Power books series 1/? : Top 5 RR

Today was another very busy day for me. However the day turned bright since I was able to buy some books which I have been looking for some time and which were discounted at the ongoing sale in some prominent bookstores here in Manila.

Today,  I also got my hands on another journal. What makes this journal also special is that it seems to be a journal about  books. While I can jot/scribble/sketch/paste whatever it is I would like to in this journal, I am also tickled pink about the idea of having a journal of reviews about books.

Amongst its pages I can list down and explain what made a particular book or reading so dear to me..it is too bad though that some of the books I enjoyed very much before I cannot remember  the title or the author, nor can I even quote from the passages very reliably, but ...ahh! I will always hold in my heart and mind the idea spawned in those books and which have guided me in my daily life and dealings with my fellow beings.

As I smooth the pages of the journal and scrunch my shiny (albeit oily) noise against its pristine pages to sniff at the marvelous scent of paper, I notice that the entry on that once-clean page (now indelibly marked with a suspicious looking shiny spot) was asking me to list down the books I'd recommend to other people. Hmm...now, that is a tall order!! There are so many books, and all of a different category and which I would recommend based on a particular target market...the task daunts me! I am wondering now though, if I were to ask other people and limit them to just the top 5 books they would recommend, what the list would be? Say, even if we say its a series of books counting as one?

In my case (and with no lengthy explanation as of the moment since I am a drooping flower already at this time of night slash early morning), I would even forego the old favorites of The Bible or Koran or whatever other life-changing book that people might be scandalized to note that I have deliberately left out.

I would rather stick to a list of books wherein I can say that at this particular moment of writing, that I remember enjoying reading at one point or another - like a list I rattle off from the top of my head - it could be I did not have any lesson learned, or I just got eye-bags for my efforts (hey, don't knock those off till you get 'em!).

In any order now -


Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien.

I was amazed and literally gawking at the brilliance of Tolkien's mind in creating a seriously, and I mean seriously, complex story, and all because of his constructed languages!

I could never hope to achieve that brilliance, but I certainly can enjoy the fruits of his labors. Mythology has always been one of my "most-favoritest" subjects.

I count this as one entry since these books are really a continuation of the tale, and if one were to be really strict about it, one should not also forget The Hobbit.




The Little Prince by Antoine Saint-Exupéry.

I can still recall how I came by this book and read this by accident. As a young girl who got tagged to go with my parents when they visited old friends (or they didn't have any babysitter at that time) - as usual since I became bored with the long talk of grown-ups and drinking of alcoholic liquids, I drifted away from their little party.

I settled on my hosts' sofa and saw this book under one of their tables. I finished it and brought home of of the rabbits they had as pets. A simple lesson, taught in a simple but moving tale: "On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." Well, amongst other things as this book is packed chock-full of simple truths.




The Greatest Miracle in the World by Og Mandino.

When I read the chapter containing the God Memorandum, I cried. I felt  so ... blessed .. so empowered....especially when I read that part about I having the power of choice...the power that God did not even gave to his angels. I can hold my head up high and stick a tongue out at the devils in this world.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu or Sun Tzu's Military Strategy.

I heard of this before, but it was only when my then-officemate Roehl (the same Roehl whose family I stayed with in my first visit to Sanfo) brought it along when we tried setting up the computer systems in the Legaspi service center of the company we both worked for that I got to touch it and read a few passages. 

Later on, I came across this again, and read through it before I entered business school. Who can forget - "All warfare is based on deception"? *shivers*  It is  funny how the contents of this book have been aptly applied to business and management. When I think of this book, I remember The Books of Five Rings and The 48 Laws of Power. I still like this best though.



Hawaii by James Michener.

One of our high school terror teachers loved James Michener's works. Since that teacher was my class' homeroom teacher as well as the one in charge of my fourth-year high school's Library Club, of which I was a member - I was particularly challenged to choose this one for my book report which I was to present at one club meeting. I never thought I would be able to finish it, much less enjoy it, but surprisingly, I did.

I was half-petrified that I would be sliced and diced by that terror-teacher during my recital and analysis afterwards, however I don't remember that part now. I include this in my choices if only to point out that once in a while it is good to take a holiday from caution and to try something you might be afraid of.

What about you? What would you recommend?



Next time I expound on - Books I bought but haven't gotten around to reading.