The blog is still carrying on with the topic, Filipino Librarians and the Essentials of Reading Books. Our guest blogger is the Apolinario family. Nap and Rhea Apolinario, and their daughter Andie, talk about the books they love! Reading is a family affair!
We call ourselves, The Happy Family! Indeed, we are a happy bunch who finds joy in everything we do . .. be it eating, playing, or just simply “chillaxing.”
I am Rhea, the Mama (boss) of The Happy Family. My utmost happiness is taking care of the other two members of our family. I am also a librarian who enjoys teaching and managing her own time. When not at home and in school, I am somewhere doing professional make-up to brides, grooms, the whole bridal entourage, models, guests, and to anyone who simply wants to enhance their beauty on their special day. But what I love most is doing Mama things to Nap and Andie.
Papa Nap is our Handy Papa, who loves spending time with his family. He also happens to be an Industrial Engineer and a Project Manager, who handles various projects in e-learning and business processes in both government and private organizations. But to our daughter and I, he is the BESTEST Papa in the whole wide world! He is a very hands-on papa who does not mind wearing pink (so we can all be “matchy-matchy”), changing dirty diapers, and doing “girly” stuff for us. He is never too busy for his Happy Family.
 | |
| The Apolinarios: Nap, Andie and Rhea |
Together, we will share with you one thing that gives us happiness . . . READING. During the time that we were pregnant with Andie, we were already stocking her bookshelf with various books. Thus, when she was born, reading to her has been our habit. At 3 years old, she was already reading books by herself. But there are still times that we read books to her at bedtime.
What is the perfect book?
Andie: HARRY POTTER!! Because it teaches me how to become creative and it brings me to another world!
Mama: Hmmm ... is there really such a thing as a perfect book? A very good book, perhaps? Well, a very good book is the one that engages you immediately and steers up your interest after reading the first few pages. The important thing is the perfect book sustains your attention and curiosity. These are the books that even after you are done reading them, they will make you want to read them over and over again. Or will simply just make you run towards them and flip some pages to remind you of very good parts.
Papa: For me, the perfect book is a book that is interesting to read, easy to understand, and able to satisfy my needs and wants.
What are the top ten best books you have read in your lifetime that have made an impact in your life?
Andie: Can it be 11?
• I Will Always Love You More (Peachy G. Concepcion)
• The School for Good and Evil (Soman Chainani)
• Harry Potter series (again) (J.K. Rowling)
• The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
• Lucy the Diamond Fairy (Rainbow Magic Book series)
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Rick Riordan)
• Goddess Girls (Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams)
• Geronimo Stilton/ Thea Stilton
• Dr. Seuss books
• Tito Dok’s (Dr. Luis Gatmaitan) books
• Dork Diaries series (Rachel Renee Russell)
Mama: Can it also be 11? Wow! There are a lot of books that made an impact in my life! In reality though, almost all the books that I read somehow influenced me in some ways. But to answer your question, here are the books that easily came to mind. These are some of the books that inspired me and gave me good memories. Sometimes though, I still find myself flipping the pages of these books, even if I have read them many times. It is good to be reminded of the important lessons they taught me.
Here are the 11 Books (in no particular order) that made an impact in my life. You will notice that these books are representatives of the different stages of my life (i.e., as a kid, young adult, single, married, mom, wife, teacher).
 |
| Papa Nap's "childhood book" |
• The Purpose Driven Life (Rick Warren)
• The Secret (Rhonda Byrne)
• The Happiness Code (D Bertolucci)
• Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling)
• Sweet Valley Twins series (Francine Pascal)
• What to Expect When You’re Expecting (Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel)
• The Power of a Praying Wife (Stormie OMartian)
• Rethinking Information Work: A Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals (G. Kim Dority)
• Everyday a Friday: How to be Happier 7 Days a Week (Joel Osteen)
Papa: This is difficult. I used to have favourites when I was younger but now I just read books that I need to be able to perform my work or sustain my hobbies and interests. Anyway, here are a few books that I remember reading from cover to cover when I was young:
• US Military Survival Manual – This was given to me as a gift when I was 9 or 10 years old. I read most chapters of the book except for the “Survival in the Winter” part because I cannot relate to all the snow digging and ice melting referred to in those chapters.
• I cannot recall the title anymore (maybe “Capsized”), but it was about a group of friends who went sailing in their sailboat which capsized in the open sea and drifted for more than 3 months before being rescued. The book talks not only about the practical survival skills that they employed to keep them alive but it narrated their personal and interpersonal struggles in trying times.
• Lots of management books and journals – In my line of work, I have to keep myself updated and informed with the latest industry buzzwords and management frameworks. So once in a while, I whip out my tablet and read ebooks and journals.
What are your recommended reads for other librarians?
Andie: Probably.... Hmmm...... It really depends on you . . . on the person . . . his/her interests and likes.
Mama: As a wife, I suggest you read The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie OMartian and The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. These books helped me to become a better wife to my husband.
As a mom, it is important to know the interests of your child so you can give them books that feed their curiosity. But every now and then, it is also good to challenge them with new titles. I also do not cringe when Andie wants to buy expensive books in the bookstores. For me, books are treasures!
 |
| Prof. Rhea's recommended read |
As you can see, our Happy Family has varied reading interests . . . and I loved it! We learn from each other. As the Mama boss of our family, I make sure that reading is always a part of our family activities.
Photo/image source for books:
Make and Do: https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8041/7984204801_fb97a1fd93.jpg
Rethinking Information Work: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gBtfFAbFL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment