Kinda booked

SUMMIT TAGGED me on facebook – all the way from Adelaide! – on her note called “Booked”.  She said I have to list down 15 books that have stuck with me through these years.  And do so in 15 minutes.  Pressure!  And oh, tag 15 friends to do the same (including her since she would most likely want to know what her friends are into).  I thought about sharing this – what came to me in 15 minutes at way past 1:00 A.M. – here on my blog.  Here goes my list…

  1.  The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino – My fave quote: “True satisfaction lies not in the things one has… but in the things one can do without.”  This was a Christmas gift from a classmate in college who liked my “Book of the Dead” presentation in class.  Not exactly a fan (kapal ko naman!).  But she thought I was interesting.

  2.  The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo – Birthday gift from Friendship.  My fave quote: “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it.”  Can the universe please conspire now?!?!  Hahaha!

  3.  Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom – This was also a gift (but couldn’t remember who gave it.  Friendship?).  I’ve read this many times.  Eventually, Tuesdays have meant something to me too.

  4.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling – This was the ONLY Harry Potter book I finished!  But proudly, I have to say I did so in just one sitting.  Haha!  I have two – one was a gift, the other I got in a mall in Malaysia.  Their cover art work were so different!

  5.  The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – I got this at Borders in Folsom.  I finished this in one sitting.  Though I never felt I had to read all his other books… Hmmm…

  6.  The Elements of Style by Strunk & White – This was a hand-me-down from my eldest brother after I topped the qualifying examinations for new staff writers for our school paper (“The New Builder”, Mapua Institute of Technology).

  7.  Speaking of Journalism: Twelve Writers and Editors Talk About Their Work by William Zinsser – This was one of the first books I bought when I was already working.  I would always carry this book with me wherever I went… hardbound at that!

  8.  Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten – I love love love cook books.  But somehow, this one sticks out from the rest.  I like Ina’s unpretentious style.  And I love the story of how she decided to buy the Barefoot Contessa deli.  (With all due respect to Giada, Tyler, Rocco, and – of course! – Rachael Ray, I reach out for their books as well whenever I’m in Powerbooks.)

  9.  For One More Day by Mitch Albom – This was a Christmas gift from Partner.  I love its story of how powerful a relationship is or can be.  A relationship lasts for a lifetime and even beyond.  As Partner’s favorite line from the book says: “Lost love is still love.  It takes a different form, that’s all.  You can’t see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor.  But when those senses weaken another heightens.  Memory.  Memory becomes your partner.  You nurture it.  You hold it.  You dance with it.”

10.  Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory by Boylestad & Nashelsky – I am an engineer!  And this was my favorite book back in the day.  I practically memorized every single page.  Hahaha!

11.  When Chic Hits the Fan by Kitty Go – I first read this as an essay in the Philippine Daily Inquirer before it eventually became a book.  I got reminded when Friendship bought one for herself.  I got mine at Powerbooks in Megamall while waiting for Batman.  By the time he arrived, I was done with the book.  Hahaha!

12.  I don’t know the title… but there was this one coffee table book on vintage Omega timepieces that I would keep coming back for at the Powerbooks branch in Alabang Town Center.  I’d just read it there, I never thought about buying it.  Probably when I finally get to strap a Speedmaster on my wrist, I’d buy the book!

13.  El Filibusterismo by Jose Rizal – I liked this so much more than Noli Me Tangere.  I find the book to be the ultimate teleserye!  Hahaha!  And I read it many times… the very deep Tagalog version.  I’d ace El Fili quizzes in high school.

14.  The Washington Post Deskbook on Style compiled and edited by Robert A. Webb – Really old book but dependable just the same.  I love “writer’s books” or “manuals”.

15.  The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger – I never bought this, but I got to read it.  Started it at Borders in Folsom.  And finished it at Powerbooks in Megamall… again, while waiting for The Dark Knight to arrive.