My Top 5 Reads for 2019

THESE ALL MADE ME CRY. I truly believe they're essential reading! And yes, get the hardcover editions if you can... THEY'RE WORTH IT! (Coming from a penny-pinching, eternal paperback purchaser... this says a lot!)

(These are arranged in no particular order)

1. CHERNOBYL PRAYER by Nobel prize winning historian Svetlana Alexievich is a collection of first-hand testimonies from survivors and next-of-kin, written in monologue form. Best taken in small doses because each one is like a knife in the heart. They reveal the mortal danger of government inefficiency and cover-ups.

2. PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING by Fil-Am author Randy Ribay is a YA tale of a teenager whose cousin is an EJK victim under Duterte's regime. Don't let the YA classification fool you. This is necessary reading for all ages.

3. DARK AGE by Pierce Brown is the fifth book in the RED RISING series, the longest and the best. When I think of the word "epic," Dark Age comes to mind! It's 700 pages of gory damn good writing. It just doesn't get any better than this. It transcends genre! Think Roman and Greek mythology plus Ender's Game with Game of Thrones thrown in.

4. A DUTERTE READER: CRITICAL ESSAYS ON RODRIGO DUTERTE'S EARLY PRESIDENCY is a nonfiction book published by Ateneo Press in 2017. It's a wonderful collection of different papers written by academics from various fields, and a refreshingly objective way to make sense of recent political events.

5. FIRE FROM HEAVEN is the first in Mary Renault's classic trilogy on Alexander the Great, and the best written of the three! A nice combo would be to read the series and watch HBO's WATCHMEN, because the theme is the same: a deep reflection on human nature and hubris.

And hurrayness, I finished my Goodreads Challenge for 2019!!!

Book Review: VIENNA BLOOD (The Liebermann Papers # 2) by Frank Tallis

Vienna Blood by Frank Tallis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is the second book in The Liebermann Papers series, and the third one I've read. The author, Frank Tallis, manages to make 1902 Vienna come alive with historically accurate descriptions of Mahler's conducting, Freud's lectures, and most importantly, the detailed write ups of Viennese coffee houses and desserts!!

Gorgeous setting, check! Mouth-watering dessert descriptions, check check! Intelligent dialogue and well-constructed plot, triple check!

And instead of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, we have Detective Inspector Rheinhardt paired with Doctor Max Liebermann, who hunt for serial killers by day, and meet up for music-making at night, singing around the Bosendorfer piano before working some more.

The music major in me revels in the descriptions of the lieder or the operas that they listen to, but it's not thrown in merely for pedantic effect. It's always connected to the case they're working on. I didn't think Mozart and murder went together, but Frank Tallis changed my mind!

It was such a pleasant surprise to discover that the first three books of the series has been made into a BBC TV show! Entitled... VIENNA BLOOD! :) For the trailer, go to this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg1rX...



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Book Review: FUNERAL GAMES (Alexander the Great # 3) by Mary Renault

Funeral Games by Mary Renault

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"It is for the scholars of each generation to purge it of its errors, before they infect the next."

"All those great men. When Alexander was alive, they pulled together like one chariot team. And when he died, they bolted like chariot horses when the driver falls. And broke their backs like horses, too."

I finally read the last book in Mary Renault's trilogy on Alexander the Great, and it has left me feeling more shocked and dismayed than did the other two books. And this says A LOT, when you factor in the fact that Book 2 ends with Alexander the Great's death!

Book 3 opens with Alexander's death in 323 BCE and ends in 310 BCE, with a postlude set in 286 BCE. It tells the tragic story of how his great empire (the largest one in the ancient world, stretching from Egypt to India) disintegrates in the span of thirteen years... which some sources say parallels the thirteen years it took for him to conquer these lands.

What shocked me was the inhumanity of the murders that kin committed against kin, brother Macedonian against brother Macedonian... the women proving more barbaric than the men. And yes, while this is a work of fiction, Mary Renault is known to base her novels on historical fact. She even lists her primary sources at the end!

For instance, it is a fact that Alexander the Great had a half-brother who was "on the spectrum," to be politically correct about it. His story, I suppose, was one of the more tragic ones, because of his innocence.

Also, Alexander the Great had at least TWO sons (some sources say he had three), from two different women, both of whom also have tragic ends ... ON WHICH I AM HAVING DIFFICULTY RESTRAINING MYSELF TO COMMENT ON BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO POST SPOILERS... But then again, can one spoil if it's history? Ahaha.

It is the death of the innocents that leave me so dismayed, and also makes one reflect on Legacy.

There is much to chew upon. The novels, while based in antiquity, speak much of human nature, both its bestiality and its nobility. And I take comfort in the fact that the book ends in a library, with the one remaining general of Alexander's (Ptolemy, now Pharoah and founder of a dynastic line that ended with Cleopatra) writing his version of events, to counteract the negative propaganda that his rival Kassandros spread.

Flesh dies, but books remain. And this glorious series is truly a treasure-trove I shall reread all throughout my life.

(Rated it only 4 stars because of all the violence, ahuhuhu, because it's impossible to LOVE something so bloody! But to be honest, the writing deserves 10 out of 5 stars!)

And if you're in the mood to learn more, I highly recommend this amazing review! https://www.theguardian.com/books/boo...


Click on the links to see my reviews for Book 1 and Book 2 of the trilogy.

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Book Review: MOOMIN (Comic Strip Vol. 2)

Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Vol. 2 by Tove Jansson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Book 2 has four new stories told in the form of comic strips, and we are introduced to Mymble and Little My, and Mrs. Fillyjonk! And it is every bit as charming as the first volume.

It is so comforting to read! A fitting book to start the Christmas break with. It offers advice on how to rear children ("I don't like to keep scolding them. I just pour some water over them... or lemonade."), how to embrace change instead of blindly following society's dictates ("No, we are not going to hibernate. We shall create new traditions!"), how to face life with humor and joy, and how to be generous with one's neighbors.

We love Moomin!

View my review for Volume 1 here.

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Book Review: THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (A Memoir) by Karen Armstrong

The Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book cut me to the quick, in ways too profound to discuss at length here on social media, and will require a blog entry unto itself! But I simply can’t rave enough about my third Karen Armstrong book. And I suspect it will appeal to anyone (everyone?) who has been hurt or disillusioned by flawed humans in any organized religion.

I first heard of Karen Armstrong at the dinner table several years ago, when my dad would speak of her as the ex-nun who went on to write religious books that presented the true history of Christianity, without white-washing its messy, bloody past, as well as emphasizing Christianity’s commonalities with other major world religions.

I went on to read two of her books during my years as an Asian Civilization and World History high school teacher (“The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism” and “The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions”). These books gave me new appreciation for Protestant / Jewish/ Islamic fundamentalism (as an understandable reaction to the challenges of homogenizing modernity), as well as a renewed appreciation for the Axial Age of the 8th to 3rd century BCE (and yes, it’s Before Common Era and not BC = Before Christ, out of respect for the rest of the world that does not subscribe to Christianity). I remember being amazed at the idea that practically all philosophical traditions were born in this era! Confucianism and Taoism. Hinduism and Buddhism. The roots of the three Abrahamic faiths.

