It's been a while
since I wrote my last blog post and I just had a feeling that I should write again. There are not many happenings in my life so this time, my topic is
about nothing more than my favorite things within the four corners of our
house: MY BOOKS.
I started writing this during
the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to the outbreak of COVID-19. A lot
of people are sharing (or ranting, rather) on social media that they're getting
fat coz they do nothing but to sleep and eat at home; that they're so bored;
that they badly wanna return to their normal work setting because the 'feels'
of doing tasks at your work table is far different from when you are at the
comfort of your room; that they miss their friends and their regular gimmicks;
and the long list goes on.
Well, guys, I feel you. While there are disadvantages that this ECQ bring, please remember that we are not locked at home, but we are SAFE at home. Though we can only do limited things at home, let's just look at the positive side of everything and find ways to be productive. Ako, my time was pretty much spent with watching movies with my siblings, cooking meals, crocheting bags, playing the piano and learning a new piece (not really a musician tho), and most of all, reading books.
Why read?
Yet, for me, books are amazing. Reading is a timeless form of information and entertainment. While there are a lot of people who might not enjoy reading as much as I do, let me share to you four reasons why I love to read:
1. It makes my imagination go wider!
When we read, we not only look at those letters written inside the book. Those words we are immersed in and the characters we come across are simulated, causing us to picture out what is described in the book. Little did we know, reading is already bringing joy to our lives. I'm not really an avid reader of fantasy books. But when I read Harry Potter, it became my favorite. Magic is beautiful. I imagined all sort of things! It allows me to explore a different world without moving my feet. At some point, gusto ko na din maging witch. LOL.
Sometimes, the days can be stressful and worrisome, but when I lay down at night and curl up with a good book, it lifts my spirits along with that stress and worry.
2. It sharpens my mind and aids in my focus.
I always prefer a quiet and empty place whenever I read. This is to avoid distractions and keep my focus on the book alone. But as time went by, I managed to read in public transportation, in the office during the break time, or in the sala while my brothers are watching YouTube videos. Our minds can be thinking about a lot of things all the time. Reading at least a little each day improves our focus and memory function. It stimulates the brain. Just like physical exercise, reading is a form of mental exercise that pushes our memory and focus to the limits.
Every time I buy books, I always make a goal to finish at least one book per month. That would be 12 books in a year. I, sometimes, can read one book per week. Achieving this goal means my brain has exercised enough. Consider what happens when we work out. Muscles grow and become much stronger. Reading books works much the same way for our minds.
3. It expands my vocabulary and strengthens my writing and speaking abilities.
This actually happened without me even realizing it. Reaching this part of my blog, I can't believe I've written this much!
When I read books, especially English ones, I used to encounter a few words I don't quite understand. This confusion led me to searching that word's meaning and that definition remains in my mind. When we went to Singapore, though I'm not as fluent in English as someone who lives in an English-speaking country, I was comfortable communicating with the people. I think, one of the reasons why I can converse well is because I read a lot.
4. It disconnects me from social media and makes me more productive.
It's easy to enjoy reading when we're merely doing it for pleasure. Since madami akong time, pinili kong gamitin yung time na to sa pagbabasa. Less stress, more knowledge, more entertainment, more relaxation.
I'm gonna share about my book collection and five of my favorites:
Book Reviews
1. HARRY POTTER (☆9/10)
I was just a baby
when the first book of Harry Potter was published and released to public.
Moreover, I was only five when its first movie was premiered. I never knew
Harry Potter until 2011, when its last and final movie was aired and everyone I
know got hyped-up about it.
I am more of a book
reader than a movie watcher. When my officemate gave me a copy of Harry Potter
E-book, she encouraged me to read it. So I did. I loved the first book! When
I won a VIP Pass to the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale last February 2020,
I bought a set of it. It has seven books and was published by different
publishers all over the world. Mine was published by Bloomsbury. I got my set
for Php3,900.00, 15% off from its original price in the market.
Harry Potter is an
English half-blood wizard and was the only child of James and Lily Potter. He
grew up in the world of muggles (non-magic folks), unaware of his powers, until
his 11th birthday. He began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy
and was sorted into Gryffindor House where he met his friends Ron and Hermione.
The books showed his journey through the wizarding world and defeat of dark
powers. Teka, bakit ba ini-introduce ko pa, kilala naman ng lahat si Harry Potter?
