Marcos Martial Law: Never Again by Raissa Robles

As soon as I read in an article that the copies of the books were available already in National Bookstore, I immediately went to the branch in Glorietta, which was just right across Park Terraces.

The book is priced at PhP 395.00. It is a very easy read. I've been reading it as a bedside novel, which is a challenge because the book is huge. 

As a student, I was diligent reading on the history of Martial Law. Although I was born in the early 80s, my family did not feel the effects of Martial Law at the time. My mother, though, had a coffee-table book on People Power which piqued my interest in the topic at an early age. In Ateneo,  I was lucky to have been taught by my teachers of what happened during Martial Law, and the thirst for knowledge on that era in Philippine history never lost its allure for me. I was fascinated by the excesses of the Marcoses - I used to have a copy of Some Are Smarter Than Others, and that book reported in depth the items that Imelda Marcos would purchase from abroad. It listed real estate, jewelry, shoes, clothes, paintings - quite fascinating, I tell you. I really hope that they do another run of that book again. 

In the day and age of information technology, it surprises me that millennials don't seem to have a clue as to what happened during Martial Law. This particular book gives you the story of the victims of human rights violations, the desaparecidos, and their families. 

It would be a good addition to every Filipino's library. 

The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

I have just recently watched The Maze Runner, while checked in at New World Makati City Hotel. Movie was good, but it just left me with a lot of questions, which I felt would be answered if I had read the book.

First chance I got, I looked into purchasing a box set in Powerbooks Serendra, but since I wasn't familiar with the author, and wasn't sure whether I would like his writing style or not, decided to purchase the first novel instead.

The first novel is The Maze Runner, and at Powerbooks, it costs PhP 359.00. Unfortunately, at the time, I was not able to bring my Powerbooks Card, so I wasn't able to get a discount off of it.

I just finished the first novel a couple of days ago, and I do, in fact like the writing style of James Dashner. It was a good thing I was able to buy the 2nd novel, The Scorch Trials, so there was continuity in my reading.

As expected, there were a lot of details that were not captured in the movie, and things became clearer for me - especially the backstory as to why the Gladers were placed in the maze to begin with.

I'm currently reading through The Scorch Trials, and so far the Gladers are onto another challenge before they can finally discover what their true purpose is. I am quite excited for the movie adaptation to come out by next year, hopefully.

My only regret, though, is that I wasn't really able to follow the true time-sequence in reading the novels. The Maze Runner was published in 2009, The Scorch Trials in 2010, The Death Cure in 2011, and The Kill Order in 2012. The Kill Order, however, is a prequel to The Maze Runner, together with another upcoming novel, The Fever Code, slated for a 2016 release.

Anyway, I'll just end up reading it in the order it was published.

The Scorch Trials I purchased in National Bookstore in Market! Market!, and I got points out of it on my Laking National Card. Glad to report that the novel is cheaper there, it was priced at PhP 349.00.

If you're interested in reading these novels, feel free to check reviews of the series found online. They are quite gripping!