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Archive for the ‘on books and reading’ Category


Wow! Goodreads has just released its annual report on how I fared in books this year.

One thing I like about the site is that you get to maintain a virtual library and you can always browse about book summaries and their corresponding reviews.

TOTALS

I read 50,503 pages across 147 books. The shortest is around 57 pages while the longest (a set of books actually)  composed of 2,098 pages. The most popular book I read this year is Pride and Prejudice. My average rating for all the books I read this year is 3.5  (5 being perfect) while the highest rated one with a score of 4.56  is Michelle Obama’s Becoming. I  wrote  a short review of this book somewhere here.

I was just surprised that they released this early when there are 22 more days to go before the year ends. I have just finished one of Nadia Hashimi’s books but it was not included in this report.

I didn’t expect I could finish 148 books when I started last January. I pegged it at 120.
There are several more books I have to read maybe at the start of the year 2020 but I am hoping I could finish three more before the year ends.
Do you participate in reading challenges? Are you also excited to discover new authors?  I started this challenge back in 2015.  I’am at No. 47 Best Reviewers and No. 31 Top Reviewers. Not bad, not bad at all 🙂

 

 

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You’re right, this is my month-ender blog.

So what’s great in a lovely morning? What’s so special about seeing the sun’s face and feeling the morning heat while you are drinking a half-cup of black coffee?  What’s s good about just relaxing and thinking about the thousand mornings in your life?

Yes, I am always inspired by  Mary Oliver’s poems. That lovely volume of A Thousand Mornings is a permanent fixture on my night table.  This is funny though, I read some lines at night when I need to get in touch with my inner psyche and think of what life is all about – its wonderful moments, its disappointing days in between and the little surprises that make one smile and shout to the world, you’re glad you are alive and kicking.

“And now you’ll be telling stories
of my coming back
and they won’t be false, and they won’t be true
but they’ll be real” 

I’ve blogged so many times about Mary Oliver’s thoughts and words since I discovered her a few years ago.  Her words are simple but sometimes they cut deep inside.

What did August bring? Too  much rain and many provinces and even Metro Manila got flooded.  The last week of  August though was like summer, hot and humid during the day, a little colder at night.  I do hope September would be better, not too many weather disturbances and typhoons that clearly affect most parts of the archipelago.

I am in the middle of reading these wonderful books by Lily Zante, The Billionaire’s Love Story. They come in three boxed sets with three books in each one.  I am on the first series of the third set.  Although I am not much into reading love stories, these series are just hard to put down.  Suspense, mystery, family relationship, they have it all and love of course tops it all. These nine installments  vary in length, they are shorter by far compared to other serialized books, more of novellas.  I guess this is the first time I’ve read a love story in nine series.  I remember back in high school when I was addicted to those Mills and Boons books, I loved those with boss-employee relationships, the rags to riches, the various twists and turns but in the end, it will always be love ‘s triumph over adversities in life.  If you are looking for some light but lovely read, I recommend these books.

August is ending and September comes  near.  A nice weekend to all. Happy September days.

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Don’t look now but I just joined Goodreads’ 2018 Reading Challenge. I’d be reducing the books I  plan to read for about a hundred  compared to the more than 200 books I read last year.  I have this ambitious dream of reading more classic books for a change, that is if I can find more in the coming days. Of course I would like to continue reading more works of  authors that I’ve lately found. They are too good to miss.  Re-reading old favorites?   I might.

Maybe, I’ll discover some more along the way. Who knows? Books are  part and parcel of my everyday  life.  I’d like to think I could not live without books 🙂 Maybe that  is an exaggeration but really, I do love reading.

One thing more, I also plan to write a post every day. Never mind if  they are just thoughts that come at the spur of the moment or just favorite quotes from authors that I love.  Would really love to try it again. It’s been seven long years since I pushed myself to do it and it was one lovely ride so to speak.   Wish me luck please.

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