Saab Magalona and the five books that shaped her childhood

Her grandparents — Philippine cinema icons of the ‘50s Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran — were two of my favorite people when I was in college. I was great friends with her aunts and uncles and met her dad when he was only seven years old. I am happy to see her continuously growing in her chosen field.

“Saab Magalona has been a blogger since 2003. By simply being herself and writing nothing but the truth, she has created her own brand and her sea of followers view her as a role model. On Twitter she has over 340,000 followers. What sets Saab apart from most bloggers is that she does not care to count her blog readers or obsess about her ranking in the blogosphere. Her followers have literally followed her nomadic blog for nine years through its transitions from Blogspot, Livejournal, Tumblr, Private Yahoo Mailing Lists, to Wordpress. This is a following that cannot be bought. This is the reason Saab is more of an influencer than simply a blogger.

“Saab has also been slapping people on TV shows since 2010 when she signed a five-year contract with GMA7. What makes her happiest, though, is performing with her two bands — the upbeat all-girl band Duster (currently recording) and her solo project BBYGRL. She is also busy with her newest project, music production company GRRRL Scout, where she and her partner Candy Gamos produce gigs for both new and established local acts.”

I heard that Saab is a voracious reader so I asked her to share her favorite books with us: 

“It’s really hard for me to choose favorites. Perhaps let’s call these the five books that shaped my childhood.”

1. Enid Blyton collection of stories.

“After my Richard Scarry phase, Enid Blyton books were the first books I read that had more words than pictures. It was all very magical with fairies and talking rocking horses. I learned to use my imagination.”

2. I Wish That I Had Duck Feet by Dr. Seuss.

“This was a very creepy book for me. Dr. Seuss took ‘be careful what you wish for’ to a whole new level when the little boy got everything he wished for. I guess this is one of the reasons why I don’t really ask anyone for anything, actually. It taught me to make the most of what I have.”

3. The Berenstain Bears First Time Books collection. “I loved The Berenstain Bears! They reminded me of my own family — sometimes chaotic but mostly solid. I liked reading the stories because the bears shared the same values as my family.”

4. The Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl. “It was my first Roald Dahl book. I absolutely fell in love with it. Enid Blyton and The Berenstain Bears were collections of short stories and Roald Dahl’s BFG was my first ‘big girl’ book as it was a full novel. It took me to a different universe where snozzcumbers and frobscottles existed.”

5. Nancy Drew: The Secret of The Old Clock by Carolyn Keene. “My mom had a collection of Nancy Drew books and this was the first one I read. I loved Nancy Drew! She’s such a tough, smart girl.”

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The Reading Club recommends Pronounce It Perfectly in English for people who need a little help... hoping for a career in call centers or just for reference. Available in National Bookstore or Powerbooks.

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Your suggestions and questions are welcome at gr.rodis@yahoo.com.