block and books

i guess it's not so much the lack of time that hits a writer when sitting in front of a computer, but the lack of energy to write. who has energy left to write when one spends lots of time reading stuff on the web? sometimes, it is indeed bad to read too much.

right now, i'm reading haruki murakami's SPUTNIK SWEETHEART. i wanted to read this ever since i bought it early last year, but that stupid RING movie zapped out all the interest i have for anything japanese, especially in literature and cinema (but i still like tuna sashimi). so the mere mention of a jap name sends shivers down my writer spine. kaya i put off reading this book. inuna ko ang mga secondhand book finds ko na mga lesbian-oriented, like SWASHBUCKLER which i found sa secondhand book floor ng national bookstore sa cubao. ewan, kakaiba. maganda yung topics niya, historical siya 'day (think greenwich village, n.y. before '69 stonewall), but the writing doesn't grab me much. i guess doon na papasok yung good grasp of the language critique -- walang masyadong grasp dito, ni hulagpos wala. hard for my mind to hold on to. kaya it took me months to finish, grabe. as in. forever book siya. (pero wala pa ring tatalo sa forever book ni m na tatlong taon na yata niyang binabasa haha pero natapos na rin niya sa wakas)

pero babalik ko na lang yung resolution to read at least one novel per month. starting this month, although i doubt if i can finish the murakami this month, with all the non-literary happenings and all. hay... saka siguro babalik muna ko sa old reliables, like coupland and winterson. i read somewhere na may bago yatang novel ang lolo douglas ko, kaya may-i-buy din ako. also may projects din ata si lola jeanette so i'll check that out, too. wala pa sa powerbooks, pero tingin tayo sa iba.

kaya pala lately, helpful yung FASTFOOD FICTION: SHORT SHORT STORIES TO GO anthology namin sa anvil. indeed, i got back into my reading phase when i began reading that book. maganda nga yung concept na wala pang ten minutes each, tapos mo nang basahin yung mga kuwento sa ikli nila. cool. kaya lang nga, nakakabitin at frustrating minsan, parang every 6 mintues or so, you have to reorient yourself to a new world view, new pov, new characters, new scenario etc etc kasi nga bagong work yung binabasa mo. in that aspect, i miss novel reading, kasi sa novels at least tutok ka, sanay ka na sa isang guide na tutulong sa yo, and then handa ka nang dalhin sa iba't ibang direksyon. yun. kaya eto, sisimulan ko nga ulit yung novel reading ko. for my noursihment na rin. kaka-miss ding magbasa offline.