KyusiReader

And so I begin, again

2012-02-12T13:19:00.010+08:00

Back in 2003, I bought an innocuous little work of fantasy titled A Game of Thrones. Little did I know that I would be hooked and would be constantly pushing this book to my friends' faces.

Nine years later, my book club chose this book for the February discussion. No problem, I thought; I will just Google to refresh my memory, or I could always watch the TV series, which seems to be faithful to the book, as my friends would say.

I know, this book and those pretty flowers are an unusual combination in a photo.

But I recently swapped my yellowing mass market paperback with a hardback from Iya, a fellow member of the book club. Somehow, this book keeps calling my name, beckoning me to the world of Westeros with all its treachery, gore, and brutality.

And so I find myself unable to sleep at 3 am on a Sunday (I normally wake up at 4-ish, every day even on weekends), turning on the lights and flipping to page 1 of Martin's AGoT. Next thing I know, I finished the book and found out that I read for 8 straight hours.

I don't normally reread, but I'm happy I reacquainted myself with A Game of Thrones. For one, Martin's work is so rich in detail, making me feel that I'm in Westeros for the first time. Also, the number of characters Martin introduced in this book felt less daunting during my reread.

Of course I already know the characters who'd end up dead and those who'll figure more prominently in next books. But somehow, this knowing didn't seem to matter that much. It's the journey not the result that made it more satisfying the second time around.

I forgot how blunt Martin's pen is. Characters, major and minor, get killed instantly, some characters copulate in public, and children are never made to believe that their world is all sugar and spice. Uttering just one offensive word is enough to get yourself beheaded.

Will I be rereading the second book, A Clash of Kings? Probably not anytime soon. Martin writes beautifully, but I think I need to take a break from reading all that betrayal, bloody murder, rape, and mutilation. Winter can wait.

Did GRRM originally conceive the series as a trilogy?
Author bio above says that the 2nd book is A Dance with Dragons.

Thanks, Iya, for the first edition hardback. I owe you lots.

Loving Lois Duncan (2)

2012-02-09T22:06:00.012+08:00

Finally, I've completed all 8 of Lois Duncan's suspenseful young adult novels, which have been completely updated for this generation. I've started reading Duncan this year, and her books have always given me hours and hours of good thrills. Even though these books were written in the late 70s and early 80s, there's still a freshness and relevance to them, which still make the books satisfying reads.

Perhaps her most famous work is this, I Know What You Did Last Summer, which have been made into a movie in the early 2000s. The book though is just as fast paced (perhaps even more so) than the movie. Teenagers really do some crazy shit, and Duncan knows her teenage characters very much. You know something bad happens when people just cover up the mess they find themselves into.

Another of Duncan's more famous novel is Don't Look Behind You. Think of the movie "Cape Fear" crossed with a teenage slasher flick, that's what you get in this YA novel. It's about a family who is forced into the witness protection program. However, a hit man is out to get them, and that hitman is one creepy guy who has a very uncanny way of learning the family's whereabouts. In this novel, Duncan allows the reader to get a glimpse of the many challenges a family faces in that particular circumstance -- being unrooted from all their friends and family, living under assumed identities, and having that constant paranoia.

Daughters of Eve has been criticized as being overly feminist. In fact, some feminists have called the book as damaging to the feminist movement. The main characters are a group of high school female students who decide that they have had enough of living in a very patriarchal society. Of course, their methods of dealing with these problems tend to become violent, from vandalizing the school laboratory (with pig shit) to abducting and humiliating a two-timing high school jock, who happens to be a brother of one of their members.

Stranger with My Face is my favorite of the 8 novels though. The idea of having a doppelganger has always creeped me out, and this book, at first glance, seems to delve into that concept. But Duncan again surprises the reader when she injects elements of native American mysticism into her story. It's the kind of novel that makes you think about the possibility of an esoteric belief such as astral projection. I also think that it's one of Duncan's novels that has a very strong fantasy element. I guarantee you that you'll be creeped out as well.

The bookshelf project #30

2012-02-05T09:07:00.003+08:00

This week's pictures of bookshelves are from Joko, a good friend and a fellow member of the book club. Joko's interests lie in a lot of things -- she's a surfer, a big fan of the paranormal romance genre, and a foodie!

Joko went to culinary school, so we all go to her for restaurant recommendations and for food prep tips. It's but natural for one of her shelves to be occupied solely by books about food. Just look at this wonderful shelf!

Let's look closely at her shelf, shall we? In top shelf, I see two books from one of my favorite food writers, Jeffrey Steingarten: The Man Who Ate Everything and It Must Have Been Something I Ate. Both books are wonderful essays about all things foodie -- from the simple table salt to the caviar at your fine dining table. (I'm not so sure about the dieting book though. Ho hum.)

In the middle shelf, there are cookbooks written by famous chef (Oliver, Emeril, etc.) and the , Larousse Gastronomique. I've always wanted one, but I'm still on the hunt for the first edition.

At the bottom shelf are more books written by chefs. And I see Anthony Bourdain's now classic A Cook's Tour!

Just looking at Joko's books is enough to haul my lazy ass out of bed and head to the nearest deli. How about you, dear reader? What do you think of Joko's "culinary" bookshelf?

You know something's not right when...

2012-01-31T22:27:00.003+08:00

...you find out that you have different editions of the same novel.

What can I say? I'm a big Edith Wharton fan.

This sequel lacks the oomph of the first

2012-01-29T20:39:00.005+08:00

Fans of Carlo Vergara's graphic novel, Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah, must be eagerly anticipating the sequel, the first part of which has just been released in the metro last week. Everyone loved Vergara's protagonist -- a nelly-ish gay guy who transforms into a Wonder Woman type of superhero named Zsazsa Zaturnnah. The first compilation was très enjoyable to say the least.

The sequel though, specifically the first of a planned three volumes, seems like an afterthought. Reading Zsazsa Zaturnnah sa Kalakhang Maynila feels like eating tofu after fasting for a long time -- it just doesn't satisfy you. For one, it's not as campy as the first. Yes, there are loads of gay lingo scattered throughout the dialogue, but these lines feel a bit contrived. They don't add to the humor at all; there are no LOL moments, just sniggers here and there if you do get the pop culture references.

Also, as a graphic novel, the sequel can get too talky in my opinion. I expect graphic novels to use the illustrations to tell the story. The long lines of text just draw the reader's eyes away from the drawings. Just look at the spread below to see what I mean.

Vergara has also introduced characters into the now diluted and uninteresting narrative. We're now acquainted with a superhero with bulging body parts here and there. Vergara is teasing us with this character. How could this mass of testosterone figure in the next 2 installments? What could possibly be the outcome of a partnership between him and Zaturnnah? Of course, the reader is made to wonder as to his alter ego.

Vergara's illustrations are still beautiful though. They're just as detailed and clean as the original. It's worth shelling out a few bucks just for the illustrations, which I think unfortunately is one of the very, very few reasons to get this graphic novel.

Oh well, here's hoping that the 2nd and 3rd installments improve on this volume. Bring back the fun, camp, and one liners please!

Read this book if:

You love graphic novels with a bit of camp.
You're comfortable with gay lingo.
You love graphic novels in series.

Still 20/20 after all the reading

2012-01-26T20:25:00.003+08:00

Photo courtesy of Rhett

One day, I will wake up with a need for reading glasses. But for now, I'm still enjoying the fact that my vision is still perfectly clear. Hey, I need good vision for my job, as I'm a book editor. And I still have a mountain of a TBR pile to go through. So, 20/20 vision, please stay with me for a few more years.

Nevertheless, I doubt if a pair of uncool-looking reading glasses would stop me from reading. Perhaps in a few years, they'd make a scientific breakthrough -- making people's vision as accurate as those of the owl on my shoulder.

Happy reading, everyone! And please take care of your precious eyes!

Read this book aloud

2012-01-24T19:19:00.007+08:00

If you're a big fan of the works of Dr. Seuss, then you'll surely appreciate Robert Paul Weston's wonderful children's book, Zorgamazoo. It's a fictional work that is entirely written in verse, which I think is a feat in itself.

Here is a story
that's stanger than strange.
Before we begin you may want to arrange:

a blanket,
a cushion,
a comfortable seat,
and maybe some cocoa and something to eat. [page 3]

Zorgamazoo is about two characters, a human named Katrina and a zorgle named Morty, and how they embark on an adventure that's truly out of this world.

Weston writes about a world underneath our normal one, where strange-looking creatures live. It's a place called Zorgamazoo populated by ogres, mermaids, fairies, and other fantastical creatures. And one day, all these creatures mysteriously disappear. Morty unwillingly embarks on the quest after having his name drawn in a lottery. Katrina, on the other hand, is a girl always on the lookout for adventure. It's a mismatch ripe for many possibilities.

It becomes impossible for the reader to not go through this book in one sitting. For one, the illustrations of Victor Rivas Villa, which appear at the start of every chapter and intermittently in the inside pages, are delightful. His style is very distinct and quite appropriate for children.

I also think that the publisher made it a point to vary the typefaces used for some words, probably to avoid the monotony of having chunks of stanzas on every page. It's a very good technique, if I may say so, for it highlights some of the key words in the story. Katrina's name for example, when it appears in full in the text, is written in large classic serif type.

Of course, the main reason a lot of people would love this book is Weston's witty verse. There's a pleasant rhythm when you read the stanzas aloud. There's never an awkward nor a contrived line. Everything works perfectly. This is a book that you read to your children as you tuck them in bed.

And you better be careful when you take this book somewhere public like in a bus or the library. You won't be able to stop yourself from reading Weston's fabulous verse out loud.

Read this book if:

You love reading text that rhymes.
You're always on the lookout for wonderful debut fiction.
You can't get enough of reading books aloud.

The bookshelf project #29

2012-01-22T09:12:00.003+08:00

This week's pictures of bookshelves are from Tina, a fellow Filipino book blogger. Tina usually writes about young adult books. Check out her awesome blog entries here.

I always make it a point to visit Tina's blog when I'm craving for YA fiction. Her reviews are really helpful and quite insightful. Let's check out Tina's shelves, shall we?

To enlarge the pictures, press the Ctrl key and then click on the pictures. The enlarged versions will open in a new window.

Wow! I definitely need a ladder to reach the topmost books. Let's see the shelves in closeup.

Here are Tina's nonfiction books. Tina is deeply spiritual and she went to Spain last year for World Youth Day. See the loads of books with religious themes. Tina's also a writer, by the way.

The non-YA shelf. Lots of Peretti and Dekker. And those gritty Trese graphic novels are such a joy to get lost into.

The YA shelf. I notice a lot of romantic YA fiction by Dessen, as well as fantasy titles by Yancey, Cashore, and Turner. And, woot woot, Ness's Chaos Walking books! I love those!

And of course, the sacred TBR pile, which every true blue bibliophile learns to live with. So Tina still has to sink her teeth into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and A Game of Thrones. I'm sure she'll be a fan. Hey, I see The Wednesday Wars! It's my favorite book last year!

I have shelf envy just looking at these pictures. How about you, dear reader? What do you think of Tina's shelves?

Touching, heartfelt, and true

2012-01-18T20:21:00.010+08:00

I am probably one of the few persons left on Earth who do not appreciate The Little Prince. I feel that its message is too zen, too cryptic at some points. Thankfully there's Craig Thompson's beautiful graphic novel, Good-bye, Chunky Rice, whose message is just as profound as Saint-Exupery's beloved work.

Good-bye, Chunky Rice is indeed a fable, a tale about the friendship between a turtle named Chunky Rice and a mouse deer named Dandel. Chunky Rice decides to leave Dandel behind to search for something missing in his life and to find the place where he truly belongs.

Chunky Rice then boards a ship in the company of several eccentric characters: the oily captain named Charles, an animal-loving man named Solomon, and Siamese twin sisters named Livonia and Ruth. Through these characters, Thompson seamlessly weaves subplots into Chunky Rice's adventure.

But Good-bye, Chunky Rice is still about, well, Chunky Rice. Maybe he was wrong to leave Dandel behind, for he was always happy in her company. Dandel constantly pines for her friend, always throwing at the sea bottles with messages intended for her lost friend.

Several readers would definitely glean different meanings in Thompson's exquisitely drawn graphic novel. For me, that message is one of friendship: how it is important to recognize the importance of people who are always with us, never taking their existence for granted. Chunky Rice and Dandel complete one another. When one left the other, there was a natural tendency to wish the other back.

I'm not sure Good-bye, Chunky Rice would be enjoyed by kids though. While the style of the illustrations do seem to be intended for young readers, some of the panels depict sensitive content.

Thompson is more famous for Blankets and, recently, for Habibi. Compared to these two, Good-bye, Chunky Rice is minute. (It runs for just over 100 pages, as compared with the more than 600 pages each comprising Blankets and Habibi.) However, its themes of friendship and loss are more than enough to give it weight.

Read this book if:

You'll read anything by Craig Thompson.
You love fables.
You find turtles and deer mice cute.

The bookshelf project #28

2012-01-15T08:13:00.004+08:00

And then we're already in mid January! It seems as if we were just celebrating the New Year yesterday, no?

This year, I decided to revive KyusiReader's The Bookshelf Project. What better way to start off than a picture of a writer's bookshelf. Thank you, Kristine, for sending a photo!

Press the Ctrl key and then click the picture to enlarge.
Photo will appear in a new window.

We can see that Kristine is a big fan of Stephen King. Woot woot! And she has lots of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi books. I just love looking at well-thumbed paperbacks. They somehow show how much we've enjoyed reading them.

Kristine's short story "Pet" has been included in this year Philippine Speculative Fiction 7. I can't wait to get my hands on this collection, as I thoroughly enjoyed PSF 6 when it was chosen as a book by the book club. (Note to self: must find a way to read Kristine's other published short stories and poetry.)

So, dear reader, what do you think of Kristine's shelves?

Give it up for Saba

2012-01-14T08:41:00.001+08:00

There's another dystopian novel that everyone's talking about -- Moira Young's debut novel Blood Red Road. It has recently won the Costa for Best Young Adult Novel, so I think that more and more people will be discovering this satisfying work of contemporary YA fiction.

Young's protagonist, Saba, is predictably strong willed. Saba lives in a dried-up area called Silverlake with her father, her twin brother Lugh, and her youngest sister Emmi. One day, a group of hooded riders abduct Lugh. Saba's father is also killed, and Saba promises to herself that she'll do whatever it takes to get Lugh back.

In the world of Blood Red Road, I kept asking myself where could Silverlake be? I keep thinking that it's somewhere in North America, where the weather has been so f****d up that it hardly rains anymore, resulting in the land's arid climate. Young never does disclose where Silverlake is, much less the reasons for Earth's condition in the novel. I guess it's a technique to compel readers to anticipate the rest of the books of the trilogy.

The language of the novel is something that takes getting used to. It's made up of broken English with hardly any regard for tenses, subject-verb agreements (gasp!), and punctuation marks to set off dialogue. Still, the rhythm of Young's dialogue is very engaging that I never did pay attention to these details while I was reading.

The day's hot. So hot an dry that all I can taste in my mouth is dust. The kinda white heat day when you can hear th'earth crack.
We ain't had a drop of rain fer near six months now. Even the spring that feeds the lake's startin to run dry. You gotta walk some ways out now to fill a bucket. Pretty soon, there won't be no point in callin it by its name. [page 7]

Of course, there's so much more to this novel than just a story about one girl's quest. While the world building isn't as extensive as fantasy readers are used to, the circumstances in Blood Red Road did appeal to my love of the escapist and the speculative. It's a world where people have been addicted to a drug called chaal, which is controlled by a very powerful king called Pinch. And Saba's twin somehow plays a role in keeping the king in power for the next 6 years.

There's something derivative about Blood Red Road though. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's the story of the quest. Or perhaps Saba's nature which can get quite predictable in this genre. Nevertheless, Young's debut is outstanding. It is difficult to write another dystopian novel at a time when The Hunger Games is extremely popular. But Blood Red Road is more grounded in its themes, more plausible in its story. And for a first book of a trilogy, it has successfully done its purpose -- to make the reader hungry for the next book.

Read this book if:

You love dystopian fiction.
Broken English narrative doesn't bother you.
You can be patient in waiting for the rest of the books of a trilogy or series.

Brotherly love

2012-01-09T16:21:00.001+08:00

An enjoyable western novel is as common as frogs in a desert. That's why Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers is something that everybody should read. It's like western on crack.

So in DeWitt's Booker-shortlisted novel, we meet two brothers famous for being hired gunmen -- Eli and Charlie Sisters. Charlie is more brash than Eli, who seems to be falling in love with women who will simply give him the time of day. So when the Commodore decides to hire the brothers to murder someone named Herman Kermit Warm, it is Charlie who comes up with the plan and proposes to take a much bigger cut of the blood money from the Commodore.

Even though the novel's titled The Sisters Brothers, I think that Eli is the heart of the novel. It is through his character that DeWitt makes his narrative. And it is Eli who begins to question the way the two brothers lead their lives.

What's hilarious is how the two brothers find themselves in outrageous situations and yet Eli's voice is still deadpan. And the banter between the two brothers is priceless. One will always be surprised at the characters brothers meet along the way, from Oregen to San Francisco during the Gold Rush and finally to the Sierra foothills where Herman Kermit Warm is supposed to be.

...'What about you, brother? Are you up for a fight?'
'Hardly.'
Squinting, he asked, 'What's that under your coat?'
'A gift from the girl.'
'Is there to be a parade?'
'It's a simple bit of fabric to recall her by. A bonboniere, as Mother would say.'
He sucked his teeth. 'You should not wear it,' he said decisively.
'It's very expensive material, I think.'
'The girl has played a joke on you.'
'She is a serious person.'
'You look like the prize goose.' [page 147]

So now I've read 4 out of the 6 Booker-shortlisted novels in 2011. I'm with the Booker jury on their shortlist, for they chose novels that are enjoyable and readable. And I have to say that The Brothers Sisters is my favorite so far.

Read this book if:

You have a soft spot for westerns.
You love witty dialogues and outrageous situations.
You'll read anything with the word "Booker Prize" on the cover.

How to settle issues with your father

2012-01-07T08:10:00.005+08:00

It really is true. One shouldn't pin very high expectations on a book simply because other people have been raving about it. Much as I wanted to get myself really into Charles Yu's How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, I just couldn't. Several things wouldn't let me.

There's the science aspect of it, for one. Several pages in the book had my eyes glazing over. Now, I majored in science back in college and I consider myself pretty much knowledgeable on different concepts. But the book's treatment of quantum physics, the mechanics of time travel, the different dimensions in space-time gave me headaches.

Another thing would be my preconceived ideas. I was hoping for action. HTLSIASFU didn't have as much. In fact, I would consider the book as melodramatic overall, focusing instead on how the main character, Charles Yu, settles long unresolved issues with his father. His father has been missing, you see. And Charles, now a time travel technician, thinks that finding his father lies in a book entitled How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe.

The writing is very beautiful though. Yu's prose is very vivid and fluid. He effectively captures the thinking of one person who seems to be living his life in limbo, trapped in different physical planes altogether. Yu's message becomes clear as the reader goes through the novel. You can't change your past, no matter how f****d up it turned out to be, so you might as well consider the present.

...Step out into the world of time and risk and loss again. Move forward, into the empty plane. Find the book you wrote, and read it until the end, but don't turn the last page yet, keep stalling, see how long you can keep expanding the infinitely expandable moment. Enjoy the elastic present, which can accommodate as little or as much as you want to put in there. Stretch it out, live inside of it. [page 233]

Read this book if:

You have unsettled issues with your father.
You're comfortable with terms such as "chronodiegetic space" in a novel.
You really think that living in a science fictional universe would be the best option for you, considering how messed up the real universe can sometimes be.

Smells like teen spirit

2012-01-02T20:52:00.005+08:00

That's Andy's best friend above. Louie. That photo shows him shouting the P word to distract Andy from making the shot in a basketball game. Louie, however, isn't the main character in Daniel Clowes's Eisner- and Harvey-award winning graphic novel, The Death-Ray. Andy is.

The Death-Ray isn't about a superhero at all. It's a graphic novel about teen angst. Andy, the main character, somehow reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite. Almost every panel in this book depicts Andy as a loser. And it doesn't help that he's best friends with Louie, who is as much a loser as himself.

