September 30, 2012, 7:58 am
This post will serve as my introductory post for The Short Story Initiative and my personal list of what I hope to read for October. Feel free to share yours.
Well, to be honest, I have never been good with lists; either I get easily distracted by new books or I’m way too laid-back to be pressured by them. On second thought, lists helped a lot in getting this blog into a pretty good shape. I list my planned posts in a calendar, and most, if not all, have been accomplished. There is a strange sense of satisfaction in completing a list. Above all, it gives my blog direction.
Now I’m going to list down what I plan for October. Realistically speaking, I cannot promise to cover them all, but I can always do my best to cover as much as I can.
Have you noticed I haven’t done book reviews for quite a long time already? My preference for short fiction and Philippine literature is getting stronger by the day, but that is no excuse for me not to post book reviews simply because I still read books. In fact, I have three lined up for October and November, two of which are quite overdue already.
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Timeless Desire: An Outlander Love Story by Gwyn CreadyTwelve Months by Steven Manchester
The Dragondain (Book Two of The Moon Realm Series) by Richard Due
For October’s run of The Short Story Initiative, the suggested theme is crime or suspense short stories, although the participants are not required to follow. There are so many you could find on the Internet; it is just a matter of putting focus on your choices. For my part, and as a matter of recommendation, I plan to read the following works, although I’m not really sure if there is the element of crime or suspense in these stories (but I think there is, in every story):
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The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
A Municipal Report by O. Henry
Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood
Diary of an Interesting Year by Helen Simpson
Christmas Everyday by William Dean Howells
I invite you to join The Short Story Initiative. The mechanics are very simple. I put Mr. Linky at the end of this post so you can put in the links to your posts about any short stories and I can include you in the October round up at the end of the month, such as what I did for September’s participants.
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One of the things that got me really busy in September is the creation of the Cebu Book Club. I’m just so lucky my partner, Geezelle Tapangan of www.geemiz.com, is very active and fills in for me when I’m, uh, emotionally strained. Cebu Book Club is an online temporarily exclusive book club whose members are mostly coming from Cebu, Philippines, though not necessarily Cebuanos. We are still 12 in the group and we hope to increase that number in the coming months. For now, we are pleased to announce that we will be reading our first voted book in October--Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne! My personal reading experience with Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth in high school has been very memorable so I really look forward to another of his books.
I don’t think my month will be complete without reading more Filipino works and children’s books.
Comics
The Filipino Heroes League by Paolo Fabregas
The Antique Shop by Arielle
Comics Stories About Love & Heartbreak edited by Elbert Or (I was really laughing my heart out on this one)
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Short Stories
The Small Key by Paz Latorena (her other story, Sunset, is really poignant)
A Bottle of Storm Clouds by Eliza Victoria (there are 16 stories and I’m already half way through this dark-themed collection)
Waywaya by F. Sionil Jose
Cebuano Poetry Until 1940 edited by Alburo, Erlinda, et. al. (as my participation in The Poetry Project)
Children’s Books
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Well, that’s about it. Here’s hoping my October will be very productive. How about you, what are your plans for the month?
- Nancy -
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Have you experienced buying a book for what you thought it is but it pleasantly turned into something else? A Bottle of Storm Clouds by Eliza Victoria is like that with me. I thought it is a short story collection about, given the cover, Philippine folklore flawlessly interspersed in a contemporary setting. It turns out to be what its title says—16 stories about individuals with bottled-up storms that change them in so many ways.
The storms come in different disturbing forms but oftentimes, the ending is the same: death. I have already read eight of these stories and so far, I have gotten the drift of Victoria’s admirable writing style—simple yet powerful words, short yet intense sentences, suspenseful flashbacks, and lots of dramatic dialogue. Each story evokes similar yet different emotions—do you understand? All stories I have encountered so far are sad ones subtly, others directly, covering a multitude of personal issues—abandonment, death of a loved one, fear of being left, fear of the future, and inability to move one. But the degree of sadness of the story can only be determined by how relevant it is in the life of the reader.
In my case, my heart was very heavy—still is—when I finished reading Earthset, the eighth story I have read (and mostly accounts for the reason that I could not move on to the ninth story yet). Eric goes through the daily motions of going to his office and back. At first, I thought, “Here is one bored corporate slave.” But the story immediately builds up, explaining his absent-minded routine. In a flashback, the reader is transported to the striking moment before his wife dies in a mall bombing. Her sudden death leaves him a broken-hearted man who, from my point, badly needs a hug and a person to talk to. But he cuts off all social connections, even when offered, and eyes a bottle of brandy and a helpless hopeless future. The story ends there, giving the readers free wheel to think what they want to happen to Eric. Following logic, though, without emotional support, I don’t Eric would have lasted long.
After I finished this story, I immediately called the boyfriend and went teary-eyed over the phone when I recalled the story to him. He told me not to believe it because the story is fiction. I argued with him that no, the story is very possible because there was a mall bombing in Manila before and someone out there could be suffering in the same way that Eric is suffering. And he insisted to me not to believe everything I read. Then I spat back that of course I do not believe everything I read, but Eric’s story reminded me of how he nearly died because of me during a robbery incident two years ago, then I would have suffered like Eric. The boyfriend went silent on the line. That somehow made me smile a little, for personal reasons. We hugged each other for a long time when we met the following day.
And that, my friend, is one of the reasons I enjoy short stories (and Earthset in particular). They are distinctive excerpts of different episodes of our lives, including those we think are too dramatic or too boring, taken from different, if not fresh, perspectives.
And, oh, A Bottle of Storm Clouds is highly recommended.
- Nancy -
P.S. I will feature more of Victoria’s short stories from her collection “A Bottle of Storm Clouds” on Simple Clockwork in the future. I am thinking of her short story titled “An Abduction by Mermaids” for the next post about the book. Victoria is an award-winning Filipino writer. A Bottle of Storm Clouds is her first short story collection published just this year. I bought my copy from National Bookstore.
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(spoiler alert)
The title of this blog post is not the title of the short story I am going to share in a moment, but it is among the first few thoughts born after reading “Sunset” by Filipino writer, Paz Latorena, the latest writer whose works Mel U of The Reading Life and I are exploring for our Readings in Philippine Literature: Short Stories project (which, by the way, you are very much invited to join in).
Of course, a man wants to live with a woman he likes or loves. I’m sure he would even say he will marry the same woman in a heartbeat. There’s a “but” coming, though… But marriage… Well, as they say, it’s an expensive business—licenses, church fees, food, dresses, transportation, and all other hoopla to make it one memorable celebration. Oh, you could see a growing number of young couples in the Philippines today doing this—living together but not marrying because of lack of money—causing elders who strongly believe in Church vows before God as the ideal way to start a happy marriage to raise their eyebrows in question and speculation.
