noi.reads

30/08/2021

It’s been awhile, and yes I’m still here, a few stones heavier and more pages to turn. A by-product, if you call it that, of long days and shorter nights, entertaining my lonesome self with going through pages and pages of online secondhand book shops and illicit free e-book sites. When you couldn’t (or would not, ) find another human being to beguile with your routines and ennui, you turn to thrifted matter. Blouses, costume jewelry, books. And here’s a few from Jervs, a rundown bookstore amidst the hellish urban landscape that is Makati, and now has shifted online to keep business afloat and mouths fed. You can find him, and others like him, in Shopee or at Instagram, or even at Facebook groups. They’re not hard to find, but the yellowing pages on their shelves are. It’s just a matter of time before someone checks it out first. Again, semantics. Stay safe, you.

26/12/2020

Everyone’s holiday looks different; this is mine.💆🏻‍♀️ Whether you are on a long-awaited break, or on duty (i hope you get that double-pay); whether you are alone, or with company, or with company but you’d rather be alone, or you want company but no one near you actually cared to asked (i see you); whether you ticked off things this year, or don’t have the energy, or the means to do so (no judgment— i mean really, IKAW ba mismo nagawa mo ba lahat?); may you find the space in this borrowed time to rest, to get away from it all, to not respond to that email, the courage to remove toxic things, faces and places, to hide and find your corner amidst the noise. Grateful for this time, too and that you and i made it to this day. Sending love and light your way! Let’s finish 2020, alive and healthy.🕯

16/08/2020

More Letters of Note, compiled by Shaun Usher✨
Can you spot by now that I’m writing about what I feel at the moment? Ok, maybe I’m not that obvious. But if you have a keen eye, you go through my Stories first, maybe you follow me in my personal account, or just on here, then you go through these lengthy reviews— more on reflections, really. Anyway, I see this coffee table book every morning, flipping mindlessly through it, and then I’m reminded, every single time, of what makes us human. We cry, we laugh at the oddest of things, we hold on to the littlest. And that no matter how we try to forget certain things, they come back with a vengeance, or the gentlest wash of memories. Some are in words like what’s in here; the rest are little acts of kindness, of nonsense, of grown-up decisions. Whatever it is, you kept up with time, outlived it, and you keep growing. That’s the best part. 🌻

13/08/2020

13/08/2020

✨For Sale!✨
Defy The Stars by Claudia Gray
518 pages, softbound; never read (impulse buy); GOOD AS NEW - Php200 only!

13/08/2020

The Delight of Being Ordinary by Roland Merullo✨
What would you do if you were tasked to plan a secret (as in, no security / zero publicity) vacation of the Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama? Paolo, the Pope’s cousin and most trusted adviser, begrudgingly accepted the offer and along the way, he learns more about himself, and that he shares the same burdens as the world, about his cousin and the Tibetan monk, their thoughts and sentiments not usually seen by the public. It’s a page-turner and despite paying for it full price (80% of my current bookshelf is thrifted😆), this is the kind of fiction that you can read over and over, and can be passed down to your next set of readers. Merullo talks to us as if we are not bogged down by religious tenets, as if we share the same faith, the same beliefs in absolute forgiveness, that time may heal wounds, a deep empathy and understanding of what others may deem as trivial. That indeed, love is universal. 🌙

09/08/2020

The Dressmaker by Elizabeth Oberbeck ✨
Unsurprisingly, it has a low rating at . Laying the cards now— this does not end happily for the main characters, and every paragraph felt like an ode rather than the love story which its premise held. Literally, don’t judge the book by its cover.😏 But then again, we can define happy endings in a thousand of ways. Claude, the quiet and depressing character that he is, is drawn to the untouchable Valentine. She comes with her own warning signs, but like a moth to a flame, he desires to get burned. Like many of us, we want what we could not have, and yet we take risks and try to make our way out of the tunnel. Claude did, eventually, and we will do, albeit in ways that some may not deem as fit.

04/08/2020

This is an excuse to post about my love for this series. And well, to have that chance to win the illustrated editions of the first four books from .asia(thank you!). I chose to place photos instead of words, since I’m breaking them down here:
📍House: Slytherin (fiercely loyal but vindictive; quiet yet observant - how I would describe myself in slum books today)
📍Book: Half Blood Prince (showed different sides of characters best IMO especially the foil ones)
📍Wand: vinewood with a dragon heartstring core, like Hermione’s
📍Pet: pygmy puff! Just because they’re pink, fluffy and cute, pet problems notwithstanding.
📍Patronus: dragon, since it matches my Chinese zodiac, and you do not wake sleeping dragons
📍Spell: Obliviate, for there are certain memories I would desperately want to forget, if given the chance
📍Character: Draco Malfoy, for despite the reader’s misgivings on his growth, he defies expectations and saves the heroes in meeting a tragic end. I grew up believing that no one is born evil; one becomes an Iago due to the circumstances he or she are faced with. We can go back and forth, arguing about death penalties and modern counts of Monte Cristo, but this truth stands out - we are a race of second chances, beings of growth and change. Who are we to judge the quiet ones?🌙

03/08/2020

Prices & other details are found on the photos!🌷
📍 Payment: GCash or BPI
📍 Shipping: for Metro Manila, via Grab/MrSpeedy/Angkas; if outside Metro Manila, I will ship via LBC.
📍 Shipping costs shouldered by buyer
📍 No joy buyers, please!
📍 Books may be reserved up to TWO days only. If not paid for, book/s will remain unsold.
Some are negotiable - feel free to PM!🤓

03/08/2020

Stardust by Neil Gaiman✨
Going through the interwebs (that’s what we all do now, right? we scrape every last bit of distraction) led me to an August of reading or re-reading a feel-good book: those dog-eared, or crisp pages which spark joy. You know, ala Marie Kondo, but with words. This is mine - Neil Gaiman and his bevy of characters chasing dreams under one night sky. I bought this copy when the movie was just about to come out, and even after more than a decade, this still strikes a chord. Even if it’s now delegated to the back of my shelf, I still find myself bringing it out in the open. Tell me yours!☺️ What makes you happy, the one that even in the darkest of skies can make you smile and daydream for awhile? I hope you have a better day ahead. It’s five in the morning at my side of the world, and Tristan’s naïvety & spontaneity will keep me going.

03/08/2020

the quintessential introductory post✨
(Although I’ve uploaded some of my books already - feel free to browse! Get lost and stay for awhile; this is your safe space. 🥰)