Book of the Week: Manuscript Found in Accra

Balot's Stamp: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I have read Accra before (I could not remember when, of course). But since I have a memory of a fish, it was like reading this Coelho novel for the first time (again!).

It's amazing how Coelho's novels have become an important part of my life. By the River Piedra helped me during my younger years when I was still finding my way in the crazy world of love and the frustrations that came with it; Veronika Decides To Die accompanied me during my depression; Winner Stands Alone rose with me at the height of my career; The Alchemist once again guided me to my destiny when I decided to leave  my corporate job and eventually found my first love, writing; and now (again), Manuscript when the whole waiting for my pregnancy to happen is becoming a source of great frustration.

Manuscript Found in Accra, like all other Coelho books, is very insightful. I have read in one review that it sounded preachy -- well, that was the whole point of the book actually. Because the Captain (Copt) is being asked questions about life and everything in between and he shares his wisdom. When you share your wisdom, it can be taken in two ways: to those who resist, it will sound preachy; to those who are open, it will give you enlightenment. I am part of the latter. Once again, Coelho sheds light to my uneasiness.

One of the strategies that I have in choosing a book is looking for excerpts - if I am drawn to one part of the book, I am more likely to enjoy it. But of course, that does not happen 100% of the time.

Well anyway -- here goes the part which I liked (among many others) --

"The traveler continues his journey. He doesn't complain of boredom now; he complains, rather, that he is tired. But that that point he rests, enjoys the landscape, and then carries on.
Instead of spending his whole life destroying the roads he was afraid of following, he begins to love the road he is on.

Religions teach that faith and transformation are the only ways of drawing near to God.

Even if his final destination remains a mystery, even if, at some point, he makes a wrong decision, God sees his courage and sends him the necessary inspiration to put matters right.

What continues to trouble him is not what happens, but a fear that he won't know how to deal with it. Once he has decided to follow his path and has no alternative, he discovers that he has great willpower and that events bend to his decisions.

"Difficulty" is the name of an ancient tool that was created purely to help us define who we are. Faith shows us that we are never alone. Transformation helps us to love the mystery.

And when everything seems dark, and we feel alone and helpless, we won't look back, for fear of seeing the changes that have taken place in our soul. We will look ahead. 

We will not fear what happens tomorrow, because yesterday we had someone watching over us. And that same Presence will remain at our side. That Presence will shelter us from suffering. Or It will give us the strength to face it with dignity. We will go farther than we think. We will seek out the place where the morning star is born. And we will be surprised when we get there how much easier it was than we had imagined."

What do you think, loves? Have you read this book? If yes, how will you rate it? 

xx, 

Balot

Read More

Why I Want to Blog about the Books I've Read

I was looking for a book to read last night and decided to entertain myself with my old reliable Murakami. The last one I read was Norwegian Wood and again, boggled my mind with the usual Murakami style. I pulled out Kafka on the Shore. I had this book for a long time but I don't remember reading it.

I was settling myself for my night reading ritual (until Mr Sleep visits me) but to my surprise (and later on, frustration), some of the pages were already dog-eared. That only meant one thing: I have already read it.

I tried to browse the pages trying to recall what the story was all about, I read the synopsis, searched for some quotes online in the desperate effort to remember. But alas, my memory was blank. I could hear the sound, "chirp chirp" inside my head. ARRGHHH! I must have loved this book though because there were a lot of pages that I marked. *frustrating*

Yes, I sabotage my books and I am sorry. Aside from the dog ears, I also have some highlighters and in very few occasions, notes on the pages. But I just do it on my own books, don't worry!

So I have decided to chronicle the books I've read in this blog as.  To remember. Because that is the main reason why I do this (blogging) anyway. You  might not agree with the ratings I give but that's fine. Each of us would have different preferences in our books anyway.

I would not go as far as to spoil the whole plot, though. I will just try to capture some quotes which I have found interesting. Cool?

Oh, by the way, hit me up if you have any book recommendations. I am taking a reading challenge from book reads - 52 books this year! If left to me, all I would read is Coelho (of course), Anne Rice, Murakami, Stephen King - hahaha! Good thing I have my book club to expand my selections and of course, YOU :) Do give me a shout out. Thanks, loves!

xx,
Balot

Read More

Day 58: Inspirations

"To write a message down transforms it; it becomes visible, palpable and no longer dwells in the space between the speaker and the listener. The message becomes 'heavier', acquires a body of ink and paper (or clay in ancient times) and is supposed to live longer than the person who first spoke it." -Paulo Coelho

I know why I write. It is because I read. I believe that all people who are intoxicated with the love for reading, are also addicted to the lust of writing. There are some who choose to pen it in their journals, and some like me, who has the audicity put it in cyberspace for everyone to see. 

