Illustrado by Miguel Syjuco -

[Filipiniana Book Shelf series focuses on books on the PAWR library - that is, bought books that have been read and are being re-read just because... they are valued properties] 

From the PAWR Filipiniana Book Shelf, llustrado by Miguel Syjuco is special because it challenges the audience to rethink the role of the Filipino Illustrado in Philippine context and history. More than just a historical fiction this book provokes us to think deeply about the subject of the Illustrado identity.

I didn't always immediately understand post-modern tales but I feel that traditional novels - those chronological, plot oriented or character driven narratives sometimes become dull and boring to read. So to challenge myself I picked Illustrado again from the PAWR library. This novel has given me really deep thoughts about writing a novel.

For instance, I thought about how the narrator in Illustrado isn't reliable and yet, he's the only narrator that can tell me that very tale of why novelists matter. And further, how authors themselves are aware that what they've written probably won't matter at all in the greater scheme of things. 

But even with this knowledge, not writing isn’t an option. This is a calling that will not go away –for all the desiring-to-become-writers out there. There’s no way to curb the desire to write, it is simply frustrating and exhausting to do so. 

And it seems to me that this is the sadness of Syjuco's tale: how an author can be so engaged with history and the suffering of its nation, and will always be motivated and eager to pen a prophetic piece, but will have to always fight oneself in the process, since all writers who are eager to write anything at all will have to decide against any soul sell-out and scheme for a quick and easy road to prosperity.

In this novel, the term Illustrado is negatively pursued, because the narrator doubts the protege to be a real Illustrado. Like, what does this Illustrado really know about the grim realities on the city streets, the squalor in urban squatters, the catastrophe in the rural areas where disasters are endless? His more financially endowed background should have allowed him more opportunities to advocate for development where change needed to happen, but in his rich location, he often didn’t have an accurate feel of the sadness of the situation. If he would fully engage, he would have to become a traitor to his class.

If he could see his birthplace from exile as most Illustrados did before him, how deeply could he engage the questions of national suffering once he’d gone incognito in some remote place as an OFW? He would have to negotiate the terms of comfort – this freedom from the onslaught of suffering outside his country vis a vis his desire to go back and confront by actually seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling his country's ills. Perhaps then, he could burn his bridges and tell-all.

This seems to be the burden of the Illustrado. The prospective Illustrado who wants to write-all immediately wasn’t yet fully in the know, at least, as far as the narrator’s assessment is concerned. 

The student of history isn’t in the story yet, but only interpolating in the narratives that were penned before his time. Not yet a real witness of history, not yet a real Illustrado. 

Or a millennial who is trying not to get confused about the past. Or they have witnessed some facts of history but their own scant viewpoint keeps their language cautious, objective, and probing rather than purposeful.

In the narrator’s portfolio in this novel, he has done all the genre novels - sci fi tale, detective whodunit, even the historical romance. But he is not satisfied. And although he’s begun something that should burn bridges, it’s still questionable if he would be able to divulge in time all that is burning within him. Until he does so then, he hasn't written. 

And probably, this single fact redeems the Illustrado – that after all, he's still the ONE who could be writing something that must shake the political systems, provoke a revolution, and change cultural habits and attitudes for the better. Yet, how this novel ends doesn't make me optimistic that this narrator who is the seemingly authentic illustrado is up to the task himself. 

No. not at all.

Secret and Dangerous Lives in World War II Memoirs

I read memoirs because my life is so insulated

Memoirs can offer a window into different worlds and experiences, making them a powerful way to connect with lives and perspectives outside of my own. It's a great way to break out of an insulated environment and explore the complexities of other people's journeys.

Insulation makes me myopic and judgmental. Deeply immersed in my world, it’s easy to lose perspective and form narrow views. Reading memoirs, exploring diverse stories, and engaging with different experiences has greatly helped in challenging these tendencies and broadened my understanding.

Secret Fears Leads to the Current Staple Reading

My reading a memoir is further enriched by reading other books set in the same similar historical period. Lately, I read a biography entitled "Agent Josephine" while still finishing the memoir "When Time Stopped." Meanwhile, I am halfway through a newly acquired e-book, the historical novel by Claire Messaud, "This Strange Eventful History."

Reading a memoir, a novel, and a biography together has given me a multidimensional understanding of the time period that was World War II.  A blending of fictional narrative and factual history has enriched my appreciation of not just the 'big' heroes of WW2, but of the million other lives who suffered and sacrificed their lives in that unfortunate global disaster. These include spies, friends of holocaust survivors, mothers intent on the survival of their children, fathers on the battlefields missing their spouses, and underground rebels who refused to capitulate but exerted all creative faculties to source help for others to survive.

