That sticky price tag

A friend recently asked my opinion about removing price tags from book covers. I have to confess that I'm a bit OC about this particular topic since I do love my books and I want them to remain pristine. First, let's ask ourselves a few questions on how important the price tags are to you as a book lover. Do you really want to be reminded of how much you've spent on to get that copy? Do you want to show your future children of the time when books were cheap? Are you just too lazy to take the price tag off? If you've answered "Yes" to any one of these questions, then don't take the price tag off.

I particularly want to keep the price tags on some of my books. I leave them on especially if (a) the books were so cheap or (b) they were too expensive. I once bought a new Jose Saramago book from National for 80 pesos and I asked the sales lady if there was a mistake. She scanned the item and it was indeed 80 pesos, so I bought it immediately. Next week, the same book was being sold for 480 pesos. This is one of the times it's good to not remove the price tag. It reminds me how someone in National screwed up.

If you do plan to take off that price tag, well then you just have to keep these things in mind. Books sold from the top three bookstores in the country -- PowerBooks, FullyBooked, and National Bookstore -- have the price tags on the back cover. This is an advantage if you botch things up. Books that have recently arrived in these bookstores have price tags that can be easily removed. Just take your time removing them, otherwise you can damage the cover. If the book has been on the shelf for quite some time, then you just have to be patient in removing it. Slowly peel off one edge a millimeter at a time. Now some price tags are actually perforated, which can make removing them even trickier. Again, in this case, patience is a virtue.

If ever you still do find some small sections of the price tag attached, you can gently scrape these pieces off with your fingernail. Don't put too much pressure though, since you're bound to make unsightly dents on the back cover if you do. Never scrape these bits and pieces off; you're bound to scratch the cover.

I also noticed that the finish of the book cover affects the way the price tag sticks to it. Price tags stuck to book covers with a matte finish are easier to remove than those on glossy book covers. Mass market paperbacks are the worst. It takes me about 10 to 15 minutes just to complete remove the price tag.

Books sold in bargain bins usually have price tags on the front cover. I just recommend not removing them at all. Since you've bought the book at a bargain bin, I'm assuming that you're not really into buying books in good condition (i.e., brand new ones). Also, I found out that the price tags used by Booksale are really sticky. When you remove them, there's a good chance of removing a small section of the front cover as well. Very, very unsightly.

A ruined front cover

Reader's block: there is such a thing

Really, Nate? Barbara Walters? Really?

We've all heard of writer's block and mental block. There's another kind that refers to the feeling when you just can't find the will to pick up a book much less finish it -- the reader's block. Based on experience, reader's block is actually quite common among those who read books frequently. If you find that you can't decide on what to read next, then you have reader's block. If you can only manage to read a few pages of your books, you have reader's block too. If you buy books not to read them but to display them in your shelf, you don't have reader's block; you're just a capitalist.

Unlike writer's block, reader's block doesn't go away if you do drugs, have sex indiscriminately, and wallow in self-pity. And unless you review books for a living, reader's block is really no big deal. It has no drastic effect on your income, which could not be said if you're a writer suffering from writer's block. Nevertheless, there are quite a few things that you can do to combat reader's block.

Try to vary your reading preferences, or at least read works of other authors. We all have our favorite authors and we usually fall into the trap of sticking to them. I know people who read only the Twilight books over and over again. A friend prefers to read no one else except Grisham. A girl in the office will read anything by Nicholas Sparks and nothing else. If you find yourself feeling unsatisfied with the latest work of your favorite authors, why not check out other authors writing in the same genre. Stephen King may be the most-famous horror novelist, but that doesn't mean he's the best in the field. When you don't have the stamina to pick up another King novel, sample the works of Clive Barker, Peter Straub, and Poppy Z. Brite.

Read the books you find enjoyable. Don't pick up Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger simply because it won the Booker. Adiga's brutal treatment of the subject of societal class in modern-day India may come off as a bit shocking and insensitive. Everyone these days reads Palahniuk, Murakami, Coehlo, and Kinsella, but that doesn't mean that you have to read them if you're not fond of gore, improbable scenarios, self-help and inspirational themes, and shopping. Of course, sometimes you do need to experiment. Pick up a book whose genre, author, and topic you're not too familiar about. Perhaps you would find that one enjoyable.

Skip the books for now and read magazines. Books can really be text heavy and sometimes it takes willpower to finish them. Magazines, on the other hand, have lighter material. The articles are short and you can choose the sections that you'd like to read. Magazines provide that much needed distraction. Also, you may come across book reviews in these magazines, which would entice you to read that particular book. Magazines, however, are way too pricey for my taste. I just hang out in cafes and read their several months-old magazines.

