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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.
Timeless Desire: An Outlander Love Story by Gwyn Cready
Twelve 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):
The Venus Fly Trap by Ruth Rendell
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.
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)
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 -