A Taste of Twilight by Haagen-Dazs

A Taste of Twilight by Haagen-Dazs

Promo Period: November 3 to December 20, 2008

1. Buy any book from the Twilight Series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse or Breaking Dawn) at Powerbooks and get a free bookmark.
2. Present your free bookmark at the nearest Haagen-Dazs shop and get a free trial scoop of any Twilight flavors from Haagen-Dazs.
3. Promo valid in all Powerbooks and Haagen-Dazs branches. Promo does not apply to online orders.

source: http://powerbooks.multiply.com/journal/item/30/A_Taste_of_Twilight_by_Haagen-Dazs

Literary Adventures for October 2008

I have been really busy with work this month. It was the end of the semester so I spent my time making tests/assessments for my students. We also had a United Nations Day Program which you could read in my other blog. The preparations and practices were tiring so I just slept whenever I got home. Of course, I had book shopping sprees but not as much as I had last month. So the following are the books that I acquired this month:

October 11, 2008 (National Book Store, SM Fairview)

Writing Stories by David L. Harrison (P212.25)

I bought this book because I plan to write a children's book and have it published some day. Hopefully, it would happen.

I also bought the book, The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown (P50.00) but I don't have a picture of it because the book is missing. My study table is a mess right now so it might be buried there or it's with my 5-year-old niece, Raevin. She is now an excellent reader because she does not only read the words in books, she comprehends the stories. Of course, the books she reads are appropriate to her age. Anyway, the book is just around and it will appear soon. To continue...

October 18, 2008 (National Book Store, SM Fairview)

My World by Margaret Wise Brown (P87.25)

The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger (P175.00)

I was reading The Catcher in the Rye last Sunday in our dining room while eating cereals (at around 8 in the evening). My Dad was beside me writing some thing when he noticed what I was reading. He told me that he did a book analysis of that book when he was in high school. I thought of my own book analysis experience in high school and remembered only one. Then it occurred to me that the reason why I only remembered only one was because I only did one book analysis in my four-year stay in high school. Crap. What were my teachers thinking?

Okay. So we studied the lives of William Shakespeare and other dead writers, but we never wrote an analysis of their works. Well, we analyzed some poems, but not real books. Not even works of modern literature writers. The only book analysis/report I did was actually crap, too. Haha. We were required to write an analysis on a science fiction book. Since I wasn't a fan of sci-fi, I wasn't that excited. The first book I chose was an adventure by Han Solo of Star Wars. I didn't get past page 1 so I proposed another book to my teacher. The book I chose was Channel X by Francine Pascal. It is one of the Thriller Edition in the Sweet Valley University series. Yes, Sweet Valley - the fictional world of the blonde twins, Elizabeth and Jessica. The story was sort-of sci-fi so it passed. I know it would have been better if I worked on a real sci-fi. But it would have been even better if we were required to write book analyses. Oh well.

October 18, 2008 (Booksale, SM Fairview)

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (P70.00)

Corduroy by Don Freeman (P40.00)

October 29, 2008 (National Book Store, TriNoma)

A School Of Fish (Coloring Storybook) by Marcus Pfister (P71.25)

This book appealed to me mainly because it's a coloring book. I'm in my mid-twenties but I still adore coloring books and bringing the pictures to life.

Si Pagong At Si Matsing by Danilo Consumido (P61.75)

Sampung Magkakaibigan by Kristine Canon (P61.75)

These last books I bought are books that I plan to read to my Nursery students during story telling time this coming semester. I bought them from NBS but I forgot to have my receipt stamp for the passes in the upcoming NBS Children's Reading Fair. So I have to buy books again. But that's not going to be a problem. I love to shop for books! And read them, as well.

So there goes my book adventures this month. I'm in the middle of reading The Catcher in the Rye and The Lovely Bones. Hopefully, I'll finish them before I go back to work on November 6.

Back to reading...

The Claiming Of Sleeping Beauty (Anne Rice)

* From bestselling author Anne Rice, writing as A.N. Roquleaure. In the traditional folktale of 'Sleeping Beauty,' the spell cast upon the lovely young princess and everyone in her castle can only be broken by the kiss of a Prince. It is an ancient story, one that originally emerged from and still deeply disturbs the mind's unconscious. Now Anne Rice's retelling of the Beauty story probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Here the Prince reawakens Beauty, not with a kiss, but with sexual initiation. His reward for ending the hundred years of enchantment is Beauty's complete and total enslavement to him…as Anne Rice explores the world of erotic yearning and fantasy in a classic that becomes, with her skillful pen, a compelling experience. - from Barnes & Noble

My cousin gave me more than 1,000 ebooks yesterday. The Sleeping Beauty series by Anne Rice is one of them. A few years ago, another cousin of mine told me that this series by Anne Rice is very intriguing. It is an erotica. Intriguing, alright. So when I was browsing through the ebooks this afternoon, I decided to read it.

