Baguio and My Rainy Season Reading List

The rains have come once more. And I say this with restraint joy and quiet peace. This is my favorite time of the year here in Baguio. It typifies for me this place. If I have to think of a singular piece of time that I can call a “Baguio moment,” it will be like this picture I hurriedly took with my low-tech camera phone: cool breeze, foggy, and with the rain clouds just ready to pour forth a shower of blessing. Did I mention a strong brewed coffee at hand? Perfect.

a view of Burnham park on a foggy, almost rainy day

My list won’t be very long. I am teaching four courses this term, and so this means I am also reading my usual textbook readings plus student’s papers, among others, therefore my reading fare will expectedly not be extensive. My rainy season reading list:

1. The Complete Collection of Emily Dickinson’s Poetry – This spinster/loner/enigmatic poet captures just the right restraint of words that convey so much. Perfect for a rainy day.

2. Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain – An intensely active and brilliant young man decides to leave it all behind to become a Trappist monk (and wrote very deep and meaningful thoughts on spirituality) – a monk who forsakes all worldly goods, who will vow to be in silence and work with his hands, and then writes his autobiography. Now, wouldn’t that be interesting?

3. Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys - I don't have a copy of this book yet, but on my next trip to Manila, this will definitely be on my list of things to get.