And so Andy and Louie go through their high school lives inconspicuously. Andy fancies himself to be the boyfriend of a blonde who he writes letters to frequently. The blonde lives next door. He also fantasizes about the African-American woman who takes care of his invalid grandfather. Things get a bit more exciting when Andy inherits the death-ray, a gun that zaps things to nothingness.

Of course, Louie tries to capitalize on Andy's weapon, urging Andy to zap the people that make their high school lives a living hell.

I was surprised to note that The Death-Ray is as much about a death ray than, say, The Da Vinci Code is about gay erotica. Andy is compared with Holden Caulfield in a lot of reviews. I haven't read Catcher in the Rye, but if HC is every bit as angstsy and introspective as Andy, then the comparison deserves merit.

Clowes's work is very episodic, with sections running at a page on the average. (The Death-Ray is a big book, so a page can have more than 20 panels.) There's plenty of space devoted to character development. By the novel's end, you see a part of yourself in Andy.

The drawings are very clean and a bit stiff IMHO. However, the stiffness works with Andy and Louie's apparent aloofness to the world around them. It's the kind of artwork style you'd expect to appear on a graphic novel that's more character centered than plot driven.

The Death-Ray has lots of panels showing faces and several lines of dialogue. The scenes involving the characters can be funny, though it isn't the usual in-your-face sort of humor. Again, it reminds me of the humor that's wonderfully employed in movies like "Napoleon Dynamite".

Daniel Clowes has earned a huge following, with his other works such as Wilson and Ghost World.

Read this book if:

You like unconventional graphic novels.
You identify with Holden Caulfield.
You'll read anything that won the Eisner and the Harvey.

Loving Lois Duncan

2012-01-01T09:01:00.008+08:00

It's only recently that I've discovered how enjoyable Lois Duncan's books are. Despite the books being written in the 70s and early 80s, Duncan's thrillers and suspense novels are as enjoyable as ever.

Duncan has written more than 50 novels in her career, but she's famous for a handful of books that have provided chilling entertainment to young adults. I believe these novels number about 8, with I Know What You Did Last Summer and Killing Mr Griffin as the most famous ones.

I've read four of these novels. And let me tell you, dear reader, that these are one of the most creepy books you'll ever read, young adult novels or otherwise.

In Summer of Fear, a family adopts the orphaned daughter of one of their kin. Turns out, she's a witch. It reminds me of those horror movies wherein the new member of the family wreaks havoc on everyone.

Locked in Time has elements of southern Gothic. I have always loved Gothic fiction, so reading this was a no-brainer. In this novel, a girl's youthful-looking stepmother and her children share a horrifying secret to staying young.

Killing Mr Griffin is the most entertaining of the 4. We've all had fantasies about playing a nasty joke on our strict teachers. In the novel, 5 teenagers kidnap their English teacher to scare him. Something goes wrong though, as Mr Griffin dies.

Duncan dabs on horror in Down a Dark Hall. The setting, a secluded boarding school, feeds on one's claustrophobia.

I read all four novels, one after the other, all in 2 days. Yes, they're that readable and entertaining. And yes, I'm going to read more.

What if your memory fails you every day?

2011-12-30T17:22:00.002+08:00

Imagine, if you will, waking up every morning with absolutely no recollection at all of the past several years. Imagine seeing a stranger next to you in bed only to find out that he's your husband. Imagine looking yourself at the mirror and getting confused with all the age lines that you see in your face, for you remember being only in your 20s when you went to bed. In S. J. Watson's debut novel, Before I Go to Sleep, these are exactly what happen to Christine Lucas the moment she first opens her eyes in the morning.

Christine has amnesia. She can't recall the details of what happened to her for the past several years. She's had this condition for more than 20 years, a condition brought about by an accident, which her husband Ben tells her.

So you might be thinking that Christine's husband is a dearie, right? Explaining to Christine every day for the past 20 years who he is and telling her about her amnesia. It must be nerve wracking to be in Christine's shoes. I'd seriously consider killing myself if I were in my shoes. Thankfully, she discovers that she has a journal, one that she's writing on every day recently. The journal also tells her one important thing. Written on the first page of it is this sentence:

Don't trust Ben.

It's chilling reading that sentence. Just 3 words. Three words that somehow turn the novel into a very engaging one. Yes, Before I Go to Sleep is a thriller. And what's more interesting is, you find yourself really curious as to how Christine can get herself out of the situation she's in.
Something's definitely not right with the things Ben keeps telling her. Ben mentioned that they didn't have kids, that her accident caused her amnesia, that she was a lowly clerk at some office. But Christine has occasional flashes of memory: a son named Adam, a best friend, an affair, a sexual assault.

Watson's novel is one of the most entertaining novels I've read in years. I found it refreshing that the novel just focused in on a few characters, allowing him the leverage of wonderful character development. Everyone would love Christine and be distrustful of Ben. Although, some readers would definitely be put off by the apparent black-and-white attributes of the characters.

But what I found even more compelling is how Watson throws something to the reader from the left field. Her husband may not even be the person he's telling himself to be. Christine finds out that she's been seeing a medical specialist clandestinely every day, meeting the doctor as soon as Ben leaves home for work. Watson slowly unravels the reasons for these. It's a nail-biting unraveling though. Watson definitely teases the reader's patience.

Before I Go to Sleep is one novel that feeds on paranoia. I think that Watson has entered the realm of genre fiction with a bang. Let's just hope that his next novel is just as rewarding as this one.

Read this book if:

You've always been afraid of losing your memory.
You love the movie "Memento".
You keep a journal.

The year that was in reading

2011-12-28T08:11:00.009+08:00

In just 3 days, we'll be saying good-bye to 2011 and then making those resolutions, futile and otherwise, for 2012. This got me to thinking though: What were my reading highlights for 2011?

To start, I read 111 books, which is fitting for the year '11, no? (I doubt if I'll be able to finish another novel in 3 days with all the get-togethers still squeezed within those 3 days.) And then, I looked back at all those 111 books and said to myself, "Why, yes! 2011 was a good year for KyusiReader!"

I discovered Gary D. Schmidt this year, who instantly became my favorite YA novelist. No magic, no vampires, not a hint of a fantastic element. Just pure storytelling brilliance. His are the kind of books that you want your children, nephews, nieces, classmates, strangers on the bus, and the sexy hunk next door to read.

And then there's Brandon Sanderson. Oh, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon. Where do you get all those friggin' ideas? A world where people use colors for magic, where a city inhabited by gods become cursed, where a gang of thieves can topple a tyrant. You made a lot of people realize that they don't need a George R. R. Martin to get their fantasy fix.

And speaking of GRRM, 2011 is the year when I finally got all hardcovers of A Song of Ice and Fire. Thanks, Iya, for the first edition of A Game of Thrones. In this edition, I can't help but snigger at the author bio, wherein it's mentioned that GRRM is currently at work on his 2nd novel, A Dance with Dragons.

On a lighter note, Tove Jansson's Moomin books were a constant delight. They're the perfect palate cleanser, something to read between those "serious" books. I've read the first 4 and can't wait to read the remaining 5 books.

It's also the year Penguin released their Red series. Again, another excuse for more mindless book buying. How can anyone resist the highly artistic covers! In the cover for D. H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, for example, artist's inspiration was the woman's vulva.

How can I go wrong with classic science fiction? John Wyndham has given me the perfect escapist novels this year. Very, very enjoyable, I must say.

Y: The Last Man. Best graphic novels ever. Read them! Thankfully, the 5th deluxe edition (the last book) came out this year.

And it's been my tradition to collect the Booker shortlisted novels every year, no matter how late the books become available here in Manila. Funny thing is, I'm missing this year's winner, Julian Barnes's A Sense of an Ending. (So far, I've read only 2 of the 5 that I have. Hehehe.)

How about you, dear reader? What were your reading highlights this year?

Christmas gifts

2011-12-26T17:45:00.002+08:00

Okay, so you can call me shallow, but one of the best things about this season is that I receive books as gifts! And for this year, I got books that I haven't even read yet! (Well, maybe I dropped a couple of hints here and there to friends and relatives. Hehehe.)

I'm especially looking forward to reading Maus and The Phantom Tollbooth, which I heard are very enjoyable books. So allow me to get back on my reading, but let me first wish you a joyous season and here's to more books in 2012!

The circus is in town

2011-12-24T13:03:00.006+08:00

Much has been said about Erin Morgenstern's debut novel, The Night Circus. You can't miss it, it's all over the place these days. And so I found myself in a bookstore doing some last-minute shopping when I thought, heck, why not get just one book for myself.

I've always loved the circus, and I found the paper cutout elements of the cover quite amusing. So off I went to the register with several books in my arms, including this novel which I do hope is really worth the hype.

Fortunately, The Night Circus is one very enjoyable and well-written novel. Morgenstern's story may appear derivative to some (i.e., elements of Cirque du Freak, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell), but the novel's storyline holds water on its own. Aside from the author's apparent talent for describing setting vividly, Morgenstern does a great job in coming up with the most eccentric characters in fiction that I've read recently.

The novel is, at its heart, a love story. It's a romantic tale between two people (Cecilia and Marco) who have been trained in illusion, and tangible and mental manipulation. Unfortunately, they have been pitted against each other by their masters, and their masters have chosen a circus as the arena. To complicate things further, Cecilia and Marco both fell in love with one another much to the chagrin of their mentors. They soon learn that, by the end of the game, only one will emerge alive.

Morgenstern's novel works in so many levels that it would appeal to a wide range of readers. First, the love story between the protagonists would appeal to fans of romantic fiction. Fantasy readers will definitely love the scenes where magic plays a central role. The Night Circus's air of mystery and motley of performers will delight readers of all ages.

I was surprised that, with all the elements that Morgenstern brings into the novel, the story isn't a mess, with the subplots flying all over the place. The writing is very controlled, but the pace of the novel is oh so deliciously taxi meter. I loved this circus. I sure hope you find the time to step inside and see the wonders waiting for you, dear reader, underneath the striped tents of the night circus.

Read this book if:

You're big on circuses.
You love outstanding debut fiction.
You believe that true magic really exists.

Really, really, really loving this series

2011-12-18T18:26:00.005+08:00

If there's one fantasy series that's quickly becoming my favorite, it has got to be Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn. I've been telling friends and other fantasy lovers that they'll surely love Sanderson's mystical world.

I've just finished book 2 of the series, The Well of Ascension. I read it in white heat, probably all 800 pages of the paperback in a little over 2 days. The story isn't as standalone as the first one. But I'm telling you, dear reader, the story arc just keeps getting better and more intriguing.

Sanderson has raised more questions in the 2nd book, which I think is very clever, as readers have left no option but to get to the 3rd book, which I am doing right now.

So right now, when you mention fantasy to me, it's just Mistborn, Mistborn, and Mistborn. GRRM, I love you, but Westeros and Tyrion would just have to wait.

Of course, I've been searching the Net for Mistborn toys and action figures, and I am literally drooling over these painted miniatures. These are very detailed, I think.

And I've been thinking a lot about mist cloaks, the tasseled ones that Mistborn wear. It must be awesome to have one. I can imagine landing softly on the ground with the cloak fanning out in slow motion.

Photo from Hyde Designs

Another one from my favorite YA novelist

2011-12-16T13:38:00.004+08:00

I made a promise to myself to read all the books written by Gary D. Schmidt. His two latest releases, The Wednesday Wars and Okay for Now, remind you why you read books in the first place -- to enjoyably lose yourself in a story that is wonderfully written. Like these two novels, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy doesn't disappoint.

Scmidt transports us to an island in Maine in the early years of the 20th century. Turner Buckminster, together with his father (who is moving to the small island community to be the minister) and silent-but-strong-willed mother, arrives in Phippsburg, Maine and discover that not everyone in this place is happy to have him.

Turner has several things going against him. Of course, being the minister's son has its obvious disadvantages. He finds out that the boys on the island community play baseball differently from the usual. And, he becomes friends with a black girl named Lizzie Bright. Lizzie comes from Malaga Island, an island just off the coast of Phippsburg and populated by former slaves. He soon knows that the community of leaders of Phippsburg want to kick out this African-American settlement to convert Malaga Island into a tourist spot.

Schmidt, instead of writing a novel about a hero conquering seemingly insurmountable odds, has written a book that feels very much grounded. Nevertheless, Turner does do everything he can to rescue Lizzie's family and friends in Malaga Island. Turner fails though, but what he accomplishes after this sad fact is noteworthy.

What is it about Schmidt's novels that make me want to shed tears, buckets and buckets of them. If the reader shed tears reading Schmidt's last two novels, it's very different altogether in Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. Turner makes a very unfortunate discovery concerning Lizzie that will leave the reader in shock at first and then possibly weeping because of it.

And there's no sugarcoating in this novel. Schmidt presents bigotry in all its ugliness, always reminding people that this is how some people think and feel about African-Americans in the early 1900s. It's a very unsettling picture, especially when he writes about how people foolishly act on their prejudices.

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy actually has historical truth in it. There really was an island in Maine cleared off its African-American residents during the early 1900s. And, there really was a black girl who was transferred to a mental institution during this time. The girl's name was left out in the records; Schmidt, however, gave her a name in his beautiful novel.

Read this book if:

You love historical YA fiction.
You've experienced moving to a new home when you were a kid.
Like me, you'll read anything written by Gary D. Schmidt.

My best reads for 2011

2011-12-12T21:22:00.004+08:00

It's that time of the year again, fellow book lovers! Now's the perfect moment to round up our best reads for 2011. I had a fabulous year, as I was able to read more than 100 books! Normally, I list my top 10, but it was a bit difficult to do that this year. So I came up with my top 12 favorite books!

Two YA novels struck a chord this year. Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars and Vanderpool's Moon over Manifest. Both are touching reads and are very life affirming. Moon over Manifest definitely deserves the Newbery this year. I'm still waiting for Schmidt to win though.

For classic reads, I highly recommend Williams's Stoner and Hesse's Siddhartha. Stoner has received universal acclaim recently. Williams's story about the life of an academic is pure reading bliss. As for Siddhartha, well, it's simply profound.

2011 is the year that I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy. Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind is recommend to people waiting for the next George R. R. Martin novel. Miéville's Perdido Street Station has elements of steam punk, horror, and fantasy. It's unlike anything I've read before. Bacigalupi's cyber punk The Windup Girl combines aspects of politics, genetic engineering, and sociology. I loved it!

Of course, most of my best reads are in contemporary fiction. I liked two 2011 Booker-shortlisted novels -- Miller's Snowdrops and Edugyan's Half Blood Blues. Tóibín's Brooklyn was shortlisted last year. Rachman's The Imperfectionists is one very funny novel made of stories. And I was floored by the narrative and scope of Syjuco's Ilustrado.

Hmmm... This must be the first year when I haven't listed a non-fiction book as a best read. Maybe I should read more non-fiction next year. How about you, dear reader, what are your favorite books of 2011?

Metals, mists, and mind-blowing fantasy

2011-12-11T11:29:00.004+08:00

One wouldn't wonder why the estate of Robert Jordan asked Brandon Sanderson to write the final novels of The Wheel of Time after reading Mistborn. Sanderson's magnificent trilogy makes a pleasant assault on your senses. The first novel, Mistborn: The Final Empire, starts off the series on a very high note.

In the science fiction and fantasy genre, world-building becomes of primary importance. A good story would appear weak and diluted if it's not set in a detailed universe where the reader can suspend his or her disbelief in. In the first Mistborn, Sanderson's world-building skills are so fine-tuned; the reader is simply swept away by the story and the fantastic setting.

Sanderson's world is one ruled by a seemingly omnipotent character called the Lord Ruler, populated by noblemen and slaves called skaa, obscured by thick mists during the night-time, and where a select few practice Allomancy. There's a certain "science" behind the principles of Allomancy, where some people can ingest particular metals and then burn them to harness their powers. A few people can burn just one metal, but a very few can burn all 10, and these people are called the Mistborn.

One of these Mistborn is a street urchin named Vin, who is discovered by another Mistborn called Kelsier. Kelsier dreams of a world where the skaa are free from the tyrannical clutches of the noble houses. He gathers a team of Allomancers (including Vin), soldiers, a fake nobleman, and a historian. Kelsier's plan: kill the Lord Ruler, make the noble houses wage war against one another, and train at least 10,000 skaa to be soldiers to fight the garrison. Kelsier's plan is met with harsh criticism from his team, for everyone believes that the Lord Ruler is immortal.

Sanderson's Allomancy is one juicy element in Mistborn that can be milked for all its worth. It's fascinating to read about this form of "magic," or "science" if you may. When Mistborn burn brass, they can alter the emotions of the people around them, burn pewter and Mistborn become several times stronger, burn tin and have their senses enhanced, burn steel and they can push metallic things away from them. Only a gifted world-builder can conjure this kind of fantasy, which is enough motivation for anyone to read the rest of Sanderson's trilogy.

There are stereotypical aspects of the fantasy novel that make their way in Mistborn. Kelsier appears to be the savior, the Lord Ruler the epitome of evil, and Vin the apprentice who would end up with a much larger role in the end. But everything's handled perfectly in the story. Stereotypes they may be, but the reader is sure to enjoy reading about them.

If you're not into trilogies or series or sequences, don't worry -- Mistborn 1: The Final Empire can be a stand-alone novel. Sanderson ties up everything cleanly in the end, albeit too neat for some readers who may want an edgier, non-grit-free ending. Still, I doubt if many would not enjoy themselves in this world where the mist can engulf you and where Allomancers can play on your emotions.

Read this book if:

You love fantastic world-building.
Mists fascinate you.
You're curious to know more about Allomancy.

And all that jazz

2011-12-10T03:52:00.000+08:00

Of the 6 Booker-shortlisted novels this year, I have read only 2, even though I have all of them in my shelf. The reason I somehow make it a point to get my hands on them is that these books are usually good reads. Esi Edugyan's novel, Half Blood Blues, is no exception. In fact, it's one of the best novels I've read this year.

As the novel focuses on jazz musicians during WWII, it becomes evident that Edugyan knows her jazz. But Half Blood Blues is more than just jazz as it is about friendship, betrayal, and the plight of blacks in Europe during the war. It's very fascinating, I tell you. I'm not at all interested about the music nor the artists of this musical genre, but Edugyan uses jazz as a backdrop, as a playing ground where her characters can fully develop themselves.

The novel's narrative alternates between Europe (Berlin and Paris) during the war and Berlin in the 1990s. In Berlin in 1939, just before the war erupts, we get to know three of the major players of the popular jazz band, The Hot Time Swingers: Hieronymus Falk, its very talented trumpet player, is even better than Louis Armstrong, as some people say, and Sid Griffiths and Chip Jones, who are Americans from Baltimore. For these three characters, it's a dangerous time to be in Berlin, for they are all black.

The band escapes to Paris with the help of a woman who is also connected with Louis Armstrong. In Paris, the band plans a collaboration with Louis Armstrong to make a record, which is disrupted when the Germans eventually conquer France and march into Paris to the tearful faces of the Parisians. One night, Sid and Hiero decide to go to a French cafe where Hiero is arrested by the Germans. He is never seen nor heard of again.

The novel's denouement takes place in the 1990s, wherein Chip has invited Sid to go to Berlin to watch a documentary about Hiero. It is in this part of the novel where Edugyan makes you feel the conflicting emotions going on in Sid. It's evident in the earlier part of the novel that Sid could have done something to prevent Hiero's arrest. Trust me, dear reader, when you discover how Sid betrayed his friend, it's almost too painful to bear.

The characters speak in a broken kind of English which takes getting used to. Once you get over it, the language makes the story richer, as if you're reading a diary or journal of sorts. Half Blood Blues did convey a lot of emotions -- the joy of being part of a group of friends with the same interest, the fear of finding yourself in hostile territory, the frustration for the things that should've been, among others.

Edugyan's subject matter is rarely touched among historians, much less by novelists -- blacks in Europe during WWII. There are parts in Half Blood Blues that portray horrific realities brought about by the Nazis. But in the end though, one feels lucky to have read such a fantastic piece of historical fiction.

Read this book if:

You read all the Booker-shortlisted novels every year.
You're into historical fiction.
You love jazz.

