My Reading Buffet, or Why I Read More Than Ten Books At A Time

Ten books is an understatement. If I were to trust my Goodreads record I actually have about eighty books on my Currently Reading List. But I want to keep the number to the books I have been actively reading through for the past two weeks.

Reading multiple books naturally slows me down but just to be clear, I do get to finish them. According to my Goodreads record, again, I am 28%, or 11 books, ahead of this year's Reading Challenge.

Books are my therapy. More specifically, owning them, reading them, and highlighting my favorite passages, not to mention copying those passages and using them in my various writings. I read both fiction and non-fiction, popular as well as literary works. I am partial to fantasy and mythologies and books with magic.

But why do I read so many at the same time? Because I get impatient. And I have this irrational need to feel that I am moving along more than one story. Maybe it is a way of filling my near-absent social life, filling in my social calendar with different stories instead of different parties. But I also like pursuing a thread of thought or the urge of a mood as soon as possible. That is the impatience working. The thought or the urge could be triggered by anything. It could be a genuine need for knowledge and information that could be useful for my work. It could be pure whim or curiosity from hearing a book or an author or a subject mentioned in fils, or even another book, that has moved me in some way. Neil Gaiman gets me going on a lot of reading, helping me discovering authors and genres in the process, expanding my reading appreciation. So does Joseph Campbell and Julia Cameron.

I have this strange constant sense of running out of time. As if I am forever cramming for an exam or a graded recitation. I have this constant hunger, every single day, to learn something new or to feed myself new images and words and stories. I can feel that what I read buoy me up and help me survive every endeavor and every encounter. What I read may inspire me, or literally provide me with a nugget of knowledge that will enable me to save the day, or guide me in the decisions I have to make. Books are my lifeline. They anchor me amidst the sea of unpredictability of the everyday. They remind me of my values and set examples by which to conduct my life (Thank you, Jane Austen).

I seek the variety because it makes me feel that I am covering as much ground as I can. Who knows when familiarity with a specific subject might come in handy? I guess I also don't want to be limited to a very narrow range of topics that could severely limit my already challenged conversational skills. I make up for not being updated with current news and events by being well-versed in books. (I avoid the daily news because I avoid all the negativity and anger and vicious circles of blaming.)

I cannot be idle and not read. While I do enjoy the occasional meditative silence of being still, for most of the time I have to have a reading material of substance in my hands. A book or two in my bag plus books loaded in my smartphone and tablet give me the same comfort as a fully-loaded survival kit in a zombie apocalypse.

My reading list covers a wide range. I follow my heart which pages it wishes to explore at any given moment because that is also when I know that I will get the most from a book.

As of today here are what top my active list:

In my Kindle I have:

The Cuckoo's Calling, by Robert Galbraith
The Twenty-Four Hour Mind, by Rosalind Cartwright
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, by Mason Currey
Writing Well, by William Zinsser
Writing To Learn, by Willian Zinsser

I love finding unexpected connections between the books I read, even when they seem so different. The important lessons gets echoed because they are important. And when I badly need some clue, a hint of budge in the right direction, my books often come to the rescue. Or sometimes, a simple line can bring a whole load of comfort when I feel most alone in a dreary endeavor and resolution seems too far away, such as this quote from Kafka:

"...time is short, my strength is limited, the office is a horror, the apartment is noisy, and if a pleasant, straightforward life is not possible then one must try to wriggle through by subtle maneuvers." -- excerpted from Daily Rituals: How Artists Work.

What's on your reading list this week?

what i want

But I have had to do a lot of errands and work even over the weekend. I did manage to read and finish Why We Broke Up (third book from top of pile) but felt so horribly guilty and stressed afterwards because I read instead of working. I hated the feeling.

Hence I worked all Sunday, only pausing to celebrate Father's Day with my family, and I secretly envied everyone I saw in the restaurant and in the mall because they did not have to go home to work.

I was feeling so low that I could not even appreciate the books in the book shops, nor was I in the mood for any indulgent snack. The work kept bouncing around in my head and I was busy convincing myself that I would get it done.

