2011 in books

My work has pre-occupied all my weekday while my weekends are either spent on the road traveling from north to south and back. And yet i finally managed to squeeze in my favorite past time of all time, reading. Yes, i read a number of books for this year, thanks to Ayn Rand.

So here is the 2011 list:

1. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
2. The Painted House by John Grisham
3. The Child in Time by Ian McEwan
4. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
5. The Diary of a young girl by Anne Frank
6. First Love, Last Rites by Ian McEwan
7. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami
8. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
9. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
10. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
11. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
12. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
13. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
14. The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
15. The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson
16. After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
17. When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
18. Peony in Love by Lisa See
19. Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World by Haruki Murakami
20. Aleph by Paulo Coehlo

The aim was to read at least 2 books per month. But i have a child to take care of and a husband to please. Nonetheless, i am proud of 2011 for all the books that i read. I may have logged behind with Ayn Rand but it definitely rekindled my passion for reading. Stieg Larsson's trilogy may have been a stumbling block in my reading list but the first 2 books were definitely the best ones. I introduced my self to new authors in the likes of McEwan, Ishiguro and See and i found out that i am such sucker for love stories. 

WWII themed novels are always welcomed in my list, thanks to Roth and Anne Frank the lists goes on. 

Since I'm a paper back fan, i opted to wait for the release of the 2nd and 3rd installments of the Hunger Games this year. A swollen foot in April did not stop me from finishing Mockingjay while I was at the same time hastily finishing a report.

Murakami will always be my favorite. The accident of picking up Kafka on the Shore in the bookstore introduced me to the world of talking cats and a world which is unreal. After the Quake was a timely read for this year. Though the stories were experiences from the quake in Kobe, the March 2011 quake in Japan   inspired me to read on.

The list for this year is not at all complete. I have 2 more days left to finish Atonement which i started in parallel with Hard Boiled Wonderland. But then again the list goes on for 2012. I have purchased a number of books on discount with the objective of getting a good deal out of the purchase. As i hoard these books in my closet and as the trend goes to e-books, i wonder if i will ever stop myself from appreciating the smell of paper and ink on a new book. I guess, I will never will.

The Wonder Years

Back when i was 10, barely 2 years after EDSA I and a year after parents separated, i was engrossed with my new life as a single child. I have 3 siblings and all of them decided to live with my mom while i on the other hand stayed with my dad. As a single child i had my turn on adventures and misadventures in life. I had the freedom that i only dreamt of when the family was still together. I had the chance to have my allowance, ride the jeepney on my own, travel from my house to my classmate's house alone, eat scramble and all other street foods. It was the best days of my life as a young adult.

But since i was left alone with my dad, there are days that i never saw my dad. Days where my only companion is the tv and the family computer that i longed for one christmas. Nights when i cry myself to sleep and think if the family is better off together and not separated as it is. I decided to stay with my dad to get myself spared from my loud mouth mom. From the punishments that i deserve every time i fail her. Only to find out in the end that there is no perfect mom nor a perfect dad or a perfect family.

At 32, i still cry every time i remember my wonder years. The day when my dad left the house to live with his mother was the worst day that the family has seen. These are the bones that lie in my closet.

My mom and dad had attempts to save the marriage and failed twice on these attempts. On those attempts myself and my siblings reacted in different ways. I succumbed to smoking and drinking. While the rest of my brothers will have their own stories to tell.

The family is better now. My mom and dad are still separated. Dad visits us during family occasions and loves watching over his 2 apos. I still cry. And perhaps i am the only one in the family that still cries over what happened. This is my wonder years. Spent in a fashion where the memories are so vivid as if pictures were taken to remind me of these memories. This is my attempt to feel better and forget about the separation. I love my family now and whatever we have become is the result of our unity despite the tragedy. We still wonder and posts are own what ifs but will still go back to the thought that it was better this way.

Everyone will have their own story to tell, this is my story, my wonder years.