I remember thinking I was very lucky to teach in a nonsectarian school, where there was no Christian Living subject, but where Values/ GMRC was taught separately from discussing the world religions in the context of world history, not as theology. Having students from different faiths in the class made for rich discussions, and I believe we all benefited from realizing that there were several different ways to worship our Creator, and that there were more things that united our faiths than separated them.

This third Karen Armstrong book was vastly different in tone from the two others, being a memoir rather than an academic text. How can a former nun turned agnostic become a leading international figure in interfaith dialogue? This book recounts her amazing journey, from the nunnery, to Oxford, to her time as an English high school teacher, to her life-changing trip to Jerusalem. It reminded me a great deal of Thomas Merton’s “Seven Storey Mountain!” Except that while the latter made its readers run to seminaries, the former just might make would-be nuns re-think the “Get thee to a nunnery” inclination, ahaha.

I suppose this is why this book speaks to me enormously. Close friends know that 2019 was a difficult one (to put it mildly!!), causing many a cry unto heaven, many a dark night of the soul. And I only realized it when I was reading this book, encountering similar challenges, familiar struggles.
Karen Armstrong’s book makes us appreciate how God’s infinite nature cannot be confined within the walls of any religious institution. He is greater than human understanding, deeper than demagogic dogma.

Armstrong also reiterates her call for compassion to be put in practice:

“The one and only test of a valid religious idea…was that it must lead directly to practical compassion. If your understanding of the divine made you kinder, more empathetic and impelled you to express this sympathy in concrete acts of loving-kindness, this was good theology. But if your notion of God made you unkind, belligerent, cruel, or self-righteous, or if it led you to kill in God’s name, it was bad theology.”

“If we cannot accommodate a viewpoint in a friend without resorting to unkindness, how can we hope to heal the terrible problems of our planet? I no longer think that any principle or opinion is worth anything if it makes you unkind or intolerant.

“Our task now is to mend our broken world; if religion cannot do that, it is worthless. And what our world needs now is not belief, not certainty, but compassionate action and practically expressed respect for the sacred value of all human beings, even our enemies.”

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!



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Book Review: CHERNOBYL PRAYER by Svetlana Alexievich

Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future by Svetlana Alexievich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"This is not a book on Chernobyl, but on the world of Chernobyl... What I'm concerned with is what I would call the "missing history," the invisible imprint of our stay on earth and in time... I am trying to capture the life of the soul... How many times has art rehearsed the apocalypse? Now, though, we can be assured that life is infinitely more fantastical."

The show that impacted me the most this past year was HBO's "Chernobyl," and writer/producer Craig Mazin said of this book that this was where he "always turned to find beauty and sorrow."

I thought nothing could top the horrors depicted in the series. But as it turns out, there ARE more horrible things! Things unfilmable, things unimaginable, that broke my heart as I read the powerful monologues in this unforgettable book by a Nobel laureate.

I couldn't help but imagine how much more powerful this would be if it was staged or read aloud. The author wrote them down in monologue form, and the variety and number of the monologues are striking. From wives of first-responders, to children and mothers and fathers, to farmers and scientists and intellectuals... all striving for meaning, for some sense to come from their incredible suffering.

Then again, I'm not sure I could bear a live reading of these monologues, when reading them bit by bit already made me weep.

Julian Barnes wrote that the book leaves radiation burns on the brain, and it really does. It truly does.

It is not easy reading. But it is very necessary, if only to remember the names of the innocent who died, victims of a heartless government who cared more for its public face than for the fate of its people.

For that is the greater horror of Chernobyl... not the unimaginable scale of the disaster that still threatens all life on earth, and will continue to do so for thousands of years to come... what is more horrible is the human element of Chernobyl. Despite all the heroism, there was the cover-up, the willful neglect... the organized deception. And thousands died because of it.



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Book Review: THE TOLL (Arc of a Scythe # 3) by Neal Shusterman

The Toll by Neal Shusterman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


" "Why stress my emotional nanites by thinking of terrible things?"
A fine philosophy until the terrible thing comes to you."

The final book of the Arc of a Scythe series ended the trilogy with a neat ending, although one I didn't see coming! And while it left me unsatisfied with the fate of some characters, it is still a pleasant thing to recover from that cliffhanger of an ending in Book 2. The good thing about reading the last book in a series is that there aren't any more cliffs.

Shusterman takes elements of our own world and puts it in his book. Here we have a bisexual character whose gender changes with the weather, to underscore how changeable and inconsequential it is for some. We also have a powerful leader whose lust for power makes him change the laws of his country so he can persecute... and eventually kill... all the groups who dare to question his authority. And we have the Thunderhead, whose story arc asks, just how long can artificial intelligence remain... artificial?

A quick read, a great plot. Typical Shusterman. If I had to rate the books, however, I'd say Book 1 was great, Book 2 was the best of them all, and Book 3 was... OK. I imagine this would appeal greatly to a YA audience, especially because of all the moral and ethical quandaries brought up in the books.



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Book Review: THE ART OF THEFT (Lady Sherlock # 4) by Sherry Thomas

The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"If there is sunshine I can walk beneath, and a good book to read in peace and quiet, then I'll be happy."

Book 4 of the Lady Sherlock series does not disappoint! Sherry Thomas is one of those "buy-on-sight" authors because as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow and that your Book Depository purchases will show up on your credit card bill every month, you know that an S.T. novel will be filled with intelligent dialogue, a multitude of twists and turns, and elevated... nay, ARTISTIC prose.

Book 4 bring us an Indian queen. A shady art gallery. Charlotte's eternal battle between appetite and Maximum Number of Tolerable Chins. Pansexual relationships (tastefully presented) amongst middle-aged respectable people. And the usual S.T. verbal acrobatics.

In terms of stakes, I'd say the stakes were highest in Book 3. But Book 4 still places them in quite enough danger that you still feel a delicious frisson while reading. Not to mention a most memorable "sparring" match between heroine and hero. Ah... don't you LOVE those?

What I loved about Book 4 was the reunion of the cast of characters from the previous books, whom I've come to care for very much. And apart from the far-from-the-usual romance of our lead, Charlotte Holmes, there is also the love story of her sister, Livia.

And there we have it. Love. Everyone who has read this series has come to love it. Eagerly awaiting Book 5!

Here are the links to reviews of Book 3, Book 2, and Book 1.


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Book Review: THE PERSIAN BOY (Alexander the Great # 2) by Mary Renault

The Persian Boy by Mary Renault

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“It is better to believe in men too rashly, and regret, than believe too meanly. Men could be more than what they are, if they would try for it. He has shown them that… Those who look in mankind only for their own littleness, and make them believe in that, kill more than he ever will in all his wars.”

The second book of the Alexander trilogy was very different in tone from the first, as the entire thing is narrated by the true-to-life lover and faithful companion named Bagoas. But of course, the quality of Renault's writing remains ever so lyrical and excellent. I feel like reading a single page ennobles me, if that makes sense??

