To Be Read Challenge 2017

I am unofficially joining the 2017 To Be Read Challenge by Wendy the Super Librarian.

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I have been reading the past 2 years, of course, but not blogging, though I post book thoughts on Goodreads so I might as well crosspost here.

My reading backlog is so high that I have taken to calling it Mount TBR. These books have been on the pile for at least a year, and even up to 4 years or more, so I decided to dust them off and read them, finally.

Expect sporadic updates over the next months!

The 2013 Flips Flipping Pages Reading Diversity Challenge

Here is my reading list for -

(to be updated throughout the year)

as of 02/26/13: 7 of 25

1 Common Book (published 2013)

• TBA

1 Umberto Eco

• "The Name of the Rose"

1 Partner Challenge

• TBA

3 Alternative Media (at least 1 audiobook)

• "Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe" by Bill Bryson (audiobook)

• "Blackout" by Connie Willis (ebook) - finished 01/10/13
  

• "All Clear" by Connie Willis (ebook) - finished 01/14/13 

1 Foreign Award Winner

• "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card (Nebula Award for Best Novel 1985, Hugo Award for Best Novel 1986) - finished 02/26/13

1 Self-/Indie-Published Book: Foreign

• "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness (Candlewick Press) or
  

• "Infernal Devices" by KW Jeter (Angry Robot Books)

1 Self-/Indie-Published Book: Local (Local Title #1)

• 
  

1 Local Title #2: Non-Fiction

• "Prehistoric Philippines: Looking Back 6" by Ambeth R. Ocampo 

1 Local Title #3: Award Winner

• "Smaller and Smaller Circles" by F.H. Batacan (Palanca Grand Prize 1999, National Book Award 2002, Madrigal-Gonzalez Award 2003) - finished 01/21/13

1 Local Title #4: Filipino Dialect

• "It's a Mens World" by Bebang Siy

1 Foreign Book #1: Asia (except the Philippines)

• 
  

1 Foreign Book #2: Australia 

• "Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks - finished 01/23/13
  

1 Foreign Book #3: North America (except USA)

• "The Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood (Canada)

1 Foreign Book #4: South America 

• 
  

1 Foreign Book #5: Europe (except England)

• "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque (Germany)

1 Foreign Book #6: Africa

• "Secrets from the Sand: My Search for Egypt's Past" by Zahi Hawass (Egypt)

1 Read-Along

• "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne

1 Poetry

• "100 selected poems" by e.e. cummings

2 Non-Fiction

• 
  

• 
  

2 1001 Books to Read Before You Die

• "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins - finished 01/09/13 

• "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo (reread)

1 Graphic Novel

• "Daytripper" by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon - finished 01/01/13

before the year ends...

edit 12/31/12: All goals accomplished!

Neil Gaiman and All Hallows Read

 

2 years ago Neil Gaiman started a new tradition of giving away a scary book during Halloween, and this year he posted his list of recommendations.

The ones with a pink star are the ones I've read. Which means I have a lot of reading still to do. (Don't I always? ;P)

Hallows reads

Confined (mostly) to bed since Sunday due to an upper respiratory tract infection, I had time to catch up on my reading, and since Halloween and All Souls' (Hallows') Day and All Saints' Day are coming up, I thought to read accordingly.

First was "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs. I can say that this is one of my best reads for the year, for the unusual presentation and the unusual story. I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel.







Then, finding my schedule will allow me to attend my friends' steampunk-themed (post-)Halloween party, I proceeded to get informed on the genre. I'm not sure mention of mechanical devices considered advanced for the Victorian period can be termed steampunk, but I am enjoying the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. It reminds me very much of my favorite Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. (Incidental?)

Here is my pile for the rest of the week and the next...

 

• "Trese: Mass Murder" & "Trese: Last Seen After Midnight" by Budjette Tan & KaJO Baldisimo
• "How to Live with a Unicorn: The Fantastic Guide to Keeping Mythical Pets" by Jane Moseley
• "I am Legend" by Richard Matheson
• "Pure" by Andrew Miller
• "From the Dust Returned" by Ray Bradbury
• "A Hat Full of Sky" by Terry Pratchett

Nothing too long, nothing too scary. Not a guarantee that I will read them, but I like having my options at the ready.

ebook haul #2

I just bought a pile of books at the Manila International Book Fair last month...

... yet here I am again downloading another pile of ebooks...

... including Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy, which I have been looking for a copy of (both print and electronic) for months.

I did already finish one of the books I bought at the MIBF (Lourd de Veyra's "The Best of This is a Crazy Planets", which a friend had Lourd autograph for me :)), and am currently reading Ken Follett's "Winter of the World". :P

edit: 10/07/12
And a handful more...

ebooks!

So I went on an ebook download spree...

Some of these titles are part of series I follow [Discworld, the Rick Riordan's], one is a book up for discussion at my book club, a handful are recommendations by friends, and the rest are books I've read good reviews of.

The Keys to the Kingdom is another series I want to try because I liked Garth Nix's previous work, the Abhorsen / Old Kingdom trilogy, and a friend says this is good.

Aside from the above, I still have several books on my download queue. Not to mention the ones already on my computer. :P

I currently read ebooks through iBooks on my iPhone. Small screen, I know, but it serves. I want to buy an ebook reader, but because I am not technology savvy I'm afraid of investing in a Kindle or a Nook.

Like bibliophiles that have come before me, I am beset by the eternal dilemma - "So many books, so little time."