I did buy myself a little something to remind me of why I got myself into this bit of a mess in the first place, and at the same time also to remind me of the resolutions I have come to in the past four days. I dug up an old Evernote post and everything was there, all the answers I have been looking for.

"To be 'on purpose' means you're doing what you love to do, doing what you're good at and accomplishing what's important to you. When you truly are on purpose, the people, resources, and opportunities you need naturally gravitate toward you." (Jack Canfield)

"Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." (Steve Jobs)

My dream of London is as big and as strong as ever. But there are many ways and many paths to get there. It does not have to be a sacrifice, or a costly trade-off of time and passion and joy. The obvious most logical choice does not always mean the only way or the best way. There are off-beaten paths. There are paths behind wardrobes. There are possibilities inside blue boxes.

geek alert

I joined Scribd, which is hailed as a YouTube for Documents. There are catalogs from various book publishers, class lectures, serious papers -- lots of pretty useful stuff if you're doing research or merely curious. I found a paper discussing the shift from Feudalism to Capitalism which I saved for later reading. Don't ask me why. Certain things I just find interesting.

The site also shares book excerpts and I discovered this:

I have to admit, I want it.

Stuff like this interest me. Plus I really really like studying, as long as it's on a subject I like. There is a secret part of me that actually wants to be forever in a university, studying and doing research and writing papers. Spending days in the library. Hanging out in coffee shops and bookstores. Having exciting conversations with fellow learners.

If I could, I would like to go back to college and earn another degree, or two. Maybe I could. I wonder if I will survive the long homework nights as well as I did when I was eighteen. I'll take up Literature, Creative Writing, and Psychology. Then maybe take extra courses on History and Language Studies. All those reading to be done! Perfect excuse to stay curled up with books, paper, and pen for whole days.

The Gifts of 2012

This old year coming to an end has fulfilled its purpose in my life. Today, on its last day, I want to write something for many reasons -- to end this year with awareness instead of just letting it slip by, to have a post to read on the same day next year, to set my mind and my heart for the new year, and most especially to be grateful for the gifts that this year has given me.

I had thought 2011 to be like a dark tunnel as it led to the Rebirth promised by 2012. Little did I realize that the Rebirth was to be accompanied by intense labor pains that came in overwhelming waves. But with every push there was an aspect of myself that breathed into life.

I wrote a novel. That perhaps is the biggest gift I am grateful for. My rebirth as a writer. I won the NaNoWriMo challenge at the first try and have unlocked the rusted gates of my storytelling.

In addition, I have also written more profusely than ever since I lost my muses sometime way back in the early 2000.

I painted and made art more than I have ever painted and made art in that past sixteen years. I have also invested in a watercolor painting and a photography workshop to help with my creativity.

I have finally regained my reading pace (which I also lost sometime in the early 2000) and met my target of finishing 24 books this year. I have even exceeded it and am close to doubling the number.

I have authenticated the relationships in my life ---letting go of those that harm me and those that inhibit my growth. I have made my peace with those worth keeping, and I have begun to be more nurturing of those I wish to keep and evolve. I have also reached out and forged new ones so that I may deepen and expand my own web of kindred spirits. I made choices and I made decisions on whom I want to share my life with.

I have fallen in love, then out, then in again, (all with the same person) which has certainly messed up my heart's landscape like a hurricane. But in the process I learned new lessons that I never managed to learn in my past heart stories. I am officially retired from leaping "bravely" and blindly into voids without nets, because one of the most important lesson I learned is that when it is truly meant to be, I will not be leaping alone (and Gandalf's friendly eagles will be swooping down in perfect timing to catch us). This year ends with me in love and not totally immune to imagining movie-like last-minute declarations of mutual affection.

I have gained clarity on my career and how it must complement my creative life. And making it work is probably the biggest challenge I will face in the coming year. The rebirth it brought me took me back to square one, on a different playing field, but square one nonetheless. I pray for fortitude, and bucketfuls of optimism.

I have achieved a calmness of spirit that I never could before. I will dare and say that I am even finally learning to be truly patient, and sometimes I can't help but think that the moment I grasp this one single lesson of being patient then everything else will fall into place, because all this time it has only been my stubbornness that has been keeping everything on hold. Who knows. I let go and let the Universe weave its magic and I will not utter a single question of "Is it here yet?"

