BOOKS FOR SALE - For the Kids/Young Adults & Mystery & Action Readers

 Bored at home due to the quarantine? Why not read a book? We are selling our kids books read by my Geof and Julia and novels read by Apple and me. Send a message via messenger at https://www.facebook.com/andy.oreta if interested.

For Grade School Readers

Mystery/Romance

Mystery/Romance

For Grade School Readers - SOLD!

For Young Girls - SOLD!

For Young Girls - SOLD!

Action/Mystery/Suspense

For Boys Young Adults

For Young Adults

Mystery/Action

Mystery/Action/Suspense

Adventure for Young Boys

Romance/Love Stories

My Top 4 Fiction Writers

Reading novels is one of my hobby and past time. My love for reading was ignited when I was in high school. Our English teacher, Mr. Razon required us to read a novel and write a book review. I don't remember now the title of the novel I reviewed but it was an action and mystery novel. After that iI started reading Agatha Christie's books about Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple. Another influence to my love of reading was my mom. She has a collection of novels like Irving Stone's Lust for Life, Airport, Madame Bovary, The God Father, to name a few  at home and during summer vacation I spent my time reading those novels. In college, I came to like Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (books borrowed from the UP Library) because of the influence from my UP friend, Roger Esquivias. Anyway, I want to share my top 4 novel writers. When I say my favorites because after reading one novel, I thirst for more. I either buy from Amazon.com or Book Sale or even download for free if available. My list is not according to any order.

1. DANIEL SILVA. My first on the list is Daniel Silva. I came to discover this author while browsing for books on sale at National Book Store. I found his novel, "A Death in Vienna" on sale for P50.00 (That's good news, Daniel. If the book was not on sale, then I will not discover Gabriel Allon and buy more of your novels). After reading this novel, I learned more about the Holocaust. His narration is like non-fiction. Daniel Silva's novel is about Gabriel Allon, an Israeli spy, painter and art restorer who is a friend of the Roman Catholic pope. Daniel Silva is described as "finest writer of international intrigue and one of the greatest American spy novelists ever." After that first book of Daniel Silva, I make it a point to buy all his books and every year he releases an Allon novel which I purchase and upload on Kindle. There are talks in the internet on a movie or TV series under MGM TV about Garbiel Allon and there are already suggestions on actors  who should be in the series. If you want international espionage, read Daniel Silva!

What is nice about Daniel Silva's novels about Gabriel Allon is that his characters evolve - they get old,some get married and  and some retires. It's like  Harry Potter who started as a child and ended as an adult.

2. JOHN GRISHAM. I think I started reading Grisham novels after watching several movies based on his books like The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Rainmaker and A Time to Kill . Grisham is popular for legal thrillers but I also love his novels about football like Playing for Pizza and Bleachers. Grisham's characters are interesting and when he describes a place, a picture of the place is captured in your memory and there is a feeling that you want to visit that place. If you love legal thrillers, John Grisham is it!

Reading Grisham repeatedly is not boring.

3. LEE CHILD. The novels of Lee Child are centered on Jack Reacher, a former major of the US Army police corps who roams the US and always get entangled and investigates suspicious and dangerous situations. He is actually a big guy not like Tom Cruise who played Jack Reacher in several  Lee Child-based movies. A Jack Reacher book is action-packed and full of violence - it's usually a good "cop" versus corrupt and violent characters. My collection of Lee Child books are more e-copies downloaded on Kindle.  :-) If you want action and suspense, Lee Child will entertain you.

I have almost a complete set of Lee Child's books on my Kindle - downloaded for free!

4. DANIELLE STEEL. I am a late fan reader of Danielle Steel. While looking for a novel to read on Kindle, I found  Danielle Steel's "Big Girl" on my Kindle and started reading. After the first chapter, I never stopped reading her books. I finished  four more Kindle books - Legacy, Family Ties, Hotel Vendome and Dangerous Games ( I purchased at Amazon). Then I bought more books from Book Sale and I now have 6 more to read. Danielle Steel's books are more on relationships and conflicts. She has colorful and interesting characters and whenever I read her book, there are instances where I feel emotional and a tear drops from my eyes. Steel is predictable and her novels usually have happy endings. And that's great!

Steel's list of novels is long!

My runner-ups. I read them when they are available but sometimes I don't finish the book because I loose interest due to various reasons like the book is too long, predictable or dragging - DAVID BALDACCI, MICHAEL CRICHTON, KEN FOLLET and HARUKI MURAKAMI.