Wrong move. I couldn't believe that I wasted time reading an utterly boring book. I know that this book was written decades ago but if you're one of those people who haven't read it yet, I suggest that you're better off reading some thing else. The story is so dull I didn't bother finishing it. There are two more books (coz it's a trilogy) but I wouldn't waste time reading them. It may be an erotica, but all the characters did was spank the butts of the sex slaves. Page after page, that's all I ever read. I guess this is not a good work by Anne Rice (in my opinion, anyway).

I might as well stop now so as not to repeat myself like Anne Rice did in this book. Seriously. What a dull book.

Rating: 1/5

The 4th NBS Children's Reading Fair

The timing is just right. Just when I'm into children's literature now, I received an e-mail from National Book Store about the Laking National updates. One of the upcoming events in National Book Store is the Children's Reading Fair. Here is the information about it:


4th NBS Children’s Reading Fair

Reading is a surefire way for kids and parents to establish a special bond. The one-on-one communication in reading not just enhances kids’ emotional and mental development; it also encourages their imagination to travel to a world unlike any other.

That is why National Book Store, together with Enfakid and SM North EDSA, is celebrating Children's Reading Month this October with the Children’s Reading Fair.

Join the culminating event on November 16, 2008. Click here for more details… http://www.nbsstores.com/promotions.asp?article_id=127


I am definitely looking forward to this event. I also might as well stock up on children's books while they are on sale. :)

Fully Booked, Rockwell Sale

S A L E

20% OFF

on regular items*

ROCKWELL STORE ONLY

October 17-19, 2008

Store Hours

Friday & Saturday: 10am - 1130pm Sunday: 10am - 1030pm

* except local and consigned items

(N coded items)

I received an e-mail from Fully Booked about this sale. Hmm...

Four Blondes (Candace Bushnell)

* Four Blondes tells the stories of four women caught at crossroads in their lives, facing choices and realizations that will redefine them forever. A beautiful B-list model finagles rent-free summerhouses in the Hamptons from her wealthy lovers, until she discovers that she can get a man for the summer but she can't get what she wants. A high-powered magazine columnist's floundering marriage to a literary journalist is thrown into crisis when her husband spends a wild night on the town with his movie star friend. A self-styled Cinderella whose royal husband was one of the world's most eligible bachelors records her descent into paranoia as she attempts to re-create her self and her world. A writer who fears her time for finding a husband is running out travels to London in search for the kind of love and devotion she can't find in Manhattan - and gets far more than she bargained for.

This book contains four stories about four blondes. All of them are forgettable.

I somehow have a high expectation with this since it was written by the creator of Sex and the City. I thought I would enjoy reading it. But I got really disappointed. It is not witty and funny. The stories seem pointless and are very uninteresting.

If you're totally bored and want to read something, go read the back label of a cereal box instead of this book. Spare yourself from disappointment.

Rating: 1/5

Book Shopping 10

Today is the last day of most book fairs and book sales since it's also the end of Literacy Month. Since I received the other half of my salary today, I decided to check out the books in Expressions even though I told myself that I'm not going to buy any books for now. Like I could ever stop myself from buying books. So I bought new books again to add to my never-ending stack of books to read.

left to right: More Than You Know by Beth Gutcheon; Collectors by Paul Griner

These books were from the Buy One, Take One for P99.00 shelf. So this is my last book purchase this month.

It has been a fun book and literacy month this year. Wonder how many books I'll buy next year during literacy month...

Getting The Boot (Peggy Guthart Strauss)

* Studying abroad isn't at all like Kelly thought it would be. Instead of shopping for fine Italian leather and living in an elegant apartment with a view of the Colosseum, she is stuck in a stuffy dorm room with three other girls, and is sharing one shower with the entire floor! This is not the bella Roma that she'd dreamed of. But there is one part of Italy that Kelly doesn't mind - Joe, a really cute guy who's in the study-abroad program too. Joe's into staying up late and partying hard, two things that Kelly used to love doing. Bad habits are hard to break, and she soon finds herself on thin ice with the program coordinators. If Kelly's not careful, she just might get the boot....


