Like The Tomato
just me, my books, and my journals
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Roma
- Title: Howl’s Moving Castle
- Author: Diana Wynne Jones
- Genre: Children’s Fantasy
- Pages: 448
- Publisher: Greenwillow Books
- Published: 2008
I remember buying this book when I went to visit Japantown in San Francisco. That was years ago. And it has been sitting on my shelf for that long. So what made me decide to pick this up last year? I rewatched the movie and fell in love with it all over again. Then all of a sudden, I was in the mood to pick it up – so I did.
I am definitely not the target audience of the novel. Just the print alone on my copy suggests that – large font, double-spaced. However, I found that reading this book was the refresher that I needed. Nothing says palate cleanser more than picking up a YA fantasy in the middle of me being surrounded by true crime, mysteries, and thrillers.
Just a disclaimer, if you are picking this book up because you enjoyed the movie so much – be warned that there will be a lot of differences between the mediums. Do not compare the two and it will suck the enjoyment out of this book. Appreciate it for what it is. Movie adaptations tend to practice creative liberties. However, the book is enjoyable nonetheless.
This story is about Sophie Hatter and her journey to try to reverse a spell placed on her by the Wicked Witch of the Waste. A spell that turns someone old. In this journey, she meets a bunch of colorful and interesting characters who make her realize who she really is and what she is actually capable of.
This book is marketed toward young readers. It has a touch of whimsy for sure, with such colorful characters. But this has some dark themes, that’s why when I was reading it, I could not believe that this is considered a children’s book. There’s a social construct in this story that adults can relate to. Reading this as an adult, it hits differently. It is more visceral. I enjoyed it and I’m planning on picking up the next book soon.
How was my reading in 2022? I guess it’s time for a quick recap.
Let me, I read a total of 41 items. This total is a combination of novels, manga, and webtoons. Yes, I am counting webtoons. And honestly, if I ever get my hand on fanfiction this year, I will count it. Why? The answer is simple – I took the time to read it. So those will be counted. I read a total of 6,149 pages for 2022. This page count did not take into account webtoons. The medium does not have page counts – yes, I know, I need to track webtoons better.
The months where I read the most were October, November, and December. I discovered webtoons and manhwas in October. And I had weeks and days that those were the only things that consumed. No shame though. I enjoyed them immensely. I only put the completed webtoons and manhwas on my tracker. I need to make sure that I capture the ones that are still work in progress for this year. How am I going to do that? I have no idea. But I shall figure that out.
49% of what I read were webtoons/manhwa, followed by novels. And a lot of the stories I read in that format were Boys Love – so this genre was my most read at 49%. This genre was followed by Yaoi at 15%. I know, why not just combine them – I tend to associate Yaoi with Japanese manga. I don’t know, I’m debating if I should just merge them for 2023. Most likely.
I am not one to set a number of books to read in a year kind of person, 2023 is no different. I do not need added pressure to read more. I just want to enjoy whatever I read. I do want to read a bit more nonfiction and some classics as well. One thing is for sure though, I want to make sure to pick up 1984 and The Count of Monte Cristo this year.
- Title: Arsenic and Adobo
- Author: Mia P. Manansala
- Genre: Mystery
- Pages: 295
- Publisher: Berkley
- Published: 2021
I remember seeing this book on Amazon before the book got released. Do not ask me how I came across this one, I think I might just be randomly perusing books. The trigger word? Adobo. That’s all it took for my interest to be piqued.
For those who do not know, adobo is a Filipino dish that can be made either with chicken or pork or BOTH cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and peppercorns. This dish is served with white rice. One of my favorite dishes to make and eat. A good adobo is just so comforting to me. So yeah, it is understandable that putting adobo on the title will tickle my interest.
In a gist, the book is about a Filipina named Lila Macapagal, going back to her hometown to get over a breakup. Helping out her family business in the meantime, her name got dragged into a murder case when a food critic – who was also an ex-boyfriend – drops dead while eating at their family restaurant.
As you can see, this is a book with a heavy subject matter – murder. However, as in any mystery novel out there, the story was very fast-paced. I cannot put the book down. Growing up in a Filipino household myself, the book really called to me. From the importance of family to the appreciation of good food.
Aside from the main conflict – finding out who killed her ex-boyfriend, the novel was sprinkled with food, family conflict, friendships, and a hint of a possible love triangle. I mean, what’s not to love this book?
But really aside from all the food mentioned in this book, it was the family dynamic that reminds me of how it is to be in a traditional Filipino family. Regardless of where they are. Having been raised in an environment where family is a huge thing, the dynamic did hit home for me. I, too, had to struggle of finding a good balance between following my dreams and still not fully abandoning my responsibilities to the family. Not an easy task.
All in all, I loved this book. And I will continue with the series. This is the first book to the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen series. Book two is already out – Homicide and Halo-Halo. I will be adding that to my cart soon.
- Title: My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress
- Author: Rachel DeLoache Williams
- Genre: Non-Fiction
- Pages: 304
- Publisher: Gallery Books
- Published: 2019
I remember being interested in this book when I first heard about Anna Delvey maybe a couple of years ago. Then I forgot about it. The next thing I knew, Netflix released a show called Inventing Anna. And of course, I devoured that show – marathon’d it one Sunday. What do I specifically remember about it? I did not like Rachel. And you cannot blame me for that, just watch the show, and tell me how Netflix did Rachel dirty.