Anyway, sa haba ba naman ng
lockdown, hindi ko pa ba matatapos yung pitong libro? While writing this
blog, I'm already in the 12th chapter of the 7th book. So far, yung 3rd book ang favorite ko.
I also watched the
movie every after I read the book. But there were some omitted scenes, though not that material to the main twist of the story.
Of course, it's impossible to fit a 600+ paged book in a 2-hour movie, I
understand, but I expected a lot. Hehehehe. It's amazing to see those words
that you read turn into visual characters. But I suggest that you read first
the book before watching the movie. Minsan lang, pag nauuna yung movie, di ko
masyadong naiintindihan dahil ang bibilis nilang magsalita at and arte ng
accent nila. Hehehe.
My review? This is an awesome fantasy. Medyo matagal-tagal siguro bago ako maka-getover dito. Nakakahanga din ang lawak ng isipan ni J.K. Rowling, lalo sa mga characters na binuo nya. Parang at some point in my life, ginusto kong maging isang witch at makapasok din sa Hogwartz. Iniisip ko din na mag-tour sa Japan after this pandemic, bisitahin and Universal Studios doon at magfeeling witch for a day.
2. THE LITTLE PRINCE (☆8/10)
The Little Prince
is an inspirational book in a child's approach. I've read this book more than a
couple of times and it's so good! Hindi ako nagsasawa. The book is just short and concise one, with big
fonts and colorful illustrations. The story opens with a pilot stranded in the
desert and wakes up to find a tiny prince standing before him. I would
recommend this book to people who like adventure stories because the prince
travels to all the different magical places. Everyone
should read it and learn how growing up doesn’t mean forgetting that we were
once kids.
One of my favorite characters in the fox- the way he was spilling wisdom to the prince. The fox is someone we have in our life, someone we love without them asking, but because they are there, making us see the beauty of the world.
3. AT FIRST SIGHT (☆8/10)
I like novels. Pero if you're a Sparks' books' reader, matatanong mo na "hindi ba pwedeng mabuhay naman yung bida sa huli?". But this book has the best twist and good endings sa lahat ng pinatay nya lol (for me ha).
As for the reading experience, there was always something going on to keep you interested. But as soon as you could be happy again it would turn depressing all over again. Sobrang roller-coaster at depressing yung pinagdaanan ng characters, mapapabuntong-hininga ka na lang minsan. Can't give more about the story kasi baka ma-spoil, but this is recommended!
4. ALL YOUR PERFECTS (☆9/10)
Very beautifully written that I ended up shedding a bucket of tears! This book gave me all the feels. Sobrang realistic ng love story, hindi open ang ending, at madami talagang matututunan - not only in handling a relationship but also loving one's self.
The book flips back and forth between the past and the present to understand the characters (Quinn and Graham) and their relationship better. Walang chapter na boring and finishing one chapter would make you eager to read the next one. Worth reading and rereading!
The book flips back and forth between the past and the present to understand the characters (Quinn and Graham) and their relationship better. Walang chapter na boring and finishing one chapter would make you eager to read the next one. Worth reading and rereading!
I got this book from National Bookstore during my birthday. There are a lot of books on sale so I was fortunate enough to score this one for P250.00 only. I'm gonna share below some of the pages from the book na hinighlight ko talaga dahil sobra kong damang-dama!
5. YOU CAN, YOU WILL
The reason why I
put this in the last part of my blog is many people tend to ignore a post about God, faith, or bible. While these things do not interest the many, I
believe that these are still the most relevant and significant.
We all need
encouragement in this life. This book allowed me to
pause and examine my thoughts, words, and actions. We all need someone or something that will
spur us on in the direction of our dreams and goals. That's what I've dedicated this blog to encouraging you and helping you to see yourself the way God sees you
so that you can embrace all that He has for you! This one's a good read, halos i-highligh ko bawat page sa dami ng words of wisdom and quotable quotes.
End of book review.ヅ
Albeit the fake and/ or disheartening news all over the television and/ or social media feed, let's still go back to the Word and rest our hearts on the truths of Jesus. I encourage everyone who might read this to start a habit of reading, kasi very helpful talaga sa panahong ito... para di tayo nabobother or nag-ooverthink about our future. Hehe.
There are other books that I read aside from those that I mentioned above but it will be too many to share them all. I finished writing everything on this blog today, May 5, so here's another entry. Hope you learned something from this post.
Xo,