While the "big" heroes of World War II are often celebrated, countless individuals represented in these books truly represent the profound impact of the war. Everyday people who endured immense suffering, loss, and sacrifice are often overshadowed, yet their experiences are no less significant. As I read the memoir, the novel, and the biography, stories of often "less important" figures are brought to light, giving me a nuanced and broader understanding of the war's true human cost.

Some Figures from the Books I’ve been Reading

Hans Neuman and Josephine Baker were survivors who kept hoping for the correct world in the light of the global trauma that was World War II. Both adamantly clung to life, and persisted in survival to let the future know about this gruesome past. The world has to learn from the ravages of war after all, although future history has repeatedly missed the lessons.

Hans Neumann, as depicted in "When Time Stopped," managed to survive the horrors of the Holocaust and went on to rebuild his life, never losing hope for a world that could be more just and compassionate. It was as if time stopped during the war, when he had to assume another name and identity for the sake of survival. He triumphed in ‘tricking’ the fate of the ‘jews’ and got to live a new life in a new state. He refused to let that past haunt him by making that time of his life stop, both literally and metaphorically. The memoir takes on the theme of the unwinding of time pieces, which was Hans Neuman’s hobby.

Josephine Baker, often remembered for her glamorous life as an entertainer, was a courageous spy and resistance fighter. During World War II, her efforts in giving the Allies information about plans of the Axis expressed her desire for a better world. Despite her personal traumas, her actions and collaborations with other secret agents reflected a deep sense of hope and determination.

In the novel “This Strange, Eventful History”, Claire Messaud’s characters are as much a product of their time as of their family histories. Individual stories reminded me that even in their most clueless of times and seasons, people can find their ways to resistance, survival, and belief for better life, better coping, better indignance.

These characters in the novel, memoir, and biography will always remind me that nobody will ever be prepared for war, and yet, everybody has a nucleus of loved ones to always stand by and protect. Everybody will eventually find a worthy cause to not just survive, but also believe in survival. This is always for somebody other than themselves.

I’m hoping for no wars or rumors of war although this maybe an empty hope. Even the Bible says that wars are inevitable. But hopefully the younger generation will see inspiration and hope in the heroic tales of those who survived to tell their tales and lived to publish their stories for posterity. Stories of resilience, courage, and humanity—like those of Hans Neumann and Josephine Baker serve as powerful reminders of what individuals can achieve, even in the worst of times. 

Recommended novels, memoirs, biographies set in World War 2  

While watching the news about the China-Philippine wrangling in the contested territorial waters, I can’t help but think about World War II. Those decades weren’t too far from today. In these Asian shores, the same fires of conflict from ancient times simmer and are threatening to explode. 

My prayer is that the younger generation will know how to respond to any outbreak of war, but more than violence, I am hoping for an understanding that war is both mercy and judgment. In the light of the impending chaos, home, family, friends, and other loved ones will take priority over the more material concerns. And in all the commotion, one needs to have the basic and most necessary faith in the true God, either for life or for death.

Here’s a list of historical books, memoirs, novels, and biographies set in World War II that focus on less-known individuals. [This list does not yet include books about the war years in the Philippines, written by Filipinos. Here is that list.]

Memoirs:

1. "The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman - The true story of Antonina Żabińska, who, along with her husband, saved hundreds of Jews by hiding them in their Warsaw Zoo during the Holocaust.
2. "Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race" by Margot Lee Shetterly - Though not strictly about WWII, this memoir highlights the lesser-known contributions of African American women during the war era.
3. "We Band of Angels" by Elizabeth Norman - The story of the U.S. Army and Navy nurses who were captured by the Japanese in the Philippines during World War II and survived three years of imprisonment.

Novels:

1. "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr - Follows the story of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide during the war, highlighting the lesser-known struggles of civilians.
2. "The Night Watch" by Sarah Waters - Set in post-WWII London, it weaves together the lives of four people whose experiences during the war shaped their futures.
3. "The Women in the Castle" by Jessica Shattuck - Focuses on three German women and their survival after their husbands' failed plot to assassinate Hitler.
4. "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak - A novel narrated by Death, centered around a young girl in Nazi Germany who steals books and shares them with others during the war.

