Books to read by Filipino authors for ‘National Book Week’

Hold on to your matchas, annotation pens, or whatever it is that accompanies you for a good read. This time, we’re going to celebrate National Book Week!

The National Book Week in the Philippines, which runs from Nov. 24 to 30, encourages literacy and the love for reading. It’s for readers who promise to read “just one more chapter,” yet somehow stay up until the morning with no more pages left, and for those wanting to pick up their first story and discover the joy of reading.

Whether you’re the type to stack your TBRs (to be read), share every read on Bookstagram, or manically flip through the chapters at 2 a.m., one thing’s for sure: there’s something comforting about stories that speak to our culture, language, and make us feel that our voices matter.

Filipino authors have written everything from heartwarming YA novels, to astounding mysteries, and essay collections that hit close to home. 

Here are some notable books written by Filipino authors spanning this decade and the one before that might be just what your bookshelf is missing.

(The list is not in any particular order!)

“How to Read Now” by Elaine Castillo (2022)

Kicking things off with an essay collection that urges us to read beyond the surface, “How to Read Now” challenges readers to pay attention to what should make a book, a book: its context, its voices, and its stakes, instead of treating reading as a neutral exercise that doesn’t really serve a purpose.

“Willful misreading is a violence. To warp the history of a place to serve one vision of the past—and therefore, preserve a specific vision of the present and future—is an obscenity, and yet we live in obscenities like this every day.”

Castillo will pull you through her words while she questions several important conversations about art, and show you why reading (and writing critically) matters more today than ever.

“Patron Saints of Nothing” by Randy Ribay (2019)

“It strikes me that I cannot claim this country’s serene coves and sun-soaked beaches without also claiming its poverty, its problems, its history. To say that any aspect of it is part of me is to say that all of it is part of me.”

Next up is a coming-of-age story that’s as much about uncovering family secrets as it is about discovering yourself and your culture.

From the brief description of the book, “Patron Saints of Nothing” follows Jay, a Filipino-American teen, as he returns to the Philippines to uncover more information about the death of his cousin, Jun, who was murdered as part of Former President Duterte’s war on drugs.

This story explores personal and political issues, exploring guilt, grief, and the tension between what we want to see and what we must confront. 

Through the main character’s perspective, we’re reminded that identity, responsibility, and compassion are never simple, and that asking the hard questions is part of growing up.

“Water Moon” by Samantha Sotto Yambao (2025)

“Books do not find value when they are written. They find value when they are read. Every book here is both worthless and priceless at the same time. It depends on who you ask.”

“Water Moon” immerses its readers in a journey through wonders and dangers alongside its characters, revealing truths about their own worlds and the destinies that bind them, both to one another and to the past they’ve tried to leave behind.

Yambao masterfully crafts multiple magical locations that each feel distinct and creative, while maintaining an imaginative vision that makes the worlds feel vast and connected at the same time.

If transporting into a whimsical, cozy, and magical adventure with a Studio Ghibli vibe is what you need, it is certain that this novel will surely deliver.

“Love on the Second Read” by Mica De Leon (2023)

If you haven’t gotten enough romance from “Water Moon,” this novel will satisfy your cravings.  With playful, nerdy banter and witty references to distinctly Filipino fashion, De Leon captures the kilig (giddy) feeling of falling in love through two characters from the book-publishing world.

This novel has drawn comparisons (positively and deservingly so) with brilliant, well-known books like Emily Henry’s “Book Lovers” and 2000s Filipino rom-coms, thanks to its perfect blend of romance and comedy. 

“I’m not saying it’s bad to put your heart and soul in everything you do, but you’ve got to leave some for yourself. And you’ve got to leave room for others to fill themselves up with their own hearts and souls. You can’t fix every problem by breaking off pieces of you.”

This is ideal for readers who want their hearts to flutter and to smile widely in front of a paperback book (no shame there)!

“The Quiet Ones” by Glenn Diaz” (2017)

And finally, ending this list with a thrilling book set in the busy world of Philippine call centers, “The Quiet Ones” follows a group of employees who plan a daring heist in a story that’s as gripping and tension-inducing as the deadlines we race against the clock!

“All that we did in this world was to salvage scraps of freedom.”

Diaz’s brilliant writing goes beyond the plot, using the narrative to tackle themes of homosexuality, colonial legacies, the perspectives of foreigners and their romanticization of the Philippines, and what it means to truly be a Filipino.

As you turn the pages of these and other books, remember that your taste is yours to follow. Never let anyone devalue the genres and stories you love, and don’t let any labels or expectations take that joy away.

Reading is as meaningful as you choose to make it, whether it’s for personal growth, political understanding, or any purpose that speaks to you.

Continue to explore what might excite you, and keep falling in love with reading this National Book Week and thereafter! — Shawn Pangan, INQUIRER.net trainee