One of my goals in life is to travel in Europe. I also want to travel the world but I'd like to spend most of my time traveling across Europe. My Dad has been to different countries in Europe and he has fascinated me with stories about his trips there. So I plan to go there and experience things for myself. Since this book is set in Italy, one of the countries in Europe, I did not think twice in buying this book. I've read books and seen movies set in Italy and I'm always amazed by what I saw. All those historical structures still standing after thousands of years. Wow.

The story revolves around this American teenager, Kelly, who went to Italy one summer to study. She's a popular cheerleader in her school, loves to party, and into fashion. However, things didn't go her way when she went to Italy. Her life there was the opposite of her life back home. So the story revolves around how Kelly was able to learn more about herself with the help of the beautiful places in Italy and her new friends.

Kelly and the rest of characters went to different places in Italy like Florence, Pompeii, and the Vatican City. Though the descriptions were not very detailed, I still saw the beauty of the places in my head. I also think that it's fine not to have detailed descriptions so as not to bore the readers. I once read a book before where lots of pages where devoted to describing a place. I somehow lost track of the story and it bored me so much I almost didn't finish reading it. If I want to know more about a place, I'm better off reading the Lonely Planet books or seeing it personally.

I am somewhat prejudiced against young adult novels these days because most of them revolved around sex, drugs, backstabbing, and how to be on top at the expense of others. This book, however, is not as shallow as I thought it would be. Kelly matured and became a responsible person while having fun. Being a teenager is hard. There are a lot of mistakes committed. But there's always a choice of rising above those mistakes and not going in the opposite direction. Kelly was able to show that it is possible. This book is a fun read for every teenage girl out there.

Rating: 4/5

Banned Books Week (September 27 - October 4, 2008)

I was checking out the latest posts from one of my Shelfari groups when I saw a discussion about banned books. Here's the link.

So it's now Banned Books Week. Among the books listed by American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), here are the banned books that I've read:

1. Forever (Judy Blume)
2. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
3. The Alice Series (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor) - I've read only one from the series
4. Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling) - I've read all!
5. The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)

From the American Library Association (ALA) list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000, here are the books that I've read:

1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
2. Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling)
3. Forever (Judy Blume)
4. Alice Series (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor)
5. Goosebumps Series (R.L. Stine) - I've read lots of books from this series
6. Blubber (Judy Blume)
7. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
8. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
9. The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)

They are banned from school libraries because the contents are inappropriate for children. Personally, I don't see anything wrong from these books that I've read. If I am a parent, I will let my child read these books. After my child reads them, I will discuss it with him or her. In my opinion, these books are a good way to start exposing the children to sensitive issues. Lessons could also be learned from these books. The children just need to be guided on the contents of the book. But the books should not be banned.

“[I]t's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.” — Judy Blume

Book Shopping 9

You are probably tired of reading about my book shopping trips. Honestly, I am getting tired, too. So I think this would be my "last" book shopping for now.

There is a book fair in TriNoma which will end tomorrow. I've been seeing the ad about it in the newspaper but I always forget to visit it whenever I am in TriNoma. So this afternoon, I went there to finally check out the book fair before it ends.

There were lots of interesting books on sale. But I didn't buy any. Why? While I was browsing through the shelves, I thought of the stack of unread books in my room. They are currently on the floor because there is no more space available in my bookshelf. So I decided to make a room first for my books before buying new ones. I left the book fair and went to Powerbooks and National Book Store.

While I was in Powerbooks, I thought of buying my younger brother a book because he won the Oral Reading Contest and Spelling Bee Contest in school. I usually give him (and most people) books as gifts. Right now, my brother likes to read Geronimo Stilton. He is a mouse who runs a newspaper. I looked for it in Powerbooks but didn't find any. So I went to National Book Store. I didn't find the book there, too. I looked for another book that will interest my brother. Finally, I saw a book about Neopets, my brother's latest craze. It is a TV show that he watches in Nickelodeon. Since the sale is still ongoing in NBS, I got a discount.

Neopets: The Ultimate Field Guide (P135.25)

My brother also got these books as prize for participating in a discussion in school:

left to right: Animorphs: The Unexpected by Katherine Applegate; Animorphs: The Mutation by Katherine Applegate

So it was my brother, not me, who got new books today. Good for him.

