Pao has been complaining (okay, not exactly) about my relentless book buying. The last time I had a fit, I bought three books including Michael Chabon’s Maps and Legends, a book that I have been lusting for since Michael Chabon’s appearance at The Simpsons and upon seeing how gorgeous the book jacket is! Pao asked me if I’ve read any of the books that I acquired during the past few months. And I told him the truth: only a handful. True, among my purchases over the last few months (say July to January), I only recall reading The Graveyard Book and….and….Gah, yeah, The Graveyard Book. Shit, Trese pa pala! So, in order to fully maximize my free time (like I said, unemployment has its perks) and reduce the vast number of unread books in my pile, Pao has issued a moratorium (I gues he got the idea after reading Jessica Zafra’s column about unread books): No book buying until I finish FIVE books. The moratorium has been in full effect for the past few weeks and it has actually helped me budget my money and I was finally able to rediscover the joy of reading. So in order to start the shindig right, I listed five books that I intend to finish reading within two weeks: The Reader - Bernard Schlink - It’s a somber book but once the emotions get going, it’s hard not to be swept away. Riding the Iron Rooster - Paul Theroux - The awesomest travel writer chronicles his journey from London to China. Maps and Legends - Michael Chabon - ‘Chabooon!’ A Different Voice: Fiction by Young Filipino Writers - edited by Vincent Groyon - The country’s PYTs in the field of literature. Check out Douglas Candano’s darkly mesmerizing ‘A Reply to a Query’ Storm Front - Jim Butcher - Dresden Files #1. Will hunt for a DVD after reading. And so, one breezy Sunday afternoon, I picked up Schlink’s novel (I saw the film first. Come on dude, it’s Kate Winslet) and finished it within a couple of hours (naks!). Maybe it’s because I’m already familiar with the story. But maybe, it’s because of the fact that Schlink’s writing is actually fuss free but captivating at the same time. It actually reminded me of one of my favorite books, Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Like Atonement, The Reader is brimming with passion albeit a different kind. Michael Berg’s love (fixatoin or whatever) for Frau Schmitz is burbling under the somber narrative. Schlink doesn’t pepper his prose with flowery words to depict the emotions of his characters. I didn’t really read the book (or watched the film) because of its Holocaust and moral underpinnings. I saw The Reader as an invitation to the fantastic world of literature and art. And it is exactly what you need after a long time of putting off novels and settling for ADD-kids approved TV series and indie rawk (but don’t get me wrong, I love my indie rawk). It reels you in. Sometimes I find myself reading the passages out loud, to no one in particular, just to see how it feels and how the words and emotions would unfurl. I also recommend reading the novel while listening to Nico Mulhy’s terrific score. Like the book, Muhly’s score is understated yet, it hits the finer points of the film and aptly laces the dull parts of the film making it seem more than it really is.

Pao has been complaining (okay, not exactly) about my relentless book buying. The last time I had a fit, I bought three books including Michael Chabon’s Maps and Legends, a book that I have been lusting for since Michael Chabon’s appearance at The Simpsons and upon seeing how gorgeous the book jacket is!

Pao asked me if I’ve read any of the books that I acquired during the past few months. And I told him the truth: only a handful. True, among my purchases over the last few months (say July to January), I only recall reading The Graveyard Book and….and….Gah, yeah, The Graveyard Book. Shit, Trese pa pala!

So, in order to fully maximize my free time (like I said, unemployment has its perks) and reduce the vast number of unread books in my pile, Pao has issued a moratorium (I gues he got the idea after reading Jessica Zafra’s column about unread books): No book buying until I finish FIVE books.

The moratorium has been in full effect for the past few weeks and it has actually helped me budget my money and I was finally able to rediscover the joy of reading. So in order to start the shindig right, I listed five books that I intend to finish reading within two weeks:

  • The Reader - Bernard Schlink - It’s a somber book but once the emotions get going, it’s hard not to be swept away.
  • Riding the Iron Rooster - Paul Theroux - The awesomest travel writer chronicles his journey from London to China.
  • Maps and Legends - Michael Chabon - ‘Chabooon!’
  • A Different Voice: Fiction by Young Filipino Writers - edited by Vincent Groyon - The country’s PYTs in the field of literature. Check out Douglas Candano’s darkly mesmerizing ‘A Reply to a Query’
  • Storm Front - Jim Butcher - Dresden Files #1. Will hunt for a DVD after reading.

And so, one breezy Sunday afternoon, I picked up Schlink’s novel (I saw the film first. Come on dude, it’s Kate Winslet) and finished it within a couple of hours (naks!). Maybe it’s because I’m already familiar with the story. But maybe, it’s because of the fact that Schlink’s writing is actually fuss free but captivating at the same time.

It actually reminded me of one of my favorite books, Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Like Atonement, The Reader is brimming with passion albeit a different kind. Michael Berg’s love (fixatoin or whatever) for Frau Schmitz is burbling under the somber narrative. Schlink doesn’t pepper his prose with flowery words to depict the emotions of his characters.

I didn’t really read the book (or watched the film) because of its Holocaust and moral underpinnings. I saw The Reader as an invitation to the fantastic world of literature and art. And it is exactly what you need after a long time of putting off novels and settling for ADD-kids approved TV series and indie rawk (but don’t get me wrong, I love my indie rawk). It reels you in. Sometimes I find myself reading the passages out loud, to no one in particular, just to see how it feels and how the words and emotions would unfurl.

I also recommend reading the novel while listening to Nico Mulhy’s terrific score. Like the book, Muhly’s score is understated yet, it hits the finer points of the film and aptly laces the dull parts of the film making it seem more than it really is.