Book Blog Tour 2023: Hope and Fortune

I am taking part in a Book Blog Tour of Hope and Fortune by WOW - Women on Writing. To know more about the book, read the short summary below and the information about the author, Marissa Bañez.

My review of Ms. Bañez's book will go live on February 8th in the blog so, do come back for it!

Hope and Fortune is a modern-day fairytale, featuring multicultural, multiracial (e.g., Filipina, African-American, Latina, Asian, Muslim, etc.), multigenerational, and multigender (including a boy) fairies of different shapes and sizes who help a sad little child who has lost her way to find her path.  Each fairy represents an ideal - Hope, Innocence and Wonder, Truth and Virtue, Generosity and Kindness, Strength and Courage, Respect and Dignity, Confidence, Imagination, Happiness, Beauty, Wisdom and Intelligence, and Love and Friendship. Although the protagonist is a little girl, the life advice given by the fairies is non-gender-specific and could resonate with anyone facing a difficult situation at any point in her/his/their life.

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

ISBN-10: 1685131174

ISBN-12: 978-1685131174

Print copy pages: 46 pages

About the Author

A first-generation immigrant to the U.S. from the Philippines, Marissa Bañez is a graduate of Princeton University and a lawyer licensed to practice in New York, California, and New Jersey. She has published legal articles for the prestigious New York Law Journal and the American Bar Association, but her true passion is in her children's stories. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and daughter, whose childhood was filled with many original stories and puppet shows made up entirely by her mom. In her free time, Marissa likes to travel, design and make clothes, cook, binge-watch Star Trek shows and Korean dramas, and occasionally strum a guitar.

She is currently working on her second book, Hues and Harmony (How the Singing Rainbow Butterfly Got Her Colors), a story about mixed or multiracial children, self-discovery, and respect for others as told through the life and adventures of a caterpillar. It is scheduled for publication on July 20, 2023.

You can find her online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marissa.banez.7/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissa-banez/

Meme: Liebster Award

I accept C8's nomination! 

Here are the questions she posted in her Reading Good Books, for this meme. 

1. If you are moving to a fictional world – either found in books or screen – where will you choose to settle and why?

Hogwarts. Hermione doesn't deserve a vulture like Madam Pince as librarian. Though JK Rowling expressed her reason why she made her an irritable character, I still think teens need a librarian who can work with them and meet their needs.

2. If you can change the ending of a particular book, which one is it and how will you change it?

Eleanor and Park. Well, I won't change the ending, but I'll have an epilogue for Eleanor and Park. Like, ten years after they parted ways (SPOILER!) they meet again and fall madly in love. But... I'm a true blue romantic so it won't be easy for Park, especially.

3. How long do you think you’ll last in The Hunger Games?

Hahaha! I will find a way to cheat my way out before the games even begin!

4. Browse your own blog.  Now, post a link to your favorite post that you wrote.

Hmm… this is tough. Pass. I will get back to this item.

5. Can you recommend other blogs – book-related or not – that I should be reading?

Oh dear. I have not been blog hopping in recent years. The Filipino bloggers I followed back in the early 2000s have all gave up on blogging and migrated to social media. Tsk. See how technology changes the web content creation game?

6. Have you purchased a book just because you saw your idol holding/reading it?  (I have. Many times.)

No. I get recommendations from friends, students, my kids and people in my reading circle.

7. You’re meeting your favorite celebrity.  Autograph or picture?  Pick just one, can’t be both.

Picture! I love selfies with popular peeps.

8. What is your fantasy dream cast for [insert book-to-movie here]?  (Even if a movie exists for that book already.)

I dream of seeing Cumberbatch and Martin do a movie version of Sherlock.

9. What is your stand in the ever-changing debate of… “the printed word vs digital books”?

It should be "the printed word AND digital books". The reading experience doesn't change. Comprehension is not affected by the format of technology used for reading. But, different cognitive functions come into play when our brains encounter print materials and digital books. Our brains need both and we need to seamlessly transition from one media to another. It's a matter of training the brain.

10. Name a book and/or movie that you and your mother both love.

ET: The Extra Terrestrial. Now this answer dates me.

11.  Why are you following/reading my blog?  For whatever reason, THANK YOU!

Because you tagged me! Thank you!

The 2nd Filipino ReaderCon

Last year, around September, Flips Flipping Pages, a group of Filipino readers and book bloggers, teamed up with publishers to stage the 1st Filipino ReaderCon at the Manila International Book Fair. The event was a roaring success both on site and online venues. And because of the warm reception of Pinoy readers and book bloggers that the organizers experienced from last year, they're having a second run of the conference on August 18, 2012 at the Filipinas Heritage Library. The theme of the conference this year is, "United We Read". This time, Flips Flippine Pages is collaborating with the National Book Development Board and the Ayala Foundation.

The conference promises a program that caters to all Filipino readers. Specifically, the objectives of the conference are:

* provide support, instruction, and social time for book club members and book bloggers
* celebrate readers and reading in the Philippines
* promote a closer connection between readers and writers and/or publishers
* acknowledge beloved Filipino books through the Readers’ Choice Book Awards


Yours truly will be a panelist for the topic “Reading Everywhere: Scanning the Reading Environment.” The organizers invited me to discuss what bookstores do and don’t do for readers, how you would characterize the Filipino reader from the perspective of a bookseller or librarian, what the current gaps in bookselling are, and whether libraries are still important. The panel will be at 9:15 AM to 10:35 AM.

It is going to be an interesting panel since the organizers gave me discussion points that I am eager to talk about as well. The last in the list of talking points is extremely challenging. Everyone seems to be asking of the relevance of libraries in this day and age.

I hope to see you there!

Filipino Friday: The Pinoy Book Reader

August 26 - How hard or easy is it to be a book lover in the Philippines? What are some of your frustrations as a Filipino reader (e.g. availability of books)? What are positive aspects of being a reader based in the Philippines (e.g. book prices are lower here than they are abroad)?

As far as my experience goes, access and availability of books has always been easy for me because I work in a library and I have good connections in the publishing industry. The nature of my work has allowed me easier access to books I want to read in print and online formats.

What I am frustrated about is the divide that exist between those who have access to and those who do not have access to books and reading materials. It seems, in this day and age, despite the advances in technology, reading and materials are available only to those who can afford it. Perhaps, it is time, with the ReaderCon marching around the corner, to consider translating a hobby into an advocacy.

I love books and reading so much that I would like to share this love to others. And this love stretches outside my family home and the reading communities I belong to. By actively participating in projects that foster the love of reading and the establishment of school libraries and literacy centers, my frustration turns to satisfaction. A Pinoy Book Reader can make a bit of a difference.

Filipino Friday Meme Topics

So that I will always remember.

The topics are:

August 12 - Introduction. Tell us everything that we need to know about you as a Filipino reader. You can talk about the genres that you read, your favorite authors, your comfort reads and your best books of 2011. You can also include links of where other readers can find you online: blog, Twitter, Goodreads, Shelfari, etc.

August 19 - How did you become a reader? What factors influenced you to take up reading as a hobby and why do you enjoy it so much?

August 26 - How hard or easy is it to be a book lover in the Philippines? What are some of your frustrations as a Filipino reader (e.g. availability of books)? What are positive aspects of being a reader based in the Philippines (e.g. book prices are lower here than they are abroad)?

September 2 - Do you read Filipino literature? If yes, what are some books by Filipino authors that you can recommend to fellow readers?

September 9 - What do you hope will happen in the Filipino ReaderCon? What are you expecting from the event?

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