Keeping busy while on vacation for a month

Among other things in this abnormally long Christmas break I plan to read the following books:


Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope by Jenna Bush

I got this one during our batchmates (Rocky's Batch) Christmas party. It's a story about someone infected with HIV at birth. A "wrenching story" according to a review I found in Amazon.com. There's nothing I love more than a wrenching story to read in between fantasy books.


The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

And speaking of fantasy books, this is one of them. It's about a boy raised in a graveyard by ghosts. Holly Black (co-creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles) promised that I would "love it to death". Ahh, there's no better book to read than the one that I should love till the end.

Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner

Just as the title says, it's about the history of the CIA. Almost a year ago, I read a review saying that this is a very interesting book about the agency. I found the hardcover edition while in Manila last February, but the book was very thick, and heavy, and expensive that I thought I'd wait for the paperback and hoped that National Bookstore (in Cebu) would carry the title. The paperback edition came. But apparently not in Cebu (NBS and Powerbooks). Thank God for Fully Booked (recently opened in Ayala Center Cebu).

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

This is a story about someone "born with the world's greatest power--- the power to create." This power made him a target. According to Kirkus Reviews, it will leave readers "breathless". Ahh, yes, a book that would take my breath away. This should be a perfect companion to Gaiman's book that, if I were to believe Holly Black, I should love to the death.

Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine

According to the publisher, it's for "ages 8 up", so I'm definitely one of the intended audience. It's written by somebody who actually wrote novels, so I just can't resist buying it. You see, I still have this dream of writing a novel someday, a dream getting tinier each day, but still alive, nonetheless. Gail wrote Ella Enchanted, which according to Orson Scott Card was in many ways superior to the movie version.