In Latorena’s “Sunset”, the eyebrows were raised even higher. The year (it was written), after all, is 1929, a time when respectability and social mores still strongly prevail, such that “even the slums had a code of morals, however loose”. It tells the story of a maid and a cobbler who meets when the former stumbles upon the latter’s house after she ran away from her employer’s house where she was harassed by a certain man named Pepe (who later turns out to be her employer’s brother). Like a fairytale story, it is love at first sight for the two of them (and I think this is the scene I could call “psychologically forced”). The cobbler asks the maid to live with him with the promise that they will get married as soon as he has money.
However, a cobbler’s life is hard. The man is barely earning enough to keep them both alive. When the maid’s good señorita tracks her down to take her back, the maid declines because she loves her cobbler and she has high hopes they will get married soon. The last pay the señorita offers her provides her the idea of giving it to the cobbler with her employer’s help, with the anticipation that now the cobbler has money, he will marry her. The ending, well, let’s just say it turned out differently than what she expected it to be.
Latorena, for me, did a poignant and sad telling of the Sunset, cleverly handling one dramatic situation after the other and consistently posing her characters for what they really are with a cultural backdrop that is still relevant today. It is no surprise that this story was listed by Jose Garcia Villa as one of the 25 best Filipino stories in the decade it was published.
The writer was born in Boac, Marinduque. She studies in Manila and graduate from the University of the Philippines with a B.S.E. degree. She then took graduate courses at the University of Sto. Tomas where she later taught literature and creative writing.
I could not find a copy of Sunset online, except this (incomplete) one: Sunset by Paz Latorena.
You should head over to Mel’s post about Latorena’s other beautiful short story, “The Small Key”.
Now, I pose to you the complete question taken from this blog post’s title: When a man loves a woman but would not—could not—marry her, what do you think will happen to the two of them?
- Nancy -
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In the Philippines, October is a celebration of many wonderful things--Breast Cancer Awareness Month, School Health Month, even National Statistics Month. But here, at Simple Clockwork, let's celebrate October as (also) National Children’s Month (in consonance of United Nations’ declaration of October as Universal Children’s Month) by talking about children, their books, and our own childhood reading experience.
(And oh, the questions below in bold letters? This is not an interview or a Q & A post. Rather, these are my questions to you.)
What is your childhood reading experience?
In my case, I have long enjoyed children’s books; I make no secret about that. They are the first section I go to each time I visit a bookstore. I always squeal at the sight of bright illustrations and I could stand for an hour reading them even when, in the end, they will still go through the cash register. Maybe because I grew up with more improvised toys than books and it is only recently that I am rediscovering how great they are.
My parents are not readers; they are hard workers and supporters. When I, as a kid, brought home borrowed children’s books, they encouraged me to continue on borrowing from the library but they hardly ever bought me one. I never begrudged them because of that. You see, they lived a hard laborious life as children, spending more time earning for the family than studying, so books, even school textbooks, were a luxury to them. So when my sister and I came, they were understandably clueless as to what children’s books to buy for us. Fortunately, they enrolled us into private schools that encouraged (sometimes even required) library visits, which sparked our interest in reading. Now, my sister is into Young Adult books while I stick to short stories, Philippine literature, children’s books, and a little clean romance.
I once told a blogger friend never underestimate children’s books for they present so many universal truths and principles in the amazingly simplest ways.
One of my favorite childhood memories with reading, which I remember now, is when my class sometime in my elementary years agreed to visit an orphanage in the city and interact with the orphans who were just about our age or younger. Each one of us were asked to bring a gift for them. I remembered becoming really restless, thinking hard on what to give as the visitation date drew nearer. At the last minute, I reproduced my cousin’s three Bible stories by illustrating them on paper (the best that a 10-year-old could do) and arranging them like how a book would appear and during the visit, I read with the orphans. I could have asked my parents to buy Bible stories but at that time, I don’t know why it has never crossed my mind.
What is your favorite children’s book?
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| My Bobbsey Twins collection |
Don’t you just get overwhelmed by the hundreds of children’s books out there, many still underappreciated or undiscovered? Each time I go to a bookstore, I see a new-to-me children’s book. In fact, at one time or two, I gave in to the temptation to buy some of them. Just like my short story collections, my children’s books in my room are fast becoming a tower of Babel.
Among the horde, I always consider The Little Prince Antoine de Saint Exupery as a favorite (and I haven’t even talked about it yet on my blog!). For my birthday last year, my boyfriend bought me the complete hardcover series of Laura Lee Hope’s The Bobbsey Twins who are simply adorable. I recently reviewed The Several Lives of Orphan Jack by Sarah Ellis and my heart really went out to Otherjack. There are more favorites--Tahanan’s The Night Monkeys, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans, A Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’engle, The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner, any children’s book by Enid Blyton, and so much more.
I often visit Barbara’s blog and online store (March House Books), Alex’s blog (The Children’s War), The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow, and Claudine’s CarryUsOff Books to drool over so many new-to-me children’s books.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to get through a month without reading at least one children’s book, though I can’t promise I can review each and every one of them in this blog (though I try). I’m planning to read and/or finish the following in the next few weeks:
Odd the the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman (another gift from my boyfriend)
The Bobbsey Twins and the Mystery at Snow Lodge by Laura Lee Hope
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (I don’t think I like Mary Lennox very much at first)
The Island of Adventure by Enid Blyton (I keep postponing this and I don’t know why!)
Skylark by Patricia MacLachlan (sequel to Sarah, Plain and Tall)
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| My to-read children's books. Which ones have you read already? |
Why read children’s books?
We all have different reasons for reading. Reading to me in general is therapeutic. Reading children’s books, though, is like catching up on what I have missed as a kid, or, as the academics would put it, getting myself remediated. I once told a blogger friend never underestimate children’s books for they present so many universal truths and principles in the amazingly simplest ways.
Children’s books--they are also a great way to bond with your kids. I know of another blogger friend who homeschools her son, screens books before her son reads them, and they read them together, drawing them closer to each other.
At the end of the day, books are books; they are only good if they are read. So, let us get our children--and even adults--into the fold and habit of reading children's books.
Happy Universal/National Children’s Month!
- Nancy -
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Cebu Book Club where I’m a member is reading Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” for October. I am now on the sixth chapter and so far it has all been exciting. At first, I was a little worried because it’s a science fiction classic and Verne might throw at me some heavy scientific words I would not be able to comprehend and hence obstruct my reading pleasure. But he didn’t--not that much, that is--and I’m mighty glad.
