Living with the Enemy: A Diary of the Japanese Occupation by Pacita Pestano-Jacinto

NOTE: November is National Reading Month here in the Philippines; and in order to commemorate this great and enjoyable pastime, I've decided to showcase book reviews, and other related items, this whole month.  We'll return to my regular hodge podge of post-able topics after.  So sit back, relax, and let the reviews begin!  J
  
One of the best things about attending the yearly Manila International Book Fair is the presence of all the local publishing houses in the country in one convenient venue.  I have to admit, it is most probably the only time I get to buy books from local authors since I'm much more exposed to foreign writers for most of the year (shameful, I know).

However, between the Madir and I, it's usually her who purchases from local authors more frequently than me.  And it was during the recently concluded MIBF that she was able to obtain a copy of Ms. Pacita Pestano-Jacinto's Living with the Enemy: A Diary of the Japanese Occupation.

Living with the Enemy: A Diary of the Japanese Occupation by Pacita Pestano-Jacinto

A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay

NOTE: November is National Reading Month here in the Philippines; and in order to commemorate this great and enjoyable past time, I've decided to showcase book reviews, and other related items, this whole month.  We'll return to my regular hodge podge of post-able topics after.  So sit back, relax, and let the reviews begin!  J


In A Secret Kept, Antoine Rey, a divorcee with kids, plans a special birthday surprise for his sister Melanie -- a trip to an old resort they used to frequent when they were children.  Everything goes well, until during the drive home, Melanie suddenly remembers a disturbing incident that she witnessed the last time they were at the resort (the last time they were there before their mother's untimely death).  A memory so surprising, she loses control of the car and they meet an accident on the road.

While recovering, Antoine tries to piece together the events of their childhood, trying to solve the mystery of their mother while at the same time, he questions his life and whether he really knows and understands the people in his life.  (Read the full summary at Amazon.com)

SOURCE: Amazon.com

Of Pride & Prejudice Imagined Sequels and Spin-Offs

NOTE: November is National Reading Month here in the Philippines; and in order to commemorate this great and enjoyable past time, I've decided to showcase book reviews, and other related items, this whole month.  We'll return to my regular hodgepodge of post-able topics after.  So sit back, relax, and let the reviews begin!  J

Back in 2008, I was fortunate enough to have been loaned a copy of 2005's Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightly and the gorgeous Matthew Macfadyen (yes, I was a little late in catching the film.  Working and studying at the same time could really kill your leisure hours, believe me.  Hehehe!  J).

SOURCE: IMDb.com

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

NOTE: November is National Reading Month here in the Philippines; and in order to commemorate this great and enjoyable pastime, I've decided to showcase book reviews, and other related items, this whole month.  We'll return to my regular hodge podge of post-able topics after.  So sit back, relax, and let the reviews begin!  J
  
I collect Kate Morton books.  And that's saying a lot because even though I am a self-confessed voracious reader, I usually do not follow a particular author, preferring instead to purchase novels based on the content rather than the writer.   But with this particular scribe, I make an exception.  Simply put, her stories move me.  They make me think and engage me to the point that I lose track of time and find difficulty putting book down until I reach the final page.

And her fourth novel, The Secret Keeper, did not dissappoint.

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

Ways to Donate to the Philippine Red Cross

Super typhoons, massive earthquakes, and other natural calamities.  The Philippines and us, its people, have witness and experienced our fair share.  But what keeps everyone going is the generosity of those unaffected and lucky enough to have been spared.

So please, let's us all help by donating our extras and whatever little financial assistance we can spare for those who have been affected by Yolanda.

(Taken from The Philippine Red Cross website)

• Please send cash or check donations to the PRC National Headquarters in Manila. Checks should be made payable to The Philippine Red Cross. They can also arrange for donation pick-up. 
• They now also accept cash donations for the Philippine Red Cross at any 7-11 store or Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop nationwide.
• For bank deposit, you can deposit money to any one of the following TPRC accounts:

Banco De Oro
Peso: 00-453-0018647
Dollar: 10-453-0039482

Metrobank
Peso: 151-3-041631228
Dollar: 151-2-15100218-2

Philippine National Bank
Peso: 3752 8350 0034
Dollar: 3752 8350 0042

Unionbank of the Philippines
Peso: 1015 4000 0201
Dollar: 1315 4000 0090

All Check/Cash for the account of Philippine Red Cross (Swift Codes)
Banco De Oro
BNORPHMM

Bank of the Philippine Islands
BOPIPHMM

Metrobank
MBTCPHMM

Philippine National Bank
-PNBMPHMM

Unionbank of the Philippines
-UBPHPHMM

For your donations to be properly acknowledged, please fax the bank transaction slip at nos. +63 2 527 0575 or +63 2 404 0979 with your name, address and contact number.

Good bless, everyone.

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

NOTE: November is National Reading Month here in the Philippines; and in order to commemorate this great and enjoyable pastime, I've decided to showcase book reviews, and other related items, this whole month.  We'll return to my regular hodge podge of post-able topics after.  So sit back, relax, and let the reviews begin!  J


I read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova years before.  The short summary at back instantly grabbed my attention, which so eventually lead to my purchasing a second-hand copy from an ebay.ph seller a few days after my knowledge of its existence.  It held so much promise!  Vampire lore (NOTE: It is NOT like Twilight, folks!), a missing father, mystery and intrigue galore -- it was enough to make me drool in anticipation.

My love affair, however, was short lived as my enthusiasm and interest slowly waned at each passing chapter.  I just could not stomach where events were leading to.  And the ending?  Unexpected, but personally, not to my liking.  I guess I had a different idea where it was supposed to be headed.  I admit, I also had a hard time accepting a love scene between the novel's teenage heroine (as in a less than 18-year-old KID!  My goodness golly gracious me!) and a college student (pfft!).

So why I picked up a copy of her The Swan Thieves a year after my disastrous bout with the first novel, I cannot fully comprehend and explain.  I am glad I did, though.

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

November is National Reading Month in the Philippines (And The Reasons Why I Love to Read)

November is National Reading Month here in the Philippines; and in order to commemorate this great and enjoyable past time, I've decided to showcase book reviews and other related items the whole month.

So get ready, folks, as I share with you some of the wonderful tomes I've had the pleasure reading throughout the years.

The Little One enjoying her book at the Bedok Public Library, Singapore