The year that was for the book club

2011-12-05T08:33:00.017+08:00

It certainly was a good year for my book club, Flips Flipping Pages. I've posted below some of the highlights from our discussions for 2011. If you want to be in the company of fellow book lovers, then join us! We'll be happy to have you.

January 2011 Meet-up
Best and Worst Reads for 2010

The glass wall at Libreria, where Flippers posted their worst and best reads

At Libreria, Cubao, Quezon City
(also with book bloggers and Goodreads members)

February 2011 Discussion
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

The cast and director of the Repertory Philippines play during our Q&A session

At the Repertory Theater, Greenbelt 1, Makati
Discussion at Gloria Maris, Greenbelt 2

February 2011 Discussion
Cien Sonetos de Amor by Pablo Neruda

Yes, we had 2 discussions for February!
Here are the Tadurans with their magnetic poetry thingy.

At Coffee Beanery, Quezon City
(too bad I wasn't able to attend this one)

March 2011 Discussion
Blindness by José Saramago

I co-moderated this one with Gege.
I love her expression when she saw the picture of Saramago kissing his wife.

At O'Sonho, Eastwood City
(Don't you just love the mural on the wall?)

April 2011 Discussion
Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Moderator Jeeves explaining pronation and supination of the feet
One of those few moments when my eyes glazed over

At Órale Taqueria, The Fort Strip

May 2011 Discussion
Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco

Moderator Iya with her slides
She's so effortlessly classy, no?

At Uncle Cheffie, Burgos Circle

June 2011 Discussion
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Discussion was actually held in July.
Here are some members laughing during the pre-discussion game.

At Red Swan, Tomas Morato, Quezon City
(sorry for the blurry pic, couldn't find a clearer one)

July 2011 Discussion
Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Welski, one of the moderators, made the most amazing bookmarks ever!
There's actually a smaller bookmark inside this bookmark! Clever, no?

August 2011 Discussion
Philippine Speculative Fiction 6

The awesome event banner designed by Honey (or was it by Honey's husband?)

September 2011 Discussion
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

I moderated this one!
I wonder why the Flippers are laughing. My presentation was supposed to be scary!

At Chocolate Fire, Makati

October 2011 Discussion
Urban Fantasy Face-off
Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris and Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Why is there wine at a book discussion?

At Gino's Pizza in Katipunan
Awesome job at moderating, Rhett!

November 2011 Discussion
Flippers take some much needed time off

Moderator Blooey decided to reschedule this to January 2012.
Wonderful event banner, yes?

December 2011 Christmas Party
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry

We came in costumes that feature literary characters!
Rhett and I were Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee!

At Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4, Makati

Pictures courtesy of Rhett (best photographer ever!), Mike B., Joko, and Honey

I wanna go to Russia

2011-12-04T18:29:00.002+08:00

Suddenly, after reading A. D. Miller's Booker shortlisted debut novel, Snowdrops, I had the urge to book a flight to Russia. Miller has a very enviable gift of describing settings. You feel the extremely uncomfortable cold in Moscow, where temperature can fall below zero (enough for your mobile to be stuck in your ungloved hand when you use it outside). In Moscow, you can sense the acrid taste of corruption and smell the desperation of its citizens.

I thought I would be reading a thriller, something fast paced with a clever resolution at the end. Snowdrops is something deliciously more than that. It is indeed a crime novel, but it's also a travelogue of sorts, portraying the Moscow that you wouldn't see in guidebooks, the Moscow where single women dress up as prostitutes and where cabdrivers can prey on their passengers. It's a very unflattering picture of Moscow that's depicted in Miller's debut novel, but Moscow is all the more fascinating for it.

'Snowdrop. Your friend is a snowdrop.' That's what the Russians call them -- the bodies that float up into the light in the thaw. Drunks, most of them, and homeless people who just give up and lie down into the whiteness, and murder victims hidden in the drifts by their killers. [page 3]

You know from the start of Snowdrops that something will go wrong. Nicholas Pratt, the main character of the novel, writes a letter to his fiancée, forming the novel's narrative. Nick is an expat, a lawyer assigned to work in Moscow. One day, he meets two girls who introduce themselves as sisters -- Masha and Katya. It is revealed later in the novel that these two aren't really sisters nor cousins. They are players in a scam involving selling housing units in Moscow. Miller adds an extra layer to his story -- the romantic relationship that develops between Masha and Nick.

How Nick becomes part of this scam unfolds slowly in the novel, but it's not the kind that leads to ennui. In fact, Miller's writing appears to be beautifully controlled, focusing more on character introspection. Masha and Katya urge Nick to help their old aunt named Tatiana Vladimirovna move out of her Moscow apartment and into a new residential building. That's the scam right there. Nick finds out that Tatiana isn't a relation to the girls, that the residential building is never meant to be lived in, that Masha and Katya duped Nick in giving money to an oily character who appears to be a middleman of some sort.

In the end, both girls disappear. Tatiana, whom Nick has grown fond of, also goes missing. It is never mentioned what happened to the old lady, but it's a good assumption that she's been murdered. Miller toys with the reader's imagination. You just know that something grisly has happened to Tatiana. I love authors like these.

Read this book if:

You've always wanted to visit Moscow.
You like novels with that Hitchcock feel to them.
You love the cold.

This YA novel is more than okay

2011-11-21T20:10:00.003+08:00

Gary D. Schmidt is now my favorite young adult novelist. His second novel, The Wednesday Wars, is one of the funniest and most heartwarming novels I've read ever. His latest one, Okay for Now, is also a keeper, a book that should be displayed prominently on your shelf.

In The Wednesday Wars, the character of Doug Swieteck was a minor one, playing second fiddle to the lovable Holling Hoodhood. Good thing that Schmidt decided to make Doug the lead in Okay for Now. As a protagonist, Doug represents all the potential that young adults can become, given the support and encouragement of family and friends.

The novel is set in a small town in New York state during the Vietnam War. Doug's family has just relocated to this quaint spot, where the library is only open during Saturdays, where every one seems to know one another, and where first impressions usually are important. For Doug, the last one can be very problematic, because of his troublesome father and his wayward older brother.

Pretty soon, Doug becomes friends with the indomitable Lil Spicer, whose father owns Spicer's Deli where Doug eventually works as delivery boy during Saturday mornings. It is during these delivery trips that he meets some of the eccentric residents of Marysville, New York. And during Saturday mornings, he takes up the habit of visiting the library where the librarian teaches him how to replicate Audobon's beautiful watercolors of the birds of America.

Audobon's book is the centerpiece of the town's library, but since the town is sometimes in need of cash for some project, it has sold one Audobon plate after another to different individuals. Doug then decides to collect back these plates. So how does Doug do it? Well, his methods become some of the endearing and funny parts of the book.

Okay for Now was nominated for this year's National Book Award, and I was hoping that it would win. (The Wednesday Wars was a Newberry Honor Book, which I felt was well deserved.) Doug's adventures in Okay for Now will often make you teary eyed and whoop for joy at the same time. I had no choice but to root for Doug all the way.

For a novel just under 400 pages, Schmidt has written about the aesthetics of Audobon's watercolors, the appeal of Jane Eyre to readers (the novel was a reading assignment in Doug's class), the horrors of gym class, the effects of war on families, and the causes of juvenile delinquency, among other things. Trust me, dear reader, Okay for Now is a wonderful and meaningful reading experience.

I do hope that Schmidt releases another novel soon. Schmidt's message of hope and redemption in Okay for Now is something that people need. Doug's persistence in learning Audobon's technique is admirable. His triumph in the midst of familial discord is a cause for celebration. His well-earned respect from the people around him is something every child can aspire to. All these make Okay for Now my favorite young adult read this year.

Read this book if:

You love Audobon's plates.
You'll read any YA fiction with a very lovable character.
You know that when things go really, really wrong, they can only get better.

Two boys, a house, and one very good novel

2011-11-13T08:37:00.000+08:00

Children can be cruel toward one another, no? Their words sting, their fights physically hurtful. Susan Hill's 1970 novel, I'm the King of the Castle, explores what happens to two boys thrown together by parental circumstances. Having the same age, these boys are expected by all to be the best of friends, but in Hill's novels, these 11-year-olds turn out to be bitter, savage rivals.

Charles Kingshaw, the son of a husbandless housekeeper, moves into the grand ancestral house of Edmund Hooper, the son of an aristocratic Englishman. From the start, Edmund makes it clear to his father and Charles that he has no intention of being friends with Charles. Edmund is one territorial child, somehow perceiving that Charles will encroach in his domain.

But it's not enough that Edmund verbally abuses Charles. He locks Charles in his grandfather's room which houses a creepy collection of dead moths. He engages Charles in a fistfight. Charles makes it a point to get out of Edmund's way every day, but Edmund is intent on being the bully, the stalker, the antagonist. One can see that the situation is hopeless unless the parents intervene. Charles's mother and Edmund's father, however, remain clueless to the goings-on in their house. The parents have struck an awkward flirting phase with one another.

I'm the King of the Castle provokes a host of reactions from its readers. Some mention that the novel has a gothic, creepy feel to it. With the novel's setting and Hill's sombre turns of phrase, this reaction is justified. There's a pervading gloom in every page of the novel, as if Hill is preparing the reader for the eventual catastrophic climax.

Others mention that the novel is a crossover one, a work of fiction that can be read by both adults and young adults. This is rightly so, especially with Hill's accessible gift of narrative. I'm sure that both audiences will be able to relate to the themes of parental blindness, bullying, and dreams of fleeing.

I'm a big fan of Susan Hill, especially her ghost stories. The Woman in Black is my favorite ghost story. The Man in the Picture and The Small Hand are great creepy reads during rainy nights. Hill provides I'm the King of the Castle with a different kind of terror. It's a terror that's all too real and familiar, and it's from individuals whom you never imagine can give it -- children.

Read this book if:

You've been scarred for life from bullying.
You love Susan Hill's atmospheric novels.
You're a parent of precocious children.

Tuscany, LOL!

2011-11-09T19:58:00.002+08:00

There are just a few places where I imagine spending my retirement years. The beaches of Boracay is one, and the rolling hills of Tuscany is another. The sumptuous food and wine, the glorious weather, the wonderful scenery! How can you go wrong with living in Tuscany! But in James Hamiton-Paterson's hilarious Booker-nominated novel, Cooking with Fernet Branca, Tuscany becomes the setting where everything goes wrong.

In Cooking with Fernet Branca, we meet two of the most hysterically funny characters in recent fiction -- Gerald Samper and Marta. Gerald, a Brit who ghostwrites celebrity biographies, has a fascination for a cuisine one might say is experimental. Marta, a native of the ex-Soviet republic called Voynovia, is a composer, working on the score for the film of a famous Italian director. Gerald and Marta are neighbors, much to each other's chagrin. Here's a sample of a dish that Gerald made for himself. Try not to be queasy. (There are a lot of these dreadful recipes in the book!)

Mussels in Chocolate

You flinch? But that's only because you are gastronomically unadventurous. (Your Saturday evening visits to the Koh-i-Noor Balti House do not count. These days conveyor-belt curry is as safe a taste as Mozart.)

Ingredients
2 dozen fresh mussels, shelled and cleaned
Good quality olive oil
Rosemary
Soy sauce
100 gm finely grated Valrhona dark chocolate

You will need quite a lot of olive oil because you are going to deep-fry the mussels, and no, that bright green stuff claiming to be Extra-Special First Pressing Verginissimo olive oil with a handwritten parchment label isn't necessary. Anyway, how can there possibly be degrees of virginity? Olive oil snobs are even worse than wine snobs. . . [page 15]

Hamilton-Paterson's novel is a comedy of errors in the craziest sense. Marta believes that Gerald loves the horrible alcoholic drink fernet branca so much that she lets him drink lots of it. Gerald, on the other hand, feels that his obligation to drink up as much as he can of that awful stuff, thinking that Marta likes the drink too. Now bring in coke-addicted drug stars, crazy family members, and a famed porn director and his son, and you've got a very rowdy mix of a story that Hamilton-Paterson expertly handles.

One feels that Hamilton-Paterson parodied the expat's life in this corner of Italy. It's a very successful attempt, with Gerald coming off as the stereotypical prudish Brit who feels entitled to the promise of solitude and beauty that Tuscany can offer. He has the habit of singing arias and other operatic pieces despite his little knowledge of the lyrics and the wanting quality of his voice. Marta uses Gerald's singing in the film. When Gerald first hears the score, he feels that the music is "vaguely familiar."

Cooking with Fernet Branca is a fun novel. It's the kind of novel that you read on a lazy Sunday afternoon when you think you can use a good laugh. And Hamilton-Paterson does bring in the gags. The novel is one comedic scene after another, with the reader relating to either Gerald or Marta. Read it, dear reader. You'll weep with delight.

Read this book if:

You like parodies of famous travel books (Under the Tuscan's Son!).
You're taste in food is also experimental.
You'll read anything set in Tuscany.

Beautiful and grotesque

2011-11-05T07:27:00.008+08:00

What can you expect from someone who came up with a character such as Pinhead in "Hellraiser"? Why a wonderful book filled with otherworldly characters of course! And it's been a while since Cliver Barker wrote something wonderfully strange and horrifying. His most recent adult fiction, Mister B. Gone, was just so-so; it's quite difficult to imagine that it's the same person who wrote The Books of Blood, Cabal, Imajica, and The Damnation Game (which inspired the movie "Hellraiser"). Mister B. Gone totally came from left field that I felt cheated.

It's a good thing though that Barker has a series (a quartet?) for young adults that is just as deliciously strange as his adult fiction. And third book in the series, Abarat: Absolute Midnight, doesn't disappoint.

Because this is a work from the twisted imagination of Barker, the characters range from the divine to the damned. Mater Motley, the book's primary villain, is a crazy old crone who wears a dress weighed down by the souls of the tormented. Motley is constantly surrounded by other monstrosities, and Barker's description of these is fascinating. The only "normal" character is Candy Quackenbush, the heroine of the series, who is still at the mystical land of Abarat.

To imagine Abarat, you will have to suspend all disbelief. It's a place, terrible and wonderful at the same time, that is made up of islands. Each island corresponds to a particular time of day. So there are islands who are bathed in sunshine at all times, and those that are perpetually clothed in the nighttime, such as Midnight where Mater Motley resides. In book 3, Mater Motley comes up with a plan to bring eternal midnight to the whole of Abarat, and it's only Candy who can stop her.

Barker doesn't come out with an Abarat book every year. Why? Each book has hundreds of paintings, which are all by Barker himself, that go hand in hand with the story. (And I'm guessing that it does take some time to paint.) Barker's style is what I would consider as grotesque; it complements his monsters.

Here are some of my favorite images in the third book:

With all the young adult fiction featuring vampires, zombies, werewolves, fairies, and other usual ~~boring~~ supernatural characters, Barker's Abarat comes off as refreshing. In a way, Abarat reminds us of the monsters that we expected to come slithering out of our closets at night when we were children. I can't wait for book 4 to be published!

Read this book if:

You feel a strange affinity toward Pinhead.
You love monsters.
Your favorite time of the day is midnight.

In the mood for high fantasy

2011-11-01T07:52:00.004+08:00

The high fantasy bug must have bit me recently, for I can't seem to get enough of these wonderful novels. Give me wizards and witches, sorcerers and sorceresses, royalty, gods, mythical beasts, and dragons. I want them all. (Never mind that I'll be reading these books in mass market paperback format.)

Of course, it's about time I get to read these "classic" high fantasy novels. The Eye of the World is the first of many, and I'm hoping it's as good as a lot of people tell me. The Once and Future King has on my TBR for the longest time. And The Sword of Shannara will be the first Terry Brooks I'll get to read.

And then there's high fantasy for young adults! Brian Jacques's Redwall, Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three, and Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle! All books are the first in a series which I hope will motivate me to read the rest.

I've started on some recently published high fantasy (poly-bookist that I am), and I must say that they're very, very good. Sara Douglass's Hades' Daughter is high drama as well involving labyrinths, Greek gods, and ancient England. Steven Erickson's Gardens of the Moon is fantasy with a heavy dose of military angles. And I've heard a lot of good things about Brian Sanderson's Mistborn. Again, all three are the first in the series.

How about you, dear reader? Do you have a high fantasy title that you would like to recommend to me?

This is probably one of the best novels I've ever read, but don't take my word for it

2011-10-30T09:09:00.002+08:00

Every once in a while, you read a novel that's so beautiful beyond words that you just can't imagine your review doing justice to it. So, I'm not going to bother with all that analysis of writing styles, narrative, and themes. Instead, I'll just be gushing over John Williams's novel, Stoner.

Stoner is probably one of the best adult fiction I've read, ever. The character of William Stoner is one that will indelibly remain in my conscious reading life. But what's more amazing is that, as a character, Stoner doesn't do anything spectacular. In the novel, Stoner seems to be just going with whatever fate throws at him.

Stoner, which is written in a refreshingly linear fashion, we are taken through the entire life of Stoner -- from his beginnings as a son of a farmer and his wife, to the time of his retirement from teaching literature in a university. If the story seems too simple, it's just because it really is. But John Williams, in this semi-autobiographical novel, chooses to focus on the whole gamut of emotions that Stoner experiences. The result is one very rich work of fiction that you want to finish in one sitting. It is that rewarding, I tell you.

Of course, this isn't a "happy" novel, with its subplots of emotionally abusive marriage (Stoner and his wife) university politics (Stoner and the chairman of the department), adulterous relationships (Stoner and a colleague), and how not to raise a child (Stoner and his daughter). Saying that Stoner is heartbreaking would be an understatement.

At the end of the novel, I keep asking myself why would Williams choose to write about a character who seem to have made such bad decisions on his life. His choosing to study literature instead of agriculture seems to be the only redeeming decision that he has ever made. Other than this, everything seems to be going against Stoner's favor: he marries a woman who doesn't love him; he lets his wife take control of the raising of their child, resulting in their daughter becoming one messed-up individual. I guess, Williams is a realist. Bad things do happen to people, and they happen a lot.

Stoner doesn't fall into the trap of being highly romanticized. Its story is straightforward, and its characters are people that you expect to meet if you do live in a university town. There's no heavy introspection on the part of Stoner that would make the novel too pedantic. Dear reader, if you're going to read one novel this year, let Stoner be it.

Read this book if:

You're longing for good (if not the best) literary fiction.
You've also made bad decisions on your life.
You'll read anything published by the NYRB.

Stand-alone high fantasy

2011-10-23T10:10:00.001+08:00

My main beef about high fantasy novels is that you should have lots and lots of patience to read them. For one, many of these novels written by those considered masters of the genre are so thick, doorstop proportions actually. Another, it's not enough that you should read not just the first of the series, but the 5 or 6 books that follow it. And it doesn't help that the other books haven't even been written yet. Case in point: George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, a planned 7-book series, isn't complete yet, with only the 5th book published this year. (Prayers are definitely needed to make sure that he's still alive to finish the series.)

Good thing that Brandon Sanderson's debut novel, Elantris, is a complete fantasy novel in itself. In Sanderson's novel, we meet three characters -- Raoden, Hrathen, and Sarene -- in a place called Arelon. The vast land of Arelon is divided into the cities of Kae, Fjorden, and Elantris, which are so unlike one another in terms of beliefs and political system. The current unofficial capital of Arelon is Kae, which is a kingdom ruled by merchants. Fjorden is a bit far off, with the people being devout to a religion called Shu-Dereth and is ruled by Derethi priests. Elantris is cursed. There was a time when Elantrians were considered gods: they had power, they glowed. But 10 years ago, the chasm happened, causing Elantris to decay and its people to appear diseased. Now, Elantrians are in a state of being half dead and half alive. Their hunger cannot be assuaged and their wounds do not heal.

So let's go back to the three protagonists. Raoden, the prince of Arelon, is visited one day by the Shaod, causing him to become one of the cursed Elantrians. He is thrown into the city and is considered dead by the people of Kae. The woman he is engaged to, Sarene, who is a feisty woman from the faraway kingdom of Teod, doesn't know of what happened to Raoden. But because of the political arrangement of their marriage, she is destined to become the widowed princess of Kae. Hrathen arrives at Kae, hoping to convert its people to Shu-Dereth.

Sanderson's world-building talent is so promising in this first novel that Elantris doesn't have the feel of debut fiction at all. When he depicts Kae as a place of corruption, you can almost sense the stench of the dirty dealings of the ruling class. Likewise, the dirt and slime that covers Elantris is something that you can almost see and smell. The fictional world that Sanderson conjures is equal parts fascinating and repulsive.