Book Shopping 8

I went grocery shopping with my Dad, Mom, and older sister in SM Fairview yesterday. We visited Tatay in the cemetery before going to the mall. I didn't have any plans of visiting the bookstores since I just bought new books the other day. But while my parents are paying for the things we bought at the grocery, my sister dragged me to Booksale. She also loves to read books. Well, my whole family loves to read books but I am the most voracious reader among us. Anyway, my sister was looking for books written by her favorite authors but didn't find any. As for me, I found lots of books that I like and as usual, I wasn't able to resist them so I bought them. Here they are:

left to right: The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve (P40.00); The Last Time They Met by Anita Shreve (P40.00)

left to right: Blood Hunt by Ian Rankin (hardbound, P20.00); Mirror Lake by Thomas Christopher Greene (hardbound, first edition, P20.00)

Since my sister didn't find the books that she was looking for, I somehow influenced her into buying books written by other authors. She loves to read romance novels or historical-romance novels written by Jude Deveraux, Judith McNaught, and others. I, on the other hand, stay away from books like that. She sometimes reads books that are not romantic like Harry Potter and Sidney Sheldon novels. I suggested to her books written by Sue Grafton. Totally different from Jude Deveraux. She accepted my suggestion and bought 3 books written by Sue Grafton. I also saw a book that I'm interested in, but I didn't have enough money with me that day. It was a chick lit book. My sister also reads chick lits so she didn't think twice of buying that book. My book addiction must have been rubbing off to her. So here are the books she bought:

top to bottom: S is for Silence by Sue Grafton (hardbound, P30.00); L is for Lawless (hardbound, P45.00); Q is for Quarry (hardbound, P45.00); Four Blondes by Candace Bushnell (hardbound, P45.00)

Like me, she was really happy with her book purchases. So now, I have four more books to add to my stack of books to read. Well, make that eight since I'm also interested in the books my sister bought. So many books, so little time...

Book Shopping 7

There is a book sale in Expressions near my house which I just discovered last week. The Book Fiesta (the name of the book sale) started last September 1 and will end on September 30. They have a promo wherein you could buy one book for P99.00 and get one free. The books on sale were books written by unpopular authors here in the Philippines. I call them the Indie books. There were lots of books on sale and I find most of them interesting. It also seems like I was the only one who find the books interesting because I was the only person browsing through the shelves. Maybe most people in my neighborhood prefer books written by people they know. Well, their loss. So yesterday, after work, I went there for another book shopping trip. Here are the books I bought:

top (left to right): Fleur De Leigh's Life Of Crime by Diane Leslie; Troublemaker by Brian Pera
bottom (left to right): Chinese Takeout by Arthur Nersesian; The Saskiad by Brian Hall

There are still some books on sale that I like so I will be back on September 30 to buy them. Yey!

Book Shopping 6

I was totally bored yesterday so I decided to go to SM Fairview after dinner. I met up with a friend to talk and catch up on our lives. Our chat lifted my mood. So after the meeting, I went to Booksale and National Book Store to further lift my mood. As usual, I didn't leave the mall without any purchased books. Here are they:

The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank (hardbound, first edition, P30.00)

Getting The Boot by Peggy Guthart Strauss (paperback, P120.00)

I bought these books from Booksale after almost an hour of browsing. When I left Booksale, some stores were already closed. Next time, I'll try to stay there until the sales people would physically force me to leave their store. Haha.

Shopgirl (Steve Martin)

* Mirabelle is the "shopgirl" of the title, a young woman, beautiful in a wallflowerish kind of way, who works behind the glove counter at Neiman Marcus "selling things that nobody buys anymore..."
Slightly lost, slightly off-kilter, very shy, Mirabelle charms because of all that she is not: not glamorous, not aggressive, not self-aggrandizing. Still, there is something about her that is irresistible.
Mirabelle captures the attention of Ray Porter, a wealthy businessman almost twice her age. As they tentatively embark on a relationship, they both struggle to decipher the language of love - with consequences that are both comic and heartbreaking.

I didn't know that Shopgirl was first a novella before it became a movie. I came to know about the movie through the pirated DVD stall near my house a few years back. I haven't seen the movie yet and I'm not interested in seeing it. The novella was written by Steve Martin, the actor. He also starred in the movie version of it with Claire Danes as Mirabelle. So when I saw the book in Book Sale, I bought it because I was curious on what Steve Martin wrote. I'm not a fan of his. I was just merely curious.

There's nothing much I could say about this book. It's like I'm reading a science textbook where the things I read just goes inside my head and doesn't travel down to my heart. When I read books, I am usually emotionally involved. I feel the characters' pain, anger, happiness, and other emotions they show. But I didn't feel anything much when I read this book. It has no impact on me.

I'm going to give this book a second chance. It's not totally horrible. Maybe I just missed some things when I read it. Though it may take a while before I'll read it again since there are a lot of books that I still have to read. Hopefully on my second reading, I'd finally feel and get something from it.

