I’ve been reading for as long as I can remember—truly. I don’t have a single memory of my life before books. They’ve always been there, woven into every season of my childhood and every version of who I’ve become. Continue reading
The crisp, bright white of a brand-new book will always have its own charm—clean, untouched, and full of quiet promise. But there’s a different kind of magic in pages that have tanned or even foxed over time. That soft amber glow and those faint, freckled specks—born from years of light, humidity, and simply existing on someone’s shelf—feel like the book’s own story unfolding alongside the one printed on its pages.
And here’s the thing: we all have our preferences when it comes to the books we collect. Some love that pristine, barely-opened look. Others gravitate toward the warm, seasoned feel of a volume that’s clearly lived. Personally, I love both. I’ve been reading literally since I can remember—from stuffed cloth books for babies, to thick cardboard storybooks for toddlers, to chapter books for intermediate readers, to fantasy novels and beyond. Naturally, a lot of my older books have tanned (and even foxed) through the years, and that never made me love them any less. If anything, it made them feel more mine.
A tanned or foxed page is a mark of time and testimony. Every shade of cream or brown, every tiny constellation of reddish spots, hints at where the book has been—moments by a sunlit window, evenings under a lamp, or entire seasons resting quietly on a shelf. And then there’s that familiar “old book smell”—lignin gently breaking down into that soft, vanilla-like scent that feels like being welcomed home.
The texture shifts too. The paper softens ever so slightly, turning velvety under your thumb. Holding a timeworn book feels like touching a memory.
And honestly, I’m really glad dehumidifiers exist these days. They help keep books from deteriorating too quickly, prevent mold, and slow down foxing and excessive tanning—especially in humid climates like what we have in the Philippines. But even then, time will still leave its gentle mark. Books will still age, still tan, still evolve in their own quiet ways.
In a world obsessed with the spotless and replaceable, a book softened by years carries a kind of steady authenticity. It says:
“I’ve been read. I’ve been loved. I’ve lasted.”
Dog-ears, faint smudges, tiny rings from forgotten cups—none of these diminish the experience; they enrich it. And whether you prefer crisp white pages or warm, timeworn ones, there’s beauty in both. One is the beginning, the other is the becoming.
I honestly can’t remember a time when books weren’t a part of my life. Some of my earliest memories involve flipping through pages, completely absorbed in stories that felt more vivid than reality. It started with fairy tales—talking animals, lost princesses, enchanted forests—and over time, my taste shifted, but the love for reading never faded.
As a child, I didn’t quite understand the gravity of reading. It was simply a way to pass the time when I wasn’t playing or watching TV. But looking back, I can pinpoint numerous moments where books influenced me, and I realized that reading has been one of the most constant threads in my personal development. They’ve taught me patience, perspective, and how to sit with uncertainty. They’ve kept me company through different phases of life, whether I was completely overwhelmed or just needed an escape. Through books, I’ve traveled to places I’ve never been, slipped into the minds of people who see the world differently, and experienced emotions I might not have encountered otherwise.
I’ve always been drawn to stories that make me feel something—romance that tugs at my heart, thrillers that keep me on edge, horror that unsettles me just enough, and fantasy that demands full attention. Some books stick with me long after I finish them, while others are just quick distractions. Either way, every book I’ve read has added something, even if it’s just the memory of how it made me feel at the time.
And while I don’t always have the time or headspace for heavy reads, I know I’ll always come back to them. Reading isn’t just a hobby—it’s one of the few constants in my life. Even when I take a break, I always find my way back.
Title: Dekada ’70
Author: Lualhati Bautista
Publication Date: 1983
Number of Pages: 227
Publisher: Anvil Publishing
Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction
Si Amanda Bartolome ay isang pangkaraniwang babae – asawa ni Julian at ina ng limang anak na lalaki. Sa kanilang subdibisyon, pinakamalaking problema na niya ang mga kapitbahay nilang hindi na natapos magreklamo tungkol sa mga malokong batang Bartolome.
Ngunit ang panahon ng martial law ay hindi pangkaraniwang panahon. Sa pangunguna ng panganay nilang si Jules at ang kanyang pagsabak sa madugong rebolusyon, di maiiwasang harapin ng pamilya ang karahasan ng batas militar. Habang ang kanyang mga anak ay hinuhubog ng malagim na dekada, at nahahanap ang kanya-kanyang sariling adhikain sa gitna ng kaguluhan, tinatanong at tinutuklas din ni Amanda ang sarili kung ano nga ba ang kanyang tungkulin at kakanyahan bilang ina, bilang babae, bilang Pilipino.