However, Sanderson tends to repeat himself with what transpired from the previous chapter. Often, the events of one chapter are discussed in detail by the characters in the next. (Thank goodness that Elantris isn't a doorstop.) Lots of dialogue permeate the text; hence, Elantris isn't as action packed as I would like it to be. Nevertheless, the narrative is still fast paced enough to make you read through the night (which I did by the way).

I think Elantris made me a fan of Brandon Sanderson. I'm now on the lookout for his acclaimed Mistborn series. I do believe that the estate of Robert Jordan, who wrote the series The Wheel of Time, entrusted Sanderson to finish the long overdrawn fantasy epic. Fans of TWOT need not worry, for I think the series is in good hands with Sanderson.

Read this book if:

Fantasy novels are your thing.
You have no patience to read fantasy novels that constitute a series.
You're curious about Sanderson's work.

The original vampire story and other tales of the macabre

2011-10-15T20:50:00.002+08:00

One enduring character in fiction is the vampire. But, dear reader, have you ever wondered as to what started this hugely popular theme? Well, it started in 1817 with a short story entitled "The Vampyre" written by John Polidori. Thankfully, this story is included in The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre published by Oxford World's Classics.

The fanged monster in "The Vampyre" is one Lord Ruthven, who appears to have the ability to seduce women. As a vampire, Lord Ruthven has all the classic traits -- he appears out of nowhere, is extremely sinister, drinks the blood of his victims and kills them. He prefers virginal young women though, going to the extent of even marrying them first before finishing them off. "The Vampyre" has a gothic feel to it, and, as a tale meant to frighten, is very satisfying.

Each of the 14 stories collected in The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre is horrifying in different ways. Here we read about family curses, the doppelgänger who will torment you forever, dementia and madness, and people who are mistakenly buried even though they're still alive, just to name a few. I'm telling you, it's enough to give you nightmares for several days.

My favorite is the story by William Carleton entitled "Confessions of a Reformed Ribbonman." It's about how a group of vigilantes perform a lynching on a house of inmates. For a short story published in the 17th century, it can be excessively graphic.

. . . Just then from a window opposite him, proceeded the shrieks of a woman who appeared at it with the infant in her arms. She herself was almost scorched to death; but with the presence of mind and humanity of her sex, she was about to thrust the little babe out of the window. The Captain noticed this, and with characteristic atrocity, thrust, with a sharp bayonet, the little innocent, along with the person who endeavoured to rescue it, into the red flames, where they both perished. . . [page 49]

Just reading this excerpt gives me the shivers.

Read this book if:

You love anything that has a touch of the macabre.
You want to read the first ever vampire story.
It's been a long time since you had a nightmare.

Lots of magic and a bit of cheese

2011-10-12T20:37:00.003+08:00

As a child, did you, dear reader, believe in unicorns? I didn't. Just one look at this creature's horn was enough to tell me that the unicorn couldn't possibly exist. How can one animal, fantastic as it may be, go through its everyday tasks with that protrusion getting in the way. It can be a drag, no? But then I saw a narwhal, so that kinda screwed up my reason for unbelieving.

Fortunately, Peter S. Beagle's classic fantasy, The Last Unicorn, hopes to restore our belief in these magical creatures. It has been 40 years since this classic of fantasy was published, so I figured it's high time for me to read it, especially since I've been reading a lot of fantasy and science fiction novels lately.

I have mixed feelings about The Last Unicorn as a fantasy novel. I found that the magical elements can get too cheesy. (One can die of too much cheese, you know.) The unicorn is a thing of beauty, of gentleness, of magic, and the combination of these three can be cloying. It makes you want to watch Saw I to IV after reading.

The writing is another thing though, as Beagle's words have their own beautiful rhythm, a lyrical quality to it that's enviable. The sentences have a very buttery texture. The opening sentences alone can make you want to weep. (I also have mixed feelings about weeping.)

The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea foam, but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea. [page 1]

So the unicorn finds out that she's probably the last unicorn left on earth. She decides to leave the confines of her sunny-all-year forest and search for other of her own kind. Along the way, she meets a very underestimated magician called Schmendrick and a feisty woman named Molly Grue. Their adventures would take them toward King Haggard's castle. Haggard's domain is also home of the Red Bull, which has been known to capture unicorns and bring them to an undiscovered place. How this motley assortment of characters defeat the Red Bull form the climax of The Last Unicorn.

I believe that the novel's strong suits are its fable-like mood and its humor. Yes, The Last Unicorn can ultimately be likened to a fairy tale, complete with stories of princes and princesses, Robin Hood and his merry gang, traveling circuses, and other mythological creatures. The part when the unicorn was captured by the circus and she was kept together with other beasts of fantasy was very captivating. Beagle's gift for description of things magical is very much evident here.

And one simply cannot ignore the humor that pervades throughout the book. Sadly, this wonderful aspect is more often evident in the dialogue than in the scenes of the novel. Nevertheless, the witty exchange of the characters are a gas. Sometimes, the dialogues border on the bubblegum, but I don't mind that at all.

Prince Lír said hoarsely, "I must go. There is an ogre of some sort devouring village maidens two days' ride from here. It is said that he can be slain only by one who wields the Great Axe of Duke Alban. Unfortunately, Duke Alban himself was one of the first consumed -- he was dressed as a village maiden at the time. . . [page 183]

One can see why The Last Unicorn has often been cited by contemporary fantasy novelists as their influence (e.g., Patrick Rothfuss). It still has the power to create awe in its readers. With Beagle's lyrical prose and uninhibited imagination, The Last Unicorn inspires us to make our own magical words.

Read this book if:

You love classic fantasy novels.
You've always believed that unicorns once existed (or still exist).
Patrick Rothfuss is your idol.

Happiness in these pages

2011-10-10T19:45:00.003+08:00

"It's simple," he says. "There's more than one path to happiness."
Of course. How could I have missed it? Tolstoy turned on his head. All miserable countries are alike; happy ones are happy in their own ways. [page 400]

What happens when you take a self-confessed grump and you follow him in his travels across countries as he explores what makes people happy? The result is one funny book which is part travelogue and part a study in sociology. Such a blissful read is Eric Weiner's The Geography of Bliss.

So what does Weiner discover in his journey? Well, it turns out that there's no simple recipe for a country's happiness. It's a confluence of factors, some of which are quite surprising. Here's a summarized list of the places he visited, which have reported high levels of happiness among the citizens:

The Netherlands -- Apparently, the place's permissiveness is a factor in making people feel happy. Prostitution and marijuana are legal.
Switzerland -- Lots of rules and laws are in place. The Swiss can also be very "boring." And Switzerland is also extremely democratic; people vote six or seven times a year. The Swiss even voted to increase their own taxes! How crazy is that!
Bhutan -- The government has put in place a program called Gross National Happiness. The hell with the gross national product!
Qatar -- Well, sad to say, wealth is an important factor in being happy, but only up to a certain point. The Qataris are so rich that they can buy their own culture.
Iceland -- This one was quite surprising. I couldn't imagine being happy in a country that has weird daylight patterns and in temperatures that are way below zero. But Icelanders seem to thrive in these conditions. Of course, it helps that the citizens drink a lot and seem to celebrate the importance of failures.
Thailand -- Thais are too busy being happy to think about happiness. Their known for their distrust in thinking and for that famous genuine Thai smile.
India -- The country's rich culture and tradition play a part in bringing happiness.

Weiner also made it a point to visit countries that scored way below the happiness scale. His trip to Moldova established why money is important, for Moldovans have little of it. He decided to travel to England to observe the stiff upper lip manners of the British. True, in England, outbursts of happiness are rare. Tony Blair is even rarer; he's a prime minister who smiled.

The Geography of Bliss is truly eye opening. Weiner is very thorough with his research, often stating the probable effect of reverse causality and desirability bias involved in happiness studies. It's also one very funny book that is hard to put down. Weiner describes the culture and the people of the places he visited in a very intimate way. I believe that this is probably due to his experience as a journalist.

So what does Weiner find out at the end of The Geography of Bliss? The paragraph below may be simplistic, but how can you argue with a man who has seen the evidence up close.

. . . I am no philosopher, so here goes: Money matters, but less than we think and not in the way that we think. Family is important. So are friends. Envy is toxic. So is excessive thinking. Beaches are optional. Trust is not. Neither is gratitude. [page 400]

Read this book if:

You feel like relocating to some place happier.
You're into travel books.
You think of yourself as a grump.

Awestruck

2011-10-08T00:26:00.004+08:00

So how do you follow up a wonderful young adult novel that has moved readers so much? Why use the same formula of course! This is what Brian Selznick has done in his new book, Wonderstruck, which is filled with several beautifully done detailed pencil illustrations and has a very touching story as well.

Wonderstruck doesn't have the storytelling breadth and historical scope as Selznick's earlier work, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Still, his latest work is very notable and does stand on its own merits. If anything, some readers would find it more accessible as Selznick now chooses to focus on the subject of family and one's place in it.

The story in Wonderstruck is twofold. There's the tale of Ben Wilson, which is set in 1977 in Minnesota and is told in words. The other, that of Rose Kincaid, starts out 50 years before in New Jersey and is portrayed in pictures. Ben has always wondered about his father and has decided to trace him, despite the fact that he has recently turned deaf because of an accident. Rose is shown to be fascinated by a theater actress and decides to find her as well.

These two stories are eventually shown to be connected, and this connection would definitely surprise the reader. Yes, Ben and Rose are related to one another, but I won't tell you how! I don't want to spoil such a beautiful story and a very meaningful reading experience.

If The Invention of Hugo Cabret touched on the development of the art of film, Wonderstruck depicts how museums came to be. The reader can't help but be amazed at the multifaceted aspects that Selznick touches on in this book. Aside from his artistic skill, the author comes across as someone who has a deep appreciation for history and for getting his facts straight. Selznick's description of American Museum of Natural History in New York is fascinating. It's as if Wonderstruck has become the reader's admission ticket into this place of learning.

Of course, the main appeal of Wonderstruck still lies on Selznick's illustrations, which number around 460, appearing as spreads. I've shot some of my favorites below.

Dear reader, if you love The Invention of Hugo Cabret, then you'll probably enjoy Wonderstruck too (although I still think the former is still the better book). It's heartwarming, funny, suspenseful in some moments, and redeeming.

Read this book if:

You love books with pictures.
You've always been fascinated with museums.
You know that the best stories are told in words and images.

This little book deserves a big place in your shelf

2011-10-06T19:54:00.003+08:00

We've all seen this book by Nobel laureate Herman Hesse. But how many of us have picked it up and bothered to read it? Dear reader, you should. If read with an open mind, Siddhartha can truly be a very meaningful reading experience.

Now I'm not one to pick up a self-help or inspirational book. (I read Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist this year and found it totally unbelievable. I still don't know what the fuss is all about The Little Prince despite having read it twice.) But I figured I might as well read Siddhartha, since I've been seeing this little pocket-sized edition in bookstores for the longest time ever.

Siddhartha is still basically a novel though, one that concerns an Indian, named Siddhartha, who lived during Buddha's time. He goes through the usual experiences when one seeks spiritual enlightenment. He leaves his father and mother to join the mystics in the forest. He listens to Buddha preach. He joins the secular world and becomes a rich man and a lover of a courtesan. Finally, he becomes a boatman, shuttling people back and forth across the river.

The novel makes it clear that, for a person to succeed in his or her spiritual journey, it's not the individual experiences that matter, but rather the sum of them. It is through these experiences that we gain an understanding, an appreciation of things.

I don't doubt it if people would see differing messages conveyed by the novel. After reading, I felt that the novel spoke to me about happiness and contentment. I don't need to search far and wide to be happy. The things, the experiences, the people that will make me happy are all in front of me. Maybe the message I'll glean after re-reading Siddhartha might change. We'll see.

Read this book if:

You'll read anything by a Nobel laureate.
You're fascinated by Indian mysticism.
You're not into inspirational books but are willing to give this one a try.

And yet another ghost story

2011-10-04T21:23:00.006+08:00

After reading The Woman in Black, which a lot of people mention as the most terrifying ghost story of our time, I decided to read another ghost story which has been lately generating a lot of buzz. And it's Michelle Paver's first ever book for adults, a ghost story entitled Dark Matter. Yes, it's the same author who wrote Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.

Unlike most ghost stories, Dark Matter is set in the Arctic wilderness, which can literally drive people crazy with its overwhelming sense of isolation. But when you think about it, the barren frozen region is perfect for tales involving hauntings. Where else can you find a setting that is enveloped in complete darkness for several months?

In Paver's debut into adult fiction, she has chosen a protagonist named Jack Miller, who has enlisted for an expedition to Norway with four upperclass English gentlemen. The expedition is doomed even from the start, as it's riddled with accidents, unfortunate circumstances, and pitfalls, which have resulted in Jack being left alone in a very isolated region of the Arctic called Gruhuken. And when the seasons finally shift to one characterized by perpetual nighttime, that's when the hauntings begin for Jack.

The ghost in Dark Matter is the spirit of a former explorer who has been tortured and killed. When Jack first sees him in the daytime and tells the captain of the boat about it, he only gets statements of denial about the man's existence. No one seems to want to talk about this man. Of course, in ghost stories, this technique isn't anything new; natives are not always keen to talk about their town's resident ghosts. In Dark Matter, the crew of the ship that has taken Jack and his companions refuse to stay in Gruhuken no longer than necessary. This bit I found just a bit too predictable for my taste.

Nevertheless, the novel is indeed hair raising in some moments. It's the kind of book that features an old-fashioned kind of horror. There's no gore, no monsters ripping people's bodies, no verbal pyrotechnics. Paver's brand of horror is the same as Hill's. The first encounter with the ghost is innocuous, the succeeding ones turn into a creepy menace. Paver's sense of place is wonderful to read. One cannot feel a slight chill as she describes the unkind icy northern region.

With Paver's brilliant description of setting, her controlled scenes of horror, and her detailed narrative, Dark Matter succeeds not just as a ghost story, but as a period piece and an account of one man's journey into terror and madness.

Read this book if:

Ghost stories are your thing.
You're fascinated with the Arctic regions.
People don't believe you when you tell them you've seen a ghost.

Attack of the blond, golden-eyed, creepy children

2011-10-02T13:41:00.008+08:00

2011 is turning out to be a year in reading the works of John Wyndham. There's something about the novels of Wyndham that appeal to my inner geek, which I strive to always keep hidden. His novels, very popular during the time they were published, work on so many levels, not to mention that they have very engaging plot lines.

The first Wyndham novel I have ever read was The Chrysalids, which made me a fan. Then it was followed by The Day of the Triffids, which I think should serve as a template for post-apocalyptic sci-fi novels. This weekend, I finished The Midwich Cuckoos which, although not his best work, is still one enjoyable and well-written work of science fiction.

One fateful day in the village of Midwich, all the people suddenly fall asleep. They awaken the following day feeling tired. And surprise, it turns out that all women are suddenly pregnant. Everything's attributed to the mysterious object found in the village on that same day, which mysteriously disappears the next day.

When the women more or less give birth at the same time, the village folk discover something about the babies.

'Most striking are the eyes. These appear to be quite normal in structure; the iris however, is, to the best of my knowledge, unique in its colouring, being of a bright, almost fluorescent-looking gold, and is the same shade of gold in all.

'The hair, noticeably soft and fine, is, as well as I can describe it, of a slightly darkened blond shade. In section, under the microscope, it is almost flat on one side, while the other is an arc; the shape being close to that of a narrow D. [page 96]

The novel was also adapted into a movie
entitled The Village of the Damned.

The people of Midwich also discover that these children grow up fast, such that after 9 years, all of them seem to have the appearance of 16-year-olds. And they find out something else -- these children act as one unit. If you teach one child how to solve a puzzle and you show the same puzzle to a different child, that child can easily solve it, as if it's encountered the puzzle before.

The Midwich Cuckoos then becomes a study of the survival of a species. The men and women of Midwich believe that, for all intents and purposes, these children are not human. The novel explores what happens when either the children or the villages are threatened. A person who attempts to kill a child eventually feels a compulsion to commit suicide or to engage in a fatal accident.

Wyndham has written a very fascinating novel. I couldn't help but picture myself in Midwich, feeling very paranoid in the company of these otherworldly children. Why have they chosen Midwich? What could be their ultimate goal on this planet? Where did they really come from? Unfortunately, these never answered. Nevertheless, these same questions make The Midwich Cuckoos a very engaging and thought-provoking read.

Read this book if:

You like creepy-looking children.
You believe all those stories about alien abduction and impregnation.
You love classic works of science fiction.

We all need a good scare sometimes

2011-09-29T20:11:00.007+08:00

Telling ghost stories with your group of friends or family on a cold night has become something of a cultural cliché. But who says that just because it's a cliché, it has to be boring, no? I think that it's a great way to bond and be scared shitless by one another's tales of the supernatural. And if there's one great story to share with your friends, it's Susan Hill's classic novella, The Woman in Black.

Arthur Kipps, the main character, has been sent to the estate of one recently deceased Mrs Alice Drablow of Eel House Marsh. Kipps has been sent to arrange whatever papers Mrs Drablow may have left and also to attend to her funeral. During the funeral, Kipps sees a woman in black, a figure whom he refuses to believe at first to be a ghost. But unknown to Kipps, once you see this woman, things start to go wrong your way. For one, her appearance, it is revealed later in the novel, causes the death of a child.

As a ghost story, The Woman in Black succeeds in a very subtle way. Hill doesn't give you the horror angle in one go. The haunting happens in small stages, as if Hill teases her readers and motivates them to further read into the story despite the knowledge that something bad will eventually happen. It's a creepy read beginning at page 1. The ghost that is the woman in black is also unveiled gradually. Kipps sees her at the funeral and eventually at Eel House Marsh only to realize that she is indeed a ghost, one that is hellbent on vengeance.

Stereotypes in gothic horror fiction are in full force here, but are used in a very controlled maner. The isolated and crumbling Eel House Marsh never comes off as campy. The thick mist that surrounds the marsh simply adds to the element of dread. The hauntings do not go into the physical, merely just an invasion of space inhabited by the living. The dog who expectedly detects the presence of the ghost becomes a good companion of Kipps, not just something employed by the writer to signal the arrival of the ghostly presence.

With all the horror novels that I've read, it takes more than the usual to get me scared. For all its moments of subtle horror and intermittent scenes of dread, The Woman in Black is one work of fiction that creeped me out.

Read this book if:

Ghost stories are your thing.
You love women in black.
You're alone on a cold night.

***

For this month, the book club discussed The Woman in Black in our face-to-face meeting. I was fortunate enough to moderate the discussion. Judging from the reactions of those who attended, a lot of us liked Hill's short but satisfying ghost story. Here's to good friends, great book talks, and scary stories!

The members of Flips Flipping Pages who attended the discussion.

Notice that most of them are wearing black. I'm the one in pink.

Nothing like a sci-fi classic

2011-09-27T20:28:00.003+08:00

One cannot help but wonder why a lot of people look down on science fiction. It's a genre frequently overlooked in literary prizes. Maybe these people just aren't reading good science fiction, no? Yes, there are sci-fi novels that are certainly "crap," but this is also true for a lot of genres. Fortunately, there's no scarcity to well-written, engaging, and thought-provoking science fiction, and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is one of them.

It's surprising that Ender's Game was first published in 1977, considering that the novel reads like a contemporary one. Ender Wiggins, the 6-year-old third son of an ordinary family, has been selected by the government to be trained as a commander for a space fleet. Ender's genius proves to be an asset in the government's rigorous training in their battle and command schools, which are located in space.

When you think about it, Ender's Game is a very good coming-of-age story, with its themes of bullying, realizing one's potential, forming meaningful relationships with one's peers, and learning the importance of one's role. For all his brilliance, Ender is just a child, whom the government molds into a person capable of killing hostile, insect-like alien species which are called buggers.

It's not hard to imagine why Ender's Game won both the Hugo and the Nebula. As an adventure story, it's very engaging, most of the chapters deal with the simulation games that Ender goes through in training. One cannot help but imagine oneself being in the simulation battle room, surrounded by enemy platoons and floating in zero gravity. As science fiction, the technology that Orson Scott Card conjures is never wonky. You might even say that the author had the foresight on the workings of the Internet and virtual reality.

