j a n s e n. i. s. m.

Books are good companion, they are quite dependable on days when I feel like I have no one to talk to and nothing to do. When I was around 5 or 6 years old, my Ate Irma (my older cousin who raised me most of my childhood) took me to a bookstore and that was the oldest memory I could recall being surrounded with lots of books. I didn’t grew up in a well-off family, we didn’t have a library section at home or own an encyclopedia volume.  The only books I see in the house growing up are my textbooks and those of my older brother, Russel.

The first book given to me as a gift was in high school. Miraquel gave it to me, we were such Charmed TV series fans then along with Romeo. Prue (Mira’s adopted name to us) gave me a copy of the very first Charmed pocketbook and even included a warm dedication at the back page. I have collected about a dozen Charmed pocketbooks since then and I still have them now.

Sarita, my good and generous friend since college has given me several books already. She’s probably my only friend who generously supports my reading hobby. She even gave me a bookmark string that has a “J” initial in it, that came along with a language reference book called “Literally The Best Language Book Ever” which I requested her to bring me as pasalubong all the way from B&N in US.

In the recent months, here are the favorite books I have read with a short personal review, my favorite lines and a brief background on how i met the book.

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Twilight Stephenie Meyer

“When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it’s not reasonable to grieve when it comes to a end.”

At 24, I am probably not too young anymore to read a book about an ordinary high school student human that has a vampire lover and a werewolf best friend. But on second thought, reading this book is better than reading Harry Potter. I am fascinated with vampire stories in general and Interview with the Vampire is one of my favorite movies. So since Twilight is set in modern day with young characters in it and the element of romance and conflict, I just have to get this book.

This is an easy read considering the effective writing style of Stephenie Meyer. It is written in Bella Swan’s (lead character) point of view, which will make you feel as if it’s you experiencing what she’s going through.

I have finished reading the first two books already (Twilight and New Moon) and I have yet to pick up a paperback version of the third installment, Eclipse which is currently out of stock in bookstores locally since the recent release of the final book, Breaking Dawn. There’s a Twilight movie adaptation soon to hit theaters in November and I will definitely one of those in line to watch it.

Running with Scissors Augusten Burroughs

“Leaving the most awful and curious itch that I couldn’t scratch” (Augusten when his lover Bookman left)

I found a pirated DVD lying around the house one late morning in the Canaria residence. Popped it on the player and selected Running With Scissors from the compilation. I knew Patrick Wilson and Gwyneth Paltrow play minor roles in this film, these are the only two reasons I got to watch this I thought. Soon, I discovered a deeper reason to be touched by this movie. It’s the very reason I had to search bookstores and lay hands on the book because oftentimes, the movie adaptation of a book just leaves you with questions.

In a nutshell,  it’s a real story of the author as a young “man” who was given up by her psychotic mother for adoption to her own psychiatrist. How Augusten is able to struggle with familial issue both of his own family and then the adopted family which was just as complicated as the previous. Reading this made me laugh, sad, and more curious. In the end, I realize that this memoir reminded me that no matter how difficult the situation can be, somehow one can make it, achieve his dream after all. Burroughs just earned a spot on my favorite author list and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books which unfortunately not all are not available locally.

Three Weeks with My Brother Nicholas and Micah Sparks

“What you want and what you get are usually two entirely different things.” (Jill Sparks, authors’s mother)

Nicholas Sparks has been known to be an excellent romance/tearjerker novel writer. I have read some of his books, Message in a Bottle, True Believer and enjoyed the movie adaptation of his works– A Walk to Remember and The Notebook. This book though (which I picked up in National bookstore just last week at 40% discount)so I”m not yet done reading) is a departure from his usual masterpieces. It’s a memoir on his three week sojourn around the world and he co-wrote this with his older brother Micah. What’s nice about this book is (1) it’s a memoir, a look at the life of Nicholas himself and not just a portion of him he shares in the fictional characters of his novels (2) it’s a sorta travel journal which documents his close relationship with Micah as they explore different cultures around the world.

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So what was the last book you have read? Feel free to share your comments.