BOOKSTORE shelves may be groaning with all the paranormal romances crowding each other out since last year, but Philippine publishers have a potent and fascinating lineup of releases scheduled throughout 2010.

Much is always expected of category giant Anvil Publishing, Inc., and their 2010 slate is as diverse as it is consistent. Easily the funniest title is ?I Vote This Book? by venerable standup comedian Jon Santos. Now you can take Santos? chameleon-like skewering of current events with you anywhere you want.

Solemn and warm remembrances of former President Cory Aquino are the order of the day with Aquino confidante Margie P. Juico?s ?Cory an Intimate Portrait: Selected Tributes and Eulogies,? which is an updated and expanded version of the book that the late President herself got to see early last year.

Truly different however is ?Jungle of No Mercy: Memoir of a Japanese Soldier? by Hiroyuki Mizuguchi. It is nothing like you?d expect at all. Mizuguchi is the child of Japanese parents, who grew up in Davao City prior to the Second World War. When hostilities broke out, his world changed forever. Though he was leading a group of other Japanese soldiers, Mizuguchi considered himself a native taught by Americans who now had to deal life and death on a regular basis.

Witness elegant remembrances of Baguio through ?Baguio Calligraphy,? an anthology of fiction and poems about the Summer Capital, edited by Francis C. Macansantos and Luchie B. Maranan.

Just as inspiring are the stories of this rare group of youngsters named to the list of The Outstanding Students of the Philippines. The book ?E.D.G.E. Every-day Great Example: 21 Inspiring Stories of Learning, Leading and Serving for Life? reveals the triumphs and tribulations of TOSP awardees and alumni such as Cecille Guidote Alvarez, Pablo Trillana III, Rene Saguisag, Raul Roco and Fr. Manuel Francisco, SJ, among others.

Graphic novels and comic books captured many a reader?s fancy last year, so a uniquely Filipino title in the same mold published by a foreign source is on its way. ?Lola: A Graphic Novel? features art by Elbert Or and is written by Fil-Canadian J. Torres (?The Copybook Tales?). A year in the making, ?Lola? tells of how a teenager named Jesse is haunted by creatures no one else can see. Well, maybe except for his frail but visionary grandmother. This amazing adventure comes from the prestigious independent Oni Press, home of such series as Scott Pilgrim and Queen & Country.

From San Pablo?s Komikero Publishing comes Gerry Alanguilan?s labor of love. After releasing his exquisite graphic novels ?Elmer? and ?Where Bold Stars Go To Die? last year, Alanguilan truly returns to his roots with the long-awaited emergence of ?The Marvelous Adventures of the Amazing Doctor Rizal,? where the National Hero is reinvented as a science fiction hero.

Perhaps the most maverick of publishers in 2009, Visual Print Enterprises ? VisPrint for short ? has a killer lineup. First up are two debuting Visprint authors. There?s Karen Francisco, who comes with ?Naermyth,? a fantasy novel that integrates Filipino folklore, with a heroine named Athena in what Visprint describes as a ?post-apocalyptic society.? Horror veteran Karl De Mesa gathers together four of his darkest novellas for ?News of the Shaman,? which has everything from vampire queens to a cursed band. There?s also the fourth Trese graphic novel from Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo and, of course, a much anticipated Bob Ong book.

But the most fascinating item on Visprint?s lineup ? or anyone else?s it seems ? is Siege Malvar?s ?Wag Mong Salingin ang mga Patay.? If part of that title sounds familiar, it?s because that?s the Filipino translation of Jose Rizal?s ?Noli Me Tangere,? but this time with a ghoulish twist. In the spirit of such hits as ?Pride, Prejudice and Zombies,? the novel, written in Filipino, tells of Crisostomo Ibarra?s return to the Philippines near the end of the 19th century, only to find that a meteorite from space is speeding towards Earth carrying parasitical microorganisms ready to ?assimilate? humanity. Yes, it?s Crispin, Basilio and the living dead all in a single title. History and horror on the same page; should be one heck of a year for readers everywhere.