Do Surprises Make You Smile?

The other day, I had another chance to visit Booksale at Metro East mall when I went out to buy Mom’s medicines. Scouring bookstores is one of my favorite “me” times. Never mind that my eyes hurt a little after an hour of staring at so many book titles, it’s the joy of finding something you really don’t expect that puts a big smile on my face. Surprises never end.

I had a list with me because I would like to look for other books of Luanne Rice and Rosamunde Pilcher. Sometimes, in my haste to find a particular author, I always end up buying another copy.  There are authors and there are authors but after a while, you get used to their style of writing and you find yourself looking for more, explore some  of them and to your delight, you find someone whose writings make you want to read more.  And here’s a nice surprise, I found a copy of  The Christmas Box Collection by Richard Paul Evans, my favorite author. It includes the novels The Christmas Box (his earliest work, I think), Timepiece and The Letter. I used to have these three books , hardbound, but lost them all three years ago.  I seldom find his books in local bookstores here, tsamba, mostly. Anyway, I was also able to buy three books by Luanne Rice and a book my Maeve Binchy. I was looking for any copy of a Max Lucado book but I  was told they were  already sold out. Oh well, there will always be other future visits and who knows, another surprise is in store  like this.

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On Writing, Part Two

What started as a gloomy and depressing morning  was a  delightful day after all. Talk about surprise finds and nice endings. Don’t get me wrong and don’t be mislead by the title. I am just talking about books here, yes books I found this afternoon in one of my rare trips at Booksale. It’s that moment you find something unexpected and you squeal with delight, a scandalous  shout of YES  and people looked at you with indulgent smiles on their faces. One of them said, when I told her that I’ve waited too long to find a copy of this one, “It’s your lucky day.”

A year ago, my daughter borrowed a copy of On Writing (A Memoir of the Craft) by Stephen King and I made a short review in one of my blogs here. Guess what, I found a hardbound copy of the book this afternoon, a  steal at P130.00, it’s brand new complete with a dust jacket. It’s a must-read for those dreaming of writing one day, a lovely companion for those who love the written word.

 

I actually bought four more books, a little over the budget but I simply can’t resist Luanne Rice , Rosamunde Pilcher and Anita Shreve.  I love Anita Shreve in Resistance and The Pilot’s Wife, I hope  All He Ever Wanted won’t disappoint. Here’s a nice quote from the cover of Luanne Rice’s Safe Harbor:  No matter where life takes you, you’ll always come home.” Nice, isn’t it?  And I am lucky to have found Rosamunde Pilcher’s The Rosamunde Pilcher Collection, an omnibus copy of her three novels, one of which I’ve already read but I think is still worth-rereading.  And this is a nice surprise, More Glimpses of Heaven (Inspiring True Stories of Hope and Peace at the End of Life’s Journey). I think this book would help in my reflections for my apostolate work at AFCC.

I was invited by the  Dominican Community (Order of Preachers) as one of the guest speakers in their upcoming Social Media Summit this October. I am keeping my fingers crossed, I hope I would not disappoint them.

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The Edge of Winter

It’s my first book on Luanne Rice.  I always see her books every time I get a chance to drop by Booksale but I was never lured to buy them. A few weeks ago, my daughter  bought a copy of The Edge of Winter. I think she got it on sale at Powerbooks.  I fell in love with the book cover, a picture of a girl on the seashore with the words, “happy endings start with new beginnings.” The layout is nice, I said, but is the story good? I was curious. I guess, that’s simply what you feel when you encounter a new author and read  one of her books for the first time. I really was not expecting to enjoy this book but I did. Talk about surprises, this  has simple plot, that of families intertwined  by their experiences in life, relationships between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and it’s all about friendships too. It details the characters like they are so real in one’s eyes. It speaks of love, loss and redemption.

I seldom encounter family stories beautifully written such as this. It makes you think that hope is not lost for those who have enough faith in life. Life is something beautiful if only our eyes are not blind to the daily blessings we encounter.

I  could clearly  imagine every scene that Rice beautifully put together and the lovely scenery which she described in the story makes me long to go and commune with the sea in all its glory and angry burst. When you love nature, you will truly appreciate this book.

This made me cry, don’t laugh because that’s how good it was. And I agree when she said that people make mistakes, take wrong turns, and even make some horrible decisions. As long as there is love and hope, you can see everything in a new light and even find in your heart to forgive.  Luanne Rice weaves a tapestry that is hard to put down. I bought another book of hers,  The Perfect Summer and it says, “for every love there is a season.”

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