Books that I find very trivial: James Patterson. He will give you a ride of suspense, horror and violence but no redeeming value!

What about you, who are your favorite fiction writers?

Garage Sale!

22 Jan 2017 Garage Sale

 

 January was house cleaning month and we need to dispose of too many clutters - collections of books (pocketbooks by Andy, Kid's books by Geof and Julia and Filipiniana by Apple),  toys that our kids enjoyed playing with when they were toddlers and old clothes. I suggested to Apple , "why not hold a garage sale?" A garage sale or book sale is one experience that I want to try either at home or any place like school. So while packing the books, toys and clothes, we separated the good and bad ones for the garage sale. Before the big day, we posted in facebook some of the books we plan to sell - my pocketbooks of mysteries, the kids' books and Filipiniana. Surprisingly, we got quick messages from friends who are interested with the books and even my music cassette tapes. Hence, we had early reservations and purchases before the big day.

Welcome to our Garage Sale!

The big day - garage sale - was on January 22, 2017 at our residence. Tables and tarpaulins saying "Garage Sale: Books at Iba Pa"were installed. Even music was played to attract attention. We opened at 9:00 AM and waited for the possible buyers. The first curious potential costumer was a a lady jogger. She just looked at the items and passed by. Then one guy who is a collector asked if we wre selling old vinyl music records since he saw my old music cassette tapes. Unfortunately we don't have the vinyl records. Then the first break or "bwena mano" came when a couple in motorbike drop by and got interested with household items. Two guys walked-in and purchased my t-shirts at a bargain (3 for P100.00) and more stuffs. The costumers were happy with the free give away. We noticed that the passers-by were more interested with old clothes and household items. Only one school teacher was interested with the books. In the afternoon, we had visitors (Gerry) who purchased some of the books - they were the ones who had earlier committed to drop-by during the sale. We closed at about 5:30 PM with our cousins - Ate Dina and Peewee as our last costumers. Wow, the garage sale was an experience!

Our first curious costumer

The best seller in our garage sale is not a book, but Andy's used T-shirts! 

BOOK Kids

Geof (6 yrs old) reads a book to Julia (1 yr old) in 2006

Parents would always complain that kids now are too distracted - and indeed, there are quite a number of gadgets to pass the time -- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, PSP, Nintendo DS, I-pad... and these are over and above the ever reliable idiot box called TV. I would hear Moms complaining that their kids can't even sit still to read.

Modesty aside (and i mean, aside :-) my husband and I don't have that kind of problem. In fact, our problem is how to make our kids prolong the reading of their books. Of course, they are also into Nintendo, and the I-Pod, and the Facebook, and other techie stuff, but they equally enjoy a good read. Geof, my 11 year-old, on the average, reads a 350-page book (average pocketbook size) in 2 to 3 days (i.e., during school days; but he can finish a book of the same length in 1.5 days if there's no school). Sometimes, I would even appeal that he slows down in his reading so that a book would last for at least a week. Julia, my 6 year-old, is also "competing" with her Kuya in terms of the amount of books she 'churns' out.

Some of the books that Geof have finished and would like to recommend to kids 10 to 12 years old are (my husband and I occasionally read also some of these books, so we know these books are good):

- The Percy Jackson series (5 books)

- The Mysterious Benedict Society (3 books)

- The 39 Clues series (11 books)

- Harry Potter (7 books) - all borrowed from the DLSU library

- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (5 books, thus far)

- The Kane Chronicles (2 books - The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire)

- The Heroes of Olympus (sequel of the Percy Jackson books; 1st in the series)

- The Secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch (4 books)

- Diary of a Wimpy Vampire

- Middle School the Worst Years of my life

- The Artemis Fowl series (7 books)

- Big Nate series (4 books)

- N.E.R.D.S. (2 books)

- The Gods of Manhattan (still reading)

- The Emerald Atlas (in the pipeline)

Julia, on the other hand, recommends these books (to kids 5 to 7 years old):

- The Ivy and Bean series

- Geronimo Stilton series (Geof's favorite books when he was a little kid)

- Thea Stilton series

- Rainbow Magic series

- The Pony Crazed Princess series

- The Magic School Bus series.

