Exploding Galaxies returns to its roots by publishing the short stories of Wilfrido D. Nolledo, whose novel “But for the Lovers” marked the audacious birth of the publishing company in 2023, focused exclusively on bringing lost Filipino classics to light. “I put a tongue to all the wounds.” Nolledo’s mastery of the English language can… Read More CANTICLES FOR DARK LOVERS : A Seduction in Sixteen Short Stories
“One foot ahead of the other. One shaky step at a time… Sometimes, that was all life asked of us. A bit of motion, so we could feel that we were heading somewhere worthwhile.” A good YA novel is a rare thing. Sometimes the characters come across as immature, and slightly annoying, to more mature… Read More Fudge My Life: A YA Novel Stuffed with Life Lessons
“It is in the everyday experiences of ordinary women that we find true history – the texture of our nation as lived, felt, and dreamed,” writes Zea Asis, one of the contributors to this book about women “navigating a world ablaze.” There is much that makes this book special. The cover alone is a clever… Read More UNWRITTEN WOMEN: You Can’t Spell “Heroism” Without “Her”
“You become the story you tell yourself.” Weddings are full of drama, and in one of those intersections of real life and reading life, I found myself reading “Mirror Marked” the week after my brother got married. With a whole new appreciation for the chutzpah unique to wedding planners, I found myself thoroughly charmed by… Read More Mirror Marked: A Reflection on Authenticity
Do not be deceived by the cute, eye-catching cover (well-made as it is). Do not make my mistake of thinking that you’re in for a fun, light romp through the misadventures of a millennial Filipina. A closer inspection of the cover reveals the black blood of the dinuguan hinting at darker themes, the stressed-out cats… Read More Some Days I Wish I Was A Cat: Furious in Pink
The pleasure in realizing that you’ve been missing out on something absolutely wonderful usually comes when you close a book, sniffling back tears from the leaky teapot that is now your face. I had been hearing about Tori Tadiar for the longest time, as the bookish community was abuzz with joy and pride at her… Read More Twinkle, Twinkle: A Radiant Little Book
“For the world of tales is the land of legend and dream, even if the characters move and speak in the here and now. And sometimes, it seems to me that only sorcery and enchantment can capture the strangeness of ‘real life.’” ~ Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo It took reading this World Fantasy Award winning book… Read More MAPPING NEW STARS: The Theory and Practice of Filipino Speculative Fiction
They say those who laugh hardest are those who have tasted more of life’s bitterness. It’s as if, having known shadow, they revel in the light all the more. The same could be said for the author of “Even Ducks Get Liver Cancer.” Wilfredo Liangco is an oncologist (in layman’s terms, a cancer doctor), one… Read More Even Ducks Get Liver Cancer: Stories as Medicine for the Soul
Few books have forewords that embrace its reader in an emotional chokehold, already sniffing through a mist of tears. This is such a book. Veteran journalist Atom Araullo introduces his powerful collection of eight articles and accompanying photos as “stories that don’t shout, but linger.” These are long-term issues from all over the Philippines and… Read More A View From The Ground: An Intimate Look at Filipino Reality
Fil-Am author Elaine Castillo’s second novel is so woke, this reader had to read every other sentence twice to fully parse out the pointed inequalities marking even the most seemingly innocent exchanges. To Castillo, the pen is a sword, the page a battlefield in a story that is part-romance, part social critique with a dash… Read More Moderation: A Cynical Love Story
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