Have I mentioned that I have fallen in love? Oh yes, I have. More than everything else this is the matter that dangles in front of my eyes as the year draws to a close, like a teasing mistletoe hanging in a roomful of couples where I am the only one without a partner, and the clock will soon strike twelve.

I end this post with a poem, in honor of the rebirth of my writer self, in honor of the creative spirit that dwells in me, and in honor of the love that inspired it, written for him who told me something about how love is like a dance between two people. Maybe one day I will know what it exactly means.

Happy New Year Everyone!

writing and music

This is a long overdue post but I have been busy doing something I absolutely love. Writing. Supplemented by lots of reading. More writing.

I have reached the 25,000 words halfway mark ahead of schedule in my NaNoWriMo novel. I have been sleeping between two to four in the morning because I find that I write better during the dark quiet night, with only a single source of light.

Except last Saturday when I slept at four in the morning because I was creating a playlist in my iTunes to provide a music soundtrack for the fluttering agitation that had me trying to write and wringing my hands and standing up suddenly and pacing and sighing oh so many times. I ended up not writing very much at all although I made a playlist and listened to it in loops while staring out the window until I started to feel sleepy at four in the morning.

"Oh you're in my blood like holy wine

You taste so bitter, and so sweet

Oh I could drink a case of you, darling

 Still I'd be on my feet"

~ Case Of You/ Joni Mitchell ~

"Do I love you

Do I hate you

I can't make up my mind

So let's free fall

And see where we land"

~ Where We Land/ Ed Sheeran~

"I'm just dreaming

Counting the ways to where you are"

~ 100 Years/ Five For Fighting~

"Every time you're not around

It doesn't matter

'Cause you're everywhere to me."

~ Everywhere/ Bran Van 3000~

"Ten to one, you're gonna smile when you walk by

Fifty-four to one, you're gonna stop and say hi

Two million to one, you'll be the love of my life

Infinity to one, we're gonna last a life time"

~ Infinity To One/ Jason Reeves~

"Sometimes it stops,

Sometimes it flows,

But baby that is how love goes.

You will fly and you will crawl;

God knows even angels fall.

No such thing as you lost it all.

It's a secret no one tells;

One day it's heaven, one day it's hell.

It's no fairy tale;

Take it from me,

That's the way it's supposed to be."

~ Even Angels Fall/ Jessica Riddle~

"I turned around

And the water was closing all around"

~ Crystal/ Stevie Nicks~

Oh, yes. Gotta weather this particular storm and channel all its excess energy to finishing my novel!

quick shots

I've been busy -- mainly drawing, painting, writing, reading, and today it was working.

My house chores are way behind but I'm pleased with the creative productivity.

The week started well and hopeful.

Latest piece. I have quite a number of drawings waiting for color in line.

Making the wait for a meeting worthwhile with a book. Finished two books this week.

I have a watcher keeping me safe and supervised every day.

books and grandmothers

I went on an short walk yesterday to clear my head and to get some air. I also decided to drop by the warehouse store across the street from my building which sells tons of overruns and other imported bargain items.

There was a section on second-hand books so naturally I browsed patiently as much as I could stand the heat (the warehouse was very poorly air-conditioned). I was rewarded for my efforts with three books at ridiculously low prices.

One was a copy of The Hero Within by Carol S. Pearson, a classic favorite among Jungian enthusiasts (I learned about it when I attended a Jungian Summer Class way back in the late 1990s). It's quite hard to find and when I chanced upon it in a bookstore it cost about Php600. I already have my own copy but I could not let this other copy go. So I bought it and gifted it to my sister who also has an appreciation for mythology and archetypes. It only cost Php69.

The second book is titled Sixteen Pleasures and it's a story set in Italy. I remember that I used to have that very same book many years ago but I never got to read it and then it got sold during a major clutter-clearing phase. It only cost Php59 so I thought of it as a second chance to read the book. I have also been lately gravitating to a lot of Italian (food, books, even the video game I am currently playing is set in Italy!) so I am indulging myself.

