Books to Remember

Lately, I’ve been feeling cloud 9 as I read some of the books from our popular, contemporary, stellar and incredible writers, who dig deep within the reader’s soul their every words, stories and life.

Lemme’ share with you some excerpts from those books:

1.       Writing’s a lot like cooking. Sometimes the cake won’t rise, no matter what you do, and every now and again the cake tastes better than you could ever have dreamed it would.

 – A Study in Emerald, Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things

·         This is outrageous because he magically aligned Sherlock Holmes’ character to HP Lovecraft.

Dear Pareng Neil,

Please sprinkle me with your wisdom and talent in creating such depiction and storyline. Promise, I’ll be as dumbfound as you. Just a wishful thinking, I know maybe 1/16 of it might happen. But atleast, and, if it’ll take place I’ll be the proudest.J

Yours truly,

Mareng Thina

2.      “Your turn in the chair next time,” said October. "

I know,” said November.  He was pale and thin-lipped. He helped October out of the wooden chair. “I like your stories. Mine are always too dark.” “I don’t think so,” said October. “It’s just that your nights are longer. And you aren’t as warm.”   

    

  “ Put it like that,” said November, “And I feel better. I supposed we can’t help who we are.”

“That’s the spirit,” said his brother. And they touched hands as they walked away from the fire’s orange embers, taking their stories with them back into the dark. 

 – October in the chair, Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things

·         Wooh, ang galing mo Pareng Neil!:D November is coming and I’m excited to every story that’ll unfold on that month. J

3.      Yes, I decided, a man can truly change. The events of the past year have taught me much about myself, and a few universal truths. I learned for instance, that while wounds can be inflicted easily upon those we love, it’s often much more difficult to heal them. Yet, the process of healing those wounds provided the richest experience of my life, leading me to believe that while I’ve often overestimate what I could accomplish in a day, I had underestimated what I could do in a year. But most of all, I learned that
 it’s possible for 2 people to fall inlove all over again, even when there’s been a lifetime disappointment between them. I’m not sure what to think about the swan and what I saw that night, and I must admit that being romantic still doesn’t come easily. It’s a daily struggle to reinvent myself, and part of me wonders whether it always will be. But so what? I hold tight to the lessons that Noah taught me about love and keeping it alive, and even if I never become a true romantic like Noah, it doesn’t mean that I’m ever going to stop trying.

– Wilson Lewis, Epilogue of Nicholas Sparks’ The Wedding

·         Upon reading this, I thought I’m good enough to grasp the author’s ending. But, am quite successful since I got a hint of the future sequences. The twist is excellent, passionate and memorable . . . smooth, sensitive writing . . . Definitely a novel that can hold its own. J

4.      A man sits alone in a cave.  His hair is long. His beard reaches his knees. He holds his chin the cup of his hands. He closes his eyes.                                                                                                                          He is listening to something. Voices. Endless voices. They rise from a pool in the corner of the cave. They are the voices of people on Earth. They want one thing only.                                                                                            Time.

- Mitch Albom’s The Time Keeper

·         Wonderful Analogy, yes? J Every one is engrossed once a theme of a story is about time. What more, if the tale is about the time itself? Mitch Albom will flutter you to the space of time, sometimes will return you to your senses, and then will cycle you once more on the marvel and mystery of time. His novel simply tells the oxymoron of loving and letting go your time.

5.     His words – and Sarah’s words—drift up to the faraway cave, and the lonesome, bearded man sitting inside it. This man is Father Time.

You might think him a myth, a cartoon from a New Year’s card—ancient, haggard, clutching an hourglass, older than any one on the planet.

But Father Time is real.

And, in truth, he cannot age. Beneath the unruly beard and cascading hair—signs of life, not death—his body is lean, his skin unwrinkled, immune to the very thing he lords over.

Once, before he angered God, he was just another man,

fated to die when his days were done.

Banished to this cave, he must listen to the world’s every pleas—for more minutes, more hours, more years, more time.

He has been an eternity.

He has given up hope. But a clock ticks for all us, silently, somewhere.

Soon Father Time will be free. To return to Earth.

And finish what he started.