Here is how the book begins: “The year 1866 was marked by a strange occurrence, an unexplained and inexplicable phenomenon that surely no one has forgotten.”
As I’ve already shared with my fellow clubbers, I already admire the characters in the book, starting with Ned Land, which is quite a strange name for a man who works out in the sea, and Professor Aronnax who kind of reminds me of Milo from Walt Disney’s “Atlantis” and his faithful servant, Conseil, who never gives any counsel.
A few chapters into the book and I’ve already came across with a couple of nice, sometimes humorous, quotes, one of which is by Professor Aronnax who said, referring to Conseil, “This lad was thirty years old, and his age was to that of his master as fifteen is to twenty. --May I be forgiven for this roundabout way of saying that I was forty?” Oh, for a while there, that got me tickled.
There are a lot of free ebooks on the title online. But I could not resist a print copy when I saw one for only P99 or more or less $2 at a local bookstore. I also browsed the Internet for other editions, just for delight of seeing gorgeous book covers. I’m sharing some of them with you here:
So, which one do you like? Have you read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea? What do you think about it?
- Nancy -
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Cebuano is my original language. I learned to speak it long before I learned how to say anything in English. But sadly, Cebuano is not my strong language now. I was thrown into an imbalance wherein I studied and learned English in schools for eight hours a day for five days a week while I speak Cebuano for four hours or so at home before going to bed on weekends. I am what Mojares refer to as an imperfectly literate Cebuano when he said in his introduction in the book:
“Today…much of the richness of Cebuano language and poetry has been depleted—through disuse (the language is not studied in the universities; it is, if at all, marginally used as medium of instructional, and outlets for Cebuano writing are sorely lacking) or because of the dominating influence of a foreign language that has created imperfectly literate Cebuanos inhabiting the inarticulate spaces between the world of Cebuano and that of English. For many Cebuanos today, to read Cebuano poetry is to experience something both intimate and strange. In a sense, this is the experience of poetry itself. Yet, there is another dimension: it is also the experience of passing through ancestral grounds long forsaken—and now revisited and, hopefully, reclaimed.”
I opened a few pages of Cebuano Poetry and grinned at some familiar Cebuano words—balitaw, harana (serenades), and pamalaye (verses for negotiating a marriage). I’m going to share a poem from this book in this blog post, both the Cebuano and English version, and perhaps in my succeeding posts for Poetry Project. Reading through some Cebuano poems, I discovered how the Cebuano version of the poem is more intimate, closer to my heart and senses than that of the English version. If you’re a Cebuano, I encourage you to read and even share a few verses of your own here.
Cebuano version:
Mga Talan-awon (1935)
Ni E. Gadiana Cabras
Mao kini ang mga talan-awong masulubon:
Usa ka bulak nga sa tanaman
siya da ang sayong napukan;
Usa ka langgam kinsang dughan
sa idlot nga pana gilagbasan;
Usa ka lalaki nga nabuang
Kay sa babaye gibudhian;
Usa ka nagtingang anak ug inahan
nga namokpok sa dughan!
English version:
Images (1935)
By E. Gadiana Cabras
(Translated by Resil B. Mojares)
These are the sights that sadden:
A flower that in the garden
she alone early withers;
A bird whose breast
by a poisoned arrow pierced;
A man gone mad
By a woman betrayed;
A child dying and a mother
beating her breast!
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So, what do you think?
- Nancy -
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October 13, 2012, 11:15 pm
I first heard of the short story collection, Southern Harvest, and its author Renato E. Madrid through my former college instructor and much admired writer-musician Lorenzo Ninal in a couple of his old columns for Sun.Star Cebu. How Ninal described the writing prowess of Madrid had me convinced that the latter is one talented Cebuano writer. Renato E. Madrid, by the way, is the pen-name of Fr. Rudy Villanueva, a Catholic priest, a prize-winning fiction writer, and a renowned composer and conductor.
In his foreword for Southern Harvest, Nick Joaquin, another accomplished Filipino writer, described Madrid as “look(ing) oh so prim and proper but he has got a maniac under his skin. That also goes for his stories. They are polished on the surface--but what volcanoes lurk under!” Coming from Joaquin, that’s another statement (or two) that adds to the intrigue and feeds the excitement to devour the collection.
What’s more interesting is how the particular short story, Southern Harvest, started off beautifully but with a certain foreboding: “In the failing sunlight the hills were jagged paper cut-outs as Teresa looked at them; the garden’s single lowland pine, rooted straight on a bed of its own fallen cone, seemed only one indistinct crease of the mountains very far away.”
Southern Harvest, which is Madrid’s first collection of the stories he wrote originally for the old Philippines Free Press and Asian Leader, was published in 1987, featuring 10 short stories. Yes, it is that old, around the time when I was still struggling to walk and speak. When Ninal said it is no longer available in the market, true enough it isn’t when I checked a couple of online stores like Amazon. But there are special local bookshops that know when to spot literary jewels and find ways to make rare books accessible.
When I saw that Southern Harvest was available at the lovely La Belle Aurore Bookshop, I immediately grabbed the chance to buy it, along with other Filipiniana books that are hard to come by. Although I teased to the owner about wishing I could buy all those Filipiniana books, I am not well-off enough to do so and that would be too greedy for me, too. Thankfully, there are several titles there that have double copies, including the Southern Harvest. For a partial listing of books that can be found at La Belle Aurore Bookshop, please visit its Facebook page.
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Literary Gems is a new element at Simple Clockwork, featuring books I have bought from La Belle Aurore Bookshop or wanted to buy there or should be read. These books could range from classics to romance to children’s books. The bookshop is located at Hernan Cortes, Mandaue City, Cebu. It will be opening its second branch soon along Junquera St. in Cebu City.
- Nancy -
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October 14, 2012, 5:00 pm
In six days, on Oct. 21, the Philippines, a dominantly Christian and deeply religious country, will witness the canonization of its second saint, Blessed Pedro Calungsod. With each passing day, the excitement escalates. In fact, excitement is an understatement. What word would be apt to describe the 5,000 Filipino pilgrims--mostly from Cebu and Cebuano-speaking provinces--who are expected to attend the canonization rites for Calungsod at the Vatican, or the laborious preparations of the Archdiocese of Cebu for the grand procession and national thanksgiving mass on Nov. 30, or the cultural and artistic renditions by ordinary people of the life and faith of the teenage catechist?
Just the other day, I was surrounded with lively talks and speculations about and over who from media outlets in Cebu will be going to cover. I was a church beat reporter for a year so I could just imagine how much in high spirits the local media is. I mean, it is not everyday one gets to cover directly or indirectly a canonization. It’s another religious milestone for the country. For all we know, it might take decades for another Filipino saint to be canonized, let alone blessed.
