My Self-Birthday Present (at last!)

It’s been ages since my birthday, but I’ve finally ordered, and received, my self-birthday gifts, which are (surprise!) books.

I’ve been extremely curious about Boneshaker for ages now, and I finally got around to get it. It’s good timing that I’m almost done with Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, because I can’t wait to read it.

The Fall is the continuation of Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain, a vampire/zombie horror book I read last year and really enjoyed (gave me the creeps at a couple of points). Buffy‘s season 8, volume 6 joins the other five volumes of this rather nicely done comic series.

Dune, well… I want to try reading it again sometime. Last time I tried was… about 8 years ago and I wasn’t in the right mood for it so I never finished. This time I hope it will be different.

Gift-aside, we also got a travel guide to Japan, in anticipation for next year’s trip, and also In the Dojo, a book recommended to us by our Iaido and Jodo sempai. This last one we had to ‘reorder’ since the original package arrived in poor condition. The Book Depository guys were very helpful and took care of this fast and with no extra cost to us – I just hope this time around, the book arrives well.

Are You a Bibliophile?

I found this article with a series of 75 indicators that you may be a bibliophile.

These are the ones I related to. I’ve only included more extended descriptions of a couple of points, so for more info just go to the site linked above.

5. You fight to diversify the literary canon.

Great writing can come from anyone, anywhere. And a true bibliophile knows that the real literary canon is made up of far more than just a bunch of dead, high strung white guys. Oh, they contributed alright! But they are not the entirety.

Short of ‘chicklit’ and/or erotica, I’ve pretty much read a bit of everything. Maybe some day I’ll have the patience to look at chicklit. It probably won’t be Twilight though… Which leads me to the next point…

7. You have a little vein in your forehead that throbs whenever you hear about sparkly vampires.

Yeah. Check out this post I made about Twilight a while ago to get a glimpse of my opinion.

12. You have ardently argued that comic books deserve to be considered literature on par with more “acceptable” formats like short stories and novels.

A lot of comics I’ve read are better than a lot of novels I’ve read. I mean, a lot better. Watchmen, and Y: The Last Man come immediately to mind.

14. You’d read in the car if you could.

15. Better yet, you take public transportation for reasons other than cost and the environment.

I get pretty stressed when driving, and prefer to take public transportation regardless of reading time, but yes, being able to have some time ‘reserved’ for my reading is awesome.

16. Used, local and specialty bookstores are your kryptonite.

19. You ? your local library.

I used to spend ages there when I was younger. Even became friends with one of the librarians.

23. You know very well that used book stores are not where stimulating reads go to die.

Good books are hard to find in used book stores, especially here in Portugal. In London, I managed to get quite a few gems on such bookstores though.

26. You actually know the difference between you’re/your, they’re/their/there and it’s/its.

I do, and I’m not even a native English speaker. :p

28. The social events you look forward to most either involve the library, readings or lectures.

30. You think Kindles, Nooks, iPads and other electronic books take a little something away from the reading experience.

Some of the cooler events here are when a writer I like comes here, or stuff like Forum Fantastico (though 2008 wasn’t the best year – this year should be a lot better, even if I just consider the guests ). I’ll miss the smell of new or old books, and the feel of paper when I eventually find myself using an eBook reader.

36. You’ve read the Bible, even though you’re not Christian.

Not all of it. I got bored. Also, lots of poorly constructed plots (plot wholes aplenty) contributed to me losing interest.

42. You love incorporating books into your home décor.

Some of the more intense cases among you may pick out tomes you love with covers that convey the specific aesthetic you desire. The bibliophiliac community is split over interior designers who construct furniture and other decorative items out of old books.

48. You’re reluctant to lend out your books.

Sure, you want to nurture a love and appreciation of the written word in your friends and loved ones. But what if they bend the spine? What if they dogear the pages? WHAT IF THEY SPILL COFFEE ON IT?!?! OH GOD THE THOUGHT OF IT JUST KILLS ME!!!

49. You consider dogearing a sacrilege.

Though a venial sin compared to the mortal offense of breaking a book’s spine, dogearing still compromises its delicate structure.

50. You never walk out of a bookstore empty-handed.

I don’t buy books every time I enter a bookstore, but it happens very frequently.

56. You know that the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42.

You also know how to properly mix a pan-galactic gargle blaster and the importance of bringing a towel with you wherever you go.

I do, and that reminds me I still have a couple of Douglas Adams’ novels to read.

57. You can tell the difference between British and American English…

58. …yet you frequently write in a blend of both.

61. When walking through heavily-wooded areas, you are often disappointed to find no sign of the Ents.

69. You used to spend recess reading.

Not often, but it sometimes happened.

71. You own multiple editions of the same book.

This also includes multiple translations of the same book as well. You know you’ve done it at least once. Don’t lie to me!

75. You really, really, really, really, really, really, really like books.

So yeah, if you hadn’t figured it out yet, here’s me coming out of the book closet: I’m a book addict. Hear me… flip pages. In your general direction.

Reading Spots In and Around Lisbon – Part I

If you’re not new here, you already know I enjoy reading. A lot.

Since I was a kid, books and comics have provided an escape from a sometimes harsh reality, they’ve been my travelling companions, and they’ve kept me company when I was alone.

Through them, I’ve crossed the galaxy beside Jedi and scoundrels, I’ve ran beside Tom and Huck on the shores of Mississipi, I’ve seen the birth of dragons and the death of knights, I’ve watched the Earth be shattered into a million pieces, I’ve been hugged by a tiger named Hobbes.

This will be the first of a series of posts where I talk about nice reading spots in Lisbon and its surrounding area.

Let’s begin with a place I found out about this weekend.

The Jardim Botânico da Ajuda (Ajuda’s Botanical Garden) is the oldest botanical garden in Portugal.

It’s a beautiful place, with lots of shade, and a wonderful view over the Tagus river on some sections of the garden. To enter you have to pay a small fee, which at the moment won’t go above 1.5 euros. The schedule varies depending on the time of the year, but you can check it out on the garden’s official site (in portuguese) at Menu > Informações > Horários.

The downside, is that the benches could be more confortable, since most (or all?) don’t have a back support, but between the flowers and trees all around, and the cultural part of the experience, I advise anyone to have a reading session there at least once.

Where exactly is it? Google maps provides.