Bloggy Birthday & New Blog Name + Giveaway!
And I'm not calling you "Bookish Little Me" anymore because, well, after a year, I'm re-christening you today with...
marginalia
By definition, "marginalia" means:
So, by renaming my book blog in this manner, I am therefore claiming this small space on the web as personal repository for my notes, reactions, thoughts and opinions on books I've read, all of which I do not consider as reviews - hence, "non-reviews." (Hence, too, the Disclaimer, which still applies.) Because really, that's what they are - my thoughts on a book. Also, I don't really write on the margins of my print books (I can't bear it!), so I will let this blog serve that purpose. Of course, there are still the occasional discourses and memes about books and reading, events relating to the book club, readers or book bloggers, and practically anything that's book-related.
Hello, welcome to marginalia, my book blog! :)
As I said in a previous post, on the occasion of my book blog's first anniversary, I am hosting a giveaway (yay!) for the few souls who
(1) The giveaway is open to Philippine residents only.
(2) You need not be a book blogger or member of my book club in order to join, but I think it's only reasonable to require, at the very least, that I know you, right? :P
(3) Anyone who wishes to join should leave a comment on this post and answer the following question: If I were to go into a bookstore that holds absolutely every single title that has ever been published, what is the one book you would recommend I pick (and insist on reading!) and why?
(4) The question requires only 1 title, so if you answer with 2, your entry will be automatically disqualified.
(5) One comment = one entry, and one entry per person only (of course).
(6) Entries will be accepted until 11:30 pm of July 28, Saturday, local time.
(7) I will print out the entries, put them on a fish bowl, and let my baby girl Allie pick the lucky winner! To assure everyone who will join that the contest is not rigged, I will take a picture of all the printed entries and the little one as she picks the winning entry. :P
(8) Lucky winner will be announced on Monday, July 30 at 12 noon on - where else? - this blog.
Now, for the prize! :D
The lucky giveaway winner gets to choose any one of the following titles, which are among my favorites (so far) for 2012:
Awesome list, no? :))
The winner may choose either the print copy or the Kindle edition of the book of his/her choice. For the print books, the winner may opt for a specific format: either hardback, trade or mass market paperback. Preferences with respect to particular editions or book covers, however, will depend on availability. I will go for the one that's readily and locally available. As for the Kindle edition, this is also subject to a book's availability on the Kindle store. In case there's none available, the winner can either pick another book with a Kindle edition, or just go for the print book. :)
Any questions? Clarifications? If there's none, what are you still waiting for? Game na! :D
Happy birthday again, blog! :D
Comments
The title that I would recommend: I, Claudius by Robert Graves. It's my favorite book of all-time, and I have yet to meet a person who didn't like it. It's fascinating historical fiction, so you get to learn a bit of ancient history too.
Hmm, what should I force you to read? It's easy to answer that with my favorite book, but I think I'd ask you to pick The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder. I think Wilder is an essential additional reading for readers (and fans) of Mitchell so that we could have a deeper understanding of why he writes what he does.
And it's a short work. You can read it overnight. And then reread it with no qualms. :D
Hurray to The Land of Green Plums! Hurray to Ghostwritten! If I win, I'd like to have The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (trade paperback).
My book recommendation is a book I finished reading just yesterday - Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti. It's contemporary YA, and I didn't expect to like it so much, but I did! I think it's the kind of book that you'd want Allie to read when she gets to her teen years. :)
The book I will recommend to you is Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. A tome of a novel, but very well written -- from a fantasy reader's perspective of course. I think you would like it. Some describes it as a fantasy novel with Austenian writing and Shakespearean tragedies. ( Oh noes. Did I just pull two big literary names on my recommendation? Am I that desperate?) It was the first book I read this year and I could say it shaped my reading list. I am always on the look for the next JS&MN and since then I discovered some few excellent fantasy novels like The Lies of Locke Lamora and The Name of the Wind.(I realize I may just be disqualified for doing that. I am not recommending it, though. I'm just making my point on how JS&MN have been very helpful to me this year.)
BUT. It's not the perfect book. Well, almost perfect but quite not there. There are thing/s I find quite problematic, specifically its depiction of female characters. Other than that, it's a really good fantasy novel that is easy to get lost into. :))
Happy Anniversary to your blog again! :)
The first thing on my mind that I would want to recommend to you is Candy Gourlay's Tall Story. It's a inspiring family story with a set of believable protagonists that will tug at your heart-strings. What drew to the book is in how it combines various elements of Filipino folklore in between modern predicaments felt and experienced by families in a globalized world.
It's worth the read plus a show of support to one of today's budding Filipino writers from abroad.
Wheeeew!
Again, my congratulations on your first blogiversary! Here's for more years of book blogging... Cheers! :)
Happy birthday, marginalia! (Is the "m" really in small caps?) ;)
Yes Lynai, small "m" as reflected in the dictionary. :D
Since you've already read Time Traveler's Wife (I never got over this book, LOL), I'm going to recommend All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. It's a compilation of the Robert Fulghum's musings about life which, though quite philosophical in nature, is surprisingly light and easy to read. It gives much food for thought and I though you might want to give it a try.
*Throws Confetti*
-Ingga :D
The book I'll recommend is Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli's The Last Temptation :) I know you're turning into a Gaimaniac and it's good this book to be part of your collection. It's about Alice Cooper. I guess you know him because you listen to rock music :P It's a good gothic graphic novel :) (I actually love it because it's so creepy it gave me nightmares)I know you'll like it!
YAY! Love the books you're going to give away. I want to have that 84, Charing Cross Road because the story looks charming :)
More power to you and your book blog :)
Happy anniversary to your cool blog :)
quiamoi_tres@yahoo.com
I'd have to recommend Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It basically presented how books can change the lives of its readers.