Read poems, non-fiction, graphic novels, business books, and cookbooks. Most of us read novels and reading novels can exact a toll on our senses. We just can't suspend our disbelief every time we pick up a work of fiction. Freakonomics is a highly enjoyable read. I usually give it away as gifts, and I haven't received a negative feedback yet. Poetry collections are perfect reads during lunch time.

If all else fails, just stop reading altogether for the mean time. The reader's block usually last for a few days and after which time, you're ready to hit your books again.

Day 16 and counting

I have not bought any book for more than two weeks now. It's been really really difficult. I saw a copy of Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog at Bestsellers in Galleria and it was practically calling out my name. Nevertheless, I'm still up to the challenge. After all, it'll only be 24 days till Easter.

Last night, I was looking for a fantasy/sci-fi book to read and I found these three books which I haven't read yet.


Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart had me intrigued. It's supposed to combine fantasy with sado-masochism. The other book, A Storm of Swords, is actualy the third novel in the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. I was floored when I read the first two books, A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings, which I think were flawlessly written. I just have to find the stamina to read the third book's 1,200 pages of small print. Oh, and Mr. Martin looks like a hobbit. My third choice, a breakout novel, is something I've read a lot of good reviews about. The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss's debut novel, did win a Quill award. The first few pages seem interesting enough, so I decided to read this one for the mean time. (I know, I know. I should've scanned the first few pages before I bought it.)

Why do fantasy novels have to be at least 700 pages thick? What's with the map(s) right after the title page? Do these books really need a map to remind the reader that they're set in alternate universes? Just looking at the names of the characters is enough to remind you that you're not in Kansas anymore -- Felurian, Kushiel, Daenerys. I can just imagine how hard it is to come up with these names. My favorite sci-fi/fantasy names are Silvertongue (from Cornelia Funke's Inkheart), Lyra (from Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy), and Takeshi Kovacs (from Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon). They're so wonderfully elegant and suit the characters' personas perfectly.

I know a lot of people who read only fantasy novels. I completely understand the fascination with these novels. They're escapist literature -- perfect for people who dream of living in another world. And much as I'd like to come up with a unifying characteristic among fantasy novel lovers, I just couldn't. Not all of them are geeky types. Not all of them are single or unattached. Most of them lead uneventful lives just like the rest of us.

I couldn't say that the same for those Magic The Gathering fanatics I see during weekends in Galleria. There can never be a more homogeneous group than these men. They all wear T-shirts (ironing optional) and rubber shoes, carry backpacks, have no product in their hair, and are most probably single. The few who bring their girlfriends to their "gathering" are left to look after themselves and seem bored as hell. Frankly, I got curious about this phenomena and its firm hold among its players. I had a good friend explain to me once about the objective and the rules of the game. I think my eyes glazed over after a few minutes of listening to the unbelievably complex rules (sorry R!).

The playing cards are amazingly detailed though. I love 'em. They make great bookmarks. I like pretty things.

Would you hit it with any of these guys?
I know a lot of you would. Geek is the new sexy. xoxo

College readings

The boys from Twilight as featured in V Man
If you can name at least 3 of them, you're either a girl or in college.

When I was in college, the book of choice was Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. Everyone was practically carrying it in their tote bags. It was required reading in many Humanities 1 (Literature) courses. I wasn't able to read Marquez's novel in college though. I took Hum 1 during the summer, so most of our readings were poetry, short stories, and plays. Still, it was a very fun class. Neil Garcia, our teacher, made the course something to look forward to, even though it had an 11 am to 1 pm schedule. One time we were asked to bring something erotic. The things we brought were a bra, a back scratcher shaped like a naked woman, a t-shirt with a picture of a naked woman, and a chocolate bar.

I recall carrying this book entitled Prism in College. I wonder if the book is still in print; I would definitely want a replacement copy. I read the short story “In a Grove” from Prism. The Japanese short story later on became the basis for Kurosawa's film “Rashomon.” I remember having a very heated but stimulating discussion about the short story in Garcia's class. In my Humanities 2 course (Art Appreciation), our teacher asked us to scour book covers and determine which covers work because of the visual elements.

I believe that the authors college students are into these days are Haruki Murakami, Chuck Palahniuk, and Stephenie Meyer. I had a Murakami phase, although it was after college. I found The Wind-up Bird Chronicle simply brilliant. Dance Dance Dance is wonderful too. It's noir-ish. Murakami's talent lies in making the unprobable a seamless part of the story. The synopses on the back covers of Murakami's books do not fully encapsulate the convoluted worlds he conjures in the pages.

