Filipino Friday #1: Surprise, Reader!

It's not Friday anymore but it's better late than never. 

Really excited for this year's ReaderCon which is now part of the NBDB's (National Book Development Board) Philippine International Literary Festival (PILF) happening from Nov. 12-14. Right after that, Komikon on the 15th. All happening at the Bayanihan Center along Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City. 

Here's the prompt:

Surprise, Reader! Hello, it’s the first week of Filipino Fridays 2014! Whether it’s your first time to participate or not, tell us a bit about yourself. More specifically, tell us about your favorite book discoveries for this year. Any author you started reading this year that you can’t get enough of? A book you didn’t think you’d like, but you ended up liking/loving? Any book series that you just have to get your hands on? Have you discovered anything new from Filipino authors this year?

About myself:

I'm a delinquent book blogger and a reading addict. I just happen to work in the book sphere through buqo, a Filipino digital bookstore app. :-) This is the second time I'm participating in Filipino Fridays. 

Author I started reading that I can't get enough of: Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan working in tandem for The Strain trilogy. I couldn't put the books down.

A book I didn't think I'd like but ended up liking/ loving: The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith. I expected to hate it because I've chosen to be vegetarian several times in my life. I was only curious when I got the book. I found that it was written with a lot of compassion for vegetarians and the motivations of a vegetarian. And it got me even more interested in agriculture (especially here in the Philippines) and how else to be more conscious of my impact on the environment. 

A book series that I'd like to get my hands on: Um, please, George R.R. Martin, please release your next Game of Thrones book already. I've been patiently waiting. 

Discovered something new from a Filipino author this year: 

• A lot, actually. First off, I discovered Coming To Terms edited by Lorna Kalaw-Tirol. It's an old book. But not old to me. I loved reading the book and seeing how another generation faced mid-life. 
• Next, I discovered Taming Romeo by Clare Ayala. It's a steamy read set in the West Coast with a wonderfully colorful immigrant Filipino family. I'm glad Clare is releasing the second book in the series, Claiming Carlos, this time focusing on the sister of Evie (Taming Romeo's protagonist), Choco. 
• I also fell in love with the books by Candy Gourlay. Tall Story was such a wonderful read. My husband finished the book ahead of me. That's a feat because my husband doesn't usually read fiction! And I'm in the middle of Shine, her second YA book. Loving it so far!

So, that's it. Looking forward to the next Filipino Friday!

Addicted: A Review of The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got addicted to this book. I found it randomly on the Internet. I think it was Facebook. I bought the eBook version immediately and was hooked.

I enjoyed it in the same way that I enjoyed World War Z. I am lured by zombie apocalypses and human plagues of massive impact. I loved the detective work going on and the World War 2 back story of one of the protagonists, Abraham Setrakian. I also liked Ephraim Goodweather, his character is complex enough to be interesting. Who I did like a lot was Vasiliy Fet, the rat exterminator of Russian descent. He's a man in his element.

The book's treatment of vampirism runs contrary to all the popular representations nowadays: shimmering vampires, glamorous, good looking vampires. None of that in this book. It's all blood and gore and alien appendages that rival the Cthulu of H.P. Lovecraft. I just love it. I'd forgive del Toro and Hogan for crossing into science fiction.

I should actually be working on a new course that I signed up for on Coursera.org. But no, I got sucked into this book. And I've already downloaded the next in the series, The Fall. And I'm sure I'll get the last book in the trilogy too. Aaargh. And when the TV series comes out, I'll watch it too, in the same way that I watch GoT episodes despite having read all the books. I am a fan.

View all my reviews