I was three years old, barely speaking and walking, when San Lorenzo Ruiz, a family man and the first Filipino saint, was canonized in Oct. 28, 1987. He was canonized by the much loved Pope John Paul II. It is refreshing to be able “to be aware” of a canonization. It is even more heartening to know that my young sister and her generation and the generations after her will now have a new role model to extract inspiration from, apart from the singing and dancing stars of South Korea.
Thinking deeper, I think it is more than just the event that is exciting. It is the fact--an important one--that Calungsod was an ordinary teenager. A teenage saint! Oh, I’m not saying a teenager has to die violently for his or her faith in order to get sanctified, just like what Calungsod (and Ruiz) did. What I’m saying is a teenager was able to do something extraordinarily well--to have the courage to not just face fear but deal with it, to have the selfless ability to sacrifice time with family and friends for a greater cause, and to have the perseverance and faith to accomplish an important mission. Calungsod, for me, sounds like he’s now shouting from his place on God’s side that if he was able to do extraordinary and awe-inspiring things amid barbarians and harsher natural conditions, so we could we in this digital space and age. And age, for that matter, is of little significance.
For more information about Blessed-soon-to-be-Saint Pedro Calungsod, visit this page dedicated for him.
- Nancy -
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October 16, 2012, 5:00 pm
Death is spooky, don’t you think? Here’s a old, nevertheless thought-provoking, Cebuano poem by Canuto C. Lim (translated in English by Simeon Dumdum Jr.), which is dedicated for poet Floripinas on the death of his son. Bakunawa means monster.
Ang Bakunawa Kaniadto (1936)
Ni Canuto C. Lim
--- Kang Floripinas,
sa kamatayon sa iyang anak
Gabi-i tong way timik, daw gihadlaan
Niadtong mga bitoos langit, ang bulan;
Sa hayag nga’s kabugnaw sinagulan,
Katawhag kalibutan gihatagan.
Miahat singgit-basal ang kabataan
Kayng bulas bakunawa na gidul-an,
Dakuung tawo miapil sab, kay nagul-an,
Basal-singgit, “Buhi-ing among dulaan.”
Bulan mingiub! Kabanhang makalisang!
Sa mangapatalinghug alanggisang
Dunggan ug mabungol’s soliyaw lamang
Kay konong bulan dyutay na may kulang
Sa bakunawa, daw kusog mikamang,
Pagalamyon, suma’s mga tigulang.
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The Monster of Old (1936)
By Canuto C. Lim
Translated by Simeon Dumdum Jr.
--- For Floripinas.
on the death of his son
It was a still night, and amused
By those stars in the sky, the moon;
Light and coolness intermingled,
Gifts to the people and the world together.
And suddenly, the children drumming, shouting
Because the monster’s edging to the moon,
A grown man, his heart heavy, joined, too,
Shouting and beating, “Let go! Let our toy go!”
Moon getting dark! Terrifying noise!
To all within hearing, assault
On the ears, the shouts deafen
For, they say, the moon is almost taken
By the monster crawling fast, oh the moon
WIll soon be swallowed, warn the folks.
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What are your thoughts? The fact that the poem is dedicated to a person who lost someone very close, the monster in the poem could mean a lot of things, don’t you think?
- Nancy -
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October 20, 2012, 4:57 am
My Father’s Tragedy by Carlos Bulosan (1914-1956), a Filipino writer fighting for the American dream of the Filipinos on American soil while wrestling with tuberculosis, reminds me of relationships gone sour because of cockfighting. Oh, I have seen them...observed them...and, at this point, I’m still not sure if I like the activity at all. Do you?
You see, a neighbor got three fighting cocks and his son, though grown and a father himself, is fast learning the trade. Both of them spend their Sundays grooming the animals than grooming their kids. A relative whose six-year old son is growing up in not-so-ideal (I’m being polite at best) surroundings is called a master of the cockpit because, at his young age, he knows how to pick up a cock without a hint of reluctance, memorizes the cockfighting terms like the back of his hand, and spends more time at the cockpit than at home playing with other children or learning his letters. A taxi driver whose vehicle I have ridden several nights ago kept grumbling over the loss of nine of his fighting cocks (and I was like, how in the world could he afford them? Cockfighting must be a terribly good business!) after these were allegedly stolen by his new neighbors who came from the slums.
Such are some anecdotes of my life that caused me to raise an eyebrow each time I see a fighting cock (believe it or not, there are a lot of them all over the neighborhood!) or pass by a cockpit. What’s yours? Unsurprisingly, Bulosan’s My Father’s Tragedy garnered a similar automated response from me when I learned that the father in the story is into cock fighting; the title never hinted it at all!
The story, written in first person, starts with a famine that drives farm-dependent families to poverty and hunger, including that of the narrator, a son. His mother and sister find ways and means to put food on the table. His father looks like a hopeless case, constantly exercising his fighting cock and dreaming his time away. Once, he even teaches the son how to make the animal stronger and ready for a fight. Then the father draws up a strategy that will put the family out of poverty. The build-up is so smartly done that after reading it, I did not quite know what hit me. The title of this short story hinted a tragedy, and there is, but you will have to found that out for yourself.
You can read the story HERE.
My Father’s Tragedy is a humorous satire about bad luck, bad pets, and bad attitude. Because of these three elements put so flawlessly together, I realized that beneath the humor is an awful reality presented quite simply--the reality of individuals resorting to gambling (and getting their children into the vice) as a ticket out of a hard life. While I found myself chuckling over the characters, I felt like Bulosan had the last laugh. Amazing, really, that for someone who has been sickly all his life, suffering of tuberculosis, and living poorly across different states in the US, Bulosan showed how Filipino he was be extracting humorous moments and transforming them into valuable and useful satires.
I think My Father’s Tragedy is a good soft start to learning more about Carlos Bulosan, a satirist, unionist, poet, fictionist, essayist-journalist, born in Pangasinan, Philippines in Nov. 24, 1914. He is the fifth of eight children of a poor hardworking peasant couple.
Three Saturdays ago, I had an accident of reading first two of his serious short fiction, “Life and Death of a Filipino in America” and “Be American”, which gave me a maddening roller-coaster of emotions--disgust, sad, pity, enlightening, shocking, frustrating, but mostly sad. So I shut the book, returned it to the shelf, and walked out of the library, quite aghast by Bulosan’s pictures in words. I will write more about Bulosan’s works in another post (that is, when I have the guts to face another roller-coaster ride).
For now, let us enjoy a little chuckle and reflect on a small dose of reality. My Father’s Tragedy is a recommended story.
