AS EARLY as the first week of August, Davao City is already buzzing with activity and excitement in preparation for the Kadayawan Festival. With so many events organized, there’s no doubt that streets, malls, and other establishments would be packed with tourists, locals, and even celebrities.
But if you wish to celebrate a quiet Kadayawan weekend at home, I would suggest replenishing your bookshelf with copies of these books:
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
This novel narrates the seemingly mundane activities of 33-year-old Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, a Russian aristocrat who is sentenced by the Bolshevik to house arrest in a grand hotel called the Metropol. From his lavish third-floor suite, Rostov is compelled to use the crammed attic as his new sleeping quarters. Despite his reduced circumstances, Rostov remains optimistic and friendly to the hotel’s denizens: from the barber who does his weekly trims to the no-nonsense chef who makes him a killer bouillabaisse. In the course of the story, Rostov makes the most of his life in the hotel, which opens up to reveal interesting discoveries about its visitors, employees, and structures. Set against the backdrop of interlacing themes, the story also highlights the value of friendship and commitment.
Although the book has over 400 pages, I guarantee you that you can finish it in two to three days (unless you want to savor the feeling evoked by every beautifully-written line). Amor Towles—the F. Scott Fitzgerald of this century—is a genius who can transform the banal into something profound. With his unique storytelling, Towles weaves an enchanting narrative that keeps readers enraptured and entertained.
If you want to spend your holiday immersed in romance, mystery, and history, then A Gentleman in Moscow is the perfect book for you.
A Slight Trick of the Mind (reprinted as Mr. Holmes) by Mitch Cullin
The story reimagines Sherlock Holmes as an elderly man who struggles with his deteriorating memory and powers of deduction. Now a retired consulting detective, Sherlock lives as a bee-keeper in a remote farmhouse in Sussex where he is accompanied by his housekeeper and her son.
As a Sherlock Holmes fan, I was initially stunned by the idea that someone other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would dare write about Sherlock and his adventures as a 93-year-old man. But the story proved to be among the best Sherlock spin-offs ever written. Through Cullin’s writing, readers will finally understand why the indomitable Sherlock is more than just a thinking machine who’s incapable of feeling love and remorse.
Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene
The series follows the adventures of Nancy Drew, a titian blonde young sleuth who lives with her father in the town of River Heights. I grew up reading these classic mystery books, and I still enjoy rereading them now as an adult. There are 64 books in the series, but don’t let this number intimidate you—you’re not obliged to read everything in order. Every book presents a page-turning mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
For more book suggestions, you can visit the Goodreads website and view their database of books, including reviews written by both readers and book authors.