Here Are Books by Filipino Authors We Can’t Wait to Read

As bookworms, hearing about new releases always fills us with joy. It’s like being told Christmas has come early or that a treasure trove of sparkling gems awaits us. But when the book is by a Filipino author? You feel a mix of kilig and Pinoy pride—because it means another Filipino writer has made their mark. And in the case of some of the established authors on this list, it means they have a new book for us to celebrate.

If you’re looking for new (or new-ish books) by Filipino authors to discover, look no further. From cozy fantasies and transgressive fiction to women’s fiction, a graphic novel, a short story collection, a generational queer saga, a historical novel, and National Book Award winners, this list has something for every kind of reader.

Huế City by Claire Betita De Guzman

Fresh from whisking us away to a contemporary romance novel with Sudden Superstar early last year, De Guzman takes an unexpected turn with a gritty, dark, and mesmerizing story.

In Huế City, the lives of three unlikely characters—a scammer, a part-time pimp, and a wealthy writer—collide, each one flawed, ambitious, and hurtling down a treacherous, sometimes heartbreaking path of reinvention. Huế City pulls readers in to reflect on our choices, the cities we inhabit, and what we might find within. This was released last July 2024, so if you haven’t already, add this to your to be read pile.

Daybreaker (Ilustra Book 1) by Tori Tadiar

Daybreaker, written and illustrated by Tori Tadiar, is the first book in the Ilustra series. This middle-grade graphic novel follows Mika Mirasol, a boarding school high school student who has always believed Filipino gods and goddesses to be mere old wives’ tales—until a moth speaks to her in the voice of her deceased lola.

Mika then acquires a burst of power and inadvertently casts a spell on two classmates, setting her on a quest into the islands of the Philippines to unlock its hidden myths. Daybreaker will be released in June 2025 and is now available for pre-order at Fully Booked.

The Power Above Us All by Ronaldo Vivo Jr.

The Power Above Us All is the gripping first installment in the Dreamland series by award-winning author Ronald Vivo Jr., translated into English by Karl De Mesa. In Book 1, readers are swept inside the giant slum of ‘Dreamland,’ where Dodong, a low-life criminal, lives a cushy life with his best friend.

His life takes a violent turn when his girlfriend, Che, turns up dead, and Dodong is framed for her murder. With the clock ticking, Dodong rushes to clear his name, and the further he goes into the rabbit hole, he unearths audacious twists and terrifying truths that may change him and Dreamland forever.

My Lola’s Love Letters by Ines Bautista-Yao

College junior Nat Torres feels like her life isn’t going anywhere. Who would when she allows an ex to keep breaking her heart (a never-ending cycle for Nat) and the school where she works part-time reassigns her because she wasn’t living up to her potential?

But one day, when clearing out her Lola’s dusty basement, Nat discovers stacks of letters that belong to her Lola Natividad (the one she’s named after). In the letters, her lola is a twenty-something lass in love. As Nat reads letter after letter, she may just find the strong and brave woman hiding inside her. Published by Ateneo Press in March of last year, this warm and hopeful book is perfect for young adult readers.

Cat’s People by Tanya Guerrero

We all need hugs and cats in our lives (and one more thing, this book!). Cat’s People tells the tale of Cat, a loving and clever yet cautious black street cat with a troubled past. Living under the hedges in Brooklyn, New York, Cat values her independence but feels inexplicably drawn to five lonely humans who visit her regularly: a reclusive bestselling author, a cherished neighborhood mailman, a grieving widower, a checkout girl from Georgia, and the colorful “Rainbow Lady.”

When Cat falls seriously ill, these strangers come together, forming unlikely friendships that change their lives. Charming and sweet, this story will surely warm your heart and lift your spirits. To be released in April 2025, Cat’s People is available for pre-order at Fully Booked.

Accidents Happen by F.H. Batacan

Nine years after F.H. Batacan and Soho Press released an expanded edition of Smaller and Smaller Circles, “What is up with F.H. Batacan?” is a question frequently asked in literary circles and by fans of the author. And now we have an answer: she’s been busy writing!

