MY WORD FOR THE YEAR 2021

A long time ago, my maternal grandfather used to talk about the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. In so many words, he had described it as horrible three years. He was a newly-graduate Agricultural engineer then. And being educated, the Japanese officers forced him to teach school instead, where he eventually met my aboriginal grandmother. So, good things sometimes emerge from horrible times. While most people want to count off those three years of suffering, my grandfather cannot and will not because of love.

Why share this story? Well, we all experienced the Year 2020. Horrible things happened, and although we wanted to count them off, we can’t. Our frontline heroes deserve to be remembered and honored. We continue to thank those who provide us with relief from depression and worries each day. For me, it’s Twitter, friends, and family, and books. A colleague, who lives alone, brings in coffee for us on days we have to come for work. He said that still seeing us face to face allows him to hope despite the mask and the 6-feet gap. And I have to say that we’ve now perfected smiling with our eyes. Also, I was relieved that my students like my playlist during tests. Thanks, Tones and I, for Dance Monkey!

Don’t get me wrong, my fears are still here, but I have hope as my shield. For 2021, I have resolved to soldier on despite the odds. Overcome. Yes, I believe it is a fitting word for me this year. And that’s what I hope for everyone as well.

By the way, The Page Walker turned eight (8) this year, another reason to be thankful. And I am grateful for my readers, for the publishers, publicists, and authors who collaborated with me all these times. Godspeed!

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | BLOGLOVIN | GOODREADS

Read more →

STAND!

  

Hello, 2020

A New Year and a new decade have come. Most people have made their list of resolutions by now, but it's certainly not too late to join the bandwagon if you haven’t yet. I for one am not fond of making a list of resolutions every year. I choose my yearly word instead. And this year is…
                 Stand!

I am contemplating on the things I should be standing in still and those things I may have failed to stand for and if I do have regrets about them. Regret is such an inauspicious word to start the year, so I might have to skip that part and move on.

As always, I stand for kindness. Let us be kinder to ourselves and others. Flex the effort to be kind, even in mourning or victory; to be firm in being kind before anything else. I stand for family and friendship. Let us be more generous in giving them the gift of time. Take the time to laugh and listen and the time to share. I stand for peace. Not the quiet kind, but the one that resonates. The kind of peace that heals gaps, multiplies charity, holds the light up, and flames hospitality. We can all be couch potatoes for our serials and dramas, but we have to stand for something firmer at the end of the day. The adage "If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything." is quite accurate on that. 

And, speaking of moving on, The Page Walker is in its 7th year today. Yay! Thank you for staying with me. I appreciate all the visits, comments, and emails I receive. I also acknowledge every author, publicist, and publisher whom I have worked with and trusted me with their books. Here’s hoping for more books and collaborations this year.

Godspeed, everyone!

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | BLOGLOVIN | GOODREADS

Read more →

THANK YOU, 2018!

With respect to reading, 2018 was a good year. I’ve read 45 books in all, 21 out of that were five-starred. I know my numbers are measly compared to other readers, but I am really happy with my results. No one or two stars. Yay!

If you want to see My Year 2018 in Books via Goodreads, give it a click here.

Here are my most favored reads, in no particular order:

• PEACHES FOR MONSIEUR LE CURÉ by Joanne Harris (Chocolat #3) – Going back to Lansquenet and joining all the old and new characters were a wonderful experience. Ms. Harris’ words are always so tasteful, I enjoyed them very much.
• A MEMOIR OF AN ADVENTURE: The Argentine Tango Chronicles of Senor Don Roberto Juan Carlos Fuljumero y Suipacha by Robert Fulghum – One of my favorite authors. I knew Tango was exquisite, but it is even more so in Fulghum’s writing. As always, gleaning precious insights from Robert Fulghum's writing is a gift.
• THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF NICOLO ZEN by Nicholas Christopher – A boy pretending to be a girl and deceiving Master Vivaldi, I was instantly intrigued by the premise.
• THE INEXPLICABLE LOGIC OF MY LIFE by Benjamin Alire Sáenz – This was nominated for various awards, and rightly so. I love how Sáenz fleshed-out his characters; I love their goodness, their flaws, their pain, and their connections.
• HERO AT THE FALL by Alwyn Hamilton (Rebel of the Sands #3) – The whole series will stay with me for a long time. It’s magical!
• MURDER GAMES by James Patterson, Howard Roughan – An exceptionally satisfying read. I loved Dr. Dylan Reinhart from the very beginning.
• GOOD TIME COMING by C.S Harris – A hauntingly beautiful coming-of-age tale.  Louisiana 1862, a time when children cannot be children and adults will never be the same.
• BEAR TOWN by Fredrik Backman (Björnstad #1) – This was a departure from Backman’s usual whimsical stories. The premise was heavy with a moral dilemma and no one can easily forget this one.
• WHO KILL THE INNOCENT by C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr #13) – I thought that it would be difficult to top Where the Dead Lie, but C.S. Harris has proven me wrong, yet again. I love, love this series!
• LABYRINTH OF THE SPIRITS by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (El Cementerio de Los Libros Olvidados #4) - Reading this installment is like taking a long exhale, unraveling everything slowly. Book #4 is worth the wait if only to read Fermin's witty dialogues again.
• SPEECHLESS by Adam P. Schmitt - One of the many reasons I love Middle-Grade books is that they give me a whole new set of lenses to look through. It is a very well-written, memorable story.
• BRIDGE OF CLAY by Markus Zusak - It's beautiful! It's sad, lyrical, and beautiful.
• WHEN ALL IS SAID by Anne Griffin – An absolutely brilliant read, coming this January 24th. Do put this one on your TBR.

