Books I Wish I Could Buy (040808 Edition)

I've been a Booksale patron since I realized that I wasn't cut out to be a best-seller reader. I've grown up to be extremely frugal (if not downright stingy) when it comes to myself (except when it comes to booze, I guess, he he), no doubt a trait I got from my father. I enjoy Booksale because it satisfies the reader in me without me having to dig deep into my almost always empty wallet.

National Bookstore in Cubao used to sell books as low as P5. I was a regular there, with a P300 budget courtesy of my dad (it's, like, a reward for being a "good" student). NBS was my haven, and I always felt at home there, surrounded by mountains of second-hand but still readable copies of whatevers.

Siguro that partially explains the reason why I don't read Harry Potter, Paulo Coelho, Nicholas Sparks, and other so-called best-selling authors. I don't have the budget for 'em. Hell, college ako, P500/week ang allowance ko and I was living away from home, so kumusta naman, baon ko na ang isang libro pa lang?

It's rare for me to feel actual jealousy, pero nangyayari yun whenever I read about other people buying this book and that. Parang, "Hey, sana ako rin!" But alas, I'm just a lowly person with a tight budget. I'd very much like to read these books, pero ala eh, talagang ganun ang buhay.

I read Jessica Zafra, pero ang mamahal ng libro niya ha. Buti na lang merong stock sa library. Gusto ko sana suportahan ang Filipino authors, pero the only person whose books are priced for the masses (na hindi chick lit) is Bob Ong. Yung "Oh My Gosh! The Incredible Lightness of Being Burgis!" ni April Timbol Yap, very tempting kaso nung nakita ko na yung price tag, tagilid agad. The classics, I only get to read whenever I manage to grab a copy from Booksale.

So kahapon, dahil sa sobrang depressed ako (hulaan niyo kung bakit), naisipan kong magpaka-gaga lalo. I've been looking for a copy of Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah for YEARS already, pero lagi siyang out of stock sa NBS at Fully Booked sa SM. But yesterday, lo and behold, sangkatutak ang mga kopya nito sa NBS. Kaso, ang mahal, kasi yung softcover yung copies, di yung mass market paperback. Dati kasi, meron nun yung pocket sized lang talaga, like Chinese Cinderella. Yun, bibilhin ko na sana, pero may pumigil sa akin. At buti na lang, dahil nung napadpad ako sa Fully Booked sa The Block, may lone copy dun na di hamak na mas mura kesa sa mga nasa NBS. Kaya kinuha ko na.

But not until I looked around for some books na mukhang interesting. At dahil dun, lalo akong na-depress dahil gusto ko sanang bilhin lahat ng nagustuhan ko, pero ang kapalaran ko talaga ay laging nauuwi sa kabiguan. Masaya naman ako dahil kahit papano, from time to time, I can afford to splurge on pricey books. I have about 20 books na nabili ko for more than P200 (at para sa akin, mahal na yun..includes The God Delusion, The Da Vinci Code, Chinese Cinderella, etc, most of which I got on sale during the Manila International Bookfair). Most of the books in my collection have been bought for less than P100.

So, sobrang haba ng aking kwento, kaya ito na ang maikling list na ginawa ko kanina. Sana, by the end of the year, kahit isa man lang sa mga librong ito ay magkaroon ako.

• The Battle of Jericho by Sharon Draper

  Sixteen-year-old Jericho is psyched when he and his cousin and best friend, Josh, are invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, the oldest and most exclusive club in school. Just being a pledge wins him the attention of Arielle, one of the hottest girls in his class, whom he's been too shy even to talk to before now.

  But as the secret initiation rites grow increasingly humiliating and force Jericho to make painful choices, he starts to question whether membership in the Warriors of Distinction is worth it. How far will he have to go to wear the cool black silk Warriors jacket? How high a price will he have to pay to belong? The answers are devastating beyond Jericho's imagination.

• Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

  Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess.

  Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires to be chosen and win the heart of her childhood best friend. But when bandits seek out the academy to kidnap the future princess, Miri must rally the girls together and use a power unique to the mountain dwellers to save herself and her classmates.

• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

  Jess Aaron's greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. He's been practicing all summer and can't wait to see his classmates' faces when he beats them all. But on the first day of school, a new kid, a new girl, boldly crosses over to the boy's side of the playground and outruns everyone.

  That's not a very promising beginning for a friendship, but Jess and Leslie Burke become inseparable. It doesn't matter to Jess that leslie dresses funny, or that her family has a lot of money -- but no TV. Leslie has imagination. Together, she and Jess create Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where the two of them reign as king and queen, and their imaginations set the only limits. Then one morning a terrible tragedy occurs. Only when Jess is able to come to grips with this tragedy does he finally understand the strength and courage Leslie has given him.

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

  1939 - Nazi Germany - The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. Some important information - this novel is narrated by death. It’s a small story, about: a girl; an accordionist; some fanatical Germans; a Jewish fist fighter; and quite a lot of thievery. Another thing you should know - death will visit the book thief three times.

• Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

  When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother's best friend - Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," she longs to escape a life defined by her past.

  With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany and redemption.

• Firegirl by Tony Abbott

  From the moment Jessica arrives, life is never quite the same for Tom Bender and his seventh-grade classmates. They learn that Jessica has been in a fire and was badly burned, and will be attending St. Catherine's while getting medical treatments. Despite her startling appearance and the fear she evokes in him and most of the class, Tom slowly develops a tentative friendship with Jessica that changes him. Firegirl is a story about how even the smallest gestures can have a profound impact on someone's life.