While I am seriously thinking of getting (esp. Geof) an e-book, I still enjoy seeing him nestled in the sofa with his feet up, a book in his face, and oblivious to the world. For Julia, on the other hand, book reading is part of her 'sacred' routine with her dad. As soon as they enter the room (she still sleeps in our room, but using her own bed), she'd lie down with Andy and read her book, while her dad reads his Kindle. And this routine for her is inviolable - she won't sleep (or would be all grumpy) if she doesn't get to read even just a page or 2.

So I have true-and-blue book worms in the house. And I enjoy it to the hilt since when everyone's reading, the house is all peace and quiet, just as I like it so I can get down and read mine.

(The only caveat is - you guessed it - books are among the major household expense and space users ..... our bookshelves are all full ... but unlike the other expenses, I am blissfully enjoying spending those bucks for this "indulgence" ;-)

Geof & Dad: Booklovers? Bookworms!

12 Little Things You Can Do

So much have been said and written about the book "12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country" by Alex Lacson especially during the election campaign period in 2010, but it was only now that we were able to buy the book at an unusual place - at one of the stalls selling gift items at the UP Shopping Center.

Indeed the list of 12 things to do given by Lacson are so simple that if only every Filipino does his/her part, our country, the Philippines will indeed be great again.

The book, however, needs a detailed guide and more information for it to make an impact. Here is my commentary on some of the things to do listed above:

1. Follow traffic rules. Follow the law. Following traffic rules and the law should not only be focused on the driver of private vehicles. PUV/PUJ drivers especially jeepney and bus drivers should be given a list of what they should do to improve the traffic (example: where to load and unload, proper attire, smoke belching, etc.)

A list of things to do for the pedestrian must also be given. For example, cross only along pedestrian crossing, wait for vehicles at the loading and unloading areas, etc.

And the most important, a list of things to do for the traffic enforcers must be highlighted. It is frustrating to folow traffic rules, if the traffic enforcers DO NOT KNOW how to implement them. For example, a right lane which says "for right turns only" should be strictly implemented. Those who block the way should be penalized.

2. Don't buy smuggled goods. Buy Local. Buy Filipino. Lacson emphasized the boost to the local economy if we do this. However, the government has a major role to play to make this program effective. First, the people don't really know which goods are smuggled or not. If we buy an item in a popular supermarket, does it mean you are not buying smuggled goods? There are rumors of big time smugglers operating big supermarkets. Pinoys prefer to buy cheap goods and in most cases these goods are smuggled. The government should stop smuggling altogether.

As for local products vs imported products, a list should be provided on which product to support. Lacson mentioned an example for toothpaste: Happee toothpaste is Filipino, Colgate and Close-up is imported. A list of basic commodities made in the philippines should be provided or may be a label like "Buy Pinoy" should be marked on these local products. Obviously, the foreign companies will complain of the government's bias to local products, but what the heck!

To be continued ....

Hooked on Greek Mythology

Last summer vacation, I bought Book One of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan for my son, Geoffrey. After two days, Geof finished reading it. Book Two, The Sea Monsters followed, then Book Three, The Titan's Curse and then Book Four, The Battle of the Labyrinth. I tried to buy Book Five, The Last Olympian but can't find a copy in any bookstore so far. Apple and I were also intrigued by the interest of Geof in reading the book that we also read the four books. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a modern tale with the characters of Greek Mythology as protagonists and villains. The gods, goddesses, half-bloods and monsters live in the modern world. You will find here gods like Poseidon described as wearing beach shorts, Hawaian shirt and sandals, Apollo driving a Maserati car and Mt. Olympus located at the Empire State Building in New York..

I remember reading the Mythology book by Edith Hamilton during my highschool days but I didn't developed a liking on the theme of myths. However, after reading Percy Jackson Books, my interest in Greek Mythology was ignited. Thus I tried to find a book on mythology and found one, Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology by Michelle M. Houle which is downloadable at scribd. This book is simple to read. It has illustrations and also review questions. It's a good introduction to Greek Mythology.

Nurture Shock - New Thinking About Children

Based on researches conducted in the US about the science of children, Nurture Shock by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman reveals that many of our assumptions about kids can no longer be counted on. This book reveals that “many of modern society's strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring.” Many of the assumptions about child development have actually “distorted parenting habits, school programs and social policies. “ With evidence revealed by researches (mostly in the US) on various aspects related to kids, the book teaches us “to think differently – more deeply and clearly – about children.” Here are some insights I got from the book:

The Inverse Power of Praise:
> Giving always the label that your kids are “smart” might cause them to under-perform. Some of these “smart” kids will tend to discount the importance of effort because they think that they already have the natural gift of intelligence.