- Nancy -
Readings in Philippine Literature is a joint venture between Mel U of The Reading Life and Simple Clockwork. Be sure to head over to Mel’s blog, which contains his amazing thoughts on a lot of short stories. We invite you to join us in this initiative.
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October 20, 2012, 5:56 pm
I originally started a sentence for this post, hoping it will grow into a paragraph and into a longer blog post. But you know, I could not think of a better way to present these three adorable old illustrated children’s books I bought from La Belle Aurore Bookshop, except in photos and some details to accompany them. They’re fantastic, aren’t they?
Enid Blyton’s The Night The Toys Had A Party is illustrated by Sue Pearson. It is produced by Templar Publishing Company Ltd. Text copyright (1945) by Enid Blyton. Illustrations and design copyright (1989) by Templar Publishing Company Ltd. What it is about: Ben was a very sad bear. None of the other toys would speak to him because he had tried to take their candy and cake. But all he was trying to do was plan a surprise party.
Snapping Turtle’s All Wrong Day by Peggy Parish and pictures by John E. Johnson. Published by Simon and Schuster. Text copyright (1970) by Peggy Parish. Illustrations copyright (1970) by John E. Johnson. What it is about: Snapping Turtle wants to get a special present for Mama Indian but his efforts turn into accidents or disasters. Will he ever get a present for Mama Indian?
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. Published by Puffin Books. Copyright (1939) by Ludwig Bemelmans. What it is about: It’s Madeline! What do you expect? (Chuckles).
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Literary Gems is a new element at Simple Clockwork, featuring books I have bought from La Belle Aurore Bookshop or wanted to buy there or should be read. These books could range from classics to romance to children’s books. The bookshop is located at Hernan Cortes, Mandaue City, Cebu.
- Nancy -
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October 21, 2012, 5:00 pm
Too much love will kill you...so goes the song by the Queen and performed popularly at a local stage by singer Jovit Baldivino who was declared champion in the first season of a national talent contest.
Such song repeatedly comes to mind when I read three suspenseful stories by Ruth Rendell-- "A Glowing Future”, “A Case of Coincidence”, and “May and June”. At the end of each story, I was shaking my head in bewilderment. Do you think it would be a crime to say I enjoy these crime short stories very much? Oh, I am not saying I enjoy the act of crime per se, but I admire how Rendell did it again: weave an incredulous yet painfully possible crime scene.
These stories are part of Rendell’s “The Fever Tree and Other Short Stories of Suspense” (1982). I have posted on her other stories, including “The Fallen Curtain”, “The New Girl Friend”, and “The Fever Tree”.
A Glowing Future tells of a dramatic breakup of a couple--way too dramatic. The man is packing up his things at the house he shares with his girlfriend-just-turned-ex at the very start of the story. He is selecting things that are special and discarding the stuff that do not please him. These things he put in a special case to be shipped to his would-be wife who is totally clueless of the former girlfriend. The shipping would take around three months during which time the man will be off somewhere in Europe vacationing before he will finally settle down. A heated discussion between him and his ex leads to an equally heated ending.
A Case of Coincidence is like reading a police blotter, only much more colorful and dramatic (there’s that word again). It is a story within a story about how a certain surgeon admits to killing his unfaithful wife but no one believes him, all because of coincidence that points to another killer who formerly killed women by the same method: strangling. While Rendell did not employ an overtly startling ending like her other stories, building up one clue after the other and easily guiding the reader to predict the most likely murderer, I could not help but wonder if beneath the clues, or alongside them, are subtle hints that point to the doctor as the real criminal but which we shrug off to make our reading lives better. I mean, sure, Rendell pointed out the criminal already, but it looks, I don’t know, so easy. (Or perhaps I’m just watching too many C.S.I. TV episodes.)
May and June is sad and terrible tragedy. Plain May is the elder of the two sisters. She is set to be married to a handsome and wealthy man but when lively and pretty June comes home from school months before the wedding, the man transfers his affections to the younger sister and the two end up getting married. This has caused a rift between the two sisters ever since and for me, it has driven May to a certain degree of madness, which contributes to a climactic ending I truly did not see coming. What is your guess if you put together May and June who are now edging towards their retirement years in one house after the death of the man who happened to be May’s former boyfriend and June’s husband?
These stories literally followed the logic behind the phrase, “Too much love will kill you”. If it’s not you, then it will be somebody else.
- Nancy -
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I have read these short stories for The Short Story Initiative. I’m following this month’s theme, which is crime/suspense. But the theme is not mandatory. If you have any short stories to share, share them in your blog and link them up here. You can actually find all the useful links on the sidebar. I hope you’ll join us. As they say, the more of us talking about short stories (which is considered an often neglected literary form), the merrier it will be. Hop on in anytime!
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October 27, 2012, 12:00 am
I am joining the Literary Blog Hop for the first time. The timing is perfect because October is the month I started book blogging, which means that since I officially started personal blogging in January 2011, this month is my FIRST year anniversary as a book blogger. Sometimes, I get amused calling myself a book blogger because I review more short stories than books!
For this Literary Blog Hop and for my first year anniversary as a book blogger, I will be giving out two books--The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. (Images taken from www.goodreads.com). The former is one my favorite classic stories, not just because of the universal story but by the memorable way it has touched (even changed the reading habits) of two friends who initially claimed they do not like to read, but now, after reading The Little Prince’s adventures, are reading more books than I do. The second book is the October book of the month of Cebu Book Club. Oh, what an imagination Verne has and how simply believable he writes!
So, how to win these two books? First, be sure that Book Depository delivers to your place. You can check out the list of countries here. Second, fill up the Rafflecopter below. The Literary Blog Hop will run from Oct. 27-31. I will only choose one winner for the two books via Rafflecopter. A winner will be declared on Nov. 1. The winner must provide me shipping address within 48 hours after I send him/her an email so that I can have the books delivered to his/her doorstep via Book Depository. Please note that the book covers above may not exactly be the ones the winner will receive.
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Let me take this opportunity to thank Judith of www.leeswammes.wordpress.com for hosting the Literary Blog Hop. You can find more details here. Please hop on as well to other participants of the Literary Blog Hop (see below).
Thank you for hopping and good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
6th Literary Blog Hop participants:
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October 28, 2012, 12:36 am
Let it be known that when a stage play features two men kissing and frolicking with each other in a room, then the production crew gets dappled reactions from audience who has varying degrees of exposure to homosexuality, which in a way speak volumes on how local society view gays. Oh, I know; I was there when “Berde: Hindi lang pula ang kulay ng pag-ibig (Green: Red is not the only color of love)” was set. Right in the middle (front) of the audience floor, I was stumped by the teasing catcalls, the scornful jeering, the happy clapping, and the sight of straight men beside me cursing and cringing at the greenness of it all.
