Manila books are a great way to learn from others

ABS_CBN reports that "Nicholas Sparks to meet fans in Manila" to promote his latest book titled "The Best of Me." There will be a book signing on Oct. 28th in Pasig City with prizes on offer. Here is a link to FictionDB that talks to this latest release by Nicholas: The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks.

This list is currently inclusive of "Manila Books" that I've read. Yes, I will read more and it will be helpful for mt10 to receive your recommendations - thanks!

(10) Blighted: By former Solicitor General of the Philippines, Frank Chavez. A gripping tale of the systemic problems facing the Philippines. The characters are woven into a terrific storyline utilizing places familiar to those at the highest and lowest levels of the economic spectrum within Manila. As the captivating ending is being read and just when you think the reality of corruption is beyond a qualitative change, the author includes some hopeful scenarios going forward. A must read.

(9) Loving Each Other: By Leo F. Buscaglia. I have included this work for all those that are seeking unique perspectives on matters of the heart.

(8) The Loves of Rizal and Other Essays on Philippine History, Art and Public Policy: By Pablo S. Trillana III. Gives one an understanding of the sacrifices and efforts undertaken by the National Hero of the Philippines.

(7) 40 Stories of Passion By Bo Sanchez. I have read three of Bo's books and there was always something in common; I felt compelled to and gave them all away after reading them. From this title, I remember how he revisited the life-story of the owner of National Bookstore. It was a tangible story of adaptability and Can-Do attitude & Approach that was illustrated by her rapid change in product offerings from the Japanese to the Americans. Well worth reading and probably worth keeping 2 ;)

Check out the Google ebookstore and more than 3 million online books!

Many are Free.

For other Google information, please visit Google News.

Aside from purchases online, there are many places to find books in Manila. National Bookstore has outlets in SM Malls & more, Fully Booked, Powerbooks and Booksale, a favorite of mine due to the non-sorted collections and huge discounts on over-stocks, to name a few.

Public libraries are not so conspicuous with the 10th public library recently opening in Tondo; that would be a simple Top Ten Listing! Mayor Alfredo S. Lim led the opening at the Sentro ng Malikhaing Manileño, formerly known as Patricia Sports Complex.

I plan to familiarize myself with some of the campus locations going forward. If there is anything like the on-campus library at UCF in Orlando, these are must read resource locations and possibly have non-alumni online access.

Perhaps the next book stop will be the Filipinas Heritage Library, located on Makati Avenue in the Ayala Triangle of Makati (there are actually 3 Makati locations in Manila) which is purported to have books on Philippine history and culture.

The 3rd Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards "Revelations: Stories of Light and Darkness," were recently held at the Powerplant Mall in Rockwell.Winners in the Prose & People's Choice Categories respectivley were:

1st: A Kind of Flotsam by Christelle Rhodamae Mariano

2nd: Filipina: The Super Maid by Irene Carolina A. Sarmiento

3rd: (Tie) Cherry Clubbing by Kenneth Yu and Remembrance by Dean Alfar

1st: Filipina: The Super Maid by Irene Carolina A. Sarmiento

2nd: A Kind of Flotsam by Christelle Rhodamae Mariano

3rd: The Street Child and the Dwarf by Diabelle Joy M. Pazcoguin

Please note that The Full Project Gutenberg License is available at the following link: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:The_Project_Gutenberg_License#The_Full_ Project_Gutenberg_License_in_Legalese_.28normative.29

Escape to Manila: From Nazi Tyranny to Japanese Terror (Hardcover - Aug 2003) by Frank Ephraim (Author), Stanley Karnow (Foreword By)

Manila, my Manila: by Nick Joaquin

Please join manilatop10 on Goodreads so this manila books page can grow!

They have over 84 million shared book recommendations and growing.

Events include a movie, poetry contests & a musical performance by the UST Conservatory of Music.

Where? Spanish Cultural Center/855 T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila.

When? April 24th: 1000-1900.

Digital Education is sure to awaken your passion for publishing your manila books, ebooks and advertising materials in new ways & and Gerd's recent share on the digitizing of books etc. from the event "Best of Books 2.0 event: Gerd Leonhard, Dominic Pride, Clive Rich on The Future of Books" can give you an insight or two.

1. My Journal
2. PRC Board Exam Results
3. Mar Roxas for President in 2010
4. Fitz (“a blogger with a great thought on making money online , investing and business topics., I like business that much.”)
5. JoanJoyce
6. Technogra.ph
7. struck through
8. Atmaxplorer
9. Tech Source from Bohol
10. Inspiringentries.com

Do YOU know of a BOOK that belongs on this list?