Renault writes very sympathetically of the relationship between the two, a love that was greater than jealousy borne from Alexander’s two marriages and his older relationship with Hephaistion. She points out that as of his lifetime, "the Christian ideal of chastity was still unborn,” and treats the tender relationship with respect and compassion, never vulgar nor explicit.

It is a love that makes Bagoas follow Alexander through continent after continent, war after war. Through barren deserts and raging rivers and mountain eyries, Bagoas follows and bears all suffering because he can’t bear to be where Alexander is not… until the very end. And even without all his riches, one may call Alexander rich for having a love such as this. *sniff*

I leave the second book with a heavy heart, knowing that the disintegration of the mighty empire is yet to come in Book 3.


See my review for Book 1 here.

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Book Review: MOOMIN (Comic Strip Vol. 1)

Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Vol. 1 by Tove Jansson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One of my favorite books as a child was Tove Jansson's "Comet in Moominland." I remember loving every part of the novel... The dialogue, the illustrations, the cover... It was just PERFECT!

But it wasn't until this first volume that I got to read about Moomin's adventures in comic strip form. And it's just as perfect! Old-school charm, humor with a bit of snarkiness, and a surprising amount of adult themes (including heavily hinted depression) make for a unique reading experience that I just can't get enough of. I need more Moomin in my life!!!

Moomin shows us that problems do come, they are unavoidable... But as long as you've got your family, "with imagination and faith, all problems will be solved!“
May we all "live in peace, plant potatoes, and dream!"



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Book Review: FIRE FROM HEAVEN (Alexander the Great # 1) by Mary Renault

Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“To die, even a little, one should do it for something great.”

This is my third Renault book. Twice before she ensorcelled me back into Ancient Greece, when I read of Theseus and a realistic treatise of his struggle with the House of Minos. I remember being in awe of how the tale was even more epic and no less fantastic, even without the half-man, half-bull.

This third book, the first of Renault’s famous Alexander the Great trilogy, was even better!! With the author being in the height of her powers, having written these much later than the Theseus novels.

What do you get when you combine the scholarship of an Oxford graduate with the real life experience of a World War II nurse who treated Dunkirk survivors?

A unique blend of fantasy and realism, where you can see Grecian dirt and smell fresh Hellene blood, hear the battle cries of hoplites struggling to maintain their phalanx formations, and practically taste the wild Macedonian air in your mouth.

Renault breathes life into an Alexander who is all too human, with flaws like ours, but becomes superhuman through his sheer willpower in his quest for self-mastery.

I knew some of the facts of Alexander’s life beforehand (don’t we all?), but Renault gifts us with an entire supporting cast, masterfully illustrating their innermost psychological workings as well as their actions.

This first book tells us of Alexander’s infancy until the time he takes over as Regent at the age of twenty. We become privy to his traumatic childhood, one where Father and Mother fought each other for control over the young boy’s education and ultimately, his destiny.

One of the things I admire most about Renault is how she treats bisexual relationships in her novels. Neither condemning nor sensationalizing, she presents us a pre-Christian world that recognizes the value of pairing lovers in battle. Renault has given me a whole new appreciation for the Sacred Band of Thebes, “having each in his charge a twofold honour, did not retreat; they advanced, or stood, or died.” For “suppose a state or an army could be made up only of lovers and beloved… Even a few of them, fighting side by side, might well conquer the world.”

It’s good to be reminded of the greatness that sleeps in all men’s souls. As Alexander whispered to Boukephalos before riding into battle: “Remember who we are.”




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Book Review: WAR : TALES OF CONFLICT AND STRIFE by Roald Dahl

War: Tales of Conflict and Strife by Roald Dahl

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“I know that I am not a coward. I am certain of that. I will always keep going… and although I am so frightened that I can hardly think, yet I am going on to do this thing. There was never any question of not going or of turning back. I would rather die than turn back.”

Now THIS is, quite simply, excellent story telling! I'd always known Roald Dahl was a fighter pilot in the War, but I didn’t know of the details of his extraordinary adventures… until now. To me, they are far more amazing than the fantastic tales he wrote for children!

This volume contains his autobiographical novella, GOING SOLO, as well as seven short stories. They're all about his experiences during the War, and all are masterfully written, but the novella and the stories are completely different in tone. The novella is very optimistic and cheerful, while the stories are darker, more sinister… and one of them in particular struck me as being very timely for Halloween. “They Shall Not Grow Old” sent chills up and down my spine with the tale of a fellow fighter pilot who disappears for two days and comes back, reporting that he had been with “the pilots and air crews who had been killed in battle, who now, in their own aircraft were making their last flight, their last journey.”

No fictional glass elevator, no imaginary chocolate factory can compare with this amazing book, which leaves the reader grateful to live in a time of peace, with greater appreciation of the many blessings living in peacetime gives:

“All the things I want to do and all the things I want to see… like going home sometimes. Like walking through a wood. Like pouring a drink from a bottle. Like looking forward to weekends and like being alive every hour every day every year for fifty years.”

Penguin Books released seven other collections of Roald Dahl’s works (Lust, Madness, Cruelty, Deception, Trickery, Innocence, and Fear), and I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest!



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Book Review: THE HOLLOW OF FEAR (Lady Sherlock # 3) by Sherry Thomas

"Why only one croissant when she can have three instead?" Why only read one Lady Sherlock novel when you can read three... Or four?! Lady Sherlock is baaaaaaack with Book # 3, which I think is the best (thus far) in the series! Our favorite intellectual heroine-who-diets-when-she-has-reached-the-Maximum-Number-of-Tolerable-Chins returns, and once again, Sherry Thomas absolutely SLAYS with her skillful use of language, well-constructed plot, and pages that SHIMMER with passion eloquently parsed! The stakes are higher. The big reveals are … BIGGER! And I love that characters and events from previous novels are brought forth, taking on even greater importance. It shows just how much thought and care went into the planning of this alternate universe where Sherlock is a lady, in a time when women were not as free as men. This book will appeal to lovers of mystery and romance, and again, no one does *kilig* quite like Sherry Thomas. “It didn’t matter what kind of seas they sailed, warm, cold, smooth, or choppy. It didn’t matter where they were headed, empty wilderness or teeming metropolises. It mattered only that they were together at last.” *sigh* With something that will light up both your dead-cold-heart and your mind, this book (and this series) is a winner! And hurrayness, Book 4 just came out this month! (Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars)

My Review of Lady Sherlock Book # 1

My Review of Lady Sherlock Book # 2

Book Review: A CONSPIRACY IN BELGRAVIA (Lady Sherlock # 2) by Sherry Thomas

A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was utterly lovely, although I preferred Book 1.

I think I spoiled the book for myself when I would read a couple of pages at a time, spread out over the better part of two weeks. It's one of those "shut yourself away and focus" books because there are so many important details and clues leading up to "THE BIG REVEAL" at the very end.

Sherry Thomas writes mystery so well, but she truly is a romance novelist master. She writes of heartache and longing so eloquently!

