Have Books, Will Travel
/Water Moon
By Samantha Sotto Yambao
A fantasy novel that begins in a Tokyo pawnshop where only a select few can enter to exchange their deepest regrets. On her first day as the new owner, Hana Ishikawa discovers it was ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. A charming physicist named Keishin stumbles in and instead of pawning a choice, offers her help. But he probably bites more than he can chew because beyond the pawnshop’s doors is a mystical world that his science cannot explain. Getting from one place to another involves jumping into puddles, riding a song, or spreading a rumor. There is a tea house that only exists at midnight, a night market situated in the clouds, and a village that produces the stars.
Together, Hana and Keishin go on a quest using clues to find Hana’s father, while being chased by dreadful creatures. Every new discovery leads to more questions like: What happens to the regrets collecting in the pawnshop and are those who exchange them ever truly happy? Is it better to have a life where you are free to choose your own destiny, or one where you already know its outcome the moment you are born? And will their budding romance even be possible with Keishin as an outsider, and Hana’s entire life already mapped out?
This is Manila-based author Samantha Sotto Yambao’s sixth novel. Since launching the book in January, it has become a National Bestseller, an Indie Bestseller, part of Barnes and Noble’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2025 and is shortlisted for the U.K.’s Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2025. It has also been translated into more than 20 languages, and the book jacket of the hardbound version can inventively be folded into an origami boat. Fittingly, the dedication page reads, “For everyone in search of new beginnings.”
The Farm
By Joanne Ramos
A fictional novel set in New York’s Hudson Valley. Golden Oaks, also known as “The Farm,” is a wellness retreat that pampers with healthy prepared meals, daily massages, and excursions tailored to the individual’s interests, all for free. It also comes with a generous salary. If it sounds too good to be true, here’s what you must give up: for nine months, you are not allowed to leave, your movements are tracked, and you must forgo the life you used to live. Your primary task is to produce the perfect baby. For someone else.
Jane is an immigrant from the Philippines and desperate for options for a better life. She finds herself as a “host,” a surrogate for a wealthy and successful Golden Oaks “client.” The conflict is, she has a daughter she just wants to see, and her cousin, who is her daughter’s caregiver, might be in danger. Can she get to them without risking the financial reward promised to her upon delivery of the baby?
This page-turner about the power of money and women needing women, is a National Bestseller, nominated for the NAACP Image Award, and was longlisted for the Center of Fiction First Novel Prize. It is the debut novel of Joanne Ramos who was born in the Philippines, moved to Wisconsin as a child, and is now based in New York City with her family. Meeting and hearing stories from Filipino caregivers led to writing The Farm, where she says, “I saw the daily sacrifices these women made in the hope of something better—for their children, if not for themselves—and the enormous obstacles standing in their way.”
Riding Through the Rice Fields (A Trip to the Philippines)
By Michelle Sterling and Illustrated by Bianca Austria
This children’s book is about a young boy named Mateo and his father who are living abroad. A trip to the Philippines for a family reunion allows Mateo to see another side of his father, that of an adventurer. They go cycling, fishing, and even picking coconuts. He learns about his father’s childhood, as well as the concept of bayanihan (people coming together to help their neighbors), strengthening their bond.
The book is written by Michelle Sterling, a Filipino American author, photographer, and speech-language pathologist based in Southern California. Like her other books When Lola Visits and Maribel’s Year, she uses themes of preserving family values and heritage while living outside the Philippines. Illustrations capturing the vibrant Philippine markets and countryside are by Bianca Austria, a Filipino American artist based in Long Beach, California.
Whether reading this book or making the actual journey, the author reminds us that, “A trip home reminds us of who we are.”
The Legend of Sensei Tsinelas
By Jason Tanamor
This novel for young adults takes place in Portland, Oregon. Victor dela Cruz is an insecure teenager who struggles to belong in a predominantly white high school where he is a victim of bullying. He is striking the balance between assimilating while taking pride in his Filipino heritage that he knows very little about. He is obsessed with superheroes, believing they are ordinary and flawed but possess hidden greatness.
The Legend of Sensei Tsinelas, written by Jason Tanamor, a Filipino American writer, author, and teacher based in Illinois, also celebrates Portland’s food truck culture. Victor works part time at a Filipino food truck where he learns more about the Philippines through food with the help of his boss. Victor is also out to prove that his boss is a real-life superhero whose deft slinging of tsinelas (slippers) can stop thieves and their evil intentions. Will Victor succeed? And more importantly, will he be able to find the superhero within him?
Noteworthy are the strong women characters that provide gentle encouragement to Victor: his Lola, sister Ginessa, and teacher Miss Francis. Like his other novels, Vampires of Portlandia and Love, Dance & Egg Rolls, this book is empathetic to the immigrant experience.
Wanderlust Creamery Presents: The World of Ice Cream
By Adrienne Borlongan
This cookbook teaches you how to make ice cream that recreates a taste memory from a city you’ve been to or introduces you to a place you have yet to visit. Wanderlust Creamery is a popular ice cream shop found across Los Angeles. Now with eight branches, it’s named after that strong desire to travel. Its flavors reflect that: Ube Malted Crunch, Sticky Rice and Mango, Caramelized Honey Hojicha, Abuelita Malted Crunch, White Rabbit, among others.
Wanderlust Creamery is owned by Filipino American couple JP Lopez and Adrienne Borlongan. Adrienne, who has a degree in food science, creates the innovative menu, pulling ideas from her travels, experience in bartending, and serendipitous lineage (her grandfather was a flavor chemist at the iconic Magnolia Ice Cream company in the Philippines). Her mission is to broaden people’s palates and also trigger childhood nostalgia, and for Filipinos, Lolo’s Mango or Halo-Halo will surely resonate. If you can’t travel to L.A., you can still get a taste of Wanderlust Creamery using the recipes in this cookbook.
Claire Mercado-Obias is a writer, food stylist and pastry chef based in New Jersey.
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