San Juan, Batangas, Philippines, 2022
In this series of photographs, I’ve captured a couple of sea creatures; some are familiarly dangerous and some are mysteriously unknown to my naked eye.
I just turned 27 yesterday! If you would ask me 10 years ago what I envisioned my life to be at 27, I’m not sure what I would have told you, but I’m sure that I wouldn’t have envisioned my life to be the way it is right now. I could have told that I envision myself practicing whatever it is that I’ve learned in those four years in college. I would have never, in a million years, envisioned myself becoming a writer in any form or field. I have always loved writing and it was a dream to work as a writer, but I was never given the chance to study any course related to it as my parents thought I would never get to earn enough as one. Ten years ago seems so far away, my 17-year-old self would have been shocked to know who and what I’ve become, but I hope she’s proud of me. Continue reading
Hey, guys! Today I’m going to talk about my all-time favorite debuts! I’ve been wanting to write posts of my favorite so and so and I have already started in February and sort of stopped because I ran out of ideas of books to list. Recently, I came up with a lot of ideas for my blog content and have been scheduling posts since last week. With that, I also came up with new topics for my book lists!
If you do not know, a debut book means it is an author’s first novel that has been published. I honestly love reading debut novels and discovering amazing authors, I mean, if the first novel they ever wrote is amazing, what more the next books that they will write, right?
I have always considered myself as an avid reader, so I read almost anything and everything. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I didn’t have a lot of friends when I was in elementary school and books have been my best friends since. I basically devoured every book that is available for me to read.
I used to read a lot of romance books (because my mom used to have a lot of Nicholas Sparks pocket books) back then. And in the middle of all that, I was also reading middle-grade fantasy books, nonfiction (e.g., National Geographic magazines, Almanac, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, etc.), comics, and horror books. It was just recently when I discovered the wonderful world of manga (and even more recently, anime).
I’ve always known that manga have a large cult following different types of fans depending on its genre (e.g., yaoi, yuri, shoujo, and others). Being a long-time comic book reader, it was a bit confusing for me when I first started reading manga because of the reversed way of reading it. I know so many people who are quite fans of reading manga. Take for example, my brother — he reads a lot of manga online and I never really cared about it before until I met my boyfriend a couple of years back who asked me to try it. Being a wide-reader, I did try it, but I never really expected to go deep into this fandom.
The quarantine has absolutely turned me into what they call an Otaku, a person with consuming interests in manga and anime. In my side of the world, reading manga or watching anime is synonymous to a geek or a nerd, which I don’t quite understand. In my perspective, I am just reading another book or watching another series/film. It’s still reading, it’s still watching. That’s it.
So what made me continue reading manga? What really cemented my being an Otaku was when I fell in love with Tokyo Ghoul‘s characters. I am far from finished with the first arc because I have yet to complete the physical copies, but I am absolutely obsessed with this manga that I even started reading other titles like One-Punch Man, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, and I recently preordered the Orange Collection Vol. 1 which I am really excited about. Hopefully it arrives this month. I also started reading Cardcaptor Sakura which has been my favorite anime when I was a kid.
Aside from reading manga, I also started watching anime. I started watching Sword Art Online, Erased (which I’ve already finished), and Your Lie in April. It’s been such a fun journey so far and I am absolutely looking forward to more manga to read and anime to watch.
How about you? Do you read manga or watch anime? Maybe you could recommend me something?
Hello, blogosphere! It’s that time of the month again where I feature something that I have discovered and have totally enjoyed using from the previous month. For July, I will be talking about backdrops!
As you all know, I love taking photos of food, places, my books, and basically anything I can think of. Going into quarantine, I don’t have a lot of food and places to take pictures of. So I am left with my books for my Instagram content and it has been a struggle for me to look for an IG-worthy space in our house that fits my aesthetic. So I have been using my white pillow case as background for my photos:
Using my pillow case was totally okay, but it’s already starting to wear out and needed cleaning, and I don’t have an alternate pillow case (or any other cloth, for that matter) to use. So I decided to look for other materials that I can use for my photos’ backgrounds and have found out about these backdrops and it totally up-ed my game in flatlay photos.
This backdrop that I found in Lazada is reversible and has two designs which are both white. I also bought an orange cloth backdrop which I also sometimes use when I get tired of the white background. I am absolutely in love with both products that I am planning on buying another color for each; I’m planning on getting a darker shade for the base backdrops and a lighter one for the cloth backdrops.
Here are some sample photos where I’ve used them:
Amazing, right? I think there are a lot of other shops selling these kind of backdrops. You can look it up in both Lazada and Shopee so you can choose you preferred color and style.
Lenn of Spades ♠ 