The Reading List: Birthday Gift Reads

It’s been a while since I’ve posted something here. Been a rough few months that I hardly had any time to blog – not even the energy or heart to write. Or read. But now that I feel like writing this down, it means that I’m finally getting back on my feet. And I want to make my comeback showcasing these two new titles I’ll be adding to my reading lists.

I got this close friend from college who’s a reading buddy of mine. We sometimes swap books to read whenever we had time to meet up so we could all keep in touch. I also owe her a much, MUCH belated birthday gift. So, after months of browsing bookstores for the right reading material, I got her this:

Courtesy of Google Images

And since it was just before my birthday that I gave it to her and it was supposed to be her own belated birthday gift, I was hoping we could have shared custody of the book. We even got a friend in law school whom we could call to make the right papers, too.

It seemed that she had also been thinking along the same lines when she got me this:

Again, courtesy of Google Images

She even added this Sticky Note as a makeshift birthday card it, too.

Now ain’t that sweet?

The scribbles on the bottom part could be summarized as “Hi friend. I’m next in line after you’re done with this. Thanks Xp”

Funny how things turn out, eh?

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.

 

July 2012 Reading Batch

I had a good haul this weekend.

There was an event last July 1, an Indieket (a smaller-scale version of a Komikon), and I found a lot more interesting titles than the last convention.

From the local talents…

Manila Automat Prmier by Mica Agregado; EM Zine by Trizha Ko, Francine Yulo, Ronaldo Recto, Wino Puanco, and Noel Villa; a certain artist’s journal; Horsemen by Sere Cruz; Windmills I: Bearly Standing, Windmills 2: Bearkdowns, Windmills 3, Windmills 4: I’m Gonna Be-ar, and Taking the Train by Josel Nicolas; and Pugad Baboy Vols. 1 and 24 by Pol Medina Jr.

I also found these as added bonuses from the only Western comic outlet in the event:

Sandman Issue #17 and 74

And, on the way home, I dropped by another Booksale branch on the way home and I also just happened to stumble upon these:

A mind-screwing serial killer and a cymbal-playing toy monkey… I’ll be seeing these in my dreams…

Here’s to a fun better-half of the year…