Book Twist June-August 2007
The allure of the outdoors on me is waning. The odd part is that I do not mind locking up myself in my apartment heavily contrasting my old lifestyle when the only chance you can keep me from the great alfresco is when it’s time to sleep and when I am in my room busy unpacking shopping bags.
Cutting down my terrestrial activities gives me time to catch up on my reading. As of late, I did most of my catching-up in the toilet where I used to waste my time musing on the day the Philippines once again wins the Miss Universe crown. Here are the five titles that kept my every fart, grunt and flush company over the past three months:
Shattered Icon
By Bill Napier
A waste of toilet daydreaming time where the only thing shattered here is the plot. It didn’t help either that my farts and turds have more dimension than the characters. Not worth telling about.
Memories of Midnight
By Sidney Sheldon
One of the pros of having a Virgo moment of excessive compulsiveness i.e. keeping your apartment as pristine as possible to the last dust, crease and askew-ness is stumbling into something wonderful like this Sheldon novel of illicit affairs, murders and vengeances.
The plot has a few miniscule leaks but if you share my frivolous fascination for an amalgam of scandal, sex and vindication then this novel is a handy toilet companion.
Note: This novel is the continuation of his 1973 best seller 'The Other Side of Midnight'.
Fat Land
By Greg Critser
Mr. Crister is funny and witty on the first five pages…only. Halfway through, I decided to read something else.
Veronica Decides to Die
By Paulo Coelho
It is not difficult to come into a decision and say: 'I want to die now.' or for a gayer version you say 'I want to die na, like now naaaaaaaaa!'.
Once too many, whenever I wallow over my sorrowful mysteries I often conclude my lamentations with a declaration of my desire to see the end of my mortal life but I always fall short of having the courage to even consider killing myself rendering me technically a non-suicidal. I can’t even cut a chicken's throat--I’m a coward.
There are several ways to take in this light read from Mr. Coelho. It is a fictional retell on his (Coelho) stint on an institution. It is a woman’s sojourn in her quest for self worth. It is a critique on the social and moral order of our time. For me it is thorny love story between Veronica and herself.
Lipstick Jungle
By: Candance Bushnell
It’s “Sex and the City” ten years after. Same New York and same fab-ness plus kids, disconcerting husbands, pending divorce, CEO issues, extra-marital affairs and all that post-"single and fabulous" stuff. A fun read of three aplomb women in an equally aplomb city dealing with life after they’ve done all the climbing and are already there.
Note: While Sex and the City’s success on primetime TV has been monumental, Lipstick Jungle will chance upon turning into a hit come January on NBC. Brooke Shields leads the main cast.
Labels: Books I just read.
