Bookworm of Gensan reads: The Adventures of Tintin UPDATED!

Tintin and dog Snowy with Spielberg and Jackson

To work up my interest in Tintin whose adventures are translated into a motion capture 3-D film, The Adventures of Tintin: Secrets of the Unicorn,  directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson and scheduled to be shown this year, I have decided to buy the 7-volume The Adventures of Tintin from Bibliarch-Gensan (actually, only Volumes 1 & 2 are available while the rest are still on order).

As a young child, I was already aware of Tintin and his dog, Snowy. Whenever I read the comics section of the newspapers, there would be a strip of their adventures. But I never really followed the serial strip because I was into Superman, Prince Valiant, The Phantom, Popeye, Nancy & Sluggo  and Flash Gordon in my elementary years and promptly shifted to the adventures of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys when I was in high school. 

Written by Belgian comics writer, Georges  "Hergé" Remi, the 7 volumes contain 21 stories about the exploits of young news reporter, Tintin and his dog Snowy:

Volume 1: Tintin in America, Cigars of the Pharaoh and The Blue Lotus

 Volume 2: The Broken Ear, The Black Island and King Ottokar's Sceptre

Volume 3: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Shooting Star and The Secret of the Unicorn

Volume 4: Red Rackham's Treasure, The Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun

Volume 5: Land of Black Gold, Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon

Volume 6: The Calculus Affair, The Red Sea Sharks and Tintin in Tibet

Volume 7: The Castafiore Affair, Flight 714 to Sydney, and Tintin and the Picaros


Not included in the collection are: Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin in Congo and Tintin and the Alph-Art, which means I have to buy them separately.



I wanted to kick myself while reading Volume 1 - how could I have ignored this comic strip for so long? It was a fun read, it appealed to the the journalist and adventurer in me!  Tintin could give present-day investigative reporters a run for their money and put Mcgyver to shame for his inventive ways with costumes and get-aways (not to mention "lucky" near-misses with the villains in the stories).

Reading it page by page raised my nostalgic longing a notch higher. While literary characters are given modern  spin-offs involving either vampires and/or zombies (like Nancy Drew), Tintin retains his old-fashioned charms and still succeeds to draw the reader into his adventures. 

I can't wait to introduce Tintin to my grandchildren! But first I have to succeed in explaining to them why this character is named Tintin, which of course is baby-talk for the male genital. Then and only then, can I induct them as Tintinophiles, Tintinilites, or Tintinologists. Heheh.

UPDATE: At last, my Tintin collection is complete!

Bookworm of Gensan quotes: Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch was an American professor who gave a lecture and wrote a book about it, The Last Lecture before he died in 2008 of pancreatic cancer.

Bookworm of Gensan quotes: Nicholas Sparks

I'm not really into romance novels, but  I've seen A Walk to Remember and The Notebook based on  Nicholas Sparks novels. When quotes from his books came out on Tumblr, his words rang true to me and for me.

Novelist Nicholas Sparks

Here are some of those quotes that touched me:

From the novel, Dear John -

 

From the novel, The Notebook -  

"I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.." 

 

From the novel, The Last Song - 

From the novel, Message in a Bottle -

From the novel, The Rescue -

From the novel, True Believer -

(Photos from various internet sources.)

Bookworm of Gensan recommends: Naughty Summer Reads

More summer reads, this time naughty books.

Laglag-Panty, Laglag-Brief edited by Rolando B. Tolentino, Romulo P. Baquiran, Jr., Joi Barrios and Mykel Andrada - an eclectic romp in the world of "straights." Iba-iba pala talaga ang putahe ng Diyos. Tulad ng mga eksperimento sa pagluluto, ang mga kuwento rito'y masarap at nag-uumapaw sa sabaw. Mararamdaman ang sarap maging ang kuwento'y sobra sa anghang, o kulang sa alat, o labis sa pait, o di kaya'y salat sa tamis, dahil ang lahat ng putahe ay maingat na pinili ang mga rekado (book blurb).

Talong/Tahong: Mga Kwentong Homoerotiko edited by Rolando B. Tolentino, Romulo P. Baquiran, Jr., Joi Barrios and Mykel Andrada - the flipside of the book above. Ang koleksiyong ito ng mga modernong maikling kuwento, hindi nahihiyang magpahayag ng seksuwal na pagkagusto sa isa't isa ang mga tauhang magkatulad ng kasarian: nagnanasa ang lalaki sa kapwa lalaki, ang babae sa kapwa babae, ang lalaki sa inaakalang babae. Sa madaling sabi, homosexual at may transgender na tendensiya ang pagnanasa at pag-ibig ng mga akdang mababasa dito (book blurb).

Both books available at National Book Store.


 

Bookworm of Gensan wishes: Harry Potter Pop-up book

Wishlist for 2011: Harry Potter fan that I am, my eyes popped out when I saw these samples from the Harry Potter Pop-up book. This will be a welcome addition to my growing collection of pop-up books:

Book cover with Harry Potter riding Buckwheat, a hippogriff

Bookworm of Gensan thinks: Why I give books as gifts

I consider book stores as my comfort zone in the same way a fisherman finds solace at sea. May be this is why I call my book-finding adventures as trawling for books. Like a fisherman, I cast my net far and wide hoping to get a bounty of a catch in book choices. I set aside those whose titles and/or authors may interest me or my friends and put back in the shelves/bins those that don't. 

Books are neutral gifts for friends because they don't have a loaded meaning like giving a deodorant spray or sexy underwear. I try to remember or surmise what type of books might interest a friend (Is s/he passionate about it,  is it job/project-related, is it something s/he can learn anything from?).

If it were just for the sake of gift-giving (like for a Christmas party where you don't really know who'll get the exchange gift you brought), any book will do.  But I take time to discern how my friends will be delighted/enlightened in reading their gift-books. This friend misses his father so much, I think this book on fathers and sons will soothe his feelings. That doctor-friend may be surprised to know that medicine is not only good for textbooks, but also for short stories and essays. This book on practical foreign language phrases might help this friend communicate better with her fiance.

It doesn't need an occasion for me to give gift-books. When the right book comes out of my trawling expeditions, I feel giddy to buy it for the intended reader. So, my friends should not be surprised when I approach them, smiling with a book in hand. Each gift-book comes with this: I immediately thought of you when I saw this book. I'm happy to be the bridge so this book can cross over to you.

Bookworm of Gensan recommends: Summer Reads

Summertime is the best time to catch up on your reading! Whether you're on the beach trying hard to get a tan or deliberately avoiding the sun, or lounging on a hammock or easy-chair, try any of these books which are not only light on your eyes, but also on your pocket.

100 Kislap by Abdon Jun Balde Jr. - this gem of a book contains 100 bite-size stories (150 words or less). Reading this book is like eating peanuts - one you start, you can't stop. Just open it at any page and read away! Available at National Book Store.

Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan by Bob Ong: 2010's bestselling book and Bob Ong's 8th. This one is sure to raise some goosebumps as it is his first try at writing a horror novel. If a summer breeze is hard to come by wherever you're reading this, the shivers it generates will surely cool you down quick. Available at Bibliarch and National Book Store.

Paper Cuts by Pam Pastor - LOL moments abound in this tiny book that fits right into your kikay beach bag along with the sunscreen lotion. etc. Available at National Book Store.

8 Simple Secrets to Raising Entrepreneurs by Mary Joy Abaquin - for the father or mother who wants to teach their kids about money, business and life and not just rely on being employees after college. From Go Negosyo and available at National Book Store.

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King - features 4 novellas from Stephen King. Enough said. Available at Bibliarch and National Book Store.