I hope that the other novels that make up the Ender's quartet is just as good as this first novel. Nevertheless, Ender's Game is a satisfying stand-alone novel, one which truly deserves to be included in sci-fi's rich canon.

Read this book if:

You love classic science fiction.
You're a big fan of Starship Troopers. (Ender's Game reminded me of it.)
You know how tough it is to be bullied.

In gothic novels, women faint a lot

2011-09-25T17:05:00.003+08:00

If there's one genre that I will never tire of reading, it would have to be gothic fiction. There's something about decaying houses, evil nuns and monks, ghostly apparitions, and gloomy weather that make for a very cozy and engaging read. So what better choice than to finish THE gothic novel that started it all -- Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto.

In Walpole's short but pithy novel, the castle is decrepit and is home to Manfred, the current lord. Manfred is a character straight out of the traditional school of villainy. He's manipulative, abusive, and crazy. You know that something is just not right with Manfred's mind when he decides to marry the intended bride for his son, who has just died in the castle. Never mind that he already has a wife, for he thinks that he can always divorce her and force her to spend her remaining days in an abbey.

The bride Isabella escapes with the help of a mysterious character named Theodore, who turns out to be the rightful heir of Otranto. This isn't enough to make the reader's head spin though, for Walpole subtlety is nonexistent. In The Castle of Otranto, it is revealed that Theodore is the son of a friar (gasp!), that Otranto murders his own daughter thinking that it was Isabella, that two men can decide to marry each other's daughters as if it's an innocuous thing, and that Theodore marries Isabella in the end not because he loves her but because Isabella can relate to his sorrow.

The Castle of Otranto is over the top, I'm telling you. It's like written by someone who's both high on drugs and has a severe hangover. But, dear reader, the novel works! We know that this circumstances will appear to be just hysterical in today's prosaic world. But in the 18th century, these events are what make a novel truly gripping.

A best seller when it was published in 1764, The Castle of Otranto has proven to be a very seminal work in gothic fiction, inspiring writers such as Stoker, Radcliffe, Poe, and even Du Maurier in the gothic tradition. If you're truly a fan of gothic fiction, then reading The Castle of Otranto is a given. The novel, which just a little over 100 pages, is one that novel that never fails to entertain, to shock, and, with its convoluted and highly improbable plot, to amaze.

Read this book if:

You're a big fan of gothic fiction.
You love novels set in crumbling castles.
You're in the mood for something totally over the top.

Good, historical fun

2011-09-22T20:09:00.001+08:00

I had no idea why I bought Caroline Lawrence's The Thieves of Ostia, which is the first book of a series called The Roman Mysteries. It could have been the cover, as there's something about diversity among people that's very much appealing. I'm glad I bought it though, for it gave me a couple of hours of pleasant enjoyment, without the cheese.

In The Thieves of Ostia, someone is mysteriously killing the dogs in first century Ostia. It becomes up to four young people -- Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus -- to look for this murderer.

While this storyline seems innocuous enough, the circumstances of each of these four main characters is anything but. Flavia is free born and daughter of one of the notable sea captains at that time. Jonathan is Christian and son of a very competent doctor. Nubia is a slave bought by Flavia on her birthday. Lupus, aside from being a child of the streets, is mute.

Lawrence clearly shows her knowledge of classical Rome in this first novel. I have no doubts that the other novels would also present wonderful facets of Roman life during the first century. The Thieves of Ostia is also funny and has its warm, fuzzy moments. Its perfect to give to someone whom you want to instill the value of history, family, and responsibility even at a young age.

Reat this book if:

You'll read anything that has something to do with classical Rome.
You know that there's beauty in diversity.
You have the stamina to read the rest of the series. (So far, 17 novels compose the series.)

She has my number

2011-09-18T20:11:00.002+08:00

If you're friends with someone who knows the exact date that you would die, would you ask him to tell it to you? Tough question. On one hand, knowing the exact date of your death would somehow let you live your life to the fullest. On the other hand, I'm sure that you would go crazy if you'd know. Exact dates of death are one of the things that make Rachel Ward's debut novel for young adults, Numbers, very interesting.

In Numbers, Ward is no big fan of glamorized characters. The main character, Jem, is an introvert 16-year-old who seems to be always in the center of trouble. She lives with a social worker as she's an orphan (her mother OD'd on heroin). Spider, the black boy who eventually becomes her boyfriend, is a runner for drug dealers. Even though Spider knows Jem's unnatural ability, he doesn't know that he only has days to live. These are the characters that we seldom see in YA fiction today, giving the novel somewhat of a fresh, raw feeling to it.

Jem has an unusual gift -- she can see the exact dates when people are going to die when she sees them in the eye. When you think about it, it's not exactly a gift but a curse. One day, while she and Spider were out in London, she sees the same dates on people who are about to ride the London Eye. She forces Spider to flee the place just minutes away before the London Eye is bombed. And because of their juvenile records, the entire nation launches a manhunt for the pair. The press reports that they are simply witnesses, but the two know that there's a huge chance that they would be blamed for the attack. Records for suspension? Check. Drugs? Check. Possession of a dangerous weapon while in school? Check. Parents non-existing? Check.

Numbers then becomes a series of chapters with the cat-and-mouse theme. Jem and Spider flee to places, often stealing cars and then ditching them. Eventually, Jem and Spider get separated after a run with the police and Spider is taken into custody. Jem literally finds sanctuary in a cathedral and then negotiates with the police to see Spider in exchange for talking to them. Surprisingly, the police agree.

Because we know that Numbers is far grittier than any YA novel, Spider indeed dies on the day that he and Jem are reunited. However, his death is quite anti-climatic. I feel that this is one of the weaknesses of the novel, as the reader somehow feels cheated that Spider goes through a lot in the book just to die because of a careless slip. Nevertheless, the novel's conclusion more than makes up for it. The ending of Numbers is just too good to mention here. It begs for a sequel. (And, thankfully, there is!)

Ward's novel, for all its aspects about troubled youth and racial prejudice, is still basically a love story. The novel does become unpredictable in some parts, but all can be forgiven because of the juicy ending. There are parts in the novel that make it hard for the reader to relate to either Jem or Spider, too. But the overall impression I got when reading Numbers is one of hopefulness. Troubled youths Jem and Spider may be, but there's a deep motivation for the reader to continue in the hope that these two somehow find redemption. In a way, the pair get to it. Spider realizes that it is his love for Jem that can make him a better person. Jem, even without Spider, she takes on the care of Karen, her social worker, who becomes terminally ill after a few years. In her own terms, Jem becomes someone responsible.

Read this book if:

You were once a troubled youth yourself.
You like unconventional love stories.
You're craving for YA fiction that isn't sugary sweet.

I love these bachelor brothers

2011-09-15T21:15:00.003+08:00

There's nothing like going to your neighborhood grocery store on a Sunday morning, checking out the few books they have in the bargain bin, and then walking away with an unexpected book purchase that turns out to be one very pleasurable read. So that's how I spent last Sunday -- reading Bill Richardson's delightful work, Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast.

The blurb on the front cover says, "This quiet charmer is a bibliophile's delight." And fortunately, it is! BBB&B is a fictional work concerning two bachelor brothers in their 50s who run a quaint bed and breakfast somewhere in an isolated village in North America. (I'm guessing Canada.) The bachelor brothers, named Hector and Virgil, tells various episodes about their lives by chapters, and they also keep a log for their guests to write something about themselves. This log eventually becomes somewhat of a journal, with their guests telling wonderful snippets of their everyday lives.

I'm not sure whether BBB&B can be considered a work of fiction, for it definitely wants of a plot. The work doesn't appear to be headed anywhere, except to expose the reader to the comedy that happens to Hector and Virgil, their guests, and other various personalities in their village. Richardson's work is very funny, I'm telling you.

I keep imagining myself checking in at the bed and breakfast, where the conversations are hushed, the food is rustic but filling, the company quite agreeable, and the love of reading is felt all around. The bed and breakfast, after all, is a haven for bibliophiles. Hector and Virgil are both voracious readers, and their charming abode is where you find guests always holding a book -- from the doorstop that is War and Peace, to Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, and the thrillers of Ruth Rendell.

Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast is really the kind of book to finish on a lazy afternoon. It's also the perfect title to recommend to your fellow book-loving friends. Nobody will be able to resist the charms of Hector and Virgil.

Read this book if:

You love book-toting bachelors.
You want to read about people reading the classics and enjoying themselves.
You understand the need to be around fellow bibliophiles.

'tis the time of year when booklovers go gaga

2011-09-12T20:23:00.002+08:00

Tra la laaa! It's book fair time once again in the metro!

My goodness! I just realized that I've been going to the book fair since 1996, when I was fresh out of college. I saw it grow from an event that only librarians pay attention to to one that's eagerly awaited by every bibliophile.

So if you're not doing anything from Wednesday to Sunday this week, why not head to the book fair and check out the amazing deals some exhibitors have on their books. I'll see you there!

When life gives you dilemmas...

2011-09-10T23:13:00.007+08:00

You make dilemonade! That's what I thought what Adrian Mole did in Sue Townsend's hilarious The Adrian Mole Diaries. Actually, this book is made up of two novels -- The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 and The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole. Both have been published in the mid-1980s, but are still as hysterically funny when read today.

There are just so many things to love about Adrian Mole. He's a hypochondriac who insists on seeing a doctor because his voice is cracking. He's clueless about his father having an affair even though it's staring him at the face. He thinks of himself as an intellectual because he has received at least three rejection letters from the BBC. He fancies himself as a poet because he occasionally writes something like this:

Norway

Norway! Land of difficult spelling,
   Hiding your beauty behind strange vowels.
Land of long nights, short days and dots over "O"s.
   Ruminating majestic reindeers
Tread wearily on ice floes
   Ever aware of what happened to the
Titanic.
   One day I will sojourn to your shores
I live in the middle of England
   But!
Norway! My soul resides in your watery ~~fiords~~
   ~~fyords~~ ~~fiiords~~
Inlets. [p. 167]

Nowadays, there's a word for what Adrian Mole is -- loser. But oh what a lovable loser he is. One can't help but pine for him even when he's spending several hours counting his pimples. Or when he runs away hoping against hope that his parents would alert the police for his disappearance. (Unfortunately, they don't.) And somehow, when he bungles up his paper route, he writes about in a nonchalant way that can only be described as clueless.

Thursday, February 26th
The papers got mixed up today. Elm Tree Avenue got the Sun and the Mirror and Corporation Row got the heavy papers.
I don't know why everybody went so mad. You'd think they would enjoy reading a different paper for a change. [p. 22]

Sue Townsend has managed to create one of the most funny and tenderhearted novels. It's no surprise that she was one of England's bestselling writers during the 1980s. Yes, there are many sad moments in The Adrian Mole Diaries (e.g., unemployment in the 1980s, Adrian's parents adultery, the family's constant need for cash), but it takes an exceptionally gifted writer to make such tactful fun out of them.

Read this book if:

You're dying for a laugh.
You love reading other people's diaries.
You can somehow relate to a teenager who thinks the world revolves around him.

The day the earth went blind and got overran by three-legged plants

2011-09-07T20:19:00.004+08:00

John Wyndham's wonderful post-apocalyptic novel, The Day of the Triffids, was first published in 1951, which was considered part of the golden age of science fiction. It is also perhaps the most well known of Wyndham's novel, followed by The Chrysalids, which I also enjoyed immensely.

Wyndham's hero is one Bill Masen, who has been working with a unique breed of plants called triffids. The appearance of these plants are so otherworldly that it begs the reader to really suspend his or her disbelief. For starters, when they get to about 7 feet tall, they develop the ability to walk using their leg-like roots. Also, they have the predatory ability to lash out a whip-like structure with poisonous stingers at the end. This they can do with spectacular accuracy, often aiming for the person's eyes.

So why would Bill be working with these creatures? Well, it turns out that triffids actually give out oil that is more pure and more useful than existing forms. But Bill Masen also has a triffid to thank for not going blind. One day, while out in the triffid fields, Bill gets stung by a triffid, which leads to him being confined to the hospital with bandages covering all of his head.

Then an astrological phenomenon happens one night while Masen is still in the hospital. A green-ish comet has passed by close to Earth, causing beautiful displays of green light in the night sky due to the comet's debris. Everyone has gone out to witness the event. By morning, everyone who has done so has gone completely blind.

Wyndham's illustrations of triffids

Masen stumbles out of the hospital after discovering this fact. In London, people are still trying to come to grips regarding their unfortunate situation. Pretty soon, the city becomes chaotic as people starve and the ones who can see organize gangs. There are groups who abduct people who can still see and then assign them several blind people to lead. It's a futile effort though, as many people who can still see escape and leave behind the blind to fend for themselves.

To cap it all, the triffids are now roaming the streets and then stinging the blind left and right. The triffids have developed a taste for human flesh. If you think about it, it is the triffids that are preventing humanity from rising above their lot.

Masen escapes the city to look for Josella Playton, a woman who also isn't blind. Masen and Playton got separated when they were abducted and assigned different groups of the blind. He finds her in a secluded farm way out of the country with three blind persons. Masen also has brought with him a girl whom he found while searching for Playton. This rag-tag band of survivors make a home for themselves in the farm, constructing barricades to keep those triffids out. Masen and Playton get married and have two children. They manage. They adapt. They survive.

But The Day of the Triffids does not end with this. Something has to f--k it up. Masen's group is eventually found by some people who want to make a fresh start. Masen and the rest have decided to go with them after the summer season. But another group stumbles upon Masen's extended family, and it's a group that isn't as friendly as the earlier one. This group, which has a military aspect to it, gives Masen an order -- take in more blind people in his farm. Masen knows that it's impossible with their limited resources. As night comes, Masen escapes with his family to join the people who have nobler, more realistic intentions.

Another artistic interpretation of a triffid

I'm not really into giving detailed summaries of the books that I've read, but I think that The Day of the Triffids deserves the extra paragraphs. As a science fiction novel, Wyndham clearly knows the phenomena that pertain to natural selection and astronomy (i.e., how meteor showers are created). As a post-apocalyptic novel, The Day of the Triffids and the themes that go with it are alarming.

Wyndham throws several questions to the reader. What if people continue to tinker with different organism breeds? How will these new human-influenced organisms interact with the environment? It's as if that Wyndham has the ability of foresight -- how else could he have touched on the concept of genetically modified organisms in the 1950s?

So far, I've read two novels by Wyndham this year and I have never been disappointed. Wyndham's novels are not just a study of the science fiction genre but they also manage to focus on different aspects of society. In The Chrysalids, there are several references to our concept of race and religion. In The Day of the Triffids, Wyndham tackles the idea of a society without laws and the thought that humans shouldn't interfere with nature. As we can see in the novel, the results may be terrifying.

Read this book if:

You like post-apocalyptic novels.
You know that plants aren't as defenseless as they seem to be.
You want to read everything from the golden age of science fiction.

Ooooh, nasty

2011-09-05T20:40:00.003+08:00

Iain Banks's debut novel, The Wasp Factory, isn't for the weak of heart and stomach. There's animal torture, not one but three child murders, parental neglect and deception, gender confusion, to name a few. Needless to say, I loved it.

Frank Cauldhame, the 17-year-old "hero" of Bank's controversial novel, lives with his father in an isolated part of Scotland. Frank may appear to be your normal teenager who's curious all the time. But underneath that innocuous exterior is a monstrous individual, for Frank has some very twisted notions of fun.

First, Frank likes to torture animals. He beheads birds and small mammals. One of his favorite pastimes is getting mice from the petstore, putting them in his slingshot (or catapult as it's called in the novel), and then flinging them to their deaths. Also, he ties the heads of these animals in stick structures which he calls the Sacrifice Poles.

Second, Frank has murdered three children. The first was his cousin, who he managed to kill by placing a poisonous snake in his cousin's artificial leg. He also killed his younger brother by telling his brother to hit a German war bomb on the beach. And he murdered his cousin Esmeralda by letting her become entangled in a huge kite which Frank specifically built for the purpose of carrying his cousin away. Esmeralda's body is never found.

Then comes the initial conflict of the story -- his older brother, Eric, has escaped the mental institution where he's confined. Eric was once a promising medical student, but he was found to be setting fires to dogs in the neighborhood. Since his escape, Eric has been giving Frank phone calls much to his dismay and without the knowledge of their father.

Banks's debut novel, which was first published in 1984, truly deserves its widespread acclaim. It has even been chosen by a British poll as one of the top 100 novels of the 20th century. Banks's writing is visceral, often provoking a reaction of disgust from the reader. I, however, revelled in Banks's detailed narrative. And because of The Wasp Factory, I'd be willing to give Banks's science fiction novels a try.

In a way, The Wasp Factory is a coming-of-age novel, albeit in a very weird and gothic way. When Frank finally discovers who he really is from his father, it's enough to make your blood run cold.

Read this novel if:

You're not afraid of violence in novels.
You love debut fiction.
You're into surprises at the end.

Confessions of a Filipino book blogger

2011-09-02T23:04:00.009+08:00

Poke a stick right through me, roast me, and I'm done. I must admit that I'm way behind on my Philippine literature reading. If it weren't for the book club, I wouldn't have gotten to read works by Filipino writers.

Oh, the humanity! How dare do I call myself a Filipino blogger when the total Philippine works of fiction that I've reviewed on my blog can be counted by one hand! The shame of it all!

But maybe there's hope for me yet. After all, one of my favorite authors is a Filipino -- our national artist for literature, Nick Joaquin. Who wouldn't love a guy who's always seen holding a bottle of beer and being, ummmm, just a little bit wasted every waking moment. He's such a dearie. Maybe the secret to having that talent in writing is alcohol, and loads of it.

To say that Nick Joaquin's works are eclectic would be an understatement. He's written fiction for both young adults and adults, works of journalism, and even drama. For those who haven't even read or seen the play "Portrait of the Artist as Filipino," then you're missing out on a lot of good drama. My favorite works of young adult are still those written by NJ -- Pop Stories for Groovy Kids, which are retellings of well-known fairy tales.

So maybe it's high time I somehow become less of an anglophile and sample more works by Philippine writers. For a country known to be a nation of short story writers, perhaps the renewed interest in Philippine fiction would encourage Filipinos to write more novels. Now that's something to look forward to.

And hey, I'm attending the event below at this year's Manila International Book Fair. I hope to see you there!

This post has been made in line with the Filipino Fridays meme hosted by the organizers of the event. Check out other posts here.

Who/What is Skellig?

2011-08-31T21:01:00.002+08:00

Sometimes, it just takes a simple story, albeit well written, to hold the reader's attention. And it also probably helps that you have no expectations regarding the book you're holding whatsoever. David Almond's Skellig is one such novel.

Skellig manages to impart profound ideas on love, healing, and friendship in just a few pages. To say that it's pithy would be an understatement. I think that it's a beautiful work of fiction which young adults should read. It never becomes cheesy nor cloying in its overall feel of hopefulness.

We are introduced to Michael, who has moved to a new home with his family. Michael's baby sister has been in and out of the hospital, and the novel makes the reader feel that the baby's death is a possibility. One day, Michael ventures into the garage and discovers a being hidden amid the dust and forgotten objects stored in the garage.

Almond doesn't give a clear notion of what this being, named Skellig, actually is. Is he an angel? Is he half-bird or half-human? Its only request is that Michael keep Skellig's existence a secret. But how could Michael do such a thing when clearly Skellig needs serious help -- he has arthritis and all he has been eating are insects and mice brought by the owls.

Pretty soon, Michael becomes friends with Mina, his neighbor who is raised by a very unconventional mother. Mina's mother doesn't believe in organized education where children are stifled by the confines of the classroom. Mina thinks freely and appears to be more learned than children her own age. It's only a matter of time before Michael introduces her to Skellig. And they discover that Skellig has wings.

Together, Michael and Mina help make Skellig better (e.g., cod liver oil for his arthritis), even though they have doubts as to what he really is. One thing's for sure though, Skellig is a mystical creature. Skellig may have been instrumental in making Michael's baby sister well. Michael somehow sees or dreams Skellig visit his sister at the hospital, hold her up, and leave. Skellig is never seen again.