Such were the reactions--the brazen abandonment of theater etiquette--solicited by Berde, a rollicking play that explores the overtly dramatic curves of the connections affected by the relationship between two men as well as their own relationship.
Directed by Loyd Sato, the same genius behind “Piring” and “Bus Terminal”, this provocative five-character ensemble, which could pass for a disturbing romantic comedy-tragedy, follows the unorthodox love affair of Edwin and Butch and how far they are willing to go to nurture the love they have for each other. It accented several issues revolving around gays--the origin of homosexuality, the overpowering passion of gays for their partners, the protectiveness of mothers bordering on obsession, the unreasonable neglect of fathers, how to properly raise children, and society’s “tolerance” for homosexuals.
Sato wrote and translated the play from the original material by National Artist Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero, “Clash of the Cymbals”. Homosexuality, with sexual overtures at certain intervals, and extreme family drama made for an inflammatory combo if these elements were presented in a play like Berde in the 1980s. Now, in this time, with almost each us going out with a gay friend and the laudable passage of Cebu’s anti-discrimination law, suffice it to say that Berde still delivered remarkable knockout punches to make the public conscious of what we are supposed to do--respect for another human being (whose true gender may not be properly/legally identified in his birth certificate for the rest of his life).
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Dare I ask myself if I came to respect Edwin who, in the play, exploits his mother’s love, enrages his father to death, selfishly runs away with Butch, and practically screams at nearly every turn how the world is badly treating him because he is gay? I don’t think so. But I did come to respect him towards the end, his transformation from a self-centered brat to a man who finally liberated himself from all pains after he finally understood that while he is gay, he is still a son and a friend.
Despite very few obvious drawbacks in the production, such as the inconsistent length of blackouts in between scenes and, at very rare times, the understandably unnatural delivery of some Filipino lines by a Cebuano-speaking cast, the show holds the audience captivated through the estimable prowess of all the actors (bravo!). At the curtain call, I practically jumped and clapped giddily when Rachel Laya-og who played Charo Ocampo, the indulgent mother and submissive wife, was introduced. Such was her stellar and heart-wrenching performance of her role.
So, the next time you see gays, think about Berde where the stage is so green that straight guys cringe, and remember that Berde is just a pint of a bigger sphere and so much more is happening to homosexuals out there.
Berde: Hindi lang pula ang kulay ng pag-ibig
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Written and directed by Loyd Sato. Presented through Focus Productions and Services at Marcelo B. Fernan Press Center in August 2012. Running Time: Approximately one hour. With Troy Tomarong and Jan Alfie Bartolome (Edwin Ocampo); Clint Solante (Butch Gavino); Rachel Laya-og, Andrea Patena, and Ansel Ancajas (Charo Ocampo); and Josh Eballe and Christopher Lingao (Arman Ocampo). All images provided for by Focus Productions and Services.
- Nancy -
P.S. If I’m not mistaken, I gather that Focus Productions’ next project is “Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio”. I’m not sure of the English translation, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.
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October 28, 2012, 3:00 pm
Have you experienced being taunted by the presence of a certain author (meaning you kept bumping into his or her name for a while) then suddenly, in a regular bookstore visit, you bumped into him or her again? This was the case with me with Ray Bradbury. There was a week when my friends online like Jay of Bibliophilopolis and Risa of Breadcrumb Reads mentioned Ray Bradbury, which got me curious about him. I’ve never read any of his works but several bloggers are raving about him. My interest peaked, I went to La Belle Aurore Bookshop to buy a book (not by Ray Bradbury, mind you), but there he was, his “A Sound of Thunder & Other Stories” practically glaring at me from the table in the center of the room, teasing me to buy. And buy I did, to finally put an end to his taunting.
Ray Bradbury, the author of more than 30 books, is the recipient of the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Some of his best-known works are Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. A writer for both theater and cinema, he has adapted 65 of his stories for television’s The Ray Bradbury Theater. He won an emmy for his teleplay of The Halloween Trees and was nominated for an Academy Award. He lives in Los Angeles, California. (taken from A Sound of Thunder & Other Stories)
Have you read any work by Ray Bradbury? I have read A Sound of Thunder and it’s good, but I will share more about it in a separate post along with a couple of more his short stories.
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Literary Gems is a new weekly element at Simple Clockwork, featuring books I have bought from La Belle Aurore Bookshop or wanted to buy there or should be read. These books could range from classics to romance to children’s books. The bookshop is located at Hernan Cortes, Mandaue City, Cebu.
- Nancy -
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October 29, 2012, 3:00 pm
As All Souls’ and All Saints’ Days are drawing near, here is a poem to reflect on:
Cemetery
By Marra PL. Lanot
And what remains are slabs
Of unchronicled thoughts of those
Left behind, the living who dare
Not recount the aches and bruises
Received when the dead were still
Undead.
Beyond the stones,
Below the plot of earth, nothing
Rings, not even the rattling
Of bones.
And the trees still stand
Like old men who have
Forgotten the lyrics of the love
Songs aired to the sky.
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What do you think?
- Nancy -
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October 31, 2012, 10:13 pm
The men’s hands were almost as graceful as the woman who turned around on the dance floor, gyrating with arms mid-way to the sky and hands drawing circles in the wind. And the men were not even dancing! For a long moment there, standing in a room full of people buzzing with excitement and benevolent admiration, I was captivated by the sight of men’s hands on their drums, pounding with near-effortless ease; their passion for what they do reverberating with every sound.
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| My friends and I pose with the Talaandig artists. I can only identify some of the artists, such as Balugto (second from left, standing); Waway (with red scarf around his neck); and Salima (female at the center, standing). That's me on the far right, standing. |
This happened within the time when the Huning Lumad (an exhibit and series of performances and soil painting workshops by the Talaandig Indigenous Community) was launched at The Jose R. Gullas Halad (JRG) Museum last Nov. 26. Huning Lumad means “native sound”, an apt title for an exhibit that carries everything native--song, dance, soil painting, sculpture, literary narratives, and musical instruments--to the Talaandig.
The JRG Halad Museum presents Huning Lumad in observance of the National Indigenous Peoples’ Month.
In the Philippines, a culturally diverse country, we have an estimated 14 to 17 million indigenous peoples belonging to more than 100 ethno-linguistic groups that are mainly found in Northern Luzon, Mindanao, and in some Visayas areas. The Talaandig is one of the seven ethnic groups in the Bukidnon province (in Mindanao, south of the Philippines). They are specifically living in around Mt. Kitanglad in the northern and eastern side of Mt. Kalatungan. The other six groups are the Manobo, Higaonon, Umayamnon, Matigsalug, Bukidnon, and Tigwahanon.
