Day: September 13, 2008

Like many other people, I’ve been looking forward to this day for a very long time — the Manila International Book Fair must have been the most-awaited annual event for book enthusiasts and writers alike. It gives life to the line, “So many books, so little time.” And money, of course. Cheap books — you name it, some stall has got to have it.

I’ve been on a roll for the past couple of months, mainly because a couple of major bookstores in the country have decided to hold a sale before the 29th MIBF. Naturally, I come, I see, and I conquer. This year isn’t any different, except maybe for the fact that I’m barely surviving the bouts of book splurges I’ve been having. My wallet is pitifully empty as of this writing (lucky that the dad is going to pick us up; I don’t have enough moolah for the fare home. I’m typing this part of the entry outside a café), and I hope to blackmail my mother into giving me a couple of bucks tomorrow.

And without further ado, here’s the list of books I managed to snag:

• Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami (hardbound — 99PHP; National Bookstore)
• Crooked by Laura and Tom McNeal (trade paperback — 75PHP; National Bookstore)
• The Murder at the Murder at the Mimosa Inn by Joan Hess (50PHP; Goodwill Bookstore)
• Hornet’s Nest by Patricia Cornwell (50PHP; Goodwill Bookstore)
• Desperate Crossing by Barbara Riefe (50PHP; Goodwill Bookstore)
• Sunrise on the Mediterranean by Suzanne Frank (50PHP; Goodwill Bookstore)

And of course, I “cheated” a lot. I also went to the bookstores in SM Mall of Asia; I was never a regular on any of them because the mall is too far away from our house. Luckily enough, I found a couple of hard-to-find (in my collection) or just plain awesome titles. They were just some of those I never expected to see.

• 3 One Last Wish books Lurlene McDaniel
• 2 Nancy Drew Files books by Carolyn Keene
• One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey
• Mga Kwento ng Batang Kaning Lamig by Nicanor David, Jr. (finally!!! I had been looking for this one everywhere!)

Being early for the MIBF had its perks, and one of them was the chance to meet and greet The Cercado Sisters. I was honestly impressed, enough for me to stalk them to the powder room and ask for a photograph with them. They seem to be a pretty cool bunch, but then again, I’ve always been impressed by young talents.

The quartet is composed of siblings Almira (yellow), Irene (blue), Mylene (green), and Celina (pink). They’re 19, 16, 15, and 12, respectively. I’ve expressed my shock over the youngest; she’s just my brother’s age but she certainly does not act and look like it (or is it my brother who doesn’t act his age?). No surprise that they’ve become quite a sensation. After all, they won in the World Championships of Performing Arts in Hollywood two years ago, bagging 16 gold medals in the Junior Division. You can see for yourself how they perform — I’ve uploaded two videos of them during their spotlight moment in MIBF. And I’m sure you can find a couple of other, more impressive videos around the net.

A pseudo-bloggers-meet ensued in the afternoon, when Robby, Doc Tess, Azrael, and I “reunited” for a couple of minutes. I’m sure tomorrow’s going to be more well-attended. I’m going to spend a couple of minutes with fellow BookMoochers, but I’ll be around the area. If you are too, just holler.