Snow, Glass, Apples

Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman

“I'm awfully sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. But you don't know what I've been through. And all because I was afraid. ” – Snow White (“Snow White”, 1937)

                What a dramatic change this story was from the all-smiles fairytale movie adaptation from Disney. It was interesting enough to have the stepmother queen’s point of view for a change. She still wanted to kill Snow White, but this time it was the Queen who was the good girl. Snow White was portrayed as a blood-sucking and sex-loving monster whose body and heart is as cold as ice – as cold as snow. As a huge Disney follower, this stirred my spirit a little; but the darkness and raunchiness of this story just made me appreciate it more. Having learned that the real Snow White actually had these rather wild themes makes everything more tolerable than repulsive.

Getting Better

Getting Better by Tara Sering

                Nothing feels more awkward than the author telling you that your boyfriend Miko is perching you on a kitchen countertop and is entering you. Regardless, I think this was an engaging 50-or so pages. The blunt horniness of the women was something shockingly new to me, if I’m being honest. I was also really curious to see what’s going to happen to Karen – if Miko and her will ever get back together, or what. The ending with Karen with Burt Reyno is so typical in this type of story that I couldn’t have had it any other way The only thing absent is probably the confrontation between Mr. Right and The Ex-Boyfriend. That would probably put focus away from Karen, though. 

Some Families, Very Large

Some Families, Very Large by Jose Dalisay

               Reading the story immediately reminded me of that Italian movie – Life is Beautiful (1997, starring Roberto Benigni) where the father tries to convince his son that everything is alright and fun despite the story being set in some war. I was constantly wondering how the child will grow up to find out the harsh pains of poverty that his father tries to keep from him. I cannot remain entirely depressed though; probably because of the story being set in Christmas.It's a shame to be spending Christmas with a dead guy when a kid Sammy's age should be eagerly waiting for what kind of toy he would get for Christmas. Overall, the story was really nice and it somewhat made me see the warmth of family in the cold Christmas air - something that I think should be present in everyone's Christmas Eve.

Smaller and Smaller Circles

Smaller and Smaller Circles by FH Batacan

                This novel spares no detail which makes it both entertaining and disturbing. The way the first dead body was described (the one with maggots on its insides) made me cringe. The entire novel was really engaging; although I think I was more interested in finding out the criminal than catching him; and the way the criminal was revealed was so abrupt that it was a bit disappointing. The weirdness of it all made it more of an interesting read – two rich and “hot” Jesuit priests who study dead bodies and solve crimes; especially the priest part. Finishing the book on a lonely midnight made me feel the cold, cryptic, creepiness of Alex Carlos throughout the story. The author was really good in making these vivid images.

Map Reading

Map Reading by Katharina Mendoza

                This story reminds me so much of how fun summer was; it made reading this feel like I was taking a fun road trip. While everything seemed enjoyable Brenda seems to be irritated by everything in her husband’s routine. I was oblivious to Brenda’s annoyance at first, since it  all seemed so fun; but the tired way Brenda described everything was telling me that I shouldn't be feeling enjoyment in this. The way Noah was portrayed through Brenda’s point of view made it seem like he was really annoying. I wonder how different it would be if we had Noah’s point of view. Things would have been much happier in the story, until the part when Brenda tries to break out of the routine. The ending would’ve been very confusing.

Midsummer

Midsummer by Manuel Arguilla

                While reading Midsummer, I had the constant urge to drink ice cold water. The author made it seem like it was intensely scorching out there in the story. I personally found this story to be one of those kilig moments wherein there is growing tension between two characters and things start to get awkward once they actually meet, then the characters actually end up happily together. It’s a typical love story in Ilocano style – words like Ading were used frequently enough in the family to make me realize that the story was set in the North. No matter how cheesily romantic the story got, I was never able to forget about the scorching heat.

The Cries of Children on an April Afternoon in the Year 1957

The Cries of Children on an April Afternoon in the Year 1957 by Gregorio Brillantes

                It was so chill and lazy throughout this story of a teenage boy wandering about the house; then the flash forwards came and suddenly, out of nowhere, made it all fast-paced. It’s like listening to soft music, then suddenly having rock music blasted for about 3 minutes before shifting back to the chill environment. It made it all exciting though, especially since Ricky seems so unknowing of that tragic life he is about to face in his near future. It  made me shudder a little to see that image of the innocent, young Agnes growing up to be a girl sent to the mental hospital, and to see Ricky’s first girlfriend Leny dying by plunging into a lake. It’s these tragic events that make that lazy, innocent afternoon somewhat tension-filled.