#17 of 2012: Skycrapers, Celadon and Kimchi: A Korean Notebook by Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo
I actually read this the last week of January (it’s February in the Philippines already!)! Forgot to include it in last month’s set. Anyway! I found this in one of the university’s library, and was both happy and sad with the fact that it existed but couldn’t be borrowed. It was such a precious copy, I was only allowed to read it in the reading room. Still, what an opportunity! I picked it up out of curiosity of how Seoul seemed and felt like back in the 80s, which was the time Cristina Hidalgo lived for three years with her family, because well, you know, I have become obsessed about Seoul/South Korea ever since the November trip from last year. I liked how Hidalgo was able to paint a picture of South Korea with both an insider’s and outsider’s (as a Filipino) account. There were lots of comparing and contrasting culture-wise, such as in employment and women’s issues, and I enjoyed them. Hidalgo’s writing was also easy on the eyes and mind and I’m looking forward to finding more of her writings, especially another of her travel notebooks.
Yay!s
-Hidalgo wrote stories through the different seasons! Although some weren’t really rooted weather-wise, it was alright since she was still able to describe a vivid portrait of Seoul during various times.
-A quick read but one that you’d def pick up again, especially after or for a trip to Seoul!
Boo!
-Since it was a personal travel diary, the book of course centered on most of Hidalgo’s life, which heavily focused on work, education, and relationships/family. I wanted more travel!!
*How sad that there’s no photo of the actual book cover anywhere online
#1 of 2012: Chicken Pox for the Soul by Jessica Zafra
A Jessica Zafra wasn’t exactly what I had in my mind to open the new year, but I guess it’s not bad to start 2012 armed with irony…. right? Wrong. No, I’m kidding, this book was a treat. Zafra is one of my earlier writing “idols” and I love how her twisted-ness never seems to… straighten. In the book, she spills her darkest thoughts about people, the L-word, and well, life, in general in the snappiest ways possible - as expected - you’ll never get bored. You’ll even wish there were more pages to it.
Yay!s
“People who read books in public places are regarded with suspicion because they appear self-sufficient. When you seem self-sufficient, other people think that you think you’re better than them, and they get resentful.”
“Greasy food might not be good for your body, but it does wonders for the soul. A healthy diet may prolong your life, but what would you have to live for? What is the point of living to a hundred if you have to subsist on bland food? One may as well die of boredom.”
Boo!
Only 160 pages?!?
#112 of 2011: Popped, Too by Chinggay Labrador
Sequels can be disappointing but I’m so relieved Popped Too is not one of those! Didn’t really expect this could even be more squee-ducing than the first one, but Chinggay Labrador did it. The essence of fangirling lives on!! This time, the Andie and the girls fly back to the motherland, Seoul, to visit their friend, Nica, and reconnect with their K-Pop Prince Charmings, among others. You’d think Labrador would run out of fluffy Korean adventures, but aniyoooo!! Things get interesting when Andie and the girls track down the Other Fangirl who was out to get Nica, who was rumored to be with one of the boys of a popular K-Pop boy band… and gets even more exciting when Andie and Mac Park, the KJK of her life, reunite! Oh, can you just see the rainbows and cupcakes and unicorns flying out from this review through your computer screen?? Labrador really knew how to make her material, the uber cuteness of Korean anything!, work and I was def sold with all the quirks in her story. I just hope she delivers the same way when she writes her next novel!
