Sotto Voce's Blog, page 3

The Curse of the Left Staircase

 

My second job working abroad was with a big corporation. Thefirst one didn’t really count, it was a start-up, and the company went bankruptin less than a year. However, it gave me some credentials to apply forpermanent residency in that country. This second job in this corporation wassomewhat related to my field, but I wasn’t very good at it yet (It was a newskill). I had no idea why they hired me after multiple interviews, maybebecause it wasn’t a common skill back then, and I was a fres...

BOOK REVIEW: THINKING WITH RHYTHM (CECILIA ANASTOS)

A tricky book to read. The stories are both all over the place and never going anywhere, about everything and about nothing. They jump from real and fictional characters, back and forth, from different periods without warning, from another love of her life to another love of her life. Then the book switches to current political affairs, then something about movies, then a long preach about things that, I have to say, underestimate readers’ intelligence, drawing shallow conclusions, and poorly in...

Authors' Drama

 

I don't go to Twitter daily. I tried to, but I must be in agood mindset to log in. It used to be miserable; I would 'sit' in the cornerbecause I had no one to talk with, and my posts were not seen. Well, now myposts are still mostly unseen, and I am crawling, barely existing, but at leastit's more enjoyable now. I've made some connections with other genuine authors,and although only a few of them see my posts, it's okay. I prefer quality overquantity, thankful my circle is decent and supp...

The Ultimate Price of Growing Old

 

I’ve just tidied up some of my book collection, reminiscingthe days I bought them home and devoured them. However, just like any othernormal sensical reader out there, there are many that I haven’t read yet.

When words started to get blurry, and I had to get my firstglasses, I gradually enjoyed reading and other meticulous hobbies less. Ithought that was the price of growing old. When I breathed and sprained amuscle instead of being immortal when I was young, I thought that was the price...

BOOK REVIEW: JOANNA JAMES' JOURNAL (TRISH HENRY GREEN)

 

What I like the most aboutthis book is the earlier few chapters. The reality is gripping, and I feel forthe character. The fear of growing old, getting out of the familiar and comfortzone, and watching something she has built over decades crumbling down. It'sheartbreaking to see the indifference when someone closest to her slowlybecomes a stranger, especially when she has given him her best younger years.

 

The almost drama-freeseparation also works well, and I can see it happening betw...

BOOK REVIEW: WHEN THE MIND AWAKENS (OBINNA ONWUGBENE)

 

When I was young, I read How to Win Friends and InfluencePeople by Dale Carnegie. To be honest, I barely remember what I read now, andI'm not sure it would work the same now that it has been almost three decadeslater. Still, I can safely say I learned several things from it, mainly becausethere are concrete ways to implement the strategies in realistic situations,not merely theories.

Personally, this book is exhausting to read. The points arerepetitive, and it almost feels like, for each...

BOOK REVIEW: Dogteeth and Other Tales of the Paranormal (Gene Kendall)

 

Rounded up from 4.5

This book is a collection of short stories, full ofimagination and creativity. One can jump from one story to another and beamazed at how the characters and world have changed. Some endings are abrupt,but that is the charm of short stories. Some leave us wanting more, while therest feel incomplete.

Some elements made me chuckle, like how the author pokes atmany questionable things in our current society. For example, the absurdity ofsocial media that continues to ex...

Fake Author Plague

 

One day, I got a follower on Twitter. Whenever I getfollowers, I check them out, and if they look genuine, I follow back. Sadly,those sexy profiles who are calling me sexy are bots. I know that because Ican’t be that sexy.

Anyway, this one is from an author. I created Twitter tomarket my book. Obviously, I fail to do that because I don’t want to floodothers’ feeds with unsolicited advertisements. I only mention my books when itfeels natural and fits into the topic, which is not often. F...

BOOK REVIEW: Black Hole Radio (Furilani) by Ann Birdgenaw

 

3.5 out of 5

I was hoping to read some deeper character developments orimprovements to the main storyline; after all, this is the fifth book I haveread in the series. However, everyone remains the same, and the plot remainsthe same: little mentions about the characters’ school lives, sucked into theblack hole radio, meeting alien species, bad ugly, good cute, and characters dosome elaborate things to save the oppressed aliens, all the while barely haveany sense of danger or worries, and ...

One Resilient Boy With a Cool Scar

I guess I forgot to update here, so I will consolidate my posts into one.

One and a half months ago, after going back and forth, getting my hope up and down and delays because of my own problem, it was confirmed that my dog Locky had to be operated to remove tumors on his head and below his left eye. We were worried about the one in the head because it was growing, and the size was significant. Tumor, as scary as it sounds, is the term given for every unusual growth; it could be benign or maligna...