bethgstories

To be fair, this isn't the worst book I've read, but god... I wonder why this book exists.  Okay, maybe I sounded a little bit too harsh on that. Snuff is the book about porn stars that I've been talking about. I didn't plan on buying this book, I just felt the need to buy it because it was 10% off from the Powerbooks Sale last February. The blurb mentioned something about murder too, so I bought it, without knowing I was basically trapped under false promotion. What is it about?  Cassie Wright, a known sex priestest is about to set the world record by having sex with 600 men, and some people (or maybe everyone) expects her to die in the process. A cardiac arrest. Vaginal embolism. Stroke. She's doing this to give her abandoned child a great fortune, whoever that is. The story is told from 4 POVs. Sheila, Cassie's personal assistant, and the three men from the 600 - the porn man who allegedly fathered Cassie's lost child, a TV star who's care...

I remember I told myself, "let's not buy YA books anymore because I think we're past that," but this book simply made it to my shopping bag as I hoarded some from the Power Books super sale. Inexcusable appears to be "that kind" of read, where you are confronted with questions of social significance and challenge you to use your moral compass. The prospect of reading a book about date rape written in an unconventional manner ignited my curiosity. Well, the book is written from Keir's point of view, a teenager whose life is marred by teenage angst and superstar ego (he's in a sports team in school). And yes, he is the rapist. Keir lived with his dad, Ray, who was described to be a good man, a kind man. Upon turning the pages, this description gave me a picture of a soft-spoken man of the house who couldn't even swat a fly on the kitchen table. Then, there's Fran and Mary, Keir's older sisters, who somehow made it a point to make Ke...

Please look after mom is so ironic, because moms usually look after their children, and not the other way around. I picked up this book when I saw the author's name, because I might have seen a lot of Kdramas the past years but I've never read a book written by a Korean author. Plus, I've long ago learned that reading books by authors coming from different parts of the world meant an introduction to different cultures and culture-based principles and norms and that fascinates me. Although, Please Look After Mom is more than just that, for this is a story that each one of us could relate to, regardless of where we came from and regardless of the norms we're accustomed to. It talks about the joy, the pain, and the mysteries of being a mom, and how we, as children sometimes and maybe completely forget that Mom can't just be Mom. Our moms could have been someone (or something) else, had they not been our moms. There's no better profession in this wor...

It's been a week since I finished reading The Spy, and I am still undecided if Mata Hari's life story invites us to dare to be different, or keep to ourselves and stay at home for a peaceful life just like how a woman should be, according to what the society dictates. Paulo Coelho has a knack of writing books that seemed to be celebrating womanhood, but in the end they make me think if that was really what he's trying to say. The Spy is no different. Albeit being a historical fiction, the book was written from Mata Hari's point of view, which made me empathize with her more and made me feel where she was coming from. The book began on the day of Mata Hari's execution. Everything about that day was vividly described, and though we all know most of the descriptions were probably done in pursuit of literary excellence, they left me with an idea that she must have done something so terrible to deserve such a terrible fate. It turns out, she j...

Not gonna lie - as I was reading the first few pages of this book I thought it wasn't my cup of tea. Now I'm glad I finished reading the entire thing even if it took some 3 weeks to do so. I found out about Insurrecto when Pat put it in her wish list in our company exchange gift. I saw it in the bookstores, too, and got too intrigued when I read the blurb because of how Gina Apostol described the country - Duterte's Philippines. Some few weeks and a right timing with the right person later, I got my own copy of the book, thanks to Sugar and our never-dying friendship. I could've gotten really drunk, had I taken a shot of alcohol every time the words Ali Mall were mentioned in the early chapters of the book. The story was a bit confusing at first, because in my mind I could see vintage-y things from the 1970s and everything else associated with that decade, including the things my parents told me about President Marcos and martial law. One scene even force...

It was after reading a Gayle Forman book that I became determined that I should travel the world in the hopes of finding something that would "stain" me. I requested for I Have Lost My Way from my then-unknown monita for our company Christmas exchange gift because I really had no idea what to ask for. I've always loved books as they used to be my only indulgence, so why n ot? Plus, I've read books by the same author and I enjoyed each one of them. Besides, I promised myself I'll read more this year, and I'm all about keeping promises to myself because no one has ever kept his promise to me these days. What is it about Three strangers met in such a fateful way - an emerging singing artist who suddenly and inexplicably lost her voice, a guy who just broken up with his boyfriend, and another guy who decided to go some places after he lost his father. Freya, Harun and Nathaniel have different life struggles but all of them experience the same deal - loneli...

Si isn't like the Bob Ong books I've read in the past. Gone were the comical words with satirical context. Gone were the portrayals and constant references to the society where we exist. Instead, I've read about love, hope and faith, the two sides of these three, and the power of both sides to make or break the person within us. Love is the most powerful thing ever existed on the face of the earth. No, you can't touch it, nor you can see it. It's the only kind of ideal matter that gives you a thousand more feelings. The feeling of being able to soar up the skies and live your dreams. The feeling of being able to conquer and defeat anything that tries to break you and put you down. The feeling of being able to give everything you have, despite your weakness and incompleteness. It is only love that makes you recognize the missing piece of yourself despite your wholeness. It fills you up even if you're already adequate, yet you'd never be more than ...

