Bonchichiritchit's Bookshelf

Haven't seen this discussed or asked so far. Dragonstone has no Maester. Melisandre already left Dragonstone. Who will treat Drogon? My theory is this, Jorah will arrive in Dragonstone to show that he has been healed. He will reveal that he was cured by a Maester apprentice in the Citadel. Daenery's will ask him for a recommendation and Sam might be summoned. There will be a Sam and Jon reunion.

In the beginning of the series, we see the women of Westeros treated as second class citizens. We saw Arya forced to learn the vicissitudes of being a lady. We saw Sansa bethroted to Joffrey, then to Tyrion after Ned was charged with treason, and finally wed to Ramsey through the manipulation of Littlefinger. She was raped and brutalized in captivity. We saw Dany sold to Khal Drogo by her brother Viserys in exchange for a dothraki horde. She suffered the mockery of the Masters of Meereen and the Khals of Vaes Dothrak. Even Cersei had to contend with the orders of her father. Fast forward to Season 7. Most of the oppressors of these women already suffered tragic deaths. Viserys burned when he was poured molten gold by Khal Drogo. Joffrey was poisoned during his nuptial feast. Ramsey was fed to his hounds after his army's defeat in the Battle of the Bastards. Tywin took an arrow to the heart in an embarrassing death. We opened season 7 with Arya -- she is now her own woman. What was once a scrounging kid hiding in the shadows is now a woman serving her revenge by the House. She is now dishing out her own brand of justice with cunning and planning with the benefit of her training with the many-faced god. Arya of Winterfell has come a long way and she knows how to make a statement. Cersei is now Queen Regent of the Seven Kingdoms. She is now free from the shackles of her father's tyranny and forging her own dark path. Sansa grew a backbone after 6 seasons and is no longer as gullible as the little girl she used to be. She can already smell the stink of manipulation even when veiled as concern by Littlefinger. She speaks her mind now; although her judgment is not always correct, nevertheless, she's no longer taking everything in silence. Lady Mormont has always been logical, fierce and proud but she has taken it up a notch further by sticking it up to the Lords of the North and making a stand representing women. The North may have just lost a knitter in Lady Mormont but they sure gained a fierce warrior. Even Gilly, a wildling, is raising the flag for women this season by finally learning how to read. Daenerys only had three words in the entire episode but it held the most significance. She has arrived in the Targaryen stronghold but she doesn't go straight to the throne to sit down. She went straight to the battle room and starts planning her ascension to her rightful place. She has accomplished what used to be unimaginable -- sailed a dothraki horde across the ocean together with an army of unsullied to Westeros along with three full-grown dragons. We can expect a great deal more from these women in the coming episodes and until then, we remain at the edges of our seats.

I agree.

Dark clouds, don't hover above my head. I am not ready for you. I am not ready for you.

What a day! Good night!

Listening to Patti Smith's Audible of #MTrain To all her fans, I get it now. P.S. Lookie, I downloaded my first audible, @blendomachine! #Audible #PattiSmith #MTrain #Bookworm

A good morning walk, pretty coffee, a book and indie folk music in the background. What more can a girl ask for? #NickHornby #AboutABoy #WeekendRead (at Yardstick)

People have been tagging me and telling me about the upcoming sale of Fully Booked. What they don't know is that I have been scouring Chapter & Pages and Booksale branches for book finds. There are ten books in this stack and the aggregate cost is only P689 with the cheapest at P35 (Bel Canto by Ann Patchett and My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler) and the most expensive at P125 (Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama). So yeah, I've been having a great week in books. Take note that even though the average cost of the book from the pile is only P70, more than half of them are in mint condition and all are best sellers. The book in the bottom is even signed by the author. Only trouble now is how to find time to finish all of them. I've only finished 3 and a half books (I'm halfway through The History of Love). #Bookworm #6andahalfmoretogo #GreatDeals #NickHornby #GigiGrazer #SusannaClarke #BarackObama #NicoleKrauss #PortiaDeRossi #ChelseaHandler #AnnPatchett