Now, of course, I have special mentions:

• HELLO, UNIVERSE by Erin Entrada Kelly – Winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal. A tugging tale, replete with diversity.
• NEWS OF OUR LOVED ONES by Abigail DeWitt – A compelling read, perfect for historical fiction lovers.
• BRITT-MARIE WAS HERE by Fredrik Backman – Another charming book – it can be funny and heartwarming, other times, it can be sad.
• HOUSEKEEPING by Marilynn Robinson – It’s the absolute quietness of this book paralleled to the turbulent emotions it evoked inside that struck me. It is tragedy enveloped with disturbing calmness. Ms. Robinson snags me every time.
• EUPHORIA by Lily King – Special thanks to Tin who gave me a copy. This story will shift something inside of you. The melancholy was absolute.

My 2018 wish was fully realized, I’ve read some really satisfying books. I wish the same for this year. And maybe, more books in the mail, please and thank you.

It’s THE PAGE WALKER’S 6th bloggy birthday. Thank you for following, for the emails, and bounce rates!

Happy 2019, everybody!

Read more →

I Am Three and Have Plenty of Excuses

I did not forget that The Page Walker turned three this month. I intentionally did not rush off to write a post, because I’ve been thinking of the changes I need to make and how best to do them.

Read more →

My Year 2014 in Blogging

2nd Bloggy Birthday

Was it not just yesterday that The Page Walker celebrated its 1st birthday? I believe this calls for some looking back...

In 2014, we interviewed six (6) authors via Author's Friday. We had first dibs on six (6) cover reveals through the First Glimpse. And, Wednesday Spotlight highlighted twelve (12) books from independent authors. While Say It With A Book featured six (6) awesome guest book reviewers with a book of their choice.

I didn't manage to write some book thoughts from last year's reading list. I will do my best to jot them down even though January is going to be very busy for me since I am moderating this month's TFG book.

Last year, I tried to cross-link my blog posts to Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.  It was sort of experimental trying out Twitter. I realized that I can't advise people to use or not to use twitter if I haven't tried it myself. I rarely go there and even rarely post or leave a comment. I believe it works for most people, but I guess I am not up to that sort of social networking, in spite of all the interesting people there. So after a year, I will close my Twitter account. Thank you to those who indulged and added me on their list of friends there.

I'm thinking of changing the blog layout, and I don't have any changes in mind other than that. 

BTW, I am giving away a Kindle copy of Station Eleven: A novel by Emily St. John Mandel. I've viewed a summary of my blog visitors, so raffle will be available for the top 5 followers: Ukraine, US, Canada, Philippines, and Germany. Winners will receive the gift via email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Meliza!

Read more →

FIRST BLOGGY BIRTHDAY and A GIVEAWAY

I really can't imagine that it has been a year since I last posted my first blog entry.  Now, I have friends who actually follow everything I post here and takes my book recommendations seriously.  Awesome! 

For my 2nd year, I am thinking of spicing things up, I have new ideas that I hope my followers will enjoy.  And, I believe a new look will do no harm either.  I'll do these things in stages though, so I hope you'll be patient with me.

But before the changes completely caught us, I have something for you, my dear followers. I'll be giving away One (1) copy of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.  It seemed fitting since I want this blog to last forever.   Here's to another year of book blogging, Cheers!

January 3-10, 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read more →

2013 Reading Goals, Plans and Resolutions

Welcome! I thought it was very significant to open this new blog with this theme. 2013 is barely starting and the air hums with expectations. New Year, new life, new possibilities, and I guess in my case -a new blog.

Let’s start with the reading goals for 2013. Last year wasn't so bad, although I didn't get to read as much as I want. I think 72 books, 20,062 pages were decent enough. So this year, I am considering finishing 75 books. Every month will be halo-halo (mix) of F2F Book of the Month, one or two from a series I am following, a literary winner, a Filipino-authored book, and/or from out of random (in which, I am very fond of). For this, I am going to provide a required reading list for every month *crossing fingers*.

Moving on to Plans. Well, this new blog is one of them. I realized that I’d be depending on this for the coming months, and maybe years. I’ll need something to really focus on other than being a mom, a teacher and a reader from now on. My husband is going abroad, for God-only-knows how long. So, I’ll be clinging to this blog like a-leech-on-a-foot to vent all my “would be” feelings, rants, and raves, since my hubby will not be here to accommodate all of that. I hope you’ll bear with me, please. I’ll be setting up the “My Bottle” page for this.

Lastly, My Resolutions. During the conception of this blog, Neil Gaiman posted his New Year’s Wish on Goodreads and on his journal. Bravery and Joy was his solemn wish for everyone. For someone afraid of scattering herself across the web, this all-out blogging will be my first step into bravery. So, pray for my sake and those who will follow me that I will find joy in blogging regularly instead of mopping around and missing my husband. My second step into bravery is to face our church ministry on my own. Well, not really alone. I’m just used to doing these things with my husband as partners. So, it seems, we will serve together still –me, here on this side of the planet; and him, on the other side –with a fervent prayer that it will work out.

Wish me luck and Godspeed!

Read more →