by Clarissa Chua There are a lot of beautiful things dependent on crazy—art, business, love and of course, this Last Book Syndrome series. And this is the last for July! Can you believe it? I made it through the whole month! These past two weeks have been quite a struggle as days seemed long and dragging. But despite this, I was delighted to encounter and read a book that compresses those experiences in a word: crazy. Reading this book by Megan Squires led me to think that maybe crazy is worth it. As Lincoln puts it, “But I think being just…
Month: July 2015
Happy Birthday, Harry! Love, From A Certified Potter Nerd
by Cake Evangelista If this were some kind of “Bookaholics Anonymous,” where we would take turns in standing up, introducing ourselves and admitting our book addiction, I’m pretty sure my intro would be something like this: “Hello, my name is Cake. And I’m a Harry Potter addict.” It feels like it was only yesterday when my mom gave me a paperback copy of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone. My mom fetched me from a classmate’s house. It was early Friday evening. The glow from a lamppost illuminated the darkened street outside my classmate’s house where my mom was…
Bookmarked: Picking Up Flower Bookmarks
by Lindy Gamolo and Louise Dumas With a friendship that started way back in our university days, I’ve known Louise to be a voracious reader with really good taste in authors and books. Admittedly, I kind of stole ideas from her on which authors or titles to read. (Oops!) Louise requested to write about bookmarks in relation to human rights advocacy but today, she will talk about something else. This is a story about bookmarks and life. Here’s Louise and her flower bookmarks. *** In England, the poppy is a remembrance of the soldiers who died in the world wars,…
Crossed Wires: The Fantasy Epic
by Erika M. Carreon I’ve talked before and written about in a Plural blog about the contributions and frustrations Tolkien and his Middle Earth have given me in relation to how I’ve come to define fantasy, but for the moment I’d like to talk a bit about fairy tales, particularly the misconception that they were stories “naturally” 1) geared towards children, and that they 2) exist to primarily teach children black-and-white concepts of morality. To a certain extent, I suppose, these arguments are still being thrown at fantasy itself. Right now, people are probably aware of how messed-up the “real” versions…
4 Great Things About Being A Filipino Romance Author (Right Now)
by Mina V. Esguerra When I started writing fiction, I had the impression it was going to be a hobby, something I would do when I had an extra few minutes a day, and maybe I’d finish writing one book and be done with the entire business of it. Many writers feel this way, but maybe they don’t realize why it’s worth it to write more. This month, Bookbed is celebrating its fifth anniversary and I’d like to join the fun and share why, as a Filipino romance author, there’s a lot to be excited about. 1. Romance is still a big…
Ink Blots: ‘Today Means Amen’ by Sierra DeMulder
by Kariza Montealegre Previously, I shared with you Buddy Wakefield’s “apology letter” (“This is an apology letter to the both of us for how long it took me to let things go”), and today, I have another letter! But this time, it’s for you. We all have our struggles, but there are some who get trapped and sucked in by the monster that is depression. If you are in this dark alley of life (I hope you’re not), today’s poem is a light for you. Published in the newly released book We Slept Here, the piece “Today Means Amen“ by Sierra…
Comics Submission: ‘STET’ #2
by Sahara Suerte stet verb : to direct retention of (a word or passage previously ordered to be deleted or omitted from a manuscript or printer’s proof) by annotating usually with the word stet (Merriam-Webster) To be continued…
Last Book Syndrome: Pokemon
by Clarissa Chua I used to think that stories are only stories if they contain an important lesson to impart to the reader. If I still stood firm on this belief, I probably wouldn’t have discovered the wondrous books I’ve encountered the past few years. Nevertheless, this belief of mine has led me to look deeper within a story, within a book. Is the story really what it seems? Or is there more to the graphics, the letters, and the drawings than meets the eye? And this is partly why I have come to appreciate even Japanese comic books, or…
#buqoYA: A great option for Filipino authors and readers
by Racquel Sarah A. Castro Since the launch a year ago, Bookbed has featured five Filipino authors and their experiences in publishing their works in the country. We found that all of them had tried self-publishing at one point or another. And one of the ways a fledgling writer can introduce their story to the reading public is through #buqoYA. But what is #buqoYA? First of all, buqo is an e-bookstore for Filipinos, selling books, magazines and news. #BuqoYA, on the other hand, is the result of Mina V. Esguerra’s online writing class where participants were required to finish a…
Fiction Nation: Young At Heart
by Allana Luta Bookbed turned five this month, which is the age most kids start to take an interest in reading, if they’re not already. (Speaking of, we celebrated the National Children’s Book Day at the Philippine Children’s Book Summit yesterday!) And with the recent release of the movie Home, based on The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, I wondered what future children’s books adaptations were in store for us. Here are some I’m excited to see the most. 1. The Little Prince (7 October 2015) We only have to wait a mere three months before the actual film…
