I just finished reading The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger last night. I like reading a lot, but I hardly read classic literature. So this should be my first in a long time. I know I promised myself a long time ago that I will read this book one day, but I never really got the chance, or I never really tried to give myself the chance to read it. I was just more interested in other stories is all. And then last Saturday night when I got home to my aunt’s house from work I found this book lying around in the room, along with To Kill a Mockingbird. And so I decided, okay, since I didn’t have anything else to read I’ll start reading this one. 

This book packs a lot of exaggeration and sarcasm. It is one of the most celebrated novels in the young adult genre, and reading this book and thinking about how prim and proper novels were when it was first published, I’d say this one’s groundbreaking work. I can say that a lot of young adult fiction may have followed the path first laid by JD Salinger. I may be wrong, but I may have recognized traces of The Catcher in the Rye in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, although Charlie, the protagonist in The Perks, is in every way, the complete opposite of Holden Caulfield, except that both have psychological disorders. Or maybe it’s just me.

However, unlike most young adult novels today where the main character experiences a coming of age moment, this book has absolutely no character development at all. Told from the POV of the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, this book is just so full of angst and shit, it annoys me. Well it wouldn’t be half as bad if only there was a turning point in the story, a moment of clarity and realization, if Holden achieved some sort of redemption and grew up, but no. He remained the same fucking way he was from the start of the story. And for me the fact that this novel has no saving grace just ticks me off. What, I stayed with Holden until the end of the book and there’s not even one sign that he’s changed? Fuck this.

My only consolation is that this book is a classic (it’s good to be able to read a classic once in a while), and that while the fad now is all about teenage angst and rebellion, back then this book was controversial stuff, and this book broke ground in the young adult genre.

Just watched the last episode of season 2 last night. I’m baffled as to how Sherlock faked his death, and I’m looking forward to season 3 to find out.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock, without a doubt, is my favorite TV character of all time. (Dexter Morgan comes a far second, the Sheldon Cooper)

All throughout season 2 I can’t help but notice the obvious bromance between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

So far my favorite Sherlock episode of all time is episode 1 of season 2, A Scandal in Belgravia. Irene Adler is just so foxy and sexy. And they (Sherlock and Irene) have a lot of chemistry. I wish to see more of her in season 3, and hopefully, the succeeding season(s).

Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty is the perfect villain. He’s genuinely scary in a happy-scary kind of way, if you know what I mean. If not watch him and you’ll know. Aside from Irene Adler, he is the only other person to get one step ahead of Sherlock Holmes.

Can’t wait for season 3! Boy this is gonna be a long wait.

So last Wednesday, February 8, as a tribute to Charles Dickens’ birthday (on February 7) I started reading The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl. I’ve had that book since last summer, but I never got around to reading it since I was able to acquire other books which, in my opinion, were a lot more interesting than this one. Anyway I bought this book in NBS SM Calamba for only P50, down from its original price of P1049. And mind you, this was not one of those books discarded from libraries in the US which, for reasons completely unknown to me, NBS was always able to get its hands on and sell for a bargain P100. The book has never been owned by anyone until I bought it, unless of course you count in NBS. 

I only bought the book then because 1.) it was only P50, the price quite a bargain already by itself; 2.) the original price was P1049, which made it all the more a bargain; 3.) it was a hardbound book and I’m quite fond of hardbound books, not to mention the book was brand new; 4.) it had raving reviews by writers I appreciate. I was never really taken in by the blurb, but I thought it would make for a good reading when I run out of books to read, and while I look for other books to read. I quickly forgot about the book as soon as I brought it home, and soon got immersed in other novels. 

However, it turns out that I was quite mistaken when I thought that this book was not at par with the other books which right at the very first glance I pronounced as interesting. I started reading this book at work, and whenever I leave it in the office before going home I feel a nagging feeling about not being able to go on reading it. (The main reason for leaving it being the fact that my current schedule permits me a lot of free time to read, and if I brought the book home and finished it early I won’t have anything else to read at work, as I still haven’t bought a new book.)

Anyway, the book is about Charles Dickens’ American publisher James Osgood’s quest for the lost ending of the novelist’s unfinished novel The Mystery of Edward Drood.

I like reading historical fiction, but the problem I have with this one is that unlike with Dan Brown’s Robert Landon novels where he merely molds a story set in the present tense around a particular piece of (ancient) history, The Last Dickens is a novel where the historical characters actually come to life. That’s why I always try to remind myself of what’s fact and what’s fiction. The problem is, I can’t really tell the difference.