> Excessive praise may distort the children's motivation; the kids may begin to do things merely to hear the praise, losing sight of intrinsic enjoyment.

> Excessivley praised kids by parents feel so much pressure and tend to focus only on the grade or achievement and not on the effort. Sometimes they may resort to cheating because they come to believe that failure is something so terrible that their parents won't accept.

> Praise the “process” more than the “outcome.” Praise your child for his/her effort, time and persistence to improve not only the achievement.

The Lost Hour:
> When kids grow and go to school, the number of hours of sleeping decreases from the usual 8 hours to 7 hours. At least one hour of sleeping time is lost. The loss hour has many impacts on the kids.

> A loss hour of sleep is equivalent to the loss of two years of cognitive maturation and development affecting the kid's IQ and academic performance.
> The lack of sleep weakens a child capacity to learn during the day.

> Recognizing the impact of the lack of sleep in kids, some schools in the US moved the school time start from 7:25 AM to 8:30 AM and found positive changes especially the brightest kids.

> School here in the Manila (e.g. Ateneo Grade School) starts at 7:30 AM. Kids have to wake up as early as 5:00 AM to be able to come to school on time because of the traffic during rush hours. To have at least 8 hours of sleep, kids should sleep at 9:00 PM. After reading this book, I ordered my son, Geof to sleep at 9:00 PM, but often this is not followed because he got used to waiting for us who sleep late (usually 10:30 PM). So parents must sleep early also to make their kids sleep early.

Why kids lie:
> Kids lie to avoid punishment and to get praise.
> Kids lie to increase their social power and sense of control.
> Kids lie as a coping mechanism – to get attention from peers.
> Kids learn to lie from us, adults also..
> Parents need to teach kids the worth of honesty just as much as they need to say lying is wrong. The more kids hear the message, the more quickly they will take this lesson to heart.

Other interesting topics in the book:
The Sibling Effect – Why siblings fight
The Science of Teen Rebellion – Why arguing with adults is a sign of respect and constructive.
Why Hannah Talks and Alyssa Doesn't – What's the right way to accomplish the goal of jump-starting infant's language skills.

Remembering Dad

Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture” is both a book and a movie (This can be viewed at YouTube) which celebrates the dreams of his childhood that he has realized. “The Last Lecture” is Randy’s farewell lecture at Carnegie Mellon University in 2007 before he died of cancer in 2008. He delivered this lecture specifically for his three little children – the oldest then was Dylan at five years old – so when they get older they will know who their father was and hopefully they will learn lessons from Randy's life as a son, father, teacher and computer science professor.

After reading the book and watching the movie, I reflected about my past and my own father. My Dad also died very early at only 43 years old, when I was just only nine years old. What do I remember about him? Not so much now, but there are still images of him that really stick in my memories. Let me share a list of ten memories about him..

• He is strict and a disciplinarian. He keeps a narra wood which we were afraid he may use whenever he gets angry at us. But he never used it on us – not because we were behaved but because he loved us.


• He loves to tease people as a sign of his fondness (“lambing”) for them. He calls his closest friends and relatives names like “Kotat”, “Bulugan”, “Kukang”.


• He loves watching movies – only English movies, no Tagalog movies. I remember our regular trips at the movie houses in Cubao (Odeon, Remar, New Frontier) and Avenida (Dynasty, Galaxy, Cinerama, Ideal, Podmon).


• He loves to cook and eat. I remember that he loves to grill a specific type of fish similar to the Sanma in Japan and cooks adobo of a certain type of bird which he always buy whenever we come from Pampanga. He likes roasting chestnuts during Christmas.


• He loves San Miguel Beer. Every night he drinks one bottle of beer.


• He loves dogs – specifically the German Shepherds. Our dogs then were named Laika and Brutus. We have cages at the back of our house built for these dogs.


• He loves taking photos of his family and friends. We have family photo albums and in most of the pictures he is not there coz he’s the one taking them.


• He loves going outing with relatives usually swimming at Los Banos’ hot spring pools.


• He wants his kids to enjoy life with various activities and toys. He taught me how to play chess. He brought us to swimming lessons at San Beda College. I remember when in a toy store he asked me and my Kuya to choose the toy we want for Christmas. I chose a plastic military Jeep (similar to the Rat Patrol) and my brother got a wooden train.


