Our next shipment is due in May. Please complete your orders and settle down payments by April 30. Have a good summer!

In Adarna House’s very first Reading Camp, the family will spend two days at the Meralco Management Leadership and Development Center in Antipolo. During their stay in the nature-filled recreational center, parents and children will enjoy spending quality time together as they take part in games and activities that are sure to bring out the artistic and strategic sides of each family.

During the camp, the kids will get to take the lead in completing a family literary project. And while the children explore the great outdoors, their parents will have intimate talks with an author and illustrator from Adarna House — both of whom will help the family finish their project.

The goal fo the Adarna House Reading Camp is for the family to discover new ways of having fun together through the use of literature.

The camp fee will cover all meals, transportation, and an overnight stay in one of MMLDC’s cozy and nature-friendly guest rooms.

Schedule: May 17 (8:00am) to May 18 (10:30am)
Fee: P2,500 per head for groups of four

Attached here is a file of more summer activities from Adarna House. For inquiries, write to “ergoe at adarna.com.ph” or call 3723548.

Nominations are now being accepted for the National Book Awards, as brought to you by the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle.  The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2008.  Entries may be literary (Novel, Poetry, Essay, Creative Non-Fiction, Literary Criticism, Short Fiction, Drama, Graphic Novel, Children’s Fiction, Children’s Poetry) or non-literary (Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, Professions, Reference).  Full rules attached here as a PDF file.

Booktopia is proud to introduce five books by newcomer Fox Literary House, Inc. Fox is made up of young writers and editors who want to make their own brand of quality literary work accessible to Filipinos. Sarah G., editor of Fox, dropped off samples of their books at the store last week with a letter introducing their books and their company. Of course, I had to look at the books right away. There is something very exciting about reading a new book that I know was written by a Filipino. I feel this way because there are so few local writers and publishers and I know that when a book gets published and is in my hands ready to be passed on to your hands, this is done against overwhelming odds with heaps of hope and enthusiasm. I wrote back and this is what I told Sarah G. –

My first impression of your books was that they were physically well-made. They looked and felt better in my hands than most local publications, although they are digest-type books so the covers tend to curl after several readings. The cover designs got my attention. The types/genres are interesting too. Just by looking at the books and reading the titles, I wanted to open and read them. I also think they are competitively priced. I just finished Palalim Nang Palalim and I liked it. (A good number of stories were actually creepy.) I started reading the Batjay book, which I also enjoyed, but I decided to pass it on to a friend I think will really enjoy it. (I particularly like the titles he puts on every page and sometimes it’s almost a game to relate the title to what’s on the page.) I look forward to reading the rest of your books.

The books are written by Filipinos and are mostly written in Filipino.

Sarah G. also adds in her letter that Fox authors are mostly writers and teachers from UP, Ateneo, and UST. Many have attended prestigious writers workshops and won literary awards.

Palalim Nang Palalim Padilim Nang Padilim
ni Beverly Siy (Ed.)
Mula sa tradisyon ng mga obra ni Gerardo de Leon, narito sa libro ang mahigit sa dalawampung maiikling kuwento ng kababalaghan at katatakutan. Sinulat upang ibahagi ang mga nakakahindik na pangyayari sa iba’t ibang uri ng sasakyan, sari-saring okasyon, at lunan, at ang mas malalim na usapin sa karahasan na madalas ay hindi pinag-uusapan.

Where Your Dreams Come True
ni Anna Ishikawa
Friend, huwag kang maniwala. Hindi totoong puro kalokohan ang laman ng utak ko. Gaya mo, punung-puno rin ito ng mga pangarap. Ako si Emily, simpleng dalaga, simple lang ang gusto. Ang makilala ang misteryosong lalaking napanaginipan. Yun lang naman.

Kaso, masyado akong busy sa pagse-xerox, pagfa-fax, pag-e-encode, pag-e-encrypt, pagtitimpla ng kape, pagtse-check ng appointments, pagse-xerox uli, at pagiging beautiful assistant ng may-ari ng isang travel agency para maghanap ng boys. Lalo pang dumami ang trabaho nang dumating itong bagong manager, na pogi nga, super antipatiko naman. Bagay sila ng maldita niyang girlfriend.