It's clear that Almond values the importance of familial love and connections between friends and other people. As a friend, Mina becomes the trigger for Michael to develop his artistic side. Michael's mother and father never waiver in their hope that their baby would get better. For himself, Michael realizes the true nature of love -- love for his family, his friends, and even for someone who doesn't appear to be lovable at first impressions. Yes, without his love for Skellig, the mysterious creature would simply languish in their house. Forgotten and hopeless.

Read this book if:

You believe miracles do happen.
You have a couple of hours to spare. (It's a short read!)
You know someone who could be an angel.

Getting a good dose of speculative fiction

2011-08-29T08:43:00.004+08:00

If it weren't for Honey's wonderful decision to have Philippine Speculative Fiction 6 as the book of the month for August, I wouldn't even have bothered to pick this up. Good thing she did, for this turned out to be a very satisfying read, especially since I've been craving for fantasy and science fiction lately.

Now speculative fiction isn't just about sci-fi and fantasy, mind you. According to Honey, it can be any of the following genres:

Alternate History
Apocalypse/Holocaust
Coming of Age (as a species)
Contemporary Fantasy
Cyberpunk
Dystopian
Fairy Tales
Fantasy
First Contact
Horror/Dark Fantasy
Magical Realism
Science Fiction
Slipstream
Steampunk

Speculative fiction does appear to cover a broad spectrum, no? Except for slipstream (which I have yet to Google), I think I've read at least one fictional work for each of the sub-genres mentioned above. But it's my first time to read any of these within a Philippine context.

I would have to agree that almost all of these stories have a strong Filipino element, whether evident in the use of the language, the setting, the history, and the characters. The first story, "The Big Man" is wonderful in a very unconventional way. It presents a fictionalized account of an outstanding basketball player who might be, for all intents and purposes, be a character in Philippine folklore called the kapre. For a short story, it's quite lengthy, but the personal history that the writer has come up with is rich in detail.

My favorite story, however, is "The Grim Malkin" for it does not take itself too seriously. Compared with "The Big Man" which has a very pedantic feel to it, "The Grim Malkin" is pure geekiness. It's about a mismatched couple who go on a quest and manage to resurrect a cat-like entity who makes it clear that it's no big deal if it kills the couple. It's high fantasy on drugs. The banter between the cat and the man and woman is so humorous it begs for canned laughter.

Other notable stories (IMHO) are "Alternative Histories," "Ashland," and "On Wooden Wings." "Alternative Histories" is presented as a series of tweets from personalities in Philippine history if they had accessed to that social networking site. "Ashland" is marvelous in the writer's portrayal of a world so gray and silent. "On Wooden Wings" can be categorized as cross-over, for it works for both adult and young adult readers. And it's setting is a place where writers in this genre seldom touch on -- the Philippines' Islamic provinces.

I have yet to read the first 5 volumes of this series. But if they're just a fraction as good as the 6th volume, then I know I'll be happy. It's just too bad that the publishers only printed a few hundred copies of PSF 6, and that the earlier volumes are out of print. More people should read these.

Read this book if:

You're into speculative fiction.
You love suspending disbelief.
You're curious how Filipino writers would write in this genre.

In the future, the 80s are cool

2011-08-25T22:18:00.005+08:00

The 80s were fun years. I was in grade school during this time, and I had fond memories of Saturday morning cartoons and console games. Ernest Cline's debut novel, Ready Player One, brought me back to this wonderful novel. It's not a period novel, contrary to what you might think. It's actually science fiction.

The year is 2044 and the world is, as expected, an economic, environmental, political, and societal mess. As a means of escape, people log in to a virtual world called OASIS, which has been created by James Halliday. OASIS can be likened to a universe. There are different worlds that people can visit. People can go to school, conduct their business, entertain themselves, among others, in OASIS. This virtual meeting place has become so ingrained in the lives of the people that OASIS currency is even more stable than real currency. Also, you can be anyone you want to be in OASIS.

Then James Halliday drops dead and leaves no heir for OASIS. Instead, he tells the millions of denizens of OASIS that this virtual world can be theirs if they find the three keys that are located in the vast OASIS universe. Of course, this game spawns a culture of hunters, called gunters, whose sole obssession is to obtain the keys. For 5 years, gunters have painstakingly studied the life of Halliday for clues and they have also meticulously gone through 80s pop culture, the decade that Halliday was very fond of. This isn't surprising though, as Halliday grew up in the 80s amid Ataris, coin-op games, and other console games.

Ernest Cline with his DeLorean. Love it!

But during one ordinary day, one person finally discovers the first key -- Wade Watts, or Parzival, as he is known in OASIS. However, Parzival would soon learn that finding the first key has its downside, as there would be several professional gunters who would be after him for information, some even threatening his life. It is at this stage that Ready Player One really takes off as a very entertaining and thrilling read.

Cline definitely knows his pop culture. This is evident in the various games the gunters have to go through to get a key and pass through a gate. In the first gate, for example, Wade has to play Joust, one of the very first vector graphic games. And there are so many references to Blade Runner, Atari, Back to the Future, early computers with laughably small RAM (think 16 kB), and the movies of John Hughes.

Ready Player One is one very funny novel, a book that is so refreshing to read because it doesn't take itself too seriously. Yes, Cline is one gifted writer. His descriptions of the various planets in OASIS and the virtual battles are vivid. And Cline has made me recall my favorite console games in the 80s: Pac Man, Galaga, and Pong.

But of course, my all-time favorite game is the one shown below. I can spend hours just playing it.

Read this book if:

You love anything 80s.
You're heavily into gaming.
Most of your waking hours are spent online.

Bad-ass classic

2011-08-21T13:28:00.006+08:00

In 1954, a book was published that would take the publishing and reading world by storm. A book written by William March, who, despite having written other works of fiction, would always be known simply as the writer of this suspense novel. A novel that would be nominated for the National Book Award for Fiction, a rare feat considering the genre. A book that would inspire a Broadway play and countless Hollywood movies about murderous children. A book that would spark an endless debate about people's personalities. That book is The Bad Seed, which has been reprinted recently, much to reader delight.

So who is the bad seed in this novel? It's one eight-year-old Rhoda Penmark. By all appearances, Rhoda is all sugar and spice, complete with those dainty sundresses, cute pigtails, and adorable maryjanes. But it's all a veneer of course, for Rhoda manages to kill a boy of her own age simply because he bested her in a school computation. Also, she exacts revenge on a gardener who has somehow seen her for who she really is. There are other acts attributed to Rhoda in her earlier years, but March leaves it to the reader to decide. One thing is certain though -- Rhoda is "the" bad seed and she will continue to be one as she grows older.

One of the themes of The Bad Seed is that genetics plays a part in molding our personalities. March makes it evident that Rhoda, even with her doting mother, was predisposed to evil. (Later in the novel it will be revealed that Rhoda's grandmother had a similar streak.) Yes, Rhoda's father was always absent, but that's irrelevant: Rhoda is evil because evil is in her genes.

It is at this point that the reader may ponder on the question of nature vs. nurture. Can people do anything if a negative personality trait runs in their veins? I sure hope so. Still, it's a chilling thought -- being predisposed to do sinister acts. You never know if you'll wake up one day with the urge to repeatedly stab that pesky neighbor for playing Air Supply loudly in the middle of the night. Or push that officemate down the stairs for getting a paperclip from your desk without asking.

Despite being published in 1954, The Bad Seed still gave me the chills after reading it. And the ending was so unexpected that it gave me goosebumps. March's writing is as fresh and detailed even after more than 50 years. It's one of my most enjoyable reads for this year. In Rhoda Penmark, March has created an iconic character that we would all be afraid of.

Patty McCormack, the girl who played Rhoda, in the 1956 Oscar-nominated movie
People mentioned that it was she that should have been nominated instead of the actress who played her mother.

Read this book if:

You have no doubts that children can be evil.
You like classic suspense novels.
You think that you just might be a bad seed yourself.

Not another fantasy novel

2011-08-18T20:25:00.004+08:00

But not just any fantasy novel, this one has endeared itself to me, and I'm not even big on this genre. Patrick Rothfuss's debut novel, The Name of the Wind, will appeal to just about any reader. There's adventure, romance, magic, and a coming-of-age tale in Rothfuss's doorstop of a book. (Question to you, dear reader: Why do fantasy novels always have to run for more than 500 pages?)

In The Name of the Wind, we meet Kvothe (pronounced "quothe"), a reclusive inkeeper in the provincial town of Newarre. Rothfuss makes it clear from the start that Kvothe and his assistant, Bast, are not the characters they appear to be. It turns out that Kvothe is something of a legend, one who has been labelled as "the kingkiller" among other things. Kvothe, all red hair and green eyes, is simply whiling away his days in Newarre, which appears as an insignificant speck on the map. (Another question for you, dear reader: Why do fantasy novels always have a spread-out map?)

However, terrible things are slowly happening in Newarre too. One day, a scribe who is more famously known as the Chronicler stumbles into Newarre and recognizes Kvothe. Kvothe offers a deal -- he will tell his entire life story to the Chronicler in a span of three days. Kvothe begins to account the early part of his life on the first day. Thus, The Name of the Wind is just the first part of the trilogy. (And yet another question for you: Why do fantasy novels always have to be part of a trilogy or a series?)

To say that Kvothe's life is one of endless trials and tribulations is an understatement. We learn that his family was of the Edema Ruh, a well-known and respected troupe of performers. One unfortunate day while Kvothe was running an errand, an evil force called the Chandrian kills the entire troupe, including Kvothe's parents. Orphaned and with no money, Kvothe is forced to live as a beggar and as a thief in the city. Then he remembers what his guardian, a Merlin-like character, told him -- to go to the University and learn to be an arcanist. (Question: Why do fantasy novels always have a character like Merlin?)

In the University, Kvothe earns a reputation for being a prodigy. He easily masters the principles of a form of magic called sympathy among other things. But of course, all is not well in this place of learning. He manages to get the ire of the first-born son of a nobleman. And also, Kvothe falls in love. But Kvothe never strays farther from his goal -- to learn more about the Chandrian and possibly avenge his parents' death. Of course, there has to be a dragon somewhere in the novel. (Another question: Why do fantasy novels always feature dragons?)

I was pleasantly surprised how I found myself totally liking this novel. Unlike other fantasy novels, The Name of the Wind has some parts that are lighthearted and funny. Rothfuss thus makes the entire narrative somehow engaging. There's a pervading element of thread, yes; but the reader is always hopeful that Kvothe will get what he so truly deserves. I learned that it took a few years for Rothfuss to finish this novel. I guess that explains the beard. (And my last question: Why do fantasy novelists always have to look like the person below?)

Patrick Rothfuss

Read this book if:

You love fantasy novels.
You're still waiting for the next book in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.
You're patient.

One thing leads to another

2011-08-13T14:21:00.002+08:00

If it weren't for the wonderful music in this:

I wouldn't have read and somehow "liked" this:

Still, I'm glad I got inspired to finally read this:

A very peculiar read

2011-08-11T09:34:00.015+08:00

Judging by its cover, you'd think that Ransom Riggs's debut novel, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, is a horror story. Unfortunately, it's not, but it's something much more wonderful. In a way, it's a coming-of-age book filled with mystery, suspense, and the occasional episodes of creepiness. And, I believe it can be a cross-over novel -- a book that can be enjoyed by both young adults and adults.

As a child, Jacob, the main character, has long been fascinated by the old photographs that his grandfather keeps. The photographs are by and large eccentric -- a girl seemingly hovering in the air, a scrawny boy apparently lifting a huge boulder, a girl staring at her reflection on a pond, with the reflected image consisting of two girls, a creepy pair of girls with their backs turned to the camera, a girl holding a globe of light in her hands.

The black and white photographs lend an air of mystery to the story. Of course, we all know that they're fake, yet somehow, there's a gothic feel to them. Here are some examples.

By the time Jacob is in his teenage years, his fascination for the photographs and the children on them has waned. But then his grandfather dies violently of mysterious causes. Jacob decides to go to the Welsh island where his grandfather's orphanage once stood, with the hope of finding the reason for his death.

Things turn more mysterious when Jacob reaches the island and finds out that the orphanage, which was run by Miss Peregrine, was bombed during World War II and with all of its residents killed. So how can it be that his grandfather failed to mention this very important detail? How did his grandfather survive the bombing? Adding another layer of mystery to all these, Jacob makes a startling discovery -- the children shown in his grandfather's photographs are alive! And they do have peculiar traits!

I don't want to write any more details. You just have to get your hands on this one, dear reader. It's one of the most pleasantly surprising reads I've experienced this year. What's more, there can be a sequel!

But I do would like to say that, production-wise, this is a very beautiful book. The vintage photographs appearing in the novel are real pictures that Riggs have gathered or have requested permission to reuse. The pictures effortlessly weave into the story, making the reader richer and more satisfying. Here are two of my favorite pictures:

Read this book if:

You love cross-over novels.
You like books with pictures. Who doesn't, no?
You think you're a peculiar child yourself.

More good sci-fi/fantasy

2011-08-06T21:33:00.008+08:00

It's a good year in reading science fiction and fantasy novels for KyusiReader. And one of these is China Miéville's outstanding steampunk novel, Perdido Street Station, which managed to grab a string of awards including the British Fantasy Society's August Derleth Award in 2000 and the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2001. Naturally, my expectations were quite high; thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.

The first part of Perdido Street Station innocuous enough. Miéville sets up the city of New Crobuzon in wonderful detail. It's a city unlike any other. The industrial metropolis is populated by individuals whose traits can only be described as otherworldly. Frog-like individuals called vodyanoi can manipulate water into different shapes. Kephri, those with the head of an insect and the body of a human female, make sculptures using their spit. There are cactacae whose bodies are half human and half cacti. Animal and mechanical parts have been painfully grafted into the bodies of some humans, thus labelling them as the remade.

In the first few chapters, we meet one Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin, a scientist with a lowly reputation. One day, Isaac is visited by a garuda, an esoteric individual that is half man and half bird. The garuda has informed Isaac that his wings had been cut off, and that he is looking to Isaac to help him take flight again. Isaac accepts and immerses himself into research. He studies the mechanics of flight, finds out more about the garuda community, and acquires winged organisms. One of these is a beautiful caterpillar who only survives by taking a hallucinogenic drug called dreamshit.

The second part of the novel is where things get more interesting. The novel effortlessly becomes a work of horror, suspense, and adventure. The caterpillar has morphed into a pupa, which in turn emerges as a slake-moth. It then manages to find four of its siblings, wreaking havoc on the citizens of New Crobuzon. It turns out that slake-moths can suck the dreams and consciousness of a person; what's left after the "psychic carnage" is a living body devoid of thought -- a husk. The existence of the slake-moths has also brought a plague of nightmares to the city. Isaac, after learning all these, takes it upon himself to hunt for these slake-moths. Of course, he enlists the help of some of his friends, the garuda, and his kephri girlfriend.

If the first part of the novel is brilliantly mesmerizing, with the descriptions of New Crobuzon and its inhabitants, the second part is thrilling and propels the reader to finish Miéville's 700-page doorstop of a novel. Trust me, you would wish for another 700 pages after reading the last page. Perdido Street Station is that satisfying. Good thing that this novel is just the first of Miéville's Bas-Lag novels; it's followed by The Scar and The Iron Council.

After reading Perdido Street Station, China Miéville immediately became one of my favorite authors. I'm currently reading The Scar and I'm happy to report that it's just as good as Perdido Street Station. And that's why I'm on a frenzy collecting Miéville's fiction.

I just have a few more novels to go before everything's complete. I think I'm missing his short story collection and his young adult novel. I'm looking forward to the hunt. (No massmarket paperbacks for me.) I've also managed to buy a signed first edition at a secondhand bookstore, which I got for a steal thanks to a book club friend. (Thanks, Fredda!)

Read Perdido Street Station if:

You like steampunk.
You're prepared to experience a hallucinogenic reading high.
You want to know how dreamshit works.

Maybe some people liked this

2011-08-03T10:32:00.010+08:00

Killing time in bookstores usually works for me. However, there are times when I regret ever having stepped in a bookstore one day and going home with a book that I have no idea why I bought at all. And because it's bookstore sale season once again here in Manila, the frequency of my bookstore trips has increased. Most of the time, I leave with a smile on my face, happy to take the books home. Very rarely do I end up buying a book that I would like to fling violently across the room after finishing it. Unfortunately, Gayle Forman's novel, If I Stay, is one such book.

The blurb on the front cover should have served as warning of some sorts. But hey, I liked Twilight (just the first book), so I figured I might as well give this a shot. Plus it's short, so investment on time is practically nil. I figured I'd finish it in two hours, tops. But boy oh boy would I want to have those precious hours back!

I guess my apparent distaste for If I Stay is now very much apparent. The plot is dilute and derivative. Mia, a musically inclined teenager, loses her parents and her younger brother in a freak car accident. She's in a coma herself, after suffering brain contusions, a pierced lung, broken ribs, and what-have-yous. Mia sees her still body in the hospital surrounded by family and friends, and begins to reminisce about significant parts of her life.

Forman adds layer upon layer of cheese to the story. In If I Stay, the circumstances in Mia's life are just too uncomfortably fine. Mia's parents are ex-hippies, so they're very "cool." Mia, a gifted cellist, has a boyfriend who's in a rock band. (I just shudder at the cliché.) Her relationship with her very precocious younger brother is never troublesome at all. There's an attempt to provide conflict when Mia decides to audition for Juilliard. If she does get accepted, she will have to leave her boyfriend and family in Oregon behind. But this sort of conflict is something we've all read before. We just know that it'll work out eventually, no?

It is in remembering these scenes that helps Mia to come to a decision -- whether to continue living, albeit an orphan, or to permanently leave her body and join her parents and younger brother in the afterlife. Sadly, the decision is quite predictable. You'll get to know it at the part where her boyfriend is with her comatose body in the ICU, silently holding her hand. How unimaginative is that?

Read this book if:

You like clichés.
You believe in the power of love (whatever, peanut butter).
Oh, don't bother.

What to expect in a book club (part 1)

2011-07-30T12:00:00.003+08:00

Me, at a book club meeting
(But where's the book?)

Some people come for the food. If you're moderating, pick a good restaurant. You'll get great feedback.
Members will "defend" their favorite books up for discussion. It's almost like a war really. When this happens, I just sit back and stuff myself silly.
I can fart when there's a heated debate. No one will notice.
Remember the "plus one" rule. When you say 2 pm, people would show up at 3.
Some people write notes on Post-Its and attach them on the pages of the book. The book appears literally bursting with these little pieces of paper. I find it best to seat myself away from them as far as possible.
If the discussion is in a restaurant, paying for the bill is a living hell. Too much mathematics going on just to settle it. Tell the waiter beforehand to have your order listed separately. You'll appear aloof, yes, but you'll save yourself the hassle.
After the discussion, people would stay and talk for a few minutes in little groups. It can be quite noisy. (Of course, they're just waiting for someone to suggest where to have dinner.)
Those who say that they're "Maybe Attending" will NOT come.
Those who say that they're "Attending" will PROBABLY come.
Saying that you can't attend because you haven't read the book is lame. Trust me, you can pull it off. Google is your friend.

Let's talk about science

2011-07-27T08:50:00.002+08:00

A lot of you probably think that I was a Literature major back in college. Wrong. I actually have a science background, as I was a Biology major. Nevertheless, my science background did not stop me from reading many genres -- from chick lit to fantasy. Name a genre, I probably have read books on it.

Having this kind of education makes me wonder why a lot of people seem to have an aversion for the sciences. Science is interesting and, yes, it can be FUN. It's a good thing that there are a lot of good non-fiction science books out now. And one of the best in my opinion is Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything.

ASHONE isn't a true blue science book though, as it's more of a history book and short biographies than anything. Plus, if you've been exposed to other non-fiction books in science with a specific subject and theme, you might ask yourself where the heck is Bill Bryson going with his book. But a book club member, Honey, mentioned that Bryson wasn't probably writing for science majors. He was targeting the everyday individual, one who might be interested on how scientists were able to make their important discoveries.

