Books, books, books

My mother taught me to read at an early age. I had fun. But the reality is, I only read the books that I chose to read. By the time I entered Grade 1 at age 5, I was all alone in my readings.

So what are these books that I read?

The Bible – This is one book that has the greatest impact on my life. I believe that this is the greatest book of all. At an early age, I memorized important verses, and had kept them by heart. “Thy word Oh Lord, is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”

The History Textbooks - There are only few school subjects wherein I read the textbook by heart, and guess what, these are all history books. I should have majored in History, but nah, too late for that. I particularly like the books on Philippine and World History.

The first novel that I read was “Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” by Mark Twain. I didn’t really finish it, but was still able to make a book report for a high school assignment.

In college, the first fictions I read were F.I.S.T. and Firefox. I do not know much about famous authors then so I just tried to get hold of the titles that interest me.


Then I tried Grisham. I can only count the few of his books that I haven’t read. And I have them in my shelf for sometime now: A Painted House, Bleachers, Summon, The Partner, The Brethren, Skipping Christmas, The Testament.

I heard of Sheldon, but was not particularly convinced. I also just borrowed a few from a friend was willing to lend me one for a week. I didn’t like the twist but still found it entertaining but not worth the keeping.

I read Jeffrey Archer’s Kane and Abel, Prodigal Daughter and First among the equals. Very nice story and not much twist.

I must admit that Erich Segal is my favorite. I first read “Love Story”. It was very simple yet moving. I almost cried when I read “The Class”. “Acts of Faith” is very intriguing. “Prizes” is very inspiring. “Doctors” is very heart-warming. “Oliver’s Story” is the book that I like the least.

Some other books that I read:
1. David Morrel’s “Brotherhood of the Rose”
2. Isabel Allende’s “House of the Spirits”
3. James Patterson’s “Along Came a Spider”
4. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ “A Hundred Years of Solitude”
5. Steinbeck’s “Of mice and men”
6. Hemingway’s “Old man and the Sea”
7. Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
8. “Exit the Rainmaker” a non-fiction whose author’s name I can’t remember.
9. Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”
10. John Updike “In the Beauty of the Lilies”
11. Gibran's "The Prophet"

Some four years ago, I slowed down in my book readings and got into web surfing. But I continued buying books. So what are the titles left sleeping on my shelf:
1. Allende’s “Eva Luna and other stories”
2. Umberto Eco’s “In the name of the Rose”
3. Grisham’s latest books as mentioned earlier
4. Courtney Bryce “The power of One”
5. In the League of Night and Fog by David Morell
6. Forsythe’s “Odessa File”
7. “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
8. “The Eternal Husband and other stories” by Fyodor Dostoevsky



I really don’t know when I’ll pick up these books again. I am now reading and writing blogs, but I really missed the books.