Tag: Book Reviews

The Summer of Letting Go: Catherine Dellosa Guides Us How to Deal with Loss and Love

My second book by Catherine Dellosa had me sobbing uncontrollably in the last couple of chapters, making my Sunday morning coffee a bit more salty than usual. It also has one of the most striking opening paragraphs I’ve ever come across: “Fate is fixed, love is a thunderstorm, and Cheetos are mankind’s greatest invention since… Read More The Summer of Letting Go: Catherine Dellosa Guides Us How to Deal with Loss and Love

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Get Cozy with the Supernatural: FLY BY NIGHT AND OTHER STORIES

In Filipino folklore, there are creatures that are reviled as often as they are revered. Among them, you have some big baddies like the manananggal (a winged shapeshifter that can detach its upper torso from its lower body and feeds on unborn babies), the mangkukulam (a witch for hire should you need to place a… Read More Get Cozy with the Supernatural: FLY BY NIGHT AND OTHER STORIES

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The Preying Birds (Mga Ibong Mandaragit) is a Prayer Across Generations

Now that THE PREYING BIRDS (Mga Ibong Mandaragit) by Amado V. Hernandez has been translated into English by Danton Remoto for Penguin Random House SEA in 2022, this reader finally got the chance to read a book I’ve been hearing about for so long, by an author recognized as a National Artist for Literature. What… Read More The Preying Birds (Mga Ibong Mandaragit) is a Prayer Across Generations

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Exploding Galaxies’ “The Three-Cornered Sun” by Linda Ty-Casper : A Contrapuntal Composition

“The chief glory of every people arises from its authors.” Debatable to some, for sure. But I am inclined to agree with Samuel Johnson, and with Susan Sontag. Especially after having read The Three-Cornered Sun. The Philippine War of Independence is usually summed up as a racial conflict that the Filipino Katipuneros waged against Spanish… Read More Exploding Galaxies’ “The Three-Cornered Sun” by Linda Ty-Casper : A Contrapuntal Composition

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Exploding Galaxies’ Pioneer Publication: But For The Lovers

“Lei the lovers. Petal all passion. Garlanded thus, the world was tolerable.” Exploding Galaxies‘ pioneer publication is an under-appreciated masterpiece, by any measure, that sets such a high expectation for their succeeding titles. Where do we sign up to pre-order Book 2? The multi-sensory pleasure begins when one picks up the book. Exploding Galaxies is… Read More Exploding Galaxies’ Pioneer Publication: But For The Lovers

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