Ron Does Stuff

Ateneo University Press sale, a Chocolat prequel, and activites at the Philippine Book Festival 2025 in this week’s edition.

Young Illustrators’ Workshop at PBF 2025

Know of any young people who want to learn illustration? Illustrator Beth Parrocha is holding a young illustrators’ workshop at the Philippine Book Festival on March 14, Friday, from 4 to 5 p.m. Check out the details in the post above!

Fan reactions to Amazon’s Bond franchise takeover

The shock news at the start of the weekend was Amazon’s $1 billion purchase of the creative rights to the James Bond franchise and fans have opinions, as gathered by The Guardian. One complaint I found interesting was the worry that Bond becoming a series is a weakening of the brand, an opinion voiced by Bond fan David Antonio Smith.

“You need to have the experience of sitting in that audience with 100 to 200 people in the cinema. You can’t do a world premiere on a streaming platform and what makes Bond official is that world premiere.”

Ateneo University Press sale

To celebrate the upcoming EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary, the Ateneo University Press will put all of its Martial Law and People Power titles on sale, 20 percent off. The rest of the books will be sold at 10 percent off. The sale runs from today, February 23 to Wednesday, February 26.

Joanne Harris’ new book, Vianne

I haven’t personally read Chocolat, but if you’re one of those who have, here’s some good news for you. It’s author, Joanne Harris, is releasing a prequel titled Vianne that acts as a prequel to the book.

According to People, the story is set years before Chocolat‘s and shows how Vianne “discovers a hidden talent for cooking, particularly with chocolate spices, which she learns may change her life as well as the lives of others.” People also has an excerpt from the book.

El Español en Filipinas release

The Vibal Foundation will be presenting its new book, El Español en Filipinas, during the celebration of the centenary of the Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española on February 24, 2025 at the Casino Español in Ermita, Manila.

The book traces the roots of the Spanish language and culture in the Philippines and covers critical historical developments spanning from the late nineteenth century, through the American occupation, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II.

Ateneo University Press releases

The Ateneo University Press will have two upcoming releases in March: Angas? Mga Tula by Paolo Tiausas and Global Battlefields: My Close Encounters with Dictatorship, Capital, Empire, and Love by Walden Bello.

The pre-order link for Angas? Mga Tula by Paolo Tiausas is here, while the pre-order link for Global Battlefields: My Close Encounters with Dictatorship, Capital, Empire, and Love can be found here.

Cosplay at PBF 2025

The National Book Development Board is calling on cosplayers to take part in this year’s Philippine Book Festival by wearing their best takes on “Philippine literary characters like Maria Clara or Janus Silang, or even your favorite mythological creatures and antiheroes!” The event will be on March 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. Scan the QR code in the Facebook post to register.