Do you believe in love at first sight?
I do.
Saw this little book “The Alphabet of Grace” by Frederick Buechner in the bargain bin of NBS, bought it (for P50), and fell in love with it. Lent it to someone who, of course, lost it. And then, after some time, I serendipitously found and bought a new one (for P300). It’s about the spiritual experience of, in his own words, “a part-time novelist, Christian, pig.” What caught my attention: the title. What I loved in it: a very human, semi-mystical approach to spirituality.
Am thinking of translating it to Tagalog someday. I tried, and never got past the introduction. Will have to find time, someday.
—
Also, been seeing this book for some time in the shelf (either owned by my mom or uncle), never got interested from what I read at the back cover blurb. Then one night, I dreamt of it. It’s “The Book of Lights” by Chaim Potok. Intrigued, I read it, and liked it. Later, I was looking for it, and the book was nowhere to be found. Found a copy at Booksale and bought it. It’s a novel about a rabbi with mystical experiences. What caught my attention: my dreaming of the title. What I loved in it: the mystical experiences.
—
And then there’s this book that grabbed me by the balls, mind and heart: Jeanette Winterson’s “Written on the Body.” It’s a philosophical novel, a love story that almost broke my heart. You never know whether the narrator is male or female. What caught my attention: the illustration of a nude lily-white female body (nakatalikod) on the cover with a green background (green’s my favorite color) and of course, the title, and the blurb on the back cover. I immediately bought it. What I loved in it: the intermingling of philosophical reflections with the narrative (parang “Unbearable Lightness of Being”). What I didn’t appreciate too much in it: the medical-clinical text in the middle part. I can’t say that it’s my favorite novel, but I’d say it’s one which I loved at first sight.
—
Funny but all three have something to do with words, “alphabet,” “book,” “written.” =)
It must be the stars.
best regards,
librar-ian