I think the appeal of Palahniuk has something to do with the shock value. His novels are gritty and are often gory and bordering on the obscene. Fight Club is effective in dissecting the theme of individuality, despite the book's violent tone. Those who haven't sampled Palahniuk's works should read Haunted. It's basically a collection of short stories woven into a novel. Some of the stories can really make you uncomfortable. For example, when one of the volunteers at a local police station discover that the officers are taking the anatomically correct doll at home just to have fun with it, she places razor blades in the doll's mouth, vagina, and rectum.

Now we get to Stephenie Meyer, who I'm not a big fan of. I was thrilled when my 14-year-old niece asked for the Twilight books for Christmas. Meyer's books target those ages. When you get to college though, shouldn't you be craving for more satisfying reading than goodlooking, teenage vampires? There's just so much to read out there. If you want a very good vampire novel, I highly recommend Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. Apparently, college students in the US are also hooked on Meyer's oeuvre, forsaking the wonderful works of the Beat poets.

College is the time we learn how to appreciate a good novel we don't usually pick up when we go to bookstores, to analyze poems that don't rhyme, to dissect plays that don't get performed, to interpret songs we don't hear over the radio. It's the time we experiment on things and go beyond our comfort zones. If college students spend way too much time and effort on books primarily geared toward teenage girls, learning about good literature is useless.

14 years old and below only

Remember that disaster of a reality show called Kid Nation, where the town was populated by pre-teens? Michael Grant's novel, Gone, is just like that, but the age threshold is a bit higher – 14. Set in a fictional town called Perdido Beach, Gone starts with everyone aged 15 years and up suddenly disappearing all the at the same time, leaving children to fend for themselves. They discover that their town has been shut off from the rest of the world by a circular wall. The wall's 10-mile radius from the nuclear power plant prompts older children to name Perdido Beach as the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone). And when you turn 15, you go poof.

Gone is what it would be like if kids were left to run a town. As predicted, bullies rule and the more popular boys and girls end up as the leaders. Grant attempts to add meat to this rather flimsy storyline by having some of the children develop mutant powers. Think Heroes meet Lord of the Flies. Some animals get superpowers too – talking coyotes, fast-moving cats, flying snakes, etc. The connection between the mutation and the nuclear power plant has not been established though.

Central to the novel's story are Sam and Caine, who turn out to be brothers. Caine, a boy from the local prep school, makes himself the mayor and imposes a dictatorship in FAYZ. Sam, the local hero, becomes the natural leader in the children's revolt against Caine. The brothers have the strongest powers among the children – Caine is telekenetic; Sam can fire lasers from his hands. As expected, both face off each other during the climactic scenes. Grant's black-and-white treatment of the brothers' personas comes off as predictable and unimaginative sometimes, making the brothers' allies much more interesting characters. One of Sam's allies is Diana, a 14-year-old bitch who can gauge other children's powers by assigning bars, similar to measuring the strength of a cellphone's signal. (Caine and Sam have four bars each.) Sam's love interest, Astrid, has two bars, although her powers are still not revealed.

Adult readers who’ve gone through the Harry Potter series and other well-written young adult novels may find themselves wanting after reading Gone. It still makes a fascinating read though, especially if you're partial to fantasy and science fiction. Grant may not have the finesse to develop the nuances of his characters well, but his descriptions of pivotal scenes in the novel are vivid and cinematic. Since most of the issues in the novel are not yet resolved, a second or even a third book is something to wait for. Gone may feel amateurish, but you will definitely find yourself anticipating what's in store for the inhabitants of FAYZ. Everything's ripe for the next installment – food is running in short supply, the fallen seek revenge, and a spectral element is slowly creeping up on the children.

Read this book if:

1. You recall having been left alone in your house when you were just a kid.
2. You haven't missed a single episode of Survivor.
3. You're sorely disappointed with seasons 2 and 3 of Heroes.

Shorts (part 2)

The legendary director Preston Sturgess. See, even busy people find time to read.

More news from the book world!

Dan Brown fans, it's time to parteeee! Dan Brown has just finished writing his latest book, The Solomon Key. The novel, which is about the Freemasons and set in Washington, still features Robert Langdon. Time to reserve those copies! Me, I'll just wait for the paperback. No, strike that. I'll just wait for the book to appear in bargain bins.