The third book is the best of them all at Php45 (that's roughly a dollar). It's a beautiful cookbook with beautiful illustrations on Mexican cooking titled My Abuela's Table.

Abuela means Grandmother. 

This inspired me further to keep on working on my own personal recipe book project where I intend to include my grandmother's own recipe. A few years ago she gave me a notebook where she had handwritten her own recipes for my own use. The notebook itself is falling to pieces so I better rescue the pages!

Have you had any lucky finds lately?

favorite magazines

I am not exactly sure what this will say about me but, in the course of many years these are my favorite magazines these days. I haven't really purchased magazines to read for years, I often just purchase old issues from second-hand bookstores for clipping and collage. When I was much younger I went through the phase of reading Vogue and Cosmopolitan and Glamour, and an occasional InStyle, plus lots and lots of travel magazines that sometimes got me feeling sad and stuck and longing. But lately I'm discovering fresh and interesting reading materials, not to mention very useful tips, tricks, and lessons, in magazines. If ever I did indulge once in a while, I got a National Geographic (yes, it's rather geeky, I've been told).

Thanks to the advent of the iPad and other digital readers, magazines have become more affordable (and more tree-friendly) in digital format. I get mine through Zinio and the Apple Newsstand.

Country Living UK won over House & Garden and Homes & Garden. It's my top favorite now because everything is simply readable and relatable (even if I don't live in the UK and instead live in a tropical third-world country). It's about living with nature and savoring simple joys. I also have a very soft spot for England ever since I was a child, for reasons I could not exactly explain. Maybe I was a princess or a happy peasant there in one of my past lives. I love the section Simple Pleasures : Thing To Make, Cakes To Bake, places To Go, Lessons To Learn. Also the section on Country In The City.

Next I love Saveur. It's a food magazine that is more than just recipes and expensive restaurants. It writes about food culture and history and instead of making me feel how much I'm missing and how out of the cool trendy food loop I am, it makes me feel how rich life is and teaches me to see ordinary food in a fresh light. This magazine is about food and gives delicious food for thought.

Next I love Real Simple because of all the practical and very useful information. And the thing is, whatever they teach is applicable regardless of where I live. Again, like Saveur, it does not make me feel inadequate, instead it empowers me to make the best of what I have. This magazine also deals with real-life daily-life concerns and offers possible paths for resolution.

Next is Mollie Makes. This one makes me dream and drool with all the projects and simply bursts with creative ideas.

Last but not the least I like Better Homes And Gardens. It's like Real Simple with a lot more pictures, and again, the practical applications of the articles are much appreciated.

I look for old issues in second-hand book and magazine shops. Sometimes I like the paper version so I can cut out the pictures I like and use them in my collage art or in my journal as part of my wish list. But seriously, I love the prices of the digital versions. They cost less than half if I bought the paper version brand new.

National Geographic is an established favorite so that one's still around. I alternate between buying digital and paper depending on whether there are nice unfolding maps inside. :D

What are your favorite magazines?

wanting to shop for books so badly

I used to have Amazon deliveries on my doorstep at least once every few months when I used to have a  fat paycheck. In addition to that, I made weekly trips to the local bookstores to browse and more often than not ended up buying a book or two.

The downside was I hardly had enough time to read any of my purchases. To-read books piled up faster than I could actually read them.

These days I get to read a lot. I even have the luxury of re-reading favorite books or revisiting pages to search for that perfect quote to write in my day's journal.

The downside is I read faster than I could get my hands on fresh books and I no longer have the fat paycheck. (No, there are no decent public libraries where I live. If there were, I would have probably set up my own nook in each one a long time ago.)

I also have this rather odd habit of reading multiple books simultaneously within a given period. Right now I believe I am actively reading through about eight to ten books.

I read a variety of books but my current mainstays are literary fiction, books on creativity and writing, books on happiness, books on food and cooking, books on home decoration, young adult fantasy, and the occasional chick lit or mass bestseller.

Here is a baker's dozen list of the top books I want to buy now:



And so I sigh with longing.

day of The Artist's Way

I have started on this book last month and then I had to put it aside for money work.

