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LOUIE-AN PILAPIL
PHOTO
VIC GUERRERO (BOOKS); CECILE BELTRAN (SAMANTHA SOTTO)
roundup
MOVIES, BOOKS & MUSIC
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39
Samantha Sotto’s favorite
books reflect the literary
adventure she began on a
whim and is still enjoying. Her
decision to pass the time spent
waiting for her son to finish
school by writing a novel in
a coffee shop led her down
her very own rabbit hole-like
portal into the magical world
of publishing. Those early
days weren’t easy, Samantha
has said, as she had to
endure several heartbreaking
rejections before an agent
accepted the manuscript
for
Before Ever After
and
sold it to no less prominent
a publisher than Random
House. In 2011, her debut
novel finally hit bookstore
shelves and Samantha found
herself going on a book
tour, sitting for interviews,
being photographed and, in
the process, becoming an
inspiration to all writers who
dream of the day when their
work sees the light of day.
Given the fantastical bent of
her novel, it’s hardly surprising
that Samantha’s favorite books
lean towards the magical,
adventurous and funny. It’s as
if she unconsciously mapped
out her amazing journey from
Fantasy
meets reality
Go on a literary adventure with Samantha Sotto
full-time mother to author
with an international following.
After all, it’s said that everyone
creates their own universe.
GREEN EGGS
AND HAM BY
DR. SEUSS
This children’s classic was the
result of a dare. Bennet
Cerf, Dr. Seuss’ editor,
challenged the
author to write a
book using 50
words or less.
Why is this
one of her
all-time favorite
kids' books?
“It contains my
motto in life: Don’t
say no to anything
you haven’t tried.
Well, except drugs,”
Samantha says.
THE BELGARIAD
SERIES BY DAVID
EDDINGS
The acclaimed fantasy series
is an epic coming-of-age
tale about the exploits of an
orphaned farmboy named
Garion. “It’s a long story, but this
series is the reason I married my
husband.”
NEVERWHERE BY
NEIL GAIMAN
Samantha chose this literary icon’s
debut novel because she’s “drawn
to stories that weave magic into
the mundane. It makes you stop
and look at everyday places and
things and wonder, ‘What if?’”
MEMOIRS OF A
GEISHA BY ARTHUR
GOLDEN
Set in pre- and post-World War II
Japan, this novel is a first-person
account of the life and loves of
a geisha working in Kyoto. “After
reading this book, I swore that
Arthur Golden was secretly
Japanese. And a geisha.”
THE
HITCHHIKER’S
GUIDE TO THE
GALAXY BY DOUGLAS
ADAMS
A must-read for science-
fiction fans, the book chronicles
the comic (mis)adventures of
Arthur Dent, his pal Ford Prefect
and a gaggle of other interstellar
oddballs.