- Mitch Albom’s The Time Keeper

·         I love the characters and tone of this excerpt. It captivates me and makes me want to finish the book in one sitting. There’s a mishmash of smooth, crisp, and strong emotions as Father Time will return to Earth. The storyline’s pace is agitating yet controlled. J

6.      Consider the word “time.”

We use so many phrases with it. Pass time. Waste time. Kill time. Lose time. In good time. About time. Take your time. Save time. Along time. Right on time. Out of time. Mind the time. Be on Time. Spare time. Keep time. Stall for time. There are as many expressions with “time” as there are minutes in a day. But once, there was no word for it at all. Because no one was counting. Then Dor began.                                                                                                                                       And everything changed.

- Mitch Albom’s The Time Keeper

·         Thank you Father Time for monitoring the importance of yourself—it attracts people to become dear to you. J I have my own version of using the word time, and that’s. Time is Now. The story’s meaning embraces the fact that TIME should be used wisely—not too rush and not too slow—use it the way it should be.  Two people will learn that and they signify all the people in the world.J

--30—

Aisle Take the Chance

Lizzie's eyes shine as she saw the bride walking on the aisle. She's coordinating a wedding from an unknown client. She had a sleepless night as she planned everything to make the wedding memorable, thinking of complimenting flowers on the aisle up to her wonderful gown. The glitz on Lizzie's eyes was captured by a man beside her. Andrew, who saw how she worked hard for this glamorous event, is amazed by her diligence. He picked a flower, looked at Lizzie's smiling face and asked her, "Do you want to have that kind of wedding, too?" She uttered, "Yes, of course."

Andrew finally got the courage to ask her that question and Lizzie looked at the aisle again. Andrew took a photo of her and he said to himself, "Tonight is his night." He'll take the chance into asking her for a dinner and tell her what he'd been keeping for so long.

Lizzie went upstairs to check the whole scene downstairs. She secretly looks at the flower that Andrew gave her. She'd wanted to get it also from him 7 years ago. But he never did. The years in between made her busy into her business and social gatherings. Never did she enter into any flings. She asks herself blushingly, "Is this the perfect time?"

A click from a distant took a moment again-captured were her dreams surrounding the church's stunning look.

Until the waiting becomes over

It’s 2:30 in the afternoon, Joan was looking at herself on the video. She was still waiting for her student to arrive because it’s logging time. She stayed stationary on her chair yet her eyes wandered all over the monitor and her hand was on her mouse sometimes clicking or opening any files but one thing she’s uttering silently that the phone would ring and her student would be absent. Then its 2:33. She sent a message to her boss updating the student’s unpunctualness. She waited also for the reply. Then suddenly a memory hits her. One day, she was alone at the park, while waiting for Mark for a long hour. He didn’t appear on the same time she expected him to come. He seemed to forget the value of time when he’s with her. She started texting and calling him but there was no reply. Her heart ached as he waited for 2 hours to the man of his dreams. She was expecting something good from him, yet he was not into it. She went home counting her steps, looking at the ground because she doesn’t want her mom to see her scarlet eyes and nose.

‘Then, 2:38 appeared. Her student wasn’t there yet. She saw a little depression was painted on her face as she continued marveling to that scene.

‘ I told you, he’s not meant for you. But you’re not listening. He always give you burden. Why not leave him?’ her mom said when they’re both alone in her room.

 ‘I thought, he’d already change after he returned to me and promised that he’ll be more committed.’  She said that while catching her breath for a long time crying.

‘When will you open your eyes to the truth that he can’t be that you expect him to be?’

‘Please leave me alone first, mom. I know I need time to mull over this and decide what’s the best for me.’

‘Ok, Joan. Hope you’d also change your mind.’

Her mom closed the door and she looked at the scar on her wrist. She recalled the suicide she committed after her 1^st break up with Mark. She mourned tremendously in losing him because she almost gave everything to him.

After 8 minutes of recalling her bitter past, her honcho told her to still wait for the student.

‘Another waiting again?’ she gasped to herself. ‘Maybe I could take the long waiting forever. I’ve done this before until I realized that it’s no good of help. Why should I just relax and stop looking at my watch after all everything that I’ve been through with him is over. He’s not with me anymore when he decided to be with his other woman.’

The agony of long waiting arrived on its end- when she finally decided to forget him and move on; there’s a light in her heart, eventhough the scars remain. Her eyes finally set on the time and it’s already 2:55. Her student didn’t attend and she realized that long waiting possibly meant 'in just a snap!'