I am now in the final part of the book, but I can’t bring myself to finish this one. I know that long after closing the book, I will still wonder, whatever happened to Edward Drood?

Started reading this book yesterday, which I found in the dorm/hotel where we spent Monday night. But I was only halfway through it when we had to leave. I promise to find a copy of this book and finish it.

This is the first “aviation-thriller” I have ever read. The plot is quite complicated, and I don’t even know how I’ll explain it in my own words. In a nutshell, a former President of the United States is issued an international warrant of arrest for allegedly ordering the murder of innocent civilians in a drug raid in Peru. Craig Dayton, the pilot of the plane the President is boarding, realizes the danger the President is in, and makes a dash (take-off is the better word I guess) for it against the rules.

While on the run (again, I guess “on the fly” would be the better phrase) the President’s lawyer Jay Reinhart engages in a fierce legal joust with Sir William Stuart Campbell, a brilliant international lawyer bent on nabbing the President. From Greece to Italy to England to Ireland, with cutting scenes in the most powerful office in the world, the White House, this novel will take you in a breathtaking ride of air travel and international law. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

I love Sundays. It’s the only workday when I can truly relax at the office. In fact, sobrang petiks nun sa office, I was able to start reading a book just this last Sunday, and finish it the next day. 

Lately I’ve been grumbling about how it takes me days, sometimes weeks, to finish a book (except that children’s book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which I finished reading before I went to sleep), the main reason being the fact that nowadays my life consists mostly of work, eat, and sleep, in that particular order. In between I BBM (I seldom text hah!) (and notice how BBM has become a verb), and tweet (but not too much) (I have twitter on my Blackberry). Notice how social networking sites now constitute majority of my social life, with the exception of course of the people I encounter everyday at work. And in between BBMing and tweeting in between work eat and sleep, I read. I try hard to squeeze reading, and it amazes me how I used to have all the time in the world to read books, look for good books, and read some more. I used to run out of books to read, but now I run out of time to read. 

Also I try to go out once in a while and indulge by watching a movie and trying a new restaurant (or going back to a particularly incredible restaurant) but that’s only on days immediately after payday. You can just imagine the reason so. I’m that isang kahig, isang tuka type of person. Or more like a one day millionaire. I should seriously start thinking about the future and saving up for it. Ah but what the heck, I enjoy living life at the moment. The future is so far away, why worry about it? Just kiddin’. That’s the kind of thinking that will get me nowhere. 

Anyway starting tomorrow I’ll have a different shift. I used to have the pang-government employee shift, which is 8.30AM-5.30PM, but now I’m assigned a new one- from 10.45AM to 7.45 PM. I’m not really complaining, since this means I no longer have to wake up before the day breaks, and I have more idle time at work because there is less work volume during these hours. I already had a relatively small work volume with my previous schedule, but this one entitles me with long stretches of time doing nothing. And so I’ll have more time to read and relax. Aaah life. :3

However, there’s  a downside to this kind of schedule. In my company, when your shift starts or ends anytime between 10PM and 6AM, on top of the obligatory night differential you are also entitled to a hazard pay. With my schedule the past month and for the next two months I won’t be enjoying the additional hazard pay, which amounts to a third of my base salary. Sayang. Hehe. 

But all in all this should be a good sched. It will be Sunday everyday. :)

Time is gold, but money can’t buy time. 

I can’t let January go by without watching a couple of movies.

Love the Victorian air of mystery, the dark humor, the cliff hanger action, the special effects, and the sounds of this movie.

And…

This girl kicks ass

Hmm ran out of things to read. I gotta drop by once again to that cafe/secondhand bookshop just a walking distance from our place. But I’m real broke right now, and I don’t think I can squeeze a book in my tight budget, but I have to have something to read or else I’ll go crazy. Anyway they have P25 books, those will do for now. Saka na yung P100plus na libro dun. Yun ngang Panic Zone P25 ko lang din naman nabili.

Pag sumweldo na ulit ako promise ko pala sa sarili bibili naman ako ng brand new na libro. Tagal ko nang di nakakabili ng brand new na libro sa NBS or Fullybooked. Namimiss ko na yung crisp look, smell and feel of fresh out of the box books. Haha.