But today I resumed reading it after savoring the wonderful delightful feeling of completing all the day's chores by 9AM simply because I made myself wake up and get up at 6AM.

So basically I am FINALLY doing something I've been wanting to do for weeks since I put this book aside for money work. (I have also been wanting to play Skyrim for weeks. Maybe I will do that tonight after dinner. We'll see.)

I have read this book way back in the late 90s and I have forgotten most of the wisdom I have gained from it. As I travel through its pages again I could feel my spirit remembering.

"The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention." - Julia Cameron

day 6 : Draw Your Favorite Book

My favorite book is poemcrazy by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge. I got it in May of 1997 and my copy is so yellowed and the pages are starting to get brittle. This book has gotten me through many phases in my life and has certainly gotten me to write countless poems (some of which I hope to self-publish soon). It has kept me sane by helping me contain my insanities. It has nurtured my creative spirit. It has comforted and consoled me in my sad days. And most importantly it has always inspired me to explore my own path  and map my own journey in words.

bits of the new (and re-newed) in my daily life

I'm training myself to sleep early and wake up early. I am also trying to complete 8 hours of sleep so I would not feel so easily tired and always craving for a nap in the middle of the day. My sleep patterns, according to the Sleep Cycle app, leave much to be desired. I find it very difficult to fall asleep and I keep on waking up at 2-3AM regardless of what time I went to sleep. This is one of the better nights:

But in the past few days I have been already able to get up at 6am from a routine of getting up at 8-9am. Next target is to get up at 5am.

I now swim everyday. Except when the pool is being cleaned or when there are noisy rowdy kids in the pool. I like swimming in the very early morning, right before breakfast, around 7:30 or 8AM. By that time I would have had my first cup of coffee, written my morning pages, cleared the work email inbox, reviewed my to-do list, made up the bed, fed the cat, and gotten the breakfast food ready for cooking.

I stay in the water for 30-45 minutes. I do laps until I'm out of breath and my arms are aching. I also do some yoga poses in the water -- standing poses in the middle of the pool and some sitting poses by the stairs of the pool. I use the fountain faucets as water massage on my back and shoulders.

I eat a full breakfast almost everyday now. Since I wake up early I do not feel the need to rush. I also try to eat fruit as often as I can. Fresh fruits are bit expensive but I get lucky sometimes and find fresh fruit packs at a discount or like the other day, a friend sent me a bagful of fresh sweet mangoes in season.

I go out of my way to buy and include vegetables in every meal. I love vegetables. But they wilt and spoil quickly and making frequent trips to the store is not efficient either. However, the fresher the vegetables, the longer time they will keep. So now I make a special trip once a week to another, farther, supermarket that sells much fresher vegetables and even offers organic vegetables. I turn the long walk into an exercise and also a chance to do a walking meditation.

my quick-to-prepare chicken and vegetable noodle stir-fry

I use public transport or walk whenever I can to save on gas. I also save on parking fees.

I have further distilled my possessions down to the essential. Even my home decor is down to the essential -- I only kept those that really make me happy and that really mean so much to me. I have put out for selling a good portion of my stuff -- anything that I am ambivalent about, haven't used for months, forgotten, postponed/ put aside too many times, all the extra extras and just-in-cases that escaped previous de-clutterings. Since I have become clear on what I exactly want I will also be less susceptible to impulse purchases and the lure of retail therapy.

I have reduced my entertainment collection (movie, anime and TV series DVDs, music CDs, and video games) to these two Muji towers. Before there used to be an equivalent of about double that. I expect to reduce that collection further.

I clean and clear as I go all the time. Even when I am very tired especially in the evenings. The kitchen has to be clean. The dishes have to be washed. Everything must be put away in their proper places. Believe me, the joy in the morning when you are greeted by a bright clean home!

I make time to read everyday. I love books. I have always had a passion for reading and gaining all those tidbits of trivia and knowledge that eventually become contextual reference points for various situations in real life later on. My weird habit is to read multiple books at the same time. Don't ask me how I can keep up with all the plots and stories, I just do. This week I added a few more to my current reading list and I am absolutely happy about it. I used to put off reading because of work. Now I give time to reading, not just work.

