READING. RANTING. RAVING.
“I have lived a thousand lives and I’ve loved a thousand loves. I’ve walked on distant worlds and seen the end of time. Because I read.”
- George R.R. Martin
- George R.R. Martin
Manila International Book Fair is the biggest book fair in the Philippines. It celebrated its 37th run last September 14-18 at the SMX Convention Center. This is my first book fair and I was super excited for it.
Having recently read, "How To Find Love in a Book Shop" I set out to find not only goodies for myself but to also start early on my Christmas shopping. The event coincides with another event on the same convention building as well as an concert at the arena next door which caused a lot of headache in traffic. I am thankful that hubby was super patient and that he knows of a parking spot that is not widely known in the area. So off to the Book Fair I go, super excited and then ... BAM! There were a ton of people. Lines everywhere. I got so thoroughly confused. I was anxious that I wouldn't get to meet up with my friend who were already there. I called them and sent them SMS... and finally we met up and our new bookish adventure begins. There are tons of books everywhere and it was overwhelming. The two biggest bookstores in our country (National Book Store and Fully Booked) had the biggest area and there were tons of people flocking in to their "Booths". But aside from these giants, there were local publishing houses and other book stores that were on the scene. We headed first to NBS area, it was like walking into their actual store. They have stationary items available aside from the books. Their line to the cashier was shorter and their books selection was wide and varied. The aisles were good for only one person to walk abreast Next we headed to FB area, here there are mostly books, so buyers had more choices and more books to choose from. Here the line has coiled around the booth several times. So patience is a MUST. Since I was new to this there were a few things that I could have done better to make my experience more "pleasurable". So below is the list of things to remember for the next book fair. 1. Get those tickets early. Some of the local bookstore gives away the tickets free a few weeks before the event. Need I say it again... it was FREE. A ticket is good for two people. The ticket is inexpensive (Php20) but the lines are long. So getting those tickets early would not only save you money but also gets you additional time on the convention floor for you. 2. Choose your time and date wisely. Since the convention goes for several days, going on a weekday could be a good choice. We went on a Saturday and it was packed!!!! Most people go on a weekend which makes moving around and finding those gorgeous books harder. BUT more events (book signing, talks, etc) are scheduled on a weekend compared on a weekday. So aside from checking your schedule, weigh the pros and cons of going on a weekend vs going on a weekday. 3. Wear something comfortable. I knew that the place is fully airconditioned and was prepared for it. But I wasn't prepared that it was going to be hot. The huge number of people plus all that walking really made it hot. So be prepared wear something you can walk around in for a long time and something that is good for hot and cold temperature (Layering is the way to go). Aside from what choice of clothes and shoes, the choice of bag is important. You should have a bag that is easy to secure your belongings in but still be able to carry your purchases. So either carry a big bag wherein everything fits or carry a small sling bag with essentials and then keep in handy some foldable shopping bags for your books is up to you. So these are my lessons learned for my first book fair and I will be more prepared (and excited) for next year!
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January 2017
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