12 Days of Christmas Book Review: Unholy Night

*This is a re-post from a previous book review on the blog.

Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In Seth Gahame-Smith's Unholy Night, the Holy Family was aided by Balthazar, a cunning thief who escaped his own execution, to leave Bethlehem. Together with Melchyor and Gaspar, the trio defended the Holy Family from Herod's men and out to the desert. Balthazar, Melchyor and Gaspar are names associated with the three wise men who gave gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts to the baby Jesus. In Grahame-Smith's fiction, the three men are wise indeed, but not in a scholarly manner to which the Bible described them to be. They are thieves and criminals out to save their own skin from Herod's fatal punishment. This the conceit to which the book was built upon. Blasphemous? I say it's a work of genius.

What worked

I've often asked who were the Wise men, the Magi. At the feast of the Epiphany, our parish priest would make us all believe that they were scholars from the East who understood the meaning of the messiah's coming. In my own imagination, I see the wise men as sages, astronomers, philosophers who knew something else was going and average people have no knowledge of this. They remain mysterious, if not, mystical men of history. Grahame-Smith filled in this gap and defined the Wise men as great sinners who found redemption not from guilt, but from acts of justice, remorse, forgiveness and love.


I like it that Joseph and Mary were depicted as real people subjected to weakness but strong in faith. This is the strength which assaulted Balthazar internally. Grahame-Smith provides his hero a rich backstory to bring out this internal struggle. Using the child Jesus as a metaphor of hope and blind belief, Balthazar came to forgive himself in the end. As for Melchyor and Gaspar, their redemption came, thirty three years after.


Pontius Pilate and the Roman Army were given a moment to shine as well. Pilate is yet another enigmatic character I hope some fictionist would unravel. Herod was characterized as the ultimate monster king. His evil deeds are enough to set the backdrop of a world in constant chaos. Thus, Jesus' coming to this world, quietly and with no fanfare, remain a puzzle I of the Catholic faith so continuously try to solve.


Grahame-Smith's violence and gruesome narrative did not offend me, in fact, I found it entertaining. Perhaps I was still angry at something or someone to have enjoyed it. It was therapy reading the book. There are some events in life like death and injustice that need to be experienced to see truth and peace. Like the journey to the desert and into Egypt, such an experience is not an easy one to take. This is where we need, not just guts and toughness, but a lot of courage. A lot of faith.


What did not work

The inclusion of magic seemed off, like the warlock from the west. The angels appearing in a dream were fine by me. The warlock came out of nowhere. Grahame-Smith tried to cross genre, but I found this piece misplaced in the novel. It would have worked for me, if Herod was assisted by one of his own priests to glamor up himself and do a trickery on Pilate's army.

Overall, it was a good read. I like Grahame-Smith's bending of history. Here in Unholy Night, he knew enough of religion and faith to respect Joseph, Mary and Jesus. I think I am ready to read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

12 Days of Christmas Book Review: The Legend of the Wandering King

*Reposting this book review in this season of the Epiphany.

Laura Gallego-Garcia’s The Legend of the Wandering King was standing among the newly processed books in the technical room of the library when it called for me, asking to be read. I did not heed the call until two weeks later when it was officially out for circulation.

The story blew me away. I felt the need to share it with the grade seven Reading teachers in school who perennially search for interesting titles of books. They were drawn to this book as well, that they included it in the list of book reports for grade seven. It turned out that the students and their parents enjoyed the book as well.

This is one of the perks of the job – to discover wonderful reads, share them with others and in the process, experience the delight and enjoyment that the printed word can offer.

What worked
The romance. Yes, I'm a romantic fool. But I'm not talking of the love story between Walid, the lead character, and Zahra, the Bedouin. The journey towards redemption; the search for life's meaning; the quest for one's dreams and its fulfillment; and the fairy tale ending -- everybody lives happily ever after -- all these appealed to me immensely.

The writing. Gallego-Garcia's language must have been brilliantly beautiful in Spanish that it is equally flavorful in English.

The setting, historical background and local flavor.The exotic land of Arabia during the pre-Muslim epoch evokes great curiosity. This is the stuff I devour -- the past and how it could never be brought back, except in stories.

The characters. Prince Walid is a darling. But as always, the underdog has my vote. The carpet weaver is my hero. Besides, he was a very intelligent librarian and archivist. He's a poet too, and he successfully trumped down the prince's talent three times.

What did not work
The old man in the red turban. Then again, it's forgivable, since the novel is a story of enchantment. Good thing that Gallego-Garcia made Walid suffer. The presence of the djinn was made credible.

12 Days of Christmas Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

*Reposting this book review from 2011 because, it was a Christmas gift.

Mona Dy, a bosom buddy, coffee companion and my walking book catalog gave me a book for Christmas that became my first read for 2011. The book, The Guernsey and Potato Peel Pie Society, afforded me a delightful reading experience that eclipsed the repercussions of some bad news at the start of the New Year.

Written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, the novel speaks of the complex nature of human beings, but at the same time, celebrates the enduring goodness and tenacity of the human spirit. Wrapped in humor and twined with tenderness the novel reminded me of the good things in life -- good books to read, great friends to trust, and keep, and a family to love and to come home to at the end of a harrowing day.

