Her Madgesty the Queen

I may have mentioned on this blog at one time or another that I am a huge fan of Madonna. This explains why her books deserve a separate post. She's a queen, she's a diva. Divas do not share the spotlight with anyone. Hehe!
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Madonna and I go way, way back. I was in fourth grade when I bought my first Madonna poster and hung it proudly in my room in Las Pinas. I think I even brought it when we moved to a new house in Alabang.
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Just recently, I almost registered for her fan club online, only to stop short when I had to enter my credit card number and pay for USD50 to get the complete fan club privileges. I'm a fan of her music and performances, alright, but I just wasn't ready to shell out that much money. I will just admire freely. Haha!
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Last week I bought two Madonna books.
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Life With My Sister Madonna (LWMSM) by Christopher Ciccone, and Madonna Inspirations.

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LWMSM drew a lot of attention when it was published a couple of years back because it showed Madonna in a somewhat bad light. Written by her brother, Christopher, it showed us the Madonna that he knew; that he grew up with, which is different from the "constructed public persona" that we all know. In other words, the book kinda says masama ang ugali ng lola mo. Well, kahit ano pa ang sabihin niya o nila, I still remain a true blue fan because above all, it's the music and the artistry that I admire. It was an interesting read. The author shared stories behind her concert tours, what goes on backstage, what happens after, etc.
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I was also telling my husband the other day that when I read the book, I found out that Madonna and I had so many things in common! Ok, it might sound wishful thinking (illusyonada is more like it!), but apart from the obvious (the singing) see here: Madonna likes making lists. Hello! I make all sorts of lists too: grocery lists, to-do's, wishlists complete with tick boxes! She also has an affinity for white stuff. Her dressing rooms are always painted white because she says that she looks better with a white background. Fans and admirers send her white flowers because they know that's what she likes. Duh? I have a white laptop with matching white mouse and white external memory! And when I buy stuff, I usually lean towards white. Gosh! Are we twins of what?! Haha!
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Negativity aside, I think the book showed Madonna for what she really is: she truly is the queen of pop. She worked hard to get where she is now and if she is a diva, she deserves it because she rocks!
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As if to validate or debunk the stuff that Christopher Ciccone wrote in LWMSM, I bought a DVD of one of her documentaries, I'm Gonna Tell You A Secret, and I watched it last night. It's about her Re-Invention Tour and the statement that she wanted to make (political and all). I didn't bother much with the politics because I was too mesmerized by her performances. She is not only a singer, but she is an artist, a performer. Ang galing galing! As for the book, it was the opposite of what I saw on film. She wasn't a bad person at all. She was, in fact very kind to her dancers, crew and assistant. Then again, that could have been scripted.
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Okay, enough about the biography. Let me share with you the other book that I bought, Madonna Inspirations. It's a compilation of black and white photos, illustrations and quotes from Madonna that people can draw inspiration from. I got it on sale (50% off!). I also bought it because at the back it says: "This book is essential for any Madonna fan and anyone who is interested to know how Madonna thinks." I was sold on the words "essential" and "fan". Haha!
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Let me share with you some of her quotes:
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"You can't sit around worrying about people disliking you because they're always going to be there".
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"I wanted to do everything everybody told me I couldn't do"
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"The person who was negative will bring negativity back towards himself"
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And my #1 fave: "I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a b*tch...Ok." Yeah, baby! Madonna, you rock!

Fully Booked

I have two good reasons for my long absence: 1) Mom, dad and my sister were here a couple of weeks ago so I didn't have much time to go online, and 2) I was fully booked.

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aFrom top to bottom; left to right: Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour and Kitchen Confidential, Life With My Sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone, Madonna Inspirations, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella.

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Yes, these books have kept me off the internet in the past couple of weeks. It was like I woke up one morning and had a huge craving for reading! I think I spent a total of three whole days hanging out in bookstores, browsing until I made my purchase. I didn't buy them all at the same time, by the way.
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To give you an idea about the books that I've been reading: In Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain tells us what inspired him to become a chef, how he rose from being a lowly dishwasher to executive chef, what exactly goes on inside the kitchen and other intriguing "adventures in the culinary underbelly". When I read this book, I fell in love with Tony all the more. He is so cool and I love that he's into rock and roll. Haha!
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This book brought me back to my Highlands days when certain assignments for the newletter and events would require me to visit the kitchen and hang out with the chefs. Aahhh, how I love those days...being in the kitchen with the chefs, watching them do their magic (I was lucky to get free tips and recipes from some of them!), admiring and lusting over the array of ingredients and equipment was truly the best part of my job in Highlands. My favorite part was doing the monthly feature on Bread and Cake of the Month, which would require me to visit the pastry chef and to take a photo of the food. The chef knows that I am a big fan of his work so he always lets me sample the food after the photoshoot. Wasn't that the best job or what? Anyway, I'm getting off topic here. Back to the book. So if you like watching Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, you will probably like Kitchen Confidential as well.
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Remember Me? is about a girl who got amnesia from a car crash. The story revolves around her trying to remember the last three years of her life, how she went from a plain working girl to a corporate big shot with a trendy apartment, a closet full of designer clothes and a good-looking millionaire husband. It's delightful, yes, but it wasn't exactly memorable for me. You see, I've read the entire Shopaholic series of Sophie Kinsella. I loved it. It's funny, very entertaining, and I love that I was able to relate to it in some way. I was probably expecting the same from this book (not that I ever had amnesia or had been in a car crash), but I felt kinda bitin. But this won't stop me from reading the other books that she wrote. I still plan to complete my Sophie Kinsella collection in the future (two more books to go!).
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You might be wondering why I have a dictionary in the photo. I just bought it recently to help me with some of the words that I come across. I just figured that having one at arm's length while reading is a lot easier than having to look up the word on the internet!
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I will be talking about the Madonna books on a separate post :) Meanwhile, let me share with you the last book, the one that I am currently reading:
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What makes this book special is I had to search five different bookstores (Kinokuniya and Asia Books at Siam Paragon, Asia Books Warehouse at Erawan Plaza, Asia Books and B2S at Central World) for this baby. I was about to give up my search when I found one copy, in pristine condition (I'm OC so I like my books to look perfectly new with no creases on the cover and pages), at Kinokuniya Central World. If the book had a single crease on it, I would have had second thoughts about buying it, but it was perfect. Like it was just sitting there, waiting for me to bring it home (after paying, that is). I was floating on clouds and I declared it a good book shopping day.
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A Cook's Tour is about Tony going around the world and eating all sorts of stuff. This culinary tour is anything but conventional. I mean, would you count eating the beating heart of a live cobra the usual tourist foodfare? Intruiging, huh? Anyway, I haven't finished the book yet, but I'm loving it. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at Tony's wit and humor. After this book, I plan to read more of Bourdain's books. Hopefully they will not be hard to find.
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So there you have it, my latest literary adventure :) I'd like to know what you've been reading lately and if you have any book suggestions, do let me know.