Filipino Friday 5: Celebrating the Best

In honor of the first Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards, let’s talk about our favorites for this year. What are your favorite books in 2012 so far? Have you read any awesome Filipino books in the year? If yes, make sure to include them in your list!

This is  a very busy year outside the book reading and hunting activities but I'm still lucky to discover Filipino books and some legit pieces of literature. Lourd de Veyra's first novel SUPER PANALO SOUNDS! is hands down my favorite of the year given my preference to the Rock N Roll culture. With the death of my favorite radio station NU 107, reading this novel is a magical and bittersweet piece of nostalgia. Then there's THE MAGIC CIRCLE by Gilda Cordero Fernando. Essentially a children's book, the fantastic short story captures the current longing for nature trekking and getting lost into the world of the supernatural. It was also a recurrent adaption by Dulaang UP since November last year. Amidst the contextual miscues by the author, WHEN THE ELEPHANTS DANCE by Tess Uriza-Holthe is still a worthwhile read. Though it's very late reading Ambeth Ocampo's LOOKING BACK 1, I enjoyed it as my June 12 read this year.

In the world of comics and magazines, the two-volume compilation of SKYWORLD by Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta Maria is a blast of fresh air even El Komikero Gerry Alanguilan himself was mesmerized. Gerry's multi-awarded ELMER is a late acquisition by the start of the year but still a good read. Pol Medina Jr's latest release PUGAD BABOY 24 is a redeeming publication from his 23rd book last year. We also saw the launching of Kwentillion YA Magazine and it was a good start.

In the digital format, I'm currently reading the PHILIPPINE SPECULATIVE FICTION 7 and I'm enjoying it so far. Mervin Malonzo's carnivorous online comics TABI PO is a great discovery late last year but still retains in my memory whenever I see his other works in ALTERNATIVE ALAMAT edited by Paolo Chikiamco.

These creative works are so cool they made me a very proud Filipino reader this year. Isang malaking pagpupugay para sa mga Pilipino ngayong taon! 

image sources:
http://www.avalon.ph/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=1776
http://www.nationalbookstore.com.ph/the-magic-circle.html
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16035.When_the_Elephants_Dance
http://www.anvilpublishing.com/books.php?cat=072010
http://www.amazon.com/Philippine-Speculative-Fiction-Volume-ebook/dp/B008OIWNO6
http://twicsy.com/i/BCYoQb
http://www.facebook.com/Kwentillion
http://www.tabi-po.com/isyu/mga-laktaw/404
http://www.facebook.com/SkyworldComics
http://gerry.alanguilan.com/archives/2054