The story begins with Juliet Ashton, a writer, who attempted to survive the chaos and loss brought by World War II. She did manage to rise from the ashes, both internal and external, by establishing friendships and building relationships with members of a book club, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Its origin is explained in the book quite intriguingly and a recipe for the pie is included as well. From where I come from, we do eat potatoes, peeled and unpeeled. But a pie made of potato peelings could either be the product of the writer's imagination or consequences brought by the call of survival in a time of war. Either way, this information on the book club's beginnings piqued my interest to know more about Guernsey and its community. Apart from this, it is Shaffer’s epistolary approach to writing the novel that made a greater impact

What worked

The exchanges of letters between Juliet and her friends lent great description on the level of friendship and the degree of intimacy she has with them. The letters were used as instruments to gauge the mindset and emotional depth of every character. It is amazing how Shaffer successfully breathed life to each character through the letters. There were no narratives, no long exposition to introduce and explore the characters' conflicts and problems but the letters were enough. Each has a distinct and unique voice. 

It helped a lot that the characters talked about their favorite book. This added depth and texture to each character. They're all so interesting, I hoped they were real characters. My favorites, apart from Juliet are Sydney, Isola, Elizabeth and yes, Dawsy Adams -- Juliet's object of affection. Yes, Virginia, it is a romance novel too. It follows the tradition of Austen, tempered and restrained. At the background is the remnants of World War II where Juliet and Dawsy must pick up the pieces of their lives to build a new one.

Shaffer was a librarian, editor and had experience working in bookshops. She translated all these into the novel and the overall effect is fantastic. I felt her passion for the printed word and her strong belief in the role of the book as emissary of  culture and the arts.

What did not work

Sadly, Shaffer did not live to see the success of the novel. She died in February 2008. Annie Borrows, her niece, was instrumental in helping her finish the novel (which is actually a good thing). 

12 Days of Christmas Book Review: Holiday Hat Trick

Holiday Hat Trick by Catherine Gayle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Mitchell Quincey is visiting his ex-wife, Mia, for the holidays. His sole objective is to get approval from her for joint custody of their daughter. When Q (a nickname he goes by among friends in the Portland Storm Hockey Team) finally met Mia for the first time in a long while, he realized he was still in love with her.

Q is persistent and charming. While Mia plays hard to get, she couldn't help but give him another chance seeing Q shower her daughter with attention and love. Admittedly, Mia has her hands full on being a single working mom. Somewhere in the middle of the holidays, they got back together in each others' arms.

What worked

Christmas magic and the presence of family were factors that pushed Mia to forgive Q's faults. Besides, Q and Mia have a long history that their families brought back through reunions and dinners shared during Christmas time. Having divorced a year before, the time apart made them both think of their loss in the divorce and how rash decisions can further lead to loneliness and isolation. On the one hand, it gave Mia the confidence to find her own footing and rediscover her self. Not only is she a wife to a popular hockey player, she has become a person of her own pursuing a career she could be proud of. What better time to have things sorted out but at Christmas time. When love is real, it finds a way.

What did not work

Since I am invested in the series, I would have wanted to see Mia more involved in the Portland Storm WAGs. The same with Q. Before and after this novella, he was only a footnote to the entire series. He could have been a character that shaped the team into what it is in its recent stands on the series. But, I am keeping my hopes up to find out what Mia and Q will play in the community of the Portland Storm Hockey Team players and their families.

I'm waiting for what Catherine Gayle has in store in the future installments for Q and Mia. I'm holding her out to Jim Sutter's mantra, "we take care of our own."



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12 Days of Christmas Book Review: Mistletoe Misconduct

Mistletoe Misconduct by Catherine Gayle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jim Sutter, General Manager of the Portland Storm has been divorced from his wife for two decades. The WAGs (wives and girlfiends) of the Portland Storm hockey team thought of giving Jim a holiday treat. Unknown to him, the WAGs posted his profile in a dating site. Miles away, his ex-wife Elaine found him online. She took her chance and the journey in at a second chance on love begins.

What worked

Christmas is a time of reunions and reconciliations. Some are successful and some aren't. In the Portland Storm series, the coming together of Elaine and Jim magically worked out with very little effort and resistance. Jim is still haunted by his past mistakes, especially the one that led to his divorce. He lives with this pain by being the father to the Portland Storm hockey players, their wives and children. To them, Jim is not just a manager of the team. Apparently, Jim is a big believer on second chances. If he could give his players a second chance, why can't he give it to himself? Elaine loves him still, after all. If she could forgive him, why can't he forgive himself?

Throwing his guilt and regrets out the window, he took the first step to redemption.

Like Jim, I do believe in second chances. Like Elaine, I go after what my heart tells me to do. Twenty years apart is a long time, but between two people who truly love each other, time is merely a concept.

What did not work

The ending felt rushed. I would have wanted to see a chapter devoted to Jim's reunion with his son as well. If this is a technique by the author and the publisher to rope me in for the next novellas in the series to see more of Jim's turn around as a father to his son, well, that is pretty smart.

For fans of contemporary romance and happily ever afters, this novella makes for a good Christmas read as it celebrates forgiveness and hope for a brighter future.




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