The Reading List: Bits of Wisdom From the Orient

Lately I’m in the mood for a little peace of mind that doesn’t come from the fantasy of some all-knowing, all-loving, would-be higher power out there watching over me. It feels too much like living under the shadow of a parent, and I had enough of that already. I’d rather have the kind of personal faith that can make me – for once in my life – content with what I have, despite the world always shoving the fact in my face that I’ve been tried and always found wanting.

A fresh change of perspective is in order. Hence, these titles on my reading list.

The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha, Edited by E. A. Burtt

I’ve gotten interested in Buddhism only recently and this was the first book that I’ve bought to study it. It reads so much like my old readings in college Philosophy, over-long sentences and paragraphs that are often at least a couple of inches long. Too bad that I hadn’t taken this before. It would’ve answered a lot of questions on how was I supposed to respond to a life filled and defined by suffering.

 

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings Compiled by Raul Reps

Another recent addition to my collection. I’ve bought this alongside the Buddhism book in case the latter would be too text-heavy for me to handle – which it was. This book features several Zen koans, mostly short stories that I can easily digest better, though most of which provide enough food for thought to keep me awake at night. No really.

Reading between the lines have never been so thought-provoking before.

 

The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff

This book was recommended to me by an acquaintance back in college. It was when we had discovered the Tao of Pooh book from the same author and he advised me to look for this title since it fits my personal problem more. I only managed to get a copy a few years later when my little sister found it in a second-hand book shop in her university.

It’s been a while since I got this out of the shelf and now seems a good enough time as any. The book teaches about virtue, not the proof of good behavior as we usually put it, but the kind of spiritual strength that comes naturally for each of us yet unaware of it and how to make it more apparent. That’s practically the gist of what the book is teaching, and the analogy made with Piglet’s character in Winnie the Pooh makes things easier to understand.

 

I got another list of books I also want to finish reading by June which I’ll put up within the week. ‘Cuz I’ll always need a healthy dose of fiction to  take a break from all the heavy thinking.

 

The Comic Corner: Rediscovering The Sandman and Storytelling Magic

I’m going through a hard time lately. I can’t seem to write, I can’t get creative. Even worse, whatever I jot down just can’t seem to convince me that it’s worth reading. The wit is there, the meaning is there. It makes sense. But it just. Doesn’t. Inspire. Me.

So I went back to the things that did inspire me. Browsed through my shelves, dusted off a few books that I actually forgot I have. Then I found these:

Three Sandman issues: #17 “Calliope”, #74 “Exiles”, and #39 “Soft Places” respectively

I had gotten them from Komikon. I handpicked them because these issues feature stories that can stand on their own, even though they are part of a larger overarching story. And that’s one of the major points that makes the series a work of genius.

There’s always been something about Neil Gaiman’s writing that makes me want to pick up a pen again after reading. It’s like following a train of thought that overlaps with different genres and worlds, and leaves you refreshed as if waking up from an afternoon dream. I also like that whimsical feeling I get after reading these stories, as if it’s telling me that it’s alright to just let my writer’s voice say what it wants. Inner-editor be damned.

Re-experiencing this was my first step to overcoming my depression since the start of the month. You know that spot in your chest that always feels parched when all hope seems lost? I start to feel a little better when faith starts settling in again.

 

The Comic Corner: Bus Gamer “The Pilot Edition”

Bus Gamer was one of the first mangas I’ve ever bought for my collection. I’m rather proud of this find, got it off the discount aisle at National Bookstore back when they had a bigger stock of these things, and it was also my first standalone manga that didn’t need any further volumes to be complete. That, and it has a more mature plot than any of my other mangas back then.

The story is set in modern day Japan where various corporations gamble their corporate secrets in an illegal simulation game conducted secretly in the city of Tokyo. Each corporation have a three-person team who were given a disk containing their respective trade secrets, and their “players” have to steal the opposing team’s disk under a time limit while protecting their own. This was the Biz game (a more accurate title name than the official one). There are no rules. Anything goes, anyone can die. And the main characters Toki Mishiba, Nobuto Nakajyo, and Kazuo Saitoh, players who were originally only in it for the money, are starting to fight for their lives as the stakes keep getting high.

If you think the artwork’s any familiar, that’s because this title was made by Kazuya Minekura, the prolific Japanese author mostly known for the Saiyuki series. She is also known for putting on hiatus any of her long-term projects that isn’t the Saiyuki series.

The copy I got was the “Pilot Edition” which compiled the first eleven chapters of the story before the series was cancelled due to serialization problems. Minekura mentioned in the afterword that she planned to get back to this series eventually because she liked the characters and had no intention of ending the series with just this. But it had been at least 13 years since that time and she had moved on to other projects. Safe to say that Bus Gamer was left with the rest of her other on-hiatus works to gather dust.

An 3-episode anime based on this was released last 2008, and that maybe the only progress we could expect from this title. Pity, and this work had so much potential to end just here…

Summer Komikon 2013 Loot

This was always one summer event I’d be willing to brave the heat to go to. Komikon. Comics, books, bargain prices. Three of my favorite things in one spot.

Now let’s look at this season’s loot:

Trese 6 Preview by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo

For the local titles, first I went straight for Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo’s booth. I was hoping for the new issue in their urban-fantasy series Trese, but there was only a comic preview for it. There was also a short story “The Choir”, written in illustrated light novel form, that came along with it. It was still a good buy, though.