Dagta: Antolohiya ng Erotika
ni J. Luis Camacho (Ed.)
Iba’t ibang bagong tinig sa genre na erotika ang maririnig sa Dagta: Antolohiya ng Erotika – nakakalibog (dapat lang), nakakahindik, nakakakilig, nakakapagpa-isip, at sa maniwala man kayo o hindi, nakakatawa. Ang pantasya ng mga personang nagsisimula pa lamang diskubrihin ang mundo ng libog (at pag-ibig) ay nakakarating sa bagong mundo di lang ng laman-sa-lamang ugnayan kundi ng di maiwawaksing aspekto ng buhay nating mga Filipino ngayon. Nariyan lang sa kabilang kanto ang bagong kuwentong-libog at kuwentong-pag-ibig. Sa totoo lang, narito sa librong hawak ninyo ngayon.

Mga Kwento ng Batang Kaning Lamig
ni Nicanor David, Jr.
Ito ang naratibo ni Unkyel Batjay. Alanganing tula-essay-kwento ang mga akda. Mas malapit ito sa biographical creative nonfiction. Alanganin ang lumbay at himutok, na dinaan na lamang sa biro. Sa mga lumbay at biro naroon ang kaluluwa ng naratibo, ng pambansang naratibo. Kilala natin si Unkyel Batjay. Mahal natin siya. Ang kaniyang betlog ay sa atin rin. Ang kaniyang kulangot ay duming di natin naaamoy. Kung siya ay tayo rin, mahalaga nga ang kaniyang istorya. - Jun Cruz Reyes

Tres Amores
ni Layeta Bucoy, Ardee Sto. Domingo, Beverly Siy
Tatlong kuwento ng pag-ibig na tiyak na makapagbibigay ng kilig!

In Love kay Saddam
Si Isabella ay isang misunderstood na high school sophomore. “Saddam” ang tawag sa kaniya dahil sa mala-diktador na paraan niya sa pakikitungo sa mga kaklase. Lahat ay inis sa kaniya maliban sa isa, si Ziegler, ang romantikong binatang handang suungin ang kahit anong baha, makasukob lamang siya sas payong! Pero paano kung hindi tanggapin ang pag-ibig ni Ziegler, at tuluyan na siyang sirain ni Saddam?

Hambog na Pag-ibig
Matapos ang ilang taong hindi pagkikita, nagkatagpong muli ang magkababatang sina Sofia at James. Ngunit, sa pagkikita nila, agad na bumalik ang mga alaala ng lungkot at pighati: nagkahiyaan, nagkatampuhan, nagkunwari na lang na hindi magkakilala. Magkabati pa ba ang dalawa, o mananatiling limot ang masasayang alaala?

Express Makati
Kumplikado ang kani-kaniyang buhay nina Charisma at Russel: may boyfriend at anak na si Charisma habang hirap naman sa commitment si Russel. Pero what if magkasundong magkita ang dalawa? Isang araw lang. May mabubuo bang pag-iibigan o maglalaho ba ito sabay ng paglubog ng araw?

We just recently acquired some books by Kent Nerburn. If you have an e-mail address you must have read his most popular work which does the rounds on or near Valentine’s Day. It is actually Chapter 26 of his book “Letters to My Son.” It is called Partners and Marriage and if you do a search for this title online you will find the article in its entirety. Read it and if you like it (and people usually do), you might want to read more from Mr. Nerburn.

Letters to My Son

Simple Truths

The Hidden Beauty of Everyday Life
Kent Nerburn completes the trilogy he began with his inspirational works Simple Truths and Small Graces. This beautifully written collection contains some of his most touching stories yet. By examining the seemingly insignificant incidents of life — a chance encounter with a boy on a bicycle, a visit to a local school to watch a young girl’s graduation — he shows readers how to look below the surface and find deeper meanings. He calls on readers to listen for the quiet spiritual messages of everyday existence that he calls “God’s whispers.” Crafting stories from common experiences, Nerburn reveals lessons for the soul and opens windows to the heart. Few writers are so capable of moving gently over deep waters. And few give such poignant glimpses into the hidden grace of ordinary days.

