Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Book Meme

I was first "tagged" by Anispice and then later by Anthony (coincidence that they both start with 'A'). Time to get over this procrastination and post a long over-due reply:

Total No. of books owned: Around 50.

Last book I bought: There were two, actually. From the MPH booksale a few months ago.

Seabiscuit: An American Legend/ Laura Hillenbrand [Click to check NLB catalogue]
NLB Call No.: 798.400973 HIL (Adult General 700s section)
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Bought this because I'd watched the movie on a flight one time, and was totally moved by it. Told my wife about it and bought the book for her to read. I also read the book and it's way better than the movie.

The Fiery Cross/ Diana Gabaldon
NLB Call No.: GAB (Adult Fiction collection)
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This one, I have absolutely no idea what it's about, and I have not read it yet. Decided to buy it because (1) the blurb says it's a historical fiction (according to NLB catalogue entry, it's a "time travel fiction" set in North Carolina colonial history -- cool!), (2) it was within my cheapo-budget of $5.00 per item, (3) it was 1,443 pages and therefore further bargain if the book is as good as it says it is.

Last book I read:
O Singapore!: Stories in celebration/ Catherine Lim
NLB Call No.: SING LIM (Singapore Collection)


Five books that mean a lot to me:

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1) Starship troopers/ Robert Heinlein
Read the original by Heinlein, not the movie tie-in. It's pretty intellectual, really (so unlike the lousy movie). One of the first Military/ Socio-political/ Sci-Fi books I read when young. It left a lasting impression and probably paved the way for my interest in Sci-Fi. (Must get the library to buy newer copies).

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2) Fields of Fire/ James Webb
Read this when I was 15, and I think I re-read it again when I was 17. I had heard about how US lost the Vietnam war, and about war protests etc. But didn't really know what the whole anti-war movement was about. Then I read this book (the Vietnam war told from the eyes of the soldiers). It moved me. Vividly. And at that young age, I realised that "War is Hell"; "There are no winners, only losers".

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3) Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 1)/ Frank Herbert
Another book that I read in my formative years (between 12 to 16) and no surprises, it's Sci-Fi. But it's not not really about the Science, nor the Fantasy (there's quite little, relatively speaking). What I discovered was about human stories -- betrayal, trust, hope, bravery, courage, triumph, politics, religion -- as well as ecology.

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4) Charlotte's Web/ E. B. White
Again, something I read in in my early teens. This was not my literature text. I don't know how I got the book, but it was there at home one day. I picked it up and was moved by the friendship, love and sacrifice that a spider had for pig. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

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5) Ten ancient scrolls for success: from The Greatest Salesman in the World/ Og Mandino
This one I read about 3 or 4 years ago, when I was about midpoint through a stressful period in my career. I turned to self-help motivational books and somehow discovered Og Mandino. He writes brilliantly, so much so I decided to buy a copy of this book. I can honestly say it changed the way I looked at life, and came at the right time when I needed to break out of a rut.


The five people I tag:
  1. Real Public Librarian
  2. Filipino Librarian
  3. Sybilla
  4. Biblioacid
  5. NTUC Income CEO Tan Kin Lian

Tag:

9 comments:

  1. Ooo...

    Another Dune and Starship Troopers fan!

    Did you catch the Dune miniseries?

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  2. Yes I did. That was good. Very close to the novel.

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  3. Anonymous12:19 am

    Hi Ivan, this is whosoever the struggling mis student again. Guess what, I am preparing a paper for a conference and seriously toying with the idea of the love hate relationship between librarians and the blog, or maybe something along the line. Wish me luck, lotta luck. =)

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  4. I was a little disappointed that they did not continue through to the next few books though.

    Anyway I digress. Feel like doing any more memes? I could flick a few more over to you.

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  5. give me some time. i just finished the talk i was telling you about. it went in a different direction from what i originally thought it would be. and now i'm literally getting sick. maybe this will give me time to think about the answers to the meme =)

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  6. Anonymous3:48 pm

    i found Og Mandino's The Greatest Miracle in the World lying around the house (when i was still living with my parents) and funny, i didn't think (then) that i would finish the book in one sitting! but the sci-fi part, ya well, you lost me there....

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  7. The Fiery Cross is the fifth book in the series by Diana Gabaldon and you should read the books in order! When you begin PLEASE take care as they cross historical fiction with romance and time travel!

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  8. Hi BeAReader - awww... I have to start from book 1? In order? sheesh. It must be good then.

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  9. Anonymous7:57 pm

    I like Charlotte's Web a lot =)

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