Biographies:

1. "Code Name: Lise" by Larry Loftis - The biography of Odette Sansom, a British spy who operated in Nazi-occupied France and survived imprisonment in Ravensbrück concentration camp.
2. "A Woman of No Importance" by Sonia Purnell - The incredible story of Virginia Hall, an American spy who became one of the most successful Allied operatives in Nazi-occupied France.
3. "Resistance: A French Woman’s Journal of the War" by Agnes Humbert - A gripping first-hand account of a French woman’s involvement in the resistance and her capture by the Nazis.

Historical Non-Fiction:

1. "The Girls Who Went Away" by Ann Fessler - While not entirely set during WWII, this non-fiction book looks at the stories of women who gave up their children for adoption in the post-war era, offering a different perspective on the social aftermath of the war.
2. "The Bielski Brothers" by Peter Duffy - The true story of three brothers who saved over 1,200 Jews by building a secret village in the forests of Belarus during the Holocaust.
3. "The Spy Who Loved" by Clare Mulley - The story of Krystyna Skarbek, a Polish-born British special agent who became one of Churchill’s most daring spies.

From the sentence descriptions, I can deduce that most memoirs in this list are stories of figures who prioritized desires that served the greater cause of winning against barbaric war acts and decimations. As with the rest of the historical novels, even the intentional entertainment value zeroes in on the valued relationships prominent in the narrative [women who gave up their children, three brothers saving 1,200 Jews].

Among the list above, I have read only “All the Light We Cannot See,” and “The Book Thief”. I am happy to report that I truly enjoyed both and was much enlightened especially with the details of existence in the midst of fires and bombings, how people still kept a semblance of normal life, as they tried to meet the basic and most crucial needs of their loved ones.  [I have also seen the film adaptations of both books. I recommend reading the books first before you watch the films if you haven't done both yet.]

As books pass on these stories in the paged legacy of memoirs, biographies, and novels, here’s to the chance that future generations will read and remember the sacrifices, and become motivated to work toward a more peaceful world.

Memoirs in my Library

My MFA thesis was a biography so I got into reading memoirs and biographies. I enjoyed reading those books and dreamt of writing more in this non-fiction genre. Research took a lot of time, but even after the final defense of this book, I read more books of personal essays to discover how authors encounter and craft lives in real or imagined times. I took my time reading and re-reading the biographies in my personal library, and now, I have gotten into a habit of lingering in the biography section of the Fully Booked store.

Later on, I got into reading e-books. Some of what I own in the list below are e-books. I've been learning a lot in writing about persons from these treasures. And until I've written another biography, [so yes, I dream on] they will sit on my shelf and hover on my personal cloud.  

I've listed here only the memoirs I've been re-reading and will list the newly acquired memoirs in future posts after I've actually read them. I still have to account for the biographies on my shelves [mostly of women authors and artists], so that list will follow as well. [Why I'm listing? Well, it's also a way of making a formal inventory - like, I need to be able to find the books immediately when I need them.] 

For a preview, below are pictures of the covers of books that are currently on my desk-pile of books to read:

MEMOIRS ON MY BOOKSHELF - NOT A FULL LIST. 

1. "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt (1996) - This Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir recounts McCourt's impoverished childhood in Limerick, Ireland. It became a bestseller and remains a significant work in the genre of misery memoirs​ (lithub)​. [I remember buying and reading this book because I learned that McCourt was a teacher.]

2. "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers (2000) - This memoir is a blend of tragic and comic, detailing Eggers' experience of raising his younger brother after the sudden death of their parents​ (lithub)​. [Before owning a copy, I borrowed this book from the University Library. Having enjoyed it immensely, I had to have a personal copy. I found this one below by Dave Eggers, and am going to read it, too.]

3. "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion (2005) - A profound account of grief and loss, Didion's memoir delves into the year following the sudden death of her husband and the severe illness of her daughter​ (listchallenges)​. [This book details Didion's grief. The motivation for buying it was Didion's reputation as a classic essayist -- that is, Every essayist I know believes that everyone who wishes to write a memoir can learn much from this author.]

4. "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert (2006) - Gilbert's memoir about her journey across Italy, India, and Indonesia in search of self-discovery and healing became a worldwide sensation​ (lithub)​​ (listchallenges)​. [I enjoyed the movie adaptation, only because it was Julia Roberts in the title role. I bought the book because the title has "Pray" in the middle. However, Gilbert is not writing about Praying in the sense of being a Christian.]

