Now Playing: ‘The Songs of Our Breakup,’ ‘Songs to Get Over You’ by Jay E. Tria

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by KB Meniado “I slipped from the edge and I’ve fallen Should have heeded the warning Do not cross the yellow line But it’s not too late And there’s no brake And I’m falling And you had no warning” “Slipstream” by Trainman, from Songs of Our Breakup (Playlist #1) There is a warning, all right. It says so in the titles—Songs of Our Breakup and Songs to Get Over You—and yet, I proceeded without caution, fell off the edge and crashed into some solid goodness of music, feelings… and *gulp* band members?? But that’s only scratching the surface. Jay E. Tria’s Playlist…

Bookbed reviews: ‘The Practicing Misis’ by Rosan Katlea Reodica (plus a giveaway!)

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by Sarah Grutas If there’s anything I hate about cookbooks is that they all tend to be too formal, or that each recipe is accompanied by a mouthwatering photo of the finished product, as if telling me that whatever I cook, it will only be a success if the result looks exactly like the one in the picture. Fortunately, Rosan Katlea Reodica’s The Practicing Misis is none of that. THE STORY It is a collection of 50 or so recipes that will delight not just the palate but also the heart. Each recipe is not just a step-by-step instruction on how…

Booktungan: MV Redemption Episode 4

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by Lucille de Mesa, Baz Grimm-Pitch, Celestine Trinidad, Ibyang Riot, Sarah Bulalacao, Mikki Shiu, Maria Criselda Santos and BJ Medina Click here to read the previous episode. It’s barely even a year after John died. And Phil still remembers every bit of it all—how they were lounging by the small terrace of their apartment that afternoon, the sun settling below the horizon. John was telling him a news story about a gay couple from Laguna who are now proud parents of a baby girl via surrogacy. “Maybe we can also have one,” John said. They had been arguing for months about having a baby….

What Am I To You: Episode 21

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BY Kath C. Eustaquio-Derla As it turns out, the first thing I do is go online, log on to YouTube and listen to all the Norah Jones songs I could find. In the safe darkness of my condo unit, I finish a bottle of cheap red wine and go through all of Matthew’s photos on Instagram. The thing is, I couldn’t find a single proof that he and Bridgette are back together. Then again, I’ve never seen any photo of me on his online profiles either. I tell myself that what we had—have, is different. In all these chapters, I have…

Bookbed reviews: ‘Keep the Faith’ by Ana Tejano

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by Twila Bergania For people like me who’s been in a long-term relationship in over a decade, reading romance novels about single girls getting over a major heartbreak could be a bore. It’s not that we’ve never been there, it’s just that we haven’t felt that brand of sadness in a long time. Amidst all the #hugot lines we see on social media, it’s going to be pretty hard to find a decent read that will remind us of heartbreaks long forgotten. Ana Tejano’s new book, Keep The Faith, is a good exception, though. THE STORY Keep the Faith is about a…

6 Things To Love About Japanese Bookstores

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by Clarissa Chua Last year, we visited bookish destinations in Hong Kong. This time, let’s discover the awesome things about Japanese bookstores! 1. Nine floors of books, books and more books One of Japan’s biggest chain of bookstores, Books Kinokuniya, has a branch in Shinjuku, home to over nine floors of books. Each floor houses its own specialty, such as design and crafts, sciences or even just CDs and DVDs. Tourists and visitors surely do not feel left out when visiting the bookstore because they have the entire sixth floor solely dedicated to foreign books! 2. Secondhand bookstores There are also mini-bookstores all over…