"And the sensation zipping all along her nerve endings -- as if she were taking on solidity and existence for the first time, as if until now she had been an apparition, drifting in the shadows, a mere shimmer under the sun."

Let's see how Book 3 fares!

My Review for Lady Sherlock Book 1

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Book Review: A SINGER'S NOTEBOOK by Ian Bostridge

A Singer's Notebook by Ian Bostridge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Even small things can delight us." -- Bostridge, quoting Hugo Wolf

This is the very first book I ordered from abroad (thank you Book Depository!!!), and I spent three weeks praying nightly that the package would arrive safely from the UK! It is not available locally here in Manila, and I’ve been wanting to read it for ages, having been a huge fan for years! And I was not disappointed! The package arrived, and the book proved worth the wait.

It is one of the most difficult things in the world to write about something as intangible and abstract as music. And as if having the voice of an angel wasn’t enough, this book is proof that British tenor Ian Bostridge possesses the brain of a god as well. Reading this collection of essays (primarily on lieder and Britten but including a few book and opera reviews) was like listening to a very funny professor who blended incredible learning and vast performance experience with a delightfully hilarious sense of humor. Think Daniel Barenboim, but more opera buffa than seria.

For example, Bostridge writes: "My life is governed by phlegm to an extent that utterly disgusts my friends and family." Ahahahaha. Also, he speaks of Hugo Wolf's lieder having "Wagner's endless melody without the endlessness." Haha!

But also... Ian Bostridge’s first career was that of a legitimate historian (with a PhD from Oxford!), and IT SHOWS. The book is interspersed with a smattering of academic lingo, such as “noumenal,” “chary” and “dyspeptic,” with quotations from the likes of Wittgenstein, Jaspers, and the composers themselves. There's discussions of Teutonic "Kultur" versus French "Zivilisation" and pages where Bostridge waxes poetic over the dissolution of tonality and what it meant for Romanticism's language of irrationality.

This “notebook” brought memories of Music Literature classes in college. Ian Bostridge would have had a great career as a professor! He made me want to listen to all the recordings and works he discussed, and anyone who makes readers thirst to listen to Janacek or Hans Werner Henze FOR FUN truly has a gift.

Mind you, Ian Bostridge is no highbrow elitist, despite his qualifications. He writes of learning from Barbra Streisand and Bob Dylan, and speaks of what classical musicians can learn from the best of popular ones.

Highly accessible as well as being highly learned, this book is a treat for anyone interested in music (and that’s ALL of us)! I suggest that it be read in small doses, a few chapters at a time, so you can listen to the song cycles / operas he mentions on Spotify while drinking your tea with scones and clotted cream.

I am soooo looking forward to immersing myself in Ian Bostridge’s second book this coming sembreak!



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Musical Review: SWEENEY TODD (Atlantis)

Part I:

GABI-LIVES-UNDER-A-ROCK-Trivia # 24601:I hadn't had the chance to watch SWEENEY when it came out as a movie, and so my first exposure was LIVE, today.

And BOOM! Fellow ignoramuses and I were cursing under our breath during the second act. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it live for maximum effect! If Lea Salonga isn't enough to make it an automatic buy... There's also the fact that the entire ensemble had golden voices! And truly beautiful music played by the ABS-CBN Philharmonic. Iba talaga ang Pinoy talent. And it's an Atlantis prod, so you know you're in for an excellent show! They run at Solaire until Oct. 27, 2019!

Now excuse me, I shall be shellshocked for a bit longer to process what I just saw. 😲 😱

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Part II:

There are many glorious upsides to watching a show by one's self. But having no one to talk to about it afterward is not one of them. Haha. Pardon the short rave, but I need to get Sweeney Todd out of my system!

***Mild spoiler alert, so please read the rest only AFTER you’ve gone and seen the show!***.
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So it took around 24 hours until what I found so disturbing about Atlantis’ SWEENEY TODD dawned on me. It wasn’t the gore. Actually, there was none. Director Bobby Garcia treated his audience like intelligent beings capable of imagining the gruesome goings-on. The lack of blood did not detract in any way from the message of the musical. So if you’re a parent and you’re wondering if the play will traumatize your child, don’t worry. It won’t, for as long as you’re there to process the show afterwards. But be aware that the themes ARE difficult to discuss: rape, incest, cannibalism, and of course, (serial) murder most foul.

(Spoiler below!)
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What I found so disturbing was the fact that there was no redemption to be had for the main character. Lea Salonga's Mrs. Lovett was, despite her ghoulish tendencies, human in her self-sacrificing love for Sweeney, and her belief in sparing the innocent. But Jett Pangan as Sweeney possessed a hatred so encompassing, it no longer made any distinction between guilty and guiltless. And it’s all sooooooo disturbing when you realize just how easy it is to make that single defining choice between damnation and salvation. Sweeney Todd is all of us.

When anger and aggressiveness are glamorized instead of dignified civility, this dark and bloodthirsty musical serves as a timely warning during dark and bloodthirsty times.

Book Review: THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Umberto Eco

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


"The young no longer want to study anything, learning is in decline, the whole world walks on its head, blind men lead others equally blind and cause them to plunge into the abyss..."

So starts this awe-inspiring novel, one that has been a “must-read” for every wannabe intellectual college freshman out there.

I remember buying a secondhand copy of this book after two of my college crushes either carried this novel to class or mentioned it was their favorite when I “casually” inquired after their favorite book. To my dismay, I found that the language was too dense for me to penetrate, at that time. :’(

Fast forward 15 years, and I was FINALLY able to finish it!!! But to be perfectly honest, it was more out of sheer determination, rather than love for the text.

What’s not to love? A medieval monastery where monks start dying, one by one, sounds like the plot of a blockbuster film! However, I had a HUGE problem with the pacing. This is a mystery intermingled with pages upon pages of theological, philosophical, artistic and historical discussions. I remember one chapter in particular where the author waxed poetic about a church door. For basically the entire chapter!!! Now this is all very well and good, had it not it been for the fact that these extra pages did nothing to advance the flow of the story. From a dramatic point of view, the plot suffered as a result of these dialogues and diatribes. I'm all for intermingling genres but I felt like the story could have been told more efficiently in half the number of pages.

Still, I thought the concluding scene was sheer genius! I felt it more than made up for any pacing problems, it had me shrieking and gasping in my room!

I particularly appreciated the care with which the author illustrated the historical context of the novel: 14th century Catholic Europe was torn apart by the Avignon Papacy, which led to the Western Schism. Church history has always been interesting to me, I’m forever wondering how one man’s teachings can have 33,000 different interpretations today.

Umberto Eco writes: “Fear prophets, and those prepared to die for the truth, for as a rule they make many others die with them, often before them, at times instead of them.”

This novel still feels very timely, when read as a warning on the political nature of truth and how authority figures seek to control or conceal it.

I’m looking forward to watching the Sean Connery film version of the book! Here's hoping the novel translated better as a film. And apparently there's a new German-Italian TV mini series out this month! See trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpQ_l...




