couldn’t see anyone fixing anything, no crowd forming anywhere. The girl at the information said it would start at 4PM. Then Ayessa and I went to the 4th floor to look at the Lomo cameras, and that’s when we saw that the book signing already started. Sob sob.

[Read more…]

52 Books: August Books

I will make no excuse for my laziness in reading last month. I got pre-occupied with a lot of things (*cough*City Hunter*cough*) that I didn’t have much time to read. But reading should never be a chore anyway. I had a goal of reading 52 books this year and I’m almost there. I’m on my 45th book now so I’m giving myself time to relax a little from reading. Of course, I’m still hoarding books as if I have all the time to read.

Also, it amazes me how I got to go out frequently last month. If you know me, you must understand that I’m a homebody who loves her bed and laptop and books and solitude more than anything else in the world. Partying on a Saturday night is a burden I don’t really want to admit. Heh. But I did go out a few times and surprisingly enjoyed myself. *pats self*

From now on, I should also remember to write my “reviews” after reading just so I wouldn’t be so latein updating this blog.

Room by Emma Donoghue

This is an intense book that gives me chills whenever I think of it. It has a powerful storytelling that lures you into the story, making you care for Jack, our five-year-old narrator, and his life in Room. Emma Donoghue wrote the story inspired by true events, and I guess that makes the story even freakier than it already is. The first half of the book shows Jack and Ma locked up in the room by Old Nick. It details their daily activities and clearly shows how scary and depriving their situation is. The terror of being locked up for years can be truly felt especially when Ma zones out. For Jack, Room is the best place on earth and he doesn’t want to leave. But it’s hell for his mother. As engaging as the first part is, I enjoyed the second part of the book more. I find it interesting how Donoghue builds the story life after entrapment. It’s interesting to read about the emotional, psychological and physical toll the event took on Jack and Ma. It’s interesting to see Jack’s growth without his mother always by his side.

The only thing that bothers me is how Jack seems to be too intelligent for his age but talks like a two-year-old. I understand that some kids can be born geniuses. Jack’s ability when it comes to math and language is astounding, but it’s disturbing how he can’t seem to properly string words together. He has a great grasp of the language, mimicking the newscasters on TV without even missing a word, using big words correctly. He can read and write, too. But when it comes to stringing his own sentences, it baffles me how it seems too convoluted.  I try to justify this by thinking that Jack only has his mother to talk to. However, Jack’s mother talks to him normally. I don’t understand how a boy of five who is obviously intelligent still talks like a two-year-old. It often distracts me from the story itself because Jack narrates the whole story that way.

Other than that, Room is a good novel. It’s a thought-provoking read since we rarely get the perspective of someone who hasn’t tasted freedom and suddenly has a chance to live it. Emma Donoghue created a memorable story. It may not be my favorite but it’s something you can look back and remember with great detail. [Read more…]

52 Books: July Books

I went a little overboard and read 8 books. It’s unplanned, I swear. I guess the fact that I’ve been reading a lot of children’s fiction contributes to the speed of my reading. Alex asked me if I could still digest everything I read, and I am happy to say that, yes, I can still digest them, thank you very much. Once I’m done with my last book for July, I promised myself to read something more for my age. Then I bought another Judy Blume this month so my resolve to read more mature books pretty much went out of the drain.

No regrets, though. I loved everything I read this month.


This book just keeps getting better. It was the first time I read this book without reading the first six books first. I just have to read DH before I watch the movie. I remember being extremely emotional during the first time I read DH but it was insane how even the non-emotional moments made me teary-eyed when I read it again. Maybe it was the mounting anxiety of the final film installation that made me extremely vulnerable when reading it but my love for the series reached profound levels. J.K. Rowling is a genius monster for making HP fans cry. But we can never hate her for writing the most amazing series that defined our childhood. She’s our queen!

I don’t even know what else to say about this book. Hedwig’s dying scene almost made me cry, and I still don’t understand why they didn’t include in the film Dudley and Harry’s goodbye. The Silver Doe is still my favorite chapter. I know a lot of people can’t forgive Ron for running out of Hermione and Harry. But I forgive him. He’s Ron Weasley, how could I not? He makes a mistake leaving the two behind but he does everything to get back in their graces, right? From then on he doesn’t back out from whatever hardship they face. I won’t go into more details about this but I really think people are too hard on him. Another chapter that I love is the Battle at Hogwarts. I’m not sure how many times I teared up because of it. It’s not even the deaths that chilled but the mere courage that everyone is showing. I swear Professor McGonnagall forced me to sniffles.