Bryson's writing is very enjoyable. And funny. And candid. ASHONE was so successful that Bryson wrote an edition exclusively for kids, entitled A Really Short History of Nearly Everything. Of course, being the book addict that I am, I had to have it. And when the illustrated edition of ASHONE came out, I just have to get it as well. I also have the trade paperback somewhere, though I couldn't find it (even after searching through rows and rows of books at home). Maybe I lent it to someone years ago, hoping that this person would develop an appreciation for the sciences and the oftentimes unheralded work of scientists.

Last year, my favorite read was a non-fiction science book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It's a fascinating read about how the cells of one African-American woman helped the progress of cell research. Also, it's sad in a way that Ms. Lacks never knew that scientists would harvest her cells without her consent. When you read this book, you'll know how each and every one of us is indebted to Ms. Lacks and her cells, which are still living even after several years of her death.

So, dear reader, are you one of those people who just flee at the mention of anything relating to science? Maybe it's time to pick up a science book. Start with A Short History of Nearly Everything. It's entertaining and wonderfully geeky.

Love this cyberpunk novel

2011-07-24T08:34:00.002+08:00

Reading Paolo Bacigalupi's novel, The Windup Girl, will give you a natural high. Having won the Hugo and the Nebula, one certainly develops expectations even before opening the first page. The Windup Girl has been described as cyberpunk or biopunk, as it's set in an Earth when oil has run out and the major source of fuel are springs that have been coiled with the highest possible amount of joules possible.

We're in a post-apocalypse Thailand, a nation where extinct plant species are resurrected via genetic engineering. It's a Thailand where the most powerful government agencies are two opposing factions -- the Trade Ministry and the Environment Ministry. It's a Thailand where white men (called farang) still make their mark in business. One such farang is Anderson Lake, who oversees the operation of garbage conversion.

Anderson has a fascination for local fruits. When he spots an exotic variety called the rambutan, his determination to find Thailand's seed bank almost becomes a sickness. Then Anderson spots Emiko, a windup. Windups are termed the "new people." They have been bred in test tubes and have been trained to obey. Emiko, a Japanese windup, has been trained for sex. The farang and the windup get into a very unusual relationship filled with sordid sex.

But The Windup Girl is anything but a love story. It touches on the traitorous world of politics, the sleazy dealings in business, and the chilling consequences of technology. Bacigalupi makes it clear that his novel is set in a world where our current 20th century technology (our reliance on oil, electricity, and uncontrolled bioengineering) has failed and people have been left to measure energy on a calorie basis.

The Windup Girl does remind me a bit of Frank Herbert's Dune. You never know who will turn against you. Anderson's assistant, an illegal Chinese immigrant, betrays him. An incorruptible officer of the Environment Ministry is sentenced to become a monk, thus triggering a chain of events. It was inevitable that Trade and Environment engage in a war. The Windup Girl is rife with these political themes. However, Bacigalupi still makes the novel very readable.

The novel's a bit lengthy at more than 500 pages though. But readers are motivated by Bacigalupi's unpredictable turns. And the characterizations of Anderson, Emiko, and the supporting characters are something that the reader will be able to relate with. I bought this book expecting a sci-fi novel thick with cliffhangers, with a fast-paced narrative, and with wonderfully detailed descriptions of place. I wasn't disappointed.

Read this book if:

You love cyberpunk and you're a fan of William Gibson.
You'll read anything that's won the Hugo and Nebula.
The author's name is pronounced BATCH-i-ga-LOOP-ee.

Who doesn't love sci-fi?

2011-06-20T14:17:00.002+08:00

Especially if it's well written and has a very unique story line, no? Oh, but you'll probably tell me that the subject matter of mutants, post-nuclear societies, and evolution gone haywire isn't something new anymore. Yes, I would have to agree, it's not. But when John Wyndham wrote about it in 1955 in his novel The Chrysalids, it was groundbreaking.

The time is the future. People are living in an era after a nuclear holocaust. Groups of people, the survivors, have formed communities. And in these communities, they persecute everything and everyone that deviates from the "norm." If they find a person with an extra toe or finger, or an animal with an extra leg, that individual is thrown out of the community into the Fringes. But why, you may ask. Well, these people, religious fundamentalists actually, have their "rules."

'And God greated man in His own image. And God decreed that man should have one body, one head, two arms and two legs: that each arm should be joined in two places and end in one hand: that each hand should have four fingers and one thumb: that each finger should bear a flat finger-nail...'
And so on until:
'Then God created woman, also, and in the same image, but with these differences, according to her nature: her voice should be of higher pitch than man's: she should grow no beard: she should have two breasts...' [p. 11]

Then we meet David, a child who is the novel's hero. David questions his community's ideals. Who among them can really say that these deviations are not God's will? And it doesn't help that his father is the community's leader, a man so uncompromising that he would be willing to sacrifice his child if that child is showing any deviation. When David befriends a girl who has 12 toes, his father shows no mercy. After the girl and her mother is thrown into the Fringes, his father gives him several lashes on his back.

But deviations don't always manifest in the physical, as David finds out. For as you see, David is telepathic; he can communicate with a few other children who also have the same ability. When one of David's adult guardians find this out, he tells David to keep it a secret; it is, after all, also a deviation. But secrets have a way of coming out, especially within a small community.

Two telepathic sisters are kidnapped and tortured, forced to reveal the names of other children who share their ability. David flees with his younger sister Petra and another girl named Rosalind. They have nowhere to go but the Fringes. And in the Fringes, they find out that what they have may actually be the norm in other societies.

The Chrysalids is one suspenseful science fiction novel. Think X-Men without the cheesy costumes. Now add a dash of philosophical thought on the nature of individual differences and you have one thought-provoking novel. It's gritty in the way of story lines involving paranoia, fear of the unknown and different, and religious madness are. It's a story that asks questions, which I feel are still relevant today.

Who would've thought that a sci-fi novel published in the 1955 would have groundbreaking ideas. No wonder that the 1950s was called the golden age of science fiction. It was the time when Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. It was when classic science fiction movies came out -- The Day the Earth Stood Still, It Came from Outer Space, The Fly, Invaders from Mars, and The Incredible Shrinking Man, just to name a few. Let's face it, novelists and film makers have been going back to this period for inspiration.

I'm glad I was able to find this book. I've been looking for The Chrysalids for the longest time ever, say, for 5 years, I think. But let me tell you, Wyndham's novel is definitely worth the long wait.

Read this book if:

You love classic science fiction.
You've always wanted to be a mutant.
You have no fear of the unknown.

My favorite book this year (so far)

2011-05-22T16:18:00.002+08:00

One can never go wrong with an excellent storyline, a well-developed character, and super writing, no? All these I found in this year's Newberry winner, Clare Vanderpool's debut fiction Moon over Manifest. I would have to say that, well, this is my best read so far this year.

Vanderpool has come up with a novel that combines history, mystery, and one girl's coming of age in one beautiful story that I devoured in one sitting. Vanderpool took me back in the year 1936 in a small town in Kansas called Manifest, where Abilene Tucker has been sent by his father over the summer for reasons he just won't disclose. Abilene and his father, Gideon, are somewhat of a nomadic duo, never staying too long in one place. Manifest, however, is Gideon's hometown.

Abilene then lives with a middle aged pastor named Shady, who also took care of Gideon during his childhood years. It is in Gideon's house where Abilene discovers a hidden cigar box once owned by a boy named Jinx. Abilene learns about the childhood years of Jinx when she makes the acquaintance of the town diviner, one Miss Sadie. It is this person who provides us with the stories of Jinx childhood way back in 1917 at the start of the first world war.

Like any good novel, Moon over Manifest eventually provides the connection among Abilene, Gideon, Jinx, and the good people of Manifest. It is a story that has given me goosebumps because it is just that good. Not a missing thread, not a gaping hole in the narrative, not a contrived circumstance. It made me realize that historical fiction, true historical fiction written with meticulous research, need not be boring.

There are a lot of characters to root for in this novel. Miss Sadie, for all her apparent negativity around Abilene, is an angel. The nun who's also a school teacher, Sister Redempta, turns out to have a very pivotal role in the novel. Even Hattie Mae Macke, the town's journalist, is never two-dimensional. We don't get the nosey reporter who's always covering up things from the main character.

To be honest, I wasn't really prepared to like Moon over Manifest as much as I did. I couldn't care less about Kansas in the 1930s. But of course, I just had to get this book since it won the Newberry after all. Imagine my wonderful surprise when I discovered that I've been reading this nonstop for almost 5 hours and that I was almost crying at the end. Read it! Read it! Read it now!

Read this book if:

You like historical fiction.
You always think about your hometown.
You'll read anything that has won the Newberry.

Enchanted summer

2011-04-23T10:09:00.004+08:00

My goodness! Has it been a month since I made a last post? I guess I should post more reviews, no? Especially because I've been reading a lot these past few months. And since summer is in full swing here in Manila, I give you two wonderful books on my favorite season. The first is a novel by Elizabeth Von Arnim, The Enchanted April. (Yes, this has been turned into a movie and a play, which I heard are both good too.)

The Enchanted April is simply that -- enchanted. It's the type of book you read on a lazy afternoon. I read it with a smile on my face the whole time. Von Arnim's novel, about four Englishwomen who spend April in a castle in Italy, makes you fall in love. The prude, spinster-ish lady finds her soft side. Two thirty-somethings reignite their love for their husbands when they invite them to stay at the castle. And a beautiful but pessimistic young English lady discovers that she can indeed fall in love. The Enchanted April is the kind of novel you force people to read, especially to your friends who have become too disillusioned about finding or rekindling romance.

Another recent read which I simply enjoyed is Tove Jansson's The Summer Book. To call this book a novel may be too much of a stretch, for it's composed of several short vignettes. Jansson's novel focuses on Sophia, a precocious 6 year old, and her grandmother. The two stay in a charming and unspoiled island in Finland during the summer.

Summers in Manila are harsh with just one type of weather -- hot. On the other hand, the weather depicted in The Summer Book is anything but predictable, with raging storms one day and cheery sun-kissed days the next. The characters' experiences during their stay in the island are just magical. Sophia and her grandmother build a miniature venice, they study local bugs and worms, and they explore caves, forests, and other landscapes in the island, just to name a few.

Thank heavens that NYRB has decided to publish these titles. I just love them NYRB titles. Clean and readable typefaces, elegant covers, thick book paper. And they look good on the shelf too!

Read these books if:

Summer is your favorite season.
You know that summer is not all about going to the beach, getting a tan, or drinking piña colada. It's about catching up on your reading too.
You'll read anything published by NYRB.

And now, one of my favorite authors

2011-03-24T12:57:00.003+08:00

My book club is set to discuss Jose Saramago's Blindness this Saturday. It's not my favorite Saramago, but, like all his other works, it's a good read nonetheless.

Hear this mother roar

2011-03-20T12:16:00.002+08:00

Amy Chua was courting controversy when she wrote Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Her non-fiction book focused on how she raised her two daughters, Sophia and Lulu, on the traditional Chinese way. This means no sleepovers, no playdates, no TV or computer games, no grades less than A, and piano and violin lessons every day.

Of course, Chua is quick to inform the reader that she's using the term"Chinese mothers" quite loosely, saying that she's also observed very strict parenting among other ethnicities such as Koreans, Japanese, Indians, and, yes, even white Americans. Still, and even though this may sound very stereotypical, it is the Chinese who are able to raise math wizards and music prodigies.

Chua's alarmingly honest account of how she raised her daughters is both cringe inducing and terribly funny. She has no qualms with calling her older daughter "garbage" and even recounts this story at a party. One party guest even had to leave in tears because of this story. Chua, however, remains unapologetic. After all, that name calling did work for her daughter, who becomes an overachiever just like Chua.

Chua compares the Chinese mother with Western mothers, who more or less allow their children to choose the things that they want to do. The Chinese mother, according to Chua, wants nothing less than obedience. One can only laugh or be horrified by what the Chinese mother believes:

Schoolwork always comes first.
An A-minus is a bad grade.
Your children must be two years ahead of their classmates in math
You must never compliment your children in public.
If your child ever disagrees with a teacher or coach, you must always take the side of the teacher of coach.
The only activities your children should be permitted to do are those in which they can eventually with a medal.
That medal must be gold.

I think it's best to read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother as a memoir rather as an inspiration or motivational book. It is the story of Chua after all. The book is so rich in detail that you can imagine being in the unfortunate shoes of any one of Chua's daughters. I think I'll go crazy if ever my 13-year-old self would go through this itinerary every weekend:

1 hour drive (at 8:00 a.m.) to Norwalk, CT
3 hour orchestra practice
1 hour drive back to New Haven
Homework
1-2 hours violin practice
1 hour family fun activity (optional)

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is one very entertaining read. You'll be amazed how Chua sees everything in black and white. There has to be no room for failure or second place. If you come home with an A- in your report card, you'll get the scolding of your life. If you get a B, you might as well not come home.

The book's thesis at the start makes you feel that Chinese parenting is definitely superior to the contemporary Western way of raising children. However, at the book's end, Chua is forced to admit that this strict parenting may not work for every one. Chua's second daughter Lulu constantly rebelled against her, and it was only when Chua allowed her to take up tennis does Lulu become truly happy. However, this didn't stop Chua from sending text messages to her daughter's tennis coach and giving the occasional advice every now and then: Don't move your right foot on your kick serve!

Read this book if:

You have very overbearing parents.
You've been scolded for coming in second place.
You've been forced by your parents to take up something you really hate.

The perfect English gentleman goes to war

2011-03-13T22:45:00.007+08:00

Well, not to fight of course, but to serve as a war correspondent for an English daily called The Beast. And so we have the premise of Evelyn Waugh's very funny novel entitled Scoop.

Scoop starts off as a comedy of errors actually. A famous young novelist named John Courteney Boot solicits the help of a British socialite to become a war correspondent in Ishmaelia, an obscure African country. The socialite talks to the head of the newspaper who then mistakenly assigns the correspondent position to one William Boot.

If you know William Boot, you'd know that he's the last person that should get the post. He's much too reserved and naive. And the only journalistic experience that he has is that he writes a column for The Beast entitled Lush Places, where he talks about rodents, badgers, birds, and what-have-yous in the British countryside. Boot and war seem a combination for disaster. Add to the fact that no one seems to know what the war in Ishmaelia is about, if indeed there is a war.

Scoop is Waugh at one of his comic best. Instead of the novel heading to become a predictable screwball comedy, Waugh takes it even further. He presents the quirks of journalists when they're in a foreign territory, doing everything to outdo each other for that elusive headline story. Even the romance between William Boot and a German lady is hilarious, with the lady taking full advantage of the love-stricken Boot, who finds love in the most unusual places.

Waugh is one of my all-time favorite novelists. The way he writes dialogue demonstrates he's a deft writer. Scoop is pure comic genius. What else can you expect from a writer who married a woman also named Evelyn. One should have a twisted sense of humor to do so.

Read this book if:

You'll read anything by Waugh.
You want a good laugh.
You like characters named Corker, Shumble, Whelper, and Pigge.

Don't mess with these gods

2011-03-04T11:33:00.002+08:00

Neil Gaiman is a born storyteller, I think. His works of fiction, including his young adult novels and graphic novels, have straightforward narratives. If one is looking for a good story, especially one with lots of fantastic elements, then he or she can't go wrong with picking up a Gaiman novel.

Having read most of his novels and a few of the Sandman series, I believe that his storytelling gift is at its best in American Gods. It's a doorstop of a novel with elements of everything -- horror, fantasy, mythology, romance, adventure, and even a murder mystery. The novel does have something for everyone, and I think that very few readers would finish it unsatisfied.

American Gods focuses on Shadow, an ex-con who's hired by a mysterious character named Wednesday to do errands for him. Later on, we get to know that Wednesday is actually the Norse god Odin. Wednesday has taken it upon himself to rally the gods of the old world to band together against the new gods, who have declared war against these forgotten old world gods. There are no Christan gods in the novel. Gaiman has decided to focus on lesser-known mythological characters from different cultures such as those worshipped by Indian, Native American, Japanese, and Irish peoples, just to name a few.

It's difficult not to like Shadow. Gaiman has created a protagonist who is flawed, but one that is flawed in all the right places. Shadow is a huge guy, but he is gentle. Shadow may appear crass, but he can quote lines from the classic book Herodotus. He comes off as someone who'll play a trick on you, but he never goes against his word. There were times in the novel that Shadow's actions seem too predictable. Fortunately, Gaiman's storyline is always surprising. And the way Gaiman presents his other characters, most especially the gods, is a delight. I felt that I had to Google a particular mythological character just to have enough context regarding him or her.

I used to think that The Graveyard Book was Gaiman's best work. Now, I believe that it is actually American Gods. The story is rich and wonderfully detailed, the characters are multi-dimensional, and the writing is clear and tight.

Read this book if:

You love mythology.
You believe that gods do walk among us.
You'll read anything by Gaiman.

This debut novel is so darn good

2011-02-28T20:27:00.001+08:00

Reading debut fiction is quite risky, no? You end up either reading something that's total trash or discovering amazing new talent. Fortunately, with Tom Rachman's debut novel The Imperfectionists, it was the latter.

The Imperfectionists is about the private lives of the staff who run an English-language newspaper in Rome. Each chapter, which focuses on a particular staff member, reads like a short story. The opening chapter focuses on the newspaper's foreign correspondent in Paris and his dysfunctional relationships with his sons and daughters. Another chapter deals with the paper's obituary writer and how one death paves the way for his career to be resurrected. There are other chapters with beautiful storylines and wonderful narratives in Rachman's debut novel.

Even though the chapters have the feel of stand-alone short stories, there is a subtle narrative thread that ties the individual stories together. The business reporter's unhealthy romantic relationship is linked with the sad story of the news editor's partner. When the chief financial officer is duped by a frustrated and retrenched copy editor, it's not long before you discover that it all ties up with the publisher's indifference to the eventual fate of the paper in today's age of the Internet and free information.

It's hard to pick a favorite character in the novel. Rachman's microscopic exploration of each of his character's private life is so believable that you live it. For a few hours, I became the failed and cowardly Cairo stringer, I was the meticulous corrections editor, and I was the uber-controlling editor-in-chief. It's a sad feeling when you reach the end of each chapter, as if you're saying good-bye to that particular character.

Rachman gives all his characters distinct voices. Oftentimes, it is the dialogue of the characters the propel the story, it is their lines that give their purpose. The Imperfectionists may have focused on flawed characters, but Rachman has come out with a debut that's almost perfect in every way. I do believe it's the best novel I've read so far this year.

Read this book if:

You've always wanted what it's like to work for a newspaper.
You're a sucker for debut fiction.
You're a voyeur.

Some people seem to have it all

2011-02-23T15:47:00.006+08:00

Nicholas Sparks looks like this:
Yet I haven't read a single novel of his.

Still, I don't mind if authors aren't eye candy at all.

Since I know that they'll write beautiful works such as this:
Don't you agree, dear reader?

A travel writer who hates traveling

2011-02-20T16:53:00.001+08:00

I may not have traveled much, but with the few places I've been to, I made sure to see all the sights, sample the good food, and get to know the wonderful people of these places I've visited. This is a far cry from the main character of Anne Tyler's beloved novel, The Accidental Tourist.

In the novel, we meet Macon Leary, a travel writer whose specialization is to focus on as little as possible about the esoteric, the foreign. He gives practical advice to businessmen on a trip -- the location of the Burger King in Paris, the colors to wear during trips (gray, never white), and the right way to keep foreign currency (with a specific currency in each small envelope). Needless to say, he hates traveling.

At the beginning of The Accidental Tourist, Macon's wife Sarah is leaving him and wants a divorce. She's had enough of his obsessive-compulsive behavior, the lack of spontaneity, and the loneliness that seems to pervade the couple. Macon and Sarah has lost their one and only child in a bizaare murder incident. Macon naturally goes into a slump, causing him to get behind on his manuscripts for his travel guides entitled The Accidental Tourist. (There's an Accidental Tourist in Paris, an Accidental Tourist in New York, etc.)

After a frantic conversation with the owner of a publishing house who's been needling him on the deadlines, Macon books a flight to the next stop in The Accidental Tourist series. But there's one problem -- he has to find a vet who he can leave his dog with. He finds one at the last minute, and this is where he meets an eccentric dog trainer named Muriel. After his trip and while temporarily shacking up with his siblings, Macon receives several calls from Muriel, asking him to let her train the dog and, surprise surprise, to go out with her. What follows is an unconventional love story between two persons who are way too different from each other.