5. "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi (2016) - Although written in the late 2000s, this memoir became iconic. It chronicles Kalanithi's battle with terminal cancer and his reflections on life and mortality​ (listchallenges) [An amazing book by a doctor. Recently, there were writing workshops held for writers who are doctors or medical practitioners. Authors from this discipline have rich stories to share about their encounters with patients. Dr. Kalathini writes about himself - as the one under examination. He scrutinizes the essence of his mortal body, and how immortality is achieved only by an acceptance of our limitations.]​

6. "H Is for Hawk" by Helen Macdonald (2014) - This memoir intertwines Macdonald's grief over her father's death with her experience of training a goshawk. The book received widespread acclaim for its lyrical prose and deep emotional resonance​ (lithub) [Beautiful book. My e-book copy however is not enough for me, so I will secure a hard copy as well. I've never imagined that one can write about oneself from a dissertation about birds. I just read Margaret Atwood's blog about bird watching and I continue to be curious.. Birds are lovely in whatever shape or color, but they are so rare in the skies of Metro Manila.]

​

ON THE YA BOOKS I’M READING

As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds  – I picked this book in the young adult section of FULLY BOOKED because, from the blurb, it seemed like a book about family relationships. The protagonists are 9 and 11 years old with a grandfather who has dementia. He lost his son in some war, and the boys learn about his sadness later on. To me, it does not register much except for some parts where the dialogue succeeded in making me read it up to the end. For young boys maybe, this is a wonderful adventure book, but I wasn’t into it that much.

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina was a New York Times Bestseller – and I learned of this book from that list. The blurb was by R.J. Palacio who was the author of that YA Book turned into a movie – Wonder. About a girl in her pre-teen discoveries, this too, has a sub-story about a grandfather who has dementia. I found this a better read than Judy Blume’s “Dear God, It’s Me Margaret”. Merci Suarez is braver, more adventurous, and less self-conscious.

I didn’t enjoy The Giver that much. I have confirmed that I prefer realistic settings to dystopian narratives. However, I can understand how this book resonated with so many young people. I believe that young people prefer structured and probably predictable narratives.

I have to read Human Acts by Han Kang again. This one, has too much reality, the bitter reality. The human body is so thrown out there literally and metaphorically, and the question of the soul separated from the body becomes too depressing to contemplate. Of my December reads, this one really could not even make me cry, but I cringed and felt some similar pain somehow.

The e-books that I finished reading are both enjoyable reads. Freewater by Amina Luoman Dawson is another story about black slaves. Young heroes in this book discover a route to freedom and take it, but in the process, they leave someone behind. The tale is about courage and how this was both an inevitable and a necessary choice even for the young who knew that freedom isn’t something that can be had without a sacrifice and worse, death. The language is unsentimental, I get to see the scenes as if I am watching a film, yet I am not told how to feel. However, whatever feelings I have truly encompassed my deepened understanding of the desperate situation the young characters are in.

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee is a narrative of diaspora. The young girl Maizy learns about her roots through a story told by her grandfather’s friend. Incidentally, the friendship is somehow scarred that the girl tries to connect the dots and discovers how her race negotiated the challenges of displacements via migration.

Among these books, I rank Freewater no 1, followed by Human Acts, then Maizy Chen’s Last Chance. I am reading books for Young People to listen to how they respond to real-life situations. I just heard Neil Gaiman say in “Masterclass” that honesty is what makes him go on as a writer – that to be a writer, one must be honest.

In my mid-twenties when I wrote and submitted some poems, I had some friends read the poems first to hear what they thought about them. One of them said that I reveal too much about myself in my writing. Maybe it is both the crafting and the telling. The crafting was juvenile, therefore listless and without direction. The telling almost always established a beginning and an end and I was afraid to get lost in the self-conscious progression. Therefore they were coming out from a bad liar. The fiction wasn’t fictional enough, the poems didn’t have cadence and the voice was generic.

Listening to Neil Gaiman, I thought, well, all writers start that way. However, how writers graduate from journaling personal revelations to crafting a reality to give it a larger-than-life status, is what writing is all about.

 

ON BUILDING A WEBSITE

For my book project THINGS, the task today according to my year plan is to blog about a new-year discovery as this is the 9th month of my 60th year. But since April in 2023 when I officially acquired a senior citizen status, my routine has stayed the same. If there were any new discoveries, I didn't have a record of those experiences. The major culprit was my lack of consistent writing. My last diary entry was dated 2021!

