Way back when I only blogged about books, I had a weekly thing where I gathered all of the book news of the week as much as for my own benefit as for the Reader in the Ones that I had back then.
I still want to blog about books — it’s what really kept me blogging for as long as I did back in the day — but for a lot of reasons it’s been harder for me to finish reading a book than it is to watch a movie or a show and make some glib remarks about it.
So in an effort to get me back into the reading groove, I’m going to do Your Week in Books again. Maybe getting immersed in all the book news again will get me to reading much more again. Let’s hope!
PICOF 2024
One of the bigger events to happen in the local book and publishing scene this week is PICOF 2024, which holds its first physical event after four online ones held during the pandemic times.
PICOF (Philippine International Comics Festival) was held this weekend at the Podium Hall in Mandaluyong and features not just local komiks creators but also guests from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.
Check out the National Book Development Board’s Instagram account for photos and video from the event. I particularly liked the Instagram Reel below.
Ernest Hemingway’s 125th birthday
I’m not going to lie — I know more about the ~lore~ surrounding Hemingway than about the actual books he’s written. I just haven’t gotten around to reading them!
I did find this Associated Press article about Hemingway fans celebrating his birthday in Key West, Florida a nice read about how Hemingway’s legacy still persists and is still celebrated in that part of the United States. It was nice to read that even the Hemingway relatives are in on the celebrations!
New Red Sonja novel
Back in the olden days when VHS players were still around and I was a wee little boy, I watched the Red Sonja movie on VHS and absolutely loved it. I don’t if it still holds up today but I only have good memories from it.
So my interest was definitely piqued when I found out that Hachette is coming out with Red Sonja: Consumed in November this year, and it’s going to be written by Gail Simone, who isn’t just a great Twitter follow but is also a prolific comic book writer. I was surprised to find out that this is her first novel because I for sure thought she’s already written one!
Gayle Forman essay
I liked this Gayle Forman essay that was published in People three days ago. Yes, “Canceling Children Cancels Their Potential” appears a little dubious if it’s being written by a white woman, but Gayle Forman does make it clear that America’s “zero tolerance” policy often disproportionately affects the poor, people of color, and those with special needs. I also liked the point she made about how “zero tolerance” has become an easy way out for adults who do not want to do the hard work of making structural changes in society to ensure that children grow up better.
As in the Columbine days, the new zero tolerance allows adults to abdicate responsibility for doing harder work in exchange for the quick fix. Which essentially sums up today’s cancel culture. What initially started as one of the few levers to hold corrupt power to account — a decade ago, cancellation was primarily about fans calling out celebrities, companies and politicians on social media to pressure them to respond, and perhaps do better — has become a cheap substitute for the more arduous work of creating structural changes that might get to the heart of the racism, homophobia, misogyny and inequity that plague us.
Ron Does Stuff 
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