• He was proud of his children. I remember occasions where he wants his friends to see my brother and I to show-off in a gun draw.

I wonder how will I be remembered by my two kids as a father. Geof, in the recent “Father and Son Day” at Ateneo, wrote me a letter and thanked me for teaching him in his Math lessons. I hope Geof becomes good in Math. That will be my legacy to him.

Nine C's of Leadership

"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? ... We've got a gang of bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, ... the President is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, ...we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind ....But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.' .. ... Stay the course? You've got to be kidding... This is a country, not the damned Titanic" - Lee Iacoca

Lee Iacoca's book "Where have all the leaders gone" was written for the Americans in 2007 challenging them to choose their leaders wisely in the 2008 US elections. But the book is very much relevant to the Philippines especially now that we are going to elect our new leaders in May 2010. As a matter of fact by just replacing the names/words like "George Bush" to "Gloria Arroyo", "USA" to "Philippines, etc. it would appear that Iacoca wrote this book for the Filipinos.

One of the highlights of the book is Iacoca's nine C's of leadership. He shares his ideas being a successful CEO about leadership and listed nine points or qualities that every true leader should have. Here is a slide presentation of his nine C's:

The Nine C’S Of Leadership

Iacoca concludes that the ninc C's are ideals, and there are very few people - even leaders- who have all of them. But if you look back in history, you'll notice that different times require a different emphasis. Examples : Jimmy Carter was elected because people care more about CHARACTER than Charisma. With Ronald Reagan and Barrack Obama, it was all about CHARISMA and COMMUNICATION. In the Philippines, Cory Aquino was elected because of her CHARACTER and CONVICTION, Erap, on the otherhand, had CHARISMA but he got ousted because he has poor character. Unfortunately, Gloria was elected using COMMUNICATION inappropriately (remember, Hello Garci!).

In the May 2010 Philippine elections, I believe the three most important C's to consider are CHARACTER (he knows what's right and wrong), COMPETENCE (he has a good team) and COURAGE (he takes a position even if it will lose votes or friends).

I just hope that our voters will not select our leaders because of another C which means CUTE! I noticed students during the Presidential forum at DLSU-Manila recently who were so "kilig" upon seeing the young and "cute" presidential candidate [who can not even answer a straight yes or no :-( ].

What about you, what C's would you consider in choosing our next president?

Note: I bought Iacoca's Where have all the leaders gone? at FullyBooked (Trinoma) at 80% OFF. What a bargain!

Hooked on the The 39 CLUES

After reading The 39 Clues (Book 1) The Maze of Bones - read the review of Book 1 in this blogsite - Geof, Daddy and I got hooked on the adventure book. Photo: Father and son may not agree on the team to cheer during the UAAP Basketball games between Ateneo and La Salle, but they agree that The 39 Clues is an engaging and exciting book to read.

In these books, Amy and Dan Cahill, and their au pair, Nellie and the other teams (all related to the Cahill's) are in search of 39 clues to become the "richest, most important people in history." The 39 Clues (Book 2) - One False Note brings the readers to Vienna, Austria and Venice, Italy to unravel a clue related to a music composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In The 39 Clues (Book 3) - The Sword Thief , the Cahills track the life of one of the world's most fearsome warriors in Tokyo, Japan and were led to Korea to find the 3rd clue.

The 39 Clues is so popular that they are out of stock in local bookstores. We had to ask our friends to buy a copy of Book 3 in Malaysia during their tour there (and the copy they bought was the last copy in the bookstore in Malaysia - The 39 clues is really popular everywhere).

The Relevance of Jose "Pepe" Diokno

You may be wondering what's this post about Jose "Pepe" Diokno, senator, nationalist, public servant, human rights lawyer, educator and scholar doing in this blog? Well, we believe that "Living the Good Life" encompasses ones social, political and economic activities. Our daily living is very much affected by the kind of government and politicians we have. Jose Diokno's speeches and writings which can be found in his book "A Nation for Our Children" are very much relevant in our country's present condition. His words can serve as inspiration to the present generation and admonishment to the current breed of politicians.