Naging ugali ko na yung tuwing gabi pagkagaling ko sa trabaho bago ako sumakay ng tricycle pauwi sa bahay ng tita ko sa Maginhawa UP Village nagpupudtrip muna ako sa Philcoa. Wala lang, pampatanggal lumbay lang matapos ng isang napakahaba at nakakapagod na araw sa opisina. Buhay na buhay ang street food industry sa kanto ng Philcoa pagsapit ng dilim. Merong adobong mani, nilagang mais, calamares, pritong laman-loob(di ko alam tawag dito haha! Yung parang ihaw-ihaw pero prito pero parang binabad muna sa ketchup at toyo), ihaw-ihaw, pritong isaw, fishball kikiam squidball chickenball, balut at penoy, kwek-kwek na balut at penoy na may side dressing pang ginayat nang maninipis na pipino, fried chicken, gotong Batangas, mami… May nakalimutan pa ba ako? Eh talagang maeengganyo ka makisawsaw lalo sa mga kumpol ng tao sa paligid ng pwesto ng mga tindera’t tindero. Minsan parang di kumpleto araw ko pag di nakakapag-pudtrip. Pero syempre nakakabahala din naman minsan na araw-arawin, lalo at di naman ako nakakasiguro sa kalinisan ng kinakain ko. Kaya pagkatapos ko kumain bumibili ako ng Yakult dun sa ale sa tapat ng Mini Stop para Okay ka ba tyan; Yakult everyday, everyday okay. Haha. Feeling ko yun talaga ang purpose ni aleng magya-Yakult, para labanan ang sakit ng tyan dulot ng bad bacteria sa maduduming pagkain sa kalye. Lol

I know I haven’t gotten the chance to really write that much, but I sure did not miss on my reading habit. And so here are the last six books I’ve read the past month or so: 

6. The Summons by John Grisham- Law professor Ray Atlee is summoned to his dying father’s house to discuss the old man’s will. But he arrives too late and finds his father dead, along with a shocking discovery.

Not the best of John Grisham, but still a good read. I have suspected and guessed the twist as soon as the conflict has been revealed, so I checked the last page of the book, and boy was I right.

5. Looking For Alaska by John Green- Miles Halter goes to boarding school where he meets and falls in love with Alaska Young, a smart and feisty girl who pulls him in the world of youthful recklessness.

I liked reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and so I am constantly on the lookout for other great young adult books. Looking for Alaska happens to be one, however, I think I got over this genre too soon, and so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed reading Perks, which is to say both books have the same feel and that’s why I only fully enjoyed the first one I read, because the first one is always special. Notwithstanding what I said, I’m sure Looking for Alaska is a good read and you will love it  if it’s your first time, or if unlike me you don’t get over the young adult/the-pains-of-growing-up genre so easily.

4. The Messenger by Daniel Silva- legendary Israeli spy Gabriel Allon summons his team and an American recruit to infiltrate wealthy Arab businessman Zizi alBakari’s inner circle and find a suspected master terrorist hidden within his fold.

I love spy thrillers. I love Gabriel Allon novels. If you haven’t read anything on spy thrillers yet, a Gabriel Allon novel is a good place to start, and The Messenger is as good as any Gabriel Allon novel can get.

3. The Testament by John Grisham- dying self-made billionaire Troy Phelan leaves all his fortune to a previously unknown heir named Rachel Lane before he jumps to his death from the balcony of his office. Nate O’Riley, a disgraced litigator just out of rehab, is commissioned to find Rachel in the jungles of Brazil where she lives and hides as a missionary.

One of the better Grisham books, although certainly not the best. The vivid description of the locale and jungles of Brazil will definitely captivate you, Grisham was able to paint in this novel a trembling picture of this vast tropical country.

2. Panic Zone by Rick Mofina- Jack Gannon, a journalist for the World Press Alliance in New York, is sent to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to investigate the cafe bombing that killed 2 of his colleagues there. His investigation points to a conspiracy that threatens to destroy human existence, and he races against time to stop it.

I haven’t read a lot of books with a journalist as the main character, and so this one is a welcome break for me. I like Jack Gannon’s character here and all the things he must go through as the story progresses. Although, I must say, there is so much going on, and the plot is a bit implausible, but what do we know right? Still an entertaining read.

1. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo- a touching children’s story about the adventures of Edward Tulane, a self absorbed china rabbit owned and loved by a girl named Abilene Tulane. He gets lost and ends up in different places where he meets different people and learns about love. Will he find his way back home?

I haven’t read a children’s book for a long time, and finally being able to read one last night made me feel eight again. It is an extraordinary children’s book, and I know that the reason why I was able to feel young again while reading it was because of the emotions evoked by the story, the universal feelings of love, loss, longing, and pain. And experiencing these feelings from the simple and naive point of view of the Edward made me wish I really was young again. This is a book for the young and the young at heart, and those who wish to feel young again.