Are you the author of a great book on Manila or have you read a work that is simply the best? Submit for the benefit of others.

Read What Other Contributors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

If you don't want to recommend a book above, perhaps you can stumble this page so that other book lovers can contribute?

I came across this very worthwhile endeavour here in the Philippines yesterday, 5-22-2010.

Have you ever read Philippine Folk-Tales by Clara Kern Bayliss?

I have a copy in print and enjoyed it as I have many folk reads from around the globe. The good news is that if you want to read The Monkey and the Turtle, you can do so online!

I'd shared a title and link above, but much more is available!

Visit the comprehensive work being done with the Proyektong Gutenberg ng Pilipinas and discover what ebooks, philippine literary works, digital education and authors are represented.

It is available at the Bohol Internet Library or go to the Project Gutenberg of the Philippines directly here :)

They have the page translation set up for Cebuano, Tagalog, English, Spanish & Dutch. If you are using Google Chrome, you likely get a request for language translation but that is an added touch.

You CAN volunteer to help there:

"Project Gutenberg of the Philippines is entirely volunteer driven. You can help in a number of ways. The best is, you need neither give much time or money to be of help. You can start straight away on Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders, and help correcting books for addition on this site. There will always be a few books on the Philippines available to work on. If you have access to old books, you can scan these, or allow PGPH volunteers to scan them, so we can add the book to our collection. No need to give up your copy but for the time needed to scan it. You can also help us by carefully reading any books already published, and reporting to us all errors and omissions you notice."

Read books online for free at ClassicReader.com.

Interested in ebooks and authors who have written about the Philippines?

Most of you have likely read "The Gift of the Magi" which is a short story written by O. Henry. If you do a search at the above site, on O. Henry, you can find the work "The Moment of Victory" and enjoy reading it online.

Here is an excerpt: "Now, with his bayonet beaten into a cheese-slicer, he rallies his corporal's guard of cronies in the shade of his well-whittled porch, instead of in the matted jungles of Mindanao."

Something to look forward to at the end of the Summer is the Manila International Book Fair.

It is set for 15-19 September at the SMX Convention Center which is located at the Mall of Asia.

Here is the link to plan ahead for the event.

"The Manila International Book Fair showcases the largest and most varied selection of books of different genres."

"Students can avail of books at lower-than bookstore prices, while teachers and school administrators can compare offerings from various exhibitors and get the best prices for bulk purchases."

"Youngsters can look forward to story-telling sessions, puppet shows, reading-related contests, robotic demonstrations, a parade of exhibitors’ mascots and cosplayers of their favorite book characters. Classes can also enlist in special seminars and workshops available round the clock at the Manila International Book Fair, while the young and old alike can enjoy mini-concerts or meet-and-greet sessions with well-known and up-and-coming authors and illustrators."

Express yourself and earn along the way here with mylot.
Update for Manila Books, 6/16/2010:

Marvin Sy of the Philippine Star reports that the "First Gentleman launches 2 books."

"One of the books that Mr. Arroyo presented yesterday carried the title “The First,” which showed various aspects of his life, starting from his childhood to his marriage to Mrs. Arroyo and to his activities as the First Gentleman."

"The second book was entitled “181 Dreams,” a compilation of stories from each of the scholars whose dreams were fulfilled by the First Gentleman Foundation Inc."

We can draw inspiration from all ages of people.

I'd like to share this link to a then, 15yr old's journey with ebooks and entrepreneurship. It is under the heading, YOUNG E-NTREPRENEUR and will introduce you to Kathleen Calvara.

July 20 is National Children's Book Day.

For more information on activities on this day, visit the Philippine Board on Books for Young People Website.

Here is an excerpt from the above link:

"My Favorite Book contest invites readers to write about their favorite book/s or author/s and why they have touched their lives. Books can be fiction or nonfiction. Make us laugh, make us cry, or just touch us, as your favorite books have touched you.

Submit a printout of your unpublished essay, typed, double-spaced and not more than five pages long (1,100 words) and a CD containing the word file. Write your name, age, address, contact numbers and two paragraphs of background information. Also include a print of a passport-sized photo or in jpeg format (not inserted in a document file). Mark your CD and picture as we get many entries. Writers who do not comply with these rules will not have their entries considered."

Stuck for ideas?

Here is a link to a page, by Erik Santos that shows some books that changed the life of some people we may respect such as Mr. Obama. The book that changed my life.

