I was tagged by Gneth to answer 10 random facts about me and since I've done several of this kind of tags already (all you have to do is click on one of my tags called ibyang memes and you'll find it all there) but I always try to find a way to be creative in giving random facts about me, this time, I will focus on my love for reading books.
Let me also take this opportunity to answer Dave's question on how I choose a book I plan to read next.
Fact #1
These are the books I have right now within my reach. It so happened that I did my forthnightly sorting-of-stuff-inside-our-room today and made an inventory of all the books lying around our room. The books include:
a. Modern Asian Living - the book that validated the design I want for our future home, this was also my first book on interior design.
b. Photography by Peter Cattrell - given by my husband, my quick reference before I do a shoot or when I'm needing to brush up on photography skills.
c. The Little Prince - one of my favorite books, it was hardbound so I bought it.
d. The Starbucks Experience - supplies me with Marketing and Customer Service ideas.
e. Pugad Baboy 18 and 19 - helps to uplift me when I'm in need of entertainment and humour.
f. We Are All Welcome Here - about a Mom-Daughter relationship.
g. Recipes for a Perfect Marriage - just one of those books on marriage, very funny and had a lot of insights.
h. Love In A Time of Cholera - they say this is one of the best love stories ever written.
i. Brida - I always seem to have one Paulo Coelho book within my reach all the time.
j. Wicked - the latest book I bought and is now the book I read before going to bed.
k. Book of Affirmations and It's Never Too Late - two books I that inspire me and help with the upkeep of my positive outlook in life.
Fact #2:
Those are just the books within my reach, I still have lots! Most of them are now in storage boxes waiting for a new home. Husband and I are currently looking for a new place to stay and most of our things are now in boxes, ready for transport. I'm also limiting my book acquisition at the moment because I don't want to do more packing than I should.
Fact #3:
My dream is to have a library inside the house or at least a study room that will house all my books---lots of it--arranged by author's surname! hehe.
Fact #4:
I read two to three books simultaneously sometimes. May pang-morning train, afternoon train and another one before I retire at night.
Fact #5:
I also read magazines but only because I want entertaining or I just need to be updated with medical breakthroughs, health issues or what's new in fashion, etc. But I seldom buy them...I just borrow from workmates or sometimes friends give them.
Fact #6:
I haven't read or finished reading all the books I bought...like two of the books in the photo above: Love in the Time of Cholera and We Are All Welcome Here. I'm finding them boring and both stories are slow for me, but I'd still finish them later.
Fact #7:
My favorite bookstores in the Phils would be: Powerbooks and National Bookstore.
My favorite bookstores in Australia would be: Borders and Kinokuniya.
Fact #8:
On how I choose my next book to read:
a. I don't judge the book by its cover BUT I sometimes judge the book by its first page: if I find what I'm looking for in the first page, I'd buy it! What do I look for in the first page??? The way an author makes an impact on the first parts of his/her story---I look for IMPACT, if it will make me think or feel something when I read the first page, then it must be good.
b. I crave for books the way I crave for food. With food, you sometimes crave for sweet or sour...with books, it's the same for me. There are days when I crave for humour, inspiration, marketing strategies, a love story, on marriage, etc. When I enter a bookshop, I sometimes have a feel of what I want and I follow my craving.
c. There are times that I enter a bookshop and have no idea on what book I want. I just let my feet lead the way when that happens.
d. I get recommendations from friends and the net.
Fact #9:
Some of my favorite authors include: Paulo Coelho, Elizabeth Gilbert, Victoria Morgan, Anne Rice, Marg Stark, Audrey Niffenegger and John Grisham.
Fact #10:
If you were to ask what my top 5 books are, these would be it:
1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
3. Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
4. The Zahir by Paulo Coelho
5. What No One Tells The Bride by Marg Stark (I've written something about it here)