I make time to write everyday. In addition to my morning pages, I scribble into my notebook or type into my Evernote all my thoughts and ideas and feelings. Later on I process some of them to see if anything needs to be resolved. Ideas are weighed and stored in a file where it will be used, not forgotten. Writing is very cathartic for me and my one ultimate dream job is to be a writer. So if I will somehow make that dream come true in some way I guess I should get as much practice as I can. Like reading, I used to put off writing for doing work. Now I use my work as an excuse to do more writing. I brainstorm with myself by writing. I thresh out ideas in writing. When I started writing more I noticed that it became easier to handle stress. When I am starting to feel stressed (I get stressed so easily!) I start to write. Sometimes writing a blog post helps calm me down. Like right now.

I now have a stricter work schedule. Being clear with where I want to take my life (that will be shared in the next few posts), I make sure that the work I do in the meantime does not overwhelm nor take more than its share of fair time and effort for each day. So I have allotted time for work in the early morning until 3PM only. If there is a need to do "overtime" work then I extend until 5PM. This means that future projects will have to take this into consideration. With this strict schedule and a clearer image in my head of the boundaries of work in my day, I have also succeeded in controlling my procrastination to a much, much better degree.

These are just some that are more firmly in place. They were much easier to do when I became clear with my life goals because every little bit of these daily habits contribute to the bigger goals. As I recalibrate my day-to-day I am able to comprehend better how the little things matter and I also learn to be more patient while trusting that all the effort will amount to something significant.

What new habits are you trying to learn?

syrupy slow

That is how today is. The day is bright and hot. The air is thick with heat and humidity. I managed to finish a number of to-dos in the morning (except for swimming because the pool was scheduled to be cleaned today), But after lunch I was caught up in a languid spiral towards sleep. I was seeing dream-images even before my eyes were fully closed or even before I could fully rest my head.

I woke up half an hour later, still heavy with sleep but starting to recover some sense of reality. I was thirsty, as if I've trekked through a desert, although my dreams were mostly about running around a small office that looked like a cliche from the 70s. I gulped down a glass of cold water, then I settled by the window with two fresh cold oranges (bought already peeled at a discount -- it's the supermarket's way of selling fresh fruits that only have a few days left in them).

the cold sweet-tangy juice burst into my mouth as i bite. cold pulp bits soothe my tongue and throat. orange scent mist around my face.

When the oranges were gone I made myself finish up the chores so I would have absolutely nothing to do until dinner.

As for work, I still have one more document to finish but I made a firm decision to finish it early tomorrow morning. The heat would not let me work in peace. And the sun kept on shimmering outside, distracting me. So rather than trap myself in front of the laptop for the rest of the beautiful day trying to complete a document that my mind could not focus on, I decided to let it rest. Looking at my to-do-list, I have about 2/3 done. The rest are due for this evening, and a couple have been bumped forward to tomorrow.

After this post I will lose myself in my books. Somehow I find myself in a very intense reading mode. I actually want to just read for days, only pausing to eat, swim, bathe, and maybe a little sleep. In the daytime I want to be by the open window, reading, with endless cups of coffee alternating with endless glasses of ice-cold fruit juice. In the nighttime I want to be in bed, my feet cushioned in a blanket, my back and head propped up by pillows, reading, while very soft music faintly plays beneath the silence of the night (maybe the soundtrack from the likes of Il Postino and Chocolat).

I want more oranges.

dressed up and went on a mini-date

Just a date with myself and a meet-up with a good friend whom I haven't seen for a while. He is the same friend who sells books and high-quality notebooks for a living and I have known him for more than a decade! He has supplied my personal library through all those years as well as fed my fondness for Moleskine. (Do check out his online shop and blog at http://www.avalon.ph)

So first, I went to see my friend and in the process discovered a new yogurt/donut/coffee place that looks good enough for a second visit. The place is called J. Co and it's from Indonesia. I got a single-serve yogurt with fresh strawberries and it's pretty good. I will definitely return for a bigger serving!

Meanwhile, this is what my bookseller friend had for me:

We had a good chat and updated each other on business and books and also promised to meet up again soon.