Wasted by Gerry Alanguilan

Next was Gerry Alanguilan, another of my local favorites. His Wasted graphic novel was his first work back in the 90’s, and it tells the story of a guy going on a self-destructive path after a break-up. It reflected what Alanguilan had gone through during those times and he had channeled whatever emotions he had into this work. And it showed. Wasted was brought back into print due to fan demand.

Sixty Six by Russell Molina and Ian Sta. Maria

Ian Sta. Maria was next on my list. Sixty Six seems to be his latest work along with Russel Molina after his Skyworld series. I’m still not sure what’s it about though, but it involves an elderly couple and one of them has… superpowers? Retired superhero, maybe? Regardless, I’m looking for more of it.

Love is in the Bag 5 and Bag Together by Ace Vitangcol, Jed Siroy, Andrew Agoncillo, Ryan Cordova, and Glenn Que

I also got the fifth issue of Studio Studio’s Love is in the Bag series (finally completing the series!!!), as well as its sequel Bag Together. Their Angel Crush series are next on my list, as well as the Love is in the Bag light novel The Great Donut Caper.

Black Ink Comics

I’ve added the Black Ink comics group on my watchlist. They’re just one of the recent comic groups popping up but they are promising. They’ve done a great job with their works, a series of short stories told in graphic novel form, ranging from romance to horror to fairy tale parodies. They’ve got a few other titles I want to get come next convention, so I’ll be expecting more from this group.

Eminagazine Issues

Then, we got Eminagazine by the Emina Club, another recent comic group. This group is obviously influenced by the anime artwork craze, and it shows. I’m not sure I could take this group seriously, since their material is aimed at anyone a dozen years younger than my age. Though I have to admit, styling their magazine mascot out of the Philippine flag (blonde, blue and white foxtails, white top with three stars on it, yeah) is kinda creatve.

Couscous Express by Brian Wood and Brett Weldele

I’ve also got my share of Western comics. There’s Brian Wood’s and Brett Weldele’s Couscous Express, which I got out of the bargain bin because its story involves gang warfare, scooter shoot-outs, and the Turkish Mafia. Hey, I’m a sucker for stuff like this.

Drawing the Line compiled by Suley Fattah and Julie Eng edited and designed by Ron Boyd

Next, I’ve got the Drawing the Line anthology. This compilation was made to support cancer research and was dedicated to the people involved, after which the compiler had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and wanted to contribute to the community. A collection of stand-alone-stories written and drawn by numerous Canadian comic artists, some of which are motivational and interesting. A good read, definitely.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

Then, I also bought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles graphic novel adaptation of the 90’s movie. Just cuz I was a fan of them. That, and I wanted to see how Eastman and Laird had parodied Frank Miller during that time.

Overall, I think I’ve got myself another good haul. Worth the April heatwave, in any rate.

Discovering the Dresden Files

Something wicked this way comes. Harry Dresden at large.

 

There has always been something about an urban landscape that appeals to me, even more so if there are magical and fantasy elements at play. Strange combination for some, but it’s the kind of setting I’d love to caught in.

Urban fantasy have captivated me the moment I first had my taste of it. The stories of people caught in some fantastical conspiracy  and engaged in magic battles amidst a bustling modern day metropolis… My kind of action, my kind of drama. Just add some film noir into the mix and I’m one happy reader.

So, I’ve searched the shelves of my usual bargain  book outlets if they have anything of that sort. Just little luck. The closest I can get to what I want to experience is a bunch of Hellboy, Angel, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off books. I’ve outgrown them eventually. Since I’ve gotten into my mid-20’s, I can’t really be satisfied with something marketed for people a decade younger than my age. And there’s little else to go on with my regular bookshops, so I decided to try out other outlets.

Then I found the Dresden Files. Recommended, referenced, and put on a pedestal by the people who do so in TVTropes.com. After buying and reading the first three books, I’m already joining on the fan-wagon. And it looks like I already got one of my friends into it too. I’ve lent them to her and she’s willing to put plastic covers on the books before she returns it to me. Two birds with one stone.

The series have around a dozen books released – and there’s the latest one (Cold Days) that recently came out – so maybe I can complete the collection of the available books before the end of the year.

I’ll also write a review for each of the books I got soon. Something this good cannot go uncommented.

First post, first glimpse of my collection

I’ve been collecting books for years and I often some noteworthy reads among the stacks of surplus goods. A recent – and really lucky – bargain find is what prompted me to start this blog.

I was just going through my usual rounds at Booksale, a local bargain bookstore outlet near our place, when I came across this:

Oops, still got the price-tags on.

Three Calvin & Hobbes comic collections. All at P70, the equivalent of a dollar and maybe 50 or 75 cents. Just sitting on top of a motley collection of surplus manga and other western comic books.

What else could I do but grab them and buy ’em before anyone else could.

These copies are now some of the highlights of my collection – as well as some of my favorite bathroom reads. My mom and sis also read them, and are still impressed by the fact that we managed to get these below – way below – their usual market price.

I’ve set up this weblog to keep track of the more notable book finds that I’ve collected so far and as well as future hopefuls. Also, it works as an outlet for whatever opinion I’ve made of them after reading. That’s got to count as a plus.