Well, early last year, I installed a loft bed with a stair cabinet and moved my Molave desk from the living room to the space under my bed. I made sure that I would be able to sit and stand underneath so I was happy about having created a 'writing space for myself'. This was necessary since my sister and her son have taken over the entire living room, and now, there is a study table for my nephew and a work desk for my sister. Both are folding tables by the way, and my nephew's is right down the stairs of the double bed, while my sister's rests right beside the door of the unit. I have been thinking about retrieving my Narra desk from my brother's resort in Batangas, where I moved it back when my sister wanted me to remove furniture in my mother's house to give space to possible renters. I acquired that desk from OMF, when they gave it to me after letting me work from home when my mother got sick. That table had deep drawers that my nephew could use for his clothes. Right now, most of his garments are in plastic boxes stacked under his round, blue, folding table.

I installed a double bed in the living room, so that part of the condo isn't anymore mine. Whatever mess they make now with the living room-turned-bedroom-for-two is fine with me as long as the mess doesn't get into my newly created space.

To cheer me up, I bought a new chair more for its aesthetic fit in my under-the-bed office than for its usefulness as a writing chair. And now I have been regretting the purchase because it's difficult to write sitting on that beautiful cozy chair. I am grateful that I have kept my blue folding metal chair from the time I was a boarder in Palanan in 2011, so I use that when writing. Meanwhile, the old, rotating, desk chair now belongs to my sister, who has been using it since the time they moved in with me.

Currently, all my positive experiences have to do with the luxury of sleeping on the 'loft bed' in my 35 sq meter condo. Up on my bunk, I am no longer bothered by the traffic of my sister and her son coming and going in and out of the bathroom. I can now rest in peace without Joseph jumping on the bed every time he goes to the window to look at children playing in the garden of Gateway Regency only one floor below. When I had a proper bed, it was also a sofa, and my nephew was hardly in the living room but was always lingering on my bed while he played, painted, or simply watched other children play from the bedside window. His mom has now installed for him a wall fan, and lately, he's loving the independence of watching Netflix on his tablet on his bed, with all his stuffed toys and 'dippers' beside. However, the child still asks me occasionally if he could sleep with me- which I let him sometimes because he is really a sweet boy. But more and more, I have been rejecting his request because he's nine and has grown taller. Cuddling him on my bed has become less cozy and comfortable, but I cherish his little head popping up the loft stairs every morning when he goes up to say, 'Good morning Ninang.'

Today, instead of blogging about any new discovery [because I really don't have one], I went to YouTube for guidance on productive blogging. Half of this day was spent googling and then watching videos on how to create a new website. At this age, I probably need more time to research on these technicalities before I plunge to the actual 'business' of blogging. I found Hostinger Academy which gave me a list of 'no-code' web-builders. I wondered why 'Wordpress' wasn't on that list, however, if I use Hostinger for web hosting, it directs me to 'Wordpress'. So since I already have this Wordpress blog, on impulse, I upgraded my confidantesite. blog, but then I canceled my purchase immediately because I realized that I still didn't understand the process. I had changed the domain name to 'auntiedote.com' but when I searched for the domain name after an upgrade, I didn't know where it went and was lost as to how to proceed to Hostinger. Confused even after three tutorial videos, I have now spent almost four hours of 'learning' how to build a website, yet I haven't learned anything.

I miss Sitesell, the web hosting I used from 2004 to 2021. It really was convenient for old people like me with its full tutorials. Even when you get lost, you can always go back and repeat at Sitesell and there are tons of easy help available which took only a little time to discover.

After cancelling my purchase, I got this email from Wordpress:

The following upgrades have been cancelled and ฿3,348.00 refunded:

• WordPress.com Explorer on https://confidantesite.wordpress.com
• Domain: confidantesite.blog

Your refund has been sent to the method of payment that you used for your original purchase. You will receive it in 7-10 business days. If you paid with a credit card, this may appear as a credit/refund on your statement, or the original charge will show as reversed, which would simply remove the original charge from your statement - depending on your bank. If you paid via PayPal, you’ll see the refund in your transaction history.

If you have any questions or don't receive the refund, please contact support

Did I lose all of my previous blogs now? Wordpress says that my domain confidantesite.blog has been deleted, and as a result, I might not be able to regain that same domain name.

I should look for copies of my previous blogs - hopefully, I emailed copies of those to myself. This is a bit sad, but well, maybe this is also an adventure, although a sad one. So much for a new website.

 

ONCE-A-MONTH GOALS

 

Hopefully, this time, because I am desperate, I will accomplish everything I will jot down here:

1. I should be able to plot at least one chapter [or two] a month for Bianca's Diary (tentative title) and finish writing by April, in time for Editing and Layout in May. The plan is to finish it in time to get a writing grant in June and publish the YA novel in September 2024.

