Hi guys! Bianca here. It has been a while since I last posted here, but I am slowly getting my mojo back. Just last week, I went to the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) and I bought a lot of books. I say a lot, because I usually don’t buy a lot of books in a single go. I am more of a collective haul kind of person. Although, I am happy to report that this year’s book fair got the best of me. It’s always a good thing for books. Anyways, the fair is every bookworm’s dream and nightmare. Dream, in the scenario where they get to be surrounded by books and bookworms who share the same passion. Nightmare, in the scenario where the crowd just gets too overwhelming. I was blessed enough to be able to attend 3 days of the book fair, (for reasons I am unable to disclose yet. Maybe soon!) so I was able to get my hands on majority of the titles that I wanted to get.

(I just noticed that this is my first book haul post for Stay Bookish. No, those are not my screams that you are hearing in the background.)

Books I got from National Bookstore:

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy (signed)

This book was my first purchase from the fair. It was on the mystery 30% off flash sale, so I did not pass on not getting it. I mean come on, with the sale, the price is equivalent to that of a new release paperback. My wallet did a happy dance. (Thank you so much to Inah at The Bibliophile Confessions for recommending this book. <3)

Empress of A Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

Yes, I am guilty for buying this because of the cover. To be fair, it was on my list and it was YA sci-fi. Who turns down a potentially good sci-fi book? NOT. ME.

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

Adam knows how to make me cry, so I already have tissues and a bucket prepared. Also, if it were not for JM at Book Freak Revelations, I may not have gotten my copy. You can just imagine me going all eagle eye on the last day for a copy. Luckily, I was able to buy the penultimate book on the shelf.

National Bookstore really stepped up their game this year. The titles available were all amazing, and for a second, I felt like I should have swayed from my list a little bit and buy something out of the window. Yet, I didn’t. :) I was not able to buy anything at Fully Booked because the crowd scared me, even on the first day. But the available titles there were to die for, and I honestly admire every person who managed to bring home a bag of books from there. No kidding, because you guys are basically warriors!

Now thanks to Summit Media, I was able to meet a lot of Filipino authors during MIBF. I was able to get my books signed by some of the authors as well, and it was so fun to able to interact with them.

Books I got from Summit Media:

Ampalaya Monologues by Mark Ghosn (signed)

Can you hear my bitter heart pounding?

Reapers by Tsubame (signed)

This is the first book that I read from Pop Fiction. I really like Tsubame’s writing style. (Plus, she’s so cute IRL.)

The Ceyla Chronicles: Helios Murders by sunako_nakahara, sielalstreim, onneechan, tsubame, and natsuriayuko (signed by all of the authors)

I wanted this to be my first collaboration read from Pop Fiction.

Hunghang Flashbacks by D. Borja (also signed by Manix Abrera)

The book is too hilarious to pass up. D. Borja is fantastically funny, and I cannot wait till a sequel for this comes out.

And there you have it! Apparently even if I’m are low-key losing motivation, books can still somehow manage to get tangled in my hands. This proves my theory that bookworms are basically magnets. I have not been the best bookworm for the past few months, but I somehow managed to attract books to haul. This is coming from your girl who is already having trouble with the space where she puts her books. It was exhausting to go to the fair for 3 days, I have to admit that. But the feeling of exhaustion can easily be replaced by the feeling of contentment. This event proves that the printed word is alive, and the flame burns more than ever in the heart of every bookworm.

What did you haul in this year’s MIBF?

What book should I read first?