A Goodreader Gives Us a Thumbs Up!

We’re excited and grateful to see that Anvil has provided Filipino book bloggers with review copies of Angelica’s Daughters. A young reader recently posted his review over at Goodreads, and it was so fun read his description of our book as “well-written…unique…half chick lit, half historical fiction.” And he even reminded everyone to try out Angelica’s recipe for tsokolate! Thank you, Goodreads reviewer!

Just yesterday I was reading the new “Tsinoy” (Chinese-Filipino) issue of the wonderful Our Own Voice, and I noticed they’ve included Angelica’s Daughters on their December 2010 Bookshelf. Thank you, Our Own Voice! I’m intrigued by many of the books on the Bookshelf: Jon Pineda’s Sleep In Me and Peter Bachco’s Leaving Yesler, among many others, caught my eye.

Finally, I wanted to congratulate Angelica’s Daughters co-author Cecilia Brainard on her new book—also just published by Anvil—called Vigan & Other Stories. This is another book I’m very much looking forward to reading! You can order it from Anvil here, or if you have an e-reader, the Kindle edition is available via Amazon here.

Thanks for reading! Check back soon!

~Veronica

Writers Recommend…

…giving books, of course! Over at the PAWA blog, you’ll find holiday gift recommendations from a host of writers including—so far—Eileen Tabios, Karen Llagas, Barbara Jane Reyes, Oliver de la Paz, Vangie Buell, and yours ever so truly.

I’m re-posting my list here (with many thanks to Barbara Jane for the links and the pictures!):

What It Is (Drawn & Quarterly, 2008) and Picture This: The Near-Sighted Monkey Book (Drawn & Quarterly, 2010) by Lynda Barry. Writers and artists will be inspired by these two unorthodox “manuals” for the creative life. Written by hand and filled with Barry’s color-saturated collages, drawings, doodles, and whatnot, they’re pretty much impossible to put down.

Pinoy Capital: The Filipino Nation in Daly City, by Benito M. Vergara, Jr. (Temple University Press, 2009). Like thousands of Filipinos before me, and hundreds of thousands after me, I grew up in Daly City. This is a fascinating anthropological take on my hometown, written in a style that is somehow both academic and conversational. A must-have for the bookshelf of anyone with even a tangential interest in a landscape that holds special meaning for Filipinos.

A History of the Philippines from Indios Bravos to Filipinos, by Luis Francia (Overlook Press, 2010). A history of the Philippines written by a poet/journalist? Who could resist such a fine book? Pick up two copies: one for yourself, and one to offer as a gift to someone who has been very, very good this year.

 

Imago, by Joseph O. Legaspi (CavanKerry Press, 2007). I had the chance to hear Joseph read from the poems in Imago when he participated in the PAWA Reading Series earlier this year, and was instantly drawn to his work. He captures all the beauty and innocence of childhood, tempered by the inevitable intrusion(s) of death, violence, sex (the confusing parts, that is). So good.

Diwata, by Barbara Jane Reyes (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2010). Lush, lovely, inspired. These poems are filled with startling imagery, strong women, and story, story, story. (I wrote more about Diwata in an earlier post)

 

The Solemn Lantern Maker, by Merlinda Bobis (Delta, 2009). This novel begins just six days before Christmas with a mute boy trawling the streets selling his handmade paper lanterns. Add to this his best friend Elvis (who holds a terrible secret), an injured and missing American tourist, and a post-9/11 let’s-freak-everybody-out media frenzy, and what do you have? A really good story.

Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults, Cecilia Brainard, ed. (PALH Books, 2009). I would recommend this anthology even if I didn’t have a story in it. It’s one of those books I’d wished I’d had as a teenager and young adult, simply because it’s affirming to have our experiences transformed into a narrative on the page. You’ll find bits and pieces of yourself and yours in these stories, for sure.

I’d also like to recommend subscriptions to literary journals that seem to consistently support the work of Filipino writers. Bamboo Ridge Press, The Asian American Literary Review, and Manoa instantly come to mind.

 

Have any other books to recommend? I’d love to hear.

Check back soon! Thanks for reading!

~Veronica

Bits & Pieces

Image borrowed from the Walker Art Center

Well, hello there. I’m mortified to find that this blog became utterly lost in the lengthy shuffle that began with the build-up to Thanksgiving. My family and I traveled several hours by car, feasted non-stop for three days, and then dove headfirst into the onset of holiday shopping. But life has settled down for the time being, and I can finally mention a few bits and pieces relating to Angelica’s Daughters.

 

Bits & Pieces #1: Cecilia was pleased to hear recently from Professor Oscar V. Campomanes, who had many a kind word for our novel. *dramatic pause* Oh, I’ll stop being coy: Professor Campomanes, who teaches critical theory and literary/cultural studies at Ateneo de Manila University (and whose essays I’ve admired in the excellent anthologies Positively No Filipinos Allowed and Vestiges of War) said, “It is fabulous—I love it! Very avant-garde and a singular innovation in our context. I mentioned it as an example of the most exciting developments in my panel on “Writing the Diaspora” at the…Manila International Literary Festival…organized by the National Book Development Board.”

Bits & Pieces #2: Marie Romero of Arkipelago Books has Angelica’s Daughters on her splash page as the “Book Feature of the Month.” We appreciate her support, and we encourage you to fill at least some of your shopping bags with Filipino and Filipino-American titles this holiday! They make the best gifts EVER.

Bits & Pieces #3: Tony Robles was the videographer extraordinaire at our recent PAWA event, and Cecilia has posted a clip over at YouTube. Thanks Tony!

Bits & Pieces #4: Anvil, our publisher, shared the news that an online book club has requested copies of Angelica’s Daughters for review and discussion. How fun is that?! Whether they give us a thumbs up or a thumbs down or a thumb somewhere-in-between, I know the five of us will be happy knowing that the book was engaged with out there. Thanks mystery readers!

And thank you for reading! Check back soon!

~ Veronica