When it comes to "living a goodlife", he says: "Why be honest, when it pays to become dishonest? Why fight for others when they won’t fight with you? – or even for themselves? … the answer lies in what life means to you. If life means having a good time, money, fame, power, security – then you don’t need principles; all you need are techniques. On the other hand, if happiness counts more than a good time, respect more than fame, right more than power and peace of soul more than security; if death doesn’t end life but transforms it, then you must be true to yourself and to God …”

Jose Diokno is a peacemaker and a nonviolent freedom fighter. “If resort to violence is natural in man, so are attempts to control it. Man wants to live, but he also wants to live well. Life is not worth living, if he must live under the constant lash of fear. Violence is a part of life, yes. But to tame violence is to civilize life.”

To him, addressing the problems of discontent and insurgency in the country can be found in our fundamental, basic human rights - “Food and freedom, jobs and justice – these are the keys to peace." Sadly, Diokno lamented, many people are not aware of their basic human rights and freedoms much less of ways to enforce them. “If we do not struggle with all that we have and do all that we can to vindicate our rights, we do not only condemn our rights to death; we also condemn our hopes and our dreams, our present, and our children’s future.” Diokno has an alternative view on how to measure development. For him, development means " developing a better people – people with a conscience, people with a heart, people with the guts to stand up and defend their rights."

A Nation for Our Children — a collection of Jose W. Diokno’s essays and speeches on human rights, nationalism, and Philippine sovereignty — was published in 1987 by the Diokno Foundation. http://www.diokno.org/a-nation-for-our-children/. (Maybe it's useful to give our politicians a copy of this book to remind them that nobility lies in genuinely serving the people -not lining their pockets.)

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Jose Diokno: A Nation for our Children from andyoreta.

Our Floating Book Fair Experience

Filipinos really love books and discounts. Despite the scorching heat last Sunday of March 8, 2009, old and young book lovers queued to the Doulos Floating Book Fair 2009 at South Harbor Manila Pier 13.

We arrived a few minutes before 2pm but were not allowed inside the south harbor until 2pm. There were a lot of people outside waiting for the opening, too. At exactly 2pm, we were allowed in. It was realllllly hot and I really pity those who brought their kids but failed to bring an umbrella. The line was long and it took us about 15 to 20 mins under the sun (I can't say enough about the heat but it was really terrible for the kids).

When we finally got on-board, the bookstore was big but was really crowded. The entrance was small, and the aisle between bookshelves were tight. It actualy reminded me of my "rally/ mass action-days" in the 80's - hot, crowded, with everyone sweaty. You cannot spend time to browse books for long because you will be literally pushed forward by the crowd who are just coming in. The price of books? Almost the same as in our regular bookstore - although I think there was a 15% discount that Sunday for some who hold a coupon (how to get the coupon, I have no idea) - that probably explains the crowd, too.

I think our mistake was to go there at 2 pm (too excited!) - it's actually a nice bookstore and just the experience of being in a ship-bookstore is something else, much more if you learn about the history of the ship (it was built in 1914, just 2 years after the Titanic). It has travelled in all corners of the world, and just that idea - that you're in a ship that has visited so many areas, and that you are looking at the same books and in the same ship just as the thousand others from different countries who also visited Doulos - is already monumental. Further, the dedication of the young volunteers from different parts of the world who run Doulos is also something that inspires.

I guess the best time to go to this bookstore is in the evening - then you can really appreciate the ambiance of being in a ship and surrounded by all sorts of books.

We got books for the kids. Geof is eager to watch the CD about MV Doulos history, and Julia has opened all her books. For me and Andy? Our best buy is the "Buy 3 books for P200.00" at a special section of the fair and you get a free Doulos bag. The 3 books we bought were Relic Quest and Ark Fever by Robert Cornuke - these are two story accounts of one man's pursuit of the lost ark of the covenant and Noah's ark. The third book is Jake Thoene's Shaton's Fire, a book about waging war on terror.

The Doulos Book Fair runs in Manila on March 5-31, 2009. Ship Location: Gate 1, South Harbor, Manila Pier 13 (Near Manila Hotel). Learn more about the ship MV Doulos at the website and try the virtual tour.

Reading the Novels by Irving Wallace

At the DLSU-Manila library, there is a large collection of literary books – both fiction and nonfiction which you can borrow and read for one term (for faculty members). In searching for a good read I browse through these collections and sometimes select a book the author of which I don’t even know. In my search, I discovered an interesting and prolific writer – Irving Wallace. I got hooked with his novels after reading one of his novels – The Miracle. What I liked about Wallace’s style is his strong and realistic characters, colorful narratives and thrilling plots. Each novel has always a different and unique theme (unlike some of the present popular writers who just repeat the same formula in their past novels). These were the books I borrowed and read from the DLSU Library.