Why? 

I don't know, really. It just makes me happy. And that is a reason good enough for me.

"Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation." -Graham Greene

xx,

Corporate Junkie

Read More

Day 18: Why I Read. Why I Write.

"Reading is not work, not a chore, not a drudgery; reading is the most joyful thing, yet, in the world." - James Patterson

I grew up in a very small town -- the smallest municipality in fact in Negros Occidental, or so my Papa said.

I lived there for almost 20 years of my life. Although I spent most of my time in Bacolod, this is the place where my childhood evolved. 

The recollection that I have of my younger years was going with my Tito and our dog, Iris, to go hunting for birds. This place had some sugarcane plantations and it was fairly easy to catch some birds at that time. Other than that, I climbed trees, collected seashells, played with my rabbits and my white mice, goaded Bor, our mischievous monkey, and fed my Papa's fighting fowls and my fishes. As much as I enjoyed these activities, there was one thing which made me the happiest -- reading. 

I was very lucky that I was raised in a household where my parents were very hands-on with my education. We were encouraged to read encyclopedias; my mom made me spelling cards; my dad forced me to love Math. I loved studying. I do not remember hating school. 

Because I loved school, the love for reading seemed almost automatic. I loved the library and my most precious possessions were my library card, a pen and a notebook. I think I spent most of my time in that place than anywhere else. I read almost everything. Of course, same as with any booklover I suppose, I went through the phase of Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and Liz and Jessica of Sweet Valley High. And then I evolved and loved the occult novels of Rice and King, and the scandalous Westmorelands of McNaught. 

I could never stop reading. 

I loved how authors conveyed powerful words. Words that moved the readers. Words that can take you anywhere.

Because I loved reading so much (I remember we had a hammock where I spent my time when I wanted to read), I wanted to emulate my favorite authors. So the writing began. I was part of  the writing group in grade school and my English teachers loved me. When I reached high school, the first thing I did was to join the schoolpaper which I headed during my senior year. In college, I persevered, trying to write when I can while juggling between my two majors.

The most impactful that I have written by far was this story -- A Love I Never Had . People thought it was real; although I really intended it to be very personal. I seldom wrote prose. I was  more into the journalism and poetry genres. I wanted to write short novels; I just knew that I could not sustain its plot. One day, I hope I can.

Reading and writing are two sides of my favorite coin. I do not think I could do one without the other.  It is happiness at its cheapest. Yet the most satisfying vice that I have.

How about you? What makes you really happy?

xx,

Corporate Junkie

Read More

Day 11: My Books

       New book I am currently reading.

"Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a very dangerous enemy indeed." -Anne Rice

I am a very restrictive reader. I usually stick to the authors whose works Iam familiar with already. But last December, I have made a resolution to actually expand my horizons and got this book -- The Bibliophile's Devotional by Hallie Ephron. It was disappointing to have read only ten books out of the 365 that made it to the list. 

Coelho never reached the list. Anne Rice, Stephen King disappeared among the slew of authors enumerated in the book. The only titles familiar to me and are my personal favorites are: The Brothers Karamasov, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kite Runner, The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Time Traveler's Wife. I know this may seem unforgivable but I have not actually read Life of Pi and Memoirs of a Geisha. 

These are some of the authors who would have the most spaces in my bookshelf:

1. Paulo Coelho - Don't ask me why. I love his philosophical mind. I love how he captures so profoundly the things I feel at a certain point in time.

2. Anne Rice - I love vampires. And probably witches. Period.

3. Haruki Murakami - I seem to be attracted to weird stuff. I think Murakami is the King of Weird.

4. Neil Gaiman - Weird.

5. Laurell Hamilton. - Vampires. Werewolves. Slayers. Weird.

6. Stephen King. - Dark. Monsters. Aliens. MPDs. Weird.

7. Philosophical books like Kundera's.

8. Some Albom's.

9. Books on happiness and some inspirational samples as well. 

10. Marketing books. Godin's. Gladwell's. Lindstrom's. 

11. Some George Martin's. Sheldon's. Dan Brown's.

Those are probably the most noticeable ones though I have some very few classics which I am trying to love. I wanted to die when I was reading Jane Eyre. It made me so sleepy that until now, probably five months after I have started with the book, I am still not done with it. Hehe. Pardon me. Maybe Mark Twain was right when he defined Classic as "a book which people praise and don't read."

My books are my guilty pleasures. Any bookstore is my secret garden. There is always something new to find. There is always something beautiful that it has to offer.

What about you? Have you discovered the joys of reading yet?

xx,

Corporate Junkie

Read More