This invitation was in the mailbox today.

Celebrate World Book and Copyright Day at the Filipinas Heritage Library in Makati. This is a whole-day event with prominent writers like National Artist Virgilio Almario and award-winning fictionists Butch Dalisay and Susan Lara talking about their creative processes and their works.

In the afternoon, there will be an extensive discussion on copyright by experts in the field to enlighten copyright owners (like writers, illustrators and publishers) and copyright users (schools, media, libraries).

The event is free of charge. Please call 920-9853 or 926-8238 and look for Lily or Minda.

Ah, so sorry for the short notice. Our deadline for book orders is this Monday, March 10 and the books should arrive before the end of March. That means, down payments should be fulfilled by Monday or your order will not be included in this month’s shipment. Our next shipment has not been scheduled yet, but after two monthly shipments we just might skip next month and ship again in May.

We will be ordering more of Star Wars: A Pop-up Guide to the Galaxy and The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film which were very popular when they first arrived at the store. If you would like to reserve a copy, please let us know.

Interesting reads for this month are:

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama
Senator Obama has written a book of transforming power. Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to the Constitution, he says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “March” comes a novel–inspired by a true story–that traces the journey of a rare illuminated manuscript through centuries of exile and war. This book has been compared many times to The DaVinci Code if only to say that it is much better than the latter.

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2 by Scott Kelby
In the follow-up to the successful first volume, this book provides photographers with nearly 200 ideas and suggestions for shooting dramatically sharper, more colorful, and more professional-looking photos with a digital camera.

Our Dumb World: The Onion’s Atlas of the Planet Earth (73RD ed.) by The Onion
Packed with beautiful full-color maps and framed with inaccurate essays about the world written by the full “Onion” staff, “Our Dumb World: The Onions Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Edition” is the first original “Onion” book in eight years–a gut-busting send-up in which no nation escapes unscathed.

Only in February, purchase two books from Cozy Reads Publishing and get a keepsake pouch to match your book (in violet or red). Here’s what we said about the Cozy Reads books: Heartbreak and First Love.

Our deadline for book orders for February 2008 is on January 25. Shipping, as you may know, can be a fickle thing (and may not actually be done by ships) and books can take as long as they want to get to us. It is always best to settle your orders before the deadline.

Y-Fi is a forum on new media for college students (and young professionals) that is happening this Saturday, January 26. According to Mico Halili, organizer of Y-Fi: The 2008 Youth Summit on New Media, he strongly believes that what is called new media — the internet, blogs, MySpace, YouTube, e-Commerce, SMS, 3G, etc. — will have an impact on how the youth will achieve success in the future. Y-Fi is designed to illustrate the current and potential power of new media in various fields.

It may seem strange to you that a bookstore should support such an event. No matter how “old media” we may seem, we cannot deny that the internet has a very big role in how we do business. You are actually reading this post in our blog or through the newsletter which we e-mailed to you. The internet helps us reach our customers and gives us access to important information which, if done the usual way, would just take too long. Soon, it will also help us get our books to you.

To effectively stress the impact of new media on the present and future of arts and commerce, Y-Fi has invited “rock-stars of new media” as guest speakers. They are personalities from advertising, journalism, music, filmmaking and broadcasting who will share their valuable experiences and insights with participants.

Speakers for the event are:
Quark Henares - Filmmaker
Nino Avenido - Musician, Bassist for The Greyhoundz and The Out of Body Special
Malou Mangahas - Editor-in-Chief, GMANews.TV
Dennis Leung - Inquirer Libre

Here are the details for Y-Fi:
Date: Saturday, January 26, 2008
Time: 1:30-5:30pm
Venue: iAcademy, 3/F Philfirst Building, 6764 Ayala Avenue, Makati

For more information, please get in touch with Trina Alejo at 09228989057 or e-mail yfi.registration@gmail.com