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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Book Review: THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"She slowly raised her face to look at him. She found the rolling earthen hills of the north in his eyes. It was a sense of loyalty to his country that went beyond the man seated at the table. Far inside of her, she found a golden chain that bound them together."

Formulaic as heck but hey, the formula works. Ahahaha. In Filipino we say, "Kinilig ako!“ (I got the chills from being romantically thrilled) ❤️

The heroine is beautiful, deadly, strong, and loves to read books. She needs to choose between the captain of the guard and the prince of the realm... Both of whom happen to fall madly in love with her. (Oh, and they also love to read books.) Add a pinch of magic, a dash of social injustice, and a whole lot of good writing and you get a formulaic story that delivers the goods.

Went down easily during a three hour stay at the airport. Delayed flight? No problem!
Formulas work!!! Now where can I get Book 2??!!



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Book Review (ARC): PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING by Randy Ribay

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"It strikes me that I cannot claim this country's serence coves and sun-soaked beaches without also claiming its poverty, its problems, its history. To say that any aspect of it is a part of me is to say that all of it is a part of me."

I can't thank Honey enough for gifting us with an ARC of this book. What a treat!!! Randy Ribay's powerful prose packs so much emotion in simple, easy-to-understand language.. . A winning combination for YA! He makes the familiar unfamiliar, and talks lovingly of both the good and the bad in today's Philippines.

This book is necessary reading because of its subject matter (the EJK's and the drug war) . But also, it's very pleasurable, too, when you have a writer this good. There were moments I laughed out loud, like when he observed how Filipino drivers used honking for echolocation, but towards the end I was just weeping silently as he concluded the story of a Fil-Am's search for the truth behind his Filipino cousin's death and the subsequent cover up.

It is so easy to fall into despair when thinking of the current situation, but Ribay's novel shines light on the way forward, full of hope and love and the belief in the intrinsic goodness of humanity, despite our flaws.



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Book Review: A DUTERTE READER edited by Nicole Curato

A Duterte Reader: Critical Essays On Rodrigo Duterte's Early Presidency by Nicole Curato

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"Perhaps we should first ask, how can the world pay better attention? To effectively condemn, it is first important to listen."

Written 6 months into the presidency, this important book is a collection of essays looking at the historical and social contexts that allowed our President's rise to power.

I once heard it said that "everything is political," and this book perfectly exemplifies this.

From Teehankee's situating Duterte's rise against past presidential regimes, to Evangelista's analysis of the President as merely a symptom of the problem that is the hetero-patriarchal social structure... From Arguelles' indictment of a mnemonic regime socializing us to forget Marcos atrocities to serve a sinister political purpose, to Lamchek's disturbing analysis of public support legitimizing a mandate for mass killings of our countrymen...from Coronel's depiction of murder for police profit to Quimpo's assertion of the hyped up mass hysteria over a "narco state" despite evidence to the contrary...

Even though the book is written in layman - friendly language, it still makes for disturbing reading. But it is important we do so, if only to answer the burning question, "Why?“

In these divided times, when emotions run high and one can never be too sure whether one is engaging a real person or a troll in debate, these articles written by rational minds are all the more welcome as they invite the public to understand that this country's ills will not be solved (and cannot be blamed) on a single leader.



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Book Review: THE SEVEN DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE by Stuart Turton

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"Tomorrow can be whatever I want it to be... it can be a promise I make myself. A chance to be braver or kinder, to make what was wrong right. To be better than I am today. Every day after this one is a gift. I just have to keep walking until I get there."

Quite possibly the most mind-boggling mystery I've ever had the pleasure (or is it?!?!) to read!

It's Agatha Christie on steroids, with a bit of Black Mirror thrown in.

The premise seems simple enough: There are people in a house who keep repeating one day over and over. One day with a murder at the end of it. And to be free, they need to solve it.

It can be read as a metaphor for the various masks and guises we put on in order to function in a postmodern capitalist society, or as a commentary on the Indian notion of "samsara" or the endless cycle of rebirth and the idea that to break free from this cycle, one needs to be worthy.

It's also very Catholic in the sense that it speaks of redemption. The question is... can all men... No matter how evil... be redeemed?

Unforgettable read! Don't start it at night, though. This thing should come with a warning: "Do not start unless you have cleared your schedule for the rest of the day."

P. S. In case I am giving off slacker vibes, let me just declare that I read most of it over the weekend. Managed to have a productive work day despite the fact that I couldn't stop thinking about it... And gobbled down the last remaining chapters as soon as the bell rang! #defensive 😂



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Book Review: SWEET BEAN PASTE by Durian Sukegawa

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"I heard ...the moon whispering to me: I wanted you to see me. That's why I shine like this."

A dear friend gifted this to me for our book club's celebration of love in all its forms. And this book WAS about love, although not the romantic sort.

It was about the love of a sweet old lady for the most mundane things of life, the monotonous day-to-day repetitive tasks and chores that are part and parcel of existing.

It was about an ex-con's re-discovery of his self-respect.

It was about a leper colony, and how it is easier to change laws than men's hearts and attitudes towards Hansen's disease.

It was about the meaning of life. It challenged the notion that, for a life to have meaning, it needs to be useful.

Sukegawa's novel posits the theory that the meaning of life is to experience the universe, to appreciate the moon and be grateful for the wind. That for anything (even the universe!) to be said to truly EXIST, it needs to be experienced by another.

This book was a lovely experience!! I have a feeling I shall come back and re-read this when I suffer loss and failure (as we all must) in the future. It will comfort me and remind me that everything has meaning.

And oooooh, now I'm wondering where I can get my hands on some dorayaki in Manila. :'D



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