Essential Reading: September
August may have been my most productive reading month in terms of works read. This is primarily because I read a lot of novellas this month and because I don’t have a social life except for my girlfriend and for TFG. It may seem sad but it is not since I’m not really a going-out-the-door-to-party-or-to-go-to-the-mall … Continue reading
Side-by-Side Review: That Kind of Guy by Mina V. Esguerra/Reportage on Lovers by Nick Joaquin
“Certainty is sexy.” – Julie, That Kind of Guy “The Filipino, indeed, makes the most imperious of husbands but the meekest of lovers” – Narrator, Reportage on Lovers That Kind of Guy Mina V. Esguerra is a story about Julie, a woman who is a “manang“, a word used to describe Filipino women who are frank and who … Continue reading
Book Review: Noli Me Tangere
“I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land! You, who have it to see, welcome it — and forget not those who have fallen during the night!” – Elias I know of two anecdotes regarding Rizal’s poem, Mi Ultimo Adios. The first anecdote is about how US Congressman Henry A. Cooper recited Rizal’s final … Continue reading
Hooliganism: The Future of the Novel
Bookish Hooliganism is, true to form, an irregular feature in The Book Hooligan where I talk about the world of books, a world that I really love. This feature come and goes. It is in no way daily, weekly or monthly. It just is. I have been browsing the internet for things about Philip Roth since, while reading Everyman, I … Continue reading
Book Review: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
“It’s the age-old question. Who can spy on the spies?” – Oliver Lacon During my childhood days, me and my family were avid watchers of James Bond films. From time to time, my father would rent a VHS or a DVD (depending on which actor is portraying James Bond) and we would all sit in … Continue reading
Book Review: Gagamba
“There is something so equal and democratic about dying, certainly not living though all men may live in sin – the poor who seek salvation in prayer or in a sheaf of sweepstakes tickets are sometimes left with nothing but the benediction of a new day.” – Gagamba’s Narrator Martial Law-era Philippines was one of the worst … Continue reading
BOOKLOVE: August 2012
I am adding another new feature in my attempt to blog about my reading habits and I dub this new monthly segment as, as you may already know, Book Lust. Yes, that is a sorry attempt at toilet humor directed towards my love for books and my (supposedly) raging hormones. Anyhoo, dear readers, this new segment is … Continue reading
Book Review: Ilustrado
There are only three truths. That which can be known. That which can never be known. The third, which concerns the writer alone, truly is neither of these. – Crispin Salvador The Philippines is a country unlike any other. Our trajectory in history has been decided, for more than 300 years, by foreigners who colonized … Continue reading
Book Review: Man in the Dark
“The weird world rolls on.” – August Brill quoting Rose Hawthorne There is something about tragic stories that kindle my heart. Yes, happy stories are sweet but nothing reaffirms life better than tragedy. In sorrow and despair lie the most fundamental truths of human life. Forget all the hodgepodge regarding happiness as the answer to life’s … Continue reading
Book Review: Catcher in the Rye
“Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that’s impossible, but it’s too bad anyway.” – Holden Caulfield The 1950s was a unique point in America’s history. It is characterized by an economic boom … Continue reading
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