STORIES THAT STICK, BOOKS TO PICK

(PART 1)

There’s nothing like curling up on a couch or lying in bed reading a good book. Sometimes there are books that, without warning, leave a big impression that it takes a long time for you to recover. At the same time, you’re itching to tell someone about it so he can understand exactly how you are feeling.

Check out these book recommendations to add to your shelves from some of Cebu’s bookworms.

“Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger

“It was the right book at the right time for me. It was literally written in the voice of a teenager, and I was 16 when I first read it. It was about confusion, the struggle of a teen adjusting to the adult world while still trying to hang on to childhood.” - Carlo Borrow, guitarist

“Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling

“Aside from the famous spells, characters, lines and magic, this series described to me what friendship is and how you keep that bond stronger through time (not literally by fighting off bad wizards). As young as I can remember, this series also opened my eyes about politics, most especially, understanding the villains’ actions and why their characters are so important to consider. Understanding how these characters think and react helped me know and understand the different people

I meet.” - Joan Navaja, customer service representative

“Eleven Minutes” by Paulo Coelho

“I enjoyed ‘Eleven Minutes’ as it had a fairly unique storyline and was definitely not your typical love story. It tells the life of Maria, a prostitute, convinced that she will never find true love and while on her path of countless self-discoveries, she eventually does. It’s a good read as the author pointed out quite a lot of good insights through the main character, a prostitute no less. I always value a book that makes you re-evaluate yourself and your views about certain things in life.” - Valerie Alvez, fashion designer / business owner

“It All Goes Back in the Box” by John Ortberg

“I love all John Ortberg books but this one in particular provides you a reality check that just like how you enjoy strategizing and playing the ‘Monopoly’ game, at the end of the game it all goes back to the box. It will give you an understanding that at the end of everything we shall go back to the box so it’s a way of saying how do we make our today matter. How do we build and invest our lives now? Do we build or destroy? Are we a channel of good influence, a blessing to others or a curse?” - Bong Abela, senior business consultant / coach

“Butterfly” by Kathryn Harvey

“It is a story of a homely and troubled teenage girl finding herself after the abuse. I love how she articulately turned her past into fuel to rebuild her present. With a new identity, she becomes a very influential woman in Hollywood, while simultaneously plotting her revenge against her abuser who equally becomes influential in a mask of being a televangelist. The story revolves around middle America and slowly unravels the posh Hollywood and Rodeo Drive scene. To me this book is just pivotal to how it has kind of influenced how I do my hustle. I love it!” -

Lord Maturan, fashion designer / business owner

(To be continued)