This March 2025, Batacan returns with Accidents Happen, a highly anticipated collection of mystery and crime short stories. From the master of Filipino crime fiction, readers can expect nothing less than gripping narratives and masterful storytelling.

Steady Sarah by Justine Camacho-Tajonera

A book about self-discovery? Absolutely, yes! When “Steady Sarah” suffers a double whammy (gets dumped by a guy she thought she’d marry, then fired from her job), Sarah surprises her family, friends, and even herself when she sets on a quest to visit seven waterfalls from Luzon to Mindanao.

If you’ve ever felt lost or fantasized about leaving everything behind and staging an Eat, Pray, Love trip, this travelogue fictional book is the one to pick up and dive into.

A Monsoon Rising (Hurricane Wars Book 2) by Thea Guanzon

Romantasy fans will be thrilled to learn that Thea Guanzon’s newest installment in the Hurricane Wars series was released in December last year. Alaric and Talasyn are forced into an alliance and marriage, and political schemers abound, secretly plotting to overthrow Alaric’s reign. Meanwhile, a magical event called Moonless Dark looms on the horizon, threatening to devour their world, and only Talasyn and Alaric can stop it.

Kalahating Bahaghari by Ricky Lee

The National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, teacher, and master storyteller Ricky Lee is back with a brand new novel. In Kalahating Bahaghari, Lee interweaves the dark history of Martial Law and the oppression of LGBTQ+ Filipinos, told through a poignant multi-generational tale of a Filipino family. Funny, heartwarming, and brimming with emotions, Kalahating Bahaghari will make you ugly-cry until the very end.

1762: A Novel by Vin Dela Serna Lopez

1762, a historical novel by Vin Dela Serna Lopez and winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Best Novel in English, reimagines the British occupation of Manila and Cavite through the eyes of a group of dockyard workers plotting to overthrow the Spanish regime.

Susan Lara, 2022 Palanca Awards chair, author, and critic, praised 1762, “The narrative voice is supremely credible, the storytelling, solidly grounded in geography and even in the minutiae of the galleon trade. All told, 1762 is a seamless fictional creation of a historical event.”

It Is Time to Come Home: Poems by Marjorie Evasco

What is writing but a journey, an endless search for meaning in a world full of questions where answers do not come easy? Dive into this poetry collection by Marjorie Evasco, a gathering of new and old collected poems, and the winner of the 2024 Philippine Literary Arts Council Prize for Best Book of Poetry in English.

Evasco writes in her preface, “I hope this volume of new and selected poems will invite the attentive reader to follow the layered paths of my writing life from the time I crossed my home’s threshold in 1973 to go elsewhere, only to return again and again, in various magical and meandering ways, to the kiss of poetry in my forehead.” It is time to come home.

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Samantha Sotto Yambao’s newest opus is about a mysterious pawnshop hiding behind a cozy ramen restaurant. It’s not just any pawnshop: besides jewels and antiques, this one pawns life choices and deep regrets.

On the day Hana Ishikawa is set to take over the family business, disaster strikes: the pawnshop is ransacked, and her father disappears without a trace, launching Hana into a dazzling and spellbinding journey by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds. Water Moon is set to be released this January 2025.

Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala

Death in the Cards is the young adult debut of Mia Manansala, author of the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series (Arsenic and Adobo, Homicide and Halo-halo, and Blackmail and Bibingka). The story revolves around Danika Dizon, a high schooler whose side hustle is tarot reading for her classmates.

Trouble brews when one of her clients vanishes after they’re dealt a death card. Danika, wanting to prove to her private investigator mom and mystery writer dad she’s got what it takes to be a detective, takes on the case. But what starts as a compelling challenge quickly devolves into something darker, and Danika must uncover the truth before it’s too late. Watch out for this book’s release in May 2025.

Grab one of these books (or all of them) from Fully Booked. Visit their stores, shop online, or email greatreads@fullybookedonline.com.

Disclaimer: Article used with permission from Fully Booked

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