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Book Review: THE STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


“She found a village of people in the Amazon where the women go on bearing children until the end of their lives.”

And thus began the premise of this remarkable novel, one which can be read as commentary on the struggle between ethics and capitalist priorities of pharmaceutical companies, as well as the morality of childbirth and medicine, the intimate relationship between teacher and student, the consequences of our actions and the definition of motherhood.

Deeply philosophical and yet written in flowing prose that brought the jungle to life, this novel sucked me in and didn’t let go until I finished it after consuming two gigantic mugs of chocolate latte and genmaicha.

Rated this book three stars out of five because I didn’t like the ending, it was too painful! My heart still aches! And it leaves the reader asking so many questions.

But yes, Ann Patchett is a goddess with a pen. And I need to read her other works!



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Book Review: BALLET SHOES by Noel Streatfeild

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*wipes a happy tear away*

Well goodness gracious, no wonder Meg Ryan loved this book in YOU'VE GOT MAIL!

I thought it would be a charming children's story about girls who took ballet lessons.

(You'd think by now I'd have learned not judge a book by its cover.)

The stakes are ever so much higher! The girls are taking ballet lessons, true, but out of necessity. They dance to put food on the table. They dance to earn enough to support their family. In a way... Dance becomes their salvation. And along the way, they learn valuable life lessons, such as:

"It's to do with happiness. It means hard work."

Pauline, Petrova, and Posy are now living, breathing characters for me, in that same special place in my heart along with the March sisters, Sara Crewe, and Anne Shirley!

I highly recommend it to adults as well, it has priceless gems on child rearing.

"It may be that you may find later that dancing is not the career for all of them, but the training will have done them good."

And at its core, the book is a loving tribute to growing up in the theatre... Something the author was intimately familiar with, having been a thespian before turning to writing. It's got so many interesting details about the theatre world in pre World War II London!

This book will appeal to readers of all ages, in any age. Definitely a five out of five! Go get your copy now!



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Book Review: VOX by Christina Dalcher

Vox by Christina Dalcher

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


"These words that I'm about to unleash, they'll never be absorbed. Each syllable, each morpheme, each individual sound, will bounce and ricochet forever... We'll carry them with us like that cartoon character who's always surrounded by his own dirt cloud."

Comparisons with Atwood's THE HANDMAID'S TALE are inevitable, but VOX has a unique spin on the dystopian patriarchy-on-steroids story.

If power comes from having a voice, what happens if women are legally only allowed to speak 100 words a day?

What makes VOX disturbing is that it describes a scenario that is all too plausible, given the rise of bigoted demagogues and the far right who believe quite literally in 1 Corinthians 11:3.

Rated three out of five stars for a few plot holes and a not-so-satisfactory ending. But still worth reading, if only to realize the danger.

"Think about what you need to do to stay free."

Many, many thanks to the Overseas Publishers' Representatives Association of the Philippines (OPRAP) for this awesome freebie, for attending their event during the 2019 Manila International Book Fair!



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Book Review: BEFORE EVER AFTER by Samantha Sotto

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Had an hour of free time to kill and I left my current read in the office, so I went inside the nearest bookstore decided to get this book based on how I've been hearing about the author and... Yeah... The gorgeous cover. 😂 Did due diligence and checked the Goodreads score, it was OK. So I went ahead and got it.

Huhuhu! I feel so bad that I wasted money on a brand new copy of this book. Decided not to waste any more of my time and stopped reading after 60 pages (20% of the book).

It reads like the worst of fanfiction. Not enough historical background. Weird, pseudo-witty dialogue that comes off as unnatural and forced.

I wanted so badly to like this book, it being written by a Pinay and all.

Will look for a secondhand copy of her other books, maybe she got better as she went along.

I hope.

:'(



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Book Review: DARK AGE (Red Rising # 5) by Pierce Brown

Dark Age by Pierce Brown

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"A dark glass slides over the world.
I will never be the same."

Gory damn. This 752 page tome took over my life for a little over two weeks (lifting it was a workout unto itself!) but finally I have finished it!! And I am left feeling bereft at the thought that there is just one more book to wait for, until the end of this most epic of series.

The word "epic" is used too liberally, but in this particular case, it's too small a word to contain the magnitude of the entire universe Pierce Brown has created. And I now fear that he has spoiled this reader for any other sci-fi/ fantasy books, because this fifth book of his was an example of prime perfection.

By any measure of good literature (pacing, premise, stakes, etc.), this one scores at the highest percentile!

It was sweet agony to finish it, knowing I have to wait an unknown number of years until the next and last book comes out. But oh, how I look forward to re-reading the other books in the series! And I almost never re-read, so this is an indicator of how good this book is. I want to savor the witty repartee, the gory battle scenes, the twists and turns reminiscent of the best and worst of Greek gods and Roman emperors.

He makes a cast of more than thirty characters come so vibrantly alive, in all their pettiness, their cruelty, and yes, the majesty that each one is capable of. (And for the inevitable memory gap, thank Jove for the fanmade wiki at https://red-rising.fandom.com/wiki/Re...!)

Oh, if only I were a full-time academic so I could write a thesis about Pierce Brown's novels, and draw references between great classics and his! I predict that his novels will be included in THE CANON and will be studied fifty years from now in colleges and universities. I called it first!!

Do yourself a favor and start with Book 1 of the series right away. And never mind how long the other novels are. They're worth the investment.




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Operetta Review: PASSION (Philippine Opera Company)

Two Sondheim productions opened in Manila this weekend alone, with a third showing next month! Boy oh boy, it's a great time to be alive in this city, traffic notwithstanding!

Coming in to watch a Philippine Opera Company production, the average audience member already has high expectations. But this particular production will blow you away! Name a category and it. Will. Surpass. Your. Imaginings.

The glorious costumes unto themselves were worth the price of entrance already! But then you add the gorgeous music, the expressive singing, the efficient yet beautiful set... and certain shocking-yet-dramatically-necessary bits of directing and acting... and BAM!! It's a winner!

La Boheme meets Beauty and the Beast in this terribly relatable tale of love in all its forms: unrequited, ill fated, catastrophic, and redemptive. And since never did a human being walk the earth who did not at one time or another find one's soul lit brightly by a flame whose warmth was not reciprocated (aminin niyo!!!), every one will find themselves sympathizing with Fosca, the bookworm invalid who loves Giorgio, a handsome officer, who, for all his vaunted goodness, irritated some audience members for behaving so inconsistently... Like he was on a see-saw, veering from callousness to grace. To find out where he lands, go watch!

The lovely Shiela Valderrama had the entire audience sympathizing with her Fosca, while Vien King stole the females' hearts with his physique and "Prince Charming" tenor voice as Giorgio.