Rating: 2/5

Book Shopping 5

My latest book shopping counts as number 5 because my book shopping 4 trip is the Manila International Book Fair.

Even if I told myself lots of times that I would not buy a book unless I finished reading all the unread books in my room, deep in my heart, I know that would never happen. I just have to accept the fact that I'm going to be financially broke one day because of my weekly book shopping. But I don't really care. Books make me happy. Reading is my passion. I wouldn't mind being hungry as long as I have books to read. At least if I die, I'd die happy with a book in my hand.

Okay. Enough of that.

Yesterday morning, I went with my parents to the cemetery to visit my grandfather. Ever since he died last November 2005, it has been my parents' weekly ritual to visit him in the cemetery. My siblings and I sometimes go with them. After visiting my grandfather, my parents would go to the grocery and other stores in the neighborhood to buy the things needed at home. So after our visit yesterday, we went to SM Fairview to buy some school supplies needed by my younger brother. My Dad was hungry so he went to Jollibee together with my younger brother, older sister, and niece to eat. Mom and I went to National Bookstore to buy the supplies needed.

I wanted to check out the books on sale but I was with my Mom. We just bought the things needed and went to Jollibee. Since I was not hungry, I decided to go to Book Sale while they were eating. I was not able to check out the other shelves because I had limited time. Luckily, when I squatted on the floor to check out the books, I saw this book. I immediately got it and paid for it.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (paperback, P80.00)

When we went home, I ate lunch and continued reading Shopgirl by Steve Martin until I fell asleep. I woke up at around 3PM. I was not contented with my book adventure earlier that morning so I decided to go to SM North and TriNoma to visit the bookstores there.

My first stop was at Fully Booked, SM North. I haven't been there for a while so I spent an hour browsing at the books. I saw lots of books that I like but didn't buy any. I just strolled at the mall for a few minutes before going to TriNoma.

I immediately went to Powerbooks as soon as I arrived in TriNoma. Again, I saw lots of books that I like which I didn't see in Fully Booked. I made a mental note of the books I'll buy in the near future.

When I was at the Children's Section, I saw copies of Eric Carle's books. One of his books, A Very Hungry Caterpillar, is included in my list of favorite children's books. After some deliberation on whether I'll buy or not, I decided to buy this book. There's no use arguing with myself.

1, 2, 3 To The Zoo: A Coloring Book by Eric Carle (P188.10)

I also bought the latest issue of Read Magazine.

Read Magazine

As soon as I paid for my purchases, I immediately went out of the store. It was dark outside the mall. When I looked at my watch, it was already past 7PM. I was so engrossed at the bookstore that I didn't notice the time.

So there goes another weekend in my life.

Literacy Week Celebration

The Literacy Week Celebration in school/work was short and simple. A mini book fair was held and some parents were invited to facilitate the storytelling for the students. It was a fun week with the students getting excited over books. Anyway, here are some of the scenes at school during the Literacy Week:

Nursery PM Class

Kinder PM Class

Memories Of My Melancholy Whores (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

* On the eve of his ninetieth birthday a bachelor decides to give himself a wild night of love with a virgin. As is his habit - he has purchased hundreds of women - he asks a madam for her assistance. The fourteen-year-old girl who is procured for him is enchanting, but exhausted as she is from caring for siblings and her job sewing buttons, she can do little but sleep. Yet with this sleeping beauty at his side, it is he who awakens to a romance he has never known.
Tender, knowing, and slyly comic, Memories of My Melancholy Whores is an exquisite addition to the master's work.

This is one of the books that I bought from the recent Manila International Book Fair. What made me buy this book is the fact that it was written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Another reason is the plot. I found it a bit disturbing. Very Lolita-esque.

The main character is a ninety-year-old journalist who fell in love with the whore/prostitute he hired for the night. It was the first time he fell in love. According to him, "Sex is the consolation you have when you can't have love." So he had sex with 516 whores (according to his last count when he was fifty years old) and found love from a virgin, minor, and someone who just literally slept beside him.

While reading the book, I couldn't help but pity him. How could he fall in love just when he's about to die any moment? Okay. Let's be realistic. When you're ninety years old, do you expect to live for another ten years? I don't think so. But at least he experienced the magic of love.

I am actually glad that this book is just short. I don't think I could endure more pages of an old man describing his romantic love for a child. The book's saving grace is that it was beautifully written (translated by Edith Grossman) so there were moments when I forgot about the scandalous plot.

Love is really weird. Marquez was able to point that out.

Rating: 2/5