Hurrah for the book section of The New York Times. The section now includes a graphic novel bestseller list. Before, we were accustomed to seeing the tag "New York Times Bestseller" only on our paperbacks. Now we get to see that on our graphic novels too. Finally, we get to find the answer to one of life's mysteries: which is more popular -- DC or Marvel?

The British Psychological society reports that reading to children 2 years old and younger has a positive effect on their vocabulary and comprehension. (Do we really need a formal study on this?) Unfortunately, more and more parents are finding it difficult to squeeze in reading time for their children. The future's not looking so bright, isn't it?

This year, The Times UK has decided to come out not just with a list of most borrowed books but also books that are most frequently stolen. Check it here. Interestingly, the top 2 most stolen books are travel guides. I wonder if our local bookstores have the same trend. In moving about the crazy metropolis that is Manila, one really needs those travel guides.

Hitler owned 16,000 books. Apparently, he was a bookworm. If you're expecting to find that Hitler owned copies of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, you'll be sorely disappointed. Among Hitler's books are Wild West adventure stories by Karl May, all the detective fiction of Edgar Wallace, and love stories by Hedwig Courths-Mahler (a German Barbara Cartland). Thank you, Hitler. You're the perfect argument on why censorship is stupid. Reading pornographic stuff will not turn you into a rapist. Just look at Hitler; he read romance novels.

When the British are asked which book they've lied about reading, the top answer is Orwell's 1984. Also, many of them would claim that they've read Joyce's Ulysses, Tolstoy's War and Peace, and the bible, when they really have not. Tsk tsk. They would, however, prefer to read Rowling and Grisham. No surprise there. Who would ever want to read Ulysses? I've read it several years ago, and until now, I could make neither heads nor tails of it. I'm not planning on reading 1984 too. It's so, like, 1984.

If you were to write a book, how would you make the sales pitch to a potential publisher? A group of agents and editors logged at the popular social networking site Twitter to "tweet" about what makes them reject submissions. Most of the tweets are hilarious! Here are some of them:

• This is my first attempt at writing a fictional novel
• This book is The Notebook meets The Lord of the Rings
• My book is about a friendship based upon mutual vomiting practices in high school
• My book is differentiated from Twilight because the vampires have wings, and are half-breed angels
• My credentials for writing this book include: A divine mandate to speak the word of God

Is the hardback getting obsolete?

Would you get this book in hardback?

I love hardbacks. I love their sturdy feel. I love that I don't have to worry about the books getting creased when I put them in my tote bag. I love how they smell. I love the clean, easy-to-ready type in no-smudge ink printed in acid-free paper. When I think of my ever-growing library, I imagine it stocked with thousands of hardbacks. But if you ask me if I would be willing to buy a hardback edition of a first time author, I'd probably reply, "I'll just wait for the paperback, thank you."

Hardbacks are definitely more costly than the mass market paperback and trade paperback. In the Philippines, a typical hardback costs about 1,000 pesos (approximately US $25). The paperback costs a fraction: the mass market usually for about 300 pesos (US $8) and the trade paperback for 600 (US $12). Because of this staggering costs of hardbacks, especially in these financially unstable times, one blogger proposes that we do away with the hardbacks. He argues that consumers rarely take chances on buying hardbacks from first-time authors because of the price tag. I can't help but agree with him on this point.

The practice of coming out with the hardback first and then the paperback edition several months after is standard in the publishing industry. What's surprising to note is that hardbacks, unless they're written by well-known names (e.g., King, Grisham, Sparks, Clancy, Evanovich), perform so poorly in the market. The real money comes in when the less-costly paperbacks are released. Unless a first-time author gets endorsed by Oprah or Richard and Judy, his books usually don't appear in the hardback bestseller lists.

I grew up reading and buying paperbacks, probably because these were the only ones sold in National. Most of the copies sold in FullyBooked and PowerBooks are paperbacks. It all boils down to economics, again. Let's say that you're earning around 20,000 pesos and you're planning to buy that hardback. This means that you'll be spending 5% of your income on something that you'll most likely read for a few days, and that isn't very practical. If you have bills to pay, I think it's a bit irresponsible. Still, if it makes you happy getting that hardback, then by all means do so. The author could certainly use the royalties.

The reality is that people wait for the paperback editions because they want to check out the reviews. If first-time authors do come up with a novel that earns several literary awards, all these awards will be listed in the covers of the paperbacks, further assuring people that the book is good. If that author further establishes his reputation by consistently churning out good novels, then people get more comfortable buying the hardbacks. I wouldn't think twice about getting the next Ian McEwan novel in hardback. With Rushdie, probably not, unless he returns to his Midnight's Children form.