**this is my entry for Ms. Zara Gagatiga's Teen Read Week feature, I was invited as one of her guest bloggers
1. The Little Prince -- I really got curious about this book not because of the title but because of the author, I really didn't know how to pronounce his last name! That's why I tried to read the book, and then I realized that, oh!, I'm nearly done and I enjoyed the story. Fantastic. Profound. Antoine de Saint-Exupery really had me going not just because of his last name but because of his captivating way in writing the story.
2. The Da Vinci Code -- yes, I am still young and I was like 18 when I read this phenomenal book. Shocking. Intriguing. Revealing. If you don't have a strong foundation on your belief (and some ounces of sweat for researching), you might as well be convinced, that somehow, these revelations might have really happened or might have truth in them. I give three cheers for Dan Brown for creating this fictional book which stirred the confidence of the "Christian" world.
6. Alamat ng Gubat -- Got curious because my high school classmates were all passing it around. Thought it was just some graphic novel book by Bob Ong, where a naughty crab was the main protagonist. But I was wrong, it was totally a book of social relevance once you tried reading between the lines. Since then, I read all the other books written by Bob Ong.
10. Harry Potter series -- One word: FANTASTIC! I hate that it is being compared to the Twilight series. HP is legendary. The plot thickens along the way. The struggles become harder and tougher but in the end, our victor would still emerge, of course, victorious! It's children's literature for the whole family. Now, I am re-reading the whole series and I really want more!
3. Ang pambihirang buhok ni raquel
4. Half and Half
5. Tight times
6. The yellow paperclip and it's bright purple spots
7. bruhahaha - bruhihihi
8. filemon mamon
9. barumbadong bus
10. bisikleta ni mon mon
11. pilandok series
DISCLAIMER: all pictures were lifted from Amazon.com and Google
I used to love these books. Some of them were suggested by my friends, some are of sentimental values, while some are just pieces to satisfy my curiosity.
2. The Da Vinci Code -- yes, I am still young and I was like 18 when I read this phenomenal book. Shocking. Intriguing. Revealing. If you don't have a strong foundation on your belief (and some ounces of sweat for researching), you might as well be convinced, that somehow, these revelations might have really happened or might have truth in them. I give three cheers for Dan Brown for creating this fictional book which stirred the confidence of the "Christian" world.
3. The Five People You Meet in Heaven -- This was the first book I bought from my first attendance in the Manila International Book Fair (2005). Very inspirational. Once my mom was shocked when she saw me reading this book because of the title. She thought that it was all about deaths, killings, and the likes. But then, the young reader I was, I eventually convinced her to try reading it, and she told me that she cried after reading it.
4. Tuesdays with Morrie -- Yet another inspirational book by Mitch Albom. As my college classmates and I were having some small chats on the book that we were reading that time, some of them highly suggested that I should give this one a shot. Nevertheless, I loved this book. Read this for four times and it never failed to make me pour buckets. I guess this is also one of my inspirations why I love being a teacher-librarian.
5. Pride and Prejudice -- My college bestfriend, Ella, loves the classics. So, I thought, what's with them and what makes you hooked with them? They're boring and too dragging. She lent me one of her books, I tried Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and I was proved otherwise. I loved the Bennet sisters ever since. Then came the movie with Kiera Knightly and the rest is history. Now, I am trying to read the new edition, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"
6. Alamat ng Gubat -- Got curious because my high school classmates were all passing it around. Thought it was just some graphic novel book by Bob Ong, where a naughty crab was the main protagonist. But I was wrong, it was totally a book of social relevance once you tried reading between the lines. Since then, I read all the other books written by Bob Ong. 
7. Love Story/ Oliver's Story -- My former housemate, Nomer, is a fan of Erich Segal books. Those were the "hell week" times that I asked him if he could give me some diversions from my acads and he suggested that I read books by Erich Segal. I picked the thinnest book, Love Story, among his collections. And Viola! I was hooked. The story is not your typical love story and what makes it more fun is the wit of the characters, Jenny and Oliver. Then, of course, I was also hooked with the sequel, Oliver's Story. This made me realize that love after all is not just all about love.
8. Acts of Faith -- The Trinoma Mall in Quezon City was still newly established then, and the Powerbooks store there was the place where I munched this book. Everytime I'd go to that store, I would really look for this particular title and continue reading it until I'm finally done. I finished this book for about five times of visiting the store within one week. This is another book by Erich Segal where love dared to transcend even the extremes of the opposites.
9. Catcher in the Rye/ To Kill a Mockingbird -- In my freshman year, I was assigned to do a report on censorship in the library. While researching for my topic, I stumbled upon these two titles which were deemed censored. So the curious cat in me wondered why. Nomer, once again, lent me his Catcher while another friend of mine, Gel, let me borrow To Kill in exchange of my Da Vinci. Both books were profoundly written. I guess that's why they're censored. Hehe. Kidding aside, Catcher has some tinge of racism in it while To Kill has
aspects of violence which I guess are not suitable for the target market, Juveniles.
aspects of violence which I guess are not suitable for the target market, Juveniles.
10. Harry Potter series -- One word: FANTASTIC! I hate that it is being compared to the Twilight series. HP is legendary. The plot thickens along the way. The struggles become harder and tougher but in the end, our victor would still emerge, of course, victorious! It's children's literature for the whole family. Now, I am re-reading the whole series and I really want more!
May I also suggest some of the books that I love to read in my post-teenager years? Here are some:
1. Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins -- never thought I'd love this series. I want more!
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan -- who wouldn't want to be a demi-god/goddess?
3. Geronimo Stilton series by Geronimo Stilton -- Yeah, blame it on my babies! They love the series and I got infected. The humor is infectious and the lessons as well as guide in good writing is incomparable
3. Geronimo Stilton series by Geronimo Stilton -- Yeah, blame it on my babies! They love the series and I got infected. The humor is infectious and the lessons as well as guide in good writing is incomparable
4. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman -- The first movie, Golden Compass might not have given it a good justification but the series is really good.
5. Lord of the Rings trilogy -- I started reading it when I was 20, not a teenager anymore. :P Epic saga. Very nice.
5. Lord of the Rings trilogy -- I started reading it when I was 20, not a teenager anymore. :P Epic saga. Very nice.
6. Books by Eric Carle -- yeah, I'm going back to my childhood years
7. Books by Dr. Seuss
8. The Polar Express -- Can't help but cry everytime I read this. Very touching.
9. Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull -- fairies, nyphs, satyrs and every magical creatures
9. Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull -- fairies, nyphs, satyrs and every magical creatures
10. Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi
I also hope that we read more Filipiniana books and enrich our Filipiniana literature by contributing more creative Filipino stories. Such creative books are:
1. Tuwing Sabado
2. Asan na ang sundo ko3. Ang pambihirang buhok ni raquel
4. Half and Half
5. Tight times
6. The yellow paperclip and it's bright purple spots
7. bruhahaha - bruhihihi
8. filemon mamon
9. barumbadong bus
10. bisikleta ni mon mon
11. pilandok series
I hope that as you read this article, you are now considering to try to read at least one of the titles. Or any titles for all I care, just so as long as you keep reading, you love learning and you never stop sharing what you've learned to the world. Start with one page at a time, and soon you'll find out that there really is no harm in reading.
DISCLAIMER: all pictures were lifted from Amazon.com and Google
October 20, 2010 at 11:29 PM
Hi Darrel, this is an awesome page! Hope to read more of your entries. =)
October 21, 2010 at 8:09 AM
Thank you Ms. Ann! More entries to come! :D