Reading in 2018

I managed to read 25 books this year, which is a slight improvement from the previous. Not surprisingly, I tended to focus on Filipiniana books.

I've also been catching up with writing blog posts in the last few days though overall the whole year had been inconsistent in terms of posting. Yet I still never felt the need to pause or make this space go dormant in the near future.

My best book of the year was Thomas Bernhard's collected memoirs, Gathering Evidence, which I classify as fiction here just because I want to consider it as such. It was actually a reread so I decided I will not include it anymore in my round up of my best reads in a separate post. Bernhard's memoirs is a cornerstone of my reading life, and it was wonderful to be reacquainted again with his black humor.


FICTION

Gathering Evidence by Thomas Bernhard, translated from German by David McLintock (reviews)

The Locked Door and Other Stories by Rosario de Guzman Lingat, translated from Tagalog by Soledad S. Reyes (review)

Of Dogs and Walls by Yūko Tsushima, translated from Japanese by Geraldine Harcourt

Apdo ng Kalungkutan (Bile of Loneliness) by Angel L. Enemecio, translated from Cebuano to Filipino by Jennifer Nadela Inez

Territory of Light by Yūko Tsushima, translated from Japanese by Geraldine Harcourt (review)

Halina sa Ating Bukas (Welcome to Our Tomorrow) by Macario Pineda

Isang Milyong Piso (One Million Pesos) by Macario Pineda

Driftwood on Dry Land by T.S. Sungkit Jr., translated from Cebuano by T.S. Sungkit Jr. (review)

The Star of Panghulo by Patricio Mariano, translated from Tagalog by Soledad S. Reyes (review)

Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar, translated from the French by Grace Frick in collaboration with Marguerite Yourcenar

Mga Patay na Bituin (Dead Stars) by Paz Marquez-Benitez, translated from English to Filipino by Virgilio S. Almario

Halimuyak ng Mansanas (Scent of Apples) by Bienvenido N. Santos, translated from English to Filipino by Michael M. Coroza

Kung Ipaghiganti ang Puso (If the Heart Is Avenged) by Deogracias A. Rosario

Ang Beterano (The Veteran) by Lázaro Francisco

Beijing Comrades by Bei Tong, translated from Chinese by Scott E. Myers

Bahay ni Marta (House of Marta) by Ricky Lee

The Cry and the Dedication by Carlos Bulosan

Ilaw sa Hilaga (Northern Light) by Lázaro Francisco (review)


POETRY / POETRY AND PROSE

Jaime Gil de Biedma in the Philippines: Prose and Poetry by Jaime Gil de Biedma, translated from Spanish by Alice Sun-Cua, José Mª Fons Guardiola, and Wystan de la Peña (review)

Dancing Embers by Sándor Kányádi, translated from the Hungarian by Paul Sohar

La India Elegante y El Negrito Amante at Ilang Maikling Tula (La India Elegante y El Negrito Amante and Some Short Poems) by Francisco Balagtas


PLAY

Bedtime Stories: Mga Dula sa Relasyong Sexual (Plays on Sexual Relationships) by Rene O. Villanueva


NON-FICTION / MANIFESTO

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan

Under Three Flags: Anarchism and the Anti-Colonial Imagination by Benedict Anderson

Mga Rebolusyonaryong Dekalogo (Revolutionary Decalogues) by Andres Bonifacio, Gregoria De Jesus, Apolinario Mabini, and Emilio Jacinto