Yes, it is a blog page & you might want to take a speed reading course to keep up with the pace of books read; Ambot?

Alexander Villafania of loQal.ph writes that "DepEd starts replacing error-filled text books."

"DepEd officials recently announced that more than five million textbooks with corrected content have been distributed nationwide.

Go’s campaign against text book errors has built a following among educators and parents. The online forum EduPhil.org has members discussing and often looking for more mistakes in a variety of textbooks, including those in the elementary schools. Another website, the Jose Carillo’s English Forum, also has people identifying these mistakes.

loQal.ph is a website owned and operated by Filquest Media Concepts, Inc. It works under the principle of giving voice to the voiceless, empowering Filipinos and uplifting the image of the Philippines by highlighting its unique culture. To do this, the loQal.ph team produces stories, video, photos and other multimedia content types to inspire and celebrate Filipino achievements, ideas, products and places."


Looking for another option to buy or sell your books?

OLX often has ads for books locally. Try a search on their site for some books of interest and within the local Manila area.

The Manila Bulletin, on August 15, 2010 shared an insight or two on the direction of supplying books to schools.

Provide textbooks first, Angara proposes.

Here is an excerpt:

"The former Senate president and former University of the Philippines (UP) president stressed that it is still the serious responsibility of the government to harness its resources to improve the sad state of the current public school system."

"In recent months, Angara has begun his own book donation projects in elementary schools in Aurora, his home province, and hopes that the DepEd and key players of the private sector and other advocate groups will follow suit in other provinces."

September 19th, 2010 is the date set for

The Best of Anime 2010.

The variety and list of participants for the Book Fair is growing!

"BookDaily offers the first chapters of 85,000 books, all available for free on the site and by email. Featured genresinclude Romance, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Business. Read your favorite authors like Nora Roberts, Stieg Larsson, Jodi Picoult,and Dan Brown."

So, why not introduce yourself to some new books or at least the first chapters?

First Snow on Fuji.

The first chapter of this book by Yasunari Kawabata.

Some updated news on next weeks Book Fair in Manila:

As reported by filipinospeakers.com,"Mr. Lloyd Luna will be speaking on the topic “The Obvious: There’s No Secret To Success” on Day 1 at 1pm. And “Is There A Job Waiting For You” on the Second day at 4pm. Venue of this event is Exhibit Halls 2-4, SMX Convention Center."

As reported by vibal foundation,"Heeding the call of changing times, Vibal Foundation is launching its digital imprint, Vee Press, at this year’s Manila International Book Fair. At 4 p.m. on September 18, Vee Press will be unveiled at the Foundation’s booth at the SMX Convention Center of the Mall of Asia."

Some of the scheduled events:

SEPT. 15 – Read, Connect and Innovate forum by the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc., 8:30- 11:30 am.; Information Ethics and Copyright Lawyering of Information Professionals forum by the Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians, 1- 5 p.m.; 100 Storybook School Tour by Adarna House, 3- 5 p.m.

SEPT 16 – Ergonomics in the Workplace forum by the Medical & Health Librarians Association of the Philippines, 8 -10:30 a.m.; Working for Better Benefits: Forum on Magna Carta for Library Workers by the Philippine Group of Law Librarians, 11 a.m.-1:00 pm.; Matching Students with Books seminar by Grolier International, 1-3 p.m.; Environmental Academy Online presentation by Felta Multimedia and Haribon Foundation.

SEPT 17 – Knowledge Management Strategies that Create Value seminar by the UP Library Science Alumni Association, 8-10:30 am; Direct Instruction forum by Abiva Publishing House, 1:30 – 2 p.m; Bible Quiz Championship by MIBF & St. Pauls, 10 a.m.; Vee Press launch by Vibal Publishing House, 5 – 7 p.m; Unveiling of New Resources by Church Strengthening Ministry, 6 -8 p.m.

SEPT 18 – Write a Book as a Gift to your Loved One forum by Dr. Isagani Cruz, 2-4 p.m.; The 21st Century Interactive Classroom presentation by Microdata Systems and Management, 3– 5 p.m; Storytelling & Coloring Activity, Meet and Greet Little Genius by Precious Pages, 1– 5 p.m. Robotics demonstration by Felta Multimedia.

SEPT 19 – Storytelling by Vibal Publishing House, 10:30 a.m. – 12 nn; Lampara’s 2nd Children’s Storytelling Competition Grand Finals, 1– 5 p.m.

Download and print out a free entrance ticket

Got a story to tell?

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