Brightside Entry | Being In A Bookstore

If there's anything that I find comforting, it's the smell of books--whether old or new. I've been heading to bookstores a lot as of late, because the death of my grandmother has been a pretty sad experience for me (as I'm sure it would be with most people). This is also the reason why I think I haven't written a lot about that experience on here, except in general. It's all very grim, the thought of death and sleeping forever and watching people go. 

I've been in need of a lot of comfort but like a lot of people who write or who turn to fiction or poetry, I'm not very good at being comforted up-front by people, if that makes sense. There's too much blubbering around and it makes me feel weak and when I snap, I come off as insensitive and harsh. Being comforted often makes me feel patronized--and I very much appreciate it, but it's a bitter pill for me to swallow, being coddled. I can't stand it. Books comfort me. So these are some of the books that I've turned to lately (because the National Bookstore selection in SM Tarlac is wonderful and Powerbooks Town Center is on SALE).

 I've already said a bit about this book in yesterday's post and I will say this--the plot of this book has intrigued me so much that I'm almost done with it. 300 + pages have flown by like that. I'm very very excited to see how it ends. I'm hoping that the narrative can support itself because it's quite an intricate web that's being woven so far.

I think I mentioned that I was reading the third Harry Potter book again--unfortunately, I had to purchase another copy because my hardbound one is missing. And the thing I love about Harry Potter is that no matter how many times you've read the books, they still feel fresh and new and like you're coming home. The characters feel like old friends and the world feels so familiar. :) It's been wonderful.

I also got a copy of Tobias Wolff's memoirs for P!50! The original price was P605 and I got it for 1/6th or so of the price. CRAZY. Tobias Wolff is one of my favorite authors. For those of my readers who've not read any of his work before, I suggest you Google the story Bullet In The Brain; it's short but brilliant--definitely packs a punch. Anyway, I'm usually very picky about my non-fiction; it takes a lot to interest me in something that has happened to someone (not sure why) who is actually alive but I read a couple of pages of this book and it's pretty good stuff so far. :D Even in non-fiction, Mr. Wolff doesn't seem to disappoint.

I also bought a couple of books about the adventures of Nicolas Flamel; this is a spin-off series written by Michael Scott and I'm really excited to see how it all turns out. :) I bought The Necromancer & The Sorcerer I think. Sadly, I don't have them on me at the moment, hence the lack of photos. :) Anyway, that's it for now! Happy weekend everyone! Also, feel free to leave your book recommendations below, I'll go look for it in the library. :D

Brightside Entry | Take Yourself Out

If there's anything that I feel I need, it's the balance between hang out time and alone time. Today was definitely right smack between those two things. As I mentioned yesterday, I've become quite obsessed with Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker so I decided to go out and watch The Amazing Spiderman again today. Because I've been spending the past few days in the company of my family and friends, I thought I'd take myself out on a date this morning/early afternoon right before meeting up with Joy and Trish--but that's an entirely other entry in itself.

This morning, after getting ready and posting a couple of things up here, I decided to go to Town Center, get myself a ticket for the 1:30 pm showing and then spend the lunch hour reading a nice book. I treated myself to some french toast at Pancake House--which made me miss Keavin terribly, as he loves making that for me.

While eating, I read Samantha Sotto's Before Ever After. The book has a very, very intriguing premise and is definitely well-researched. It's too early to say anything about it at the moment but I'm definitely liking it so far. The cover is a little girly but please, please read the back and the first few pages and I swear, you won't regret it. ;) That's all I'll say.

After this, I went to watch Spiderman. It's the first time I've ever gone to watch a movie alone; usually I go with someone or even if I plan to go alone I end up bumping into someone. It was a pretty refreshing experience. Despite there being no one to look after your bag when you go to the bathroom, it's actually quiet the refreshing experience. I found that I could enjoy the immersion offered by the silver screen and also not feel self-conscious about crying or laughing because no one there was going to talk to me about how I'd reacted afterward. So yeah. I bawled like a baby for the better part of an hour. :)) Perfect.