The Goldfinch is an eloquently written novel about a boy, Theodore Decker, who tragically lost his mother in a terrorist-attack explosion in a museum. He survives the explosion and on his escape, meets an old man trapped in rubbles and ruins who gives him instructions that will lead him to a painting that will capture his heart and eventually become an obsession – The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius. He takes The Goldfinch into his own custody as he escapes the museum and triggers a chain of reaction that will change the course of his life forever. It’s a coming-of-age novel that gave me a 101 on art history, art theft, drug abuse, drug trade and antique trading. It’s a hefty book and finishing it felt so much of an accomplishment, like reading Crime and Punishment or One Hundred Years of Solitude. Like I said, this book made me appreciate art more in the way Tartt explains each painting in her narrative, not just with description but with interpretation. “How beautifully he plays it. Stillness with a tremble of movement.” …He’s telling you that living things don’t last – it’s all temporary. Death in life. That’s why they’re called nature mortes. Maybe you don’t see it at first with all the beauty and bloom, the little speck of rot. But if you look closer – there it is.” I learned about Frans Hals and his techniques, Carel Fabritius, Corot and Jan Van Goyen. I am far from distinguishing one from the other if I see their works but it opened my eyes on how to appreciate art. The story details Theo’s orphan journey and his agonizing despair of losing people and things that really matter to him. He meets a wildly interesting character, Boris, who will add more flavor to Theo’s own character. Boris may always be high but his character has very intriguing philosophies of his own: “Stay away from the ones you love too much. Those are the ones who will kill you. What you want to live and be happy in the world is a woman who has her own life and lets you have yours.” “You know what they say. Chance makes the thief.” “What if all your actions and choices, good or bad, make no difference to God? What if the pattern is pre-set? What if our badness and mistakes are the very thing that set our fate and bring us round to good? What if, for some of us, we can’t get there any other way?" I am in awe of how Donna Tartt developed the character of Theodore - shaping him from an innocent soul to a corrupted man. Here are some memorable quotes: ‘It was as if I’d suffered a chemical change of spirit, as if the acid balance of my psyche had shifted and leached the life out of me in aspects impossible to repair, or reverse, like a frond of living coral hardened to bone.“ “When you feel homesick, he said, ‘just look up. Because the moon is the same wherever you go.’” “Whatever teaches us to talk to ourselves is important: whatever teaches us to sing to ourselves out of despair. But the painting has also taught me that we can speak to each other across time. And I feel I have something very serious and urgent to say to you, my non-existent reader, and I feel I should say it as urgently as if I were standing in the room with you. That life – whatever else it is – is short. That fate is cruel but maybe not random. That Nature (meaning Death) always wins but that doesn’t mean we have to bow and grovel to it.” I recommend reading the book but for readers who are not fond of this genre, you might need to search your mind and your heart for the concentration you need to get through some chapters but it will be worthwhile, I promise.

We are too picky as a nation. Every year we scrutinize every candidate, as well we should, but every year, we end up regretting our decisions. We are never satisfied with the one we eventually get. We don't want him corrupt. We don't want him too poor because he might steal. We don't want him too rich because he might use his position to his advantage. We don't want him smoking. We don't want him ugly. We want him smart, someone who can hold himself against other leaders. We want him righteous. We want him dashing. In short, we want a perfect president. The problem is, such a candidate does not exist. We are quick to judge and love to pick and prod at the next guy who proclaims that he's running for the highest office in our country. And here comes Duterte. Here is a candidate openly admitting to his flaws and we are taken aback. We are so used to getting lied to that we can't appreciate candor. While I do not condone his flaws, I admire his brazenness to admit openly what most politicians hide in their closets. Here is a man who is willing to show us what we've always clamored for: transparency; and here we are balking from it.

Add two more to the reading pile

Reading Tina Fey's Bossypants is like eating dates to me. You don't love it the first bite but it grows on you as you chew until you realize you like it and you want more.

