So I bought Php 2,279-worth of books from Fully Booked, so that I can get a sign-up pass for that Neil Gaiman event on March 18. I still think that the one-time, minimum 2,000-pesos, single-receipt purchase of Neil Gaiman books is still too much. I thought I won’t participate in anything as commercialized like that, but I guess having missed all the Neil Gaiman events in the past.
I think I am actually doing Neil (like close?) a favor. I am sure that most people there are spoiled rich kids who are not real fans, a bunch of people who just participated because they can just tell people that they were there. I deserve to be there; hence, I am broke. So, I decided that I should spend some money on comic books. I have most of his books already, darn! At least Fully Booked is stocked with a selection of items I still don’t have.
I decided to buy The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch, The Books of Magic and Odd and the Frost Giants (which I gave Meow in celebration of our 23rd month-sary).
I read the two earlier works as soon as I got home.
The Book of Magic, whose cover is reminiscent of Harry Potter, not really a spoof because it came out earlier than JK Rowling’s. The similarities ends with wizardry and the glasses. He is poised to be the greatest wizard of his generation. Assisted by four guys in trench coats, that includes the Phantom Stranger and John Constantine (yes, Keannu Reeves in the movie) . He is brought to choose whether he wants science or magic, and good or evil. He travels in time to the past (right from creation, to the present where he meets the most powerful magicians in the DC universe, to Fairyland (Faerie) where Morpheus (The Sandman) has a bit role and Titania (think Queen from Midsummer Night’s Dream), and to the future (up to the part where the world ends).
It was good, not really focusing on his tutelage as a magic practitioner, but with what magic is all about. I guess I love magic too. Hehehe. This reminds me of a time while looking in Mentalism, I thought I was really gonna be taught of concentrating to read minds or bending things with the power of your mind, not thgat I think I have the persistence to pursue that. I ended up with an ebook on how to dupe people, a disappointment.
Moving on. Just thinking out loud.
Mr. Punch is a book of a different kind, not really something that I’d call fantasy or read to my kids younger than seven (or even thirteen). It is dark, it talked about death, insanity and the twisted things in life, unseen and interpreted from the eyes of a child. It is a story of one summer with a boy’s grandparents, with the Punch and Judy puppet show (apparently the puppet show did exist and takes roots from the 16th century) on the backdrop of it all. In the end, Mr. Punch for the boy represented many bad memories.
It’s at least good to know the purchases I made are worth it, I still think that the promotion was still bad. Paano naman ang mga mahihirap na fans na walang trabaho?
grabe, ang laki ng gastos mo sa books.. di ko kakayanin yun.. kasi i always settle with booksale nga lang.. kung malapit nga lang ung recto sa tinitirhan ko baka dun na ko magshopping ng books.. but anyway, i have yet to try neil gaiman’s works.. i was almost tempted to buy anansi boys last weekend sa serendra kaso lang napaisip ako kung mababasa ko nga xa talaga.. i have 3 more books to finish off.. enjoy the event!
o nga eh. maganda yung mga booksale pero minsan hirap maghanap ng quality books.