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book reviews by a queer filipina

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Soul + Spirit

Posts / reviews on books about soul + spirit.

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About

Pia Cortez is a poet and a writer from Pampanga, Philippines, currently residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read more →

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I remember being so confused with @joseiswriting when I first heard about him, confused because he was unlike any progressive or activist I know. It wasn’t until I heard him speak at @ybca with @jeromeureyes that I was finally able to grasp what he was saying about racism, immigration, power & language. Reading DEAR AMERICA right after not only made me appreciate his views (echoing some of my concerns tbh), but it also made me a fan. JAV: "I'm neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I don't identify as a liberal or a conservative. In my mind, progress--being progressive--should not be limited by politics, and certainly not dictated by one party. But since I'm an undocumented and gay person of color, I'm considered a progressive. And the thing about being an 'activist' in progressive circles is, you're never enough." Review coming soon on booklookbypia.com ✨
"You have to decide who you are, and force the world to deal with you, not its idea of you." —James Baldwin ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Words from Baldwin by way of @joseiswriting, whose book DEAR AMERICA resonates so deeply. In many ways, I share many of JAV's cultural identities: queer, Filipino, immigrant whose first home in the U.S. is the Bay Area. But while I went through anger + resentment of my move, JAV dealt with being undocumented. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ More on this week's #booklook and review in the next few days, stay tuned ✨
"It was all this nonsense about falling in love that was making a husband unseemly. Of course one must fall in love, but let it initially be the man who falls and then, once his ring is on your finger, you too may allow yourself to fall in love—though within reason, Mrs. Binat always cautioned, for the best marriages were the ones where the husband loved the wife more." —Unmarriageable ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My #bookreview of @soniahkamal's retelling of Pride & Prejudice in modern-day Pakistan is up on the blog, check it out on booklookbypia.com ✨ thank you to the wonderful folks over at @randomhouse + #ballantinebooks for my copy! Lmk if this is something you’d read 😍
My fave in the book: Alys, the second eldest daughter of five, chose to teach English literature instead of grooming herself to find the perfect husband. Pride and Prejudice in modern-day Pakistan with ‘Unmarriageable’ by @soniahkamal is a lovely read, as I rooted for the Bennets-turned-Binats throughout. Even for Mrs. Binat’s nerves 😅 But Alys though folks, Alys. Girls, Ays said to the tenth grade, open up your Romeo and Juliet. Let me remind you that Juliet is 13 years old and Romeo around 15 or 16 and that they could have surely experienced a happier fate had they refrained from romance at their ages, which may have well been Shakespeare’s cautionary intent for writing this pathetically sad love story. A girl after my own heart 🥀
"Mrs. Binat’s ambitions for her daughters were fairly typical: groom them into marriageable material & wed them off to no less than princes & presidents." —UNMARRIAGEABLE Absolutely loving @soniahkamal’s novel, a retelling of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride & Prejudice’ in modern-day Pakistan 👏🏾 This week’s #booklook is an ode to a beloved classic, except that I actually enjoyed Kamal’s version more with the Binat sisters Jena, Alys (!), Mari, Lady & Qitty. More on this on the blog later this week, thank you @randomhouse for my copy 🙌🏾
New post up on booklookbypia.com feat. #AlaindeBotton's book THE COURSE OF LOVE 🖤 A few lessons if you dare: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 〰️ Love is a skill, not an enthusiasm. 〰️ What we look for in love unconsciously are patterns of childhood familiarity. 〰️ One of love’s oddities: sulking. 〰️ The opposite of nagging is negotiating and understanding patiently. 〰️ Teaching our partners may be one of love’s greatest gifts. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Check out my review, link in bio & tell me what you think 🖤
This week's #booklook is one of my favorite reads ever, THE COURSE OF LOVE by #AlaindeBotton, philosopher and founder of @theschooloflifelondon. I reviewed this book back in 2016 & think of it constantly as I navigate my own relationships. This book is a love story between two people, but it's not your typical fiction read. Interspersed throughout are philosophical + psychoanalytic musings, a closer look on the most wonderful & horrifying realities of our love/intimate relationships. Love is a skill, not an enthusiasm, he writes. I'll be posting this on booklookbypia.com so stay tuned ❤️️
Love is in the air ❤️ Got the loveliest Vday set from @danielwellington & here’s my gift to ya: use code PIACORTEZ for 15% off to get yours. Treat yrself, treat yr loves, link in bio for all the deets ✨ #FromDWwithlove #ad
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