Yes, at its heart, The Accidental Tourist is a love story. But it isn't a sappy one. The romantic angle doesn't become realized until halfway through the novel. The story about two mismatched persons who fall in love with each other may not be original, but Tyler managed to pull it off. Macon is never the hopelessly clueless character that we might expect. Muriel's fish-out-of-water personality never goes overboard.

Tyler even writes a bravura ending. Just when we thought that Macon may have the wish to go back to his wife, who now seems accepting of his shortcomings and quirks, Tyler has written an ending that is pleasantly rewarding, something that makes you feel that her characters are totally human.

I'm not big on love stories. Most of them make me feel nauseous with their cardboard-cutout characters. As a novel, The Accidental Tourist, may feel like a breezy read, but its message certainly packs a punch. Most people say that this is also Anne Tyler's best work. I wouldn't know of course, since this is my first Tyler read. But I certainly would now be open to reading her other novels.

Read this book if:

You've always wondered how travel guides are written.
You're longing for an unconventional love story.
You know that opposites do attract.

Funny travel journal

2011-02-13T14:01:00.005+08:00

When you're young, idealistic, and fresh out of college, the first thing you do is find a job, right? No, says Mo Willems, the 6-time Emmy award writer for "Sesame Street" and acclaimed author of children's books such as Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale.

Way back in 1990, Willems decided to go backpacking across the world for one year. And every day of that year, Willems sketched the most poignant thing that happened on that day. The result is one hilarious travel journal entitled You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Moonsoons, a book filled with memorable sketches and funny and touching short anecdotes.

Willems's book is beautiful, each page dominated by a sketch and then followed by a short description of it. Most of the entries are funny and has caused me to giggle by myself this fine Sunday morning. It's a thick book by the way, since it has at least 365 entries, but it certainly was an enjoyable read.

Willems managed to start his journey from the US of course, then visiting other countries such as India, Indonesia, Luxembourg (terribly dull), Turkey, Spain, and Singapore (where all the fun stops), just to name a few. Below are two of my favorite pages from the book.

I wish that I can go traveling around the world, too, like what Willems did. I'm not so sure of the backpacking however. I love clean underwear, and the smell of hotels gives me a natural high. Nevertheless, I'm envious with all the experiences Willems had during that year, the people he met, the culture he was momentarily a part of, the food he sampled, and the invaluable lessons he learned.

Read this book if:

You're a travel bug.
You like big pictures in your books.
You're craving to read something funny.

Short but satisfying

2011-02-06T16:13:00.003+08:00

Last month, the book club I belonged to had an online discussion on coming-of-age novels that the members find memorable. And one of the novels that received special mention, especially from my fellow book blogger Honey, was The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

The House on Mango Street is a very short work of fiction, just a little over 100 pages. But it's one of the most satisfying 100 pages that I've ever read. The novel basically describes the hardships that the Cordero family endures as immigrants to the US, all told through the voice of Esperanza. Because Cisneros is a poet, the words in the novel flow beautifully. Cisneros's writing style, as she describes the coming of age of Esperanza, is lyrical.

In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing.

Seldom does a novel evoke so many feelings in me as this one. Esperanza's story, told in vignettes that run for an average of 2 pages each, is sad, funny, life affirming, and brutal in equal doses. I found myself angry after reading Esperanza's sexual violation. I laughed at all the hysterical episodes in her childhood.

Ultimately, The House on Mango Street is anything but hopeful. In the Cordero's house in Mango Street, where the residents are subjected to racism and so many disheartening experiences, one can only survive by realizing that he can rise above it all.

Read this book if:

You like coming-of-age fiction.
You love a touch of poetry in your novels.
Your parents are immigrants themselves.

Reading challenges for 2011

2011-01-27T19:49:00.007+08:00

Yes, zero, none, zilch. I haven't taken part in any of the challenges posted on other blogs and by my book club, and I have no plans in participating in any of them this year. Why? I'm afraid of commitment. Hehehe.

Seriously, I'll just take it easy this year. I'll read whatever I feel like reading, I'll drop a book midway if it disappoints, I'll buy more books and read some of them.

Of course, I know that I'm not off the hook. The book club I belong to has a list of books that will be discussed this year. So I guess I have no choice but to read them, unless I plan to attend solely for the food, which isn't a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all.

Everyone just read

2011-01-21T00:15:00.003+08:00

Reading makes me happy. Reading relaxes me. Reading feeds my mind and soul. Reading relieves me of my stress. Reading makes me feel sexy. Reading makes me feel smarter than I actually am. Reading does NOT make me fat.

People should read more, no? What do you think, dear reader?

Been busy reading

2011-01-17T00:35:00.005+08:00

Photo courtesy of Rhett De Jesus

Wow, we're in the middle of January and so far, I realized that I've only made two posts (this post being the 2nd).

So what have I been up to, you may ask. Well, I've been reading, and I've been reading a lot. This weekend alone, I managed to squeeze in 5 books. What's amazing is that I haven't read that many contemporary novels since the year started.

I've read Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's with a smile on my face the whole time. (I haven't even seen the movie, so I had no expectations whatsoever.) I've read my first Kobo Abe novel, The Woman in the Dunes, and it was wonderfully bizaare. And I also decided to read a book of poetry -- W.H. Auden's Book of Light Verse. My knowledge in poetry is virtually nil, but this collection was enjoyable. It's literally poems lite. So far, these are just 3 of the most enjoyable books I've read this year.

Now all I have to worry about is blogging about these books that I've read. But be patient, dear reader. These reviews will come.

From an absurd idea to the sublime

2011-01-01T17:55:00.004+08:00

The book club is set to discuss José Saramago's novel, Blindness, in March. The book club is in for at treat. Blindness is brilliant. Saramago is brilliant. Blindness is a novel unlike anything you've read. Saramago isn't your usual novelist. Yes, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998. No, he doesn't use quotation marks to set off speech, he doesn't employ short readable paragraphs, and he loves the comma splice. (Just read the excerpt below.) And those, dear reader, are some of the things that make reading Saramago both a challenging and a rewarding experience.

I'll reserve my opinion on Blindness in the coming months. But to start off the year 2011, I've decided to read Seeing, a novel that somewhat serves as a sequel to Blindness. It touches tangentially some of the characters and themes of Blindness.

It's been 4 years since the epidemic of blindness has struck the unnamed nation in the Iberian peninsula. It's local election day, a day characterized by torrential rain that prevents the citizens from voting. At exactly 4 pm, the rains stop and the citizens queue up to vote. The following day, the government calls for another election. The first is declared a failure. Why? 70% of the ballots are blank. In the next election, the results are even dismal. Close to 80% of the ballots are blank.

The nation's government, fearful of this mysterious situation, decides to relocate the capital and leave the city's citizens to fend for themselves. It's a "punishment" of sorts imposed by the government on its citizens who have chosen to exercise their right of putting in a blank ballot.

Here is where a brilliant moment of irony lies in Saramago's narrative. For having not put any name or party on the ballot, the citizens clearly see that none of their options in the elections is favorable to them. Saramago has let the reader now that its citizens know that their officials are corrupt, prone to lay the blame on innocent civilians, and basically incompetent.

...Let's say that you provided the nothing and I contributed the whatsoever and that the nothing and the whatsoever together authorize me to state that the blank vote is as destructive a form of blindness as the first one, Either that or a form of clear-sightedness, said the minister of justice, What, asked the interior minister, who thought he must have misheard, I said that the blank vote could be sign as a sign of clear-sightedness on the part of those who used it, How dare you, in the middle of a cabinet meeting, utter such antidemocratic garbage, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, no one would think you were the minister justice, cried the minister of defense... [page 159]

In Blindness, Saramago focused more on the people, on a society where anarchy reigns in the absence of a government. In Seeing, Saramago does the reverse -- he highlights what the government does to its citizens, specifically, what the government does wrong. And in Seeing, there are a lot of things that the government screws up. First, they incited rebellion by placing bombs, setting them off, and blaming the citizens of the city who they have now called rebels. Second, they declared a state of emergency, imposed stricter laws, and shut off the city from the rest of the nation.

None of these government actions worked. On the other hand, the city's people become a peaceful and cooperative lot, helping one another even after a small group of them get turned away by the government. In this novel, Saramago writes about the goodness inherent in people, a goodness that will allow us to survive with or without the help of an othewise useless group such as the government.

Seeing is a satire. Among other things, it shows that our officials may not have the best intentions at all times. The president in the novel is a weakling, who bows to the prime minister, who's always in a power struggle with the interior minister. These 3 characters are so terribly pathetic, but you know that they do exist in real life. Scary, no?

I'm glad I started this year with a Saramago novel. Seeing isn't as brilliant as Blindness, but it will show the reader that people, deep inside, will do good things.

Read this book if:

You'll read anything written by Saramago.
You like political satires.
You love a challenging read.

10 for 2010

2010-12-28T20:55:00.005+08:00

2010 was an awesome year in books for KyusiReader. I've managed to read 70 books this year, despite my very hectic schedule. What can I say, if you find something really important, then you find the time to do it, right?

So what books did I like this year? It was a tough call, considering that I've read so many different genres and discovered new authors this year. Nevertheless, I've narrowed my favorite reads to 10. Here they are (in no particular order):

Fiction

Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower: This fascinating collection of short stories will leave you wanting for more. Tower's debut collection features a cast of misfits in modern-day America in very unusual scenarios. I'm not a short story reader myself, but EREB left me satisfied.
Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli: The best graphic novel that I've ever read. Mazzucchelli's work touches on several themes such as architecture, Greek mythology, and music
Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi by Geoff Dyer: Dyer's novel art and love is one very memorable read. It's actually two novels in one.
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness: Ness's brilliant young adult trilogy, Chaos Walking, makes other YA novels seem amateurish. The best in the trilogy is this book.
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende: I love the movie, but I love this book more!
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray: Murray's Booker longlisted novel is the funniest novel I've read this year which is set in a prep school in Ireland.
The Monk by Matthew Lewis: This is the first book I've read this year. It has also become my favorite Gothic novel.

Non-fiction

Born Round by Frank Bruni: Reading this memoir by Bruni, the New York Times restaurant critic, made me realize how difficult it is to review restaurants. I don't know how I'll manage to eat 3 dinners in a day!
Service Included by Phoebe Damrosch: This brilliant memoir by a former captain in one of New York's finest restaurants is not to be missed. What is it about books and food that make them go well together?
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot: This book appealed to the science geek in me.

So there you go, dear reader. Looking at the list, I can't help notice how my reading patterns have changed through the years. Before, all my top 10 for the year were purely novels. Now, I see:

2 contemporary novels
1 classic novel
2 young adult novels
1 graphic novel
1 short story collection
2 biographies
1 science non-fiction book

How about you, dear reader? What were your favorite reads for this year? And would you like to guess which of these 10 is my favorite book of the year?

Sadly, the story ended too soon

2010-12-26T16:15:00.002+08:00

More than 20 years ago, I saw a cute film entitled The Neverending Story. I loved it. I saw it 8 times. When the sequel came out, I didn't even bother to watch it. I believe that sequels generally, big time. I wouldn't want to spoil my experience of watching the first movie by going through a mediocre sequel.

It was only last month, after a conversation with my book club, that The Neverending Story movie is an adaptation of a young adult novel. And two weeks after that, I saw a copy of Michael Ende's novel at a used book store. I opened it two days ago and finished it within 6 hours straight. I think it's the best young adult novel I've read this year.

The novel The Neverending Story is richer and more wonderful than the movie, whose plot involved only half of the book. Come to think of it, the novel is actually two books in one, each having the capacity to be a stand-alone work.

In the first half of the novel, we meet Bastian Balthazar Bux, who steals a book from a used book store entitled The Neverending Story. He reads about the imperiled world of Fantastica, a magical place which is being destroyed into nothingness. He reads about how the Childlike Empress chooses a young man named Atreyu to look for the person who can give her a new name and thus restore Fantastica in all its wondrous glory. Little by little, Bastian finds himself playing a more pivotal role in the story, knowing eventually that he is the chosen one who can give the Childlike Empress a new name.

The first half of the novel is truly magical. It's an adventure story featuring Atreyu and his journey throughout most of Fantastica and meeting strange and mysterious creatures along the way. Ende's description of these adventures are so rich in detail that it singlehandedly beats the imagery in the movie.

The second half is more of a coming-of-age story. Bastian is now in Fantastica and is recognized as its savior. He has also been given a new appearance. No longer do we see the fat, clumsy and geeky kid, for Bastian now looks like a handsome and strong nobleman. His storytelling gift also finds a place in this magical realm, with each of his spontaneous stories becoming real. Whatever he wishes, it comes true. But this gift comes at a price: for whenever he makes a wish, he loses a piece of his memory of his life in the human world. It becomes up to Atreyu and the luckdragon, Falkor, to show him this consequence.

While the second half of the book does not feature the same adventurous theme as the first, it is definitely the book's heart. Bastian realizes that, despite having been given a different appearance, he must come to terms with who he really is. The way Ende writes this realization is very touching and never condescending to his readers.

The Neverending Story is a very beautiful book in all aspects. Aside from the deftness of Ende's writing, the book opens each chapter with a full-page illustration. The artwork features the first letter of the word of each chapter and other illustrations about the chapter. And it took me until the second half of the book to realize that the order of the letters of the first word of each chapter follows the alphabet! Just look at two of the chapter openers below.

Ende's novel is one big adventure story filled with memorable characters. I was surprised to note how fast paced the novel is, considering that it was written more than 30 years ago. It's truly enjoyable indeed.

Read this book if:

You like young adult fiction.
You enjoyed The Neverending Story movie.
You can say "Bastian Balthazar Bux" 10 times fast without stammering.

The bookshelf project #27

2010-12-02T16:28:00.003+08:00

Oh my goodness! I just realized since I last featured someone's bookshelves in my blog! I have lots of catching up to do then.

This week's bookshelves are from Elizabeth. I just love Elizabeth's Billy bookcases and how she laid them out in the room. It's a wonderful way of maximizing space, don't you think?

In the first picture below, we see a lot of books on foreign languages. I also spy several Lonely Planet travel guides! Tres interesting! I notice that that the bookcases are displayed prominently in the room, and I love it that Elizabeth has found an ingenious way of adding a sound system on her shelves. The music sheet notes are a giveaway -- she's definitely a music lover. I wonder what instrument is in that black bag.

Here in the second picture, there are lots of Oxford Classic Editions on the top shelf. Inside the white boxes are notebooks, art materials, craft supplies, needlework things, among other things.

I do wish that Ikea has a store here in Manila, so that I can buy those Billy bookcases by the dozen.

What do you think of Elizabeth's bookshelves, dear reader?

Not the movie with Brad Pitt, but way, way, WAY better

2010-11-29T15:56:00.004+08:00

So one day I found myself mindlessly walking the aisles of a local bookstore when I found myself drawn to this small young adult novel -- Troy by Adèle Geras. Of course, I couldn't resist after reading the synopsis at the back and knowing that it was shortlisted for the Whitbread, the Publisher's Weekly list of best books for the year, and the Carnegie Medal.

If you're like me who is endlessly fascinated with the world of Greek mythology, then this book is THE book that you should read this year. I was wondering why it didn't become popular when it first came out in 2000. Perhaps the publishers have thought to reprint this work and package it as something with action, romance, and supernatural creatures. But this isn't Twilight territory though.

Troy is basically a retelling of Homer's The Iliad. You get to meet all the historical characters -- Achilles, Hector, Paris, King Priam, Helen, and Andromache, among others. It's set during the Trojan War, when Greeks and Trojans were battling it out in the plains because of Helen. Caught in the narrative of the novel are two sisters, Marpessa and Xanthe, who both fall in love with the same man, an injured nobleman named Alastor.

It's wonderful to read a novel wherein Greek gods and goddesses are characters themselves in the book. When Xanthe falls in love with Alastor first, it is because of Eros's arrow. Marpessa completes the love triangle because of a whim from Aphrodite. Soon, major gods show up and interact with the human characters -- Ares, Poseidon, Athena, Hades, and even Zeus himself. I love Greek mythology. Greek gods and goddesses have very "human" characteristics. They play favorites. They destroy things that don't take their fancy. They love and kill as they please.

Several reviews have pointed out that this is the story of Troy told from a feminist perspective, and yes, I agree. When Hector leaves Troy to fight Achilles on the plain, it is the thoughts and feelings of his wife, Andromache, that we experience. The terrible consequences of war on soldiers who get injured during battle are told through the eyes of Xanthe, who is also a healer in Troy's Blood Room. We also get to read about Helen's anguish when Troy is besieged on the night they let in the Trojan Horse inside the city's walls.

Troy is very readable, too. As YA fiction, it can provide a good background of Greek mythology to young readers who may not be prepared for Edith Hamilton. As historical fiction, it's gripping. The novel comprises several short chapters, making it a light but engaging read.

Read this book if:

You read everything with Greek mythology.
You love gods and goddesses.
You're craving for sickly sweet romance and bloody battles at the same time.

Why don't people like you as much I do?

2010-11-21T20:31:00.002+08:00

This weekend, my book club met and discussed Graham Greene's The End of the Affair. I've read it a year ago and I loved it. To say that I was looking forward to the discussion would be an understatement. If there's one book that I was really eager to discuss, this would be it. Imagine my surprise at the end of the discusion when I was only one among 3 who thought that the book was brilliant. The rest, around 12 of them, think that the book wasn't "good enough."

Perhaps I was just partial to reading Greene. I love reading his works. The End of the Affair, one of his 4 Catholic novels, is probably one of his best work. His writing has always been sublime. Greene wrote beautifully. I wouldn't want to call it lyrical, since there's minimal poetic elements in his book. What I admire was his gift of evoking mood and atmosphere. In The End of the Affair, set during World War II, I felt that the war played a crucial role in the decisions the main characters made in the book.

One would say that The End of the Affair only has 3 main characters. Maurice Bendrix, the writier who has a passionate affair with Sarah, the wife of an important British government official, Henry Miles. It is the affair of Maurice and Sarah who drives the novel toward its sad conclusion. From the start, the reader has a sense that the affair would have disastrous consequences on all 3 of them. Affairs are simply so un-Catholic.

So one day, Maurice and Sarah were making love in Maurice's apartment and a bomb goes off. Maurice becomes unconscious and Sarah discovers that he has died. In a panic, Sarah prays to God feverishly, saying that if God would let Maurice live, she'll leave him forever. Maurice lives and Sarah, against her wishes, must fulfill her side of the bargain. Of course, she doesn't mention this to Maurice who gets confused when Sarah takes all the pains to avoid him. Maurice eventually discovers the circumstances for Sarah's actions. When the two of them continue on with their affair, Sarah's health deteriorates and dies.

The 4th character in the novel is God. This is not the passive God, but rather the playful, wrathful God we've read in the Old Testament. His presence can be felt all throughout the book. In a way, he punishes Sarah for breaking the agreement with Him. And what better punishment there is than death? Maurice, the self-confessed atheist, is even forced to acknowledge His presence.

I wrote at the start that this was a record of hate, and walking there beside Henry towards the evening glass of beer, I found the one prayer that seemed to serve the winter mood: O God, You've done enough, You've robbed me of enough, I'm too tired and old to learn to love, leave me alone for ever.

I mentioned that this novel had Catholic sensibilities, as Greene converted to Catholicism late in his life. Sarah, despite calling herself a bitch and a fake, becomes a saint or at least developed saint-like qualities. Her physical contact with two minor characters in the book proves to be miraculous. The element of rituals, which plays a huge role in the Catholic faith, abound in the book. Greene also delved into one of the main taboos of the religion -- adultery. Truly, only a wrathful God would think that death is only fitting for those who violate the seventh commandment.

I think that this is one of the most beautiful love stories that I've read. All right, I haven't read a lot, but The End of the Affair is a total departure from all the books that deal with romance, illicit relationships, and obsesssion. I say that it's brilliant. Who would have thought that a love story can involve a divine character. After all, it wasn't really Henry whom Maurice was competing against to win Sarah. It was God.

Read this book if:

You'll read anything by Graham Greene.
You're craving for a different love story.
You loved the movie. (The book, as always, is better.)

Oh, and here's a picture of me with my Graham Greene books. I just love those Penguin Classic Deluxe Editions!