Although there were a few times when the live chamber orchestra overpowered the singing of particularly low notes, the overall experience was like bathing one's ears in a symphony of colors! For while it IS a Sondheim musical and therefore the songs might not be considered "catchy," they were certainly very beautiful...(Oh.So.Beautiful)... and PASSION-ately sung! 😉

PASSION runs until Sept. 29 at the RCBC Plaza! Go watch it to be reminded of the painful perils and powerful pleasures of that most inconvenient of emotions. Thank you so much Karla Gutierrez for bringing this show to Manila! Can't wait to see what POC will come up with next!

#POCPassion2019

Play Review: THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA (Dulaang UP)

A Dulaang UP production is always a special occasion. It could never be considered as mere "entertainment," it leaves its audiences disturbed and asks important questions of us afterwards. The first in their 44th season was no exception.

Featuring a strong all-female cast with the always fierce and awesome Frances Makil-Ignacio and bright star Stella Canete-Mendoza, the production (directed by Alex Cortez) had the audience enthralled with its harrowing plot of a widow, her 5 unmarried daughters, and the 2 staff who bear witness to the unmaking of a family. When does virtue become vice? Watch Federico Garcia Lorca's THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA either in English or Filipino to find out.

You can get tickets through Ticket2Me! Basically, you can pay for them at any 7-11. They run til September 29!

#dupbernardaalba
#dup44daluhong

Book Review: IRON GOLD (Red Rising # 4) by Pierce Brown

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

My rating: 5 of 5 stars (but I'd give it a 10 out of 5 if I could!!!!!)


"Giants can be felled with words. Words are our salvation... What age do you want to live in? One where the sword leads and we follow? Or an age where our voice can sing louder than an engine can roar?"

Slag it, but IRON GOLD was a gory prime read!!!

(You know you're starting to get obsessed with a series when you start using jargon from the books in actual life!)

I would give this particular book 10 stars if I could! Heck, I'd get me a Red Rising tattoo if my job didn't forbid it!!! Rarely has a book made me stay up waaaaay past midnight, and this one just wouldn't. Let. Me. Sleep.

Pierce Brown just keeps getting better at bringing the philosophical and political debates of the ancient Greeks and Romans to the stars.

You know how in epic movies, there will be one character who says the best lines, whether in a speech before a hostile crowd to sway them to side with him afterwards, or a pre-battle call to arms to stir the blood of soldiers to a frenzy before the fray?

Well in IRON GOLD, there's so many of them! Men and women who utter the best words -- doesn't matter if they're witty one-liners or monologues--- and do the most outlandish things out of an iron sense of duty and honor that comes from myth and legend... and they become so real, you honestly feel the hole in your heart when tragedy inevitably befalls some characters.

Bow before Pierce Brown for writing genius... for the incredible plot twists and turns, the vile betrayal, the sheer skill in making an interplanetary war feel so darn personal, the violent action scenes written in terse sentences that make you hold in your breath while reading as quickly as you can, the intermingling of ethics and politics, and for showing that ending a war is an altogether easier task than keeping the peace.

And oh my goodness, this fourth book raises so many questions!! Can democracy work? Has the hero become the villain? Is social hierarchy necessary for peace?

And yes, sci-fi is a great vehicle for showing how divisions in race, class, and religion play out in terms of far-reaching consequences. No wonder so many are going crazy for this series! (What with graphic novels and a television show in the works) There is so much to learn about our real world from Pierce Brown's incredible one. And while his stories show the pitch black depths that human nature can reach, he also shows us the best that we can aspire to be.

What age do I want to live in? One with literature that truly deserves the adjective "epic," the age of Pierce Brown!!!



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Book Review: A STUDY IN SCARLET (Lady Sherlock # 1) by Sherry Thomas

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The hype is real! Ahaha.

I've been a fan of Sherry Thomas ever since I picked up one of her romance novels.

For someone who studied English as a second language only as a teenager, her mastery of it is exquisite, her sentences crafted with the skill of an artisan. You read Sherry Thomas not only for the plot and dialogue, but also for the pleasure of her turns of phrase.

What if Sherlock Holmes was a lady who loves eating far too much and constantly uses her genius for legitimate feminine concerns such as working out (to the pound!) the exact weight that will give her a one point four (decimals included!!!) double chin? Apart from solving crimes, of course.

Extremely grateful to those who recommended the series, and all the more that Books 2 and 3 in the series are available, with Book 4 coming soon! Oh, it's a fine time to be alive.



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Book Review: IMAGO (Xenogenesis/ Lilith's Brood Book # 3) by Octavia E. Butler

Imago by Octavia E. Butler

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


"You'll have a life. Be careful who you give it to."

It's been several months since I read the previous book in Octavia E. Butler's trilogy, and while Book 3 had several familiar characters from the previous books (the Oankali alien race with three sexes: male, female, and Ooloi, the only sex that can manipulate genetic material), I think it was the most complicated in the series in terms of plot. It also had the most interesting title.

A quick Google search tells us that imago is the last adult stage of an insect that undergoes metamorphosis. Insects are so unlike us humans, they seem almost alien. And it's a fitting title for a book whose protagonist, Jodahs, is the first of its kind: a product of both Lilith, its human mother, and Ooloi.

Book 3 is Jodah's story, and I shall use the pronoun "it" to describe Jodah because it changes gender throughout. It is certainly a very novel experience (to put it mildly!!) to place one's self in the mind of what is essentially a bisexual alien creature, albeit temporarily! It was also a disturbing read in some parts, because after all, Jodahs is struggling to survive, to find meaning and love, in a world where it is perceived as alien even by its fellow aliens. This is one book that is definitely for mature readers only.

Am giving it three stars because I can't honestly claim that I liked it, it was far too disturbing a read for that. But I do recognize its worth, because after all, that is what great literature is supposed to do: provoke questions that stimulate reflection about imperialism, human nature, and the universal desire for touch and love.

Above all, it is a book about identity.

"Before I met you, Jodahs, I knew myself much better." This line was uttered by one of Jodahs' many partners towards the end. But in the beginning, it was Jodahs who kept changing itself to please its current partner.

"What would happen to me when I had ... more mates? Would I be like the sky, constantly changing, clouded, clear, clouded, clear? Would I have to be hateful to one partner in order to please the other?"

Ultimately the book makes us ask questions of our individual identity as well as the identity of our species.

P.S. Hello there bookish friends! I'm more than happy to lend this book, but the edition I have is anthology where you get all three novels in one book. Also, you should know that the cover is too risqué to post on social media, haha, which is why I will borrow Goodreads' and Amazon's images! So maybe you'll have to get a book cover if you want to read this one in the MRT station. *wink*

Click on the links for Book 1 and Book 2 for my reviews.

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Book Review: THE HOD KING (The Books of Babel # 3) by Josiah Bancroft

The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Polite society! I've learned the true nature of civility. Civility is critiquing how another man pronounces a word or knots his necktie, and then saying nothing about how a ringdom hangs its poor. Civility is having ardent opinions about plays and actors and made-up stories, and no opinion whatsoever about the real tragedies of the black trail. Civility is a crowded execution."

So what started initially as a love story has now become much, much bigger. It's now "trying to save the whole of civilization and mankind" big. And this third book, the longest at a little under 600 pages, focuses on the other supporting characters and not so much on Senlin anymore, which is fine because most of the book features Edith, the female pirate, and one of the most complex and lovable characters ever penned.