The Maze Runner was shown in the cinemas a few weeks back and I thought maybe you'd be interested in the book series. To those who haven't read the books and have not seen the movie, I highly suggest that you do the latter first. I suggest watching the movie first to get a taste of the intensity of the book. I will not review the movie but I must say that reading the book will give you much more satisfaction but not without cost. There are three books in this series: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. There is also a prequel: The Kill Order, but it's not a mandatory read. The pace of all 3 books are the same. There is high-octane action all throughout the book and it will leave you hanging by the edge of your seat. But wait, let me tell you the plot. Earth was plagued with sun flares and a virus started spreading and killing people in multitudes. In search of a cure, a group of dedicated scientists started studying kids in a bid to understand how the virus starts. They send kids one by one in a controlled maze called the Glade. A kid is sent every month to the Glade along with supplies. The goal is to find their way out. They 've been at it for years without luck because the maze changes everyday. Until one day a boy named Thomas arrived in the Glade. His arrival was a usual event but the arrival of a girl (a first) the following day shakes up everything in the Glade. On her hand, the boys find a note saying that she's the last one which means the only way to survive is to find a way out. It's Lord of the Flies meets Hunger Games meets Ender's Game. You will need to read all 3 books to know if they find a cure or not. Personally, I was less than jubilant with how the series ended but I still suggest you go read it and decide for yourself.

The iPhone though revolutionary is the eyesight's enemy, third in ranking among its peers, the computer and TV. My eyesight started deteriorating when I was 27. I bought myself an iPad and it was like God gave me a library filled with books that beckoned me to read them at once. After that, things started to get blurry. I'd get frequent headaches and I'd developed a deep permanent furrow on my brows. Then the headaches turned for the worse. I went to an optometrist to get it checked because I seem to see every thing beyond 50 meters with blurry edges. It started at 25 for both the left and right. The doctor said it could return to normal but it never did. I also got obsessed with doing everything on my iPad: games, reading, watching movies and TV series and even chores like paying bills. Mom gave me her first gentle reminder: give your eyes a break from the iPad. Did I listen? Of course, not. My next visit to the doctor I knew my grade went up. I was right. I was 2 grades higher than before. And this happened in a span of a year. Then as if I wasn't slowly going blind, I purchased myself a shiny new iPhone. Here, I admit that I was fully aware of the consequences but still forged ahead. Eyesight neglected. The possibilities of what the iPhone can deliver blinded me figuratively; the literally part came later. In my head, I was reasoning that I can still forget my glasses at home and still be able to drive around without them. I was fine. In a span of 6 months, I was at the doctor's again and I was being fitted into new glass goggles for another two grades up. Good job! I have read more books than any of my friends and look only 125! I was lucky! I was still far from the league of my geeky friends who are donning magnifying glasses compared to mine. But 6 months later and another 2 grades higher, I ask myself how did I allow this to happen. I can no longer leave the house without my spectacles. It's a permanent fixture on my face. I now own 3 pairs with different frames to match my different moods, although mind you, I have more than 3 moods. And all those times, my mom, indefatigable, was ready to scorn me and my love affair with reading books on my iPhone. We were inseparable. In the morning when I do my morning rituals in the bathroom, I read. In my commute to work, I read. What was I going to do? Hold on to the rail and stare blankly ahead? During my lunch break, I read. In my commute going home, I read. Sometimes, while having dinner, I read. And before going to sleep, I read as a ritual to prepare myself to deep slumber. I kept promising myself that I'd get me a physical book to read and I do but then I'd forget it one day at home and then suddenly I'm back to reading on my iPhone. So I fold. Forgive me, Mom. I am weak . I finished another book on my iPhone .

This book is a nerd's manual. It has all the ingredients: a bookstore, a singing dragon, a dwarf on a mission, web coding, fetish for fonts, er, typeface, Google involvement, secret society, solving puzzles, building prototypes, big data and crowdsourcing. A bookstore that is not a bookstore and it involves Google. What's not to love? Of course you'll be glued! What's not to like with a name like Penumbra? A nerd's must-read.

“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you."