I went back into the mall and deliberated on where to have a late lunch (it was 1:30pm by then). I felt like eating in a nice place as some sort of treat but then I thought, what if I opted for a cheaper lunch and use the extra money to buy myself something I could actually take home and keep? So I went to have chicken and salad at KFC while reading Jack Canfield's Success Principles -- yes, feeding the body and the mind and the spirit all at the same time! I had a few epiphanies and made a mental note to write in my journal when I get back home (which is what I will do next after this blog entry).

Next I went to get a fresh stock of contact lenses as I am on my last pair. I had to go through three stores before I found one carrying my brand and grade.

Then I went to a bookstore.

I haven't browsed in a bookstore for a seriously long time. Lately I've just been limited to browsing in Amazon and downloading samples. But despite my love for trees and desire to save paper, sometimes I just simply crave the feel of a solid book in my hands and the smell of printing ink. Before there were all these sites that give you recommendations and reviews, I relied on my good ol' instinct in picking out good reads. First a cover catches me, then the title would either dissuade or persuade me to pick the book and read through the summary at the back cover. Then I check the price if it's reasonable given what it promises. Favorite authors get extra points, or those associated with favorite authors. If the book is not sealed, I check the feel of the paper and the font and the layout of the text. I also scan through a few sentences to see if the writing echoes with me. If the book is sealed then I rely on gut-feel. I have rarely been disappointed. I believe I have this certain affinity with books and they speak to me.

So after a very long time of just buying Kindle books, I bought these through the old ways:

I'm a bit of a fairy tale fan and if you add Neil Gaiman to the mix then I'm pretty much sold. This book literally presented itself to my face as I rounded a corner to a shelf. It was not even in the proper section. It's like it schemed to be there to be seen by me. It was the only copy too.

I love discovering new authors to read and these two are new to me. I was also drawn to the exoticness of the settings and the stories. And of course, both have the fairy tale aspect going for them.

And the best part of it all -- the bookstore was having some sort of summer book sale so I got everything at a discount!

Yes, I am pretty happy with my loot. I have made up my mind to sell a few books from my library to make space for the new. So I have also convinced myself that buying these new books will be paid for by the old books. *grin*

Happy Easter everyone!

truly nesting in

My back has been aching since yesterday. I must have strained it with three whole days spent redecorating and painting and walking long hours through shops looking for ideas and materials.

So today I decided to stay home and take it a bit easy. I was planning to start on painting my wall but I didn't want to make my backache worse. Hence after doing half an hour of yoga for back pain, I contented myself with painting smaller objects. I also got a start on fixing my kitchen cabinets and making sure that there are no old useless stuff to carry on to the new year.

My home is starting to look and feel bright. It is no longer just a waiting place, or a transition place. Regardless of how my life turns out this will be my little refuge. A place and space for creativity and comfort.

A definite good morning as the morning mail brought my Mod Podge order from Deovir.

It's orange day today. I got this pretty shade called Tiger Lily from Ace Hardware. 

This metal lamp got a bit of extra after the paint. Glittery jewels in the middle of the biggest flowers to add a bit of something.

My entrance table gets a brightening up as well so it does not melt into the shadows and the somber gray of the refrigerator (which it is actually trying to distract from).

The refrigerator gets clothed in bright stripes to complement the entrance table. Mr. Pebbleman is assigned the welcoming role.

Whole waiting for the paints to dry I started fixing my kitchen cabinets. I need to get more of those shelf helpers that let me maximize my shelf space by adding second layers. The mason jars at the top shelf are joyful finds and will be used for projects as well as some food preserves.

The mason jar box became the Mogget box.

That's pretty much what I got to do today with my back feeling bruised and beaten. I took a lot of breaks during which I read The Perfectly Imperfect Home -- a perfect match for my current activity. This book is one of my Christmas gifts to myself. I also read from Alphabet of Thorn, a fantasy book I purchased for my iPad Kindle. It's been a while since I got caught up in a magical story, I didn't realize I missed it so much.

Only two more days until the new year. I should get started on my new year lists! Maybe I'll put that on my to-do for tomorrow. Until then, savor whatever is left of this old year! Tweet