And of course, there's also the fact that Josiah Bancroft writes so. darn. well. His fantasy story is so realistic, as it so clearly mirrors our own world and what's wrong with it. He shows how a corrupt society takes even the best of people and chews them out, making them heartless and cruel. But he also shows how these ruined souls can change after being shown a bit of kindness, and of course, how love redeems all (whether reciprocated or one-sided... it does not matter).

I have only one thing on my mind...WHEN WILL BOOK 4 BE OUT??!!!!

Please click on these links for my reviews of Book 1 and Book 2.

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Book Review: I OWE YOU ONE by Sophie Kinsella

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"As I survey the faces that I love so dearly, I feel a kind of contentment. So we're not flash. So we're not moneyed. So we don't have all the answers or know exactly where we're going. We'll still be all right, our family. We'll be all right."

This has GOT to be Sophie Kinsella's best novel yet. The last paragraph actually made me tear up, and I'm typing this through a haze as tears can get in the way of visual acuity. Haha.

Yes, it's formulaic. Yes, her heroines seem to come from a cookie cutter mold.

But come on. Admit it. When the world seems a tad bit darker than normal, you don't crave for a cheese platter. You reach for a glass of milk and chocolate chip cookies because they bring comfort and light.

And Sophie Kinsella, to extend the metaphor, makes THE. BEST. COOKIES. Plus, she keeps getting better and better!

The signature Sophie Kinsella humor is there (you know, where you laugh out loud in public). I love that she has her pulse on trends, the characters and stereotypes in the novel seem so contemporary!

But also, she focuses her novels on the things that matter. Family. Loyalty. Integrity. And this book seemed even better written than the previous ones, so those scenes stood out and shone even more brightly.

And to anyone who turns their noses up on Kinsella because she's "chick lit" and "fluff," well, I dare you to read this book and NOT enjoy yourself. It's impossible.

Will always be a fan of hers and any author who brings joy to their readers.



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Book Review: ARM OF THE SPHINX (The Books of Babel # 2) by Josiah Bancroft

Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Do not allow small people to make large impressions. Do not fritter your beauty upon mirrors. Do not make wishes, for wishes only curse the life you have. Never forget, you stand at the end of a long line of short lives."

Book 2 of THE BOOKS OF BABEL SERIES was a pretty good sequel, although it must be said Book 1 was in another league of awesome. The 2nd book ended on such a cliffhanger, and now I simply MUST look for Book 3!

Why do I like this series so much?

Because it's a simple story, beautifully told, that can be read at its most basic level as the adventures of a teacher in his quest to recover his lost wife... But also, it can be viewed as one big metaphor for humanity's struggle with progress. And I'm just so emotionally invested, after the agony of witnessing an honorable man driven to do less than honorable deeds... for love.

See my review for Book 1 of the series here.

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Book Review: ME AND SHAKESPEARE by Herman Gollob

Me and Shakespeare: Adventures with the Bard by Herman Gollob

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Why shouldn't I, why couldn't I, enlarge my field of vision before the screen went blank? ... I stood in the middle of the yard, an old man made mad by a love of Shakespeare...I could feel bursting inside me, still there with a vengeance... that heightened sensitivity to the promise of life."

Having endured a particularly rough past couple of weeks, I reached out for this book to fill my near-desperate need for civilization. And man, I certainly got it in spades!

Part graduate-thesis-substitute, part memoir, part lesson plan, and mostly a passionate fan's undertaking to list down any and all experiences relating to The Bard... this book was an unexpected joy to read. It is not an easy read, nor at times not even pleasant --with the author's tendency to name drop famous actors, directors, and intellectuals, and then insert a condescending line about them should their opinion differ from his -- but it shines with fervor and zeal for the pure joy of learning, of seeking civilized environments and the company of civilized men who seek to expand themselves through the study of literature, no matter what age they may be.

I read parts of it in public and couldn't help chuckle out loud at some parts! While far from being the humble narrator readers more easily warm to, the erudite Herman Gollob certainly CAN write! After all, he DID retire a Senior VP of Doubleday, having edited the likes of James Clavell and Leon Uris, among others. Despite the lack of formal academic credentials (he had yet to "get that goddamned M.A.!"), his literariness shone through with restatements of famous poems, assuming that his reader would be familiar enough with Gerard Manley Hopkins and others to pick up on the references.

The book is divided into four major parts: his background before embracing Shakespeare studies (informally) upon retiring, becoming a teacher at the age of 67 and jotting down outlines of his lectures, his adventures in Oxford during a Shakespeare summer course, and his quest to interview and watch Shakespeare experts direct professional actors.

Gollob saw the Divine Hand in everything, seeing the truth that there is indeed a divinity that shapes our ends. He also saw most clearly how self-enrichment had to have purpose beyond study for its own sake.

Gollob calls Shakespeare "The Cosmic Poet." His theses? That Shakespeare retold Holy Scripture, enacted in his multiple plays, all of them metaphors for how interwoven mankind is with God and the cosmos.

This is a treasure trove for teachers, actors, directors, and lovers of literature. And for anyone who grows old. In short, it's a must-read for all.



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Book Review: THE CITY OF BRASS by S.A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I think what I enjoyed the most about this was the sheer novelty of reading a book with Middle Eastern mythic characters. Apart from that, there's not much to rave about. The plot was interesting but not un-putdownable.

It was interesting enough, and I feel mildly intrigued to the point that I may look for Book 2 in my next trip to the bookstore. Hence, a 3 star rating for "it was OK."



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Book Review: FOUNDRYSIDE by Robert Jackson Bennett

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"God. Why are you doing all this? Why are you out here risking your life?“
“Is justice such an odd thing to desire?“
“Justice is a luxury."
"No, it is not. It is a right. And it is a right long denied... The chance for real, genuine reform for this city... I would shed every drop of blood in my body for such a thing."

As much as we try not to judge a book by its cover... when the cover is THIS habdsome, one is dutybound to look it up on Goodreads. ☺ And when Brandon Sanderson gives it five ratings, one simply HAS to give it a try!

FOUNDRYSIDE is the first book of a trilogy, and I simply cannot wait to read the rest of it! I also can't help but think what a glorious movie series it would make. Heart-pounding action, characters that are both morally ambiguous yet endearing, and a spell-run world that is both exceedingly strange and familiar to our own... Written in terse and highly effective prose that seizes you from the first page and doesn't let go until you've finished.

Imagine a world where people can alter reality in small ways by writing down spells on every day objects, in a process called "scriving."

Imagine a desperate thief with the power to touch something and know everything about it... who ends up stealing an inanimate object, only to discover that it is conscious and can alter written spells in major ways.

Imagine the desperate search for answers that ensues, all the while dodging would-be jailers and killers. That's what Foundryside is, and I can't wait to re-enter this dark world when Book 2 is out!!