2. I should be able to blog at least three essays on my '60s journey -- aiming to develop a community of readers for the "Things Book."

3. I should be able to blog a review of any book I am reading -- aiming to develop a community of readers and friends for the YA novel I am writing. I should be able to read all the books I've listed in October of this year.

4. I should be able to read a novel by a Filipino author -- also to upgrade my grasp of Philippine Literature. 

5. I should be able to read and do some ART hobby, maybe painting -- aiming to help me build a new skill -- perhaps toward illustrations of Children's books. 

FOR NUMBER 1 -  Right now, I have eight chapters that aren't yet ordered the way they should [this organization will happen once I've determined all the chapters.] I have been learning that I am not a plotter, that is, my story happens as I write them, and so thinking and writing are always simultaneous -- that is, I can never plot or plan my chapters, and the stories seem to be lodged somewhere in my system and are only waiting to be tapped. Writing then is really slow and kind of forced in the beginning, until every thought has landed on paper and is ready for placement in the yet incoherent narrative.

FOR NUMBER 2 - This is the first blog on the '60s journey thing, however, I wanted to keep this blog more formal and still in the THINGS mode of essaying, so I need to focus on more objects around me, This is difficult only because I am not sure about what other mundane objects will yield some deep meditations. Later thoughts on the THINGS project involve planning and research of an end product, that is 'initially,' BAGS because I like them, after all, in the schema of everyday commute, this is a most necessary accessory. They will be manufactured and sold eventually. What pops up as a brand name is 'BAGAY'. I should look more into how to manufacture bags, and maybe I could also ask Ramon Rocha, former CEO of OMF, who had bag manufacturing as his first business. [This makes me consider the MAI meet in Bangkok come April of 2024, since I need to meet up with people and establish myself in a community of global peers. Why not?]

FOR NUMBER 3  -- Right now, I have been reading two books highlighted in the October list of YA books to read, but I have not been enjoying those books, although I have been learning much from how 'unsentimentality' figures in a narrative. So far, these YA books which are in the realist mode aren't the best reads for me, maybe because I am old, and for somebody wanting to write to Young People, I have to say I am so ancient that I don't yet fully appreciate the ticks of this genre. Then in the process, I think I need to somehow delve into reading fantasy, which, for a long time, except for Lord of the Rings, are books I have avoided for sheer dislike of unreal things.

FOR NUMBER 4 - I should read Biblioepsy to complete reading all of Gina Apostol's books. I have La Tercera in my Kindle App here on my phone, and It wasn't a satisfying read. I have yet to identify what I really enjoy in her books, but with The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata, it was just the novelty of it all -- that is, it was a new experience for me reading such a style so I enjoyed it. After a while, this style becomes tedious and demanding and not at all engrossing - which I think is something needed for one to keep on reading.

FOR NUMBER 5 -- Oh when oh when will I get down to this? So today, I should probably decide to think of this hobby smartly - so if I am going to study drawing, I might as well try getting to a point of illustrating children's books in the future. I have always enjoyed children's book illustrations. I will look at my ART BOOKS collection to see if there's anything at all that will teach me this. Or, there is always YOUTUBE, although I have to really clear this forest of information to be able to spend my time smartly only on the videos that matter.

BOOKED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR [SEPT 2023-202F SEPT]

1. THE WAY I USED TO BE 

2. WE WERE LIARS 

3. THEY BOTH DIE IN THE END 

4. THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET 

5. THE MAGIC FISH 

 6. DIARY OF A TOKYO TEEN 

7. XOXO 

8. PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING 

9. A STEP FROM HEAVEN 

10. THROWBACK 

 

11. KAY'S LUCKY COIN VARIETY 

12. THE SURPRISING POWER OF A GOOD DUMPLING 

13. HOUSE OF GLASS HEARTS 

14. SING TO THE DAWN 

15. LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB 

 

16. MY HEART UNDERWATER 

17. WHEN THE RAINBOW GODDESS WEPT 

18. FROM TWINKLE WITH LOVE 

19. FORESHADOW 

20. GRACELING 

21. DAVID TUNG CAN'T HAVE A GIRLFRIEND UNTIL HE GETS INTO AN IV LEAGUE 

22. PICTURE US IN THE LIGHT 

23. FREEWATER 

24. MAIZY CHEN'S LAST CHANCE 

25. THAT CHILDREN'S BOOK BY NICK JOAQUIN