Choices

Let's have another round of Book Porn! Of course it's another excuse to post a photo of Bigby, no matter how blurry he gets. The fault of the photographer (eh, me) and the fact that I'm using an old cameraphone I haven't even mastered yet. Oh, excuses. Let's start, shall we?

These are photos of books that are basically within my reach. No unnecessary scouring of shelves for eh, better books to feature. Plus, heaviness is a factor as I have to move them from my bedside book pile to my working desk for the actual shots. Ergo, The Complete Bone isn't here. And the reason I haven't pursued the series (I already read the previous two or three single colored volumes awhile back) is that it's quite heavy for those precious few minutes before sleep time. I could try, but the book might knock me unconscious if it slips from my grasp. Eh yeah, I read in bed, lying down. No wonder I need reading glasses. Ooops.

Right now I'm reading the last Tiffany Aching book, I Shall Wear Midnight. Hence, it's not featured here. I'm posting this so eh, you guys could help me decide what to pick first. I think I've seen reviews about a handful of these books so maybe that would help me decide (that way, I could knock down a few books from the pile that is growing steadily as the year progresses - obvious signs of a book hoarder).

Here goes:

Auster. Donoghue. Atwood. Tinti.

Jones. Ephron. Butler. Carey. Banville. Gentle. Winterson.

Rodriguez. Oates. Donovan. Hustvedt. Scalzi. Brooks.

Tell me if you can spot the authors married to each other. Hahaha. And if you've read any of the books featured here, I'd love to hear your thoughts about them as well.

Not Sophie's World

I'm one of those lucky students who breezed through college with not much of an effort. Wait, I take that back. I make it sound like my major was easy. Well, it was and it wasn't. It was one of those highly reviled courses from among others in my school. Reviled because it's the automatic course of choice for students who don't know what they want to do with their lives. Others with a dream straight from their childhood are puzzled. Why, they ask? Isn't that the easiest course? That's the course with the most number of students, right? Reviled easily because eh, they probably don't get it as much. They get straight A's in other subjects but they barely scratch the B's when it comes to my major. You see, I studied Philosophy. Gee, typing that sounds so pretentious. But yes, I studied Philosophy and I have a diploma to prove it. True to form, I still don't know what I want to do with my life. Kidding. I do have another diploma and a certificate to boot that I'm part of a noble profession. Something I won't discuss for now. Hahaha.

College was both easy and not easy, alright. But I had fun. Probably not as fun for those who took up Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, the only course that makes me go "Awww, I wish I had the brains for that." Since I can't turn back time to remake my old grade school and high school self to hone a more scientifically-inclined mind for MBB, I'm stuck with Philosophy.

That's why I had a blast reading this book. It's like going through college again, only this time I was laughing my head off. It's the kind of book I wouldn't get caught reading in public because I might end up wiping happy tears in my eyes. Not to mention having to fend off puzzled looks and questions from the public. Gee, did I mention the title?

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes
Daniel M. Klein and Thomas Cathcart

To me it's like a review of my four years in college, sans the stacks and stacks of reading materials I had to photocopy and (presumably) read in time for the next class. No boring professors as well. Ooops, did I just say that? I do remember doodling in class, particularly on my last year.

The book is divided into main topics such as Ethics, Religion, Language and such, like a course outline. I almost put Philo 180 on Ethics until I recalled I just borrowed the book from my good friend C, also a diploma-carrying philo major. But the jokes are the best part, primarily because I could've used the jokes in college. Particularly in one of my electives where the reason I probably made it through the end was the fact that I wasn't caught nodding my head off most of the times. Kidding.

It's a great book for those of us who endured the four years of remembering the Greeks up to eh, Aldo Tassi (his name simply popped up, and while I remember his name I can't seem to recall the topic of the paper he wrote). I read this late last year and I remember thinking that it's the funniest book I read in ages.

See, even Bigby recommends it!

And this is my favorite joke from the book:

Jesus was walking through the streets when he noticed a crowd of people throwing stones at an adulteress. Jesus said, "Let whoever is without sin cast the first stone." Suddenly a rock flew through the air. Jesus turned and said, "Mom?"

So yes, this book is a riot. I do wonder if I'd feel the same thing had I been an MBB major. Hahaha!

To those who'd like a more serious representation of Philosophy in the mainstream media, try watching Lost. Good luck. Hahaha.

Introducing

Meet Bigby, my new stuffed toy. The kind that comes free from a drink ordered at a buffet. I normally drink water unless I have this urgent need to take sugar (hence the softdrink and/or the occasional iced tea) but this time around I wanted my own eh, Bigby.



Bigby's such a nice name for a stuffed elephant, right? And I laughed as I typed that.

I'm currently reading Johanna Sinisalo's Troll. That's my second cup of really black coffee early this morning. My dead Samsung phone to the left (it died on me last month and it was a blessing, sort of, to have a quiet phone for the month of December, unless of course I ponder and regret about missed opportunities and such). My external hard drive filled with unwatched episodes of Bones, Fringe, Leverage and Burn Notice. And well, I guess my printer's more than just dusty.

Random rambling for the weekend done. Hopefully, this venue becomes a book blog again soon enough. Then again, I mentioned a book in this post (with a corresponding photo). Hahaha!

Before Lunch

I'm loving the #inthisdecade hash tag on Twitter. In the spirit of being positive and wanting to do something to eh, make myself a better me, I'll start the weekend with a photo of some of the books I meant to post about last year:



And instead of waiting until the mood hits me, I'll post one line (or even two) about them just so I could start blogging this year (while I wait for my lunch to boil):

Beyond the Far Side by Gary Larson. The Rapunzel cartoon cracked me up so much my stomach ached.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. After rereading this I felt like I missed the fight scenes with the orcs in the end until I realized that "Oh, that was in the film version."

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. Death and drama over a forgotten statue.

Blindness by Jose Saramago. Stark portrait of humanity's dark side.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Left me with an aching heart and tears in my eyes.

Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs. Had me in stitches.

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald. Go read Sasha's post, in which I wrongly commented about the author being Penelope Lively.

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness. The Mayor and Mistress Coyle remind me of Snow and District 13.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. "I'm not like you" says my dog, Titan, to Manchee. Translated from "Arf, arf!"

The Metaphysical Touch by Sylvia Brownrigg. Feels like an e-mail version of Griffin and Sabine.

Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert. It pays to know who you are named after.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I felt like I was part of a traveling circus in this one.

Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber. I wish I could sample the dishes mentioned herein.

Ok, my noodles are ready. Time to eat!