Fully Booked

If books are the measure of man’s wealth then I consider myself very rich.

It is said that Andres Bonifacio, one of the prominent figures in the 1896 Philippine Revolution, was a voracious reader. Jose Rizal, our country’s national hero, is known to be a lover of books. Though I have ideas on books that he loves to read, I am still curious about his other collections.

I am wondering if Rizal ever reads the book of Kama Sutra or did he ever read anything about black magic or divination. Considering his famous amorous conquests of women coming from the different parts of the globe, it wouldn’t hurt to wonder if he ever bought himself a copy of Kama Sutra to better understand his sexuality.

I have quite a number of books on gender and sexuality. I started collecting them when I’ve began to teach subjects on gender and sexuality but the Kama Sutra as interpreted and written by Deepak Chopra, I bought it for my Asian civilizations class. I was actually looking for a copy of Arthasasthra, the Indian ancient treatise on statecraft when I chanced upon Kama Sutra at a book sale instead.

Pasyon and Revolution....one of my favorites

I am selling off my books for the next two weeks. I know Jose Rizal would be delighted to buy some second hand value for your money books from my collection. In the span of ten years at the university I have amassed books that are more than enough to bury me six feet below the ground. Much of it was about anthropology and history. But don’t be discourage, I am a woman that reads just about anything that fancies my fickle mind. I have Kevyn Aucoin’s “Making Faces” which is all about stuffs that make professional makeup artists gods and goddesses of big stars in the silver screen. My girlfriends are very much willing to be my guinea pig as I try my hand on make-up. They look fabulously beautiful after that but other times; they end up looking like a cross between Edward Scissorhand and Freddy Krueger.

I believe that in my past life, I’m a frustrated professional make-up artist.

And They Fought Like Demons ....Interesting read this one.

I also buy Chicken Soup for the Soul Series and Harold Sala’s books which remind me to be calm and collected even when I’m on the verge of planning a murder. My health and wellness books that urge me to take care of my body and mind because it will serve me for so many years as long as I keep it fit and sharp. There are others that belongs to diverse categories from nuclear wars, bio-terrorism, cooking, DIY, inspirationals, all about ships,feminism,animation, theology and what have you.

And there’s the children’s book. They’re such an inspiration. From African stories, Japanese, Spanish and of course Filipino folktales, I have it. They keep me entertained when I want to remember good old childhood memories. And did I tell you I so love the story of Charlotte's Web?

Children’s books are simple but sometimes they offer more important lessons than the hardcore theories and paradigms that exist in this universe.

It’s like wisdom in a nutshell.

It breaks my heart to sell them off but I can’t carry all of them to my new destination. I’m exchanging my books for more adventures and experiences in the real world. I’m definitely putting those ideas to reality. But before I bade goodbye to my beloved books, let me say this.

To the bookworms in this world, may our tribe increase!