• THE CHAPMAN REPORT (1962) is a fictional story of intrigue, dishonesty and relationships between men and women as chronicled in a study of female sex habits.
• THE MAN (1964) is a very provocative novel about the 1st Black US president who fights for his office, race and private life and faced with an impeachment by the Senate of the United Sates. This novel is relevant and timely today with Barrack Obama now as the 1st Black US President – will he be impeached in the future? Very informative. You get to know the impeachment process in the US.
• THE WORD (1972) tells of a gospel, ostensibly written by Jesus' brother, which was discovered. The story combines this religious theme with international business and politics.
• THE FAN CLUB (1974) was about Hollywood's sexiest star who is kidnapped by four men. A lof of sex and violence. For mature readers only!
• THE PIGEON PROJECT (1979) explored the idea of the elixir of life and what happens if it were invented. Fast paced action dealing with a reelvant issue - ethics in science.
• THE ALMIGHTY (1982) was set in the media world, in which the head of the New York Record uses terrorism and espionage to exceed the circulation of the New York Times. Recommended for the mass media practioners (print, tv & radio) who sometimes sacrifice ethics just to sensationalize their news and shows.
• THE MIRACLE (1984) explored how the lives of different people were affected by the promise of a miracle of Mary’s apparition based on the story of Bernadette, the young peasant girl who first saw Mary at the Grotto in Lourdes in 1958. A story of faith.
• THE SEVENTH SECRET (1985) explores the possibility that Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun did not commit suicide in 1945, but rather survived to perpetuate the Third Reich into modern times. Intriguing and historical in its presentation.
• THE GUEST OF HONOR (1989) is a political and love story between the US president and a lady president of a small island in the South China Sea.

I discovered other titles (both fiction and nonfiction) by Wallace at the website of fantastic fiction . If you want to know more about Irving Wallace, read a featured book - A Writer's Profile by John Lawrence at Google Book Search.

I tried to find Wallace’s books at bookstores but it seems they are not anymore available or you have to order them. I hope our bookstores – Fully Booked, Power Books or National Bookstore – will display and sell the novels of Irving Wallace. His novels' themes – sex, professional ethics, religion, politics, science, history - are relevant in the present times.

39 Clues (Book 1): The Maze of Bones

We gave Geof (our 9-year old) a copy of the first book in the "39 clues" book-series by Scholastics publishing. He was raving about it, after hearing a representative from Scholastics gave a talk about the book-series in their school. While Geof was in school, I checked out the book.

The "Maze of Bones" was the first in the book-series (there will be 10 books in all) and is meant for those who are in the transition years (being a child to becoming a kid like Geof). I guess those who enjoyed Harry Potter would enjoy this too - although the Harry Potter book-series have a different appeal and hooks the reader from the start - this book has some of that element, but not as intense.

I find the book engaging. I only meant to read the introduction, and before I knew it, I was already in chapter 5. I had to stop myself from continuing since I still need to finish a lot of things. But a book-addict can't be stopped - interspersed with my work and research, I finished the book in 3 days.

The book chronicles the adventures of the Cahill family in their search for the '39 clues' (allegedly the key in unearthing great fortune and power), with the "bidas" (protagonists) Dan and Amy Cahill, the 10-year old and 14-year old orphans who had the least connection and resources, but had the most wits.

For those with kids who already appreciate reading pocket-book style books, this seems like a good investment - a copy costs about PhP500, and if there are 10 books in the series, you can do the math. At least the books come in installment (Geof said all 10 books will be out by 2010, after which they will make a movie.)

The innovativeness of this series is that it's not only a book but there's an interactive web-game, too. Only those who have the book are able to get the cards (embedded on the book-cover) where the codes are written. Without the codes, one cannot participate in the internet-based game/ treasure hunt.

Both Andy and myself have finished the book, and we recommend it to those with 9-14 year old kids.

(For those with kids who are just beginning to show interest in books, try the "Geronimo Stilton" books also by Scholastics - these are collections of adventures by Geronimo - a mouse - who's a newspaper publisher that gets embroiled with different kinds of problems/ adventures. The stories are simple, and the texts are interspersed with pictures/ drawings.)