If I was dragged back in time, maybe I'd look for other things I never noticed before. Things that could make a much better impact towards my present self. But of course, I wouldn't have come up with this hadn't I read this book. At first I thought this is another YA love story, given the way it looks. But no. Proof of Forever teaches us about friendship, the validated reasons why we, more often than not, lose it, and what we could've done to keep it. As I grew older (and maybe, wiser), I realized that grown up friendships are complicated. I didn't really understand what makes them so, but lately I find myself thinking about the people I used to call friends, and how come I'm not talking to them anymore. It's almost as if I already forgot the basics on how to make friends, or maybe, life happened. Friendships require us to be completely honest , but sometimes as much as we want to give a hundred percent honesty, some things prevent us from...

National Book Store's first ever Book Binge Bazaar is currently happening and I am so glad I was able to drop by during its first day yesterday. I found some interesting books on Goodreads, and I thought maybe I could get them at the bazaar since the book store claims that most books are only for Php175.00. View this post on Instagram I didn't find most of the titles I'm looking for and the line to check out's a pain, but I still was able to pick up some interesting reads. So, yeah, happy kid here. 💜📚😊 #BookBingeBazaar A post shared by beth g. (@bethgstories) on Feb 8, 2018 at 9:55pm PST As expected, the crowd looked intolerable. I have been to MIBFs for the past three years, and this looked just like that. I mean, who's in their right mind who'd say no to books priced for more than half of its original price, right? It wasn't an utmost disappointment really, that I wasn't able t...

I got this book from MIBF 2017 for Php180 (it's a discounted price I think), and I couldn't understand why I didn't read it right away. This isn't the first book I read from Mr. Eros Atalia (I got those two books with Intoy and Jen), and maybe I thought this was gonna be the same. But no. Tatlong Gabi Tatlong Araw  is different in so many ways, and Mong offered so much more than Intoy. What is it about? This book is in Filipino and it only took me hours to finish the entire story (while waiting for the stupid security update to finish). It takes place in the town of Sta. Barbara de Bendita where a super typhoon was said to hit, and to one of the villages under its jurisdiction, Brgy. Magapok, is where Mong (Raymundo Mojica) came back. It was the place where he spent most of his childhood and it also taught him a lot of things (maybe including falling in love). He went back to that place basically for two things—to fulfill his promise to his mom who just passed ...

First of all, this book is a bit too short for a mystery novel. But I figured there's gonna be more since Malibu Hills Murder is just the first book of the Zuma Seals series. Well, I finished it last night and was a bit disappointed. What Is It About? Zach Lazzaro runs his own private investigations office, along with his two friends, Slice and Cable, and with the aid of his district attorney girlfriend Avalon and Lark the receptionist.  When they found out their subject (the wife of a billionaire old man) was murdered and that one of them was the potential suspect, they had to work double time in order to catch the real culprit before the police turns to them. What I think about it I didn't read the blurb before buying this book—the hot bod on the cover and the "Malibu" in the title was all and enough to allow them take my money. I was expecting a whole lot of glamorous and maybe a classy murder from this book. Perhaps, a teenager who overdosed...

I'm trying review books from different genre, and after reading The Sender, I'm not sure if I can keep up (in a good way, though). What Is It About The 21-year-old Jesse's suicide attempt has brought him to a mental institution called Pineview Lodge. He has telepathic abilities and he's having a hard time to control this, deliberately sharing his thoughts and dreams and visions to his fellow patients. But Dr. Josie Springman felt its effect the most, and as Jesse unwillingly shares her his visions, she discovers the shocking truth not only on Jesse's past, but most importantly, hers. What I think about it In the beginning I thought I'm not going to like this book. The first part barely registered and for a moment I thought the main character was a 21-year-old drug addict, the way his thoughts were being narrated. But I am not a quitter (lol) and so I gave it a shot. Best decision in my life. It's the first ...

This year's book number three brought me back to my teenage years. 21 Dares is packed with references of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, plus it felt like I was reading an R.L Stine book with its annoying cheerleader characters (there's hardly a cheerleader in this book, but you'd get what I mean.). I have some issues with this book and I didn't read the reviews so I don't have a clue what the other readers have to say. What Is It About?  Abbie Reed barely has friends, and the few people she's got decided surprise her on her 21st birthday. There are 21 dares that she needs to perform in order to meet her special "birthday guest." But as she, along with her friends went about town to perform the dares, it starts to get murky and dark, and now she needs to figure her way out of the danger. What I think about it Okay, first of all, the pacing got me kind of frustrated because it wasn't as fast as I thought it would. For the first half of the ...