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| Talaandig artists |
In Cebu, I have not heard of any original ethnic tribes; maybe there are, deep in our bald forests, waiting to be discovered or just keeping quiet. I know of the seafaring Bajaus residing in Cebu City, but they are not originally from Cebu; they are migrants from Mindanao forced to seek greener pastures as they strive to keep their culture alive. So you could just imagine my thrill at seeing another indigenous group of people whose well-preserved traditions are as colorful as their costumes and as vibrant as the sounds they make.
The Talaandig is one of the few indigenous people’s communities that has successfully preserved their traditional culture and beliefs with the setting in of urbanization. Our country’s ancestors thrive on nature, so it is no surprise that the Talaandigs produce nature-based performances and art. Their chants that would last for days mimic the sounds of bumblebees and waves. Datu Rodelio “Waway” Linsahay Saway, with his characteristic dry humor, said that if one is asked to make an impromptu performance onstage and he is not prepared to sing and dance, he can always chant; he just have to know when to stop!
Waway Saway is known for his huge contribution to the vibrancy of the Talaandig music in its contemporary form. He provided the younger members of the Talaandig tribe, including his own children, the chance and the right motivation to connect with their own traditions, something that is becoming hard to achieve these days as more young people move to urban areas. By the way, he's venturing to capturing his tribes traditions on film.
During the exhibit launch and a Talaandig visit to my company office last Monday, he introduced me to various musical instruments, such as the kubing that parrots the sounds of a kalaw (hornbill) and used as a musical instrument for courtship and communicating with loved ones. In one of his interesting stories, he shared how the kubing is sometimes used to convey the message of a suitor wanting to meet with a girl somewhere in the village, like along the riverbanks. “And they would meet,” he added. “Then come back with a baby already.” That sure earned him a loud giggle from me.
He also showed me the tambulalatuk, a drum that mimics the sounds of a balalatuk or woodpecker, and the pulala, a very long flute that imitates the sounds of a cicala insect. He also explained the binanog or hawk dance, the binaki or frog dance, and the courtship dance of the of the Talaandigs performed by Salima Saway-Agraan, the only woman performer from the group during the exhibit launch. “Ah, she’s already married but her Facebook status is single,” Waway Saway quipped. Another round of chuckles. (I for sure did not see that coming!)
Apart from the music and dance, I was drawn to the Talaandig’s soil paintings. I remember taking up summer art classes during my first year in high school. One of my teachers was Leopoldo Aguilar who do exemplary soil paintings (I hope he still does, although I haven’t seen him in many years). During the exhibit, as an amateur painter by hobby, I was overwhelmed by so many soil paintings that clearly depict their traditions in earth tones--men and women playing musical instruments, farming, captured images of their daily life, and folktales. What’s striking is that not only do the Talaandig artists beat the drums and dance gracefully, they also did the paintings themselves! This is now the part where I’m going to be dramatic; seriously, I was practically reeling from the fact that the Talaandig artists are very well-rounded and talented and obviously proud of their culture.
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| Soil painting on the left is by Nympha Bendit while on the right is by Salima Saway Agra-an. |
If only I did not have prior commitments the days following the exhibit launch, I would have joined the soil art workshop they themselves facilitated and learn firsthand how they did it, the Talaandig way. Painting using organic materials, such as earth pigments from the soil right under our feet, would have minimized an artist’s costs and further tested his patience. Learning the process would have been interesting. Will a soil on canvas last? The fact that several of the soil paintings mounted have already reach three to 10 years might answer that question, although I’m sure these paintings are not purely organic; a couple of chemical-based coatings have been applied to preserve them.
One of the artists I really admired apart from Waway Saway himself is the smiling and laidback Marcelino “Balugto” Necosia, Jr.Balugto means rainbow, which shows his talents are a true kaleidoscope of various arts--visual, performance, and music. He is a successful and multi-awarded performer and visual artist. And he beats the tambul or drum so well!
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| Balugto explains his soil painting during the launch. |
Balugto beating the tambul or drum
I look forward to the day when I get to meet the Talaandigs once again and through their rhythms and images, be exposed to the stories of a tribe that is alive and thriving and artistically glorious.
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Big thanks to Audrey Tomada, director of The Jose R. Gullas Halad Museum, for inviting me to the exhibit launch. I went to the event as a representative of the Cebu Bloggers Society Inc. The Huning Lumad Exhibit runs from Oct. 26-Nov. 24, 2012.
Featured Talaandig artists are: Rodelio “Waway” Linsahay Saway; Rodelio “RJ Sumingsang” Saway Jr.; Marcelino “Balugto” Necosia Jr.; Raul Bendit; Salima Saway Agra-an; Gerald Saway; Onanoy Saway Estrada; Nino Dave “Chong” Tecson; Soliman Poonon; Christian Cloyd “Epoy” Eslao; and Nympha Bendit.
The JRG Halad Museum, located on V. Gullas St. corner D. Jakosalem St. in Barangay Sto. Nino, Cebu City, is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum admission fee is only Php 20. For more information, please contact (6332) 268-2579.
- Nancy -
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November 1, 2012, 4:40 pm
Thank you to all who joined the Short Story Initiative in October! Honestly, after an overwhelming response during the first month (September) of this event, I was a little apprehensive as to how the second month (October) will go. My apprehensions were needless; there are many bloggers who still value and appreciate short stories. Are you one of them? Then join us in November! The mechanics are all very simple. And you can start anytime!
Anyway, before we start the Short Story Initiative in November, allow me to give you a rundown of the short stories featured by the participants in October. I suggested the theme, crime and mystery, but it’s not mandatory. With Halloween, it was no surprise that many of these good short fiction edged towards creepiness.
Risa of Breadcrumb Reads posted on five short stories by M R James--“Canon Alberic's Scrap-book”, “Lost Hearts”, “The Mezzotint”, “The Ash Tree”, and “Room 13”.
Nina of Multo (Ghost) shared her thoughts on “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell. She also posted on stories by Sir Adrew Caldecott, including “A Room in a Rectory”, “Christmas Re-union”, and a lot more!
Sophia of Page Plucker read two tales by W. W. Jacobs, namely “The Monkey’s Paw” and “Lady of the Barge”.
Mel of The Reading Life posted on “The Hitch-Hikers” by Eudora Welty.
