MANILA, Philippines - No, not even the rain has such small hands, according to e.e. cummings, but rain?with its syncopated march on windows, its telltale gray cloak, its earthy bouquet?can also catalyze a nascent need to pick up a certain book. So settled down in that worn but irresistibly comfortable chair, one sets off to another world, time, and place beyond the thunder and lightning:

On cold and gloomy rainy days when I?m not too busy, I find myself dragged seemingly beyond my control, to bed where I curl up with a bunch of comic books. I have a name for days like these: ?Perfect Comics Reading Weather.? Even when I?m swamped with work, I try to find the time to lie down and read comics when that kind of weather comes along. I?d usually bring out any Marvel or DC comic book from the ?60s and ?70s, a favorite era of mine in comics simply because I spent those years growing up when comics were an indelible part of my childhood. A recent favorite of mine to read during rainy days is ?Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol. 1,? a massive book containing almost 40 issues of the ?All New All Different? X-Men from the late ?70s, written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by John Byrne and Dave Cockrum. This holds some of the X-Men stories that literally changed my life and drove me to become a comics writer and artist myself.
?Gerry Alanguilan, Filipino comic book mastermind. Komilkero.com webmaster and author of ?Wasted? and ?Elmer?

Edward P. Jones?s ?The Known World,? recommended to me by Ma?am Chari Lucero, is based on an interesting premise: It?s about a black man owning slaves before the American civil war. Jones built complicated relationships between his characters; often, not merely black vs. white, which is usually what comes to mind when we think of slavery, but also white vs. white and black vs. black. It?s really well-written. Another is Penelope Lively?s ?Going Back.? I?ve long admired her writing. This was the first book of hers I read years ago. It?s about a brother and sister growing up in an idyllic countryside estate while their dad?s away fighting in World War II. I decided to read it again precisely because of the brother/sister protagonists since my current project also has brother/sister protagonists. This used to be considered a book for children--but not anymore, because many of the themes are really quite for grownups--which I read years ago but wanted to read again.
?Katrina Tuvera. Martial Law baby, fictionist and award-winning author of ?The Jupiter Effect?

Right now, I?m about halfway through ?Soledad?s Sister? by Butch Dalisay, ?Spooky Mo? by Marivi Soliven Blanco, and Doris Lessing?s ?The Cleft.? An old college classmate who is visiting from Austria gave me ?The Piano Teacher? by Elfirede Jelinek, the Austrian Nobel laureate for literature, which I?ve never read, and I plan to read that next.
?Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo, publisher, teacher and prolific author of novels ?Recuerdo? and ?A Book of Dreams?

For a rainy day read, I?d recommend T. Coraghessan Boyle?s short story collections ?If the River was Whiskey? and ?Without a Hero.? Beautifully strange, bittersweet, and ultimately human tales, with prose so dazzling you?d forget about the world outside your window. P.G. Wodehouse?s ?Right Ho, Jeeves.? Parallel universe resembling an upper-class Brit sitcom where everyone?s so witty, clever, sarcastic, and... walang ka-proble-problema sa buhay. Stephen King, ?Skeleton Crew? and ?Night Shift.? Spooky stuff I read in high school. Because cold, damp nights deserve creepy stories.
?Lourd de Veyra, word wizard, laidback frontman of Radioactive Sago Project and author of poetry collections ?Subterranean Thought Parade? and ?Shadowboxing in Headphones?

?The Road to Cana? by Anne Rice: I have ever and always loved Jesus more when I read stories like this which show Christ?s human side. And by the biographer of vampires!

?Seek Ye Whore: Lust in Translation? by Yvette Tan: Not a book! But read this dark funny fiction in Rogue?s anniversary issue. About an assemble-yourself mail-order bride from Siquijor. Not for senior citizens.

?Plan B? by Ann Lamott: Milder reading for the elderly who will love this collection of wise essays. By a funny writer who is religious, philosophical but never boring.
?Gilda Cordero Fernando, national creative treasure, cool lola and author of ?The Last Full Moon?