For some reason, Deathly Hallows seems to be a lot better than the first and second time I read it. (Or again, maybe it’s just my emotions speaking.) It’s just amazing how J.K. Rowling managed to weave a flawless story with really little plot holes. I still had a lot of questions when I reread it but I shrugged it off because the strengths of the books overpowered its minor faults. I also had this huge hate for the epilogue. I thought it was corny and their children’s names are really annoying. I don’t know. Maybe Harry is just too lazy to think of names. But this time, I actually like the epilogue. I guess it just needs a little getting used to. I have a lot more to say about this book but my reactions are already starting to mix with my reaction to the movie so I’ll just stop here.

Let me just say first that this will definitely won’t be the last time I’ll read Deathly Hallows. I will reread the series for the years to come until I have to pass on my love for the Harry’s world to my future children. I guess every Pothead has this silly dream of passing on to their children their love for magic. [Read more…]

The Art of Being a Cheap Bookworm

We all know that books aren’t the cheapest goods in the market. A paperback costs roughly around PHP300, and if you’re stingy like me, that’s not exactly cheap. Over the years of wanting books that are far too expensive for my budget, I learned that there are a lot of ways to acquire books on your to-do list without spending too much. I decided to share my book hoarding skills to other bookworms even though no one asked me to do so. Because I have nothing better to do, I might as well spread my love for books.

However, the following tips aren’t for people who are very particular with the condition of books. If you’re looking for really low-priced books, then you should understand that the condition of the book may not be the finest you’ll see. Expect creases and a little tear here and there. But if you look hard enough, you can see seemingly brand new copies for a really low price. Also, most of the tips here are only applicable in the Philippines. [Read more…]

52 Books: June Books

I got back my reading mojo last month. I read some pretty good books and some pretty annoying ones but it’s all good. Whenever I read a book I don’t particularly like, I just tell myself that it’s good to feel something. It’s better to be annoyed than not feel anything at all. I’m pretty I’m not making any sense. Heh.

1. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Of all the depressing books I have read, Norwegian Wood stands out tall and proud. Every turn of the page seems to lead me into something more crushing, something more heart-wrenching. The ever-present death also seems to be the number one driving force of our two main characters. Hence, the main character’s mantra summarizes (I believe) the story: “Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of life.

It’s really beautifully-written but I don’t think I have fully grasped what Murakami is trying to say.  This is his first book that I have read and I am excited to read more. His words have a way of taking you to the very core of the story. Toru Watanabe may be the narrator of the story but it’s not only his emotions that we see. I kind of understand why people say that this book is honest. It’s as if all the emotions of the characters are exposed in plain sight. We see their pain, we see their happiness. It’s all out in the open that it’s impossible not to feel what they’re going through. Everything feels so raw. I haven’t read other people’s reaction to Norwegian Wood. All I know is that a lot of people I respect love the book. But I really think that Naoko and Watanabe are bad for each other. They become isolated from the whole world and are often enveloped in sadness when they’re together. Kill me for saying this but I think Watanabe’s presence pushes Naoko into depression. Midori and Watanabe’s relationship, on the other hand, is what I would call healthy. It’s not clear what happened between them but I’m really hoping that it ends well for these two.

The number of suicides in the book baffles me. I have said this out loud before but it really bothers me how Murakami makes suicide as if a usual occurrence in Japanese society. I know that Japan has high suicide rates for both sexes but for it be part of a novel, it’s still unsettling. I understand what drives Naoko to do what she did. Two of the people she has loved committed suicide. She’s even the one to discover the body of her sister. What I don’t like is how she explains Kizuki’s suicide as something that is inevitable. The two of them are so happy that it’s kind of unfair for the world so Kizuki kills himself because that’s bound to happen anyway, she says. Well, to me that’s what she means. That’s just a stupid thing to say. Other than that, this is a really good story and I recommend it to anyone who wants to have his/her heart broken.
[Read more…]

Klook.com