Hila of The Sill of the World read a three disturbing short stories for Halloween by different authors, including “The Damned Thing” by Ambrose Bierce; “Silent Snow, Secret Snow” by Conrad Aiken; and “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
Jay of Bibliophilopolis shared his thoughts on “The Horla” and “Ghosts by Guy de Maupassant. He also posted on “History Lesson” by Arthur C. Clarke, “The Folding Man” by Joe R. Lansdale, and two more ghost stories--”Grandfather’s Teeth” by Lisa Tuttle and “Grandmother’s Slippers” by Sarah Pinborough.
Che of From Kafka to Kindergarten read three tales of mystery and suspense by different authors--“The Mystery of the Essex Stairs” by Sir Gilbert Campbell, “The Fenchurch Street Mystery” by Baroness Orczy, and “The Dancing Partner” by Jerome K Jerome.
Simple Clockwork also posted about some short stories. They are Earthset by Eliza Victoria, and three disturbing tales by Ruth Rendell (A Glowing Future, A Case of Coincidence, and May and June).
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So many short stories! So many new-to-me authors! Which ones have you read already? Be sure to give these links a visit; I assure you you’ll be pleased with what you’ll find. I sure did. I presently enjoyed The Monkey’s Paw and The Horla, but I'll be reading the other stories featured here soon.
Now, on to November! What are you planning to read? For The Short Story Initiative, I suggested short stories by Indian authors or stories about India. As a reminder, this is not mandatory; this is just a suggestion that might help put your reading into focus, especially if you don’t know where to start. Essentially, you can read and share any short story you want for The Short Story Initiative.
In my case, I’ve been saving up “Junglee Girl” by Ginu Kamani for November, among others. Here’s the interesting pitch on the back cover: “JUNGLEE” girl--stemming from the Sanskrit root, jungle--is used in India to describe a wild and uncontrollable woman. In these eleven tales of awakening--intensely sexual yet ambiguous--the female protagonists recklessly pursue their sensual paths through a complex social world that seeks to shut them out. Kamani charts a territory both intimate and bizarre.”
I’m also setting my eyes on short stories by acclaimed Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto.
Well, that’s about it. Keep reading! Keep blogging! I hope to see you in November for The Short Story Initiative! Thanks!
- Nancy -
P.S. Here is Mr. Linky for November:
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November 3, 2012, 3:12 pm
It is not a secret that I read good historical fiction whenever I am not reading short stories (or Philippine works, for that matter), especially the kind that is fringed heavily with good clean romance. I’ll most likely put on the table Jody Hedlund’s “The Doctor’s Lady” as a perfect example of what I’m talking about.
Oh, there are lots of historical fiction pieces at the local bookstores, which I could pick anytime for cozy reading under the erratic rains. Ironically, though, my favorites come in ebook format, including Ellen O’Connell’s “Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold”, Roseanna White’s “Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland”, and Joan Wolf’s “A Reluctant Queen”.
In my experience, rarely did I found a good historical fiction in print. Well, I could cite Margaret Moore’s “The Unwilling Bride” and Emily May’s “The Earl’s Dilemma” as some examples stored in my shelf. Yet there is one memorable book with an approach that is as gentle as its title. I have bought this literary gem from La Belle Aurore Bookshop.
Have you heard of Janette Oke’s “Love Comes Softly”? You most probably have seen this one as a Christian drama television movie in Hallmark Channel, starring Katherine Heigl and Dale Midkiff. Since we do not have cable television, I’ve read the book first and later discovered (and viewed) the movie on Youtube.
Love Comes Softly is the story of Marty, a young, vibrant and independent girl of nineteen who travels West with her new husband, seeking adventure and fortune. The venture turns into a tragedy and she is left alone to learn firsthand the lessons of pain, heartache, frustration, and anger (partly taken from the back cover). The setting acutely reminds me of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie”, the dialogue is believably authentic, and the transition from one chapter to the next is like walking in the mountains with the breeze on your face, prompting you to reflect on your life and Marty’s life.
“Life was like that stream. It went on. She was ready to go on now, too. She had drawn strength from the woods. No, no, that was wrong. She had drawn her strength from the God who’d make the woods.” -page 180
Love Comes Softly will be forever on my shelf, ready to be picked up when I needed or wanted to be reminded that life is less tough because of love.
Have you read Love Comes Softly? What do you think about it?* * *
Literary Gems is a new element at Simple Clockwork, featuring books I have bought or wanted to buy from La Belle Aurore Bookshop. These books could range from classics to romance to children’s books. The bookshop is located at Hernan Cortes, Mandaue City, Cebu. It will be opening its second branch soon along Junquera St. in Cebu City.
- Nancy -
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November 4, 2012, 2:00 pm
I’ve had a review policy before but for some reason I took it out. For me, at the time, it had symbolized that I was ready to venture into book blogging seriously, which, upon reflection, I was not prepared to do just yet; that is, until now.
I never completely appreciated a review policy until recently when I have received several emails from various authors requesting for reviews. Not that I’m complaining. Believe me, an author claiming to have stumbled upon my blog, finding it neat, and expressing so is a delight. However, learning from other experienced book bloggers, I realized it’s high time to put my review policy back on track, already fixed, to set a clear air right from the start.
I think it would help if authors or publishers read this review policy in full before shooting me an email:
1. I post my thoughts on short story collections, Philippine literature, historical fiction, comics/graphic novels, and children’s books. I read but do not review paranormal young adult, horror, biographies, essays, politics, and non-fiction.
2. I prefer print books. Please note that I live in the Philippines so shipping might be a tad expensive. Let us discuss through email your book first before you send me anything. I reserve the right to accept or decline a review request.
3. As I work full-time, studies on Saturdays, and am active in two civic organizations, I post my thoughts within three months after receiving review copies except in case of unforeseeable circumstances.
4. The author may request to have my reviews posted on Amazon and Goodreads. I do not guarantee positive reviews, but I can guarantee honesty and fairness.
5. I do not receive any kind of monetary compensation for any of the reviews or features posted on this blog. This is not a job for me. This is something I like to do.
6. All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. I do not make any representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this blog. I will not be held liable for any errors or omissions in the information. I properly attribute images and videos that are not mine.
7. Any print book, ARCs, or ebooks given to me for review will not be sold. They will be shelved or given as prizes to my blog readers in giveaways.
8. I accept guests posts by authors for my blog, preferably about their writing experiences. I reserve the right to proofread and present the post in a way I deem effective.
9. Unless the book belongs to a genre that is of very strong interest to me, I do not participate in virtual book tours anymore.
10. Last but not the least, I reserve the right to edit or delete any comments submitted for approval without notice due to: comments deemed to be spam, profane, and offensive.
I hope I got it covered. If you want me to check out your work or have some questions in mind, connect with me through enarse@gmail.com. Thanks!
- Nancy -
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