Kaycee, a friend and former dorm-mate from Kalay, issued a challenge to me to post seven books I love to promote literacy. One book a day, no reviews, just covers, no exception. That’s the rule. I’m going to have to bend it a little (maybe a lot) and post my list here because I’ve cut back on my social media engagement to protect my zen.
Reading is a habit I picked up from my late grandfather. I am reminded of an image of him in the kitchen at the house at Morrow St., sitting cross-legged, smoking Champion long, drinking coffee and reading the day’s headlines printed on the country’s major broadsheets. He always bought one apiece of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star and The Manila Bulletin whenever the last is available. He would also meticulously staple the pages together and sign his signature on the front page to mark ownership. I mostly really dove straight to the entertainment and comics section.
By any means, I’m not a sophisticated reader. Once in college, in an effort to appear intellectual, I attempted to read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez only to abandon two chapters in because I couldn’t make sense of the words put together even though I went through them twice. Admittedly, it was not the right motivation. Having said that, I do read a lot. News articles, journals, blogs, short stories. These forms of writing, if written well, contribute to literacy just as much as full length novels do. In fact, I used to read a lot of romance novels (Precious Hearts Romances included!) and while I don’t peruse as much now, it certainly helped form the habit because I was enjoying it. And I think it’s how it should be. There’s little point to doing something if you’re not deriving pleasure from it.
Bon. I should really get down to my list before this veers even more off tangent but I want to note one more thing. I’m a slow reader, it takes me weeks, sometimes months, to finish a book. Sometimes I stop midway and forget about it. Mandela’s autobiography, which I started in 2017, is still only halfway finished. This year, I started logging each chapter I read in an app called Tally. The more chapters I log, the more motivated I feel. I also stopped limiting myself to reading one book at a time so that I have options depending on my mood. A simple and effective hack.
So without further ado, here’s my seven books for this challenge:
- Night by Elie Wiesel – a powerful tale of innocence lost and human tragedy. Read lest we forget. The holocaust may long be over but it is still ever present in different forms in our current society. The tragedy lives.
- Dear Life by Alice Munro – I discovered the wonderful writings of Munro purely by chance when I accompanied my aunt to buy textile at the old Ace Commercial few years ago. I passed by a bargain books section and found this gem for 50 pesos (~$1). I’ve read several collections since. Her storytelling is masterful.
- Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez – my re-introduction to García Márquez came through this novella I borrowed from the Halifax library. It was short enough I could finish it before the allotted due date. In this novel you’ll be gifted by succinct yet sublime proses such as “inspiration gives no warnings“.
- My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem – equal rights for women is obviously a cause I’m strongly supportive of. That coupled with anecdotes from life on the road make this a compelling read. In an alternate life, I would be Steinem.
- Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami – there’s something about Murakami’s flair for melancholy and wry humor that draws you in as reader.
- Sarong Party Girls by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan – this novel written in Singlish is relatable, hilarious and poignant at times.
- The Power of Kindness by Piero Ferrucci – I bought this book on a particularly tough day at work in Hong Kong. I’m not a naturally calm person and I’m prone to anger so I hack my way into being more gracious to others and to myself by frequently referring to this book.
Five years ago, I did a similar challenge so I’m re-sharing it here for posterity.
If you’re interested in donating, please find some links below: