Faithful Place

I got to read this book because of a book swap. Hurrah for discovering new authors! I'm always intrigued by women who write in a genre dominated by men, like Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin.

Tana French does not disappoint, She successfully captures the voice and point of view of hard-boiled Undercover detective Frank Mackey and shows us gritty (fictional) Faithful Place in all its glory.

As it was a mystery, I managed to keep myself from reading the ending immediately -- and I'm glad that I did.

I am definitely going to track down her other books and read them.

Fire and Hemlock

I found this book one night and couldn't go to sleep until I had finished it. Diana Wynne Jones takes the story of Tam Lin, adds another folktale (the story of Thomas the Rhymer, or so I'm told), and makes it her own.

The writing is assured and the pace is fast. Things get a bit muddled towards the end, but I would still recommend reading this book.

Gilead

There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will,--

-Hamlet

Gilead is one of the most spiritual books I've read in a long time. It's filled with the musings of Congregationalist minister John Ames, who is near the end of his life. There is not a lot of dialogue. There is a lot of musing, on the personal, the philosophical, and of course, the spiritual.

Robinson writes lovely descriptive scenes. Her simple style makes for an engaging read as Ames ponders the redemption of his friend's wayward son.

Kalahati at Umpisa

Masasabing maestra si Anoñuevo sa paglalaro ng salita. Sakop ng kanyang mga tula ang samu'tsaring emosyon - kaligayahan, kalungkutan, nostalgia, at higit sa lahat, pag-ibig.

Nahahati ang Kalahati at Umpisa sa dalawang bahagi -- ang una, tungkol sa mga karaniwang bagay, pagbabalik tanaw sa nakaraan, at mga obserbasyon sa kanyang buhay,

Sa pangalawang bahagi, umiibig na si Anoñuevo. Kaya naman punung-puno ang bahagi ito ng mga tula tungkol sa paghanga at sa muling pagtagpo ng pag-ibig sa gitna ng middle age.

Anupaman ang paksa ng kanyang isinusulat, naipapakita ni Anoñuevo ang kanyang husay at galing sa lenggwahe sa bawat tula.

Cathedral

Carver's prose is simple, but his stories are anything but. Some plumb the depths of cynicism while others explore the possibility of hope. He is a master at meshing the two themes together.