WARNING: This review will get personal. Back in 2013, when I was new-ish at my previous (and first-ever) job at GMA News Online, I once spent an entire day reading Manix Abrera's News Hardcore from the first strip to the latest. Concealing my laughter became a struggle. News Hardcore at first followed the adventures of a newbie journo… Continue reading Book Review: ‘News Hardcore: Hukbong Sandatahan ng Kahaggardan’ by Manix Abrera
Tag: book review
Book Review: ‘Seraphina’ by Rachel Hartman
If you read only one novel this year, make it Rachel Hartman's debut novel Seraphina. I was first attracted by the gorgeous cover of the 2014 reprint edition, and then by this interesting article on inventing gender systems by Hartman herself. When I finally dove into Seraphina, the first book in the duology, it was thankfully much, much more… Continue reading Book Review: ‘Seraphina’ by Rachel Hartman
Book Review: ‘The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic’ by Emily Croy Barker
WARNING: SPOILERS AHOY. I bought this book for four reasons: Finding this book (and its unusually bright cover) in the usually snooty Literature section of the bookstore, The blurb from the amazing Kelly Link at the back, Finding out that the author's day job is that of a journalist, And the summary stating that this would… Continue reading Book Review: ‘The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic’ by Emily Croy Barker
Book Review: ‘How the World Became Quiet’ by Rachel Swirsky
Doesn't that wonderful title just give you a sense of quiet devastation? But I'll get back to that in a bit. When reading an author's work for the first time, I usually prefer getting my hands on a short story collection of theirs, if they have any. That way, I'll have the option of looking… Continue reading Book Review: ‘How the World Became Quiet’ by Rachel Swirsky
Book Review: ‘Storyteller’ by Kate Wilhelm
I never thought I'd get to read Kate Wilhelm's Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Workshop for reasons other than a passive interest in how the Clarion Workshops came to be. But now that I actually stand a damn good fighting chance at going to Clarion San Diego, Storyteller immediately rose to the top… Continue reading Book Review: ‘Storyteller’ by Kate Wilhelm
Book Review: ‘Ventriloquism’ by Catherynne M. Valente
Reading Catherynne M. Valente's writing is both like taking in a slow breath and being unable to do so. Her words spiral upward, outward, then close in on you, and you will grow dizzy simply trying to keep up with the barrage of living, breathing, sensual ideas. At least, that's how her first-ever collection of… Continue reading Book Review: ‘Ventriloquism’ by Catherynne M. Valente
Book Review: ‘Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction’ by Jeff Vandermeer
When I began college, I kept checking out creative writing reference books from the library, or else buying them from bookstores—it's always a pain to discover later on that the book itself is not actually worth what you've paid. I've read all kinds: from dubious, purely instructional manuals to the philosophical but rather useless at… Continue reading Book Review: ‘Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction’ by Jeff Vandermeer
Book Review: ‘The Melancholy of Mechagirl’ by Catherynne M. Valente
I came to know Japan through its anime and manga culture, through Junichiro Tanizaki's essay "In Praise of Shadows" and Akira Kurosawa's film Dreams and the music of Yuki Kajiura, through the brutality of its soldiers toward the Philippines and other nations during World War II, through an array of sushi restaurants of varying quality,… Continue reading Book Review: ‘The Melancholy of Mechagirl’ by Catherynne M. Valente
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