1. "Paul of Dune" - Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson
Details:
First book in the interquel trilogy to the acclaimed "Dune" series by the late Frank Herbert; written by his son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
Comment:
I thought this was the Dune novel Nang Miloy told me about that cost PhP 99.00 at National Bookstore. It actually cost me PhP 70.00 at NB in Gaisano City. What Nang Miloy told me about was actually at NB in SM and titled "The Winds of Dune. Good thing, I managed to hunt the book down in time before anybody else bought it.
Content-wise (and basing from Anna Marie's comments on Brian Herbert), "Paul of Dune" lacks this so-called 'umph'-factor compared to the original Dune by Frank Herbert himself, perhaps due to the younger Herbert's derivation from his father's works. It seems like a mere "filler" story, considering its being an interquel.
Status: Tapos ko na basa 1x; ginpahulam ko kay Nang Miloy
Trivia: Nong Mike D. and Anna Marie M. introduced me to this acclaimed series.
2. "Ang Huling Dalagang Bukid at Ang Authobiography na Mali - Isang Imbestigasyon" - Jun Cruz Reyes
Details:
(from the back cover)
Ano na ang lenggwahe ng unconscious mind at sindak? Ano ang nasa pagitan ng totoo at ng fiction? Paano paghahaluin ang personal at ang lipunan? Paano isusulat ang ngayon sa nobelang nasa isip? Hinahagilap ng akdang ito ang sagot. May kabuluhan pa ba ang mga kategorya? Para kanino?
... hindi mapapatawad na anomalya itong pinakabagong akda ni Jun Cruz Reyes. Kung wika ang batayang materyal sa paglikha ng akdang pampanitikan, paano maituturing na "pampanitikan" ang akda na ang wikang ginamit ay angkop lamang sa "borador" or "rough draft"? ... Sa madaling sabi, burara.
Comment:
Jun Cruz Reyes does prove his caliber as a writer, through his wordplay, flow of ideas, and arrangement of narrative, as well as his frankness and depth. I suppose he should take a break every now and then from his writing to accommodate his desire to more artistic pursuits, like pointilism drawing perhaps (as shown by the book cover which he drew himself).
I hope he won't mind if I underline striking statements and quotes straight from the pages of this acclaimed (award-winning and recognized) author's recent masterpiece.
Status: In the midst of my second reading of this, ginpahulam ko kay Nang Miloy. I wonder kon ginabasa n'ya man 'ni?
Trivia: I've had the privilege of meeting the author in a classroom discussion during CEGP's National Student Press Conference back in 2007. A very humble but profound guy, that chap is, despite his Palancas and other awards.
3. "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" - Robert Fulghum
Details: (from the intro and back cover)
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:
- Share everything.
- Play fair.
- Don't hit people.
- Put things back where you found them.
- Clean up your own mess.
- Don't take things that aren't yours.
- Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
- Wash your hands before you eat.
- Flush.
- Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
- Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
- Take a nap every afternoon.
- When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
- Be aware of wonder.
- Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
- Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
- And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
Comment:
Simple yet profound. Every anecdote/essay is easy to read but filled with depth. Has a certain amount of nostalgia and light-hearted humor.
Status: Ginhulam ko kay Miss Olive (my English teacher in college) and returned it to her after reading it entirely once.
Trivia: This author and his work/s allegedly inspired the writing of another author (a Filipino) who also has nostalgia, humor, easy-reading, and depth. That author's identity? Roberto "Bob" Ong. Hmm... Robert Fulghum, Roberto Ong... something smells fishy, but in a pleasant way... :3
4. "The Sulu Zone, 1768-1898" - James F. Warren
Details:
The Dynamics of External Trade, Slavery, and Ethnicity in the Transformation of a Southeast Asian Maritime State.
Comments
I find this book very interesting, although frankly, waay ko pa siya nabasa. Waay pa ko time. :((
Status: Contents still untouched.
Trivia: Hatag ni sa akon sang akon Social Science nga maestro. TY, Sir Jude! :D
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Good luck, godspeed, God bless!
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