Most people start their mornings with coffee. This bookworm from Cebu starts hers with a chapter or five. Before the rest of Cebu stirs awake, she’s already sitting on the concrete steps of Gaisano Capital South, reading. The mall is where her workplace rents space, and it opens at 7:30 a.m., but she gets there around 6.
“I told myself, how do I pass the time without having my phone stolen in Colon?” Margaux de la Paz shared in an email interview with SunStar Lifestyle.
“Aside from finding time to read before work starts, I also read during my lunch break and after work. I even sneak a bit of reading in before dozing off to sleep. It’s apparent that reading is truly one of the things I’m addicted to.”
Many books later
At 31, Margaux read 81 books this year and counting (as of press time), all while juggling a full-time 8-to-5 job and finishing her master’s degree in psychology, which she graduated from recently. For her, it’s an outlet from a high-stress job.
“Reading makes me forget work. When I read, I always imagine that I’m the characters in the books I read, and that always leaves me with a happy feeling. So with that desire to escape reality and relieve stress, you could say I’ve been very stressed since last year; hence,
I was able to read 81 books since January of this year,” she said.
And if last year’s reading spree of 54 books from August to December was impressive, this year she’s taken it up a notch. Just consistency and a well-loved habit she’s had since she was six, when her mom handed her “The Little Prince.”
“To make sure that my reading habits are intact, I always make sure to read what really interests me. I won’t force myself to read genres I’m uncomfortable with; otherwise, that would put me in a reading slump,” she said. “When I’m on the lookout for new titles, I make it a point to read the synopsis to see if the story would be worth my while.”
From romantic fantasy to historical fiction, her recent favorites include “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt, “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab, “Mother of Rome” by Lauren J.A. Bear and “Somewhere Beyond the Sea” by T.J. Klune.
But beyond the fantasy lands and emotional rollercoasters, reading has also helped her stay grounded. “Academically, reading has expanded my vocabulary, boosted my comprehension and sharpened my critical thinking skills,” she said.
And while many might assume she must have loads of free time, her schedule says otherwise. She just graduated with her master’s this year, on top of her job.
“You will always have the time for what you enjoy. They say, ‘If there’s a will, there’s a way,’ and that adage cannot be any more true when it comes to your passion. You will always find a way,” she said. “You don’t have to buy a physical copy of the book. You can choose to read with e-readers or audiobooks (and audiobooks still count as reading). The beauty of technology is that it has made reading more accessible.”
She’s also found comfort in community. This year, she joined Book Chicas PH, a book club that’s helped her discover more titles and friends. For August, they’re featuring Filipino authors in celebration of Buwan ng Wika. So, what’s next on her reading list? Book number 82.
Books, for her, are a way to stay whole in a world that constantly asks too much and she invites everyone to do the same.