“You are here to read about Anna Delvey, and I don’t blame you” is the first sentence in the Preface of the book. And Rachel was right. I bought the book and read it because of Anna Delvey. I did not buy the book to like Rachel but instead to know what she experienced. The show did not really expand on who Rachel is despite having an episode titled “Rachel”. But then what do you expect, Inventing Anna is a show about Anna, not everyone else.
The book was really easy to read. It was nonlinear at times – starting with the Marrakesh trip, then inserted with tidbits of who Rachel is, and the story of Anna’s and Rachel’s friendship. I liked how the book was set up. Starting with THE trip was a good strategy, with the later parts of the book dealing with the aftermath.
The book says it’s “The True Story of a Fake Heiress”. It wasn’t. Sure the book was about the Marrakesh trip and the aftermath. But I think it’s about the friendship of two people that soured and ended because one person decided to put one friend in such a horrible situation.
Anna’s and Rachel’s friendship read as superficial. At least to me. However, it does not make it any less real. The friendship was there, it was just a bit focused on having fun.
The conflict mainly focused on Rachel having to chase Anna down for the payment that she was owed for the Marrakesh trip. Rachel had to struggle financially in order to barely make ends meet. It was a very stressful situation that I do not wish on anyone. With Rachel not having any other choice but to get authorities involved.
Rachel was relatable. Her journey from being this timid person just letting things happen to standing up for herself and taking control of a very dicey situation is very commendable. The book humanized Rachel for me. Sharing tidbits of her life made her relatable to me. From her childhood, her love of The Great British Bake Off, and her tendency to box up her emotions and deal with problems on her own. I swore I was reading about myself – I mean, you know, aside from this traumatizing fiasco, mingling with people, and working in a magazine. I even made a note in the book “We are almost the same person. We could be friends in real life”.
I liked this book. I came in expecting a rundown of what happened in Marrakesh and what happened afterward, which I did. But what I got was so much more. I saw a friendship that had a very dysfunctional power dynamic that ultimately lead to its end. I saw a person who stood up for herself and took control of her life. Would I recommend this book? Yes. I would. Like I said, this book humanized Rachel for me. And after reading this, I could definitely say, that the show did not do her justice whatsoever.
You know, I am not the most sociable person. I am not very open, I’m not approachable. I am friendly, but only to a point. I can be engaged in a conversation, but once the exchanges get too long, I get tired and I retreat. I put on my headphones and just close off the world. I guess my friendliness to people tends to be superficial. I’m guarded as a person, and I’m very picky about who I call friends.
The thing that I find really tiring is the fact that I have to pretend to be sociable. Being in a leadership position, I need to be. And it sucks. The moment I leave the lab, the moment I hear the door closed behind me, my mask falls off. That is one of my favorite things that happens every day. When I can just be myself; when I do not have to pretend anymore.
I guess I am missing my alone time. When I was younger, I can be alone and I would be okay. But I feel like wanting to be alone and quiet now that I am an adult, someone will always make it a point to psychoanalyze me. Unfortunately, this was a lesson learned. I just could not fathom why it was such a big deal that I wanted to eat alone in my car. Or be quiet. Apparently, my not wanting to interact meant that there was something wrong. That was the last time I did not wear my extrovert mask in public.
Why am I rambling about this?
Because it is detrimental to my mental health having to pretend every day. There is a reason why I love the weekends. Because I am just at home and I can be a loner as much as I want. I can be quiet. I can get lost in my head. I can just be me. And after years of perfecting this mask, I feel like I am losing myself more and more.
Well, this post turned personal really quickly. I did not mean to. I just did not feel like rehashing my day when all that really happens are forced interactions.
“I just want to be in bed” was my mantra ALL DAY. Not good. I almost feel annoyed with myself since all I can think of after that is “Damn, you’re one lazy ass.”
On top of me wanting to be in bed the whole day, I just did not want to deal with people. Not interact with anybody at all. It was bad. It’s so difficult to pretend to be an sociable when my body is refusing to act like one.
I have a meeting scheduled at 7 AM tomorrow and I’m not going. Honestly, I’m a bit tired and not feeling well. I’ve been having cramps, headache, and low back pain the whole day. And now add nausea to that. Yeah, definitely not ideal. So they can go ahead and forget that meeting.
I had to take a rain check again with hanging out my hun. I went straight to bed when I got home from work and only stood up to feed the dogs, take my meds, and get ready for bed. Because there really nothing more I want to do today but curl in bed.
I started reading How to Marry Keanu Reeves in 90 Days. We’ll see how far along I can get into this book. So far, so good. I don’t feel the urge to stop reading it, currently in chapter three. I normally off the bat if I won’t ever like the book on the first few chapters of the book. I was only in chapter three of The Love Hypothesis when I put that book down and told myself, “No, I will not force myself to read this book.”
Hopefully tomorrow I feel better. I’ve been feeling antisocial lately and I need to be extroverted for Friday’s happy hour. I was fine when I said yes to that shindig two weeks ago…But with how the past few days have been going for me, I really am feeling drained and do not feel like socializing. We’ll see.