Right, so my second book this year is romance (super classic), something that I got from Amazon. I haven’t heard of Christina Teatrault but downloaded The Playboy Next Door out of my freewill, just like the other books in my Kindle. I guess in this book, the words "next door" caught my eye. I didn’t take me long to 1-click. The Playboy Next Door is the third book in the Love in the North Shore Series. It's standalone though, so again, you don't need to bother reading the first books. What Is It About? The Playboy Next Door is about Tony, who has the earned the reputation of being the North Salem's resident playboy and all he wanted was to have fun and casual hook-ups. Catrina, or Cat, on the other hand is setup on dates by her friends after her 10-year boyfriend dumped her. So, when her date for the night stood her up and she's got nothing better to do, she walks in a bar. Who'd be the better person to find her there but Tony? They can both have ...

This book is one of the best bedtime reads I've ever had. I couldn't recall if I have read something from JA Whiting before, and assuming that I haven't, I feel like I'd be buying some more of her books sometime very soon. Red Julie is one of the best crime novel out there. What Is It About Olivia is grieving over the death of her Aunt Aggie, who died due to a massive heart attack while riding a bicycle. But Olivia doesn't believe it. Intuition tells her that there was something more behind her dear aunt's death. Then, while heading home to Ogunquit, she encounters an accident along the highway, where in a dying man, covered in blood frantically grabs her and mumbles something that sounded like 'red julie' and slipping something in her jacket pocket. Now she has to find out what red julie means before it's too late. What I Think About It Red Julie is the second of the three books comprising the Olivia Miller mystery thriller series. First of...

I’ve been seeing this man quite a lot (three times I think is a lot), and it marvels me that I never fail to learn something new each time I see him. The great Ricky Lee once again held an event for his workshoppers , readers, and other followers as he launches a new book, Kung Alam N’yo Lang , and dubbed it Mga Bagay Na Hindi Magkakabagay . The book was actually released in December, I think (I remember the pre-order links were all over Facebook). It was also introduced to the public back in January when I got my copy signed by the author as well as the illustrators. I am so glad that I didn’t skip the opportunity to what Ricky Lee has to say since his talk mainly addressed the writers (oh yeah, that’s me!). Ang manunulat ay may dalawang trabaho—ang makapagsulat ng kwento na makakapagdala ng himala para makakita ang mga bulag, at ang ilantad ang mga nagpapanggap na bulag. Ricky Lee shared a story on how Ate Guy (the superstar Ms. Nora Aunor ) used to always want to go out and explor...

This is the second time I attended a Karl Castro and Ricky Lee event. The first one was back in May last year, as they talked about their works and collaborations in The Secret Life of Books , along with other people in the writing and self-publishing industry. There were a lot of great insights that I've heard from that, which all became valuable to me as I journeyed in my writing and self-publishing thingy (I still have a hard time calling it a career sometimes, tbh). So now, that the great Ricky Lee has launched yet another literary masterpiece, there was no way I am going to miss it. This is despite the short notice and my unfamiliarity with the venue.  Groufie with the author and illustrators Kung Alam N'yo Lang is intended for kids age 9 and above, though the cover says Mga Kwentong Pambata Para Sa Mga 'Di Na Bata . It consists of four short stories with illustrations done by Kenikenken , Diigii Daguna , Jether Amar ( Saving Sally ) and Ivan Reverente . It reminded ...

MIBF is one of the main events that's most awaited by book addicts like me. There are lots of book-related happenings and this weekend, I was honored to be invited to the launch of the third installment of Segundo Matias Jr.'s book, Moymoy Lulumboy and the newest batch of YA Tagalog reads, Rebel Fiction.  Moymoy Lulumboy: Ang Paghahanap Kay Inay QA session with Segundo Matias and Jomike Tejado Moymoy Lulumboy is a series of books written by Segundo Matias Jr. and its third installment hits the market today. The Harry Potter fan in me got so excited upon learning about these books because finally, there's this kind of book that's both magical and mythical in the Philippine setting. Aswang, diwata , and other mythical creatures that I have heard in stories as a kid are featured in these books and so I plan to read all of them. I imagine this would be like Harry Potter or maybe Percy Jackson in the Philippine setting. :D What's more, the book also has illustrations cr...

As an author and having attended quite a few workshops about writing, I always keep an eye on various events, symposia, dialogues and seminars (for free, of course!) that would definitely make me grow as a writer. I am just so glad that yesterday, Kim and I pushed our plans to attend this symposium called Book Talks @SecretLivesOfBooks . It was held in the Ayala Museum and for the life of an author, I'd say that this kind of opportunity seldom comes by. So what have I learned from the speakers? Let me share with you some of the things that greatly caught my interest. It's the cover that sells. Librarian of the Rizal Library of the Ateneo de Manila University Dr. Vernon Totales gave a detailed analysis of the evolution of the book covers of Agoncillo's The History of the Filipino People (I think I still have my copy of the latest edition somewhere here), and Si Tatang at mga Himala ng Panahon by the great Ricky Lee . Funny how I haven't paid attention to the details o...