On a more personal note, I haven't had this big a literary crush on someone ever since Mr. Darcy and John Thornton. 😂 Let's go and add Gregor Dandolo to the list, shall we? A life lived for a cause bigger than himself is sooooo attractive.

"Don't hate Captain Dandolo... I think he's broken, just like you and me. He's just trying to fix the world because it's the only way he knows to fix himself."



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Book Review: THE PALACE OF ILLUSIONS by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"You will be remembered for causing the greatest war of your time.
You will bring about the deaths of evil kings ... A million women will become widows because of you."

And no, we are not speaking of Helen of Troy.

I've always heard of the Mahabharata but never had the opportunity to read even an abridged edition... which is why I'm so thankful for this book! Divakaruni presents, in a most accessible form, the re-telling of this great Indian epic from the point of view of Draupadi (also known as Panchaali).

A most beautiful woman for whom the greatest war of the age was fought, pitting demi-gods and gods against each other, as well as brother against brother.

A great hero who knows not who his parents are.

A defeated king who approaches his enemy and asks to be the one to bury his dead son.

A forbidden love.

A war to end all wars. "It was the end of the world -- the world as I knew it. Now the meaning of everything is different -- our lives, our deaths, what we do in between."

Talk about an EPIC epic! The parallelisms between it and the Iliad are too numerous to count, but the Mahabharata is set apart with culture-specific reactions from its protagonists. And also, I found the descriptions of astras (supernatural weapons with unique names) exceedingly fascinating!!

Upon finishing it, I am left in this queer existential reverie. Isn't this what the epics do best? They make us ponder about our place in the universe. They make us re-examine laws both mortal and divine, and make us see that even the best of humans fall prey to weaknesses. They make us realize that we are not alone in our struggles for validation, and warn us of what comes from pursuing righteousness above humanity, vengeance over peace.

I'm so excited to hear from a certain webpage (https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/...) that the author's next book features the Ramayana, retold from Sita's POV! Will surely look for her other works, which seem to feature ancient Hindu heroines. Any book that makes a non-Hindu reader appreciate the oldest and third-largest world religion better... in a very fun way... is a book well worth reading!



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Book Review: INSURRECTO by Gina Apostol

Insurrecto by Gina Apostol

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Maybe it is enough to know it, the past. Maybe change lies outside the story, in the countries we are still making up. I mean, can the exchange of our stories be a way of redemption?"

FINALLY got around to reading "Insurrecto," the novel with BenCab's "Woman with Fan" on the cover that everyone's been talking about!

It does, indeed, tell a story worth re-telling, and despite the return of the Balangiga bells only this past December, we still need to tell the story of the titular character, Casiana Nacionales. Samar's Gabriela Silang, the true-to-life heroine who was one of the leaders of the uprising against American conquerors.

It is NOT an easy read. And it is the difficulty of the prose that made me subtract a star. I'm someone who believes the best stories are the ones told simply. Although whether this is the author's unique voice or a style especially chosen to tell this particularly complex narrative is a mystery to me, as it is my first Apostol novel. It won't be the last.

What fascinates me the most about the book is Casiana Nacionales, whom I wouldn't have heard of had it not been for this novel. Her name was not written in history books, she was discovered only through the oral histories!! This fact highlights the importance of story-telling, in all its forms.

I won't go into the whole literariness of the novel, but suffice it to say that if you should undertake reading this, you better have access to a dictionary. Ahaha.

I do have so much awe for the sheer skill, the craftsmanship it took, to weave together three? four? different timelines, to skillfully portray the interweaving of past and present, to highlight the importance of keeping history and memory alive in today's age of fake news and historical revisionism, throwing in quotes from Shakespeare and Walter Scott and Chekhov along the way.

The passage that struck me the most was this:

"The pictures have no captions. Women cradling their naked babies at their breasts... A dead child sprawled in the middle of a road. A naked girl running toward the viewer in a field, her arms outstretched, as if waving. A beheaded, naked body splayed against a bamboo fence. A child's arms spread out on the ground, in the shape of a cross. A woman holding the body of her dead husband, in the pose of the Pieta."

Whether we are in Trang Bang in 1972, or Balangiga in 1901, or modern-day Manila, Apostol's message of keeping history alive reverberates urgently.



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Book Review: SENLIN ASCENDS (THE BOOKS OF BABEL # 1) by Josiah Bancroft

Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"She had to leave and go someplace where she did not know every chasm and every foothold and leap. She had to rediscover fear and, tucked somewhere inside that fear, life."

I'd like to think that I don't judge a book ENTIRELY by its cover, but when the cover is THIS interesting and when it has a quote by Mark Lawrence saying that it is "One of my favorite books of all time," then I'd like to think I wouldn't be the only one buying it on the spot!

What a happy surprise to find out that it is the first in a series of four books, and that books 2 and 3 are available on the market!

Tom Senlin, idealist and teacher, loses his wife on their honeymoon trip to the Tower of Babel, and must find her, though he must scour the bottom of Hell itself as he faces the grime and dirt of real life away from his idyllic classroom.

The basic plot is simple enough. But the Tower and its inhabitants are described so well, it's almost like being there yourself!

Usually, in other epic fantasy works, a list of characters is needed, helpfully put at the beginning or the end of the book. But Bancroft's characters come alive, there is absolutely no need for additional aid in remembering them because they're like flesh and blood to me. That alone is a sign of a good author!

And what a tale he tells, I don't think I've ever read anything like it! It's about the everyman who starts off as a naive idealist, who meets with misfortune but chooses to press on out of love. By the end of the book he has become someone else, and changes his name accordingly. I can't wait to get to the next books, to see how his story unfolds, to see how much more he will change.


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Book Review: DEATH ON THE NILE by Agatha Christie

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"Do not open your heart to evil... Because—if you do—evil will come…It will enter in and make its home within you, and after a little while it will no longer be possible to drive it out."

Read this wonderful novel during a bus ride home, and there's nothing quite like the adrenaline rush you get when you're trying to finish the book before you get to the bus station 😂 Luckily I succeeded!

Classic Christie! It stands out for a particular reason, which I can't share because to do so would be to spoil the story. If you liked "Murder on the Orient Express," you will love this one.

Take a pack of seeming strangers, put them on a boat and sail them up the Nile... What could possibly go wrong on a vacation cruise? Apparently, a lot!

I like how every Christie novel is very similar and yet also very different from the others. Always, the piercing psychological insight and characterization of the cast is half the fun. (The other half is in madly flipping back and forth pages, rereading for clues when you finally find out whodunit) 😂

Can't wait to see a movie version of this!



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Book Review: SOLAR by Ian McEwan

Solar by Ian McEwan

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Was greatly disappointed in this one... And this is the first time I've said this of an Ian McEwan novel. I loved his previous works but this one was 283 pages worth of a brilliant author telling a very depressing tale that could have been told in 150 pages or less.

Others might find the Rabelasian mix of intellect and bodily functions funny, but I didn't enjoy the story of a brilliant intellectual bereft of morality at all.

Don't get me wrong. I am and will always be a fan of McEwan's. This book ought to be considered an anomaly.



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